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[ "Resolución 2002 (2011)", "Aprobada por el Consejo de Seguridad en su 6596^(a) sesión, celebrada el 29 de julio de 2011", "El Consejo de Seguridad,", "Reafirmando sus anteriores resoluciones y declaraciones de su Presidencia relativas a la situación en Somalia y relativas a Eritrea, en particular la resolución 733 (1992), en la que se estableció un embargo de todos los suministros de armas y equipo militar a Somalia (en adelante, el “embargo de armas relativo a Somalia”), la resolución 1519 (2003), la resolución 1558 (2004), la resolución 1587 (2005), la resolución 1630 (2005), la resolución 1676 (2006), la resolución 1724 (2006), la resolución 1744 (2007), la resolución 1766 (2007), la resolución 1772 (2007), la resolución 1801 (2008), la resolución 1811 (2008), la resolución 1844 (2008), la resolución 1853 (2008), la resolución 1862 (2009), la resolución 1907 (2009), la resolución 1916 (2010) y la resolución 1972 (2011),", "Recordando que, según lo dispuesto en sus resoluciones 1744 (2007) y 1772 (2007), el embargo de armas relativo a Somalia no es aplicable a a) los suministros de armas y equipo militar, ni a la capacitación y asistencia técnicas que se destinen exclusivamente a prestar apoyo a la Misión de la Unión Africana en Somalia (AMISOM) o al uso de esta, y b) los suministros y la asistencia técnica proporcionados por Estados y destinados exclusivamente a ayudar a desarrollar las instituciones del sector de la seguridad, en consonancia con el proceso político indicado en esas resoluciones y a condición de que, en cada caso concreto, el Comité establecido en virtud de la resolución 751 (1992), cuyo mandato fue ampliado en virtud de la resolución 1907 (2009) (en adelante, “el Comité”), no adopte una decisión negativa dentro de los cinco días hábiles siguientes a aquel en que reciba una notificación sobre esos suministros o asistencia,", "Recordando sus resoluciones 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) y 1998 (2011), relativas a los niños y los conflictos armados, las resoluciones 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) y 1960 (2010), relativas a la mujer, la paz y la seguridad, y las resoluciones 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) y 1889 (2009), relativas a la protección de los civiles en los conflictos armados,", "Reafirmando su respeto por la soberanía, la integridad territorial, la independencia política y la unidad de Somalia, de Djibouti y de Eritrea,", "Reafirmando que el Acuerdo de Paz y el proceso de paz de Djibouti constituyen el fundamento de la solución del conflicto de Somalia, reiterando su compromiso respecto de una solución general y duradera de la situación imperante en Somalia que se base en la Carta Federal de Transición, y reiterando la urgente necesidad de que todos los dirigentes somalíes tomen medidas tangibles para continuar el diálogo político,", "Tomando nota del informe del Grupo de Supervisión de fecha 18 de julio de 2011 (S/2011/433), presentado atendiendo a lo dispuesto en el párrafo 6 k) de la resolución 1916 (2010), y de las observaciones y recomendaciones que en él figuran,", "Condenando las corrientes de armas y municiones que entran en Somalia y Eritrea y atraviesan esos países contraviniendo el embargo de armas relativo a Somalia y el embargo de armas relativo a Eritrea, establecido en virtud de la resolución 1907 (2009) (en adelante, el “embargo de armas relativo a Eritrea”), y constituyen una grave amenaza para la paz y la estabilidad de la región,", "Exhortando a todos los Estados Miembros, en particular a los de la región, a que se abstengan de realizar cualquier acción que contravenga los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y adopten todas las medidas necesarias para que los infractores rindan cuentas de sus actos,", "Reafirmando la importancia de intensificar la supervisión del cumplimiento de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea mediante una investigación constante y atenta de las infracciones, habida cuenta de que la aplicación estricta de los embargos de armas mejorará la situación general de la región en materia de seguridad,", "Expresando preocupación por los actos de intimidación contra el Grupo de Supervisión y por la injerencia en la labor del Grupo,", "Reiterando su gran preocupación por el empeoramiento de la situación humanitaria de Somalia y los efectos de la sequía y la hambruna actual, condenando enérgicamente los ataques deliberados contra los envíos de ayuda humanitaria y su obstrucción cometidos por grupos armados en Somalia, que han impedido la entrega de esa ayuda en algunas zonas, y deplorando los reiterados ataques contra el personal de asistencia humanitaria,", "Reiterando su condena en los términos más enérgicos de todos los actos de violencia, abusos e infracciones, incluida la violencia sexual y basada en el género, cometidos contra civiles, incluidos los niños, contraviniendo el derecho internacional aplicable, destacando que sus autores deben ser sometidos a la acción de la justicia, recordando todas sus resoluciones sobre la mujer, la paz y la seguridad, sobre los niños y los conflictos armados y sobre la protección de los civiles en los conflictos armados, y, por consiguiente, considerando que es preciso reafirmar y seguir fortaleciendo los criterios de designación actuales en relación con las medidas selectivas que figuran en la resolución 1844 (2008),", "Reafirmando la necesidad de que tanto las instituciones federales de transición como los donantes se puedan pedir cuentas mutuamente y sean transparentes en la asignación de recursos financieros,", "Pidiendo el fin de la apropiación indebida de fondos, que socava la capacidad de las autoridades locales para prestar servicios en Somalia,", "Habiendo determinado que la situación imperante en Somalia, las acciones de Eritrea en detrimento de la paz y la reconciliación en Somalia y la controversia entre Djibouti y Eritrea siguen constituyendo una amenaza para la paz y la seguridad internacionales en la región,", "Actuando en virtud del Capítulo VII de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas,", "1. Decide que las medidas establecidas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) se apliquen a las personas, y las disposiciones de los párrafos 3 y 7 de esa resolución se apliquen a las entidades, designadas por el Comité que:", "a) Participen en actos que amenacen la paz, la seguridad o la estabilidad de Somalia o les presten apoyo, en particular actos que supongan una amenaza para el Acuerdo de Djibouti de 18 de agosto de 2008 o el proceso político, o supongan una amenaza mediante la fuerza para las instituciones federales de transición o la AMISOM;", "b) Hayan actuado contraviniendo el embargo de armas general y completo reafirmado en el párrafo 6 de la resolución 1844 (2008);", "c) Obstruyan la prestación de asistencia humanitaria a Somalia, o el acceso a la asistencia humanitaria o su distribución en Somalia;", "d) Sean líderes políticos o militares que recluten o utilicen a niños en conflictos armados en Somalia contraviniendo el derecho internacional aplicable;", "e) Sean responsables de infracciones del derecho internacional aplicable en Somalia dirigidas contra civiles, incluidos niños y mujeres, en situaciones de conflicto armado, como asesinatos y mutilaciones, actos de violencia sexual o basada en el género, ataques contra escuelas y hospitales, secuestros y desplazamientos forzados;", "2. Considera que los actos mencionados en el párrafo 1 a) supra pueden incluir, entre otros, la apropiación indebida de recursos financieros, que socava la capacidad de las instituciones federales de transición para cumplir su obligación de prestar servicios en el marco del Acuerdo de Djibouti;", "3. Considera que todo el comercio no local que transite por los puertos controlados por Al-Shabaab y constituya apoyo financiero a una entidad designada, amenaza la paz, la estabilidad y la seguridad de Somalia, y que, por lo tanto, las personas y entidades que participen en ese tipo de comercio podrán ser designadas por el Comité y sometidas a las medidas selectivas establecidas en la resolución 1844 (2008);", "4. Exhorta al Gobierno Federal de Transición a que considere la posibilidad de prohibir todo el comercio realizado mediante grandes buques mercantes con puertos controlados por Al-Shabaab;", "5. Exige que todas las partes garanticen el acceso pleno, seguro y sin trabas para distribuir ayuda humanitaria oportunamente a las personas que necesitan asistencia en toda Somalia, subraya su grave preocupación ante el empeoramiento de la situación humanitaria en Somalia, insta a todas las partes y grupos armados a que adopten las medidas apropiadas para garantizar la seguridad del personal y los suministros humanitarios, y expresa su disposición a aplicar sanciones selectivas contra esas personas y entidades si cumplen los criterios de inclusión en la lista que figuran en el párrafo 1 c) supra;", "6. Decide prorrogar el mandato del Grupo de Supervisión a que se hace referencia en el párrafo 3 de la resolución 1558 (2004), prorrogado en virtud del párrafo 6 de la resolución 1916 (2010), y solicita al Secretario General que, con la mayor rapidez posible, tome las medidas administrativas necesarias para restablecer el Grupo de Supervisión por un período de 12 meses a partir de la fecha de la presente resolución, que estará integrado por ocho expertos, aprovechando, según corresponda, la pericia de los miembros del Grupo de Supervisión establecido en virtud de la resolución 1916 (2010) y en consonancia con la resolución 1907 (2009), para que cumpla el siguiente mandato ampliado:", "a) Ayudar al Comité a supervisar la aplicación de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008), incluida la presentación de información sobre su incumplimiento; incluir en los informes que presente al Comité toda información pertinente para la posible designación de las personas y entidades descritas en el párrafo 1 supra;", "b) Ayudar al Comité a compilar los resúmenes a que se hace referencia en el párrafo 14 de la resolución 1844 (2008) sobre los motivos de la inclusión en la lista de las personas y entidades designadas conforme a lo dispuesto en el párrafo 1 supra;", "c) Investigar toda operación portuaria realizada en Somalia que pueda generar ingresos para Al-Shabaab, entidad designada por el Comité por cumplir los criterios de inclusión en la lista que figuran en la resolución 1844 (2008);", "d) Proseguir las tareas indicadas en los párrafos 3 a) a c) de la resolución 1587 (2005), párrafos 23 a) a c) de la resolución 1844 (2008), y los párrafos 19 a) a d) de la resolución 1907 (2009);", "e) Investigar, en coordinación con los organismos internacionales competentes, todas las actividades, incluidas las de los sectores de las finanzas, el transporte marítimo y otros, que generen ingresos utilizados para cometer infracciones de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea;", "f) Investigar todos los medios de transporte, rutas, puertos marítimos, aeropuertos y otras instalaciones que se utilicen en relación con las infracciones de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea;", "g) Seguir afinando y actualizando la información sobre la lista preliminar de las personas y entidades que cometan los actos descritos en el párrafo 1 supra, dentro y fuera de Somalia, y de quienes los apoyen activamente, con miras a la posibilidad de que el Consejo adopte medidas en el futuro, y presentar esa información al Comité cuando este lo considere apropiado;", "h) Elaborar una lista preliminar de las personas y entidades que cometan los actos descritos en los apartados a) a e) del párrafo 15 de la resolución 1907 (2009), dentro y fuera de Eritrea, y de quienes los apoyen activamente, con miras a la posibilidad de que el Consejo adopte medidas en el futuro, y presentar esa información al Comité cuando este lo considere apropiado;", "i) Seguir formulando recomendaciones sobre la base de sus investigaciones, de los informes anteriores del Grupo de Expertos (S/2003/223 y S/2003/1035) designado en virtud de las resoluciones 1425 (2002) y 1474 (2003), y de los informes anteriores del Grupo de Supervisión (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 y S/2010/91) designado en virtud de las resoluciones 1519 (2003), 1558 (2004), 1587 (2005), 1630 (2005), 1676 (2006), 1724 (2006), 1766 (2007), 1811 (2008), 1853 (2008) y 1916 (2010);", "j) Colaborar estrechamente con el Comité en la formulación de recomendaciones concretas para la adopción de nuevas medidas a fin de mejorar el cumplimiento general de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009), relativa a Eritrea;", "k) Ayudar a determinar las esferas en que se puede incrementar la capacidad de los Estados de la región para facilitar la aplicación de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea, así como de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009) relativas a Eritrea;", "l) Presentar al Consejo, por conducto del Comité, una exposición informativa de mitad de período dentro de los seis meses siguientes a su establecimiento, y presentar al Comité informes mensuales sobre la marcha de sus actividades;", "m) Presentar por conducto del Comité y a más tardar 15 días antes de que termine el mandato del Grupo de Supervisión, dos informes finales, uno sobre Somalia y otro sobre Eritrea, acerca de todas las tareas indicadas más arriba, para que los examine el Consejo de Seguridad;", "7. Solicita al Secretario General que tome las disposiciones financieras necesarias para apoyar la labor del Grupo de Supervisión;", "8. Solicita al Comité que, de conformidad con su mandato y en consulta con el Grupo de Supervisión y demás entidades competentes de las Naciones Unidas, estudie las recomendaciones que figuran en los informes del Grupo de Supervisión y recomiende al Consejo medios para mejorar la aplicación y el cumplimiento de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y la aplicación de las medidas selectivas impuestas en virtud de los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009), en respuesta a la continuación de las infracciones;", "9. Decide que, por un período de 12 meses a contar desde la fecha de esta resolución y sin perjuicio de los programas de asistencia humanitaria que se realicen en otra parte, las obligaciones impuestas a los Estados Miembros en el párrafo 3 de la resolución 1844 (2008) no se apliquen al pago de fondos ni a los demás activos financieros o recursos económicos necesarios para asegurar el suministro oportuno de la asistencia humanitaria que se requiere con urgencia en Somalia por las Naciones Unidas, sus organismos especializados o sus programas, las organizaciones humanitarias que tengan la condición de observadoras en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas y proporcionen ayuda humanitaria y sus asociados en la ejecución, incluidas las organizaciones no gubernamentales de financiación bilateral o multilateral que participen en el llamamiento unificado de las Naciones Unidas para Somalia.", "10. Insta a todas las partes y todos los Estados, incluidos Eritrea, los demás Estados de la región y el Gobierno Federal de Transición, así como a las organizaciones internacionales, regionales y subregionales, a que aseguren la cooperación con el Grupo de Supervisión y garanticen la seguridad de los miembros de ese Grupo y su acceso sin trabas, en particular, a las personas, los documentos y los lugares que el Grupo considere pertinentes para la ejecución de su mandato;", "11. Decide seguir ocupándose activamente de la cuestión." ]

[ "Resolution 2002 (2011)", "Adopted by the Security Council at its 6596th meeting, on 29 July 2011", "The Security Council,", "Reaffirming its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia, and concerning Eritrea, in particular resolution 733 (1992), which established an embargo on all delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia (hereinafter referred to as the “Somalia arms embargo”), resolution 1519 (2003), resolution 1558 (2004), resolution 1587 (2005), resolution 1630 (2005), resolution 1676 (2006), resolution 1724 (2006), resolution 1744 (2007), resolution 1766 (2007), resolution 1772 (2007), resolution 1801 (2008), resolution 1811 (2008), resolution 1844 (2008), resolution 1853 (2008), resolution 1862 (2009,) resolution 1907 (2009), resolution 1916 (2010), and resolution 1972 (2011),", "Recalling that, as set out in its resolutions 1744 (2007) and 1772 (2007), the arms embargo on Somalia does not apply to (a) weapons and military equipment, technical training and assistance intended solely for support of or use by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and (b) supplies and technical assistance by States intended solely for the purpose of helping develop security sector institutions, consistent with the political process set out in those resolutions and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992), the mandate of which was expanded pursuant to resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”), within five working days of receiving an advance notification of such supplies or assistance on a case-by-case basis,", "Recalling its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011) on children and armed conflict, resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace and security, and resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts,", "Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea respectively,", "Reaffirming that the Djibouti Peace Agreement and the Peace Process represent the basis for a resolution of the conflict in Somalia, and reiterating its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), and reiterating the urgent need for all Somali leaders to take tangible steps to continue political dialogue,", "Taking note of the report of the Monitoring Group dated 18 July 2011 (S/2011/433) submitted pursuant to paragraph 6 (k) of resolution 1916 (2010) and the observations and recommendations contained therein,", "Condemning flows of weapons and ammunition supplies to and through Somalia and Eritrea in violation of the Somalia arms embargo and the Eritrea arms embargo established pursuant to resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as the “Eritrea arms embargo”), as a serious threat towards peace and stability in the region,", "Calling upon all Member States, in particular those in the region, to refrain from any action in contravention of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, and to take all necessary steps to hold violators accountable,", "Reaffirming the importance of enhancing the monitoring of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes through persistent and vigilant investigation into the violations, bearing in mind that strict enforcement of the arms embargoes will improve the overall security situation in the region,", "Expressing concern at acts of intimidation against the Monitoring Group and interference with the Monitoring Group’s work,", "Reiterating its serious concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, and the impact of the current drought and famine, strongly condemning the targeting and obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian aid by armed groups in Somalia, which has prevented the delivery of such aid in some areas and deploring the repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel,", "Reiterating its condemnation in the strongest terms of all acts of violence, abuses and violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, committed against civilians, including children, in violation of applicable international law, stressing that the perpetrators must be brought to justice, recalling all its relevant resolutions on women, peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, and considering therefore that the existing designation criteria for targeted measures under resolution 1844 (2008) need to be reaffirmed and further strengthened,", "Reaffirming the need for both the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and donors to be mutually accountable and transparent in the allocation of financial resources,", "Calling for the end of the misappropriation of financial funds which undermine the ability of local authorities to deliver services in Somalia,", "Determining that the situation in Somalia, Eritrea’s actions undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia as well as the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,", "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,", "1. Decides that the measures in paragraphs 1, 3, and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall apply to individuals, and that the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 7 of that resolution shall apply to entities, designated by the Committee:", "(a) as engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of Somalia, including acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of 18 August 2008 or the political process, or threaten the TFIs or AMISOM by force;", "(b) as having acted in violation of the general and complete arms embargo reaffirmed in paragraph 6 of resolution 1844 (2008);", "(c) as obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia;", "(d) as being political or military leaders recruiting or using children in armed conflicts in Somalia in violation of applicable international law;", "(e) as being responsible for violations of applicable international law in Somalia involving the targeting of civilians including children and women in situations of armed conflict, including killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals and abduction and forced displacement;", "2. Considers that acts under paragraph 1 (a) above may include, but are not limited to, the misappropriation of financial resources which undermines the Transitional Federal Institutions’ ability to fulfil their obligations in delivering services within the framework of the Djibouti Agreement;", "3. Considers that all non-local commerce via Al-Shabaab controlled ports, that constitutes financial support for a designated entity, poses a threat to the peace, stability, and security of Somalia, and thereby individuals and entities engaged in such commerce may be designated by the Committee and made subject to the targeted measures established by resolution 1844 (2008);", "4. Calls upon the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to consider banning all trade by large merchant vessels with Al-Shabaab controlled ports;", "5. Demands that all parties ensure full, safe and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance across Somalia, underlines its grave concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, urges all parties and armed groups to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and supplies, and expresses its readiness to apply targeted sanctions against such individuals and entities if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 1 (c) above;", "6. Decides to extend the mandate of the Monitoring Group referred to in paragraph 3 of resolution 1558 (2004), extended by paragraph 6 of resolution 1916, and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary administrative measures as expeditiously as possible to re-establish the Monitoring Group for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution, consisting of eight experts, drawing, as appropriate, on the expertise of the members of the Monitoring Group established pursuant to resolution 1916 (2010), and consistent with resolution 1907 (2009), in order to fulfil its expanded mandate, this mandate being as follows:", "(a) to assist the Committee in monitoring the implementation of the measures imposed in paragraph 1, 3, and 7 of 1844 (2008), including by reporting any information on violations; to include in its reports to the Committee any information relevant to the potential designation of the individuals and entities described in paragraph 1 above;", "(b) to assist the Committee in compiling narrative summaries, referred to in paragraph 14 of resolution 1844 (2008) of individuals and entities designated pursuant to paragraph 1 above;", "(c) to investigate any seaport operations in Somalia that may generate revenue for Al-Shabaab, an entity designated by the Committee for meeting the listing criteria in resolution 1844 (2008);", "(d) to continue the tasks outlined in paragraphs 3 (a) to (c) of resolution 1587 (2005), paragraphs 23 (a) to (c) of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 19 (a) to (d) of resolution 1907 (2009);", "(e) to investigate, in coordination with relevant international agencies, all activities, including in the financial, maritime and other sectors, which generate revenues used to commit violations of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes;", "(f) to investigate any means of transport, routes, seaports, airports and other facilities used in connection with violations of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes;", "(g) to continue refining and updating information on the draft list of those individuals and entities that engage in acts described in paragraph 1 above, inside and outside Somalia, and their active supporters, for possible future measures by the Council, and to present such information to the Committee as and when the Committee deems appropriate;", "(h) to compile a draft list of those individuals and entities that engage in acts described in paragraphs 15 (a)-(e) of resolution 1907 (2009) inside and outside Eritrea, and their active supporters, for possible future measures by the Council, and to present such information to the Committee as and when the Committee deems appropriate;", "(i) to continue making recommendations based on its investigations, on the previous reports of the Panel of Experts (S/2003/223 and S/2003/1035) appointed pursuant to resolutions 1425 (2002) and 1474 (2003), and on the previous reports of the Monitoring Group (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 and S/2010/91) appointed pursuant to resolutions 1519 (2003), 1558 (2004), 1587 (2005), 1630 (2005), 1676 (2006), 1724 (2006), 1766 (2007), 1811 (2008) 1853 (2008) and 1916 (2010);", "(j) to work closely with the Committee on specific recommendations for additional measures to improve overall compliance with the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, as well as the measures imposed in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) concerning Eritrea;", "(k) to assist in identifying areas where the capacities of States in the region can be strengthened to facilitate the implementation of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, as well as the measures imposed in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) concerning Eritrea;", "(l) to provide to the Council, through the Committee, a midterm briefing within six months of its establishment, and to submit progress reports to the Committee on a monthly basis;", "(m) to submit, for the Security Council’s consideration, through the Committee, two final reports; one focusing on Somalia, the other on Eritrea, covering all the tasks set out above, no later than 15 days prior to the termination of the Monitoring Group’s mandate;", "7. Further requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary financial arrangements to support the work of the Monitoring Group;", "8. Requests the Committee, in accordance with its mandate and in consultation with the Monitoring Group and other relevant United Nations entities, to consider the recommendations in the reports of the Monitoring Group and recommend to the Council ways to improve implementation of and compliance with the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes as well as implementation of the targeted measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3, and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009), in response to continuing violations;", "9. Decides that for a period of twelve months from the date of this resolution, and without prejudice to humanitarian assistance programmes conducted elsewhere, the obligations placed on Member States in paragraph 3 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall not apply to the payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance in Somalia, by the United Nations, its specialised agencies or programmes, humanitarian organizations having observer status with the United Nations General Assembly that provide humanitarian assistance, and their implementing partners, including bilaterally or multilaterally funded NGOs participating in the UN Consolidated Appeal for Somalia;", "10. Urges all parties and all States, including Eritrea, other States in the region, and the TFG, as well as international, regional and subregional organizations, ensure cooperation with the Monitoring Group, and ensure the safety of the members of the Monitoring Group, and unhindered access, in particular to persons, documents and sites the Monitoring Group deems relevant to the execution of its mandate;", "11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." ]

[ "Resolution 2002 (2011)", "Adopted by the Security Council at its 6596^(a) meeting, held on 29 July 2011", "The Security Council,", "Reaffirming its previous resolutions and statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia and concerning Eritrea, in particular resolution 733 (1992), which established an embargo on all supplies of arms and military equipment to Somalia (hereinafter referred to as the " arms embargo on Somalia " ), resolution 1519 (2003), resolution 1558 (2004), resolution 1587 (2005), resolution 1630 (2005), resolution 1676 (2006), resolution 1724 (2007), resolution", "Recalling that, in accordance with its resolutions 1744 (2007) and 1772 (2007), the arms embargo on Somalia is not applicable to (a) supplies of arms and military equipment, or to technical training and assistance that are intended solely to support the Mission of the African Union in Somalia (AMISOM) or its use, and (b) supplies and technical assistance provided by States and exclusively for the development of the institutions of the security sector,", "Recalling its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011) concerning children and armed conflict, resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace and security, and resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009),", "Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea,", "Reaffirming that the Peace Agreement and the Djibouti peace process constitute the basis for the settlement of the Somali conflict, reiterating its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia based on the Transitional Federal Charter, and reiterating the urgent need for all Somali leaders to take tangible steps to continue the political dialogue,", "Taking note of the report of the Monitoring Group dated 18 July 2011 (S/2011/433), submitted pursuant to paragraph 6 (k) of resolution 1916 (2010), and the observations and recommendations contained therein,", "Condemning the inflows of arms and ammunition in and out of Somalia and Eritrea, in contravention of the Somalia arms embargo and the Eritrea arms embargo, established by resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as the " Eritrea arms embargo " ), and constitute a serious threat to peace and stability in the region,", "Calling upon all Member States, in particular those in the region, to refrain from any action that contravenes the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea and to take all necessary measures to hold perpetrators accountable,", "Reaffirming the importance of intensifying the monitoring of the implementation of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea through continued and attentive investigation of violations, given that the strict implementation of the arms embargoes will improve the overall security situation in the region,", "Expressing concern at acts of intimidation against the Monitoring Group and interference in the work of the Group,", "Reiterating its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia and the effects of the current drought and famine, strongly condemning the deliberate attacks on humanitarian shipments and their obstruction by armed groups in Somalia, which have prevented the delivery of such aid in some areas, and deploring repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel,", "Reiterating its condemnation in the strongest terms of all acts of violence, abuse and violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, committed against civilians, including children, in contravention of applicable international law, stressing that their perpetrators must be brought to justice, recalling all its resolutions on women, peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (2008), by reaffirming the precise and targeted measures,", "Reaffirming the need for both federal transitional institutions and donors to seek mutually and transparent financial resources,", "Calling for the end of misappropriation of funds, which undermines the capacity of local authorities to provide services in Somalia,", "Determining that the situation in Somalia, Eritrea ' s actions to the detriment of peace and reconciliation in Somalia and the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea remain a threat to international peace and security in the region,", "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,", "1. Decides that the measures set out in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall apply to persons, and the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 7 of that resolution shall apply to entities designated by the Committee that:", "(a) Participate in acts that threaten or support the peace, security or stability of Somalia, including acts that pose a threat to the Djibouti Agreement of 18 August 2008 or the political process, or pose a threat by force to the transitional federal institutions or AMISOM;", "(b) They have acted contrary to the general and complete arms embargo reaffirmed in paragraph 6 of resolution 1844 (2008);", "(c) Obstruct the provision of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to or distribution of humanitarian assistance in Somalia;", "(d) Be political or military leaders who recruit or use children in armed conflict in Somalia contrary to applicable international law;", "(e) Be responsible for violations of international law applicable in Somalia against civilians, including children and women, in situations of armed conflict, such as murder and mutilation, sexual or gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions and forced displacement;", "2. Considers that the acts referred to in paragraph 1 (a) above may include, inter alia, the misappropriation of financial resources, which undermines the ability of the transitional federal institutions to fulfil their obligation to provide services under the Djibouti Agreement;", "3. Considers that all non-local trade that transits through the ports controlled by Al-Shabaab and constitutes financial support to a designated entity, threatens the peace, stability and security of Somalia, and that, therefore, persons and entities involved in such trade may be designated by the Committee and subject to the targeted measures set out in resolution 1844 (2008);", "4. Calls upon the Transitional Federal Government to consider prohibiting all trade through large merchant vessels with ports controlled by Al-Shabaab;", "5. Demands that all parties ensure full, safe and unhindered access to the timely distribution of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance throughout Somalia, stresses its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, urges all parties and armed groups to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel and supplies, and expresses its readiness to apply targeted sanctions against those individuals and entities if they meet the listing criteria in paragraph 1 above;", "6. Decides to extend the mandate of the Monitoring Group referred to in paragraph 3 of resolution 1558 (2004), extended pursuant to paragraph 6 of resolution 1916 (2010), and requests the Secretary-General, as expeditiously as possible, to take the necessary administrative measures to restore the Monitoring Group for a period of 12 months from the date of the present resolution, which shall be composed of eight experts, drawing on, as appropriate, the expertise of the members of the expanded Monitoring Group,16", "(a) To assist the Committee in monitoring the implementation of the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), including reporting on its non-compliance; to include in its reports to the Committee any information relevant to the possible designation of persons and entities described in paragraph 1 above;", "(b) To assist the Committee in compiling the summaries referred to in paragraph 14 of resolution 1844 (2008) on the reasons for inclusion in the list of persons and entities designated under paragraph 1 above;", "(c) Investigate any port operations in Somalia that may generate revenue for Al-Shabaab, an entity designated by the Committee for meeting the listing criteria contained in resolution 1844 (2008);", "(d) To continue the tasks set out in paragraphs 3 (a) to (c) of resolution 1587 (2005), paragraphs 23 (a) to (c) of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 19 (a) to (d) of resolution 1907 (2009);", "(e) Investigate, in coordination with relevant international agencies, all activities, including those in the finance, maritime and other sectors, which generate revenues used to commit violations of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea;", "f) Investigate all means of transport, routes, seaports, airports and other facilities used in connection with violations of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea;", "(g) Continue to refine and update the information on the preliminary list of persons and entities who commit the acts described in paragraph 1 above, both within and outside Somalia, and those who actively support them, with a view to possible future action by the Council, and to submit such information to the Committee when it deems appropriate;", "(h) To draw up a preliminary list of persons and entities who commit the acts described in paragraph 15 (a) to (e) of resolution 1907 (2009), both within and outside Eritrea, and those who actively support them, with a view to possible future action by the Council, and to submit such information to the Committee when it deems appropriate;", "(i) Continue to make recommendations on the basis of its investigations, previous reports of the Group of Experts (S/2003/223 and S/2003/1035) designated pursuant to resolutions 1425 (2002) and 1474 (2003), and previous reports of the Monitoring Group (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 and S/2010/91 (2006),", "(j) To work closely with the Committee in formulating concrete recommendations for further action to improve the overall implementation of the arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea and the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) on Eritrea;", "(k) To assist in identifying areas where the capacity of States in the region can be increased to facilitate the implementation of the arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea, as well as the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) on Eritrea;", "(l) To submit to the Council, through the Committee, a midterm briefing within six months of its establishment, and to submit to the Committee monthly progress reports;", "(m) To submit, through the Committee and no later than 15 days before the end of the mandate of the Monitoring Group, two final reports, one on Somalia and one on Eritrea, on all tasks outlined above, for consideration by the Security Council;", "7. Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary financial arrangements to support the work of the Monitoring Group;", "8. Requests the Committee, in accordance with its mandate and in consultation with the Monitoring Group and other relevant United Nations entities, to consider the recommendations contained in the reports of the Monitoring Group and to recommend to the Council ways to improve the implementation and enforcement of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea and the implementation of the targeted measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13", "9. Decides that, for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution and without prejudice to any other humanitarian assistance programmes, the obligations imposed on Member States in paragraph 3 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall not apply to the payment of funds or other financial assets or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely provision of humanitarian assistance that is urgently required in Somalia by the United Nations, its specialized agencies or its programmes, the humanitarian organizations that have the assistance of the United Nations,", "10. Urges all parties and all States, including Eritrea, the other States of the region and the Transitional Federal Government, as well as international, regional and subregional organizations, to ensure cooperation with the Monitoring Group and to ensure the safety and security of the members of that Group and their unhindered access, in particular to the individuals, documents and places the Panel deems relevant to the implementation of its mandate;", "11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." ]

[ "Alemania, Francia, Gabón y Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte: proyecto de resolución", "El Consejo de Seguridad,", "Reafirmando sus anteriores resoluciones y declaraciones de su Presidencia relativas a la situación en Somalia y relativas a Eritrea, en particular la resolución 733 (1992), en la que se estableció un embargo de todos los suministros de armas y equipo militar a Somalia (en adelante, el “embargo de armas relativo a Somalia”), la resolución 1519 (2003), la resolución 1558 (2004), la resolución 1587 (2005), la resolución 1630 (2005), la resolución 1676 (2006), la resolución 1724 (2006), la resolución 1744 (2007), la resolución 1766 (2007), la resolución 1772 (2007), la resolución 1801 (2008), la resolución 1811 (2008), la resolución 1844 (2008), la resolución 1853 (2008), la resolución 1862 (2009), la resolución 1907 (2009), la resolución 1916 (2010) y la resolución 1972 (2011),", "Recordando que, según lo dispuesto en sus resoluciones 1744 (2007) y 1772 (2007), el embargo de armas relativo a Somalia no es aplicable a a) los suministros de armas y equipo militar, ni a la capacitación y asistencia técnicas que se destinen exclusivamente a prestar apoyo a la Misión de la Unión Africana en Somalia (AMISOM) o al uso de esta, y b) los suministros y la asistencia técnica proporcionados por Estados y destinados exclusivamente a ayudar a desarrollar las instituciones del sector de la seguridad, en consonancia con el proceso político indicado en esas resoluciones y a condición de que, en cada caso concreto, el Comité establecido en virtud de la resolución 751 (1992), cuyo mandato fue ampliado en virtud de la resolución 1907 (2009) (en adelante, “el Comité”), no adopte una decisión negativa dentro de los cinco días hábiles siguientes a aquel en que reciba una notificación sobre esos suministros o asistencia,", "Recordando sus resoluciones 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) y 1998 (2011), relativas a los niños y los conflictos armados, las resoluciones 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) y 1960 (2010), relativas a la mujer, la paz y la seguridad, y las resoluciones 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) y 1889 (2009), relativas a la protección de los civiles en los conflictos armados,", "Reafirmando su respeto por la soberanía, la integridad territorial, la independencia política y la unidad de Somalia, de Djibouti y de Eritrea,", "Reafirmando que el Acuerdo de Paz y el proceso de paz de Djibouti constituyen el fundamento de la solución del conflicto de Somalia, reiterando su compromiso respecto de una solución general y duradera de la situación imperante en Somalia que se base en la Carta Federal de Transición, y reiterando la urgente necesidad de que todos los dirigentes somalíes tomen medidas tangibles para continuar el diálogo político,", "Tomando nota del informe del Grupo de Supervisión de fecha 18 de julio de 2011 (S/2011/433), presentado atendiendo a lo dispuesto en el párrafo 6 k) de la resolución 1916 (2010), y de las observaciones y recomendaciones que en él figuran,", "Condenando las corrientes de armas y municiones que entran en Somalia y Eritrea y atraviesan esos países contraviniendo el embargo de armas relativo a Somalia y el embargo de armas relativo a Eritrea, establecido en virtud de la resolución 1907 (2009) (en adelante, el “embargo de armas relativo a Eritrea”), y constituyen una grave amenaza para la paz y la estabilidad de la región,", "Exhortando a todos los Estados Miembros, en particular a los de la región, a que se abstengan de realizar cualquier acción que contravenga los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y adopten todas las medidas necesarias para que los infractores rindan cuentas de sus actos,", "Reafirmando la importancia de intensificar la supervisión del cumplimiento de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea mediante una investigación constante y atenta de las infracciones, habida cuenta de que la aplicación estricta de los embargos de armas mejorará la situación general de la región en materia de seguridad,", "Expresando preocupación por los actos de intimidación contra el Grupo de Supervisión y por la injerencia en la labor del Grupo,", "Reiterando su gran preocupación por el empeoramiento de la situación humanitaria de Somalia y los efectos de la sequía y la hambruna actual, condenando enérgicamente los ataques deliberados contra los envíos de ayuda humanitaria y su obstrucción cometidos por grupos armados en Somalia, que han impedido la entrega de esa ayuda en algunas zonas, y deplorando los reiterados ataques contra el personal de asistencia humanitaria,", "Reiterando su condena en los términos más enérgicos de todos los actos de violencia, abusos e infracciones, incluida la violencia sexual y basada en el género, cometidos contra civiles, incluidos los niños, contraviniendo el derecho internacional aplicable, destacando que sus autores deben ser sometidos a la acción de la justicia, recordando todas sus resoluciones sobre la mujer, la paz y la seguridad, sobre los niños y los conflictos armados y sobre la protección de los civiles en los conflictos armados, y, por consiguiente, considerando que es preciso reafirmar y seguir fortaleciendo los criterios de designación actuales en relación con las medidas selectivas que figuran en la resolución 1844 (2008),", "Reafirmando la necesidad de que tanto las instituciones federales de transición como los donantes se puedan pedir cuentas mutuamente y sean transparentes en la asignación de recursos financieros,", "Pidiendo el fin de la apropiación indebida de fondos, que socava la capacidad de las autoridades locales para prestar servicios en Somalia,", "Habiendo determinado que la situación imperante en Somalia, las acciones de Eritrea en detrimento de la paz y la reconciliación en Somalia y la controversia entre Djibouti y Eritrea siguen constituyendo una amenaza para la paz y la seguridad internacionales en la región,", "Actuando en virtud del Capítulo VII de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas,", "1. Decide que las medidas establecidas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) se apliquen a las personas, y las disposiciones de los párrafos 3 y 7 de esa resolución se apliquen a las entidades, designadas por el Comité que:", "a) Participen en actos que amenacen la paz, la seguridad o la estabilidad de Somalia o les presten apoyo, en particular actos que supongan una amenaza para el Acuerdo de Djibouti de 18 de agosto de 2008 o el proceso político, o supongan una amenaza mediante la fuerza para las instituciones federales de transición o la AMISOM;", "b) Hayan actuado contraviniendo el embargo de armas general y completo reafirmado en el párrafo 6 de la resolución 1844 (2008);", "c) Obstruyan la prestación de asistencia humanitaria a Somalia, o el acceso a la asistencia humanitaria o su distribución en Somalia;", "d) Sean líderes políticos o militares que recluten o utilicen a niños en conflictos armados en Somalia contraviniendo el derecho internacional aplicable;", "e) Sean responsables de infracciones del derecho internacional aplicable en Somalia dirigidas contra civiles, incluidos niños y mujeres, en situaciones de conflicto armado, como asesinatos y mutilaciones, actos de violencia sexual o basada en el género, ataques contra escuelas y hospitales, secuestros y desplazamientos forzados;", "2. Considera que los actos mencionados en el párrafo 1 a) supra pueden incluir, entre otros, la apropiación indebida de recursos financieros, que socava la capacidad de las instituciones federales de transición para cumplir su obligación de prestar servicios en el marco del Acuerdo de Djibouti;", "3. Considera que todo el comercio no local que transite por los puertos controlados por Al-Shabaab y constituya apoyo financiero a una entidad designada, amenaza la paz, la estabilidad y la seguridad de Somalia, y que, por lo tanto, las personas y entidades que participen en ese tipo de comercio podrán ser designadas por el Comité y sometidas a las medidas selectivas establecidas en la resolución 1844 (2008);", "4. Exhorta al Gobierno Federal de Transición a que considere la posibilidad de prohibir todo el comercio realizado mediante grandes buques mercantes con puertos controlados por Al-Shabaab;", "5. Exige que todas las partes garanticen el acceso pleno, seguro y sin trabas para distribuir ayuda humanitaria oportunamente a las personas que necesitan asistencia en toda Somalia, subraya su grave preocupación ante el empeoramiento de la situación humanitaria en Somalia, insta a todas las partes y grupos armados a que adopten las medidas apropiadas para garantizar la seguridad del personal y los suministros humanitarios, y expresa su disposición a aplicar sanciones selectivas contra esas personas y entidades si cumplen los criterios de inclusión en la lista que figuran en el párrafo 1 c) supra;", "6. Decide prorrogar el mandato del Grupo de Supervisión a que se hace referencia en el párrafo 3 de la resolución 1558 (2004), prorrogado en virtud del párrafo 6 de la resolución 1916 (2010), y solicita al Secretario General que, con la mayor rapidez posible, tome las medidas administrativas necesarias para restablecer el Grupo de Supervisión por un período de 12 meses a partir de la fecha de la presente resolución, que estará integrado por ocho expertos, aprovechando, según corresponda, la pericia de los miembros del Grupo de Supervisión establecido en virtud de la resolución 1916 (2010) y en consonancia con la resolución 1907 (2009), para que cumpla el siguiente mandato ampliado:", "a) Ayudar al Comité a supervisar la aplicación de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008), incluida la presentación de información sobre su incumplimiento; incluir en los informes que presente al Comité toda información pertinente para la posible designación de las personas y entidades descritas en el párrafo 1 supra;", "b) Ayudar al Comité a compilar los resúmenes a que se hace referencia en el párrafo 14 de la resolución 1844 (2008) sobre los motivos de la inclusión en la lista de las personas y entidades designadas conforme a lo dispuesto en el párrafo 1 supra;", "c) Investigar toda operación portuaria realizada en Somalia que pueda generar ingresos para Al-Shabaab, entidad designada por el Comité por cumplir los criterios de inclusión en la lista que figuran en la resolución 1844 (2008);", "d) Proseguir las tareas indicadas en los párrafos 3 a) a c) de la resolución 1587 (2005), párrafos 23 a) a c) de la resolución 1844 (2008), y los párrafos 19 a) a d) de la resolución 1907 (2009);", "e) Investigar, en coordinación con los organismos internacionales competentes, todas las actividades, incluidas las de los sectores de las finanzas, el transporte marítimo y otros, que generen ingresos utilizados para cometer infracciones de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea;", "f) Investigar todos los medios de transporte, rutas, puertos marítimos, aeropuertos y otras instalaciones que se utilicen en relación con las infracciones de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea;", "g) Seguir afinando y actualizando la información sobre la lista preliminar de las personas y entidades que cometan los actos descritos en el párrafo 1 supra, dentro y fuera de Somalia, y de quienes los apoyen activamente, con miras a la posibilidad de que el Consejo adopte medidas en el futuro, y presentar esa información al Comité cuando este lo considere apropiado;", "h) Elaborar una lista preliminar de las personas y entidades que cometan los actos descritos en los apartados a) a e) del párrafo 15 de la resolución 1907 (2009), dentro y fuera de Eritrea, y de quienes los apoyen activamente, con miras a la posibilidad de que el Consejo adopte medidas en el futuro, y presentar esa información al Comité cuando este lo considere apropiado;", "i) Seguir formulando recomendaciones sobre la base de sus investigaciones, de los informes anteriores del Grupo de Expertos (S/2003/223 y S/2003/1035) designado en virtud de las resoluciones 1425 (2002) y 1474 (2003), y de los informes anteriores del Grupo de Supervisión (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 y S/2010/91) designado en virtud de las resoluciones 1519 (2003), 1558 (2004), 1587 (2005), 1630 (2005), 1676 (2006), 1724 (2006), 1766 (2007), 1811 (2008), 1853 (2008) y 1916 (2010);", "j) Colaborar estrechamente con el Comité en la formulación de recomendaciones concretas para la adopción de nuevas medidas a fin de mejorar el cumplimiento general de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009), relativa a Eritrea;", "k) Ayudar a determinar las esferas en que se puede incrementar la capacidad de los Estados de la región para facilitar la aplicación de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea, así como de las medidas impuestas en los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009) relativas a Eritrea;", "l) Presentar al Consejo, por conducto del Comité, una exposición informativa de mitad de período dentro de los seis meses siguientes a su establecimiento, y presentar al Comité informes mensuales sobre la marcha de sus actividades;", "m) Presentar por conducto del Comité y a más tardar 15 días antes de que termine el mandato del Grupo de Supervisión, dos informes finales, uno sobre Somalia y otro sobre Eritrea, acerca de todas las tareas indicadas más arriba, para que los examine el Consejo de Seguridad;", "7. Solicita al Secretario General que tome las disposiciones financieras necesarias para apoyar la labor del Grupo de Supervisión;", "8. Solicita al Comité que, de conformidad con su mandato y en consulta con el Grupo de Supervisión y demás entidades competentes de las Naciones Unidas, estudie las recomendaciones que figuran en los informes del Grupo de Supervisión y recomiende al Consejo medios para mejorar la aplicación y el cumplimiento de los embargos de armas relativos a Somalia y Eritrea y la aplicación de las medidas selectivas impuestas en virtud de los párrafos 1, 3 y 7 de la resolución 1844 (2008) y los párrafos 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 y 13 de la resolución 1907 (2009), en respuesta a la continuación de las infracciones;", "9. Decide que, por un período de 12 meses a contar desde la fecha de esta resolución y sin perjuicio de los programas de asistencia humanitaria que se realicen en otra parte, las obligaciones impuestas a los Estados Miembros en el párrafo 3 de la resolución 1844 (2008) no se apliquen al pago de fondos ni a los demás activos financieros o recursos económicos necesarios para asegurar el suministro oportuno de la asistencia humanitaria que se requiere con urgencia en Somalia por las Naciones Unidas, sus organismos especializados o sus programas, las organizaciones humanitarias que tengan la condición de observadoras en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas y proporcionen ayuda humanitaria y sus asociados en la ejecución, incluidas las organizaciones no gubernamentales de financiación bilateral o multilateral que participen en el llamamiento unificado de las Naciones Unidas para Somalia.", "10. Insta a todas las partes y todos los Estados, incluidos Eritrea, los demás Estados de la región y el Gobierno Federal de Transición, así como a las organizaciones internacionales, regionales y subregionales, a que aseguren la cooperación con el Grupo de Supervisión y garanticen la seguridad de los miembros de ese Grupo y su acceso sin trabas, en particular, a las personas, los documentos y los lugares que el Grupo considere pertinentes para la ejecución de su mandato;", "11. Decide seguir ocupándose activamente de la cuestión." ]

[ "France, Gabon, Germany and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution", "The Security Council,", "Reaffirming its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia, and concerning Eritrea, in particular resolution 733 (1992), which established an embargo on all delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia (hereinafter referred to as the “Somalia arms embargo”), resolution 1519 (2003), resolution 1558 (2004), resolution 1587 (2005), resolution 1630 (2005), resolution 1676 (2006), resolution 1724 (2006), resolution 1744 (2007), resolution 1766 (2007), resolution 1772 (2007), resolution 1801 (2008), resolution 1811 (2008), resolution 1844 (2008), resolution 1853 (2008), resolution 1862 (2009,) resolution 1907 (2009), resolution 1916 (2010), and resolution 1972 (2011),", "Recalling that, as set out in its resolutions 1744 (2007) and 1772 (2007), the arms embargo on Somalia does not apply to (a) weapons and military equipment, technical training and assistance intended solely for support of or use by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and (b) supplies and technical assistance by States intended solely for the purpose of helping develop security sector institutions, consistent with the political process set out in those resolutions and in the absence of a negative decision by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992), the mandate of which was expanded pursuant to resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”), within five working days of receiving an advance notification of such supplies or assistance on a case-by-case basis,", "Recalling its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011) on children and armed conflict, resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace and security, and resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts,", "Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea respectively,", "Reaffirming that the Djibouti Peace Agreement and the Peace Process represent the basis for a resolution of the conflict in Somalia, and reiterating its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia based on the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC), and reiterating the urgent need for all Somali leaders to take tangible steps to continue political dialogue,", "Taking note of the report of the Monitoring Group dated 18 July 2011 (S/2011/433) submitted pursuant to paragraph 6 (k) of resolution 1916 (2010) and the observations and recommendations contained therein,", "Condemning flows of weapons and ammunition supplies to and through Somalia and Eritrea in violation of the Somalia arms embargo and the Eritrea arms embargo established pursuant to resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as the “Eritrea arms embargo”), as a serious threat towards peace and stability in the region,", "Calling upon all Member states, in particular those in the region, to refrain from any action in contravention of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, and to take all necessary steps to hold violators accountable,", "Reaffirming the importance of enhancing the monitoring of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes through persistent and vigilant investigation into the violations, bearing in mind that strict enforcement of the arms embargoes will improve the overall security situation in the region,", "Expressing concern at acts of intimidation against the Monitoring Group and interference with the Monitoring Group’s work,", "Reiterating its serious concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, and the impact of the current drought and famine, strongly condemning the targeting and obstruction of the delivery of humanitarian aid by armed groups in Somalia, which has prevented the delivery of such aid in some areas and deploring the repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel,", "Reiterating its condemnation in the strongest terms of all acts of violence, abuses and violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, committed against civilians, including children, in violation of applicable international law, stressing that the perpetrators must be brought to justice, recalling all its relevant resolutions on women, peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, and considering therefore that the existing designation criteria for targeted measures under resolution 1844 (2008) need to be reaffirmed and further strengthened,", "Reaffirming the need for both the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) and donors to be mutually accountable and transparent in the allocation of financial resources,", "Calling for the end of the misappropriation of financial funds which undermine the ability of local authorities to deliver services in Somalia,", "Determining that the situation in Somalia, Eritrea’s actions undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia as well as the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,", "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,", "1. Decides that the measures in paragraphs 1, 3, and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall apply to individuals, and that the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 7 of that resolution shall apply to entities, designated by the Committee:", "(a) as engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of Somalia, including acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of 18 August 2008 or the political process, or threaten the TFIs or AMISOM by force;", "(b) as having acted in violation of the general and complete arms embargo reaffirmed in paragraph 6 of resolution 1844 (2008);", "(c) as obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia;", "(d) as being political or military leaders recruiting or using children in armed conflicts in Somalia in violation of applicable international law;", "(e) as being responsible for violations of applicable international law in Somalia involving the targeting of civilians including children and women in situations of armed conflict, including killing and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals and abduction and forced displacement;", "2. Considers that acts under paragraph 1 (a) above may include, but are not limited to, the misappropriation of financial resources which undermines the Transitional Federal Institutions’ ability to fulfil their obligations in delivering services within the framework of the Djibouti Agreement;", "3. Considers that all non-local commerce via Al-Shabaab controlled ports, that constitutes financial support for a designated entity, poses a threat to the peace, stability, and security of Somalia, and thereby individuals and entities engaged in such commerce may be designated by the Committee and made subject to the targeted measures established by resolution 1844 (2008);", "4. Calls upon the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to consider banning all trade by large merchant vessels with Al-Shabaab controlled ports;", "5. Demands that all parties ensure full, safe and unhindered access for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance across Somalia, underlines its grave concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia, urges all parties and armed groups to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and supplies, and expresses its readiness to apply targeted sanctions against such individuals and entities if they meet the listing criteria set out in paragraph 1 (c) above;", "6. Decides to extend the mandate of the Monitoring Group referred to in paragraph 3 of resolution 1558 (2004), extended by paragraph 6 of resolution 1916, and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary administrative measures as expeditiously as possible to re-establish the Monitoring Group for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution, consisting of eight experts, drawing, as appropriate, on the expertise of the members of the Monitoring Group established pursuant to resolution 1916 (2010), and consistent with resolution 1907 (2009), in order to fulfil its expanded mandate, this mandate being as follows:", "(a) to assist the Committee in monitoring the implementation of the measures imposed in paragraph 1, 3, and 7 of 1844 (2008), including by reporting any information on violations; to include in its reports to the Committee any information relevant to the potential designation of the individuals and entities described in paragraph 1 above;", "(b) to assist the Committee in compiling narrative summaries, referred to in paragraph 14 of resolution 1844 (2008) of individuals and entities designated pursuant to paragraph 1 above;", "(c) to investigate any seaport operations in Somalia that may generate revenue for Al-Shabaab, an entity designated by the Committee for meeting the listing criteria in resolution 1844 (2008);", "(d) to continue the tasks outlined in paragraphs 3 (a) to (c) of resolution 1587 (2005), paragraphs 23 (a) to (c) of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 19 (a) to (d) of resolution 1907 (2009);", "(e) to investigate, in coordination with relevant international agencies, all activities, including in the financial, maritime and other sectors, which generate revenues used to commit violations of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes;", "(f) to investigate any means of transport, routes, seaports, airports and other facilities used in connection with violations of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes;", "(g) to continue refining and updating information on the draft list of those individuals and entities that engage in acts described in paragraph 1 above, inside and outside Somalia, and their active supporters, for possible future measures by the Council, and to present such information to the Committee as and when the Committee deems appropriate;", "(h) to compile a draft list of those individuals and entities that engage in acts described in paragraphs 15 (a)-(e) of resolution 1907 (2009) inside and outside Eritrea, and their active supporters, for possible future measures by the Council, and to present such information to the Committee as and when the Committee deems appropriate;", "(i) to continue making recommendations based on its investigations, on the previous reports of the Panel of Experts (S/2003/223 and S/2003/1035) appointed pursuant to resolutions 1425 (2002) and 1474 (2003), and on the previous reports of the Monitoring Group (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 and S/2010/91) appointed pursuant to resolutions 1519 (2003), 1558 (2004), 1587 (2005), 1630 (2005), 1676 (2006), 1724 (2006), 1766 (2007), 1811 (2008) 1853 (2008) and 1916 (2010);", "(j) to work closely with the Committee on specific recommendations for additional measures to improve overall compliance with the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, as well as the measures imposed in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) concerning Eritrea;", "(k) to assist in identifying areas where the capacities of States in the region can be strengthened to facilitate the implementation of the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes, as well as the measures imposed in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) concerning Eritrea;", "(l) to provide to the Council, through the Committee, a midterm briefing within six months of its establishment, and to submit progress reports to the Committee on a monthly basis;", "(m) to submit, for the Security Council’s consideration, through the Committee, two final reports; one focusing on Somalia, the other on Eritrea, covering all the tasks set out above, no later than 15 days prior to the termination of the Monitoring Group’s mandate;", "7. Further requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary financial arrangements to support the work of the Monitoring Group;", "8. Requests the Committee, in accordance with its mandate and in consultation with the Monitoring Group and other relevant United Nations entities, to consider the recommendations in the reports of the Monitoring Group and recommend to the Council ways to improve implementation of and compliance with the Somalia and Eritrea arms embargoes as well as implementation of the targeted measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3, and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009), in response to continuing violations;", "9. Decides that for a period of twelve months from the date of this resolution, and without prejudice to humanitarian assistance programmes conducted elsewhere, the obligations placed on Member States in paragraph 3 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall not apply to the payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance in Somalia, by the United Nations, its specialised agencies or programmes, humanitarian organisations having observer status with the United Nations General Assembly that provide humanitarian assistance, and their implementing partners, including bilaterally or multilaterally funded NGOs participating in the UN Consolidated Appeal for Somalia;", "10. Urges all parties and all States, including Eritrea, other States in the region, and the TFG, as well as international, regional and subregional organisations, ensure cooperation with the Monitoring Group, and ensure the safety of the members of the Monitoring Group, and unhindered access, in particular to persons, documents and sites the Monitoring Group deems relevant to the execution of its mandate;", "11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." ]

[ "France, Gabon and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution", "The Security Council,", "Reaffirming its previous resolutions and statements of its President concerning the situation in Somalia and concerning Eritrea, in particular resolution 733 (1992), which established an embargo on all supplies of arms and military equipment to Somalia (hereinafter referred to as the " arms embargo on Somalia " ), resolution 1519 (2003), resolution 1558 (2004), resolution 1587 (2005), resolution 1630 (2005), resolution 1676 (2006), resolution 1724 (2007), resolution", "Recalling that, in accordance with its resolutions 1744 (2007) and 1772 (2007), the arms embargo on Somalia is not applicable to (a) supplies of arms and military equipment, or to technical training and assistance that are intended solely to support the Mission of the African Union in Somalia (AMISOM) or its use, and (b) supplies and technical assistance provided by States and exclusively for the development of the institutions of the security sector,", "Recalling its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011) concerning children and armed conflict, resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace and security, and resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1325 (2000), 1612 (2005), 1674 (2006), 1738 (2006), 1820 (2008), 1882 (2009), 1888 (2009) and 1889 (2009),", "Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea,", "Reaffirming that the Peace Agreement and the Djibouti peace process constitute the basis for the settlement of the Somali conflict, reiterating its commitment to a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia based on the Transitional Federal Charter, and reiterating the urgent need for all Somali leaders to take tangible steps to continue the political dialogue,", "Taking note of the report of the Monitoring Group dated 18 July 2011 (S/2011/433), submitted pursuant to paragraph 6 (k) of resolution 1916 (2010), and the observations and recommendations contained therein,", "Condemning the inflows of arms and ammunition in and out of Somalia and Eritrea, in contravention of the Somalia arms embargo and the Eritrea arms embargo, established by resolution 1907 (2009) (hereinafter referred to as the " Eritrea arms embargo " ), and constitute a serious threat to peace and stability in the region,", "Calling upon all Member States, in particular those in the region, to refrain from any action that contravenes the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea and to take all necessary measures to hold perpetrators accountable,", "Reaffirming the importance of intensifying the monitoring of the implementation of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea through continued and attentive investigation of violations, given that the strict implementation of the arms embargoes will improve the overall security situation in the region,", "Expressing concern at acts of intimidation against the Monitoring Group and interference in the work of the Group,", "Reiterating its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia and the effects of the current drought and famine, strongly condemning the deliberate attacks on humanitarian shipments and their obstruction by armed groups in Somalia, which have prevented the delivery of such aid in some areas, and deploring repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel,", "Reiterating its condemnation in the strongest terms of all acts of violence, abuse and violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, committed against civilians, including children, in contravention of applicable international law, stressing that their perpetrators must be brought to justice, recalling all its resolutions on women, peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (2008), by reaffirming the precise and targeted measures,", "Reaffirming the need for both federal transitional institutions and donors to seek mutually and transparent financial resources,", "Calling for the end of misappropriation of funds, which undermines the capacity of local authorities to provide services in Somalia,", "Determining that the situation in Somalia, Eritrea ' s actions to the detriment of peace and reconciliation in Somalia and the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea remain a threat to international peace and security in the region,", "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,", "1. Decides that the measures set out in paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall apply to persons, and the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 7 of that resolution shall apply to entities designated by the Committee that:", "(a) Participate in acts that threaten or support the peace, security or stability of Somalia, including acts that pose a threat to the Djibouti Agreement of 18 August 2008 or the political process, or pose a threat by force to the transitional federal institutions or AMISOM;", "(b) They have acted contrary to the general and complete arms embargo reaffirmed in paragraph 6 of resolution 1844 (2008);", "(c) Obstruct the provision of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to or distribution of humanitarian assistance in Somalia;", "(d) Be political or military leaders who recruit or use children in armed conflict in Somalia contrary to applicable international law;", "(e) Be responsible for violations of international law applicable in Somalia against civilians, including children and women, in situations of armed conflict, such as murder and mutilation, sexual or gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, abductions and forced displacement;", "2. Considers that the acts referred to in paragraph 1 (a) above may include, inter alia, the misappropriation of financial resources, which undermines the ability of the transitional federal institutions to fulfil their obligation to provide services under the Djibouti Agreement;", "3. Considers that all non-local trade that transits through the ports controlled by Al-Shabaab and constitutes financial support to a designated entity, threatens the peace, stability and security of Somalia, and that, therefore, persons and entities involved in such trade may be designated by the Committee and subject to the targeted measures set out in resolution 1844 (2008);", "4. Calls upon the Transitional Federal Government to consider prohibiting all trade through large merchant vessels with ports controlled by Al-Shabaab;", "5. Demands that all parties ensure full, safe and unhindered access to the timely distribution of humanitarian aid to persons in need of assistance throughout Somalia, stresses its grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Somalia, urges all parties and armed groups to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel and supplies, and expresses its readiness to apply targeted sanctions against those individuals and entities if they meet the listing criteria in paragraph 1 above;", "6. Decides to extend the mandate of the Monitoring Group referred to in paragraph 3 of resolution 1558 (2004), extended pursuant to paragraph 6 of resolution 1916 (2010), and requests the Secretary-General, as expeditiously as possible, to take the necessary administrative measures to restore the Monitoring Group for a period of 12 months from the date of the present resolution, which shall be composed of eight experts, drawing on, as appropriate, the expertise of the members of the expanded Monitoring Group,16", "(a) To assist the Committee in monitoring the implementation of the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008), including reporting on its non-compliance; to include in its reports to the Committee any information relevant to the possible designation of persons and entities described in paragraph 1 above;", "(b) To assist the Committee in compiling the summaries referred to in paragraph 14 of resolution 1844 (2008) on the reasons for inclusion in the list of persons and entities designated under paragraph 1 above;", "(c) Investigate any port operations in Somalia that may generate revenue for Al-Shabaab, an entity designated by the Committee for meeting the listing criteria contained in resolution 1844 (2008);", "(d) To continue the tasks set out in paragraphs 3 (a) to (c) of resolution 1587 (2005), paragraphs 23 (a) to (c) of resolution 1844 (2008), and paragraphs 19 (a) to (d) of resolution 1907 (2009);", "(e) Investigate, in coordination with relevant international agencies, all activities, including those in the finance, maritime and other sectors, which generate revenues used to commit violations of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea;", "f) Investigate all means of transport, routes, seaports, airports and other facilities used in connection with violations of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea;", "(g) Continue to refine and update the information on the preliminary list of persons and entities who commit the acts described in paragraph 1 above, both within and outside Somalia, and those who actively support them, with a view to possible future action by the Council, and to submit such information to the Committee when it deems appropriate;", "(h) To draw up a preliminary list of persons and entities who commit the acts described in paragraph 15 (a) to (e) of resolution 1907 (2009), both within and outside Eritrea, and those who actively support them, with a view to possible future action by the Council, and to submit such information to the Committee when it deems appropriate;", "(i) Continue to make recommendations on the basis of its investigations, previous reports of the Group of Experts (S/2003/223 and S/2003/1035) designated pursuant to resolutions 1425 (2002) and 1474 (2003), and previous reports of the Monitoring Group (S/2004/604, S/2005/153, S/2005/625, S/2006/229, S/2006/913, S/2007/436, S/2008/274, S/2008/769 and S/2010/91 (2006),", "(j) To work closely with the Committee in formulating concrete recommendations for further action to improve the overall implementation of the arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea and the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) on Eritrea;", "(k) To assist in identifying areas where the capacity of States in the region can be increased to facilitate the implementation of the arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea, as well as the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13 of resolution 1907 (2009) on Eritrea;", "(l) To submit to the Council, through the Committee, a midterm briefing within six months of its establishment, and to submit to the Committee monthly progress reports;", "(m) To submit, through the Committee and no later than 15 days before the end of the mandate of the Monitoring Group, two final reports, one on Somalia and one on Eritrea, on all tasks outlined above, for consideration by the Security Council;", "7. Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary financial arrangements to support the work of the Monitoring Group;", "8. Requests the Committee, in accordance with its mandate and in consultation with the Monitoring Group and other relevant United Nations entities, to consider the recommendations contained in the reports of the Monitoring Group and to recommend to the Council ways to improve the implementation and enforcement of the arms embargoes relating to Somalia and Eritrea and the implementation of the targeted measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 3 and 7 of resolution 1844 (2008) and paragraphs 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13", "9. Decides that, for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution and without prejudice to any other humanitarian assistance programmes, the obligations imposed on Member States in paragraph 3 of resolution 1844 (2008) shall not apply to the payment of funds or other financial assets or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely provision of humanitarian assistance that is urgently required in Somalia by the United Nations, its specialized agencies or its programmes, the humanitarian organizations that have the assistance of the United Nations,", "10. Urges all parties and all States, including Eritrea, the other States of the region and the Transitional Federal Government, as well as international, regional and subregional organizations, to ensure cooperation with the Monitoring Group and to ensure the safety and security of the members of that Group and their unhindered access, in particular to the individuals, documents and places the Panel deems relevant to the implementation of its mandate;", "11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." ]

[ "Orden del día provisional de la 6596^(a) sesión del Consejo de Seguridad", "Que se celebrará el viernes 29 de julio de 2011 a las 17.30 horas", "1. Aprobación del orden del día.", "2. La situación en Somalia", "Carta de fecha 18 de julio de 2011 dirigida al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad por el Presidente del Comité del Consejo de Seguridad dimanante de las resoluciones 751 (1992) y 1907 (2009) relativas a Somalia y Eritrea (S/2011/433)." ]

[ "Provisional agenda for the 6596th meeting of the Security Council", "To be held on Friday, 29 July 2011, at 5.30 p.m.", "1. Adoption of the agenda.", "2. The situation in Somalia", "Letter dated 18 July 2011 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2011/433)." ]

[ "Provisional agenda for the 6596^(a) meeting of the Security Council", "To be held on Friday, 29 July 2011, at 5.30 p.m.", "1. Adoption of the agenda.", "2. The situation in Somalia", "Letter dated 18 July 2011 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2011/433)." ]

[ "Segundo período ordinario de sesiones de 2011", "Nueva York, 6 a 9 de septiembre de 2011", "Tema 2 del programa provisional", "Cuestiones financieras, presupuestarias y administrativas", "Estimaciones presupuestarias institucionales del PNUD para 2012-2013", "Informe de la Comisión Consultiva en Asuntos Administrativos y de Presupuesto", "1. La Comisión Consultiva en Asuntos Administrativos y de Presupuesto ha examinado el informe sobre las estimaciones presupuestarias institucionales del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo para el bienio 2012-2013 (DP/2011/34). Durante el examen del informe la Comisión se reunió con la Administradora del PNUD y otros representantes, que proporcionaron información adicional y aclaraciones.", "2. La Administradora indica que los recursos del presupuesto institucional bienal del PNUD se asignan sobre la base de las funciones que reflejan los resultados estratégicos y operacionales que se procura alcanzar. El contexto estratégico y el contexto financiero de la propuesta se presentan en los capítulos I y II, respectivamente, y las propuestas para el presupuesto institucional para 2012-2013 se presentan en las secciones A y B del capítulo IV del documento.", "I. Contexto estratégico", "3. La Administradora señala que en el examen de mitad de período del plan estratégico se establecieron cuatro prioridades fundamentales para los próximos tres a cinco años (2011-2016) que se relacionan con todas las esferas de actividad y que serán objeto de examen y reevaluación anuales como parte de los preparativos del próximo plan estratégico (2014-2017). Esas prioridades se enuncian en el documento del presupuesto institucional (ibid., párr. 2).", "4. En el informe se indica que se espera que el programa de cambio institucional del PNUD, que la Administradora inició en abril de 2011, revitalice la organización para que pueda aplicar efectivamente las recomendaciones formuladas en el examen de mediano plazo del plan estratégico (ibid., párr. 4) y que dicho programa tiene por objeto mejorar la funcionalidad y los resultados en tres esferas interrelacionadas: la gobernanza interna; la eficacia institucional; y el liderazgo, la cultura y el comportamiento (ibid., párr. 5). Se señala en el informe que en 2012-2013 la máxima prioridad para el PNUD, además de la formulación del plan estratégico para 2014-2017 con arreglo a la orientación proporcionada por la Junta Ejecutiva en su decisión 2011/14, será acelerar la aplicación del programa de cambio institucional. La Comisión Consultiva observa que las estimaciones presupuestarias institucionales para 2012-2013 y las propuestas conexas de la Administradora están orientadas a prestar apoyo directo a la formulación del plan estratégico y la ejecución del programa de cambio de tres formas importantes: i) produciendo resultados institucionales estratégicos que constituyan requisitos para el logro de resultados de desarrollo estratégico y, en consecuencia, sirvan de base para ese desarrollo, lo refuercen y sean reforzados por este; ii) mediante mayor inversión estratégica en la organización; y iii) mediante la determinación de mayores oportunidades para mejorar la eficacia y la eficiencia operacionales (ibid., párr. 6).", "5. La Administradora señala en el informe que el presupuesto institucional del PNUD para 2012-2013 forma parte integrante del plan estratégico (ibid., párr. 8). El marco de resultados estratégicos institucionales revisado aprobado en este refleja la clasificación de los gastos armonizada aprobada en la decisión 2010/32 de la Junta Ejecutiva y presenta los resultados e indicadores planificados para la gestión, la coordinación de las actividades de desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas, la eficacia del desarrollo y las actividades con fines especiales de conformidad con la decisión 2011/10 de la Junta Ejecutiva. La Administradora informa de que, por último, el presupuesto integrado incorporará en un marco de planificación y presupuestación los planes y recursos necesarios para el logro de los resultados institucionales que se reflejan en el presupuesto institucional, así como la planificación y los recursos para el logro de los resultados en materia de desarrollo que se reflejan en la actualidad en los arreglos de programación (ibid., párr. 9).", "II. Contexto financiero", "6. El plan de recursos para el bienio 2012-2013 se presenta en el cuadro 1 del informe. Las cifras efectivas para 2010 y las estimaciones revisadas para 2011 se han combinado y se reflejan en ese cuadro con fines de comparación. El cuadro 1 refleja recursos ordinarios estimados, de 2.150 millones de dólares para 2012-2013, suma aprobada en el examen de mitad de período del plan estratégico y que entraña un aumento nominal de 153 millones de dólares respecto de las proyecciones más recientes de los ingresos para 2010-2011, de 1.967 millones de dólares. La Comisión Consultiva observa que la estimación de 2.150 millones de dólares para 2012-2013 entraña una disminución de 200 millones de dólares en comparación con los recursos ordinarios planificados inicialmente para 2010-2011, de 2.350 millones de dólares, según figuran en el cuadro sinóptico 1.", "7. En el informe se indica que el plan de recursos del PNUD para 2012-2013, que incluye los recursos ordinarios y otros recursos, esboza el marco de planificación integrada de los recursos de la organización y clasifica las actividades en categorías aprobadas en las decisiones de la Junta Ejecutiva 2009/22 y 2010/32 (Ibid., párr. 20). El plan de recursos tiene tres segmentos que abarcan los recursos procedentes de donantes y los recursos locales, que reflejan:", "a) Un total estimado de 12.888,7 millones de dólares, que comprenden un saldo de apertura de 3.162,3 millones de dólares, contribuciones de 9.600 millones de dólares y otros ingresos de 125,3 millones de dólares;", "b) Una utilización proyectada de recursos de 11.729,2 millones de dólares, que comprende actividades de desarrollo por un total de 10.334,1 millones de dólares, actividades de coordinación de las iniciativas de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo por un total de 263,4 millones de dólares, actividades de gestión por un total de 1.016,0 millones de dólares, y actividades para fines especiales por un total de 115,7 millones de dólares; y", "c) Un saldo proyectado de recursos de aproximadamente 1.158,4 millones de dólares.", "8. El plan de recursos para 2012-2013 se apoya en los cuadros, cifras y texto del informe con respecto a las actividades de gestión, las actividades sobre la eficacia del desarrollo, las actividades de coordinación de las iniciativas de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo y las actividades para fines especiales. En el cuadro 2 figuran las estimaciones presupuestarias para las actividades institucionales que se han de financiar con recursos ordinarios y otros recursos. La Comisión Consultiva observa que las cifras que aparecen en el cuadro 2 comprenden solo las cuantías del plan de recursos que se presentan como parte del cuadro 1 y se dedican a actividades institucionales (ibid., párr. 21).", "9. En el informe figura una reseña de las contribuciones, por categoría de financiación, a lo largo de seis bienios (ibid., gráfico 1), que incluye estimaciones para 2010-2011 y 2012-2013. Se proyecta que en 2012-2013 los recursos ordinarios procedentes de donantes sean de 2.150,0 millones de dólares en valores nominales, y que los demás recursos procedentes de donantes, para fondos fiduciarios y participación en los gastos, se reduzcan nominalmente en 360 millones de dólares (5,7%), de las estimaciones actuales de 6.310 millones de dólares para el bienio 2010-2011 a 5.950 millones de dólares en el bienio 2012-2013. La Comisión Consultiva observa que se estima que para el bienio 2012-2013 las contribuciones de donantes y las contribuciones locales sumarán 9.600 millones de dólares, es decir, 208 millones de dólares (2,2%) menos que la estimación para 2010-2011. La Comisión Consultiva recomienda que la Junta Ejecutiva aliente al PNUD a intensificar sus actividades de recaudación de fondos.", "10. En su informe la Administradora señala que se prevé que los recursos locales proporcionados por los gobiernos disminuyan también en valores nominales en unos 31 millones de dólares (2,1%), a 1.500 millones de dólares en 2012-2013, y que el nivel de los recursos locales proporcionados por los gobiernos anfitriones ha disminuido en los cuatro últimos bienios (ibid., gráfico 1). En respuesta a sus indagaciones se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que el nivel de ingresos consistente en recursos locales ha disminuido en el contexto del marco integrado de recursos que fue aprobado en las decisiones 2007/32 y 2011/14 de la Junta Ejecutiva.", "11. La Comisión Consultiva constata que, según el informe, en 2012-2013 el PNUD utilizará el 88% de sus recursos en actividades de desarrollo (ibid., párr. 19) y que en ese bienio el 8,7% de los gastos corresponderán a actividades de gestión.", "III. Marco de resultados estratégicos institucionales", "12. La Administradora del PNUD señala que el plan estratégico es el único marco general de resultados del PNUD y que el presupuesto institucional se corresponde plenamente con el marco de resultados estratégicos institucionales, del cual se nutre, y con las proyecciones de recursos de alto nivel para 2012-2013 que figuran en este (ibid., párr. 23). Se indica en el informe que el marco de resultados institucionales refuerza y apoya directamente el logro de los resultados de desarrollo que figuran en el plan estratégico. El marco abarca las actividades institucionales estratégicas previstas en las esferas de la gestión, la coordinación de las iniciativas de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, las actividades para fines especiales y las actividades para promover la eficacia del desarrollo, que juntas forman la base operacional en que el PNUD se apoya para responder a las solicitudes de servicios de coordinación y promoción del desarrollo que formulan los países (ibid., párr. 26). El marco institucional de resultados del PNUD consiste en un ciclo que se expone en el informe (ibid., párr. 28). Se indica que cada resultado estratégico institucional está a cargo de una dependencia rectora o un grupo de dependencias rectoras que se designa como patrocinador institucional (ibid., párr. 30). En los párrafos 43 a 83 del informe se describen los productos del plan estratégico en las esferas de la gestión, las actividades de coordinación de las iniciativas del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, y las actividades para fines especiales y para promover la eficacia del desarrollo. La Comisión observa que entre los productos del plan estratégico se han incluido como actividades de gestión actividades como las de seguridad del personal y aplicación de las IPSAS.", "13. La Comisión Consultiva recuerda su recomendación anterior de que el PNUD siga colaborando con el UNFPA y el UNICEF y continué desarrollando y armonizando los elementos del marco basado en los resultados, fundado en una terminología y normas comunes, y que en futuras presentaciones del presupuesto de apoyo bienal facilite información sobre los progresos en ese ámbito (DP/2010/4, párr. 4). La Comisión observa que el presupuesto institucional del PNUD para 2012-2013 se ha preparado sobre la base del enfoque armonizado con el UNFPA y el UNICEF y con la orientación constante de la Junta Ejecutiva (DP/2011/34, párr. 24). El presupuesto institucional para 2012-2013 incorpora las clasificaciones armonizadas de gastos aprobadas en las decisiones 2009/22 y 2010/32 de la Junta Ejecutiva (ibid., párr. 25), y el enfoque armonizado de la presupuestación basada en los resultados aprobado en la decisión 2011/10 de la Junta Ejecutiva. La Administradora indica en el informe que la armonización entre el PNUD, el UNFPA y el UNICEF se logra mediante mejores métodos en las esferas de la clasificación de los gastos, la presupuestación basada en los resultados, la recuperación de los gastos y la compilación y presentación de la información presupuestaria (ibid., párr. 9).", "14. Se observa en el informe que el PNUD, el UNFPA y el UNICEF están bien encaminados para presentar presupuestos integrados individuales a partir de 2014 de conformidad con la decisión 2011/10 de la Junta Ejecutiva. En respuesta a sus preguntas se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que el presupuesto integrado de cada entidad reflejaría las clasificaciones armonizadas de las actividades y los gastos conexos, así como mejores vinculaciones entre los resultados de los planes estratégicos y los recursos necesarios para lograr esos resultados. La Comisión observa que en el primer período ordinario de sesiones de enero de 2010, las Juntas Ejecutivas del PNUD y el UNICEF examinaron y acogieron con beneplácito la nota de información conjunta sobre la hoja de ruta para la elaboración de un formato presupuestario integrado. En su decisión 2010/32, la Junta Ejecutiva del PNUD aprobó las definiciones armonizadas de los gastos y la clasificación armonizada de las actividades y los gastos conexos para que se aplicaran a partir del bienio 2012-2013 y, en su decisión 2011/10, la Junta aprobó también el enfoque armonizado de la presupuestación basada en los resultados y los cuadros principales del presupuesto para su aplicación a partir del bienio 2012-2013. De manera análoga, la Junta Ejecutiva del UNICEF, en sus decisiones 2010/20 y 2011/6, hizo suyas las definiciones armonizadas de los gastos y la clasificación armonizada de las actividades y los gastos conexos, así como el enfoque propuesto de la presupuestación basada en los resultados y los cuadros principales para que se aplicaran a partir del bienio 2012-2013. También se indica que las tres organizaciones han convenido en proporcionar a sus respectivas Juntas Ejecutivas, en su segundo período ordinario de sesiones de 2012, información sobre: a) los resultados del examen conjunto de los efectos de las tasas armonizadas de recuperación de los gastos en el contexto del presupuesto integrado y los nuevos planes estratégicos a partir de 2014; b) un modelo de presupuesto integrado; y c) información sobre las medidas adoptadas y los progresos logrados respecto de la adopción de un presupuesto integrado.", "15. La Comisión acoge complacida los progresos que ha hecho el PNUD en cuanto a la aplicación de la presupuestación basada en los resultados, incluida la consolidación de las funciones en productos del plan estratégico correspondientes a las nuevas categorías de clasificación de los gastos, e insta al PNUD a proseguir con sus esfuerzos al respecto en colaboración con el UNFPA y el UNICEF. La Comisión Consultiva confía en que en futuros presupuestos integrados del PNUD se reflejen los cambios previstos, incluidas las clasificaciones armonizadas de las actividades y los gastos conexos, así como mejores vinculaciones entre los resultados previstos en los planes estratégicos y los recursos necesarios para lograrlos, junto con datos sobre los gastos en bienios anteriores para fines de comparación.", "16. En relación con el producto del plan estratégico sobre seguridad del personal y de los locales y un entorno más seguro para la ejecución de los programas, la Administradora señala que ese producto requiere medidas de seguridad a nivel mundial amplias y eficaces en función del costo, lo que incluye establecer, mantener y aplicar políticas y sistemas para la gestión y rendición de cuentas en materia de seguridad (ibid., párr. 49). La Comisión Consultiva observa que el porcentaje de referencia de oficinas en los países que cumplen las normas mínimas operativas de seguridad (MOSS) es del 63% en 2010-2011 y que los objetivos respecto del cumplimiento de esas normas son del 75% en 2012 y el 80% en 2013. Habida cuenta de la evaluación de los riesgos para la seguridad, la Comisión reconoce que es necesario dar prioridad a las medidas relacionadas con el cumplimiento de las normas mínimas operativas de seguridad (MOSS) y toma nota del aumento proyectado del número de oficinas de las Naciones Unidas que cumplirán esas normas, según se refleja en el presupuesto institucional para el próximo bienio.", "IV. Propuestas para el presupuesto institucional de 2012-2013", "17. En el cuadro 2 del informe se resumen las estimaciones presupuestarias propuestas para las actividades institucionales del PNUD, por producto del plan estratégico. El presupuesto institucional propuesto para 2012-2013 es de 931,9 millones de dólares, en cifras brutas que se reduce con ingresos proyectados de 75,4 millones de dólares, por lo que en cifras netas el presupuesto institucional para 2012-2013 es de 856,5 millones de dólares. El total de los recursos ordinarios para el presupuesto, del bienio 2012-2013, de 856,5 millones de dólares, es comparable con el total del presupuesto institucional del bienio 2010-2011, de 905,8 millones de dólares.", "18. La Administradora señala que la reducción de 49,3 millones de dólares en el presupuesto institucional comprende 120,1 millones de dólares en disminución del volumen resultante de la estrategia de reducción de la organización, que incluye mayor eficacia; la finalización de las inversiones en períodos anteriores; la asignación de gastos a los recursos extrapresupuestarios para mejorar la distribución de la carga financiera, y mayor transparencia en la atribución de los gastos gestionados centralmente (ibid., párr. 15). Esas disminuciones se contrarrestan en parte con aumentos de 31,1 millones de dólares en gastos no discrecionales y de 40,0 millones de dólares en inversiones propuestas. Los aumentos de los gastos no discrecionales de 31,1 millones de dólares se deben principalmente a:", "a) El efecto de la inflación en el ajuste por lugar de destino y otras prestaciones del personal de contratación internacional y el personal de la Sede, las prestaciones de los oficiales nacionales y del personal local de las oficinas en los países y los gastos operacionales (17,4 millones de dólares);", "b) El aumento de las prestaciones de sueldos derivado de los incrementos de sueldo dentro de la categoría del personal de contratación internacional y del personal local de la Sede y de los estudios obligatorios de las Naciones Unidas para la revisión de los sueldos de los funcionarios nacionales y del personal local de las oficinas en los países (12,0 millones de dólares); y", "c) Los ajustes monetarios debido al efecto total de las fluctuaciones cambiarias respecto del dólar de los Estados Unidos (1,5 millones de dólares) (ibid., párr. 86).", "19. En su informe la Administradora indica que en respuesta a las inquietudes expresadas por miembros de la Junta Ejecutiva y en el contexto de la crisis económica mundial actual, sigue dando alta prioridad a la necesidad de ejercer disciplina presupuestaria mediante mayor contención y mejor alineación de los gastos institucionales (ibid., párr. 88). La reducción de 120,1 millones de dólares por disminución del volumen efectivo, de los cuales 96 millones de dólares corresponden a gastos no relacionados con personal, entraña una reducción del 12,3% del volumen de las consignaciones presupuestarias brutas aprobadas para 2010-2011 y se logró mediante:", "a) El aumento de la eficacia operacional general mediante la eliminación de servicios y actividades redundantes y no esenciales y la determinación de funciones de menor prioridad que podían reducirse, lo que incluyó la congelación de puestos (30,6 millones de dólares);", "b) El mejor alineamiento de los gastos a nivel institucional respecto de la atribución de los gastos de la gestión centralizada (55,2 millones de dólares);", "c) El mejor alineamiento de los gastos a nivel de dependencia respecto de la distribución de los gastos entre recursos ordinarios y recursos extrapresupuestarios (13,0 millones de dólares); y", "d) La eliminación de inversiones en obras de capital terminadas y de otras inversiones (21,3 millones de dólares).", "20. La Comisión Consultiva observa que la reducción de gastos de personal por un total de 24,1 millones de dólares corresponde a 33 puestos del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 55 puestos de contratación local. Se propone congelar 20 puestos del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 23 puestos de contratación local y eliminar 4 puestos del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 14 puestos de contratación local (18,2 millones de dólares), y asignar en a la financiación con recursos extrapresupuestarios 9 puestos del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 18 puestos de contratación local (5,9 millones de dólares) (ibid., párr. 90; véanse también los párrafos 22 a 28, 34 y 35 infra).", "21. La Administradora señala asimismo que en 2012-2013 una prioridad principal del PNUD será la prestación más eficaz de servicios institucionales y de formulación de políticas, con mayor hincapié en procesos institucionales más rápidos, económicos y mejores que permitan, entre otras cosas, reducir considerablemente los costos (ibid., párr. 91). Se introducirán varias medidas concretas para racionalizar los procesos prolongados y a veces inflexibles respecto de los programas y proyectos que, según la Administradora, frecuentemente han obstaculizado la eficacia operacional a nivel de las oficinas en los países. Se elaborará un conjunto de instrumentos flexibles de programación, más apropiados a las agendas de desarrollo nacionales, lo que constituirá una primera medida importante hacia la agilización de las operaciones de las oficinas y la reducción de los procedimientos burocráticos onerosos que añaden poco valor. Se indica en el informe que se llevó a cabo una iniciativa institucional para mejorar la asignación de los gastos gestionados centralmente y las correspondientes fuentes de financiación sobre la base del número de funcionarios y los gastos totales que permitió mejorar la atribución de los gastos por un total de 55,2 millones de dólares respecto de los servicios proporcionados por la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas y los gastos de participación en actividades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas financiadas conjuntamente (ibid., párr. 94).", "Inversiones propuestas", "22. La Administradora señala que se proponen aumentos del volumen por un total de 40 millones de dólares en cinco esferas estratégicas que incluyen inversiones periódicas y no periódicas de 30,1 millones de dólares y 9,9 millones de dólares, respectivamente. Esas inversiones requieren un total de 77 nuevas plazas, 32 del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 45 de contratación local. Según el informe, todas las inversiones propuestas están claramente indicadas e incluidas en los correspondientes productos estratégicos previstos de conformidad con el marco estratégico de resultados institucionales (ibid., párr. 96).", "23. La Administradora propone que se asignen 6,8 millones de dólares de recursos ordinarios a la ejecución del programa de cambio, de los cuales i) 5 millones de dólares permitirán apoyar directamente una planificación estratégica y una capacidad de gestión reforzadas mediante el establecimiento de 10 plazas del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional; ii) 0,8 millones de dólares permitirán apoyar directamente el liderazgo normativo mediante el establecimiento de una plaza de economista principal de categoría D-2 y de una plaza de funcionario de apoyo (véanse también párrs. 34 y 35 infra); y iii) 1 millón de dólares permitirá prestar apoyo decisivo para mejorar todos los aspectos de la gestión basada en los resultados en toda la organización como preparación para los próximos plan estratégico y marco de resultados (ibid., párr. 101).", "24. Se propone una inversión de 4 millones de dólares con cargo a recursos ordinarios para fortalecer la gestión estratégica de los recursos humanos, incluido el mejoramiento de los instrumentos y sistemas para la gestión de la capacidad y la planificación de la fuerza laboral. Este fortalecimiento requerirá seis plazas del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y ocho plazas de contratación local para hacer frente al volumen de trabajo adicional derivado de la reforma de los contratos y racionalizar los procesos institucionales, elaborar una estrategia sobre capacidad del personal y determinar los conocimientos especializados que necesitarán los distintos tipos de oficinas (ibid., párr. 104).", "25. La Administradora señala que, a consecuencia de la aplicación de la reforma de los contratos de conformidad con la resolución 63/250 de la Asamblea General sobre gestión de los recursos humanos, el PNUD administra ahora un total de 1.200 funcionarios adicionales del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional. Ha aumentado el número de nombramientos permanentes y de plazo fijo correspondientes, así como el número de separaciones del servicio y de nuevos nombramientos, todo lo cual ha aumentado el volumen de trabajo del PNUD.", "26. Se propone una inversión de 4,2 millones de dólares con cargo a recursos ordinarios para apoyar a los países en situaciones de transición inestables mediante el establecimiento de las siguientes plazas: i) una de director superior para el país de categoría D-2 y seis de contratación local en Sudán del Sur; ii) una de director superior para el país de categoría D-2 en el Yemen; y iii) una para el jefe de equipo de transición de categoría D-1 en la región de los Estados árabes para coordinar el apoyo en vista de las crisis múltiples y simultáneas que están ocurriendo en la región (véanse también los párrafos 34 y 35 infra). También se prestará apoyo al traslado gradual de la oficina para el Iraq de Ammán a Bagdad (ibid., párr. 108).", "27. Se propone una inversión de 4 millones de dólares con cargo a recursos ordinarios en relación con la elaboración del programa de desarrollo mundial, de los cuales: i) 2 millones de dólares permitirán apoyar la ampliación de los preparativos de planes de acción de alta calidad para el marco de aceleración en favor de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio en 12 países en que se ejecutan programas; ii) 1 millón de dólares permitirá apoyar la preparación de un documento de exposición de problemas para la Conferencia de Río+20 sobre la forma en que la economía verde puede contribuir a la ejecución del programa de desarrollo sostenible; y iii) 1 millón de dólares permitirá apoyar el aumento de la capacidad en materia de datos, presentación de informes y sistemas con el fin de implantar provechosamente las normas de transparencia aprobadas en el marco de la Iniciativa Internacional para la Transparencia de la Ayuda (ibid., párr. 112).", "28. Por último, se propone una inversión de 21 millones de dólares con cargo a recursos ordinarios para apoyar la mejora de los servicios institucionales de valor añadido y la rendición de cuentas. De ese total, 10 millones de dólares permitirán apoyar directamente la aplicación de las IPSAS por medio de una inversión no periódica de 3,8 millones de dólares; se efectuarán inversiones periódicas de 6,2 millones de dólares para financiar el centro mundial de servicios compartidos, lo que incluye el establecimiento de 10 plazas del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y 30 plazas de contratación local. Otros 10 millones de dólares permitirán apoyar actividades relacionadas con la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones, de los cuales 6,1 millones de dólares se destinarán a inversiones no periódicas y 3,9 millones de dólares a inversiones periódicas. Además, se propone la suma de 1 millón de dólares en inversiones periódicas en la Dependencia de Investigaciones para el establecimiento de dos plazas del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional (ibid., párr. 118).", "29. La Comisión Consultiva, si bien reconoce el valor de las iniciativas propuestas por el PNUD en la categoría de inversiones, espera que estas tengan un rendimiento tangible en un período de tiempo determinado que consista en un mejor cumplimiento de los mandatos y mayor eficiencia y efectividad. Con respecto a la aplicación de la resolución 63/250, la Comisión observa que el aumento del volumen de trabajo atribuible a esa resolución debe ser de carácter temporal. En consecuencia, espera que se mantengan en examen los recursos adicionales para que se determine si siguen siendo necesarios. Se debe proporcionar información al respecto en el contexto del próximo presupuesto institucional del PNUD.", "Aplicación de las Normas Contables Internacionales para el Sector Público", "30. La Comisión Consultiva recuerda que la fecha prevista para la aplicación de las Normas Contables Internacionales para el Sector Público (IPSAS) por el PNUD se había aplazado de enero de 2010 a enero de 2012 (DP/2010/4, párr. 27). En respuesta a sus preguntas se informó a la Comisión de que como el PNUD era una organización muy descentralizada, las funciones de contabilidad por lo general se realizaban por separado en cada oficina de país. Tras la introducción del nuevo sistema de planificación de los recursos institucionales (PeopleSoft/Atlas), el PNUD llegó a la conclusión de que se necesitaba un nivel de conocimientos más elevado para la realización de funciones financieras complejas en el contexto de las IPSAS, que entrañan un mayor nivel de complejidad, en particular respecto de la gestión de los ingresos, los bienes e instalaciones y el equipo; y las prestaciones del personal.", "31. También se comunicó a la Comisión Consultiva que en enero de 2009 el PNUD había emprendido un análisis fáctico detallado del efecto en el volumen de trabajo que había permitido determinar que la centralización de las funciones más complejas en un centro mundial único constituía la solución más estratégica y permitía obtener importantes economías de escala, reducir gastos y, en consecuencia, minimizar el impacto y el riesgo financieros para la organización. Más tarde una empresa independiente realizó un estudio de consultoría de resultas del cual se presentaron recomendaciones sobre una lista de selección de posibles opciones apropiadas para la ubicación del Centro Mundial de Servicios Compartidos y respecto de si se necesitarían otros centros de servicios regionales. La consultoría indicó que un Centro Mundial de Servicios Compartidos único consolidado permitiría lograr el equilibrio óptimo de menores costos y los beneficios de un centro de excelencia. Se informó también a la Comisión Consultiva de que en el estudio de consultoría se habían recomendado diversas posibles ubicaciones. Se indicó que el PNUD estaba examinando las recomendaciones y adoptaría una decisión respecto de un lugar apropiado para el Centro Mundial de Servicios Compartidos sobre la base de los resultados de las consultas con posibles gobiernos anfitriones.", "32. Además, se informó a la Comisión Consultiva, en respuesta a sus preguntas, de que el Grupo de Contralores establecido por la Oficina de Coordinación de Operaciones para el Desarrollo (DOCO), que comprende el PNUD, el UNFPA, el UNICEF y el PMA, así como el Contralor de las Naciones Unidas, estaba coordinando las gestiones sobre la armonización del Reglamento Financiero y la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada para incorporar la introducción de las IPSAS, así como la nueva clasificación de gastos para los tres fondos y programas. Las observaciones y recomendaciones de la Comisión Consultiva figuran en su informe aparte sobre las enmiendas propuestas del Reglamento Financiero y la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada del PNUD. También se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que el equipo de apoyo a las IPSAS a nivel de todo el sistema de la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos se encargaría de la necesaria coordinación para la formulación de futuras políticas sobre las IPSAS, así como de otras tareas pertinentes, como la facilitación y la comunicación. También se informó a la Comisión de que el Centro Mundial de Servicios Compartidos realizaría funciones nuevas y complejas relacionadas con las IPSAS y prestaría servicios de asesoramiento y apoyo a las oficinas del PNUD en los países respecto de la aplicación de las IPSAS. La Comisión Consultiva reitera su opinión sobre el valor de una armonización estrecha con la Secretaría y otras organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas en lo tocante a asuntos relacionados con las IPSAS. A ese respecto, la Comisión insta al PNUD a seguir dando a conocer los resultados de su experiencia sobre la aplicación de las IPSAS.", "Ingresos estimados", "33. La Administradora indica que los ingresos estimados totales del presupuesto institucional para 2012-2013 son de 75,4 millones de dólares lo que entraña un aumento de 0,3 millones de dólares respecto del bienio 2010-2011. Se prevé que esos ingresos procedan de tres fuentes: contribuciones de los gobiernos para sufragar los gastos de las oficinas locales; el Programa de Voluntarios de las Naciones Unidas, de resultas del suministro de voluntarios a organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas; y la vinculación contable con las contribuciones voluntarias para compensar los gastos en concepto de reembolso de los impuestos sobre la renta que pagan algunos funcionarios respecto de su sueldo. En el informe se señala que en el año 2010 solo se recibió el 75% de las contribuciones de los gobiernos para sufragar gastos de las oficinas locales (ibid., cuadro 4). La Comisión Consultiva observa con preocupación el déficit de los reembolsos de los gobiernos respecto de los gastos de las oficinas locales e insta al PNUD a proseguir con sus esfuerzos a fin de que obtenga los recursos necesarios para mantener sus operaciones sobre el terreno.", "Cambios propuestos de la dotación de personal", "34. La Comisión Consultiva observa que el PNUD propone que el total del personal financiado con cargo a recursos ordinarios se reduzca en un número neto de 11 puestos, de 3.217 en el bienio 2010-2011 a 3.206 en el bienio 2012-2013. Las propuestas incluyen:", "a) Respecto de las actividades de gestión: una reducción neta de tres plazas de categoría D-2 y un aumento neto de una plaza de categoría D-1, así como un aumento neto de 16 plazas de personal del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y una reducción neta de cuatro plazas de contratación local;", "b) Respecto de las actividades para promover la eficacia del desarrollo: un aumento de una plaza de categoría D-2 y una de categoría D-1, así como la reducción neta de 18 plazas del Cuadro Orgánico de contratación internacional y de tres plazas de contratación local;", "c) Respecto de las actividades de coordinación de las iniciativas de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo: una reducción de una plaza de contratación local; y", "d) Respecto de actividades con fines especiales: una reducción de una plaza de contratación local (ibid., párr. 124).", "35. La Comisión Consultiva observa que con arreglo a las propuestas sobre la dotación de personal de categoría superior, el número de puestos de categoría D-1 y categoría superiores seguiría siendo el mismo, pero el total de puestos de categoría D-2 disminuiría en dos y el total de puestos de categoría D-1 aumentaría en dos. También se propone congelar tres puestos de categoría D-2 y reclasificar un puesto de categoría D-2 en la categoría D-1. En el informe se indica que los cambios propuestos de la dotación de personal en el bienio 2012-2013 están influidos por dos factores principales: el volumen propuesto de reducciones presentado en el presupuesto y las inversiones propuestas a que se ha hecho referencia. La Administradora informó además a la Comisión Consultiva de que el crecimiento nulo de los puestos de categoría superior en el PNUD tenía por objeto contener los costos y seguir la orientación previa de la Junta Ejecutiva y la Comisión. En el informe se incluye el establecimiento de tres nuevos puestos de categoría D-2 para cargos de economista institucional superior y director superior en el país en Sudán del Sur y en el Yemen, además de la reclasificación del puesto de categoría D-1 del coordinador residente en el Yemen a la categoría D-2. También se propone que se establezca un nuevo puesto de categoría D-1 para el jefe del equipo de transición en la región de los Estados árabes, contrarrestado por la eliminación de un puesto de categoría D-1 en la Oficina Ejecutiva (ibid., párr. 130; véase también párr. 26 supra). La Comisión Consultiva reconoce los esfuerzos del PNUD por contener los costos, incluso mediante la evaluación de las necesidades de dotación de personal. No obstante, insta al PNUD a ampliar esos esfuerzos. Al respecto, la Comisión Consultiva reitera su opinión de que se debe ejercer prudencia en la contratación para llenar puestos aprobados habida cuenta de la disponibilidad de financiación. La Comisión no opone objeciones a los cambios propuestos de la dotación de personal.", "Otros recursos", "36. Como se ha señalado, la Administradora indica que las estimaciones netas para el presupuesto institucional en el bienio 2012-2013 con cargo a recursos ordinarios serían de 856,5 millones de dólares, mientras en el bienio 2010-2011 fueron de 905,8 millones de dólares, y que las estimaciones que habrían de financiarse con otros recursos serían de 646,3 millones de dólares, mientras en el bienio 2010-2011 fueron de 587,4 millones de dólares (ibid., párr. 132). La Comisión Consultiva observa que en el bienio 2010-2011 los gastos proyectados que habían de financiarse con otros recursos como función del total de los gastos previstos (con cargo a recursos ordinarios y otros recursos) aumentaron a un 39% del total, y que se prevé que en el bienio 2012-2013 aumenten a un 43% del presupuesto institucional. Esto sigue constituyendo una tendencia positiva. Si bien la Comisión Consultiva reconoce que la proporción del presupuesto institucional financiada con cargo a otras fuentes ha venido aumentando en los últimos bienios, reitera su posición de que la fórmula para distribuir el presupuesto entre recursos ordinarios y otros recursos debe seguir siendo objeto de examen.", "Recuperación de los gastos", "37. Las estimaciones actuales de los ingresos por concepto de recuperación de los gastos en 2012-2013 son de 592 millones de dólares, mientras en el bienio 2010-2011 fueron de 568 millones de dólares (ibid., cuadro 6), lo que entraña un aumento estimado de 24 millones de dólares, es decir, un 4%. La Administradora indica que las estimaciones de recuperación de los gastos en 2012-2013, por un total de 592 millones de dólares, comprenden lo siguiente:", "a) Los ingresos estimados por concepto de servicios generales de gestión procedentes de la cofinanciación de donantes, de 418 millones de dólares (384 millones de dólares en 2010-2011), que constituyen el 6,25% (6% en 2010-2011) de 6.700 millones de dólares (6.400 millones de dólares en 2010-2011);", "b) Los ingresos estimados por concepto de servicios generales de gestión procedentes de la participación en la financiación de los gastos de los países en que se ejecutan programas, de 49 millones de dólares (60 millones de dólares en 2010-2011), que constituyen el 3,5% (3,7% en 2010-2011) de los 1.392 millones de dólares de gastos estimados de programas financiados con recursos locales;", "c) El monto estimado de los ingresos derivados de la recuperación de gastos en concepto de servicios de organización de las Naciones Unidas a nivel de la sede, de 50 millones de dólares, en comparación con 51 millones de dólares en 2010-2011;", "d) Los ingresos estimados por recuperación de los gastos en concepto de servicios de organización a las Naciones Unidas a nivel de las oficinas en los países, de 22 millones de dólares (21 millones de dólares en 2010-2011);", "e) Otras estimaciones de ingresos por recuperación de los gastos, de 53 millones de dólares (52 millones de dólares en 2010-2011) (ibid., párr. 133).", "38. La Comisión Consultiva observa que las estimaciones actuales respecto de otros recursos conexos en 2012-2013, que incluyen intereses y la atribución de gastos gestionados localmente y centralmente, son de 136 millones de dólares, en comparación con 80 millones de dólares en 2010-2011, lo que entraña un aumento estimado del 70% (ibid., párr. 134).", "39. La Administradora señala que, en principio, todas las actividades de proyectos y los gastos conexos, según se definen en los planes de acción de los programas para los países, los planes de trabajo anuales para los proyectos y los documentos de proyectos, son efectuados por los organismos de contraparte de los gobiernos conforme a la modalidad de la ejecución nacional/aplicación nacional, que supone que todos los gastos institucionales conexos son recuperados plenamente por el PNUD como recursos extrapresupuestarios mediante la aplicación de la política de recuperación del 7% de los gastos con respecto a los servicios generales de gestión aprobada por la Junta Ejecutiva en su decisión 2007/18 (ibid., párr. 136). Además, de conformidad con el marco de contabilidad de la modalidad de ejecución nacional/aplicación nacional, que describe las funciones de los gobiernos en que se ejecutan programas y del PNUD, todas las actividades de supervisión y actividades conexas del PNUD (por ejemplo, los servicios generales de gestión) deben ser financiadas con cargo al presupuesto institucional o a la cuenta extrapresupuestaria (ibid, párr. 137). La Administradora describe varios problemas que se plantean a la organización a ese respecto:", "a) Las cuestiones destacadas en el programa para el cambio con respecto a las distintas necesidades de los países, que excluyen planteamientos únicos para todos los casos, listas basadas en los servicios y presencias basadas en criterios establecidos (ibid., párr. 138);", "b) La determinación de medios más transparentes y óptimos para atribuir los gastos y sus fuentes de financiación, ya se trate de actividades de desarrollo o de actividades institucionales (ibid., párr. 139);", "c) El mejoramiento de la armonización entre los recursos canalizados a la cuenta extrapresupuestaria y la financiación de las actividades institucionales que sustentan las actividades de desarrollo financiadas con cargo a otras fuentes (ibid., párr. 140).", "40. La Administradora observa que con arreglo a la política vigente de recuperación de los gastos se ha de recuperar un mínimo del 7% respecto de todas las contribuciones a fondos fiduciarios de participación de terceros en la financiación de los gastos, y un mínimo del 3% de todas las contribuciones de los gobiernos en concepto de participación en la financiación de los gastos para financiar las actividades institucionales conexas (por ejemplo, los servicios generales de gestión). Las actividades institucionales financiadas con cargo a recursos ordinarios no deben sustentar en medida excesiva (subvencionar) las actividades imputadas a otros recursos (ibid.). En presupuestos anteriores, el cálculo de la tasa de recuperación de los gastos variables indirectos del PNUD respecto de los recursos aportados por donantes bilaterales y multilaterales se basaba en el concepto de estructura básica, definida en el documento DP/2010/3 como la capacidad mínima que necesita la organización para poder cumplir su mandato básico (ibid., párr. 141). La Administradora señala que esa política tal vez ya no sea aplicable a los fines de determinar una distribución equitativa de los gastos institucionales entre recursos ordinarios y otros recursos. En consecuencia, la estructura básica y la política conexa de recuperación de los gastos se examinarán nuevamente en un contexto interinstitucional como parte de la hoja de ruta conjunta para llegar a un presupuesto integrado a partir de 2014 (ibid., párr. 144). La Comisión Consultiva insta al PNUD a examinar los supuestos en que se basan la política y las modalidades para la recuperación de los gastos en el marco interinstitucional y a presentar propuestas en el contexto del próximo presupuesto integrado." ]

[ "Second regular session 2011", "6 to 9 September 2011, New York", "Item 2 of the provisional agenda", "Financial, budgetary and administrative matters", "UNDP institutional budget estimates for 2012-2013", "Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions", "1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered the report on the institutional budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013 for the United Nations Development Programme (DP/2011/34). During its consideration of the report, the Committee met with the Administrator of UNDP and other representatives, who provided additional information and clarification.", "2. The Administrator indicates that the UNDP biennial institutional budget resources are allocated based on the functions reflecting the strategic and operational results to be achieved. The strategic and financial context of the proposals is presented in chapters I and II, respectively, and the proposals for 2012-2013 institutional budget are presented in chapter IV, sections A and B, of the document.", "I. Strategic context", "3. The Administrator indicates that the midterm review of the strategic plan established four over‑arching priorities for the next 3 to 5 years (2011-2016), which are cross-cutting and will be subject to annual review and reassessment as preparations commence for the next strategic plan (2014-2017). These priorities are outlined in the institutional budget document (ibid., para. 2)", "4. It is indicated in the report that the UNDP “agenda for organizational change”, which the Administrator launched in April 2011, is expected to re-energize the organization to successfully implement the recommendations of the midterm review of the strategic plan (ibid., para. 4), and is based on improved functionality and results in three cross‑cutting areas: internal governance; organizational effectiveness; and leadership, culture and behaviour (ibid., para. 5). The report states that, during 2012-2013, the highest priority for UNDP, together with the formulation of the 2014-2017 strategic plan as informed by the guidance provided by the Executive Board in decision 2011/14, will be to accelerate implementation of the Agenda for Organizational Change. The Advisory Committee notes that the 2012-2013 institutional budget estimates and related proposals of the Administrator will directly support strategic plan formulation and the change agenda in three major ways: (i) by delivering strategic institutional results that serve as prerequisites for, and thus underlay and mutually reinforce, the achievement of strategic development results; (ii) by further investing strategically in the organization; and (iii) by identifying increased opportunities for improved operational effectiveness and efficiency (ibid., para. 6).", "5. The Administrator indicates in the report that the 2012-2013 UNDP institutional budget forms an integral part of the strategic plan (ibid., para. 8). The revised strategic institutional results framework approved therein reflects the harmonized cost classifications approved in Executive Board decision 2010/32, and present the planned results and indicators for management, United Nations development coordination, development effectiveness and special purpose activities in line with Executive Board decision 2011/10. The Administrator informs that, ultimately, the integrated budget will incorporate into one planning and budgetary framework the planning and resources for the institutional results currently reflected in the institutional budget, and the planning and resources for the development results currently reflected in the programming arrangements (ibid., para. 9).", "II. Financial context", "6. The resource plan for 2012-2013 biennium is presented in table 1 of the report. Actual figures for 2010 and revised estimates for 2011 have been combined and reflected therein for comparative purposes. Table 1 reflects estimated regular resources of $2,150 million for 2012-2013, as approved in the midterm review of the strategic plan, which represents a $153 million nominal increase over the most current 2010-2011 income projections of $1,967 million. The Advisory Committee notes that the 2012-2013 estimate of $2,150 million represents a decrease of $200 million compared to the initially planned 2010-2011 regular resources of $2,350 million contained in summary table 1.", "7. The report indicates that the UNDP resource plan for 2012-2013, covering both regular and other resources, outlines the integrated resource planning framework of the organization, classifying activities under the categories approved in Executive Board decisions 2009/22 and 2010/32 (ibid., para. 20). The resource plan has three segments covering donor and local resources that reflect:", "(a) $12,888.7 million in estimated total resources available, comprising an opening balance of $3,162.3 million, contributions of $9,600 million and other income of $125.3 million;", "(b) $11,729.2 million in projected use of resources, comprising development activities of $10,334.1 million, United Nations development coordination activities of $263.4 million, management activities of $1,016.0 million, and special purpose activities of $115.7 million; and,", "(c) a projected balance of resources of approximately $1,158.4 million.", "8. The resource plan for 2012-2013 is supported by the accompanying tables, figures and text in the report with respect to management activities, development effectiveness activities, United Nations development coordination activities and special purpose activities. Table 2 contains budget estimates for institutional activities to be funded from regular and other resources. The Advisory Committee notes that the amounts in Table 2 comprise only the resource plan amounts presented as part of Table 1 that are dedicated to institutional activities (ibid., para. 21).", "9. The report includes an overview of contributions, by funding category, over six bienniums (ibid., figure 1), including estimates for 2010-2011 and 2012-13. In nominal terms, regular donor resources are projected at $2,150.0 million for 2012-2013, while other donor resources, for trust funds and cost sharing, are projected to decrease nominally by $360 million (5.7 per cent), from current estimates of $6,310 million in the 2010-2011 biennium, to $5,950 million in the 2012-2013 biennium. The Advisory Committee notes that aggregate donor and local contributions for the 2012-2013 biennium are estimated at $9,600 million, $208 million (2.2 per cent) less than 2010-2011 estimates. The Committee recommends that the Executive Board should encourage UNDP to intensify its fund-raising efforts.", "10. The Administrator indicates in the report that local resources provided by governments are also expected to decrease nominally by about $31 million (2.1 per cent) to $1,500 million in 2012-2013, and that the level of local resources provided by host governments has declined in the last four bienniums (ibid., figure 1). The Advisory Committee was informed, upon enquiry, that the level of income in the form of local resources has declined in the context of the integrated resources framework endorsed in Executive Board decisions 2007/32 and 2011/14.", "11. The Advisory Committee notes from the report that UNDP will utilize 88 per cent of its resources in the 2012-2013 on development activities (ibid., para. 19), and that management activities will account for 8.7 per cent of expenditure in the 2012-2013 biennium.", "III. Strategic institutional results framework", "12. The UNDP Administrator indicates that the strategic plan constitutes the single, overarching results framework of UNDP, and that the institutional budget is informed by and fully aligned with the strategic institutional results framework and high-level resource projections for 2012-2013 contained therein (ibid., para. 23). The report indicates that the institutional results framework underpins and directly supports the achievement of the development results contained in the strategic plan. It covers planned strategic institutional activities in the areas of management, United Nations development coordination, special purpose and development effectiveness, all of which form the operational foundation that UNDP leverages to respond to demands from programme countries for development and coordination services (ibid., para. 26) The UNDP institutional results framework consists of a cycle enumerated in the report (ibid., para.28). It is indicated that each strategic institutional result has a lead unit or a lead group of units designated as the corporate sponsor (ibid., para.30). The strategic plan outputs under the areas of management, United Nations development coordination, special purpose and development effectiveness are described in paragraphs 43 to 83 of the report. The Committee notes that such activities as staff security and IPSAS implementation have been included under the strategic plan outputs as management activities.", "13. The Advisory Committee recalls its previous recommendation that UNDP should continue its collaboration with UNFPA and UNICEF, and to further develop and harmonize the elements of the results-based framework, based on common terminology and standards, and that information on further progress in this area should be provided in future biennial support budget submissions (DP/2010/4, para. 4). The Committee notes that the 2012-2013 UNDP institutional budget has been prepared following the harmonized approach with UNFPA and UNICEF, and has benefited from the continuous guidance of the Executive Board (DP/2011/34, para. 24). The 2012-2013 institutional budget incorporates the harmonized cost classifications approved in Executive Board decisions 2009/22 and 2010/32 (ibid., para. 25) and incorporates the harmonized results-based budgeting approach approved in Executive Board decision 2011/10. The Administrator indicates in the report that the harmonization between UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF is accomplished through enhanced approaches in the areas of cost classification, results-based budgeting, cost recovery and the compilation and presentation of budgetary information (ibid., para. 9).", "14. It is indicated in the report that UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF are on track to present individual, integrated budgets from 2014 onwards, in accordance with Executive Board decision 2011/10. Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that each entity’s integrated budget would reflect harmonized classifications of activities and associated costs as well as improved linkages between results in strategic plans and resources required to achieve such results. The Committee notes that at their first regular sessions in January 2010, the UNDP and UNICEF Executive Boards considered and welcomed the joint information note on the road map to an integrated budget format. In its decision 2010/32, the UNDP Executive Board endorsed harmonized cost definitions and the harmonized classification of activities and associated costs for application effective in the 2012-2013 biennium, and, in its decision 2011/10, the Board also endorsed the proposed harmonized results-based budgeting approach and key budget tables for application effective in the 2012-2013 biennium. Similarly, the UNICEF Executive Board, in its decisions 2010/20 and 2011/6, endorsed the harmonized cost definitions and the classification of activities and associated costs as well as the proposed results-based budgeting approach and key tables for application effective in the 2012-2013 biennium. It is also indicated that the three organizations have agreed to provide to the respective Executive Boards at their second regular session in 2012 information on (a) results of the joint review of the impact on harmonized cost recovery rates within the context of the integrated budget and the new strategic plans from 2014 onwards; (b) a mock integrated budget; and (c) a reporting of the steps taken and progress achieved towards the integrated budget.", "15. The Committee welcomes the progress made by UNDP in the implementation of results-based budgeting, including the consolidation of functions under strategic plan outputs corresponding to the new cost classification categories, and urges UNDP to continue its efforts in this regard in collaboration with UNFPA and UNICEF. The Advisory Committee trusts that subsequent UNDP integrated budgets will reflect the envisaged changes, including the harmonized classifications of activities and associated costs, as well as improved linkages between results in strategic plans and resources required to achieve the results, along with expenditure data for the previous biennium for comparison purposes.", "16. Under the strategic plan output for Security for staff and premises and a safer environment for enhanced programme delivery, the Administrator indicates that this output requires comprehensive and cost-effective global security provisions, including establishing, maintaining and implementing policies and systems for security management and accountability (ibid., para. 49). The Advisory Committee notes that the baseline percentage of Minimum Operational Security Standards (MOSS) compliant country offices is 63 per cent in 2010-2011, and goals for MOSS-compliance are set at 75 per cent in 2012 and 80 per cent in 2013. Taking into account the security risk assessment, the Committee recognizes the need to prioritize measures related to compliance with Minimum Operational Security Standards (MOSS), and takes note of the projected increase in the number of UNDP offices that will be MOSS-compliant as reflected in the institutional budget for the coming biennium.", "IV. Proposals for the 2012-2013 institutional budget", "17. The proposed budget estimates for UNDP’s institutional activities by strategic plan output is summarized in table 2 of the report. The proposed institutional budget for 2012-2013 in gross terms amounts to $931.9 million, against which income offsets of $75.4 million are projected, resulting in an institutional budget for 2012-2013, in net terms, of $856.5 million. The total regular resources amount of $856.5 million in the 2012-2013 biennium compares to the amount of $905.8 million for the institutional budget in the 2010-2011 biennium.", "18. The Administrator indicates that the reduction of $49.3 million in the institutional budget comprises $120.1 million in volume decreases resulting from the organizational reduction strategy, including improved effectiveness; completion of investments in previous periods; the shifting of costs to extrabudgetary sources to improve burden sharing; and, enhanced transparency in the attribution of centrally managed costs (ibid., para. 15). These decreases are offset in part by increases of $31.1 million under non-discretionary expenditure and $40.0 million in proposed investments.The non-discretionary increases of $31.1 million are mainly due to:", "(a) the effect of inflation on post adjustment and other entitlements of international and Headquarters local staff, entitlements of national officers and country-office local staff, and operating costs ($17.4 million);", "(b) salary entitlements due to within-grade salary increments of international and Headquarters local staff, and United Nations-mandated salary revision surveys for national officers and country-office local staff ($12.0 million); and", "(c) currency adjustments due to the aggregate impact of exchange-rate fluctuations in comparison to the dollar ($1.5 million) (ibid., para.86).", "19. The Administrator indicates in her report that in response to concerns expressed by Executive Board members, and in the context of the ongoing global economic crisis, she continues to assign a high priority to the need for exercising budgetary discipline through the further containment and better alignment of institutional costs (ibid., para. 86). The reduction of $120.1 million in real volume decreases, of which $96 million pertain to non-staff expenses, represents a 12.3 per cent decrease in volume from the approved gross budget appropriation for 2010-2011, and was achieved by:", "(a) improving overall operational effectiveness by eliminating redundant and non-essential services and activities, and by identifying lower priority functions that could be reduced, including the freezing of posts ($30.6 million);", "(b) improving the alignment of costs at the corporate level with respect to the attribution of centrally managed costs ($55.2 million);", "(c) improving the alignment of costs at the unit level with respect to improved burden-sharing between regular and extrabudgetary resources ($13.0 million); and,", "(d) the elimination of completed capital and other investments ($21.3 million).", "20. The Advisory Committee notes that the reductions under staff costs amounting to $24.1 million pertain to 33 international professional and 55 local posts. It is proposed to freeze 20 international professional and 23 local posts, and abolish 4 international professional and 14 local posts ($18.2 million), and to shift to extrabudgetary resources 9 international professional and 18 local posts ($5.9 million) (ibid., para. 90; see also paras. 22-28, 34 and 35 below).", "21. The Administrator further states that a more effective delivery of policy and corporate services will be a top priority for UNDP during 2012‑2013, with increased focus being placed on faster, cheaper and better business processes leading to, inter alia, significant reductions in costs (ibid., para. 91). A series of concrete measures will be introduced to address the lengthy and often inflexible programme and project processes that, according to the Administrator, have often impeded operational effectiveness at the country-office level. A mix of flexible programming tools that are better suited to nationally-owned development agendas will be developed as an important first step in streamlining office operations and reducing burdensome bureaucratic procedures that add little value. The report indicates that a corporate initiative was launched to enhance the apportionment of centrally-managed costs to their corresponding sources of funding based on staff numbers and total costs, which resulted in the identification of $55.2 million in improved cost attributions with respect to services provided by the United Nations Secretariat and the costs of participating in United Nations system jointly financed activities (ibid., para. 94).", "Proposed investments", "22. The Administrator indicates that a total of $40 million in volume increases are proposed in five strategic areas to include both recurring and non-recurring investments of $30.1 million and $9.9 million, respectively. These investments require a total of 77 new positions, comprising 32 international professional and 45 local positions. According to the report, all proposed investments are specifically identified and included in their corresponding planned strategic output in accordance with the strategic institutional results framework (ibid., para. 96).", "23. The Administrator proposes $6.8 million from regular resources under the Implementation of the change agenda, of which (i) $5 million will directly support stronger strategic planning and management capability through the establishment of 10 international professional positions; (ii) $0.8 million will directly support policy leadership through the establishment of a chief economist at the D-2 level and one support staff member (see also para. 34 and 35 below); and (iii) $1 million will provide critical support to improving all aspects of results‑based management across the organization in preparation for the next strategic plan and results frameworks (ibid., para. 101).", "24. An investment of $4 million from regular resources is proposed to strengthen strategic human resources management, including the enhancement of talent management and workforce planning tools and systems. This strengthening will require six international professional positions and eight local positions to meet the additional workload attributed to contractual reform; improve business processes, develop a people-capability strategy and determine the specialized skills that will be needed by the different types of offices (ibid., para. 104).", "25. The Administrator indicates that, as a result of contractual reform implementation in accordance with General Assembly resolution 63/250 on human resources management, a total of 1,200 additional international professional staff are now administered by UNDP. The number of corresponding permanent and fixed‑term appointments has increased, as has the number of separations and new appointments, all of which has increased workload in UNDP.", "26. A total of $4.2 million from regular resources is proposed, as an investment, to support countries in the midst of fragile transitions, through the establishment of the following positions: (i) one D-2 senior country director and six local posts in South Sudan; (ii) one D-2 senior country director in Yemen; and (iii) one D-1 transition team leader in the Arab States region to coordinate support, in view of the multiple and simultaneous crises taking place across the region. (See also paras. 34 and 35 below.) Support will also be provided for a phased relocation of the Iraq country office from Amman to Baghdad (ibid., para. 108).", "27. An investment of $4 million from regular resources proposed under framing the global development agenda, of which: (i) $2 million will support the expansion of the preparation of high-quality MDG Acceleration Framework action plans in 12 programme countries; (ii) $1 million will support the preparation for Rio+20 of an issues paper clarifying how the green economy can contribute to the implementation of the sustainable development agenda; and (iii) $1 million will support the upgrading of existing data, reporting and systems capabilities in order to successfully introduce the transparency standards adopted by the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) (ibid., para. 112).", "28. Lastly, an investment of $21 million from regular resources is proposed to support enhanced value-added corporate services and accountability. Of this total, $10 million will directly support IPSAS implementation through a non-recurring investment of $3.8 million, and recurring investments of $6.2 million to fund the global shared services centre, including the establishment of 10 international professional and 30 local positions. Another $10.0 million will support information and communications technology-related activities, of which $6.1 million represents non-recurring investments and $3.9 million represents recurring investments. In addition, $1.0 million in recurring investments in the Investigations Unit are proposed through the establishment of two international professional positions (ibid., para. 118).", "29. While recognizing the value of the initiatives proposed by UNDP under the category of investments, the Advisory Committee expects a measurable return on such investments over a specific period of time in the form of improved mandate implementation, efficiency and effectiveness. With regard to the implementation of resolution 63/250, the Committee points out that the surge in workload attributable to that resolution should be temporary in nature. It therefore expects that the additional resources will be kept under review to determine the continued need. Information in this regard should be provided in the context of the next UNDP institutional budget.", "IPSAS implementation", "30. The Advisory Committee recalls that the target date for implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) by UNDP had been deferred from January 2010 to January 2012 (DP/2010/4, para. 27). The Committee was informed, upon enquiry, that, as UNDP was a highly decentralized organization, accounting functions are generally performed individually in each country office. Following implementation of its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (PeopleSoft/Atlas), UNDP concluded that a higher level of skills was required to perform complex financial functions in the context of IPSAS, which brings with it a greater level of complexity, particularly in: revenue management; property, plant and equipment; and employee benefits.", "31. The Advisory Committee was also informed that, in January 2009, UNDP undertook a detailed fact-based workload impact analysis, which determined that the centralization of the most complex functions in a single global center was the most strategic solution, providing significant economies of scale, reduced costs, and hence minimizing the financial impact and risk to the Organization. Subsequently, a consultancy study was conducted by an independent firm, which provided recommendations on a short list of suitable options for the location of the Global Shared Service Centre and on whether additional regional service centers would be needed. The consulting recommended that a single consolidated Global Shared Service Centre would achieve the optimal balance of lower costs and the benefit of a center of excellence. The Advisory Committee was further informed that the consultancy study had recommended various possible locations. It was indicated that UNDP was considering the recommendations and would take a decision on a suitable location for the proposed Global Shared Service Centre based upon the outcome of consultations with potential host governments.", "32. Furthermore, the Advisory Committee was informed, upon enquiry, that the Comptrollers Group, established by the Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO), and comprising UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, as well as the United Nations Controller, were coordinating efforts on the harmonization of the financial regulations and rules to incorporate the introduction of IPSAS, as well as the new cost classifications for the three funds and programmes. The observations and recommendations of the Advisory Committee are contained in its separate report on the proposed amendments to the Financial Regulations and Rules of UNDP. The Advisory Committee was further informed that the Chief Executives Board system-wide IPSAS support team would provide the requisite coordination for the formulation of future IPSAS policies, as well as other relevant tasks, such as facilitation and communication. The Committee was also informed that the Global Shared Service Centre will perform new and complex IPSAS-related functions and provide advisory services and support to UNDP country offices in the implementation of IPSAS. The Advisory Committee reiterates its view on the value of close harmonization with the Secretariat and other United Nations organizations on IPSAS-related matters. In this regard, the Committee encourages UNDP to continue to share the results of its experience with the implementation of IPSAS.", "Estimated income", "33. The Administrator indicates that total estimated income of the institutional budget for 2012-2013 amounts to $75.4 million, representing an increase of $0.3 million over 2010-2011. Such income is expected to come from three sources: government contributions towards local office costs (GLOC); the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme for providing volunteers to United Nations organizations; and an accounting linkage to voluntary contributions to offset the cost of reimbursing income taxes paid by some staff on their salaries. The report indicates that in the year 2010 only 75 per cent of the obligations under government contributions towards local office costs has been in fact received by UNDP (ibid., table 4). The Advisory Committee notes with concern the shortfalls in reimbursements from governments for local office costs, and encourages UNDP to continue efforts to receive the resources needed to sustain its operations in the field.", "Proposed staffing changes", "34. The Advisory Committee notes that UNDP is proposing that the total staff funded from regular resources decrease by a net amount of 11 posts, from 3,217 during 2010-2011 to 3,206 during 2012-2013. The proposals include:", "(a) for management activities: a net reduction of three D-2 level positions and a net increase of one D-1 level position, as well as a net increase of 16 international professional positions and a net reduction of four local positions;", "(b) for development effectiveness activities: an increase of one D-2 level position and 1 D-1 level position, as well as the net reduction of 18 international professional and three local positions;", "(c) for United Nations development coordination activities: a reduction of 1 local position; and", "(d) for special purpose activities: a reduction of 1 local position (ibid., para. 124).", "35. The Advisory Committee notes that, among senior staffing proposals, the number of posts at the D-1 level and above would remain the same; however, the total number of D-2 posts would decrease by two, while the total number of D-1 posts would increase by two. It is also proposed to freeze three D-2 posts and reclassify downward one D-2 post to the D-1 level. The report indicates that the proposed post changes during 2012-2013 are influenced by two major factors: the proposed volume reductions tabled in the budget, and proposed investments referred to above. The Administrator further informed the Advisory Committee that the zero growth in senior positions in UNDP is intended to contain costs and are in consideration of previous guidance from the Executive Board and the Committee. The report includes the establishment of three new D-2 posts, for senior corporate economist and senior country director positions in South Sudan and in Yemen, in addition to the reclassification of the D-1 post of resident coordinator in Yemen to D-2 level. A new D-1 also post is proposed to be established for transition team leader in the Arab States region, which is offset by the abolition of a D-1 post in the Executive Office (ibid., para. 130; see also para. 26 above). The Advisory Committee acknowledges efforts by UNDP to contain costs, including through assessment of staffing requirements. It nonetheless encourages UNDP to broaden these efforts. In this connection, the Advisory Committee reiterates its view that prudence be exercised in recruiting against the approved posts, taking into account the availability of funding. The Committee has no objection to the proposed staffing changes.", "Other resources", "36. As noted above, the Administrator indicates that the 2012-2013 net institutional budget estimates funded from regular resources would amount to $856.5 million, as compared to $905.8 million in 2010-2011, and that the estimates to be funded from other resources amount to $646.3 million, as compared to $587.4 million in 2010-2011 (ibid., para. 132). The Advisory Committee notes that during 2010-2011, projected expenditures to be funded from other resources as a function of total planned expenditures (regular and other) increased to 39 per cent of the total, and that in 2012-2013, it is expected to further increase to 43 per cent of the institutional budget. This continues to show a positive trend. While the Advisory Committee recognizes the increasing proportion of the institutional budget funded from other sources over recent bienniums, it reiterates its position that the formula for apportioning the institutional budget between the regular and other resources should continue to be further examined.", "Cost recovery", "37. Current estimates for cost-recovery income in 2012-2013 amount to $592 million, compared to $568 million for 2010-2011 (ibid., table 6), which represents an estimated increase of $24 million, or 4 per cent. The Administrator indicates that the 2012-2013 cost-recovery estimates of $592 million comprise the following:", "(a) General management services (GMS) income estimate from donor co-financing of $418 million ($384 million in 2010-2011) represents 6.25 per cent (6 per cent in 2010-2011) of $6.7 billion ($6.4 billion in 2010-2011);", "(b) General management services income estimate from programme country cost-sharing of $49 million, compared to $60 million in 2010-2011, which represents 3.5 per cent (3.7 per cent in 2010-2011) of $1,392 million in estimated programme expenditures funded from local resources;", "(c) United Nations organization services cost-recovery income estimate at the Headquarters level of $50 million, compared to $51 million in 2010-2011;", "(d) United Nations organization services cost-recovery income estimate at the country-office level of $22 million, compared to $21 million in 2010-2011;", "(e) Other cost-recovery income estimates of $53 million, compared to $52 million in 2010-2011 (ibid., para. 133).", "38. The Advisory Committee notes that the current estimates for related other resources in 2012-2013, including interest and attribution of locally- and centrally-managed costs, amount to $136 million, compared to $80 million for 2010-2011, which represents an estimated increase of 70 per cent (ibid., para. 134).", "39. The Administrator indicates that, in principle, all project activities and their associated costs, as defined in the Country Programme Action Plan, annual project workplans and project documents, are incurred by government counterpart agencies under the national execution/national implementation modality (NEX/NIM), which implies that all related institutional costs are fully recovered by UNDP, as extrabudgetary resources, through the application of the 7 per cent cost-recovery policy with respect to general management services approved by the Executive Board in its decision 2007/18 (ibid., para. 136). Furthermore, in accordance with the NEX/NIM accountability framework, which describes the roles of programme country governments and UNDP, all oversight and related activities of UNDP (i.e., general management services) should be funded from the institutional budget or extrabudgetary account (ibid., para. 137). The Administrator describes a number of challenges facing the Organization in this regard:", "(a) the issues highlighted in the change agenda with respect to different country requirements, which preclude one-size-fits-all approaches, service-driven menus and formula-based presences (ibid., para. 138).", "(b) arriving at a more transparent and optimal ways of attributing costs, and their sources of funding, to either development or institutional activities (ibid., para. 139).", "(c) the improved alignment between the resources that flow into the extrabudgetary account and the funding of the institutional activities that underpin development activities funded from other resources (ibid., para. 140).", "40. The Administrator indicates that that the current cost-recovery policy provides for the recovery of a minimum of 7 per cent on all third-party cost sharing and trust fund contributions, and a minimum of 3 per cent on all government cost-sharing contributions, in order to fund related institutional activities (i.e., general management services). Institutional activities funded from regular resources should not unduly support (subsidize) activities attributed to other resources (ibid). In previous budgets, the calculation of the UNDP variable indirect recovery rate for bilateral and multilateral donor resources was based on the concept of the base structure, defined in DP/2010/3 as the minimum capacity that the organization needs in order to carry out its core mandate (ibid., para. 141). The Administrator indicates that this policy may no longer be applicable for the purpose of determining an equitable burden-sharing of institutional costs between regular and other resources. The base structure and related cost-recovery policy will therefore be revisited in an inter-agency context as part of the joint road map to an integrated budget from 2014 onwards (ibid., para. 144). The Advisory Committee urges UNDP to review the assumptions underlying the cost recovery policy and modalities, within the inter-agency framework, and to present proposals in the context of the next integrated budget." ]

[ "Second regular session 2011", "New York, 6-9 September 2011", "Item 2 of the provisional agenda", "Financial, budgetary and administrative matters", "UNDP institutional budget estimates for 2012-2013", "Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions", "1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered the report on the institutional budget estimates of the United Nations Development Programme for the biennium 2012-2013 (DP/2011/34). During the consideration of the report, the Commission met with the Administrator of UNDP and other representatives, who provided additional information and clarification.", "2. The Administrator indicates that the resources of the UNDP biennial institutional budget are allocated on the basis of the functions that reflect the strategic and operational results that are being achieved. The strategic context and the financial context of the proposal are presented in chapters I and II, respectively, and the proposals for the institutional budget for 2012-2013 are presented in chapter IV, sections A and B of the document.", "I. Strategic context", "3. The Administrator notes that the midterm review of the strategic plan identified four key priorities for the next three to five years (2011-2016) that relate to all areas of activity and that they will be reviewed and re-evaluated annually as part of the preparations for the next strategic plan (2014-2017). These priorities are set out in the corporate budget document (ibid., para. 2).", "4. The report indicates that the UNDP institutional change programme, initiated by the Administrator in April 2011, is expected to revitalize the organization so that it can effectively implement the recommendations made in the medium-term review of the strategic plan (ibid., para. 4) and that this programme aims to improve functionality and results in three interrelated areas: internal governance; institutional effectiveness; and leadership, culture and behaviour (ibid., para. 5). It is noted in the report that in 2012-2013 the highest priority for UNDP, in addition to the formulation of the strategic plan for 2014-2017 under the guidance provided by the Executive Board in its decision 2011/14, will be to accelerate the implementation of the organizational change programme. The Advisory Committee notes that the institutional budget estimates for 2012-2013 and the related proposals of the Administrator are aimed at providing direct support to the formulation of the strategic plan and the implementation of the three major forms change programme: (i) producing strategic institutional results that constitute requirements for the achievement of strategic development results and, consequently, serve as the basis for such development, strengthen and be strengthened by this; (ii) through enhanced strategic investment in the organization; and (iii) through enhanced operational opportunities.", "5. The Administrator notes in the report that the UNDP institutional budget for 2012-2013 is an integral part of the strategic plan (ibid., para. 8). The revised corporate strategic results framework approved in this reflects the harmonized cost classification approved in Executive Board decision 2010/32 and presents the planned results and indicators for management, coordination of United Nations development activities, development effectiveness and special-purpose activities in accordance with Executive Board decision 2011/10. The Administrator reports that, finally, the integrated budget will incorporate into a planning and budgeting framework the plans and resources required for the achievement of organizational results reflected in the institutional budget, as well as planning and resources for the achievement of development results currently reflected in the programming arrangements (ibid., para. 9).", "II. Financial context", "6. The resource plan for the biennium 2012-2013 is presented in table 1 of the report. Actual 2010 and 2011 revised estimates have been combined and reflected in this table for comparison purposes. Table 1 reflects estimated regular resources of $2.1 billion for 2012-2013, approved in the mid-term review of the strategic plan, reflecting a nominal increase of $153 million over the latest income projections for 2010-2011 of $1.967 million. The Advisory Committee notes that the estimate of $2.1 billion for 2012-2013 reflects a decrease of $200 million compared to the regular resources originally planned for 2010-2011 of $2.35 billion, as shown in the overview table 1.", "7. The report indicates that the UNDP resource plan for 2012-2013, including regular resources and other resources, outlines the integrated planning framework for the organization ' s resources and classifies activities at categories as approved in Executive Board decisions 2009/22 and 2010/32 (Ibid., para. 20). The resource plan has three segments covering donor resources and local resources, reflecting:", "(a) An estimated total of $12,888.7 million, comprising an opening balance of $3,162.3 million, contributions of $9.6 billion and other income of $125.3 million;", "(b) Projected resource utilization of $11,729.2 million, comprising development activities totalling $10,344.1 million, coordination of United Nations development initiatives totalling $263.4 million, management activities totalling $1,016 million, and special-purpose activities totalling $115.7 million; and", "(c) A projected resource balance of approximately $1,158.4 million.", "8. The resource plan for 2012-2013 is supported by the tables, figures and text of the report on management activities, development effectiveness activities, coordination of United Nations development initiatives and special-purpose activities. Table 2 shows the budget estimates for institutional activities to be funded from regular resources and other resources. The Advisory Committee notes that the figures shown in table 2 comprise only the amounts of the resource plan as part of table 1 and are dedicated to business activities (ibid., para. 21).", "9. The report provides an overview of contributions by funding category over six bienniums (ibid., figure 1), including estimates for 2010-2011 and 2012-2013. Regular resources from donors are projected to be $2,150.0 million in nominal terms in 2012-2013, and other resources from donors, for trust funds and cost-sharing, are projected to be reduced nominally to $360 million (5.7 per cent), from current estimates of $6,310 million for the biennium 2010-2011 to $5,950 million for the biennium 2012-2013. The Advisory Committee notes that for the biennium 2012-2013, donor contributions and local contributions will amount to $9.6 billion, or $208 million (2.2 per cent) less than the estimate for 2010-2011. The Advisory Committee recommends that the Executive Board encourage UNDP to intensify its fund-raising activities.", "10. In its report, the Administrator notes that local resources provided by Governments are expected to decrease also in nominal terms by some $31 million (2.1 per cent), to $1.5 billion in 2012-2013, and that the level of local resources provided by host Governments has decreased in the last four bienniums (ibid., figure 1). Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that the level of income consisting of local resources has decreased in the context of the integrated resource framework that was approved in Executive Board decisions 2007/32 and 2011/14.", "11. The Advisory Committee notes that, according to the report, in 2012-2013, UNDP will use 88 per cent of its resources in development activities (ibid., para. 19) and that in that biennium, 8.7 per cent of the expenditures will correspond to management activities.", "III. Institutional strategic results framework", "12. The Administrator of UNDP notes that the strategic plan is the only overall results framework of UNDP and that the institutional budget is in full compliance with the corporate strategic results framework, which is nurtured, and with the high-level resource projections for 2012-2013 contained therein (ibid., para. 23). It is indicated in the report that the corporate results framework reinforces and directly supports the achievement of the development results contained in the strategic plan. The framework covers the strategic institutional activities envisaged in the areas of management, coordination of United Nations development initiatives, special-purpose activities and activities to promote development effectiveness, which together form the operational basis on which UNDP is supported to respond to country-level requests for coordination and development promotion services (ibid., para. 26). The UNDP corporate results framework consists of a reporting cycle (ibid., para. 28). It is indicated that each institutional strategic result is carried out by a governing unit or a group of governing units designated as an institutional sponsor (ibid., para. 30). Paragraphs 43 to 83 of the report describe the outputs of the strategic plan in the areas of management, the coordination of United Nations development system initiatives, and special-purpose activities and the promotion of development effectiveness. The Committee notes that activities such as staff security and IPSAS implementation have been included in the strategic plan outputs.", "13. The Advisory Committee recalls its previous recommendation that UNDP continue to work with UNFPA and UNICEF and continue to develop and harmonize the results-based framework elements, based on common terminology and standards, and that future submissions of the biennial support budget provide information on progress in this area (DP/2010/4, para. 4). The Committee notes that the UNDP institutional budget for 2012-2013 has been prepared on the basis of the harmonized approach with UNFPA and UNICEF and with the continuing guidance of the Executive Board (DP/2011/34, para. 24). The institutional budget for 2012-2013 incorporates the harmonized cost classifications approved in Executive Board decisions 2009/22 and 2010/32 (ibid., para. 25), and the harmonized approach to results-based budgeting adopted in Executive Board decision 2011/10. The Administrator indicates in the report that harmonization between UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF is achieved through improved methods in the areas of cost classification, results-based budgeting, cost recovery and the compilation and presentation of budgetary information (ibid., para. 9).", "14. It is noted in the report that UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF are on track to submit individual integrated budgets starting in 2014 in accordance with Executive Board decision 2011/10. Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that the integrated budget of each entity would reflect the harmonized classifications of activities and related costs, as well as better linkages between the results of the strategic plans and the resources required to achieve those results. The Committee notes that at the first regular session of January 2010, the Executive Boards of UNDP and UNICEF reviewed and welcomed the joint information note on the road map for the development of an integrated budget format. In its decision 2010/32, the Executive Board of UNDP approved harmonized cost definitions and harmonized classification of activities and related expenditures for implementation from the biennium 2012-2013 and, in its decision 2011/10, the Board also approved the harmonized approach to results-based budgeting and the main budget tables for implementation from the biennium 2012-2013. Similarly, the Executive Board of UNICEF, in its decisions 2010/20 and 2011/6, endorsed the harmonized definitions of expenditures and the harmonized classification of related activities and expenditures, as well as the proposed approach to results-based budgeting and the main tables for implementation from the biennium 2012-2013. It is also indicated that the three organizations have agreed to provide their respective Executive Boards, at their second regular session 2012, with information on: (a) the outcomes of the joint review of the impact of the harmonized cost recovery rates in the context of the integrated budget and the new strategic plans beginning in 2014; (b) an integrated budget model; and (c) information on actions taken and progress made in the adoption of an integrated budget.", "15. The Committee welcomes the progress made by UNDP in implementing results-based budgeting, including the consolidation of the output functions of the strategic plan for the new cost classification categories, and urges UNDP to continue its efforts in this regard in collaboration with UNFPA and UNICEF. The Advisory Committee trusts that future UNDP integrated budgets will reflect the expected changes, including harmonized classifications of activities and related expenditures, as well as better linkages between the expected results of the strategic plans and the resources required to achieve them, together with expenditure data for previous bienniums for comparison purposes.", "16. With regard to the output of the strategic plan on staff and premises security and a safer environment for programme implementation, the Administrator notes that this output requires comprehensive and cost-effective global security measures, including establishing, maintaining and implementing policies and systems for security management and accountability (ibid., para. 49). The Advisory Committee notes that the benchmark percentage of offices in countries that meet minimum operating security standards (MOSS) is 63 per cent in 2010-2011 and that the targets for compliance with those standards are 75 per cent in 2012 and 80 per cent in 2013. In view of the security risk assessment, the Committee acknowledges that priority should be given to actions related to compliance with the minimum operating security standards (MOSS) and notes the projected increase in the number of United Nations offices that will comply with those standards, as reflected in the institutional budget for the next biennium.", "IV. Proposed institutional budget for 2012-2013", "17. Table 2 of the report summarizes the proposed budget estimates for UNDP business activities, as a result of the strategic plan. The proposed institutional budget for 2012-2013 is $931.9 million, which is grossly reduced by projected revenues of $75.4 million, making the institutional budget for 2012-2013 net $856.5 million. The total regular budget resources for the biennium 2012-2013 of $856.5 million are comparable to the total institutional budget for the biennium 2010-2011 of $905.8 million.", "18. The Administrator notes that the reduction of $49.3 million in the institutional budget comprises $120.1 million in decrease in the volume resulting from the organizational reduction strategy, which includes greater effectiveness; the completion of investments in prior periods; the allocation of expenditures to extrabudgetary resources to improve the distribution of the financial burden; and greater transparency in the attribution of centrally managed expenditures (ibid., para. 15). These decreases are offset in part by increases of $31.1 million in non-discretion costs and $40.0 million in proposed investments. Increases in non-discretionary expenditures of $31.1 million are mainly due to:", "(a) The effect of inflation on post adjustment and other benefits of international staff and Headquarters staff, benefits of national and local staff from country offices and operational costs ($17.4 million);", "(b) The increase in salaries resulting from salary increases within the international and local staff levels at Headquarters and from mandatory United Nations studies for the review of salaries of national and local staff at country offices ($12.0 million); and", "(c) Currency adjustments due to the total effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the United States dollar ($1.5 million) (ibid., para. 86).", "19. In its report, the Administrator indicates that, in response to the concerns expressed by members of the Executive Board and in the context of the current global economic crisis, the need for budgetary discipline continues to be given high priority through greater containment and better alignment of institutional costs (ibid., para. 88). The decrease of $120.1 million by decrease in actual volume, of which $96 million relates to non-staff costs, entails a decrease of 12.3 per cent in the volume of the gross budget appropriations approved for 2010-2011 and was achieved by:", "(a) Increased overall operational effectiveness through the elimination of redundant and non-essential services and activities and the identification of lower-priority functions that could be reduced, including the freeze on posts ($30.6 million);", "(b) Improved alignment of expenditure at the institutional level with the allocation of centralized management costs ($55.2 million);", "(c) Improved alignment of expenditures at the dependency level with respect to the distribution of expenditures between regular and extrabudgetary resources ($13.0 million); and", "(d) The elimination of investments in completed capital works and other investments ($21.3 million).", "20. The Advisory Committee notes that the reduction in staff costs totalling $24.1 million relates to 33 international Professional posts and 55 local posts. It is proposed to freeze 20 international Professional and 23 Local level posts and eliminate 4 international Professional and 14 Local level posts ($18.2 million), and to allocate 9 international Professional and 18 Local level posts ($5.9 million) to extrabudgetary funding (ibid., para. 90; see also paras. 22-28, 34 and 35 below).", "21. The Administrator also points out that in 2012-2013 a major priority of UNDP will be the most effective provision of institutional and policy-making services, with greater emphasis on faster, more economical and better business processes that will, inter alia, reduce costs considerably (ibid., para. 91). A number of specific measures will be introduced to streamline protracted and sometimes inflexible processes in respect of programmes and projects which, according to the Administrator, have frequently hampered operational effectiveness at the country office level. A set of flexible programming tools, more appropriate to national development agendas, will be developed, which will constitute an important first step towards the acceleration of office operations and the reduction of onerous bureaucratic procedures that add little value. It is indicated in the report that an institutional initiative was carried out to improve the allocation of centrally managed expenditures and corresponding sources of funding based on the number of staff and total expenditures that enabled the allocation of expenditures to be improved by a total of $55.2 million in respect of services provided by the United Nations Secretariat and the cost of participation in jointly financed activities of the United Nations system (ibid., para. 94).", "Proposed investments", "22. The Administrator notes that volume increases totalling $40 million are proposed in five strategic areas, including regular and non-recurrent investments of $30.1 million and $9.9 million, respectively. These investments require a total of 77 new positions, 32 international Professional and 45 local level positions. According to the report, all proposed investments are clearly indicated and included in the corresponding strategic outputs planned in accordance with the strategic enterprise results framework (ibid., para. 96).", "23. The Administrator proposes that $6.8 million of regular resources be allocated to the implementation of the change programme, of which (i) $5 million will directly support strategic planning and strengthened management capacity through the establishment of 10 international Professional positions; (ii) $0.8 million will directly support policy leadership through the establishment of a major economist position at the D-2 level and one million below.", "24. An investment of $4 million from regular resources is proposed to strengthen strategic human resources management, including improved tools and systems for capacity management and workforce planning. This strengthening will require six international Professional positions and eight locally recruited positions to address the additional workload resulting from contract reform and streamline business processes, develop a staff capacity strategy and identify the expertise required by the different types of offices (ibid., para. 104).", "25. The Administrator notes that, as a result of the implementation of contract reform in accordance with General Assembly resolution 63/250 on human resources management, UNDP now manages a total of 1,200 additional staff in the international Professional category. The number of permanent and fixed-term appointments, as well as the number of separations from service and new appointments, has increased the workload of UNDP.", "26. An investment of $4.2 million from regular resources is proposed to support countries in unstable transition situations through the establishment of the following positions: (i) one Senior Director for the D-2 and six Local level country in South Sudan; (ii) one Senior Director for the D-2 country in Yemen; and (iii) one for the Head of Transition Team at the D-1 level in the Arab States region to coordinate the 35 below crises. Support will also be provided for the gradual relocation of the Iraq office from Amman to Baghdad (ibid., para. 108).", "27. An investment of $4 million from regular resources is proposed for the development of the global development agenda, of which: (i) $2 million will support the expansion of the preparations for high-quality action plans for the Millennium Development Goals acceleration framework in 12 programme countries; (ii) $1 million will support the preparation of a problem-explanatory document for the Rio million economy.", "28. Finally, an investment of $21 million from regular resources is proposed to support the improvement of value-added institutional services and accountability. Of this total, $10 million will directly support IPSAS implementation through a non-recurrent investment of $3.8 million; regular investments of $6.2 million will be made to finance the global shared services centre, including the establishment of 10 international Professional positions and 30 local level positions. An additional $10 million would support information and communications technology activities, of which $6.1 million would be allocated to non-recurrent investments and $3.9 million for regular investments. In addition, the amount of $1 million is proposed for regular investments in the Investigations Unit for the establishment of two international Professional positions (ibid., para. 118).", "29. The Advisory Committee, while acknowledging the value of the initiatives proposed by UNDP in the investment category, expects that these will have tangible performance over a specified period of time that consists of improved mandate implementation and greater efficiency and effectiveness. With regard to the implementation of resolution 63/250, the Committee notes that the increase in workload attributable to that resolution should be of a temporary nature. He therefore hoped that the additional resources would be kept under review to determine whether they remained necessary. Information should be provided in the context of the next UNDP institutional budget.", "Implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards", "30. The Advisory Committee recalls that the date for the implementation of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) by UNDP had been deferred from January 2010 to January 2012 (DP/2010/4, para. 27). Upon enquiry, the Committee was informed that since UNDP was a highly decentralized organization, accounting functions were usually performed separately in each country office. Following the introduction of the new enterprise resource planning system (PeopleSoft/Atlas), UNDP concluded that a higher level of knowledge was needed for complex financial functions in the context of IPSAS, which entailed a higher level of complexity, in particular with regard to income management, assets and facilities and equipment; and staff benefits.", "31. The Advisory Committee was also informed that, in January 2009, UNDP had undertaken a detailed factual analysis of the impact on the workload that had enabled it to determine that the centralization of the most complex functions in a single global centre constituted the most strategic solution and allowed for significant economies of scale, to reduce costs and, consequently, to minimize the impact and financial risk to the organization. Subsequently, an independent company conducted a consultancy study which resulted in recommendations on a selection list of possible options appropriate to the location of the Global Shared Services Centre and whether other regional service centres would be required. The consultancy indicated that a single consolidated Global Shared Service Centre would achieve the optimal balance of lower costs and the benefits of a centre of excellence. The Advisory Committee was also informed that a number of possible locations had been recommended in the consultancy study. It was indicated that UNDP was reviewing the recommendations and would take a decision on an appropriate location for the Global Shared Services Centre on the basis of the results of consultations with potential host Governments.", "32. In addition, the Advisory Committee was informed, in response to its questions, that the Counter-Terrorism Group established by the Office for the Coordination of Development Operations (DOCO), comprising UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, as well as the United Nations Controller, was coordinating efforts on the harmonization of the Financial Regulations and Rules to incorporate the introduction of IPSAS, as well as the new cost classification for the three funds and financial regulations. The observations and recommendations of the Advisory Committee are contained in its separate report on the proposed amendments to the UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules. The Advisory Committee was also informed that the system-wide IPSAS support team of the CEB would be responsible for the necessary coordination for the formulation of future IPSAS policies and other relevant tasks, such as facilitation and communication. The Committee was also informed that the Global Shared Services Centre would perform new and complex IPSAS-related functions and provide advisory services and support to UNDP country offices in the implementation of IPSAS. The Advisory Committee reiterates its view on the value of close harmonization with the Secretariat and other United Nations organizations on IPSAS-related matters. In that regard, the Committee urges UNDP to continue to disseminate the results of its experience on IPSAS implementation.", "Estimated income", "33. The Administrator indicates that the total estimated income of the institutional budget for 2012-2013 is $75.4 million, reflecting an increase of $0.3 million over the biennium 2010-2011. These revenues are expected to come from three sources: contributions from Governments to cover the costs of local offices; the United Nations Volunteers Programme, as a result of the provision of volunteers to United Nations system organizations; and the accounting linkage with voluntary contributions to offset the cost of reimbursement of income taxes paid by some staff on their salary. The report notes that only 75 per cent of government contributions were received in 2010 to cover local office costs (ibid., table 4). The Advisory Committee notes with concern the Government ' s shortfall in reimbursement of local office costs and urges UNDP to continue its efforts to ensure that it obtains the necessary resources to maintain its field operations.", "Proposed staffing changes", "34. The Advisory Committee notes that UNDP proposes that total staff funded from regular resources be reduced by a net number of 11 posts, from 3,217 in the biennium 2010-2011 to 3,206 in the biennium 2012-2013. Proposals include:", "(a) With regard to management activities: a net reduction of three D-2 positions and a net increase of one D-1 position, as well as a net increase of 16 international Professional positions and a net reduction of four Local level positions;", "(b) With regard to activities to promote development effectiveness: an increase in one D-2 and one D-1 position, as well as the net reduction of 18 international Professional and three Local level positions;", "(c) On the coordination of United Nations development initiatives: a reduction in one local level; and", "(d) With regard to special-purpose activities: a reduction in one local position (ibid., para. 124).", "35. The Advisory Committee notes that the number of posts at the D-1 level and above would remain the same under the proposals for the higher staffing level, but the total D-2 posts would decrease by two and the total D-1 posts would increase by two. It is also proposed to freeze three D-2 posts and to reclassify one D-2 post at the D-1 level. The report indicates that the proposed staffing changes for the biennium 2012-2013 are influenced by two main factors: the proposed volume of reductions presented in the budget and the proposed investments referred to. The Administrator further informed the Advisory Committee that the zero growth of senior posts in UNDP was intended to contain costs and follow the prior guidance of the Executive Board and the Committee. The report includes the establishment of three new D-2 posts for senior institutional economist posts and senior country director in South Sudan and Yemen, in addition to the reclassification of the D-1 post of the resident coordinator in Yemen to the D-2 level. It is also proposed that a new D-1 post be established for the head of the transition team in the Arab States region, offset by the abolition of a D-1 post in the Executive Office (ibid., para. 130; see also para. 26 above). The Advisory Committee recognizes the efforts of UNDP to contain costs, including through the assessment of staffing requirements. However, it urged UNDP to expand those efforts. In this regard, the Advisory Committee reiterates its view that recruitment prudence should be exercised to fill approved posts in the light of the availability of funding. The Committee does not object to the proposed changes in staffing.", "Other resources", "36. As noted, the Administrator indicates that the net estimates for the institutional budget for the biennium 2012-2013 under regular resources would amount to $856.5 million, while in the biennium 2010-2011 were $905.8 million, and that the estimates to be funded from other resources would be $646.3 million, while in the biennium 2010-2011 were $587.4 million (ibid., para. 132). The Advisory Committee notes that in the biennium 2010-2011 projected expenditures to be funded from other resources as a function of the total projected expenditures (from regular resources and other resources) increased to 39 per cent of the total, and that in the biennium 2012-2013 they are expected to increase to 43 per cent of the institutional budget. This remains a positive trend. While the Advisory Committee recognizes that the share of the institutional budget funded from other sources has been increasing in recent bienniums, it reiterates its position that the formula for the distribution of the budget between regular and other resources should continue to be reviewed.", "Recovery of expenditure", "37. The current cost-recovery income estimates for 2012-2013 are $592 million, while for the biennium 2010-2011 it was $568 million (ibid., table 6), an estimated increase of $24 million, or 4 per cent. The Administrator indicates that the cost recovery estimates for 2012-2013 totalling $592 million include the following:", "(a) Estimated overall management services income from donor co-financing of $418 million ($384 million in 2010-2011), accounting for 6.25% (6% in 2010-2011) of $6.7 billion ($6.4 billion in 2010-2011);", "(b) Estimated overall management services income from cost-sharing in programme countries of $49 million ($60 million in 2010-2011), accounting for 3.5 per cent ($3.7 per cent in 2010-2011) of the estimated programme expenditure of local resources;", "(c) Estimated income from cost recovery for United Nations organizational services at headquarters level of $50 million, compared with $51 million in 2010-2011;", "(d) Estimated cost recovery for organizational services to the United Nations at the country office level of $22 million ($21 million in 2010-2011);", "(e) Other cost recovery income estimates of $53 million ($52 million in 2010-2011) (ibid., para. 133).", "38. The Advisory Committee notes that the current estimates for other related resources in 2012-2013, including interest and locally and centrally managed expenditure, are $136 million, compared with $80 million in 2010-2011, an estimated 70 per cent increase (ibid., para. 134).", "39. The Administrator notes that, in principle, all project activities and related expenditures, as defined in country programme action plans, annual project workplans and project documents, are carried out by government counterpart agencies in accordance with the national execution/national implementation modality, which assumes that all related institutional costs are fully recovered by UNDP as extrabudgetary resources for the implementation of the policy decision ibid. In addition, in accordance with the national execution/national implementation accounting framework, which describes the functions of programme Governments and UNDP, all UNDP monitoring and related activities (e.g., general management services) should be financed from the institutional budget or extrabudgetary account (ibid., para. 137). The Administrator describes a number of challenges to the organization in this regard:", "(a) Issues highlighted in the change programme with respect to the different needs of countries, which exclude unique approaches for all cases, service-based lists and presences based on established criteria (ibid., para. 138);", "(b) Determining more transparent and optimal means of attributing costs and sources of funding, whether for development or business activities (ibid., para. 139);", "(c) Improved harmonization between resources channelled to the extrabudgetary account and the financing of institutional activities underpinning development activities funded from other sources (ibid., para. 140).", "40. The Administrator notes that under the current cost recovery policy a minimum of 7 per cent is to be recovered from all contributions to trust funds for third-party cost-sharing, and a minimum of 3 per cent of all government cost-sharing contributions to finance related business activities (e.g., general management services). Institutional activities funded from regular resources should not overly support (subsidize) activities charged to other resources (ibid.). In previous budgets, the calculation of the UNDP indirect variable cost recovery rate for resources provided by bilateral and multilateral donors was based on the basic structure concept, as defined in document DP/2010/3 as the organization ' s minimum capacity to fulfil its core mandate (ibid., para. 141). The Administrator notes that such a policy may no longer apply for the purpose of determining an equitable distribution of institutional costs between regular and other resources. Accordingly, the basic structure and related cost-recovery policy will be re-examined in an inter-agency context as part of the joint road map to an integrated budget beginning in 2014 (ibid., para. 144). The Advisory Committee urges UNDP to review the assumptions underlying the inter-agency cost recovery policy and modalities and to submit proposals in the context of the next integrated budget." ]

[ "Segundo período ordinario de sesiones de 2011", "Nueva York, 6 a 9 de septiembre de 2011", "Tema 4 del programa provisional", "Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos", "Estimaciones presupuestarias de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos para el bienio 2012-2013", "Informe de la Comisión Consultiva en Asuntos Administrativos y de Presupuesto", "1. La Comisión Consultiva en Asuntos Administrativos y de Presupuesto ha examinado una versión anticipada de las estimaciones presupuestarias para el bienio 2012-2013 (DP/OPS/2011/5) de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos (UNOPS). Durante su examen de las estimaciones presupuestarias para 2012-2013, la Comisión Consultiva se reunió con el Director Ejecutivo de la UNOPS, que aportó información y aclaraciones adicionales.", "Marco de resultados de gestión y de presupuesto", "2. La Comisión Consultiva observa que las estimaciones presupuestarias para 2010-2011 se basaron en el formato de 16 funciones armonizadas (AC/1705, párr. 2), si bien las estimaciones presupuestarias para 2012-2013 se presentan en un marco simplificado de siete grupos funcionales armonizados, en virtud de una decisión adoptada por la Junta Ejecutiva en su primer período ordinario de sesiones de 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, anexo 1, párrs. 1 y 27). El marco simplificado también es válido para el PNUD, el UNFPA y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF). El cuadro 1 de las estimaciones presupuestarias contiene información relativa a la asignación de recursos para 2012-2013 en virtud de los siete grupos funcionales, con indicadores del desempeño, una base de referencia y objetivos. La UNOPS señala que el marco consta de tres componentes principales: resultados de gestión, actividades básicas y funciones institucionales. Se puede encontrar información detallada sobre los resultados de gestión y el marco presupuestario en los párrafos 35 a 75 y en el anexo 1 de las estimaciones presupuestarias.", "3. Si bien la Comisión Consultiva entiende que el marco presupuestario simplificado representa un enfoque armonizado aprobado por el PNUD, el UNFPA, la UNOPS y el UNICEF para la reclasificación de los gastos y la presupuestación basada en los resultados, también opina que se puede estudiar la introducción de algunas mejoras en el formato del documento para que este sea más fácil de comprender. Por ejemplo, en la versión anticipada presentada a la Comisión, los gráficos I, V y VI contienen texto indistinto y, por lo tanto, difícil de leer.", "Estimaciones presupuestarias para 2012-2013", "4. Las estimaciones presupuestarias para 2012-2013 ascienden a 148,7 millones de dólares, cantidad que representa un 5,5% del gasto total estimado para el bienio (ibid., párr. 76 y gráfico II). Las estimaciones para 2012-2013 consisten en a) 139,7 millones de dólares para recursos de gestión, b) 1 millón de dólares para los gastos puntuales adicionales que, según se estima, generará la transición a las IPSAS y c) 8 millones de dólares para posibles créditos. Las estimaciones presupuestarias para el presente bienio, sin embargo, prevén 130,2 millones de dólares para recursos de gestión y 5 millones de dólares para posibles créditos. Con respecto a los ingresos brutos totales proyectados para el bienio 2012-2013, la Comisión Consultiva toma nota de que se estima un objetivo de 148,7 millones de dólares, que se desglosan en 118,5 millones de dólares en ingresos procedentes de los servicios de ejecución de proyectos, 20 millones de dólares procedentes de servicios de asesoramiento y transaccionales y 10 millones de dólares en ingresos varios (ibid., párr. 27).", "5. La Comisión Consultiva observa que para 2012-2013, la UNOPS ha propuesto una reducción de los gastos de consultores (2,1 millones de dólares, o el 9%) y los gastos de funcionamiento (2,7 millones de dólares o el 11%). La Comisión también observa que la UNOPS tiene previsto trasladar su sede a la nueva Ciudad de las Naciones Unidas en Copenhague, donde compartirá oficinas con otras organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas presentes en el país. La Comisión Consultiva acoge con satisfacción estas iniciativas y espera que el hecho de compartir locales con otras organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas en Copenhague facilite los servicios comunes compartidos, lo cual debería aumentar la eficiencia y reducir los gastos.", "6. Asimismo, la Comisión Consultiva observa que en el documento del presupuesto las estimaciones para 2012-2013 contemplan las posibles recompensas por mérito relacionadas con el proyecto piloto trienal de gestión del desempeño de la UNOPS sobre reconocimiento, recompensas y sanciones, de conformidad con su Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada y según lo aprobado por la Comisión de Administración Pública Internacional (ibid., párr. 85). La Comisión Consultiva espera que se incluya información relativa a la aplicación del proyecto piloto en el contexto de la próxima solicitud presupuestaria.", "Distribución de los puestos", "7. Con respecto a la distribución de los puestos para el bienio en curso y el siguiente, la UNOPS señala que el número de puestos para 2012-2013 es el mismo que para 2011 (ibid., párrs. 78 y 80). La Comisión Consultiva observa en el cuadro 2 de las estimaciones presupuestarias que habrá un total de 366 puestos para 2012-2013, lo que significa un aumento neto de 21 puestos respecto a los 345 puestos para el bienio en curso. La UNOPS indica que el aumento neto de 21 puestos para 2012-2013 refleja principalmente la conclusión durante 2010 de la reclasificación iniciada en 2009, de conformidad con la decisión 2009/5 de la Junta Ejecutiva, para seguir ajustando la dotación de personal a la estructura orgánica general (ibid., párr. 81). En respuesta a su pregunta, se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que la UNOPS tenía 366 puestos al 1 de enero de 2011, incluidos los 21 puestos adicionales que figuran en el cuadro 2 para 2012-2013. En ese sentido, la Comisión Consultiva observa que el párrafo 14.02 del Reglamento Financiero faculta al Director Ejecutivo para redistribuir fondos en el marco del presupuesto de gestión bienal aprobado, así como para incrementar o reducir fondos, incluido el número de puestos de plantilla, siempre que se cumpla la meta de ingresos netos para el bienio establecida por la Junta Ejecutiva (ibid., párr. 24).", "8. Como indican las estimaciones presupuestarias, hay una propuesta para reclasificar el puesto de Director Ejecutivo de la categoría de Subsecretario General (SsG) a la de Secretario General Adjunto (SGA), en reconocimiento de la mayor rendición de cuentas y responsabilidad que implica el cargo. En respuesta a su pregunta, se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que tras la aprobación de la nueva estructura de gobernanza de la UNOPS, se confirió la responsabilidad de la gestión de los recursos financieros y humanos de la UNOPS al Director Ejecutivo, que rinde cuentas a la Junta Ejecutiva y al Secretario General. En ese sentido, la Comisión Consultiva observa que en su resolución 65/176, de 20 de diciembre de 2010, la Asamblea General reafirmó la función de la UNOPS como recurso central del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la gestión de las adquisiciones y los contratos, así como para las obras públicas y el desarrollo de la infraestructura física, incluidas las actividades conexas de fomento de la capacidad. En la misma resolución, la Asamblea decidió cambiar el nombre de la Junta Ejecutiva para incluir a la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos (la Junta Ejecutiva del PNUD, el UNFPA y la UNOPS). La Comisión Consultiva no tiene objeciones respecto de la reclasificación propuesta de la plaza de Director Ejecutivo.", "Presentación", "9. En su informe sobre las estimaciones presupuestarias de la UNOPS para el bienio 2010-2011 (AC/1075, párr. 7), la Comisión Consultiva recomendó que se presentara un desglose de los gastos en función del principal objeto de gastos en el contexto del presupuesto de apoyo bienal propuesto para 2012-2013. En ese sentido, la Comisión observa que el cuadro sinóptico 3 de las estimaciones presupuestarias ofrece información por categoría de gastos. La Comisión Consultiva acoge con satisfacción la inclusión de la información solicitada. No obstante, la Comisión también observa que el documento del presupuesto solo tiene 10 párrafos referidos a las estimaciones presupuestarias para el bienio 2012-2013, que no explican suficientemente los cambios propuestos con respecto a los gastos de personal y los que no se refieren al personal. La Comisión Consultiva opina que debería presentarse información más detallada en las próximas estimaciones presupuestarias, en concreto, información relativa a los cambios propuestos y al organigrama.", "IPSAS", "10. La UNOPS estima que la transición de las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a las Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad para el Sector Público (IPSAS) en 2012 afectaría a sus ingresos netos para el período 2012-2013 en aproximadamente 13 millones de dólares, debido principalmente a a) el retraso en el reconocimiento de 12 millones de dólares en los ingresos conforme a las IPSAS y b) el tratamiento diferente de los activos de 1 millón de dólares (ibid., párrs. 18 a 20). La Comisión Consultiva observa que el retraso en el reconocimiento de ingresos previsto de 12 millones de dólares será un efecto puntual y no afectará a los ingresos de los futuros bienios.", "11. En ese sentido, en respuesta a su pregunta, se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que, como único organismo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas con un modelo de financiación autónoma, la UNOPS tenía que cumplir los objetivos de desempeño, incluida la consecución de las reservas operacionales, establecidos por su Junta Ejecutiva. Habida cuenta del retraso previsto en los ingresos procedentes de los cargos de gestión por valor de 12 millones de dólares, o el 20%, para 2012, la UNOPS informaba a la Comisión Consultiva y a la Junta Ejecutiva del impacto negativo previsto para sus ingresos netos durante el primer año de la transición a las IPSAS, a fin de mejorar la comprensión y la transparencia de los resultados financieros responsabilidad de la UNOPS.", "12. Asimismo, y también en respuesta a su pregunta, se informó a la Comisión Consultiva de que la UNOPS tenía un plan integral de aplicación de las IPSAS que cuenta con los recursos suficientes. Además, la Oficina se había ocupado de las principales políticas contables, incluido el reconocimiento de ingresos y gastos y la administración de los activos y el efectivo. La Comisión Consultiva recuerda que la UNOPS ya ha revisado su Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada como preparación para la aplicación de las IPSAS. Con respecto a su sistema de gestión de los recursos institucionales, se informó a la Comisión de que si bien la UNOPS dependía del PNUD para realizar cambios en el sistema, había elaborado planes para compilar, depurar y migrar sus datos contables. El primer simulacro utilizando datos contables reales se llevaría a cabo a principios de 2012. La Comisión Consultiva encomia a la UNOPS por su pronta preparación para la aplicación de las IPSAS.", "Reserva operacional", "13. La información relativa a la reserva operacional de la UNOPS figura en los párrafos 29 a 34 de las estimaciones presupuestarias y la información detallada sobre la reserva y su utilización figura en el anexo II del documento del presupuesto. Se indica que el requisito mínimo de la reserva operacional se basa en el 4% de la media móvil del presupuesto de gestión y los gastos de proyectos combinados para los tres años de funcionamiento anteriores. Como organización totalmente autofinanciada, es importante que la reserva operacional de la UNOPS se mantenga por encima del mínimo requerido de modo que exista un margen de seguridad ante las incertidumbres derivadas de las predicciones de los ingresos y respecto a futuras inversiones necesarias después del presente período presupuestario. La Comisión Consultiva toma nota de que la UNOPS cumplió su requisito mínimo de reservas operacionales a finales de 2009, dos años antes del plazo previsto en las estimaciones presupuestarias para el bienio 2010-2011. Para el período 2010-2011, el saldo de apertura de la reserva fue de 42,7 millones de dólares, o 0,6 millones por encima del requisito mínimo; y en la actualidad se prevé que el saldo de cierre sea de 57 millones de dólares, o 10 millones por encima del requisito mínimo de reserva en ese momento. La UNOPS indica que se está esforzando por cumplir el objetivo de acumular suficientes márgenes durante este bienio y el próximo para que las reservas operacionales se mantengan por encima del requisito mínimo establecido para finales de 2013, teniendo en cuenta los considerables efectos negativos derivados de los tratamientos contables relacionados con las IPSAS (véase párr. 10 supra).", "14. Si bien la UNOPS confía en que cumplirá, o superará, la meta de ingresos netos establecida para el presente bienio, reconoce que aún existe cierta incertidumbre respecto a 2011. La Oficina vigilará atentamente las tendencias de ingresos y gastos y, de acuerdo con el párrafo 14.02 del Reglamento Financiero, hará los ajustes necesarios al alza o a la baja en el presupuesto para adaptar los gastos de gestión a la realidad cambiante. En este contexto, la UNOPS tiene previsto llevar a cabo un examen en 2012 para evaluar, entre otras cosas, el nivel de su reserva operacional y el requisito mínimo obligatorio debido, entre otros factores, a la transición a las IPSAS (ibid., párrs. 16, 31, 33 y 34). En ese sentido, la Comisión Consultiva alienta a la UNOPS a que continúe actuando con prudencia a la hora de gestionar los recursos que tiene a su disposición, a fin de asegurar las ganancias obtenidas hasta la fecha y la continuidad de la viabilidad financiera de la Oficina de mediano a largo plazo (AC/1705, párr. 20).", "Otras observaciones", "15. La Comisión Consultiva observa, a partir de las estimaciones presupuestarias, que la UNOPS ha progresado mucho durante los últimos años. La UNOPS ha mantenido su viabilidad financiera durante cinco años consecutivos y cumplió su requisito mínimo de reservas operacionales a finales de 2009, dos años antes del plazo previsto. La Oficina también recibió una opinión de auditoría externa sin reservas para el período 2008-2009 y recibió la certificación ISO 9001 para su sistema de gestión de la calidad y la certificación en políticas y procedimientos de adquisiciones del Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply en 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, párrs. 6, 8 y 9). La Comisión Consultiva encomia a la UNOPS por esos logros.", "16. Durante su examen de las estimaciones presupuestarias propuestas para 2012-2013, la Comisión Consultiva también tuvo ante sí el informe anual de la UNOPS, que la Comisión considera informativo y útil. La Comisión observa las actividades llevadas a cabo por la UNOPS en cuestiones intersectoriales, en concreto el hecho de que el 30% de todos los proyectos que contaron con el apoyo de la Oficina en 2010 contribuyeron a mejorar la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer de alguna manera (pág. 45). La Comisión Consultiva acoge con satisfacción los esfuerzos realizados por la UNOPS en ese sentido y la alienta a seguir adelante con esas actividades." ]

[ "Second regular session 2011", "6 to 9 September 2011, New York", "Item 4 of the provisional agenda", "United Nations Office for Project Services", "United Nations Office for Project Services budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013", "Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions", "1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered an advance version of the budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013 (DP/OPS/2011/5) of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). During its consideration of the budget estimates for 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee met with the Executive Director of UNOPS, who provided additional information and clarification.", "Management results and budget framework", "2. The Advisory Committee notes that the budget estimates for 2010-2011 were based on the format of 16 harmonized functions (AC/1705, para. 2), whereas the budget estimates for 2012-2013 are presented in a simplified framework of 7 harmonized functional clusters, following a decision by the Executive Board at its first regular session in 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, Annex 1, paras. 1 and 27). The simplified framework also applies to UNDP, UNFPA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Table 1 of the budget estimates contains information with respect to the allocation of resources for 2012-2013 by the seven functional clusters, with performance indicators, a baseline and targets. UNOPS indicates that the framework comprises three key components: management results, core activities and corporate functions. Detailed information on the management results and budget framework is provided in paragraphs 35 to 75 and Annex 1 to the budget estimates.", "3. While the Advisory Committee understands that the simplified budget framework represents an harmonized approach adopted by UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS and UNICEF for cost reclassification and results-based budgeting, it is of the view that further improvements could be considered in order to present the document in a more reader-friendly manner. For example, Figures I, V and VI, in the advance version provided to the Committee, contain indistinct text and are therefore difficult to read.", "Budget estimates for 2012-2013", "4. The budget estimates for 2012-2013 amount to $148.7 million, representing 5.5 per cent of the projected total expenditure for the biennium (ibid., para. 76 and Figure II). The estimates for 2012-2013 include (a) $139.7 million for management resources, (b) $1 million in estimated additional one-off expenditure due to the transition to IPSAS, and (c) $8 million for potential provisions. In comparison, the budget estimates for the current biennium provide for $130.2 million for management resources and $5 million for potential provisions. With respect to the projected total gross revenue for 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee notes that the target is estimated at $148.7 million, consisting of $118.5 million from project implementation services, $20 million from advisory and transactional services and $10 million from miscellaneous income (ibid., para. 27).", "5. The Advisory Committee notes that for 2012-2013, UNOPS has proposed reductions under consultants ($2.1 million, or 9 per cent) and operating expenses ($2.7 million, or 11 per cent). The Committee also notes that UNOPS is planning to move its headquarters to the new UN City in Copenhagen, where it will share offices with other United Nations organizations present in the country. The Advisory Committee welcomes these initiatives and expects that the co-location by the United Nations organizations in Copenhagen will facilitate shared common services, which should result in efficiencies and savings.", "6. The Advisory Committee further notes from the budget document that the estimates for 2012-2013 provide for potential merit rewards associated with UNOPS three-year performance management pilot on recognition, rewards and sanctions, in accordance with its financial regulations and rules and endorsed by the International Civil Service Commission (ibid., para. 85). The Advisory Committee hopes that information with respect to the implementation of the pilot project will be included in the context of the next budget submission.", "Posts", "7. With respect to the posts for the current and next biennium, UNOPS indicates that the number of posts for 2012-2013 is the same as what is in place in 2011 (ibid., paras. 78 and 80). The Advisory Committee notes from table 2 of the budget estimates that there will be a total of 366 posts for 2012-2013, reflecting a net increase of 21 posts, compared with 345 posts for the current biennium. UNOPS indicates that the net increase of 21 posts for 2012-2013 primarily reflects the completion during 2010 of the reclassification exercise initiated in 2009 in line with Executive Board decision 2009/5 to further align staffing with the overall organizational structure (ibid., para. 81). Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that UNOPS had 366 posts as at 1 January 2011, including the additional 21 posts reflected for 2012-2013 in table 2. In this connection, the Advisory Committee notes that financial regulation 14.02 grants the Executive Director authority to redeploy funds within the approved biennial management budget, as well as to increase or reduce funds, including the number of posts in the staffing table, provided the net revenue target for the biennium established by the Executive Board is met (ibid., para. 24).", "8. As reflected in the budget estimates, there is a proposal to upgrade the position of the Executive Director from the level of Assistant Secretary-General to Under-Secretary-General, in recognition of the enhanced accountability and responsibility of the position. The Advisory Committee was informed, upon enquiry, that following the adoption of the new governance structure of UNOPS, responsibility for managing the UNOPS financial and human resources was vested with the Executive Director, who was accountable to the Executive Board and the Secretary-General. In this connection, the Advisory Committee notes that in its resolution 65/176 of 20 December 2010, the General Assembly reaffirmed the role of UNOPS as a central resource for the United Nations system in procurement and contracts management as well as in civil works and physical infrastructure development, including related capacity development activities. In the same resolution, the Assembly decided to rename the Executive Board to include UNOPS (the Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS). The Advisory Committee has no objection to the proposed upgrade of the position of the Executive Director.", "Presentation", "9. In its report on the budget estimates of UNOPS for the biennium 2010-2011 (AC/1075, para. 7), the Advisory Committee recommended that a breakdown of expenditures by major object of expenditure be provided in the context of the proposed biennial support budget for 2012-2013. In this connection, the Committee notes that summary table 3 of the budget estimates provides information by expenditure category. The Advisory Committee welcomes the inclusion of the information requested. However, the Committee also notes that the budget document contains only 10 paragraphs on the budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013, without sufficient explanations on the changes proposed in respect of staff and non-staff costs. The Advisory Committee is of the view that more detailed information should be provided in future budget estimates, in particular information related to proposed changes and the organigramme.", "IPSAS", "10. It is currently estimated by UNOPS that the transition from the United Nations System Accounting Standards (UNSAS) to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in 2012 would have a negative effect on its net revenue for 2012-2013 by approximately $13 million, owing mainly to (a) a delayed recognition of revenue of $12 million under IPSAS, and (b) different treatment of assets of $1 million (ibid., paras. 18 to 20). The Advisory Committee notes that the estimated delayed revenue of $12 million will be a one-time effect that will not affect revenues of future bienniums.", "11. In this connection, the Advisory Committee was informed upon enquiry that, as the only agency in the United Nations system with a self-financing business modality, UNOPS had to accomplish the performance targets, including the attainment of operational reserves, set by its Executive Board. Given the projected delay in revenue from management fees of $12 million, or 20 per cent, for 2012, UNOPS was communicating to the Advisory Committee and to the Executive Board the projected negative impact on its net revenue during the first year of the transition to IPSAS in order to enhance the understanding and transparency of the financial results for which UNOPS was accountable.", "12. The Advisory Committee was also informed, upon enquiry, that UNOPS had a comprehensive IPSAS implementation plan which was adequately resourced. In addition, the Office had addressed the most critical accounting policies, including revenue and expense recognition and asset and cash management. The Advisory Committee recalls that UNOPS has already revised its financial regulations and rules to prepare for the implementation of IPSAS. With respect to its enterprise resources management system, the Committee was informed that while UNOPS relied on UNDP for any changes to the system, it had developed plans for gathering, cleansing and migrating its accounting data. The first dry run using real accounting data would be performed in the first part of 2012. The Advisory Committee commends UNOPS for its advanced preparedness in relation to the implementation of IPSAS.", "Operational reserve", "13. Information with respect to the operational reserve of UNOPS is provided in paragraphs 29 to 34 of the budget estimates, and detailed information on the reserve and its use is contained in annex II to the budget document. It is indicated that the operational reserve minimum requirement is based on 4 per cent of the rolling average of the combined management budget and project expenditures for the last three years of operations. As a fully self-financed organization, it is important for UNOPS to maintain its operational reserve above the minimum requirement in order to provide a security cushion against uncertainties associated with revenue predictions and for future investments required beyond the current budget period. The Advisory Committee notes that UNOPS achieved the operational reserve requirement target by the end of 2009, two years ahead of the time set out in the budget estimates for the biennium 2010-2011. For 2010-2011, the opening balance of the reserve was $42.7 million, or $0.6 million above the minimum requirement; and the closing balance is currently estimated at $57 million, or $10 million above the estimated minimum reserve requirement at that time. UNOPS indicates that it is striving to reach the goal of accumulating sufficient margins during the current and next biennium so that the operational reserves will remain above the minimum requirement at the end of 2013, taking into consideration the significant negative effect of IPSAS-related accounting (see para. 10 above).", "14. While UNOPS is confident that it will meet, or exceed, the net revenue target set for the current biennium, it recognizes that there is still significant uncertainty for 2011. The Office will carefully monitor revenue and expenditure patterns, and, in line with financial regulation 14.02, make adjustments to the budget as necessary to align management expenditure with evolving realities. In this context, UNOPS is planning to conduct a review in 2012 to assess, inter alia, the level of its operational reserve and the mandated minimum requirement, owing to the transition to IPSAS (ibid., paras. 16, 31, 33 and 34). In this connection, the Advisory Committee encourages UNOPS to continue to exercise prudence in managing the resources at its disposal, so as to secure the gains achieved thus far and also to ensure the continued financial viability of the Office over the medium to long term (AC/1705, para. 20).", "Other comments", "15. The Advisory Committee notes from the budget estimates that UNOPS has achieved much during the past few years. UNOPS has maintained its financial viability for 5 consecutive years and achieved its operational reserves minimum requirement by the end of 2009, two years ahead of the target. It also received an unqualified external audit for the period 2008-2009, and was awarded the ISO 9001 quality management system certification and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Certification in Procurement Policies and Procedures in 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, paras. 6, 8 and 9). The Advisory Committee commends UNOPS for these achievements.", "16. During its consideration of the proposed budget estimates for 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee also had before it the annual report of UNOPS, which the Committee finds informative and useful. The Committee notes the activities carried out by UNOPS in cross-cutting issues, in particular the fact that 30 per cent of all the projects supported by the Office in 2010 worked to improve gender equality and the empowerment of women in some way (p. 45). The Advisory Committee welcomes the efforts made by UNOPS in this regard and encourages it to continue these activities." ]

[ "Second regular session 2011", "New York, 6-9 September 2011", "Item 4 of the provisional agenda", "United Nations Office for Project Services", "Budget estimates of the United Nations Office for Project Services for the biennium 2012-2013", "Report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions", "1. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions has considered an advance version of the budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013 (DP/OPS/2011/5) of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). During its review of the budget estimates for 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee met with the Executive Director of UNOPS, who provided additional information and clarification.", "Management and budget results framework", "2. The Advisory Committee notes that the budget estimates for 2010-2011 were based on the format of 16 harmonized functions (AC/1705, para. 2), although the budget estimates for 2012-2013 are presented in a simplified framework of seven harmonized functional groups, pursuant to a decision taken by the Executive Board at its first regular session of 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, annex 1, paras. 1 and 27). The simplified framework is also valid for UNDP, UNFPA and the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF). Table 1 of the budget estimates contains information on the allocation of resources for 2012-2013 under the seven functional groups, with performance indicators, a baseline and objectives. UNOPS notes that the framework comprises three main components: management results, core activities and business functions. Detailed information on management results and the budget framework can be found in paragraphs 35 to 75 and annex 1 to the budget estimates.", "3. While the Advisory Committee understands that the simplified budget framework represents a harmonized approach adopted by UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS and UNICEF for cost reclassification and results-based budgeting, it is also of the view that some improvements in the format of the document can be considered to be easier to understand. For example, in the advance version presented to the Commission, graphics I, V and VI contain indistinct text and therefore difficult to read.", "Budget estimates for 2012-2013", "4. The budget estimates for 2012-2013 amount to $148.7 million, representing 5.5 per cent of the estimated total expenditure for the biennium (ibid., para. 76 and figure II). The 2012-2013 estimates consist of (a) $139.7 million for management resources, (b) $1 million for additional time-frame costs, which is estimated to generate the transition to IPSAS and (c) $8 million for possible credits. The budget estimates for the current biennium, however, provide for $130.2 million for management resources and $5 million for possible credits. With regard to the projected total gross income for the biennium 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee notes that an objective of $148.7 million is estimated at $118.5 million in income from project delivery services, $20 million from advisory and transactional services and $10 million in miscellaneous income (ibid., para. 27).", "5. The Advisory Committee notes that for 2012-2013, UNOPS has proposed a reduction in the costs of consultants ($2.1 million or 9 per cent) and operating costs ($2.7 million or 11 per cent). The Committee also notes that UNOPS plans to relocate its headquarters to the new United Nations City in Copenhagen, where it will share offices with other United Nations organizations present in the country. The Advisory Committee welcomes these initiatives and expects that sharing with other United Nations organizations in Copenhagen will facilitate shared common services, which should increase efficiency and reduce expenditures.", "6. The Advisory Committee also notes from the budget document that the 2012-2013 estimates provide for possible merit rewards related to the three-year UNOPS performance management pilot project on recognition, rewards and sanctions, in accordance with its Financial Regulations and Rules and as approved by the International Civil Service Commission (ibid., para. 85). The Advisory Committee expects that information on the implementation of the pilot project will be included in the context of the next budget submission.", "Distribution of posts", "7. With regard to the distribution of posts for the current biennium and the following, UNOPS notes that the number of posts for 2012-2013 is the same as for 2011 (ibid., paras. 78 and 80). The Advisory Committee notes from table 2 of the budget estimates that there will be a total of 366 posts for 2012-2013, which means a net increase of 21 posts over 345 posts for the current biennium. UNOPS indicates that the net increase of 21 posts for 2012-2013 reflects mainly the completion during 2010 of the reclassification initiated in 2009, in accordance with Executive Board decision 2009/5, to further adjust the staffing to the overall organizational structure (ibid., para. 81). Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that UNOPS had 366 posts as at 1 January 2011, including the 21 additional posts in table 2 for 2012-2013. In that connection, the Advisory Committee notes that financial regulation 14.02 empowers the Executive Director to redeploy funds under the approved biennial management budget, as well as to increase or reduce funds, including the number of established posts, provided that the net income target for the biennium established by the Executive Board is met (ibid., para. 24).", "8. As the budget estimates indicate, there is a proposal to reclassify the post of Executive Director at the Assistant Secretary-General level (SsG) to the Under-Secretary-General (SGA), in recognition of the increased accountability and responsibility of the post. Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that following the adoption of the new governance structure of UNOPS, the responsibility for the management of UNOPS financial and human resources to the Executive Director was vested in the Executive Board and the Secretary-General. In that connection, the Advisory Committee notes that in its resolution 65/176 of 20 December 2010, the General Assembly reaffirmed the role of UNOPS as the central resource of the United Nations system for procurement and contract management, as well as for public works and physical infrastructure development, including related capacity-building activities. In the same resolution, the Assembly decided to change the name of the Executive Board to include the United Nations Office for Project Services (the UNDP Executive Board, UNFPA and UNOPS). The Advisory Committee has no objection to the proposed reclassification of the position of Executive Director.", "Presentation", "9. In its report on the budget estimates for UNOPS for the biennium 2010-2011 (AC/1075, para. 7), the Advisory Committee recommended that a breakdown of expenditures be made based on the main object of expenditure in the context of the proposed biennial support budget for 2012-2013. In that connection, the Committee notes that summary table 3 of the budget estimates provides information by category of expenditure. The Advisory Committee welcomes the inclusion of the requested information. However, the Committee also notes that the budget document has only 10 paragraphs relating to the budget estimates for the biennium 2012-2013, which do not sufficiently explain the proposed changes in respect of staff costs and those that do not relate to staff. The Advisory Committee is of the view that more detailed information should be provided in the next budget estimates, including information on the proposed changes and the organizational chart.", "IPSAS", "10. UNOPS estimates that the transition from the United Nations system accounting standards to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in 2012 would affect its net income for the period 2012-2013 by approximately $13 million, mainly due to (a) the delayed recognition of $12 million in income under IPSAS and (b) the different treatment of assets of $1 million (ibid., paras. 18-20). The Advisory Committee notes that the delayed receipt of projected income of $12 million will be a timely effect and will not affect the income of future bienniums.", "11. In that connection, in response to its question, the Advisory Committee was informed that, as the sole agency of the United Nations system with a self-financing model, UNOPS had to meet the performance goals, including the achievement of operational reserves, as set by its Executive Board. In view of the projected delayed income from management posts of $12 million, or 20 per cent, for 2012, UNOPS informed the Advisory Committee and the Executive Board of the expected negative impact on its net income during the first year of the transition to IPSAS, in order to improve the understanding and transparency of UNOPS financial performance.", "12. Furthermore, and also in response to its question, the Advisory Committee was informed that UNOPS had a comprehensive IPSAS implementation plan with sufficient resources. In addition, the Office had dealt with key accounting policies, including income and expenditure recognition and asset and cash management. The Advisory Committee recalls that UNOPS has already revised its Financial Regulations and Rules in preparation for the implementation of IPSAS. With regard to its enterprise resource management system, the Committee was informed that while UNOPS relied on UNDP to make system changes, it had developed plans to compile, clean and migrate its accounting data. The first drill using real accounting data would be carried out in early 2012. The Advisory Committee commends UNOPS for its early preparation for the implementation of IPSAS.", "Operational reserve", "13. Information on the UNOPS operational reserve is contained in paragraphs 29 to 34 of the budget estimates and detailed information on the reserve and its utilization is contained in annex II to the budget document. It is indicated that the minimum requirement of the operational reserve is based on 4 per cent of the mobile average of the management budget and the combined project expenditure for the previous three years of operation. As a fully self-financed organization, it is important that the UNOPS operational reserve remain above the required minimum so that there is a security margin for uncertainties arising from income predictions and for future investments required after this budget period. The Advisory Committee notes that UNOPS complied with its minimum requirement for operational reserves at the end of 2009, two years prior to the projected budget estimates for the biennium 2010-2011. For the period 2010-2011, the opening balance of the reserve was $42.7 million, or $0.6 million above the minimum requirement; and the closing balance is currently projected to be $57 million, or $10 million above the minimum reserve requirement at that time. UNOPS indicates that it is endeavouring to meet the goal of accruing sufficient margins during this biennium and the next one for operational reserves to remain above the minimum requirement established by the end of 2013, taking into account the significant negative effects of IPSAS-related accounting treatments (see para. 10 above).", "14. While UNOPS trusts that it will meet, or exceed, the net income target set for the present biennium, it recognizes that there is still some uncertainty over 2011. The Office will closely monitor income and expenditure trends and, in accordance with financial regulation 14.02, will make the necessary adjustments upward or downward in the budget to adapt management costs to the changing reality. In this context, UNOPS plans to conduct a review in 2012 to assess, inter alia, the level of its operational reserve and the mandatory minimum requirement due, inter alia, to the transition to IPSAS (ibid., paras. 16, 31, 33 and 34). In that regard, the Advisory Committee encourages UNOPS to continue to exercise prudence in managing the resources available to it, in order to ensure the gains made to date and the continuity of the financial viability of the medium- to long-term Office (AC/1705, para. 20).", "Other comments", "15. The Advisory Committee notes from the budget estimates that UNOPS has made much progress in recent years. UNOPS has maintained its financial viability for five consecutive years and met its minimum requirement for operational reserves by the end of 2009, two years before the expected deadline. The Office also received an unqualified external audit opinion for the period 2008-2009 and received ISO 9001 certification for its quality management system and certification in procurement policies and procedures of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply in 2011 (DP/OPS/2011/5, paras. 6, 8 and 9). The Advisory Committee commends UNOPS for those achievements.", "16. During its consideration of the proposed budget estimates for 2012-2013, the Advisory Committee also had before it the annual report of UNOPS, which the Committee considers informative and useful. The Committee notes the activities undertaken by UNOPS on cross-cutting issues, in particular the fact that 30 per cent of all projects supported by the Office in 2010 helped to improve gender equality and the empowerment of women in some way (p. 45). The Advisory Committee welcomes the efforts made by UNOPS in that regard and encourages it to continue with those activities." ]

[ "Asamblea General Consejo de Seguridad", "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones Sexagésimo sexto año", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 63 b) del programa provisional* \nNueva Alianza para el Desarrollo deÁfrica: progresos en su aplicación yapoyo internacional: las causas delos conflictos y la promoción de lapaz duradera y el desarrollosostenible en África", "Aplicación de las recomendaciones contenidas en el informe del Secretario General sobre las causas de los conflictos y la promoción de la paz duradera y el desarrollo sostenible en África", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "Este informe se presenta en cumplimiento de la resolución 65/278 de la Asamblea General, aprobada por la Asamblea en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones tras haber examinado el informe del Secretario General de fecha 20 de julio de 2010 (A/65/152-S/2010/526) en que se exponían los resultados del examen de la aplicación de las recomendaciones contenidas en el informe de 1998 sobre las causas de los conflictos y la promoción de la paz duradera y el desarrollo sostenible en África (A/52/871-S/1998/318).", "En el informe se analizan los principales acontecimientos registrados en el continente durante el último año y se examina la aplicación por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas de las esferas prioritarias señaladas en mi informe anterior. Asimismo, de conformidad con el mandato establecido en la resolución 65/278 de elaborar propuestas sobre políticas en relación con los problemas nuevos, se analizan a fondo dos de las cuestiones más apremiantes en la actualidad en África, a saber, “el empleo y la educación para los jóvenes” y “los conflictos relacionados con los recursos naturales”, y se formulan recomendaciones concretas y prácticas al respecto.", "I. Introducción", "1. En 1998, en respuesta a una solicitud del Consejo de Seguridad, mi predecesor realizó un análisis amplio de las causas de los conflictos y la promoción de la paz duradera y el desarrollo sostenible en África. El entonces Secretario General publicó un informe en el que formulaba una serie de recomendaciones realistas y viables para reducir significativamente la tensión política y la violencia en los Estados de África y entre estos, consolidar una paz duradera y promover el desarrollo socioeconómico y político (A/52/871-S/1998/318).", "2. En su resolución 63/304, la Asamblea General me solicitó que le presentara un informe sobre los resultados del examen de las recomendaciones contenidas en el informe inicial, así como sobre los compromisos contraídos, las medidas adoptadas, los progresos realizados y la experiencia adquirida desde 1998. Tras celebrar consultas amplias con los Estados Miembros, la Unión Africana y las comunidades económicas regionales de África, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, las instituciones de Bretton Woods y el sistema de las Naciones Unidas por mediación del Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional sobre África y bajo la coordinación de la Oficina del Asesor Especial para África, publiqué un informe sobre el examen en el que formulé recomendaciones y propuestas para dar un nuevo rumbo a la labor de las Naciones Unidas en África (A/65/152-S/2010/526).", "II. Examen de los principales acontecimientos registrados en el último año", "3. En mi informe sobre el examen hice hincapié en la necesidad de cambiar el enfoque respecto de África, centrando la atención en las oportunidades y reconociendo la existencia de realidades diferentes en el continente. Hoy en día el mundo mira a África con una actitud diferente, que se caracteriza por la esperanza y la admiración que despiertan los progresos que está realizando.", "4. Pese a que se siguen percibiendo los efectos de las crisis mundiales, el año pasado África registró un sólido crecimiento económico y una mejora en los indicadores de desarrollo social, especialmente en las esferas de la salud y la educación. El pacífico referéndum sobre la independencia de Sudán del Sur, celebrado en enero de 2011, el éxito del campeonato de la Copa Mundial de la Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) en Sudáfrica, la aprobación de una nueva constitución en Kenya, la transición de Guinea y el Níger de un régimen militar a un sistema democrático bajo control civil, y los cambios forzados por la población en Egipto y Túnez son algunos de los acontecimientos que han contribuido a modificar la percepción que se tiene del continente. La presencia de las economías emergentes en el continente, que es cada vez mayor, y la rápida transformación de África están cambiando a pasos agigantados el espacio político en que operan los dirigentes africanos. De hecho, África se ha convertido en un ejemplo claro del cambio que se está produciendo en todo el mundo a nivel político y económico y que nos está obligando a reconsiderar gran parte de nuestro trabajo.", "5. A pesar de los progresos realizados, algunas partes de África siguen padeciendo conflictos armados, situaciones de fragilidad y deterioro del estado de derecho, y pobreza crónica, problemas que afectan desproporcionadamente a las mujeres y los niños. El aumento del riesgo de protestas violentas y de atentados terroristas, así como las cuestiones sin resolver en relación con procesos electorales y la mala gestión de la diversidad siguen planteando retos estratégicos tanto para África como para sus asociados en la comunidad internacional. Se siguen produciendo violaciones de los derechos humanos en las que los civiles son víctimas deliberadamente de asesinatos, mutilaciones y abusos y explotación sexuales durante los conflictos, con consecuencias especialmente graves para las mujeres y los niños.", "6. Algunas de las revueltas en África del norte, y más reciente en África subsahariana, han dado lugar a situaciones de violencia continuada y en la Jamahiriya Árabe Libia han desembocado en una violencia generalizada que ha empujado a más de 650.000 personas a abandonar el país desde el comienzo del conflicto. En su resolución 1970 (2011), el Consejo de Seguridad decidió remitir la situación en la Jamahiriya Árabe Libia a la Corte Penal Internacional e imponer un embargo de armas al país y someter a determinados cargos del Gobierno a la prohibición de viajar y congelar sus activos. La toma del poder de forma anticonstitucional y la violencia postelectoral siguen siendo causas de grave preocupación. El estancamiento político en Côte d’Ivoire se resolvió finalmente el 6 de mayo de 2011 con la investidura oficial del Presidente Ouattara por las autoridades constitucionales.", "7. Pese al éxito del referéndum sobre la independencia, la nación más joven de África se enfrenta a la amenaza de la inestabilidad a causa de la violencia. Los enfrentamientos entre el Ejército de Liberación del Pueblo Sudanés (SPLA) y las fuerzas rebeldes que se han producido desde enero en Jonglei, Alto Nilo y el estado de Unidad han dejado cientos de muertos y miles de desplazados. Las noticias sobre la campaña de reclutamiento que están llevando a cabo los dirigentes rebeldes y sobre el aumento de los soldados del SPLA en esas zonas vaticinan problemas de seguridad y de carácter político en los próximos meses. En junio de 2011, se produjeron enfrentamientos entre el SPLA y tropas del norte en Abyei, a raíz de los cuales más de 100.000 personas huyeron de la zona. En respuesta a esa situación, el 27 de junio de 2011 el Consejo de Seguridad aprobó la resolución 1990 (2011) en la que estableció la Fuerza Provisional de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas para Abyei (UNISFA). En el vecino estado de Kordofan Meridional, los combates que comenzaron el 5 de junio siguen causando la muerte de numerosos civiles y el desplazamiento de decenas de miles más y han puesto al personal de las Naciones Unidas en peligro directo. El 28 de junio de 2011, con la asistencia de los mediadores de la Unión Africana, el Gobierno del Sudán y el Movimiento de Liberación del Pueblo Sudanés (SPLM) firmaron en Addis Abeba un acuerdo marco sobre las disposiciones políticas y de seguridad en los estados de Nilo Azul y Kordofán Meridional. El 8 de julio de 2011, el Consejo de Seguridad aprobó la resolución 1996 (2011) en la que estableció la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Sudán del Sur (UNMISS) con el mandato de prestar asistencia al nuevo Estado de Sudán del Sur para la consolidación de la paz en el país. En junio de 2011, el plan de trabajo de las Naciones Unidas y sus asociados para el Sudán había recibido financiación por un monto de 731 millones de dólares, lo que equivalía al 43% de los 1.700 millones de dólares solicitados.", "8. La Oficina Marítima Internacional informó sobre el aumento del número de ataques violentos perpetrados por piratas frente a las costas de Somalia en 2010, con un total de 49 buques secuestrados y 1.016 tripulantes tomados como rehenes. Según parece, los piratas somalíes están emprendiendo acciones en el Océano Índico cada vez más lejos de la costa. Dentro de Somalia, el conflicto de larga data sigue suponiendo una amenaza para la estabilidad en la región. Alrededor de 1,9 millones de somalíes están desplazados dentro del país, y 2,4 millones de personas, es decir, uno de cada tres somalíes, necesitan asistencia humanitaria. El 9 de junio de 2011, el Consejo de Seguridad acogió con beneplácito la firma del Acuerdo de Kampala.", "9. Según el informe Perspectivas Económicas en África 2011, las economías africanas han aguantado la crisis mundial y se han recuperado de ella, como se puede observar por la tasa de crecimiento promedio del 4,7% lograda en 2010 comparada con una tasa del 2,3% en 2009, si bien es cierto que el crecimiento fue más rápido en los países de África subsahariana que en los de África del norte. No obstante, debido a la pronunciada subida de los precios de los alimentos y el combustible registrada en 2011, el número de personas que viven en la pobreza extrema ha aumentado. Las elevadas tasas de desempleo y el limitado acceso a la energía siguen restringiendo la capacidad del continente para crear riqueza y empleo.", "10. En la cumbre sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio celebrada en 2010 se hizo un llamamiento a la comunidad internacional para que cumpliera el compromiso que había asumido de suministrar ayuda a África. En general, los desembolsos netos de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo aumentaron de 29.900 millones de dólares en 2004 a 48.000 millones de dólares en 2010, mientras que los desembolsos de los miembros del Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo pasaron de 19.400 millones de dólares a 29.300 millones de dólares en el mismo período.", "11. Las nuevas iniciativas de financiación e inversión en África del Brasil, China, la India o Turquía están modificando radicalmente las relaciones económicas del continente con el resto del mundo. El comercio entre África y las grandes economías emergentes ha aumentado considerablemente en los últimos años. Las instituciones y los gobiernos africanos han fijado el desarrollo de las infraestructuras como una de sus principales prioridades a fin de aprovechar los beneficios de su mayor relación con las economías emergentes. De conformidad con las prioridades de la Unión Africana y la Nueva Alianza para el Desarrollo de África (NEPAD), se está centrando la atención en la ayuda a los pequeños agricultores, muchos de los cuales son mujeres, y el apoyo a las pequeñas y medianas empresas que generan empleo, proporcionan acceso a servicios básicos y crean redes de seguridad para las familias vulnerables a los reveses económicos.", "12. Las remesas de los africanos de la diáspora, que en la actualidad ascienden a unos 40.000 millones de dólares al año y en algunos casos superan el monto de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, están teniendo efectos importantes en el nivel de vida de muchos países africanos. No obstante, es preciso reducir los costos de transacción de las remesas y crear más oportunidades de inversión orientadas hacia el desarrollo. Pese al empeoramiento de la economía mundial, las corrientes de remesas hacia África crecieron alrededor de un 4,5% en el período 2010-2011, aunque esa tasa de crecimiento fue mucho más baja que la registrada antes de la crisis mundial. Lamentablemente, la convulsa situación actual en la Jamahiriya Árabe Libia ha forzado a un gran número de migrantes procedentes del Sahel a regresar a sus países de origen.", "13. Este año se celebra el décimo aniversario de la NEPAD, el programa elaborado por la propia África para el adelanto socioeconómico de la región. Este aniversario nos ofrece la oportunidad de reflexionar sobre los numerosos logros del programa y de renovar nuestro compromiso de apoyo a los esfuerzos de África para promover su crecimiento, desarrollo y participación en la economía mundial.", "Una mayor atención a los vínculos entre la paz y el desarrollo", "14. En mi informe sobre el examen señalé que muchos de los conflictos actuales eran de carácter interno y a menudo solían desencadenarse por la exclusión sistemática de grandes sectores sociales de las instituciones de gobernanza política y del acceso a bienes económicos y servicios sociales fundamentales. Los países con grandes desigualdades, instituciones débiles y poco representativas, y escasez de empleos decentes y de oportunidades y libertades, en particular para la gran mayoría de jóvenes, están expuestos a un riesgo creciente de inestabilidad.", "15. Nuestro conocimiento de los factores socioeconómicos que propician la violencia armada y de sus efectos negativos para el desarrollo ha mejorado; sin embargo, en la mayor parte de los casos, no somos capaces de diseñar programas que respondan a las circunstancias o que tengan en cuenta adecuadamente esa relación. Es imprescindible que reorientemos las estrategias de desarrollo actuales para establecer, en el contexto de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, un programa social, político y económico mas sólido, que tenga en cuenta las cuestiones de género, así como unos marcos institucionales reforzados para hacer frente a los retos interrelacionados de la paz y el desarrollo. Varias entidades de las Naciones Unidas han elaborado indicadores y niveles de referencia sobre una serie de cuestiones relacionadas con la consolidación de la paz, entre otras, la protección de los civiles y el empoderamiento de la mujer. Esos instrumentos ayudan a las operaciones de las Naciones Unidas a determinar los medios que necesitan para seguir realizando las tareas asignadas. Pienso solicitar al Grupo de Tareas Interinstitucional sobre África que elabore indicadores mensurables y examine los progresos realizados en la aplicación de las recomendaciones que formulé en mi informe sobre el examen, a fin de adquirir un mejor conocimiento de la correlación entre la paz y el desarrollo y de los aspectos que requieren una atención urgente.", "III. Aplicación de las recomendaciones contenidas en mi informe sobre el examen", "16. En mi informe sobre el examen formulé una serie de recomendaciones para hacer frente a algunas de las principales cuestiones que probablemente acapararán la atención del programa para África y que, por lo tanto, requerirán una atención especial. En esta sección se presenta un resumen de la labor realizada por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas en las principales esferas prioritarias establecidas en mi informe sobre el examen.", "A. Cooperación institucional", "17. La Oficina de las Naciones Unidas ante la Unión Africana en Addis Abeba se encarga de racionalizar la participación de las Naciones Unidas en los ámbitos de la paz y la seguridad, fortalecer la coordinación entre la Unión Africana y las Naciones Unidas, y reforzar la capacidad de la Organización para apoyar las labores operacionales y de capacitación de la Unión Africana en las operaciones de paz. El 2 de febrero de 2011 publiqué un informe sobre el examen del programa decenal de fomento de la capacidad de la Unión Africana (A/65/716-S/2011/54) en el que hice un llamamiento en favor de una mayor cooperación entre ambas partes y la adopción de un planteamiento estratégico común a fin de cumplir los objetivos del programa. El Mecanismo de Coordinación Regional para África ha recomendado que se acelere la aplicación del programa mediante la ejecución por los grupos del Mecanismo de Coordinación Regional y los órganos de la Unión Africana de un amplio programa de trabajo. Para lograr una cooperación política eficaz es preciso mejorar la capacidad analítica, la planificación estratégica y la coordinación entre ambas organizaciones, incluso redoblando los esfuerzos en materia de información y promoción pública. A ese respecto, el grupo de promoción y comunicaciones del Mecanismo de Coordinación Regional, creado por la Oficina del Asesor Especial para África, se está encargando de elaborar un marco estratégico para las comunicaciones con la Unión Aficana.", "18. También se está fortaleciendo la cooperación entre las comunidades económicas regionales y la Secretaría mediante la organización de sesiones informativas periódicas por la Oficina del Asesor Especial sobre África para intercambiar información con las comunidades económicas regionales y los distintos departamentos y oficinas, como la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme, y prestar asesoramiento técnico a varias comunidades económicas regionales para la formulación de posiciones comunes en relación con el tratado sobre el comercio de armas. Asimismo, la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas ante la Unión Africana procurará reforzar la cooperación y coordinación entre las Naciones Unidas, la Unión Africana y las comisiones económicas regionales. El Departamento de Asuntos Políticos y la Comunidad de África Meridional para el Desarrollo firmaron un nuevo acuerdo de cooperación en septiembre de 2010.", "B. Prevención de los conflictos, mantenimiento de la paz y gestión de los conflictos", "19. Se han tomado medidas adicionales para incluir las actividades de prevención de los conflictos en un marco estratégico coherente, incluida la presentación en la tercera reunión del Equipo de tareas conjunto sobre paz y seguridad, celebrada en septiembre de 2011, de las directrices relativas a las asociaciones para la mediación de las Naciones Unidas y la Unión Africana. En 2010 se estableció la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas para África Central cuyo objetivo es realizar actividades de diplomacia preventiva y trabajar con los gobiernos y las organizaciones de África central. El Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz, junto con otros departamentos y oficinas, como la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme, proporciona apoyo a la Comisión de la Unión Africana para la elaboración de un marco de políticas de la Unión Africana sobre la reforma del sector de la seguridad con el fin de establecer un régimen para que los Estados miembros de la Unión Africana, las comunidades económicas regionales y sus asociados formulen, examinen y apliquen políticas de reforma del sector de la seguridad eficaces y rindan cuentas al respecto. El Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz ha elaborado, junto con la Comisión de la Unión Africana, un programa de apoyo multianual para contribuir al desarrollo de la capacidad para la aplicación de esas políticas.", "20. En marzo de 2011, la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito y el Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz firmaron un plan de acción conjunto para seguir reforzando su cooperación en la lucha contra la delincuencia organizada y el tráfico ilícito en los países en conflicto o en situaciones posteriores a un conflicto, en particular en Guinea-Bissau. Para asegurar el éxito de las fuerzas de estabilización y mantenimiento de la paz, sería muy recomendable que, en determinadas situaciones, se incluyera en su mandato la lucha contra el tráfico de drogas. Las Naciones Unidas están dispuestas a prestar apoyo a los Estados en los que hay operaciones de paz para desarrollar su capacidad en la lucha contra la delincuencia organizada y el tráfico ilícito, según proceda.", "21. El proceso de planificación integrada de las misiones y el marco estratégico integrado (véase A/65/669) son dos mecanismos concebidos para facilitar la coordinación de las actividades de las Naciones Unidas y asegurar que, una vez concluidas las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz, la labor para hacer frente a las causas profundas de los conflictos continúe sin interrupciones y la transición hacia la consolidación de la paz se lleve a cabo sin contratiempos. La opinión pública respecto de la labor de las Naciones Unidas y sus asociados es crucial para asegurar el éxito en la aplicación de los mandatos y la transición hacia un programa de estabilización a largo plazo. La experiencia pionera de las emisoras de radio de las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz de las Naciones Unidas en Sierra Leona y la República Centroafricana, convertidas en emisoras de radio públicas una vez terminada la guerra, son dos ejemplos de servicios de las Naciones Unidas orientados hacia una transición gradual en el marco de los programas patrocinados por la Organización tras la conclusión de las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz.", "C. Recuperación y consolidación de la paz después de los conflictos", "22. La Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz está aplicando las recomendaciones contenidas en el examen de la estructura de las Naciones Unidas para la consolidación de la paz (véase A/64/868-S/2010/393, anexo) para lograr una mayor claridad en relación con los principios, los procesos y las medidas adoptadas. El 25 de enero de 2011, el Comité de Organización aprobó una hoja de ruta provisional para 2011, a fin de asegurar que se prestara suficiente atención a un número limitado de tareas prioritarias encaminadas a mejorar sus efectos en los países incluidos en el programa. El 23 de febrero de 2011, la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz decidió incluir a Guinea en su programa en respuesta a una solicitud de la propia Guinea. Fue la primera vez que la Comisión tomó una decisión de ese tipo sin que previamente le hubiera remitido el caso el Consejo de Seguridad.", "23. Las cuestiones de la lucha contra el tráfico ilícito y la delincuencia organizada se han incluido en el mandato de la Oficina Integrada de las Naciones Unidas para la Consolidación de la Paz en Sierra Leona como parte de la Iniciativa de la Costa de África Occidental, cuyo objetivo es contribuir a las labores de consolidación de la paz y reforma del sector de la seguridad en los países que salen de situaciones de conflicto. En 2011 se establecerá con la ayuda del Departamento de Asuntos Políticos una asociación de colaboración para hacer frente a las amenazas contra la seguridad en África central.", "24. En mi informe sobre la participación de la mujer en la consolidación de la paz (A/65/354-S/2010/466), expuse un plan de acción basado en siete compromisos para asegurar que una mayor proporción de los fondos se destine a apoyar el empoderamiento de la mujer y la igualdad entre los géneros, como parte de la labor más amplia encaminada a aumentar la participación de las mujeres en la prevención de los conflictos y en la reconstrucción social. La Entidad de las Naciones Unidas para la Igualdad entre los Géneros y el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres (ONU-Mujeres) y la Oficina de Apoyo a la Consolidación de la Paz se encargarán de supervisar la aplicación del plan y de informar sobre los progresos realizados por la Organización en esa labor. El Fondo para la Consolidación de la Paz se ha comprometido a duplicar para 2012 sus gastos en las esferas de la consolidación de la paz, el empoderamiento de la mujer y la igualdad entre los géneros.", "D. Crecimiento económico sostenido y desarrollo sostenible", "25. En su resolución 65/280, la Asamblea General hizo suyos la Declaración de Estambul[1] y el Programa de Acción en favor de los países menos adelantados para el decenio 2011-2020[2] aprobados en la Cuarta Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Países Menos Adelantados, cuyo tema central es el fortalecimiento de la capacidad productiva, y exhortó a todas las partes interesadas pertinentes a que se comprometieran a aplicar el Programa de Acción. Ese programa tiene un interés especial para África, porque ahí se encuentran 33 de los 48 países incluidos actualmente en la lista de países menos adelantados y también porque en él se abordan los vínculos existentes entre los conflictos armados y el desarrollo.", "26. La seguridad alimentaria y la promoción del desarrollo rural siguen siendo dos de los principales componentes de la política de las Naciones Unidas en favor del crecimiento económico. Las actividades del Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA) y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) se centran en la rehabilitación de los países que salen de un conflicto mediante el desarrollo de la agricultura y la inversión en tecnologías para la etapa posterior a la cosecha, con el fin de reducir los 4.000 millones de dólares anuales de pérdidas en alimentos y potenciar la seguridad alimentaria en el continente. Según la FAO, la reducción de las disparidades entre los géneros en el sector de la agricultura generaría beneficios considerables que podrían reducir el porcentaje de personas que pasan hambre entre un 12% y un 17%. El apoyo al Programa general de la NEPAD para el desarrollo de la agricultura en África, que incluye la creación de redes de seguridad para los pobres que pasan hambre e intervenciones directas para mejorar la nutrición, sigue siendo muy importante.", "27. Las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones han demostrado su potencial para promover cambios sociales y económicos. África es la región con un crecimiento más rápido en la utilización de teléfonos móviles. No obstante, hay que velar por que esos medios se pongan al servicio de la causa de la paz y el desarrollo y asegurar que las Naciones Unidas combinen las innovaciones tecnológicas del siglo XXI con alianzas adecuadas para poder hacer frente con éxito a los retos actuales. En ese sentido, he fijado la innovación como una de las prioridades de la Estrategia Mundial de Salud de las Mujeres y los Niños.", "E. Derechos humanos", "28. Hemos avanzado considerablemente hacia el establecimiento de un sistema más amplio de vigilancia y rendición de cuentas para romper el círculo vicioso de impunidad por los actos de violencia sexual perpetrados en las guerras gracias a la aprobación de la resolución 1960 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, en la que se pide que los responsables de esos actos sean incluidos en listas públicas y sometidos a castigo. Mi Representante Especial sobre la violencia sexual en los conflictos, cuya oficina está ahora plenamente operativa, ha completado una serie de misiones con el objeto de investigar denuncias de violaciones sistemáticas y generalizadas. La Misión de Estabilización de las Naciones Unidas en la República Democrática del Congo ha adoptado enfoques innovadores y ha puesto en marcha mecanismos para contribuir a la protección de los civiles en ese país, en particular de las mujeres y los niños. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas, por conducto de ONU-Mujeres, mantiene su compromiso de seguir prestando asistencia a los Estados Miembros para aplicar políticas de igualdad de género y promover la representación equitativa y la participación efectiva de las mujeres en todas las esferas relacionadas con la paz, la seguridad y el desarrollo.", "29. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos, en cooperación con otros departamentos y oficinas, como la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme, ha impartido capacitación a personal de las fuerzas de defensa y seguridad sobre la protección de los derechos humanos y la rendición de cuentas por las violaciones de esos derechos, en particular durante los períodos electorales.", "IV. Problemas nuevos", "30. En su resolución 65/278 la Asamblea General me solicitó que, en consulta con los asociados pertinentes, elaborara propuestas sobre políticas relacionadas con las cuestiones señaladas en mi informe sobre el examen. En ese proceso, se ha hecho evidente que todas las entidades del sistema debemos integrar mejor los distintos marcos de políticas que utilizamos en África. En las circunstancias actuales de recorte de los recursos, se necesitarán ideas creativas para asegurar la creación de sinergias y fijar prioridades, entre otras cosas, se necesitará el liderazgo y compromiso de la Asamblea General y el Consejo de Seguridad para orientar al sistema de las Naciones Unidas y crear espacios normativos apropiados con la colaboración con las Naciones Unidas y otros asociados. Hago un llamamiento a la Asamblea General y al Consejo de Seguridad para que, por conducto del Grupo de Trabajo Especial sobre la prevención y la solución de conflictos en África, sigan colaborando con el sistema de las Naciones Unidas en la aplicación de las recomendaciones que figuran en el presente informe y proporcionando orientación sobre las cuestiones nuevas y más apremiantes.", "31. Teniendo en cuenta sus repercusiones para la estabilidad y el desarrollo económico y político de África, en esta sección se analizan a fondo dos de las cuestiones más apremiantes para el continente, a saber, “el empleo y la educación para los jóvenes” y “los conflictos relacionados con los recursos naturales”, y se proponen algunas recomendaciones prácticas al respecto.", "A. Empleo y educación para los jóvenes", "32. Un factor esencial para reducir la pobreza y garantizar la estabilidad política, la paz, la seguridad y el desarrollo sostenible es asegurar un acceso adecuado a una buena educación y un empleo decente. Se trata de una cuestión compleja que exige una respuesta coordinada e innovadora en la que se deben tener en cuenta tanto las dimensiones socioeconómicas de la educación y el desempleo de los jóvenes como las consecuencias de la exclusión de los jóvenes de los mecanismos de participación política.", "33. En mi informe sobre el examen solicité a las Naciones Unidas que incorporaran y ejecutaran políticas y programas para empoderar a los jóvenes y crear las condiciones necesarias para su plena participación en todos los aspectos de la sociedad. También señalé la necesidad de incluir políticas apropiadas para los jóvenes en las estrategias de consolidación de la paz en las situaciones posteriores a los conflictos y de intensificar la aplicación del Plan de Acción de Uagadugú para la promoción del empleo y la mitigación de la pobreza.", "34. Según la División de Población del Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas, el 60% de los aproximadamente 1.000 millones de habitantes de África tiene menos de 25 años. Debido al gran aumento de la proporción de jóvenes, se debe prestar mucha más atención a la urgente necesidad de proporcionales educación de calidad, conocimientos especializados y un trabajo decente, así como un espacio adecuado para su participación y representación efectiva a nivel político y social. El descontento que se está manifestando en algunos países de África del norte es, en buena medida, consecuencia de años de mala gestión económica, inversiones sociales inadecuadas y falta de participación política y de oportunidades de empleo decente para los jóvenes.", "35. Esos movimientos están provocados tanto por la falta de empleo como por el deseo de justicia, equidad y democracia, y están creando condiciones que podrían dar lugar a más oportunidades sociales, políticas y económicas o bien dificultar aún más la realización de las aspiraciones de los jóvenes. El resultado dependerá en gran parte de que podamos responder con éxito a sus expectativas. A la hora de prestar asistencia a las comunidades para hacer frente a las causas profundas del descontento, debemos ser más conscientes de su contexto histórico, social y político y velar por que los programas incorporen debidamente las preocupaciones y la sensibilidad de la población local.", "36. Debemos ser conscientes en todo momento de la enorme contribución que pueden aportar los jóvenes al desarrollo de sus sociedades. Si no reconocemos y aprovechamos las aportaciones de los jóvenes, se seguirá perpetuando el ciclo generacional de inestabilidad, subdesarrollo y desigualdad. Tanto las Naciones Unidas, mediante la proclamación de 2010 como Año Internacional de la Juventud: diálogo y comprensión mutua, como la Unión Africana, que, en la cumbre que celebró en Malabo (Guinea Ecuatorial) del 23 de junio al 1 de julio de 2011, mantuvo un debate sobre el modo de acelerar el empoderamiento de los jóvenes para el desarrollo sostenible, han reconocido que hay pocas cuestiones hoy día que sean más apremiantes que ofrecer una respuesta positiva y urgente a las aspiraciones y los sueños de los jóvenes.", "1. Educación", "37. En África subsahariana, la tasa neta promedio de matriculación en la escuela primaria es de aproximadamente el 76%, mientras que en África del norte es del 94%. La mayoría de los países africanos van camino de cumplir el Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio de asegurar el acceso universal a la educación primaria para 2015. En general, los progresos logrados en esta esfera se deben a la abolición de las tasas escolares, el aumento de la inversión pública y un mayor apoyo de los donantes.", "38. No obstante, el éxito en otras esferas ha sido menor, principalmente en lo que se refiere a la calidad de la educación, las tasas de finalización de los estudios, la matriculación en los centros de enseñanza secundaria y terciaria, la reforma de la educación básica, la contratación de maestros y la formación técnica y profesional. Más de 10 millones de alumnos de África subsahariana abandonan sus estudios cada año y millones de niños salen de la escuela sin haber adquirido unos conocimientos básicos de lectura y matemáticas. Más de la mitad de los 71 millones de adolescentes no escolarizados viven en África subsahariana, y más de 30 millones de niños africanos siguen excluidos completamente de la educación debido a obstáculos de carácter financiero, social, cultural o físico. En muchas comunidades, las creencias y prácticas culturales tienen consecuencias negativas desproporcionadas para la participación de las mujeres en la educación, y en muchas de las políticas nacionales no se aborda específicamente el derecho de las niñas a la educación. Además de las niñas, también suelen quedar excluidos del sistema educativo los jóvenes con discapacidad y los jóvenes refugiados y migrantes.", "39. Según el Informe de Seguimiento de la Educación para Todos en el Mundo: Llegar a los marginados (París, 2010), publicado por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, el déficit anual promedio de financiación del sistema educativo para 2008-2015 era de un 65% en África subsahariana, y el número de alumnos por maestro llegaba a ser de 68 en el Chad y de 65 en Etiopía. Teniendo en cuenta esos datos, África necesitará 1,2 millones de maestros nuevos hasta 2015. La mala remuneración de los docentes, el número de maestros que no pueden trabajar debido al VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades, las dificultades para llegar a los niños y jóvenes más vulnerables en los asentamientos urbanos espontáneos o en zonas remotas y la falta de suministros escolares son factores que contribuyen al bajo nivel de éxito académico.", "40. Pese al apoyo cada vez mayor de los donantes internacionales y las iniciativas de colaboración, el número de jóvenes con titulación superior sigue siendo extremadamente bajo. En todo el continente, la tasa de matriculación en centros de enseñanza superior es del 6%, la participación de las mujeres es preocupantemente baja y aproximadamente un 40% de las plazas docentes de esas instituciones permanece sin cubrir.", "2. Empleo", "41. La educación ha ayudado a reducir la desigualdad entre los géneros y a aumentar la tasa de alfabetización en África, aunque ha tenido un escaso efecto en las tasas de desempleo. Los jóvenes con un mejor nivel de educación sufren una tasa de desempleo mayor, mientras que el desempleo entre los menos cualificados es menor debido a que necesitan trabajar para sobrevivir. Según la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), aproximadamente el 90% de los puestos de trabajo creados en África corresponden al sector no estructurado de la economía y 152 millones de trabajadores jóvenes, la mayoría de África subsahariana, viven en hogares pobres con un gasto per capita de menos de 1,25 dólares por día. Los jóvenes africanos, con independencia de su nivel de educación, siguen enfrentando muchas dificultades para encontrar un empleo decente.", "42. En África subsahariana los jóvenes de 15 a 24 años representan el 36% de la fuerza laboral. Según el Banco Mundial, cada año se suman al mercado de trabajo otros 10 millones de jóvenes que han terminado sus estudios. Con arreglo a la información proporcionada por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO), la mayoría de los 4,9 millones de jóvenes que completaron sus estudios en 2009, una cifra que casi se duplicará y llegará a 9,6 millones para 2020, obtuvieron su diploma en ciencias sociales, empresariales y derecho, mientras que las ramas de la ingeniería, la industria, la construcción y la medicina registraron los porcentajes más bajos entre los graduados de la enseñanza terciaria. La disparidad entre el sistema educativo y el mercado de trabajo es cada vez mayor. Entre los factores que contribuyen a las altas tasas de desempleo se encuentran unos servicios públicos saturados, un sector privado pequeño e incapaz de emplear a un gran número de personas, las barreras en la demanda laboral, las deficiencias de comunicación entre las personas que buscan trabajo y los posibles empleadores, y las barreras para crear y promover oportunidades empresariales.", "43. La actual situación de falta de empleo es especialmente significativa si se tienen en cuenta las elevadas tasas de crecimiento económico, de casi un 6% anual, registradas recientemente en África, si bien es cierto que existen diferencias considerables entre regiones. Según los datos de la OIT, en África subsahariana se ha registrado una tasa persistente de desempleo del 12% en la última década, aunque con enormes disparidades que van del 55,8% en Sudáfrica al 10,9% en Namibia. En Sierra Leona la tasa de desempleo juvenil es del 52,5% frente a una tasa media nacional del 10,2%. Las protestas que se están registrando en la actualidad en África del norte se han atribuido en parte al desempleo juvenil, que afecta al 31% y el 34% de los jóvenes de Túnez y Egipto, respectivamente.", "44. Las cifras sobre el desempleo no dan una idea del problema real. No reflejan otros aspectos, como las condiciones de los trabajadores subempleados y los trabajadores pobres, que predominan en el sector de la agricultura de supervivencia y en el sector no estructurado de las zonas urbanas y afectan sobre todo a las mujeres, las cuales tienden a concentrarse en los sectores que requieren poca especialización, ofrecen una remuneración baja y tienen un escaso movimiento de entrada y salida. El desempleo en las zonas urbanas es más elevado que en las rurales y afecta desproporcionadamente a las mujeres y a los jóvenes con discapacidad debido a cuestiones sociales y a la discriminación en el lugar de trabajo.", "45. Los costos económicos, sociales y políticos de tener una juventud sin educación y sin empleo son extraordinariamente elevados. Si no se crean oportunidades para ganarse la vida, los ciclos de pobreza seguirán perpetuándose de una generación a otra. El desempleo puede empujar a los jóvenes hacia la delincuencia y la violencia. A falta de un sistema de protección social, muchos jóvenes, incluso los que han completado sus estudios, tienen que trabajar en el sector no estructurado de la economía o migrar hacia las zonas urbanas o hacia otros países para poder sobrevivir. Aunque toda corriente migratoria no gestionada puede crear rivalidades en las zonas de destino por el acceso a los recursos y puestos de trabajo, se deben potenciar los efectos positivos de la migración, como las remesas financieras y sociales, a fin de aprovechar todo su potencial para el desarrollo.", "46. El sector privado de África debe desempeñar un papel central en las medidas para solucionar el problema del desempleo juvenil. También se puede mejorar considerablemente la situación si se libera el potencial empresarial de las mujeres y se orienta hacia oportunidades de crecimiento en vez de hacia el sector no estructurado de la economía u otros sectores de bajo rendimiento y ya saturados. Es hora de que consideremos seriamente la adopción de políticas fiscales, monetarias, comerciales e industriales que generen empleo, aplicando más métodos locales para la creación de empleo, y que respondan a las aspiraciones de las comunidades locales y contribuyan a mantener la paz social y a promover el desarrollo económico a nivel local.", "3. Iniciativas africanas y de las Naciones Unidas", "47. En las últimas décadas, las Naciones Unidas, la Unión Africana y los gobiernos africanos han promovido una serie de iniciativas mundiales y regionales que han dado prioridad al programa de desarrollo de los jóvenes, entre otras, el Programa Mundial de Acción para los Jóvenes de 1995; el Marco de Acción de Dakar sobre la Educación para Todos de 2000; el Plan de Acción de la Unión Africana para el Segundo Decenio de la Educación para África (2006-2015); la Carta Africana de los Jóvenes y la concesión de prioridad al desarrollo de los jóvenes durante el Decenio de la Juventud (2009-2018); y el Decenio de las Naciones Unidas de la Educación para el Desarrollo Sostenible (2005-2014). En diciembre de 2010, se puso en marcha el Cuerpo de Jóvenes Voluntarios de la Unión Africana con 67 jóvenes de toda África, un programa de desarrollo que abarca todo el continente y cuyo objetivo es contratar jóvenes voluntarios y trabajar con ellos en los 53 países de África.", "48. Los gobiernos africanos han hecho esfuerzos concertados a nivel nacional y subregional, incluidos la adopción de enfoques sectoriales amplios, la puesta en marcha de proyectos de alfabetización para el desarrollo y la eliminación de las tasas en las escuelas primarias de la mayoría de los países. En Somalia se elaboró un programa nacional provisional de trabajo decente centrado en las causas subyacentes del conflicto, como el control de los recursos y los problemas económicos y de empleo, que aborda los principales elementos de manera concertada con todos los interesados pertinentes. Otras iniciativas similares para el diálogo social inclusivo han dado buenos resultados en la República Democrática del Congo y Burundi.", "49. En diciembre de 2009, la Asamblea General aprobó la resolución 64/134 en la que proclamó el año que comenzaría el 12 de agosto de 2010 Año Internacional de la Juventud bajo el lema “Diálogo y comprensión mutua”. Los días 25 y 26 de julio de 2011 se celebró en Nueva York una reunión de alto nivel sobre la juventud. El Año Internacional supuso un avance importante en las iniciativas de la comunidad internacional para centrar la atención en el papel de los jóvenes y reforzar su participación en los asuntos mundiales. Durante su 17º período de sesiones ordinario, celebrado en Malabo (Guinea Ecuatorial) en junio de 2011, la Unión Africana decidió elaborar un marco de capacitación técnica y formación profesional, centrado específicamente en los ámbitos de la agricultura y la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones, así como acelerar la aplicación del Plan de Acción para el Decenio de la Juventud. Del 4 al 29 de julio de 2011, el Consejo Económico y Social celebró una serie de sesiones de alto nivel y aprobó una declaración ministerial en la que hizo un llamamiento en favor de una cooperación internacional más eficaz para cumplir los objetivos de la educación para todos: calidad de la educación, atención y educación en la primera infancia, desarrollo de aptitudes y alfabetización de adultos.", "4. Propuestas y recomendaciones sobre políticas", "50. La población de África está creciendo rápidamente y se prevé que para 2050 África tendrá el 29% de la población mundial en el tramo de edad de 15 a 24 años. Esa transformación seguirá teniendo graves consecuencias fiscales, políticas y sociales, que van desde el aumento de los costos de la educación y los servicios de salud a los riesgos de sufrir inestabilidad social y presiones migratorias.", "51. La estrategia para atender las necesidades de empleo juvenil requiere un enfoque integrado que tenga en cuenta tanto la demanda y oferta de trabajo como la cantidad y calidad de los puestos de trabajo; promueva la creación de mecanismos de protección social para los jóvenes; asegure el diálogo social para mejorar el ejercicio de los derechos relacionados con el empleo; establezca un sueldo básico mínimo; y mejore la productividad, las condiciones laborales y el respeto de los principios y derechos fundamentales en el lugar de trabajo. Asimismo, las políticas favorables al crecimiento deben aumentar la equidad en la distribución de las oportunidades sociales y políticas y de los ingresos, prestando una atención especial a los grupos vulnerables y tradicionalmente desfavorecidos, sobre todo las mujeres y los jóvenes, y tener en cuenta las oportunidades y los retos que plantean la integración regional y la globalización para el desarrollo de los jóvenes.", "52. Los procesos de determinación y formulación de planes de acción y programas dirigidos a los jóvenes como agentes para la consolidación de la paz y el desarrollo económico siguen siendo deficientes. En general, los jóvenes han quedado excluidos del programa internacional de apoyo a la paz y el desarrollo, y los adolescentes, tanto durante como después de las guerras, rara vez reciben atención especial o asistencia psicológica para ayudarlos a superar los problemas relacionados con su integración social y el desarrollo de una identidad personal. Las Naciones Unidas y sus asociados africanos deben colaborar para encontrar mecanismos apropiados que propicien la participación de los jóvenes en la consolidación de la paz y el desarrollo y determinar las modalidades de esa participación.", "53. Es preciso que todos los interesados tengan un mejor conocimiento de la magnitud del problema y del enorme potencial que representan los jóvenes y que refuercen el vínculo crucial existente entre la creación de empleo y la consolidación de la paz. Las Naciones Unidas, en estrecha cooperación con los gobiernos, la Unión Africana, los donantes y la sociedad civil, deben desempeñar un papel importante en la formulación de respuestas para hacer frente a la difícil situación de los jóvenes de África.", "54. Insto a la Asamblea General, el Consejo de Seguridad y el sistema de las Naciones Unidas a que amplíen sus programas para los jóvenes y faciliten la participación de estos en los procesos de adopción de decisiones mediante la celebración de consultas oficiales y oficiosas para determinar y eliminar las causas del descontento social, político y económico entre los jóvenes. Las entidades de las Naciones Unidas deben mejorar su coordinación y su labor para adoptar un enfoque más amplio e integrado del desarrollo de los jóvenes.", "55. Estudiaré el modo de asegurar que el apoyo social y psicológico a los grupos de jóvenes afectados por los conflictos se incluya, cuando proceda, en los mandatos de mantenimiento de la paz, consolidación de la paz y desarrollo, y que se proporcione asistencia adecuada a los ministerios encargados de la salud, la educación, los asuntos sociales y el empleo y a los sistemas comunitarios de apoyo para los jóvenes y adolescentes de las zonas en conflicto.", "56. Reitero mi llamamiento al Mecanismo de Coordinación Regional de África para que incorpore las cuestiones relativas a los jóvenes en todos los grupos temáticos y apoye las prioridades sectoriales fijadas por la NEPAD para asegurar las inversiones y facilitar la creación de empleo para los jóvenes, a saber, la mejora de las infraestructuras, el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, la inversión en pequeñas explotaciones agrícolas y pequeñas y medianas empresas, y el control de las epidemias sanitarias.", "57. Los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países y la presencia de las Naciones Unidas en los países que salen de situaciones de conflicto pueden contribuir a aumentar la participación de los jóvenes y a dar prioridad a iniciativas educativas innovadoras y de calidad (tanto académicas como no académicas), como programas de pasantías, voluntariado y aprendizaje electrónico, formación empresarial, capacitación para los negocios y facilitación de la participación de los jóvenes de la diáspora, así como facilitar la transición hacia una economía ecológica basada en empleos ecológicos y fuentes de energía renovables, especialmente para las mujeres. Esa labor se debe llevar a cabo en asociación con el Pacto Mundial, las empresas privadas y otras entidades.", "B. Conflictos relacionados con los recursos naturales", "58. La Asamblea General ha destacado en varias ocasiones la necesidad de hacer frente a las consecuencias negativas que tiene la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales en todos sus aspectos para la promoción de la paz, la seguridad y el desarrollo en África, y ha condenado el comercio ilícito de recursos naturales que exacerba los conflictos armados.", "59. En mi informe sobre el examen (A/65/152-S/2010/526) insté al sistema de las Naciones Unidas a que, en toda evaluación de los conflictos políticos en África, tuviese en cuenta sistemáticamente el papel que desempañaban los recursos naturales (incluidos el acceso a las tierras y unos derechos de tenencia seguros, el agua, la biodiversidad y las materias primas, así como la distribución de los ingresos derivados de la explotación de los recursos naturales).", "60. Los conflictos relacionados con los recursos naturales han atraído la atención internacional hacia África, sobre todo en la última década. Pese a la abundancia de minerales y tierras de cultivo del continente, muchos africanos no se benefician de esa riqueza. La compleja interrelación de intereses políticos y económicos a nivel nacional e internacional, que afectan a la propiedad, la gestión y el control de los recursos naturales, ha creado trastornos en las comunidades, exacerbado los conflictos armados, aumentado la corrupción y abierto las puertas a la intervención extranjera en varias zonas del continente. Algunos de esos conflictos se han extendido a nivel regional y podrían afectar al suministro de recursos naturales a nivel mundial.", "61. En algunos casos, los países han sido víctimas de lo que se conoce como la “maldición de los recursos” y la abundancia de minerales y combustible ha resultado contraproducente para su desarrollo, dando lugar a malos resultados económicos, un colapso del crecimiento, elevados niveles de corrupción, desplazamientos, degradación ambiental, graves violaciones de los derechos humanos, sistemas de gobernanza ineficaces y a la erosión de la autoridad del Estado y el aumento de la violencia política.", "62. En ese contexto, se plantean una serie de problemas complejos, como las luchas por las tierras y los recursos naturales que agravan la inestabilidad e inseguridad, el aumento del clientelismo, la corrupción y los conflictos entre grupos rivales a nivel nacional e internacional, y las desigualdades en la distribución de los beneficios y los ingresos, que favorecen especialmente a minorías selectas. En algunos casos, se ha acusado a empresas y fondos soberanos de inversión extranjeros de intentar explotar los recursos de África en perjuicio de los intereses a largo plazo de la población local y de promover de ese modo el crecimiento de grupos locales corruptos, que a su vez impiden el desarrollo de instituciones estatales que respondan a las necesidades de la población y se sometan a la rendición de cuentas.", "63. Las industrias extractivas, la gestión de las tierras, los bosques y el agua, y la seguridad energética son esferas de importancia crucial a las que se debe prestar más atención.", "1. Industrias extractivas", "64. Las industrias extractivas de África suelen estar orientadas hacia a la exportación. El control de la explotación y de los beneficios derivados de la riqueza mineral, como el oro, los diamantes y otras piedras preciosas, el coltán y el uranio, así como de la madera, ha sido un factor importante en las guerras relacionadas con los recursos naturales en Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leona y la República Democrática del Congo, donde la creciente participación de redes de delincuentes y de grupos armados nacionales y extranjeros en las actividades económicas, especialmente en la minería, ha contribuido significativamente al aumento de la inseguridad y la violencia.", "65. La transparencia en relación con los ingresos es un aspecto esencial de las medidas de gobernanza que deben adoptar las naciones para poder beneficiarse de la explotación de sus recursos naturales. El nivel de transparencia en las industrias extractivas está mejorando poco a poco. En septiembre de 2010, el Presidente Kabila de la República Democrática del Congo decretó la prohibición de las actividades mineras en determinadas zonas para facilitar la expulsión de grupos armados ilegales de las minas en las que las unidades del ejército habían sido sustituidas por la policía de minas. Esa medida tenía por objeto poner fin a la participación en la minería de redes de delincuentes infiltradas en la policía y crear un registro de todas las personas que trabajaban en el sector. La prohibición se levantó en el mes de marzo.", "66. El 19 de mayo de 2011, la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos aprobó un sistema conjunto, de carácter voluntario, para la aplicación de las diligencias debidas con el fin de asegurar que las cadenas de suministros estén libres de conflicto, y el 27 de mayo de 2011 el Grupo de los Ocho apoyó por primera vez el principio de la divulgación obligatoria de los pagos efectuados por las industrias extractivas a los gobiernos, a fin de promover la adopción de legislación y reglamentos sobre transparencia y de normas voluntarias que obliguen o alienten a las empresas del petróleo, el gas y la minería a revelar los pagos que efectúen a los gobiernos.", "2. Tierras y bosques", "67. De los 22 países de todo el mundo que sufren crisis alimentarias prolongadas 17 se encuentran en África. La degradación del ecosistema, la desertificación, la erosión del suelo y la intensificación de la sequía son factores que conectan el cambio climático con los conflictos relacionados con las tierras. En las zonas semiáridas, los conflictos relacionados con los recursos, que a menudo enfrentan a pastores y agricultores, se convertirán en un problema cada vez más preocupante. A medida que se va reduciendo la disponibilidad de recursos naturales en las zonas no protegidas, van aumentando el furtivismo, el pastoreo ilícito y otras actividades humanas en las zonas protegidas, lo cual afecta a la sostenibilidad de esas zonas y a menudo aumenta el transporte transfronterizo ilegal de recursos naturales, que suele estar vinculado a los conflictos nacionales o regionales.", "68. Dada la importancia que tienen los derechos sobre las tierras y los sistemas de tenencia a la hora de determinar las estructuras políticas y sociales, las tierras de África suelen ser objeto de intensas disputas. Muchos de los conflictos recientes relacionados con las tierras son de carácter local, permanecen activos desde hace generaciones, tienen su origen en diferencias históricas entre vecinos y se suelen solucionar a nivel local. Se debe prestar más atención a la capacidad autóctona para resolver los problemas causados por el cambio climático en relación con el uso de las tierras.", "69. La reforma del sistema de tenencia de tierras, y especialmente el acceso a ellas, es una cuestión candente en toda África. La adquisición de grandes extensiones de tierras por extranjeros para actividades de agricultura industrial o para la producción de biocombustibles ha desatado controversias, y hay quienes consideran que supone una amenaza para el suministro de alimentos, la soberanía y la supervivencia de los pequeños agricultores. La mujeres poseen o controlan una proporción mínima de las tierras. Esa situación repercute negativamente en la capacidad de las comunidades para la recuperación y el reestablecimiento de la seguridad alimentaria después de un conflicto, especialmente cuando después del conflicto no se permite que las familias encabezadas por mujeres recuperen el control sobre las tierras de los varones ausentes.", "70. África tiene el segundo bosque tropical lluvioso más grande del mundo y una gran variedad de bosques secos. Los bosques desempeñan un papel fundamental desde el punto de vista ecológico, social y económico y los problemas que les afectan están relacionados con los de la tierra, la seguridad alimentaria, el agua y la seguridad energética, ya que la leña es una de las principales contribuciones de los bosques a la mitigación de la pobreza. Los bosques han desempeñado también un papel en la exacerbación de conflictos como el de Liberia, donde se acuñó la expresión “madera de conflicto”. No obstante, los bosques pueden servir también para estimular el crecimiento económico. En la República Democrática del Congo se ha establecido un sistema de concesiones e impuestos para asegurar un reparto equilibrado de los beneficios entre todos los interesados pertinentes, incluidos el Estado y las comunidades locales, tanto a nivel nacional como local.", "3. Agua", "71. La gestión de los conflictos relacionados con el agua es uno de los principales retos en la labor para lograr una gobernanza ambiental efectiva a nivel mundial. Aunque el agua es una posible causa de conflicto, la mayoría de las diferencias que han surgido en relación con los recursos hídricos se han resuelto mediante la cooperación y la negociación. Por ejemplo, el programa de la UNESCO “Del conflicto potencial a la cooperación potencial: el agua por la paz” contribuye a la promoción de la cooperación y el desarrollo en la gestión de los recursos hídricos transfronterizos.", "72. África tiene 80 ríos y cuencas de lagos transfronterizos, incluidos 38 acuíferos subterráneos compartidos por más de un país. Dos situaciones que suscitan preocupación a ese respecto son la disponibilidad de agua en la región semiárida de África meridional y en las cuencas del Senegal y el Nilo, debido al crecimiento de la población en los Estados ribereños y al aumento constante de las necesidades de energía y agua, agravados por los efectos del cambio climático.", "73. Alrededor del 40% de la población subsahariana sigue sin tener acceso a agua potable y el 69% no tiene acceso a instalaciones de saneamiento apropiadas. La situación es aún peor en las zonas rurales, donde un 53% y un 76% de la población, respectivamente, no tiene acceso a agua potable ni a servicios de saneamiento adecuados. El número de personas afectadas por la escasez de agua en África puede aumentar en 75 millones para 2020 y en varios cientos de millones para 2050. El subdesarrollo de los recursos y servicios de agua y las malas condiciones en materia de salud, energía y electricidad son aspectos determinantes para la seguridad alimentaria en África. El Banco Africano de Desarrollo calcula que en los próximos 20 años habrá que invertir entre 50.000 y 54.000 millones de dólares anuales para poder atender las necesidades de agua de África. Asimismo, la escasez de agua es una de las limitaciones más significativas para la productividad de las mujeres: en África subsahariana, por ejemplo, las mujeres dedican más de 40.000 millones de horas al año a recoger agua, el equivalente a un año de trabajo de toda la fuerza laboral de Francia. Los días 27 y 28 de junio de 2011 se celebró en Jartum la Conferencia Internacional sobre el agua para la paz sostenible en Darfur, en la que se subrayó la importancia del agua no solo para la paz sino también para el desarrollo de Darfur y se examinó la participación de las comunidades locales en la planificación y ejecución de 65 proyectos relacionados con el agua en los tres estados de Darfur.", "4. Seguridad energética", "74. África es el continente con el más bajo consumo de energía: unas 500 millones de personas viven sin electricidad en la región subsahariana, donde 23 de los 48 países son vulnerables a las crisis energéticas. La pobreza extrema y la falta de acceso a otros combustibles hace que el 80% de la población dependa de la biomasa (por ejemplo, de la madera y otros productos vegetales), lo que a su vez promueve la destrucción de vegetación y provoca cambios negativos en los ecosistemas, que por su parte contribuyen a los desplazamientos. Los efectos combinados de la tala insostenible de bosques, el aumento de la degradación del suelo y las interrupciones en los suministros suponen una amenaza para el desarrollo sostenible y la seguridad humana. Por una parte, el modelo de autosuficiencia energética adoptado por algunos Estados para proteger el suministro de energía entraña la posibilidad de provocar disputas internas. Por otro lado, también suscita preocupación el efecto que puede tener para el desarrollo un suministro poco fiable y asequible de electricidad. La disminución del cauce de los ríos debido a los efectos del cambio climático puede reducir la producción de energía hidroeléctrica, lo que a su vez afectará la viabilidad financiera y la sostenibilidad de las inversiones en el sector de la energía. En 2012 se celebrará el Año Internacional de la Energía Sostenible para Todos, ocasión que se debe aprovechar para apoyar una revolución mundial en materia de energía limpia, algo que es fundamental para minimizar los riesgos climáticos, reducir la pobreza y mejorar los índices de salud en todo el mundo, así como para empoderar a la mujer y cumplir los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio.", "5. Gobernanza de los recursos naturales", "75. La buena gobernanza política, económica y empresarial de los recursos naturales es crucial para promover su administración responsable y requiere que todos los actores, desde los gobiernos a las empresas internacionales y las comunidades locales, elaboren políticas que tengan efectos positivos en la economía a nivel nacional y local.", "76. Debemos apoyar los procesos propulsados por los países de África para elaborar normas mínimas de gobernanza de los recursos naturales basadas en un buen conocimiento de los vínculos existentes entre el medio ambiente, los conflictos, el desarrollo y el programa de consolidación de la paz en un sentido amplio. Debemos proseguir la labor para mejorar la capacidad de los gobiernos y la sociedad civil para gestionar los recursos naturales, entre otras cosas, mediante el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos de vigilancia y aplicación de las normas; la participación del sector privado como asociado en las actividades de reconstrucción y desarrollo en las situaciones posteriores a los conflictos; y el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos reguladores existentes, como la Iniciativa para la transparencia en las industrias extractivas o el Proceso de Kimberley. La NEPAD y el Mecanismo de examen entre los propios países africanos proporcionan una plataforma para que los países africanos puedan evaluar efectivamente la gobernanza y la gestión de los recursos naturales. También se deben abordar las cuestiones relacionadas con la corrupción, que a menudo están vinculadas a la explotación de los recursos naturales. La UNODC ya está prestando asistencia a los países para reforzar las instituciones de lucha contra la corrupción y elaborar políticas nacionales para combatir ese problema, con arreglo a la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Corrupción. Por su parte, la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), la FAO y el FIDA están elaborando una serie de principios para las inversiones responsables en la agricultura.", "77. La abundancia de minerales, combustible y tierras no tiene por qué ser el factor determinante de la trayectoria política o económica de los países africanos. En aquellos casos en los que la explotación ilegal o la gestión corrupta y desigual de los recursos naturales han sido factores centrales en la gestación de los conflictos, es fundamental que, en el período posterior al conflicto, se reestablezca cuanto antes una gobernanza de los recursos transparente y sometida a la rendición de cuentas. El programa del PNUMA para los casos de conflictos y desastres es un buen ejemplo a ese respecto. Ese programa imparte capacitación para mejorar la gobernanza de los recursos naturales, promover las mejores prácticas en materia de gestión ambiental y asegurar que los recursos naturales apoyen las prioridades de desarrollo y consolidación de la paz. También se debe mejorar la capacidad para la planificación de los recursos y aportar los conocimientos técnicos necesarios para la negociación de contratos y acuerdos de explotación de los recursos humanos.", "6. Las Naciones Unidas y la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales", "78. El progreso de África debe medirse en función de las mejoras tangibles para la vida de las personas. En todos los casos en que se solicita la asistencia de las Naciones Unidas, se deben determinar y atender las necesidades específicas de las comunidades locales, a fin de mejorar el bienestar y la seguridad de las personas en el contexto de la gestión de los recursos naturales. Por ello, las Naciones Unidas deben mejorar la incorporación del análisis de los recursos naturales y las necesidades ambientales en la planificación de la prevención de los conflictos, la asistencia humanitaria y las operaciones de recuperación temprana.", "79. Ya se han puesto en marcha algunas iniciativas en ese sentido. El Consejo de Seguridad ha adoptado medidas firmes para hacer frente a la cuestión de la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales y ha impuesto embargos para impedir la importación de todo tipo de troncos y productos de madera de Liberia y de diamantes en bruto procedentes de Angola, Côte d’Ivoire y Sierra Leona y para prohibir la venta o el suministro de petróleo de Angola y Sierra Leona. Asimismo, el Consejo encomendó a la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia el mandato de prestar asistencia al gobierno de transición para reestablecer una administración adecuada de los recursos naturales, y creó un grupo de expertos encargados de proponer medidas para impedir la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales, que sirve para financiar los grupos armados que operan en la zona oriental de la República Democrática del Congo. Esa cuestión también se ha incluido en el programa de otros órganos intergubernamentales como el Consejo Económico y Social y la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz.", "80. El Consorcio Internacional para Combatir los Delitos contra la Vida Silvestre, constituido en noviembre de 2010, está trabajando para adoptar un enfoque amplio de colaboración que ayude a prevenir la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales, incluidas las especies en peligro de extinción, y los delitos contra los bosques. La UNODC está realizando un análisis de las amenazas en África central, entre otras cosas, sobre la delincuencia organizada y el tráfico ilícito de recursos naturales en esa zona, que servirá de ayuda para la adopción de políticas mejor fundadas. Desde junio de 2009, el Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz y el Departamento de Apoyo a las Actividades sobre el Terreno están aplicando una política ambiental específica para las misiones de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno que abarca las principales esferas, incluidas la gestión de los desechos, la energía, el agua y los recursos culturales e históricos.", "81. El equipo del marco interinstitucional de las Naciones Unidas para la adopción de medidas preventivas, que forma parte de la Oficina de Prevención de las Crisis y Recuperación del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), se encarga de gestionar un programa conjunto de las Naciones Unidas y la Unión Europea, en el que participan el Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, el Departamento de Asuntos Políticos, la Oficina de Apoyo a la Consolidación de la Paz, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos, el PNUD y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, cuyo objetivo es ayudar a los países a mejorar la gestión de los recursos naturales para prevenir los conflictos y consolidar la paz y gestionar y mitigar las tensiones producto de los problemas ambientales. Esa iniciativa de colaboración se encarga de mejorar la formulación de políticas y la coordinación de los programas entre los principales actores en la Sede y sobre el terreno y de elaborar una serie de notas orientativas y manuales de capacitación, así como una herramienta de aprendizaje autónomo en línea.", "82. Las Naciones Unidas y las entidades africanas deben examinar la cuestión de la explotación ilegal de los recursos naturales desde una perspectiva regional, y no solo desde un punto de vista nacional, a fin de hacer frente a las dimensiones regionales del problema, incluidas cuestiones como los vínculos con el tráfico ilícito de armas, mercenarios y drogas. Un buen ejemplo de la cooperación en esa esfera es la Iniciativa de la Costa de África Occidental, puesta en marcha por la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC), la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas para África Occidental, el Departamento de Asuntos Políticos, el Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz y la INTERPOL para apoyar la aplicación del Plan de Acción regional de la Comunidad Económica de los Estados de África Occidental para combatir el tráfico de drogas, la delincuencia organizada y el uso indebido de drogas en África Occidental (2008-2011).", "7. Propuestas y recomendaciones sobre políticas", "83. Debemos adaptar nuestras políticas y nuestros mecanismos de respuesta para poder afrontar con eficacia una nueva clase de crisis con múltiples facetas, que pueden incluir elementos relacionados con la explotación de los recursos naturales y los cambios ambientales. Para ello, la Organización debe contar con directrices, instrumentos, mecanismos de intercambio de información y conocimientos técnicos sobre políticas que sean claros y concisos. Las misiones de las Naciones Unidas y los equipos en los países deben prestar asistencia a los países y a las comunidades para integrar los temas de los recursos naturales y del medio ambiente en sus planes de desarrollo y recuperación después de los conflictos, especialmente a nivel regional. El fortalecimiento de la estructura institucional y de la cooperación regional y la mejora de la relación con los representantes del sector privado y el sector financiero serán de gran ayuda para garantizar el éxito de las estrategias convenidas de mutuo acuerdo.", "84. Las Naciones Unidas, en cooperación con la Unión Africana, las comunidades económicas regionales, los gobiernos, los donantes, la sociedad civil y las comunidades locales, deben promover un proceso de transformación dirigido por los países africanos para lograr que la riqueza en recursos naturales deje de ser un peligro para la paz y se convierta en un factor favorable para la consolidación de la paz en los países que atraviesan por situaciones de conflicto y posteriores a un conflicto.", "85. Hago un llamamiento al sistema de| las Naciones Unidas para que incorpore el análisis de las cuestiones relativas a la gestión de los recursos naturales, incluidas la reforma de la política de tierras, la gestión de los recursos hídricos y los problemas ambientales, en sus evaluaciones de las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz y consolidación de la paz y las operaciones humanitarias.", "86. Estudiaré la posibilidad de desplegar expertos en la gestión de los recursos naturales en las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz.", "87. Exhorto a los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países y a las oficinas de apoyo a la consolidación de la paz a que incorporen en las estrategias nacionales para la reducción de la pobreza en los países de África en situaciones de conflicto o posteriores a un conflicto programas que promuevan una gestión de los recursos responsable, equitativa, que tenga en cuenta las cuestiones de género y sea productiva económicamente.", "88. En los países en que los recursos naturales son un activo nacional importante, las Naciones Unidas deben fomentar un diálogo nacional sobre el papel que desempeñan en la sociedad los ingresos procedentes de los recursos naturales, con miras a elaborar una estrategia inclusiva de crecimiento y desarrollo y promover una utilización de los recursos naturales más responsable y transparente, entre otras cosas mediante la aplicación de medidas eficaces contra la corrupción. Esa labor se debe llevar a cabo en coordinación con las instituciones comunitarias, las comunidades económicas regionales, la Unión Africana y la NEPAD.", "89. Insto a los asociados internacionales y al sector privado a que respeten los códigos de responsabilidad empresarial y se adhieran a los mecanismos reguladores existentes a fin de impedir que los ingresos procedentes de los recursos naturales se desvíen hacia actividades que puedan exacerbar los conflictos.", "90. Hago un llamamiento a todos los asociados para que tengan en cuenta los conocimientos y las prácticas de las comunidades indígenas y de las mujeres en relación con la gestión de los recursos naturales y la mitigación y la adaptación a los efectos del cambio climático, incluidos los mecanismos locales de mediación en las disputas sobre el uso de la tierra, como los consejos de ancianos y los consejos locales de paz.", "91. Insto al Mecanismo de Coordinación Regional para África y a los demás asociados a que contribuyan a desarrollar la capacidad de las instituciones de gestión de las cuencas fluviales existentes, como la Iniciativa de la cuenca del Nilo, la secretaría de la Unión del Río Mano y los países del acuífero de Nubia, de modo que puedan responder mejor a los retos planteados por el cambio climático y los conflictos, de conformidad con los marcos existentes de la Unión Africana, las comunidades económicas regionales y otras asociaciones y programas, como el programa decenal de fomento de la capacidad de la Unión Africana.", "[1] A/CONF.219/L.1.", "[2] A/CONF.219/3 y Rev.1" ]

[ "* A/66/150.", "General Assembly Security Council Sixty-sixth session Sixty-sixth year Item 63 (b) of the provisionalagenda* \nNew Partnership for Africa’sDevelopment: progressin implementation and internationalsupport: causes of conflict and thepromotion of durable peace andsustainable development in Africa", "Implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report is submitted in compliance with General Assembly resolution 65/278, which was adopted following the consideration by the Assembly at its sixty-fifth session of the report of the Secretary-General dated 20 July 2010 (A/65/152-S/2010/526) containing a review of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 1998 report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/52/871-S/1998/318).", "The report provides an assessment of major developments on the continent during the past year and examines the implementation by the United Nations system of key priority areas identified in the review report. In keeping with the mandate of resolution 65/278 to develop policy proposals on emerging challenges, the report provides an in-depth analysis of two of the most pressing issues in Africa, namely, “youth, education and employment” and “conflict and natural resources” and proposes concrete and practical recommendations.", "I. Introduction", "1. In response to a request from the Security Council, in 1998 my predecessor undertook a comprehensive analysis of the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The then Secretary-General issued a report proposing a set of realistic and achievable measures to significantly reduce political tensions and violence within and between African States, build durable peace and promote socio-economic and political development (A/52/871-S/1998/318).", "2. In its resolution 63/304, the General Assembly requested me to submit a report on the outcome of the review of the recommendations contained in the original report as well as of the commitments made, the actions taken, the progress achieved and the lessons learned since 1998. As a result of broad-based consultations with Member States, the African Union and African regional economic communities, civil society organizations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the United Nations system through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Africa coordinated by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, I issued a review report setting out recommendations and proposals for a renewed United Nations engagement with Africa (A/65/152-S/2010/526).", "II. A year in review", "3. In my review report, I stressed the need to change the discourse around Africa, focusing on opportunities and acknowledging the existence of different realities on the continent. Today the world looks at Africa in a different light, one of hope and admiration for the progress that it is making.", "4. Although the effects of the global crises are still felt, last year Africa experienced strong economic growth and improvement in social development indicators, especially in health and education. The peaceful independence referendum in Southern Sudan in January 2011, the success of the Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa, the adoption of a new constitution in Kenya, the transition of Guinea and Niger from military to democratic civilian rule, and the people-driven changes in Egypt and Tunisia are contributing to a change in old perceptions about the continent. The increased engagement of emerging economies on the continent and Africa’s rapid transformations are swiftly changing the policy space in which African leaders operate. In fact, Africa has come to epitomize the steady shift that is taking place globally at the political and economic levels and that is forcing us to rethink many of the ways in which we operate.", "5. In spite of this progress, some parts of Africa continue to endure armed conflict, fragility, erosion of the rule of law and chronic poverty, with women and children bearing the brunt of those challenges. The increased threat of violent demonstrations and terrorist attacks as well as unresolved issues around electoral processes and unmanaged diversity continue to pose a strategic challenge for Africa and for its partners within the international community. Human rights continue to be violated with civilians purposely being killed, maimed, sexually assaulted and exploited during conflict, with especially grave impact on women and children.", "6. Some of the revolts in North Africa, and most recently in sub-Saharan Africa, have resulted in sustained violence and in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya erupted into broad violence, with more than 650,000 leaving the country since the start of the conflict. The Security Council, by its resolution 1970 (2011), decided to refer the situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the International Criminal Court and to impose an arms embargo on the country and a travel ban and assets freeze on certain Government officials. Unconstitutional changes of power and post-electoral violence remain a major concern. In Côte d’Ivoire, a political stalemate was eventually resolved when President Ouattara was formally sworn in by the constitutional authorities on 6 May 2011.", "7. In spite of the successful independence referendum, Africa’s newest nation faces the threat of instability due to ongoing violence. Since January, clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and rebel forces in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity State, resulted in hundreds killed and thousands displaced. Reports of ongoing recruitment by rebel leadership and reports of SPLA troop increases in those areas will pose security and political challenges in the months to come. In June 2011, SPLA clashed with Northern troops in Abyei, with over 100,000 people fleeing the fighting. In response, on 27 June, the Security Council adopted resolution 1990 (2011) establishing the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). In neighbouring Southern Kordofan State, fighting that began on 5 June continues to cause the deaths of many civilians and the displacement of tens of thousands and has put United Nations staff directly at risk. With the assistance of mediators from the African Union, on 28 June 2011 in Addis Ababa, the Government of the Sudan and SPLM signed a Framework Agreement on Political and Security Arrangements in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States. On 8 July, by its resolution 1996 (2011) the Security Council established the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to assist the new State of South Sudan to consolidate the peace in the country. As of June 2011, the United Nations and Partners Work Plan for Sudan was million funded in the amount of $731 million, 43 per cent of the $1.7 billion sought.", "8. The International Maritime Bureau reported a growing number of violent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia in 2010, with 49 vessels hijacked and 1,016 crew members taken hostage. Somali pirates are allegedly active further into the Indian Ocean. Inside Somalia, the long-standing conflict continues to pose a threat to the stability of the region. About 1.9 million Somalis are internally displaced, and 2.4 million people, one in three Somalis, are in need of humanitarian assistance. On 9 June 2011, the Security Council welcomed the signing of the Kampala Accord.", "9. According to the 2011 African Economic Outlook, Africa’s economies have weathered the global crisis, rebounding to an average 4.7 per cent growth in 2010, up from 2.3 per cent in 2009, with sub-Saharan Africa growing faster than North Africa. Owing to skyrocketing food and fuel prices in 2011, however, the number of people in Africa living in extreme poverty has actually increased. The high rates of unemployment and the limited access to energy continue to constrain the continent’s ability to create wealth and jobs.", "10. The 2010 summit on the Millennium Development Goals called for the international community to honour its aid commitments to Africa. Overall, net disbursements of official development assistance increased from $29.9 billion in 2004 to $48 billion in 2010, while net disbursements by Development Assistance Committee countries increased from $19.4 billion to $29.3 billion.", "11. New funding and investment in Africa by Brazil, China, India or Turkey are fundamentally altering the continent’s economic relationships with the rest of the world. Trade between Africa and the emerging economic powers has grown significantly over the past few years. African governments and institutions have clearly defined infrastructure development as among their top priorities in order to reap the benefits of their enhanced relations with emerging economies. Following the priorities of the African Union/New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a strong focus is being placed on helping small farmers, many of whom are women, and providing support to small and medium-sized enterprises that generate jobs and provide access to basic services and safety nets for families vulnerable to economic shocks.", "12. The remittances of Africans in the diaspora, which currently run at approximately $40 billion a year, which in some instances exceeds official development assistance, are having a major impact upon lives in many African countries. It is necessary, however, to lower the transaction costs of remittances and create opportunities for development-oriented investment. Despite the downturn in the global economy, growth of remittance flows to Africa over 2010-2011 is estimated at 4.5 per cent. However, that percentage is far lower than it was before the global crisis. Unfortunately, the current upheaval in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has resulted in large numbers of migrants from the Sahel returning to their countries of origin.", "13. This year we celebrate the tenth anniversary of NEPAD, Africa’s own blueprint for the region’s socio-economic advancement. This occasion provides an opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of the programme and to renew our commitment to support Africa’s own efforts to promote its growth, its development and its participation in the global economy.", "An enhanced focus on the interlinkages between peace and development", "14. In my review report, I noted that many of today’s conflicts would often be within States and would likely be triggered by the systematic exclusion of significant portions of society from institutions of political governance and from access to key economic assets and social services. Countries facing stark inequality, weak and unrepresentative institutions, and lacking decent jobs, opportunities and freedoms, particularly for a large youth population, are at an increased risk of instability.", "15. Although we understand better the socio-economic dynamics of armed violence and its negative impact on development, in most instances we fail to programme accordingly or to appropriately account for this relation. It is critical that we refocus current development strategies to establish, together with the Millennium Development Goals, a more robust and gender responsive social, political and economic agenda and stronger institutional frameworks to address the interconnected peace and development challenges. A number of United Nations entities have developed indicators and benchmarks on a range of issues related to peace consolidation, including on the protection of civilians and the empowerment of women. Such tools help United Nations operations highlight the means required to support continued implementation of their tasks. I will engage the Inter-Agency Task Force on Africa to develop measurable indicators and examine the progress achieved in the recommendations I set out in my review report in order to acquire a better understanding of the correlation between peace and development and of the areas that need urgent attention.", "III. Implementation of the recommendations contained in the review report", "16. My review report outlined a series of recommendations to address some of the key issues that are likely to dominate the African agenda and will therefore require focused attention. This section provides an outline of the implementation by the United Nations system of key priority areas identified in my review report.", "A. Institutional cooperation", "17. The United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) streamlines the peace and security presence of the United Nations in Addis Ababa, strengthens African Union-United Nations coordination and the capacity of the Organization to support the operational and capacity-building efforts of the African Union for peace operations. On 2 February 2011, I issued a report reviewing the 10-year capacity-building programme for the African Union (A/65/716-S/2011/54), in which I called for better cooperation and a common strategic vision on both sides towards meeting the objectives of the programme. The Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa has recommended that the implementation of the programme be accelerated through a comprehensive work programme among the regional coordination mechanism clusters and the African Union organs. Effective political cooperation requires better analytical capacity, strategic planning and coordination between both organizations, including more efforts in public information and advocacy. The regional coordination mechanism advocacy and communications cluster, convened by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, is in the process of establishing a strategic framework on communications with the African Union in this regard.", "18. Cooperation between the regional economic communities and the Secretariat is also being strengthened, with the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa instituting regular briefings to exchange information with the regional economic communities and departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, and providing technical advice to several regional communities for the formulation of common positions on the arms trade treaty. UNOAU will also be working to strengthen cooperation and coordination among the United Nations, the African Union and the regional economic communities. The Department of Political Affairs and the Southern African Development Community signed a new cooperation agreement in September 2010.", "B. Conflict prevention, peacekeeping and conflict management", "19. Additional steps have been taken to outline conflict prevention activities within a coherent strategic framework, including the launching of the United Nations-African Union mediation partnership guidelines at the third Joint Task Force on Peace and Security in September 2011. The United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa was established in 2010 to focus on preventive diplomacy and work with Central African governments and organizations. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations, together with other departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, support the African Union Commission in developing an African Union Policy Framework on Security Sector Reform aimed at providing a framework for African Union member States, the regional economic communities and their partners to formulate, review and implement effective and accountable security sector reform. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has developed a multi-year support programme with the African Union Commission to help build capacities to implement this policy.", "20. In March 2011, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations signed a joint plan of action to further strengthen their cooperation against organized crime and illicit trafficking in conflict and post-conflict countries, including in Guinea-Bissau. The success of peacekeeping and stabilization forces would greatly benefit, in certain situations, from having a mandate related to the fight against drug trafficking. The United Nations stands ready to support States hosting peace operations to develop their capacity to counter organized crime and illicit trafficking, as appropriate.", "21. The integrated mission planning process and the integrated strategic framework (see A/65/669) are mechanisms designed to help coordinate United Nations activities and to ensure that efforts to address the root causes of conflict continue without interruption after the departure of a peacekeeping operation as well as to ensure a smooth transition to peacebuilding. Public perceptions about the work of the United Nations and its partners are critical in ensuring successful implementation of mandates and transition to long-term stabilization efforts. The pioneering transitions of United Nations peacekeeping radio stations to post-war public broadcasting stations in Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic serve as examples of service that is oriented towards gradual transition for United Nations-sponsored programmes in post-peacekeeping environments.", "C. Post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery", "22. The Peacebuilding Commission is implementing the recommendations contained in the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture (see A/64/868-S/2010/393, annex) on how to attain greater clarity on principles, processes and actions. On 25 January 2011, the Organizational Committee adopted a provisional Road map for actions in 2011 to ensure appropriate focus on a limited set of priority tasks aimed at enhancing its impact in the countries on its agenda. On 23 February 2011, the Peacebuilding Commission decided to place Guinea on its agenda, acting for the first time without a referral from the Security Council but instead in response to a request from Guinea itself.", "23. The issues of countering illicit trafficking and organized crime have been included in the work of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone as part of the joint West Africa Coast Initiative, which targets post-conflict countries and contributes to peacebuilding initiatives and security sector reforms. A partnership to address security threats in Central Africa will be jointly implemented with the Department of Political Affairs in 2011.", "24. In my report on women’s participation in peacebuilding (A/65/354-S/2010/466), I set out a seven-point action plan to ensure that a greater proportion of peacebuilding funds support women’s empowerment and gender equality as part of a broader effort to engage women in conflict prevention and social reconstruction. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the Peacebuilding Support Office will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on the progress of the Organization in the implementation of the plan. The Peacebuilding Fund has committed to doubling its expenditure on peacebuilding, women’s empowerment and gender equality by 2012.", "D. Sustained economic growth and sustainable development", "25. Through its resolution A/65/280, the General Assembly endorsed the Istanbul Declaration[1] and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020[2] adopted by the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which has a strong focus on building productive capacity, and called upon all relevant stakeholders to commit to implementing the Programme of Action. The programme is of special interest for Africa, which has 33 out of the current 48 least developed countries, as it also covers the link between armed conflict and development.", "26. Ensuring food security and promoting rural development remain major components of United Nations policy for economic growth. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) focus on post-conflict rehabilitation through agricultural development and invest in post-harvest technologies to reduce the $4 billion a year in food losses and boost the continent’s food security. According to FAO, closing the gender gap in agriculture would generate significant gains that could reduce the number of hungry people by 12 to 17 per cent. Support for the NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, which includes the creation of safety nets for the hungry poor and direct interventions to improve nutrition, remains critical.", "27. Information and communications technologies have demonstrated their power in promoting economic and social change. Africa is the fastest growing region in the use of mobile phones. It is necessary, however, to ensure that those tools serve the cause of peace and development and that the United Nations matches twenty-first century innovation with the right partnerships in order to successfully address today’s challenges. For instance, I have made innovation a priority of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.", "E. Human rights", "28. We have taken significant steps towards establishing a more comprehensive monitoring and accountability architecture to tackle the vicious cycle of impunity for wartime sexual violence, with Security Council resolution 1960 (2010) calling for perpetrators to be publicly listed and punished with sanctions. My Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, whose office is now fully operational, has completed a number of missions to shed light on allegations of widespread and systematic rape. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken innovative approaches and put in place mechanisms to help protect civilians in the country, including women and children. The United Nations system and, through it, UN-Women, remains committed to further assisting Member States in implementing gender equality policies and promoting the equitable representation and effective participation of women in all areas of peace, security and development.", "29. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with other departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, has provided capacity-building training to defence/security forces on the protection of human rights and accountability for their violation, in particular during election periods.", "IV. Emerging challenges", "30. In its resolution 65/278, the General Assembly requested me to develop, in consultation with relevant partners, policy proposals on issues identified in my review report. In so doing, it has become clear that as a system we need to better integrate the different policy frameworks in which we engage with Africa. In today’s resource-constrained environment, imaginative ideas to ensure synergies and prioritization will be necessary, including the leadership and commitment of the General Assembly and the Security Council in guiding the United Nations system and in establishing appropriate policy spaces to engage with the United Nations and other partners. I call on the General Assembly and the Security Council, through its Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, to further engage with the United Nations system in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the present report and to provide guidelines on the most pressing and emerging issues.", "31. In the light of the implications for the political and economic development and stability in Africa, this section provides an in-depth analysis and proposes practical recommendations to address two of the most pressing issues on the continent, namely, “youth, education and employment” and “conflict and natural resources”.", "A. Youth, education and employment", "32. Adequate access to quality education and to decent employment is a vital component for poverty reduction, political stability, peace, security and sustainable development. This complex issue requires coordinated and innovative responses that address both the socio-economic dimension of youth education and unemployment as well as the consequences of the exclusion of youth from political participation.", "33. In my review report, I called on the United Nations to mainstream and operationalize policies and programmes aimed at empowering youth and creating the necessary conditions to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of society. I also highlighted the need to ensure the appropriate inclusion of youth-related policies in post-conflict peacebuilding strategies and to step up the implementation of the Ouagadougou Plan of Action for promotion of employment and poverty alleviation.", "34. According to the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 60 per cent of Africa’s approximate population of 1 billion is under the age of 25. With the increasing youth bulge, much greater emphasis needs to be placed upon the urgent need to provide them with quality education, skills and decent jobs as well as adequate spaces for effective political and social participation and representation. One of the main drivers of the current discontent in some parts of Northern Africa is, in large measure, the result of years of economic mismanagement, inadequate social investment and the lack of political participation and decent job opportunities for young people.", "35. These movements are as much about jobs as they are about justice, equity and democracy. They are creating conditions that could either generate more social, political and economic opportunities or make the aspirations of youth even more difficult to achieve. The outcome will depend, to a great extent, on our success in responding to those expectations. In assisting communities to tackle the root causes of discontent, we must be better aware of their historical, social and political context and ensure that programmes appropriately incorporate local concerns and sensitivities.", "36. We must be conscious at all times of the enormous contribution that young people can make to the development of their societies. If we do not recognize and utilize youth assets, the generational cycle of instability, underdevelopment and inequity will continue. The United Nations, through the proclamation of 2010 as the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding, and the African Union, which, at the Summit held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 23 June to 1 July 2011, held a debate on “accelerating youth empowerment for sustainable development”, have acknowledged that there are today fewer issues more pressing than positively and urgently responding to the aspirations and dreams of the young people.", "1. Education", "37. The average net primary school enrolment rate is about 76 per cent in sub‑Saharan Africa and 94 per cent in North Africa. The majority of African countries are on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. In general, progress in enrolment rates has been achieved through the abolition of school fees, greater public investments and improved donor support.", "38. There is, however, less success in other areas, mainly in the quality of education, completion rates, enrolment in secondary and tertiary education, basic education reform, teacher recruitment and technical and vocational training. Each year, over 10 million pupils in sub-Saharan Africa drop out of school, and millions of children leave school without basic skills in literacy and numeracy. Of the 71 million adolescents who are not in school, more than 50 per cent are in sub‑Saharan Africa, and more than 30 million African children remain totally excluded from education owing to financial, social, cultural or physical barriers. In many communities, cultural beliefs and practices have a disproportionate adverse impact on female participation in education, and many national policies do not address the issue of girls’ right to education. In addition to young women, young persons who have disabilities or are refugees or migrant workers are often excluded from the educational system.", "39. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the marginalized (Paris, 2010), the average annual financing gap in education for 2008-2015 is about 65 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, and the pupil-to-teacher ratio reached 68:1 in Chad and 65:1 in Ethiopia. At those rates, Africa will need 1.2 million new teachers up to 2015. Low teacher remuneration, the number of teachers unable to work due to HIV/AIDS and other diseases, the difficulties in reaching the most vulnerable children and youth in urban informal settlements or in remote areas, and the lack of school supplies contribute to the low levels of academic achievement.", "40. In spite of the growing engagement of international donors and collaborative initiatives, the numbers of young people with higher education degrees remains extremely low. Across the continent, the enrolment rate at such institutions is 6 per cent, with female participation distressingly low; approximately 40 per cent of faculty positions at higher education institutions remain vacant.", "2. Employment", "41. Education has contributed to narrowing the gender inequality gap and increasing literacy levels in Africa, although it has had little impact on unemployment rates. Youth with higher levels of education experience higher rates of unemployment, whereas unemployment among the lesser skilled is lower because of their need to work to survive. The International Labour Organization (ILO) indicates that approximately 90 per cent of the jobs created in Africa are in the informal economy and that 152 million young workers, most of them in sub‑Saharan Africa, live in poor households with a per capita expenditure below $1.25 a day. Young Africans, irrespective of their level of education, struggle to find decent employment.", "42. In sub-Saharan Africa, young people aged 15 to 24 make up 36 per cent of the workforce. According to the World Bank, 10 million young graduates come onto the job market every year. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) indicates that most of the 4.9 million graduates in 2009, a figure that will almost double to 9.6 million by 2020, obtained their degrees in the social sciences, business and law, while the fields of engineering, manufacturing, construction and health recorded the lowest percentage of tertiary graduates. There is mismatch between education and the labour market is increasing. Saturated public services; a private sector that is small and unable to employ large numbers of people; labour demand barriers; information gaps between job seekers and potential employers; and barriers to the creation and development of business opportunities contribute to high unemployment rates.", "43. The current joblessness situation in Africa is significant given the recent high economic growth rate of nearly 6 per cent annually, though there are considerable differences among regions. ILO data shows a persistent rate of 12 per cent unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa for the past decade, albeit with enormous disparities, from 55.8 per cent in South Africa to 10.9 per cent in Namibia. In Sierra Leone, youth unemployment is 52.5 per cent against the national average of 10.2 per cent. The current and ongoing uprisings in North Africa have been attributed partly to youth unemployment, which stands at 31 per cent and 34 per cent in Tunisia and Egypt, respectively.", "44. Unemployment figures do not hint to the real challenge. They do not capture other dimensions, such as underemployment and the working poor, which are prevalent in subsistence agriculture and the urban informal sector and affect mostly women, who tend to be congregated into low skilled, low paying, low entry and low exit sectors. Urban unemployment is higher than in rural areas, and young women and young persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected because of social issues and discrimination at the workplace.", "45. The economic, social and political costs of non-educated and unemployed youth are extraordinarily high. Without opportunities to earn a living, intergenerational cycles of poverty will persist. Joblessness may fuel young people to engage in crime and violence. With no social protection, many young people, including graduates, survive by taking up activities in the informal economy or migrating to urban areas or to other countries. Although any type of unmanaged migration may create competition for resources and jobs in destination areas, the positive effects of migration, such as financial and social remittances, must be enhanced in order to reap development potential.", "46. The private sector in Africa has a central role to play in addressing youth unemployment. There are also significant employment gains to be made if the entrepreneurial potential of women is unleashed towards growth opportunities rather than the informal economy and low-yield, saturated sectors. Now is the time to carefully consider job-generating fiscal, monetary, trade and industrial policies with more local methods of employment creation that respond to local and community aspirations and contribute to the maintenance of social peace and locally based economic development.", "3. United Nations and African initiatives", "47. In recent decades, a number of global and regional initiatives spurred by the United Nations, the African Union and African governments have pushed the youth development agenda forward, including: the 1995 World Programme of Action for Youth; the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All; the African Union’s Plan of Action for the Second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015); the African Youth Charter and the prioritization of youth development during the Youth Decade (2009-2018); and the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). The African Union Youth Volunteers Corps was launched in December 2010 with 67 members from across Africa as a continental development programme that recruits and works with youth volunteers, to work in all 53 countries in Africa.", "48. African governments have made concerted efforts at the national and subregional levels, including the adoption of sector-wide approaches, the initiation of projects on literacy for development and the abolition of primary school fees in almost all countries. In Somalia, the development of an interim Decent Work country programme focuses on the underlying causes of conflict, such as resource control and employment and economic issues, and addresses key elements in a concerted manner with all relevant stakeholders. Similar inclusive social dialogue forums have worked well in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.", "49. In December 2009, the General Assembly adopted resolution 64/134 proclaiming the year commencing 12 August 2010 as the International Year of Youth under the theme “Dialogue and mutual understanding”. A high-level meeting on youth was held on 25 and 26 July 2011 in New York. The International Year marked an important step in the international community’s initiatives to focus on the role of youth and to strengthen their voice in global affairs. During its 17th Ordinary Session, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2011, the African Union decided to elaborate a technical and vocational education and training framework, specifically addressing the domains of agriculture and information and communications technology, while accelerating the implementation of the Youth Decade Plan of Action. The Economic and Social Council held a high-level segment from 4 to 29 July 2011 and adopted a ministerial declaration calling for more effective international cooperation to achieve the Education for All goals: quality of education, early childhood care and education, skills development and adult literacy.", "4. Policy proposals and recommendations", "50. Africa’s population is growing rapidly. It is expected that by 2050 Africa will account for 29 per cent of the world’s population aged 15 to 24. This transition will continue to have serious fiscal, political and social implications, ranging from increased education and health costs, to risks of social unrest and migration pressures.", "51. The strategy for tackling youth employment requires an integrated approach that addresses labour demand and supply as well as the quantity and quality of employment; promotes the creation of social protection mechanisms for youth; ensures social dialogue for improved employment rights; provides basic minimum wages; and improves productivity as well as labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. Pro-growth policies should also increase equity in the distribution of social and political opportunities and income, with special attention focused on vulnerable and traditionally disadvantaged groups, especially women and young people, and consider the opportunities and challenges that regional integration and globalization bring to the development of young people.", "52. The definition and framing of plans of action and programmes targeting youth as agents of building peace and economic development remains weak. Youth has been largely excluded from the agenda of international peace and development efforts, and adolescents, during or after wars, seldom receive any special attention or psychological assistance in addressing issues related to disrupted patterns of social integration and formation of personal identity. The United Nations and its African partners must work to find the appropriate mechanisms for engaging youth in peacebuilding and development as well as identify the content of that engagement.", "53. It is necessary for all stakeholders to attain a better understanding of the extent of the problem and of the immense potential that youth represents and to strengthen the crucial link between employment and peacebuilding. In close cooperation with governments, the African Union, donors and civil society, the United Nations has an important role to play in providing responses to the plight of Africa’s young population.", "54. I call on the General Assembly, the Security Council and the United Nations system to deepen their engagement with youth and facilitate their participation in decision-making processes through formal and informal consultations in order to identify and aim at removing sources of social, political and economic discontent among young people. United Nations entities should enhance their coordination and efforts towards a more comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development.", "55. I will consider ways to ensure that social and psychological support to youth groups affected by conflict is included, when necessary, in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development mandates and that adequate assistance is provided to the Ministries of Health, Education or Social Affairs and the Ministries of Employment and to community-based support systems for youth and adolescents in conflict areas.", "56. I reiterate my call to the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa to mainstream the issue of youth into all clusters and to support sectoral priorities, as identified by NEPAD, capable of securing investments and facilitating the creation of jobs for young people, namely, improvement of infrastructure, development of new information and communications technologies, investment in small farming and small and medium-sized enterprises, and ensuring that health epidemics are brought under control.", "57. United Nations country teams and presences in post-conflict countries can assist in engaging with young people and prioritizing quality and innovative education (formal and non-formal), such as internships, volunteerism and e‑learning, entrepreneurial learning, enterprise training and facilitation of the involvement of youth diaspora as well as on the transition to green economy based on green jobs and renewable energy, especially for women. This could be achieved by partnering with the Global Compact, private businesses and other entities.", "B. Conflict and natural resources", "58. The General Assembly has underlined on several occasions the need to address the negative implications of the illegal exploitation of natural resources in all its aspects as a way to promote peace, security and development in Africa, and has condemned the illicit trade in natural resources that fuels armed conflict.", "59. In my review report (A/65/152-S/2010/526), I called on the United Nations system to systematically take into account the role of natural resources (including access to land and secure tenure rights to land, water, biodiversity and raw materials, as well as the distribution of proceeds from the exploitation of natural resources) in every evaluation of the political conflicts in Africa.", "60. Conflict over natural resources has made Africa the focus of international attention, particularly during the past decade. In spite of the continent’s richness in minerals and arable lands, many Africans do not benefit from this wealth. The complex interplay between politics and economics at the national and international levels surrounding the ownership, management and control of natural resources have disrupted communities, fuelled armed conflicts, increased corruption and opened the doors for external intervention in several areas of the continent. Some of the conflicts have become regional and have the potential to have a global impact on the supply of natural resources.", "61. In some instances, countries have experienced the so-called “resource curse”, as mineral and fuel abundance has generated negative developmental outcomes, including poor economic performance, growth collapses, high levels of corruption, displacement, environmental degradation, serious human rights violations, ineffective governance and erosion of State authority and greater political violence.", "62. A number of complex issues arise in this context. These include struggles for land and natural resources fuelling instability and insecurity, significant amounts of pressure for patronage, corruption and conflict among contending groups at the national and international levels and inequalities in the distribution of benefits and revenues, especially to the elite. Some foreign-based companies and sovereign wealth funds have been accused of seeking to exploit Africa’s resources in ways adverse to the long-term interests of local populations, thereby promoting the growth of local corrupt elites who, in turn, obstruct the emergence of responsive and accountable states.", "63. The extractive industries and the management of land, forests and water and energy security are critical areas that merit further attention.", "1. Extractive industries", "64. Extractive industries in Africa tend to be export-oriented. Control over the exploitation of and the benefits derived from mineral wealth, such as gold, diamonds and other gemstones, coltan, uranium and timber, have been important factors in the resource wars in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where the increasing involvement of criminal networks and foreign and national armed groups in economic activities, notably mining, have contributed significantly to insecurity and violence.", "65. Revenue transparency is a critical part of the governance package for nations to reap benefits from exploitation of their natural resources. Although it is slow, progress in achieving transparency in the extractive industries is happening. In September 2010, President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced a ban on mining activity in certain areas in order to facilitate the removal of illegal armed groups from mines, where army units have been largely replaced by mining police. The measure was aimed at ending the involvement in mining of criminal networks within the ranks of the police and enable the registration of all those participating in the sector. The ban was lifted in March.", "66. On 19 May 2011, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development adopted a voluntary joint framework for due diligence on conflict-free supply chains, and on 27 May 2011, the Group of Eight endorsed for the first time mandatory disclosure of extractive industry payments to governments to set in place transparency laws and regulations and to promote voluntary standards that require or encourage oil, gas and mining companies to disclose the payments they make to governments.", "2. Land and forests", "67. Among the 22 countries across the globe considered to be in protracted food crises, 17 are in Africa. Ecosystem degradation, desertification, soil erosion and intensified drought are factors that connect climate change to conflict over land. Conflicts over resources in semi-arid areas, often between pastoralists and farmers, will become a growing concern. As the availability of natural resources in non‑protected areas dwindles, the protected areas become a focus for poaching, illegal grazing and other human activities, affecting the sustainability of those areas and often increasing the illegal transportation of natural resources across borders, which is often linked to national and/or regional conflicts.", "68. The combination of the importance of land rights and tenure systems in determining political and social hierarchies means that Africa’s lands are often a matter of intense contestation. Most of the recent conflicts over land are local, have been going on for generations, often feed on pre-existing historical differences between neighbours and are traditionally dealt with at the local level. Indigenous capacities in relation to remedies to climate change issues over land need to be further explored.", "69. Land reform, and especially access to it, is a highly sensitive issue throughout Africa. Large-scale acquisition of land by foreigners for industrial agriculture or biofuels has become controversial, and it is seen by some as a threat to the food supply, sovereignty and survival of small-scale farmers. A very small proportion of land is owned or controlled by women. This has negative consequences for the capacity of communities to recover from conflict and re-establish food security, especially when, after conflict, female-headed households are not permitted to reassert control over the land of absent males.", "70. Africa is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in the world and to a variety of dry forests. Forests play essential ecological, social and economic roles, and the problems affecting them intersect with issues related to land, food security, water and energy security, fuelwood being one of the main contributions of forests to poverty alleviation. Forests have played a role in fuelling conflict, such as in Liberia, where the term “conflict timber” was coined. They can also stimulate economic growth. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a concessionary and taxation system has been established to ensure equitable benefit-sharing among all relevant stakeholders, including local populations and the State, both at the local and national levels.", "3. Water", "71. The management of conflicts over water is one of the biggest challenges in the effort to achieve effective global environmental governance. Whereas water is potentially a conflict issue, most major differences over water resources have been resolved through cooperation and negotiation. The UNESCO programme “From potential conflict to cooperation potential: water for peace”, for instance, helps promote cooperation and development related to the management of transboundary water resources.", "72. Africa has 80 transboundary rivers and lake water basins, including 38 groundwater aquifer basins shared by more than one country. Concerns over the availability of water in the semi-arid region of southern Africa continue as well as those in the Senegal River Basin and the Nile River Basin in the light of the growing populations of the riparian States and an ever-increasing need for energy and water, aggravated by the impact of climate change.", "73. Approximately 40 per cent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa still lacks access to safe drinking water, and 69 per cent does not have access to adequate sanitation facilities. The situation in rural areas is worse, with 53 per cent and 76 per cent of the population not having access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, respectively. The number of people in Africa experiencing water scarcity may increase by 75 million by 2020, and several hundred million by 2050. The underdevelopment of water resources and services as well as its poor health, energy and power predicament, is at the heart of Africa’s food security. The African Development Bank estimates the investment required to meet Africa’s water needs at $50 billion to $54 billion per year for each of the next 20 years. Water scarcity also accounts for one of the most significant constraints to women’s productivity, with women in sub-Saharan Africa spending over 40 billion hours a year collecting water, the equivalent of a year’s worth of labour by the entire workforce of France. The Darfur International Conference on Water for Sustainable Peace was held in Khartoum on 27 and 28 June 2011 to underline the importance of water not only for sustainable peace but also for development in Darfur and involved local communities in the planning and implementation phases of 65 water projects for the three Darfur States.", "4. Energy security", "74. Africa is the lowest consumer of energy, with 500 million people living without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, where 23 of the 48 countries are vulnerable to energy shocks. Extreme poverty and the lack of access to other fuels means that 80 per cent of the population relies on biomass (e.g., wood and vegetation). This in turn promotes the removal of vegetation and negative changes to ecosystems, in turn possibly contributing to displacement. The combination of unsustainable harvesting of forests, increased soil degradation and supply disruption poses a threat to sustainable development and human security. At one level, the move towards “energy autarky” by some States in order to protect energy supplies has the potential to lead to inter-State disputes. Another concern is the impact on development from unreliable and unaffordable electricity. Declining river flows due to the impacts of climate change may lead to declining hydropower production, which in turn will have an impact on the financial viability and the sustainability of energy investments. 2012 is the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All. The year must bring a global clean energy revolution, which is essential for minimizing climate risks, reducing poverty and improving global health, empowering women and meeting the Millennium Development Goals.", "5. Governance of natural resources", "75. The appropriate political, economic and corporate governance of natural resources is critical to promoting their responsible management and requires that all actors, from governments to international companies to local communities, develop policies that promote a positive impact on national and local economies.", "76. We need to support African-led processes of developing minimum standards for natural resource governance based on an informed understanding of the linkages among the environment, conflict, development and a broader peacebuilding agenda. We must sustain efforts aimed at enhancing the capacity of governments and civil society for natural resource management, including the strengthening of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms; the involvement of the private sector as a partner in post-conflict reconstruction and development activities; and the strengthening of existing regulatory mechanisms, including the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, or the Kimberly Process. NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism provide a platform in which African countries can effectively tackle natural resource management in evaluating governance. It is equally critical to address issues related to corruption, so often linked with the exploitation of natural resources. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime already provides assistance aimed at strengthening anti-corruption authorities and at developing national policies against corruption, in line with the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, FAO, IFAD and the World Bank are developing principles for responsible agricultural investment.", "77. The abundance of minerals, fuel or land does not need to determine either the political or the economic trajectory of African countries. Where the illegal exploitation or corrupt and inequitable management of natural resources has been central to conflict dynamics, the early restoration of transparent and accountable resource governance in the post-conflict period is crucial. The UNEP “conflicts and disasters” programme serves as an example of this. The programme provides capacity-building for better governance of natural resources and best practices in environmental management and ensuring that natural resources support development and peacebuilding priorities. Capacity should also be provided to map out the resources and provide the necessary skills to negotiate contracts and agreements on the exploitation of natural resources.", "6. The United Nations and the illegal exploitation of natural resources", "78. Africa’s progress needs to be measured in tangible improvements to peoples’ lives. Whenever the United Nations is called upon to assist, it needs to effectively target the needs of local communities to improve the well-being and security of individuals in the context of management of natural resources. Yet, mainstreaming by the United Nations of natural resource analysis and environmental needs in the planning of conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance and early recovery operations provides room for improvement.", "79. Some efforts have been undertaken. Historically, the Security Council has taken resolute measures to address the issue of the illegal exploitation of natural resources. It has imposed embargoes on all round logs and timber products from Liberia, an embargo on all rough diamonds from Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, and an embargo on the sale or supply of oil to Angola and Sierra Leone. The Council also mandated the United Nations Mission in Liberia to assist the transitional government in restoring proper administration of natural resources and established a group of experts to propose measures to prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources financing armed groups in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The issue has also featured in the agenda of other intergovernmental bodies, such as the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.", "80. The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime, launched in November 2010, is working to adopt a comprehensive and collaborative approach to help prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources, including endangered species and forest crime. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is currently undertaking a threat analysis in Central Africa which includes organized crime and illicit trafficking of natural resources which will serve as a tool for a better informed policymaking. Since June 2009, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support have a dedicated environmental policy for United Nations field missions that covers key areas, such as waste, energy, water, and management of cultural and historical resources.", "81. The United Nations inter-agency framework team for preventive action, hosted by the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), manages a joint United Nations-European Union programme that brings together the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Political Affairs, the Peacebuilding Support Office, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UNDP and the United Nations Environment Programme to support countries in improving natural resource management for conflict prevention and peacebuilding and to manage and mitigate tensions over environmental issues. The partnership enhances policy development and programme coordination between key actors at Headquarters and the field level and develops a series of guidance notes, training manuals and an online self-paced learning tool.", "82. The United Nations and African bodies should consider the issue of the illicit exploitation of natural resources from a regional approach, in addition to a national perspective, to address the regional dimensions of the problem, including issues such as the link with illicit trade in arms, mercenaries or drug trafficking. The West African Initiative, launched by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Office for West Africa, the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Interpol to support implementation of the Economic Community of West African States Regional Action Plan to address drug trafficking, organized crime and drug abuse in West Africa (2008-2011), provides a good example of cooperation in this area.", "7. Policy proposals and recommendations", "83. We need to adapt our policy and response mechanisms to effectively respond to a new generation of multi faceted crises that may include elements related to the exploitation of natural resources and environmental change. For this, we need clear and concise policy guidelines, tools, information-sharing mechanisms and expertise within the organization. United Nations missions and country teams need to assist countries and communities to integrate natural resource and environmental considerations into their post-conflict and development plans, especially at the regional level. Strengthening the institutional architecture and regional cooperation and enhancing the interplay with the representatives of the private and financial sectors will go a long way to ensure success in commonly agreed strategies.", "84. In cooperation with the African Union, regional economic communities, governments, donors, civil society and local communities, the United Nations should aim at promoting an Africa-led process in transforming natural resource wealth from a peace liability to a peace asset in conflict and post-conflict situations.", "85. I call on the United Nations system to mainstream analysis of natural resource management issues, including land reform, water management and environmental challenges, within peacekeeping, peacebuilding and humanitarian assessments.", "86. I will consider the possibility of deploying experts in natural resource management in peacekeeping operations.", "87. I call on United Nations country teams and peacebuilding support offices to include in national poverty reduction strategies programmes to promote responsible, equitable, gender-responsive and economically productive resource management in conflict and post-conflict countries in Africa.", "88. Where national resources form an important national asset, the United Nations should support a national dialogue on the role of natural resources revenues in the society with a view to defining an inclusive growth and development strategy and promoting a more accountable and transparent use of natural resources, including through the enforcement of effective anti‑corruption policies. This should be done in coordination with community-based institutions, regional economic communities and the African Union-NEPAD.", "89. I call on international partners and the private sector to uphold corporate responsibility codes and comply with existing regulatory mechanisms to ensure that natural resource revenues are not diverted into activities that exacerbate conflict.", "90. I call on all partners to consider the effective use of indigenous and women’s knowledge and practices in natural resources management and in mitigation of and adaptation to the impact of climate change, including local mediation mechanisms for land use, such as councils of elders and local peace councils.", "91. I call on the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa and other partners to assist in building the capacity of existing river basin institutions, such as the Nile River Basin Initiative and Mano River Union secretariat, and the Nubian aquifer system countries so that they are more responsive to the challenges of climate change and conflict in line with existing frameworks for the African Union, the regional economic communities and other partnerships and programmes, such as the ten-year capacity-building programme for the African Union.", "[1] A/CONF.219/L.1.", "[2] A/CONF.219/3 and Rev.1." ]

[ "General Assembly Security Council", "Sixty-sixth session Sixty-sixth year", "* A/66/150.", "Item 63 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/278, adopted by the Assembly at its sixty-fifth session following its consideration of the report of the Secretary-General dated 20 July 2010 (A/65/152-S/2010/526), which outlined the results of the review of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 1998 report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/1998/18).", "The report analyses the main developments on the continent over the past year and reviews the implementation by the United Nations system of the priority areas identified in my previous report. In addition, in accordance with the mandate set out in resolution 65/278 to develop policy proposals on new challenges, two of the most pressing issues currently being discussed in Africa, namely, " employment and education for young people " and " conflicts related to natural resources " , and specific and practical recommendations are made.", "I. Introduction", "1. In 1998, in response to a request by the Security Council, my predecessor undertook a comprehensive analysis of the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The then Secretary-General issued a report in which he made a number of realistic and viable recommendations to significantly reduce political tension and violence in and among African States, consolidate lasting peace and promote socio-economic and political development (A/52/871-S/1998/318).", "2. In its resolution 63/304, the General Assembly requested me to submit a report on the results of the review of the recommendations contained in the initial report, as well as on the commitments made, actions taken, progress made and lessons learned since 1998. Following extensive consultations with Member States, the African Union and the African regional economic communities, civil society organizations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the United Nations system through the Inter-Agency Working Group on Africa and under the coordination of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, I issued a report on the review in which I made recommendations and proposals for a new direction for the work of the United Nations in Africa (A/65/152-S/2010/6).", "II. Review of major developments in the past year", "3. In my review report, I emphasized the need to change the approach to Africa, focusing on opportunities and recognizing the existence of different realities on the continent. Today the world looks at Africa with a different attitude, which is characterized by the hope and admiration that awaken the progress it is making.", "4. Although the effects of the global crises continue to be perceived, last year Africa experienced strong economic growth and improved social development indicators, especially in the areas of health and education. The peaceful referendum on South Sudan ' s independence, held in January 2011, the success of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup Championship in South Africa, the adoption of a new constitution in Kenya, the transition from Guinea to Niger from a military regime to a democratic system under civil control, and the changes forced by the population in Egypt and Tunisia are some of the events that have helped to change the continent ' s perception. The presence of emerging economies on the continent, which is growing, and the rapid transformation of Africa are changing the political space in which African leaders operate at a heightened pace. Indeed, Africa has become a clear example of the change that is taking place around the world at the political and economic levels and that it is compelling us to reconsider much of our work.", "5. Despite the progress made, some parts of Africa continue to suffer from armed conflicts, situations of fragility and deterioration of the rule of law, and chronic poverty, problems that disproportionately affect women and children. The increased risk of violent protests and terrorist attacks, as well as unresolved issues related to electoral processes and poor diversity management continue to pose strategic challenges for both Africa and its partners in the international community. Human rights violations continue to occur in which civilians are deliberately victims of murder, mutilation and sexual abuse and exploitation during conflict, with particularly serious consequences for women and children.", "6. Some of the revolts in North Africa, and most recently in sub-Saharan Africa, have led to continuing violence and in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya have led to widespread violence that has forced more than 650,000 people to leave the country since the beginning of the conflict. In its resolution 1970 (2011), the Security Council decided to refer the situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to the International Criminal Court and to impose an arms embargo on the country and to place certain Government positions on the travel ban and freeze its assets. The taking of power unconstitutionally and post-electoral violence remains a cause of serious concern. The political stalemate in Côte d’Ivoire was finally resolved on 6 May 2011 with the official inauguration of President Ouattara by the constitutional authorities.", "7. Despite the success of the independence referendum, the youngest nation in Africa faces the threat of instability because of violence. The clashes between the Sudan People ' s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the rebel forces that have occurred since January in Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity State have left hundreds of deaths and thousands of displaced persons. The news of the recruitment campaign being carried out by the rebel leaders and the increase in SPLA soldiers in these areas predict security and political problems in the coming months. In June 2011, there were clashes between SPLA and northern troops in Abyei, following which more than 100,000 people fled the area. In response, on 27 June 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1990 (2011) establishing the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). In the neighbouring state of Southern Kordofan, the fighting that began on 5 June continues to cause the death of many civilians and the displacement of tens of thousands more and have put United Nations personnel in direct danger. On 28 June 2011, with the assistance of African Union mediators, the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People ' s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed a framework agreement on political and security arrangements in the Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States in Addis Ababa. On 8 July 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1996 (2011) establishing the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with a mandate to assist the new State of South Sudan in peacebuilding in the country. In June 2011, the United Nations workplan and its partners for the Sudan had received funding of $731 million, which was 43 per cent of the $1.7 billion requested.", "8. The International Maritime Office reported on the increase in the number of violent attacks by pirates off the coast of Somalia in 2010, with a total of 49 hijacked vessels and 1,016 hostage-taking crews. It seems that Somali pirates are undertaking actions in the Indian Ocean further away from the coast. Within Somalia, the long-standing conflict continues to pose a threat to stability in the region. About 1.9 million Somalis are internally displaced, and 2.4 million people, one in three Somalis, need humanitarian assistance. On 9 June 2011, the Security Council welcomed the signing of the Kampala Agreement.", "9. According to the Africa 2011 Economic Outlook report, African economies have endured and recovered from the global crisis, as can be seen from the average growth rate of 4.7 per cent achieved in 2010 compared to a rate of 2.3 per cent in 2009, although it is true that growth was faster in sub-Saharan African countries than in North Africa. However, due to the sharp rise in food and fuel prices in 2011, the number of people living in extreme poverty has increased. High unemployment rates and limited access to energy continue to restrict the continent ' s ability to create wealth and employment.", "10. The 2010 Millennium Development Goals summit called on the international community to fulfil its commitment to providing aid to Africa. Overall, net disbursements of official development assistance increased from $29.9 billion in 2004 to $48 billion in 2010, while disbursements by members of the Development Assistance Committee increased from $19.4 billion to $29.3 billion in the same period.", "11. New financing and investment initiatives in Africa in Brazil, China, India or Turkey are radically changing the continent ' s economic relations with the rest of the world. Trade between Africa and large emerging economies has increased considerably in recent years. African institutions and Governments have set infrastructure development as one of their main priorities to harness the benefits of their greater relationship with emerging economies. In line with the priorities of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa ' s Development (NEPAD), focus is on helping smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises that generate employment, provide access to basic services and create safety nets for families vulnerable to economic setbacks.", "12. The remittances of diaspora Africans, which currently amount to some $4 billion a year and in some cases exceed the amount of official development assistance, are having significant effects on the standard of living of many African countries. However, it is necessary to reduce the transaction costs of remittances and to create more development-oriented investment opportunities. Despite the worsening global economy, remittance flows to Africa grew by about 4.5 per cent in the 2010-2011 period, although that growth rate was much lower than that recorded before the global crisis. Unfortunately, the current situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya has forced a large number of migrants from the Sahel to return to their countries of origin.", "13. This year marks the tenth anniversary of NEPAD, the programme developed by Africa itself for the socio-economic advancement of the region. This anniversary offers us the opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of the programme and to renew our commitment to support Africa ' s efforts to promote its growth, development and participation in the global economy.", "Increased attention to the links between peace and development", "14. In my report on the review, I pointed out that many of the current conflicts were internal and often triggered by the systematic exclusion of large social sectors from political governance institutions and access to basic economic goods and social services. Countries with great inequalities, weak and unrepresentative institutions, and a shortage of decent jobs and opportunities and freedoms, particularly for the vast majority of young people, are exposed to a growing risk of instability.", "15. Our knowledge of the socio-economic factors conducive to armed violence and its negative effects on development has improved; however, in most cases, we are not able to design programmes that respond to circumstances or adequately take into account that relationship. It is imperative that we refocus existing development strategies to establish, in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, a more robust social, political and economic programme that takes into account gender issues, as well as strengthened institutional frameworks to address the interrelated challenges of peace and development. Several United Nations entities have developed indicators and benchmarks on a number of peacebuilding issues, including the protection of civilians and the empowerment of women. These instruments help United Nations operations to identify the means they need to continue to perform the tasks assigned. I would like to request the Inter-Agency Task Force on Africa to develop measurable indicators and to review the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations I made in my report on the review, in order to gain a better understanding of the correlation between peace and development and the issues that require urgent attention.", "III. Implementation of the recommendations contained in my report on the review", "16. In my report on the review, I made a number of recommendations to address some of the main issues that will likely address the attention of the programme for Africa and will therefore require special attention. This section provides a summary of the work of the United Nations system in the main priority areas set out in my review report.", "A. Institutional cooperation", "17. The United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa is responsible for streamlining United Nations participation in the areas of peace and security, strengthening coordination between the African Union and the United Nations, and strengthening the capacity of the Organization to support the operational and training work of the African Union in peace operations. On 2 February 2011, I issued a report on the review of the 10-year capacity-building programme of the African Union (A/65/716-S/2011/54), in which I called for increased cooperation between the two sides and the adoption of a common strategic approach to meet the objectives of the programme. The Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa has recommended that the implementation of the programme be accelerated through the implementation by the Regional Coordination Mechanism and African Union bodies of a comprehensive programme of work. Effective political cooperation needs to improve analytical capacity, strategic planning and coordination between the two organizations, including by intensifying information and public advocacy efforts. In this regard, the Regional Coordination Mechanism advocacy and communications group, established by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, is in charge of developing a strategic framework for communications with the Affected Union.", "18. Cooperation between regional economic communities and the Secretariat is also being strengthened through regular briefings by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to exchange information with regional economic communities and individual departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, and to provide technical advice to various regional economic communities for the formulation of common positions on the arms trade treaty. The United Nations Office to the African Union will also seek to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the United Nations, the African Union and the regional economic commissions. The Department of Political Affairs and the Southern African Development Community signed a new cooperation agreement in September 2010.", "B. Conflict prevention, peacekeeping and conflict management", "19. Additional measures have been taken to include conflict prevention activities in a coherent strategic framework, including the submission at the third meeting of the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security, held in September 2011, of the guidelines on United Nations and African Union mediation partnerships. In 2010, the United Nations Office for Central Africa was established with a view to conducting preventive diplomacy and working with Governments and Central African organizations. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations, together with other departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, provides support to the African Union Commission for the development of an African Union policy framework on security sector reform to establish a regime for African Union member States, regional economic communities and their partners to formulate, review and implement effective security sector reform policies. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has developed, together with the African Union Commission, a multi-year support programme to contribute to capacity-building for the implementation of these policies.", "20. In March 2011, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations signed a joint action plan to further strengthen their cooperation in combating organized crime and illicit trafficking in countries in conflict or in post-conflict situations, in particular in Guinea-Bissau. To ensure the success of the stabilization and peacekeeping forces, it would be highly recommended that, in certain situations, the fight against drug trafficking should be included in its mandate. The United Nations stands ready to support States in which there are peace operations to develop their capacity to combat organized crime and illicit trafficking, as appropriate.", "21. The integrated mission planning process and the integrated strategic framework (see A/65/669) are two mechanisms designed to facilitate the coordination of United Nations activities and to ensure that, once peace-keeping operations are completed, efforts to address the root causes of conflict remain uninterrupted and the transition to peacebuilding is carried out smoothly. Public opinion on the work of the United Nations and its partners is crucial to ensuring success in the implementation of mandates and the transition to a long-term stabilization programme. The pioneering experience of the radio stations of United Nations peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic, converted into public radio stations after the end of the war, are two examples of United Nations services aimed at a gradual transition in the context of the programmes sponsored by the Organization following the conclusion of peacekeeping operations.", "C. Post-conflict peace recovery and consolidation", "22. The Peacebuilding Commission is implementing the recommendations contained in the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture (see A/64/868-S/2010/393, annex) for greater clarity regarding the principles, processes and actions taken. On 25 January 2011, the Organizational Committee adopted an interim road map for 2011, to ensure that sufficient attention was paid to a limited number of priority tasks aimed at improving their impact in programme countries. On 23 February 2011, the Peacebuilding Commission decided to include Guinea in its agenda in response to a request from Guinea itself. It was the first time that the Commission took such a decision without the Security Council ' s prior referral of the case.", "23. The issues of combating illicit trafficking and organized crime have been included in the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone as part of the West African Coast Initiative, which aims to contribute to peacebuilding and security sector reform in post-conflict countries. A partnership to address security threats in Central Africa will be established with the help of the Department of Political Affairs in 2011.", "24. In my report on women ' s participation in peace-building (A/65/354-S/2010/466), I outlined a seven-commitment action plan to ensure that a greater proportion of funds are directed to support women ' s empowerment and gender equality, as part of the broader effort to increase women ' s participation in conflict prevention and social reconstruction. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the Peacebuilding Support Office will monitor the implementation of the plan and report on the progress made by the Organization in this work. The Peacebuilding Fund is committed to double its expenditures in the areas of peacebuilding, women ' s empowerment and gender equality by 2012.", "D. Sustainable economic growth and development", "25. In its resolution 65/280, the General Assembly endorsed the Istanbul Declaration[1] and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020[2] adopted at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the central theme of which is the strengthening of productive capacity, and called upon all relevant stakeholders to commit themselves to the implementation of the Programme of Action. This programme has a special interest for Africa, as there are 33 of the 48 countries currently on the list of least developed countries and also because it addresses the links between armed conflict and development.", "26. Food security and the promotion of rural development remain two of the main components of the United Nations policy for economic growth. The activities of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) focus on the rehabilitation of post-conflict countries through the development of agriculture and investment in technologies for the post-harvest phase, in order to reduce the $4 billion annually of food losses and enhance food security on the continent. According to FAO, the reduction of gender disparities in the agriculture sector would generate significant benefits that could reduce the percentage of people starving between 12 and 17 per cent. Support for the NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, which includes the creation of safety nets for the hungry and direct interventions to improve nutrition, remains very important.", "27. Information and communication technologies have demonstrated their potential to promote social and economic changes. Africa is the region with faster growth in mobile phone usage. However, it should be ensured that such means were brought into the service of the cause of peace and development and that the United Nations combined the technological innovations of the twenty-first century with appropriate alliances in order to successfully meet current challenges. In that regard, I have set innovation as one of the priorities of the Global Strategy for Women ' s and Children ' s Health.", "E. Human rights", "28. We have made considerable progress towards the establishment of a broader system of monitoring and accountability to break the vicious circle of impunity for acts of sexual violence perpetrated in wars through the adoption of Security Council resolution 1960 (2010), which calls for those responsible for such acts to be included in public lists and subject to punishment. My Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, whose office is now fully operational, has completed a number of missions to investigate allegations of systematic and widespread violations. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has adopted innovative approaches and put in place mechanisms to contribute to the protection of civilians in that country, in particular women and children. The United Nations system, through UN-Women, remains committed to continuing to assist Member States in the implementation of gender equality policies and to promote the equitable representation and effective participation of women in all areas related to peace, security and development.", "29. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with other departments and offices, such as the Office for Disarmament Affairs, has trained defence and security forces personnel on the protection of human rights and accountability for violations of human rights, in particular during election periods.", "IV. New problems", "30. In its resolution 65/278, the General Assembly requested me, in consultation with relevant partners, to develop policy proposals on the issues identified in my report on the review. In that process, it has become clear that all system entities should better integrate the different policy frameworks we use in Africa. Under the current resource cut-off circumstances, creative ideas will be needed to ensure synergies and prioritize, inter alia, the leadership and commitment of the General Assembly and the Security Council to guide the United Nations system and to create appropriate policy spaces in collaboration with the United Nations and other partners. I call on the General Assembly and the Security Council, through the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, to continue to work with the United Nations system on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the present report and to provide guidance on new and more pressing issues.", "31. Taking into account its impact on Africa ' s economic and political stability and development, this section discusses in depth two of the most pressing issues for the continent, namely, " employment and education for young people " and " conflicts related to natural resources " , and proposes some practical recommendations in this regard.", "A. Employment and education for young people", "32. An essential factor in reducing poverty and ensuring political stability, peace, security and sustainable development is ensuring adequate access to good education and decent employment. This is a complex issue requiring a coordinated and innovative response that should take into account both the socio-economic dimensions of youth education and unemployment and the consequences of the exclusion of young people from political participation mechanisms.", "33. In my review report, I requested the United Nations to incorporate and implement policies and programmes to empower young people and create the necessary conditions for their full participation in all aspects of society. I also noted the need to include appropriate policies for youth in post-conflict peacebuilding strategies and to enhance the implementation of the Ouagadougou Plan of Action for the Promotion of Employment and Poverty Alleviation.", "34. According to the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, 60 per cent of the approximately 1 billion people in Africa are under 25. Owing to the increased proportion of young people, much more attention should be paid to the urgent need for proportional quality education, expertise and decent work, as well as an adequate space for their effective participation and representation at the political and social levels. The discontent that is being manifested in some North African countries is largely the result of years of poor economic management, inadequate social investments and lack of political participation and decent employment opportunities for young people.", "35. These movements are caused by both the lack of employment and the desire for justice, equity and democracy, and are creating conditions that could lead to more social, political and economic opportunities or even further hinder the realization of the aspirations of young people. The result will depend largely on our successful response to your expectations. In providing assistance to communities in addressing the root causes of discontent, we must be more aware of their historical, social and political context and ensure that programmes adequately incorporate the concerns and sensitivity of the local population.", "36. We must be aware at all times of the enormous contribution that young people can make to the development of their societies. If we do not recognize and take advantage of the contributions of young people, the generational cycle of instability, underdevelopment and inequality will continue to be perpetuated. Both the United Nations, through the proclamation of 2010 and the International Year of Youth: dialogue and mutual understanding, such as the African Union, which, at its summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 23 June to 1 July 2011, held a debate on how to accelerate the empowerment of young people for sustainable development, have recognized that there are few issues today that are more pressing than a positive and urgent response to the aspirations and dreams of young people.", "1. Education", "37. In sub-Saharan Africa, the average net enrolment rate in primary school is approximately 76 per cent, while in North Africa it is 94 per cent. Most African countries are on track to meet Millennium Development Goal to ensure universal access to primary education by 2015. Overall, progress in this area is due to the abolition of school fees, increased public investment and increased donor support.", "38. However, success in other areas has been lower, mainly in terms of quality of education, completion rates, enrolment in secondary and tertiary schools, reform of basic education, recruitment of teachers and technical and vocational training. More than 10 million sub-Saharan African students leave their studies every year and millions of children leave school without having acquired basic knowledge of reading and mathematics. More than half of the 71 million unschooled adolescents live in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than 30 million African children remain completely excluded from education due to financial, social, cultural or physical barriers. In many communities, cultural beliefs and practices have disproportionate negative consequences for women ' s participation in education, and many national policies do not specifically address the right of girls to education. In addition to girls, young people with disabilities and young refugees and migrants are also excluded from the education system.", "39. According to the World Education Follow-up Report: To reach the marginalized (Paris, 2010), published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the average annual funding gap for the education system for 2008-2015 was 65 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, and the number of pupils per teacher was 68 in Chad and 65 in Ethiopia. Taking these data into account, Africa will need 1.2 million new teachers by 2015. The poor remuneration of teachers, the number of teachers who cannot work because of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, the difficulties in reaching the most vulnerable children and youth in spontaneous urban settlements or in remote areas and the lack of school supplies are factors contributing to the low level of academic success.", "40. Despite the growing support of international donors and collaborative initiatives, the number of young people with higher qualifications remains extremely low. All over the continent, the enrolment rate in higher education centres is 6 per cent, women ' s participation is worryingly low, and approximately 40 per cent of those institutions ' educational positions remain uncovered.", "2. Employment", "41. Education has helped to reduce gender inequality and increase the literacy rate in Africa, although it has had little impact on unemployment rates. Young people with a better level of education suffer from a higher unemployment rate, while unemployment among the less skilled is lower because they need to work to survive. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), approximately 90 per cent of the jobs created in Africa are in the informal sector of the economy and 152 million young workers, most of sub-Saharan Africa, live in poor households with a per capita expenditure of less than $1.25 per day. Young Africans, regardless of their level of education, continue to face many difficulties in finding decent employment.", "42. In sub-Saharan Africa, young people aged 15-24 represent 36 per cent of the workforce. According to the World Bank, an additional 10 million young people who have completed their studies are added to the labour market every year. According to the information provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), most of the 4.9 million young people who completed their studies in 2009, a figure that will almost double and reach 9.6 million by 2020, obtained their diploma in social, business and law sciences, while the branches of engineering, industry, construction and medicine recorded the lowest percentages among tertiary graduates. The disparity between the educational system and the labour market is growing. Factors contributing to high unemployment include saturated public services, a small and incapable private sector to employ a large number of people, barriers to labour demand, gaps in communication between job seekers and potential employers, and barriers to creating and promoting business opportunities.", "43. The current lack of employment is particularly significant if the high rates of economic growth are taken into account, of almost 6 per cent per year, recently registered in Africa, although there are significant differences between regions. According to ILO data, in sub-Saharan Africa there has been a persistent unemployment rate of 12 per cent in the last decade, although with huge disparities ranging from 55.8 per cent in South Africa to 10.9 per cent in Namibia. In Sierra Leone, the youth unemployment rate is 52.5 per cent compared to a national average rate of 10.2 per cent. Protests currently being recorded in North Africa have been partly attributed to youth unemployment, which affects 31 per cent and 34 per cent of youth in Tunisia and Egypt, respectively.", "44. Unemployment figures give no idea of the real problem. They do not reflect other aspects, such as the conditions of underemployed workers and poor workers, which predominate in the survival agriculture sector and in the urban informal sector and mainly affect women, which tend to focus on sectors that require little specialization, offer low pay and have a limited movement of entry and exit. Unemployment in urban areas is higher than in rural areas and disproportionately affects women and young people with disabilities because of social issues and discrimination in the workplace.", "45. The economic, social and political costs of having a youth without education and without employment are extremely high. If there is no opportunity to earn a living, the cycles of poverty will continue to be perpetuated from one generation to another. Unemployment can push young people into crime and violence. In the absence of a social protection system, many young people, including those who have completed their studies, have to work in the informal sector of the economy or migrate to urban areas or to other countries in order to survive. While any unmanaged migratory flow can create rivalries in target areas for access to resources and jobs, the positive effects of migration, such as financial and social remittances, should be enhanced to leverage their full potential for development.", "46. The private sector in Africa must play a central role in addressing the problem of youth unemployment. The situation can also be significantly improved if women ' s entrepreneurial potential is released and they are geared towards growth opportunities rather than the informal sector of the economy or other low-performance and already saturated sectors. It is time for us to seriously consider the adoption of fiscal, monetary, commercial and industrial policies that generate employment, applying more local methods for job creation, and that respond to the aspirations of local communities and contribute to the maintenance of social peace and the promotion of economic development at the local level.", "3. African and United Nations initiatives", "47. In recent decades, the United Nations, the African Union and African Governments have promoted a number of global and regional initiatives that have given priority to the youth development agenda, including the World Programme of Action for Youth of 1995; the Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All of 2000; the African Union Plan of Action for the Second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015); the African Charter for Youth and the Priority for the Development of the Decade of Youth - 2018). In December 2010, the African Union Youth Volunteers Corps was launched with 67 young people from across Africa, a development programme covering the entire continent, aimed at recruiting young volunteers and working with them in the 53 African countries.", "48. African Governments have made concerted efforts at the national and subregional levels, including broad sectoral approaches, the implementation of literacy projects for development and the elimination of rates in primary schools in most countries. In Somalia, an interim national decent work programme focused on the underlying causes of conflict, such as resource control and economic and employment problems, was developed and addresses the main elements in a concerted manner with all relevant stakeholders. Other similar initiatives for inclusive social dialogue have been successful in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.", "49. In December 2009, the General Assembly adopted resolution 64/134 in which it proclaimed the year beginning on 12 August 2010 International Year of Youth under the theme “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”. A high-level youth meeting was held in New York on 25 and 26 July 2011. The International Year was an important step forward in the efforts of the international community to focus on the role of young people and to strengthen their participation in global affairs. During its seventeenth regular session, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2011, the African Union decided to develop a technical training and vocational training framework, focusing specifically on agriculture and information and communications technology, as well as to accelerate the implementation of the Plan of Action for the Youth Decade. From 4 to 29 July 2011, the Economic and Social Council held a high-level segment and adopted a ministerial declaration calling for more effective international cooperation in meeting the goals of education for all: quality of early childhood education, skills development and adult literacy.", "4. Policy proposals and recommendations", "50. Africa ' s population is growing rapidly, and it is expected that by 2050 Africa will have 29 per cent of the world ' s population in the 15-24 age group. This transformation will continue to have serious fiscal, political and social consequences, ranging from increased costs of education and health services to the risks of social instability and migration pressures.", "51. The strategy to address youth employment needs requires an integrated approach that takes into account both demand and job supply and the quantity and quality of jobs; promotes the creation of social protection mechanisms for young people; ensures social dialogue to improve the exercise of employment-related rights; establish a minimum basic salary; and improves productivity, working conditions and respect for fundamental principles and rights in the workplace. Growth policies should also increase equity in the distribution of social and political opportunities and income, with special attention to vulnerable and traditionally disadvantaged groups, especially women and youth, and take into account the opportunities and challenges posed by regional integration and globalization for youth development.", "52. The processes of identifying and formulating action plans and programmes for youth as actors for peacebuilding and economic development remain weak. In general, young people have been excluded from the international peace and development support programme, and adolescents, both during and after wars, rarely receive special attention or psychological assistance to help them overcome problems related to their social integration and the development of a personal identity. The United Nations and its African partners should work together to find appropriate mechanisms to promote youth participation in peacebuilding and development and identify modalities for such participation.", "53. All stakeholders need to be better aware of the magnitude of the problem and the enormous potential of youth and to reinforce the crucial link between job creation and peacebuilding. The United Nations, in close cooperation with Governments, the African Union, donors and civil society, must play an important role in formulating responses to address the plight of young people in Africa.", "54. I urge the General Assembly, the Security Council and the United Nations system to expand and facilitate their participation in decision-making processes through formal and informal consultations to identify and eliminate the causes of social, political and economic discontent among young people. United Nations entities should improve their coordination and work to adopt a more comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development.", "55. I will explore ways to ensure that social and psychological support for conflict-affected youth groups is included, where appropriate, in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development mandates, and that adequate assistance is provided to ministries responsible for health, education, social affairs and employment and community support systems for youth and adolescents in conflict areas.", "56. I reiterate my call on the African Regional Coordination Mechanism to mainstream youth issues into all thematic clusters and to support the sectoral priorities set by NEPAD to ensure investment and facilitate employment creation for youth, namely, infrastructure improvement, new information and communications technologies development, investment in small farms and small and medium-sized enterprises, and control of health epidemics.", "57. United Nations country teams and the United Nations presence in post-conflict countries can help to increase youth participation and prioritize innovative and quality educational initiatives (both academic and non-formal), as well as internship, volunteering and e-learning programmes, entrepreneurship training, business training and facilitation of the participation of diaspora youth, as well as facilitating the transition to a green economy and renewable energy sources. Such work should be carried out in partnership with the Global Compact, private companies and other entities.", "B. Conflicts related to natural resources", "58. The General Assembly has repeatedly emphasized the need to address the negative consequences of the illegal exploitation of natural resources in all its aspects for the promotion of peace, security and development in Africa, and has condemned the illicit trade in natural resources that exacerbates armed conflict.", "59. In my report on the review (A/65/152-S/2010/526), I urged the United Nations system, in any assessment of political conflicts in Africa, to systematically take into account the role played by natural resources (including access to land and secure tenure rights, water, biodiversity and raw materials, as well as the distribution of income derived from natural resource exploitation).", "60. Conflicts related to natural resources have attracted international attention to Africa, particularly in the last decade. Despite the abundance of minerals and growing land on the continent, many Africans do not benefit from that wealth. The complex interrelationship of political and economic interests at the national and international levels, affecting the ownership, management and control of natural resources, has created disruptions in communities, exacerbated armed conflicts, increased corruption and opened the doors to foreign intervention in several areas of the continent. Some of these conflicts have spread regionally and could affect the global supply of natural resources.", "61. In some cases, countries have been victims of what is known as “resources curse” and the abundance of minerals and fuel has been counterproductive to their development, leading to poor economic results, a collapse of growth, high levels of corruption, displacement, environmental degradation, serious human rights violations, ineffective governance systems and the erosion of State authority and increased political violence.", "62. In this context, there are a number of complex problems, such as land and natural resources struggles that exacerbate instability and insecurity, increased clientelism, corruption and conflict between rival groups at the national and international levels, and inequalities in the distribution of benefits and income, which are particularly conducive to select minorities. In some cases, foreign sovereign investment companies and funds have been accused of attempting to exploit Africa ' s resources to the detriment of the long-term interests of the local population and thus promoting the growth of corrupt local groups, which in turn prevent the development of State institutions that respond to the needs of the population and are subject to accountability.", "63. Extractive industries, land management, forests and water, and energy security are critical areas to which more attention should be paid.", "1. Extractive industries", "64. The extractive industries in Africa tend to be export-oriented. The control of the exploitation and benefits of mineral wealth, such as gold, diamonds and other precious stones, coltan and uranium, as well as wood, has been an important factor in wars related to natural resources in Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the growing involvement of networks of criminals and national and foreign armed groups in economic activities, especially in mining, has contributed significantly to increased insecurity and insecurity.", "65. Income transparency is an essential aspect of the governance measures that nations must take to benefit from the exploitation of their natural resources. The level of transparency in extractive industries is gradually improving. In September 2010, President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo decreed the ban on mining activities in certain areas to facilitate the expulsion of illegal armed groups from mines in which the army units had been replaced by the mine police. This was intended to end the involvement in mining of networks of criminals infiltrated into the police and to create a register of all persons working in the sector. The ban was lifted in March.", "66. On 19 May 2011, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development adopted a voluntary joint system for the implementation of due diligence to ensure that supply chains are free from conflict, and on 27 May 2011, the Group of Eight endorsed for the first time the principle of mandatory disclosure of payments by extractive industries to Governments, in order to promote the adoption of legislation and regulations on transparency and of voluntary rules that are binding on mining, mining and mining.", "2. Lands and forests", "67. Of the 22 countries around the world experiencing protracted food crises, 17 are in Africa. Ecosystem degradation, desertification, soil erosion and drought intensification are factors that connect climate change to land-related conflicts. In the semi-arid areas, resource-related conflicts, which often face pastors and farmers, will become a growing problem. As the availability of natural resources in unprotected areas is being reduced, furtivism, illicit grazing and other human activities in protected areas are increasing, affecting the sustainability of these areas and often increasing illegal transboundary transport of natural resources, which is often linked to national or regional conflicts.", "68. Given the importance of land rights and tenure systems in determining political and social structures, Africa ' s land tends to be heavily contested. Many of the recent land-related conflicts are local in nature, have been active for generations, have their origins in historical differences between neighbors and are often resolved locally. More attention should be paid to indigenous capacity to address the problems caused by climate change in relation to land use.", "69. The reform of the land tenure system, and especially access to it, is a burning issue throughout Africa. The acquisition of large tracts of land by foreigners for industrial agriculture or for the production of biofuels has unleashed disputes, and there are those who consider it a threat to the supply of food, sovereignty and survival of small farmers. Women possess or control a minimum proportion of land. This situation has a negative impact on the community ' s ability to recover and restore post-conflict food security, especially when families headed by women are not allowed to regain control over the lands of absent men after the conflict.", "70. Africa has the second largest rainforest in the world and a wide variety of dry forests. Forests play a key role from an ecological, social and economic standpoint and their problems are related to land, food security, water and energy security, as fuelwood is one of the main contributions of forests to poverty alleviation. Forests have also played a role in the exacerbation of conflicts such as that of Liberia, where the term “matter of conflict” was coined. However, forests can also serve to stimulate economic growth. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a system of concessions and taxes has been established to ensure a balanced sharing of benefits among all relevant stakeholders, including the State and local communities, both at the national and local levels.", "3. Water", "71. The management of water-related conflicts is one of the main challenges in efforts to achieve effective global environmental governance. Although water is a potential cause of conflict, most of the differences in water resources have been resolved through cooperation and negotiation. For example, the UNESCO programme “From potential conflict to potential cooperation: water for peace” contributes to the promotion of cooperation and development in the management of transboundary water resources.", "72. Africa has 80 rivers and transboundary lake basins, including 38 subterranean aquifers shared by more than one country. Two situations of concern in this regard are the availability of water in the semi-arid region of southern Africa and in the Senegal and Nile basins, due to population growth in coastal States and the steady increase in energy and water needs, aggravated by the effects of climate change.", "73. About 40 per cent of the sub-Saharan population still lack access to safe drinking water and 69 per cent have no access to adequate sanitation facilities. The situation is even worse in rural areas, where 53 per cent and 76 per cent of the population, respectively, have no access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation. The number of people affected by water shortages in Africa can increase by 75 million by 2020 and by several hundred million by 2050. Underdevelopment of water resources and services and poor health, energy and electricity conditions are crucial to food security in Africa. The African Development Bank estimates that the next 20 years will have to invest between $50,000 and $54 billion annually to meet Africa ' s water needs. In addition, water shortages are one of the most significant constraints on women ' s productivity: in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, women spend more than 4 billion hours a year collecting water, the equivalent of one year ' s labour force in France. On 27 and 28 June 2011, the International Conference on Water for Sustainable Peace in Darfur was held in Khartoum, which stressed the importance of water not only for peace but also for the development of Darfur and discussed the involvement of local communities in the planning and implementation of 65 water-related projects in the three Darfur States.", "4. Energy security", "74. Africa is the continent with the lowest energy consumption: about 500 million people live without electricity in the sub-Saharan region, where 23 of the 48 countries are vulnerable to energy crises. Extreme poverty and lack of access to other fuels makes 80 per cent of the population dependent on biomass (e.g. wood and other plant products), which in turn promotes the destruction of vegetation and causes negative changes in ecosystems, which in turn contribute to displacement. The combined effects of unsustainable logging, increased soil degradation and supply disruptions pose a threat to sustainable development and human security. On the one hand, the model of energy self-sufficiency adopted by some States to protect the supply of energy entails the possibility of provoking internal disputes. On the other hand, there is also concern about the potential impact of unreliable and affordable electricity for development. The decline in riverbed due to the effects of climate change can reduce hydropower production, which in turn will affect the financial viability and sustainability of investments in the energy sector. In 2012, the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All will be held, which should be used to support a global clean energy revolution, which is crucial to minimizing climate risks, reducing poverty and improving health indices around the world, as well as empowering women and meeting the Millennium Development Goals.", "5. Governance of natural resources", "75. Good political, economic and business governance of natural resources is crucial to promoting its responsible administration and requires all actors, from Governments to international companies and local communities, to develop policies that have a positive impact on the economy at the national and local levels.", "76. We must support the processes propelled by African countries to develop minimum standards of natural resource governance based on a good understanding of the linkages between environment, conflict, development and the peacebuilding agenda in a broad sense. We must continue to work to improve the capacity of Governments and civil society to manage natural resources, including through the strengthening of standards monitoring and implementation mechanisms; the involvement of the private sector as partners in post-conflict reconstruction and development activities; and the strengthening of existing regulatory mechanisms, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative or the Kimberley Process. NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism provide a platform for African countries to effectively assess governance and natural resource management. Corruption issues, often linked to the exploitation of natural resources, should also be addressed. UNODC is already assisting countries in strengthening anti-corruption institutions and developing national policies to combat this problem, in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption. For its part, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), FAO and IFAD are developing a set of principles for responsible investment in agriculture.", "77. The abundance of minerals, fuel and land does not have to be the determining factor in the political or economic trajectory of African countries. In cases where illegal exploitation or corrupt and unequal management of natural resources have been central factors in the development of conflicts, it is essential that, in the post-conflict period, transparent and accountable resource governance be re-established as soon as possible. The UNEP programme for conflict and disaster is a good example. This programme provides training to improve natural resource governance, promote best practices in environmental management and ensure that natural resources support development and peacebuilding priorities. Capacity for resource planning should also be improved and the expertise required for the negotiation of contracts and human resources exploitation agreements should be provided.", "6. The United Nations and the illegal exploitation of natural resources", "78. Africa ' s progress must be measured in terms of tangible improvements to people ' s lives. In all cases where United Nations assistance is requested, the specific needs of local communities should be identified and addressed in order to improve the well-being and security of individuals in the context of natural resource management. The United Nations should therefore improve the mainstreaming of natural resource analysis and environmental needs in conflict prevention planning, humanitarian assistance and early recovery operations.", "79. Some initiatives have already been implemented in this regard. " The Security Council has taken firm steps to address the issue of illegal exploitation of natural resources and has imposed embargoes to prevent the importation of all types of Liberian logs and wood products and of rough diamonds from Angola, Côte d ' Ivoire and Sierra Leone and to prohibit the sale or supply of Angola and Sierra Leone oil. The Council also mandated the United Nations Mission in Liberia to assist the transitional government in re-establishing an adequate management of natural resources, and established a group of experts to propose measures to prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources, which serves to finance armed groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This issue has also been included in the agenda of other intergovernmental bodies such as the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.", "80. The International Consortium to Combat Crimes against Wildlife, which was established in November 2010, is working to adopt a comprehensive collaborative approach that will help prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources, including endangered species, and crimes against forests. UNODC is undertaking a threat analysis in Central Africa, including on organized crime and illicit trafficking in natural resources in that area, which will assist in the adoption of better-founded policies. Since June 2009, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support are implementing a specific environmental policy for United Nations field missions covering the main areas, including waste management, energy, water and cultural and historical resources.", "81. The United Nations Inter-Agency Framework Team for Preventive Action, which is part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, is responsible for managing a joint United Nations/European Union programme involving the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Political Affairs, the Peacebuilding Support Office, the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Environment This collaborative effort is responsible for improving policy formulation and programme coordination among key actors at Headquarters and in the field and for developing a number of guidance notes and training manuals, as well as an online self-learning tool.", "82. The United Nations and African entities should consider the issue of the illegal exploitation of natural resources from a regional perspective, not only from a national standpoint, in order to address the regional dimensions of the problem, including issues such as links to illicit trafficking in weapons, mercenaries and drugs. A good example of cooperation in this area is the West African Coast Initiative, launched by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Office for West Africa, the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and INTERPOL to support the implementation of the Regional Action Plan of the Economic Community of West African States to Combat Drug Trafficking, Drug Abuse-2008).", "7. Policy proposals and recommendations", "83. We must adapt our policies and response mechanisms to effectively address a new kind of multi-faceted crisis, which may include elements related to the exploitation of natural resources and environmental changes. To that end, the Organization should have clear and concise policy guidelines, tools, information-sharing mechanisms and know-how. United Nations missions and country teams should assist countries and communities in integrating natural resource and environmental issues into their post-conflict development and recovery plans, especially at the regional level. Strengthening the institutional structure and regional cooperation and improving the relationship with representatives of the private sector and the financial sector will be of great help to ensure the success of mutually agreed strategies.", "84. The United Nations, in cooperation with the African Union, regional economic communities, Governments, donors, civil society and local communities, should promote a transformation process led by African countries to ensure that wealth in natural resources is no longer a threat to peace and becomes a favourable factor for peacebuilding in countries facing conflict and post-conflict situations.", "85. I appeal to the United Nations system for the mainstreaming of analysis of natural resource management issues, including land policy reform, water management and environmental challenges, in its peacekeeping and peacebuilding assessments and humanitarian operations.", "86. I will consider deploying experts in natural resource management in peacekeeping operations.", "87. I call on United Nations country teams and peacebuilding support offices to incorporate into national poverty reduction strategies in African countries in conflict or post-conflict situations programmes that promote responsible, equitable, gender-sensitive and economically productive resources management.", "88. In countries where natural resources are an important national asset, the United Nations should promote a national dialogue on the role of natural resource income in society, with a view to developing an inclusive growth and development strategy and promoting the most responsible and transparent use of natural resources, including through effective anti-corruption measures. Such work should be carried out in coordination with community institutions, regional economic communities, the African Union and NEPAD.", "89. I urge international partners and the private sector to respect corporate liability codes and to adhere to existing regulatory mechanisms to prevent natural resource income from diverting to activities that may exacerbate conflicts.", "90. I appeal to all partners to take into account the knowledge and practices of indigenous and women communities regarding natural resource management and mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change, including local mediation mechanisms on land-use disputes, such as the senior councils and local peace councils.", "91. I urge the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa and other partners to contribute to the capacity-building of existing river basin management institutions, such as the Nile Basin Initiative, the Mano River Union secretariat and the Nubia aquifer countries, so that they can better respond to the challenges posed by climate change and conflict, in accordance with existing African Union, regional economic communities and programmes,", "[1] A/CONF.219/L.1.", "[2] A/CONF.219/3 and Rev.1" ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 28 del programa provisional*", "Adelanto de la mujer", "Nota del Secretario General", "El Secretario General tiene el honor de transmitir a la Asamblea General el informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias, Rashida Manjoo, de conformidad con la resolución 65/187 de la Asamblea General.", "Informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias", "Resumen", "Este informe es el primero que presenta por escrito a la Asamblea General la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias, Rashida Manjoo, de conformidad con la resolución 65/187 de la Asamblea. El informe ofrece un panorama general de la labor realizada en cumplimiento de su mandato, así como de sus principales conclusiones y de los desafíos a que sigue haciendo frente, e incluye recomendaciones concretas para abordar la violencia contra la mujer mediante un marco integral basado en las obligaciones de los Estados de respetar, proteger y hacer efectivos los derechos humanos de las mujeres y las niñas.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 4\nII.Actividades 4A.Visitas 4 a \npaíses B.Informes 4 \ntemáticos C.Comunicaciones 4 y comunicados de \nprensa D.Comisión 5 de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la \nMujer E.Informe 5 conjunto sobre la República Democrática del \nCongo F. Consultas 5 \nregionales G. Otras 6 \nactividades III.Carácter 6 constante de la violencia contra la mujer, desde el hogar hasta el ámbito transnacional: los retos para una reparación \nefectiva A.La 7 violencia contra la mujer como cuestión de derechos \nhumanos B.Manifestaciones 10 de la violencia contra la mujer en las cuatro esferas \nmencionadas C.Obligación 18 de diligencia debida de los Estados con arreglo al derecho internacional de derechos humanos: evolución de las prácticas y la jurisprudencia y desafíos \npendientes D. Marco 25 integral de prevención y \nprotección \nApéndices \nI.ThematicannualreportsbytheSpecialRapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,asat30July2011 30\nII.CountrymissionreportsbytheSpecialRapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,asat30July2011 31", "I. Introducción", "1. Este informe es el primero que presenta por escrito a la Asamblea General la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias, Rashida Manjoo, de conformidad con la resolución 65/187 de la Asamblea. En la sección I se resumen las actividades de la Relatora Especial entre octubre de 2010 y julio de 2011. La sección II consta de un panorama general de la labor realizada por la titular del mandato, así como de sus principales conclusiones y de los desafíos que sigue enfrentando, e incluye recomendaciones concretas para abordar la violencia contra la mujer mediante la aplicación de un marco integral.", "II. Actividades", "A. Visitas a países", "2. Durante el período que se examina, la Relatora Especial efectuó misiones especiales a los siguientes países: Argelia (1 a 10 de noviembre de 2010), Zambia (6 a 11 de diciembre de 2010) y los Estados Unidos de América (24 de enero a 7 de febrero de 2011)[1].", "3. En 2011, la Relatora Especial recibió respuestas positivas a sus solicitudes de visitar Italia y Jordania y ha instado a los gobiernos que aún no han respondido a que lo hagan afirmativamente. La Relatora Especial espera recibir respuestas favorables de los gobiernos de Bangladesh, las Islas Salomón, Nepal, Papua Nueva Guinea, Somalia, Turkmenistán, Uzbekistán y Zimbabwe.", "B. Informes temáticos", "4. El informe temático presentado por la Relatora Especial al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en junio de 2011 (A/HRC/17/26) centró la atención en la convergencia de múltiples formas de discriminación y propuso un enfoque integral para abordar esa multiplicidad de formas de discriminación relacionadas entre sí que fomentan y exacerban la violencia contra la mujer[2]. En la sección III.D del presente informe figura una descripción más detallada de este enfoque.", "C. Comunicaciones y comunicados de prensa", "5. Las comunicaciones enviadas a los gobiernos se refieren a toda una gama de cuestiones que reflejan un patrón de desigualdad y discriminación relacionadas con la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias[3]. Entre esas situaciones se incluían, aunque no exclusivamente, la detención arbitraria; la tortura y otros tratos o penas crueles, inhumanos o degradantes; las ejecuciones sumarias y extrajudiciales; y la violencia sexual, en particular la violación, el abuso sexual y la explotación sexual. La Relatora Especial lamenta que solo tres de los 13 gobiernos respondieran a las comunicaciones que les fueron enviadas durante el período que se examina[4].", "6. Además, la Relatora Especial ha emitido comunicados de prensa, a título individual o juntamente con otros titulares de mandato.", "D. Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer", "7. En febrero de 2011, la Relatora Especial presentó un informe oral a la Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer en el que instó a que se adoptara una nueva visión de los derechos de la mujer a la luz de las lecciones aprendidas tras 15 años de aplicación de la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing. Asimismo, hizo hincapié en la necesidad de que los Estados cumplieran de forma más eficaz su obligación de diligencia debida con respecto a la violencia contra la mujer.", "E. Informe conjunto sobre la República Democrática del Congo", "8. De conformidad con las resoluciones 10/33 y 13/22 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la Relatora Especial hizo un aporte al tercer informe conjunto de los siete expertos de las Naciones Unidas sobre la situación en la República Democrática del Congo[5]. La Relatora Especial expresó preocupación por las constantes violaciones de los derechos humanos de las mujeres y niñas que seguían perpetrándose con impunidad y se sumó a sus colegas para exhortar al Consejo de Derechos Humanos a que considerara la posibilidad de establecer mandatos de procedimientos especiales para países específicos.", "F. Consultas regionales", "9. La Relatora Especial continuó manteniendo intensos contactos con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, incluida la participación en consultas regionales. En septiembre de 2010, junto con el Experto Independiente sobre derechos culturales, asistió a una consulta regional en Nepal dedicada a la mujer, la cultura y los derechos humanos. En enero de 2011 participó en la consulta regional para la región de Asia y el Pacífico, celebrada en Malasia, que se centró en el tema de la multiplicidad de formas de discriminación y fue seguida de una consulta a nivel nacional. En junio de 2011, la Relatora Especial participó en consultas celebradas en Bruselas con organizaciones de la sociedad civil europea a las que asistieron representantes de los observatorios europeos de la violencia contra la mujer.", "G. Otras actividades", "10. Durante el período que se examina, la Relatora Especial participó en varias conferencias, cursos prácticos y actos paralelos sobre temas relacionados con su mandato. En particular, cabe mencionar su participación en dos conferencias celebradas en Madrid sobre el tema del feminicidio; un coloquio sobre la aplicabilidad de los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos con respecto a la promoción y protección de los derechos humanos de los trabajadores domésticos migrantes en la Unión Europea; un seminario sobre valores tradicionales y derechos humanos y tres mesas redondas sobre los derechos de la mujer organizados por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos. Por invitación del Ministro de Justicia de Noruega, realizó una visita de estudio a ese país durante la cual se reunió con diversos representantes de gobierno y de entidades no estatales con los que examinó la evolución de las prácticas destinadas a eliminar la violencia contra la mujer. La Relatora Especial reconoce la utilidad de esas visitas, las cuales ofrecen la oportunidad de interactuar con las partes interesadas del país y aprender de la experiencia nacional. Expresa su agradecimiento al Gobierno de Noruega por haberle proporcionado esa oportunidad.", "11. Durante el sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones de la Asamblea General la Relatora Especial organizó un acto paralelo sobre el tema de las formas de reparación para las mujeres víctimas de la violencia y durante el 17º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, celebrado en junio de 2011, convocó a otro acto paralelo sobre normas regionales y la violencia contra la mujer. Este último acto, que reunió a representantes de los mecanismos regionales de derechos humanos de África, Asia y Europa y la región interamericana, tuvo por objeto analizar las distintas disposiciones relativas a la violencia contra la mujer previstas en los instrumentos regionales de derechos humanos y la jurisprudencia conexa desarrollada por los mecanismos regionales. Se examinaron asimismo posibles esferas de cooperación.", "III. Carácter constante de la violencia contra la mujer, desde el hogar hasta el ámbito transnacional: los retos para una reparación efectiva", "12. En todo el mundo la violencia contra la mujer es un fenómeno persistente, generalizado e inaceptable. Arraigada en una multiplicidad de formas de discriminación y desigualdad relacionadas entre sí y profundamente vinculada a la situación social y económica de la mujer, la violencia contra la mujer constituye un patrón constante de explotación y abuso. Ya sea en épocas de conflicto o posteriores a éste o de presunta paz, las diversas formas y manifestaciones de la violencia contra la mujer son simultáneamente causas y consecuencias de discriminación, desigualdad y opresión.", "13. Teniendo en cuenta el enfoque basado en el carácter intersectorial y constante de la violencia que ha borrado cada vez más la distinción entre la violencia perpetrada en la esfera pública y en el ámbito privado, la titular del mandato analiza la violencia contra la mujer en cuatro esferas principales, a saber: i) en la familia; ii) en la comunidad; iii) la violencia perpetrada o tolerada por el Estado; y iv) en el ámbito transnacional[6]. Estas categorías amplias no son ni mutuamente excluyentes ni se mencionan en orden de importancia. Toda violencia perpetrada en el contexto de este patrón constante y dirigida contra la mujer o experimentada por un grupo integrado mayoritariamente por mujeres constituye discriminación contra la mujer[7].", "14. En la sección A infra se expone la evolución de la violencia contra la mujer como cuestión de derechos humanos, incluido el nombramiento de una Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer. En la sección B se describen las manifestaciones más frecuentes de la violencia contra la mujer observadas por la titular del mandato en la familia, en la comunidad, en la esfera estatal y en el ámbito transnacional. En la sección C se ponen de relieve la evolución de algunas prácticas, ejemplos de jurisprudencia y los principales problemas enfrentados por los Estados en el cumplimiento de su obligación de diligencia debida en materia de prevención, protección, investigación y castigo, así como de reparación a las víctimas de la violencia. Por último, en la sección D se propone un enfoque integral para abordar la convergencia de múltiples formas de discriminación y la violencia contra la mujer.", "A. La violencia contra la mujer como cuestión de derechos humanos", "1. Evolución de la violencia contra la mujer como cuestión de derechos humanos", "15. Durante más de 25 años, el movimiento mundial para combatir la violencia contra la mujer se ha esforzado por transformar fundamentalmente la situación de la mujer y la condición de violencia basada en el género en el contexto del discurso de los derechos humanos[8]. En 1985, la tercera Conferencia Mundial para el Examen y la Evaluación de los Logros del Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Mujer: Igualdad, Desarrollo y Paz, celebrada en Nairobi, marcó el final del Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Mujer (1976-1985) y evaluó los progresos realizados por la comunidad internacional en el logro de las metas de igualdad, desarrollo y paz para las mujeres. La Conferencia de Nairobi reafirmó la preocupación internacional por la condición de la mujer y proporcionó un marco para el renovado compromiso de la comunidad internacional con el adelanto de la mujer y la eliminación de la discriminación basada en el género⁸. La violencia contra la mujer fue una de las preocupaciones expresadas por los participantes en esa reunión.", "16. En la Conferencia Mundial de Derechos Humanos de 1993 se aprobaron la Declaración y el Programa de Acción de Viena, en los que se reconoció que “los derechos humanos de la mujer y la niña son parte inalienable, integrante e indivisible de los derechos humanos universales” [9]. La Conferencia Mundial exhortó a la Asamblea General a que aprobara el proyecto de declaración sobre la violencia contra la mujer e instó a los Estados a que combatieran la violencia contra la mujer de conformidad con sus disposiciones[10]. En 1993, la Asamblea General aprobó la Declaración sobre la eliminación de la violencia contra la mujer, que prevé un marco más amplio en relación con la violencia contra la mujer en términos de su definición, su alcance, las obligaciones del Estado y el papel de las Naciones Unidas[11]. En cumplimiento de una decisión adoptada por la Comisión de Derechos Humanos ese mismo año en la que consideró la posibilidad de nombrar a un relator especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, ese mandato se estableció en la resolución 1994/45, relativa a la integración de los derechos de la mujer en los mecanismos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas y la eliminación de la violencia contra la mujer.", "17. El vigésimo tercer período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General, dedicado al examen quinquenal de la aplicación de la Declaración y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, demostró claramente que la violencia contra la mujer había pasado a ser un tema prioritario del programa de muchos Estados Miembros. En el documento final se dio un paso más allá al exhortar a los Estados a “tratar todas las formas de violencia contra mujeres y niñas de todas las edades como delito punible por la ley, incluida la violencia basada en todas las formas de discriminación” [12]. En 2010, en el examen de Beijing+15, los Estados Miembros reconocieron que la aplicación de la Declaración de Beijing y el cumplimiento de las obligaciones asumidas en virtud de la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer se reforzaban entre sí en la consecución de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer y subrayaron la interdependencia entre la aplicación de estos compromisos y el logro de los objetivos de desarrollo internacionalmente convenidos[13].", "18. A raíz de estos acontecimientos, la Asamblea General, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos y el Consejo de Seguridad aprobaron resoluciones relacionadas específicamente con la violencia contra la mujer y la niña. La Asamblea General y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, por ejemplo, han identificado con creciente frecuencia la desigualdad y la discriminación, incluida la violencia de género, como violaciones de los derechos humanos de la mujer y la niña. Las resoluciones aprobadas por estos órganos se han referido cada vez más al hecho de que las mujeres que sufren múltiples formas de discriminación están más expuestas al riesgo de ser víctimas de la violencia de género y han señalado “los desequilibrios de poder y la desigualdad estructural entre los hombres y las mujeres” como causas fundamentales de la violencia contra la mujer[14]. En el contexto de la paz y la seguridad, el Consejo de Seguridad, en sus resoluciones 1325 (2000) y 1820 (2008), ha instado a todas las partes en un conflicto armado a que adopten medidas especiales para proteger a las mujeres y las niñas contra la violencia por razón de género.", "19. La prevalencia de la violencia contra la mujer sigue siendo una preocupación mundial. Por ejemplo, en la mayoría de los 21 países examinados por el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer en 2010, que representan todas las regiones, la tasa de violencia era elevada o persistente o estaba en aumento[15]. El Comité, que ya había vinculado explícitamente la discriminación contra la mujer y la violencia de género en sus recomendaciones generales núm. 12 (1989) y núm. 19 (1992), exhorta constantemente a los Estados partes a incluir en sus informes al Comité toda información relativa a la violencia y a las medidas adoptadas para eliminarla.", "20. Actualmente, el discurso de las Naciones Unidas con respecto a la violencia contra la mujer gira en torno a tres principios: en primer lugar, la violencia contra las mujeres y las niñas se aborda como una cuestión de igualdad y de no discriminación entre las mujeres y los hombres; en segundo lugar, se reconoce que la convergencia de múltiples formas de discriminación aumenta el riesgo de que algunas mujeres sean víctimas de discriminación específica, compuesta o estructural; y en tercer lugar, la interdependencia de los derechos humanos se refleja en esfuerzos como los encaminados a abordar las causas de la violencia contra la mujer vinculándolas con las esferas civil, cultural, económica, política y social[16].", "2. Mandato de la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer", "21. Desde 1994, la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer viene estudiando las formas, prevalencia, causas y consecuencias de la violencia contra la mujer; analizando los avances en la protección de las mujeres contra la violencia y los desafíos pendientes; y haciendo recomendaciones importantes a los gobiernos y la comunidad internacional a fin de resolver esos desafíos.", "22. Mediante informes temáticos[17], misiones a países[18], consultas, reuniones de expertos, comunicaciones a los gobiernos y otros mecanismos, el mandato de la Relatora Especial ha abordado la violencia contra la mujer en todos los ámbitos de la vida, y específicamente en las cuatro esferas antes mencionadas[19].", "23. Los informes temáticos y los informes de las misiones a países elaborados por la Relatora Especial ayudan a proporcionar un marco para abordar las distintas formas de violencia de género mediante el análisis de las causas y consecuencias de la violencia y para complementar la labor de otros agentes estatales y no estatales, así como de los interesados a nivel regional e internacional, en la lucha contra la violencia en los sectores público y privado. Los informes temáticos también aportan una base empírica para la formulación de políticas y una orientación para seguir perfeccionando las normas relativas a los derechos humanos de la mujer en el derecho internacional. Por ejemplo, el Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) se ha basado en el informe sobre las reparaciones presentado por la Relatora Especial en 2010 para ejecutar un proyecto sobre reparaciones y creación de capacidad en la zona septentrional de Uganda, así como un proyecto realizado juntamente con la Oficina Conjunta de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas en el que se centra la atención en las formas de resarcimiento y reparación disponibles a las víctimas de la violencia sexual en la República Democrática del Congo[20].", "B. Manifestaciones de la violencia contra la mujer en las cuatro esferas mencionadas", "24. En esta sección se examinan la prevalencia y las diversas manifestaciones de la violencia contra la mujer en cada una de las cuatro esferas mencionadas sobre la base de las conclusiones de la Relatora Especial a raíz de las visitas a países realizadas entre 2009 y 2011 (Kirguistán, Argelia, El Salvador, Zambia y los Estados Unidos de América), así como de las conclusiones de los anteriores titulares del mandato. Como tal, no pretende ofrecer un recuento exhaustivo de las formas de violencia contra la mujer en todo el mundo; se trata más bien de poner de relieve ejemplos de manifestaciones de ese tipo de violencia mediante una selección de algunos de los principales temas abarcados y los problemas observados por la Relatora Especial.", "1. Violencia en la familia", "25. La titular del mandato ha identificado dos categorías principales de violencia contra la mujer en la esfera de la familia: la violencia doméstica y las prácticas dañinas y degradantes que causan violencia o subordinan a la mujer cuya justificación emana de leyes y prácticas religiosas, tradicionales o sociales de diversa índole[21]. La titular del mandato define a la familia según un concepto amplio que abarca las relaciones de pareja e interpersonales, incluidas las parejas que no viven juntas, las exparejas y los trabajadores domésticos[22].", "26. Las visitas a países realizadas por la Relatora Especial confirman que la violencia doméstica sigue siendo un fenómeno generalizado y afecta a las mujeres de todas las capas sociales. Como señaló la Relatora Especial en su informe de misión sobre su visita a los Estados Unidos de América, en 2008 se cometieron aproximadamente 552.000 delitos violentos contra mujeres perpetrados por su pareja[23]. En El Salvador, una encuesta sobre la salud familiar realizada en 2008 indicó que el 44% de las mujeres casadas o en una relación de pareja había sido víctima de violencia psicológica, el 24% había padecido violencia física y el 12% violencia sexual[24]. Según una encuesta nacional efectuada en Argelia, más del 30% de las mujeres había sido sometido regularmente a amenazas de violencia física o psicológica y el 10,9% a relaciones sexuales forzosas en más de una ocasión por su pareja[25].", "27. Las visitas a los países indican que ciertos grupos de mujeres son particularmente vulnerables a la violencia[26]. En los Estados Unidos, la Relatora Especial observó que la tasa de mujeres de ascendencia afroamericana que habían sido víctimas de violencia a manos de su pareja era un 35% superior a la correspondiente a las mujeres de raza blanca[27]. La visita a ese país reveló asimismo que la prevalencia de la violencia doméstica y las agresiones sexuales contra mujeres de poblaciones indígenas era superior a la perpetrada contra cualquier otro grupo de población del país, lo que demostraba más patentemente aun el nexo entre la pobreza, la exclusión y la violencia[28]. La Relatora Especial comprobó también que las mujeres pobres y con poca educación y las mujeres viudas o separadas eran particularmente vulnerables dado que carecían de apoyo familiar y comunitario. Según la información disponible, en Argelia y Kirguistán las mujeres entre 25 y 44 años y las que tenían dos o más hijos estaban expuestas a un alto grado de violencia doméstica[29].", "28. La violencia doméstica se sigue percibiendo como algo aceptable y legítimo. Durante su visita a Kirguistán, la Relatora Especial observó que el 38% de las mujeres entre 15 y 49 años opinaba que un marido tenía derecho a golpear a su esposa en diversas situaciones[30]. Por otra parte, la violencia doméstica es también un delito que rara vez se denuncia. En el curso de las visitas a los países, las víctimas expusieron razones similares para explicar su renuencia a contactar a las autoridades: por ejemplo, miedo a represalias, presión por parte de la familia o la comunidad para no revelar los problemas domésticos, poco conocimiento de sus derechos, falta de servicios de apoyo, dependencia económica y la percepción de que la policía no responde con soluciones apropiadas[31].", "29. La tasa de enjuiciamiento de los autores de la violencia doméstica y de otras formas de violencia familiar sigue siendo baja. En El Salvador, el número de procedimientos judiciales iniciados en los tribunales de familia en relación con casos de violencia intrafamiliar disminuyó de de 4.890 (2003) a 1.240 (2007)[32]. Se ha informado reiteradamente a la Relatora Especial de que los agentes de policía, en vez de detener a los autores, fomentan las soluciones informales y la reconciliación. En Zambia las mujeres preferían la conciliación, principalmente a causa de las presiones familiares y de su dependencia económica del agresor[33]. Las mujeres que enfrentan múltiples formas de discriminación, como las mujeres inmigrantes e indígenas, o las pertenecientes a minorías, pueden ser particularmente reacias a contactar a las autoridades, que suelen percibir como opresoras y no como protectoras. Durante su visita a los Estados Unidos de América, la Relatora Especial recibió informes sobre la detención de mujeres de ascendencia afroamericana y mujeres pertenecientes a minorías tras producirse incidentes de violencia doméstica[34].", "30. Las prácticas dañinas y degradantes, que están estrechamente vinculadas a la violencia doméstica y menoscaban los derechos y la condición de las mujeres y las niñas, se siguen llevando a cabo sin que sean objeto de vigilancia o castigo sistemáticos pese a la existencia de un mayor número de prohibiciones legales[35]. En algunos países, el matrimonio precoz y forzoso, la poligamia y los matrimonios no inscritos siguen siendo motivo de preocupación. La titular del mandato considera que estas prácticas son “factores agravantes” que hacen a las mujeres más vulnerables a la violencia[36]. En Kirguistán, la Relatora Especial halló una correlación entre el matrimonio precoz (12,2% de las mujeres) y los matrimonios no inscritos, por una parte, y el creciente desempleo y la feminización de la pobreza y la reemergencia de las tradiciones patriarcales y el conservadurismo religioso, por otra. El matrimonio precoz contribuye a las altas tasas de mortalidad materna debido a la prolongación del parto y otras complicaciones[37]. De modo similar, en Argelia, las mujeres cuyo matrimonio no se había inscrito eran especialmente vulnerables a la violencia y el abuso y, según se informó, tenían dificultades para poner fin a relaciones abusivas debido a la falta de apoyo, alternativas de vivienda y protección jurídica[38]. Pese a las restricciones legales relativas a la poligamia, la Relatora Especial recibió informes de mujeres que eran sometidas a actos o amenazas de violencia por sus maridos para que dieran su consentimiento a un matrimonio polígamo[39].", "31. Muchas mujeres son sometidas a situaciones de violencia por sus cónyuges, pero también por la familia de éstos. Por ejemplo, en países en que se mantiene la práctica de exigir “el precio de la novia o la dote”, los maridos y los miembros de su familia creen que han comprado a la novia y por tanto tienen derecho a someter a su “bien” a la violencia y a otras formas de malos tratos[40].", "32. La violencia y los asesinatos “de honor” perpetrados contra mujeres están relacionados con la discriminación y las desigualdades imperantes en el seno tanto de la familia como de la comunidad. Según estadísticas del Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA), unas 5.000 mujeres son asesinadas cada año por miembros de su familia, víctimas de la violencia “por razones de honor”[41]. Desde la creación del mandato, se han comunicado casos de violencia y asesinato de mujeres en nombre del honor en el curso de las visitas a Argelia[42], el Afganistán[43], el Irán (República Islámica de)[44], los Países Bajos[45], los territorios palestinos ocupados[46], el Pakistán[47], Suecia[48], y Turquía[49]. Como lo ha expuesto el Secretario General en su estudio a fondo de 2006 sobre todas las formas de violencia contra la mujer, los delitos cometidos en nombre del honor frecuentemente tienen una dimensión colectiva, pues la familia en su conjunto se considera lesionada por el comportamiento real o percibido de una mujer. Tienen asimismo carácter público dado que influyen en la conducta de las otras mujeres[50]. Este elemento colectivo hace que sea sumamente difícil separar a la víctima de sus agresores efectivos o potenciales a menos que esté dispuesta a romper toda relación con la familia y emprender una nueva vida fuera de su marco de referencia social[51].", "2. Violencia en la comunidad", "33. La titular del mandato ha identificado la violación/agresión sexual, el acoso sexual, la violencia en las instituciones, la trata, la prostitución forzosa, la violencia contra las trabajadoras migrantes y la pornografía entre las formas de violencia contra la mujer que ocurren en el marco de la comunidad[52]. El acecho, la violencia contra las personas lesbianas, bisexuales y transexuales, el secuestro de novias[53], el feminicidio (incluidos los asesinatos relacionados con la brujería[54] y la dote[55]) son otras manifestaciones de la violencia contra la mujer en este ámbito.", "34. La violencia sexual es una manifestación universal y frecuente de la violencia de género que está arraigada en una cultura de discriminación que legitima la apropiación y el control del cuerpo de la mujer por el hombre[56]. En El Salvador, la incidencia de la violencia sexual aumentó de 3.368 casos en 2007 a 4.120 casos en 2008[57]. La violación y la agresión sexual se mencionaron también entre las principales formas de violencia contra la mujer en los Estados Unidos, donde en 2008 se registraron diariamente unas 500 violaciones de mujeres[58]. En Zambia, una de diez mujeres había sido víctima de abuso sexual[59]. Es común que la violencia sexual no sea considerada necesariamente un delito por la opinión pública. En Kirguistán, donde las estadísticas mostraron un aumento del número de casos de violencia sexual contra la mujer[60], la sensibilización al respecto era sumamente baja: el 35% de las mujeres urbanas y el 25% de las mujeres rurales no creían que la violencia sexual fuese un delito[61].", "35. Se ha reconocido que el acoso sexual en la escuela y en el lugar de trabajo es una manifestación generalizada de la violencia[62]. En El Salvador, la Relatora Especial oyó testimonios sobre las condiciones en que trabajaban las mujeres jóvenes en las plantas de maquila, donde eran sometidas a abuso verbal y físico por sus supervisores, a acoso sexual y a pruebas de embarazo obligatorias. Cuando la Relatora Especial visitó Argelia, el acoso sexual en las instituciones educativas y vocacionales en Argelia era constante y pocas veces se denunciaba pese a las encomiables medidas adoptadas por las autoridades para tipificar el acoso sexual como delito sobre la base del abuso de autoridad[63]. La visita a los Estados Unidos reveló la especial vulnerabilidad de las inmigrantes no documentadas a la violencia en el lugar de trabajo, incluidos el acoso y el abuso sexuales[64]. La violencia sexual y física contra las niñas por parte del personal docente y escolares de sexo masculino en los establecimientos de enseñanza seguía constituyendo un problema en Zambia, según se informó a la Relatora Especial durante su visita a ese país[65]. Las largas distancias que separaban los hogares de la escuela también aumentaban el riesgo de acoso, como lo demostraban los informes sobre niñas que tenían relaciones sexuales con los choferes de minibús y de taxi para costear los gastos de transporte.", "36. La Relatora Especial se declara preocupada por la discriminación y violencia generalizadas que padecen las mujeres como resultado de su orientación sexual e identidad de género[66]. En la visita a Kirguistán se puso de manifiesto el alto nivel de homofobia, discriminación y violencia sociales contra las personas lesbianas, bisexuales y transexuales. Los interlocutores relataron incidentes de este tipo de violencia, incluidas brutales violaciones en banda, violaciones “curativas” y violencia familiar causada por la identidad sexual e identidad de género de las víctimas[67]. Según un estudio, el 23% de las mujeres lesbianas y bisexuales había tenido relaciones sexuales forzadas y en el 56% de esos casos las familias habían tratado de obligarlas a cambiar de identidad u orientación sexual. Un patrón similar emergió de la visita a El Salvador, donde había aumentado el número de asesinatos en las comunidades de homosexuales, bisexuales, transexuales e intersexuales de 4 en 2003 a 12 como mínimo en 2009. Se señalaron asimismo a la Relatora Especial numerosos casos de discriminación y violencia, incluidas violaciones en banda y violencia en el seno de la familia[68].", "37. El feminicidio, definido como el homicidio o el asesinato violento de mujeres por el solo hecho de ser mujeres, ocurre en numerosos contextos en las cuatro esferas que se examinan[69]. Entre esos contextos se incluyen los asesinatos relacionados con la violencia de pareja, la violencia sexual, la protección del honor⁶⁹, el infanticidio femenino, los litigios sobre la dote, así como el asesinato de prostitutas y de mujeres acusadas de brujería, además de ciertas muertes por suicidio y muertes de madres por motivos no identificables. El feminicidio se vincula a menudo a la violencia doméstica que, en su forma más severa, es causante de muerte. Las investigaciones sobre el feminicidio realizadas en Australia, el Canadá, los Estados Unidos, Israel y Sudáfrica indican que entre el 40% y el 70% de las víctimas fueron asesinadas por sus maridos o novios[70]. La especial vulnerabilidad a la violencia que afecta a las mujeres víctimas de la convergencia de múltiples formas de discriminación se refleja asimismo en las conclusiones de un estudio realizado en la ciudad de Nueva York en 2004, según el cual el 51% de las mujeres víctimas de homicidio perpetrado por su pareja había nacido en el extranjero, frente a un 45% de mujeres nacidas en los Estados Unidos[71]. Durante el examen del Canadá realizado por el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación de la Mujer en 2008, se expresó preocupación por los cientos de casos de mujeres aborígenes desaparecidas o asesinadas ocurridos en los últimos dos decenios que no se habían investigado plenamente ni habían suscitado atención prioritaria, con la resultante impunidad de los autores[72].", "38. La visita de seguimiento realizada por la Relatora Especial a El Salvador en 2010 reveló un aumento alarmante de asesinatos extremadamente violentos de mujeres y niñas en el país[73]. El patrón de estos asesinatos era similar al de los feminicidios sobre los que había informado la anterior Relatora Especial durante sus visitas a El Salvador, Guatemala y México, consistentes en el secuestro y asesinato de mujeres de 10 a 29 años, las cuales eran encontradas en parques o sitios baldíos, a menudo con señales de abuso sexual y a veces de mutilación, tortura y decapitación. Las desigualdades socioeconómicas extremas, la cultura machista y las altas tasas de delincuencia eran los factores latentes que alimentaban la violencia contra la mujer y la discriminación en esas sociedades. Como se indica en el informe de la Relatora Especial sobre su visita a los Estados Unidos, el asesinato de mujeres, así como la violación y los malos tratos, también pueden relacionarse con el acecho, que se comete con más frecuencia contra las mujeres que contra los hombres[74].", "3. Violencia perpetrada o tolerada por el Estado", "39. La violencia perpetrada o tolerada por el Estado puede incluir la violencia de género en situaciones de conflicto, la violencia en instituciones penitenciarias, la violencia contra refugiados y desplazados internos y contra mujeres de grupos indígenas y minoritarios⁷⁴.", "40. Las situaciones de conflicto y posteriores a conflictos a menudo exacerban un entorno existente de discriminación, subordinación, violencia contra la mujer y control de la sexualidad de la mujer por el hombre. La “brutalidad inconcebible” que documentó la primera titular del mandato en su informe sobre la violencia contra la mujer en tiempos de conflicto armado sigue vigente[75]. Los entornos militares en general, que se caracterizan por una cultura jerárquica y autoritaria, exponen a la mujer a un mayor riesgo de violencia y abuso. Como informó la Relatora Especial tras su visita a los Estados Unidos, el abuso y el acoso sexuales de las mujeres en las fuerzas armadas han sido reconocidos como formas persistentes de violencia contra la mujer[76]. Si bien los casos de agresión sexual en el ámbito militar no suelen ser objeto de denuncias, las estadísticas muestran que cuando sí lo son las mujeres constituyen la gran mayoría de los denunciantes. Un hecho que refleja una tendencia similar a resolver los casos de violencia doméstica mediante la negociación y la reconciliación es que la gran mayoría de los casos de agresión sexual en las fuerzas armadas de los Estados Unidos se resuelven sin recurrir al castigo judicial: sólo entre el 14% y el 18% de ellos pasan por los tribunales[77].", "41. Como ha señalado el anterior Relator Especial sobre la tortura, la violencia contra la mujer en instituciones penitenciarias incluye muy a menudo la violación y otras formas de violencia sexual como amenazas de violación, tocamientos, “pruebas de virginidad”, obligación de desnudarse, registros corporales invasivos, insultos y humillaciones de carácter sexual[78]. La Relatora Especial desea señalar el hecho de que 15 de las 38 comunicaciones enviadas a los gobiernos en 2010 se referían a casos de tortura o sometimiento de mujeres a tratos y penas crueles, inhumanos o degradantes supuestamente perpetrados por las autoridades[79]. En Zambia, las denuncias se referían a casos de mujeres recluidas en instituciones penitenciarias que eran sometidas a abuso, violencia y castigos humillantes o degradantes a fin de extraerles una confesión. También se les ofrecía la liberación a cambio de sexo[80]. Según un informe sobre victimización sexual en las prisiones y cárceles de los Estados Unidos en el período 2008-2009, el 4,7% de las reclusas había padecido agresiones sexuales por parte de otras reclusas y el 2,1% había sido objeto de comportamiento indebido por parte del personal penitenciario. De las entrevistas de la Relatora Especial con reclusas realizadas durante su visita se desprendía que el personal aprovechaba su posición de poder para forzar a las reclusas a tener relaciones sexuales a cambio del acceso a llamadas telefónicas, visitas o artículos básicos como alimentos, champú o jabón[81].", "42. En Kirguistán, las mujeres estaban expuestas al mayor riesgo de malos tratos inmediatamente después de su detención y durante el período de investigación, cuando las autoridades investigadoras deseaban obtener una confesión. Las organizaciones y varias mujeres víctimas proporcionaron ejemplos de extorsión y soborno durante la reclusión policial, así como de casos en que el personal penitenciario encadenaba a la víctima a un radiador, le apuntaba a la cabeza con un revólver o le infligía golpizas y quemaduras[82]. Muchas mujeres privadas de libertad a menudo carecen de insuficiente acceso a atención y tratamiento médicos. En Zambia, las mujeres detenidas en establecimientos policiales o penitenciarios apenas tenían acceso a cuidados y tratamiento médicos prenatales y posnatales, pruebas de VIH/SIDA y tuberculosis o apoyo en materia de nutrición[83].", "4. Violencia en el ámbito transnacional", "43. La anterior Relatora Especial puso de relieve los riesgos y la mayor vulnerabilidad a la violencia contra la mujer existentes en el ámbito transnacional al referirse a esta cuarta esfera como un constante proceso que comprende “experiencias de vida tanto dentro de los territorios nacionales convencionales como más allá de éstos”[84]. En la presente sección se examina la situación de las mujeres víctimas de la trata y otras formas contemporáneas de esclavitud, de las refugiadas y de las migrantes, especialmente las migrantes irregulares, así como la explotación de la mujer por agentes cuya actividad se desarrolla en la esfera transnacional, como el personal de mantenimiento de la paz.", "44. El envilecimiento, la violación, el matrimonio precoz y el sexo para la supervivencia siguen siendo algunos de los principales problemas que enfrentan las mujeres solicitantes de asilo y las refugiadas, tanto en los campamentos como en las zonas urbanas[85]. Durante las situaciones de conflicto las mujeres son a menudo trasladadas a países transfronterizos para que presten servicios sexuales a los combatientes en el conflicto armado. Los conflictos armados aumentan el riesgo de secuestro, esclavitud sexual y/o prostitución forzosa para las mujeres y las niñas. Si bien actualmente los conflictos en su mayoría son de carácter interno, se dan casos de mujeres y niñas trasladadas a través de las fronteras nacionales a campamentos militares ubicados en el territorio de países vecinos. El personal internacional desplegado en el marco de operaciones de paz de las Naciones Unidas también ha cometido abusos contra mujeres y niñas[86].", "45. Las visitas de la Relatora Especial a El Salvador, Kirguistán y Zambia —todos los cuales son países de origen, tránsito y destino de la trata de personas— revelaron claras similitudes con respecto a la trata de mujeres y niños. En Kirguistán, la trata de mujeres y niños cobró un auge considerable durante el período de transición del país y sigue siendo un problema[87]. Aunque no se dispone de estadísticas fiables sobre la prevalencia de la trata, según un informe del Gobierno el 98% de las víctimas de la trata son mujeres y niñas de 15 a 30 años. Las jóvenes reciben atrayentes ofertas de empleo falso en zonas urbanas que las inducen a trasladarse de las zonas rurales a las ciudades, o al extranjero, donde son sometidas a explotación sexual. Una joven entrevistada durante la visita que había viajado a Bishkek en busca de empleo fue conducida engañosamente a una casa en las afueras de la ciudad donde fue encerrada durante meses y obligada a tener relaciones sexuales con clientes. Por miedo a represalias no denunció el caso a la policía e incluso tenía miedo de salir a la calle. Asimismo, en El Salvador la Relatora Especial observó que la mayoría de las víctimas de la trata eran mujeres y niñas trasladadas de las zonas urbanas a las ciudades de ese país[88]. La insuficiencia de medidas para garantizar protección a víctimas y testigos, la falta de servicios de apoyo y la actuación ineficaz de los encargados de aplicar la ley contribuían a que no se denunciaran estos fenómenos.", "46. Las migrantes irregulares, las solicitantes de asilo y las refugiadas son especialmente vulnerables a la violencia en el ámbito transnacional. Durante su misión a Zambia, se informó a la Relatora Especial de que las migrantes, en particular las que realizaban trabajo sexual, eran frecuentes víctimas de abuso sexual y estaban expuestas al peligro de contraer el VIH/SIDA debido a su incapacidad de negociar relaciones sexuales sin riesgo[89]. Además, su condición irregular las hacía reacias a obtener atención médica. De modo similar, en los Estados Unidos de América, entre las mujeres inmigrantes existe una mayor prevalencia de malos tratos debido a su limitado acceso a servicios jurídicos, sociales y de apoyo[90]. Los testimonios de mujeres inmigrantes indocumentadas que viven con una pareja estadounidense ponen de manifiesto su renuencia a pedir asistencia a las autoridades cuando son víctimas de abuso por temor a ser deportadas. Se señaló asimismo que a menudo los agresores no inician el procedimiento de solicitud de la residencia permanente para su pareja o cónyuge extranjera a fin de mantener su autoridad y control sobre esas mujeres[91].", "C. Obligación de diligencia debida de los Estados con arreglo al derecho internacional de derechos humanos: evolución de las prácticas y la jurisprudencia y desafíos pendientes", "47. La norma de la debida diligencia, en el marco del derecho internacional humanitario, ha pasado a ser el parámetro más utilizado para medir el nivel de cumplimiento por los Estados de su obligación de prevenir y responder a los actos de violencia contra la mujer[92]. En la Declaración sobre la eliminación de la violencia contra la mujer se insta a los Estados a proceder con la debida diligencia a fin de “prevenir, investigar y, conforme a la legislación nacional, castigar todo acto de violencia contra la mujer, ya se trate de actos perpetrados por el Estado o por particulares”[93].", "48. La Declaración estipula que los Estados deben establecer, en la legislación nacional, sanciones penales, civiles, laborales y administrativas, para castigar y reparar los agravios infligidos a las mujeres que sean objeto de violencia; debe darse a éstas acceso a los mecanismos de la justicia y a un resarcimiento justo y eficaz por el daño que hayan padecido; los Estados deben además informar a las mujeres de sus derechos a pedir reparación por medio de esos mecanismos⁹³.", "49. Los esfuerzos de los Estados para cumplir su obligación de diligencia debida no deben centrarse únicamente en la reforma legislativa, el acceso a la justicia y la prestación de servicios a las víctimas; también deben abordar las cuestiones de prevención, especialmente con el fin de atacar las causas estructurales que dan lugar a la violencia contra la mujer. Mediante la aplicación de las normas existentes de derechos humanos, los Estados deben cerciorarse de que en todos los niveles de la sociedad, desde el doméstico al transnacional, se aborden las causas profundas y las consecuencias de la violencia contra la mujer. En este empeño, los Estados deben tener en cuenta la multiplicidad de formas que adopta la violencia contra la mujer y los distintos tipos de discriminación que afectan a las mujeres a fin de adoptar estrategias multifacéticas para prevenirla y combatirla eficazmente[94].", "50. Como se señaló anteriormente, la responsabilidad de diligencia debida de los Estados incluye la obligación de: a) prevenir los actos de violencia contra la mujer; b) investigar y castigar todos los actos de violencia contra la mujer; c) proteger a la mujer contra todo acto de violencia; y d) proporcionar resarcimiento y reparación a las víctimas de la violencia contra la mujer. En la presente sección se examinan las formas en que los Estados han tratado de cumplir estas obligaciones.", "1. Prevención", "51. En el estudio del Secretario General de 2006 se ponen de relieve algunas estrategias positivas de prevención primaria, es decir, la prevención de la irrupción de la violencia. Entre esas estrategias se incluyen las siguientes: a) las campañas y actividades de promoción; b) la educación y el fortalecimiento de capacidades; c) la movilización comunitaria; d) el trabajo con los hombres; e) la utilización de los medios de comunicación y la tecnología de la información; y f) la promoción de la seguridad pública[95].", "52. La actual titular del mandato también ha hecho hincapié en que la ratificación sin reservas de todos los instrumentos pertinentes de derechos humanos, su incorporación en el ordenamiento jurídico, judicial y administrativo interno a todos los niveles y la adopción de medidas para su aplicación son condiciones indispensables para que el Estado pueda cumplir sus obligaciones en cuanto a la debida diligencia[96].", "53. La primera medida más común para prevenir la violencia contra la mujer, adoptada por muchos Estados, es la promulgación de legislación. La cuestión de las leyes y prácticas que son directamente discriminatorias contra la mujer o que tienen consecuencias diferentes y sesgadas para la mujer en general, o para determinados grupos de mujeres, es una esfera que requiere mayor atención. En particular, se trata de ámbitos de la legislación en que se sigue discriminando directamente a la mujer, como es el caso de las leyes relativas a los derechos de la mujer en la esfera privada (incluido el derecho a tomar decisiones libremente con respecto al matrimonio, el divorcio y la salud sexual y reproductiva) o las que guardan relación con los derechos económicos de la mujer (incluido el derecho al trabajo digno y el derecho a heredar y controlar tierras y otros recursos productivos)[97].", "54. En un informe de ONU-Mujeres se indica que en los últimos 30 años la reforma jurídica en pro de los derechos de las mujeres ha avanzado de manera considerable en todo el mundo. Actualmente 139 constituciones nacionales consagran la igualdad de género y los Estados han promulgado legislación interna para, entre otras cosas, proscribir la violencia doméstica, establecer la remuneración paritaria, garantizar la licencia de maternidad con goce de sueldo, prohibir el acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo y prevén la igualdad de derechos para poseer y heredar bienes⁹⁷.", "55. Algunos Estados han fortalecido la cooperación interinstitucional a fin de prevenir la violencia mediante la adopción de planes de acción nacionales para combatir la violencia contra la mujer. En algunos casos se han creado institutos especializados sobre la violencia contra la mujer y se han nombrado comisionados o defensores para que actúen como centros de coordinación, en algunos casos en colaboración con organizaciones de la sociedad civil[98]. La eficacia de estos mecanismos puede resultar menoscabada si quedan marginados de la agenda nacional o no disponen de recursos financieros o humanos suficientes para su funcionamiento. Por ejemplo, no es poco común que los coordinadores de género en los organismos gubernamentales carezcan de poder decisorio o de la capacidad de influir en el programa de trabajo de sus instituciones[99]. La Relatora Especial también ha expresado preocupación por la falta de mecanismos de coordinación eficaces entre la policía, los servicios forenses y las fiscalías, los cuales siguen siendo fundamentales para combatir la impunidad e infundir confianza al público en el sistema de justicia[100].", "56. Entre otras medidas de prevención se incluyen las campañas de educación pública sobre la violencia contra la mujer, en las que se utilizan carteles, anuncios en revistas, sitios web y publicidad de televisión y radio; el establecimiento de días de acción nacional contra la violencia de género; las actividades y campañas de sensibilización con participación de personalidades públicas; y la preparación de programas de capacitación y sensibilización dirigidos a diferentes grupos profesionales, como la policía, los fiscales, los miembros del poder judicial, médicos, enfermeros y asistentes sociales[101].", "2. Enjuiciamiento y castigo", "57. La norma de la debida diligencia ha ayudado a cuestionar la codificación tradicional del derecho internacional que limitaba la responsabilidad de los Estados con respecto a los derechos humanos en la esfera pública. Ahora se reconoce que si los Estados no reaccionan ante la violencia en el ámbito privado, incluida la perpetrada por la pareja y/o la violencia doméstica, pueden ser considerados responsables por no cumplir su obligación de proteger y castigar los actos de violencia y abuso de manera no discriminatoria[102].", "58. Los Estados han respondido a su obligación de investigar los actos de violencia contra la mujer principalmente reforzando las capacidades y competencias de la policía, los fiscales y los magistrados. Algunos Estados también han reformado sus códigos penales para garantizar que los actos violentos se castiguen adecuadamente. Algunos Estados han aprobado leyes específicas que tipifican nuevos delitos penales y prevén a menudo la creación de dependencias especializadas de investigación o acusación. Asimismo, se han elaborado prácticas y procedimientos policiales específicos en relación con la investigación y el enjuiciamiento de casos de violencia contra la mujer[103]. Con respecto a la violencia doméstica, medidas como los mandamientos de amparo previstos en el derecho civil y las políticas de detención y enjuiciamiento obligatorios tienen por objeto proteger a las víctimas contra un mayor daño físico y garantizar que los casos de violencia doméstica no sean desestimados incluso si la víctima no está dispuesta a comparecer ante el tribunal y prestar declaración[104]. No obstante, algunos Estados aún no han tipificado como delito en su derecho interno todas las manifestaciones de la violencia contra la mujer, incluida la violencia sexual en el contexto conyugal y otras formas de violencia doméstica[105].", "59. El establecimiento de comisarías policiales para mujeres puede contribuir a lograr una mayor sensibilización en relación con la violencia contra la mujer y aumentar el número de denuncias[106]. Estas comisarías de policía especializadas cumplen una función destacada a la hora de interponer acciones legales en casos de violencia contra la mujer y tienen la responsabilidad de garantizar la aplicación de medidas de protección, ofrecer ayuda inmediata a las víctimas, llevar a cabo investigaciones y seguir de cerca los casos a través de las distintas instancias del sistema de justicia penal. Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil supervisan la labor que realizan estos servicios y determinan las esferas en que se requieren mejoras¹⁰⁶. La Relatora Especial ha acogido favorablemente otras medidas conexas como la inclusión de mujeres policías con experiencia específica en el registro y tratamiento de casos de violencia de género[107], lo que tiene por objeto crear un entorno propicio para alentar las denuncias.", "60. Sin embargo, hay muchas situaciones en que los Estados no cumplen su deber de investigar y castigar debidamente los actos de violencia contra la mujer, en particular con respecto a la violencia perpetrada en el ámbito privado. La omnipresencia de actitudes patriarcales en los sistemas de aplicación de la ley y de justicia, sumada a una falta de recursos y de conocimientos sobre la legislación vigente aplicable, hace que no se disponga de respuestas adecuadas frente a la violencia contra la mujer y persista la aceptación social de esos actos[108].", "61. En el caso Vertido c. Filipinas, en el que el autor de una agresión sexual contra una mujer fue declarado inocente sobre la base de mitificaciones de género e ideas falsas sobre la violación, el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer dictaminó que el Estado parte había violado las disposiciones de la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer. El Comité señaló la obligación de los Estados partes en la Convención de adoptar medidas adecuadas para modificar o abolir no solo las leyes y normas vigentes, sino también los usos y prácticas que constituyan discriminación contra la mujer. A este respecto, el Comité puso de relieve que la aplicación de estereotipos afecta el derecho de la mujer a un juicio imparcial y justo y que el poder judicial debe ejercer cautela para no crear normas inflexibles sobre lo que las mujeres y las niñas deberían ser o lo que deberían haber hecho al encontrarse en una situación de violación basándose únicamente en nociones preconcebidas de lo que define a una víctima de violación o de violencia basada en el género en general[109].", "62. A la luz de los testimonios de víctimas de la violencia doméstica que trataron de llevar sus casos a la justicia, reunidos por la Relatora Especial, si la violencia no da lugar a lesiones físicas graves, la policía, los fiscales y los jueces siguen restando importancia a esos delitos so pretexto de que la violencia doméstica es un asunto privado. En este sentido, disuaden a las víctimas de iniciar acciones judiciales y promueven la conciliación, lo que constituye una nueva situación de abuso para las víctimas. A menudo los casos de violencia doméstica son tratados como delitos de carácter administrativo y no penal o son clasificados como faltas, lo que significa que se les aplica una sentencia reducida o inadecuada[110].", "63. La baja tasa de enjuiciamiento de los autores de delitos contra la mujer refuerza la creencia entre las víctimas de que el sistema judicial no responde de manera sistemática y garantizada a la violencia contra la mujer y de que los culpables podrían quedar impunes. Debido a ello, se presenta un número cada vez menor de denuncias y se sigue restando importancia y visibilidad a esos delitos, lo que contribuye a reforzar la presencia constante de la violencia contra la mujer[111].", "3. Protección", "64. A fin de cumplir su obligación de debida diligencia en materia de protección, los Estados han adoptado numerosas medidas, sobre todo en lo que respecta a la prestación de servicios como líneas telefónicas de emergencia, atención de la salud, centros de asesoramiento, asistencia jurídica, refugios, órdenes de alejamiento y asistencia financiera a las víctimas de la violencia. Sin embargo, pese a la adopción de esas medidas de protección, la irregularidad de su aplicación y la incapacidad de ejercer la debida diligencia a veces han tenido como resultado una nueva victimización de las mujeres que denuncian los casos de violencia.", "65. Las principales deficiencias en la aplicación de la obligación de proteger incluyen la falta de aplicación adecuada por la policía y el poder judicial de los remedios civiles y las sanciones penales para los casos de violencia contra la mujer, así como la falta o la insuficiencia de servicios tales como centros de acogida, lo que supone que a menudo las mujeres no tengan otra opción que seguir viviendo con quien las maltrata. Además, la protección se ha centrado con demasiada frecuencia en la prestación de asistencia de urgencia a corto plazo y no en proporcionar a las mujeres que han sido víctimas de la violencia los medios para que no vuelvan a serlo[112].", "66. La falta de un número suficiente de refugios especialmente destinados a las mujeres y las niñas víctimas de la violencia contribuye a su invisibilidad y silenciamiento. Incluso cuando se dispone de refugios administrados por los gobiernos, la Relatora Especial ha observado, durante sus visitas a los países, el importante papel que cumplen las organizaciones no gubernamentales en la gestión de los refugios y en la prestación de asistencia psicológica, médica y jurídica a las mujeres víctimas de la violencia. Ya se trate de refugios con financiación privada o subvenciones estatales, estos centros son por lo general insuficientes, carecen de recursos humanos y materiales y suelen estar concentrados en zonas no accesibles a todas las mujeres. La Relatora Especial, si bien elogia la labor de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, ha señalado que la obligación de debida diligencia en cuanto a proteger a las mujeres contra la violencia incumbe principalmente al Estado y a sus instituciones. Por tanto, los Estados tienen la responsabilidad de garantizar la accesibilidad y disponibilidad de servicios eficaces de protección y apoyo a las víctimas de la violencia doméstica[113]. Asimismo, la Relatora Especial ha expresado preocupación por la falta de directrices de política en los sectores sanitario, psicosocial y jurídico para garantizar la prestación coordinada, rápida y eficaz de servicios a las víctimas[114].", "67. Durante su visita a los Estados Unidos, la Relatora Especial visitó el Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center en Minnesota, una “ventanilla única” que ofrece servicios a las mujeres víctimas de la violencia. Una característica innovadora de este centro es que acoge, en el mismo edificio, a varias agencias municipales y de condado y servicios de promoción que prestan asistencia a las víctimas durante todo el proceso judicial. El personal del centro no sólo ayuda a las víctimas a rellenar la documentación necesaria para solicitar una orden de alejamiento y les explica el proceso judicial civil y penal, sino también las acompaña al tribunal, les ayuda a formular planes de seguridad personal y familiar y a encontrar un refugio o una vivienda temporal y las remite a otros recursos y proveedores de servicios[115].", "68. Otro elemento esencial para evitar la reiterada victimización de las mujeres afectadas por la violencia es la instauración de normas de procedimiento para la presentación de pruebas que protejan a las víctimas y los testigos a fin de que no sufran más daño como consecuencia de su denuncia de la violencia¹¹¹.", "69. A nivel internacional, la Corte Penal Internacional ha establecido mecanismos para velar por que los delitos por motivos de género cometidos durante los conflictos armados reciban un tratamiento apropiado. La Unidad de Víctimas y Testigos de la Corte proporciona protección, apoyo y asistencia de otra índole para garantizar la seguridad personal y el bienestar físico y psicológico, la dignidad e intimidad de los que prestan testimonio[116]. Los servicios que ofrece la Unidad de Víctimas y Testigos pueden solicitarse y proporcionarse en todas las etapas del proceso, desde la investigación previa al juicio hasta después de éste[117]. Además, la Corte ha establecido el Fondo Fiduciario para las Víctimas, cuya función es prestar asistencia a las víctimas y administrar las reparaciones ordenadas por la Corte¹¹⁶. A nivel nacional, la Unidad de Víctimas y Testigos del Tribunal Especial para Sierra Leona ha preparado un amplio conjunto de medidas de protección y apoyo y, a la luz del seguimiento realizado, la experiencia de los testigos a los que la Corte ofreció información y apoyo fue generalmente positiva¹¹⁶.", "4. Obligación de proporcionar reparaciones", "70. En su mayoría, los tratados de derechos humanos y de derecho humanitario prevén el derecho al resarcimiento. En el contexto de graves y sistemáticas violaciones de derechos humanos, los Principios y directrices básicos sobre el derecho de las víctimas de violaciones manifiestas de las normas internacionales de derechos humanos y de violaciones graves del derecho internacional humanitario a interponer recursos y obtener reparaciones, aprobados por la Asamblea General en 2005, parten de la premisa de que el Estado tiene la obligación de garantizar a las víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos el derecho individual a la reparación. Tanto la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer como la Declaración sobre la eliminación de la violencia contra la mujer imponen a los Estados el deber de proporcionar indemnización por todos los actos de violencia. Sin embargo, la puesta en práctica de la obligación de debida diligencia con respecto a las reparaciones sigue estando muy poco desarrollada, como señaló la Relatora Especial en su informe presentado en 2010[118]. La escasa atención a las reparaciones, en los planos sustantivo como de procedimiento, a las mujeres víctimas de la violencia está reñida con el hecho de que estas son frecuente objeto de violencia tanto sexual como de otro tipo[119].", "71. Dada la forma desigual y diferenciada como la violencia afecta a las mujeres, se requieren medidas concretas de resarcimiento a fin de satisfacer sus necesidades y prioridades específicas. Como cada caso de violencia contra las mujeres suele enmarcarse en pautas de subordinación y marginación preexistentes y a menudo interrelacionadas, dichas medidas deben vincular las reparaciones individuales y la transformación estructural[120]. Esto significa que las reparaciones deben orientarse, en lo posible, a subvertir, en vez de reforzar, los patrones preexistentes de subordinación estructural, jerarquías basadas en el género, marginación sistémica y desigualdades estructurales que pueden ser causas profundas de la violencia que padecen las mujeres¹²⁰.", "72. Los principios examinados en los párrafos anteriores fueron citados por la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en su dictamen sobre el caso González et al (“Campo Algodonero”) c. México en 2009[121]. En este caso, relativo al secuestro, asesinato y violencia sexual de que fueron víctimas dos menores de edad y una joven a manos de agentes no estatales en 2003, la Corte interpretó de forma amplia las obligaciones de debida diligencia del Estado de investigar, enjuiciar y castigar a los culpables de la violencia contra la mujer. El dictamen es fundamental en que por vez primera la Corte hizo suya la noción de reparaciones en función del género con vocación transformadora. Estimó que en una situación de discriminación estructural, las reparaciones deben propender a transformarla, apuntando así no solo a la restitución sino a remediar la situación[122]. La Corte expuso claramente los criterios aplicables a las reparaciones por hostigamiento, entre ellas las siguientes: las reparaciones i) deben referirse directamente a las violaciones declaradas por la Corte; ii) deben reparar proporcionalmente los daños materiales e inmateriales; iii) no pueden significar enriquecimiento ni empobrecimiento; iv) no deben quebrantar el principio de la no discriminación; v) deben orientarse “a identificar y eliminar los factores causales de discriminación”; vi) deben adoptarse desde una perspectiva de género; y vii) deben considerar las acciones alegadas por el Estado tendientes a reparar el daño[123].", "73. El caso Opuz c.Turquía, presentado ante el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos, es también un ejemplo de jurisprudencia con respecto a las reparaciones. El caso fue presentado por la Sra. Opuz, quien, junto con su madre, sufrió años de violencia brutal a manos de su marido. No obstante sus denuncias, la policía y la fiscalía no protegieron debidamente a las mujeres, al punto que la madre de la Sra. Opuz fue muerta por el ex marido de su hija. El Tribunal concedió a la demandante indemnización por concepto de los daños no materiales a raíz de la angustia y aflicciones padecidas en razón del asesinato de su madre y de que las autoridades no habían tomado recaudos suficientes para impedir la violencia doméstica ejercida por su ex marido ni le habían aplicado una pena disuasiva.", "D. Marco integral de prevención y protección", "74. La prevención debe ser una prioridad central de los esfuerzos que realicen los Estados y otras partes interesadas para erradicar la violencia contra la mujer. La prevención también debe abordar las causas profundas de la violencia como parte de las obligaciones contraídas por los Estados en materia de derechos humanos fundamentales de proteger, respetar y hacer cumplir todos los derechos humanos de las mujeres y las niñas[124]. Si bien las estrategias han de responder a las especificidades locales, todas ellas deben tener como meta combatir la tácita aceptación social de la violencia contra la mujer que fomenta su prevalencia y lograr el empoderamiento y la igualdad de condición de la mujer en la sociedad.", "75. Como se expuso en la sección anterior, todo marco de prevención de la violencia contra la mujer debe incluir, entre otras cosas: a) medidas legislativas, en particular la ratificación de los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, la armonización de la legislación nacional, la adopción de legislación específica relativa a la violencia contra la mujer y la asignación de recursos presupuestarios y humanos suficientes para garantizar la aplicación efectiva de esa legislación; b) medidas institucionales y de política, como la eliminación de todo obstáculo a la investigación y el procesamiento de los casos de violencia contra la mujer, la asignación de recursos humanos, técnicos y financieros adecuados para prestar apoyo y servicios a las víctimas de la violencia de género, la creación de mecanismos de coordinación entre las autoridades y los proveedores de servicios a fin de garantizar una cooperación eficaz y el intercambio de información sobre las cuestiones relativas a la investigación y el procesamiento de los casos de violencia contra la mujer; c) actividades de fortalecimiento de la capacidad, incluidas las de formación y sensibilización, en particular la capacitación con una perspectiva de género para todos los funcionarios públicos que se ocupan de la violencia y la discriminación contra la mujer, campañas de sensibilización destinadas a eliminar las actitudes discriminatorias y combatir los estereotipos, e integración de la perspectiva de igualdad de género en los libros de texto y programas escolares.", "76. La correlación entre las tasas de prevalencia y la existencia de medidas efectivas y eficaces para promover la rendición de cuentas es cada vez más evidente. Las medidas tendientes a promover la investigación y el procesamiento de los casos de violencia contra la mujer y a ofrecer protección y reparación a las víctimas tendrán un efecto directo en las tasas de prevalencia de dicha violencia¹¹¹. El objetivo final de los esfuerzos de los Estados al investigar y castigar los actos de violencia contra la mujer y al ofrecer protección y reparación a las víctimas de ese tipo de violencia debería ser la prevención de una nueva victimización y de sucesivos actos de violencia mediante la eliminación de la discriminación estructural y el logro del empoderamiento de la mujer.", "77. Sin embargo, esas medidas no tendrán resultados sustantivos si no se aplican con un enfoque integral destinado a lograr al mismo tiempo una transformación social y el empoderamiento de la mujer. La titular del mandato ha hecho hincapié en la necesidad de vincular la violencia con los demás sistemas de opresión prevalecientes en la sociedad a fin de atacar las causas estructurales de la violencia contra la mujer. Para que las mujeres lleguen a ejercer progresivamente todos sus derechos humanos (civiles, políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales), los Estados deben promover y apoyar su empoderamiento mediante la educación, la formación profesional, la capacitación jurídica básica y el acceso a recursos productivos, lo que fomentará su concienciación, su autoestima, su confianza en sí mismas y su autosuficiencia[125]. Los sistemas y estructuras de poder sociales y económicos, en los planos institucional e individual, acentúan las desigualdades de género que hacen a las mujeres más vulnerables a la violencia, en particular las mujeres que viven en la pobreza, las migrantes, las mujeres indígenas y las jóvenes o ancianas[126]. El empoderamiento económico de la mujer mediante factores preventivos, como su derecho a la propiedad y a la tierra, una vivienda adecuada, la independencia económica o el acceso a la enseñanza secundaria, puede actuar como disuasivo de esa clase de violencia[127]. Gracias a ese empoderamiento, las mujeres pueden comprender que la subordinación y la violencia no son un destino insoslayable, ofrecer resistencia a la asimilación de la opresión, desarrollar sus capacidades como seres independientes y cuestionar y negociar constantemente las condiciones de su existencia en las esferas pública y privada¹²⁵.", "78. En lo que respecta al empoderamiento de la mujer en los planos comunitario y familiar, los Estados deben adoptar un enfoque de “negociación cultural”, el cual permite hacer frente a las causas profundas de la violencia y aumentar la sensibilización sobre el carácter opresivo de determinadas prácticas sociales. Esa negociación cultural supone la identificación y el cuestionamiento de la legitimidad de quienes monopolizan el derecho de hablar en nombre de la cultura y de la religión[128]. No son la cultura o la religión en sí mismas las que disponen que una mujer deba ser golpeada, mutilada o asesinada, sino que esos preceptos los dictan quienes monopolizan el derecho a hablar en nombre de la cultura o de la religión. En consecuencia, el compromiso del Estado con el empoderamiento de la mujer y la transformación de la sociedad es capital para propiciar el cambio de las estructuras y prácticas patriarcales hegemónicas[129].", "79. La plena observancia de los derechos humanos de la mujer también requiere voluntad política y una asignación de recursos suficiente a fin de eliminar las desigualdades y la discriminación existentes. Al afrontar estas tareas, los Estados deben actuar de manera no discriminatoria y desplegar esfuerzos y recursos para prevenir, investigar, castigar la violencia contra la mujer y proporcionar reparaciones a las víctimas en la misma medida que los que destinan a la lucha contra otras formas de violencia. Los Estados deben actuar de buena fe y adoptar medidas positivas para asegurarse de que los derechos humanos de la mujer se protegen, respetan, promueven y ejercen[130].", "1. Conclusiones y recomendaciones: adopción de un enfoque integral respecto de la violencia contra la mujer", "80. La adopción de un enfoque integral para comprender la discriminación y la violencia contra la mujer requiere, entre otras cosas, que: a) los derechos se consideren universales, interdependientes e indivisibles; b) la violencia se inserte en un contexto inclusivo que abarque la violencia interpersonal y estructural; c) se tenga en cuenta la discriminación tanto individual como estructural, incluidas las desigualdades estructurales e institucionales; y d) se analicen las jerarquías sociales y/o económicas entre las mujeres y entre las mujeres y los hombres, es decir, tanto dentro del mismo género como entre los géneros.", "81. Los derechos humanos son universales. Todas las personas tienen derecho al respeto, la protección y el ejercicio de sus derechos humanos independientemente de su situación geográfica o posición social y ello incluye el derecho de la mujer a no ser víctima de violencia. Sin embargo, esa comprensión de la universalidad de los derechos no exime a los Estados de la necesidad de tener en cuenta las especificidades de la violencia contra la mujer y de la obligación de reconocer debidamente, a nivel local, las diversas formas de opresión que experimentan las mujeres[131]. Las respuestas programáticas a la violencia contra la mujer no pueden considerarse aisladamente de los contextos individual, familiar, comunitario o estatal[132].", "82. Los derechos humanos son también interdependientes e indivisibles. Los Estados deberían abandonar el enfoque erróneo que consiste en dar prioridad a los derechos civiles y políticos y tomar conciencia de que la denegación de los derechos sociales, económicos y culturales restringe las posibilidades de la mujer de llevar una vida civil y política plena[133]. Al aplicar un enfoque integral para comprender la discriminación y la violencia contra la mujer, es imprescindible incluir un análisis del derecho a un nivel de vida adecuado y prestar atención asimismo, entre otras cosas, a los derechos de integridad física, educación, participación civil y política y autodeterminación personal. Estos derechos fundamentales determinan directamente la capacidad de la mujer de participar de forma equitativa e integral en los ámbitos público y privado[134].", "83. El enfoque integral para abordar la violencia requiere una comprensión de que esta constituye un proceso constante en términos tanto de tiempo como de espacio, lo que se refleja en sus diversas formas y manifestaciones. Si bien cierto grado de categorización podría ser útil en lo que respecta a la prestación de servicios a las víctimas, en particular servicios clínicos, psicosociales o jurídicos, la perspectiva integral se basa en la noción de que todas las formas de abuso son factores que afectan cualitativamente el bienestar económico, social, cultural y político de la mujer, su comunidad y el Estado. Los Estados deben reconocer que la violencia contra la mujer no es el problema de fondo, sino que la violencia ocurre debido a que se fomentan otras formas de discriminación. Si consideran la violencia contra la mujer como un proceso constante, los Estados pueden contextualizar la violencia de forma apropiada y reconocer que la privación de agua, alimentos y otros derechos humanos puede ser tan atroz y debilitante como la violencia familiar. Aunque estas formas de violencia no son en absoluto idénticas, es posible considerarlas paralelas y análogas si se reconoce su interdependencia[135].", "84. El enfoque integral también requiere que los Estados reconozcan la existencia de desigualdades estructurales e institucionales que guardan relación con la discriminación. Ya se basen en la raza, el origen étnico o nacional, la capacidad, la clase socioeconómica, la orientación sexual, la identidad de género, la religión, la cultura, la tradición u otras realidades, la discriminación suele intensificar los actos de violencia contra la mujer. El reconocimiento de los aspectos y factores estructurales de la discriminación es necesario para el logro de la no discriminación y la igualdad[136]. Los esfuerzos encaminados a poner fin a todas las formas de violencia contra la mujer deben considerar no solo la forma en que la vida de las personas se ve afectada por el impacto inmediato del abuso, sino también la manera en que las estructuras de discriminación y desigualdad perpetúan y exacerban la experiencia de la víctima[137]. Las formas interpersonales, institucionales y estructurales de la violencia perpetúan tanto las desigualdades de género como también las jerarquías raciales, las ortodoxias religiosas, las prácticas de exclusión de grupos étnicos y la asignación de recursos que favorece a ciertos grupos de mujeres a expensas de otros. Las intervenciones encaminadas únicamente a mitigar el abuso sin tener en cuenta las realidades que enfrenta la mujer no ponen en jaque las desigualdades de género y la discriminación fundamentales que propician inicialmente el abuso.", "85. La adopción de un modelo integral para abordar la violencia de género requiere una comprensión de las distintas manifestaciones de las diferencias dentro del mismo género y entre los géneros y de los factores de desigualdad institucional y estructural que exacerban la violencia como consecuencia de la convergencia de múltiples formas de discriminación[138]. A la hora de cumplir sus obligaciones jurídicas internacionales, los Estados deben tener presente que la discriminación afecta a la mujer de distintas formas según su posición en determinadas jerarquías sociales, económicas y culturales que prohíben o restringen aun más la capacidad de ciertas mujeres de gozar de los derechos humanos universales. Además, este enfoque revela aspectos críticos de la discriminación y desigualdad dentro del mismo género que hasta la fecha han quedado excluidos de los esfuerzos de lucha contra la violencia que, en sus respuestas a esta, tratan de manera homogénea a todas las mujeres.¹³¹", "86. Un enfoque programático de una sola talla es insuficiente para combatir la violencia de género. La violencia nace de una interacción compleja de factores individuales, familiares, comunitarios y sociales, y aunque todas las mujeres están expuestas al riesgo de ser víctimas de violencia en cualquier sociedad del mundo, no todas las mujeres son igualmente vulnerables a los actos de violencia y a las estructuras que los fomentan. El enfoque integral para la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra todas las mujeres consiste en atacar la discriminación y marginación sistemáticas mediante la adopción de medidas destinadas a eliminar la desigualdad y la discriminación entre las propias mujeres y entre éstas y los hombres. Los tratados, las declaraciones y los mecanismos de las Naciones Unidas en materia de derechos humanos proporcionan el marco institucional dentro del cual los gobiernos, los agentes no estatales y los activistas locales pueden promover una respuesta integral a la identificación, prevención y eliminación definitiva de todas las formas de violencia contra la mujer. La lucha en pro de los derechos humanos de la mujer sigue constituyendo una tarea colectiva en la que debemos colaborar activamente con miras a garantizar el pleno disfrute de esos derechos a todas las mujeres y niñas del mundo.", "Appendix I", "Thematic annual reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "Theme and year\tSymbol number ofreport \nMultiple and intersecting forms ofdiscrimination and violence against women(2011)\tA/HRC/17/26\nReparations to women who have been subjectedto violence (2010)\tA/HRC/14/22\nPolitical economy of women’s human rights(2009)\tA/HRC/11/6\nIndicators on violence against women and Stateresponse (2008)\tA/HRC/7/6\nIntersections between culture and violenceagainst women (2007)\tA/HRC/4/34\nThe due diligence standard as a tool forelimination of violence against women (2006)\tE/CN.4/2006/61\nIntersections of violence against women andHIV/AIDS (2005)\tE/CN.4/2005/72\nTowards an effective implementation ofinternational norms to end violence againstwomen (2004)\tE/CN.4/2004/66\nInternational, regional and nationaldevelopments in the area of violence againstwomen, 1994-2003 (2003)\tE/CN.4/2003/75/Add.1\nCultural practices in the family that areviolent towards women (2002)\tE/CN.4/2002/83\nViolence against women perpetrated or condonedby the State during times of armed conflict(2001)\tE/CN.4/2001/73\nTrafficking in women, women’s migration andviolence against women (2000)\tE/CN.4/2000/68\nFollow-up report on violence against women inthe family (1999)\tE/CN.4/1999/68\nViolence perpetrated or condoned by the State(1998)\tE/CN.4/1998/54\n Violence against women in the community (1997) E/CN.4/1997/47 \n Violence against women in the family (1996) E/CN.4/1996/53 \n Preliminary report (1995) E/CN.4/1995/42", "Appendix II", "Country mission reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "Country\tSymbol number ofreport \nUnited States of America (January-February2011)\tA/HRC/17/26/Add.5\n Zambia (December 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.4 \n Algeria (November 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.3 \n El Salvador (March 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.2 \n Kyrgyzstan (November 2009) A/HRC/14/22/Add.2 \n Moldova (July 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.4 \n Tajikistan (May 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.2 \n Saudi Arabia (February 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.3 \nDemocratic Republic of the Congo (July2007)\tA/HRC/7/6/Add.4\n Ghana (July 2007) A/HRC/7/6/Add.3 \n Algeria (January 2007) A/HRC/7/6/Add.2 \n Netherlands (July 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.4 \n Sweden (June 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.3 \n Turkey (May 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.2 \nAfghanistan (July 2005)\tE/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5;A/58/421\n Mexico (February 2005) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.4\n Russian Federation (December 2004) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.2\n Islamic Republic of Iran (February 2005) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.3\n Darfur region of the Sudan (September 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.5\n Occupied Palestinian Territory (June 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4\n Guatemala (February 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.3\n El Salvador (February 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.2\n Colombia (November 2001) E/CN.4/2002/83/Add.3\n Sierra Leone (August 2001) E/CN.4/2002/83/Add.2\n Bangladesh, Nepal and India (November 2000) E/CN.4/2001/73/Add.2\n East Timor (November 1999) A/54/660 \n Pakistan and Afghanistan (September 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4\n Haiti (June 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.3\n Cuba (June 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.2\n Indonesia and East Timor (November 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68/Add.3\n United States of America (June 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68/Add.2\n Liechtenstein (April 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68 \n Rwanda (September 1997) E/CN.4/1998/54/Add.1\n South Africa (October 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.3\n Brazil (July 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.2\n Poland (May 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.1\nDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea,Republicof Korea and Japan (July 1995)\tE/CN.4/1996/53/Add.1", "[1] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.3 a 5.", "[2] A/HRC/17/26/Add.1 a 5.", "[3] Véanse A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, A/HCR/17/26/Add.1.", "[4] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.1.", "[5] A/HRC/16/68.", "[6] Véanse A/HRC/11/6/Add.5 y resolución 48/104 de la Asamblea General.", "[7] Véase A/HRC/17/26, párr. 64.", "[8] Véase A/HRC/17/26, párr. 12.", "[9] A/CONF.157/23, párr. 18.", "[10] Ibid., párr. 38.", "[11] Resolución 48/104.", "[12] Resolución S-23/3 (2000).", "[13] E/2010/27-E/CN.6/2010/11, anexo, y resolución 65/187.", "[14] A/HRC/14/L.9/Rev.1.", "[15] CEDAW/C/EGY/CO/7, párr. 23; CEDAW/C/MWI/CO/6, párr. 22; CEDAW/PAN/CO/7, párr. 7; CEDAW/ALB/CO/3, párr. 3; CEDAW/C/AUS/CO/7, párr. 28; CEDAW/C/FIJ/CO/4, párr. 22; CEDAW/C/USR/CO/7, párr. 22; CEDAW/CO/TUR/6, párr. 22; CEDAW/C/MLT/CO/4, párr. 22; CEDAW/C/TUN/C/6, párr. 26; CEDAW/C/UGA/CO/7, párr. 23.", "[16] A/HRC/17/26, párr. 17.", "[17] La lista completa de los informes temáticos figura en el apéndice 1.", "[18] La lista completa de los informes de misiones a países figura en el apéndice 2.", "[19] A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, párr. 2.", "[20] Véase, por ejemplo, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ZR/DRC_Reparations_Report_en.pdf.", "[21] Véase A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, párr. 30.", "[22] Ibid., párr. 31.", "[23] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 8.", "[24] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 18.", "[25] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 14.", "[26] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párrs 25 y 28.", "[27] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 52.", "[28] Ibid., párr. 62.", "[29] Véanse A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 15, y A/HRC/14/22/, párr. 28.", "[30] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 27.", "[31] Véanse A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 21 y A/HRC/17/26/Add.5 párr. 13.", "[32] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 20.", "[33] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 24.", "[34] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5.", "[35] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 47.", "[36] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 45.", "[37] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 23.", "[38] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 15.", "[39] Ibid., párr. 56.", "[40] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 22.", "[41] Véanse A/61/122/Add.1, párr .124 y http://inthenews.unfpa.org/?p=3516.", "[42] Véase A/HRC/7/6/Add.2 (2008), párr. 37.", "[43] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5, párr. 30.", "[44] Ibid., párr. 35.", "[45] Véase A/HRC/4/34/Add.4, parr. 18.", "[46] Véase E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4, párrs. 56 a 58.", "[47] Véase E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4, párr. 46.", "[48] Véase A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, párr. 34.", "[49] Véase A/HRC/4/34/Add.2, párrs. 30 a 33.", "[50] Véase A/61/122/Add.1, párr. 84.", "[51] Véase A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, párr. 36.", "[52] Véase A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, párr. 12.", "[53] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 29.", "[54] Véase A/HRC/11/12/2, párr. 43.", "[55] Véase A/61/122/Add.1, párr. 123.", "[56] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, párr. 17.", "[57] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 22.", "[58] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 11.", "[59] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 17.", "[60] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 42.", "[61] Ibid., párr. 43.", "[62] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 23.", "[63] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párrs. 18 y 19.", "[64] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 57.", "[65] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 34.", "[66] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, párr. 23.", "[67] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 38.", "[68] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 28.", "[69] Véase A/61/122/Add.1, párr. 84.", "[70] Véanse A/61/122/Add.1, párr. 115 y A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 9.", "[71] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 56.", "[72] Véase CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/7, párr. 31.", "[73] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 25.", "[74] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 12.", "[75] Véase E/CN.4/2001/73.", "[76] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 22.", "[77] Ibid., párr. 29.", "[78] Véanse CAT/C/MEX/CO/4; CAT/C/GUY/CO/1; CAT/C/TGO/CO/1 y CAT/C/BDI/CO/1.", "[79] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, párr. 16.", "[80] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 33.", "[81] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 34.", "[82] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 39.", "[83] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 31.", "[84] Véase E/CN.4/2004/66, párr. 42.", "[85] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 29.", "[86] Véase A/59/710.", "[87] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 33.", "[88] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 36.", "[89] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 28.", "[90] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, párr. 58.", "[91] Ibid., párr. 60.", "[92] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 29.", "[93] Resolución 48/104, art. 4 c).", "[94] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 16.", "[95] Véase A/61/122/Add.1, párrs. 339 a 354.", "[96] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 89.", "[97] Véase ONU-Mujeres, El progreso de las mujeres en el mundo. En busca de la justicia (2011), pág. 26.", "[98] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 41.", "[99] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 91.", "[100] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 60.", "[101] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párrs. 44 y 45.", "[102] Ibid., párr. 61.", "[103] Ibid., párr. 50.", "[104] Véase E/CN.4/1996/53.", "[105] Véase A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, párr. 60.", "[106] Véase ONU-Mujeres, El progreso de las mujeres en el mundo. En busca de la justicia (2011), pág. 58.", "[107] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 44.", "[108] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 59.", "[109] Véase CEDAW/C/46/D/18/2008, párr. 8.4.", "[110] Véanse A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, párr. 59; A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 13.", "[111] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 92.", "[112] Ibid., párr. 49.", "[113] Véanse A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, párr. 73 y A/HRC/17/26/Add.4.", "[114] Véase A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, párr. 81.", "[115] Información procedente de una entrevista realizada durante la visita a los Estados Unidos.", "[116] Véase ONU-Mujeres, El progreso de las mujeres en el mundo. En busca de la justicia (2011), pág. 91.", "[117] Véase http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Structure+of+the+Court/Protection/ Victims+and+Witness+Unit.htm.", "[118] Véase A/HRC/14/22.", "[119] Ibid., párr. 23.", "[120] Ibid., párr. 24.", "[121] Este caso se refiere también a la ulterior incapacidad del Estado de investigar, enjuiciar y castigar a los autores con la debida diligencia y de tratar con dignidad a los familiares de los fallecidos.", "[122] Véase A/HRC/14/22, párr. 77.", "[123] Véase A/HRC/14/22, párr. 78.", "[124] Véase A/61/299, párrs. 3 a 10.", "[125] Ibid., párr. 80.", "[126] Véase A/HRC/17/22, párr. 39.", "[127] Ibid., párr. 40.", "[128] E/CN.4/2006/61, párr. 85.", "[129] Ibid., párr. 88.", "[130] Véase E/CN.4/2006/61, párrs. 35 y 36.", "[131] Véase A/HRC/17/26, párrs. 59 y 60.", "[132] Ibid., párr. 101.", "[133] Ibid., párr. 60.", "[134] Ibid., párr. 103.", "[135] Ibid., párrs. 64 a 66.", "[136] Ibid., párr. 67.", "[137] Ibid., párr. 102.", "[138] Ibid., párr. 70." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 28 of the provisional agenda[1]", "Advancement of women", "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/187.", "Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences", "Summary", "This is the first written report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, to the General Assembly, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/187. The report provides an overview of the mandate’s work and main findings and the challenges it continues to encounter, and presents specific recommendations to address violence against women through a holistic framework based on States’ obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of women and girls.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 4\nII. Activities 4A.Country 4 \nvisits B.Thematic 4 \nreport C.Communications 4 and press \nreleases D.Commission 5 on the Status of \nWomen E. Joint 5 report on the Democratic Republic of the \nCongo F.Regional 5 \nconsultations G. Other 5 \nactivities III. Continuum 6 of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective \nredress A.Violence 7 against women as a human rights \nissue B.Manifestations 9 of violence against women in the four \nspheres C.Due 16 diligence obligation of States under international human rights law: evolving practices, jurisprudence and remaining \nchallenges D.Holistic 22 framework for prevention and \nprotection \nAppendices I.Thematic 26 annual reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July \n 2011 II.Country 27 mission reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July \n 2011", "I. Introduction", "1. This is the first written report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, to the General Assembly, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/187. Section I summarizes the activities of the Special Rapporteur between October 2010 and July 2011. Section II provides an overview of the mandate’s work and main findings and the challenges it continues to encounter, and presents specific recommendations to address violence against women through a holistic framework.", "II. Activities", "A. Country visits", "2. In the period under review, the Special Rapporteur conducted official country missions to Algeria (1-10 November 2010), Zambia (6-11 December 2010), and the United States of America (24 January-7 February 2011).[2]", "3. In 2011, the Special Rapporteur received positive replies to her requests to visit Italy and Jordan. She has urged those Governments that have not yet responded to do so favourably. The Special Rapporteur looks forward to receiving favourable responses from the Governments of Bangladesh, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.", "B. Thematic report", "4. The Special Rapporteur’s thematic report (A/HRC/17/26), submitted to the Human Rights Council in June 2011, focused on multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and proposed a holistic approach to addressing the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that contribute to and exacerbate violence against women.[3] This approach is further explained in section III.D of the present report.", "C. Communications and press releases", "5. The communications sent to Governments concern a wide array of issues that reflect a pattern of inequality and discrimination related to violence against women, its causes and consequences.[4] These included, but were not limited to, arbitrary detention; torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; summary and extrajudicial executions; sexual violence, including rape, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The Special Rapporteur regrets that only 3 Governments out of the 13 concerned replied to the communications sent to them during the reporting period.[5]", "6. The Special Rapporteur has also issued press statements, either individually or jointly with other mandate holders.", "D. Commission on the Status of Women", "7. In February 2011, the Special Rapporteur presented an oral report to the Commission on the Status of Women calling for a new vision of women’s rights informed by the lessons learned from the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. She also stressed the need for more effective implementation by States of the due diligence obligation in regard to violence against women.", "E. Joint report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo", "8. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 10/33 and 13/22, the Special Rapporteur contributed to the third joint report of seven United Nations experts on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[6] The Special Rapporteur expressed concern at the pervasive violations of the human rights of women and girls that continue to be perpetrated with impunity and joined her peers in reiterating the call on the Human Rights Council to consider the establishment of a special procedures country-specific mandate.", "F. Regional consultations", "9. The Special Rapporteur continued to engage actively with civil society organizations, including through participation in regional consultations. In September 2010, together with the Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights, she attended a regional consultation in Nepal, which focused on women, culture and human rights. In January 2011, she took part in the regional consultation for the Asia Pacific region, held in Malaysia, which focused on the theme of multiple forms of discrimination and was followed by a national consultation. In June 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in consultations held in Brussels with European civil society organizations, including representatives of European observatories on violence against women.", "G. Other activities", "10. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur participated in a number of conferences, workshops and side events on several topics related to her mandate. These include participation in two conferences in Madrid on the theme of femicide; a colloquium on the applicability of international human rights treaties to the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrant domestic workers in the European Union; a seminar on traditional values and human rights and in three panel discussions on women’s rights organized by the Human Rights Council. She conducted a study visit to Norway, at the invitation of the Minister of Justice, during which she met with various State and non-State actors who discussed evolving practices in the quest to eliminate violence against women. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the value of such visits, which provide an opportunity to engage with national stakeholders and learn from the country experience. She thanks the Government of Norway for having provided this opportunity.", "11. The Special Rapporteur convened a side event on the subject of reparations to women victims of violence during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly and a side event on regional standards and violence against women during the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council in June 2011. The objective of the latter event, which brought together representatives of regional human rights mechanisms from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Inter-American region, was to analyse the different provisions on violence against women elaborated in the regional human rights instruments and relevant jurisprudence developed by the regional mechanisms. The identification of potential areas of collaboration was also explored.", "III. Continuum of violence against women from the home to the transnational sphere: the challenges of effective redress", "12. Throughout the world, violence against women is pervasive, widespread and unacceptable. Rooted in multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inequalities, and strongly linked to the social and economic situation of women, violence against women constitutes a continuum of exploitation and abuse. Whether it occurs in times of conflict, post conflict or so called peace, the various forms and manifestations of violence against women are simultaneously causes and consequences of discrimination, inequality and oppression.", "13. Taking into account the intersectionality and the continuum of violence approach that have increasingly blurred the distinction between violence perpetrated in the public and the private spheres, the mandate analyses violence against women in four main spheres: (i) in the family; (ii) in the community; (iii) violence perpetrated or condoned by the State; and (iv) in the transnational arena.[7] These broad categories are neither mutually exclusive nor ranked. If any violence that falls somewhere on this continuum is either directed at women, or experienced by a group that is overwhelmingly female, then the violence constitutes discrimination against women.[8]", "14. Section A below tracks the evolution of violence against women as a human rights issue, including the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on violence against women. Section B describes the most prevalent manifestations of violence against women that the mandate has identified in the family, the community, the State and the transitional arena. Section C highlights some evolving practices, jurisprudence and challenges regarding States’ compliance with their due diligence obligation to prevent, protect, investigate and punish and provide reparations to women victims of violence. Finally, section D proposes a holistic approach to addressing the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence against women.", "A. Violence against women as a human rights issue", "1. Evolution of violence against women as a human rights issue", "15. For more than 25 years, the global movement against violence against women has worked to “transform significantly the place of women and the status of gender based violence within the human rights discourse”.[9] In 1985, the Third World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held in Nairobi, marked the end of the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985) and evaluated progress made by the international community in achieving the goals of equality, development and peace for women. The Nairobi Conference “reaffirm[ed] the international concern regarding the status of women and provide[d] a framework for renewed commitment by the international community to the advancement of women and the elimination of gender-based discrimination”.⁸ Violence against women was one of the concerns raised by participants at this meeting.", "16. The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action that recognized that “the human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights”.[10] The World Conference called upon the General Assembly to adopt the draft declaration on violence against women and urged States to combat violence against women in accordance with its provisions.[11] In 1993, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which provides a more comprehensive framework on violence against women in terms of definition, scope, obligations of the State, and the role of the United Nations.[12] Pursuant to a decision of the Commission on Human Rights the same year in which it considered the appointment of a special rapporteur on violence against women, the mandate was established by resolution 1994/45 on the integration of the rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and the elimination of violence against women.", "17. The twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the five-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action clearly demonstrated that violence against women had become a priority issue on the agenda of many Member States. The outcome document of the session went a step further in calling on States to “treat all forms of violence against women and girls of all ages as a criminal offence punishable by law, including violence based on all forms of discrimination”.[13] In 2010, at the Beijing + 15 review, Member States recognized that implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was mutually reinforcing in the quest to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and emphasized the interdependency between the implementation of these commitments and achieving the internationally agreed development goals.[14]", "18. These developments led the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Security Council to pass resolutions that focus particularly on violence against women and girls. The General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have, for example, increasingly identified inequality and discrimination, including gender-based violence, as violations of human rights of women and girls. Resolutions adopted by these organs have increasingly referred to the heightened risk of gender-based violence for women who suffer multiple forms of discrimination and have identified “power imbalances and structural inequality between men and women” as root causes of violence against women.[15] In the context of peace and security, the Security Council, through resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), has called for special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict.", "19. The prevalence of violence against women remains a global concern. For example, in the majority of the 21 countries considered by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2010, representing all regions, prevalence of violence was either high, persistent or on the increase.[16] The Committee had already explicitly linked discrimination against women and gender-based violence in its general recommendations No. 12 (1989) and No. 19 (1992). It constantly calls on States parties to include in their reports to the Committee information on violence and on measures introduced to overcome such violence.", "20. Currently, the United Nations discourse regarding violence against women hinges on three principles: first, violence against women and girls is addressed as a matter of equality and non-discrimination between women and men; second, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are recognized as increasing the risk that some women will experience targeted, compounded or structural discrimination; and third, the interdependence of human rights is reflected in efforts such as those that seek to address the causes of violence against women related to the civil, cultural, economic, political and social spheres.[17]", "2. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women", "21. Since 1994, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women has studied the forms, prevalence, causes and consequences of violence against women; analysed the legal and institutional developments in the protection of women against violence and the remaining challenges; and provided key recommendations to Governments and to the international community to overcome such challenges.", "22. Through thematic reports,[18] country missions,[19] consultations, experts meetings, communications to Governments, and other mechanisms, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur has addressed violence against women in all spheres of life, specifically in the four spheres referred to above.[20]", "23. The thematic and country mission reports produced by the Special Rapporteur help provide a framework for addressing distinct forms of gender-based violence by analysing the causes and consequences of violence, and elaborating on the role of both States, non-State actors, and regional and international stakeholders in combating violence in the public and private domains. Thematic reports also help inform policy and shape the advancement of women’s human rights standards in international law. For example, the Special Rapporteur’s 2010 report on reparations has been used by OHCHR to implement a project on reparations and capacity-building in northern Uganda, as well as a joint project with the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office, which focuses on remedies and reparations for victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[21]", "B. Manifestations of violence against women in the four spheres", "24. The section below describes prevalence and illustrations of manifestations of violence against women in each of the four spheres by drawing on findings from the country visits undertaken by the Special Rapporteur between 2009 and 2011 (Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, El Salvador, Zambia, United States of America), as well as findings of previous mandate-holders. As such, it does not purport at providing an exhaustive account of forms of violence against women globally, but rather seeks to highlight examples of how such violence can manifest itself by selecting main themes covered and encountered by the Special Rapporteur.", "1. Violence in the family", "25. The mandate has identified two main categories of violence against women in the family sphere: domestic violence and harmful and degrading practices that are violent to and/or subordinate women, whether justified on the basis of religious, customary or other societal laws and practices.[22] The mandate has adopted a broad definition of the family that encompasses intimate-partner and interpersonal relationships, including non-cohabitating partners, previous partners and domestic workers.[23]", "26. The Special Rapporteur’s country visits confirm that domestic violence remains widespread and affects women of all social strata. As reported in the mission report on her visit to the United States of America, approximately 552,000 violent crimes against women by an intimate partner were committed in 2008.[24] In El Salvador, a 2008 survey on family health indicated that 44 per cent of women who had been married or lived with a partner had suffered psychological violence, 24 per cent physical violence and 12 per cent sexual violence.[25] According to a national survey in Algeria, over 30 per cent of women had been regularly subjected to threats of physical or psychological violence and 10.9 per cent subjected to forced sexual relationships on more than one occasion by their intimate partner.[26]", "27. Country visits indicate that certain groups of women are at particular risk of violence.[27] In the United States, the Special Rapporteur noted that women of African-American descent experience intimate partner violence at rates 35 per cent higher than white women.[28] Further demonstrating the nexus between poverty, exclusion and violence, the country visit revealed that prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault against Native-American women exceeded that of any other population group in the country.[29] The Special Rapporteur also found that poor women and those with little education, widows or separated women are particularly vulnerable as they lack family and community support. In Algeria and Kyrgyzstan, women between the ages of 25 and 44, and women with two or more children reportedly suffered high levels of domestic violence.[30]", "28. Domestic violence continues to be perceived as both socially acceptable and legitimate. During her visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Special Rapporteur found that 38 per cent of women between 15 and 49 years of age believed that a husband had the right to beat his wife in various situations.[31] Domestic violence is also an extremely underreported crime. Throughout country visits, victims put forward similar reasons why they hesitate to contact the authorities: fear of retaliation, family or community pressure not to reveal domestic problems, poor awareness of rights, lack of support services, economic dependency, and perceptions that the police will not respond adequately.[32]", "29. Prosecution of domestic and other forms of family violence remains low. El Salvador saw a decline from 4,890 (2003) to 1,240 (2007) in the number of judicial proceedings in intra-family violence cases initiated in family courts.[33] The Special Rapporteur recurrently hears accounts of police officers encouraging informal resolutions and reconciliation between the parties rather than arresting the perpetrators. In Zambia, women preferred conciliation primarily due to family pressure and economic dependency on the abuser.[34] Women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as immigrant and indigenous women or women belonging to a minority, may be particularly reluctant to reach out to the authorities, who they may perceive as oppressive rather than protective. The Special Rapporteur received reports of the arrest of women of colour and of minority women following domestic violence incidents during her visit to the United States of America.[35]", "30. Closely tied to domestic violence, practices that are harmful and degrading undermine the rights and status of women and girls and continue without systematic monitoring or punishment, despite the increasing existence of legal prohibitions.[36] In some countries, early and forced marriage, polygamy and unregistered marriages continue to be of concern. The mandate considers these practices “aggravated factors” that increase vulnerability of women to violence.[37] In Kyrgyzstan, the Special Rapporteur found correlation between early marriages (12.2 per cent of women) and unregistered marriages, on the one hand, and rising unemployment and feminization of poverty and the resurfacing of patriarchal traditions and religious conservatism, on the other. Early marriage contributes to high maternal mortality rates due to prolonged labour and other complications.[38] Similarly, women living in unregistered marriages in Algeria experienced heightened vulnerability to violence and abuse and were reported to have difficulties in ending abusive relationships due to lack of support, alternative housing and legal protection.[39] Despite legal restrictions in regard to polygamy, the Special Rapporteur heard accounts from women who were subjected to violence or threats of violence by husbands who wished to obtain consent to a polygamous marriage.[40]", "31. Many women are subjected to violence by their husbands, but also by their husbands’ families. For examples, in countries where “bride price/dowry” is still practised, spouses and in-law family members believe they have purchased the bride and are therefore entitled to subject their “property” to violence and other forms of ill-treatment.[41]", "32. Honour-related violence and killings against women intersect with discrimination and inequalities within both the family and community spheres. Statistics from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) suggest that approximately 5,000 women are murdered each year by family members in honour-related violence.[42] Since the establishment of the mandate, violence and murder of women in the name of honour have been reported on in the course of visits to Algeria,[43] Afghanistan,[44] the Islamic Republic of Iran,[45] the Netherlands,[46] the Occupied Palestinian Territory,[47] Pakistan,[48] Sweden,[49] and Turkey.[50] As described by the Secretary-General in his 2006 in-depth study on all forms of violence against women, crimes committed in the name of honour often have a collective dimension, with the family as a whole considered to be injured by a woman’s actual or perceived behaviour. They are also public in character and influence the conduct of other women.[51] This collective element makes it extremely difficult to separate the victim from actual or potential perpetrators unless she is willing to break all family relations and start a life outside her social frame of reference.[52]", "2. Violence in the community", "33. The mandate has identified rape/sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence within institutions, trafficking, forced prostitution, violence against women migrant workers, and pornography as forms of violence against women occurring in the community.[53] Stalking, violence against lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons, bride-kidnapping,[54] femicide (including killings in connection to witchcraft[55] and dowry)[56] are other manifestations of violence against women in this sphere.", "34. Sexual violence is a universal and widespread manifestation of gender-based violence that is rooted in a culture of discrimination that legitimizes the appropriation and control of women’s bodies by men.[57] In El Salvador, the incidence of sexual violence increased from 3,368 cases in 2007 to 4,120 cases in 2008.[58] Rape and sexual assault were also noted as prevalent forms of violence against women in the United States, where an estimated 500 women were raped every day in 2008.[59] One in 10 women in Zambia had experienced sexual abuse.[60] Often, public awareness of sexual violence as a crime is not necessarily a given. In Kyrgyzstan, where statistics disclosed an increase of cases of sexual violence against women,[61] awareness was very low: 35 per cent of urban women and 25 per cent of rural women indicated that they did not believe sexual violence constituted a crime.[62]", "35. Sexual harassment at school and at the workplace is acknowledged as a pervasive manifestation of violence.[63] In El Salvador, the Special Rapporteur heard testimonies of the working conditions of young women working in the maquila plants, where they were subjected to verbal and physical abuse by supervisors, sexual harassment, and mandatory pregnancy tests. Sexual harassment in educational and training institutions in Algeria was pervasive and underreported at the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur, despite commendable steps by the authorities to criminalize sexual harassment based on abuse of authority.[64] The visit to the United States revealed the particular vulnerability of undocumented immigrant women to violence, including sexual harassment and abuse, in the workplace.[65] Sexual and physical violence against girls in educational establishments perpetrated by male school staff and school boys remains problematic, as reported during the visit of the Special Rapporteur in Zambia.[66] Long distances from home to school also increased risk of harassment, with girls reportedly having sexual relationships with minibus and taxi drivers as a way of coping with transportation costs.", "36. The Special Rapporteur is concerned at widespread discrimination and violence suffered by women as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity.[67] The visit to Kyrgyzstan indicated a high level of societal homophobia, discrimination and violence against lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Interlocutors shared accounts of incidents of such violence, including brutal gang rapes, “curative” rapes and family violence owing to their sexual identity and gender identity.[68] One study indicated that 23 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women have had forced sexual contacts and 56 per cent have had their families try to force them to change their sexual identity or orientation. A similar pattern was found during the visit to El Salvador, where murders had increased towards homosexuals, bisexuals, transgender and intersex communities from 4 in 2003 to at least 12 in 2009. Accounts of widespread discrimination and violence, including gang rapes and family violence, were shared with the Special Rapporteur.[69]", "37. Femicide refers to violent killing/murder of women because they are women and occurs in many contexts, cutting across the four spheres.[70] It includes murder in the context of intimate partner violence, sexual murder, killings in the name of honour,⁶⁹ female infanticide, dowry deaths, and killing of prostitutes, and the killing of women accused of witchcraft, as well as certain deaths due to suicide and unidentifiable maternal deaths. Femicide is often linked to domestic violence, which, at its most severe, leads to death. Research on femicide from Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States indicates that 40 to 70 per cent of female murder victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends.[71] The particular vulnerability to violence of women experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination is further reflected in the findings of a 2004 study in New York City, according to which 51 per cent of intimate partner homicide victims were foreign-born, while 45 per cent were born in the United States.[72] During the examination of Canada by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2008, concern was raised about the hundreds of cases of missing or murdered aboriginal women that had occurred during the past two decades that had neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention, with perpetrators remaining unpunished.[73]", "38. The follow-up visit by the Special Rapporteur to El Salvador in 2010 revealed an alarming increase in extremely violent murders of women and girls in the country.[74] The pattern of these murders was similar to femicides reported on by the former Special Rapporteur during visits to El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico: victims aged 10 to 29 are kidnapped and found murdered in parks or wasteland, often carrying signs of sexual abuse, sometimes mutilation, torture and decapitation. Extreme socio-economic inequalities, a machista culture and high criminality levels are underlying factors that sustain violence against women and discrimination in these societies. As referred to in the report of the Special Rapporteur on her visit to the United States, the murder of women, as well as rape and battering, can also be connected to stalking, which tends to target women at higher rates than men.[75]", "3. Violence perpetrated or condoned by the State", "39. Violence perpetrated or condoned by the State may include gender-based violence during conflict, custodial violence, violence against refugees and internally displaced persons as well as against women from indigenous and minority groups.⁷⁴", "40. Conflict and post-conflict situations often exacerbate an existing environment of discrimination, subordination, violence against women and men’s control over their sexuality. Findings of “unimaginable brutality” in the first mandate-holder’s report on violence against women during times of armed conflict continue to hold true.[76] Military environments in general, characterized by a hierarchical and command-driven culture, expose women to heightened risks of violence and abuse. As reported following the visit of the Special Rapporteur to the United States, sexual assault and harassment of women in the military has been acknowledged as a pervasive form of violence against women.[77] While most cases of sexual assault in the military go unreported, statistics suggest that women constitute the vast majority of those who report cases. Reflective of a similar tendency of solving domestic violence cases through negotiation and reconciliation, the overwhelming majority of sexual assault cases in the United States military are disposed of through non‑judicial punishment: only 14 to 18 per cent of cases are prosecuted.[78]", "41. As indicated by the former Special Rapporteur on torture, custodial violence against women very often includes rape and other forms of sexual violence such as threats of rape, touching, “virginity testing”, being stripped naked, invasive body searches, insults and humiliations of a sexual nature.[79] The Special Rapporteur wishes to draw attention to the fact that 15 out of 38 communications sent to Governments in 2010 concerned cases in which authorities allegedly tortured or subjected women to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.[80] In Zambia, women in detention facilities were allegedly subjected to abuse, violence and humiliating or degrading punishment in order to extract confessions. Women were also offered release in exchange for sex.[81] According to a 2008-2009 report on sexual victimization in prisons and jails in the United States, 4.7 per cent of women in prison had experienced sexual assault by an inmate and 2.1 per cent had experienced sexual misconduct by a staff member. During her visit, interviews with inmates indicated that staff used their positions of power to coerce sexual activity in return for access to phone calls, visits, or basic supplies such as food, shampoo, or soap.[82]", "42. In Kyrgyzstan, women faced highest risk of ill treatment immediately after arrest and during the investigation period when investigating authorities are seeking a confession. Organizations and several women victims provided accounts of extortion and bribery while in police custody, including being chained to a radiator, having a gun held to their head, beatings and burns.[83] Many women in custodial facilities often face inadequate access to medical treatment and care. Female detainees in Zambia, whether in police custody or in prisons, received little medical attention for prenatal and post-natal care and treatment, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis testing, and little or no nutrition support.[84]", "4. Violence in the transnational arena", "43. The risks and heightened vulnerability of violence against women in the transnational arena were highlighted by the former Special Rapporteur who referred to this fourth sphere as a “continuum of life experience across conventional state boundaries”.[85] The situation of women victims of trafficking and other forms of contemporary forms of slavery, refugee women and women migrant workers, especially irregular migrant workers, as well as the exploitation of women by actors operating in the transnational sphere such as peacekeepers, are examined here.", "44. Defilement, rape, early marriages and survival sex continue to be major problems affecting women asylum-seekers and refugees, both in camps as well as women residing in urban areas.[86] During conflicts, women are often trafficked across borders to provide sexual services to combatants in armed conflict. Armed conflict increases the risk of women and girls being abducted and forced into sexual slavery and/or forced prostitution. Although most conflicts are now internal, women and girls may be transported across international borders to camps of armed groups located in the territory of a neighbouring State. Abuses against women and girls have also been committed by international personnel deployed in United Nations peace operations.[87]", "45. The Special Rapporteur’s visits to El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan and Zambia — all three source, transit and destination countries for human trafficking — indicated strong commonalities with regard to trafficking of women and children. In Kyrgyzstan, trafficking of women and children became increasingly common during the country’s transition period and continues to be a problem.[88] While there are no reliable statistical data with respect to the prevalence of trafficking, a Government report noted that 98 per cent of trafficking victims are women and girls between 15 and 30 years of age. Offers of false employment in urban areas lure young women and girls from rural areas to move to cities, or abroad, where they are forced into sexual exploitation. One young woman interviewed during the visit, who had come to Bishkek to seek employment, was lured to a house in the outskirts of the city where she was locked up for months and forced to have sex with clients. Due to fear of retaliation, she had not reported the case to the police and was even afraid to walk the streets. Similarly, in El Salvador the Special Rapporteur found that the majority of victims of trafficking were women and girls transferred from rural to urban areas in the country.[89] Insufficient measures to ensure victim and witness protection, lack of support services and ineffective responses by law enforcement officials contributed to underreporting of the phenomenon.", "46. Irregular women migrants, women asylum seekers and refugees are particularly vulnerable to violence in the transnational arena. During the country mission to Zambia, the Special Rapporteur was informed that female migrants, especially those engaging in sex work, are often subjected to sexual abuse and at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS due to their inability to negotiate safe sex.[90] Also, their irregular status makes them reluctant to seek health care. Similarly, immigrant women in the United States of America often suffer higher rates of battering as they have less access to legal, social and support services.[91] Testimonies from undocumented immigrant women living with a United States partner reveal hesitation to seek assistance from authorities when facing abuse due to fear of deportation. It was also indicated that abusers may not initiate the process to acquire permanent residence status for their foreign partner or wife as a way to maintain their power and control over these women.[92]", "C. Due diligence obligation of States under international human rights law: evolving practices, jurisprudence and remaining challenges", "47. The due diligence standard, within international human rights law, has increasingly become the parameter that measures the level of State compliance with its obligations to prevent and respond to acts of violence against women.[93] The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women urges States to exercise due diligence to “prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons”.[94]", "48. The Declaration establishes that States should “develop penal, civil, labour and administrative sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs caused to women who are subjected to violence; women who are subjected to violence should be provided with access to the mechanisms of justice and to just and effective remedies for the harm that they have suffered; States should also inform women of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms”.⁹³", "49. States’ efforts to comply with their due diligence obligation should not only focus on legislative reform, access to justice and the provision of services for victims, but must also address issues of prevention, especially in terms of attacking the structural causes that lead to violence against women. Through the implementation of existing human rights standards, States should ensure that the root causes and consequences of violence against women are tackled at all levels of society, starting within the family and up to the transnational arena. In doing so, States should consider the multiple forms of violence suffered by women and the different types of discrimination they encounter, in order to adopt multifaceted strategies to effectively prevent and combat this violence.[95]", "50. As discussed above, the due diligence responsibility comprises the obligation of States to: (a) prevent acts of violence against women; (b) investigate and punish all acts of violence against women; (c) protect women against acts of violence, and (d) provide remedy and reparation to victims of violence against women. This section examines how States have endeavoured to comply with these obligations.", "1. Prevention", "51. The 2006 study of the Secretary-General highlights some positive strategies in terms of primary prevention, i.e., preventing violence from occurring in the first place. These include (a) advocacy and campaigns; (b) education and capacity-building; (c) community mobilization; (d) working with men; (e) using the news media and information technology; and (f) promoting public safety.[96]", "52. This mandate has also stressed that the ratification without reservations to all relevant human rights instruments, their incorporation into the domestic legal, judicial and administrative order, and the adoption of measures for their implementation are prerequisites for State’s compliance with the due diligence standard.[97]", "53. The most common first step to prevent acts of violence against women, which many States have adopted, is the enactment of legislation. Addressing the issue of laws and practices that discriminate against women directly or that have a differentiated and biased impact on women generally, or on particular groups of women, is an area that needs further attention. These include areas in which legislation continues to directly discriminate against women, such as laws relating to the rights of women in the private sphere (including the right to decide freely on marriage, divorce and sexual and reproductive health) or laws revolving around women’s economic rights (including the right to decent work, inheritance, land and other productive resources).[98]", "54. A report by UN-Women indicates that in the last 30 years significant progress has been made in legal reform in favour of women’s rights throughout the world. Gender equality is currently guaranteed in 139 national constitutions, and States have enacted domestic legislation that, inter alia, outlaw domestic violence, establish equal pay laws, guarantee paid maternity leave, outlaw sexual harassment in the workplace or establish equal property and inheritance rights for women.⁹⁷", "55. Some States have strengthened inter-agency cooperation to prevent violence through the adoption of national action plans on violence against women. In some cases, national women’s institutes have been established or commissioners/ ombudspersons appointed to act as focal points, at times in collaboration with civil society organizations.[99] The effectiveness of these mechanisms can be undermined if they are marginalized in the national agenda or are not provided with sufficient financial or human resources to operate. For example, it is not uncommon for gender focal points within Government agencies to lack decision-making authority or the capacity to influence the agenda of their institutions.[100] The Special Rapporteur has also expressed concern at the absence of effective coordination mechanisms between the police, forensic services, and the prosecutorial system, which remain critical to prevent violence by combating impunity and instilling public trust in the justice system.[101]", "56. Other preventative measures include public education campaigns on violence against women, using posters, magazine advertisements, websites and television and radio commercials; the establishment of national days of action on gender violence; the launch of awareness-building activities and campaigns with the participation of high-profile personalities; and the development of training and awareness-raising programmes directed at relevant professional groups, including police, prosecutors, members of the judiciary, doctors, nurses and social workers.[102]", "2. Prosecution and punishment", "57. The due diligence standard has challenged the traditional codification of international law that limited States’ responsibility regarding human rights to the public sphere. It has now become clear that, by failing to respond to violence perpetrated in private spaces including intimate partner violence and/or domestic violence, States may be held responsible for not fulfilling their obligation to protect and punish violence and abuse in a non-discriminatory way.[103]", "58. States have responded to their obligation to investigate acts of violence against women mainly through the reinforcement of capacities and powers for police, prosecutors and judges. States have also made amendments to their criminal codes to ensure that violent acts are met with appropriate punishments. Some States have adopted specific legislation that establish new criminal offences and often provide for the creation of specialized investigatory and prosecutorial units. Specific policing practices and procedures in relation to the investigation and prosecution of cases of violence against women have also been developed.[104] With respect to domestic violence, measures such as civil protection orders, mandatory arrest policies and mandatory prosecution policies aim to protect victims from further physical harm and ensure that cases of domestic violence are not dismissed even if a victim is unwilling to be present in a court and testify.[105] Nevertheless, some States still fail to criminalize all manifestations of violence against women, including marital sexual violence and other forms of domestic violence in their national legislation.[106]", "59. The establishment of women’s police stations can help raise awareness of violence against women and increase reporting levels.[107] These specialized police stations have a leading role in initiating legal proceedings in cases of violence against women and are charged with ensuring the implementation of protective measures, providing immediate assistance to survivors, undertaking inquiries and steering cases through the criminal justice system. The work carried out by these facilities is monitored by civil society organizations that identify potential areas of improvements.¹⁰⁶ Other related measures that the Special Rapporteur has welcomed include the inclusion of female police officers with specific expertise in registering and dealing with gender-based violence.[108] This aims to create a responsive environment to encourage reporting.", "60. There are, nevertheless, numerous instances in which States fail in their duty to investigate and punish acts of violence against women appropriately, particularly with regard to violence committed in the private sphere. The pervasiveness of patriarchal attitudes in the law enforcement and justice system, coupled with a lack of resources and insufficient knowledge on existing applicable legislation, leads to inadequate responses to cases of violence against women and the persisting social acceptance of such acts.[109]", "61. In Vertido v. Philippines, which concerned the sexual assault of a woman and the subsequent acquittal of the perpetrator based on gender-based myths and misconceptions about rape, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women found the State party in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Committee noted the obligations of States parties to the Convention to take appropriate measures to modify or abolish not only existing laws and regulations, but also customs and practices that constitute discrimination against women. In this regard, the Committee stressed that stereotyping affects women’s right to a fair and just trial and underlined that the judiciary must take caution not to create inflexible standards of what women or girls should be or what they should have done when confronted with a situation of rape, based merely on preconceived notions of what defines a rape victim or a victim of gender-based violence, in general.[110]", "62. The testimonies compiled by the Special Rapporteur from victims of domestic violence who attempted to access the legal system show that, unless violence results in serious physical injuries, the police, prosecutors and judges still tend to minimize offences in the belief that domestic violence is a private matter. As such, they discourage victims from pursuing cases and promote conciliation, thus returning victims to situations of abuse. Cases of domestic violence are often treated as administrative rather than criminal offences, or are classified as misdemeanours, resulting in reduced or inappropriate sentences.[111]", "63. Low levels of prosecution of crimes against women reinforce the belief among victims that there is no systematic and guaranteed judicial response to violence against women and that there might be no punishment for their abusers. This results in underreporting, further minimization and invisibility of these crimes, and the reinforcement of the continuum of violence affecting women.[112]", "3. Protection", "64. States have adopted numerous measures in terms of their due diligence obligation to protect, which consist mainly of the provision of services such as telephone hotlines, health care, counselling centres, legal assistance, shelters, restraining orders and financial aid to victims of violence. Yet, despite the adoption of protective measures, inconsistencies in implementation and failure to exercise due diligence have sometimes resulted in the re-victimization of women who report instances of violence.", "65. The major gaps in the enforcement of protective obligations include a lack of adequate enforcement by police and the judiciary of civil remedies and criminal sanctions for violence against women, and an absence or inadequate provision of services such as shelters, which mean that women often have no alternative housing options besides continuing to live with their abusers. In addition, the focus of protection has too frequently been on the provision of short-term emergency assistance rather than on providing victims the means to avoid re-victimization.[113]", "66. The lack of sufficient specialized shelters for women and girls victims of violence contributes to their invisibility and silencing. Even when government-run shelters are available, the Special Rapporteur has noted in most of her country missions the crucial role played by non-governmental organizations in managing shelter facilities and offering psychological, medical and legal assistance to women victims of violence. Whether privately funded or receiving governmental grants, these centres are usually insufficient in number, lack human and material resources, and are commonly concentrated in areas that are not accessible to all women. While commending the work of civil society organizations, the Special Rapporteur has noted that the due diligence obligation to protect women from violence rests primarily upon the State and its agents. It is therefore the responsibility of States to ensure accessibility and availability of effective protection and support services to victims of domestic violence.[114] Further, the Special Rapporteur has raised concern at the lack of policy guidelines across health, psychosocial and legal sectors ensuring coordinated, prompt and supportive services to victims.[115]", "67. During her visit to the United States, the Special Rapporteur visited the Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center in Minnesota, a “one stop centre” that offers services to women victims of violence. An innovative feature of this centre is that it hosts in the same building several city, county and advocacy agencies that help victims during the entire judicial process. Advocates at the centre not only help victims complete the necessary paperwork to request a protection order and explain the civil and criminal court process, but they also accompany victims to court, help them create safety plans for them and their families, help them find shelter or temporary housing, and refer them to other resources and service providers.[116]", "68. Another crucial element to avoid the re-victimization of women who have been subjected to violence is the establishment of procedural rules regarding the provision of evidence. These should ensure the protection for victims and witnesses from further harm as a result of filing a complaint.¹¹¹", "69. At the international level, the International Criminal Court has established mechanisms to ensure that gender-based crimes committed during armed conflict are dealt with appropriately. The Court’s Victims and Witnesses Unit provides protection, support and other appropriate assistance to ensure the personal safety, physical and psychological well-being, dignity and privacy of those testifying.[117] The services of the Victims and Witnesses Unit can be requested and provided at all stages of proceedings, from pre-trial/investigation to post-trial.[118] Furthermore, the Court’s Trust Fund for Victims is mandated to assist victims and administer court-ordered reparations.¹¹⁶ At a national level, the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has developed a comprehensive package of protection and support and, according to follow-up research, witnesses who had been briefed and supported had a largely positive experience of the Court.¹¹⁶", "4. Provision of reparations", "70. Most human rights and humanitarian law treaties provide for a right to a remedy. In the context of gross and systematic violations of human rights, the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and serious violations of International Humanitarian Law, adopted by the General Assembly in 2005, start with the premise that “the State is responsible for ensuring that victims of human rights violations enjoy an individual right to reparation”. Both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women place upon the State the duty to provide compensation for all acts of violence. Yet, the implementation of the due diligence obligation to reparations remains grossly underdeveloped in practice, as discussed in the 2010 report of this mandate.[119] The little attention devoted to gender-specific reparations, both at a substantive and procedural level, contrasts with the fact that women are often the target of both sex-specific and other forms of violence.[120]", "71. Given the disparate and differentiated impact that violence has on women and on different groups of women, there is a need for specific measures of redress in order to meet their specific needs and priorities. Since violence perpetrated against individual women generally feeds into patterns of pre-existing and often cross-cutting structural subordination and systemic marginalization, measures of redress need to link individual reparation and structural transformation.[121] This implies that reparations should aspire, to the extent possible, to subvert, instead of reinforce, pre-existing patterns of cross-cutting structural subordination, gender hierarchies, systemic marginalization and structural inequalities that may be at the root cause of the violence that women experience.¹²⁰", "72. The principles discussed above were articulated by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its 2009 ruling of Gonzalez et al. (“Cotton Field”) v. México.[122] In this case, concerning the abduction, killing and sexual violence of two children and a young woman by non-State actors in 2003, the Court broadly interpreted the State’s obligations to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and impose penalties for violence against women. The decision is seminal in that the Inter‑American Court for the first time embraced the concept of gender-sensitive reparations with a transformative approach. It held that in a situation of structural discrimination, reparations should aim at transforming such situation, thus aspiring not only to restitution but also to correction.[123] It spelled out the criteria to be applied for the assessment of reparations, which include the following: (i) reparations should have a direct connection with the violations found by the Court; (ii) they should repair in a proportional manner pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages; (iii) they cannot be a source of enrichment or impoverishment; (iv) restitution is an aim but without breaching the principle of non-discrimination; (v) reparations should be “oriented to identify and eliminate the structural factors of discrimination”; (vi) they should take into account a gender perspective; and (vii) take into account all the measures alleged by the State to have been taken to repair the harm.[124]", "73. Further jurisprudence with regard to reparations includes the case Opuz v. Turkey, before the European Court of Human Rights. The case was brought by Ms. Opuz, who, along with her mother, suffered years of violence at the hands of her husband. Despite their complaints, the police and prosecuting authorities did not adequately protect the women and, ultimately, Ms. Opuz’s mother was killed by the former husband. The Court decided to award the victim non-pecuniary damages for the anguish and distress suffered on account of the killing of her mother and the authorities’ failure to undertake sufficient measures to prevent the domestic violence perpetrated by her husband through deterrent punishment measure.", "D. Holistic framework for prevention and protection", "74. Prevention must be at the centre of States’ and other stakeholders’ efforts to eradicate violence against women. Prevention must address the underlying causes of violence by addressing States’ fundamental human rights obligations of protecting, respecting and fulfilling all human rights of all women and girls.[125] While strategies need to respond to local specificities, they must all target the tacit social acceptance surrounding violence against women that contributes to its prevalence and be directed towards the empowerment and equal status of women in society.", "75. As discussed in the preceding section, a framework of prevention to address violence against women should include, inter alia: (a) legislative measures, including the ratification of international human rights instruments, the harmonization of national legislation, the adoption of specific legislation on violence against women and the allocation of adequate budgetary and human resources to ensure effective implementation of such laws; (b) institutional and policy measures, including the removal of any obstacles to the investigation and prosecution of violence against women, the provision of adequate human, technical and financial resources to provide support and services to victims of gender-based violence, the establishment of coordination mechanisms between authorities and service providers to ensure effective cooperation and information-sharing on matters relating to investigation and prosecution of violence against women; (c) capacity-building activities, including training and awareness-raising, such as gender-sensitive training for all civil servants addressing violence and discrimination against women, awareness-raising campaigns with an aim to eliminating discriminatory attitudes and addressing stereotypical attitudes, and the integration of a gender equality perspective into school textbooks and curricula.", "76. It has become increasingly clear that there is a correlation between prevalence rates and effective and responsive accountability measures. The investigation, prosecution, protection and redress measures, offered to women victims of violence, will have a direct effect on the prevalence rates of such violence.¹¹¹ The ultimate objective of States’ efforts when investigating and punishing acts of violence against women, and when protecting and offering redress to victims of such violence, should be the prevention of revictimization and future acts of violence by addressing structural discrimination and ensuring empowerment of women.", "77. Nevertheless, these measures will not bring about substantive results if not implemented within a holistic approach that targets both societal transformation and the empowerment of women. This mandate has stressed that linkages should be made between violence and other systems of oppression prevalent within societies, in order to tackle the structural causes of violence against women. In order for women to be able to progressively realize the full range of their human rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights), States should promote and support their empowerment through education, skills training, legal literacy and access to productive resources. This will enhance women’s self-awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reliance.[126] Existing social and economic power systems and structures, at the institutional and individual levels, reinforce gender inequalities that make women more vulnerable to violence, in particular women living in poverty, migrant women, indigenous women, and young or elderly women.[127] The economic empowerment of women through preventative factors, such as property and land rights for women, adequate housing, economic independence, or secondary education, may serve as a deterrent to such violence.[128] Women that are empowered understand that they are not destined to subordination and violence. They resist internalizing oppression, they develop their capabilities as autonomous beings and they increasingly question and negotiate the terms of their existence in both public and private spheres.¹²⁵", "78. In terms of women’s empowerment at the community and family level, States should engage in “cultural negotiations” through which the root causes of violence against women may be confronted and the oppressive nature of certain societal practices made evident. This cultural negotiation requires identifying and contesting the legitimacy of those who monopolize the right to speak on behalf of culture and religion.[129] It is not culture or religion per se that sanctions the beating, mutilation or killing of women. Rather, it is those who monopolize the right to speak on behalf of culture or religion. As a consequence, State engagement in women’s empowerment and societal transformations is central to challenging and changing hegemonic patriarchal structures and practices.[130]", "79. The fulfilment of the human rights of women also requires political will and an adequate allocation of resources, to address existing inequalities and discrimination. In taking upon these endeavours, States should act without discrimination, and must commit the same efforts and resources to preventing, investigating, punishing and providing remedies for acts of violence against women, as they commit to address other forms of violence. States should act in good faith, and take positive steps and measures to ensure that women’s human rights are protected, respected, promoted and fulfilled.[131]", "Conclusions and recommendations: adopting a holistic approach to violence against women", "80. A holistic approach to understanding discrimination and violence against women requires, among others, (a) treating rights as universal, interdependent and indivisible; (b) situating violence on a continuum that spans interpersonal and structural violence; (c) accounting for both individual and structural discrimination, including structural and institutional inequalities; and (d) analysing social and/or economic hierarchies among women, and between women and men, i.e., both intra‑gender and inter-gender.", "81. Human rights are universal. Everyone is entitled to have their human rights respected, protected and fulfilled regardless of their geographic location or social position, and this includes the right of women to be free from violence. Yet, understanding rights as universal should not preclude States from taking into consideration the specificities of violence against women and engaging at a local level to adequately recognize the diverse experiences of oppression faced by women.[132] The programmatic responses to violence against women cannot be considered in isolation from the context of individuals, households, communities or States.[133]", "82. Human rights are also interdependent and indivisible. States should move beyond the erroneous focus that privileges civil and political rights and recognize how the denegation of social, economic, and cultural rights restricts women from meaningfully exercising civil and political life.[134] In pursuing a holistic approach to understanding discrimination and violence against women, it is imperative to include an analysis of the right to an adequate standard of living and also a focus on, inter alia, bodily integrity rights, education, civil and political engagement and individual self-determination. These fundamentals directly affect a woman’s ability to equitably and holistically participate in public and private spaces.[135]", "83. A holistic approach to dealing with violence requires an understanding that such violence is situated along a continuum both in terms of time and space, and the varied forms and manifestations reflect this. Although some categorization might be useful in terms of the provision of services for victims, such as clinical, psychosocial or legal, a holistic perspective sees all forms of abuse qualitatively impacting the economic, social, cultural and political well-being of women, of their communities and of the State. States must acknowledge that violence against women is not the root problem, but that violence occurs because other forms of discrimination are allowed to flourish. By situating violence along a continuum, States may appropriately contextualize violence and recognize that the deprivation of water, food, and other human rights can be just as egregious and debilitating as family violence. Although these forms of violence are by no means the same, they can be viewed as parallel and similar when considering their interrelationship.[136]", "84. The holistic approach also requires States to recognize the existence of structural and institutional inequalities related to discrimination. Whether based on race, ethnicity, national origin, ability, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, culture, tradition or other realities, discrimination often intensifies acts of violence against women. The acknowledgement of structural aspects and factors of discrimination is necessary for achieving non-discrimination and equality.[137] Efforts to end all forms of violence against women must consider not only how individual lives are affected by the immediate impact of abuse, but how structures of discrimination and inequality perpetuate and exacerbate a victim’s experience.[138] Interpersonal, institutional and structural forms of violence perpetuate gender inequities, but also racial hierarchies, religious orthodoxies, ethnic group exclusionary practices, and resource allocation that benefit some groups of women at the expense of others. Interventions that seek to only ameliorate the abuse, and that do not factor in women’s realities, are not challenging the fundamental gender inequalities and discrimination that contribute to the abuse in the first place.", "85. Adopting a holistic model with regards to gender-based violence requires an understanding of the ways in which inter- and intra-gender differences exist and the ways in which institutional and structural inequalities exacerbate violence through multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.[139] In meeting their international legal obligations, States must bear in mind that discrimination affects women in different ways depending on how they are positioned within the social, economic and cultural hierarchies that prohibit or further compromise certain women’s ability to enjoy universal human rights. This approach also reveals critical aspects of intra‑gender discrimination and inequality, which up until now have been invisible in efforts that treat all women homogenously in the responses to violence.¹³¹", "86. A one-size-fits-all programmatic approach is insufficient for combating gender-based violence. Violence results from a complex interplay of individual, family, community and social factors — and, even though all women are at risk for violence in every society in the world, not all women are equally vulnerable to acts and structures of violence. A holistic approach for the elimination of all forms of violence against all women requires addressing systematic discrimination and marginalization through the adoption of measures that address inequality and discrimination among women, and between women and men. The United Nations human rights treaties, declarations and mechanisms provide the institutional framework within which Governments, non-State actors, and local activists can promote a holistic response to identifying, preventing, and ultimately ending, all forms of violence against women. The fight for the human rights of women remains a collective endeavour in which we should jointly take action to ensure their full enjoyment by every woman and girl worldwide.", "Appendix I", "Thematic annual reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "Theme and year\tSymbol number ofreport \nMultiple and intersecting forms ofdiscrimination and violence against women(2011)\tA/HRC/17/26\nReparations to women who have been subjectedto violence (2010)\tA/HRC/14/22\nPolitical economy of women’s human rights(2009)\tA/HRC/11/6\nIndicators on violence against women and Stateresponse (2008)\tA/HRC/7/6\nIntersections between culture and violenceagainst women (2007)\tA/HRC/4/34\nThe due diligence standard as a tool forelimination of violence against women (2006)\tE/CN.4/2006/61\nIntersections of violence against women andHIV/AIDS (2005)\tE/CN.4/2005/72\nTowards an effective implementation ofinternational norms to end violence againstwomen (2004)\tE/CN.4/2004/66\nInternational, regional and nationaldevelopments in the area of violence againstwomen, 1994-2003 (2003)\tE/CN.4/2003/75/Add.1\nCultural practices in the family that areviolent towards women (2002)\tE/CN.4/2002/83\nViolence against women perpetrated or condonedby the State during times of armed conflict(2001)\tE/CN.4/2001/73\nTrafficking in women, women’s migration andviolence against women (2000)\tE/CN.4/2000/68\nFollow-up report on violence against women inthe family (1999)\tE/CN.4/1999/68\nViolence perpetrated or condoned by the State(1998)\tE/CN.4/1998/54\n Violence against women in the community (1997) E/CN.4/1997/47 \n Violence against women in the family (1996) E/CN.4/1996/53 \n Preliminary report (1995) E/CN.4/1995/42", "Appendix II", "Country mission reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "Country\tSymbol number ofreport \nUnited States of America (January-February2011)\tA/HRC/17/26/Add.5\n Zambia (December 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.4 \n Algeria (November 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.3 \n El Salvador (March 2010) A/HRC/17/26/Add.2 \n Kyrgyzstan (November 2009) A/HRC/14/22/Add.2 \n Moldova (July 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.4 \n Tajikistan (May 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.2 \n Saudi Arabia (February 2008) A/HRC/11/6/Add.3 \nDemocratic Republic of the Congo (July2007)\tA/HRC/7/6/Add.4\n Ghana (July 2007) A/HRC/7/6/Add.3 \n Algeria (January 2007) A/HRC/7/6/Add.2 \n Netherlands (July 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.4 \n Sweden (June 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.3 \n Turkey (May 2006) A/HRC/4/34/Add.2 \nAfghanistan (July 2005)\tE/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5;A/58/421\n Mexico (February 2005) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.4\n Russian Federation (December 2004) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.2\n Islamic Republic of Iran (February 2005) E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.3\n Darfur region of the Sudan (September 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.5\n Occupied Palestinian Territory (June 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4\n Guatemala (February 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.3\n El Salvador (February 2004) E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.2\n Colombia (November 2001) E/CN.4/2002/83/Add.3\n Sierra Leone (August 2001) E/CN.4/2002/83/Add.2\n Bangladesh, Nepal and India (November 2000) E/CN.4/2001/73/Add.2\n East Timor (November 1999) A/54/660 \n Pakistan and Afghanistan (September 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4\n Haiti (June 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.3\n Cuba (June 1999) E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.2\n Indonesia and East Timor (November 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68/Add.3\n United States of America (June 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68/Add.2\n Liechtenstein (April 1998) E/CN.4/1999/68 \n Rwanda (September 1997) E/CN.4/1998/54/Add.1\n South Africa (October 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.3\n Brazil (July 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.2\n Poland (May 1996) E.CN.4/1997/47/Add.1\nDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea,Republic of Korea and Japan (July 1995\tE/CN.4/1996/53/Add.1", "[1] * A/66/150.", "[2] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3-5.", "[3] A/HRC/17/26/Add.1-5.", "[4] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, A/HRC/17/26/Add.1.", "[5] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.1.", "[6] A/HRC/16/68.", "[7] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5 and resolution 48/104.", "[8] See A/HRC/17/26, para. 64.", "[9] See A/HRC/17/26, para. 12.", "[10] A/CONF.157/23, para. 18.", "[11] Ibid., para. 38.", "[12] Resolution 48/104.", "[13] Resolution S-23/3 (2000).", "[14] E/2010/27-E/CN.6/2010/11, annex, and resolution 65/187.", "[15] A/HRC/14/L.9/Rev.1.", "[16] CEDAW/C/EGY/CO/7, para. 23; CEDAW/C/MWI/CO/6, para. 22; CEDAW/PAN/CO/7, para. 7; CEDAW/C/ALB/CO/3, para. 26; CEDAW/C/AUS/CO/7, para. 28; CEDAW/C/FIJ/CO/4, para. 22; CEDAW/C/USR/CO/7, para. 22; CEDAW/C/CO/TUR/6, para. 22; CEDAW/C/MLT/CO/4, para. 22; CEDAW/C/TUN/CO/6, para. 26; CEDAW/C/UGA/CO/7, para. 23.", "[17] A/HRC/17/26, para. 17.", "[18] For a complete list of thematic reports see appendix 1.", "[19] For a complete list of country mission reports see appendix 2.", "[20] A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 2.", "[21] See, for example, www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ZR/DRC_Reparations_Report_en.pdf.", "[22] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 30.", "[23] Ibid., para. 31.", "[24] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 8.", "[25] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 18.", "[26] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 14.", "[27] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, paras. 25 and 28.", "[28] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 52.", "[29] Ibid., para. 62.", "[30] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 15, and A/HRC/14/22, para. 28.", "[31] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 27.", "[32] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 21, and A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 13.", "[33] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 20.", "[34] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 24.", "[35] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5.", "[36] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 47.", "[37] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 45.", "[38] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 23.", "[39] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 15.", "[40] Ibid., para. 56.", "[41] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 22.", "[42] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 124, and http://inthenews.unfpa.org/?p=3516.", "[43] See A/HRC/7/6/Add.2 (2008), para. 37.", "[44] See E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5, para. 30.", "[45] Ibid., Add.3, para. 35.", "[46] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.4, para. 18.", "[47] See E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4, paras. 56-58.", "[48] See E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4, para. 46.", "[49] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, para. 34.", "[50] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.2, paras. 30-33.", "[51] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 84.", "[52] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, para. 36.", "[53] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 12.", "[54] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 29.", "[55] See A/HRC/11/12/2, para. 43.", "[56] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 123.", "[57] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 17.", "[58] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 22.", "[59] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 11.", "[60] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 17.", "[61] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 42.", "[62] Ibid., para. 43.", "[63] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 23.", "[64] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, paras. 18, 19.", "[65] See A/ HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 57.", "[66] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 34.", "[67] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 23.", "[68] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 38.", "[69] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 28.", "[70] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 84.", "[71] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 115; see also A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 9.", "[72] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 56.", "[73] See CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/7, para. 31.", "[74] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 25.", "[75] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 12.", "[76] See E/CN.4/2001/73.", "[77] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 22.", "[78] Ibid., para. 29.", "[79] See CAT/C/MEX/CO/4; CAT/C/GUY/CO/1; CAT/C/TGO/CO/1; CAT/C/BDI/CO/1.", "[80] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 16.", "[81] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 33.", "[82] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 34.", "[83] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 39.", "[84] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 31.", "[85] See E/CN.4/2004/66, para. 42.", "[86] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 29.", "[87] See A/59/710.", "[88] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 33.", "[89] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 36.", "[90] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 28.", "[91] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 58.", "[92] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 60.", "[93] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 29.", "[94] Resolution 48/104, art. 4 (c).", "[95] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 16.", "[96] See A/61/122/Add.1, paras. 339-354.", "[97] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 89.", "[98] See UN Women, Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice (2011), p. 24.", "[99] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 41.", "[100] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 91.", "[101] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 60.", "[102] See E/CN.4/2006/61, paras. 44-45.", "[103] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 61.", "[104] Ibid., para. 50.", "[105] See E/CN.4/1996/53.", "[106] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 60.", "[107] UN-Women, Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice (2011), p. 58.", "[108] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 44.", "[109] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 59.", "[110] See CEDAW/C/46/D/18/2008, para. 8.4.", "[111] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 59; A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 13.", "[112] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 92.", "[113] Ibid., para. 49.", "[114] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 73 and A/HRC/17/26/Add.4.", "[115] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 81.", "[116] Taken from interview conducted during mission to the United States.", "[117] See UN-Women, Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice, p. 91.", "[118] See http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Structure+of+the+Court/Protection/Victims+and+ Witness+Unit.htm.", "[119] See A/HRC/14/22.", "[120] Ibid., para. 23.", "[121] Ibid., para. 24.", "[122] This case also refers to the subsequent failure of the State to diligently investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators and to treat the relatives of the deceased in a dignified way.", "[123] See A/HRC/14/22, para. 77.", "[124] See A/HRC/14/22, para. 78.", "[125] See A/61/299, paras. 3-10.", "[126] Ibid., para. 80.", "[127] See A/HRC/17/22, para. 39.", "[128] Ibid., para. 40.", "[129] E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 85.", "[130] Ibid., para. 88.", "[131] See E/CN.4/2006/61, paras. 35-36.", "[132] See A/HRC/17/26, paras. 59-60.", "[133] Ibid., para. 101.", "[134] Ibid., para. 60.", "[135] Ibid., para. 103.", "[136] Ibid., paras. 64-66.", "[137] Ibid., para. 67.", "[138] Ibid., para. 102.", "[139] Ibid., para. 70." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 28 of the provisional agenda*", "Advancement of women", "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/187.", "Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences", "Summary", "This report is the first to submit to the General Assembly the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, in accordance with Assembly resolution 65/187. The report provides an overview of the work undertaken in the implementation of its mandate, as well as its main findings and the challenges it continues to face, and includes concrete recommendations to address violence against women through a comprehensive framework based on States ' obligations to respect, protect and realize the human rights of women and girls.", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 4 II.Activities 4A.Visits 4 to countries B.Reports 4 Thematics C.Communications 4 and press releases D.Commission 5 on the Status of Women E. Report 5 on the Democratic Republic of the Congo F. Consultations 5 regional G. Other 6 activities III.Character 6 constant of violence against women, from home to transnational level: challenges for effective redress A. 7 violence against women as a human rights issue B. Demonstrations 10 of violence against women in the four areas mentioned above C. Obligation 18 due diligence of States under international human rights law: evolution of practices and jurisprudence and outstanding challenges D. Framework 25 Comprehensive Prevention and Protection Appendices I.ThematicannualreportsbytheSpecialRapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,asat30July2011 30 II.CountrymissionreportsbytheSpecialRapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,asat30July2011 31", "I. Introduction", "1. This report is the first to submit to the General Assembly the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, in accordance with Assembly resolution 65/187. Section I summarizes the activities of the Special Rapporteur between October 2010 and July 2011. Section II provides an overview of the work undertaken by the mandate holder, as well as its main findings and the challenges it continues to face, and includes specific recommendations to address violence against women through the implementation of a comprehensive framework.", "II. Activities", "A. Country visits", "2. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur undertook special missions to the following countries: Algeria (1-10 November 2010), Zambia (6-11 December 2010) and the United States of America (24 January-7 February 2011)[1].", "3. In 2011, the Special Rapporteur received positive responses to her requests to visit Italy and Jordan and urged Governments that have not yet responded to do so. The Special Rapporteur hopes to receive favourable responses from the Governments of Bangladesh, the Solomon Islands, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.", "B. Thematic reports", "4. The thematic report submitted by the Special Rapporteur to the Human Rights Council in June 2011 (A/HRC/17/26) focused on the convergence of multiple forms of discrimination and proposed a comprehensive approach to addressing this multiplicity of interrelated forms of discrimination that encourage and exacerbate violence against women[2]. A more detailed description of this approach is contained in section III.D of the present report.", "C. Communications and press releases", "5. Submissions to Governments address a range of issues that reflect a pattern of inequality and discrimination related to violence against women, its causes and consequences.[3] Such situations included, but not exclusively, arbitrary detention; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; summary and extrajudicial executions; and sexual violence, including rape, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The Special Rapporteur regrets that only three of the 13 Governments responded to communications sent to them during the period under review.[4]", "6. In addition, the Special Rapporteur has issued press releases, individually or jointly with other mandate holders.", "D. Commission on the Status of Women", "7. In February 2011, the Special Rapporteur presented an oral report to the Commission on the Status of Women urging a new vision of women ' s rights in the light of lessons learned after 15 years of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. It also emphasized the need for States to more effectively fulfil their due diligence obligation with regard to violence against women.", "E. Joint report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo", "8. In accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 10/33 and 13/22, the Special Rapporteur contributed to the third joint report of the seven United Nations experts on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo[5]. The Special Rapporteur expressed concern at the continuing violations of the human rights of women and girls who continued to commit themselves with impunity and joined her colleagues in calling on the Human Rights Council to consider establishing special country procedures mandates.", "F. Regional consultations", "9. The Special Rapporteur continued to maintain intensive contacts with civil society organizations, including participation in regional consultations. In September 2010, together with the Independent Expert on cultural rights, he attended a regional consultation in Nepal on women, culture and human rights. In January 2011, he participated in the regional consultation for the Asia-Pacific region, held in Malaysia, which focused on the issue of multiplicity of forms of discrimination and was followed by a national consultation. In June 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in consultations in Brussels with European civil society organizations attended by representatives of European observatories on violence against women.", "G. Other activities", "10. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur participated in several conferences, workshops and side events on issues related to her mandate. In particular, it is worth mentioning its participation in two conferences held in Madrid on the subject of femicide; a colloquium on the applicability of international human rights treaties with regard to the promotion and protection of the human rights of migrant domestic workers in the European Union; a seminar on traditional values and human rights and three round tables on women ' s rights organized by the Human Rights Council. At the invitation of the Minister of Justice of Norway, he conducted a study visit to Norway during which he met with various representatives of government and non-State entities with whom he discussed the evolution of practices aimed at eliminating violence against women. The Special Rapporteur recognizes the usefulness of these visits, which provide an opportunity to interact with the country ' s stakeholders and learn from national experience. It expresses its appreciation to the Government of Norway for providing such an opportunity.", "11. During the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur organized a side event on the issue of forms of redress for women victims of violence and during the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council in June 2011, convened another side event on regional norms and violence against women. The latter event, which brought together representatives of the regional human rights mechanisms in Africa, Asia and Europe and the inter-American region, was aimed at analysing the various provisions concerning violence against women contained in the regional human rights instruments and related jurisprudence developed by the regional mechanisms. Possible areas of cooperation were also discussed.", "III. Continuous character of violence against women, from home to transnational: challenges for effective reparation", "12. Violence against women worldwide is a persistent, widespread and unacceptable phenomenon. Based on a multiplicity of forms of discrimination and inequality related to one another and deeply linked to the social and economic situation of women, violence against women is a constant pattern of exploitation and abuse. Whether in times of conflict or post-conflict or of alleged peace, the various forms and manifestations of violence against women are simultaneously causes and consequences of discrimination, inequality and oppression.", "13. Taking into account the intersectoral and consistent approach to violence that has increasingly erased the distinction between violence in the public and private spheres, the mandate holder analyses violence against women in four main areas, namely: (i) in the family; (ii) in the community; (iii) violence perpetrated or tolerated by the State; and (iv) in the transnational arena[6]. These broad categories are neither mutually exclusive nor mentioned in order of importance. Any violence perpetrated in the context of this consistent pattern directed against women or experienced by a majority group of women constitutes discrimination against women[7].", "14. Section A below sets out the evolution of violence against women as a human rights issue, including the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on violence against women. Section B describes the most frequent manifestations of violence against women observed by the mandate holder in the family, in the community, in the state sphere and in the transnational sphere. Section C highlights the evolution of some practices, examples of case law and the main challenges faced by States in fulfilling their due diligence obligation in the areas of prevention, protection, investigation and punishment, as well as reparation to victims of violence. Finally, section D proposes a comprehensive approach to addressing the convergence of multiple forms of discrimination and violence against women.", "A. Violence against women as a human rights issue", "1. Evolution of violence against women as a human rights issue", "15. For more than 25 years, the global movement to combat violence against women has endeavoured to fundamentally transform the situation of women and the status of gender-based violence in the context of human rights discourse[8]. In 1985, the third World Conference for the Review and Evaluation of the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, held in Nairobi, marked the end of the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985) and assessed the progress made by the international community in achieving the goals of equality, development and peace for women. The Nairobi Conference reaffirmed international concern for the status of women and provided a framework for the renewed commitment of the international community to the advancement of women and the elimination of gender-based discrimination.8 Violence against women was one of the concerns expressed by the participants at that meeting.", "16. The 1993 World Conference on Human Rights adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which recognized that “the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights”. [9] The World Conference called upon the General Assembly to adopt the draft declaration on violence against women and urged States to combat violence against women in accordance with its provisions.[10] In 1993, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which provides for a broader framework for violence against women in terms of its definition, scope, State obligations and the role of the United Nations.[11] Pursuant to a decision taken by the Commission on Human Rights that same year in which it considered the possibility of appointing a special rapporteur on violence against women, that mandate was established in resolution 1994/45 on the integration of women ' s rights into United Nations human rights mechanisms and the elimination of violence against women.", "17. The twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, devoted to the five-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, clearly demonstrated that violence against women had become a priority item on the agenda of many Member States. The outcome document took a step further by urging States to “treat all forms of violence against women and girls of all ages as a crime punishable by law, including violence based on all forms of discrimination” [12]. In 2010, in the Beijing+15 review, Member States recognized that the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the implementation of the obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women were mutually reinforcing in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and stressed the interdependence between the implementation of these commitments and the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals.[13]", "18. Following these developments, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Security Council adopted resolutions specifically related to violence against women and girls. The General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, for example, have increasingly identified inequality and discrimination, including gender-based violence, as violations of the human rights of women and girls. Resolutions adopted by these bodies have increasingly referred to the fact that women suffering multiple forms of discrimination are more at risk of being victims of gender-based violence and have pointed out “balances of power and structural inequality between men and women” as the root causes of violence against women.[14] In the context of peace and security, the Security Council, in its resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008), has urged all parties to armed conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.", "19. The prevalence of violence against women remains a global concern. For example, in most of the 21 countries reviewed by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2010, which represent all regions, the rate of violence was high or persistent or on the increase.[15] The Committee, which had already explicitly linked discrimination against women and gender-based violence in its general recommendations No. 12 (1989) and No. 19 (1992), constantly calls upon States parties to include in their reports to the Committee any information concerning violence and measures taken to eliminate it.", "20. At present, the United Nations discourse on violence against women revolves around three principles: first, violence against women and girls is addressed as an issue of equality and non-discrimination between women and men; secondly, it is recognized that the convergence of multiple forms of discrimination increases the risk that some women will be victims of specific, composite or structural discrimination; and thirdly, the interdependence of human rights is reflected in efforts to address cultural issues.", "2. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women", "21. Since 1994, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women has been studying the forms, prevalence, causes and consequences of violence against women; analysing progress in the protection of women against violence and the remaining challenges; and making important recommendations to Governments and the international community to address those challenges.", "22. Through thematic reports[17], country missions[18], consultations, expert meetings, communications to Governments and other mechanisms, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur has addressed violence against women in all areas of life, and specifically in the four areas mentioned above.[19]", "23. The thematic reports and reports of country missions prepared by the Special Rapporteur help to provide a framework for addressing different forms of gender-based violence through analysis of the causes and consequences of violence and to complement the work of other State and non-State actors, as well as regional and international stakeholders, in combating violence in the public and private sectors. The thematic reports also provide an empirical basis for policy formulation and guidance for further refinement of women ' s human rights standards in international law. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been based on the report on reparations submitted by the Special Rapporteur in 2010 to implement a project on reparations and capacity-building in northern Uganda, as well as a project carried out jointly with the United Nations Joint Office on Human Rights focusing on ways of redress and redress available to victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo[20]", "B. Manifestations of violence against women in the four areas mentioned above", "24. This section examines the prevalence and various manifestations of violence against women in each of the four areas mentioned on the basis of the Special Rapporteur ' s findings following country visits between 2009 and 2011 (Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, El Salvador, Zambia and the United States of America), as well as the conclusions of the previous mandate holders. As such, it does not intend to provide a comprehensive account of forms of violence against women worldwide; rather, it seeks to highlight examples of such manifestations through a selection of some of the main topics covered and the problems observed by the Special Rapporteur.", "1. Domestic violence", "25. The mandate holder has identified two main categories of violence against women in the family area: domestic violence and harmful and degrading practices that cause violence or subordinate women whose justification stems from religious, traditional or social laws and practices of various kinds.[21] The mandate holder defines the family according to a broad concept that covers the relationships of couples and interpersonal persons, including couples who do not live together, exparejas and domestic workers.[22]", "26. Country visits by the Special Rapporteur confirm that domestic violence remains a widespread phenomenon and affects women in all social layers. As the Special Rapporteur noted in her mission report on her visit to the United States of America, approximately 552,000 violent crimes against women committed by her partner were committed in 2008. In El Salvador, a family health survey conducted in 2008 indicated that 44% of married women or couples had been victims of psychological violence, 24% had experienced physical violence and 12% sexual violence.[24] According to a national survey conducted in Algeria, more than 30 per cent of women had been regularly subjected to threats of physical or psychological violence and 10.9 per cent to forced sexual relations on more than one occasion by their partner.[25]", "27. Country visits indicate that certain groups of women are particularly vulnerable to violence[26]. In the United States, the Special Rapporteur noted that the rate of women of African-American descent who had been victims of violence at the hands of their partner was 35 per cent higher than that of white women.[27] The visit to that country also revealed that the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault against women in indigenous populations was higher than that perpetrated against any other population group in the country, which demonstrated more clearly the link between poverty, exclusion and violence.[28] The Special Rapporteur also found that poor and low-educationed women and widowed or separated women were particularly vulnerable as they lacked family and community support. According to information available, in Algeria and Kyrgyzstan, women between 25 and 44 years of age and those with two or more children were exposed to a high degree of domestic violence.[29]", "28. Domestic violence continues to be perceived as acceptable and legitimate. During her visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Special Rapporteur noted that 38 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 were of the view that a husband was entitled to beat his wife in various situations.[30] On the other hand, domestic violence is also a crime that is rarely reported. In the course of country visits, the victims presented similar reasons to explain their reluctance to contact the authorities: for example, fear of reprisals, pressure on the part of the family or community not to reveal domestic problems, lack of knowledge of their rights, lack of support services, economic dependence and the perception that the police do not respond with appropriate solutions.[31]", "29. The rate of prosecution of perpetrators of domestic violence and other forms of family violence remains low. In El Salvador, the number of court proceedings initiated in family courts in cases of domestic violence decreased from 4,890 (2003) to 1,240 (2007)[32]. The Special Rapporteur has been repeatedly informed that police officers, rather than arresting perpetrators, foster informal solutions and reconciliation. In Zambia, women preferred conciliation, mainly because of family pressures and their economic dependence on the aggressor.[33] Women who face multiple forms of discrimination, such as immigrant and indigenous women, or minority women, may be particularly reluctant to contact the authorities, who are often perceived as oppressors and not as protectors. During her visit to the United States of America, the Special Rapporteur received reports on the detention of women of African-American descent and minority women following incidents of domestic violence.[34]", "30. Harmful and degrading practices, which are closely linked to domestic violence and impair the rights and status of women and girls, continue to be carried out without systematic monitoring or punishment despite the existence of a greater number of legal prohibitions.[35] In some countries, early and forced marriage, polygamy and unregistered marriages remain a matter of concern. The mandate holder believes that these practices are “aggravating factors” that make women more vulnerable to violence.[36] In Kyrgyzstan, the Special Rapporteur found a correlation between early marriage (12.2 per cent of women) and unregistered marriages on the one hand, and the growing unemployment and feminization of poverty and the re-emergence of patriarchal traditions and religious conservatism on the other. Early marriage contributes to high rates of maternal mortality due to the prolongation of childbirth and other complications.[37] Similarly, in Algeria, women whose marriage had not been registered were particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse, and reportedly faced difficulties in ending abusive relationships due to lack of support, housing alternatives and legal protection.[38] Despite legal restrictions on polygamy, the Special Rapporteur received reports of women who were subjected to acts or threats of violence by their husbands to give their consent to a polygamous marriage.[39]", "31. Many women are subjected to situations of violence by their spouses, but also by their families. For example, in countries where the practice of demanding “the price of the bride or dowry”, husbands and members of their family believe that they have bought the bride and therefore have the right to subject their “good” to violence and other forms of ill-treatment.[40]", "32. Violence and “honour killings” perpetrated against women are related to discrimination and inequalities within both the family and the community. According to statistics from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), some 5,000 women are murdered every year by members of their families, victims of “honored” violence.[41] Since the creation of the mandate, cases of violence and murder of women have been reported on behalf of honour during visits to Algeria[42], Afghanistan[43], Iran (Islamic Republic of)[44], the Netherlands[45], the occupied Palestinian territories[46], Pakistan[47], Sweden[48], and Turkey[49]. As stated by the Secretary-General in his 2006 in-depth study on all forms of violence against women, crimes committed in the name of honour often have a collective dimension, as the family as a whole is considered injured by the actual or perceived behaviour of a woman. They also have a public character as they influence the behaviour of other women[50]. This collective element makes it extremely difficult to separate the victim from its effective or potential aggressors unless it is willing to break any relationship with the family and undertake a new life outside its social reference framework.[51]", "2. Violence in the community", "33. The mandate holder has identified rape/aggression, sexual harassment, violence in institutions, trafficking, forced prostitution, violence against migrant workers and pornography among forms of violence against women occurring within the framework of the community.[52] Acecho, violence against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, bride abduction[53], femicide (including murders related to witchcraft[54] and dowry[55]) are other manifestations of violence against women in this area.", "34. Sexual violence is a universal and frequent manifestation of gender-based violence that is rooted in a culture of discrimination that legitimizes the appropriation and control of the body of women by men.[56] In El Salvador, the incidence of sexual violence increased from 3,368 cases in 2007 to 4,120 cases in 2008.[57] Rape and sexual assault were also mentioned among the main forms of violence against women in the United States, where some 500 women ' s violations were recorded daily in 2008. In Zambia, one of ten women had been sexually abused.[59] It is common that sexual violence is not necessarily a crime for public opinion. In Kyrgyzstan, where statistics showed an increase in the number of cases of sexual violence against women[60], awareness-raising was extremely low: 35 per cent of urban women and 25 per cent of rural women did not believe that sexual violence was a crime.[61]", "35. Sexual harassment at school and at the workplace has been recognized as a widespread manifestation of violence.[62] In El Salvador, the Special Rapporteur heard testimonies of the conditions under which young women worked in maquila plants, where they were subjected to verbal and physical abuse by their supervisors, sexual harassment and mandatory pregnancy tests. When the Special Rapporteur visited Algeria, sexual harassment in educational and vocational institutions in Algeria was constant and rarely reported despite the commendable measures taken by the authorities to establish sexual harassment as a crime on the basis of abuse of authority.[63] The visit to the United States revealed the particular vulnerability of undocumented immigrants to workplace violence, including sexual harassment and abuse.[64] Sexual and physical violence against girls by male teachers and school staff in educational establishments remained a problem in Zambia, the Special Rapporteur was informed during her visit to Zambia.[65] The long distances separating school homes also increased the risk of harassment, as shown by reports on girls who had sex with minibus drivers and taxi drivers to cover transportation costs.", "36. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about widespread discrimination and violence against women as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity.[66] The visit to Kyrgyzstan revealed the high level of homophobia, discrimination and social violence against lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. The interlocutors reported incidents of such violence, including brutal gang violations, “curative” violations and family violence caused by the sexual identity and gender identity of the victims.[67] According to one study, 23 per cent of lesbian and bisexual women had had had forced sex and 56 per cent of those cases had tried to force them to change their identity or sexual orientation. A similar pattern emerged from the visit to El Salvador, where the number of murders in the communities of homosexuals, bisexuals, transgenders and intersexuals had increased from 4 in 2003 to 12 at least in 2009. The Special Rapporteur was also informed of numerous cases of discrimination and violence, including gang violations and violence within the family.[68]", "37. The femicide, defined as the murder or violent murder of women by the very fact of being women, occurs in many contexts in the four areas under review.[69] These include murders related to intimate partner violence, sexual violence, the protection of honour69, female infanticide, dowry litigation, as well as the killing of prostitutes and women accused of witchcraft, as well as certain suicide killings and deaths of mothers on unidentifiable grounds. Femicide is often linked to domestic violence which, in its most severe form, is causing death. Research on femicide conducted in Australia, Canada, the United States, Israel and South Africa indicate that between 40% and 70% of the victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends[70]. The particular vulnerability to violence affecting women victims of the convergence of multiple forms of discrimination is also reflected in the findings of a study conducted in New York City in 2004, according to which 51 per cent of women victims of murder committed by their partner were born abroad, compared with 45 per cent of women born in the United States.[71] During the 2008 review of Canada conducted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, concern was expressed about the hundreds of cases of missing or murdered Aboriginal women in the past two decades that had not been fully investigated or given priority attention, resulting in impunity for the perpetrators.[72]", "38. The follow-up visit by the Special Rapporteur to El Salvador in 2010 revealed an alarming increase in the extremely violent killings of women and girls in the country.[73] The pattern of these killings was similar to that of the femicides reported by the previous Special Rapporteur during her visits to El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, consisting of the abduction and murder of women aged 10 to 29, which were found in parks or bald sites, often with signs of sexual abuse and sometimes of mutilation, torture and decapitation. Extreme socio-economic inequalities, Machista culture and high crime rates were latent factors that fueled violence against women and discrimination in those societies. As indicated in the Special Rapporteur ' s report on her visit to the United States, the murder of women, as well as rape and ill-treatment, can also be related to stalking, which is committed more often against women than against men.[74]", "3. Violence perpetrated or tolerated by the State", "39. Violence perpetrated or tolerated by the State may include gender-based violence in conflict situations, violence in penal institutions, violence against refugees and internally displaced persons and against women from indigenous and minority groups.", "40. Conflict and post-conflict situations often exacerbate an existing environment of discrimination, subordination, violence against women and control of the sexuality of women by men. The “unconceivable brutality” documented by the first mandate holder in his report on violence against women in times of armed conflict remains in force.[75] The military environments in general, which are characterized by a hierarchical and authoritarian culture, expose women to a greater risk of violence and abuse. As the Special Rapporteur reported after her visit to the United States, sexual abuse and harassment of women in the armed forces have been recognized as persistent forms of violence against women.[76] While cases of sexual assault at the military level are often not reported, statistics show that women are the majority of the complainants when they are. One fact that reflects a similar trend in resolving cases of domestic violence through negotiation and reconciliation is that the vast majority of cases of sexual assault in the United States armed forces are resolved without resorting to judicial punishment: only between 14 and 18 per cent of them go through the courts.[77]", "41. As noted by the previous Special Rapporteur on torture, violence against women in prisons often includes rape and other forms of sexual violence as threats of rape, touching, “virginity tests”, obligation to strip, invasive body searches, insults and humiliations of a sexual nature.[78] The Special Rapporteur wishes to point out that 15 of the 38 communications sent to Governments in 2010 concerned cases of torture or the subjection of women to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment allegedly perpetrated by the authorities.[79] In Zambia, complaints related to cases of women held in prisons who were subjected to abuse, violence and humiliating or degrading punishment in order to extract a confession from them. They were also offered liberation in exchange for sex[80]. According to a report on sexual victimization in United States prisons and prisons in the period 2008-2009, 4.7 per cent of female prisoners had been sexually assaulted by other inmates and 2.1 per cent had been subjected to misconduct by prison staff. The Special Rapporteur ' s interviews with women prisoners during her visit showed that staff took advantage of their position of power to force women prisoners to have sex in exchange for access to telephone calls, visits or basic items such as food, shampoo or soap.[81]", "42. In Kyrgyzstan, women were exposed to the greatest risk of ill-treatment immediately after their arrest and during the investigation period, when the investigating authorities wished to obtain a confession. The organizations and a number of women victims provided examples of extortion and bribery during police custody, as well as cases in which prison staff chained the victim to a radiator, pointed him to the head with a revolver or inflicted beatings and burns on him.[82] Many women deprived of their liberty often lack insufficient access to medical care and treatment. In Zambia, women detained in police or prison facilities had little access to prenatal and postnatal medical care and treatment, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis testing or nutrition support.[83]", "4. Transnational violence", "43. The previous Special Rapporteur highlighted the risks and increased vulnerability to violence against women in the transnational arena by referring to this fourth area as a continuing process that includes “experiences of life both within and beyond conventional national territories”. The present section examines the situation of women victims of trafficking and other contemporary forms of slavery, refugees and migrants, especially irregular migrants, as well as the exploitation of women by actors whose activity is being carried out in the transnational field, such as peacekeepers.", "44. Enviletion, rape, early marriage and sex for survival remain some of the main challenges faced by women seeking asylum and refugees, both in camps and in urban areas.[85] During conflict situations, women are often transferred to cross-border countries to provide sexual services to fighters in armed conflict. Armed conflicts increase the risk of abduction, sexual slavery and/or forced prostitution for women and girls. Although most conflicts are currently internal, there are cases of women and girls moving across national borders to military camps located in the territory of neighbouring countries. International staff deployed within the framework of United Nations peace operations have also committed abuses against women and girls[86].", "45. The Special Rapporteur ' s visits to El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan and Zambia - all of which are countries of origin, transit and destination of trafficking in persons - revealed clear similarities with regard to trafficking in women and children. In Kyrgyzstan, trafficking in women and children had a significant boom during the country ' s transition period and remained a problem.[87] While there are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of trafficking, according to a Government report, 98 per cent of victims of trafficking are women and girls aged 15 to 30. Young people receive attractive offers of false employment in urban areas that induce them to move from rural areas to cities, or abroad, where they are subjected to sexual exploitation. A young woman interviewed during her visit to Bishkek in search of employment was misleadingly driven to a house on the outskirts of the city where she was locked up for months and forced to have sex with clients. For fear of reprisals he did not report the case to the police and was even afraid to go out on the street. In El Salvador, the Special Rapporteur also noted that the majority of victims of trafficking were women and girls moved from urban areas to the cities of that country.[88] Inadequate measures to ensure protection for victims and witnesses, the lack of support services and the ineffective action of law enforcement officials contributed to the failure to report these phenomena.", "46. Irregular migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees are particularly vulnerable to transnational violence. During her mission to Zambia, the Special Rapporteur was informed that migrants, particularly those engaged in sexual work, were frequent victims of sexual abuse and were exposed to the danger of contracting HIV/AIDS because of their inability to negotiate safe sex[89]. Moreover, their irregular condition made them reluctant to obtain medical care. Similarly, in the United States of America, immigrant women have a higher prevalence of ill-treatment due to their limited access to legal, social and support services.[90] The testimonies of undocumented immigrant women living with an American couple show their reluctance to seek assistance from the authorities when they are victims of abuse for fear of being deported. It was also noted that aggressors often do not initiate the application procedure for permanent residence for their partner or foreign spouse in order to maintain their authority and control over such women.[91]", "C. Obligation of due diligence by States under international human rights law: evolution of outstanding practices and jurisprudence and challenges", "47. The rule of due diligence, under international humanitarian law, has become the most widely used parameter for measuring the level of compliance by States with their obligation to prevent and respond to acts of violence against women.[92] The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women urges States to proceed with due diligence in order to “prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish any act of violence against women, whether acts perpetrated by the State or by individuals”[93].", "48. The Declaration stipulates that States should establish, in national legislation, criminal, civil, labour and administrative sanctions to punish and redress the grievances inflicted on women who are subjected to violence; they should be given access to justice mechanisms and a fair and effective redress for the harm suffered by them; States should also inform women of their rights to seek redress through such mechanisms.93", "49. States ' efforts to fulfil their due diligence obligation should not only focus on legislative reform, access to justice and the provision of services to victims; they should also address prevention issues, especially in order to address the structural causes of violence against women. By implementing existing human rights standards, States should ensure that the root causes and consequences of violence against women are addressed at all levels of society, from domestic to transnational. In this endeavour, States should take into account the multiplicity of forms of violence against women and the different types of discrimination affecting women in order to adopt multifaceted strategies to prevent and combat it effectively.[94]", "50. As noted above, State due diligence responsibility includes the obligation to: (a) prevent acts of violence against women; (b) investigate and punish all acts of violence against women; (c) protect women from all acts of violence; and (d) provide redress and redress to victims of violence against women. The present section examines the ways in which States have sought to comply with these obligations.", "1. Prevention", "51. The 2006 Secretary-General ' s study highlights some positive primary prevention strategies, i.e. preventing the outbreak of violence. These strategies include: (a) advocacy campaigns and activities; (b) education and capacity-building; (c) community mobilization; (d) work with men; (e) the use of media and information technology; and (f) the promotion of public security[95].", "52. The current mandate holder has also emphasized that the unreserved ratification of all relevant human rights instruments, their incorporation into the domestic legal, judicial and administrative system at all levels and the adoption of measures for their implementation are indispensable conditions for the State to fulfil its obligations in due diligence.[96]", "53. The first most common measure to prevent violence against women, adopted by many States, is the enactment of legislation. The issue of laws and practices that are directly discriminatory against women or have different and biased consequences for women in general, or for certain groups of women, is an area that requires greater attention. In particular, these are areas of legislation that continue to discriminate directly against women, such as laws relating to women ' s rights in the private sphere (including the right to make decisions freely regarding marriage, divorce and sexual and reproductive health) or those that relate to women ' s economic rights (including the right to decent work and the right to inherit and control land and other productive resources).", "54. A UN-Women report indicates that over the past 30 years legal reform for women ' s rights has made considerable progress worldwide. Currently 139 national constitutions consecrate gender equality and States have enacted domestic legislation to, inter alia, prohibit domestic violence, establish parity pay, ensure paid maternity leave, prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace and provide for equal rights to own and inherit property.97", "55. Some States have strengthened inter-agency cooperation to prevent violence through national action plans to combat violence against women. In some cases, specialized institutes on violence against women have been established and commissioners or defenders have been appointed to act as focal points, in some cases in collaboration with civil society organizations.[98] The effectiveness of these mechanisms may be undermined if they are marginalized from the national agenda or lack adequate financial or human resources for their functioning. For example, it is not uncommon for gender focal points in government agencies to lack decision-making power or the ability to influence the work programme of their institutions[99]. The Special Rapporteur has also expressed concern at the lack of effective coordination mechanisms between the police, forensic services and prosecution offices, which remain critical to combating impunity and infusing public confidence in the justice system.[100]", "56. Other preventive measures include public education campaigns on violence against women, which use posters, advertisements in magazines, websites and publicity of television and radio; the establishment of national action days against gender-based violence; awareness-raising activities and campaigns involving public figures; and the preparation of training and awareness-raising programmes for different professional groups, such as the police, prosecutors, members of the judiciary, doctors, nurses and nurses.101", "2. Prosecution and punishment", "57. The rule of due diligence has helped to question the traditional codification of international law that limited State responsibility for human rights in the public sphere. It is now recognized that if States do not react to private violence, including intimate partner violence and/or domestic violence, they may be held accountable for failing to fulfil their obligation to protect and punish acts of violence and abuse in a non-discriminatory manner.[102]", "58. States have responded to their obligation to investigate acts of violence against women mainly by strengthening the capacities and competencies of the police, prosecutors and judges. Some States have also reformed their penal codes to ensure that violent acts are adequately punished. Some States have adopted specific laws that criminalize new criminal offences and often provide for the establishment of specialized investigation or prosecution units. Specific police practices and procedures have also been developed regarding the investigation and prosecution of cases of violence against women.[103] With regard to domestic violence, measures such as the provisions of civil law and mandatory detention and prosecution policies are aimed at protecting victims from greater physical harm and ensuring that cases of domestic violence are not dismissed even if the victim is not willing to appear before the court and to provide a statement.[104] However, some States have not yet criminalized all manifestations of violence against women in their domestic law, including sexual violence in the marital context and other forms of domestic violence.[105]", "59. The establishment of police stations for women can help to raise awareness of violence against women and increase the number of complaints.[106] These specialized police stations play a leading role in bringing legal action in cases of violence against women and have the responsibility to ensure the implementation of protection measures, provide immediate assistance to victims, conduct investigations and monitor cases through the various bodies of the criminal justice system. Civil society organizations monitor the work of these services and identify areas for improvement.106. The Special Rapporteur has welcomed other related measures such as the inclusion of police women with specific experience in the registration and treatment of cases of gender-based violence[107], which aims to create an enabling environment for encouraging complaints.", "60. However, there are many situations where States do not fulfil their duty to properly investigate and punish acts of violence against women, in particular with regard to violence perpetrated in the private sphere. The pervasiveness of patriarchal attitudes in law enforcement and justice systems, coupled with a lack of resources and knowledge on the applicable legislation, does not provide adequate responses to violence against women and the social acceptance of such acts remains.[108]", "61. In the case of Vertido c. The Philippines, in which the perpetrator of sexual assault against a woman was found innocent on the basis of gender mythifications and false ideas on rape, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women ruled that the State party had violated the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Committee noted the obligation of States parties to the Convention to take appropriate measures to modify or abolish not only existing laws and standards, but also practices that constitute discrimination against women. In this regard, the Committee emphasized that the application of stereotypes affects women ' s right to a fair and fair trial and that the judiciary should exercise caution in order not to create inflexible rules on what women and girls should be or what they should have done when they are in a situation of rape based solely on preconceived notions of what defines a victim of rape or gender-based violence in general.[109]", "62. In the light of the testimonies of victims of domestic violence who tried to bring their cases to justice, brought together by the Special Rapporteur, if violence does not lead to serious physical injuries, the police, prosecutors and judges continue to detract from these crimes on the pretext that domestic violence is a private matter. In this regard, they deter victims from initiating legal proceedings and promoting conciliation, which constitutes a new situation of abuse for victims. Cases of domestic violence are often treated as administrative and non-criminal offences or classified as offences, which means that a reduced or inadequate sentence is applied to them.[110]", "63. The low rate of prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against women reinforces the belief among victims that the judicial system does not respond in a systematic and guaranteed manner to violence against women and that perpetrators could go unpunished. As a result, there is an increasing number of complaints and the importance and visibility of such crimes continues to be reduced, which helps to strengthen the continued presence of violence against women.[111]", "3. Protection", "64. In order to fulfil their obligation of due diligence in the field of protection, States have taken numerous measures, particularly with regard to the provision of services such as emergency telephone lines, health care, counselling centres, legal assistance, shelters, restraining orders and financial assistance to victims of violence. However, despite the adoption of such protection measures, the irregularity of their implementation and the inability to exercise due diligence have sometimes resulted in a further victimization of women reporting cases of violence.", "65. The main shortcomings in the implementation of the obligation to protect include the lack of adequate enforcement by the police and the judiciary of civil remedies and criminal sanctions for cases of violence against women, as well as the lack or inadequacy of services such as shelters, which often means that women have no choice but to continue living with those who mistreat them. In addition, protection has too often focused on providing emergency assistance in the short term and not on providing women who have been victims of violence with the means to prevent them from becoming such.[112]", "66. The lack of sufficient shelters for women and girls victims of violence contributes to their invisibility and silence. Even where Government-run shelters are available, the Special Rapporteur has noted, during her country visits, the important role of non-governmental organizations in shelter management and in providing psychological, medical and legal assistance to women victims of violence. Whether they are privately financed shelters or government subsidies, these centres are generally insufficient, lack human and material resources and are often concentrated in areas not accessible to all women. The Special Rapporteur, while commending the work of civil society organizations, has noted that the obligation of due diligence to protect women from violence rests primarily with the State and its institutions. States are therefore responsible for ensuring the accessibility and availability of effective protection and support services for victims of domestic violence.[113] The Special Rapporteur has also expressed concern at the lack of policy guidelines in the health, psychosocial and legal sectors to ensure the coordinated, rapid and effective provision of services to victims.[114]", "67. During her visit to the United States, the Special Rapporteur visited the Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center in Minnesota, a “unique window” offering services to women victims of violence. An innovative feature of this centre is that it hosts, in the same building, several municipal and county agencies and promotional services that assist victims throughout the judicial process. The staff of the centre not only assists victims in completing the necessary documentation to request a restraining order and explains to them the civil and criminal judicial process, but also assists them to the court, assists them in formulating personal and family security plans and in finding a shelter or temporary housing and refers them to other resources and service providers.[115]", "68. Another essential element in preventing the repeated victimization of women affected by violence is the establishment of procedural rules for the presentation of evidence that protects victims and witnesses so that they do not suffer further damage as a result of their complaint of violence111.", "69. At the international level, the International Criminal Court has established mechanisms to ensure that gender-based crimes committed during armed conflict are treated appropriately. The Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Court provides protection, support and other assistance to ensure personal security and physical and psychological well-being, the dignity and privacy of those who testify[116]. The services offered by the Victims and Witnesses Unit can be requested and provided at all stages of the trial, from pre-trial investigation to after trial.[117] In addition, the Court has established the Trust Fund for Victims, whose role is to assist victims and administer reparations ordered by the Court.116. At the national level, the Victims and Witnesses Unit of the Special Court for Sierra Leone has prepared a wide range of protection and support measures and, in the light of the follow-up, the experience of witnesses to whom the Court provided information and support was generally positive116.", "4. Obligation to provide repairs", "70. Most human rights and humanitarian law treaties envisage the right to restitution. In the context of serious and systematic human rights violations, the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right of Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Standards and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law to Remedies and Remedies, adopted by the General Assembly in 2005, are based on the premise that the State has an obligation to guarantee victims of human rights violations the individual right to reparation. Both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women impose on States the duty to provide compensation for all acts of violence. However, the implementation of due diligence obligation in respect of reparations remains very undeveloped, as the Special Rapporteur noted in her report submitted in 2010[118]. The limited attention to reparations, at both the substantive and procedural levels, to women victims of violence is constrained by the fact that they are often subjected to both sexual and other violence.[119]", "71. Given the unequal and differentiated form of violence affecting women, specific redress measures are required to meet their specific needs and priorities. Since each case of violence against women is often framed by pre-existing and often interrelated subordination and marginalization patterns, such measures must link individual reparations and structural transformation.[120] This means that reparations should be oriented, as far as possible, to subvert, instead of strengthening, pre-existing patterns of structural subordination, gender-based hierarchies, systemic marginalization and structural inequalities that can be root causes of violence against women.120", "72. The principles discussed in the preceding paragraphs were cited by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in its Views on the case González et al (“Campo Algodonero”) v. Mexico in 2009[121]. In this case, concerning the abduction, murder and sexual violence of two minors and one young woman at the hands of non-State actors in 2003, the Court widely interpreted the State ' s due diligence obligations to investigate, prosecute and punish those guilty of violence against women. The opinion is fundamental in that for the first time the Court endorsed the notion of reparations based on gender with a transformative vocation. He considered that in a situation of structural discrimination, reparations should tend to transform it, thus pointing not only to restitution but to remedy the situation.[122] The Court clearly set out the criteria for redress for harassment, including the following: (i) reparations should refer directly to the violations declared by the Court; (ii) they should provide for material and immaterial damage; (iii) they cannot mean enrichment or impoverishment; (iv) they should not break the principle of non-discrimination; (v) they should be directed “to identify and eliminate the causal factors of discrimination”; (vi)", "73. The Opuz v.Turkey case, presented to the European Court of Human Rights, is also an example of case law regarding reparations. The case was submitted by Ms. Opuz, who, together with her mother, suffered years of brutal violence at the hands of her husband. Despite their allegations, the police and the prosecution did not adequately protect women, to the extent that Ms. Opuz was killed by his daughter's ex-husband. The Court granted the plaintiff compensation for non-material damage as a result of the anguish and distress caused by the murder of her mother and that the authorities had not taken sufficient steps to prevent domestic violence by her ex-husband and had not applied a deterrental penalty.", "D. Comprehensive framework for prevention and protection", "74. Prevention should be a central priority of efforts by States and other stakeholders to eradicate violence against women. Prevention should also address the root causes of violence as part of States ' fundamental human rights obligations to protect, respect and enforce all the human rights of women and girls.[124] While strategies must respond to local specificities, they must all aim to combat the tacit social acceptance of violence against women that promotes their prevalence and achieve the empowerment and equal status of women in society.", "75. As outlined in the previous section, any framework for the prevention of violence against women should include, inter alia: (a) legislative measures, in particular the ratification of international human rights instruments, the harmonization of national legislation, the adoption of specific legislation on violence against women and the allocation of adequate budgetary and human resources to ensure the effective implementation of such legislation; (b) institutional and policy measures, such as the elimination of any obstacles to research and prosecution", "76. The correlation between prevalence rates and the existence of effective and effective measures to promote accountability is becoming increasingly evident. Measures to promote the investigation and prosecution of cases of violence against women and to provide protection and redress to victims will have a direct effect on the prevalence rates of such violence111. The ultimate objective of States ' efforts in investigating and punishing acts of violence against women and in providing protection and redress to victims of such violence should be to prevent further victimization and successive acts of violence through the elimination of structural discrimination and the empowerment of women.", "77. However, such measures would have no substantive results if they were not implemented with a holistic approach aimed at achieving social transformation and the empowerment of women. The mandate holder has emphasized the need to link violence with other prevailing systems of oppression in society in order to address the structural causes of violence against women. In order for women to progressively exercise all their human rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural), States must promote and support their empowerment through education, vocational training, basic legal training and access to productive resources, which will enhance their awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reliance.[125] Social and economic power systems and structures, at the institutional and individual levels, accentuate gender inequalities that make women more vulnerable to violence, in particular women living in poverty, migrants, indigenous women and young or elderly women[126]. The economic empowerment of women through preventive factors, such as their right to property and land, adequate housing, economic independence or access to secondary education, can act as a deterrent to such violence[127]. Thanks to this empowerment, women can understand that subordination and violence are not an unattainable destiny, to offer resistance to the assimilation of oppression, to develop their capacities as independent beings and to constantly question and negotiate the conditions of their existence in the public and private spheres.", "78. With regard to women ' s empowerment at the community and family levels, States should adopt a " cultural-negotiation " approach that addresses the root causes of violence and raise awareness of the oppressive nature of certain social practices. This cultural negotiation implies the identification and questioning of the legitimacy of those who monopolize the right to speak in the name of culture and religion.[128] It is not culture or religion in itself that a woman must be beaten, mutilated or killed, but that these precepts are dictated by those who monopolize the right to speak in the name of culture or religion. Consequently, the State ' s commitment to the empowerment of women and the transformation of society is the capital to foster the change of hegemonic patriarchal structures and practices[129].", "79. Full observance of women ' s human rights also requires political will and adequate resources to eliminate existing inequalities and discrimination. In addressing these tasks, States must act in a non-discriminatory manner and make efforts and resources to prevent, investigate, punish violence against women and provide redress to victims to the same extent as those involved in combating other forms of violence. States should act in good faith and take positive steps to ensure that women ' s human rights are protected, respected, promoted and exercised.[130]", "1. Conclusions and recommendations: adoption of a comprehensive approach to violence against women", "80. The adoption of a comprehensive approach to understanding discrimination and violence against women requires, inter alia, that: (a) rights are considered universal, interdependent and indivisible; (b) violence is inserted into an inclusive context that encompasses interpersonal and structural violence; (c) gender and gender discrimination is taken into account, including structural and institutional inequalities; and (d) gender and economic hierarchies are analysed.", "81. Human rights are universal. All persons have the right to respect, protect and exercise their human rights irrespective of their geographical location or social position, including the right of women not to be subjected to violence. However, that understanding of the universality of rights does not exempt States from the need to take into account the specificities of violence against women and the obligation to recognize, at the local level, the various forms of oppression experienced by women.[131] Programmatic responses to violence against women cannot be viewed in isolation from individual, family, community or state contexts.[132]", "82. Human rights are also interdependent and indivisible. States should abandon the wrong approach to giving priority to civil and political rights and to realize that denial of social, economic and cultural rights restricts women ' s potential to lead full civil and political life[133]. In implementing a comprehensive approach to understanding discrimination and violence against women, it is essential to include an analysis of the right to an adequate standard of living and to pay attention, inter alia, to the rights of physical integrity, education, civil and political participation and personal self-determination. These fundamental rights directly determine the ability of women to participate in an equitable and comprehensive manner in the public and private spheres.[134]", "83. The comprehensive approach to addressing violence requires an understanding that this constitutes a constant process in terms of both time and space, which is reflected in its various forms and manifestations. While a certain degree of categorization could be useful in providing services to victims, in particular clinical, psychosocial or legal services, the comprehensive perspective is based on the notion that all forms of abuse are factors that qualitatively affect the economic, social, cultural and political well-being of women, their community and the State. States should recognize that violence against women is not the fundamental problem, but that violence occurs because other forms of discrimination are encouraged. If they consider violence against women as a constant process, States can appropriately contextualize violence and recognize that deprivation of water, food and other human rights can be as atrocious and debilitating as family violence. Although these forms of violence are not at all identical, it is possible to consider them parallel and similar if their interdependence is recognized.[135]", "84. The comprehensive approach also requires States to recognize the existence of structural and institutional inequalities related to discrimination. They are already based on race, ethnic or national origin, capacity, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, culture, tradition or other realities, discrimination tends to intensify acts of violence against women. The recognition of the structural aspects and factors of discrimination is necessary for the achievement of non-discrimination and equality.[136] Efforts to end all forms of violence against women should consider not only how people ' s lives are affected by the immediate impact of abuse, but also how discrimination and inequality structures perpetuate and exacerbate the experience of the victim.[137] The interpersonal, institutional and structural forms of violence perpetuate both gender inequalities and racial hierarchies, religious orthodoxy, ethnic exclusion practices and the allocation of resources that favour certain groups of women at the expense of others. Interventions aimed only at mitigating abuse without taking into account the realities faced by women do not jeopardize gender inequalities and fundamental discrimination that initially lead to abuse.", "85. The adoption of a comprehensive model to address gender-based violence requires an understanding of the different manifestations of gender and gender differences and the factors of institutional and structural inequality that exacerbate violence as a result of the convergence of multiple forms of discrimination.[138] In fulfilling their international legal obligations, States should bear in mind that discrimination affects women in different forms according to their position in certain social, economic and cultural hierarchies that further prohibit or restrict the ability of certain women to enjoy universal human rights. In addition, this approach reveals critical aspects of discrimination and inequality within the same gender that have so far been excluded from efforts to combat violence that, in their responses to it, treat all women in a homogeneous manner. 131", "86. A single-size programmatic approach is insufficient to combat gender-based violence. Violence stems from a complex interaction of individual, family, community and social factors, and although all women are exposed to the risk of being subjected to violence in any society in the world, not all women are equally vulnerable to acts of violence and the structures that encourage them. The comprehensive approach to the elimination of all forms of violence against all women is to address systematic discrimination and marginalization through measures aimed at eliminating inequality and discrimination between women themselves and men. United Nations human rights treaties, declarations and mechanisms provide the institutional framework within which Governments, non-State actors and local activists can promote a comprehensive response to the identification, prevention and final elimination of all forms of violence against women. The struggle for women ' s human rights continues to constitute a collective task in which we must actively collaborate with a view to ensuring the full enjoyment of those rights to all women and girls in the world.", "Appendix I", "Thematic annual reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "women and violence against women(2011) A/HRC/17/26 Reparations to women who have been subjected to violence (2010) A/HRC/14/22 Political economy of women ' s human rights(2009) A/HRC/11/6 Indicators on violence against women and Stateresponse (2008)", "Appendix II", "Country mission reports by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as at 30 July 2011", "E/CN.4/Add.2", "[1] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3-5.", "[2] A/HRC/17/26/Add.1-5.", "[3] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, A/HCR/17/26/Add.1.", "[4] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.1", "[5] A/HRC/16/68.", "[6] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5 and General Assembly resolution 48/104.", "[7] See A/HRC/17/26, para. 64.", "[8] See A/HRC/17/26, para. 12.", "[9] A/CONF.157/23, para. 18.", "[10] Ibid., para. 38.", "[11] Resolution 48/104.", "[12] Resolution S-23/3 (2000).", "[13] E/2010/27-E/CN.6/2010/11, annex, and resolution 65/187.", "[14] A/HRC/14/L.9/Rev.1.", "[15] CEDAW/C/EGY/CO/7, para. 23; CEDAW/C/MWI/CO/6, para. 22; CEDAW/PAN/CO/7, para. 7; CEDAW/ALB/CO/3, para. 3; CEDAW/C/AUS/CO/7, para. 28; CEDAW/C/FIJ/CO/4, para. 22; CEDAW/C/USR/CO/7, para. 22; CEDAW/CO/6", "[16] A/HRC/17/26, para. 17.", "[17] The full list of thematic reports is contained in appendix 1.", "[18] The full list of country mission reports is contained in appendix 2.", "[19] A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 2.", "[20] See, for example, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/ZR/DRC_Reparations_Report_en.pdf.", "[21] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 30.", "[22] Ibid., para. 31.", "[23] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 8.", "[24] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 18.", "[25] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 14.", "[26] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, paras. 25 and 28.", "[27] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 52.", "[28] Ibid., para. 62.", "[29] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 15, and A/HRC/14/22/, para. 28.", "[30] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 27.", "[31] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 21 and A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 13.", "[32] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 20.", "[33] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 24.", "[34] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5.", "[35] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 47.", "[36] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 45.", "[37] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 23.", "[38] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 15.", "[39] Ibid., para. 56.", "[40] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 22.", "[41] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 124 and http://inthenews.unfpa.org/?p=3516.", "[42] See A/HRC/7/6/Add.2 (2008), para. 37.", "[43] See E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.5, para. 30.", "[44] Ibid., para. 35.", "[45] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.4, parr. 18.", "[46] See E/CN.4/2005/72/Add.4, paras. 56 to 58.", "[47] See E/CN.4/2000/68/Add.4, para. 46.", "[48] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, para. 34.", "[49] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.2, paras. 30 to 33.", "[50] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 84.", "[51] See A/HRC/4/34/Add.3, para. 36.", "[52] See A/HRC/11/6/Add.5, para. 12.", "[53] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 29.", "[54] See A/HRC/11/12/2, para. 43.", "[55] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 123.", "[56] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 17.", "[57] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 22.", "[58] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 11.", "[59] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 17.", "[60] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 42.", "[61] Ibid., para. 43.", "[62] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 23.", "[63] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, paras. 18 and 19.", "[64] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 57.", "[65] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 34.", "[66] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 23.", "[67] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 38.", "[68] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 28.", "[69] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 84.", "[70] See A/61/122/Add.1, para. 115 and A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 9.", "[71] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 56.", "[72] See CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/7, para. 31.", "[73] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 25.", "[74] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 12.", "[75] See E/CN.4/2001/73.", "[76] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 22.", "[77] Ibid., para. 29.", "[78] See CAT/C/MEX/CO/4; CAT/C/GUY/CO/1; CAT/C/TGO/CO/1 and CAT/C/BDI/CO/1.", "[79] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.1, para. 16.", "[80] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 33.", "[81] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 34.", "[82] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 39.", "[83] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 31.", "[84] See E/CN.4/2004/66, para. 42.", "[85] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 29.", "[86] See A/59/710.", "[87] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 33.", "[88] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 36.", "[89] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 28.", "[90] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.5, para. 58.", "[91] Ibid., para. 60.", "[92] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 29.", "[93] Resolution 48/104, art. 4 (c).", "[94] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 16.", "[95] See A/61/122/Add.1, paras. 339-354.", "[96] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 89.", "[97] See UN-Women, The Progress of Women in the World. In search of justice (2011), p. 26.", "[98] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 41.", "[99] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 91.", "[100] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 60.", "[101] See E/CN.4/2006/61, paras. 44 and 45.", "[102] Ibid., para. 61.", "[103] Ibid., para. 50.", "[104] See E/CN.4/1996/53.", "[105] See A/HRC/14/22/Add.2, para. 60.", "[106] See UN-Women, The Progress of Women in the World. In search of justice (2011), p. 58.", "[107] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 44.", "[108] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 59.", "[109] See CEDAW/C/46/D/18/2008, para. 8.4.", "[110] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 59; A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 13.", "[111] See E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 92.", "[112] Ibid., para. 49.", "[113] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.3, para. 73 and A/HRC/17/26/Add.4.", "[114] See A/HRC/17/26/Add.4, para. 81.", "[115] Information from an interview conducted during the visit to the United States.", "[116] See UN-Women, The Progress of Women in the World. In search of justice (2011), p. 91.", "[117] See http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC/Structure+of+the+Court/Protection/ Victims+and+Witness+Unit.htm.", "[118] See A/HRC/14/22.", "[119] Ibid., para. 23.", "[120] Ibid., para. 24.", "[121] This case also refers to the State ' s further inability to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators with due diligence and to treat the relatives of the deceased with dignity.", "[122] See A/HRC/14/22, para. 77.", "[123] See A/HRC/14/22, para. 78.", "[124] See A/61/299, paras. 3 to 10.", "[125] Ibid., para. 80.", "[126] See A/HRC/17/22, para. 39.", "[127] Ibid., para. 40.", "[128] E/CN.4/2006/61, para. 85.", "Ibid., para. 88.", "[130] See E/CN.4/2006/61, paras. 35 and 36.", "[131] See A/HRC/17/26, paras. 59 and 60.", "[132] Ibid., para. 101.", "[133] Ibid., para. 60.", "[134] Ibid., para. 103.", "[135] Ibid. paras. 64 to 66.", "[136] Ibid., para. 67.", "[137] Ibid., para. 102.", "[138] Ibid., para. 70." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 69 b) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos humanos: cuestiones de derechos humanos, incluidos otros medios de mejorar el goce efectivo de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales", "El derecho al desarrollo", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "El presente informe ofrece un panorama general de las actividades de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos relativas a la promoción y el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, entre otras cosas en el contexto del 25º aniversario de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre el derecho al desarrollo. El informe también incluye una recopilación de las conclusiones y recomendaciones aprobadas por consenso por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre el Derecho al Desarrollo del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, con objeto de contribuir a las deliberaciones intergubernamentales sobre la futura línea de acción en el ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 3II.Actividades 3 de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos \nHumanos III.Recopilación 5 de las conclusiones y recomendaciones aprobadas por consenso por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre el Derecho al Desarrollo del Consejo de Derechos \nHumanos A.El 5 concepto y el ejercicio del derecho al \ndesarrollo B.Cuestiones 12 \ntemáticas C.Particulares 17 y grupos \nespecíficos D. Medir 18 los avances en el ejercicio del derecho al \ndesarrollo E.Cuestiones 21 para el \nfuturo IV.Conclusiones 21 y \nrecomendaciones", "I. Introducción", "1. En su resolución 65/219, la Asamblea General solicitó a la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos que, al integrar en su labor el derecho al desarrollo, emprendiera actividades destinadas a fortalecer la alianza mundial para el desarrollo y detallara esas actividades en su próximo informe al Consejo de Derechos Humanos. En la misma resolución, la Asamblea solicitó a la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) que, en consulta con los Estados Miembros y otras partes interesadas, iniciase los preparativos para la conmemoración del 25º aniversario de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo en 2011; también solicitó al Secretario General que en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones le presentase un informe, así como un informe provisional al Consejo de Derechos Humanos, sobre la aplicación de la resolución, incluidas las actividades emprendidas en los planos nacional, regional e internacional para promover y realizar el derecho al desarrollo. El presente informe, que se atiene a las solicitudes mencionadas y a la práctica establecida, constituye un informe recapitulativo del Secretario General y de la Alta Comisionada para los Derechos Humanos sobre el derecho al desarrollo.", "II. Actividades de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos", "2. Como solicitó la Asamblea General en su resolución 65/219 y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos en su resolución 15/25, el ACNUDH, en consulta con los Estados Miembros y otras partes interesadas, ha puesto en marcha un programa para conmemorar el 25º aniversario de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo y ha concretado un calendario de actos y actividades[1].", "3. En febrero de 2011, en su discurso de apertura de un acto celebrado en Berlín para conmemorar el 25º aniversario de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo, titulado “Logros y retos en los 25 años del derecho al desarrollo”, la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos vinculó los alzamientos populares en África del Norte y el Oriente Medio con la negación del derecho de los pueblos al desarrollo. En un simposio de expertos en el marco de ese acto se determinaron tres retos al ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo: la encrucijada en el debate intergubernamental, la necesidad de incorporar el derecho al desarrollo en la labor del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y la necesidad de ampliar la base de defensores del derecho al desarrollo[2].", "4. Con motivo de la Cuarta Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Países Menos Adelantados, celebrada en Estambul en mayo de 2011, la Alta Comisionada señaló que los derechos humanos, incluido el derecho al desarrollo, eran fundamentales para la vía de desarrollo prevista para los países menos adelantados, puso de relieve el 25º aniversario de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo como oportunidad para revitalizar las alianzas en pro de un entorno propicio para el desarrollo que incluya los principios de los derechos humanos, destacó los vínculos entre desarrollo, reducción de la pobreza e igualdad entre los géneros, así como la contribución de las mujeres al desarrollo, y reafirmó la determinación del ACNUDH de apoyar el desarrollo de los países menos adelantados sobre la base de los derechos humanos.", "5. En el 14º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la Alta Comisionada se mostró esperanzada en que la próxima fase de las deliberaciones sobre el derecho al desarrollo seguiría centrándose en la mejora del bienestar humano y el empoderamiento de las personas y comunidades para participar plenamente en la adopción de importantes decisiones que les afectan. La Alta Comisionada subrayó el carácter central de la igualdad de oportunidades y la cooperación internacional. En el 16º período de sesiones del Consejo, la Alta Comisionada destacó que la promoción y realización del derecho al desarrollo seguían constituyendo una dimensión clave de la labor del ACNUDH.", "6. También en 2011, el ACNUDH publicó un folleto de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo y elaboró un cartel y notas informativas sobre el tema.", "7. El Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, en una declaración sobre la importancia y pertinencia del derecho al desarrollo aprobada en mayo de 2011, se mostró decidido a seguir vigilando el ejercicio de todos los derechos protegidos por el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, que también contribuyen a la plena realización de los elementos pertinentes del derecho al desarrollo (véase E/C.12/2011/2). Asimismo los presidentes de los órganos creados en virtud de los tratados de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas, en una declaración aprobada en julio de 2011, decidieron emprender una iniciativa concertada para promover una lectura interdependiente y basada en el desarrollo de todos los tratados de derechos humanos a fin de resaltar y destacar la pertinencia e importancia del derecho al desarrollo en la interpretación y aplicación de las disposiciones de los tratados de derechos humanos y en la vigilancia de su cumplimiento[3].", "8. En un acto especial del Consejo Económico y Social sobre el derecho al desarrollo y la alianza mundial para el desarrollo, celebrado en julio de 2011 en el marco del período de sesiones sustantivo del Consejo, se intercambiaron pareceres sobre la forma en que la promoción del derecho al desarrollo y el logro del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio podían reforzarse entre sí y cómo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas podía valerse de estas sinergias en el horizonte de 2015 y años sucesivos[4].", "9. En el foro público organizado por la Organización Mundial del Comercio en septiembre de 2010, el ACNUDH copatrocinó con la organización no gubernamental 3D una mesa redonda sobre el derecho al desarrollo como medio de impulsar la coherencia entre comercio, desarrollo y derechos humanos. La mesa redonda subrayó la necesidad de instituciones mundiales que garanticen la convergencia de diferentes intereses, un margen de acción normativa y políticas que potencien la capacidad de producción y la diversificación económica.", "III. Recopilación de las conclusiones y recomendaciones aprobadas por consenso por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre el Derecho al Desarrollo del Consejo de Derechos Humanos", "10. La sección III incluye una recopilación de las conclusiones y recomendaciones aprobadas por consenso por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre el Derecho al Desarrollo[5] en el período comprendido entre 1998 y 2010[6].", "A. El concepto y el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo", "11. La Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo, aprobada por la Asamblea General en 1986 en virtud de su resolución 41/128, define el derecho al desarrollo como un derecho humano inalienable en virtud del cual todo ser humano y todos los pueblos están facultados para participar en un desarrollo económico, social, cultural y político en el que puedan realizarse plenamente todos los derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales, a contribuir a ese desarrollo y a disfrutar de él. Reconoce que el desarrollo es un proceso global económico, social, cultural y político, que tiende al mejoramiento constante del bienestar de toda la población y de todos los individuos sobre la base de su participación activa, libre y significativa en el desarrollo y la distribución justa de los beneficios que de él se derivan. A fin de promover el desarrollo, se debe prestar la misma atención y urgente consideración a la aplicación, promoción y protección de los derechos civiles, políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales.", "12. El derecho al desarrollo incorpora los principios de derechos humanos de igualdad, no discriminación, transparencia y rendición de cuentas, así como la cooperación internacional. Los requisitos básicos de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo son:", "a) Considerar al ser humano el eje del desarrollo;", "b) Garantizar una participación libre, activa y significativa;", "c) Evitar la discriminación;", "d) Distribuir equitativamente los beneficios del desarrollo;", "e) Respetar la libre determinación y la soberanía sobre los recursos naturales;", "f) Velar por que el derecho al desarrollo forme parte de un proceso coadyuvante a otros derechos civiles, políticos, económicos, sociales y culturales.", "El concepto del derecho al desarrollo", "13. En sus deliberaciones, el Grupo de Trabajo sobre el Derecho al Desarrollo ha llegado a la conclusión de que los matices que se puedan dar a los términos empleados en las deliberaciones sobre el derecho al desarrollo “no tienen importancia para el derecho al desarrollo como se consagra en la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo” y que todos los interesados —Estados Miembros, expertos, agentes del desarrollo, instituciones internacionales y la sociedad civil— deben avanzar hacia un entendimiento común de los componentes sustantivos del derecho al desarrollo, sin tener en cuenta esos posibles matices (véase E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 38).", "14. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo convino en que “un enfoque basado en los derechos aplicable al crecimiento económico y al desarrollo contribuye a la realización del derecho al desarrollo, sin que por ello se agoten las consecuencias y requisitos de este derecho en los planos nacional e internacional” (véase E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 46).", "15. A la vez que reconoció que “un crecimiento económico sostenido constituye un elemento indispensable del ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo” (E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párr. 43), el Grupo de Trabajo llegaba a la conclusión de que “el desarrollo debe estar cimentado en políticas económicas que promuevan el crecimiento con justicia social” y que “la necesidad de crear sinergias entre las estrategias de desarrollo orientadas al crecimiento y los derechos humanos constituye una respuesta a las crecientes demandas de los ciudadanos de tener más capacidad, asumir más responsabilidad y conseguir más sostenibilidad en los esfuerzos para el desarrollo” (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 42). Además, el Grupo de Trabajo ha tomado nota de que el derecho al desarrollo enriquece las estrategias de desarrollo orientadas al crecimiento al incorporar de forma sistemática los derechos humanos y los principios de transparencia, igualdad, participación, rendición de cuentas y no discriminación en el proceso de desarrollo, tanto en el ámbito nacional como internacional. En ese contexto, el derecho al desarrollo debe servir de orientación al establecer las prioridades y resolver las compensaciones recíprocas en lo referente a las asignaciones de recursos y marcos normativos (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 43).", "16. El Grupo de Trabajo, al recordar “los principios que sustentan el derecho al desarrollo, a saber, la igualdad, la no discriminación, la participación, la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas, así como la cooperación internacional”, ha concedido especial importancia al principio de equidad, el estado de derecho y la buena gobernanza, a todos los niveles, como fundamentales para el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 40).", "El ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo", "17. Si bien el Grupo de Trabajo ha abordado en alguna ocasión la responsabilidad de los Estados en la creación de las condiciones nacionales, frente a las internacionales, que favorezcan el ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo como temas distintos en general, ha destacado el vínculo existente entre ellos (véase E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párrs. 95, 96, 103 y 104). Con respecto a la creación de las condiciones internacionales favorables, el Grupo de Trabajo ha reconocido que “la aceptación de los niveles simultáneos de acción que se requieren en los planos nacional, regional e internacional para el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo es cada vez mayor. Aunque no está de más insistir en la importancia de la responsabilidad que incumbe a los Estados en lo relativo al disfrute del derecho al desarrollo, la cooperación internacional no deja de tener por ello menor relevancia desde el punto de vista de la creación de un entorno propicio en el plano internacional” (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 32).", "18. Reconociendo que la cooperación internacional es uno de los compromisos internacionales enunciados en la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo, el Grupo de Trabajo también lo ha considerado un deber que está consagrado en la Carta de las Naciones Unidas y que se pone de manifiesto en los compromisos mutuos, que traducen el deber general de llevar a cabo una cooperación internacional en acuerdos vinculantes concretos entre los asociados que participan en esa cooperación (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 37).", "19. Además, a la vez que entiende que la cooperación internacional tiene diversos aspectos y modalidades, el Grupo de Trabajo ha destacado asimismo la importancia de la cooperación multilateral y otras formas de cooperación, como por ejemplo la asociación, el compromiso y la solidaridad, incluida la cooperación Sur-Sur (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 102).", "20. El Grupo de Trabajo ha expresado la opinión de que el contexto mundial cambiante exige un planteamiento bien coordinado de la cooperación para el desarrollo que garantice una mejora de la coordinación, unas alianzas más fuertes, unos planteamientos basados en los resultados y una mayor coherencia en la aplicación del consenso sobre los objetivos de desarrollo como medida concreta para crear alianzas en pro del ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo, y ha observado que los compromisos mutuos pueden desembocar en acuerdos vinculantes concretos entre los asociados que cooperan, definidos y pactados mediante negociaciones genuinas, a fin de asegurar que la población de cada país asuma como propio el proceso de desarrollo (véase E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 44).", "21. Al hacer referencia al ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, el Grupo de Trabajo utilizó repetidamente el término “progresivamente”. En 2004, por ejemplo, el Grupo de Trabajo convino en que para un ejercicio efectivo cada vez más pleno del derecho al desarrollo se necesitaba una visión clara, una mayor coherencia, una coordinación eficaz de políticas y programas, un proceso de examen fiable, una evaluación constante y una voluntad política en los planos nacional e internacional (E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párr. 43 h)).", "22. Entre los factores que se reconocieron explícitamente como coadyuvantes al ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo se contaban: un sistema multilateral de comercio abierto, equitativo, sujeto a normas, previsible y no discriminatorio; un crecimiento económico sostenido; alianzas continuas; la formulación, evaluación y divulgación de medidas prácticas y concretas en los planos nacional e internacional; la adhesión a los principios en que se sustenta la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo como guías de las políticas y los programas de las instituciones de desarrollo y financieras multilaterales; un enfoque basado en los derechos aplicable al crecimiento económico y al desarrollo; la buena gobernanza y el estado de derecho tanto en el ámbito nacional como internacional; la respuesta de los Estados a los grupos vulnerables y marginados; y la realización de los derechos civiles, culturales, económicos, políticos y sociales (véase E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, E/CN.4/2005/25 y E/CN.4/2006/26). Entre otros componentes adicionales determinados para el ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo se contaban: la infraestructura institucional; la coherencia y cooperación en la formulación de políticas y programas; el aprovechamiento de los recursos humanos; la financiación y administración públicas; la regulación y supervisión financieras; la educación básica; unas políticas presupuestarias que tengan en cuenta los factores sociales y la equidad entre los sexos; el estado de derecho y el ordenamiento jurídico; un desarrollo tecnológico apropiado; la prevención de las crisis; la asistencia técnica, la creación de capacidad y el intercambio de información para ayudar a los países en desarrollo en sus esfuerzos; y la determinación y el análisis de los obstáculos que impiden el pleno ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo a nivel tanto nacional como internacional.", "23. El Grupo de Trabajo ha convenido en la necesidad de compartir los conocimientos y las mejores prácticas, incluidas medidas prácticas y específicas, de ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo y hacerlos más accesibles a las personas y a las instituciones por medio de la reunión y difusión de las buenas prácticas y los éxitos logrados, mediante un esfuerzo de colaboración de base amplia por parte de los distintos interesados en los planos nacional e internacional, (véase E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párr. 43, y E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 36).", "24. El Grupo de Trabajo no se consideraba un sustituto de las negociaciones multilaterales en las esferas en que otras organizaciones internacionales tenían el mandato de actuar, aunque se consideraba competente para lanzar un enérgico mensaje respecto de todas las esferas en que el sistema actual influía negativamente en el ejercicio universal del derecho al desarrollo esperando que, al hacerlo, las organizaciones interesadas adoptarían todas las medidas necesarias para resolver la situación actual (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 101). La labor del Grupo de Trabajo y su seguimiento se centrarían, por tanto, en la incorporación del derecho al desarrollo y en el ejercicio de ese derecho, como se establece en la Declaración, dado que, para poder ser comprendido a nivel mundial, tenía que integrarse de manera coherente en los programas, las políticas y las actividades operacionales de todos los organismos de desarrollo, las instituciones comerciales y financieras internacionales y los gobiernos nacionales (véase E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párrs. 42 y 43).", "25. El Grupo de Trabajo también puso de relieve la cuestión de la coherencia normativa, observando que, si bien los Estados aprobaban acuerdos y asumían compromisos en los foros internacionales, por ejemplo, en el contexto de la Organización Mundial del Comercio, así como al aplicar el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, seguían teniendo el deber de cumplir sus obligaciones en materia de derechos humanos. Así pues, una condición previa indispensable para el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo era la coherencia en la política de un Estado con respecto a las obligaciones internacionales en materia de derechos humanos y todos sus compromisos multilaterales y bilaterales en materia de comercio y desarrollo. Al negociar tales compromisos, los gobiernos debían cumplir sus obligaciones en materia de derechos humanos y velar por que se respetasen esos derechos aplicando un criterio coherente y coordinado, integrando el derecho al desarrollo en las políticas nacionales, incluidas las estrategias de desarrollo, en los planos nacional e internacional (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 41).", "26. Dado que la buena gobernanza y el estado de derecho a nivel nacional ayudan a que todos los Estados promuevan y protejan los derechos humanos, incluido el derecho al desarrollo, el Grupo de Trabajo admitió el valor de los esfuerzos desplegados por los Estados para definir y fortalecer las prácticas de buena gobernanza, en particular la transparencia, la responsabilidad política y financiera y la voluntad de participación, que respondan a sus necesidades y aspiraciones y sean apropiadas para ellas, incluso en el contexto de las estrategias de colaboración para el desarrollo acordadas, la creación de capacidad y la asistencia técnica (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 e)).", "27. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo instó a los gobiernos a hacer uso, de manera transparente y responsable, de los recursos que puedan contribuir a la realización del derecho al desarrollo, procedentes de fuentes nacionales o extranjeras. El Grupo también señaló la necesidad de fomentar la adopción de medidas de lucha contra la corrupción a nivel nacional e internacional, incluida la necesidad de un compromiso político auténtico por parte de las administraciones nacionales dentro de un marco jurídico firme, incluidos la adhesión a los instrumentos en vigor que trataban de la corrupción y el apoyo de los demás esfuerzos que se realizaban en el ámbito jurídico a nivel internacional (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 g)).", "28. Con respecto a la relación entre las esferas económica, comercial y financiera en el plano internacional y la realización del derecho al desarrollo, el Grupo de Trabajo destacó la necesidad de ampliar la base de la adopción de decisiones a nivel internacional sobre las cuestiones pertinentes al desarrollo, colmar las lagunas de organización y fortalecer el sistema de las Naciones Unidas y las demás instituciones multilaterales, así como la necesidad de ampliar y fortalecer la participación de los países en desarrollo y de las economías en transición en los procesos internacionales de adopción de decisiones y establecimiento de normas de carácter económico (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 100 b)). En relación con las asimetrías institucionales en la gobernanza a nivel mundial, el Grupo de Trabajo señaló dos tipos de problemas generalmente aceptados en el contexto de la evaluación periódica del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio. El primero era el incremento del desequilibrio de los sistemas monetarios y financieros que exponía la economía mundial a conmociones que superaban la capacidad de control de los países. El otro era la asimetría en la adopción de decisiones y la fijación de normas en el comercio y las finanzas internacionales. Las estructuras de votación del Banco Mundial y del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) concedían un peso mucho mayor a los países desarrollados, que se basaba en su poder económico relativo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 60). En este sentido, el Grupo de Trabajo destacó la importancia de seguir haciendo esfuerzos para reformar la arquitectura financiera internacional, que podrían contribuir también a la realización del octavo Objetivo desde la perspectiva del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 75).", "Asociaciones mundiales y regionales en pro del desarrollo", "29. El Grupo de Trabajo ha prestado especial atención a las asociaciones mundiales. En 2004 dedicó un seminario de alto nivel al tema (véase E/CN.4/2004/23/Add.1). En 2005 pidió al equipo especial de alto nivel sobre el derecho al desarrollo que examinase el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio y que sugiriera criterios para su evaluación periódica (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 54 i)). En 2006, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó una lista preliminar de criterios para la evaluación de las asociaciones mundiales (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 67).", "30. El Grupo de Trabajo también ha subrayado la necesidad de alianzas con los organismos de las Naciones Unidas y las instituciones financieras multilaterales, incluidas alianzas existentes como los documentos de estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza o el Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, así como la necesidad de que los países los asuman como propias. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo está convencido de que las alianzas para el desarrollo deberían rebasar los límites de las relaciones entre los gobiernos y las instituciones multilaterales para incluir a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 45).", "31. Se ha reconocido la importancia de mantener de forma continua las alianzas en el marco del Grupo de Trabajo, entre la Comisión de Derechos Humanos y los órganos, organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas, las instituciones financieras y de desarrollo multilaterales y la Organización Mundial del Comercio, a fin de definir medidas concretas con el propósito de que se ejerza el derecho al desarrollo y sea integrado en sus respectivas esferas de acción, incluidos el diálogo inclusivo y la participación constructiva de todas las partes interesadas (E/CN.4/2005/25, párrs. 35 y 36).", "32. Si bien el Grupo de Trabajo era consciente de las lagunas e incoherencias en la práctica de las alianzas para el desarrollo a fin de aumentar la eficacia de las alianzas mundiales para el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, expresó la opinión de que era preciso identificar todos los aspectos del principio del derecho al desarrollo que pudieran orientar y complementar la labor de esas alianzas (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 39).", "33. El Grupo de Trabajo también concedió especial importancia a las iniciativas regionales destinadas a supervisar la realización de los derechos humanos, en particular el derecho al desarrollo, y destacó el valor potencial de dichas alianzas como pacto de desarrollo que permitía institucionalizar un proceso de participación integrada y un examen público transparente, que favorecían la realización del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 62).", "34. Un importante tema de debate del Grupo de Trabajo es el cumplimiento del compromiso contraído por la comunidad internacional de responder a las necesidades especiales de África, incluida la Nueva Alianza para el Desarrollo de África como marco de desarrollo y ejemplo práctico de una iniciativa destinada a promover un enfoque de desarrollo basado en los derechos. A juicio del Grupo de Trabajo, el Mecanismo de examen entre los propios países africanos podría ser un mecanismo adecuado de presentación de informes para medir los logros en la consecución del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, a fin de realizar el derecho al desarrollo. En este sentido, los Estados tendrían que incorporar en los programas de acción nacionales que surgieran del Mecanismo de examen criterios explícitos sobre fomento de la capacidad, asignación de recursos, supervisión y evaluación más directamente adaptados a los principios del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 63).", "35. Reconociendo la labor del Foro para la Colaboración en África, el Grupo de Trabajo señaló la importancia de vincular las referencias para medir los logros y los resultados con los compromisos contenidos en el plan de acción para África aprobado por el Grupo de los Ocho en su cumbre de 2002, que encuentran apoyo en la Carta Africana de Derechos Humanos y de los Pueblos y otros instrumentos regionales. El artículo 22 de la Carta Africana, el único instrumento jurídicamente vinculante sobre el derecho al desarrollo, podría servir de base para que los países africanos evalúen periódicamente la realización del derecho al desarrollo en el contexto africano. En otras regiones, un auténtico proceso de examen entre pares para evaluar en qué medida los derechos humanos han formado parte del proceso de desarrollo representaría una contribución significativa a la evaluación periódica del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 63 y 64).", "36. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo acogió con satisfacción la Declaración de Salamanca y su comunicación especial sobre el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, ya que contribuían a la formación de una alianza estratégica para reducir la pobreza y realizar el derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 65).", "Empresas transnacionales y responsabilidad empresarial", "37. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoció la necesidad de sólidas alianzas con el sector privado a nivel nacional en las iniciativas de desarrollo y erradicación de la pobreza, así como la necesidad de una buena gobernanza empresarial (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 f)). A la vez que reconoció los efectos positivos y negativos que las empresas transnacionales y otras empresas comerciales podían tener en el desarrollo de los países anfitriones y el disfrute de los derechos humanos, el Grupo de Trabajo recomendó que las empresas transnacionales operaran de acuerdo con las obligaciones nacionales e internacionales del país anfitrión y el país de origen en materia de derechos humanos y elaboraran criterios para evaluar periódicamente los efectos de sus actividades (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 56).", "38. El Grupo de Trabajo destacó la necesidad de comprobar que se hacían avances en todos los niveles de las actividades sobre la base de criterios de responsabilidad y rendición de cuentas de las empresas, elaborados desde la óptica de los derechos humanos, y recomendó que la evaluación periódica de los efectos de las actividades de las empresas transnacionales en las alianzas mundiales para el desarrollo tuviera en cuenta la necesidad de coherencia normativa e incluyera también la perspectiva de los derechos humanos (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 58 y 73).", "Parlamentos, instituciones nacionales y sociedad civil", "39. El Grupo de Trabajo ha alentado a los Estados a que fortalezcan los mecanismos parlamentarios y los órganos legislativos nacionales, así como las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y las instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos, para que desempeñen un papel más destacado en la evaluación del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio desde la perspectiva del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 70).", "40. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoció también la necesidad de forjar sólidas alianzas a nivel nacional con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil con miras a la erradicación de la pobreza y al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 f)).", "B. Cuestiones temáticas", "Globalización", "41. En su tercer período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo señaló que, si bien la globalización presentaba oportunidades y retos, el proceso de mundialización seguía sin alcanzar el objetivo de integrar a todos los países en un mundo globalizado. Destacó que muchos países en desarrollo estaban marginados y otros corrían el riesgo de estarlo, observando que si se quería que el proceso de mundialización incluyera a todos y fuera plenamente equitativo, era necesario adoptar con urgencia políticas y medidas, a nivel tanto nacional como mundial, para acometer los retos y las oportunidades de la globalización (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 100 a)).", "42. En su quinto período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo observó que, para que el proceso de globalización facilitara el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo y abordara los retos que entrañaba, era preciso un planteamiento integrado de las dimensiones nacional e internacional del ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, así como la definición y aplicación de medidas complementarias en los planos nacional e internacional (E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párrs. 43 e) y f)).", "Erradicación de la pobreza", "43. El Grupo de Trabajo ha reconocido que la erradicación de la pobreza constituye un paso fundamental, aunque no el único, para la promoción y realización del derecho al desarrollo. La pobreza es un problema polifacético que requiere la adopción de un planteamiento polifacético que abarque las dimensiones económica, política, social, ambiental e institucional de la pobreza, especialmente en el marco de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio de reducir a la mitad, para el año 2015, la proporción de personas cuyos ingresos son menores de 1 dólar al día y la proporción de personas que padecen hambre en el mundo. En este sentido, el Grupo de Trabajo reconoció el importante papel que desempeñaban el Banco Mundial y el FMI en el contexto de los documentos de estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza, que constituían instrumentos útiles para lograr la erradicación de la pobreza y el desarrollo (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 a)).", "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "44. El Grupo de Trabajo ha reconocido que los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio representan un conjunto cuantificable de hitos de desarrollo humano cuya consecución es esencial para construir un mundo más humano, integrador, equitativo y sostenible, y que la consecución oportuna de los Objetivos tiene una importancia crucial para la realización progresiva del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 50). La aplicación de la Declaración del Milenio y el logro de los demás objetivos de desarrollo internacionales definidos en los textos resultantes de las conferencias de las Naciones Unidas y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio contribuirán progresivamente a facilitar el ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párr. 43 g)).", "45. El Grupo de Trabajo insistió en la necesidad de utilizar un enfoque múltiple, tanto en el plano nacional como internacional, para mantener en constante estudio los factores que limitan la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, fortalecer las capacidades institucionales, colmar las lagunas informativas, encarar la falta de rendición de cuentas en la consecución de los Objetivos y lograr que éstos tengan el contenido local necesario y sean asumidos como propios a nivel nacional (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 51).", "46. En este sentido, el Grupo de Trabajo reconoció que el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, centrado en la cooperación internacional, era un marco compatible con las responsabilidades internacionales enunciadas en la Declaración y que, además, entrañaba responsabilidades internacionales significativas no sólo para los Estados desarrollados o en desarrollo, sino también para otras entidades con poder a nivel mundial, como las instituciones financieras internacionales, las grandes empresas, los medios de comunicación y las redes de organizaciones no gubernamentales. Las instituciones internacionales de derechos humanos pertinentes, como los órganos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos, los procedimientos especiales de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, tenían la responsabilidad de colaborar, en el marco de sus mandatos respectivos, con los gobiernos y sus socios internacionales en el comercio, las finanzas y el desarrollo a fin de que sus actividades en esas esferas fueran compatibles con sus obligaciones nacionales en materia de derechos humanos en general, y en relación con el derecho al desarrollo en particular. El Grupo de Trabajo era partidario de que todos los informes de los países sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio incluyeran información sobre el octavo Objetivo desde la perspectiva del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 36, 43 y 72).", "Asistencia oficial para el desarrollo", "47. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoció el valor de explorar fuentes de financiación de carácter innovador, siempre y cuando esas fuentes no supusieran una carga excesiva para los países en desarrollo, y, reafirmando el compromiso en materia de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, instó a los países desarrollados que aún no lo hubieran hecho a que hicieran esfuerzos concretos para alcanzar los objetivos de destinar el 0,7% de su ingreso nacional bruto (INB) a los países en desarrollo y del 0,15% al 0,2% de su INB a los países menos adelantados, en concepto de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, y alentó a los países en desarrollo a aprovechar los progresos realizados y velar por que la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo se utilizase de manera efectiva para tratar de lograr los objetivos y metas del desarrollo (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párrs. 100 c) y d)). El Grupo de Trabajo instó también a todos los interesados a reconocer la importancia de estudiar la posibilidad de aumentar las transferencias netas a los países en desarrollo que abarcasen todos los tipos de asistencia financiera externa, como la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, préstamos multilaterales y bilaterales, donaciones y alivio de la deuda, así como la posibilidad de mejorar el acceso de los países en desarrollo a los mercados (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 54 b)).", "48. El Grupo de Trabajo insistió en que la asistencia no era un fin en sí, sino un instrumento necesario para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio allí donde la capacidad nacional fuera insuficiente. La evaluación periódica de la asistencia, desde el punto de vista del derecho al desarrollo, requería lo siguiente:", "a) Velar por que las políticas de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo se rijan por los objetivos de derechos humanos en general y del derecho al desarrollo en particular, así como de la reducción de la pobreza;", "b) Velar por que la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo siga las directrices para la eficacia de la ayuda aplicables a los países donantes y a los países asociados, como la Declaración de París sobre la eficacia de la ayuda al desarrollo, en particular por que esa asistencia sea más predecible y armónica;", "c) Determinar, formular y establecer las responsabilidades y la titularidad de cada parte en relación con sus respectivos compromisos en el marco de una alianza y en el contexto de la buena gobernanza y el respeto de los derechos humanos;", "d) Los Estados deben asumir como propios los compromisos contraídos en las alianzas para el desarrollo, ejecutando programas eficaces de lucha contra la corrupción en todos los niveles para eliminar el uso indebido de la asistencia y cumplir los objetivos de desarrollo humano;", "e) Alcanzar niveles netos positivos de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, independientemente de las necesidades de ayuda de emergencia o de asistencia con fines de seguridad nacional;", "f) Avances efectivos del compromiso de muchos países desarrollados de destinar por lo menos el 0,7% de su producto nacional bruto a la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo antes de 2015 y la necesidad de buscar nuevas fuentes de financiamiento, como se recomienda en el Consenso de Monterrey (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 45).", "Comercio", "49. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoció la importancia del comercio justo y la necesidad de ofrecer más oportunidades a los países en desarrollo en la economía mundial, así como la promoción de un sistema comercial abierto, reglamentado y no discriminatorio como factor fundamental para el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo. El Grupo de Trabajo puso de relieve que la incorporación de los principios subyacentes al derecho al desarrollo en las relaciones comerciales contribuía a cumplir los compromisos de promover la gobernanza, la equidad y la transparencia de los sistemas financiero, monetario y comercial, y de establecer unos sistemas comerciales y financieros multilaterales abiertos, equitativos, basados en normas, previsibles y no discriminatorios (véase E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 46 a 48). Son necesarias medidas apropiadas para que los países en desarrollo puedan participar efectivamente en un sistema multilateral de comercio abierto, equitativo, sujeto a normas, previsible y no discriminatorio, y beneficiarse de él (E/CN.4/2004/23 y Corr.1, párr. 43 j)).", "50. El Grupo de Trabajo convino en la necesidad de abordar el acceso de los países en desarrollo a los mercados, entre otros de productos agrícolas y no agrícolas y de servicios, en particular los de mayor interés para esos países. Entre los elementos que consideraba importantes para avanzar hacia el ejercicio efectivo del derecho al desarrollo se contaban un buen ritmo de liberalización auténtica del comercio, en particular en los temas que se estaban negociando, la aplicación de los compromisos para resolver los problemas de ejecución, el examen de las disposiciones sobre trato especial y diferenciado con miras a reforzarlas y hacerlas más precisas, eficaces y operativas, la evitación de nuevas formas de proteccionismo y el impulso de la creación de capacidad y la asistencia técnica para los países en desarrollo (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 100 e)).", "51. En su séptimo período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo reafirmó la importancia fundamental de la dimensión del desarrollo en todos los aspectos del programa de trabajo de Doha en las negociaciones de la Organización Mundial del Comercio y celebró los esfuerzos de todos los Estados por que esa dimensión se hiciera realidad, en relación tanto con los resultados de las negociaciones sobre el acceso a los mercados y la formulación de normas como con las cuestiones concretas relativas al desarrollo que se establecieron en la declaración ministerial aprobada en las negociaciones de Hong Kong en 2005. El Grupo de Trabajo también reconoció la importancia de que se concluyera satisfactoriamente la Ronda de Doha de negociaciones comerciales para la creación de un entorno propicio a la realización del derecho al desarrollo y consideró que los importantes avances logrados en la Ronda de Doha con respecto a la agricultura, la propiedad intelectual, la salud pública, la liberalización del comercio en los servicios, el trato especial y diferenciado o el aumento de la capacidad para comerciar eran pasos positivos para hacer el régimen comercial mundial más compatible con el derecho al desarrollo. La superación de las limitaciones que impone la oferta a la capacidad para comerciar, como las relativas a la infraestructura física, la educación y la capacitación, era un importante objetivo de los países en desarrollo, especialmente los menos adelantados, que requería un apoyo centrado en la ayuda a la reforma comercial (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 47 y 48).", "52. En su quinto período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo llegó a la conclusión de que era necesario efectuar evaluaciones del impacto social en las esferas del comercio y el desarrollo, en los planos nacional e internacional, que incluyeran el derecho al desarrollo y estudiar la posibilidad de introducir y fortalecer normas y principios de derechos humanos cuando se tratase de realizar evaluaciones del impacto de las normas y políticas sobre comercio y desarrollo en los planos nacional e internacional. Este tipo de planteamiento resultaba necesario para determinar las medidas complementarias que se pudieran requerir para abordar las consecuencias desfavorables de las intervenciones nacionales e internacionales en materia de políticas de comercio y desarrollo. El Grupo de Trabajo destacó que también eran precisas herramientas para sustentar un enfoque y una metodología apropiados para realizar evaluaciones del impacto en los derechos humanos con miras al ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, y que los Estados debían estudiar la posibilidad de utilizar esas evaluaciones en el contexto de todos los foros pertinentes del comercio internacional, como el Mecanismo de Examen de las Políticas Comerciales, y en las futuras negociaciones comerciales (E/CN.4/2005/25, párrs. 52, 53 y 54 e)).", "53. En su sexto período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo indicó que existía una urgente necesidad de fomentar la capacidad nacional, sobre todo en la esfera de la estadística, mediante programas de cooperación técnica que alentasen el empleo de las evaluaciones del impacto en los derechos humanos y otras herramientas para orientar las políticas públicas en los planos nacional e internacional para el disfrute del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2005/25, párrs. 53 y 54 e)). A fin de aumentar la capacidad de los países en desarrollo de reunir, analizar e interpretar las estadísticas pertinentes y de utilizar los resultados para mejorar las políticas, el Grupo de Trabajo alentó a los asociados para el desarrollo a que proporcionasen la formación necesaria y otras facilidades para lograr ese aumento de la capacidad (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 71).", "Inversión extranjera directa", "54. El Grupo de Trabajo ha reconocido que el derecho al desarrollo parte del supuesto de que la inversión extranjera directa debe contribuir al desarrollo local y nacional de manera responsable, es decir, fomentando el desarrollo social, protegiendo el medio ambiente y respetando las leyes y las obligaciones fiscales en los países anfitriones. Los principios que sustentan el derecho al desarrollo presuponen además que todas las partes interesadas, es decir, los inversores y los países receptores, tienen la responsabilidad de velar por que el deseo de obtener beneficios no redunde en perjuicio de la protección de los derechos humanos (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 59).", "Sostenibilidad de la deuda", "55. Una carga insostenible de la deuda y el servicio de esta constituyen obstáculos importantes para que los países en desarrollo logren los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, cumplan sus obligaciones con arreglo al Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales y realicen progresos en el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 49).", "56. El Grupo de Trabajo insistió en que la reducción de la pobreza y la promoción y protección de los derechos humanos habían de tenerse en cuenta para encontrar soluciones a fin de lograr la sostenibilidad de la deuda y que en los arreglos relativos al servicio de la deuda nacional se deberían tener en cuenta las prioridades nacionales de desarrollo humano y reducción de la pobreza, en consonancia con las obligaciones en materia de derechos humanos (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 50).", "57. Reconociendo la necesidad de que los acreedores, como contribución a la realización del derecho al desarrollo, propongan mejores iniciativas para aliviar la carga de la deuda, el Grupo de Trabajo recomendó que los países donantes y las instituciones financieras internacionales consideraran otras modalidades, como medidas adecuadas de canje de la deuda, para promover la sostenibilidad de la deuda tanto de los países pobres fuertemente endeudados como de otros países en desarrollo. La Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados y otras formas de alivio de la deuda deberían ser adicionales a las corrientes bilaterales de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, y los países en desarrollo deberían utilizar los recursos liberados por el alivio de la deuda y los de otras fuentes de financiación del desarrollo de un modo que tengan en cuenta plenamente los intereses de los pobres y las estrategias de reducción de la pobreza (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 100 f)).", "Acceso a los medicamentos", "58. El Grupo de Trabajo considera que la protección de la propiedad intelectual no debe atentar contra el derecho humano al disfrute del más alto nivel posible de salud ni limitar el acceso a medicamentos esenciales. En este sentido, el Grupo de Trabajo resaltó la importancia de la Declaración de Doha relativa al Acuerdo sobre los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio (ADPIC) y la Salud Pública y las decisiones que prevén la exportación de productos farmacéuticos bajo licencia obligatoria para solucionar los problemas de salud pública que sufren muchos países en desarrollo y menos adelantados, en especial los derivados del VIH/SIDA, el paludismo, la tuberculosis y otras epidemias, así como otras decisiones de la Organización Mundial del Comercio de ampliar el período de transición para que los países menos adelantados protejan las marcas registradas, los derechos de autor, las patentes y otras formas de propiedad intelectual del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 51 a 53).", "Transferencia de tecnología", "59. El Grupo de Trabajo considera que el saber es un bien público mundial y un instrumento clave del desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 51) y que es preciso poner a disposición de todos los beneficios que reportan las nuevas tecnologías, en particular las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, así como colmar la brecha digital (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 100 g)). La transferencia de tecnología en las alianzas para el desarrollo debe respetar el derecho de todos a beneficiarse de los adelantos de la ciencia y sus aplicaciones. La protección de la propiedad intelectual debería tener la valiosa finalidad de estimular la innovación a través de la investigación y el desarrollo, así como de reducir al mínimo sus consecuencias negativas para el acceso de los particulares o los países a la investigación y el desarrollo. El Grupo de Trabajo también señaló que los acuerdos comerciales bilaterales o regionales deben cumplir el Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC y otros acuerdos de la Organización Mundial del Comercio y no deben mermar la capacidad de los Estados para aprovechar la flexibilidad y las salvaguardias previstas en esos acuerdos. Con todo, hay que seguir reflexionando en cuanto a la compleja relación entre la propiedad intelectual y los derechos humanos con vistas a determinar criterios para evaluar periódicamente ese aspecto (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 51 a 54).", "C. Particulares y grupos específicos", "El papel de la mujer y la perspectiva de género", "60. El Grupo de Trabajo ha reconocido la importancia del papel de la mujer y de sus derechos, así como de la introducción de una perspectiva de género en cuanto aspecto intersectorial del proceso de realización del derecho al desarrollo; ha reconocido también la relación positiva entre la educación de las mujeres y su participación en igualdad de condiciones en las actividades civiles, políticas, económicas, sociales y culturales de la comunidad, así como la promoción del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 b)). Reviste una importancia crucial hacer más eficaces los medios que conduzcan a la participación activa, plena y significativa de las mujeres en el proceso de formulación de políticas y estrategias para el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y la realización del derecho al desarrollo. El Grupo de Trabajo ha recomendado a los Estados Miembros que apliquen una perspectiva de género al ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo y ha convenido en que tratará de diseñar y divulgar medios prácticos basados en las experiencias de los países con el fin de asegurar la participación de la mujer en igualdad de condiciones con el hombre en todas las esferas relacionadas con el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 54 f)).", "Los derechos del niño", "61. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoce la necesidad de integrar, en todas las políticas y los programas, los derechos de los niños de ambos sexos, así como de garantizar la protección y promoción de esos derechos, especialmente en las esferas relativas a la salud, la educación y el pleno desarrollo de sus capacidades (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 c)).", "Personas que viven con el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades contagiosas", "62. El Grupo de Trabajo ha señalado que deben adoptarse medidas a los niveles nacional e internacional para luchar contra el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades contagiosas, teniendo en cuenta los esfuerzos y programas actuales (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, párr. 105 d)).", "Migrantes", "63. El Grupo de Trabajo reconoce el importante nexo existente entre la migración internacional y el desarrollo, así como la necesidad de resolver los problemas y las oportunidades que plantea la migración para los países de origen, los de destino y los de tránsito. La migración internacional requiere un enfoque global y coherente basado en la responsabilidad compartida, que trate de resolver también y al mismo tiempo las causas básicas y las consecuencias de la migración. La migración internacional presenta beneficios y obstáculos para la comunidad mundial. Es importante determinar los medios apropiados de lograr los máximos beneficios para el desarrollo y reducir al mínimo los efectos negativos de dicha migración a fin de garantizar el respeto y la protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes, los trabajadores migratorios y sus familias (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 61).", "D. Medir los avances en el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo", "64. En 2005, el Grupo de Trabajo pidió al equipo especial de alto nivel sobre el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo que sugiriera criterios para la evaluación periódica de las alianzas mundiales enunciadas en el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio desde el punto de vista del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 54 i)). En 2009, el Grupo de Trabajo decidió que el ámbito de los criterios debía rebasar el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio y tener como meta el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, teniendo en cuenta las nuevas prioridades de la comunidad internacional (A/HRC/12/28, párr. 43)[7]. En 2010, el Grupo de Trabajo consideró que se debía llevar a cabo una labor adicional en el plano intergubernamental a fin de tener en cuenta de modo adecuado tanto la dimensión nacional como la internacional (A/HRC/15/23, párr. 43).", "65. En 2006, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó un conjunto de criterios provisionales, si bien reconoció que además de los campos mencionados expresamente en el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, otras esferas de las alianzas para el desarrollo eran pertinentes para la realización efectiva del derecho al desarrollo y debían englobarse en los criterios para evaluar periódicamente dicho Objetivo, a saber, el sector privado, que incluye las empresas transnacionales y la inversión extranjera directa, la gobernanza mundial, la migración y las iniciativas regionales. En ese contexto, el Grupo de Trabajo destacó que deseaba evitar la creación de nuevas entidades de control y de presentación de informes, que los criterios debían ser aplicados principalmente por las partes en una asociación, y aplicarse de forma permanente, a fin de lograr la coherencia y la rendición de cuentas. El Grupo de Trabajo añadió que podrían elaborarse criterios adicionales para cuestiones específicas sobre las que ya había asociaciones operativas (E/CN.4/2006/26, párrs. 44, 55 y 66 a 68).", "66. Se pidió al equipo especial de alto nivel que aplicara, con carácter experimental, los criterios provisionales a determinadas asociaciones a fin de poner en marcha y desarrollar progresivamente esos criterios, y contribuir así a la incorporación del derecho al desarrollo en las políticas y actividades operacionales de los agentes pertinentes en los planos nacional, regional e internacional, incluidas las instituciones multilaterales financieras, comerciales y de desarrollo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 77).", "67. El Grupo de Trabajo orientó al equipo especial en el desarrollo y perfeccionamiento de los criterios. Reconoció, por ejemplo, el valor añadido que entrañaba la elaboración de criterios de aplicación concretos y su aplicación a la alianza mundial para el desarrollo a fin de facilitar la incorporación por parte de las alianzas actuales y futuras de elementos esenciales del derecho al desarrollo en sus respectivos marcos operacionales, impulsando así el ejercicio de ese derecho y, al mismo tiempo, proporcionando la base empírica para desarrollar y perfeccionar progresivamente esos criterios. Hacía falta un diálogo más a fondo con las alianzas y la evaluación de nuevas alianzas respecto de otros aspectos de la cooperación nacional, entre ellos el comercio, la ayuda, la deuda, la transferencia de tecnología, la migración y otras cuestiones señaladas en el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, de manera gradual y analíticamente rigurosa (A/HRC/4/47, párrs. 49 y 50).", "68. El Grupo de Trabajo consideró asimismo que los criterios del derecho al desarrollo podrían mejorarse mediante un examen más a fondo de su estructura, la cobertura de aspectos de la cooperación internacional señalados en el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio y la metodología para su aplicación. El objetivo de esa labor debería ser perfeccionar los criterios como instrumento práctico para la evaluación de las alianzas mundiales para el desarrollo desde el punto de vista del derecho al desarrollo, incluso por agentes de las propias alianzas pertinentes. El Grupo de Trabajo alentó al equipo especial de alto nivel a que presentase un plan coherente de los criterios y listas de control pertinentes, considerando estas últimas como subcriterios operacionales (A/HRC/4/47, párr. 51).", "69. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo pidió al equipo especial de alto nivel que examinara las siguientes alianzas y cuestiones: el Mecanismo de examen entre los propios países africanos; el Examen mutuo de la efectividad del desarrollo realizado por la Comisión Económica para África de las Naciones Unidas y el Comité de Ayuda al Desarrollo de la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos; la Declaración de París sobre la eficacia de la ayuda al desarrollo; el Acuerdo de Cotonú entre la Unión Europea y los países de África, el Caribe y el Pacífico; la cuestión del acceso a medicamentos esenciales en los países en desarrollo (Meta 8.E), incluida la labor del Grupo de Trabajo Intergubernamental sobre Salud Pública, Innovación y Propiedad Intelectual, el Fondo Mundial de Lucha contra el SIDA, la Tuberculosis y la Malaria y el Programa Especial de investigaciones y capacitación en materia de enfermedades tropicales, así como una invitación al Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR) para considerar la posibilidad de entablar un diálogo con el equipo especial. A este se le encomendó el estudio de las cuestiones temáticas del alivio de la deuda (Metas 8.B y 8.D) para entablar un diálogo con las instituciones responsables de la Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados y la Iniciativa para el Alivio de la Deuda Multilateral, así como otros procedimientos e instituciones que se ocupan de la cuestión del alivio de la deuda y la transferencia de tecnología (Meta 8.F), incluida la idea de examinar el mecanismo por un desarrollo limpio y el Programa para el Desarrollo de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (A/HRC/9/17, párr. 43) y las instituciones de Bretton Woods (A/HRC/12/28, párr. 46).", "70. En 2008 el Grupo de Trabajo, en los debates sobre el plan de trabajo del equipo especial de alto nivel, determinó que este también podría examinar otras esferas temáticas y regionales en el marco del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, como la transferencia de tecnología, el alivio de la deuda, la cooperación internacional y otros aspectos (A/HRC/9/17, párr. 38)[8].", "71. El Grupo de Trabajo recomendó que los criterios aprobados por el equipo especial de alto nivel: a) fueran analítica y metodológicamente rigurosos; b) proporcionaran instrumentos empíricos a los participantes en la aplicación de las alianzas para el desarrollo; y c) cubriesen el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio y otros aspectos no tratados por el equipo especial (A/HRC/9/17, párr. 42).", "72. El Grupo de Trabajo convino en que, de conformidad con su plan de trabajo, el equipo especial debía también asegurarse de que se prestaba la debida atención a otras cuestiones relacionadas con el derecho al desarrollo, como la pobreza y el hambre, incluso en el contexto del cambio climático y la actual crisis económica y financiera mundial. Los criterios y subcriterios revisados debían tener en cuenta los rasgos esenciales del derecho al desarrollo, según se definen en la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo, de forma global y coherente, incluidas las preocupaciones prioritarias de la comunidad internacional además de las enumeradas en el octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, y contribuir a los objetivos establecidos en todas las disposiciones pertinentes de la resolución 9/3 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos (A/HRC/12/28, párrs. 42 y 45).", "73. Además, el Grupo de Trabajo recomendó que el equipo especial recurriera a los conocimientos especializados, incluso de las instituciones académicas y de los organismos competentes de las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones mundiales pertinentes, así como a la experiencia de los países con respecto a la promoción del ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo. También debería prestar la debida atención a la experiencia obtenida en la aplicación de los criterios provisionales a las alianzas para el desarrollo, así como a las opiniones expresadas por los Estados Miembros (A/HRC/12/28, párr. 46).", "74. En 2010, el Grupo de Trabajo consideró que se debía llevar a cabo una labor adicional en el plano intergubernamental a fin de tener en cuenta de modo adecuado tanto la dimensión nacional como la internacional del tema (A/HRC/15/23, párr. 43).", "E. Cuestiones para el futuro", "75. En 2005 y 2006, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó las cuestiones siguientes para orientar su labor futura: a) la cuestión del espacio para la política económica nacional en el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo; b) medidas y buenas prácticas para promover un enfoque participativo, basado en normas y principios de derechos humanos, incluida una perspectiva de género, en la asignación de las partidas de gasto social en los presupuestos públicos; c) examinar la experiencia, viabilidad y sostenibilidad institucionales de las redes de seguridad social y de las políticas de desarrollo social en general que puedan transformarse en derechos compatibles con la realización del derecho al desarrollo; d) estudiar medios de hacer más eficaces ciertos elementos como las disposiciones sobre el trato especial y diferenciado a fin de que el entorno del comercio internacional pueda responder mejor a las necesidades inherentes al ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 55); e) seguir estudiando el tema más general del octavo Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio, que no se ha agotado, centrando la atención en otras cuestiones comprendidas en ese Objetivo, determinadas pero no examinadas a fondo por el equipo especial de alto nivel (por ejemplo, el empleo juvenil o los Estados sin litoral y los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo); f) centrarse en los temas que el equipo especial consideró pertinentes para el octavo Objetivo pero que no están comprendidos en las metas de dicho Objetivo (por ejemplo, la migración, el papel del sector privado, la gobernanza mundial y las iniciativas regionales); y g) elegir un nuevo tema no relacionado con el octavo Objetivo (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 78).", "IV. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "76. Una eficaz alianza mundial para el desarrollo, sustentada en la coherencia y coordinación de las políticas basadas en los derechos humanos a todos los niveles, constituye la mejor base para ejercer el derecho al desarrollo.", "77. Con motivo de la conmemoración del 25º aniversario de la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas, es preciso redoblar los esfuerzos para: a) superar un debate político y polarizado; b) movilizar el apoyo de un amplio sector de la opinión pública; y c) alentar a las organizaciones internacionales a que integren plenamente en su labor todos los derechos humanos, incluido el derecho al desarrollo.", "[1] Véase http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/Calendarofevents.aspx.", "[2] Véase http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/08156.pdf; http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DevelopmentHumanRightForAll.aspx y http://www.fes.de/gpol/en/RTD_conference.htm.", "[3] Véase http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/treaty/index.htm.", "[4] Véase, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/ RtDandGlobalPartnershipforDevelopment.aspx.", "[5] El Grupo de Trabajo fue creado por la resolución 1998/72 de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos y refrendada por el Consejo Económico y Social en su decisión 1998/269, con el mandato de supervisar y examinar los progresos realizados en la promoción y el ejercicio del derecho al desarrollo, según se detalla en la Declaración sobre el derecho al desarrollo, a nivel nacional e internacional, formulando recomendaciones al respecto y analizando más a fondo los obstáculos que se oponen a su pleno disfrute, prestando cada año especial atención a los compromisos concretos asumidos en la Declaración; examinar los informes y cualquier otra información presentada por los Estados Miembros, los organismos de las Naciones Unidas, otras organizaciones internacionales y organizaciones no gubernamentales pertinentes sobre la relación entre sus actividades y el derecho al desarrollo; y presentar a la consideración del Consejo de Derechos Humanos un informe de período de sesiones sobre sus debates que incluya el asesoramiento prestado al ACNUDH con respecto a la aplicación del derecho al desarrollo, y en el que se sugieran posibles programas de asistencia técnica, a instancia de países interesados, con el fin de promover la aplicación del derecho al desarrollo.", "[6] Desde sus inicios en 1998, el Grupo de Trabajo ha celebrado 11 períodos de sesiones. Aprobó sus conclusiones y recomendaciones por consenso, salvo en sus períodos de sesiones primero, segundo y cuarto, que concluyeron con la presentación de las conclusiones a cargo de sus respectivos presidentes. Estas no se recogen en el presente resumen, que se centra en las conclusiones y recomendaciones relacionadas con cuestiones sustantivas, a diferencia de las cuestiones de procedimiento, salvo que estas últimas sean de interés para la cuestión sustantiva que se esté examinando. Cabe observar que el Grupo de Trabajo, en su quinto período de sesiones, tomó nota de los siguientes planteamientos de algunas delegaciones, cuya intención no era bloquear el logro de un consenso en el Grupo de Trabajo: el Japón se reservó su posición sobre el comercio y el alivio de la deuda, pero se sumó al consenso; Australia, el Canadá y los Estados Unidos de América se desvincularon del consenso (E/CN.4/2005/25, párr. 32). En otras ocasiones, varios Estados y grupos explicaron sus posiciones con respecto a las conclusiones y recomendaciones una vez aprobadas (véase, por ejemplo, E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 28, A/HRC/4/47, párr. 47, A/HRC/9/17, párr. 37 y A/HRC/12/28, párr. 39).", "[7] Como solicitó el Grupo de Trabajo en 2006 (E/CN.4/2006/26, párr. 77), el equipo especial de alto nivel aplicó los criterios, con carácter experimental de 2007 a 2009, a determinadas asociaciones (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/2/Add.1 y Corr.1). El objetivo era poner en marcha y desarrollar progresivamente esos criterios, contribuyendo así a la incorporación del derecho al desarrollo en las políticas y actividades operacionales de los agentes pertinentes en los planos nacional, regional e internacional, incluidas las instituciones multilaterales financieras, comerciales y de desarrollo.", "[8] Tras la aprobación de las conclusiones y recomendaciones, varios Estados y grupos explicaron sus posiciones al respecto. Francia (en nombre de la Unión Europea) y el Canadá aclararon que la expresión “otros aspectos” incluía también la buena gestión de los asuntos públicos, la democracia y el imperio de la ley en el plano nacional. Cuba (en nombre del Movimiento de los Países No Alineados) subrayó que “otros aspectos” incluía el compromiso de contribuir con un 0,7% del producto nacional bruto a la asistencia oficial al desarrollo, estableciendo un nuevo orden económico internacional y un sistema económico justo, así como la buena gobernanza y la democracia en el plano internacional y en el funcionamiento de las instituciones comerciales, financieras y monetarias internacionales. Egipto, que era miembro del Movimiento de los Países No Alineados, añadió que “otros aspectos”, como la buena gestión de los asuntos públicos, la democracia y el imperio de la ley, deberían aplicarse tanto en el plano nacional como en el internacional (A/HRC/9/17, párr. 37)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights:", "human rights questions, including alternative", "approaches for improving the effective enjoyment", "of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "The right to development", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report contains an overview of the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights relating to the promotion and realization of the right to development, including in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. The report also presents a compilation of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development, of the Human Rights Council, with a view to contributing to intergovernmental deliberations on the future course of action in the effective implementation of the right to development.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 3II. Activities 3 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human \nRights III.Compilation 5 of conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Human Rights \nCouncil A.Concept 5 and realization of the right to \ndevelopment B.Thematic 11 \nissues C.Specific 16 groups and \nindividuals D. Measuring 17 progress in the implementation of the right to development \ncriteria E.Issues 20 for the \nfuture IV.Conclusions 20 and \nrecommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 65/219, the General Assembly requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in mainstreaming the right to development, to undertake activities to strengthen the global partnership for development and to reflect those activities in detail in her next report to the Human Rights Council. In the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in consultation with Member States and other relevant stakeholders, to launch preparations for the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development in 2011 and also requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, as well as an interim report to the Human Rights Council, on the implementation of the resolution, including efforts undertaken at the national, regional and international levels in the promotion and realization of the right to development. The present report, which is submitted in accordance with the above-mentioned requests and, in accordance with established practice, represents a consolidated report of the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the right to development.", "II. Activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", "2. As requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/219 and by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 15/25, OHCHR, in consultation with Member States and other relevant stakeholders, has launched a programme for the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development and has elaborated a calendar of events and activities.[1]", "3. In February 2011, in Berlin, in her keynote address at an inaugural event to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, entitled “25 years of the right to development: achievements and challenges”, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights linked the popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East to the denial of people’s right to development. At an expert symposium which was part of the event, three challenges to the realization of the right to development were identified: the impasse in the intergovernmental debate; the need to mainstream the right to development in the work of the United Nations system; and the need to build a broader right-to-development constituency.[2]", "4. On the occasion of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries held in Istanbul in May 2011, the High Commissioner observed that human rights, including the right to development, were central to the course of development envisaged for the least developed countries; highlighted the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development as an opportunity to reinvigorate partnerships to build an enabling environment for development, inclusive of human rights principles; stressed the linkages between development, poverty reduction and gender equality and the contribution of women to development; and reaffirmed the commitment of OHCHR to support the human rights-based development of the least developed countries.", "5. At the fourteenth session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner expressed the hope that the next phase of deliberations on the right to development would continue to focus on the improvement in human well-being and the empowerment of individuals and communities to fully participate in making the important choices that affect them. The High Commissioner underlined the centrality of equality of opportunity and international cooperation. At the Council’s sixteenth session, the High Commissioner stressed that the promotion and realization of the right to development remained a key dimension of OHCHR’s work.", "6. Also in 2011, OHCHR published a booklet version of the Declaration on the Right to Development and produced a poster and information notes on the right to development.", "7. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in a statement on the importance and relevance of the right to development adopted in May 2011, resolved to continue monitoring the implementation of all the rights protected under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which also contribute to the full realization of the relevant elements of the right to development (see E/C.12/2011/2). Similarly, the Chairs of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, in a statement adopted in July 2011, resolved to make a concerted effort to promote a development-based and interdependent reading of all human rights treaties in order to highlight and emphasize the relevance and importance of the right to development in interpreting and applying human rights treaty provisions and in monitoring compliance with them.[3]", "8. At a special event of the Economic and Social Council on the right to development and global partnership for development held at the Council’s substantive session in July 2011, views were exchanged on how the promotion of the right to development and the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 8 can reinforce each other and how the United Nations system can use these synergies in the perspective of 2015 and beyond.[4]", "9. At the public forum organized by the World Trade Organization in September 2010, OHCHR co-sponsored a panel discussion on the right to development together with the non-governmental organization 3D as a tool to boost coherence between trade, development and human rights. The panel underlined the need for global institutions to ensure convergence among different interests; policy space; and policies to enhance production capacities and economic diversification.", "III. Compilation of conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Human Rights Council", "10. Section III contains a compilation of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development[5] during the period from 1998 to 2010.[6]", "A. The concept and the realization of the right to development", "11. The Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the General Assembly in 1986 in its resolution 41/128, defines the right to development as an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized. It recognizes that development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement in the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and at the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom. In order to promote development, equal attention and urgent consideration should be given to the implementation, promotion and protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.", "12. The right to development embodies the human rights principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability as well as international cooperation. The basic requirements of the Declaration on the Right to Development are:", "(a) Putting people at the centre of development;", "(b) Ensuring free, active and meaningful participation;", "(c) Securing non-discrimination;", "(d) Fairly distributing the benefits of development;", "(e) Respecting self-determination and sovereignty over natural resources;", "(f) Ensuring that the right to development is part of a process that advances other civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.", "The concept of the right to development", "13. In its deliberations, the Working Group on the Right to Development has concluded that possible nuances in the use of terminology in discussions on the right to development “have no bearing on the right to development as embodied in the Declaration on the Right to Development” and that all stakeholders — Member States, experts, development practitioners, international institutions and civil society should move towards a common understanding of the substantive components of the right to development regardless of such nuances (see E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 38).", "14. In addition, the Working Group agreed that a “rights-based approach to economic growth and development contributes to the realization of the right to development while it does not exhaust its implications and requirements at both national and international levels” (see E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 46).", "15. While recognizing that “sustained economic growth is an indispensable component of the realization of the right to development” (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43), the Working Group has concluded that “development has to be grounded in economic policies that foster growth with social justice,” and that “the need to build synergies between growth-oriented development strategies and human rights is a response to the growing call by people for more empowerment, more ownership and more sustainability in development efforts” (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 42). Furthermore, the Working Group has taken note of the fact that the right to development enriches growth-oriented development strategies through systematically incorporating human rights and the principles of transparency, equality, participation, accountability and non-discrimination into the development processes, at both national and international levels. In that context, the right to development should act as a guide in setting priorities and resolving trade-offs in resource allocations and policy frameworks (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 43).", "16. The Working Group in recalling “the principles that underlie the right to development, namely equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability, as well as international cooperation” has attached particular importance to the principle of equity, the rule of law and good governance, at all levels, as being central to the realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 40).", "The realization of the right to development", "17. While the Working Group has, on occasion, addressed the responsibility of States for the creation of national as opposed to international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development as separate issues in general it has stressed the link between them (see E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, paras. 95, 96, 103 and 104). With regard to the creation of favourable international conditions, the Working Group has recognized that “there is growing acceptance of the simultaneous levels of action required at the national, regional and international levels in the implementation of the right to development. While the importance of the implementation of the right to development by States cannot be overemphasized, this does not in any way reduce the importance of international cooperation in providing an enabling environment at the international level (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 32).", "18. Recognizing that international cooperation is one of the international commitments stated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, the Working Group has also identified it as a duty that is entrenched in the Charter of the United Nations and manifested in mutual commitments, which translate the general duty of international cooperation into specific binding arrangements between cooperating partners (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 37).", "19. In addition, while understanding that international cooperation has various aspects and modalities, the Working Group has stressed that multilateral cooperation and other forms of cooperation, such as partnership, commitment and solidarity, including South-South cooperation, are also important (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 102).", "20. The Working Group has expressed the opinion that the changing global context requires a well-coordinated approach to development cooperation that ensures improved coordination, stronger partnerships, results-based approaches and greater coherence in implementing the consensus on development goals as a concrete step towards building partnerships for the realization of the right to development […] and has noted that mutual commitments can lead to specific binding arrangements between cooperating partners, defined and agreed upon through genuine negotiations, so as to ensure national ownership of the development process (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 44).", "21. While referring to the realization of the right to development, the Working Group repeatedly used the qualification “progressively”. In 2004, for example, the Working Group agreed that progressive realization of the right to development needed a clear vision, enhanced coherence, effective coordination of policies and programmes, a credible review process, constant assessment and political commitment at the national and international levels (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (h)).", "22. Among the factors explicitly recognized as contributing to the realization of the right to development were: an open, equitable, rules-based, predictable and non‑discriminatory multilateral trading system; sustained economic growth; continued partnerships; the evolution, assessment and dissemination of practical and specific measures at the national and international levels; adherence to the principles underlying the Declaration on the Right to Development as guides to the policies and programmes of the multilateral development and financial institutions; a rights-based approach to economic growth and development; good governance and the rule of law at both national and international levels; responsiveness on the part of States to vulnerable and marginalized groups and the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights (see E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, E/CN.4/2005/25 and E/CN.4/2006/26). Additional components of the realization of the right to development identified included: institutional infrastructure; coherence and cooperation in policy and programme development; human resources development; public finance and administration; financial regulation and supervision; basic education; social- and gender-sensitive budget policies; rule of law and the judicial system; appropriate technological development and crisis prevention; technical assistance, capacity-building and information sharing to assist developing countries in their efforts; and the identification and analysis of obstacles impeding the full realization of the right to development at both the national and international levels.", "23. The Working Group has agreed that knowledge and best practices, including practical and specific measures, on implementing the right to development needed to be shared and made more accessible to people and institutions through the collection and dissemination of good practices and success stories through a broad-based collaborative effort by the various stakeholders at the national and the international levels (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43, and E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 36).", "24. The Working Group did not see itself as a substitute for multilateral negotiations in areas where other international organizations were mandated to act, although it considered itself competent to send out a strong message in all areas where the existing system impacted adversely on the realization of the right to development for all in the hope that, in doing so, the concerned organizations would take all necessary steps to remedy the existing situation (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 101). The focus of the Working Group and of its follow-up actions would therefore be on the mainstreaming and implementation of the right to development, as established in the Declaration, since, in order for it to be understood at the global level, it had to be integrated coherently into the operational activities, policies and programmes of all relevant development agencies, international financial and trade institutions and national Governments (see E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, paras. 42 and 43).", "25. The Working Group also emphasized the issue of policy coherence, noting that States, while adopting agreements and making commitments at international forums, such as in the context of the World Trade Organization, as well as in the implementation of Millennium Development Goal 8, remained accountable for their human rights obligations. Ensuring policy coherence between a State’s international human rights obligations and all its multilateral and bilateral trade and development engagements was, therefore, a central prerequisite of the right to development. In negotiating such engagements, Governments should comply with and ensure respect for their human rights obligations by applying a coherent and coordinated approach, integrating the right to development into national policies, including development strategies, at both the national and international levels (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 41).", "26. Given the fact that good governance and the rule of law at the national level assist all States in promoting and protecting human rights, including the right to development, the Working Group agreed on the added value of efforts by States to identify and strengthen good governance practices, including transparent, responsible, accountable and participatory government, that are responsive and appropriate to their needs and aspirations, including in the context of agreed partnership approaches to development, capacity-building and technical assistance (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (e)).", "27. In addition, the Working Group urged Governments to use, in a transparent and responsible manner, resources that may contribute to the realization of the right to development, whether from domestic or foreign sources. The Group also noted the need to encourage action against corruption at the national and international levels, including the need for genuine political commitment on the part of national Governments through a firm legal framework, including adherence to existing instruments dealing with corruption and support for other international legal efforts (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (g)).", "28. With regard to the link between the international economic, commercial and financial spheres and the realization of the right to development, the Working Group highlighted the need to broaden the base of decision-making at the international level on issues of concern to development and to fill organizational gaps, to strengthen the United Nations system and the other multilateral institutions and to broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries and economies in transition in international economic decision-making and norm-setting (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (b)). With regard to institutional asymmetries in global governance, the Working Group identified two widely acknowledged types of problems in the context of the periodic evaluation of Millennium Development Goal 8. The first concerned the growing imbalances in the monetary and financial systems that expose the global economy to shocks that are beyond any national capacity to control. The second was the asymmetry in decision-making and norm-setting in international trade and finance. The voting structures of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were heavily weighted towards developed countries, based on their relative economic strength (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 60). In this regard, the Working Group stressed the importance of the continuing efforts to reform the international financial architecture, which could also contribute to the realization of Goal 8, from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 75).", "Global and regional partnerships for development", "29. The Working Group has paid particular attention to global partnerships. In 2004, it devoted a high-level seminar (see E/CN.4/2004/23/Add.1) to the topic. In 2005, it had requested the High-level Task Force on the Right to Development to examine Millennium Development Goal 8 and to suggest criteria for its periodic evaluation (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (i)). In 2006, the Working Group adopted a preliminary list of criteria for the evaluation of global partnerships (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 67).", "30. The Working Group has also stressed the need for partnerships with United Nations agencies and multilateral financial institutions, including existing partnerships such as the poverty reduction strategy papers and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process, as well as the need for them to be nationally owned. In addition, the Working Group is convinced that development partnerships should go beyond relationships between Governments and multilateral institutions to include civil society organizations (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 45).", "31. The importance of continued partnerships, within the framework of the Working Group, between the Commission on Human Rights and United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, multilateral financial and development institutions and the World Trade Organization, with a view identifying concrete measures to implement and mainstream the right to development, including inclusive dialogue among, and the constructive engagement of, all concerned parties, has been recognized (E/CN.4/2005/25, paras. 35 and 36).", "32. While the Working Group was aware of gaps and inconsistencies in the practices of development partnerships in enhancing the effectiveness of global partnerships for the implementation of the right to development, it expressed the opinion that it was necessary to identify all dimensions of the principle of the right to development that could guide and complement the work of such partnerships (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 39).", "33. The Working Group also attached particular importance to regional initiatives for monitoring the realization of human rights, including the right to development, and stressed the potential value of such partnerships as a development compact that provided for the institutionalization of an inclusive participatory process and transparent public scrutiny, which were conducive to the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 62).", "34. Meeting the international community’s commitment to address the special needs of Africa, including the New Partnership for Africa’s Development as a development framework and a practical example of an initiative for the promotion of a rights-based approach to development, is an important discussion within the Working Group. The Working Group was of the opinion that the African Peer Review Mechanism could be an appropriate reporting mechanism for measuring progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 8, with a view to implementing the right to development. In this regard, States would need to incorporate in their national programmes of action that emerge from the Review Mechanism explicit criteria for capacity-building, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation more directly aligned with the principles of the right (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 63).", "35. In acknowledging the work of the African Partnership Forum, the Working Group noted the importance of linking benchmarks for progress and performance against the commitments contained in the Africa Action Plan adopted by the Group of Eight at its 2002 summit, and supported by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other regional instruments. Article 22 of the African Charter, the only legally binding provision on the right to development, could provide a basis for African countries to periodically assess the realization of the right to development in the African context. In other regions, a genuine peer review process, assessing the extent to which human rights have been part of the development process, would contribute significantly to the periodic evaluation of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 63 and 64).", "36. In addition, the Working Group welcomed the Salamanca Declaration and its additional statement on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as a contribution to a strategic partnership for poverty reduction and the implementation of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 65).", "Transnational corporations and corporate responsibility", "37. The Working Group recognized the need for strong partnerships with the private sector at the national level in pursuing poverty eradication and development efforts, as well as the need for good corporate governance (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (f)). While acknowledging the potential positive and negative effects of transnational corporations and other business enterprises on the development efforts of host countries and the enjoyment of human rights, the Working Group recommended that transnational corporations should operate in a manner consistent with the domestic and international human rights obligations of the host countries and the countries of origin and that the elaboration of criteria should be considered for periodic evaluation of the effects of their activities (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 56).", "38. The Working Group stressed that monitoring of progress at all levels of action was needed on the basis of criteria of corporate responsibility and accountability, to be developed from a human rights perspective, and recommended that the periodic monitoring of the effects of the activities of transnational corporations on global partnerships for development should be attentive to the need for policy coherence and that it should also include a human rights perspective (E/CN.4.2006/26, paras. 58 and 73).", "Parliaments, national institutions and civil society", "39. The Working Group has encouraged States to strengthen national parliamentary mechanisms and legislative bodies, as well as civil society organizations and national human rights institutions, in order to play a more prominent role in the evaluation of Millennium Development Goal 8 from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 70).", "40. The Working Group also agreed that there is a need, at the national level, for strong partnerships with civil society organizations in poverty eradication and development efforts (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (f)).", "B. Thematic issues", "Globalization", "41. At its third session, the Working Group noted that while globalization offered opportunities and challenges, the process of globalization remained deficient in achieving the objective of integrating all countries in a globalized world. It stressed that many developing countries had been marginalized, and others were at risk of marginalization, and stated its position that, if the process of globalization was to be made fully inclusive and equitable, there was a strong need for policies and measures, at the national and global levels alike, to respond to the challenges and the opportunities of globalization (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (a)).", "42. At its fifth session the Working Group stated that in order for the globalization process to facilitate the realization of the right to development and to address the challenges it poses there is a need for an integrated approach to the implementation of national and international dimensions of the right to development and for the identification and implementation of complementary measures at the national and the international levels (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, paras. 43 (e) and (f)).", "Poverty eradication", "43. The Working Group has recognized that the eradication of poverty is a critical, though not the only step in the promotion and realization of the right to development. Poverty is a multifaceted problem requiring a multifaceted approach to address the economic, political, social, environmental and institutional dimensions of poverty, especially in the context of the Millennium Development Goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. In this regard the Working Group recognized the relevant role being played by the World Bank and IMF in the context of the poverty reduction strategy papers, which were useful tools for achieving poverty eradication and development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (a)).", "Millennium Development Goals", "44. The Working Group has recognized that the Millennium Development Goals represent a measurable set of human development objectives, the attainment of which is critical for building a more humane, inclusive, equitable and sustainable world, and that the timely attainment of the Goals is critical for the progressive realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 50). It is agreed that the implementation of the Millennium Declaration and attainment of other international development goals as identified in the outcomes of United Nations conferences and the Millennium Development Goals will contribute to the progressive realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (g)).", "45. The Working Group emphasized the need to employ a multipronged approach, at both national and international levels, to continuously address the constraints to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, strengthen institutional capacities, bridge the information gaps and address the accountability failures to implement the Goals and to give them the necessary local content and national ownership (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 51).", "46. In this regard, the Working Group recognized that Millennium Development Goal 8, with its focus on international cooperation, is a framework compatible with international responsibilities contained in the Declaration, and that, furthermore, it implies significant international roles not only for developed and developing States, but also for other relevant global entities, notably international financial institutions, business corporations, the media and networks of non-governmental organizations. Relevant international human rights institutions, such as human rights treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have a responsibility, within their respective mandates, to work with Governments and their international trade, finance and development partners in order to ensure coherence between their undertakings in these areas and national human rights obligations in general, particularly with regard to the right to development. The Working Group was of the opinion that all country reports on the Millennium Development Goals should include information on Goal 8 from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 36, 43 and 72).", "Official development assistance", "47. The Working Group recognized the value in exploring innovative sources of finance, provided that those sources did not unduly burden developing countries and, reaffirming the commitment on official development assistance (ODA), urged developed countries that had not done so to make concrete efforts towards the targets of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income (GNI) for ODA to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.2 per cent of their GNI to the least developed countries and encouraged developing countries to build on progress achieved in ensuring that ODA is used effectively to help meet development goals and targets (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, paras. 100 (c) and (d)). The Working Group also urged all concerned to recognize the importance of considering an increase in net transfers to developing countries that encompasses all types of external financial assistance, such as ODA, multilateral and bilateral loans, grants and debt relief, as well as of improving market access for the developing countries (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (b))", "48. The Working Group stressed that aid is not an end in itself, but rather a necessary instrument for reaching the Millennium Development Goals where they could not be met by national means alone. The periodic evaluation of aid, from the perspective of the right to development, required:", "(a) Ensuring that ODA policies are guided by human rights in general, and the right to development in particular, as well as poverty reduction objectives;", "(b) Following guidelines on ODA for aid effectiveness, applicable to both donor and partner countries, such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, particularly the requirement that ODA be more predictable and harmonized;", "(c) Identifying, formulating and establishing accountability for and ownership by each party of their respective commitments within the framework of a partnership and in the context of good governance and respect for human rights;", "(d) National ownership of State commitments in partnerships for development, requiring the implementation of effective anti-corruption programmes at all levels that eliminate misuse of aid and meet human development objectives;", "(e) Achieving positive net levels of ODA, irrespective of requirements of emergency aid and aid for purposes of national security;", "(f) Effective progress by many developed countries in their commitments to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) to ODA by 2015, and the need to explore other sources of financing as recommended in the Monterrey Consensus (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 45).", "Trade", "49. The Working Group recognized the importance of fair trade and the need to enlarge opportunities for developing countries in the global economy and that further development of a rule-based, open and non-discriminatory trading system was also vital for the implementation of the right to development. The Working Group stressed that incorporating underlying principles of the right to development into trade relations contributes to fulfilling the commitments to governance, equity and transparency in the financial monetary and trading system and to open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial systems (see E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 46-48). Appropriate measures are needed to enable developing countries to effectively participate in and benefit from an open, equitable, rules-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (j)).", "50. The Working Group agreed that there is a need to address market access for developing countries, including in agriculture, services and non-agricultural products, in particular those of interest to developing countries. A desirable pace of meaningful trade liberalization, including in areas under negotiations, the implementation of commitments on implementation-related issues and concerns, the review of special and differential treatment provisions with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective and operational, the avoidance of new forms of protectionism, and the advancement of capacity-building and technical assistance for developing countries were important issues in making progress towards the effective implementation of the right to development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (e)).", "51. At its seventh session, the Working Group reaffirmed the central importance of the development dimension in every aspect of the Doha Work Programme within the negotiations of the World Trade Organization and welcomed the commitment of all States to making it a meaningful reality, in terms both of the results of the negotiations on market access and rule-making, and of the specific development-related issues set out in the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the negotiations in Hong Kong in 2005. The Working Group also recognized the importance of the successful completion of the Doha round of trade negotiations for building an environment conducive to the realization of the right to development and identified the substantial progress achieved in the Doha round with respect to agriculture, intellectual property and public health, liberalizing trade in services, special and differential treatment and trade-related capacity-building as positive steps in making the global trade regime more compatible with the right to development. Overcoming supply-side constraints on capacity to trade, such as those relating to physical infrastructure, education and skills training, was a major challenge facing developing countries, especially the least developed, which required support targeted on aid for trade reform (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 47 and 48).", "52. At its fifth session the Working Group concluded that there was a need to pursue social impact assessments in the areas of trade and development, at both the national and international levels, that would include the right to development and to consider introducing and strengthening human rights standards and principles in undertaking impact assessments of trade and development rules and policies at both national and international levels. Such an approach was necessary in identifying those complementary measures that might be required to address adverse consequences of both national and international trade and development policy interventions. The Working Group stressed that there was also a need for tools to support an adequate approach and methodology in undertaking human rights impact assessments for the right to development and that States should consider using impact assessments in the context of all the relevant international trade forums, including the Trade Policy Review Mechanism and future trade negotiations (E/CN.4/2005/25, paras. 52, 53 and 54 (e)).", "53. At its sixth session the Working Group agreed that there was an urgent need to build national capacity, especially statistical capacities, through technical cooperation programmes to encourage the use of human rights impact assessments and other tools in guiding public policy at the national and international levels for the implementation of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, paras. 53 and 54 (e)). In order to build the capacity of the developing countries to collect, analyse and interpret relevant statistical information, and to utilize the results for policy improvements, the Working Group encouraged development partners to provide the necessary training and other facilities for such capacity-building (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 71).", "Foreign direct investment", "54. The Working Group has recognized that the right to development implies that foreign direct investment should contribute to local and national development in a responsible manner, that is, in ways that are conducive to social development, protect the environment and respect the rule of law and fiscal obligations in the host countries. The principles underlying the right to development further implies that all parties involved, that is, investors and recipient countries, have the responsibility to ensure that profit considerations do not crowd out human rights protections (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 59).", "Debt sustainability", "55. An unsustainable debt burden and debt servicing are major obstacles for developing countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, meeting their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and in making progress in the realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 49).", "56. The Working Group stressed that poverty reduction and the promotion and protection of human rights should be taken into consideration in finding solutions for debt sustainability and that arrangements to service national debt should take into account national priorities of human development and poverty reduction, consistent with human rights obligations (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 50).", "57. Recognizing that there is a need for enhanced initiatives by creditors to alleviate the debt burden as a contribution to the realization of the right to development, the Working Group recommended that donor countries and international financial institutions should consider additional ways, including appropriate debt swap measures, to promote debt sustainability for both the heavily indebted poor countries and other developing countries. The Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative and other forms of debt relief should be additional to bilateral ODA flows, and developing countries should use resources released by debt relief as well as other sources of development finance in a manner that fully takes into account the interests of the poor and poverty reduction strategies (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (f)).", "Access to medicines", "58. In the opinion of the Working Group, intellectual property protections should not result in the weakening of the enjoyment of the human right to the highest attainable standard of health, or in limiting access to essential medicines. In this regard, the Working Group stressed the importance of the Doha Declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and Public Health and the decisions allowing for the exportation of pharmaceutical products under compulsory licence to address the public health problems afflicting many developing and least developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other epidemics, as well as other WTO decisions to extend the transition period for least developed countries in providing protection for trademarks, copyright, patents and other intellectual property under TRIPS (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 51-53).", "Technology transfer", "59. The Working Group considers that knowledge is a global public good and a key instrument for development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 51) and that there is a need to make the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies, available to all, as well as a need to bridge the digital divide (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (g)). The transfer of technology in development partnerships should respect the right of everyone to benefit from scientific progress and its applications. The protection of intellectual property should serve the valuable purpose of stimulating innovation through research and development, while minimizing its negative impact on individual or national access to such research and development. The Working Group also considered that bilateral or regional trade agreements should be consistent with TRIPS and other agreements of the World Trade Organization and should not impede the ability of States to make use of flexibilities and safeguards provided in TRIPS and other agreements reached by the World Trade Organization. Further reflection is needed, however, on the complex relationship between intellectual property and human rights, with a view to identifying criteria for the periodic evaluation of this aspect (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 51-54).", "C. Specific groups and individuals", "The role of women and the gender perspective", "60. The Working Group has recognized “the importance of the role and the rights of women and the application of a gender perspective as a cross-cutting issue in the process of realizing the right to development” and the fact that there is a positive relationship between women’s education and their equal participation in civil, political, economic, social and cultural activities of the community, and the promotion of the right to development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (b)). Enhancing means for the active, full and meaningful participation of women in the process of formulating policies and strategies for attaining the Millennium Development Goals and the realization of the right to development is critically important. The Working Group has recommended that Member States apply a gender perspective to the implementation of the right to development and has agreed to seek to build and disseminate practical means, based on country experiences, to ensure the participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields related to the realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (f)).", "The rights of the child", "61. The Working Group recognizes that there is a need for the integration of the rights of the child, boys and girls alike, in all policies and programmes and for ensuring the protection and promotion of those rights, especially in areas relating to health, education and the full development of their capacities (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (c)).", "Persons living with HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases", "62. The Working Group has stressed that measures must be taken at the national and international levels to fight HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, taking into account ongoing efforts and programmes (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (d)).", "Migrants", "63. The Working Group recognizes that there is an important nexus between international migration and development and a need to deal with the challenges and opportunities that migration presents to countries of origin, destination and transit. International migration requires a holistic and coherent approach based on shared responsibility, which also and concurrently addresses the root causes and consequences of migration. International migration presents benefits, as well as challenges, to the global community. It is important to identify appropriate ways and means to maximize the development benefits and minimize the negative impacts of such migration in order to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and members of their families (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 61).", "D. Measuring progress in the implementation of the right to development criteria", "64. In 2005, the Working Group requested the high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development to suggest criteria for the periodic evaluation of global partnerships as identified in Millennium Development Goal 8 from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (i)). In 2009, the Working Group decided to expand the scope of the criteria beyond Millennium Development Goal 8 and aim at the implementation of the right to development, taking into account the evolving priorities of the international community (A/HRC/12/28, para. 43).[7] In 2010, the Working Group considered that further work should be undertaken at the intergovernmental level to adequately reflect both the national and international dimensions (A/HRC/15/23, para. 43).", "65. In 2006, the Working Group adopted a set of provisional criteria, while recognizing that in addition to the areas mentioned explicitly in Millennium Development Goal 8, other areas of development partnerships were relevant to the effective implementation of the right to development, and should be covered by criteria for periodic evaluation of Goal 8, namely the private sector, comprising transnational corporations and foreign direct investment, global governance, migration and regional initiatives. In that context, the Working Group underlined that it wished to avoid creating new monitoring and reporting entities, that the criteria were primarily to be applied by the parties to a partnership, and had to be applied on a continuing basis, in order to achieve coherence and accountability. The Working Group added that additional criteria could be developed for specific issues on which partnerships already existed and operated (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 44, 55 and 66-68).", "66. The high-level task force on the right to development was requested to apply the provisional criteria, on a pilot basis, to selected partnerships, with a view to operationalizing and progressively developing them, and thus contributing to mainstreaming the right to development in the policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels, including multilateral financial, trade and development institutions (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 77).", "67. The Working Group guided the task force in further developing and refining the criteria. It recognized, for example, the added value of developing concrete implementation criteria and applying them to the global partnership for development in order to facilitate the incorporation by current and future partnerships of essential elements of the right to development into their respective operational frameworks, thereby furthering the implementation of the right to development and, at the same time, providing the empirical basis for progressively developing and refining those criteria. There was a need for a deeper dialogue with the partnerships and the evaluation of additional partnerships dealing with other aspects of international cooperation, including trade, aid, debt, technology transfers, migration and other issues identified under Millennium Development Goal 8, in a step-by-step and an analytically rigorous manner (A/HRC/4/47, paras. 49 and 50).", "68. The Working Group also found that the right to development criteria would benefit from further review of their structure, coverage of aspects of international cooperation identified under Millennium Development Goal 8 and of the methodology for their application. The current objective of such elaboration should be to enhance the criteria as a practical tool for evaluating global development partnerships from the perspective of the right to development, including by actors in the relevant partnerships themselves. The Working Group encouraged the high-level task force to provide a consistent mapping of the criteria and relevant checklists, viewing the latter as operational sub-criteria (A/HRC/4/47, para. 51).", "69. In addition, the Working Group directed the high-level task force to consider the following partnerships and issues: the African Peer Review Mechanism; the Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness carried out by the Development Assistance Committee of the Economic Commission for Africa/Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness; the Cotonou Agreement between African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Union; the issue of access to essential medicines in developing countries (Target 8.E), including the work of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases; and an invitation to the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) to consider entering a dialogue with the task force. The task force was mandated to study the thematic issues of debt relief (Targets 8.B and D) with a view to engaging in a dialogue with the institutions responsible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and other institutions and procedures that address the issue of debt relief and transfer of technology (Target 8.F), including the idea of studying the Clean Development Mechanism and the Development Agenda of the World Intellectual Property Organization (A/HRC/9/17, para. 43) and the Bretton Woods institutions (A/HRC/12/28, para. 46).", "70. In 2008, the Working Group, while discussing the workplan of the high-level task force, identified additional thematic and regional areas under Millennium Development Goal 8, including technology transfer, debt relief, international cooperation and other aspects, as suitable topics for examination by the task force (A/HRC/9/17, para. 38).[8]", "71. The Working Group recommended that the criteria adopted by the high-level task force should (a) be analytically and methodologically rigorous; (b) provide empirically oriented tools to those involved in implementing development partnerships; and (c) cover Millennium Development Goal 8 and other aspects not covered by the task force (A/HRC/9/17, para. 42).", "72. The Working Group agreed that the task force, in accordance with its workplan, should also ensure that due attention is given to other issues relevant to the right to development, including poverty and hunger, including in the context of climate change and the current global economic and financial crisis. The revised criteria and sub-criteria should address the essential features of the right to development, as defined in the Declaration on the Right to Development, in a comprehensive and coherent way, including priority concerns of the international community beyond those enumerated in Millennium Development Goal 8, and should serve the purposes set out in all relevant provisions of Human Rights Council resolution 9/3 (A/HRC/12/28, paras. 42 and 45).", "73. In addition, the Working Group recommended that the task force draw on specialized expertise, including from academic institutions and relevant United Nations agencies and other relevant global organizations and the experience of countries in relation to the promotion of the realization of the right to development. It should also give due attention to the experience gained from the application of the provisional criteria to development partnerships and to the views expressed by Member States (A/HRC/12/28, para. 46).", "74. In 2010, the Working Group considered that further work should be undertaken at the intergovernmental level to adequately reflect both the national and international dimensions of the subject (A/HRC/15/23, para. 43).", "E. Issues for the future", "75. In 2005 and 2006, the Working Group adopted the following issues to guide its future work: (a) the issue of space for national economic policy in the implementation of the right to development; (b) measures and good practices to promote a participatory approach, based on human rights norms and principles, including gender perspective, in the allocation of social sector expenditures in public budgets; (c) examining the institutional experience, feasibility and sustainability of evolving social security nets and overall social development policies into entitlements consistent with the realization of the right to development; (d) exploring means of enhancing elements such as special and differential treatment provisions in making the international trade environment more responsive to the needs of implementing the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 55); (e) continuing to consider the broader topic of Millennium Development Goal 8, which has not been exhausted, thereby focusing on other issues covered by this Goal, as identified but not elaborated upon by the high-level task force (for example, youth employment and landlocked and small island developing States); (f) focusing on topics identified by the task force as pertinent to Goal 8, but not covered by the targets enumerated therein (for example, migration, the role of private sector, global governance and regional initiatives); and (g) selecting a new topic, which is not related to Goal 8 (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 78).", "IV. Conclusions and recommendations", "76. An effective global partnership for development, underpinned by human rights-based policy coherence and coordination at all levels, is the best foundation for realizing the right to development.", "77. As the United Nations commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, new efforts are needed (a) to overcome political and polarized debate; (b) to mobilize support from a wide public constituency; and (c) to encourage international organizations to fully integrate all human rights, including the right to development, into their work.", "[1] See http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/Calendarofevents.aspx.", "[2] See http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/08156.pdf; http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/", "DevelopmentHumanRightForAll.aspx; and http://www.fes.de/gpol/en/RTD_conference.htm.", "[3] See http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/treaty/index.htm.", "[4] See http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/", "RtDandGlobalPartnershipforDevelopment.aspx.", "[5] The Working Group was established by Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/72, and endorsed by Economic and Social Council decision 1998/269, with the mandate to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development, as elaborated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, at the national and international levels, providing recommendations thereon and further analysing obstacles to its full enjoyment, focusing each year on specific commitments in the Declaration; to review reports and any other information submitted by Member States, United Nations agencies, other relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations on the relationship between their activities and the right to development; and to present for the consideration of the Human Rights Council a sessional report on its deliberations, including advice to OHCHR with regard to the implementation of the right to development, and suggesting possible programmes of technical assistance at the request of interested countries with the aim of promoting the implementation of the right to development.", "[6] Since its inception in 1998 the Working Group has held 11 sessions. It adopted its conclusions and recommendations by consensus, except at its first, second and fourth sessions, which ended with conclusions presented by the respective chairs. These are not reflected in the present summary. The summary focuses on those conclusions and recommendations related to substantive issues, as opposed to procedural questions, unless the latter were relevant to the substantive issue under consideration. It shall be noted, that the Working Group, at its fifth session, took note of the following positions of delegations, which were not meant to block consensus by the Working Group: Japan reserved its position on trade and debt relief, but joined the consensus; Australia, Canada and the United States of America dissociated themselves from the consensus (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 32). On other occasions, several States and groups presented explanations of their positions with regard to the conclusions and recommendations after their adoption (see for example E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 28, A/HRC/4/47, para. 47, A/HRC/9/17, para. 37 and A/HRC/12/28, para. 39).", "[7] As requested by the Working Group in 2006 (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 77), the high-level task force applied the criteria, on a pilot basis, for the period from 2007 to 2009, to selected partnerships (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/2/Add.1 and Corr.1). The purpose of the exercise was to operationalize and develop further the criteria, thus contributing to mainstreaming the right to development in policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels, including multilateral financial, trade and development institutions.", "[8] After the adoption of the conclusions and recommendations, several States and groups presented explanations of their positions with regard to the conclusions and recommendations. France (on behalf of the European Union) and Canada clarified that “other aspects” also included good governance, democracy and the rule of law at the domestic level. Cuba (on behalf of the Non‑Aligned Movement) emphasized that “other aspects” referred to an ODA commitment of 0.7 per cent of gross national product, establishing a new international economic order and a fair economic system, as well as good governance and democracy at the international level, including in the functioning of international trade, financial and monetary institutions. Egypt, aligned with the Non-Aligned Movement, added that “other aspects”, such as good governance, democracy and the rule of law, should apply at both the national and international levels (A/HRC/9/17, para. 37)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "The right to development", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report provides an overview of the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the promotion and exercise of the right to development, including in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development. The report also includes a compilation of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Human Rights Council Working Group on the Right to Development, with a view to contributing to intergovernmental deliberations on the future line of action in the effective exercise of the right to development.", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 3II.Activities 3 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights III. Compilation 5 of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development of the Human Rights Council A. 5 concept and exercise of the right to development B. Questions 12 thematics C.Particulars 17 and specific groups D. Measure 18 progress in the realization of the right to development E. Questiones 21 for the future IV.Conclusions 21 and recommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 65/219, the General Assembly requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in integrating the right to development into its work, to undertake activities aimed at strengthening the global partnership for development and to detail those activities in its next report to the Human Rights Council. In the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in consultation with Member States and other stakeholders, to begin preparations for the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development in 2011; it also requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report, as well as an interim report to the Human Rights Council, on the implementation of the resolution, The present report, which is consistent with the above-mentioned requests and established practice, constitutes a summary report of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the right to development.", "II. Activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", "2. As requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/219 and the Human Rights Council in its resolution 15/25, OHCHR, in consultation with Member States and other stakeholders, has launched a programme to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development and has set a timetable for events and activities[1].", "3. In February 2011, in her speech to open an event in Berlin to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, entitled “Achievements and Challenges in the Twenty-fifth Years of the Right to Development”, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights linked popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East with the denial of the right of peoples to development. A symposium of experts within the framework of that event identified three challenges to the exercise of the right to development: the crossroads in the intergovernmental debate; the need to incorporate the right to development into the work of the United Nations system; and the need to broaden the base of defenders of the right to development[2].", "4. On the occasion of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Istanbul in May 2011, the High Commissioner noted that human rights, including the right to development, were fundamental to the development path envisaged for the least developed countries, highlighted the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development as an opportunity to revitalize partnerships for an enabling environment for development that includes the principles of human rights, thus highlighting the interlinkages of poverty", "5. At the fourteenth session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner expressed hope that the next phase of the discussions on the right to development would continue to focus on improving human well-being and empowering individuals and communities to participate fully in the adoption of important decisions affecting them. The High Commissioner stressed the centrality of equal opportunities and international cooperation. At the sixteenth session of the Council, the High Commissioner stressed that the promotion and realization of the right to development remained a key dimension of the work of OHCHR.", "6. Also in 2011, OHCHR published a leaflet of the Declaration on the Right to Development and produced a poster and briefing notes on the topic.", "7. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in a statement on the importance and relevance of the right to development adopted in May 2011, was determined to continue to monitor the exercise of all the rights protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which also contribute to the full realization of the relevant elements of the right to development (see E/C.12/2011/2). In addition, the chairpersons of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, in a statement adopted in July 2011, decided to undertake a concerted initiative to promote interdependent and development-based reading of all human rights treaties in order to highlight and highlight the relevance and importance of the right to development in the interpretation and application of the provisions of human rights treaties and in monitoring their implementation.[3]", "8. In a special event of the Economic and Social Council on the right to development and the global partnership for development, held in July 2011 in the context of the substantive session of the Council, views were exchanged on how the promotion of the right to development and the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 8 could be strengthened and how the United Nations system could use these synergies in the 2015 and future years[4].", "9. In the public forum organized by the World Trade Organization in September 2010, OHCHR co-sponsored with the 3D non-governmental organization a panel on the right to development as a means of promoting coherence between trade, development and human rights. The panel highlighted the need for global institutions to ensure convergence of different interests, a policy and policy space that enhances production capacity and economic diversification.", "III. Compilation of conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Human Rights Council Working Group on the Right to Development", "10. Section III includes a compilation of the conclusions and recommendations adopted by consensus by the Working Group on the Right to Development[5] for the period 1998-2010[6].", "A. Concept and exercise of the right to development", "11. The Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the General Assembly in 1986 pursuance of its resolution 41/128, defines the right to development as an inalienable human right by which every human being and all peoples are empowered to participate in economic, social, cultural and political development in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized, to contribute to and enjoy such development. It recognizes that development is a global economic, social, cultural and political process that tends to constantly improve the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in the development and fair distribution of the benefits derived from it. In order to promote development, equal attention and urgent consideration should be given to the implementation, promotion and protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.", "12. The right to development incorporates human rights principles of equality, non-discrimination, transparency and accountability, as well as international cooperation. The basic requirements of the Declaration on the Right to Development are:", "(a) Consider the human being the axis of development;", "(b) Ensure free, active and meaningful participation;", "(c) Preventing discrimination;", "(d) Equally distributing the benefits of development;", "(e) To respect self-determination and sovereignty over natural resources;", "(f) Ensure that the right to development is part of a process that contributes to other civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.", "The concept of the right to development", "13. In its deliberations, the Working Group on the Right to Development has concluded that the nuances that can be given to the terms used in the deliberations on the right to development “do not matter for the right to development as enshrined in the Declaration on the Right to Development” and that all stakeholders — Member States, experts, development actors, international institutions and civil society — should move towards a common understanding of the substantive components of the right to development, without having such paragraphs.", "14. In addition, the Working Group agreed that “a rights-based approach to economic growth and development contributes to the realization of the right to development, without thereby depleting the consequences and requirements of this right at the national and international levels” (see E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 46).", "15. While acknowledging that “sustained economic growth is an indispensable element of the effective exercise of the right to development” (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43), the Working Group concluded that “development must be based on economic policies that promote growth with social justice” and that “the need to create synergies among growth-oriented development strategies and human rights is a response to the growing demands of citizens, paragraph 4225 more In addition, the Working Group has noted that the right to development enriches growth-oriented development strategies by systematically incorporating human rights and the principles of transparency, equality, participation, accountability and non-discrimination in the development process, both at the national and international levels. In that context, the right to development should provide guidance in setting priorities and resolving mutual compensation in respect of resource allocations and policy frameworks (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 43).", "16. The Working Group, recalling “the principles underlying the right to development, namely, equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability, as well as international cooperation”, has attached particular importance to the principle of equity, the rule of law and good governance at all levels as fundamental to the exercise of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 40).", "The exercise of the right to development", "17. While the Working Group has at some point addressed the responsibility of States in the creation of national conditions, against international ones, which would favour the effective exercise of the right to development as distinct themes in general, it has emphasized the link between them (see E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, paras. 95, 96, 103 and 104). With regard to the creation of favourable international conditions, the Working Group has recognized that “the acceptance of the simultaneous levels of action required at the national, regional and international levels for the exercise of the right to development is increasing. While there is no further emphasis on the importance of States ' responsibility for the enjoyment of the right to development, international cooperation remains less relevant from the point of view of the creation of an enabling environment at the international level” (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 32).", "18. Recognizing that international cooperation is one of the international commitments set out in the Declaration on the Right to Development, the Working Group has also considered it a duty enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and which is manifested in mutual commitments, which translate the overall duty to engage in international cooperation in specific binding agreements among partners involved in such cooperation (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 37).", "19. Furthermore, while understanding that international cooperation has various aspects and modalities, the Working Group has also emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation and other forms of cooperation, such as partnership, commitment and solidarity, including South-South cooperation (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 102).", "20. The Working Group has expressed the view that the changing global context requires a well-coordinated approach to development cooperation that ensures improved coordination, stronger partnerships, results-based approaches and greater coherence in the implementation of the consensus on development goals as a concrete step towards building partnerships for the effective exercise of the right to development, and has noted that mutual commitments can lead to genuine, mutually agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed, agreed upon.", "21. In referring to the exercise of the right to development, the Working Group repeatedly used the term “progressively”. In 2004, for example, the Working Group agreed that a clear vision, greater coherence, effective policy and programme coordination, a credible review process, constant evaluation and political will at the national and international levels (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (h)) were required for an ever-increasing effective exercise of the right to development.", "22. Among the factors explicitly recognized as contributing to the effective exercise of the right to development were: an open, equitable, rules-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system; sustained economic growth; continuing partnerships; the formulation, appraisal and dissemination of practical and concrete measures at the national and international levels; adherence to the principles underlying the Declaration on the Right to Development as a guide to the policies and programmes of the multilateral development institutions; Other additional components identified for the effective exercise of the right to development included: institutional infrastructure; coherence and cooperation in policy and programme development; human resources development; public finance and administration; financial regulation and supervision; basic education; budgetary policies that take into account social factors and gender equity; rule of law and legal order; appropriate technological development; crisis prevention; technical assistance; and development of gender equality;", "23. The Working Group has agreed on the need to share knowledge and best practices, including practical and specific measures, in the exercise of the right to development and to make them more accessible to individuals and institutions through the collection and dissemination of good practices and successes achieved through a broad-based collaborative effort by different stakeholders at the national and international levels (see E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43, and E/CN.4/2004/23).", "24. The Working Group was not considered a substitute for multilateral negotiations in areas where other international organizations had a mandate to act, although it was considered competent to launch a strong message on all areas where the current system had a negative impact on the universal exercise of the right to development, hoping that, in doing so, the organizations concerned would take all necessary measures to resolve the current situation (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 101). The work of the Working Group and its follow-up would therefore focus on the incorporation of the right to development and the exercise of that right, as set out in the Declaration, since, in order to be understood globally, it had to be coherently integrated into the programmes, policies and operational activities of all development agencies, international trade and financial institutions and national Governments (see E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, paras. 42 and 43).", "25. The Working Group also highlighted the issue of policy coherence, noting that, while States adopted agreements and made commitments in international forums, for example, in the context of the World Trade Organization, as well as in implementing Millennium Development Goal 8, they continued to have the duty to fulfil their human rights obligations. Thus, a prerequisite for the exercise of the right to development was coherence in a State ' s policy with respect to international human rights obligations and all its multilateral and bilateral trade and development commitments. In negotiating such commitments, Governments should fulfil their human rights obligations and ensure that these rights are respected through a coherent and coordinated approach, integrating the right to development into national policies, including development strategies, at the national and international levels (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 41).", "26. Since good governance and the rule of law at the national level help all States to promote and protect human rights, including the right to development, the Working Group acknowledged the value of efforts by States to define and strengthen good governance practices, including transparency, political and financial responsibility and the will to participate, which respond to their needs and aspirations and are appropriate for them, including in the context of collaborative strategies, para.", "27. In addition, the Working Group urged Governments to make use, in a transparent and responsible manner, of resources that could contribute to the realization of the right to development from national or foreign sources. The Group also noted the need to promote anti-corruption measures at the national and international levels, including the need for genuine political commitment by national administrations within a strong legal framework, including adherence to existing instruments dealing with corruption and the support of other international legal efforts (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (g)).", "28. With regard to the relationship between the economic, commercial and financial spheres at the international level and the realization of the right to development, the Working Group stressed the need to broaden the basis for international decision-making on development issues, fill organizational gaps and strengthen the United Nations system and other multilateral institutions, as well as the need to expand and strengthen the participation of developing countries and economies in transition in international decision-making processes. With regard to institutional asymmetries in global governance, the Working Group noted two types of problems generally accepted in the context of the regular assessment of Millennium Development Goal 8. The first was the increase in the imbalance in the monetary and financial systems that exposed the world economy to shocks that exceeded the control capacity of countries. The other was asymmetry in decision-making and standard-setting in international trade and finance. The voting structures of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave much greater weight to developed countries, which were based on their relative economic power (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 60). In this regard, the Working Group stressed the importance of further efforts to reform the international financial architecture, which could also contribute to the realization of Goal 8 from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 75).", "Global and regional partnerships for development", "29. The Working Group has paid special attention to global partnerships. In 2004, he devoted a high-level seminar to the topic (see E/CN.4/2004/23/Add.1). In 2005, it requested the high-level task force on the right to development to review Millennium Development Goal 8 and to suggest criteria for its periodic evaluation (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (i)). In 2006, the Working Group adopted a preliminary list of criteria for the evaluation of global partnerships (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 67).", "30. The Working Group has also stressed the need for partnerships with United Nations agencies and multilateral financial institutions, including existing partnerships such as poverty reduction strategy papers or the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, as well as the need for countries to adopt them as their own. In addition, the Working Group is convinced that development partnerships should exceed the limits of relations between Governments and multilateral institutions to include civil society organizations (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 45).", "31. The importance of continuing partnerships within the framework of the Working Group, between the Commission on Human Rights and United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, multilateral financial and development institutions and the World Trade Organization, has been recognized in order to define concrete measures for the realization of the right to development and to be integrated in their respective areas of action, including inclusive dialogue and constructive participation by all stakeholders (E/CN.4/2005/5).", "32. While the Working Group was aware of gaps and inconsistencies in the practice of development partnerships in order to enhance the effectiveness of global partnerships for the realization of the right to development, it expressed the view that all aspects of the right to development principle that could guide and complement the work of those partnerships should be identified (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 39).", "33. The Working Group also attached particular importance to regional initiatives aimed at monitoring the realization of human rights, in particular the right to development, and stressed the potential value of such partnerships as a development compact that allowed for the institutionalization of an integrated participation process and transparent public review, which favoured the realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 62).", "34. An important topic of discussion of the Working Group is the fulfilment of the commitment made by the international community to respond to the special needs of Africa, including the New Partnership for Africa ' s Development as a development framework and practical example of an initiative to promote a rights-based development approach. In the view of the Working Group, the African Peer Review Mechanism could be an appropriate reporting mechanism to measure achievements in achieving Millennium Development Goal 8, in order to realize the right to development. In this regard, States would have to incorporate into national action programmes emerging from the Review Mechanism explicit criteria on capacity-building, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation more directly adapted to the principles of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 63).", "35. Recognizing the work of the Collaborative Forum in Africa, the Working Group noted the importance of linking references to measure achievements and results with the commitments contained in the action plan for Africa adopted by the Group of Eight at its 2002 summit, which are supported by the African Charter on Human and Peoples ' Rights and other regional instruments. Article 22 of the African Charter, the only legally binding instrument on the right to development, could serve as a basis for African countries to regularly assess the realization of the right to development in the African context. In other regions, a genuine peer review process to assess the extent to which human rights have been part of the development process would represent a significant contribution to the regular assessment of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 63 and 64).", "36. In addition, the Working Group welcomed the Salamanca Declaration and its special communication on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, as they contributed to the formation of a strategic partnership to reduce poverty and realize the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 65).", "Transnational corporations and corporate responsibility", "37. The Working Group recognized the need for strong partnerships with the private sector at the national level in development and poverty eradication initiatives, as well as the need for good corporate governance (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (f)). While acknowledging the positive and negative impact that transnational corporations and other business enterprises could have on the development of host countries and the enjoyment of human rights, the Working Group recommended that transnational corporations operate in accordance with the national and international obligations of the host country and the country of origin in the field of human rights and develop criteria for regular evaluation of the impact of their activities (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 56).", "38. The Working Group stressed the need to verify progress at all levels of activities based on corporate accountability and accountability criteria developed from the human rights perspective, and recommended that the regular assessment of the impact of transnational corporations on global development partnerships should take into account the need for policy coherence and also include the human rights perspective (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 58 and 73).", "Parliaments, national institutions and civil society", "39. The Working Group has encouraged States to strengthen parliamentary mechanisms and national legislative bodies, as well as civil society organizations and national human rights institutions, to play a more prominent role in assessing Millennium Development Goal 8 from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 70).", "40. The Working Group also recognized the need to build strong partnerships at the national level with civil society organizations for poverty eradication and development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (f)).", "B. Thematic issues", "Globalization", "41. At its third session, the Working Group noted that, while globalization presented opportunities and challenges, the process of globalization remained without achieving the goal of integrating all countries into a globalized world. He stressed that many developing countries were marginalized and others risked being marginalized, noting that if the globalization process was to include all and fully equitable, policies and measures, at both the national and global levels, were urgently needed to address the challenges and opportunities of globalization (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (a)).", "42. At its fifth session, the Working Group noted that, in order for the globalization process to facilitate the exercise of the right to development and address the challenges it entailed, an integrated approach to the national and international dimensions of the exercise of the right to development, as well as the definition and implementation of complementary measures at the national and international levels (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, paras. 43 (e) and (f)).", "Eradication of poverty", "43. The Working Group has recognized that poverty eradication is a fundamental, but not the only, step for the promotion and realization of the right to development. Poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires the adoption of a multifaceted approach that encompasses the economic, political, social, environmental and institutional dimensions of poverty, especially within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day and the proportion of people suffering from hunger in the world. In this regard, the Working Group recognized the important role played by the World Bank and IMF in the context of poverty reduction strategy papers, which were useful tools for poverty eradication and development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (a)).", "Millennium Development Goals", "44. The Working Group has recognized that the Millennium Development Goals represent a quantifiable set of human development milestones that are essential to building a more humane, inclusive, equitable and sustainable world, and that the timely achievement of the Goals is crucial to the progressive realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 50). The implementation of the Millennium Declaration and the achievement of the other international development goals as defined in the texts resulting from United Nations conferences and the Millennium Development Goals will gradually contribute to facilitating the effective exercise of the right to development (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (g)).", "45. The Working Group stressed the need to use a multiple approach, both at the national and international levels, to keep under constant review the factors that limit the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, strengthen institutional capacities, fill information gaps, address the lack of accountability for the achievement of the Goals and ensure that they have the necessary local content and are assumed as their own at the national level (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 51).", "46. In this regard, the Working Group recognized that Millennium Development Goal 8, focusing on international cooperation, was a framework consistent with the international responsibilities set out in the Declaration and that it also entailed significant international responsibilities not only for developed or developing States, but also for other entities with global power, such as international financial institutions, large enterprises, the media and networks of non-governmental organizations. Relevant international human rights institutions, such as human rights treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, had the responsibility to collaborate, within their respective mandates, with Governments and their international partners in trade, finance and development in order to ensure that their activities in those areas were consistent with their national human rights obligations in general, and in relation to development. The Working Group supported the inclusion of all country reports on the Millennium Development Goals from the perspective of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 36, 43 and 72).", "Official development assistance", "47. The Working Group recognized the value of exploring innovative sources of financing, provided that such sources did not place an excessive burden on developing countries, and, reaffirming the commitment to official development assistance, urged developed countries that had not yet done so to make concrete efforts to achieve the objectives of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income (GNI) to ensure that the least developed countries are effectively assisted, and 0.15 per cent to 0.2 per cent. The Working Group also urged all stakeholders to recognize the importance of considering increasing net transfers to developing countries covering all types of external financial assistance, such as official development assistance, multilateral and bilateral loans, donations and debt relief, as well as improving market access for developing countries (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (b)).", "48. The Working Group stressed that assistance was not an end in itself, but a necessary tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals where national capacity was insufficient. The periodic evaluation of assistance, from the point of view of the right to development, required the following:", "(a) Ensure that official development assistance policies are governed by human rights objectives in general and the right to development in particular, as well as poverty reduction;", "(b) Ensure that official development assistance follows guidelines for aid effectiveness applicable to donor countries and associated countries, such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, in particular because such assistance is more predictable and harmonious;", "(c) Identify, formulate and establish the responsibilities and ownership of each party in relation to their respective commitments within the framework of a partnership and in the context of good governance and respect for human rights;", "(d) States should take the commitments made in development partnerships as their own, implementing effective anti-corruption programmes at all levels to eliminate abuse of assistance and meet human development goals;", "(e) To achieve positive net levels of official development assistance, irrespective of emergency assistance or assistance needs for national security purposes;", "f) Effective progress in the commitment of many developed countries to allocate at least 0.7 per cent of their gross national product to official development assistance by 2015 and the need to seek new sources of financing, as recommended in the Monterrey Consensus (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 45).", "Trade", "49. The Working Group recognized the importance of fair trade and the need to offer more opportunities to developing countries in the global economy, as well as the promotion of an open, regulated and non-discriminatory trading system as a key factor in the realization of the right to development. The Working Group emphasized that the incorporation of the principles underlying the right to development in business relations contributed to the fulfilment of commitments to promote the governance, equity and transparency of financial, monetary and trade systems, and to the establishment of open, equitable, policy-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial systems (see E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 46-48). Appropriate measures are needed to enable developing countries to participate effectively in and benefit from an open, equitable, rules-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system (E/CN.4/2004/23 and Corr.1, para. 43 (j)).", "50. The Working Group agreed on the need to address market access by developing countries, including agricultural and non-agricultural products and services, in particular those of greater interest to those countries. Among the elements that it considered important to advance towards the effective exercise of the right to development were a good pace of genuine trade liberalization, in particular on the issues being negotiated, the implementation of commitments to address implementation problems, the review of provisions on special and differential treatment with a view to strengthening and making them more precise, effective and operational, the avoidance of new forms of protectionism and the encouragement of capacity-building and assistance for countries.", "51. At its seventh session, the Working Group reaffirmed the fundamental importance of the development dimension in all aspects of the Doha work programme in the negotiations of the World Trade Organization and welcomed the efforts of all States to realize that dimension, in relation to both the results of the negotiations on market access and the formulation of standards and the specific development issues that were set out in the ministerial declaration adopted at the Hong Kong negotiations in 2005. The Working Group also recognized the importance of the successful conclusion of the Doha Round of trade negotiations for the creation of an enabling environment for the realization of the right to development, and considered that the significant progress made in the Doha Round with regard to agriculture, intellectual property, public health, trade liberalization in services, special and differentiated treatment or increased trade capacity were positive steps to make the world trade regime more compatible with the right to development. Overcoming supply constraints on trade capacity, such as physical infrastructure, education and training, was an important goal of developing countries, especially the least developed countries, which required focused support for trade reform (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 47 and 48).", "52. At its fifth session, the Working Group concluded that there was a need for social impact assessments in the areas of trade and development, at the national and international levels, including the right to development, and to consider introducing and strengthening human rights standards and principles when it sought to undertake assessments of the impact of trade and development standards and policies at the national and international levels. Such an approach was necessary to identify additional measures that might be required to address the adverse consequences of national and international trade and development policy interventions. The Working Group stressed that tools were also needed to support an appropriate approach and methodology for undertaking human rights impact assessments for the exercise of the right to development, and that States should consider using such assessments in the context of all relevant international trade forums, such as the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, and future trade negotiations (E/CN.4/2005/25, paras. 52, 53 and 54 (e)).", "53. At its sixth session, the Working Group indicated that there was an urgent need to build national capacity, particularly in the field of statistics, through technical cooperation programmes that encourage the use of human rights impact assessments and other tools to guide public policies at the national and international levels for the enjoyment of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, paras. 53 and 54 (e)). In order to enhance the capacity of developing countries to collect, analyse and interpret relevant statistics and use results to improve policies, the Working Group encouraged development partners to provide the necessary training and other facilities to achieve such capacity-building (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 71).", "Foreign direct investment", "54. The Working Group has recognized that the right to development stems from the assumption that foreign direct investment should contribute to local and national development in a responsible manner, i.e. by promoting social development, protecting the environment and respecting tax laws and obligations in host countries. The principles underpinning the right to development further presuppose that all stakeholders, i.e. investors and recipient countries, have the responsibility to ensure that the desire to gain benefits does not prejudice the protection of human rights (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 59).", "Debt sustainability", "55. An unsustainable burden of debt and servicing of debt constitute major obstacles for developing countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, meet their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and make progress in the realization of the right to development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 49).", "56. The Working Group stressed that poverty reduction and the promotion and protection of human rights should be taken into account in finding solutions to achieve debt sustainability and that national debt servicing arrangements should take into account national human development and poverty reduction priorities, consistent with human rights obligations (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 50).", "57. Recognizing the need for creditors, as a contribution to the realization of the right to development, to propose better initiatives to alleviate the debt burden, the Working Group recommended that donor countries and international financial institutions consider other modalities, such as appropriate debt exchange measures, to promote the debt sustainability of both heavily indebted and other developing countries. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and Other Forms of Debt Relief Initiative should be additional to bilateral official development assistance flows, and developing countries should use the resources released from debt relief and other sources of development financing in a manner that takes full account of the interests of the poor and poverty reduction strategies (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (f)).", "Access to medicines", "58. The Working Group considers that the protection of intellectual property should not infringe on the human right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health or limit access to essential medicines. In this regard, the Working Group highlighted the importance of the Doha Declaration on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health and the decisions providing for the export of pharmaceutical products under compulsory licence to address the public health problems of many developing and least developed countries, in particular those derived from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other epidemics, as well as the extension of the least developed countries.", "Transfer of technology", "59. The Working Group considers that knowledge is a global public good and a key instrument of development (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 51) and that it is necessary to make available all the benefits of new technologies, in particular information and communication technologies, as well as to bridge the digital divide (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 100 (g)). The transfer of technology in development partnerships must respect the right of all to benefit from advances in science and its applications. The protection of intellectual property should have the valuable purpose of stimulating innovation through research and development, as well as minimizing its negative impact on the access of individuals or countries to research and development. The Working Group also noted that bilateral or regional trade agreements must comply with the TRIPS Agreement and other World Trade Organization agreements and should not undermine the capacity of States to take advantage of the flexibility and safeguards provided for in those agreements. However, further reflection should be taken on the complex relationship between intellectual property and human rights with a view to identifying criteria for periodic evaluation of that aspect (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 51-54).", "C. Particulars and specific groups", "The role of women and gender perspective", "60. The Working Group has recognized the importance of the role of women and their rights, as well as the introduction of a gender perspective as a cross-cutting aspect of the process of realization of the right to development; it has also recognized the positive relationship between women ' s education and their equal participation in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural activities of the community, as well as the promotion of the right to development (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (b)). It is crucial to make more effective the means leading to the active, full and meaningful participation of women in the policy-making process and strategies for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the realization of the right to development. The Working Group has recommended that Member States apply a gender perspective to the exercise of the right to development and has agreed that it will seek to design and disseminate practical means based on country experiences in order to ensure the equal participation of women in all areas related to the exercise of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (f)).", "The rights of the child", "61. The Working Group recognizes the need to integrate, in all policies and programmes, the rights of children of both sexes and to ensure the protection and promotion of those rights, especially in the areas of health, education and the full development of their capacities (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (c)).", "People living with HIV/AIDS and other contagious diseases", "62. The Working Group has noted that national and international action should be taken to combat HIV/AIDS and other contagious diseases, taking into account current efforts and programmes (E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, para. 105 (d)).", "Migrants", "63. The Working Group recognizes the important link between international migration and development, as well as the need to address the challenges and opportunities posed by migration to countries of origin, destination and transit. International migration requires a comprehensive and coherent approach based on shared responsibility, which also seeks to address the root causes and consequences of migration. International migration presents benefits and obstacles to the global community. It is important to identify the appropriate means of maximizing development benefits and minimizing the negative impact of such migration in order to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and their families (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 61).", "D. Measuring progress in the realization of the right to development", "64. In 2005, the Working Group requested the high-level task force on the exercise of the right to development to suggest criteria for the regular assessment of global partnerships set out in Millennium Development Goal 8 from the point of view of the right to development (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 54 (i)). In 2009, the Working Group decided that the scope of the criteria should exceed Millennium Development Goal 8 and target the exercise of the right to development, taking into account the new priorities of the international community (A/HRC/12/28, para. 43)[7]. In 2010, the Working Group considered that additional work should be undertaken at the intergovernmental level in order to take into account the national and international dimension adequately (A/HRC/15/23, para. 43).", "65. In 2006, the Working Group adopted a set of interim criteria, while recognizing that in addition to the areas explicitly mentioned in Millennium Development Goal 8, other areas of development partnerships were relevant to the effective realization of the right to development and should be included in the criteria for the regular assessment of that Goal, namely, the private sector, which includes transnational corporations and foreign direct investment, global governance, migration and regional initiatives. In that context, the Working Group stressed that it wished to avoid the creation of new monitoring and reporting entities, that the criteria should be applied primarily by the parties to a partnership, and applied on a continuous basis, in order to achieve coherence and accountability. The Working Group added that additional criteria could be developed for specific issues on which operational partnerships already existed (E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 44, 55 and 66-68).", "66. The high-level task force was requested to apply, on a pilot basis, the interim criteria to selected partnerships in order to progressively implement and develop those criteria, thereby contributing to the mainstreaming of the right to development into the policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels, including multilateral financial, trade and development institutions (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 77).", "67. The Working Group directed the task force on the development and improvement of criteria. It recognized, for example, the added value of the development of concrete implementation criteria and their application to the global partnership for development in order to facilitate the incorporation by existing and future partnerships of essential elements of the right to development into their respective operational frameworks, thereby promoting the exercise of that right and, at the same time, providing the evidence base for the progressive development and improvement of those criteria. There was a need for more in-depth dialogue with partnerships and the assessment of new partnerships on other aspects of national cooperation, including trade, aid, debt, transfer of technology, migration and other issues identified in Millennium Development Goal 8, in a phased and analytical manner (A/HRC/4/47, paras. 49 and 50).", "68. The Working Group also considered that the criteria for the right to development could be improved through a more in-depth review of its structure, the coverage of aspects of international cooperation identified in Millennium Development Goal 8 and the methodology for its implementation. The objective of such work should be to improve criteria as a practical tool for assessing global partnerships for development from the point of view of the right to development, including by actors of the relevant partnerships themselves. The Working Group encouraged the high-level task force to submit a coherent plan of the relevant criteria and checklists, considering the latter as operational sub-criteria (A/HRC/4/47, para. 51).", "69. In addition, the Working Group requested the high-level task force to consider the following partnerships and issues: the African Peer Review Mechanism; the Mutual Review of the Effectiveness of Development by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; the Paris Declaration on the Effectiveness of Development; the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and the Essential Medicines Programme; This was entrusted with the study of the thematic issues of debt relief (Tables 8.B and 8.D) to engage in dialogue with the institutions responsible for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, as well as other procedures and institutions dealing with the issue of debt relief and technology transfer (Table 8.F), including the idea of reviewing the mechanism by a Clean Property Development Mechanism (CDM).", "70. In 2008, the Working Group, in discussions on the workplan of the high-level task force, found that the task force could also consider other thematic and regional areas under Millennium Development Goal 8, such as technology transfer, debt relief, international cooperation and other aspects (A/HRC/9/17, para. 38)[8].", "71. The Working Group recommended that the criteria adopted by the high-level task force: (a) be analytical and methodologically rigorous; (b) provide empirical tools for participants in the implementation of development partnerships; and (c) cover Millennium Development Goal 8 and other aspects not addressed by the task force (A/HRC/9/17, para. 42).", "72. The Working Group agreed that, in accordance with its workplan, the task force should also ensure that due attention was paid to other issues related to the right to development, such as poverty and hunger, including in the context of climate change and the current global economic and financial crisis. The revised criteria and sub-criteria should take into account the essential features of the right to development, as defined in the Declaration on the Right to Development, in a comprehensive and coherent manner, including the priority concerns of the international community in addition to those enumerated in Millennium Development Goal 8, and contribute to the goals set out in all relevant provisions of Human Rights Council resolution 9/3 (A/HRC/12/28, paras. 42 and 45).", "73. In addition, the Working Group recommended that the task force use expertise, including academic institutions and relevant United Nations agencies and other relevant global organizations, as well as the experience of countries in promoting the exercise of the right to development. It should also give due attention to the experience gained in applying the interim criteria to development partnerships, as well as to the views expressed by Member States (A/HRC/12/28, para. 46).", "74. In 2010, the Working Group considered that additional work should be carried out at the intergovernmental level in order to take into account in an appropriate manner both the national and the international dimension of the topic (A/HRC/15/23, para. 43).", "E. Future issues", "75. Objectives for the biennium, expected accomplishments, indicators of achievement and development of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of All Forms of Discrimination and Other Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Parties to the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Rights of the Non-Government of the Parties to the Rights of the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties to the Parties", "IV. Conclusions and recommendations", "76. An effective global partnership for development, supported by the coherence and coordination of human rights-based policies at all levels, is the best basis for exercising the right to development.", "77. On the occasion of the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development of the United Nations, there is a need to redouble efforts to: (a) overcome a political and polarized debate; (b) mobilize support from a broad public sector; and (c) encourage international organizations to fully integrate all human rights, including the right to development into their work.", "[1] See http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/Calendarofevents.aspx.", "[2] See http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/08156.pdf; http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DevelopmentHumanRightForAll.aspx and http://www.fes.de/gpol/en/RTD_conference.htm.", "[3] See http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/treaty/index.htm.", "[4] See http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/ RtDandGlobalPartnershipforDevelopment.aspx.", "[5] The Working Group was established by Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/72 and endorsed by the Economic and Social Council in its decision 1998/269, with the mandate to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and exercise of the right to development, as detailed in the Declaration on the Right to Development, at the national and international levels, making recommendations thereon and further analysis of obstacles to their full enjoyment,", "[6] Since its inception in 1998, the Working Group has held 11 sessions. It adopted its conclusions and recommendations by consensus, except at its first, second and fourth sessions, which concluded with the presentation of the conclusions by their respective chairpersons. These are not reflected in the present summary, which focuses on conclusions and recommendations relating to substantive issues, unlike procedural issues, unless they are of interest to the substantive issue under consideration. It should be noted that the Working Group, at its fifth session, took note of the following approaches by some delegations, whose intention was not to block consensus in the Working Group: Japan reserved its position on trade and debt relief, but joined the consensus; Australia, Canada and the United States of America dissociated themselves from consensus (E/CN.4/2005/25, para. 32). On other occasions, a number of States and groups explained their positions on conclusions and recommendations once adopted (see, for example, E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 28, A/HRC/4/47, para. 47, A/HRC/9/17, para. 37 and A/HRC/12/28, para. 39).", "[7] As requested by the Working Group in 2006 (E/CN.4/2006/26, para. 77), the high-level task force applied the criteria, experimentally from 2007 to 2009, to certain associations (A/HRC/15/WG.2/TF/2/Add.1 and Corr.1). The objective was to progressively implement and develop these criteria, thereby contributing to the mainstreaming of the right to development into the policies and operational activities of relevant actors at the national, regional and international levels, including multilateral financial, trade and development institutions.", "[8] Following the adoption of conclusions and recommendations, a number of States and groups explained their positions in this regard. France (on behalf of the European Union) and Canada clarified that the term “other aspects” also included good governance, democracy and the rule of law at the national level. Cuba (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement) stressed that “other aspects” included the commitment to contribute 0.7 per cent of gross national product to official development assistance, establishing a new international economic order and a fair economic system, as well as good governance and democracy at the international level and in the functioning of international trade, financial and monetary institutions. Egypt, which was a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, added that “other aspects”, such as good governance, democracy and the rule of law, should be applied both at the national and international levels (A/HRC/9/17, para. 37)." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 69 a) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos humanos: aplicación de los instrumentos de derechos humanos", "Situación del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "En este informe, preparado en cumplimiento de la resolución 46/122 de la Asamblea General, se describen las recomendaciones relativas a subvenciones y otras decisiones conexas adoptadas por la Junta de Síndicos del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud en su 15° período de sesiones, celebrado en Ginebra del 6 al 10 de diciembre de 2010. Las recomendaciones relativas a subvenciones fueron aprobadas por la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos en nombre del Secretario General el 20 de enero de 2011. Asimismo, en el informe se proporciona información sobre las decisiones de política adoptadas por la Junta para aplicar las recomendaciones hechas por la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna con miras a continuar reforzando las actividades del Fondo. El presente documento actualiza el informe presentado a la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones (A/65/94).", "I. Mandato del Fondo", "1. En su resolución 46/122, la Asamblea General estableció el Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud, con el fin de prestar ayuda humanitaria, jurídica y financiera a las personas cuyos derechos humanos hayan sido objeto de graves violaciones como resultado de las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. La financiación del Fondo procede de contribuciones voluntarias de gobiernos, organizaciones no gubernamentales, otras entidades privadas y públicas y particulares.", "II. Administración del Fondo y Junta de Síndicos", "2. De conformidad con la resolución 46/122, el Secretario General administra el Fondo, por medio de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH), con arreglo a las disposiciones del Reglamento Financiero y la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas relativas a los fondos fiduciarios para la asistencia humanitaria, y con el asesoramiento de una Junta de Síndicos.", "3. La Junta de Síndicos está integrada por cinco especialistas de las Naciones Unidas con la experiencia necesaria en la esfera de los derechos humanos y, en particular, en cuestiones relacionadas con las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, que se desempeñan en el cargo a título personal. En diciembre de 2007, el Secretario General nombró a los siguientes cinco miembros por un período de tres años que terminó el 31 de diciembre de 2010, teniendo debidamente en cuenta el principio de la distribución geográfica equitativa: la Sra. Gulnara Shahinian (Armenia), la Sra. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), la Sra. Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Tailandia), el Sr. Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) y el Sr. David Weissbrodt (Estados Unidos de América). La Sra. Shahinian renunció el 23 de mayo de 2008 en razón de su nombramiento como Relatora Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, incluidas sus causas y consecuencias. En marzo de 2009, el Secretario General nombró a la Sra. Klara Skrivankova (República Checa) en reemplazo de la Sra. Shahinian. En junio de 2011, el Secretario General nombró a los siguientes miembros por un período que terminará el 31 de diciembre de 2013, teniendo debidamente en cuenta el principio de la distribución geográfica equitativa: la Sra. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), la Sra. Klara Skrivankova (República Checa), la Sra. Asma Jahangir (Pakistán), el Sr. George Omona (Uganda) y el Sr. Michael Bersford Dottridge (Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte).", "III. Ciclo de las subvenciones y criterios de admisibilidad", "A. Ciclo de las subvenciones", "4. El plazo para la presentación de solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos correspondientes a 2011 venció el 31 de marzo de 2010. Las solicitudes admisibles recibidas fueron examinadas por la Junta de Síndicos en su 15° período de sesiones, celebrado en Ginebra del 6 al 10 de diciembre de 2010. Las recomendaciones relativas a la concesión de subvenciones adoptadas por la Junta en ese período de sesiones fueron aprobadas por la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, en nombre del Secretario General, el 20 de enero de 2011; las subvenciones aprobadas habían de ser entregadas en marzo de 2011. En algunos casos, los pagos estuvieron sujetos a la recepción de información adicional y/o informes descriptivos y financieros retrasados del beneficiario en cuestión. Los beneficiarios de subvenciones para proyectos deberán proporcionar a la secretaría del Fondo un informe descriptivo y financiero de mitad de período sobre la utilización de las subvenciones antes del 30 de septiembre de 2011 y un informe final descriptivo y financiero sobre la utilización de las subvenciones antes del 30 de marzo de 2012. Mientras no se hayan recibido informes satisfactorios sobre la utilización de las subvenciones anteriores, no podrán pagarse nuevas subvenciones para proyectos a esos beneficiarios.", "5. El plazo para la presentación de solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos correspondientes a 2012 venció el 31 de mayo de 2011. La Junta de Síndicos examinará las solicitudes admisibles recibidas en su 16° período de sesiones, que se celebrará en Ginebra en noviembre de 2011.", "B. Admisibilidad de las nuevas solicitudes y proceso de selección", "6. De conformidad con los criterios de selección aprobados por la Asamblea General en su resolución 46/122, los beneficiarios de la asistencia del Fondo serán personas cuyos derechos humanos hayan sido objeto de graves violaciones como resultado de las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. Los criterios de admisibilidad figuran en las directrices del Fondo.", "7. Los formularios de solicitud admisibles se verifican para determinar si se ajustan a los criterios de selección aprobados y, de ser necesario, se pide a la organización de que se trate que facilite más información. Si hace falta, se consulta también a organizaciones de referencia y redes especializadas. A continuación, la secretaría resume y analiza el formulario de solicitud debidamente cumplimentado y los demás documentos exigidos de acuerdo con los criterios de selección, a fin de facilitar la labor de la Junta de Síndicos. En su período de sesiones anual, la Junta examina todas las solicitudes declaradas admisibles, incluidos el formulario de solicitud original, el análisis sinóptico preparado por la secretaría y cualquier otra información pertinente. Posteriormente, la Junta formula recomendaciones al Secretario General de conformidad con sus directrices. Después del período de sesiones, la secretaría examina todas las recomendaciones de la Junta para cerciorarse de que sean compatibles con los reglamentos administrativos y financieros de las Naciones Unidas. El Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, en nombre del Secretario General, aprueba las recomendaciones sobre subvenciones para proyectos.", "8. Se solicita a las organizaciones beneficiarias que acepten todas las condiciones que se imponen a las subvenciones, como la de presentar en un plazo determinado documentación adicional y/o informes descriptivos y financieros de mitad de período y finales sobre la utilización de las subvenciones. Una vez recibida esa confirmación, la secretaría del Fondo pide a los servicios financieros de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra que paguen las subvenciones para proyectos sin dilación.", "C. Supervisión y evaluación realizadas por la Junta de Síndicos y la secretaría", "9. La secretaría examina todos los informes descriptivos y financieros recibidos de las organizaciones beneficiarias sobre la utilización de las subvenciones para proyectos y, de ser necesario, les solicita que faciliten más información. Puede pedirse a los representantes del ACNUDH sobre el terreno y a otras oficinas de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno, como las del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), que proporcionen a la secretaría del Fondo más información sobre las organizaciones o los proyectos.", "10. Al efectuar su evaluación, la Junta de Síndicos y la secretaría realizan las siguientes actividades:", "a) En su período de sesiones anual, la Junta examina el estado de las subvenciones para proyectos concedidas en años anteriores. Cuando está satisfecha con el informe de una organización determinada, la Junta recomienda que se archive el expediente. Si el informe está incompleto, recomienda que se pida más información concreta. La organización de que se trate no recibirá nuevas subvenciones mientras la Junta no esté satisfecha con su informe;", "b) Los miembros de la Junta y la secretaría pueden visitar los proyectos financiados por el Fondo;", "c) Los miembros de la Junta, de ser necesario, pueden establecer contactos directos con los directores de los proyectos sobre el terreno, con el fin de evaluar mejor el empleo de las subvenciones. La secretaría también puede reunirse con los directores de proyectos;", "d) Puede invitarse a las organizaciones de referencia y las redes especializadas al período de sesiones de la Junta para que proporcionen información adicional sobre organizaciones o proyectos concretos.", "IV. Situación financiera del Fondo", "11. Según la información recibida del ACNUDH en el 15º período de sesiones, se disponía de una cantidad de 656.793 dólares de los Estados Unidos procedente de nuevas contribuciones aportadas desde el 14° período de sesiones de la Junta (véase el cuadro 1).", "Cuadro 1 Contribuciones disponibles en la fecha de celebración del 15° período de sesiones de la Junta de Síndicos", "Donante\tCuantía(dólares EE.UU.)\tFecha de la contribución \n Alemania 369 913 Agosto de 2010 \n Bélgica 73 964 Noviembre de 2009 \n Chipre 3 480 Noviembre de 2010 \n Egipto 5 000 Abril de 2010 \nEmiratos ÁrabesUnidos\t29 977\tMarzo de 2010\n España 29 585 Noviembre de 2009 \n Israel 5 000 Febrero de 2010 \n Japón 30 000 Junio de 2010 \n Japón 50 000 Noviembre de 2009 \n Santa Sede 1 476 Marzo de 2010 \n Suiza 51 948 Diciembre de 2009 \n Turquía 6 000 Agosto de 2010 \n Weissbrodt, David 450 Noviembre de 2009 \n Total 656 793", "12. El gráfico I muestra la tendencia de las contribuciones recibidas entre 1998 y 2010, por período de sesiones.", "Gráfico I Contribuciones recibidas entre 1998 y 2010", "V. Decimoquinto período de sesiones de la Junta de Síndicos", "13. El 15º período de sesiones del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud se celebró en el Palacio Wilson, en Ginebra, del 6 al 10 de diciembre de 2010. El período de sesiones fue inaugurado por la Jefa de la Subdivisión de Estado de Derecho, Igualdad y No Discriminación de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH), en nombre de la Alta Comisionada.", "14. Los cinco miembros de la Junta —Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Klara Skrivankova (República Checa), Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Tailandia), Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) y David Weissbrodt (Estados Unidos de América)— asistieron al período de sesiones. El Sr. Weissbrodt fue reelegido Presidente de la Junta. La Sra. Murillo Herrera fue elegida Vicepresidenta de la Junta.", "15. La Junta celebró 10 sesiones, durante las cuales examinó información preparada por la secretaría sobre la aplicación de las recomendaciones aprobadas en su 14º período de sesiones; la situación financiera del Fondo; las actividades de recaudación de fondos; las solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos; los informes financieros y descriptivos sobre la utilización de subvenciones concedidas con anterioridad; la cooperación con otros organismos, mecanismos y procedimientos de las Naciones Unidas; la cooperación con el Fondo Fiduciario de las Naciones Unidas de Contribuciones Voluntarias para las Víctimas de la Trata de Personas; el programa de becas; y el seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna.", "A. Recomendaciones relativas a subvenciones", "16. Sobre la base de los fondos disponibles, la Junta aprobó su plan de gastos revisado para 2010-2011, que representa una suma de 1.027.885 dólares.", "17. La Junta examinó 243 solicitudes admisibles de subvenciones para proyectos procedentes de 61 países, cuyo valor asciende aproximadamente a 3.754.000 dólares. Además, unas 30 solicitudes fueron declaradas inadmisibles. Se recibieron solicitudes de los siguientes continentes, países y territorios: África (80): Benin (3), Burkina Faso (2), Burundi (1), Camerún (8), Chad (1), Congo (1), Côte d’Ivoire (4), Ghana (8), Kenya (7), Liberia (2), Namibia (1), Níger (2), Nigeria (4), Sierra Leona (2), República Democrática del Congo (8), República Unida de Tanzanía (7), Sudáfrica (3), Sudán (1), Togo (4), Uganda (10), Zambia (1); Asia y el Pacífico (100): Bangladesh (11), Camboya (2), China (3), Filipinas (2), India (48), Indonesia (3), Irán (República Islámica del) (1), Nepal (5), Pakistán (20), República de Corea (1), Singapur (1), Sri Lanka (1), Tailandia (1), Timor-Leste (1); Europa y Asia Central (35): Azerbaiyán (1), Bélgica (1), Bosnia y Herzegovina (3), Bulgaria (1), ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia (5), Federación de Rusia (6), Francia (3), Georgia (1), Irlanda (1), Kirguistán (1), Lituania (1), Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte (2), República de Moldova (4), Rumania (1), Serbia (1), Tayikistán (2), Ucrania (1); América (17): Brasil (3), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (2), Haití (7), México (5); Oriente Medio y África del Norte (12): Egipto (1), Emiratos Árabes Unidos (1), Iraq (6), Israel (2), Mauritania (1), territorios palestinos ocupados (1).", "18. En vista de los criterios de selección, la Junta de Síndicos recomendó subvencionar 61 proyectos por un valor total de 555.115 dólares, para ayudar a organizaciones no gubernamentales en 46 países y territorios: África: Camerún (2), Congo (1), Côte d’Ivoire (2), Ghana (2), Kenya (2), Liberia (1), Namibia (1), Níger (2), Nigeria (1), República Democrática del Congo (2), Sudáfrica (1), Togo (1), Uganda (2), República Unida de Tanzanía (2); Asia y el Pacífico: Bangladesh (2), Camboya (1), China (1), Filipinas (1), India (4), Indonesia (1), Irán (República Islámica del) (1), Nepal (2), Pakistán (3), Singapur (1), Tailandia (1); Europa y Asia Central: Azerbaiyán (1), Bulgaria (1), Federación de Rusia (1), Francia (1), Irlanda (1), Kirguistán (1), Lituania (1), República de Moldova (1), Rumania (1), Serbia (1), Tayikistán (1), Ucrania (1); América: Brasil (1), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (1), Haití (1), México (1); Oriente Medio y África del Norte: Emiratos Árabes Unidos (1), Israel (1), Mauritania (1), territorios palestinos ocupados (1) (véase la lista de subvenciones concedidas a proyectos del anexo I).", "19. Asimismo, la Junta recomendó que se estableciera una lista de 10 proyectos por un valor total de 89.000 dólares, que se desembolsarían si algunas de las organizaciones no gubernamentales seleccionadas para recibir subvenciones no cumplieran las condiciones exigidas. Dicha lista incluye a 10 organizaciones no gubernamentales de 10 países: Brasil (1), Côte d’Ivoire (1), ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia (1), Ghana (1), Haití (1) , India (1), Pakistán (1), Tayikistán (1), Togo (1) y Uganda (1) (véase la lista de subvenciones concedidas a proyectos del anexo II).", "20. La Junta recomendó también que se reservara una cantidad de 20.000 dólares para subvenciones relacionadas con emergencias especiales.", "21. La Junta tuvo en cuenta la importancia de la representación de género, las prioridades temáticas y la distribución nacional y regional a la hora de examinar las solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos.", "22. En el cuadro 2 y el gráfico II se muestran las estadísticas desde 1998, año en que la Junta comenzó a conceder subvenciones; esas estadísticas incluyen el número de solicitudes de subvenciones para proyectos recibidas y las cantidades solicitadas, así como el número de subvenciones otorgadas y las sumas asignadas por el Fondo.", "Cuadro 2", "Estadísticas relativas a la asignación de subvenciones para viajes y proyectos, 1998-2010", "Año Número de Cuantía Número de Cuantía solicitudes solicitada subvenciones asignada admisibles^(a) (dólares EE.UU.) aprobadas (dólares EE.UU.)", "1999 23 800 000 5 27 000", "2000 25 552 236 17 83 500", "2001 23 330 000 18 148 700", "2002 39 600 000 21 121 000", "2003 55 743 990 28 130 920", "2004 43 553 275 20 150 700", "2005 63 696 057 25 215 330", "2006 89 1 026 445 47 590 156", "2007 129 1 625 732 33 269 200", "2008 181 2 190 837 71 733 109", "2009 274 3 831 322 63 726 090", "2010 243 3 754 000 61 555 115", "^(a) Cada año se reciben entre 50 y 70 solicitudes no admisibles.", "Gráfico II", "Número de solicitudes recibidas y número de subvenciones aprobadas por el Fondo, 1999-2010", "B. Recaudación de fondos", "23. La Junta celebró su reunión anual con los gobiernos donantes, los gobiernos interesados y otros donantes el 10 de diciembre de 2010. A ella asistieron representantes de los siguientes 27 gobiernos y observadores permanentes: Afganistán, Arabia Saudita, Argelia, Austria, Azerbaiyán, Bahrein, Bélgica, Benin, Brasil, Camerún, Canadá, Chad, Egipto, Grecia, Italia, Iraq, Israel, Mauritania, México, Níger, Polonia, República Democrática Popular Lao, Rumania, Santa Sede, Senegal, Sudáfrica y Turquía. También participó un representante de la Organización Internacional de la Francofonía.", "24. El Presidente y los miembros de la Junta agradecieron a los donantes sus generosas contribuciones al Fondo Fiduciario y presentaron una serie de proyectos financiados por el Fondo que prestaban asistencia directa a víctimas de formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. Varios Estados manifestaron su firme apoyo al trabajo del Fondo y encomiaron su excelente labor.", "25. Durante su período de sesiones anual, el Fondo Fiduciario tomó nota de la declaración formulada por el Secretario General con ocasión del Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud, el 2 de diciembre de 2010, en la que apeló a todos los Estados Miembros a que hicieran contribuciones generosas al Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud, que ha ayudado a miles de víctimas a recuperar la vida y la dignidad.", "26. La Junta evaluó las necesidades futuras del Fondo y estimó que necesitaría al menos 1,5 millones de dólares antes del 16º período de sesiones, que se celebraría en 2011, para satisfacer la demanda de fondos adecuadamente.", "27. La Junta recomendó que el Presidente y la secretaría del Consejo de Derechos Humanos invitaran a un representante de la Junta a presentar la labor del Fondo en el 18º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, a informar sobre la situación financiera del Fondo y a apelar a los donantes a contribuir al Fondo.", "C. Seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna", "28. Atendiendo a la recomendación de la Junta formulada en su 11º período de sesiones, la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna realizó un examen global del Fondo Fiduciario entre noviembre de 2006 y enero de 2007 para estudiar las repercusiones de las actividades del Fondo en los grupos beneficiarios y evaluar la eficiencia y eficacia de sus procesos de presentación de informes y supervisión. En el informe final, que contenía 22 recomendaciones y se publicó en junio de 2007, se concluyó que el Fondo estaba cumpliendo su mandato y tenía un efecto positivo en las víctimas de las formas contemporáneas de esclavitud.", "29. En relación con el tema de su programa relativo al seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna, los miembros de la Junta señalaron los progresos hechos por la secretaría del Fondo y los miembros de la Junta en la aplicación de dichas recomendaciones. La Junta observó que solo faltaban por aplicar 4 de las 22 recomendaciones de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna. Asimismo, la Junta decidió ir dando seguimiento a las recomendaciones que figuran a continuación, que se consideran realizadas por la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna con el fin de mejorar la metodología y la eficacia del Fondo.", "Recomendación 1", "30. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se definieran directrices más detalladas para el proceso de selección de los beneficiarios.", "31. La Junta aprobó la versión final de sus directrices y políticas en su 14º período de sesiones. La Junta observó que las directrices estaban publicadas en el sitio web del Fondo y habían sido traducidas al francés. La Junta recomendó al ACNUDH que las tradujera al español.", "Recomendaciones 2 y 3", "32. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se diera prioridad a determinadas formas contemporáneas de esclavitud, especialmente a aquellas de las que no se ocupan otras organizaciones internacionales, incluidas formas de esclavitud relacionadas con prácticas culturales, como el trabajo forzoso, el matrimonio precoz, la transmisión de las viudas en herencia y el trabajo en régimen de servidumbre, y que se financiaran proyectos que adopten una estrategia para abordar las causas subyacentes del problema, combinada con asistencia directa y actividades generadoras de ingresos para ayudar a las víctimas de formas contemporáneas de esclavitud.", "33. En su 14º período de sesiones, la Junta aprobó directrices con disposiciones especiales que alientan a las organizaciones no gubernamentales a preparar proyectos sostenibles acompañados de medidas destinadas a abordar las causas subyacentes de la esclavitud moderna, combinadas con asistencia directa y actividades generadoras de ingresos para ayudar a las víctimas de formas contemporáneas de esclavitud.", "34. Se aprobaron una serie de proyectos dirigidos a prestar asistencia a víctimas de formas de esclavitud vinculadas a prácticas culturales, como el matrimonio forzado, la esclavitud sexual, el trabajo forzoso, el matrimonio precoz, la transmisión de las viudas en herencia y el trabajo en régimen de servidumbre.", "Recomendación 4", "35. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que el Fondo examinara la posibilidad de desarrollar una relación a más largo plazo con organizaciones que prestan asistencia directa, proporcionándoles financiación para un período de entre 2 y 3 años.", "36. En su 14º período de sesiones, la Junta aprobó directrices y políticas que contenían disposiciones especiales sobre una política de financiación por un período de dos años, con sujeción a la disponibilidad de fondos. De las 61 subvenciones para proyectos aprobadas en el 15º período de sesiones, 25 fueron a parar a organizaciones no gubernamentales que ya habían recibido financiación del Fondo.", "Recomendaciones 6 y 7", "37. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se mejorara el acceso a la información disponible en el sitio web del Fondo, con miras a facilitar la creación de asociaciones y el intercambio de las mejores prácticas entre los beneficiarios de las subvenciones, promover la toma de conciencia sobre el problema de la esclavitud y dar a conocer los logros del Fondo.", "38. En 2009 se puso en línea una versión revisada del sitio web del Fondo. La Junta acogió con agrado la traducción del sitio web al español y al francés. Asimismo, recomendó que se preparara e hiciera pública una recopilación de las mejores prácticas y las enseñanzas extraídas contenidas en los informes descriptivos. La Junta también recomendó que se actualizara el folleto sobre la labor del Fondo. La Junta acogió con agrado la revisión del folleto informativo núm. 14 del ACNUDH sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, y recomendó que se publicase una vez examinado por la Junta y el Comité de Publicaciones del ACNUDH. En junio de 2011, la secretaría del Fondo terminó de actualizar el folleto y la recopilación de las mejores prácticas y las enseñanzas extraídas.", "39. La Junta subrayó la importancia del Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud (el 2 de diciembre), que ofrecía todos los años la oportunidad de promover la toma de conciencia sobre el tema, y recomendó que la Presidencia continuara haciendo una declaración para la ocasión.", "Programa de becas", "40. De conformidad con la recomendación 7, en la que se pide que el ACNUDH promueva la toma de conciencia sobre el problema de la esclavitud, la Junta recomendó en su 14º período de sesiones que se estableciera un programa de becas para miembros del personal y miembros afiliados de organizaciones de derechos humanos, especialmente las que se ocupan de cuestiones relacionadas con las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, para darles la oportunidad de obtener una experiencia de primera mano, conocimientos y habilidades en el ámbito de los derechos humanos internacionales, en general, y de las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, en particular.", "41. De conformidad con esta recomendación, la secretaría anunció la convocatoria de solicitudes para el programa de becas en julio de 2010, y recibió 40 solicitudes de particulares recomendados por organizaciones de derechos humanos. El programa de becas se estableció por un período inicial de cuatro meses y se desarrolló entre el 16 de agosto y el 17 de septiembre de 2010. Los candidatos seleccionados fueron la Sra. Ana Paula G. C. de Souza (Brasil) (Liga contra la Esclavitud), el Sr. Kouanté Sigfrid Gerlac Chrysole André Yoro (Benin) (Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional), la Sra. Mariannick Koffi (Côte d’Ivoire/Francia) y el Sr. Adodo Esséna Sossou (Guinea) (Action contre l’exploitation des enfants et des femmes).", "42. El personal del ACNUDH y los miembros de la Junta de Síndicos impartieron a los becarios capacitación sobre el sistema internacional de derechos humanos, incluido el sistema de órganos creados en virtud de tratados, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, el examen periódico universal y los procedimientos especiales relativos a las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. Como parte del programa, algunos becarios realizaron tareas en otras subdivisiones del ACNUDH, incluidas la de órganos creados en virtud de tratados y la de procedimientos especiales. Los becarios pusieron sus conocimientos al servicio de la elaboración de documentos de investigación y de materiales de concienciación. Vista la eficacia del programa, la Junta recomendó que dos de las becas se prolongaran durante un período adicional de ocho meses, del 5 de enero al 2 de septiembre de 2011.", "43. La Junta también recomendó que el programa de becas para 2011/12 consistiera en dos becas de 12 meses de duración, para el período entre el 5 de septiembre de 2011 y el 31 de agosto de 2012.", "Recomendación 8", "44. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó a la Junta que dedicara más atención a ciertas cuestiones de política, como el establecimiento de prioridades para el desarrollo futuro del Fondo, la recaudación de fondos y la supervisión y prestación de asistencia técnica a las organizaciones no gubernamentales, para atender mejor a las necesidades a largo plazo de las víctimas de la esclavitud.", "45. La Junta de Síndicos deliberó sobre su función en la supervisión de los proyectos aprobados, la preselección de las solicitudes, las actividades de recaudación de fondos y el establecimiento de canales ordinarios de comunicación con la secretaría. La Junta examinó la función de sus miembros y recomendó la inclusión de un tema sobre cuestiones de política en el programa del próximo período de sesiones, con el fin de examinar las prioridades temáticas y regionales, así como el desarrollo de la capacidad de los solicitantes y los beneficiarios.", "Recomendación 9", "46. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se estableciera un sistema oficial de supervisión y evaluación.", "47. La Junta aprobó las directrices modificadas para la evaluación de proyectos y recomendó que la secretaría continuara contactando sistemáticamente con las oficinas del ACNUDH en los países, los asesores en materia de derechos humanos, las oficinas regionales, las misiones de paz de las Naciones Unidas y el PNUD, para supervisar y evaluar los proyectos sobre el terreno.", "48. La Junta acogió con beneplácito el informe del consultor encargado de evaluar las necesidades y la eficacia de las actividades realizadas en el pasado y de los programas actuales de algunas organizaciones no gubernamentales que han solicitado financiación. La Junta recomendó continuar esta experiencia y reservar una línea presupuestaria de 10.000 dólares para este fin.", "49. La Junta recomendó que se visitaran periódicamente algunos proyectos, y que la secretaría preparase informes de esas visitas para que los examinara la Junta en su período de sesiones anual. La Junta recomendó que el 5% del presupuesto total fuera asignado a actividades de supervisión y evaluación de los proyectos. Además, la Junta recomendó que se informara al PNUD y a las oficinas de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo sobre el terreno de todas las misiones de evaluación previstas.", "Recomendación 10", "50. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se creara un sistema de información de gestión para poder llevar una supervisión y un seguimiento eficaces de las subvenciones concedidas y para reducir la carga de trabajo.", "51. La Junta expresó su agradecimiento por el nuevo sistema de información administrativa desarrollado por la sección de tecnología de la información del ACNUDH, que utilizaban la secretaría del Fondo de contribuciones voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para las víctimas de la tortura, y recomendó que se asignaran fondos para sufragar los gastos de un auxiliar de contratación temporal que se ocuparía de introducir los datos en el nuevo sistema de gestión de las subvenciones. La Junta recomendó que, en el próximo ciclo de subvenciones, las solicitudes se presentaran por medio de ese nuevo sistema de solicitud en línea. Asimismo, la Junta solicitó que el nuevo sistema no fuera el único medio de presentar solicitudes, y que las organizaciones no gubernamentales que carezcan de la capacidad para presentar solicitudes en formato electrónico continúen pudiendo presentarlas por correo.", "Recomendación 13", "52. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó que se reformulara el ciclo de procesamiento y financiación del Fondo.", "53. La Junta aprobó el siguiente ciclo de subvenciones para proyectos que se ejecutarían en 2012:", "a) Plazo para la presentación de solicitudes de proyectos para 2012: 31 de mayo de 2011;", "b) Período de sesiones anual de la Junta de Síndicos: 28 de noviembre a 5 de diciembre de 2011;", "c) Desembolso: enero a febrero de 2012;", "d) Presentación de los informes financieros y descriptivos provisionales: 30 de septiembre de 2012;", "e) Presentación de los informes financieros y descriptivos finales: 30 de abril de 2013.", "Recomendaciones 14 y 15", "54. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó al ACNUDH que estableciera una política de evaluación preliminar más detallada y eficaz en función de los costos.", "55. Como recomendó la Junta en su 14º período de sesiones, cuando se trata de entidades que presentan por primera vez una solicitud al Fondo, la secretaría continúa pidiendo y revisando sistemáticamente el certificado de registro de la organización; los estatutos de la organización; copia de documentos bancarios en los que se designa a los signatarios autorizados de la organización; copia de los estados de cuenta bancarios; cartas de recomendación; y pruebas de la existencia de otras fuentes de financiación. La secretaría continúa coordinándose con la secretaría del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas de contribuciones voluntarias para las víctimas de la tortura y el Proyecto Todos Juntos Ayudando a las Comunidades con objeto de intercambiar información sobre los solicitantes. Asimismo, la secretaría continúa poniéndose en contacto sistemáticamente con las instancias que han proporcionado referencias sobre todos los beneficiarios de subvenciones, así como con los donantes.", "56. La Junta también recomendó que la secretaría prosiguiera su fructífera cooperación con los representantes sobre el terreno y los oficiales encargados del ACNUDH para verificar la labor llevada a cabo por los nuevos solicitantes y, en particular, la calidad de la asistencia proporcionada a las víctimas de formas contemporáneas de esclavitud a nivel comunitario.", "57. La Junta recomendó que la secretaría solicitara al UNICEF y a la Organización Internacional del Trabajo su directorio de organizaciones no gubernamentales. La Junta también recomendó que la secretaría ayudara a las organizaciones a preparar sus solicitudes y satisfacer mejor las exigencias del Fondo por medio de los representantes del ACNUDH sobre el terreno y, en los lugares en que no haya, de los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países, siempre que sea posible.", "Seguimiento de las recomendaciones pendientes de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna", "Recomendación 11", "58. La Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna recomendó la elaboración y aprobación de un manual de procedimientos operativos estándar con directrices detalladas sobre el funcionamiento y la administración del Fondo.", "59. En febrero de 2011, la secretaría del Fondo terminó de redactar el manual, que se basa en el manual de procedimientos operativos estándar del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas de contribuciones voluntarias para las víctimas de la tortura.", "Recomendación 16", "60. De conformidad con una recomendación de la Junta, el ACNUDH está haciendo un seguimiento de la recomendación 16 relativa a unos fondos concretos asignados en Uganda.", "Recomendaciones 20 y 21", "61. Los miembros de la Junta instaron al ACNUDH a aplicar las recomendaciones 20 y 21, que se refieren a la coordinación general y a la creación de una secretaría común para todos los fondos humanitarios gestionados por el ACNUDH.", "62. En marzo de 2011, el ACNUDH respaldó la decisión de fusionar las secretarías del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud y del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas de contribuciones voluntarias para las víctimas de la tortura.", "D. Cooperación con los organismos de las Naciones Unidas y novedades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas relacionadas con los mandatos pertinentes", "63. La Junta de Síndicos se reunió con la secretaría del Fondo de contribuciones voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para las víctimas de la tortura con objeto de intercambiar información sobre la metodología de trabajo, la función de los miembros de su Junta y las mejores prácticas del Fondo. La Junta observó con interés que el sistema de presentación de solicitudes en línea había contribuido a mejorar la capacidad del Fondo para las víctimas de la tortura de gestionar las subvenciones para proyectos, así como las diversas actividades de los miembros de la Junta de dicho Fondo.", "64. La Junta de Síndicos se reunió con el auxiliar de la Relatora Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, incluidas sus causas y consecuencias, para conversar sobre la colaboración futura con el Fondo en materia de difusión y apoyo a las misiones en los países. La Junta invitó a la Relatora Especial a contribuir a la celebración del vigésimo aniversario del Fondo.", "65. De conformidad con las recomendaciones 6 y 8 de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna, la Junta decidió recomendar que se estableciera una línea presupuestaria de 15.000 dólares para conceder a organizaciones no gubernamentales subvenciones que les permitieran asistir a reuniones regionales, subregionales y nacionales organizadas en el marco de las misiones de la Relatora Especial sobre el terreno y contribuir a la aplicación de las recomendaciones formuladas por esta en sus informes.", "66. La Junta recomendó que durante el 18º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos se organizara un acto paralelo con la Relatora Especial y con gobiernos y organizaciones no gubernamentales interesados.", "Cooperación con el Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para las Víctimas de la Trata de Personas", "67. Dentro de este tema del programa, relacionado con el Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para las Víctimas de la Trata de Personas, Especialmente Mujeres y Niños, los miembros de la Junta se reunieron con miembros del personal de la División para Asuntos de Tratados y el Jefe de la Subdivisión de Lucha contra la Delincuencia Organizada y el Tráfico Ilícito de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito para dialogar sobre los posibles canales de comunicación y las posibles sinergias entre ambos fondos.", "68. La Junta acogió con beneplácito el nombramiento por el Secretario General de dos miembros del Fondo para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud como miembros de la Junta de Síndicos del Fondo para las Víctimas de la Trata, que garantizaría la comunicación y las sinergias entre ambos fondos. La Junta también observó que alrededor del 25% de las subvenciones concedidas por el Fondo para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud en 2010 fueron otorgadas a proyectos que prestaban asistencia directa a víctimas de la trata. La Junta recomendó que se celebraran reuniones periódicas entre las secretarías de los dos fondos, con el fin de garantizar que la colaboración fuese continua y evitar la duplicación de tareas, y también que el material de información incluyera referencias cruzadas a ambos fondos. La Junta observó que el solapamiento de los dos fondos es menor por el hecho de que se supone que el nuevo Fondo para las Víctimas de la Trata otorgará subvenciones para iniciativas gubernamentales e intergubernamentales, que no forman parte del mandato del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud. Las secretarías de ambos fondos acordaron intercambiar métodos de trabajo y celebrar reuniones periódicas.", "E. Vigésimo aniversario del Fondo en 2011", "69. Los miembros de la Junta recordaron que la resolución 46/22 de la Asamblea General, en virtud de la cual se estableció el Fondo, fue aprobada el 17 de diciembre de 1991, y decidieron organizar una serie de actividades para conmemorar el vigésimo aniversario del Fondo. El aniversario ofrece una oportunidad para reflexionar sobre la influencia del Fondo como mecanismo de apoyo a la labor de las organizaciones no gubernamentales que proporcionan asistencia directa a las víctimas de las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. También constituye una oportunidad para aprender de las dos décadas de labor en este ámbito, y para compartir con un público más amplio las dificultades actuales por impedir la esclavitud y proteger y rehabilitar plenamente a sus víctimas.", "70. El 1 de junio de 2011, el Fondo y la Liga contra la Esclavitud, en cooperación con Children Unite, la Misión Permanente de Costa Rica y la Misión Permanente del Uruguay, organizaron un acto paralelo para concienciar sobre la servidumbre doméstica infantil y para dialogar sobre la función de los derechos humanos para proteger a los niños de estas prácticas. En el acto participaron representantes de organismos de las Naciones Unidas y varias organizaciones de la sociedad civil, así como miembros de diversas misiones permanentes, entre ellas las de Arabia Saudita, Armenia, el Canadá, Costa Rica, Dinamarca, Filipinas, Grecia, Honduras, Jamaica, el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte, Sudáfrica y el Uruguay.", "71. Del 1 al 28 de septiembre de 2011, al mismo tiempo que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos celebre su 18º período de sesiones, el Fondo organizará una exposición en la galería de exposiciones del Palacio de las Naciones, en la que se mostrarán 56 obras de arte relacionadas con la labor del Fondo.", "72. La Junta de Síndicos también decidió organizar un acto paralelo en el marco del 18º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, en cooperación con la Relatora Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, incluidas sus causas y consecuencias.", "73. La celebración del vigésimo aniversario del Fondo culminará con una reunión el 2 de diciembre de 2011, Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud, en la que podrían participar miembros de la Junta, la Relatora Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, antiguos beneficiarios de subvenciones, organizaciones no gubernamentales y gobiernos.", "74. La Junta aprobó asignar una línea presupuestaria de 20.000 dólares para financiar esta actividad.", "VI. Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud", "75. El 2 de diciembre de 2010, los miembros de la Junta formularon la siguiente declaración para conmemorar el Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud:", "a) En el Día Internacional para la Abolición de la Esclavitud, proclamamos nuestro compromiso de erradicar por completo la esclavitud y las prácticas análogas a la esclavitud. Esperamos que este Día sirva para recordar que, a pesar de cientos de años de esfuerzos por abolir la esclavitud, ningún país es inmune a estos graves abusos de los derechos humanos.", "b) Hay suficientes pruebas de que las prácticas análogas a la esclavitud están extendidas. Resulta especialmente preocupante la situación de los niños, a los que se les niega el derecho fundamental a nacer libres y a ser protegidos de la esclavitud. Basta una sola cifra para contar una historia terrible: se calcula que entre 4,9 y 6,15 millones de niños son víctimas de la esclavitud y de prácticas análogas.", "c) El hecho de que en la actualidad millones de seres humanos en todo el mundo continúen estando sujetos a la esclavitud y a prácticas análogas a la esclavitud constituye una realidad devastadora. La esclavitud tradicional, como sistema permitido jurídicamente, se ha abolido en todo el mundo; sin embargo, no se ha erradicado completamente, y han surgido nuevas formas de esclavitud.", "d) La servidumbre por deudas, la condición de siervo, el trabajo forzoso, el trabajo y la servidumbre infantiles, la trata de personas y de órganos humanos, la esclavitud sexual, el uso de niños soldados, la venta de niños, los matrimonios forzados, la venta de esposas y la explotación de la prostitución constituyen violaciones de los derechos humanos más fundamentales, unos derechos que todos poseemos, independientemente del sexo, de la nacionalidad, de la condición social, de la ocupación o de cualquier otra diferencia.", "e) La esclavitud, incluso cuando es abolida, deja huellas. Puede perdurar como un estado de ánimo —entre las víctimas y sus descendientes, así como entre los herederos de los que la practicaron— mucho después de su abolición oficial.", "f) Las prácticas análogas a la esclavitud son a menudo clandestinas. El miedo, la ignorancia respecto a los derechos propios y la necesidad de sobrevivir, no alientan a las víctimas a hablar. La mayoría de los que las sufren pertenecen a las capas más pobres y socialmente excluidas de la sociedad. Los factores de pobreza, clase y raza se entrecruzan y generan problemas estructurales y ciclos de marginalización que son difíciles de romper. Las desigualdades de género, las carencias educativas, la desesperación por tener un trabajo y la demanda de trabajo barato también constituyen una trampa para las personas.", "g) Las Naciones Unidas han respondido a estos desafíos mediante el establecimiento de varios procedimientos temáticos pertinentes, entre ellos el de la Relatora Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, incluidas sus causas y consecuencias, un mecanismo fundamental para la lucha contra la esclavitud y la erradicación de las prácticas análogas a la esclavitud. Las Naciones Unidas también cuentan con la Relatora Especial sobre la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños; el Relator Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía; el Relator Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de racismo, discriminación racial, xenofobia y formas conexas de intolerancia; la Relatora Especial sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus causas y consecuencias; la Representante Especial del Secretario General para la cuestión de los niños y los conflictos armados; y el Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes. Estos relatores temáticos responden rápidamente a las informaciones sobre casos individuales, y han tenido éxito a la hora de prevenir o impedir violaciones de los derechos.", "h) En 1991, las Naciones Unidas también crearon el Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud, que presta asistencia a proyectos de organizaciones no gubernamentales que ofrecen asistencia concreta, humanitaria, jurídica y financiera a las víctimas y víctimas potenciales de las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud. Por ejemplo, en 2009/10, el Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud pudo prestar asistencia a víctimas y víctimas potenciales en 44 países, otorgando 63 subvenciones. La necesidad de esta asistencia se refleja, además, en las más de 250 solicitudes recibidas este año por el Fondo Fiduciario, por una suma que asciende a alrededor de 3.550.700 dólares.", "i) En este día, rendimos homenaje a todos los gobiernos, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y personas que participan en actividades con el objetivo de erradicar la esclavitud y de garantizar que todas las víctimas obtengan reparación, incluidos los medios para una rehabilitación tan completa como sea posible. Manifestamos nuestro profundo compromiso con la lucha contra la esclavitud y, especialmente, con sus víctimas.", "j) Instamos a los Estados a que ratifiquen y apliquen los instrumentos que existen en este ámbito —especialmente el Protocolo para prevenir, reprimir y sancionar la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños, y la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Delincuencia Organizada Transnacional.", "k) También instamos a todos los Estados Miembros a que cumplan sus obligaciones de abolir y erradicar la esclavitud en todas sus manifestaciones. Manifestamos nuestra gratitud a todos los donantes del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud e instamos a la comunidad internacional a que manifieste su solidaridad con las víctimas de la esclavitud contribuyendo de forma generosa al Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud, con el fin de que el Fondo pueda aumentar la asistencia que presta a las víctimas y contribuir a poner fin a estas prácticas intolerables e inaceptables en todo el mundo.", "VII. Forma de aportar contribuciones al Fondo", "76. Los gobiernos, las organizaciones no gubernamentales y otras entidades públicas o privadas pueden aportar contribuciones al Fondo. Los donantes deben indicar “Para el Fondo sobre la Esclavitud, cuenta SH” en una orden de pago. Para obtener información sobre la forma de aportar contribuciones, se sugiere a los donantes que se dirijan a la secretaría del Fondo, cuya dirección es: Secretaría del Fondo Fiduciario de Contribuciones Voluntarias de las Naciones Unidas para Luchar contra las Formas Contemporáneas de la Esclavitud, Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Naciones Unidas, CH-1211 Ginebra 10 (Suiza), Teléfonos: 41 22 928 9737 ó 928 9164; Fax: 41 22 928 9050.", "VIII. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "77. Las organizaciones no gubernamentales que prestan asistencia a las víctimas de la esclavitud han venido mostrando un interés cada vez mayor por el Fondo. En 2010 se recibieron unas 243 solicitudes de subvenciones por un valor de unos 3.754.000 dólares. La Junta de Síndicos solo pudo recomendar la concesión de subvenciones por un monto de 555.115 dólares, lo que representa menos del 15% de la cantidad total solicitada. Los recursos del Fondo siguen siendo insuficientes en vista del aumento de la demanda y la necesidad de apoyo. En 2011 se han recibido unas 450 solicitudes de subvenciones, que ascienden a aproximadamente 6.125.000 dólares. La Junta calcula que, para poder cumplir su mandato y dar una respuesta positiva a las solicitudes recibidas en 2011, el Fondo tendría que recibir nuevas contribuciones por un valor mínimo de 1,5 millones de dólares antes del 16º período de sesiones de la Junta de Síndicos, que se celebrará en noviembre de 2011.", "78. Se alienta a los donantes actuales y a los posibles donantes a intensificar su apoyo al Fondo para que este pueda ampliar la asistencia decisiva que presta a las víctimas de la esclavitud. Respecto del próximo ciclo, se invita a los donantes a que hagan contribuciones al Fondo antes de noviembre de 2011, a fin de que el Tesorero de las Naciones Unidas pueda registrarlas antes de la celebración del 16º período de sesiones de la Junta.", "79. Organización del 16º período de sesiones de la Junta en 2011. La Junta aprobó un programa provisional para su próximo período de sesiones, que se celebrará en Ginebra del 28 de noviembre al 5 de diciembre de 2011.", "Anexo I", "Subvenciones para proyectos aprobadas por la Junta de Síndicos en su 15º período de sesiones[1]", "Organización País o Título del proyecto o Cuantía territorio aspecto abarcado aprobada (dólares EE.UU.)", "África", "Women in Action Camerún Instrumento para el 4 800 against Gender empoderamiento y la Based Violence participación de los hombres para poner fin a los matrimonios forzados precoces y a la venta de esposas", "Mengbwa: Actions Camerún Proyecto de lucha contra 6 000 Jeunes los matrimonios precoces y forzados de las niñas Mbororo de Koutaba", "Association Avenir Congo Asistencia jurídica a 10 000 NEPAD Congo mujeres viudas víctimas de formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud en Brazzaville", "Association Côte d’Ivoire Proyecto de mejora de las 7 000 Jekawili condiciones de vida y de trabajo de las jóvenes sirvientas en la ciudad de Bouaké", "Oficina Côte d’Ivoire Proyecto de prevención y de 10 000 Internacional respuesta a la trata y a la Católica de la explotación de niños en Infancia Côte d’Ivoire", "Network for Ghana Proyecto para acabar con la 5 000 Community Planning esclavitud en la minería a and Development pequeña escala (Galamsey)", "AfriKids Ghana Ghana Programa de nuevos 10 000 comienzos de Afrikids", "Young Widows Kenya Asistencia a las viudas en 10 000 Advancement Program Kayole para acceder a las propiedades familiares y controlarlas como medio de mitigar algunos aspectos negativos de la transmisión en herencia de las viudas", "Harvest of Hope Kenya Recuperación, mediante el 10 000 Self Help Community empoderamiento, de las Centre víctimas de la trata y la esclavitud en la ciudad de Mtwapa, en Kenya", "Sistema africano de Liberia Lucha contra el trabajo 5 000 prevención y infantil mediante una protección contra campaña de concienciación el maltrato y en la provincia rural de abandono de los Montserrado niños (ANPPCAN Liberia)", "Sociedad Nacional Namibia Operación para luchar 5 000 pro Derechos contra las prácticas Humanos de Namibia análogas a la esclavitud en Namibia", "Association Níger Solicitud de asistencia 10 000 Timidria para la reinserción (organización de socioeconómica de dos defensa de los familias víctimas de derechos humanos) prácticas de esclavitud en Abalak y Tchintabaraden", "Asociación de lucha Níger Projefid 10 000 contra el trabajo infantil en el Níger (ALTEN)", "Women’s Aid Nigeria Protección y rehabilitación 5 000 Collective (WACOL) de víctimas del trabajo infantil y de la servidumbre que trabajan en las minas y canteras de Abakaliki", "Oeuvres Sociales República Protección de jóvenes 10 000 pour le Democrática madres divorciadas tras Développement (OSD) del Congo matrimonios forzados y trabajos forzados en el hogar", "Regroupement des República Lucha contra la servidumbre 6 000 mamans de Kamituga Democrática y la explotación de los del Congo niños utilizados como trabajadores en los yacimientos mineros de las zonas rurales de Mwenga", "Mbutu Agricultural República Sensibilización de los 10 000 Society (MAS) Unida de dirigentes locales en Tanzanía relación con el trabajo infantil en los distritos de Kisarawe y Mkurunga", "Kashog-Karagwe República Restauración de tierras 10 000 Development Unida de expropiadas por el Gobierno Association Tanzanía", "Justice ACTs Sudáfrica Campaña sobre las pruebas 10 000 de la trata", "Oficina Togo Prevención de las peores 10 000 Internacional formas contemporáneas de la Católica de la esclavitud, especialmente Infancia la trata de niños, y protección de los niños vulnerables y en situación de riesgo mediante el refuerzo de las oportunidades socioeducativas", "Uganda Youth Uganda Lucha contra la trata de 7 615 Development Link niños y otras formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud y la explotación de jóvenes en las divisiones de Kawempe, Rubaga y Makindye y en el distrito de Kampala, en Uganda, antes del fin de 2011", "Youth Aid Uganda Uganda Actividades comunitarias 10 000 para la prevención del trabajo infantil y la rehabilitación de sus víctimas", "Asia y el Pacífico", "JOGAJOG Bangladesh Protección de la trata de 10 000 los niños de la calle", "Prova Society Bangladesh Eliminación y prevención 9 000 del trabajo infantil", "Samaritan’s Purse Camboya Proyecto de prevención de 8 000 International la trata en las comunidades Relief y de educación entre iguales", "Asociación de China Empoderamiento de la mujer: 10 000 Trabajadores capacitación y desarrollo Migratorios de las mujeres dirigentes Indonesios en Hong para poner fin a la Kong servidumbre por deudas", "Asia against child Filipinas Enfoque interinstitucional 10 000 trafficking (Asia para abordar el tráfico de ACTs), Inc. órganos en Filipinas", "Centre for India Sara Akash Hamara – 9 300 Community Economics Inclusión social de niñas and Development (de entre 6 y 18 años) que Consultants Society padecen el trabajo infantil (CECOEDECON) por medio de educación y participación", "Fundación del Pacto India Integración social y apoyo 10 000 de los Pueblos a las víctimas de la trata Indígenas de Asia y del trabajo infantil en el noreste de la India", "Manav Seva Sansthan India Half-Way Home – Atención y 10 000 (Seva) apoyo a las víctimas de la trata basados en sus derechos", "Women’s Interlink India Empoderamiento de las 10 000 Foundation víctimas de la trata, de la esclavitud sexual, del trabajo infantil y de la servidumbre infantil", "Pusat Kajian dan Indonesia Erradicación del trabajo 8 000 Perlindungan Anak infantil en el cultivo y (Centro para el comercio de marihuana en la estudio y la provincia de Aceh protección de la (Indonesia) infancia)", "Fundación Irán Proyecto de casa refugio 9 400 Omid-e-Mehr (República Omid Halfway Islámica del)", "Children – Women in Nepal Trabajo decente para 9 000 Social Services and empleados del hogar Human Rights (CWISH)", "The Advocates for Nepal Proyecto de escuela 5 000 Human Rights comunitaria Sankhu-Palubari (antiguos Minnesota Human Rights Advocates)", "Asociación Insan Pakistán Acabar con el trabajo 10 000 Dost infantil por medio de la educación", "Organización del Pakistán Violencia y matrimonios 10 000 Desarrollo DAMAAN forzados en el Punjab meridional – rehabilitar a las víctimas y hacer posible el discurso político", "Bonded Labour Pakistán Libertad por medio de la 10 000 Liberation Front educación Pakistan, BLLF Pakistan", "Humanitarian Singapur Servicios de ayuda y 10 000 Organisation for refugios para los Migration Economics trabajadores migrantes", "Fundación Children Tailandia Escuela artística Kelly 10 000 of the Forest Anusorn", "Europa y Asia Central", "Clean World Aid to Azerbaiyán Centro de apoyo y 10 000 Women Social Union rehabilitación de las víctimas de la trata de seres humanos", "Fundación Animus Bulgaria Garantía de ayuda 10 000 Association humanitaria sostenible para las mujeres supervivientes de la trata", "Civic Assistance Federación de Asistencia a las víctimas 10 000 Committee Rusia del trabajo obligatorio", "Les amis du bus des Francia Una situación urgente en 10 000 femmes 2010: apoyar y mantener la asistencia y la protección a las víctimas de la trata y de la explotación sexual en París", "Ruhama Irlanda Apoyo a las víctimas de la 10 000 trata sexual en Irlanda", "Golden Goal Kirguistán Apoyo a programas eficaces 10 000 para abordar la trata, la violencia contra los niños y otras formas de explotación", "Dingusių žmonių Lituania Integración de las víctimas 10 000 šeimų paramos de la trata de seres centras (centro de humanos por medio de apoyo a las terapia por el arte familias de las personas desaparecidas)", "ONG Interactiune República de No eres una víctima – 10 000 Moldova Mantente sostenible", "The Association for Rumania Consolidación de los 10 000 Developing servicios de asistencia Alternative para víctimas de la trata Practices for de personas en Rumania Reintegration and Education", "ASTRA – Anti Serbia Apoyo al teléfono de ayuda 10 000 trafficking action ASTRA SOS y asistencia directa a las víctimas mediante la inclusión social", "Organización Tayikistán Libertad 10 000 pública “Saodat”", "Centro “Uspishna Ucrania Reinserción de 50 niños 10 000 Zhinka” (provincia víctimas del trabajo y de de Kherson) la servidumbre infantiles en la comunidad, mediante servicios educativos y otros servicios adicionales en las comunidades rurales", "América", "Centro de Defesa da Brasil Lucha contra el trabajo 10 000 Vida e dos Direitos esclavo en la Amazonia de Humanos Acailandia Maranhão (CDVDH)", "Defensa de Niñas y Costa Rica Atención psico-social y 10 000 Niños – legal a víctimas y Internacional potenciales víctimas de la DNI-Costa Rica esclavitud sexual y trata de personas menores de edad en zonas urbanas y rurales de Costa Rica", "Fundación Nuestros Ecuador Apoyo al servicio de 10 000 Jóvenes reinserción social para niñas adolescentes víctimas de trata con fines de explotación sexual y laboral", "Terre des Hommes Haití Proyecto de ayuda a los 10 000 Suiza niños empleados del hogar en Puerto Príncipe", "Centro de derechos México Acciones de litigio laboral 10 000 humanos Fray Matías a favor de los derechos de de Córdova A.C. las personas migrantes", "Oriente Medio y África del Norte", "VIVERE Emiratos Trata de seres humanos para 10 000 Árabes Unidos la explotación sexual y otras formas de abusos físicos graves", "Hotline for Migrant Israel Lucha contra la trata de 6 000 Workers personas", "Minority Rights Mauritania Apoyo a la sociedad Hratine 10 000 Group International para encontrar casos que puedan ser objeto de litigios estratégicos", "Palestinian Center Territorios Trabajo y servidumbre 10 000 for Communication palestinos infantiles and Development ocupados Strategies", "Anexo II", "Lista de eventuales subvenciones para proyectos recomendadas por la Junta de Síndicos en su 15º período de sesiones", "Organización\tPaís\tTítulo del proyecto oaspecto abarcado\tCuantíaaprobada(dólares \n EE.UU.) \nComisión Pastoralde Tierras –CPTOC\tBrasil\tPrevención de laesclavitud en las nuevasindustriasagroalimentarias, en elnorte y el centro delBrasil\t10000\nCarrefourJeunesse Bouake\tCôted’Ivoire\tRehabilitación yreinserción de las niñasy de las mujeresvíctimas de un abuso deautoridad parental\t7 000\nFirst Children’sEmbassy in theWorld Megjashi\texRepúblicaYugoslavadeMacedonia\tGuarderías para losniños de la calle que novan a la escuela\t10000\nFundación The Ark\tGhana\tLucha contra el comerciosexual de niñas\t5 000\nAssociationfemmes soleild’Haiti (AFASDA)\tHaití\tDefensa de los niñosempleados del hogar enHaití\t9 000\nCompassionsociety\tIndia\tLiberar del trabajoinfantil a los niñosMathamme mediante uncurso puente residencial\t10000\nBonded LabourLiberation FrontPakistan, BLLFPakistan\tPakistán\tLibertad a través de laeducación\t10000\nCharityAssociation(Avesto)\tTayikistán\tDetener la esclavitud enel siglo XXI\t10000\nODJOUGBO\tTogo\tLucha contra el trabajodoméstico de las menoresmediante laescolarización en laprovincia del Altiplano\t8 000\nNationalFoundation forDemocracy andHuman Rights inUganda (NAFODU)\tUganda\tAsistencia a los niños yotras personas cuyosderechos humanos hansido violados comoconsecuencia de laesclavitud en elsudoeste de Uganda\t10000", "[1] Todas las subvenciones están pendientes hasta la recepción de información adicional adecuada." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: implementation of human rights instruments", "Status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report, which is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/122, describes the recommendations for grants and other related decisions that were adopted by the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery at its fifteenth session, held in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. The recommendations for grants were approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General on 20 January 2011. The report also provides information on policy decisions adopted by the Board in implementation of the recommendations made by the Office of Internal Oversight Services with a view to further enhancing the activities of the Fund. It updates the report submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session (A/65/94).", "I. Mandate of the Fund", "1. The General Assembly, in its resolution 46/122, established the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery with the purpose of extending humanitarian, legal and financial aid to individuals whose human rights have been severely violated as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. Funding is obtained by means of voluntary contributions from Governments, non-governmental organizations, private or public entities and individuals.", "II. Administration of the Fund and Board of Trustees", "2. In conformity with resolution 46/122, the Fund is administered in accordance with the financial regulations and rules of the United Nations on general trust funds for humanitarian assistance, by the Secretary-General, through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), with the advice of a Board of Trustees.", "3. The Board of Trustees is composed of five United Nations experts with relevant experience in the field of human rights and, in particular, on issues of contemporary forms of slavery, serving in their personal capacities. In December 2007, the Secretary-General appointed the following members for a three-year term ending on 31 December 2010, with due regard to equitable geographical distribution: Ms. Gulnara Shahinian (Armenia), Ms. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Ms. Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Thailand), Mr. Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) and Mr. David Weissbrodt (United States of America). Ms. Shahinian resigned on 23 May 2008 because she was nominated as Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences. In March 2009, the Secretary-General appointed Ms. Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic) to replace Ms. Shahinian. In June 2011, the Secretary-General appointed the following members for a term ending on 31 December 2013, with due regard to equitable geographical distribution: Ms. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Ms. Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic), Ms. Asma Jahangir (Pakistan), Mr. George Omona (Uganda) and Mr. Michael Bersford Dottridge (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).", "III. Grant cycle and admissibility criteria", "A. Grant cycle", "4. The deadline for submitting applications for project grants for 2011 was 31 March 2010. Admissible applications received were examined by the Board of Trustees at its fifteenth session, held in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. The recommendations for grants adopted by the Board of Trustees at that session were approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on behalf of the Secretary-General, on 20 January 2011, and the grants approved were to be paid in March 2011. In some cases, payment was subject to the receipt of additional information and/or overdue narrative and financial reports from the beneficiary in question. Beneficiaries of project grants will have to provide the secretariat of the Fund with mid-year narrative and financial reports on the use of their grants before 30 September 2011 and final year narrative and financial reports on the use of their grants before 30 March 2012. Until satisfactory reports on the use of previous grants are received, no new project grants can be paid to those beneficiaries.", "5. The deadline for submitting applications for project grants for 2012 was 31 May 2011. Admissible applications received will be examined by the Board of Trustees at its sixteenth session, to be held in Geneva in November 2011.", "B. Admissibility of new applications and selection process", "6. In accordance with the selection criteria adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 46/122, the beneficiaries of assistance from the Fund shall be individuals whose human rights have been severely violated as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. Project admissibility criteria are outlined in the Fund’s guidelines.", "7. Admissible application forms are verified as to their conformity with approved selection criteria and additional information is requested from the organization if necessary. Reference organizations and specialized networks are also consulted if necessary. The complete application form and all required additional documents are then summarized and analysed by the secretariat in accordance with the selection criteria, to facilitate the work of the Board of Trustees. At its annual session, the Board of Trustees reviews all applications declared admissible, including the original application form, the summary analysis prepared by the secretariat and any other relevant information. The Board of Trustees then makes recommendations to the Secretary-General in accordance with its guidelines. Following the session the secretariat reviews all the recommendations of the Board of Trustees for consistency with relevant United Nations administrative and financial rules and regulations. The High Commissioner subsequently approves, on behalf of the Secretary-General, the recommendations regarding project grants.", "8. The beneficiary organizations are requested to accept all conditions attached to the grant, such as providing additional documents and/or mid-year and final narrative and financial reports on the use of grants by a given deadline. Upon receipt of this confirmation, the secretariat of the Fund requests the financial services of the United Nations Office at Geneva to pay the project grant promptly.", "C. Monitoring and evaluation by the Board and secretariat", "9. The secretariat reviews all narrative and financial reports received from beneficiary organizations on the use of project grants and asks for additional information, if needed. OHCHR field presences and other United Nations field offices such as those of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) may be requested to provide the secretariat of the Fund with additional information on the organization or project.", "10. In carrying out their evaluation, the Board and the secretariat implement the following activities:", "(a) At its annual session the Board of Trustees reviews the situation of project grants allocated in previous years. When the Board is satisfied with the reporting by a given organization, it recommends closing the file. If the report is not complete, the Board makes a recommendation requesting specific additional information. No new grants will be allocated to that organization until the Board is satisfied with its report;", "(b) Board members and the secretariat may visit projects financed by the Fund;", "(c) Board members may establish, if needed, direct contact with project leaders in the field in order to better evaluate the use of the grants. The secretariat may also meet with project leaders;", "(d) Reference organizations and specialized networks may be invited to the session of the Board of Trustees to provide additional information on specific organizations or projects.", "IV. Financial status of the Fund", "11. According to information received from OHCHR at the fifteenth session, an amount of $656,793 was available from new contributions paid since the fourteenth session of the Board of Trustees (see table 1).", "Table 1 Contributions available at the fifteenth session of the Board of Trustees", "Donor\tAmount(United Statesdollars)\tDate paid \n Belgium 73 964 November 2009 \n Cyprus 3 480 November 2010 \n Egypt 5 000 April 2010 \n Germany 369 913 August 2010 \n Holy See 1 476 March 2010 \n Israel 5 000 February 2010 \n Japan 30 000 June 2010 \n Japan 50 000 November 2009 \n Spain 29 585 November 2009 \n Switzerland 51 948 December 2009 \n Turkey 6 000 August 2010 \n United Arab Emirates 29 977 March 2010 \n Weissbrodt, David 450 November 2009 \n Total contributions 656 793", "12. Figure I shows the trend in the amounts of contributions received from 1998 to 2010 per session.", "Figure I Contributions received from 1998 to 2010", "[]", "V. Fifteenth session of the Board of Trustees", "13. The fifteenth session of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery was held at Palais Wilson in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. The session was opened by the Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the High Commissioner.", "14. All five members of the Board — Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic), Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Thailand), Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) and David Weissbrodt (United States of America) — attended the session. Mr. Weissbrodt was re-elected as Chair of the Board. Ms. Herrera Murillo was elected as the Vice-Chair of the Board.", "15. The Board held 10 meetings during which it examined information prepared by the secretariat concerning the implementation of recommendations adopted at its fourteenth session, the financial situation of the Fund, fund-raising efforts, applications for project grants, financial and narrative reports on the use of previous grants, cooperation with other United Nations bodies, mechanisms and procedures, cooperation with the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking, the fellowship programme and follow-up to the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.", "A. Recommendations for grants", "16. On the basis of the available funds, the Board adopted its revised cost plan for 2010‑2011 for an amount of $1,027,885.", "17. The Board examined 243 admissible applications for project grants from 61 countries amounting to approximately $3,754,000. In addition, approximately 30 applications were declared inadmissible. Applications were received from the following continents, countries and territories: Africa (80): Benin (3), Burkina Faso (2), Burundi (1), Cameroon (8), Chad (1), Congo (1), Côte d’Ivoire (4), Democratic Republic of the Congo (8), Ghana (8), Kenya (7), Liberia (2), Namibia (1), Niger (2), Nigeria (4), Sierra Leone (2), South Africa (3), Sudan (1), Togo (4), Uganda (10), United Republic of Tanzania (7), Zambia (1); Asia and the Pacific (100): Bangladesh (11), Cambodia (2), China (3), India (48), Indonesia (3), Iran (Islamic Republic of) (1), Nepal (5), Pakistan (20), Philippines (2), Republic of Korea (1), Singapore (1), Sri Lanka (1), Thailand (1), Timor-Leste (1); Europe and Central Asia (35): Azerbaijan (1), Belgium (1), Bosnia and Herzegovina (3), Bulgaria (1), France (3), Georgia (1), Ireland (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Lithuania (1), Republic of Moldova (4), Romania (1), Russian Federation (6), Serbia (1), Tajikistan (2), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (5), Ukraine (1), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2); Americas (17): Brazil (3), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (2), Haiti (7), Mexico (5); Middle East and North Africa (12): Egypt (1), Iraq (6), Israel (2), Mauritania (1), United Arab Emirates (1), Occupied Palestinian Territories (1).", "18. In the light of the selection criteria, the Board of Trustees recommended 61 project grants for a total amount of $555,115, which will assist non-governmental organizations in 46 countries and territories: Africa: Cameroon (2), Congo (1), Côte d’Ivoire (2), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), Ghana (2), Kenya (2), Liberia (1), Namibia (1), Niger (2), Nigeria (1), South Africa (1), Togo (1), Uganda (2), United Republic of Tanzania (2); Asia and the Pacific: Bangladesh (2), Cambodia (1), China (1), India (4), Indonesia (1), Iran (Islamic Republic of) (1), Nepal (2), Pakistan (3), Philippines (1), Singapore (1), Thailand (1); Europe and Central Asia: Azerbaijan (1), Bulgaria (1), France (1), Ireland (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Lithuania (1), Republic of Moldova (1), Romania (1), Russian Federation (1), Serbia (1), Tajikistan (1), Ukraine (1); Americas: Brazil (1), Costa Rica (1), Ecuador (1), Haiti (1), Mexico (1); Middle East and North Africa: Israel (1), Mauritania (1), United Arab Emirates (1) and Occupied Palestinian Territories (1) (see list of project grants in annex I).", "19. The Board also recommended establishing a contingency list of 10 project grants for a total amount of $89,000, to be disbursed in case some of the non‑governmental organizations selected for grants do not comply with the conditions attached to their grants. The proposed contingency list includes 10 non‑governmental organizations in 10 countries including Brazil (1), Côte d’Ivoire (1), Ghana (1), Haiti (1), India (1), Pakistan (1), Tajikistan (1), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1), Togo (1) and Uganda (1) (see list of project grants in annex II).", "20. The Board also recommended setting aside a budget line of $20,000 for special emergency grants.", "21. The Board took into account the importance of gender representation, thematic priorities and national and regional distribution when considering applications for project grants.", "22. The relevant statistics since the Board started allocating grants in 1998, including the number of project applications received and the amount of money requested, as well as the number of grants received and the amount of money allocated by the Fund, are shown in table 2 and figure II.", "Table 2 Statistics on the allocation of travel and project grants, 1998-2010", "Year Number of Amount Number of Amount admissible requested grants allocated applications^(a) (United States approved (United States dollars) dollars)", "1999 23 800 000 5 27 000", "2000 25 552 236 17 83 500", "2001 23 330 000 18 148 700", "2002 39 600 000 21 121 000", "2003 55 743 990 28 130 920", "2004 43 553 275 20 150 700", "2005 63 696 057 25 215 330", "2006 89 1 026 445 47 590 156", "2007 129 1 625 732 33 269 200", "2008 181 2 190 837 71 733 109", "2009 274 3 831 322 63 726 090", "2010 243 3 754 000 61 555 115", "^(a) Each year, about 50 to 70 inadmissible applications are received.", "Figure II Number of applications received and number of grants approved by the Fund, 1999-2010", "[]", "B. Fund-raising", "23. The Board held its annual meeting with donor Governments, interested Governments and other donors on 10 December 2010. The meeting was attended by representatives of 27 Governments and Permanent Observers, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Egypt, Italy, Greece, the Holy See, Iraq, Israel, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritania, Mexico, the Niger, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa and Turkey. A representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie also attended the meeting.", "24. The Chair and Board members thanked donors for their generous contributions to the Fund and presented a number of projects funded by the Fund which provided direct assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery. Several States expressed their strong support for the work of the Fund and commended the excellent work done by the Fund.", "25. During its annual session, the Board noted the Secretary-General’s statement on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, 2 December 2010, in which he appealed to all Member States to contribute generously to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, which has helped thousands of victims to recover their lives and dignity.", "26. The Board assessed the future needs of the Fund and estimated that the Fund would need at least $1.5 million before its sixteenth session in 2011 in order to meet the demand in a satisfactory manner.", "27. The Board recommended that the Chair and the secretariat of the Human Rights Council invite a representative of the Board to introduce the work of the Fund at the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, to report on the financial situation of the Fund and to invite donors to contribute to the Fund.", "C. Follow-up to the recommendations of the Office for Internal Oversight Services", "28. As recommended by the Board at its eleventh session, a global review of the Fund was undertaken by the Office of Internal Oversight Services from November 2006 to January 2007 to review the impact of the Fund’s activities on the target groups and to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of its reporting and monitoring processes. The final report, containing 22 recommendations, which was issued in June 2007, concluded that the Fund is addressing its mandate and has a positive impact on victims of contemporary forms of slavery.", "29. Under the agenda item on follow-up to the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Board members noted the progress made by the secretariat of the Fund and the members of the Board in implementing those recommendations. The Board noted that only 4 of the 22 recommendations made by the Office of Internal Oversight Services remain pending implementation. The Board decided to further follow up on the following recommendations that are considered as being completed by the Office of Internal Oversight Services in order to improve the Fund methodology and to enhance its effectiveness:", "Recommendation 1", "30. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that more detailed guidelines be established for the selection process of beneficiaries.", "31. The Board adopted the final version of its guidelines and policies at its fourteenth session. The Board noted that the guidelines were posted on the Fund website and were translated into French. The Board recommended that OHCHR translate the guidelines into Spanish.", "Recommendations 2 and 3", "32. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended prioritizing certain forms of contemporary slavery, in particular those not addressed by other international organizations, including forms of slavery related to cultural practices such as forced labour, child marriage, widow inheritance and bonded labour, and support for projects adopting a strategy that addresses the root cause of the problem, combined with direct assistance and income-generating activities that assist victims of contemporary forms of slavery.", "33. The Board adopted guidelines at the fourteenth session with special provisions encouraging non-governmental organizations to develop sustainable projects accompanied by actions addressing the root causes of modern slavery, combined with direct assistance and income-generating activities that assist victims of contemporary forms of slavery.", "34. A number of projects directed towards providing assistance to victims of forms of slavery linked to cultural practices such as forced marriage, sexual slavery, forced labour, child marriage, widow inheritance and bonded labour were approved.", "Recommendation 4", "35. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that the Fund consider building a longer-term relationship with organizations that give direct assistance by providing funding to them over a period of two to three years.", "36. The Board adopted guidelines and policies containing special provisions on a two-year funding policy, subject to the availability of funds at its fourteenth session. Of the 61 project grants approved at the fifteenth session, 25 were approved for non‑governmental organizations that had previously received funding from the Fund.", "Recommendations 6 and 7", "37. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended improving access to information available on the Fund’s website in order to facilitate the establishment of partnerships and sharing of best practices among grantees, to raise awareness of the problem of slavery and to publicize the achievements of the Fund.", "38. A revised version of the website of the Fund was launched in 2009. The Board welcomed the translation of the website into French and Spanish. The Board recommended that best practices and lessons learned be compiled from narrative reports and be made publicly available. The Board further recommended updating the brochure on the work of the Fund. The Board welcomed the revision of OHCHR fact sheet No. 14 on Contemporary forms of slavery and recommended that it be published after review by the Board and the OHCHR Publication Committee. In June 2011, the secretariat of the Fund completed the update of the brochure and the compilation of best practices and lessons learned.", "39. The Board stressed the importance of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (2 December) as an annual occasion to raise awareness of the issue and recommended that the Chair continue to make a statement on that occasion.", "Fellowship programme", "40. In line with recommendation 7 requesting OHCHR to raise awareness of contemporary forms of slavery, the Board recommended at its fourteenth session the establishment of a fellowship programme for staff members and affiliated members of human rights organizations, notably those working on issues related to contemporary forms of slavery, to give them the opportunity to gain first-hand experience, knowledge and skills in the field of international human rights, in general, and on contemporary forms of slavery, in particular.", "41. In line with that recommendation, the secretariat launched a call for applications for the fellowship programme in July 2010 and received 40 applications from individuals recommended by human rights organizations. The fellowship programme was established for an initial period of four months and was conducted from 16 August to 17 December 2010. The selected candidates were Ms. Ana Paula G. C. de Souza (Brazil) (Anti-Slavery International), Mr. Kouanté Sigfrid Gerlac Chrysole André Yoro (Benin) (Defence for Children International), Ms. Mariannick Koffi (Côte d’Ivoire/France) and Mr. Adodo Esséna Sossou (Guinea) (Action contre l’exploitation des enfants et des femmes).", "42. The staff of OHCHR and members of the Board of Trustees provided training for the fellows on the international human rights system including the treaty body system, the Human Rights Council, the universal periodic review and special procedures in relation to contemporary forms of slavery. As part of the programme, some fellows were given assignments in other OHCHR branches including the treaty bodies and the special procedures. The fellows used their expertise by producing research documents and awareness-raising materials. In view of the effectiveness of the programme, the Board recommended that two fellowships be extended for an additional period of eight months, from 5 January to 2 September 2011.", "43. The Board also recommended that the fellowship programme for 2011/12 be organized as a 12-month programme for two fellows for the period from 5 September 2011 to 31 August 2012.", "Recommendation 8", "44. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that the Board of Trustees should focus to a greater extent on policy issues such as establishing priorities for the future development of the Fund, fund-raising, monitoring and providing technical expertise to non-governmental organizations in order to better address the needs of victims of slavery over the long term.", "45. The Board of Trustees had discussions relating to the role of the Board in the monitoring of the projects approved, in the pre-screening of the applications, in fund-raising efforts and in establishing regular channels of communication with the secretariat. The Board discussed the role of members of the Board and recommended including an agenda item on policy issues for the next session of the Board of Trustees to discuss thematic and regional priorities as well as capacity-building for applicants and grantees.", "Recommendation 9", "46. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended the establishment of a formal monitoring and evaluation mechanism.", "47. The Board adopted amended guidelines for project evaluation and recommended that the secretariat continue liaising systematically with OHCHR country offices, human rights advisers, regional offices, United Nations peace missions and UNDP to monitor and evaluate projects on the ground.", "48. The Board welcomed the report of the consultant mandated to undertake a needs-assessment exercise and to evaluate the effectiveness of the past activities and present programmes of selected non-governmental organizations that have applied for funding. The Board recommended expanding this experience and recommended setting aside a budget line of $10,000 for this purpose.", "49. The Board recommended that selected projects be visited on a regular basis. Reports of project visits should be prepared by the secretariat for consideration by the Board at its annual session. The Board recommended allocating 5 per cent of the total budget for monitoring and evaluation of projects. Furthermore, the Board recommended that UNDP and International Labour Organization field offices be informed of any planned evaluation missions.", "Recommendation 10", "50. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended establishing a management information system to allow effective monitoring and follow-up of grants and to reduce the workload.", "51. The Board expressed its appreciation for the completion of a new management information system that had been developed by the information technology section of OHCHR and was currently used by the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, and recommended the allocation of funds to engage a temporary assistant who would enter data in the new grant management system. The Board recommended that applications for the next cycle of grants should be submitted through this new online application system. The Board recommended that the system should not be exclusive and that non-governmental organizations that did not have the capacity to submit electronic applications should be allowed to continue to apply by post.", "Recommendation 13", "52. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended reformulating the processing and funding cycle of the Fund.", "53. The Board adopted a grant cycle for project grants for 2012 as follows:", "(a) Deadline for the submission of project applications for 2012: 31 May 2011", "(b) Annual session of the Board of Trustees: 28 November-5 December 2011", "(c) Disbursement: January to February 2012", "(d) Submission of interim financial and narrative reports: 30 September 2012", "(e) Submission of final financial and narrative reports: 30 April 2013", "Recommendations 14 and 15", "54. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that OHCHR establish a more comprehensive and cost-effective pre-screening policy.", "55. As recommended by the Board at its fourteenth session, for each new applicant, the secretariat continues to systematically request and review the registration certificate of the organization, the statute of the organization, a copy of bank records indicating signatories for the organization, copies of bank statements, letters of recommendation and evidence of other sources of funding. The secretariat continues to liaise with the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and the Assisting Communities Together project to exchange information on applicants. For each grantee, the secretariat continues to systematically contact the referees and donors.", "56. The Board further recommended that the secretariat continue its successful cooperation with OHCHR field officers and desk officers to verify the work undertaken by new applicants, notably the quality of the assistance provided to victims of contemporary forms of slavery at the grass-roots level.", "57. The Board recommended that the secretariat request from UNICEF and the International Labour Organization their directory of non-governmental organizations. The Board further recommended that the secretariat assist organizations to prepare their applications and better meet the Fund’s requirements through OHCHR field presences and, where these do not exist, through United Nations country teams, whenever possible.", "Follow-up to the outstanding recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services", "Recommendation 11", "58. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended the preparation and adoption of a manual on standard operating procedures providing detailed guidelines on the operation and administration of the Fund.", "59. In February 2011, the secretariat of the Fund completed the drafting of the manual, based on the manual on standard operating procedures prepared by the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.", "Recommendation 16", "60. In accordance with a recommendation of the Board, OHCHR is following up on recommendation 16 concerning specific funding allocated in Uganda.", "Recommendations 20 and 21", "61. The Board members urged OHCHR to implement recommendations 20 and 21, relating to the overall coordination and establishment of a common secretariat of the humanitarian funds managed by OHCHR.", "62. In March 2011, OHCHR endorsed the decision to merge the secretariats of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.", "D. Cooperation with United Nations agencies and developments in the United Nations system concerning relevant mandates", "63. The Board met with the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture to exchange information about work methodology, the role of Board members and the best practices of that Fund. The Board noted with interest the positive impact that the online application process had on increasing the capacity of the Fund for Victims of Torture in handling project grants and the various activities carried out by the Board members of that Fund.", "64. The Board met with the assistant of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences to discuss future collaboration with the Fund in terms of dissemination and support for country missions. The Board invited the Special Rapporteur to contribute to the activities relating to the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Fund.", "65. In line with recommendations 6 and 8 made by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Board decided to recommend that a budget line of $15,000 be allocated for grants to non-governmental organizations to enable them to attend regional, subregional and national meetings organized in the framework of the field missions of the Special Rapporteur and to contribute to the implementation of the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur in her reports.", "66. The Board recommended organizing a joint parallel event with the Special Rapporteur in the framework of the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, with interested Governments and non-governmental organizations.", "Cooperation with the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking", "67. Under the agenda item relating to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, the Board members met staff members of the Division for Treaty Affairs and the Chief of the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to discuss potential channels of collaboration and synergies between the two Funds.", "68. The Board welcomed the nomination by the Secretary-General of two members of the Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery as members of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for Victims of Trafficking, which would ensure communication and synergies between the two Funds. It was further noted that about 25 per cent of grants made by the Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery in 2010 was allocated to projects providing direct assistance to victims of trafficking. The Board recommended that the secretariats of the two Funds hold regular meetings, to ensure continued collaboration and avoid duplication of work, and that awareness-raising materials should also include cross references to the two Funds. The Board noted that the overlap of the two Funds is reduced by the fact that the new Fund for Victims of Trafficking is expected to allocate grants to government and inter-governmental initiatives, which are not within the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. The secretariats of the two Funds agreed to exchange working methods and to have regular meetings.", "E. Twentieth anniversary of the Fund in 2011", "69. The Board members recalled that General Assembly resolution 46/22, by which the Fund was established, was adopted on 17 December 1991, and decided to organize a series of activities to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Fund. The anniversary offers the opportunity to reflect on the Fund’s impact as a mechanism supporting the work of non-governmental organizations providing direct assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery. It is also an opportunity to learn from the two decades of work in this field and to share with a wider audience the current challenges to the efforts to prevent slavery and to protect and fully rehabilitate victims.", "70. On 1 June 2011, the Fund and Anti-Slavery International, in cooperation with Children Unite, the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay, organized a side event to raise awareness about child domestic servitude and to discuss the role of human rights as a means of protecting them. The event was attended by representatives of United Nations agencies, several civil society organizations and members of permanent missions, including those of Armenia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Greece, Honduras, Jamaica, the Philippines, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.", "71. From 1 to 28 September 2011, coinciding with the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, the Fund will host an exposition at the Exhibition Gallery, Palais des Nations, which will showcase 56 works of art related to the work of the Fund.", "72. The Board of Trustees also decided to organize a side event in the framework of the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council in cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences.", "73. The celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Fund will culminate with an event on 2 December 2011, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, which could include the participation of Board members, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, former fund grantees, non-governmental organizations and Governments.", "74. The Board approved the setting of a budget line of $20,000 to fund those events.", "VI. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery", "75. On 2 December 2010, the Board members made the following statement to commemorate the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery:", "(a) On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we express our commitment to the complete eradication of slavery and slavery-like practices. We hope that today serves as a reminder that, despite hundreds of years of effort to abolish slavery, no country is immune to those grave human rights abuses.", "(b) There is enough evidence to show that slavery-like practices are vast and widespread. Of special concern is the situation of children, who are denied the fundamental right to be born free and to be protected from enslavement. Just one figure tells a grim story: it is estimated that about 4.9 to 6.15 million children are trapped in slavery and slavery-like practices.", "(c) It is an appalling reality that today millions of human beings worldwide continue to be subjected to slavery and slavery-like practices. As a legally permitted system, traditional slavery has been abolished everywhere; but it has not been completely stamped out and new forms of slavery have emerged.", "(d) Debt bondage, serfdom, forced labour, child labour and servitude, trafficking in persons and in human organs, sexual slavery, the use of child soldiers, the sale of children, forced marriage and the sale of wives, and the exploitation of prostitution violate the most fundamental human rights, rights that we all possess, irrespective of sex, nationality, social status, occupation or other difference.", "(e) Even when abolished, slavery leaves traces. It can persist as a state of mind — among victims and their descendants and among the inheritors of those who practised it — long after it has formally ended.", "(f) Slavery-like practices are often clandestine. Fear, ignorance of one’s rights and the need to survive do not encourage victims to speak out. The majority of those who suffer are the poorest, socially excluded groups in society. The overlapping factors of poverty, class and race create structural problems and cycles of marginalization that are hard to break. Gender inequalities and discrimination, lack of education, desperation for work and demand for cheap labour also trap people.", "(g) The United Nations has responded to these challenges by establishing several relevant thematic procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, a key mechanism in the fight against slavery and the eradication of slavery-like practices. The United Nations has also established the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. These thematic rapporteurs respond quickly to information about individual cases and have been successful in preventing or stopping violations.", "(h) In 1991, the United Nations also created the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery which assists non‑governmental organization projects to provide concrete humanitarian, legal, and financial assistance to victims and potential victims of contemporary forms of slavery. For example, in 2009/10, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery was able to assist victims and potential victims in 44 countries by giving 63 grants. The need for such assistance is further reflected in over 250 applications the Trust Fund has received this year amounting to about $3,550,700.", "(i) On this day, we pay tribute to all Governments, civil society organizations, and individuals engaged in activities aimed at eradicating slavery and ensuring that all victims obtain redress, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. We express our profound commitment to the struggle against slavery and particularly to the victims.", "(j) We urge all States to ratify and implement existing instruments in this area — in particular the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.", "(k) We also appeal to all Member States to implement their obligations to abolish and eradicate slavery in all its manifestations. We express our gratitude to all donors to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery and call upon the international community to express its solidarity with victims of slavery by contributing generously to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to allow the Fund to increase assistance to victims and contribute to ending these intolerable and unacceptable practices worldwide.", "VII. How to contribute to the Fund", "76. Governments, non-governmental organizations and other private or public entities can contribute to the Fund. Donors should indicate “for the Slavery Fund, account SH” on a payment order. For information on how to contribute, donors are requested to contact the secretariat of the Fund at: Secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; Telephone: 41 22 928 9737 or 928 9164; Fax: 41 22 928 9050.", "VIII. Conclusions and recommendations", "77. The Fund has attracted increased interest among non-governmental organizations working to assist victims of slavery. About 243 applications for grants amounting to approximately $3,754,000 were received in 2010. The Board of Trustees was only able to recommend grants amounting to $555,115 which represents less than 15 per cent of the total amount requested. The Fund continues to fall short in terms of meeting the growing demand and need for support. About 450 applications for grants amounting to approximately $6,125,000 were received in 2011. The Board estimates that, in order to be able to fulfil its mandate and to respond positively to new applications to be received in 2011, the Fund would need new contributions amounting to at least $1.5 million prior to the sixteenth session of the Board of Trustees, to be held in November 2011.", "78. Donors and potential donors are encouraged to step up further their support to the Fund to allow the Fund to expand its crucial assistance to victims of slavery. In respect of the next cycle, donors are invited to contribute to the Fund before November 2011 in order for the contributions to be duly recorded by the United Nations Treasurer in advance of the sixteenth session of the Board.", "79. Organization of the sixteenth session of the Board in 2011. The Board approved a provisional agenda for the next session of the Board, to be held in Geneva from 28 November to 5 December 2011.", "Annex I", "Project grants recommended by the Board of Trustees at the fifteenth session[1]", "Organization\tCountryorterritory\tTitle of projector aspect covered\tAmountapproved(UnitedStatesdollars) \n Africa \nWomen in ActionagainstGender-BasedViolence\tCameroon\tMen Empowermentand EngagementTool (MEET) to endearly or forcedmarriages and saleof wives\t4 800\nMengbwa: ActionsJeunes\tCameroon\tProject to combatthe forced andearly marriage ofMbororo girls inKoutaba\t6 000\nAssociationAvenir NEPADCongo\tCongo\tLegal assistancefor widowedvictims ofcontemporary formsof slavery inBrazzaville\t10 000\nAssociationJekawili\tCôted’Ivoire\tProject to improvethe living andworking conditionsof young servantgirls in the cityof Bouaké\t7 000\nInternationalCatholic ChildBureau (BICE)\tCôted’Ivoire\tProject to preventand respond to thetrafficking andexploitation ofchildren in Côted’Ivoire\t10 000\nOeuvres Socialespour leDéveloppement(OSD)\tDemocraticRepublicof theCongo\tCare of divorcedchild mothersfollowing forcedmarriage andforced householdlabour\t10 000\nRegroupement desmamans deKamituga\tDemocraticRepublicof theCongo\tCombating theservitude andexploitation ofchildren used asworkers in miningareas in the ruralterritory ofMwenga\t6 000\nNetwork forCommunityPlanning andDevelopment\tGhana\tEnding Slavery inSmall-Scale Mining(Galamsey) Project\t5 000\nAfriKids Ghana\tGhana\tAfriKids NewBeginningsProgramme\t10 000\nYoung WidowsAdvancementProgram\tKenya\tAssisting widowsin Kayole to getaccess to andcontrol of familyproperty as ameans ofmitigating somenegative aspectsof widowinheritance\t10 000\nHarvest of HopeSelf-HelpCommunity Centre\tKenya\tRecovering victimsof trafficking andslavery in Mtwapatown in Kenya,throughempowerment\t10 000\nAfrican Networkfor thePrevention andProtectionagainst ChildAbuse andNeglect (ANPPCANLiberia)\tLiberia\tCombating childlabour throughawareness-raisingcampaign in ruralMontserrado County\t5 000\nNational Societyfor Human Rights(NSHR) ofNamibia\tNamibia\tOperation tocombatslavery-likepractices inNamibia\t5 000\nAssociationTimidria (humanrightsorganization)\tNiger\tRequest forassistance for thesocio-economicreintegration oftwo families thathave been victimsof practices ofslavery in Abalakand Tchintabaraden\t10 000\nAssociation pourla Lutte contrele Travail desEnfants au Niger(ALTEN)\tNiger\tProjefid\t10 000\nWomen’s AidCollective(WACOL)\tNigeria\tProtection andrehabilitation ofvictims of childlabour andservitude, workingat Abakaliki minesand quarries\t5 000\nJustice ACTs\tSouthAfrica\tTrafficking ProofCampaign\t10 000\nInternationalCatholic ChildBureau (BICE)\tTogo\tPreventing theworst contemporaryforms of slavery,includingtrafficking inchildren, andcaring forvulnerable andat-risk childrenby strengtheningsocial andeducationalopportunities\t10 000\nUganda YouthDevelopment Link\tUganda\tCombating childtrafficking andother contemporaryforms of slaveryand exploitationof young people inKawempe, Rubagaand MakindyeDivisions, KampalaDistrict, Uganda,by the end of 2011\t7 615\nYouth Aid Uganda\tUganda\tCommunity effortto child labourprevention andrehabilitation\t10 000\nMbutuAgriculturalSociety (MAS)\tUnitedRepublicofTanzania\tSensitization ofLocal Leaders onChild Labour inKisarawe andMkuranga District\t10 000\nKashog-KaragweDevelopmentAssociation\tUnitedRepublicofTanzania\tRestoration ofGovernment-appropriatedland\t10 000\nAsia and thePacific \nJOGAJOG\tBangladesh\tProtection ofstreet childrenfrom trafficking\t10 000\nProva Society\tBangladesh\tChild LabourElimination andPrevention (CLEP)\t9 000\nSamaritan’sPurseInternationalRelief\tCambodia\tCommunitytraffickingprevention andpeer educationproject\t8 000\nAssociation ofIndonesianMigrant Workersin Hong Kong\tChina\tWomen’sEmpowerment: TheTraining andDevelopment ofWomen Leaders toEnd Debt Bondage\t10 000\nCentre forCommunityEconomics andDevelopmentConsultantsSociety(CECOEDECON)\tIndia\tSara Akash Hamara— social inclusionof girls (6 to 18years old) engagedin child labourthrough educationand participation\t9 300\nAsia IndigenousPeoples PactFoundation\tIndia\tSocial integrationand support to thevictims oftrafficking andchild labour innorth-east India\t10 000\nManav SevaSansthan (Seva)\tIndia\tHalf-Way Home —right-based careand support forvictims oftrafficking\t10 000\nWomen’sInterlinkFoundation\tIndia\tEmpowerment ofvictims oftrafficking,sexual slavery,child labour andchild servitude\t10 000\nPusat Kajian danPerlindunganAnak (Centre forstudy and childprotection)\tIndonesia\tElimination ofchild involvementin marijuanacultivation andtrade, in AcehProvince,Indonesia\t8 000\nOmid-e-MehrFoundation\tIran(IslamicRepublicof)\tOmid Halfway HouseShelter Project\t9 400\nChildren — Womenin SocialServices andHuman Rights(CWISH)\tNepal\tDecent work fordomestic workers\t9 000\nThe Advocatesfor Human Rights(formerMinnesota HumanRightsAdvocates)\tNepal\tSankhu-Palubaricommunity schoolproject\t5 000\nInsan DostAssociation\tPakistan\tEnding ChildLabour throughEducation (ECLE)\t10 000\nDAMAANDevelopmentOrganization\tPakistan\tViolence andforced marriagesin southern Punjab— rehabilitatingvictims and makingways for politicaldiscourse\t10 000\nBonded LabourLiberation FrontPakistan, BLLFPakistan\tPakistan\tFreedom througheducation\t10 000\nAsia againstchildtrafficking(Asia ACTs),Inc.\tPhilippines\tInter-agencyapproach toaddress organtrafficking inPhilippines\t10 000\nHumanitarianOrganisation forMigrationEconomics\tSingapore\tHelp desks andshelters formigrant workers\t10 000\nChildren of theForestFoundation\tThailand\tKelly AnusornSchool Art Centre\t10 000\nEurope andCentral Asia \nClean World Aidto Women SocialUnion\tAzerbaijan\tSupport andrehabilitationcentre for humantraffickingvictims\t10 000\nAnimusAssociationFoundation\tBulgaria\tAssuringsustainablehumanitarian aidto women survivorsof trafficking\t10 000\nLes amis du busdes femmes\tFrance\tAn emergencysituation in 2010:to support andcontinue theprovision ofassistance to andprotection ofvictims oftrafficking andsexualexploitation inParis\t10 000\nRuhama\tIreland\tSupport to victimsof sex traffickingin Ireland\t10 000\nGolden Goal\tKyrgyzstan\tSupportingeffectiveprogramming totackletrafficking,violence againstchildren and otherforms ofexploitation\t10 000\nDingusių žmoniųšeimų paramoscentras (Missingpersons familiessupport centre)\tLithuania\tVictims of humantrafficking —integrationthrough the art oftherapy\t10 000\nNGO Interactiune\tRepublicofMoldova\tYou are not avictim — keepyourselfsustainable\t10 000\nAssociation forDevelopingAlternativePractices forReintegrationand Education\tRomania\tConsolidatingassistanceservices forvictims oftrafficking ofpersons in Romania\t10 000\nCivic AssistanceCommittee\tRussianFederation\tAssisting thevictims ofcompulsory labour\t10 000\nASTRA —Anti-traffickingaction\tSerbia\tSupport to ASTRASOS Hotline anddirect victimassistance throughsocial inclusion\t10 000\nPublicOrganization“Saodat”\tTajikistan\tFreedom\t10 000\nKherson oblastcentre “UspishnaZhinka”\tUkraine\tReintegration of50 children —victims of childlabour and childservitude — intothe community byprovidingeducationalservices and otheradditionalservices in therural communities\t10 000\n Americas \nCentro de Defesada Vida e dosDireitos Humanosde Açailândia(CDVDH)\tBrazil\tCombating Amazonrainforest slavelabour in thestate of Maranhão\t10 000\nDefensa de Niñasy NiñosInternacional,DNI-Costa Rica\tCostaRica\tPsychosocial andlegal assistancefor victims andpotential victimsof sex slavery andchild traffickingin urban and ruralareas of CostaRica\t10 000\nFundaciónNuestros Jóvenes\tEcuador\tSupport for thesocialreintegration ofadolescent girlswho have beenvictims of humantrafficking forpurposes of sexualexploitation andlabourexploitation\t10 000\nTerre des HommesSuisse\tHaiti\tProject to helpchild domesticservants inPort‑au-Prince\t10 000\nCentro dederechos humanosFray Matías deCórdova A.C.\tMexico\tLabour litigationfor the rights ofmigrants\t10 000\nMiddle East andNorth Africa \nHotline forMigrant Workers\tIsrael\tCombatingtrafficking inpersons\t6 000\nMinority RightsGroupInternational\tMauritania\tSupporting HratineSociety toidentify cases forstrategiclitigation\t10 000\nVIVERE\tUnitedArabEmirates\tTrafficking ofhuman beings forsexualexploitation andother forms ofserious physicalabuse\t10 000\nPalestinianCentre forCommunicationand DevelopmentStrategies\tOccupiedPalestinianTerritories\tChild labour andchild servitude\t10 000", "Annex II", "Contingency list of project grants recommended by the Board of Trustees at its fifteenth session", "Organization\tCountry\tTitle of projector aspect covered\tAmountapproved(UnitedStatesdollars) \nPastoral LandCommission (CPTOC)\tBrazil\tPreventingenslavement inthe newagribusinessfrontline, inNorth and CentralBrazil\t10 000\nCarrefour JeunesseBouaké\tCôted’Ivoire\tRehabilitationand reintegrationof girls andwomen victims ofabuse of parentalauthority\t7 000\nThe Ark Foundation\tGhana\tCombatingcommercial sexamong girls\t5 000\nAssociation FemmesSoleil d’Haiti(AFASDA)\tHaiti\tSpeaking outagainst thesituation ofchild servants inHaiti\t9 000\nCompassion Society\tIndia\tLiberate Mathammachildren fromchild labourthroughresidentialbridge course\t10 000\nBonded LabourLiberation FrontPakistan, BLLFPakistan\tPakistan\tFreedom througheducation\t10 000\nCharity Association(Avesto)\tTajikistan\tStop slavery in21st century\t10 000First Children’sEmbassy in the WorldMegjashi\tTheformerYugoslav\tDay-care centresfor streetchildren who donot go to school\t10 000 Republicof \n Macedonia \nODJOUGBO\tTogo\tCombatingdomestic labouramong underagegirls througheducation in thePlateaux region\t8 000\nNational Foundationfor Democracy andHuman Rights inUganda (NAFODU)\tUganda\tAssistingchildren andother individualswhose humanrights have beenviolated as aresult of slaveryin south-westernUganda\t10 000", "[1] All grants are to be kept pending until receipt of satisfactory additional information." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: implementation of human rights instruments", "Status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report, prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 46/122, outlines the recommendations on grants and other related decisions adopted by the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery at its fifteenth session, held in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. The recommendations on grants were adopted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General on 20 January 2011. The report also provides information on policy decisions taken by the Board to implement the recommendations made by the Office of Internal Oversight Services with a view to further strengthening the activities of the Fund. The present document updates the report submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session (A/65/94).", "I. Mandate of the Fund", "1. In its resolution 46/122, the General Assembly established the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery in order to provide humanitarian, legal and financial assistance to persons whose human rights have been subjected to serious violations as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. The Fund ' s funding comes from voluntary contributions from Governments, non-governmental organizations, other private and public entities and individuals.", "II. Fund and Board of Trustees", "2. Pursuant to resolution 46/122, the Secretary-General administers the Fund, through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations relating to trust funds for humanitarian assistance, and with the advice of a Board of Trustees.", "3. The Board of Trustees is composed of five United Nations specialists with the necessary experience in the field of human rights and, in particular, on issues related to contemporary forms of slavery, which are held in a personal capacity. In December 2007, the Secretary-General appointed the following five members for a three-year period ending 31 December 2010, with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution: Ms. Gulnara Shahinian (Armenia), Ms. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Ms. Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Thailand), Mr. Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) and Mr. David Weissbrodt (United States). Mrs. Shahinian resigned on 23 May 2008 because of his appointment as Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences. In March 2009, the Secretary-General appointed Ms. Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic) to replace Ms. Shahinian. In June 2011, the Secretary-General appointed the following members for a term expiring on 31 December 2013, taking due account of the principle of equitable geographical distribution: Ms. Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Ms. Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic), Ms. Asma Jahangir (Pakistan), Mr. George Omona and Mr. Michael Bersford Dottridge (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).", "III. Cycle of grants and eligibility criteria", "A. Cycle of grants", "4. The deadline for submission of applications for project grants for 2011 was 31 March 2010. The admissible applications received were considered by the Board of Trustees at its fifteenth session, held in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. Recommendations on the granting of grants adopted by the Board at that session were approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General on 20 January 2011; approved grants were to be delivered in March 2011. In some cases, payments were subject to the receipt of additional information and/or descriptive and financial reports delayed by the beneficiary concerned. Project grant recipients should provide the Fund secretariat with a midterm descriptive and financial report on the use of grants by 30 September 2011 and a descriptive and financial final report on the use of grants by 30 March 2012. As long as satisfactory reports on the use of previous grants have not been received, new project grants may not be paid to those beneficiaries.", "5. The deadline for submission of applications for project grants for 2012 expired on 31 May 2011. The Board of Trustees will consider the admissible applications received at its sixteenth session, to be held in Geneva in November 2011.", "B. Admissibility of new applications and selection process", "6. In accordance with the selection criteria adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 46/122, the beneficiaries of the Fund ' s assistance shall be persons whose human rights have been subjected to serious violations as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. The eligibility criteria are set out in the Fund ' s guidelines.", "7. The admissible application forms are verified to determine whether they conform to the approved selection criteria and, if necessary, the organization concerned is requested to provide further information. If necessary, reference organizations and specialized networks are also consulted. The secretariat then summarizes and analyses the duly completed application form and the other documents required in accordance with the selection criteria in order to facilitate the work of the Board of Trustees. At its annual session, the Board reviews all applications declared admissible, including the original application form, the synoptic analysis prepared by the secretariat and any other relevant information. The Board subsequently makes recommendations to the Secretary-General in accordance with its guidelines. After the session, the secretariat reviews all recommendations of the Board to ensure that they are consistent with United Nations administrative and financial regulations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on behalf of the Secretary-General, adopted recommendations on project grants.", "8. Beneficiary organizations are requested to accept all the conditions imposed on subsidies, such as the provision of additional documentation and/or descriptive and financial reports in the mid-term and final period on the use of subsidies. Upon receipt of such confirmation, the Fund secretariat requests the financial services of the United Nations Office at Geneva to pay project grants without delay.", "C. Monitoring and evaluation by the Board of Trustees and the secretariat", "9. The secretariat reviews all descriptive and financial reports received from beneficiary organizations on the use of project grants and, if necessary, requests them to provide further information. OHCHR field representatives and other United Nations field offices, such as those of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), may be requested to provide the Fund secretariat with more information on organizations or projects.", "10. In carrying out its evaluation, the Board of Trustees and the secretariat undertake the following activities:", "(a) At its annual session, the Board reviews the status of project grants granted in previous years. When satisfied with the report of a given organization, the Board recommends that the file be filed. If the report is incomplete, it recommends that more specific information be requested. The organization concerned shall not receive new grants while the Board is not satisfied with its report;", "(b) Board members and the secretariat can visit projects funded by the Fund;", "(c) Members of the Board, if necessary, may establish direct contacts with project managers in the field to better assess the use of grants. The secretariat can also meet with project managers;", "(d) Reference organizations and specialized networks may be invited to the Board session to provide additional information on specific organizations or projects.", "IV. Financial position of the Fund", "11. According to information received from OHCHR at the fifteenth session, an amount of $656,793 was available from new contributions from the fourteenth session of the Board (see table 1).", "Table 1 Contributions available at the date of the fifteenth session of the Board of Trustees", "(USD) Date of contribution Germany 369 913 August 2010 Belgium 73 964 November 2009 Cyprus 3 480 November 2010 Egypt 5 000 April 2010 United Arab Emirates 29 977 March 2010 Spain 29 585 November 2009 Israel 5 000 February 2010 Japan 30 000 June 2010 Japan 50 000 November 2009 Holy See 1 476 March 2010 Switzerland 51 948 December 2009 Turkey 6 000 August 2010 Total Weissbrodt, David 450 November 2009", "12. Figure I shows the trend in contributions received between 1998 and 2010, per session.", "Figure I Contributions received between 1998 and 2010", "V. Fifteenth session of the Board of Trustees", "13. The fifteenth session of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Contemporary Forms of Slavery was held at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 6 to 10 December 2010. The session was opened by the Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on behalf of the High Commissioner.", "14. The five members of the Board —Virginia Herrera Murillo (Costa Rica), Klara Skrivankova (Czech Republic), Prateep Unsongtham Hata (Thailand), Cleophas Kwdjo Mally (Togo) and David Weissbrodt (United States of America) — attended the session. Mr. Weissbrodt was re-elected President of the Board. Mrs. Murillo Herrera was elected Vice President of the Board.", "15. The Board held 10 meetings, during which it considered information prepared by the secretariat on the implementation of the recommendations adopted at its fourteenth session; the financial situation of the Fund; fund-raising activities; requests for project grants; financial and descriptive reports on the use of prior grants; cooperation with other United Nations agencies, mechanisms and procedures; cooperation with the United Nations Trust Fund for Voluntary Assistance for Victims;", "A. Recommendations on grants", "16. On the basis of the available funds, the Board approved its revised expenditure plan for 2010-2011, which represents an amount of $1,027,885.", "17. The Board considered 243 admissible applications for project grants from 61 countries, worth approximately $3,754,000. In addition, some 30 applications were declared inadmissible. Ireland (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), South Africa (2), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United States of America (2), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United States of America (2), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1), United States of America (2), United States (2)", "18. (1) United States of America (1), United Arab Emirates (1), United States of America (1)", "19. The Board also recommended the establishment of a list of 10 projects totalling $89,000, which would be disbursed if some of the non-governmental organizations selected to receive grants did not meet the required conditions. This list includes 10 non-governmental organizations from 10 countries: Brazil (1), Côte d’Ivoire (1), Ghana (1), Haiti (1), India (1), Pakistan (1), Tajikistan (1), Togo (1) and Uganda (1) (see list of grants granted to Annex II projects).", "20. The Board also recommended that an amount of $20,000 be reserved for special emergency subsidies.", "21. The Board took into account the importance of gender representation, thematic priorities and national and regional distribution in reviewing requests for project grants.", "22. Table 2 and figure II show statistics since 1998, when the Board began to grant grants; these statistics include the number of requests for project grants received and the amounts requested, as well as the number of grants awarded and the amounts allocated by the Fund.", "Table 2", "Statistics on the allocation of travel and project grants, 1998-2010", "Year Number of Quantit Number of applications requested grants allocated admissible^(a) (USD) approved (USD)", "1999 23 800 000 5 27 000", "2000 25 552 236 17 83 500", "2001 23 330 000 18 148 700", "2002 39 600 000 21 121 000", "2003 55 743 990 28 130 920", "2004 43 553 275 20 150 700", "2005 63 696 057 25 215 330", "2006 89 1 026 445 47 590 156", "2007 129 1 625 732 33 269 200", "2008 181 2 190 837 71 733 109", "2009 274 3 831 322 63 726 090", "2010 243 3 754 000 61 555 115", "^(a) Each year, between 50 and 70 applications are received.", "Figure II", "Number of applications received and number of grants approved by the Fund, 1999-2010", "B. Fundraising", "23. The Board held its annual meeting with donor Governments, interested Governments and other donors on 10 December 2010. It was attended by representatives of the following 27 Governments and permanent observers: Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Iraq, Israel, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Poland, Lao People ' s Democratic Republic, Romania, Holy See, Senegal, South Africa and Turkey. A representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie also participated.", "24. The President and members of the Board thanked donors for their generous contributions to the Trust Fund and presented a number of projects funded by the Fund that provided direct assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery. Several States expressed strong support for the Fund ' s work and commended its excellent work.", "25. During its annual session, the Trust Fund took note of the statement made by the Secretary-General on the occasion of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on 2 December 2010, in which it appealed to all Member States to make generous contributions to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery, which has helped thousands of victims to recover their lives and lives.", "26. The Board assessed the Fund ' s future needs and estimated that it would require at least $1.5 million prior to the sixteenth session in 2011 to meet the demand for funds adequately.", "27. The Board recommended that the President and secretariat of the Human Rights Council invite a representative of the Board to present the work of the Fund at the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, to report on the financial situation of the Fund and to appeal to donors to contribute to the Fund.", "C. Follow-up to the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services", "28. In response to the Board ' s recommendation at its eleventh session, the Office of Internal Oversight Services undertook a comprehensive review of the Trust Fund between November 2006 and January 2007 to study the impact of the Fund ' s activities on the target groups and to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of its reporting and monitoring processes. The final report, containing 22 recommendations and published in June 2007, concluded that the Fund was fulfilling its mandate and had a positive impact on victims of contemporary forms of slavery.", "29. Under the agenda item on follow-up to the recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the members of the Board noted the progress made by the Fund secretariat and the members of the Board in implementing those recommendations. The Board noted that only 4 of the 22 recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services were not yet implemented. The Board also decided to follow up on the following recommendations, which are considered by the Office of Internal Oversight Services to improve the methodology and effectiveness of the Fund.", "Recommendation 1", "30. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that more detailed guidelines for the selection process for beneficiaries be defined.", "31. The Board approved the final version of its guidelines and policies at its fourteenth session. The Board noted that the guidelines were posted on the Fund ' s website and translated into French. The Board recommended that OHCHR translate them into Spanish.", "Recommendations 2 and 3", "32. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended prioritizing certain contemporary forms of slavery, especially those that do not deal with other international organizations, including forms of slavery related to cultural practices, such as forced labour, early marriage, the transmission of widows in inheritance and bonded labour, and funding projects that adopt a strategy to address the root causes of the problem, combined with direct assistance and income-generating activities for contemporary slavery.", "33. At its fourteenth session, the Board adopted guidelines with special provisions that encourage non-governmental organizations to prepare sustainable projects accompanied by measures to address the underlying causes of modern slavery, combined with direct assistance and income-generating activities to assist victims of contemporary forms of slavery.", "34. A number of projects were adopted to assist victims of forms of slavery linked to cultural practices, such as forced marriage, sexual slavery, forced labour, early marriage, the transmission of widows in inheritance and bonded labour.", "Recommendation 4", "35. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that the Fund consider developing a longer-term relationship with organizations providing direct assistance by providing funding for a period of between 2 and 3 years.", "36. At its fourteenth session, the Board adopted guidelines and policies containing special provisions on a two-year funding policy, subject to the availability of funds. Of the 61 project grants approved at the fifteenth session, 25 went to non-governmental organizations that had already received funding from the Fund.", "Recommendations 6 and 7", "37. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that access to information available on the Fund ' s website be improved, with a view to facilitating partnerships and sharing best practices among grant recipients, promoting awareness of the problem of slavery and publicizing the Fund ' s achievements.", "38. A revised version of the Fund ' s website was online in 2009. The Board welcomed the translation of the website into Spanish and French. It also recommended that a compilation of best practices and lessons learned contained in descriptive reports be prepared and made public. The Board also recommended that the work of the Fund be updated. The Board welcomed the revision of the information leaflet No. 14 of OHCHR on contemporary forms of slavery, and recommended that it be published after review by the OHCHR Board and the Publications Committee. In June 2011, the Fund secretariat completed updating the brochure and the compilation of best practices and lessons learned.", "39. The Board stressed the importance of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (on 2 December), which offered every year the opportunity to promote awareness on the subject, and recommended that the Presidency continue to make a statement for the occasion.", "Fellowship programme", "40. In accordance with recommendation 7, which calls for OHCHR to promote awareness of the problem of slavery, the Board recommended at its fourteenth session that a fellowship programme be established for staff and affiliated members of human rights organizations, especially those dealing with issues related to contemporary forms of slavery, to give them the opportunity to obtain first-hand experience, knowledge and skills in the field of international human rights,", "41. In accordance with this recommendation, the secretariat announced the convening of applications for the fellowship programme in July 2010, and received 40 requests from individuals recommended by human rights organizations. The fellowship programme was established for an initial period of four months and developed between 16 August and 17 September 2010. The selected candidates were Ms. Ana Paula G. C. de Souza (Brazil) (League against Slavery), Mr. Kouanté Sigfrid Gerlac Chrysole André Yoro (Benin), Ms. Mariannick Koffi (Côte d’Ivoire/France) and Mr. Ado Esséna Sossou (Guinea) (Action contre l’exploitation des enfants et des femmes).", "42. OHCHR staff and members of the Board of Trustees provided trainees on the international human rights system, including the treaty body system, the Human Rights Council, the universal periodic review and special procedures on contemporary forms of slavery. As part of the programme, some fellows carried out tasks in other OHCHR subdivisions, including that of treaty bodies and that of special procedures. The fellows provided their knowledge in the development of research documents and awareness-raising materials. In view of the effectiveness of the programme, the Board recommended that two of the fellowships be extended for an additional period of eight months, from 5 January to 2 September 2011.", "43. The Board also recommended that the 2011/12 fellowship programme consist of two 12-month fellowships for the period from 5 September 2011 to 31 August 2012.", "Recommendation 8", "44. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that the Board devote more attention to certain policy issues, such as setting priorities for the future development of the Fund, raising funds and monitoring and providing technical assistance to non-governmental organizations, to better meet the long-term needs of victims of slavery.", "45. The Board of Trustees discussed its role in monitoring approved projects, pre-selection of applications, fund-raising activities and establishment of regular channels of communication with the secretariat. The Board reviewed the role of its members and recommended the inclusion of an item on policy issues in the agenda of the next session, with a view to reviewing thematic and regional priorities, as well as capacity-building for applicants and beneficiaries.", "Recommendation 9", "46. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended the establishment of an official monitoring and evaluation system.", "47. The Board approved the modified guidelines for project evaluation and recommended that the secretariat continue to systematically contact OHCHR country offices, human rights advisers, regional offices, United Nations peace missions and UNDP to monitor and evaluate field projects.", "48. The Board welcomed the report of the consultant to assess the needs and effectiveness of past activities and current programmes of some non-governmental organizations that have requested funding. The Board recommended continuing this experience and reserving a budget line of $10,000 for this purpose.", "49. The Board recommended that some projects be visited on a regular basis, and that the secretariat prepare reports of such visits for consideration by the Board at its annual session. The Board recommended that 5 per cent of the total budget be allocated to project monitoring and evaluation activities. In addition, the Board recommended that UNDP and the offices of the International Labour Organization in the field be informed of all planned evaluation missions.", "Recommendation 10", "50. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended the establishment of a management information system to ensure effective monitoring and monitoring of grants granted and to reduce workload.", "51. The Board expressed its appreciation for the new administrative information system developed by the OHCHR information technology section, which was used by the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, and recommended that funds be allocated to cover the costs of a temporary assistant to introduce data into the new grant management system. The Board recommended that applications be submitted through this new online application system in the next grant cycle. The Board also requested that the new system not be the only means of submitting applications, and that non-governmental organizations that lack the capacity to submit applications in electronic format continue to be able to submit them by mail.", "Recommendation 13", "52. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that the processing and funding cycle of the Fund be reformulated.", "53. The Board approved the following cycle of project grants to be implemented in 2012:", "(a) Deadline for submission of project applications for 2012: 31 May 2011;", "(b) Annual session of the Board of Trustees: 28 November-5 December 2011;", "(c) Disbursements: January to February 2012;", "(d) Submission of interim financial and descriptive reports: 30 September 2012;", "(e) Presentation of final financial and descriptive reports: 30 April 2013.", "Recommendations 14 and 15", "54. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended that OHCHR establish a more detailed and cost-effective preliminary evaluation policy.", "55. As recommended by the Board at its fourteenth session, when it comes to entities submitting for the first time a request to the Fund, the secretariat continues to systematically request and revise the organization ' s registration certificate; the organization ' s statutes; copy of bank documents designating the organization ' s authorized signatories; copy of bank statements; letters of recommendation; and evidence of the existence of other sources of funding. The secretariat continues to coordinate with the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and the All Together Project, in order to exchange information on applicants. The secretariat also continues to systematically contact the agencies that have provided references to all beneficiaries of grants, as well as donors.", "56. The Board also recommended that the secretariat continue its fruitful cooperation with field representatives and OHCHR officers to verify the work of new applicants and, in particular, the quality of assistance provided to victims of contemporary forms of slavery at the community level.", "57. The Board recommended that the secretariat request UNICEF and the International Labour Organization for its directory of non-governmental organizations. The Board also recommended that the secretariat assist organizations in the preparation of their requests and better meet the requirements of the Fund through OHCHR field representatives and, where they do not exist, United Nations country teams, wherever possible.", "Follow-up to the outstanding recommendations of the Office of Internal Oversight Services", "Recommendation 11", "58. The Office of Internal Oversight Services recommended the development and approval of a standard operating procedures manual with detailed guidelines on the operation and administration of the Fund.", "59. In February 2011, the Fund secretariat completed the drafting of the manual, which is based on the standard operating procedures manual of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.", "Recommendation 16", "60. In accordance with a recommendation of the Board, OHCHR is following up on recommendation 16 on specific funds allocated in Uganda.", "Recommendations 20 and 21", "61. Board members urged OHCHR to implement recommendations 20 and 21, which relate to overall coordination and the establishment of a common secretariat for all humanitarian funds managed by OHCHR.", "62. In March 2011, OHCHR endorsed the decision to merge the secretariats of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.", "D. Cooperation with United Nations agencies and developments in the United Nations system related to relevant mandates", "63. The Board of Trustees met with the secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture to exchange information on the working methodology, the role of members of its Board and the best practices of the Fund. The Board noted with interest that the online application system had helped to improve the capacity of the Fund for Victims of Torture to manage project grants, as well as the various activities of the members of the Board of that Fund.", "64. The Board of Trustees met with the Special Rapporteur ' s assistant on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, to discuss future collaboration with the Fund on dissemination and support to country missions. The Board invited the Special Rapporteur to contribute to the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Fund.", "65. In accordance with recommendations 6 and 8 of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the Board decided to recommend the establishment of a budget line of $15,000 to grant non-governmental organizations grants to enable them to attend regional, subregional and national meetings organized within the framework of the Special Rapporteur ' s field missions and to contribute to the implementation of the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur in her reports.", "66. The Board recommended that during the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council a side event be organized with the Special Rapporteur and with interested Governments and non-governmental organizations.", "Cooperation with the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons", "67. Under this agenda item, relating to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, members of the Board met with staff of the Division for Treaty Affairs and the Chief of the Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to discuss potential channels of communication and synergies.", "68. The Board welcomed the appointment by the Secretary-General of two members of the Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery as members of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for Victims of Trafficking, which would ensure communication and synergies between the two funds. The Board also noted that about 25 per cent of the grants granted by the Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery in 2010 were awarded to projects providing direct assistance to victims of trafficking. The Board recommended that regular meetings be held between the secretariats of the two funds in order to ensure that collaboration is ongoing and avoid duplication of work, and also that the information material includes cross-references to both funds. The Board noted that the overlap of the two funds is lower owing to the assumption that the new Fund for Victims of Trafficking will grant subsidies for governmental and intergovernmental initiatives, which are not part of the mandate of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery. The secretariats of both funds agreed to exchange working methods and hold regular meetings.", "E. Twentieth anniversary of the Fund in 2011", "69. The members of the Board recalled that General Assembly resolution 46/22, by which the Fund was established, was adopted on 17 December 1991, and decided to organize a number of activities to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Fund. The anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the Fund ' s influence as a support mechanism for the work of non-governmental organizations providing direct assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery. It is also an opportunity to learn from the two decades of work in this area, and to share with a wider audience the current difficulties in preventing slavery and protecting and fully rehabilitating its victims.", "70. On 1 June 2011, the Fund and the League against Slavery, in cooperation with Children Unite, the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica and the Permanent Mission of Uruguay, organized a side event to raise awareness of child domestic servitude and to discuss the role of human rights in protecting children from these practices. The event was attended by representatives of United Nations agencies and various civil society organizations, as well as members of various permanent missions, including those of Armenia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Greece, Honduras, Jamaica, South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Uruguay.", "71. From 1 to 28 September 2011, at the same time as the Human Rights Council held its eighteenth session, the Fund will organize an exhibition at the exhibition gallery at the Palais des Nations, which will show 56 works of art related to the work of the Fund.", "72. The Board of Trustees also decided to organize a side event within the framework of the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, in cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences.", "73. The celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Fund will culminate in a meeting on 2 December 2011, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, in which members of the Board, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, former beneficiaries of grants, non-governmental organizations and Governments could participate.", "74. The Board approved the allocation of a budget line of $20,000 to finance this activity.", "VI. International Day for the Abolition of Slavery", "75. On 2 December 2010, the members of the Board made the following statement to commemorate the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery:", "(a) On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we proclaim our commitment to completely eradicate slavery and slavery-like practices. We hope that this Day will serve to recall that, despite hundreds of years of efforts to abolish slavery, no country is immune to these serious human rights abuses.", "(b) There is sufficient evidence that slavery-like practices are widespread. The situation of children, denied the fundamental right to free birth and to be protected from slavery, was particularly worrying. Only one figure is enough to tell a terrible story: it is estimated that between 4.9 million and 6.15 million children are victims of slavery and similar practices.", "(c) The fact that millions of human beings around the world continue to be subject to slavery and slavery-like practices is a devastating reality. Traditional slavery, as a legally permitted system, has been abolished worldwide; however, it has not been completely eradicated, and new forms of slavery have emerged.", "(d) Debt servitude, serf status, forced labour, child labour and servitude, trafficking in persons and human organs, sexual slavery, the use of child soldiers, the sale of children, forced marriages, the sale of wives and the exploitation of prostitution constitute violations of the most fundamental human rights, rights that we all possess, regardless of sex, nationality, occupation or other status, of any other fundamental human rights.", "(e) Slavery, even when abolished, leaves traces. It can last as a state of mind—between the victims and their descendants, as well as among the heirs of those who practiced it—after their official abolition.", "f) Slavery-like practices are often clandestine. Fear, ignorance of one's rights and the need to survive do not encourage victims to speak. Most sufferers belong to the poorest and most socially excluded layers of society. The factors of poverty, class and race are interspersed and generate structural problems and cycles of marginalization that are difficult to break. Gender inequalities, educational gaps, desperation for work and demand for cheap work also constitute a trap for people.", "(g) The United Nations has responded to these challenges by establishing a number of relevant thematic procedures, including that of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, a fundamental mechanism for combating slavery and eradicating slavery-like practices. The United Nations also has the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict; and the Special Rapporteur on migrants ' rights. These thematic rapporteurs respond quickly to information on individual cases, and have been successful in preventing or preventing violations of rights.", "(h) In 1991, the United Nations also established the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery, which assists projects of non-governmental organizations that provide concrete, humanitarian, legal and financial assistance to victims and potential victims of contemporary forms of slavery. For example, in 2009/10, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery was able to provide assistance to potential victims and victims in 44 countries, providing 63 grants. The need for this assistance is further reflected in the more than 250 applications received this year by the Trust Fund, amounting to approximately $3,550,700.", "(i) On this day, we pay tribute to all Governments, civil society organizations and individuals involved in activities aimed at eradicating slavery and ensuring that all victims obtain redress, including the means for rehabilitation as fully as possible. We express our deep commitment to the fight against slavery and especially its victims.", "(j) We urge States to ratify and implement existing instruments in this area — especially the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.", "(k) We also urge all Member States to fulfil their obligations to abolish and eradicate slavery in all its manifestations. We express our gratitude to all donors of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery and urge the international community to manifest its solidarity with the victims of slavery by contributing generously to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery, so that the Fund can contribute to all unacceptable practices.", "VII. Way of contributing to the Fund", "76. Governments, non-governmental organizations and other public or private entities can contribute to the Fund. Donors should indicate “For the Slavery Fund, SH account” in a payment order. For information on how to make contributions, it is suggested that donors be directed to the Fund secretariat, the direction of which is: Secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund to Combat Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10 (Switzerland), Telephones: 41 22, 928, 9737 or 928, 9064;", "VIII. Conclusions and recommendations", "77. Non-governmental organizations providing assistance to victims of slavery have been showing increasing interest in the Fund. In 2010, some 243 requests for grants amounting to some $3,754,000 were received. The Board of Trustees could only recommend the granting of grants in the amount of $555,115, which represents less than 15 per cent of the total amount requested. The Fund ' s resources remain insufficient in view of increased demand and the need for support. Some 450 requests for grants have been received in 2011 amounting to approximately $6,125,000. The Board estimates that, in order to fulfil its mandate and to respond positively to requests received in 2011, the Fund would have to receive further contributions of at least $1.5 million prior to the sixteenth session of the Board of Trustees in November 2011.", "78. Current donors and potential donors are encouraged to intensify their support for the Fund so that it can expand the critical assistance it provides to victims of slavery. For the next cycle, donors are invited to make contributions to the Fund by November 2011, so that the United Nations Treasurer can register them before the sixteenth session of the Board.", "79. Organization of the sixteenth session of the Board in 2011. The Board adopted a provisional agenda for its next session, to be held in Geneva from 28 November to 5 December 2011.", "Annex I", "Project grants approved by the Board of Trustees at its fifteenth session[1]", "Organization Country or Title of the project or amount of territory covered (USD)", "Africa", "Women in Action Cameroon Instrument for the 4 800 against Gender Empowerment and Based Violence involving men to end early forced marriages and the sale of wives", "Mengbwa: Actions Cameroon Project to Combat 6 000 Jeunes Precocious and Forced Marriages of Koutaba Mbororo Girls", "Association Avenir Congo Legal Aid to 10 000 NEPAD Congo widows victims of contemporary forms of slavery in Brazzaville", "Association Côte d’Ivoire Project to improve the 7 000 Jekawili living and working conditions of young women serving in the city of Bouaké", "Côte d’Ivoire Prevention Project and 10 000 International Response to Trafficking and the Catholic to the Exploitation of Children in Côte d’Ivoire", "Network for Ghana Project to End 5 000 Community Planning in Mining to and Small-scale Development (Galamsey)", "AfriKids Ghana New 10,000 Afrikids Beginnings Programme", "Young Widows Kenya Assistance to widows in 10 000 Advancement Kayole Program to access and control family properties as a means of mitigating some negative aspects of widows ' inheritance transmission", "Harvest of Hope Kenya Recovery, through 10 000 Self Help Community empowerment, of the Centre victims of trafficking and slavery in the city of Mtwapa, Kenya", "African System of Liberia Fight against work 5,000 prevention and child through protection against campaign of abuse awareness and in the rural province of abandonment of the Montserrado children (ANPPCAN Liberia)", "Namibia National Society Operation to Combat 5 000 Rights Against Namibian Human Practices Similar to Slavery in Namibia", "Association Niger Request for assistance 10 000 Timidria for reintegration (organization of socio-economic support for two human rights victims) slavery practices in Abalak and Tchintabaraden", "Niger Projefid 10 000 against child labour in Niger (ALTEN)", "Women’s Aid Nigeria Protection and Rehabilitation 5 000 Collective (WACOL) for victims of child labour and servitude working in the mines and quarries of Abakaliki", "Oeuvres Sociales Republic Protection of young people 10 000 pour le Democratic mothers divorced after Développement (OSD) Congo forced marriages and forced labour in the home", "Regroupement des República Combating servitude 6 000 mamans de Kamituga Democrática and the exploitation of the Congolese children used as workers in the mining sites of the rural areas of Mwenga", "Mbutu Agricultural Republic Sensitizing the 10 000 Society (MAS) United local leaders in Tanzania regarding child labour in the Kisarawe and Mkurunga districts", "Kashog-Karagwe Republic Land Restoration 10 000 United Development of Expropriated by the Government Association Tanzania", "Justice ACTs South Africa Campaign on Evidence 10 000", "Togo Office Preventing the Worst 10 000 International Contemporary Forms of the Catholic of Slavery, Especially Childhood Trafficking in Children, and Protection of Vulnerable and At Risk Children by Strengthening Socio-Education Opportunities", "Uganda Youth Uganda Combating Trafficking in 7 615 Development Link children and other contemporary forms of slavery and the exploitation of youth in the Kawempe, Rubaga and Makindye divisions and in the Kampala district in Uganda before the end of 2011", "Youth Aid Uganda Uganda Community activities 10 000 for the prevention of child labour and rehabilitation of victims", "Asia and Pacific", "JOGAJOG Bangladesh Protection of Trafficking in 10 000 Street Children", "Prova Society Bangladesh Elimination and prevention 9 000 child labour", "Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia Prevention Project of 8 000 International Trafficking in Relief Communities and Equal Education", "China Women ' s Empowerment Association: 10,000 Women ' s Training and Migratory Development Workers from Indonesian Women Leaders in Hong to End Kong Debt Servant", "Asia against child Philippines Inter-agency approach 10 000 trafficking (Asia to address ACTs traffic), Inc. organs in the Philippines", "Centre for India Sara Akash Hamara – 9 300 Community Economics Social Inclusion of Girls and Development (from 6 to 18 years old) that Consultants Society suffer from child labour (CECOEDECON) through education and participation", "India Compact Foundation Social Integration and Support 10 000 Peoples for Victims of Asia ' s Indigenous Trafficking and Child Labour in North-East India", "Manav Seva Sansthan India Half-Way Home – Attention and 10 000 (Seva) support for victims of trafficking based on their rights", "Women’s Interlink India Empowerment of the 10 000 Foundation victims of trafficking, sexual slavery, child labour and child servitude", "Pusat Kajian dan Indonesia Eradication of work 8 000 Perlindungan Anak child in cultivation and (Center for marijuana trade in the study and province of Aceh protection of (Indonesia) childhood)", "Iran Household Project 9 400 Omid-e-Mehr (Islamic Omid Halfway Republic of)", "Children – Women in Nepal Decent work for 9 000 Social Services and household employees Human Rights (CWISH)", "The Advocates for Nepal School Project 5 000 Community Human Rights Sankhu-Palubari (former Minnesota Human Rights Advocates)", "Asociación Insan Pakistan Terminar con el trabajo 10 000 Dost infantil por medio de la educación", "Organization of Pakistan Violence and Marriages 10 000 Forced DAMAAN Development in Southern Punjab – Rehabilitating victims and making political discourse possible", "Bonded Labour Pakistan Freedom through the 10 000 Liberation Front education Pakistan, BLLF Pakistan", "Humanitarian Singapore Help Services and 10 000 Organisation for shelters for Migration Economics migrant workers", "Foundation Children Thailand Artistic School Kelly 10 000 of the Forest Anusorn", "Europe and Central Asia", "Clean World Aid to Azerbaijan Support Centre and 10 000 Women Social Union rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking", "Animus Bulgaria Support Guarantee 10 000 Sustainable Humanitarian Association for Women Survivors of Trafficking", "Civic Assistance Federation of Victim Assistance 10 000 Committee Russia of Compulsory Work", "Les amis du bus des France An urgent situation at 10 000 femmes 2010: supporting and maintaining assistance and protection for victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation in Paris", "Ruhama Ireland Support for victims of the 10 000 sex trafficking in Ireland", "Golden Goal Kyrgyzstan Support for effective programmes 10 000 to address trafficking, violence against children and other forms of exploitation", "Dingusi District žmoni District Lithuania Inclusion of victims 10 000 šeimcie stop trafficking in focus beings (human centre by supporting the art therapy of families of missing persons)", "NGO Interactune Republic of Not a Victim – 10 000 Moldova Stay sustainable", "The Association for Romania Consolidation of the 10 000 Developing Alternative Assistance Services for Victims of Trafficking Practices for People in Romania Reintegration and Education", "ASTRA – Anti Serbia Helpline Support 10 000 trafficking action ASTRA SOS and direct assistance to victims through social inclusion", "Tajikistan Freedom 10 000 public “Saodat”", "Centro “Uspishna Ukraine Reinserción de 50 niños 10 000 Zhinka” (provincia víctimas del trabajo y de Kherson) la servidumbre infantil en la comunidad, mediante servicios educativos y otros servicios adicional en las comunidades rural", "America", "Centro de Defesa da Brasil Combating work 10 000 Life and two Direitos Slave en la Amazonia de Humanos Acailandia Maranhão (CDVDH)", "Defense of Girls and Costa Rica Psychosocial care and 10 000 Children – legal to victims and potential international victims of DNI-Costa Rica sexual slavery and trafficking in minors in urban and rural areas of Costa Rica", "Fundación Nuestra Ecuador Support for the service of 10 000 Young social reintegration for adolescent girls victims of trafficking for the purpose of sexual and labour exploitation", "Terre des Hommes Haiti Project to assist the 10 000 Swiss children employed in the home in Port-au-Prince", "Mexico Rights Center Actions of Labour Dispute 10 000 humans Fray Matías for the rights of Cordova A.C. migrants", "Middle East and North Africa", "VIVERE Emirates Trafficking in human beings for 10 000 United Arab Emirates sexual exploitation and other forms of serious physical abuse", "Hotline for Migrant Israel Fight against Trafficking 6 000 Workers", "Minority Rights Mauritania Support Hratine 10 000 Group International to find cases that may be subject to strategic litigation", "Palestinian Center Territories Work and servitude 10 000 for Palestinian communication for children and Development occupied Strategies", "Annex II", "List of project grants recommended by the Board of Trustees at its fifteenth session", "Organization of children", "[1] All grants are pending until the receipt of appropriate additional information." ]

[ "Vigésimo tercer informe del Secretario General sobre la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia", "I. Introducción", "* Publicado nuevamente por razones técnicas el 18 de agosto de 2011.", "1. En su resolución 1938 (2010), el Consejo de Seguridad prorrogó el mandato de la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia (UNMIL) hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2011 y me solicitó que lo informara de los preparativos para las elecciones de 2011 y sobre los progresos realizados respecto de los elementos de referencia básicos de la transición, incluida la elaboración de un plan conjunto de transición para el traspaso de las funciones respecto de la seguridad interna de la UNMIL a las autoridades nacionales competentes. El presente informe contiene información actualizada sobre los principales acontecimientos ocurridos desde mi informe de 14 de febrero de 2011 (S/2011/72) y mis recomendaciones para la prórroga del mandato de la misión de la UNMIL.", "II. Principales acontecimientos", "A. Situación política", "2. Durante el período que abarca el informe los acontecimientos políticos estuvieron dominados por las actividades realizadas por los partidos políticos como parte de los preparativos para el referendo constitucional y las elecciones presidenciales y legislativas que se celebrarán el 23 de agosto y el 11 de octubre, respectivamente. Pese a que hubo varias fusiones entre partidos políticos, incluidas las adhesiones al Partido de la Unidad al que pertenece la Presidenta Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, el panorama político siguió caracterizándose por la inestabilidad y la fragmentación, y hubo considerables desplazamientos de un partido a otro. Al 1 de agosto, 18 de las 32 entidades políticas inscritas habían elegido a sus candidatos presidenciales. Entre los principales partidos que participaron en las elecciones de 2005, el Partido de la Unidad confirmó a la Presidenta Johnson Sirleaf como su candidata a la Presidencia y al Vicepresidente Joseph Boakai como candidato a la Vicepresidencia; el Partido de la Libertad eligió a Charles Brumskine y a Franklin Siakor, senador del condado de Bong, como candidatos a la Presidencia y la Vicepresidencia, respectivamente; y el Congreso por el Cambio Democrático eligió a Winston Tubman como candidato a la Presidencia y a George Weah, su candidato presidencial en 2005, como candidato a la Vicepresidencia. La Comisión Electoral Nacional tiene previsto anunciar el 22 de agosto la lista provisional de candidatos para los 88 escaños legislativos sometidos a elección.", "3. El Comité Consultivo entre Partidos siguió siendo un foro importante para dirimir las principales diferencias de opinión surgidas entre los partidos políticos y la Comisión Electoral Nacional, sobre todo en relación con las particularidades de las elecciones. En el marco del Comité, se llegó a un acuerdo para iniciar la campaña política el 5 de julio en lugar del 18 de agosto. Sin embargo, persisten ciertos desacuerdos entre algunos partidos y con la Comisión Electoral Nacional respecto del marco jurídico para las elecciones que, de no resolverse, podrían poner en entredicho el cronograma electoral. Un partido inició una acción judicial para detener el proceso de demarcación de las circunscripciones electorales aduciendo razones constitucionales, pero el Tribunal Supremo desestimó la petición. También se interpuso otra acción judicial para impugnar la composición de la Comisión Electoral Nacional, pero aún no se ha dictado un fallo al respecto; asimismo, se presentó un recurso para suspender la celebración del referendo por motivos constitucionales, pero tampoco se ha emitido un fallo. Mi Representante Especial ha intensificado sus buenos oficios para instar a los partidos políticos a que entablen un diálogo incluyente con el fin de llegar a un entendimiento común respecto de esas cuestiones, incluida la interpretación del artículo 91 de la Constitución, acerca del umbral requerido para el referendo sobre enmienda de la Constitución.", "4. Entre tanto, se ha avanzado muy poco en el proceso de reconciliación nacional desde que la Presidenta presentó su tercer informe trimestral sobre la aplicación de las recomendaciones de la Comisión para la Verdad y la Reconciliación al órgano legislativo en enero. Siguiendo instrucciones de la Presidenta, se prevé que la Comisión Nacional Independiente de Derechos Humanos asuma una mayor responsabilidad en lo relativo a las recomendaciones, en particular la elaboración de una hoja de ruta para la reconciliación nacional y el establecimiento del programa Palava Hut, un mecanismo diseñado para que los autores de delitos puedan pedir perdón públicamente. Hasta la fecha no se han logrado avances concretos hacia la ejecución del programa Palava Hut, pese a que la Presidenta declaró en junio que el mecanismo se empezaría a aplicar en los próximos meses.", "B. Situación de la seguridad", "5. La situación de la seguridad en Liberia siguió siendo en general estable, aunque precaria. Los efectos que produce la situación en Côte d’Ivoire en las zonas fronterizas de Liberia, sumados a las persistentes tensiones y controversias entre grupos étnicos y comunidades por las tierras y otros recursos, significaron importantes desafíos en materia de seguridad. Las limitadas oportunidades de empleo y medios de vida, en particular entre los jóvenes, siguieron representando un problema para la seguridad, y todavía hay una alta incidencia de delitos graves y otras actividades ilegales.", "6. Como indiqué en mi último informe sobre la Operación de las Naciones Unidas en Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI), de 24 de junio de 2011 (S/2011/387), la llegada a Liberia de combatientes de Côte d’Ivoire y de liberianos que combatieron en Côte d’Ivoire constituyó una importante amenaza para la seguridad que el Gobierno y la UNMIL están intentando subsanar. En abril, el personal de seguridad del Gobierno arrestó a un conocido excaudillo liberiano por su presunta participación en combates en Côte d’Ivoire. Durante el interrogatorio, dijo que otros combatientes habían regresado a Liberia cruzando pasos fronterizos sin control oficial. El Gobierno ha manifestado su intención de someter a juicio a los liberianos que combatieron en Côte d’Ivoire y hasta la fecha se ha arrestado a unos 20, aunque casi todos fueron liberados por falta de pruebas o debido a lo poco convincente de los casos presentados por los fiscales.", "7. En junio, 88 presuntos combatientes de Côte d’Ivoire, que habían sido recluidos en una cárcel local después de que cruzaron la frontera en el condado de Maryland en abril, fueron trasladados a un centro de reclusión especial en el condado de Bong. Un grupo mixto de presuntos combatientes, entre ellos más de 90 nacionales de Côte d’Ivoire, habría ingresado en mayo al condado de River Gee y el 14 de junio los organismos de seguridad de Liberia recuperaron una importante cantidad de armas y municiones de un depósito clandestino en River Gee, que se presume que ese grupo había escondido. La UNMIL destruyó las armas y municiones en julio y se ha arrestado a 37 personas en relación con el escondite de armas.", "8. Las tensiones relacionadas con las controversias sobre tierras siguieron representando una grave amenaza para la estabilidad a largo plazo de Liberia. En marzo, tras la renovación de una controversia de larga data sobre tierras entre condados, unas 50 personas armadas con machetes y escopetas de un solo cañón, supuestamente del condado de Maryland, atacaron un poblado en el condado de Grand Kru e incendiaron dos casas. La policía nacional y la UNMIL intervinieron y controlaron la situación, después de lo cual se desplegaron agentes de la Unidad Especializada de Respuesta de Emergencia de la Policía Nacional de Liberia para mantener la paz.", "9. Las controversias laborales también siguieron causando incidentes de seguridad, que probablemente se intensifiquen debido al establecimiento de grandes plantaciones e industrias madereras y extractivas. El 26 de mayo, 30 trabajadores de la Cavalla Rubber Corporation, en el condado de Maryland, decidieron ir al tribunal de primera instancia donde debían comparecer cuatro compañeros suyos que habían sido arrestados. Cuando se dirigían al tribunal, agentes de la Unidad Especializada de Respuesta de Emergencia de la Policía Nacional de Liberia intentaron detenerlos y en la confrontación que siguió, dispararon contra un trabajador y le dieron muerte. Posteriormente, un grupo de residentes incendió dos de las edificaciones de la plantación. Se envió a agentes de la Policía Nacional de Liberia y la UNMIL al lugar de los hechos, los que controlaron la situación. En marzo, las protestas en Monrovia por el atraso en el pago de los sueldos de los profesores dieron lugar a enfrentamientos violentos entre estudiantes y agentes de la Unidad Policial de Apoyo de la Policía Nacional de Liberia, lo que produjo el cierre temporal de las escuelas de la ciudad.", "10. Las tensiones étnicas siguieron causando preocupación. En junio, un altercado entre miembros de los grupos étnicos Mano y Krahn en el poblado de Sowaken del condado de Grand Gedeh, llevó a que unos 20 miembros del grupo étnico Krahn atacaran y destruyeran varias casas y saquearan las pertenencias de miembros de los grupos étnicos Mano y Gio. Agentes de seguridad de Liberia y la UNMIL intervinieron para restaurar la calma.", "11. Durante el período, se denunciaron seis incidentes de violencia colectiva contra la infraestructura y las autoridades de la policía. En mayo, un accidente de tráfico entre un vehículo de la UNMIL y una mototaxi desencadenó enfrentamientos violentos con la policía nacional y el incendio de una comisaría de policía en Saclapea, en el condado de Nimba.", "C. Situación económica", "12. En 2010 el crecimiento económico fue del 5,6%, tasa ligeramente inferior a la proyectada del 6,3%. Para 2011 se ha previsto una tasa de crecimiento del 6,8%. Las exportaciones de productos básicos siguieron recuperándose y la modesta expansión del sector de los servicios y el aumento de la inversión extranjera directa, principalmente en las industrias extractivas, contribuyeron al crecimiento económico. En mayo, el Gobierno presentó un proyecto de presupuesto nacional de 458,9 millones de dólares para el ejercicio económico 2011-2012, que superaba en un 26% al presupuesto del año anterior. Pese a haber alcanzado el punto de culminación de la Iniciativa para la reducción de la deuda de los países pobres muy endeudados en junio de 2010, lo que redujo considerablemente el monto de la deuda del país, el Gobierno ha obtenido solo unos pocos préstamos en condiciones de favor.", "13. Para 2011 se preveía una inflación más alta, del 8,1%, en comparación con el 7,2% en 2010, lo cual refleja la vulnerabilidad de Liberia a los aumentos de los precios mundiales de los combustibles y los alimentos, dado que el país importa aproximadamente las dos terceras partes de sus alimentos. Un estudio reciente reveló que en los últimos seis meses los precios internos de los productos básicos, en especial el arroz, aumentaron en más del 30%. Asimismo, en una encuesta sobre población activa realizada en 2010 se estimó que el 77% de los liberianos con trabajo tenían una situación de empleo vulnerable y no disfrutaban de los beneficios básicos ni de seguridad laboral.", "14. Después de que el Gobierno adoptó la decisión de prorrogar la estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza de junio a diciembre de 2011, se encuentran en marcha los preparativos para elaborar un marco para el siguiente programa. Bajo la dirección del Ministerio de Planificación y Asuntos Económicos y la Comisión de Gobernanza, se establecieron 15 grupos de trabajo sectoriales para que examinen la aplicación de la estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza y elaboren hojas de ruta sectoriales para seguir desarrollando los sectores económico, social y de infraestructura del país, con el fin de contribuir a la segunda etapa de la estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza, lo que en última instancia, forma parte del proyecto “Liberia: Rising Vision 2030”.", "D. Situación regional", "15. La crisis postelectoral de Côte d’Ivoire ha supuesto grandes problemas humanitarios y de seguridad para Liberia. Como se señala en los párrafos 6 y 7 supra, la continua presencia de milicias y otros elementos armados en la región occidental de Côte d’Ivoire y las zonas fronterizas siguió constituyendo una amenaza para toda la subregión, en particular para Liberia. Con el apoyo de la UNMIL, el Gobierno está aumentando sus patrullas y su presencia a lo largo de la frontera con Côte d’Ivoire para vigilar la situación y actuar como elemento de disuasión, pero no es fácil vigilar una frontera de 700 kilómetros. La UNMIL y la ONUCI han intensificado la cooperación entre las misiones, en particular reiniciando las actividades fronterizas conjuntas en el marco de la “Operación Mayo”, celebrando un mayor número de reuniones conjuntas, coordinando las patrullas terrestres y aéreas e institucionalizando el intercambio de información, incluido el nombramiento de oficiales de enlace en los contingentes vecinos transfronterizos. En junio la UNMIL y la ONUCI llevaron a cabo una misión de evaluación conjunta en la región occidental de Côte d’Ivoire. Además, los Gobiernos de Liberia y Côte d’Ivoire han entablado conversaciones sobre la seguridad fronteriza, incluida la iniciativa de 9 de julio, cuando el Primer Ministro de Côte d’Ivoire encabezó una delegación en una visita oficial a Monrovia. El 17 de julio se celebró en Monrovia una reunión extraordinaria en la cumbre de la Unión del Río Mano, en la que se debatió, entre otras cuestiones, la cooperación en materia de seguridad transfronteriza, y se decidió establecer un comité técnico para coordinar mejor las cuestiones de seguridad fronteriza en la región.", "16. Se está siguiendo de cerca la reanudación de las tensiones en Guinea. Los violentos enfrentamientos ocurridos en mayo entre miembros de los grupos étnicos Kpelle y Mandingo en el poblado de Galakpai, cerca de la frontera con Liberia, dieron lugar a una afluencia de guineanos a Liberia, pertenecientes en su mayoría al grupo étnico Kpelle. El organismo de Liberia encargado de los refugiados estimó que, al 1 de agosto, más de 3.000 guineanos había buscado refugio en varios poblados fronterizos del condado de Bong, en Liberia, Entre tanto, durante el período, el Gobierno de Liberia y la UNMIL, continuaron realizando operaciones fronterizas conjuntas con los Gobiernos de Guinea y Sierra Leona.", "17. Liberia siguió siendo vulnerable al tráfico de drogas. Cantidades limitadas de drogas duras, como la heroína y la cocaína, pasan por Liberia. Prospera la producción nacional de marihuana y en muchas zonas se cree que está sustituyendo a otras actividades agrícolas y que se envían grandes volúmenes a los países vecinos. También se tiene noticia de trata de personas por rutas similares. En mayo, el Gobierno se adhirió a la Iniciativa de la Costa de África Occidental, marco en el que participan múltiples interesados con el objeto de ejecutar el Plan de Acción Regional de la Comunidad Económica de los Estados de África Occidental (CEDEAO) para hacer frente al creciente problema del tráfico de drogas ilícitas y la delincuencia organizada en África occidental; y en julio, comenzó a funcionar la Dependencia contra la Delincuencia Transnacional de la Policía Nacional de Liberia.", "E. Situación humanitaria", "18. A finales de mayo, más de 180.000 refugiados de Côte d’Ivoire se habían registrado en los condados de Grand Gedeh, Maryland, Nimba y River Gee. Después de una verificación que llevó a cabo la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados y de algunos retornos, en especial de personas del condado de Nimba, a finales de junio se estimó que la cifra de refugiados era de 140.000. Sin embargo ha continuado la afluencia de refugiados a Liberia meridional, aunque a un ritmo menor, y para el 1 de agosto se estimaba en 160.000 el número total de refugiados registrados. En los condados de Nimba y Maryland se construyeron campamentos de refugiados, los campamentos de tránsito se están convirtiendo en campamentos permanentes y se está construyendo un nuevo campamento en el condado de Grand Gedeh. Sin embargo, la inmensa mayoría de refugiados permanece en comunidades fronterizas alejadas, lo cual dificulta la prestación de asistencia y ejerce presión sobre los recursos de suyo escasos en las comunidades de acogida. Por consiguiente, el Gobierno está alentando a los refugiados a que se trasladen a campamentos o poblados más alejados de la frontera, que se consideran más seguros. El 24 de marzo se puso en marcha un plan de acción humanitaria de emergencia revisado, que incluía la solicitud de 146,5 millones de dólares para prestar apoyo a 150.000 refugiados, cifra ya financiada en un 50%. También se ha revisado el plan de modo que cubra las necesidades humanitarias de 160.000 refugiados y 100.000 liberianos en las comunidades de acogida, para lo cual se solicitan 166 millones de dólares para el resto de 2011.", "III. Ejecución del mandato", "A. Preparativos para las elecciones", "19. Los preparativos para la celebración del referendo y las elecciones se aceleraron cuando la Comisión Electoral Nacional confirmó el 23 de agosto de 2011 como fecha para el referendo constitucional. Se han propuesto cuatro enmiendas a la Constitución, de las cuales tres se refieren a las elecciones, a saber, cambiar el sistema electoral de una mayoría absoluta a una mayoría simple en todas las elecciones exceptuando las de presidente y vicepresidente, trasladar el día de las elecciones de octubre a noviembre y modificar la cláusula sobre el período de residencia de los candidatos a la Presidencia y la Vicepresidencia, que pasaría de diez a cinco años consecutivos inmediatamente antes de las elecciones. La cuarta disposición aumentaría a 75 años la edad de retiro obligatorio de los Presidentes de los Tribunales Supremos. La Comisión Electoral Nacional confirmó que la fecha de celebración de las elecciones presidenciales y legislativas sería el 11 de octubre de 2011, aunque los resultados del referendo podrían trasladarla al 8 de noviembre. El registro de votantes concluyó en febrero y, según la Comisión Electoral Nacional, cerca de 1,8 millones de personas se inscribieron, cifra que representa aproximadamente el 89% de la población que reúne los requisitos para votar, de los cuales el 49% son mujeres.", "20. El 5 de abril la Comisión Electoral Nacional inició una campaña de educación cívica y electoral, que incluye varias actividades realizadas en asociación con la sociedad civil. La UNMIL prestó apoyo a la difusión de información sobre el proceso electoral mediante programas radiales y otras actividades de divulgación emprendidas en las zonas rurales. Además, la Comisión Electoral Nacional y otros asociados impartieron capacitación a más de 400 mujeres con aspiraciones políticas. Pese a la demora ocasionada por un recurso interpuesto ante el Tribunal Supremo que ponía en duda la constitucionalidad de llevar a cabo una demarcación de circunscripciones electorales sobre la base del Proyecto de Ley sobre el Umbral, la Comisión Electoral Nacional pudo concluir la demarcación en todo el país y presentó un mapa definitivo el 8 de julio. El calendario general para las elecciones se mantuvo y la presentación de candidaturas empezó el 20 de julio, tal como se había previsto.", "21. Mi Representante Especial apoyó la reactivación del Grupo de Contacto Internacional sobre Liberia y otras iniciativas encaminadas a alentar el diálogo entre partidos promovido por la Comisión Electoral Nacional, como se señala en el párrafo 3 supra. La UNMIL intensificó su colaboración con las autoridades liberianas con el fin de crear un ambiente propicio para la celebración pacífica de las elecciones y reforzó su seguimiento de todo lo relacionado con el proceso electoral, las cuestiones jurídicas y políticas, la información pública, la seguridad y los derechos humanos, al tiempo que vigilaba de cerca la campaña política. Para contribuir a propiciar unas condiciones de igualdad para todos, la emisora de radio de la UNMIL sigue concediendo espacios equitativos a todos los partidos para que expongan sus plataformas políticas y, la Misión proporcionó a los grupos de observación nacionales una lista de verificación relativa a los derechos humanos con el fin de facilitar las actividades de supervisión durante los períodos electorales.", "22. La UNMIL coordinó la asistencia internacional prestada al proceso electoral por conducto del Grupo de Coordinación de los Donantes y prosigue sus esfuerzos para movilizar a los donantes para ayudar a mitigar el déficit de 4 millones de dólares del fondo colectivo del PNUD. La UNMIL también aumentó la capacidad de las instituciones de seguridad nacional en materia de planificación y capacitación del personal encargado de prestar servicios de seguridad para las elecciones, aunque el Gobierno todavía no ha encontrado recursos para cubrir los gastos necesarios para garantizar condiciones de seguridad. Entre tanto, la Misión ha elaborado planes de seguridad y de emergencia para prestar a las autoridades nacionales un apoyo efectivo en materia de seguridad a fin de que las elecciones se celebren en paz.", "23. La Comisión Electoral Nacional preparó su plan para entregar material electoral a los 1.780 recintos de votación y ha solicitado el apoyo de la UNMIL para llevar materiales por vía aérea a los centros de administración judicial menos accesibles en seis de los 15 condados. La UNMIL desplegó a funcionarios judiciales electorales para prestar apoyo a los magistrados de la Comisión Electoral Nacional en todos los condados. La celebración del referendo y posiblemente de la primera ronda del proceso electoral en plena temporada de lluvias en Liberia constituirá un formidable desafío logístico. Como las cédulas de votación solo se podrán imprimir después de conocerse el resultado del referendo, el plazo entre la impresión y distribución de las cédulas será extremadamente corto", "B. Reforma del sector de la seguridad", "1. Estrategia y estructura de seguridad nacional", "24. Las partes interesadas pidieron que se promulgaran disposiciones fundamentales relacionadas con el sector de la seguridad antes de que terminara el período legislativo en curso. El 11 de mayo la Comisión de Seguridad de la Cámara de Representantes celebró una audiencia pública sobre el Proyecto de Ley sobre la reforma del sector de la seguridad y el servicio de inteligencia y varias de las propuestas sugeridas en la audiencia se incorporaron al Proyecto de Ley, entre ellas una disposición para mantener, de alguna forma, el Organismo de Fiscalización de la Droga, que se había previsto abolir y cuyas actividades se integrarían a la Policía Nacional de Liberia.", "25. El Fondo Fiduciario de Justicia y Seguridad del PNUD, cuyas atribuciones se ampliaron recientemente para incluir el apoyo a las instituciones del sector judicial, y el Fondo para la Consolidación de la Paz han empezado a desempeñar funciones importantes en el crecimiento del sector de la seguridad, en particular en lo relativo a la labor de la Policía Nacional de Liberia y otras instituciones de seguridad y justicia. El Fondo para la Consolidación de la Paz está financiando el desarrollo del Centro de Justicia y Seguridad de Gbarnga y el Fondo Fiduciario de Justicia y Seguridad del PNUD ha prestado apoyo a la Policía Nacional, los servicios de inmigración y penitenciarios y el sector judicial en materia de capacitación, movilidad e infraestructura fundamental. El Gobierno ha logrado avances modestos en lo que respecta a aumentar las asignaciones para el sector de la seguridad en el presupuesto nacional de 2011-2012, aunque los gastos periódicos siguen siendo una cuestión problemática. La necesidad de aumentar el apoyo para el sector de la seguridad, en particular la Policía Nacional de Liberia, es cada vez más evidente en vista de la próxima transición de la UNMIL. Con respecto a la promoción de una mejor supervisión y rendición de cuentas, se ha iniciado un examen de la capacidad de las comisiones legislativas sobre seguridad.", "2. Fuerzas Armadas de Liberia", "26. Las Fuerzas Armadas de Liberia tienen una dotación actual de 2.012 efectivos, que incluyen las unidades de infantería, ingeniería y policía militar, y un servicio de guardacostas dotado de 51 efectivos y cuatro embarcaciones. Cincuenta mentores militares de los Estados Unidos de América siguieron prestando apoyo a la creación de una fuerza profesional y capaz, incluido el perfeccionamiento del estado mayor del ejército para que asuma mayores responsabilidades de mando. El ejército puso en marcha su plan de adiestramiento anual de 2010-2011, que culminó con la realización de dos prácticas de combate a nivel de batallones con el apoyo de la UNMIL en abril de 2011, y con una serie de actividades de adiestramiento destinadas a preparar al ejército para asumir posibles funciones de mantenimiento de la paz en el futuro. En junio, el ejército llevó a cabo varias operaciones conjuntas con buenos resultados, en particular una operación compleja con otras instituciones de seguridad, el Ministerio del Interior y la UNMIL, para transportar a presuntos excombatientes de Côte d’Ivoire en el país hasta el campo de internación designado por el Gobierno. El Servicio de Guardacostas también realizó operaciones conjuntas con las patrullas marítimas aéreas de la UNMIL en aguas costeras para detectar actividades marítimas ilegales e informar al respecto.", "27. Si bien se había estimado que el ejército tendría plena capacidad operativa para 2012, varios factores, en particular la insuficiencia de equipo, la demora en la adquisición de nuevos materiales y el atraso persistente en el apoyo a la estrategia de defensa nacional, probablemente retrasen el logro de esa capacidad plena por lo menos hasta 2014. Sin embargo, las actividades y las operaciones llevadas a cabo hasta la fecha indican una capacidad operativa cada vez mayor.", "28. Los incidentes de falta de disciplina del personal de las Fuerzas Armadas de Liberia, entre ellos el hostigamiento de la población civil, los altercados con la Policía Nacional, uno de los cuales redundó en el asesinato de un agente de policía, y las actividades delictivas, siguieron causando preocupación.", "3. Policía Nacional de Liberia", "29. Los esfuerzos desplegados para hacer frente a la situación a lo largo de la frontera entre Liberia y Côte d’Ivoire y la planificación para las elecciones han significado un desafío considerable para la Policía Nacional de Liberia, una organización de suyo presionada que sigue aumentando su capacidad institucional. La Unidad Especializada de Respuesta de Emergencia de la Policía Nacional de Liberia y otros agentes de policía han llevado a cabo operaciones de control fronterizo, en colaboración con otros organismos de seguridad y con el apoyo de la UNMIL, lo que presentó una oportunidad singular para poner a prueba la capacidad de los organismos de seguridad nacionales. Si bien la Policía Nacional de Liberia ha demostrado tener una mayor capacidad para ejecutar operaciones complejas, esas operaciones también han dejado al descubierto preocupantes deficiencias logísticas y de capacidad. En particular, la movilidad sigue siendo un problema importante, pues afecta su capacidad de despliegue rápido en el país, y la UNMIL continúa prestando apoyo aéreo y otro tipo de apoyo logístico. La Policía Nacional de Liberia también se preparó para asumir la principal función de seguridad durante la celebración del referendo y las elecciones.", "30. A la luz del proceso de planificación de la transición y de la evolución de la situación de seguridad a lo largo de la frontera, la UNMIL colaboró con la Policía Nacional de Liberia para asignar nuevas prioridades a los proyectos de su plan estratégico. Veinticinco proyectos prioritarios están a punto de terminarse y ya han surtido efecto en sistemas fundamentales y estructurales, como la gestión del parque automotor y los criterios para la asignación de responsabilidad por los vehículos. Ya casi se ha finalizado un plan de establecimiento de recursos humanos encaminado a determinar necesidades racionales de dotación de personal y estructuras jerárquicas, que tiene en cuenta la evolución de las necesidades en materia de plantilla en el cuartel general regional.", "19. Con apoyo de la UNMIL y de los donantes, la Academia Nacional de Policía siguió impartiendo formación a nuevos agentes de policía. Al 1 de agosto, la Policía Nacional de Liberia contaba con 4.153 agentes, incluidos 620 agentes de la Unidad Policial de Apoyo y 322 agentes de la Unidad Especializada de Respuesta de Emergencia. Con los 620 efectivos de la Unidad Policial de Apoyo se cumple el objetivo estratégico de impartir formación a 600 agentes de esta categoría antes de las elecciones, aunque los recién graduados todavía no tienen plena capacidad operativa pues carecen de equipo y apoyo logístico. En total, la representación de las mujeres en la fuerza de policía es del 16%.", "20. Prosiguió el desarrollo de la Dirección de Inmigración y Naturalización. Además de concluir la elaboración de varios documentos que establecen su base institucional, el organismo ha llevado a cabo actividades a lo largo de la frontera con Côte d’Ivoire, lo cual ha puesto de relieve los enormes desafíos que todavía enfrenta la Dirección. El Fondo Fiduciario de Justicia y Seguridad del PNUD está prestando apoyo para aumentar su capacidad y se están adoptando las providencias necesarias para que los funcionarios de inmigración tengan su sede en el Centro de Gbarnga, que constituirá una base operacional de avanzada eficaz.", "C. Instituciones judiciales y penitenciarias", "21. Se ha seguido fortaleciendo la coordinación y colaboración con el sector judicial y entre los sectores judicial y de la seguridad. Un retiro conjunto realizado en febrero con asistencia de miembros del sector judicial y el Ministerio de Justicia y el posterior curso práctico sobre mantenimiento de la paz sirvieron para congregar a los principales interesados a fin de que asignaran prioridades a las necesidades para mejorar la administración de justicia. La UNMIL continuó centrando la atención en fortalecer la capacidad de las instituciones y los mecanismos que promueven el estado de derecho, prestar apoyo a las medidas encaminadas a mejorar la administración de justicia y el acceso a esta y asesorar a los principales agentes del sector judicial.", "22. El Equipo de Tareas sobre Prisión Preventiva, dirigido por el Gobierno, prosiguió sus esfuerzos para solucionar los atrasos en el sistema de justicia penal y elaboró un plan de acción. Se ha preparado un proyecto de reforma de la ley sobre los jurados para agilizar la tramitación de las causas penales, que se presentará al órgano legislativo. Asimismo, concluyó una evaluación de los sistemas de teneduría de libros que se utilizan en los tribunales y las fiscalías, y se elaboraron nuevos diseños estandarizados para facilitar un mejor seguimiento de las causas. Además, en junio se graduaron 61 jueces legos del Programa de Formación de Jueces Profesionales del Instituto Judicial, con lo cual se prevé que mejorará la eficiencia del sistema de justicia penal, especialmente en las zonas rurales. Aunque todavía no se han celebrado las consultas previstas sobre la armonización de los sistemas judiciales oficiales y consuetudinarios, el tema sigue vigente en el programa del Gobierno y se están llevando a cabo actividades conexas, en particular una evaluación del sistema de justicia de los gobernantes tribales.", "23. Pese a estos hechos positivos, varios problemas importantes siguieron obstaculizando el progreso en el sector judicial, en particular la insuficiencia en materia de capacidad humana, infraestructura y equipo, los marcos jurídicos obsoletos y la dependencia de la financiación de los donantes. Cabe mencionar como ejemplo el proyecto finalizado en abril que durante un año hizo el seguimiento de las causas relacionadas con violencia sexual en el sistema de justicia penal, y que determinó que, trabajando con la capacidad actual, se necesitarían unos diez años nada más que para dar curso a todos los casos acumulados sobre violencia sexual.", "24. Si bien se han seguido desplegando grandes esfuerzos para mejorar la prevención, la respuesta y la gestión de los casos de violencia sexual y por razón de género, el alto número de denuncias de violación, en particular de víctimas jóvenes, continúa siendo un serio motivo de preocupación. Prosiguieron las iniciativas encaminadas a fortalecer la Sección de Protección de la Mujer y el Niño de la Policía Nacional de Liberia, cuya sede se terminó de construir en abril. Se han observado mejoras en el seguimiento de los casos y la coordinación con los fiscales. Un equipo de expertos de la Oficina del Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la Violencia Sexual en los Conflictos visitó Liberia en abril con el fin de determinar el tipo de apoyo más provechoso que se podría prestar al Gobierno para hacer frente a la violencia sexual.", "25. Las condiciones de seguridad en los centros penitenciarios siguieron siendo precarias, y hubo diez incidentes de fuga de reclusos en los últimos seis meses. La población penitenciaria fuera de Monrovia creció de manera lenta pero constante, mientras que el número de presos en la cárcel central de Monrovia permaneció estable, en gran parte debido al tribunal especial móvil de primera instancia que funciona allí. La tasa de detención preventiva siguió siendo extremadamente alta, pues asciende al 80% a nivel nacional. Si bien el hacinamiento continuó siendo un problema en todos los centros de detención, en algunos se lograron algunos progresos en la creación de actividades de rehabilitación para los reclusos.", "D. Derechos humanos", "26. Liberia continuó esforzándose por aplicar un enfoque de derechos humanos a las políticas y la planificación y por mejorar su situación de derechos humanos. En marzo, una delegación del Gobierno asistió a la sesión de seguimiento del examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos en Ginebra para proporcionar respuestas a las 41 recomendaciones restantes del total de 113 formuladas en la sesión celebrada en noviembre de 2010. En la sesión se abordaron varias cuestiones, en particular la aplicación de la pena de muerte, las medidas para hacer frente a la violencia sexual y por razón de género, las prácticas tradicionales dañinas y la aplicación de las recomendaciones de la Comisión para la Verdad y la Reconciliación. La delegación de Liberia señaló que, si bien se estaban adoptando medidas para enfrentar esas cuestiones, no podía pronunciarse sobre la derogación de la pena de muerte ni sobre la tipificación de la mutilación genital femenina como delito. Se ha establecido un mecanismo para promover y vigilar la aplicación de las recomendaciones del examen periódico universal. La UNMIL prestó apoyo al Gobierno de Liberia en su preparación del examen periódico universal como parte de su mandato actual de fomento de la capacidad, vigilancia y promoción.", "27. Desde su creación oficial en octubre de 2010, la Comisión Nacional Independiente de Derechos Humanos ha funcionado con limitaciones. Aunque la Comisión ha hecho algunas visitas de seguimiento y ha investigado denuncias de uso excesivo de la fuerza por la policía de Monrovia, sus divisiones internas han puesto en entredicho su imagen pública y han afectado la ejecución de su plan de trabajo para 2011. Por conducto del Grupo de Trabajo sobre la Justicia de Transición, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil están entablando conversaciones con los comisionados para promover una reorientación del mandato de la Comisión.", "E. Consolidación de la autoridad del Estado", "40. El Gobierno adoptó una serie de medidas para consolidar la autoridad del Estado, como ampliar los servicios administrativos de las oficinas centrales de los condados a las oficinas distritales, desplegar un mayor número de personal técnico, aumentar la capacidad administrativa y pagar los sueldos con más puntualidad. La Presidenta apoyó oficialmente la política de descentralización, que prevé la restitución de la autoridad política, fiscal y administrativa a las 15 administraciones provinciales, preparándola para la adopción de medidas legislativas. Con el apoyo de los asociados internacionales, se está ejecutando un proyecto piloto de descentralización en nueve condados. No obstante, persisten los problemas, en especial en relación con la logística y con la retención del personal técnico capacitado y calificado. Si bien los mecanismos de coordinación para la ejecución de la estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza y los programas de desarrollo de los condados han seguido funcionando, las reuniones no se han celebrado con regularidad debido al ausentismo de funcionarios provinciales clave.", "41. El Gobierno ha establecido directrices y procedimientos más estrictos para el uso del fondo de desarrollo de los condados, que en 2010 se congeló como resultado de denuncias de mala gestión. Se prevé que la contratación de supervisores sobre el terreno en los condados para que hagan un seguimiento del uso del fondo e informen al respecto restablezca la confianza de la opinión pública en las autoridades locales.", "42. Desde noviembre de 2010 se han emprendido trabajos de obras públicas en más de 1.000 kilómetros de carreteras, en particular en la zona sudoriental del país, con la contribución del Gobierno y de donantes multilaterales y bilaterales, y la UNMIL ha seguido rehabilitando tramos de las carreteras que constituyen sus rutas principales de abastecimiento. Sin embargo, Liberia todavía no ha emprendido la construcción de nuevos caminos principales pavimentados.", "F. Gobernanza", "43. Los obstáculos jurídicos y de otro tipo siguieron dificultando el enjuiciamiento eficaz de los principales casos de corrupción, y aunque en mayo se dictó la primera condena por corrupción contra unos funcionarios del Banco Central acusados de reciclar cheques, se trató de un caso de nivel relativamente bajo. El seguimiento de las recomendaciones de los informes de la Comisión General de Auditoría continuó siendo lento. En marzo, la Presidenta Johnson Sirleaf anunció que no propondría nuevamente la candidatura del Auditor General para otro período.", "44. Las operaciones de la Comisión de Lucha contra la Corrupción de Liberia prosiguieron con una campaña nacional de información sobre la integridad en la administración pública. Desde marzo de 2009, la Comisión ha presentado al Ministerio de Justicia un total de 25 casos de corrupción para su procesamiento judicial. Sin embargo, la propuesta de la Presidenta de que se otorguen facultades de ministerio público a la Comisión todavía no ha prosperado.", "45. La Comisión de Tierras concluyó su plan estratégico quinquenal y creó un equipo de tareas para la solución de controversias relativas a la tierra con el fin de que formule políticas y examine métodos alternativos de solución de controversias. La Comisión también prosiguió su labor de armonización de las fronteras de los condados, pero hasta la fecha solo se han solucionado 2 de 10 controversias debido a la limitación de recursos. Asimismo, en junio la Presidenta sancionó la promulgación de la ley que estableció la Comisión de Reforma Legislativa, luego de dos años de labores sujetas a decretos ejecutivos. Hubo pocos avances en el proceso de reforma constitucional, pese a los esfuerzos de la Comisión de Gobernanza por reactivar el Equipo de tareas encargado del examen de la Constitución.", "G. Ordenación de los recursos naturales", "46. El control de la extracción y el comercio de diamantes siguió enfrentando problemas. La aplicación de las recomendaciones formuladas por la misión de examen del Proceso de Kimberley de 2009 y por el Grupo de Expertos sobre Liberia (S/2009/640) siguió siendo lenta. El 15 de julio se celebró una reunión del Equipo de Tareas Presidencial sobre los Diamantes, que no se había reunido en más de diez meses, en la que se acordó revitalizar su labor y llevar a cabo reuniones más frecuentes. Con apoyo internacional, el sistema de bases de datos para reunir información estadística sobre los diamantes ya es funcional y se están fortaleciendo las oficinas regionales de diamantes. Entre enero y junio se exportaron 18.046 quilates de diamantes en bruto, por valor de 9,9 millones de dólares, y el Gobierno recibió ingresos de casi 300.000 dólares. El Ministerio de Tierras, Minas y Energía empezó a realizar actividades de sensibilización sobre el cumplimiento de las disposiciones del Proceso de Kimberley en las zonas mineras de los condados de Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount y Nimba y sus alrededores.", "47. Los ingresos fiscales generados por la silvicultura comercial han sido inferiores a lo previsto, dado que en el ejercicio económico de 2010-2011 los operadores solo pagaron 2,1 millones de los 13,5 millones de dólares que debían. Se ha creado un equipo de tareas gubernamental para que examine el régimen tributario y evalúe si la mitigación de algunos requisitos podría mejorar el cumplimiento de las compañías. La Dirección de Desarrollo Forestal también ha establecido procedimientos para que los Comités de Desarrollo Forestal Comunitario tengan acceso a fondos y los puedan gestionar a favor de las comunidades afectadas que estén legalmente facultadas para participar en los beneficios. Se establecieron y pusieron en marcha plantaciones de aceite de palma en unas 460.000 hectáreas de tierra entregadas en concesión a empresas en condados de las zonas occidental y sudoriental. Sin embargo, las comunidades se oponen a la extensión de las operaciones, piden compensación y protestan por no haber sido consultadas respecto de los acuerdos de concesión.", "H. Integración del sistema de las Naciones Unidas", "48. Hubo avances en la aplicación del principio “Unidos en la acción”. En marzo se estableció una dependencia de apoyo en materia de seguimiento y evaluación para asistir con el desarrollo del “Programa único”. Asimismo, en abril se elaboró una hoja de ruta que indica los ajustes en los programas y las operaciones que es necesario llevar a cabo para integrar a las Naciones Unidas en Liberia en el marco del “Programa único” y armonizar los servicios que presta, y el Grupo de Comunicaciones de las Naciones Unidas preparó un nuevo plan de trabajo sobre la base de los principios de “Unidos en la acción”. La hoja de ruta se está armonizando con los procesos de visión, crecimiento y desarrollo nacionales.", "IV. Cuestiones intersectoriales", "A. Información pública", "49. Las Naciones Unidas trabajaron estrechamente con el Gobierno y otros asociados en la crisis de refugiados y velaron por que se reconociera apropiadamente la generosidad de las comunidades de acogida. La UNMIL siguió colaborando con la Policía Nacional de Liberia y el Ministerio de Justicia en el fomento de la capacidad, en particular impartiendo formación en el empleo a los funcionarios encargados de la información pública. Los finalistas de la competición anual de talentos “Nace una estrella”, organizada conjuntamente por el Gobierno y la UNMIL, grabaron un disco compacto con canciones sobre el tema de los derechos de los niños.", "B. Género", "50. Con el fin de mejorar la incorporación de la perspectiva de género, se está llevando a cabo una evaluación participativa del tema en todos los organismos de las Naciones Unidas, incluida la UNMIL. Se ha seguido prestando apoyo a la incorporación de la perspectiva de género a las políticas del Gobierno, en particular en el ámbito de los servicios de inmigración y penitenciarios y de la formación práctica de las mujeres policías. También se evaluaron los programas de capacitación en cuestiones de género en las instituciones del sector de la seguridad, tras lo cual se adoptaron medidas complementarias inmediatas en el ejército, los servicios penitenciarios y los servicios de inmigración.", "C. VIH/SIDA", "51. La UNMIL impartió capacitación en materia de sensibilización y prevención del VIH/SIDA y las enfermedades de transmisión sexual para el personal de mantenimiento de la paz recién desplegado y ofreció servicios voluntarios de análisis para la detección del VIH y servicios de comunicación orientados al cambio de comportamiento. Con el fin de aumentar el número de consejeros entre pares en materia de VIH/SIDA, se impartió formación a 23 funcionarios nacionales. Todos los servicios están a la disposición de los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas que realizan actividades en Liberia.", "D. Conducta y disciplina", "52. La UNMIL siguió esforzándose por asegurar el cumplimiento de mi política de tolerancia cero frente a la explotación y los abusos sexuales mediante la adopción de medidas preventivas, como sesiones de orientación inicial y repaso, visitas de inspección a establecimientos de acceso restringido y campañas constantes de concienciación para sensibilizar a las comunidades locales. En el período que abarca el informe se impartió capacitación integrada sobre conducta y disciplina a 2.689 miembros del personal de las Naciones Unidas de todas las categorías, en particular sobre la política de tolerancia cero, la gestión del estrés y la sensibilización sobre el VIH/SIDA. La UNMIL también impartió capacitación sobre la prevención de la explotación y los abusos sexuales a 563 miembros de las comunidades locales.", "53. Durante el período examinado se presentaron 26 denuncias de faltas de conducta graves, incluidas 16 denuncias de explotación y abusos sexuales, cifra que refleja un aumento general en comparación con el período del informe anterior.", "E. Seguridad del personal de las Naciones Unidas", "54. La delincuencia siguió representando una importante amenaza para la seguridad del personal y los bienes de las Naciones Unidas, sobre todo en Monrovia. En el período que abarca el informe se denunciaron cinco incidentes de robo a mano armada contra personal de las Naciones Unidas y 56 delitos no relacionados con armas, entre ellos violación de domicilio, hurto y agresión. Tres funcionarios de contratación nacional, seis militares y un agente de policía murieron como consecuencia de disparos, enfermedades o accidentes.", "V. Despliegue de la Misión", "A. Componente militar", "55. Como indiqué en mis informes anteriores, con los ajustes a la dotación de la UNMIL realizados en 2006 y la finalización de las tres etapas de la reducción oficial de la Misión en mayo de 2010, sumados al retiro de la fuerza de guardias militares del Tribunal Especial para Sierra Leona en marzo de 2011, la dotación de la Misión se redujo de 15.250 efectivos a la actual dotación militar autorizada de 7.952 efectivos.", "56. La UNMIL mantiene su cuartel general en Monrovia y tiene fuerzas desplegadas en dos sectores, que se componen en cada caso de tres batallones de infantería. La Fuerza de Reacción Rápida está destacada en Monrovia y tiene dos bases de operaciones de avanzada ubicadas cerca de las carreteras que conducen a las fronteras con Guinea y Côte d’Ivoire. En la fuerza están representados 43 países que aportan contingentes y se compone de 7.703 soldados, 79 oficiales de Estado Mayor y 130 observadores militares, incluidas 209 mujeres.", "57. Durante el período que abarca el informe, la UNMIL siguió prestando apoyo a la ONUCI mediante acuerdos de cooperación entre misiones, de conformidad con las resoluciones pertinentes del Consejo de Seguridad. Los dos helicópteros militares de uso general que se asignaron provisionalmente a la ONUCI regresaron a la UNMIL el 28 de junio, en tanto que los tres helicópteros artillados siguen asignados a la ONUCI y prestan apoyo fundamental en las operaciones fronterizas conjuntas que llevan a cabo las dos misiones.", "B. Componente de policía", "58. Al 1 de agosto, el componente de policía de la UNMIL tenía una dotación de 1.330 efectivos, de un máximo autorizado de 1.375, que comprendía 456 asesores de policía, 843 agentes en siete unidades de policía constituidas y 31 funcionarios de prisiones. El componente de policía incluye a 200 mujeres. Hay tres unidades de policía constituidas desplegadas en Monrovia y una en cada uno de los condados de Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh y Lofa. La UNMIL también tiene 11 asesores en materia de inmigración.", "VI. Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz", "59. El programa para la consolidación de la paz en Liberia, que se basa en el Plan Prioritario para la Consolidación de la Paz, y cuyo costo estimado es de 71 millones de dólares, fue aprobado el 5 de mayo de 2011. El programa de tres años de duración se centra en la justicia, la seguridad y la reconciliación nacional. Uno de los principales proyectos es el establecimiento de cinco centros regionales de justicia y seguridad con el fin de promover servicios de justicia y seguridad más eficaces y una presencia en todo el país. El Fondo para la Consolidación de la Paz asignó una contribución inicial de 20.154.000 de dólares para la ejecución del programa y la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz ha iniciado actividades encaminadas a movilizar recursos.", "60. En junio se llevó a cabo la primera visita oficial de una delegación de la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz a Liberia, compuesta por representantes de los Estados Unidos de América, Jordania, Liberia, Nigeria, el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte y Ucrania. La visita se llevó a cabo después de dos misiones anteriores del Presidente de la configuración encargada de Liberia de la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz. La delegación se reunió con interesados nacionales e internacionales y promovió la reforma legislativa y el establecimiento de mecanismos de supervisión y rendición de cuentas para los sectores de la seguridad y la justicia. El Presidente de la Comisión también obtuvo el apoyo de la Presidenta a una propuesta de formulación de una estrategia de reconciliación nacional y el Gobierno convino en centrar la atención en ciertas prioridades fundamentales durante el primer año, en particular la puesta en marcha del centro de Gbarnga, el establecimiento de los centros segundo y tercero y el apoyo a la construcción de nuevos centros penitenciarios y el establecimiento de tribunales en algunas zonas rurales. Con respecto a la reconciliación, se acordó asignar prioridad al apoyo inicial a la reforma agraria y el empoderamiento de los jóvenes.", "VII. Planificación de la transición", "61. En su resolución 1938 (2010), el Consejo de Seguridad alentó a la UNMIL y al Gobierno de Liberia a que siguieran avanzando en el proceso de planificación de la transición, en particular para la realización de una evaluación exhaustiva de la situación y la determinación de las deficiencias críticas que hubiera que suplir para facilitar una transición con éxito, y solicitó que las Naciones Unidas y el Gobierno de Liberia elaboraran un plan conjunto de transición para el traspaso de las funciones respecto de la seguridad interna de la UNMIL a las autoridades nacionales competentes. En la resolución también se solicitó una revisión de los elementos de referencia de la Misión para que incluyeran elementos de referencia de la transición que orientaran el traspaso de las funciones de seguridad de la UNMIL a las autoridades nacionales. Estos elementos se describieron en mi último informe, de fecha 14 de febrero de 2011 (S/2011/72).", "62. Después de un curso práctico sobre la transición celebrado en junio de 2010, el Gobierno y la UNMIL iniciaron un proceso conjunto de planificación de la transición. Bajo la dirección del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, el proceso resultó en el establecimiento de un grupo básico de nivel superior, un grupo de trabajo y cuatro grupos de tareas para asuntos de seguridad que cubren los ámbitos de la seguridad fronteriza, el orden público, la seguridad de los bienes y la logística. Se ha hecho una evaluación conjunta de la situación y se han preparado hojas de trabajo para la transición en las que se indican las tareas específicas que se traspasarán a las autoridades nacionales. En abril de 2011, los cuatro grupos de tareas empezaron a evaluar la capacidad de los organismos de seguridad de Liberia para asumir la responsabilidad en los cuatro ámbitos. Sin embargo, se ha avanzado con lentitud, particularmente en lo relativo a la Policía Nacional de Liberia, que absorberá gran parte de las funciones de orden público y seguridad de los bienes. El actual enfoque en la seguridad fronteriza y en las condiciones de seguridad para la celebración de las elecciones ha desbordado la capacidad de planificación del Gobierno y es probable que durante el período electoral disminuyan las actividades relacionadas con la transición.", "63. Con respecto a la elaboración de un plan conjunto de seguridad para la transición siguen pendientes varias tareas importantes, como el logro de un acuerdo sobre la naturaleza de las deficiencias que todavía persisten, la determinación de una estrategia para subsanar las deficiencias fundamentales y el diseño de un enfoque estratégico que permita poner a prueba la capacidad de las autoridades nacionales de mantener la seguridad con independencia de la UNMIL, que estará vinculado con los planes de seguridad del Gobierno y su capacidad para ejecutarlos. En mi siguiente informe presentaré propuestas para avanzar en la preparación de un plan conjunto para la transición a objeto de traspasar la responsabilidad por la seguridad interna de la UNMIL a las autoridades nacionales competentes.", "64. En relación con la estrategia de transición para el traspaso de las actividades civiles de la Misión, en junio un equipo de tareas empezó a exponer las actividades civiles de apoyo de la Misión al Gobierno y los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas, para fundamentar las deliberaciones sobre cómo complementar la actual planificación de la seguridad para la transición y articularla con el proceso “Unidos en la acción”.", "VIII. Aspectos financieros", "65. En su resolución 65/301, la Asamblea General decidió consignar la suma de 525,6 millones de dólares, equivalente a unos 43,8 millones de dólares por mes, incluidos 513,4 millones de dólares para el mantenimiento de la UNMIL durante el período comprendido entre el 1 de julio de 2011 y el 30 de junio de 2012, y 12,2 millones de dólares para el apoyo electoral que prestará la Misión. Si el Consejo de Seguridad decidiera prorrogar el mandato de la UNMIL más allá del 30 de septiembre de 2011, el costo de mantener la Misión hasta el 30 de junio de 2012 se limitaría a las sumas aprobadas por la Asamblea General.", "66. Al 15 de julio de 2011, las cuotas impagadas a la Cuenta Especial para la UNMIL se elevaban a 55 millones de dólares. El total de cuotas pendientes de pago para todas las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz a esa fecha ascendía a 1.475,3 millones de dólares.", "67. Al 30 de junio de 2011, las sumas adeudadas a los países que aportan contingentes y unidades de policía constituidas ascendían a unos 29,8 millones de dólares. Se han efectuado reembolsos por concepto de los gastos de los contingentes, las unidades de policía constituidas y el equipo de propiedad de los contingentes correspondientes a los períodos terminados el 31 de mayo y el 31 de marzo de 2011, respectivamente, de conformidad con el plan de pagos trimestrales.", "IX. Observaciones", "68. Liberia esta próxima a celebrar su segunda ronda de elecciones democráticas desde que terminó el conflicto. El éxito de esas elecciones y el inicio pacífico del nuevo gobierno serán cruciales para consolidar los enormes progresos que ha realizado el país en los últimos ocho años. Con los buenos resultados obtenidos por el programa de inscripción de electores, las autoridades liberianas han demostrado una capacidad cada vez mayor para planificar y poner en marcha la compleja actividad nacional que constituirá la celebración del referendo y las elecciones y es importante mantener ese impulso durante todo el proceso. Las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia seguirán prestando el apoyo técnico y logístico que se requiera para garantizar el éxito de la operación. Sin embargo, habrá problemas logísticos considerables pues es posible que todas las actividades electorales se lleven a cabo en plena temporada de lluvias y los plazos serán extremadamente cortos. Por consiguiente, insto a todos los agentes políticos y a la población en general a que hagan todo lo posible para asegurar que las elecciones que se avecinan se celebren en un clima de libertad, imparcialidad y sin violencia.", "69. A medida que se aproximan las elecciones y se intensifican las actividades de campaña, insto a todos los partidos políticos a que utilicen el espacio democrático para conseguir apoyo para sus posiciones políticas y a que se abstengan de hacer declaraciones incendiarias y realizar actos de provocación. Es importante respetar el calendario electoral. Aliento a los partidos políticos y a la Comisión Electoral Nacional a que zanjen con prontitud las diferencias de opinión que aún persisten respecto de su interpretación de ciertos aspectos del marco jurídico, y aliento también a los partidos y a los ciudadanos a que utilicen los canales legales y los mecanismos pertinentes para solucionar cualquier controversia que se presente en relación con el proceso electoral. A este respecto, acojo con beneplácito la reactivación del Grupo de Contacto Internacional sobre Liberia y me reconforta la intensificación del diálogo en el Comité Consultivo entre Partidos. Las Naciones Unidas seguirán apoyando el proceso electoral, en particular mediante los buenos oficios de mi Representante Especial.", "70. La labor del grupo de trabajo conjunto del Gobierno y la UNMIL para la transición ha puesto de relieve un número considerable de deficiencias en la seguridad nacional que habrán de subsanarse con el fin de permitir el traspaso sin tropiezos de las responsabilidades de la UNMIL en materia de seguridad a las instituciones nacionales. La situación a lo largo de la frontera entre Liberia y Côte d’Ivoire presentó oportunidades para que las instituciones de seguridad demostraran su capacidad operativa, pero puso de manifiesto problemas persistentes, especialmente en relación con la logística y el equipo. Por consiguiente, es urgente que los asociados internacionales del Gobierno aumenten el apoyo prestado para el desarrollo del sector de la seguridad, con el fin de que las operaciones de la UNMIL se puedan reducir progresivamente a medida que traspasa las responsabilidades en este ámbito a las autoridades nacionales. A este respecto, acojo con agrado el especial interés de la Comisión de Consolidación de la Paz en el establecimiento de los cinco centros regionales de justicia y seguridad, pues estos centros mejorarán el acceso a la justicia y la seguridad en todo el país. Insto a los asociados bilaterales a que presten apoyo a los centros, al Fondo Fiduciario de Justicia y Seguridad del PNUD y al Programa de Consolidación de la Paz de Liberia, para promover una mayor eficacia y responsabilidad en los sectores de la seguridad y el estado de derecho, prestando atención especial a la supervisión y gestión de las instituciones, y a que proporcionen también apoyo y equipo logístico críticos, en particular para que la Policía Nacional de Liberia disponga de equipo suficiente antes de las elecciones.", "71. Me preocupa la lentitud con que se aplican las recomendaciones de la Comisión para la Verdad y la Reconciliación, especialmente a la luz de la función crítica que desempeñará la reconciliación en la promoción de una paz sostenible. Aliento a la Comisión Nacional Independiente de Derechos Humanos a que supere sus problemas internos. La Comisión debe ejecutar su mandato fundamental de servir de principal institución de derechos humanos independiente del país y debe asumir su función central de indicar los pasos a seguir para aplicar las recomendaciones de la Comisión para la Verdad y la Reconciliación.", "72. La situación de los refugiados y las cuestiones relacionadas con la seguridad derivadas de la crisis postelectoral en Côte d’Ivoire constituyen importantes desafíos para Liberia. Es fundamental que se preste apoyo financiero al Plan de Acción Humanitaria de Emergencia revisado para cubrir las necesidades humanitarias hasta el final de 2011, en especial debido a que continúa la afluencia de refugiados. Me alienta el enfoque proactivo adoptado por el Gobierno para hacer frente al problema de los combatientes de Côte d’Ivoire y acojo con beneplácito el establecimiento de un centro especial de internación para los presuntos combatientes de Côte d’Ivoire. Asimismo, me complace constatar la creciente cooperación entre los Gobiernos de Liberia y Côte d’Ivoire y la mayor cooperación entre la UNMIL y la ONUCI para solucionar los problemas de seguridad transfronteriza. Insto a todos los interesados a que impidan el movimiento de armas, separen a los refugiados de los excombatientes y se cercioren de que los presuntos excombatientes reciban un tratamiento acorde con la ley.", "73. En su resolución 1938 (2010), el Consejo de Seguridad prorrogó el mandato de la UNMIL hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2011, con una dotación autorizada de 7.952 efectivos militares y 1.375 efectivos de policía. Habida cuenta de la capacidad aún limitada de las instituciones de seguridad nacional y de la necesidad crítica de prestar apoyo a las operaciones de seguridad electoral, fronteriza y de otro tipo, siguen vigentes las recomendaciones formuladas en mi informe especial de 10 de junio de 2009 (véase S/2009/299) respecto de mantener los componentes militar y de policía de la Misión en esa dotación autorizada hasta después de las elecciones de 2011. Después de la toma de posesión del próximo gobierno se desplegará en Liberia una misión de evaluación técnica general, dirigida por el Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz, con el fin de que elabore propuestas detalladas para las siguientes etapas del retiro gradual de la Misión, en particular las nuevas reducciones del componente militar. Esa evaluación incluirá un examen exhaustivo de los avances logrados respecto de los puntos de referencia establecidos para la transición de la seguridad y se llevará a cabo en estrecha consulta con el Gobierno de Liberia y todos los interesados pertinentes. Presentaré al Consejo de Seguridad mis propuestas para las siguientes etapas de la reducción gradual de la Misión y la transición de la seguridad a comienzos de 2012, en un informe especial que incluirá las conclusiones y las recomendaciones formuladas por la misión de evaluación. Por consiguiente, recomiendo que el Consejo de Seguridad prorrogue el mandato de la Misión por un período de un año, hasta el 30 de septiembre de 2012, y que realice un examen de su dotación autorizada militar y de policía antes del 30 de mayo de 2012, sobre la base de las conclusiones de la misión de evaluación técnica mencionada.", "74. Para concluir, deseo expresar mi sincero agradecimiento a mi Representante Especial para Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj, y al personal civil y militar de la UNMIL por su contribución a la consolidación de la paz en Liberia. También me gustaría expresar mi gratitud a todos los países que aportan contingentes y fuerzas de policía, a la Comunidad Económica de los Estados de África Occidental, a la Unión Africana, al Grupo de Contacto Internacional sobre Liberia, a los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas, a los donantes multilaterales y bilaterales y a las organizaciones no gubernamentales internacionales y locales por su participación y su contribución al sostenimiento de la paz y el apoyo al desarrollo de Liberia.", "Anexo", "Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia: efectivos militares y de policía", "(Al 1 de agosto de 2011)", "País Componente Unidades Policía militar de policía civil constituidas\n Observadores Oficiales Soldados Total militares de Estado Mayor", "Argentina 0 0 0 0 13", "Alemania 0 0 0 0 5", "Bangladesh 14 7 1 433 1 454 16", "Benin 2 1 0 3 0", "Bolivia (Estado 2 1 0 3 0 Plurinacional de)", "Bosnia y Herzegovina 0 0 0 0 12", "Brasil 0 2 0 2 0", "Bulgaria 2 0 0 2 0", "China 2 6 558 566 17", "Croacia 0 2 0 2 0", "Dinamarca 3 2 0 5 0", "Ecuador 2 1 0 3 0", "Egipto 5 0 0 5 4", "El Salvador 2 0 0 2 1", "Estados Unidos de 4 5 0 9 11 América", "Etiopía 8 4 0 12 0", "Federación de Rusia 4 0 0 4 11", "Fiji 0 0 0 0 28", "Filipinas 2 1 115 118 30", "Finlandia 0 2 0 2 0", "Francia 0 1 0 1 0", "Gambia 1 0 0 1 18", "Ghana 9 7 700 716 20", "India 0 0 0 0 243 3", "Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0", "Jamaica 1", "Jordania 4 5 114 123 240 13", "Kenya 0 0 0 0 18", "Kirguistán 3 0 0 3 2", "Malasia 6 0 0 6 0", "Malí 1 0 0 1 0", "Mongolia 0 2 148 150 0", "Montenegro 2 0 0 2 0", "Namibia 1 3 0 4 4", "Nepal 2 3 15 20 240 14", "Níger 2 0 0 2 0", "Nigeria 12 9 1 553 1 574 120 19", "Noruega 0 0 0 0 9", "Pakistán 7 10 2 942 2 959 24", "Paraguay 2 1 0 3 0", "Perú 2 2 0 4 0", "Polonia 2 0 0 2 3", "República Checa 0 0 0 0 4", "República de Corea 1 1 0 2 0", "República de Moldova 2 0 0 2 0", "Rumania 2 0 0 2 0", "Rwanda 0 0 0 0 3", "Samoa 0 0 0 0 0", "Senegal 1 1 0 2 0", "Serbia 4 0 0 4 6", "Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0 13", "Suecia 0 0 0 0 13", "Suiza 3", "Togo 2 1 0 3 0", "Turquía 0 0 0 0 26", "Ucrania 2 2 275 279 18", "Uganda 0 0 0 0 6", "Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0", "Yemen 0 1 0 1 6", "Zambia 3 0 0 3 25", "Zimbabwe 2 0 0 2 37", "Total 128 83 7 853 8 064 843 456", "[]" ]

[ "Twenty-third progress report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Liberia", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) until 30 September 2011 and requested me to report on preparations for the 2011 elections and progress in achieving the core transition benchmarks, including the development of a joint transition plan for the transfer of responsibility for internal security from UNMIL to the appropriate national authorities. The present report provides an update on major developments since my report of 14 February 2011 (S/2011/72) and contains my recommendations for the renewal of the UNMIL mandate.", "II. Major developments", "A. Political situation", "2. During the reporting period, political developments were dominated by activities of political parties in preparation for the upcoming constitutional referendum and the presidential and legislative elections, scheduled to take place on 23 August and 11 October, respectively. Despite a number of party mergers, including additions to the Unity Party, of which President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a member, the political landscape remained fluid and fragmented, with significant floor-crossing. As of 1 August, 18 of the 32 registered political entities had elected their presidential candidates. Among the main parties from 2005, the Unity Party confirmed President Johnson Sirleaf as its presidential candidate and Vice-President Joseph Boakai as vice-presidential candidate; the Liberty Party elected Charles Brumskine and Bong County Senator Franklin Siakor as its presidential and vice‑presidential candidates; and the Congress for Democratic Change elected Winston Tubman as its presidential candidate and George Weah, its 2005 presidential candidate, as its vice-presidential candidate. On 22 August, the National Elections Commission is scheduled to announce a provisional list of candidates for the 88 legislative seats being contested.", "* Reissued for technical reasons on 18 August 2011.", "3. The Inter-Party Consultative Committee continued to provide an important forum for addressing key issues arising among political parties and the National Elections Commission, including modalities for the elections. Within the framework of the Committee, an agreement was reached to start the political campaign period on 5 July instead of 18 August. However, disagreements remain among some parties and with the National Elections Commission regarding the legal framework for the elections, which could threaten the electoral timeline should they remain unresolved. One party took legal action to halt the electoral districting exercise on constitutional grounds, although the petition was not upheld by the Supreme Court. Another suit, on which there is still no ruling, disputed the composition of the National Elections Commission, and an injunction to halt the conduct of the referendum was sought on constitutional grounds, but no ruling has been made. My Special Representative has intensified her good offices to engage political parties in an inclusive dialogue to reach a common understanding regarding these issues, including the interpretation of article 91 of the Constitution, regarding the threshold required for the referendum to amend the Constitution.", "4. Meanwhile, little progress has been made in the national reconciliation process since the President submitted the third quarterly report on the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the legislature in January. As directed by the President, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights is expected to take on greater responsibilities regarding the recommendations, including to develop a road map for national reconciliation and to establish the Palava Hut Programme — a mechanism for perpetrators to seek public forgiveness. So far, there has been no concrete progress towards implementing the Palava Hut Programme, despite a statement by the President in June that it would be implemented in the coming months.", "B. Security situation", "5. The security situation in Liberia remained generally stable, but fragile. The impact of the situation in Côte d’Ivoire on the border areas of Liberia, combined with continuing ethnic and communal tensions and disputes over land and other resources, presented significant security challenges. Limited employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly among youth, remained major factors affecting security, while serious crime and other illegal activities are still prevalent.", "6. As indicated in my latest report on the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) dated 24 June 2011 (S/2011/387), the influx into Liberia of Ivorian combatants and Liberian nationals who fought in Côte d’Ivoire constituted a major security threat that the Government and UNMIL are working to address. In April, Government security personnel arrested a known former Liberian warlord for allegedly fighting in Côte d’Ivoire. During questioning, he reported that other fighters had returned to Liberia through unofficial border-crossing points. The Government has shown its intention to prosecute Liberians who fought in Côte d’Ivoire, and about 20 have been arrested to date, although most were released owing to lack of evidence and/or weak cases brought by the prosecution.", "7. In June, 88 suspected Ivorian combatants, who were detained in a local prison after crossing the border in Maryland County in April, were interned in a special facility in Bong County. A mixed group of suspected fighters, including more than 90 Ivorian nationals, reportedly entered River Gee County in May, and on 14 June, Liberian security agencies retrieved a significant number of weapons and ammunition from a cache in River Gee County believed to have been hidden by this group. UNMIL destroyed the weapons and ammunition in July and 37 people have been arrested in connection with the cache.", "8. Tensions related to land disputes continued to pose serious threats to the long-term stability of Liberia. In March, following the renewal of a long-standing inter‑county land dispute, about 50 people armed with cutlasses and single-barrel shotguns, allegedly from Maryland County, attacked a village in Grand Kru County, setting two houses ablaze. The national police and UNMIL intervened and brought the situation under control, and officers of the Emergency Response Unit of the Liberia National Police were subsequently deployed to maintain the peace.", "9. Labour disputes also continued to cause security incidents, which are likely to increase given the development of large plantations and timber and extractive industries. On 26 May, 30 workers of the Cavalla Rubber Corporation in Maryland County went to the Magisterial Court, where four of their fellow workers were to appear following their arrest. On the way to court, elements from the Emergency Response Unit of the Liberia National Police attempted to stop them, and during the ensuing confrontation shot and killed one worker. Subsequently, a group of residents burned down two of the plantation buildings. The Liberia National Police and UNMIL were deployed to the scene and brought the situation under control. In March, protests in Monrovia regarding teachers’ salary arrears escalated into violent clashes between students and Liberia National Police Support Unit officers, resulting in the temporary closure of the city’s schools.", "10. Ethnic tensions continued to be a concern. In June, an altercation between members of the Mano and Krahn ethnic groups in Sowaken Village, Grand Gedeh County, resulted in a group of about 20 members of the Krahn ethnic group attacking and destroying several houses and looting belongings of members of the Mano and Gio ethnic groups. Liberian security officials and UNMIL responded and restored calm.", "11. Six incidents of mob violence against police authorities and infrastructure were reported in the period. In May, a traffic accident between an UNMIL vehicle and a motorcycle taxi resulted in a mob clashing violently with the national police, and the destruction by fire of a police station in Saclapea, Nimba County.", "C. Economic situation", "12. Economic growth in 2010 was 5.6 per cent, slightly lower than the projected rate of 6.3 per cent. The growth rate for 2011 is projected to be 6.8 per cent. Commodity exports continued to rebound, and modest expansion of the service sector and increases in foreign direct investment, mainly in extractive industries, contributed to economic growth. In May, the Government submitted a draft national budget of $458.9 million for fiscal year 2011/12, which was 26 per cent greater than the previous year’s budget. Despite achieving the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in June 2010, which reduced the country’s debt stock significantly, the Government has taken only a few concessional loans.", "13. Inflation was projected to be higher in 2011, at 8.1 per cent, compared to 7.2 per cent in 2010, reflecting the vulnerability of Liberia to global price increases of fuel and food, as it imports about two thirds of its food supply. A recent survey found that domestic prices of essential goods, especially rice, rose by an average of more than 30 per cent over the last six months. Also, a 2010 Labour Force Survey estimated that 77 per cent of employed Liberians were vulnerably employed and unable to count on basic benefits or job security.", "14. Following the Government’s decision to extend the poverty reduction strategy from June to December 2011, preparations have been under way to develop a framework for a successor programme. Led by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and the Governance Commission, 15 sectoral working groups were established to review implementation of the poverty reduction strategy and produce sectoral road maps for continued development of the country’s economic, social and infrastructural sectors to feed into the second phase of the poverty reduction strategy, ultimately forming part of the Liberia Rising Vision 2030 Project.", "D. Regional situation", "15. The post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has created significant security and humanitarian challenges for Liberia. As indicated in paragraphs 6 and 7 above, the continued presence of militias and other armed elements in western Côte d’Ivoire and border areas continued to pose a threat for the entire subregion, particularly Liberia. The Government, supported by UNMIL, is increasing its patrolling and presence along the Ivorian border to monitor the situation and provide deterrence, but the 700-km border is difficult to monitor. UNMIL and UNOCI have intensified inter-mission cooperation, including restarting joint border activities under “Operation Mayo”, increasing joint meetings, coordinating ground and air patrols and institutionalizing information-sharing, including by establishing liaison officers in neighbouring contingents across the border. UNMIL and UNOCI conducted a joint assessment mission to western Côte d’Ivoire in June. Furthermore, the Governments of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have engaged in discussions about border security, including on 9 July, when the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire led a delegation on an official visit to Monrovia. An extraordinary summit of the Mano River Union was held in Monrovia on 17 July, where, in addition to other issues, cross-border security cooperation was discussed, and it was decided that a technical committee would be established to better coordinate border security issues in the region.", "16. Renewed tensions in Guinea are being monitored closely. Violent clashes in May between members of the Kpelle and Mandingo ethnic groups in the town of Galakpai, near the Liberian border, led to an influx of Guineans into Liberia, primarily from the Kpelle ethnic group. By 1 August, the Liberian refugee agency estimated that more than 3,000 Guinean nationals had sought refuge in several border towns in Bong County, Liberia. Meanwhile, during the period, the Government of Liberia and UNMIL continued to conduct joint border operations with the Governments of Guinea and Sierra Leone.", "17. Liberia continued to be vulnerable to drug trafficking. Hard drugs, including heroin and cocaine, transit through Liberia in limited amounts. Domestic production of marijuana is flourishing and in many areas is thought to be replacing other agricultural activities, with large amounts crossing into neighbouring countries. There are also reports of human trafficking using similar routes. In May, the Government joined the West Africa Coast Initiative, a multi-stakeholder framework for implementing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional action plan to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking and organized crime in West Africa; and in July the Liberia National Police Transnational Crime Unit began operations.", "E. Humanitarian situation", "18. By the end of May, more than 180,000 refugees from Côte d’Ivoire were registered in Grand Gedeh, Maryland, Nimba and River Gee Counties. After verification by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and some returns, mainly from Nimba County, refugee figures were estimated to be 140,000 at the end of June. However, influxes into southern Liberia continued, albeit at a slower pace, and by 1 August the total number of registered refugees was estimated to be 160,000. Refugee camps were constructed in Nimba and Maryland Counties, transit camps are being converted into permanent camps, and a new camp is being constructed in Grand Gedeh County. The vast majority of refugees, however, remain in remote border communities, making the delivery of assistance difficult and putting pressure on already scarce resources in host communities. The Government is therefore encouraging refugees to relocate to refugee camps or villages farther from the border, which are considered more secure. A revised emergency humanitarian action plan was launched on 24 March and included a request for $146.5 million to support 150,000 refugees, of which 50 per cent has been funded. The plan has been revised further to cover the humanitarian needs of 160,000 refugees and 100,000 Liberians in host communities, requesting a total of $166 million for the rest of 2011.", "III. Mandate implementation", "A. Preparations for elections", "19. Preparations for the referendum and elections took on greater momentum, with the National Elections Commission confirming 23 August 2011 as the date for a constitutional referendum. There are four proposed amendments to the Constitution, three of which are election related: to change the electoral system from an absolute to a simple majority for all elections except those for president and vice-president; to move election day from October to November; and to revise the residency clause for presidential and vice-presidential candidates from 10 to 5 consecutive years immediately prior to an election. The fourth provision would increase the mandatory retirement age for chief justices to 75. The National Elections Commission has confirmed the date for the presidential and legislative elections as 11 October 2011, although the results of the referendum may shift them to 8 November. The voter registration exercise concluded in February and, according to the National Elections Commission, close to 1.8 million people registered, representing about 89 per cent of the estimated eligible population, of whom 49 per cent are women.", "20. The National Elections Commission launched a civic and voter education campaign on 5 April, designing a number of activities in partnership with civil society. UNMIL supported the dissemination of information on the electoral process through radio programmes and other outreach activities in rural areas. Also, training was conducted by the National Elections Commission and other partners for over 400 women political aspirants. Despite delays owing to a writ of prohibition before the Supreme Court that questioned the constitutionality of conducting districting based on the Threshold Bill, the National Elections Commission was able to complete districting countrywide and issued a final map on 8 July. The overall electoral timeline was maintained, and candidate nominations started as scheduled on 20 July.", "21. My Special Representative supported the reactivation of the International Contact Group for Liberia and other initiatives to support the inter-party dialogue of the National Elections Commission, as outlined in paragraph 3 above. UNMIL intensified its work with Liberian authorities to create an atmosphere conducive to peaceful elections and strengthened its monitoring of electoral, legal, political, public information, security and human rights issues to mitigate tensions, while closely monitoring the political campaign. To help ensure a level playing field, UNMIL Radio continues to provide equitable air time to all parties to discuss their political platforms, and the Mission provided a human rights checklist to national observer groups to assist with monitoring during electoral periods.", "22. UNMIL coordinated international assistance to the electoral process through the Donor Coordination Group and continues efforts to mobilize donors to help mitigate the $4 million shortfall in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) basket fund. UNMIL also provided capacity-building for national security institutions in the planning and training of personnel to provide security for the elections, although resources still have not been identified by the Government to cover the cost of securing the elections. Meanwhile, the Mission has developed security and contingency plans for the provision of effective security support to national authorities for the conduct of peaceful elections.", "23. The National Elections Commission developed its plan to deliver electoral materials to the 1,780 polling precincts and has requested the support of UNMIL to deliver materials by air to the least accessible magisterial warehouses in six of the 15 counties. UNMIL deployed magisterial electoral officers to support National Elections Commission magistrates in all counties. Conducting the referendum, and possibly the first round of elections, at the height of the rainy season will be a formidable logistical challenge. Given that the ballots cannot be printed until the outcome of the referendum is known, the timeline between ballot printing and distribution will be extremely tight.", "B. Security sector reform", "1. National security strategy and architecture", "24. Concerned stakeholders called for the passing of key pieces of security sector-related legislation before the current legislative session ends. The House of Representatives Security Committee held a public hearing on the National Security Reform and Intelligence Bill on 11 May, and a number of proposals put forward at the hearing were incorporated into the draft, including a provision to maintain, in some form, the Drug Enforcement Administration, which was originally to be dissolved and its activities incorporated into the Liberia National Police.", "25. The UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund, whose remit was recently extended to include support to justice institutions, and the Peacebuilding Fund have begun to play important roles in supporting the growth of the security sector, in particular the work of the Liberia National Police and other security and justice institutions. While the Peacebuilding Fund is financing the development of the Gbarnga Justice and Security Hub, the UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund has provided support to the national police, immigration and corrections services and the judiciary by providing support for training, mobility and critical infrastructure. The Government has made modest progress in increasing security sector allocations in the 2011-2012 national budget, although the issue of recurring costs remains a challenge. The need to scale up support for the security sector, particularly the Liberia National Police, is becoming more evident in view of the upcoming UNMIL transition. In terms of promoting enhanced oversight and accountability, a review of the capacity of legislative security committees has been initiated.", "2. Armed Forces of Liberia", "26. The current strength of the Armed Forces of Liberia stands at 2,012, including infantry, engineering and military police units, as well as a coast guard of 51 personnel with four vessels. Fifty military mentors from the United States of America continued to support the building of a professional and capable force, including developing army staff to assume greater command responsibilities. The army has implemented its 2010-2011 annual training plan, the culmination of which was the execution of two UNMIL-supported battalion-level field exercises in April 2011, as well as a training package to prepare the army for potential future peacekeeping duties. The army successfully conducted a number of joint operations, including a complex operation with other security institutions, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and UNMIL, in June, to transport suspected former combatants from Côte d’Ivoire across the country to the Government-designated internment camp. The Coast Guard also conducted joint operations with UNMIL aerial maritime patrols in coastal waterways to identify and report illegal maritime activities.", "27. Although it had been estimated that the army would become fully operational in 2012, a number of factors, including insufficient equipment, delays in the procurement of new assets and continued delays in endorsing the national defence strategy, will likely delay the army’s full operational status until at least 2014. Nevertheless, activities and operations undertaken so far showed growing operational capacity.", "28. Incidents of ill-discipline on the part of Armed Forces personnel, including harassment of civilians, altercations with national police, including one resulting in the murder of a police officer, and criminal activity, continued to raise concern.", "3. Liberia National Police", "29. Efforts to address the situation along the border between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire and planning for the elections have created significant challenges for the Liberia National Police, an already stretched organization that is continuing to develop its institutional capacity. The Liberia National Police Emergency Response Unit and other police officers have engaged in border operations, in collaboration with other security agencies and with support from UNMIL, which presented a unique opportunity to test the capacity of national security agencies. While the Liberia National Police has shown increased capacity to execute complex operations, those operations have also revealed worrisome logistical and capability gaps. In particular, mobility remains a major issue, affecting their ability to rapidly deploy throughout the country, with UNMIL continuing to provide air and other logistical support. The Liberia National Police also prepared to assume the primary security role during the referendum and elections.", "30. In the light of the transition planning process and the evolving security situation along the border, UNMIL worked with the Liberia National Police to reprioritize projects in its strategic plan. Twenty-five priority projects are nearing completion and have already had an impact on foundational and structural systems, such as fleet management and vehicle accountability measures. A manpower establishment plan to identify rational staffing requirements and ranking structures, which takes into account changing needs to cover regional headquarters staffing, is almost finalized.", "31. With UNMIL and donor support, the National Police Training Academy continued to train new police officers. As at 1 August, there were 4,153 Liberia National Police officers, including 620 Police Support Unit officers and 322 Emergency Response Unit officers. The Police Support Unit’s overall strength of 620 personnel meets the strategic objective to train 600 such officers by the time elections are held, although recent graduates are not yet fully operational, lacking equipment and logistical support. Overall, female representation in the police force stands at 16 per cent.", "32. The development of the Bureau for Immigration and Naturalization continued. In addition to completing a number of documents laying its institutional foundation, the agency has been active along the border of Côte d’Ivoire, which has highlighted the huge challenges the Bureau still faces. The UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund is providing support to enhance its capacity and arrangements are being made for immigration officers to be housed in the Gbarnga Hub, which will provide an effective forward operational base.", "C. Judicial, legal and corrections institutions", "33. Coordination and collaboration within the justice sector and between the justice and security sectors has continued to strengthen. A joint judiciary and Ministry of Justice retreat in February and the subsequent peacebuilding workshop brought major stakeholders together to prioritize needs to improve justice delivery. UNMIL continued to focus on strengthening the capacity of rule of law institutions and mechanisms, supporting efforts to improve delivery and access to justice and mentoring key justice-sector actors.", "34. The Government-led Pretrial Detention Task Force continued its efforts to address delays in the criminal justice system and developed an action plan. A draft on reforming the jury law to expedite the processing of criminal cases has been prepared for presentation to the legislature. Also, an assessment of existing record-keeping systems in courts and prosecutors’ offices has been completed, and new standardized designs have been developed to better track cases. Furthermore, 61 non-lawyer magistrates graduated from the Judicial Institute’s Professional Magistrates Training Programme in June, which should increase the efficiency of the criminal justice system, especially in rural areas. Although anticipated consultations regarding the harmonization of formal and customary justice systems have not yet been held, the issue remained on the Government’s agenda and related activities are ongoing, including an assessment of the tribal governors’ court system.", "35. Despite these positive developments, significant challenges continued to slow progress in the justice sector, particularly insufficient human capacity, infrastructure and equipment; outdated legal frameworks; and dependence on donor funding. An illustration of this is a one-year project tracking cases of sexual violence through the criminal justice system, completed in April, which found that it would take roughly 10 years, working at the current capacity, to clear the backlog of sexual violence cases alone.", "36. Although comprehensive efforts continued to improve prevention, response to and management of cases of sexual and gender-based violence, the high number of reported rapes, particularly those involving young victims, remained a serious concern. Efforts continued to strengthen the Liberia National Police Women and Children Protection Section, and its headquarters was completed in April. Improvements in case follow-through and coordination with prosecutors have been noted. A team of experts from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict visited Liberia in April to identify support that could be most useful to the Government in responding to sexual violence.", "37. The security situation in corrections facilities remained fragile, with 10 prison escape incidents recorded in the past six months. Prison population trends outside of Monrovia showed a slow but steady increase, while the population at Monrovia Central Prison remained stable, owing largely to the special mobile magistrates’ court operating there. Pretrial detention rates remained extremely high at 80 per cent nationwide. Although overcrowding remained an issue in all facilities, there was some progress in developing prisoner rehabilitation activities at a number of facilities.", "D. Human rights", "38. Liberia continued its efforts to apply a human rights approach to policy and planning and to improve its human rights situation. In March, a Government delegation attended the Human Rights Council universal periodic review follow-up session in Geneva to present responses to the remaining 41 recommendations out of a total of 113 from the November 2010 session. The session addressed a number of issues, including the application of the death penalty, measures to address sexual and gender-based violence, harmful traditional practices and the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations. The delegation from Liberia noted that while steps were being taken to address these issues, it could not take a position on the repeal of the death penalty and the criminalization of female genital mutilation. A mechanism has been put in place to promote and monitor implementation of the universal periodic review recommendations. UNMIL supported the Government of Liberia in its preparation for the universal periodic review as part of its ongoing capacity-building, monitoring and advocacy mandate.", "39. Since its formal establishment in October 2010, the functioning of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights has been limited. Although the Commission has conducted some monitoring visits and has investigated allegations of excessive force by police in Monrovia, it has faced internal divisions that have compromised its public image and affected implementation of its 2011 workplan. Civil society organizations, through the Transitional Justice Working Group, are holding talks with the commissioners to facilitate a refocus on the Commission’s mandate.", "E. Consolidation of State authority", "40. The Government took a number of steps to consolidate State authority, including extending administrative services from county headquarters to districts, deploying additional technical staff, building administrative capacity and paying salaries more regularly. The President formally endorsed the decentralization policy, providing for political, fiscal and administrative devolution of authority to the 15 county administrations and preparing the policy for legislative action. With the support of international partners, a pilot decentralization project is being implemented in nine counties. Challenges remain, however, especially relating to logistics and retaining trained and qualified technical staff. Although coordination mechanisms for the implementation of the poverty reduction strategy and county development agendas continued to function, meetings have been irregular owing to the absenteeism of key county officials.", "41. The Government has instituted stricter guidelines and procedures for the use of the county development fund, which was frozen in 2010 owing to allegations of mismanagement. The recruitment of county field monitoring officers to track and report on the use of the fund is expected to help restore public confidence in local authorities.", "42. Extensive work has been conducted on over 1,000 km of road since November 2010, in particular in the south-east, to which the Government and multilateral and bilateral donors have contributed, while UNMIL continued to carry out repairs along its main supply routes. However, Liberia still does not have new major paved-road construction, which hampers the efforts of the Government to provide services throughout the country.", "F. Governance", "43. Legal and other bottlenecks continued to hamper the effective prosecution of major corruption cases, and although the first corruption conviction was handed down in May, involving Central Bank employees accused of recycling cheques, the case was at a relatively low level. Follow-up on recommendations of General Auditing Commission audit reports continued to be slow. In March, President Johnson Sirleaf announced that she would not renominate the Auditor-General for another term.", "44. The operations of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission continued with a nationwide information campaign on integrity in public conduct. The Commission has submitted a total of 25 corruption cases to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution since March 2009. However, the President’s proposal that the Commission acquire prosecutorial powers has not yet been pursued.", "45. The Land Commission completed its five-year strategic plan and established a land dispute resolution task force to develop policy and explore alternative dispute resolution methods. The Commission also continued its work on the harmonization of county boundaries, but only 2 of 10 disputes had been resolved so far because of resource constraints. Also, after two years of working under executive orders, in June the President signed into law the act establishing the Law Reform Commission. Limited progress was made in the Constitutional reform process, despite the efforts of the Governance Commission to revive the Constitutional Review Task Force.", "G. Management of natural resources", "46. Control of diamond mining and trade continued to face challenges. Implementation of the recommendations of the 2009 Kimberley Process review mission and the Panel of Experts on Liberia (S/2009/640) continued to be slow. A meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Diamonds, which had not met for over 10 months, took place on 15 July and agreed to revitalize the work of the task force and hold more frequent meetings. With international support, the database system to record diamond statistics is now functional and regional diamond offices are being strengthened. A total of 18,046 carats of rough diamonds, valued at $9.9 million, were exported between January and June, with the Government collecting almost $300,000 in revenue. The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy began conducting Kimberley Process compliance awareness activities in and around mining locations in Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount and Nimba Counties.", "47. Government revenue from the commercial forestry sector was short of expectations, with operators paying only $2.1 million of the $13.5 million owed during fiscal year 2010-2011. A Government task force has been established to review the tax regime and assess whether easing some requirements might improve company compliance. The Forestry Development Authority has also issued procedures for community forestry development committees to access and manage funds on behalf of affected communities legally entitled to benefit-sharing. The establishment and operation of palm oil plantations on about 460,000 ha of land leased by concession companies in western and south-eastern counties commenced. However, the extension of operations is meeting resistance from communities, which request compensation and protest a lack of consultation on concession agreements.", "H. Integration of the United Nations system", "48. Further progress was made towards the “delivering as one” principle. In March, a monitoring and evaluation support unit was established to support “one programme” development. Also, in April, a road map was drafted outlining the programmatic and operational adjustments required to lead the United Nations in Liberia towards a “one programme” framework and harmonized services, and the United Nations Communications Group developed a new workplan based on “delivering as one” principles. The road map is being aligned with the Government’s national visioning and growth and development processes.", "IV. Cross-cutting issues", "A. Public information", "49. The United Nations worked closely with the Government and other partners on the refugee crisis, ensuring that host communities were given appropriate recognition for their generosity. UNMIL continued to work with the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Justice to build capacity, including through on-the-job training for public information officers. The finalists of the joint Government/UNMIL annual talent competition “A Star Is Born” launched a musical compact disc with songs on the theme of children’s rights.", "B. Gender", "50. To enhance gender mainstreaming, a participatory gender audit is being conducted of all United Nations agencies, including UNMIL. Continued support has been provided to mainstream a gender perspective into Government policies, including for the immigration and corrections services and for skills training for female police officers. An assessment of gender training programmes for security sector institutions was also conducted, with immediate follow-up action undertaken for the army, corrections and immigration services.", "C. HIV/AIDS", "51. UNMIL conducted awareness and prevention training on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections for newly deployed peacekeepers and offered voluntary HIV testing and behaviour change communication services. To increase the pool of HIV/AIDS peer counsellors, 23 national staff were trained. All services have been extended to United Nations agencies, funds and programmes operating in Liberia.", "D. Conduct and discipline", "52. UNMIL continued its efforts to ensure compliance with the zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse through the implementation of preventive measures, such as induction and refresher training, spot-checks of off-limits establishments and an ongoing awareness-raising campaign aimed at sensitizing local communities. During the reporting period, 2,689 people in all United Nations personnel categories received integrated conduct and discipline training, including on the zero-tolerance policy, stress management and HIV/AIDS awareness. UNMIL also provided sexual exploitation- and abuse-awareness training for 563 members of local communities.", "53. During the reporting period, 26 allegations of serious misconduct were reported, including 16 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, reflecting an overall increase from the previous reporting period.", "E. Security and safety of United Nations personnel", "54. Crime continued to pose a major security threat to United Nations personnel and property, especially in Monrovia. Five incidents of armed robbery targeting United Nations personnel were reported during the period in addition to 56 non‑weapon-related crimes, including burglary, theft and assault. Three national staff members, three military personnel and one police officer died as a result of shooting, illness or accident.", "V. Mission deployment", "A. Military component", "55. As indicated in my previous reports, the pre-drawdown adjustments to UNMIL in 2006, together with the three stages of the Mission’s formal drawdown, which was completed in May 2010, and the withdrawal of the military guard force from the Special Court in Sierra Leone in March 2011, reduced the Mission’s troop strength from 15,250 to its current authorized military strength of 7,952 personnel.", "56. The UNMIL force headquarters is located in Monrovia, with operating forces deployed in two sectors, each comprising three infantry battalions. The Quick Reaction Force is based in Monrovia, with two forward operating bases near routes to the borders of Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire. A total of 43 troop-contributing countries are represented among 7,703 troops, 79 staff officers and 130 military observers, including 209 women.", "57. During the reporting period, UNMIL continued to support UNOCI through inter-mission cooperation arrangements pursuant to relevant Security Council resolutions. Two military utility helicopters temporarily deployed to UNOCI returned to UNMIL on 28 June, while three armed helicopters remain deployed to UNOCI, providing critical support for joint border operations conducted by the two missions.", "B. Police component", "58. As at 1 August, the police strength of UNMIL stood at 1,330, out of an authorized ceiling of 1,375, including 456 police advisers, 843 officers in seven formed police units and 31 correction officers. There are 200 women in the police component. Three formed police units are deployed in Monrovia and one unit each in Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh and Lofa Counties. UNMIL also has 11 immigration advisers.", "VI. Peacebuilding commission", "59. The Liberia Peacebuilding Programme, based on the Peacebuilding Fund priority plan and estimated at $71 million, was approved on 5 May 2011. The three-year programme is focused on justice, security and national reconciliation. A core project is the establishment of five regional justice and security hubs to provide more effective justice and security services and presence throughout the country. The Peacebuilding Fund has allotted an initial contribution of $20,154,000 for the implementation of the Programme, and the Peacebuilding Commission has initiated resource mobilization activities.", "60. In June, the first official visit of a Peacebuilding Commission delegation, comprising Jordan, Liberia, Nigeria, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States, travelled to Liberia. The visit followed two earlier missions to Liberia by the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission Liberia Configuration. The delegation met with national and international stakeholders, advocating legislative reform and the establishment of accountability and oversight mechanisms for the security and justice sectors. The Chair also received the President’s endorsement of a proposal to develop a national reconciliation strategy, while the Government agreed to focus on certain key priorities for the first year, including the functioning of the Gbarnga Hub, the development of hubs two and three and support for the development of new corrections facilities and courts in some rural areas. With regard to reconciliation, it was agreed to prioritize initial support for land reform and youth empowerment.", "VII. Transition planning", "61. In its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council requested that UNMIL and the Government of Liberia continue to make progress in the transition planning process, especially towards conducting a comprehensive situational assessment and identifying critical gaps to be filled to facilitate a successful transition, and also requested that the United Nations and the Government draw up a joint transition plan on the transfer of responsibility for internal security from UNMIL to the appropriate national authorities. The Council also requested a revision of the Mission’s benchmarks to include transition benchmarks, which would guide the handover of security responsibilities from UNMIL to national authorities. These were set out in my previous report, dated 14 February 2011 (S/2011/72).", "62. Following a transition workshop in June 2010, the Government and UNMIL initiated a joint transition planning process. Led by the National Security Council, the process has resulted in the establishment of a senior-level core group, a working group and four security task groups covering the areas of border security, law and order, security of assets and logistics. Joint situational assessment and transition worksheets have been developed outlining specific tasks to be handed over to national authorities. In April 2011, the four task groups began assessing the capacity of Liberian security agencies to assume responsibility in the four areas. However, progress has slowed, particularly for the Liberia National Police, which will absorb much of the burden for law and order and security of assets. The present focus on border security and security for the elections has overstretched the Government’s planning capacity, and engagement on transition issues is likely to decrease during the electoral period.", "63. With regard to the development of a joint security transition plan, a number of important tasks remain outstanding, including reaching agreement on the nature of the remaining gaps, identifying a strategy for filling critical gaps and devising a strategic approach that allows for testing the ability of national authorities to maintain security independently of UNMIL, which will be linked to Government security plans and the capacity to implement them. In my next report, I intend to provide proposals for taking forward the preparation of a joint transition plan for the transfer of responsibility for internal security from UNMIL to the appropriate national authorities.", "64. With regard to the transition strategy for handing over the Mission’s civilian activities, in June a task force began mapping UNMIL civilian support activities to the Government and United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, which will inform discussions on complementing ongoing security-transition planning and dovetailing with the “delivering as one” process.", "VIII. Financial aspects", "65. The General Assembly, in its resolution 65/301, appropriated the amount of $525.6 million, equivalent to some $43.8 million per month, inclusive of $513.4 million for the maintenance of UNMIL for the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 and $12.2 million for electoral support to be provided by the Mission. Should the Security Council decide to extend the mandate of UNMIL beyond 30 September 2011, the cost of maintaining the Mission until 30 June 2012 would be limited to the amounts approved by the General Assembly.", "66. As at 15 July 2011, unpaid assessed contributions to the Special Account for UNMIL amounted to $55.0 million. The total outstanding assessed contributions for all peacekeeping operations as of that date amounted to $1,475.3 million.", "67. As at 30 June 2011, amounts owed to troop and formed police contributors totalled some $29.8 million. Reimbursement of troop/formed police costs and contingent-owned equipment costs have been made for the period up to 31 May and 31 March 2011, respectively, in accordance with the quarterly payment schedule.", "IX. Observations", "68. Liberia is about to engage in its second round of democratic elections since the end of the conflict. The success of these elections, and the peaceful inauguration of a new administration, will be critical to the consolidation of the tremendous progress the country has made over the past eight years. With the successful completion of the voter registration exercise, Liberian authorities have shown increasing capacity to plan and execute the complex national event that the referendum and the elections represent, and it will be important to maintain this momentum throughout the process. The United Nations family in Liberia will continue to provide technical and logistical support, as required, to ensure the operational success of the exercise. However, the logistical challenges will be significant, as possibly all electoral events will be conducted during the country’s rainy season and timelines will be extremely tight. I therefore urge all political actors and the population at large to make the utmost effort to ensure that the upcoming elections will be free, fair and without violence.", "69. As the elections draw near and campaign activities intensify, I urge all political parties to use the democratic space to canvass support for their political positions while refraining from inflammatory remarks and provocative actions. It is important to adhere to the electoral timeline. I encourage the prompt resolution of the remaining differences between political parties and the National Elections Commission concerning their understanding of certain aspects of the legal framework, and parties and citizens are encouraged to use legal channels and dispute mechanisms to resolve disputes that may arise regarding the electoral process. In this regard, I welcome the reactivation of the International Contact Group on Liberia, and am encouraged by increased dialogue within the Inter-Party Consultative Committee. The United Nations will continue to support the electoral process, including through the good offices of my Special Representative.", "70. The work of the Government/UNMIL joint transition working group has highlighted a considerable number of national security gaps that will need to be addressed to enable a smooth handover of security responsibilities from UNMIL to national institutions. The situation along the border between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire presented opportunities for security institutions to demonstrate their operational capacity but revealed persistent challenges, especially in relation to logistics and equipment. It is therefore urgent that the Government’s international partners increase support for the development of the security sector to ensure that UNMIL operations can be progressively scaled down as it hands over security responsibilities to national authorities. In this regard, I welcome the Peacebuilding Commission’s focus on the five regional justice and security hubs, as they will increase access to justice and security throughout the country. I urge bilateral partners to support the hubs, the UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund and the Liberia Peacebuilding Programme to promote increased effectiveness and accountability of the country’s security and rule of law sectors, with a focus on institutional oversight and management, as well as critical logistical support and equipment, in particular to ensure that the Liberia National Police are adequately equipped before the elections.", "71. I am concerned by the slow implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations, especially given the critical role reconciliation will play towards sustainable peace. I encourage the Independent National Commission on Human Rights to overcome its internal problems. The Commission must perform its critical mandate to serve as the country’s premier independent human rights institution, as well as take on its central role in mapping the steps towards implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations.", "72. The refugee situation and security-related issues emanating from the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire present significant challenges for Liberia. It is critical that financial support be provided to the revised Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan to cover humanitarian needs to the end of 2011, especially given that the influx of refugees continues. I am encouraged by the Government’s proactive approach to addressing the issue of fighters from Côte d’Ivoire and welcome the establishment of a special internment facility for suspected Ivorian combatants. I also welcome the increased cooperation between the Governments of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire and the intensified inter-mission cooperation between UNMIL and UNOCI to address cross-border security challenges. I urge all stakeholders to prevent the movement of weapons, to separate refugees from former combatants and to ensure that suspected former combatants are treated in accordance with the law.", "73. In its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council renewed the mandate of UNMIL until 30 September 2011, with an authorized strength of 7,952 military and 1,375 police personnel. Given the still limited capacity of national security institutions and the critical need to support electoral, border and other security operations, the recommendations contained in my special report of 10 June 2009 (see S/2009/299) to maintain the Mission’s military and police components at that authorized strength until after the 2011 elections remain valid. A comprehensive technical assessment mission, led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, will be deployed to Liberia after the inauguration of the next Government in order to develop detailed proposals for the next stages of the Mission’s drawdown, including further reductions of the military component. That assessment will include a thorough review of the progress made towards the benchmarks developed for the security transition and will be conducted in close consultation with the Government of Liberia and all relevant stakeholders. I will provide the Security Council with my proposals for the next stages of the Mission’s drawdown and the security transition in early 2012 in a special report containing the findings and recommendations of the assessment mission. I therefore recommend that the Security Council extend the Mission’s mandate for a period of one year, until 30 September 2012, and conduct a review of its authorized military and police strength by 30 May 2012, based on the findings of the technical assessment mission mentioned above.", "74. In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my Special Representative for Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj, and UNMIL civilian and uniformed personnel for their contribution towards peace consolidation in Liberia. I would also like to thank all troop- and police-contributing countries; ECOWAS; the African Union; the International Contact Group on Liberia; United Nations agencies, funds and programmes; multilateral and bilateral donors; and international and local non‑governmental organizations for their commitment and contributions to sustain peace and support development in Liberia.", "Annex", "United Nations Mission in Liberia: military and police strength", "(As at 1 August 2011)", "Military component\n Country Military Staff Troops Total Formed Civilian observers officers police police units", "Argentina 0 0 0 0 13", "Bangladesh 14 7 1 433 1 454 16", "Benin 2 1 0 3 0", "Bolivia 2 1 0 3 0 (Plurinational State of)", "Bosnia and 0 0 0 0 12 Herzegovina", "Brazil 0 2 0 2 0", "Bulgaria 2 0 0 2 0", "China 2 6 558 566 17", "Croatia 0 2 0 2 0", "Czech Republic 0 0 0 0 4", "Denmark 3 2 0 5 0", "Ecuador 2 1 0 3 0", "Egypt 5 0 0 5 4", "El Salvador 2 0 0 2 1", "Ethiopia 8 4 0 12 0", "Fiji 0 0 0 0 28", "Finland 0 2 0 2 0", "France 0 1 0 1 0", "Gambia 1 0 0 1 18", "Germany 0 0 0 0 5", "Ghana 9 7 700 716 20", "India 0 0 0 0 243 3", "Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0", "Jamaica 1", "Jordan 4 5 114 123 240 13", "Kenya 0 0 0 0 18", "Kyrgyzstan 3 0 0 3 2", "Malaysia 6 0 0 6 0", "Mali 1 0 0 1 0", "Mongolia 0 2 148 150 0", "Montenegro 2 0 0 2 0", "Namibia 1 3 0 4 4", "Nepal 2 3 15 20 240 14", "Niger 2 0 0 2 0", "Nigeria 12 9 1 553 1 574 120 19", "Norway 0 0 0 0 9", "Pakistan 7 10 2 942 2 959 24", "Paraguay 2 1 0 3 0", "Peru 2 2 0 4 0", "Philippines 2 1 115 118 30", "Poland 2 0 0 2 3", "Republic of Korea 1 1 0 2 0", "Republic of 2 0 0 2 0 Moldova", "Romania 2 0 0 2 0", "Russian 4 0 0 4 11 Federation", "Rwanda 0 0 0 0 3", "Samoa 0 0 0 0 0", "Senegal 1 1 0 2 0", "Serbia 4 0 0 4 6", "Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0 13", "Sweden 0 0 0 0 13", "Switzerland 3", "Togo 2 1 0 3 0", "Turkey 0 0 0 0 26", "Uganda 0 0 0 0 6", "Ukraine 2 2 275 279 18", "United States of 4 5 0 9 11 America", "Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0", "Yemen 0 1 0 1 6", "Zambia 3 0 0 3 25", "Zimbabwe 2 0 0 2 37", "Total 128 83 7 853 8 064 843 456", "[]" ]

[ "Twenty-third report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Liberia", "I. Introduction", "♪ Reissued for technical reasons on 18 August 2011.", "1. In its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) until 30 September 2011 and requested me to report on the preparations for the 2011 elections and on the progress made on the core elements of the transition, including the development of a joint transition plan for the transfer of the internal security functions of UNMIL to the relevant national authorities. The present report contains updated information on major developments since my report of 14 February 2011 (S/2011/72) and my recommendations for the extension of the mandate of the UNMIL mission.", "II. Main developments", "A. Political situation", "2. During the reporting period, political developments were dominated by political parties ' activities as part of preparations for the constitutional referendum and presidential and legislative elections to be held on 23 August and 11 October, respectively. Although there were several mergers between political parties, including accessions to the Unity Party to which President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf belongs, the political landscape continued to be characterized by instability and fragmentation, with considerable movement from one party to another. As at 1 August, 18 of the 32 registered political entities had elected their presidential candidates. Among the main parties that participated in the 2005 elections, the Unity Party confirmed President Johnson Sirleaf as its presidential candidate and Vice President Joseph Boakai as a candidate for the Vice-President; the Freedom Party elected Charles Brumskine and Franklin Siakor, Bong County Senator, as candidates for the Presidency and Vice-President, respectively; and the Congress for Democratic Change elected Winston Tubman The National Electoral Commission intends to announce on 22 August the provisional list of candidates for the 88 legislative seats subject to election.", "3. The Inter-Party Consultative Committee continued to be an important forum to address the main differences of opinion between the political parties and the National Electoral Commission, particularly in relation to the particularities of the elections. Within the Committee, an agreement was reached to launch the political campaign on 5 July instead of 18 August. However, certain disagreements between some parties and the National Electoral Commission persist with respect to the legal framework for elections that, if not resolved, could put into question the electoral schedule. A party initiated a judicial action to stop the process of demarcation of electoral districts on constitutional grounds, but the Supreme Court dismissed the petition. Another judicial action was also instituted to challenge the composition of the National Electoral Commission, but a judgement has not yet been rendered; a remedy was also made to suspend the referendum on constitutional grounds, but no judgement has been issued. My Special Representative has stepped up his good offices to urge political parties to engage in inclusive dialogue in order to reach a common understanding of those issues, including the interpretation of article 91 of the Constitution, on the threshold required for the referendum on amendment to the Constitution.", "4. Meanwhile, very little progress has been made in the process of national reconciliation since the President submitted her third quarterly report on the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the legislative body in January. On instructions from the Chairperson, the Independent National Human Rights Commission is expected to assume greater responsibility for the recommendations, including the development of a road map for national reconciliation and the establishment of the Palava Hut programme, a mechanism designed to enable perpetrators of crimes to publicly apologize. To date, no concrete progress has been made towards the implementation of the Palava Hut programme, although the President stated in June that the mechanism would be implemented in the coming months.", "B. Security situation", "5. The security situation in Liberia remained generally stable, albeit precarious. The impact of the situation in Côte d’Ivoire on Liberia ' s border areas, coupled with persistent tensions and disputes between ethnic groups and communities over land and other resources, meant major security challenges. Limited employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly among young people, continued to pose a security problem, and there is still a high incidence of serious crimes and other illegal activities.", "6. As indicated in my last report on the United Nations Operation in Côte d ' Ivoire (UNOCI) of 24 June 2011 (S/2011/387), the arrival in Liberia of Ivorian and Liberian fighters fighting in Côte d ' Ivoire constituted an important security threat that the Government and UNMIL are trying to remedy. In April, Government security personnel arrested a well-known Liberian executor for his alleged involvement in fighting in Côte d’Ivoire. During the interrogation, he said that other combatants had returned to Liberia across border crossings without official control. The Government has stated its intention to bring to trial the Liberians who fought in Côte d’Ivoire and to date some 20 have been arrested, although almost all were released for lack of evidence or due to the unconvincing of the cases submitted by the prosecutors.", "7. In June, 88 suspected Ivorian combatants, who had been held in a local prison after they crossed the border in Maryland County in April, were transferred to a special detention centre in Bong County. A mixed group of alleged combatants, including more than 90 Ivorian nationals, would have entered River Gee County in May and on 14 June the Liberian security agencies recovered a significant amount of weapons and ammunition from a clandestine warehouse in River Gee, which is presumed to have been hiding. UNMIL destroyed weapons and ammunition in July and 37 people have been arrested in connection with the weapons hideout.", "8. Tensions related to land disputes continued to pose a serious threat to Liberia ' s long-term stability. In March, following the renewal of a long-standing dispute over county lands, some 50 people armed with single-cannon machetes and shotguns, allegedly from Maryland County, attacked a village in Grand Kru County and set fire to two houses. The national police and UNMIL intervened and monitored the situation, after which agents of the Liberia National Police Specialized Emergency Response Unit were deployed to maintain peace.", "9. Labour disputes also continued to cause security incidents, which are likely to intensify due to the establishment of large plantations and timber and extractive industries. On 26 May, 30 Rubber Corporation Cavalla workers in Maryland County decided to go to the court of first instance where four of their colleagues who had been arrested must be brought. When they were on their way to the court, Liberian National Police Specialized Emergency Response Unit officers attempted to arrest them and in the confrontation that followed, shot a worker and killed him. Subsequently, a group of residents burned two of the plantation buildings. Liberian National Police officers and UNMIL were sent to the scene, which monitored the situation. In March, protests in Monrovia over the backlog in the payment of teachers ' salaries led to violent clashes between students and agents of the Liberia National Police Police Support Unit, resulting in the temporary closure of the city ' s schools.", "10. Ethnic tensions continued to cause concern. In June, an altercation between members of the Mano and Krahn ethnic groups in the village of Sowaken in Grand Gedeh County led to some 20 members of the Krahn ethnic group attacking and destroying several houses and looting the belongings of members of the Mano and Gio ethnic groups. Liberian and UNMIL security agents intervened to restore calm.", "11. During the period, six incidents of collective violence against infrastructure and police authorities were reported. In May, a traffic accident between a UNMIL vehicle and a mototaxi triggered violent clashes with the national police and the fire of a police station in Saclapea in Nimba County.", "C. Economic situation", "12. In 2010 economic growth was 5.6%, slightly lower than the projected rate of 6.3%. A growth rate of 6.8 per cent is planned for 2011. Commodity exports continued to recover and the modest expansion of the services sector and the increase in foreign direct investment, mainly in extractive industries, contributed to economic growth. In May, the Government submitted a draft national budget of $458.9 million for the 2011-2012 financial period, which exceeded 26 per cent of the previous year ' s budget. Despite reaching the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative in June 2010, which significantly reduced the amount of the country ' s debt, the Government had obtained only a few concessional loans.", "13. Higher inflation was expected in 2011 at 8.1 per cent, compared to 7.2 per cent in 2010, reflecting Liberia ' s vulnerability to global fuel and food price increases, as the country imports approximately two thirds of its food. A recent study revealed that in the past six months domestic commodity prices, especially rice, increased by more than 30 per cent. In addition, an active population survey conducted in 2010 estimated that 77 per cent of working Liberians had a vulnerable employment situation and did not enjoy basic benefits or job security.", "14. Following the decision of the Government to extend the poverty reduction strategy from June to December 2011, preparations are under way to develop a framework for the next programme. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and the Governance Commission, 15 sectoral working groups were established to review the implementation of the poverty reduction strategy and to develop sectoral road maps to further develop the country ' s economic, social and infrastructure sectors, in order to contribute to the second phase of the poverty reduction strategy, ultimately part of the " Freedom: Rising Vision 2030 " project.", "D. Regional situation", "15. The post-electoral crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has posed major humanitarian and security challenges for Liberia. As noted in paragraphs 6 and 7 above, the continued presence of militias and other armed elements in the western region of Côte d’Ivoire and border areas continued to pose a threat to the entire subregion, in particular to Liberia. With the support of UNMIL, the Government is increasing its patrols and its presence along the border with Côte d’Ivoire to monitor the situation and act as a deterrent, but it is not easy to monitor a 700-kilometre border. UNMIL and UNOCI have intensified cooperation between missions, in particular by reinitiating joint border activities within the framework of the May Operation, by holding a larger number of joint meetings, coordinating ground and air patrols and institutionalizing the exchange of information, including the appointment of liaison officers in neighbouring transboundary contingents. In June, UNMIL and UNOCI conducted a joint assessment mission in the western region of Côte d’Ivoire. Furthermore, the Governments of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have engaged in border security talks, including the 9 July initiative, when the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire led a delegation on an official visit to Monrovia. On 17 July, an extraordinary meeting was held at the Mano River Union summit in Monrovia, which discussed, inter alia, cross-border security cooperation, and decided to establish a technical committee to better coordinate border security issues in the region.", "16. The resumption of tensions in Guinea is being followed closely. The violent clashes that occurred in May between members of the Kpelle and Mandingo ethnic groups in the village of Galakpai, near the border with Liberia, led to an influx of Guineans to Liberia, mostly belonging to the Kpelle ethnic group. The Liberia Refugee Agency estimated that, as at 1 August, more than 3,000 Guineans had sought refuge in several border towns in Bong County in Liberia, Meanwhile, during the period, the Government of Liberia and UNMIL continued to conduct joint border operations with the Governments of Guinea and Sierra Leone.", "17. Liberia remained vulnerable to drug trafficking. Limited quantities of hard drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, go through Liberia. It promotes the national production of marijuana and in many areas it is believed that it is replacing other agricultural activities and that large volumes are sent to neighbouring countries. There is also news of trafficking in persons by similar routes. In May, the Government joined the West African Coast Initiative, a multi-stakeholder framework for the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States Regional Action Plan (ECOWAS) to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking and organized crime in West Africa; and in July, the Liberia National Police Transnational Crime Unit began to operate.", "E. Humanitarian situation", "18. By the end of May, more than 180,000 Ivorian refugees had registered in Grand Gedeh, Maryland, Nimba and River Gee counties. Following a verification by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and some returns, especially from Nimba County, it was estimated at the end of June that the number of refugees was 140,000. However, the influx of refugees to southern Liberia has continued, albeit at a lower rate, and the total number of registered refugees was estimated at 160,000 by 1 August. In Nimba and Maryland counties, refugee camps were built, transit camps are becoming permanent camps and a new camp is being built in Grand Gedeh County. However, the vast majority of refugees remain in remote border communities, which hinders the provision of assistance and puts pressure on their scarce resources in host communities. Accordingly, the Government is encouraging refugees to move to camps or villages further away from the border, which are considered safer. On 24 March, a revised emergency humanitarian action plan was launched, which included a request of $146.5 million to support 150,000 refugees, which was already funded by 50 per cent. The plan has also been revised to cover the humanitarian needs of 160,000 refugees and 100,000 Liberians in the host communities, requesting $166 million for the remainder of 2011.", "III. Mandate performance", "A. Preparations for elections", "19. Preparations for the referendum and elections were accelerated when the National Electoral Commission confirmed on 23 August 2011 as the date for the constitutional referendum. Four amendments have been proposed to the Constitution, of which three refer to the elections, namely, to change the electoral system from an absolute majority to a simple majority in all elections except those of president and vice president, to move the day of the October to November elections and to amend the clause on the period of residence of candidates for the Presidency and the Vice-President, which would pass from ten to five consecutive years immediately before the elections. The fourth provision would increase the mandatory retirement age of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts to 75 years. The National Electoral Commission confirmed that the date of the presidential and legislative elections would be 11 October 2011, although the results of the referendum could be transferred to 8 November. The voter registration was completed in February and, according to the National Electoral Commission, about 1.8 million people were registered, which represents approximately 89 per cent of the population eligible to vote, of which 49 per cent are women.", "20. On 5 April, the National Electoral Commission launched a civic and electoral education campaign, which includes several activities carried out in partnership with civil society. UNMIL supported the dissemination of information on the electoral process through radio programmes and other outreach activities in rural areas. In addition, the National Electoral Commission and other partners trained more than 400 women with political aspirations. Despite the delay caused by an appeal filed with the Supreme Court that questioned the constitutionality of conducting a demarcation of electoral districts on the basis of the Umbral Bill, the National Electoral Commission was able to conclude the demarcation throughout the country and presented a final map on 8 July. The overall timing for the elections was maintained and nominations began on 20 July, as planned.", "21. My Special Representative supported the reactivation of the International Contact Group on Liberia and other initiatives to encourage inter-party dialogue promoted by the National Electoral Commission, as noted in paragraph 3 above. UNMIL intensified its collaboration with the Liberian authorities with a view to creating an enabling environment for the peaceful conduct of the elections and strengthened its follow-up to the electoral process, legal and political issues, public information, security and human rights, while closely monitoring the political campaign. In order to contribute to the provision of equality for all, the UNMIL radio station continues to provide equitable spaces for all parties to issue their political platforms and the Mission provided national observation groups with a human rights checklist to facilitate monitoring activities during election periods.", "22. UNMIL coordinated international assistance to the electoral process through the Donor Coordination Group and continued its efforts to mobilize donors to help mitigate the $4 million shortfall in the UNDP collective fund. UNMIL also increased the capacity of national security institutions in planning and training for election security personnel, although the Government has not yet found resources to cover the costs required to ensure security conditions. In the meantime, the Mission has developed security and emergency plans to provide the national authorities with effective security support to ensure that the elections are held in peace.", "23. The National Electoral Commission prepared its plan to deliver electoral materials to the 1,780 polling stations and has requested UNMIL support to carry air-based materials to the less accessible judicial administration centres in six of the 15 counties. UNMIL deployed electoral judicial officers to support the National Electoral Commission judges in all counties. The holding of the referendum and possibly the first round of the electoral process in the rainy season in Liberia will constitute a formidable logistical challenge. Since the ballot papers can only be printed after the result of the referendum is known, the time between the printing and distribution of the ballot papers will be extremely short", "B. Security sector reform", "1. National security strategy and structure", "24. The parties concerned called for the enactment of key security sector-related provisions before the end of the current legislative period. On 11 May, the Security Commission of the House of Representatives held a public hearing on the Draft Law on Security Sector Reform and Intelligence Service and several of the proposals suggested at the hearing were incorporated into the Bill, including a provision to maintain, in some way, the Drug Control Agency, which had been planned to abolish and whose activities would be integrated into the Liberian National Police.", "25. The UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund, recently expanded to include support to judicial sector institutions, and the Peacebuilding Fund have begun to play important roles in the growth of the security sector, particularly in the work of the Liberia National Police and other security and justice institutions. The Peacebuilding Fund is financing the development of the Gbarnga Justice and Security Centre and the UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund has supported the National Police, immigration and prison services and the judicial sector in the areas of training, mobility and critical infrastructure. The Government has made modest progress in increasing the allocations for the security sector in the 2011-2012 national budget, although regular expenditures remain a problematic issue. The need to increase support for the security sector, in particular the Liberian National Police, is increasingly evident in view of the upcoming UNMIL transition. With regard to the promotion of better oversight and accountability, a review of the capacity of the legislative security commissions has been initiated.", "2. Armed Forces of Liberia", "26. The Armed Forces of Liberia have a current strength of 2,012 personnel, including infantry, engineering and military police units, and a Coast Guard service with 51 troops and four vessels. Fifty military mentors from the United States of America continued to support the creation of a professional and capable force, including the improvement of the military ' s larger state to assume greater command responsibilities. The army launched its 2010-2011 annual training plan, which culminated in the implementation of two combat practices at the battalion level with the support of UNMIL in April 2011, and with a series of training activities aimed at preparing the army to assume possible peacekeeping functions in the future. In June, the army carried out a number of successful joint operations, including a complex operation with other security institutions, the Ministry of the Interior and UNMIL, to transport suspected Ivorian ex-combatants in the country to the Government-designated detention camp. The Coast Guard also conducted joint operations with UNMIL air patrols in coastal waters to detect and report on illegal maritime activities.", "27. While it had been estimated that the army would have full operational capacity for 2012, a number of factors, including insufficient equipment, delays in the acquisition of new materials and persistent backlog in support of the national defence strategy, were likely to delay achieving that full capacity by at least 2014. However, the activities and operations carried out to date indicate an increasing operational capacity.", "28. Incidents of lack of discipline among Liberian Armed Forces personnel, including harassment of the civilian population, disturbances with the National Police, one of which resulted in the killing of a police officer, and criminal activities, continued to cause concern.", "3. Liberia National Police", "29. Efforts to address the situation along the Liberian-Ivorian border and election planning have posed a significant challenge to the Liberian National Police, a pressed organization that continues to enhance its institutional capacity. The Liberia National Police Specialized Emergency Response Unit and other police officers have conducted border control operations, in collaboration with other security agencies and with the support of UNMIL, which provided a unique opportunity to test the capacity of national security agencies. While the Liberian National Police has shown greater capacity to execute complex operations, these operations have also exposed worrisome logistical and capacity gaps. In particular, mobility remains a major challenge, affecting its rapid deployment capacity in the country, and UNMIL continues to provide air support and other logistical support. The Liberian National Police also prepared to assume the main security role during the referendum and elections.", "30. In the light of the transition planning process and the evolving security situation along the border, UNMIL worked with the Liberia National Police to assign new priorities to the projects of its strategic plan. Twenty-five priority projects are about to be completed and have already had effect on fundamental and structural systems, such as the management of the motor park and the criteria for the allocation of responsibility for vehicles. A human resources development plan has almost been finalized to identify rational staffing requirements and hierarchical structures, taking into account the evolving staffing requirements at the regional headquarters.", "19. With support from UNMIL and donors, the National Police Academy continued to train new police officers. As at 1 August, the Liberian National Police had 4,153 officers, including 620 Police Support Unit officers and 322 Specialized Emergency Response Unit officers. With the 620 members of the Police Support Unit, the strategic objective is to provide training to 600 members of this category prior to the elections, although new graduates are not yet fully operational as they lack equipment and logistical support. In total, the representation of women in the police force is 16 per cent.", "20. The development of the Directorate of Immigration and Naturalization continued. In addition to concluding the elaboration of several documents that establish its institutional basis, the agency has carried out activities along the border with Côte d’Ivoire, which has highlighted the enormous challenges that the Directorate still faces. The UNDP Justice and Security Trust Fund is supporting capacity-building and the necessary steps are being taken to ensure that immigration officials are based at the Gbarnga Centre, which will constitute an effective operational base.", "C. Judicial and correctional institutions", "21. Coordination and collaboration with the judicial sector and between the judicial and security sectors have continued to be strengthened. A joint retreat conducted in February with the assistance of members of the judicial sector and the Ministry of Justice and the subsequent peacekeeping workshop served to bring together key stakeholders to prioritize needs to improve the administration of justice. UNMIL continued to focus on strengthening the capacity of institutions and mechanisms that promote the rule of law, supporting measures to improve the administration of justice and access to it and advising key actors in the judicial sector.", "22. The Government-led Preventive Prison Task Force continued its efforts to address the backlog in the criminal justice system and developed a plan of action. A bill on jury reform had been prepared to expedite the handling of criminal cases, which would be submitted to the legislative body. It also concluded an evaluation of the bookkeeping systems used in the courts and prosecutors ' offices, and new standardized designs were developed to facilitate better follow-up of cases. In addition, 61 lay judges of the Judicial Institute ' s Vocational Judges Training Programme graduated in June, which is expected to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system, especially in rural areas. Although the planned consultations on the harmonization of formal and customary judicial systems have not yet been held, the subject remains in force on the Government ' s agenda and related activities are under way, including an assessment of the justice system of tribal rulers.", "23. Despite these positive developments, several major challenges continued to hamper progress in the judicial sector, including inadequate human capacity, infrastructure and equipment, outdated legal frameworks and dependency on donor funding. It is worth mentioning as an example the project completed in April that for one year it followed up on cases related to sexual violence in the criminal justice system, and that it determined that, working with the current capacity, it would take about 10 years to give way to all the accumulated cases of sexual violence.", "24. While major efforts have continued to be made to improve the prevention, response and management of cases of sexual and gender-based violence, the high number of complaints of rape, particularly of young victims, remains a serious concern. Efforts to strengthen the Liberia National Police ' s Women and Child Protection Section, which was completed in April, continued. Improvements in case tracking and coordination with prosecutors have been noted. A team of experts from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict visited Liberia in April to determine the most useful type of support that could be provided to the Government to address sexual violence.", "25. Security conditions in prisons remained precarious, with 10 incidents of escape of prisoners in the past six months. The prison population outside Monrovia grew slowly but steadily, while the number of prisoners in the central prison of Monrovia remained stable, largely due to the ad hoc mobile court operating there. The rate of pre-trial detention remained extremely high, accounting for 80 per cent at the national level. While overcrowding continued to be a problem in all detention centres, some progress was made in establishing rehabilitation activities for prisoners.", "D. Human rights", "26. Liberia continued its efforts to implement a human rights approach to policies and planning and to improve its human rights situation. In March, a Government delegation attended the follow-up session of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council in Geneva to provide responses to the remaining 41 recommendations of the total of 113 made at the meeting held in November 2010. The meeting addressed a number of issues, including the implementation of the death penalty, measures to address sexual and gender-based violence, harmful traditional practices and the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The delegation of Liberia noted that while action was being taken to address those issues, it could not be pronounced on the repeal of the death penalty or on the criminalization of female genital mutilation. A mechanism has been established to promote and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the universal periodic review. UNMIL supported the Government of Liberia in its preparation of the universal periodic review as part of its current capacity-building, monitoring and advocacy mandate.", "27. Since its official establishment in October 2010, the Independent National Human Rights Commission has operated with limitations. Although the Commission has conducted some follow-up visits and investigated allegations of excessive use of force by the Monrovia police, its internal divisions have challenged its public image and affected the implementation of its 2011 workplan. Through the Working Group on Transitional Justice, civil society organizations are engaged in discussions with the commissioners to promote a reorientation of the Commission ' s mandate.", "E. Consolidation of State authority", "40. The Government took a number of measures to consolidate State authority, such as extending the administrative services of the county central offices to district offices, deploying more technical staff, increasing administrative capacity and paying salaries more timely. The President officially supported the decentralization policy, which provides for the restitution of political, fiscal and administrative authority to the 15 provincial administrations, preparing it for legislative action. With the support of international partners, a pilot decentralization project is being implemented in nine counties. However, problems persist, particularly with regard to logistics and the retention of trained and qualified technical staff. While coordination mechanisms for the implementation of the poverty reduction strategy and county development programmes have continued to operate, meetings have not been held regularly owing to the absenteeism of key provincial officials.", "41. The Government has established stricter guidelines and procedures for the use of the county development fund, which was frozen in 2010 as a result of allegations of mismanagement. The recruitment of field supervisors in the counties is expected to track and report on the use of the fund to restore public confidence in local authorities.", "42. Since November 2010, work has been undertaken on more than 1,000 kilometres of roads, in particular in the south-east of the country, with the contribution of the Government and multilateral and bilateral donors, and UNMIL has continued to rehabilitate stretches of roads that constitute its main supply routes. However, Liberia has not yet undertaken the construction of new paved main roads.", "F. Governance", "43. Legal and other obstacles continued to hinder the effective prosecution of major corruption cases, and although the first conviction for corruption against Central Bank officials accused of recycling cheques in May was a relatively low-level case. The follow-up to the recommendations of the reports of the General Audit Commission continued to be slow. In March, President Johnson Sirleaf announced that she would not again nominate the Auditor-General for another period.", "44. The operations of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission continued with a national public administration information campaign. Since March 2009, the Commission has submitted to the Ministry of Justice a total of 25 cases of corruption for prosecution. However, the Chairperson ' s proposal for the granting of public prosecutorial powers to the Commission has not yet been successful.", "45. The Land Commission completed its five-year strategic plan and established a land dispute resolution task force to formulate policies and consider alternative dispute resolution methods. The Commission also continued its work on the harmonization of county borders, but to date only 2 out of 10 disputes have been resolved owing to resource constraints. In June, the President also sanctioned the enactment of the law established by the Law Reform Commission after two years of work subject to executive decrees. There was little progress in the constitutional reform process, despite the efforts of the Government Commission to reactivate the Constitutional Review Task Force.", "G. Natural resource management", "46. Control of diamond mining and trade continued to face problems. The implementation of the recommendations of the 2009 Kimberley Process Review Mission and the Panel of Experts on Liberia (S/2009/640) remained slow. On 15 July, a meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Diamonds was held, which had not met in more than 10 months, in which it was agreed to revitalize its work and hold more frequent meetings. With international support, the database system to collect statistical data on diamonds is already functional and regional diamond offices are being strengthened. Between January and June, 18,046 carats of rough diamonds were exported, amounting to $9.9 million, and the Government received income of nearly $300,000. The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy began to undertake awareness-raising activities on the implementation of the Kimberley Process provisions in the mining areas of Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount and Nimba counties and its environs.", "47. The tax revenue generated by commercial forestry has been lower than expected, as in the financial period 2010-2011, operators only paid 2.1 million of the $13.5 million they owed. A government task force has been set up to review the tax regime and assess whether the mitigation of certain requirements could improve the performance of companies. The Forestry Development Authority has also established procedures for Community Forestry Development Committees to have access to funds and to manage them for affected communities that are legally empowered to participate in the benefits. Palm oil plantations were established and launched in some 460,000 hectares of land given to companies in western and south-eastern counties. However, communities oppose the extension of operations, seek compensation and protest that they have not been consulted on concession agreements.", "H. Integration of the United Nations system", "48. Progress was made in the implementation of the “One in Action” principle. A monitoring and evaluation support unit was established in March to assist with the development of the “One Programme”. In addition, a road map was developed in April indicating the adjustments to programmes and operations required to integrate the United Nations in Liberia within the framework of the " One Programme " and harmonizing the services it provides, and the United Nations Communications Group prepared a new workplan based on the principles of " Join in Action " . The road map is being harmonized with national vision, growth and development processes.", "IV. Cross-cutting issues", "A. Public information", "49. The United Nations worked closely with the Government and other partners in the refugee crisis and ensured appropriate recognition of the generosity of host communities. UNMIL continued to work with the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Justice on capacity-building, including through training in employment for public information officials. The finalists of the annual talent competition “Nace una estrella”, organized jointly by the Government and UNMIL, recorded a compact record with songs on the theme of children’s rights.", "B. Gender", "50. In order to improve gender mainstreaming, a participatory evaluation of the subject is under way in all United Nations agencies, including UNMIL. Support has continued to be provided for gender mainstreaming in Government policies, in particular in the area of immigration and prison services and the practical training of women police officers. Gender training programmes were also evaluated in security sector institutions, following which immediate follow-up action was taken in the army, prison services and immigration services.", "C. HIV/AIDS", "51. UNMIL provided training in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and sexually transmitted diseases for newly deployed peacekeepers and provided voluntary testing services for HIV detection and behavioural change communication services. In order to increase the number of HIV/AIDS peer counselors, 23 national staff were trained. All services are available to United Nations agencies, funds and programmes operating in Liberia.", "D. Conduct and discipline", "52. UNMIL continued its efforts to ensure compliance with my zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse through preventive action, such as initial and review sessions, inspection visits to restricted access facilities and ongoing awareness-raising campaigns to sensitize local communities. The reporting period provided integrated training on conduct and discipline to 2,689 United Nations staff at all levels, including on zero-tolerance policy, stress management and HIV/AIDS awareness. UNMIL also provided training on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse to 563 members of local communities.", "53. During the reporting period, 26 allegations of serious misconduct, including 16 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, were submitted, reflecting a general increase compared to the previous reporting period.", "E. Security of United Nations personnel", "54. Crime continued to pose a major threat to the security of United Nations personnel and assets, particularly in Monrovia. During the reporting period, five incidents of armed robbery were reported against United Nations personnel and 56 non-arm-related crimes, including home rape, theft and assault. Three national staff, six military personnel and one police officer were killed as a result of shooting, illness or accidents.", "V. Deployment of the Mission", "A. Military component", "55. As indicated in my previous reports, with the adjustments to the strength of UNMIL in 2006 and the completion of the three phases of the formal reduction of the Mission in May 2010, in addition to the withdrawal of the military guard force from the Special Court for Sierra Leone in March 2011, the Mission ' s strength was reduced from 15,250 to the current authorized military strength of 7,952 troops.", "56. UNMIL maintains its headquarters in Monrovia and has deployed forces in two sectors, comprising three infantry battalions. The Rapid Reaction Force stands out in Monrovia and has two advanced operating bases located near the roads leading to the borders with Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire. The force comprises 43 troop-contributing countries, comprising 7,703 troops, 79 staff officers and 130 military observers, including 209 women.", "57. During the reporting period, UNMIL continued to support UNOCI through inter-mission cooperation agreements, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions. The two general-purpose military helicopters that were provisionally assigned to UNOCI returned to UNMIL on 28 June, while the three armed helicopters remain assigned to UNOCI and provide critical support in the joint border operations carried out by the two missions.", "B. Police component", "58. As at 1 August, the UNMIL police component had an authorized strength of 1,330, comprising 456 police advisers, 843 police officers in seven formed police units and 31 prison staff. The police component includes 200 women. There are three formed police units deployed in Monrovia and one in each of Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh and Lofa counties. UNMIL also has 11 immigration advisers.", "VI. Peacebuilding Commission", "59. The peace-building programme in Liberia, which is based on the Priority Peacebuilding Plan, estimated at $71 million, was approved on 5 May 2011. The three-year programme focuses on justice, security and national reconciliation. One of the main projects is the establishment of five regional justice and security centres to promote more effective justice and security services and a presence throughout the country. The Peacebuilding Fund allocated an initial contribution of $20,154,000 for the implementation of the programme and the Peacebuilding Commission has initiated activities to mobilize resources.", "60. The first official visit of a delegation of the Peacebuilding Commission to Liberia, composed of representatives from the United States of America, Jordan, Liberia, Nigeria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine, was held in June. The visit took place after two previous missions of the Chair of the Liberia configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. The delegation met with national and international stakeholders and promoted legislative reform and the establishment of monitoring and accountability mechanisms for the security and justice sectors. The Chairperson also obtained the support of the Chairperson for a proposal for the formulation of a national reconciliation strategy and the Government agreed to focus attention on certain key priorities during the first year, including the establishment of the Gbarnga centre, the establishment of the second and third centres and support for the construction of new prisons and the establishment of courts in some rural areas. With regard to reconciliation, it was agreed to prioritize initial support for land reform and the empowerment of young people.", "VII. Transition planning", "61. In its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council encouraged UNMIL and the Government of Liberia to continue to make progress in the process of transition planning, in particular in the conduct of a comprehensive assessment of the situation and the identification of critical gaps to facilitate a successful transition, and requested that the United Nations and the Government of Liberia develop a joint transition plan for the transfer of the relevant internal security functions to UNMIL. The resolution also requested a review of the Mission ' s benchmarks to include transitional benchmarks to guide the transfer of UNMIL security functions to national authorities. These elements were described in my last report, dated 14 February 2011 (S/2011/72).", "62. Following a transition workshop in June 2010, the Government and UNMIL initiated a joint transition planning process. Under the leadership of the National Security Council, the process resulted in the establishment of a top-level core group, a working group and four security task forces covering the areas of border security, public order, property security and logistics. A joint assessment of the situation has been conducted and worksheets have been prepared for the transition indicating specific tasks to be transferred to national authorities. In April 2011, the four task forces began to assess the capacity of the Liberian security agencies to assume responsibility in the four areas. However, progress has been made slowly, particularly with regard to the Liberian National Police, which will absorb much of the public order and security functions of assets. The current approach to border security and security for the conduct of the elections has overwhelmed the Government ' s planning capacity and is likely to reduce transition-related activities during the electoral period.", "63. With regard to the development of a joint security plan for the transition, a number of important tasks remain pending, such as the achievement of an agreement on the nature of the remaining gaps, the identification of a strategy to address key gaps and the design of a strategic approach to test the capacity of national authorities to maintain security independently from UNMIL, which will be linked to the Government ' s security plans and their capacity to implement them. In my next report, I will submit proposals for progress in the preparation of a joint transition plan to transfer responsibility for internal security from UNMIL to the relevant national authorities.", "64. With regard to the transition strategy for the transfer of the Mission ' s civilian activities, in June a task force began to expose the Mission ' s civilian support activities to the Government and United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to inform discussions on how to complement the current security planning for the transition and to articulate it with the " Units in Action " process.", "VIII. Financial aspects", "65. In its resolution 65/301, the General Assembly decided to appropriate the amount of $525.6 million, equivalent to some $43.8 million per month, including $513.4 million for the maintenance of UNMIL for the period from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, and $12.2 million for the electoral support to be provided by the Mission. Should the Security Council decide to extend the mandate of UNMIL beyond 30 September 2011, the cost of maintaining the Mission until 30 June 2012 would be limited to the amounts approved by the General Assembly.", "66. As at 15 July 2011, unpaid assessed contributions to the Special Account for UNMIL amounted to $55 million. The total outstanding assessed contributions for all peacekeeping operations as at that date amounted to $1,475.3 million.", "67. As at 30 June 2011, amounts owed to troop- and formed police-contributing countries amounted to some $29.8 million. Reimbursements have been made for troop costs, formed police units and contingent-owned equipment for the periods ended 31 May and 31 March 2011, respectively, in accordance with the quarterly payment plan.", "IX. Comments", "68. Liberia is close to holding its second round of democratic elections since the end of the conflict. The success of those elections and the peaceful start of the new government will be crucial in consolidating the country ' s enormous progress over the past eight years. With the successful results of the voter registration programme, the Liberian authorities have demonstrated an increasing capacity to plan and launch the complex national activity that will constitute the holding of the referendum and elections and it is important to maintain this momentum throughout the process. United Nations organizations in Liberia will continue to provide the necessary technical and logistical support to ensure the success of the operation. However, there will be considerable logistical problems as all electoral activities may be carried out in the rainy season and the deadlines will be extremely short. I therefore urge all political actors and the general population to make every effort to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in a climate of freedom, impartiality and violence.", "69. As the elections are approaching and campaigning is intensifying, I urge all political parties to use democratic space to support their political positions and to refrain from making arsonous statements and provocative acts. It is important to respect the electoral calendar. I encourage political parties and the National Electoral Commission to promptly settle the differences of opinion that still persist with respect to their interpretation of certain aspects of the legal framework, and I also encourage parties and citizens to use the legal channels and the relevant mechanisms to resolve any dispute arising in relation to the electoral process. In this regard, I welcome the reactivation of the International Contact Group on Liberia and am reassured by the intensification of the dialogue in the Inter-Party Consultative Committee. The United Nations will continue to support the electoral process, in particular through the good offices of my Special Representative.", "70. The work of the joint working group of the Government and UNMIL for the transition has highlighted a significant number of national security gaps to be addressed in order to enable the smooth transfer of UNMIL security responsibilities to national institutions. The situation along the Liberia- Côte d’Ivoire border presented opportunities for security institutions to demonstrate their operational capacity, but highlighted persistent challenges, particularly with regard to logistics and equipment. It is therefore urgent that the Government ' s international partners increase support for the development of the security sector, so that UNMIL operations can be progressively reduced as it shifts responsibilities in this area to national authorities. In this regard, I welcome the special interest of the Peacebuilding Commission in the establishment of the five regional justice and security centres, as these centres will improve access to justice and security throughout the country. I urge bilateral partners to support the centres, the UNDP Trust Fund for Justice and Security and the Liberia Peacebuilding Programme, to promote greater effectiveness and accountability in the security and rule of law sectors, with special attention to institutional oversight and management, and to provide critical logistical support and equipment, in particular for the Liberia National Police to have sufficient equipment before the elections.", "71. I am concerned about the slow implementation of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, especially in the light of the critical role that reconciliation will play in promoting sustainable peace. I encourage the Independent National Human Rights Commission to overcome its internal problems. The Commission must fulfil its core mandate to serve as the country ' s main independent human rights institution and must assume its central role in identifying steps to be taken to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.", "72. The situation of refugees and security-related issues arising from the post-electoral crisis in Côte d’Ivoire constitute major challenges for Liberia. Financial support for the revised Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan is essential to meet humanitarian needs until the end of 2011, particularly as refugees continue to flow. I am encouraged by the proactive approach taken by the Government to address the problem of Ivorian combatants and welcome the establishment of a special detention centre for the alleged Ivorian combatants. I am also pleased to note the growing cooperation between the Governments of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire and the increased cooperation between UNMIL and UNOCI to address cross-border security issues. I urge all concerned to prevent the movement of weapons, to separate refugees from ex-combatants and to ensure that alleged ex-combatants are treated in accordance with the law.", "73. By its resolution 1938 (2010), the Security Council extended the mandate of UNMIL until 30 September 2011, with an authorized strength of 7,952 military personnel and 1,375 police personnel. Given the still limited capacity of national security institutions and the critical need to support electoral, border and other security operations, the recommendations made in my special report of 10 June 2009 remain in force (see S/2009/299) with regard to maintaining the military and police components of the Mission in that authorized strength until after the 2011 elections. Following the inauguration of the next Government, a comprehensive technical assessment mission, led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, will be deployed in Liberia to develop detailed proposals for the next phases of the Mission ' s phase-out, including further reductions in the military component. This assessment will include a comprehensive review of progress made on the benchmarks for the security transition and will be undertaken in close consultation with the Government of Liberia and all relevant stakeholders. I will present to the Security Council my proposals for the following phases of the Mission ' s phase-out and the transition from security in early 2012, in a special report that will include the findings and recommendations made by the assessment mission. I therefore recommend that the Security Council extend the mandate of the Mission for a period of one year, until 30 September 2012, and conduct a review of its authorized military and police strength by 30 May 2012, on the basis of the findings of the above-mentioned technical assessment mission.", "74. In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my Special Representative for Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj, and to the civilian and military personnel of UNMIL for their contribution to peacebuilding in Liberia. I would also like to express my gratitude to all troop- and police-contributing countries, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, the International Contact Group on Liberia, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, multilateral and bilateral donors and international and local non-governmental organizations for their participation and contribution to the sustainment of peace and support for Liberia ' s development.", "Annex", "United Nations Mission in Liberia: military and police personnel", "(as at 1 August 2011)", "Country Component Units Military civilian police formed observers Official Soldiers Total military staff", "Argentina 0 0 0 0 13", "Germany 0 0 0 5", "Bangladesh 14 7 1 433 1 454 16", "Benin 2 1 0 3 0", "Bolivia (State 2 1 0 3 0 Plurinational de)", "Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 0 12", "Brazil 0 2 0 2 0", "Bulgaria 2 0 2 0", "China 2 6 558 566 17", "Croatia 0 2 0 2 0", "Denmark 3 2 0 5 0", "Ecuador 2 1 0 3 0", "Egypt 5 0 5 4", "El Salvador 2 0 2 1", "United States of 4 5 0 9 11", "Ethiopia 8 4 0 12 0", "Russian Federation 4 0 4 11", "Fiji 0 0 0 28", "Philippines 2 1 115 118 30", "Finland 0 2 0", "France 0 1 0 0", "Gambia 1 0 1 18", "Ghana 9 7 700 716 20", "India 0 0 0 243 3", "Indonesia 1 0 1 0", "Jamaica 1", "Jordan 4 5 114 123 240 13", "Kenya 0 0 0 18", "Kyrgyzstan 3 0 3 2", "Malaysia 6 0 0 6 0", "Mali 1 0 1 0", "Mongolia 0 2 148 150 0", "Montenegro 2 0 2 0", "Namibia 1 3 0 4 4", "Nepal 2 3 15 20 240 14", "Niger 2 0 2 0", "Nigeria 12 9 1 553 1 574 120 19", "Norway 0 0 0 9", "Pakistan 7 10 2 942 2 959 24", "Paraguay 2 1 0 3 0", "Peru 2 2 0 4 0", "Poland 2 0 2 3", "Czech Republic 0 0 0 4", "Republic of Korea 1 1 0 2 0", "Republic of Moldova 2 0 2 0", "Romania 2 0 2 0", "Rwanda 0 0 0 3", "Samoa 0 0 0 0", "Senegal 1 1 0 2 0", "Serbia 4 0 4 6", "Sri Lanka 0 0 0 13", "Sweden 0 0 0 13", "Switzerland 3", "Togo 2 1 0 3 0", "Turkey 0 0 0 26", "Ukraine 2 2 275 279 18", "Uganda 0 0 0 6", "Uruguay 0 0 0 0", "Yemen 0 1 0 1 6", "Zambia 3 0 3 25", "Zimbabwe 2 0 2 37", "Total 128 83 7 853 8 064 843 456", "[]" ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 19 b) del programa provisional*", "Desarrollo sostenible: seguimiento y aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio para la ejecución ulterior del Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "Examen del apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "El Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y la Estrategia de Mauricio para la ulterior ejecución del Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo han subrayado la importancia del apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a las actividades encaminadas al desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. A lo largo de los años, las distintas entidades de las Naciones Unidas han prestado este apoyo de diferentes maneras. En general, las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas han prestado una amplia gama de servicios de apoyo específico a los pequeños Estados insulares en relación con la Estrategia de Mauricio, de conformidad con los respectivos mandatos. Sin embargo, hay deficiencias y posibilidades de mejora en la prestación de este apoyo, incluida la ejecución de programas coordinados y coherentes para la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio. Colectivamente, las organizaciones competentes de las Naciones Unidas también se han comprometido a prestar apoyo normativo, analítico y de creación de capacidad a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo con miras a aumentar el reconocimiento internacional de su situación especial y a contribuir a fortalecer su resiliencia frente a muchos problemas.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 3II. Apoyo 4 prestado por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en \ndesarrollo \nA.Mandatos 4B.Cuestiones 5 \ninstitucionales C.Contribuciones 7 \nfinancieras D.Cuatro 9 esferas de \napoyo E. Mejor 17 \ncoordinación III. Cuestiones 18 que deben \nexaminarse \nA. Incorporación 18B.Enfoques 19 coherentes y \ncoordinados C. Apoyo 21 \ninstitucional D.Gestión 21 de los \nconocimientos E.Una 22 sola \n voz F. Funciones 23 y \nresponsabilidades G.Fortalecimiento 23 del argumento a favor de los pequeños Estados insulares en \ndesarrollo", "I. Introducción", "1. La comunidad internacional reconoció oficialmente por primera vez los problemas singulares en materia de desarrollo sostenible que enfrentan los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo cuando expuso su caso especial en el capítulo 17 del Programa 21[1], aprobado en 1992. El Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo (“Programa de Acción de Barbados”)[2], aprobado dos años después, reconoce la función importante de todos los órganos, programas y organizaciones pertinentes del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, dentro de sus respectivas especialidades y mandatos, de apoyar y complementar las actividades nacionales en la ejecución de ese Programa de Acción.", "2. Desde la aprobación de la Estrategia de Mauricio para la ejecución ulterior del Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo (“Estrategia de Mauricio para la Ejecución”)[3], la Asamblea General y el Consejo Económico y Social han señalado en diversas resoluciones la necesidad de examinar y mejorar la eficacia, la coherencia y la coordinación del apoyo que presta el sistema de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. En el documento final de la Reunión de Examen de Alto Nivel sobre la Aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio para la Ejecución Ulterior del Programa de Acción para el Desarrollo Sostenible de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, aprobado por la Asamblea en la resolución 65/2, los jefes de Estado y de Gobierno, ministros y representantes de los Estados Miembros solicitaron al Secretario General que hiciera un examen amplio y estudiara los modos de aumentar la coherencia y la coordinación del apoyo que prestan las Naciones Unidas a esos Estados y presentara a la Asamblea en el sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones un informe con recomendaciones concretas para los Estados Miembros a ese respecto.", "3. El objeto del presente informe es examinar los progresos hechos por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas en la incorporación e integración del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio para la Ejecución en sus mandatos, programas y procesos, a fin de promover la coherencia y la coordinación del apoyo de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. También se hacen recomendaciones sobre la forma de dirigir mejor ese apoyo y de hacerlo más eficiente y eficaz.", "4. El informe tiene en cuenta información procedente de diversas fuentes, como los sitios web, los informes y publicaciones de las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas, la documentación preparada por la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo de la División de Desarrollo Sostenible del Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas para que la examine el Comité de Políticas de Desarrollo en el 12º período de sesiones, las aportaciones de los miembros del Grupo Consultivo Interinstitucional sobre los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, los documentos encargados sobre algunas de las cuestiones que abarca el presente informe y las contribuciones y opiniones directas de los Estados Miembros.", "5. En la sección II infra se examinan la forma en que las entidades de las Naciones Unidas han incorporado el apoyo a la ejecución del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio en sus respectivas estructuras organizativas; la forma en que las cuestiones que interesan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo se tratan a nivel mundial, regional y nacional; y la forma en que se presta apoyo a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en cuatro esferas principales, a saber, la labor normativa, de creación de capacidad, analítica y coordinadora del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. En la sección III se hacen varias recomendaciones.", "II. Apoyo prestado por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "6. En esta sección se indican los mandatos de las entidades de las Naciones Unidas, los aspectos institucionales y los programas y proyectos pertinentes.", "A. Mandatos", "7. En el plano mundial, la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo de la Sede de las Naciones Unidas tiene a su cargo una amplia gama de funciones encaminadas a apoyar la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio (véase la resolución 60/194 de la Asamblea General). La Dependencia presta asistencia técnica y asesoramiento, apoya los procesos intergubernamentales, dirige la coordinación interinstitucional e informa sobre los progresos hechos en la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio. La Oficina del Alto Representante para los Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoral y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo tiene el mandato de desarrollar actividades de promoción en apoyo de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, en colaboración con las entidades competentes de las Naciones Unidas, y movilizar recursos para aplicar la Estrategia de Mauricio (véase A/56/645).", "8. A nivel regional, conforme a la Estrategia de Mauricio las comisiones regionales están encargadas de la promoción y la coordinación del apoyo a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Las comisiones regionales tienen una ventaja comparativa en la facilitación de la coordinación y la colaboración con respecto a la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio a nivel regional. Dos comisiones regionales tienen oficinas subregionales que facilitan la coordinación: el Centro de Operaciones para el Pacífico de la Comisión Económica y Social para Asia y el Pacífico (CESPAP) y la Sede Subregional para el Caribe de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL)[4].", "9. Los respectivos mandatos de las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas se refieren a esferas programáticas específicas pertinentes a la Estrategia de Mauricio, pero en conjunto están dirigidas a alcanzar muchos de los objetivos de la Estrategia. Por consiguiente, los organismos, fondos y programas desempeñan un papel importante en la tarea de ayudar a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a aplicar la Estrategia de Mauricio en diversas esferas programáticas. Entre esas organizaciones están el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA)[5], la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Industrial (ONUDI), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO)[6], la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD)[7], el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA).", "10. El Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica[8], la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático[9] y la Convención de las Naciones Unidas de Lucha contra la Desertificación en los Países Afectados por Sequía Grave o Desertificación, en particular en África[10], abarcan cuestiones importantes destacadas en la Estrategia de Mauricio. La conferencia de las partes de cada uno de estos tres convenios sirve de foro mundial en que los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo pueden expresar sus necesidades y prioridades y obtener apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "B. Cuestiones institucionales", "Mecanismos institucionales específicos en apoyo de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "11. En el párrafo 128 del Programa de Acción de Barbados se solicitó al Secretario General que invitara a los órganos y organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a considerar la posibilidad de establecer coordinadores para su aplicación. La respuesta a esta invitación ha sido desigual.", "12. Solo 10 organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas han designado un coordinador especial para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La oficina del Caribe de la CEPAL tiene 46 puestos del presupuesto ordinario, 33 sustantivos y 13 administrativos, y la oficina del Pacífico de la CESPAP tiene nueve puestos presupuestarios y dos extrapresupuestarios. El PNUMA tiene un coordinador de dedicación exclusiva en su sede de Nairobi y un coordinador regional para el Caribe en su Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe en la Ciudad de Panamá. La UNESCO tiene una Sección de las Pequeñas Islas y el Conocimiento Indígena, con cinco puestos presupuestarios y cuatro extrapresupuestarios. Otras organizaciones tienen un coordinador que trata los asuntos de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo como parte de una cartera más amplia, por ejemplo la FAO. Cuando están a cargo de una oficina regional, las funciones de coordinador tienden a centrarse en la coordinación de actividades regionales y no en la coordinación mundial prevista en el Programa de Acción de Barbados.", "13. En la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas, a causa del crecimiento nulo del presupuesto durante muchos años, el número de puestos en la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo no ha aumentado: la Dependencia tenía cuatro puestos presupuestarios y tres extrapresupuestarios cuando se celebró la Reunión Internacional de Mauricio en 2005, y el número y la composición del personal no han variado. Este equipo desarrolla todas las actividades normativas, analíticas y de creación de capacidad. Un hecho positivo desde 2005 digno de mención es que ahora la Dependencia depende directamente del Director de la División de Desarrollo Sostenible. Además, la Oficina del Alto Representante tiene ahora un puesto dedicado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que no existía en 2005.", "14. Existen otras disposiciones institucionales. La UNCTAD trata los asuntos relativos a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo como parte de sus programas especiales. El Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica tiene un programa de trabajo sobre la diversidad biológica de las islas, a cargo de personal de dedicación exclusiva. Otros órganos tratan las cuestiones que interesan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo como parte de su programa de trabajo general.", "Incorporación de la Estrategia de Mauricio en los programas de trabajo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas", "15. La incorporación e integración de las actividades relacionadas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en los programas de trabajo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas se ha determinado como esencial para la ejecución del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio (véase la resolución 65/156 de la Asamblea General). La forma en que se ha hecho varía de una entidad a otra. La CEPAL ha incorporado e integrado eficazmente en su trabajo las cuestiones que interesan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo mediante el establecimiento de su Sede Subregional para el Caribe. En la CESPAP las prioridades de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo del Pacífico se han integrado en el trabajo de la Comisión por medio del programa de trabajo de su Centro de Operaciones para el Pacífico. La mayoría de las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas han incorporado cuestiones relativas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en su programa de trabajo sin recurrir al establecimiento de un programa dedicado especialmente a ellas. El PNUMA ha adoptado un enfoque estratégico que abarca toda la institución para asegurar la incorporación en su programa de trabajo de las cuestiones relacionadas con las necesidades y prioridades de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La UNESCO, cuyas actividades son coordinadas por el coordinador para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, usa la plataforma intersectorial establecida en 2007 para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a fin de seguir un enfoque integrado en su trabajo sobre condiciones de vida y desarrollo sostenibles en las islas, que hace hincapié en la cooperación interregional. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) incorpora cuestiones de interés para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en el marco general de su trabajo en todos los países en desarrollo, pero las oficinas regionales ayudan a adaptar los proyectos y programas a las necesidades especiales de los países de la región.", "16. Otro método es el uso del proceso del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, administrado por el PNUD, que también ayuda a incorporar e integrar cuestiones relacionadas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, individualmente y como parte de una subregión, en las actividades de desarrollo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas en apoyo del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio. A nivel nacional, la incorporación también se apoya con otras estrategias multilaterales, incluidos los documentos de estrategia de lucha contra la pobreza del Banco Mundial y los marcos cuadrienales renovables de prioridades nacionales a mediano plazo de la FAO.", "C. Contribuciones financieras", "Asignación de recursos financieros a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "17. Según las estadísticas de ayuda en 2008-2009 del Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo de la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (CAD/OCDE), las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas y las instituciones de Bretton Woods estuvieron entre los 10 principales donantes de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo (AOD) en cifras brutas a los 34 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo sobre los cuales había datos. Hay diferencias entre los países, pero entre los 10 principales donantes estuvieron el Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (FMAM), el PNUD, el Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA (ONUSIDA), el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y la Asociación Internacional de Fomento (AIF) del Grupo del Banco Mundial. Las cifras que se dan a continuación representan solo la información disponible al fin de la redacción del presente informe (julio de 2011).", "18. El Banco Mundial ha aumentado la asistencia financiera a los Estados pequeños, categoría que incluye varios pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Los recursos asignados por la AIF a las islas pequeñas del Pacífico, excepto Papua Nueva Guinea y Timor-Leste, han aumentado de unos 40 millones de dólares en cada uno de los dos ciclos anteriores de la AIF (ejercicios económicos de 2003-2005 y 2006-2008) a casi 100 millones de dólares en el ciclo actual (ejercicios económicos de 2009-2011). En junio de 2010, la Junta de Directores del Grupo del Banco Mundial hizo suya la Estrategia de Asociaciones Regionales de la Organización de Estados del Caribe Oriental, que trata de apoyar la estabilidad económica, la competitividad y el crecimiento inclusivo y sostenido; se prevé que en los próximos cuatro años se prestará una asistencia financiera de hasta 193 millones de dólares, además de servicios técnicos y asesoramiento. Mediante sus fondos de inversión en el clima, el Banco Mundial colabora con otros bancos de desarrollo regionales del Caribe y el Pacífico en el programa piloto de resiliencia al cambio climático. Esta iniciativa aporta entre 60 millones y 70 millones de dólares en subvenciones para diversas actividades, por ejemplo reunión de datos, seguimiento y creación de capacidad.", "19. Los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que reúnen las condiciones para recibir financiación del FMAM han recibido asignaciones financieras en el marco de la cuarta y la quinta reposición del FMAM. En la quinta reposición la asignación total para todos los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que reúnen las condiciones asciende a unos 150 millones de dólares.", "20. En su presupuesto ordinario por programas, la UNESCO ha dedicado en los últimos cinco años unos 15 millones de dólares a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Además, se aportaron a esos Estados unos 8 millones de dólares por conducto del Programa de Participación de la organización, que permite la ejecución nacional de las actividades que se ajusten a los objetivos del Programa y al presupuesto de la Organización.", "21. A principios de 2005 la asignación total para proyectos del FIDA en los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo ascendía a 148,7 millones de dólares. Muchos de ellos siguen en marcha. Los recursos del FIDA suelen ser una mezcla de préstamos y donaciones, y éstas se destinan particularmente a los países menos adelantados y al alivio de la pobreza. El Fondo fiduciario para la seguridad alimentaria y la inocuidad de los alimentos de la FAO se ha usado para financiar dos proyectos regionales, en el Pacífico y el Caribe.", "Movilización de recursos", "22. La Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo ha logrado durante varios años movilizar la financiación de donantes para apoyar la participación de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en la Reunión Internacional de Mauricio, en el proceso de examen quinquenal de la Estrategia de Mauricio y, actualmente, en los preparativos de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, que se celebrará en 2012. La Dependencia también ha movilizado financiación bilateral para apoyar propuestas de proyectos que beneficiarían a todos los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, entre ellos un proyecto financiado por el Gobierno de España (con un presupuesto de más de 2,8 millones de dólares) que abarca la revitalización de la Red de Información de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo (SIDSNet), un programa de formación virtual que se ejecutará por conducto del consorcio de universidades de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y un proyecto de seguimiento y evaluación de la Estrategia de Mauricio financiado por la Unión Europea (470.000 dólares). La CESPAP y la CEPAL han ayudado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de sus regiones a movilizar recursos para aplicar la Estrategia de Mauricio. El FMAM también ha prestado apoyo a programas y proyectos para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en sus esferas de interés mediante asignaciones a países determinados. El FMAM, en asociación con los organismos y países de ejecución, colabora con otros donantes para ayudar a obtener cofinanciación para los proyectos. El PNUD ha desempeñado un papel esencial movilizando recursos considerables del FMAM para ejecutar actividades que abarcan diversas esferas de la Estrategia de Mauricio. El Banco Mundial también ha desempeñado un papel importante en la movilización de recursos financieros. La decimosexta reposición de la AIF prevé mayores recursos financieros para ayudar a los países de economía pequeña, incluidos los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, a avanzar en la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Además, los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo también tienen acceso a otros fondos, como el Fondo para los Países Menos Adelantados (tienen acceso a ellos los 10 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo incluidos en el grupo de los países menos adelantados) y el Fondo Especial para el Cambio Climático, ambos administrados por el FMAM.", "23. Otras organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas también han desempeñado una función importante en la movilización de recursos en su esfera de actividad. El PNUMA ha logrado movilizar fondos del FMAM para actividades y proyectos regionales relacionados con la diversidad biológica, el cambio climático, la ordenación territorial, los contaminantes orgánicos persistentes y las aguas internacionales. También ha movilizado recursos de donantes bilaterales y donantes multilaterales, como la Comisión Europea, para la ejecución de proyectos y programas. La OMS ha ayudado a los Estados miembros a movilizar recursos del Fondo Mundial de Lucha contra el SIDA, la Tuberculosis y la Malaria.", "D. Cuatro esferas de apoyo", "1. Apoyo normativo", "a) Seguimiento e información", "24. El seguimiento de los progresos hechos en la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio y la presentación de informes sobre ellos son una de las principales funciones de la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo. La Dependencia responde ante la Comisión sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, el principal órgano de las Naciones Unidas encargado de seguir la ejecución del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio. El proyecto de seguimiento y evaluación financiado por la Unión Europea que ejecutará la Dependencia, en cooperación con la Comisión del Océano Índico, contribuirá a fortalecer la capacidad de seguimiento de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, pues incluye la elaboración de perfiles de vulnerabilidad y resiliencia de los países. En el Caribe el Comité de Desarrollo y Cooperación del Caribe sigue la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio. El PNUD, el PNUMA y la CESPAP también desempeñan una función importante de apoyo al proceso de seguimiento y supervisión de la Estrategia de Mauricio en diversos niveles. Muchos de los organismos, fondos y programas rinden cuentas a sus órganos rectores sobre las actividades en apoyo de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. El FMAM rinde cuentas a sus miembros por conducto de su Consejo y a los donantes mediante varios mecanismos. La Junta Ejecutiva del PNUD/UNFPA aporta un mecanismo de seguimiento de sus programas. Además, el PNUD tiene procesos de seguimiento y presentación de informes en cada programa de país y en sus programas subregionales. Los 48 Estados pequeños miembros del Banco Mundial, que incluyen pequeños países insulares, se reúnen en el Foro de Pequeños Estados para examinar sus problemas más urgentes y para rendir cuentas, ellos mismos y sus asociados, de los progresos hechos. El Consejo de Administración del PNUMA y el Foro Ministerial Mundial sobre el Medio Ambiente sirven de mecanismo esencial para seguir a nivel mundial el trabajo que hace el PNUMA en relación con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La UNCTAD informa periódicamente a la Junta de Comercio y Desarrollo de las actividades a favor de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, grupo que los Estados miembros mencionan seis veces en el Acuerdo de Accra, uno de los resultados del 12º período de sesiones de la Conferencia (2008).", "b) Promoción", "25. La Oficina del Alto Representante para los Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoral y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo desempeña una función de promoción esencial en el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, en asociación con la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo. Las comisiones regionales trabajan proactivamente para asegurar que las prioridades y los intereses de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo se reflejen en las decisiones regionales, incluidas las relativas a la aplicación de los resultados de las conferencias de las Naciones Unidas. Estos resultados ayudan a establecer el temario normativo mundial e influyen en las políticas que promueven las organizaciones internacionales y regionales y en los tipos de proyectos que los donantes bilaterales tienden a financiar. En algunas organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas, los consejos de administración y órganos semejantes contribuyen a la promoción a favor de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. El Consejo del FMAM sirve de foro en que esos Estados abogan por sus necesidades y prioridades ante las entidades donantes que podrían cofinanciar actividades financiadas por el FMAM. El PNUMA también desempeña una función esencial en la promoción de los intereses de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a nivel mundial, regional, subregional y nacional, sobre todo en las esferas determinadas por el Programa de Acción de Barbados que están directamente relacionadas con su mandato. La función de promoción de la UNCTAD se centra en prestar apoyo sustantivo a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en sus argumentos a favor de distintas modalidades de tratamiento especial. Este apoyo se refiere a esferas de mucha importancia para dichos Estados, desde las medidas de transición gradual para los países que van a salir de la categoría de países menos adelantados hasta la asistencia técnica que se les podría prestar en virtud de su situación. Esto implica aumentar la credibilidad de la categoría de pequeño Estado insular en desarrollo, requisito al cual la UNCTAD ha respondido adoptando una lista de 29 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo para fines analíticos y prácticos.", "c) Apoyo al proceso intergubernamental", "26. En 2010 el sistema de las Naciones Unidas en conjunto, en cooperación con las organizaciones intergubernamentales regionales competentes, prestó apoyo a los preparativos del examen quinquenal de alto nivel de la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio a nivel nacional, regional, interregional y mundial, por medio de muchas consultas en el marco del Grupo Consultivo Interinstitucional sobre los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo. El apoyo fue normativo e incluyó lo siguiente: a) suministro de financiación para consultorías nacionales a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, a petición, para hacer evaluaciones nacionales, b) encargo de evaluaciones regionales y c) financiación, planificación, organización y coordinación de las disposiciones sustantivas y logísticas para las reuniones preparatorias en las tres regiones de pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, para las reuniones interregionales y para la misma Reunión de Alto Nivel. Se está prestando un apoyo parecido a los preparativos de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible.", "27. La Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo también ha prestado apoyo a las negociaciones celebradas durante la Asamblea General sobre el examen y seguimiento de la Estrategia de Mauricio y las cuestiones relacionadas con el mar Caribe y los arrecifes de coral y con la planificación del Día de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, que la Comisión sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible proclamó por primera vez en 2005 y que se observa durante sus períodos de sesiones de examen. La Oficina del Alto Representante organizó actividades de creación de capacidad para fortalecer la capacidad de negociación de los funcionarios de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y prestó apoyo a las negociaciones en las reuniones sobre poblaciones de peces.", "d) Gestión de los conocimientos", "28. La gestión de los conocimientos es una de las principales funciones de la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo. La Dependencia trabaja activamente en el fortalecimiento de las actividades de información para la adopción de decisiones por los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y facilita la formación de redes de contacto entre los interesados. Como parte de sus actividades, la Dependencia mantiene una sección dedicada a estos asuntos en el sitio web de la División de Desarrollo Sostenible. Este recurso sirve de portal de acceso de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a la información de diversas fuentes pertinentes al Programa de Acción de Barbados y a la Estrategia de Mauricio. Además, la Dependencia apoya a la SIDSNet, establecida en 1997 como complemento directo del Programa de Acción de Barbados. Actualmente la SIDSNet está en proceso de reconfiguración y revitalización, como parte de un nuevo proyecto financiado por el Gobierno de España. La red se transformará en un muy necesario sistema central de gestión de los conocimientos y plataforma para intercambiar conocimientos y experiencias y estudiar oportunidades de asociación, entre muchas otras actividades.", "29. Los sitios web de la CESPAP y la CEPAL suministran información para sus subregiones. El sitio web del FMAM tiene una sección especial con información sobre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, las redes y organizaciones, las experiencias de los países insulares respecto del FMAM, los proyectos financiados por el FMAM en los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, temas de interés, e información y contactos de los países.", "30. El Banco Mundial tiene un sitio subsidiario sobre los pequeños Estados, y la FAO una página web con información sobre cuestiones concretas que interesan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La UNESCO mantiene una plataforma especial que da información sobre sus actividades a favor de esos Estados en el marco de los capítulos de la Estrategia de Mauricio. El Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica tiene un sitio web amplio con un portal sobre la biodiversidad de las islas. El sitio web de la UNCTAD tiene un sitio subsidiario sobre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, que ofrece materiales y enlaces útiles.", "31. Las oficinas subregionales del PNUD tienen sitios web dedicados a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. En la subregión del Pacífico, el PNUD ha establecido una asociación con la Secretaría del Foro de las Islas del Pacífico, la Universidad del Pacífico Sur y el Banco Asiático de Desarrollo, que ha conducido a la creación de la Bolsa de Soluciones del Pacífico, comunidad virtual de intercambio de prácticas que reúne expertos, elaboradores de políticas y profesionales de 14 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de la región del Pacífico.", "2. Cooperación técnica y apoyo a la creación de capacidad", "32. El apoyo a la creación de capacidad que prestan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo diversas organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas ha crecido continuamente en calidad y cantidad. A medida que las necesidades de esos Estados se han articulado más claramente, el apoyo a la creación de capacidad se ha dirigido más a asuntos determinados. Sigue habiendo problemas y lagunas y la vulnerabilidad de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo aumenta con el cambio climático, el aumento de la frecuencia de desastres, el endeudamiento y el alto precio de los combustibles, entre muchos otros factores.", "33. La financiación de la cartera de proyectos encaminados a beneficiar a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a cargo de la División de Desarrollo Sostenible, incluida la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, asciende hoy a unos 4,7 millones de dólares. Estos proyectos tienen por objeto aumentar la capacidad de esos Estados de usar los instrumentos de información y formulación de políticas para la gestión de los conocimientos, el seguimiento y la evaluación, las estrategias y los indicadores nacionales de desarrollo sostenible y el tratamiento de esferas temáticas como el cambio climático, la energía, el agua, la seguridad humana y la gestión de desastres basada en la comunidad.", "34. El PNUD ayuda a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo ofreciéndoles una amplia gama de servicios de asesoramiento normativo y ejecutando programas de desarrollo estrechamente ajustados a las prioridades de desarrollo nacionales. Con respecto a la pobreza, el PNUD colabora con varios pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en las esferas de la inclusión financiera, el fortalecimiento de la capacidad nacional en materia de políticas basadas en los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y sistemas de eficacia de la ayuda y la promoción del intercambio de conocimientos sobre sistemas de protección social. Con respecto a las deficiencias de gobernanza, el PNUD colabora estrechamente con los parlamentos nacionales para fortalecer su capacidad legislativa y de supervisión y promueve el aumento de la representación política de la mujer. Con respecto al cambio climático, el PNUD trata de fortalecer la capacidad de adaptación y la resiliencia de las comunidades y da asesoramiento normativo a los gobiernos sobre la financiación relacionada con el clima. Un ejemplo de este enfoque es la iniciativa SIDS Dock del PNUD y el Banco Mundial, formulada en asociación con la Alianza de los Pequeños Estados Insulares.", "35. El Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial es la principal fuente de financiación para programas y proyectos ejecutados en apoyo de la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio. El FMAM estuvo entre los 10 principales donantes de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo (AOD) a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo sobre los cuales se han publicado estadísticas de ayuda del CAD/OCDE. El FMAM aporta financiación para una amplia gama de proyectos y programas sobre cuestiones ambientales, entre ellas la biodiversidad, el cambio climático, las aguas internacionales, la degradación de tierras, la capa de ozono y los contaminantes orgánicos persistentes.", "36. Las actividades de la CEPAL y la CESPAP se han centrado principalmente en prestar asesoramiento técnico, a petición, a los gobiernos de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Se están ejecutando diversos proyectos y actividades relacionados con los temas destacados en la Estrategia de Mauricio. Los resultados han incluido cambios normativos influidos por las aportaciones analíticas y el asesoramiento normativo de las dos comisiones regionales a los países que reciben servicios de cooperación técnica.", "37. En 2009-2010 la División de Administración Pública y Gestión del Desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas administró sesiones de formación de creación de capacidad para el desarrollo del gobierno electrónico para los Estados del Caribe Oriental, en colaboración con el Centro Caribeño de Administración para el Desarrollo (CARICAD). Además, la División está elaborando un proyecto titulado “Apoyo a la planificación estratégica de la TIC en los parlamentos del Caribe”, que tiene por objeto ayudar a los parlamentos del Caribe a elaborar su visión y planes estratégicos amplios para el despliegue eficaz de la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC). El proyecto está financiado por la Unión Europea y se ejecutará en colaboración con el CARICAD.", "38. Las actividades ejecutadas por la UNCTAD en beneficio de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo se han dirigido a aumentar la capacidad de esos Estados de buscar oportunidades económicas convenientes en los mercados mundiales actuales y a evitar que sigan quedando marginados en la economía mundial. Estas actividades incluyen investigaciones y análisis, la prestación de asesoramiento normativo a cada país y de asistencia técnica en esferas que van de las estrategias de transición gradual para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que salen de la categoría de país menos adelantado a las políticas de comercio e inversión. La UNCTAD es el organismo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas que tiene más experiencia en el tratamiento de cuestiones de especial interés para esos Estados, habiéndolas examinado desde 1974.", "39. El apoyo a la creación de capacidad que el PNUMA presta a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo abarca seis prioridades temáticas intersectoriales de su estrategia de mediano plazo (2010-2013), a saber, cambio climático, desastres y conflictos, ordenación de ecosistemas, gobernanza ambiental, sustancias nocivas y desechos peligrosos, y eficiencia de los recursos. En el Caribe, las actividades del PNUMA se guían por su programa para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo del Caribe.", "40. El programa de la UNESCO para 2010-2011 incluye intervenciones especiales para países insulares en toda la gama de sus actividades, con especial atención a prioridades como el cambio climático, el patrimonio cultural y la búsqueda de enfoques del desarrollo sostenible impulsados localmente. Varios programas de la UNESCO han establecido subprogramas dedicados a apoyar la ejecución de actividades en los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo miembros de la organización.", "41. El Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA) ha prestado apoyo a proyectos grandes en pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. El FIDA ha financiado 23 proyectos en países del grupo del Océano Atlántico, el Océano Índico, el Mar Mediterráneo y el Mar del Sur de China (AIMS), 8 proyectos en 4 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo del Pacífico y 29 proyectos en 11 países del Caribe. Estos proyectos tienen por objeto facilitar la formulación de políticas y programas a favor de los pobres, la ordenación sostenible y rentable de los recursos pesqueros, la mejora de los medios de subsistencia de las comunidades costeras amenazadas por la sobreexplotación del medio marino y la asistencia a las familias rurales para diversificar las empresas generadoras de ingresos, agrícolas y no agrícolas, y mejorar las perspectivas de empleo.", "42. La FAO desarrolla, entre otras, actividades encaminadas a aumentar la contribución de la agricultura, la silvicultura y la pesca al programa de desarrollo de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Ejecuta programas de seguridad alimentaria nacionales y regionales y trata de ayudar a esos Estados a integrar políticas y programas de seguridad alimentaria sostenibles en las estrategias nacionales de reducción de la pobreza.", "43. La Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones (UIT) ha ejecutado actividades encaminadas a cerrar la brecha digital entre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y el resto del mundo. Las actividades de la UIT se han centrado en la reforma del sector de las telecomunicaciones de esos países para permitir la introducción de nuevas estructuras que sean más favorables al desarrollo rápido y sostenido de las telecomunicaciones, con redes modernas y bien administradas que aseguren el acceso universal a dichos servicios.", "44. El Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF) ha capacitado funcionarios gubernamentales en diversos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en las esferas de la protección y la educación del niño durante emergencias. Ha apoyado el examen y revisión de las políticas encaminadas a asegurar los derechos de los niños a la educación durante desastres y el estudio del efecto del cambio climático en los niños en relación con la supervivencia, el desarrollo, la protección y la participación.", "45. El Banco Mundial ha centrado sus actividades en la acomodación de la asistencia a las prioridades de cada país y la armonización de los programas de ayuda con los de otros organismos para aumentar la eficacia de la ayuda. En el Pacífico, el Banco Mundial ha tenido un papel activo en la promoción de los asuntos de interés para los Estados pequeños, elaborando un programa de crédito especial innovador y ejecutando un programa de actividades basadas en el país que responde a las necesidades de éste. En el Caribe ha prestado apoyo flexible para la mitigación de desastres, incluidos préstamos para situaciones imprevistas y análisis del mercado de los seguros en relación con los desastres naturales.", "46. La Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) ha trabajado en el desarrollo y fortalecimiento de los sistemas y estrategias nacionales de propiedad intelectual para promover el desarrollo económico, social y cultural de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de las tres regiones. Las actividades incluyeron la protección de los conocimientos tradicionales, los sistemas regionales de patentes y la formulación de estrategias nacionales de propiedad intelectual.", "47. La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Industrial (ONUDI) ha promovido activamente varios proyectos nacionales y regionales entre pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, principalmente en materia de energía.", "3. Apoyo analítico", "a) Publicaciones", "48. En general, las publicaciones de las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas relacionadas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo fueron publicaciones no periódicas en el período 2005-2010. Muy pocas se han dedicado exclusivamente a esos Estados, pero muchas organizaciones han editado publicaciones relativas al desarrollo temáticas o genéricas que abarcan los intereses de esos países o son importantes para ellos.", "49. Entre las publicaciones de organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas sobre temas de interés o importancia directa para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo están las siguientes: a) las publicaciones de la UNCTAD sobre comercio y desarrollo, b) el Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano del PNUD y otras publicaciones relacionadas con el desarrollo en general, c) el folleto de la UNESCO titulado “Islas en un océano de cambio: plataforma intersectorial de la UNESCO para los PEID” (París, 2009), d) la amplia gama de informes técnicos preparados por el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, en colaboración con el PNUMA, la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN) y otros, sobre cuestiones como las especies exóticas invasoras, la biodiversidad y el turismo, e) las dos publicaciones recientes preparadas por la División de Desarrollo Sostenible para el examen quinquenal de la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio, tituladas Trends in Sustainable Development: Small Island Developing States[11] y “SIDS-SIDS success stories: an innovative partnership in South-South cooperation” (preparado con el PNUD), f) el estudio titulado Enhancing Pacific Connectivity (ST/ESCAP/2472), preparado por la CESPAP con apoyo de la Oficina del Alto Representante para los Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoral y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur del PNUD y el Gobierno de Turquía[12], g) las muchas publicaciones de la CEPAL, entre ellas “Economic survey of the Caribbean”, “Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean”, “Caribbean development report” e informes de la serie Studies and Perspectives, y h) la serie de documentos temáticos y específicos de un país en que se estudia la función de las políticas gubernamentales y, en particular, las políticas sociales en la promoción del desarrollo social y la transformación económica, centrados en 11 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, preparados por el Instituto de Investigaciones de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Social (UNRISD) en colaboración con la Secretaría del Commonwealth.", "b) Datos y estadísticas", "50. Algunas organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas publican datos específicos de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y dan acceso a los usuarios a datos específicos de país. El Manual de Estadísticas de la UNCTAD se centra en el grupo de 29 pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que la organización incluyó en su lista operacional. El Banco Mundial es una de las principales fuentes de estadísticas y datos sobre todos los países, incluidos los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, en particular de datos económicos. El PNUMA ofrece diversos datos sobre el medio ambiente en las publicaciones incluidas en su sitio web, entre ellas The State of the Environment, e información ambiental sobre países determinados. La sección dedicada a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en el sitio web de la UNESCO contiene enlaces con estadísticas y datos sobre esferas de especial interés, como estadísticas de educación e información sobre investigación y desarrollo, y acceso al Centro de Datos que tiene más de 1.000 tipos de indicadores y datos brutos sobre educación, alfabetización, ciencia y tecnología, cultura y comunicación. La UNESCO también ayuda a los Estados miembros a mejorar su capacidad estadística y analítica. Mediante FAOSTAT, la FAO ofrece datos y estadísticas relativas a la agricultura y a la seguridad alimentaria, incluidos datos sobre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Se prevé que, mediante la revitalización de la SIDSNet, pronto estará disponible en línea un portal web con una amplia gama de datos e información estadística sobre el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La Oficina del Alto Representante para los Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoral y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo preparó, en colaboración con la División de Estadística del Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, una edición especial del World Statistics Pocketbook de las Naciones Unidas.", "51. A nivel regional, la CESPAP y la CEPAL ayudan a mejorar la capacidad estadística de los países en sus respectivas regiones fortaleciendo la infraestructura estadística nacional y promoviendo la mejora de la calidad de los datos, la comparabilidad internacional y el uso adecuado de nuevas técnicas. En el Pacífico, los donantes, las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas y las organizaciones multilaterales colaboran para fortalecer los sistemas nacionales de información y datos desglosados mediante la estrategia estadística decenal para el Pacífico. En el Caribe, el UNICEF, en asociación con la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM), ha apoyado la creación de bases de datos DevInfo en línea para permitir el intercambio de datos nacionales sobre niños en la secretaría de la CARICOM (CARICOMInfo) y en Santa Lucía (HelenInfo), y la secretaría de la Organización de Estados del Caribe Oriental y los Gobiernos de Barbados, Dominica, Saint Kitts y Nevis y San Vicente y las Granadinas han elaborado versiones de escritorio de sus bases de datos. Además, en 2009, la División de Estadística de las Naciones Unidas ayudó a la Secretaría de la CARICOM y a sus Estados miembros a formular indicadores de los ODM específicos del Caribe (CSMDG) y en 2010 ayudó a desarrollar la capacidad del personal de las oficinas nacionales de estadística de los países miembros de la CARICOM en las técnicas y procedimientos para editar datos de censos de población y vivienda.", "4. Mecanismos de coordinación", "52. Los mecanismos de coordinación para las actividades relacionadas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en el sistema de las Naciones Unidas emplean diversos métodos a nivel nacional, regional y mundial.", "53. A nivel nacional, cada oficina del PNUD coordina las actividades de las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas poniéndolas bajo la autoridad del equipo de las Naciones Unidas en el país. El equipo en el país presta servicios coordinados que apoyan los objetivos y prioridades de desarrollo sostenible del país a fin de promover la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio.", "54. A nivel regional, el mecanismo de coordinación regional del Caribe promueve una asociación entre la CEPAL, el PNUMA y las secretarías de la CARICOM, la Asociación de Estados del Caribe y la Organización de Estados del Caribe Oriental. En el Pacífico, forman parte del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Desarrollo Sostenible del Consejo de Organizaciones Regionales del Pacífico las organizaciones regionales de las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones regionales. El apoyo del PNUD se coordina mediante las oficinas subregionales de Fiji y Samoa (para el Pacífico) y de Barbados (para el Caribe) y mediante un coordinador en la sede. No hay mecanismo de coordinación para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de la región del Océano Atlántico, el Océano Índico, el mar Mediterráneo y el Mar del Sur de China (AIMS), en parte por falta de una oficina coordinadora subregional específica y en parte por su dispersión geográfica.", "E. Mejor coordinación", "55. Los progresos de la coordinación han sido desiguales. A nivel mundial, la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo tiene la función principal de coordinar el apoyo a esos Estados dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, mediante su papel de presidente y convocador del Grupo Consultivo Interinstitucional sobre los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo. El Grupo Interinstitucional, que tiene hoy 24 miembros, es un mecanismo de coordinación oficioso en que los coordinadores de todas las organizaciones competentes del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y de las organizaciones que no forman parte del sistema hacen consultas, intercambian información y opiniones, hacen planificación conjunta y promueven actividades de colaboración en apoyo de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. El Grupo Interinstitucional ha dado apoyo coordinado al examen quinquenal de la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio, especialmente a nivel nacional y regional. Se ha aumentado la colaboración entre los organismos para prestar apoyo normativo, analítico y de creación de capacidad a los preparativos de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, que se celebrará en 2012. También hay colaboración en la preparación de informes importantes del Secretario General.", "56. A nivel regional, la CESPAP y la CEPAL, mediante sus oficinas subregionales, han colaborado estrechamente con otras entidades de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones regionales para coordinar el apoyo que presta el sistema de las Naciones Unidas a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Ayudan a la CEPAL y a la CESPAP órganos regionales que no pertenecen al sistema de las Naciones Unidas, como la CARICOM, el Programa Regional del Pacífico Sur para el Medio Ambiente y el Foro de las Islas del Pacífico. Gracias a la labor de esas dos comisiones regionales, los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo tienen la oportunidad de alinearse más estrechamente con otros países de la región y así promover la cooperación regional.", "57. El Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo ha desempeñado un papel esencial en la coordinación de las actividades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a nivel nacional y regional, mediante sus oficinas de país y subregionales en el Pacífico y el Caribe. Este papel ha sido apoyado por la red de oficinas de país y subregionales del PNUD de todo el mundo, que han ayudado a coordinar las actividades de desarrollo del PNUD y otras organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas en apoyo del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio. Este proceso de coordinación se hace normalmente de conformidad con los resultados de la evaluación común para los países, que sirve de base del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo para un país o una subregión. El Marco para el Pacífico es un buen ejemplo del proceso y el propósito del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, que tiene por objeto aportar un enfoque coherente y coordinado “Una ONU” para el desarrollo a nivel nacional o subregional. Entre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en que se ha adoptado este enfoque están Cabo Verde, las Comoras, Mauricio y Seychelles.", "58. El Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente ha fortalecido la ejecución de actividades mediante el uso de su red de oficinas regionales, convenciones ambientales, planes de acción y asociaciones. El PNUMA también coordina sus actividades para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo mediante el Programa de mares regionales y el Programa de Acción Mundial para la protección del medio marino frente a las actividades realizadas en tierra[13]. La UNESCO ha colaborado estrechamente con los organismos principales en la ejecución de sus programas en los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Entre los organismos asociados están el Consejo de Organizaciones Regionales del Pacífico y la CARICOM. La ONUDI ha formado asociaciones con el PNUD, la FAO, el FIDA, la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), la Organización Mundial del Comercio, el PNUMA y el FMAM para prestar servicios a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La UNCTAD ha colaborado activamente con la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo en la Sede de las Naciones Unidas sobre cuestiones relativas al Grupo Consultivo Interinstitucional, con la CESPAP sobre la asistencia técnica a los países de Asia y el Pacífico que salen de la categoría de país menos adelantado, con el PNUD en el apoyo directo a nivel local a diversos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo que salen de esa categoría y con organizaciones intergubernamentales regionales en las regiones del Caribe, el Pacífico y AIMS.", "III. Cuestiones que deben examinarse", "59. La conclusión general es que, en conjunto, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas ha prestado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo una amplia gama de servicios de apoyo específicos en la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio, de conformidad con los respectivos mandatos. Sin embargo, hay posibilidades de mejora de la ejecución de programas coordinados y coherentes.", "60. El fortalecimiento del apoyo de las Naciones Unidas de conformidad con las prioridades determinadas en la Estrategia de Mauricio aceleraría los progresos hacia la aplicación de la Estrategia y la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y, de conformidad con la resolución 65/2 de la Asamblea General, ayudaría a resolver las dificultades relacionadas con el desarrollo sostenible que siguen afrontando los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La acción concertada sobre problemas graves permitiría hacer más eficaces las actividades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. En vista de esos problemas graves, que se examinan más abajo, y de la experiencia adquirida sobre los obstáculos a la incorporación e integración de las cuestiones de interés para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en los programas de trabajo de las entidades de las Naciones Unidas, los Estados Miembros tal vez deseen examinar, entre otras, las cuestiones que se indican a continuación.", "A. Incorporación", "61. En la Estrategia de Mauricio y en varias resoluciones de la Asamblea General se ha destacado la importancia de que las entidades de las Naciones Unidas incorporen e integren el Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio en sus respectivos procesos y programas. Una de las principales conclusiones del presente informe es que, en conjunto, las entidades de las Naciones Unidas han incorporado efectivamente en sus programas de trabajo las cuestiones de interés para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Esto se ha hecho de maneras muy diferentes, según el mandato de cada entidad. Los diversos enfoques adoptados por las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas ilustran una amplia gama de prácticas que pueden funcionar bien, siempre que haya la dedicación necesaria y se asignen recursos suficientes.", "Recomendación 1 \n\tLa incorporación efectiva de las cuestiones de interés para lospequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en el trabajo del sistemade las Naciones Unidas se puede lograr de diversas maneras. Laincorporación no requiere necesariamente programas independientesespeciales dirigidos a esos Estados. Un enfoque estratégico queabarque toda la institución y asegure que las cuestionesrelacionadas con las prioridades de los pequeños Estados insularesen desarrollo se integren en el marco general de los programas detrabajo mundiales de las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas haresultado eficaz. Después, las oficinas regionales y localespueden ayudar a adaptar proyectos y programas especiales según lasnecesidades de cada país miembro.", "B. Enfoques coherentes y coordinados", "62. Un campo en que los progresos han sido desiguales es el de la creación de enfoques coherentes y coordinados de cuestiones de interés para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo: ha habido algunos éxitos en este sentido, pero subsisten algunas deficiencias. La Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo tiene un papel directivo en la coordinación de las actividades pertinentes dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, pero ha estado limitada por la falta de recursos humanos, a pesar de los repetidos llamamientos que ha hecho la Asamblea General para que se fortaleciera. Es difícil, en vista de sus mandatos amplios, que los mecanismos de alto nivel, como la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación, traten específicamente cuestiones relacionadas con los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo.", "63. A nivel mundial, el Grupo Consultivo Interinstitucional ha sido eficaz, a pesar de su carácter oficioso, en la coordinación a nivel de trabajo de las cuestiones que interesan a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La labor de este grupo se potencia con la participación de entidades intergubernamentales regionales que no pertenecen al sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Se ha planteado la cuestión de si convendría revisar este mecanismo con miras a incluir la participación de directores de organismos, si debería tener una estructura más formal y si los principales resultados de sus debates podrían incorporarse más sistemáticamente en los mecanismos de coordinación a nivel de todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, como el Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (GNUD).", "64. A nivel regional, las oficinas subregionales del PNUD y las oficinas subregionales de la CESPAP y la CEPAL desempeñan funciones esenciales en la coordinación de las actividades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y están en posición ideal para seguir la ejecución de las actividades relacionadas con el Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio a nivel regional. En el Caribe, el Marco Estratégico Regional de las Naciones Unidas y la CARICOM, como mecanismo de coordinación de la asistencia técnica, podría ajustarse a las decisiones del Comité de Desarrollo y Cooperación del Caribe de la CEPAL de modo que reflejara mejor las opiniones de los países del Caribe. Esta complementariedad aseguraría que las actividades normativas de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas estuvieran vinculadas con las actividades de cooperación técnica de los fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas y de los organismos especializados. Esto podría ayudar a simplificar el mecanismo general de coordinación regional, promover la coherencia normativa y asegurar que las Naciones Unidas funcionaran efectivamente como una sola entidad.", "65. En el Pacífico, el Consejo de Organizaciones Regionales del Pacífico es un mecanismo eficaz de coordinación a nivel regional. El Comité de Acción del Plan del Pacífico es otro foro para el seguimiento, la priorización y el control normativo colectivos que contribuiría a la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio.", "66. En el caso de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de la región AIMS, para los cuales no existe un mecanismo de coordinación regional ni una oficina regional de las Naciones Unidas, podría elaborarse un marco institucional regional para el desarrollo sostenible. El PNUD podría desempeñar un papel esencial a este respecto, mediante sus oficinas de país, ayudando a prestar apoyo coherente y coordinado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, promoviendo así el enfoque “Una ONU”. Dada la falta de una oficina o un programa específico para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, la Comisión Económica para África (CEPA) podría concentrarse en asegurar que las necesidades especiales y las prioridades de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de su región se integraran en su programa de trabajo.", "67. A nivel nacional, el proceso del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo es un ejemplo de buena práctica que ayuda al sistema de las Naciones Unidas a ofrecer un programa de desarrollo coherente y coordinado. Entre los ejemplos positivos de enfoque “Una ONU” a nivel nacional en pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo están Cabo Verde, las Comoras, Mauricio y Seychelles.", "Recomendación 2 \n\tHay que fortalecer la coordinación y la coherencia del apoyo quelas entidades de las Naciones Unidas prestan a los pequeñosEstados insulares en desarrollo. A nivel mundial, las medidaspodrían ser, entre otras, fortalecer y ampliar el papel del GrupoConsultivo Interinstitucional sobre los Pequeños Estados Insularesen Desarrollo, examinar su modus operandi, estudiar la cuestión desu formalización y considerar su posible contribución a losmecanismos de coordinación a nivel de todo el sistema de lasNaciones Unidas. A nivel regional, las organizaciones de lasNaciones Unidas representadas en la región AIMS deben estudiarcolectivamente los medios de establecer un mecanismo de apoyocoordinado para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Anivel nacional, una medida conveniente, entre otras, podría seraprovechar el proceso del Marco de Asistencia de las NacionesUnidas para el Desarrollo para asegurar la adopción de un enfoque“Una ONU” en un número cada vez mayor de pequeños Estadosinsulares en desarrollo.", "C. Apoyo institucional", "68. Las entidades de las Naciones Unidas han adoptado diversos enfoques para prestar apoyo institucional a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Algunas organizaciones han establecido instituciones especiales para coordinar el apoyo prestado; otras han delegado la responsabilidad de la coordinación de sus actividades en oficinas regionales situadas en una subregión. Pero cuando las cuestiones específicas de las islas están a cargo de una dependencia situada en una división que tiene un mandato regional o programático más amplio, esas cuestiones se pueden perder de vista. A este respecto, una oficina o un coordinador dedicado especialmente al asunto ayuda a prestar apoyo coordinado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo.", "Recomendación 3 \n\tNo existe un mecanismo ideal para prestar apoyo institucionaleficaz a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, pero elestablecimiento o fortalecimiento de un coordinador especialclaramente identificado dentro de cada entidad de las NacionesUnidas encargado de las cuestiones de interés o cuestionestemáticas importantes para esos Estados es esencial paraprestarles apoyo eficaz. En vista de la necesidad de fortalecer laDependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo de laDivisión de Desarrollo Sostenible del Departamento de AsuntosEconómicos y Sociales, hay que prestar atención más urgente quenunca a la prestación de apoyo eficaz a los pequeños Estadosinsulares en las cuatro esferas mencionadas, especialmente enrelación con la continuación de la asistencia a esos Estados pararesolver vulnerabilidades, aumentar la resiliencia y presentarargumentos a favor de su caso especial en relación con eldesarrollo.", "D. Gestión de los conocimientos", "69. La información y los conocimientos son instrumentos esenciales para el seguimiento, la adopción de decisiones y la evaluación de la aplicación de la Estrategia de Mauricio, y todas las organizaciones competentes del sistema de las Naciones Unidas tienen un importante papel catalítico que desempeñar en el suministro, el análisis y la difusión de esa información y esos conocimientos, dentro de sus respectivos mandatos. Los sitios web dedicados a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, como la SIDSNet revitalizada, pueden facilitar la gestión eficaz de los conocimientos para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y promover las asociaciones, la creación de redes y la colaboración de las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas entre sí y la de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo entre sí y con otros asociados. Otras páginas sobre islas determinadas en los sitios web de todas las organizaciones competentes deben complementar los sitios web dedicados y tener enlaces con ellos, para aumentar el acceso a los recursos técnicos y normativos de interés para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo.", "Recomendación 4 \n\tDeben fortalecerse los sitios web dedicados a las cuestiones deinterés específico para los pequeños Estados insulares endesarrollo, como la SIDSNet, con la participación activa de todosesos Estados y sus asociados, a fin de promover eficazmente lasasociaciones, intercambiar conocimientos generales yespecializados, acumular la información y los datos pertinentes yfacilitar la creación de redes, y los sitios deben tener enlacesfuertes con los respectivos sitios web de los pequeños Estadosinsulares en desarrollo. Estos sitios deben ser fácilmenteaccesibles y contener información completa sobre todas lasactividades de interés para esos Estados, incluida informaciónfinanciera actualizada sobre los proyectos y programas que seestén ejecutando.", "E. Una sola voz", "70. Una de las principales enseñanzas y éxitos tiene que ver con los medios por los cuales diversas entidades de las Naciones Unidas han ayudado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo a hablar con una sola voz en los foros internacionales. Esto ha contribuido a asegurar que las prioridades y preocupaciones de estos Estados se tengan en cuenta en decisiones mundiales y regionales, incluida la aplicación de los resultados de las conferencias de las Naciones Unidas. A nivel mundial, la Dependencia de los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo y la Oficina del Alto Representante para los Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoral y los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo, a pesar de la escasez de recursos, han facilitado en lo posible la expresión de las preocupaciones y prioridades de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y les han permitido trabajar juntos como grupo. Entre los ejemplos positivos en este sentido están el apoyo ofrecido a la Alianza de los Pequeños Estados Insulares y la asistencia prestada a las delegaciones de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas. Análogamente, la CESPAP y la CEPAL han ayudado a los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo de sus regiones a colaborar entre sí y a hablar con una sola voz en los niveles regional y mundial. También han contribuido a este proceso la UNESCO, mediante iniciativas como Voz de las islas pequeñas y En primera línea frente al cambio climático, y otros organismos especializados.", "Recomendación 5 \n\tLos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo necesitan una vozfuerte a nivel mundial. La Dependencia de los Pequeños EstadosInsulares en Desarrollo, la Oficina del Alto Representante paralos Países Menos Adelantados, los Países en Desarrollo sin Litoraly los Pequeños Estados Insulares en Desarrollo y las comisionesregionales en particular desempeñan un papel activo y catalíticoen la facilitación del surgimiento de una voz colectiva que puedaexpresar las preocupaciones y prioridades particulares de lospequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Se alienta a otrasorganizaciones de las Naciones Unidas a que ayuden cada vez más adar a esos Estados una voz en los foros internacionales.", "F. Funciones y responsabilidades", "71. El Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio determinaron las principales funciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas en el apoyo a la ejecución de los programas para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. Estas funciones esenciales han sido reforzadas por la Asamblea General en diversas resoluciones (por ejemplo, las resoluciones 59/311 y 65/2). En esas resoluciones la Asamblea General reiteró que, aunque la responsabilidad principal de la ejecución del Programa de Acción de Barbados y la Estrategia de Mauricio recaía en los mismos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, las organizaciones competentes de las Naciones Unidas tenían el papel esencial de apoyar y complementar, dentro de sus respectivos mandatos y especialidades, los esfuerzos nacionales. En el presente análisis se llega a la conclusión de que el sistema de las Naciones Unidas ha prestado apoyo a la ejecución nacional del Programa de Acción de Barbados, desde la coordinación de actividades y la financiación y ejecución de proyectos y programas importantes hasta el apoyo activo prestado por muchos organismos especializados. Pero los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo pueden hacer mucho para que las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas puedan prestar apoyo específico a sus actividades nacionales. Existen diversas oportunidades de colaboración entre los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo y las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para adaptar los servicios a sus prioridades y necesidades especiales. A nivel nacional estas oportunidades son, entre otras, el programa de apoyo mundial para las autoevaluaciones de la capacidad nacional financiado por el FMAM, las evaluaciones comunes para los países que hace el PNUD y los Marcos de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo coordinados por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Para obtener el mayor beneficio del apoyo que prestan todos los órganos, organismos, programas y fondos pertinentes de las Naciones Unidas, cada pequeño Estado insular en desarrollo debe aprovechar estos y otros procesos conexos.", "Recomendación 6 \n\tAprovechando procesos como la autoevaluación de la capacidadnacional, la evaluación común para los países y el Marco deAsistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, los pequeñosEstados insulares en desarrollo y el sistema de las NacionesUnidas tienen diversas oportunidades de colaborar estrechamente.El aumento de la colaboración de las organizaciones del sistema delas Naciones Unidas entre sí y con todas las organizacionesregionales competentes que no pertenecen al sistema permitiría alos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo beneficiarseplenamente del apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y ayudaríaal sistema a adaptar mejor sus servicios a las prioridades ynecesidades especiales de esos Estados.", "G. Fortalecimiento del argumento a favor de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo", "72. Varias organizaciones han hecho un trabajo de análisis sobre las vulnerabilidades particulares de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. La UNCTAD centra su labor analítica en las desventajas estructurales y las necesidades de desarrollo de esos Estados y en los criterios para los miembros del grupo de los países menos desarrollados, que incluye algunos pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo. El PNUD ha hecho un estudio sobre la sostenibilidad de la deuda.", "73. La Secretaría de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático y el Banco Mundial han colaborado en el estudio de la adaptación al cambio climático, la evaluación de riesgos y los planes de seguros, entre otros asuntos. Las amenazas a la biodiversidad se han tratado en el marco del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica.", "Recomendación 7 \n\tTodas las organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas interesadas debencontinuar en forma coordinada e integral la labor analítica parahacer frente a las vulnerabilidades especiales de los pequeñosEstados insulares en desarrollo y estudiar los medios de aumentarla resiliencia de esos Estados para poder fortalecer el argumentoa favor de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo dentro delos diversos foros dedicados al cambio climático, a la economía yal comercio.", "[1] Informe de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo, Río de Janeiro, 3 a 14 de junio de 1992, vol. I: Resoluciones aprobadas por la Conferencia (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.93.I.8 y correcciones), resolución 1, anexo II.", "[2] Informe de la Conferencia Mundial sobre el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, Bridgetown (Barbados), 25 de abril a 6 de mayo de 1994 (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.94.I.18 y correcciones), cap. I, resolución 1, anexo II.", "[3] Informe de la Reunión Internacional para examinar la ejecución del Programa de Acción para el desarrollo sostenible de los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, Port Louis (Mauricio), 10 a 14 de enero de 2005 (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.05.II.A.4 y corrección), cap. I, resolución 1, anexo II.", "[4] Véase la resolución 65 (XXI) del Comité de Desarrollo y Cooperación del Caribe en la parte III del informe del Comité sobre el 21º período de sesiones (16 y 17 de enero de 2006) (LC/CAR/L.86).", "[5] Véase la decisión 22/13 del Consejo de Administración, de 7 de febrero de 2003 (A/58/25, anexo).", "[6] Véase la resolución 48 aprobada por la Conferencia General en el 32º período de sesiones (29 de septiembre a 17 de octubre de 2003).", "[7] Véase el Acuerdo de Accra adoptado por la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo en el 12º período de sesiones (2008) (TD/442 y Corr.1, secc. II).", "[8] Naciones Unidas, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, núm. 30619.", "[9] Ibid., vol. 1771, núm. 30822.", "[10] Ibid., vol. 1954, núm. 33480.", "[11] Publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.10.II.A.12.", "[12] Publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: 08.II.F.14.", "[13] Véase A/51/116, anexo II." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 19 (b) of the provisional agenda[1]", "Sustainable development: follow-up to and implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States", "Review of United Nations system support to small island developing States", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States have both underscored the importance of United Nations system support for efforts directed towards sustainable development in small island developing States. Over the years, the ways in which this support has been extended have varied among United Nations entities. On the whole, the organizations of the United Nations system have provided a wide range of targeted support for small island developing States in relation to the Mauritius Strategy, in accordance with their respective mandates. There are gaps and room for improvement, however, in the provision of this support, including in the delivery of coordinated and coherent programmes for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. Collectively, relevant United Nations organizations are also committed to providing normative, analytical and capacity-building support to small island developing States with a view to enhancing international recognition of their special situation and helping to strengthen their resilience in the face of multiple challenges.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 3II.Support 4 provided by the United Nations system to small island developing \nStates \nA.Mandates 4B. Institutional 5 \nissues C. Financial 7 \ncontributions D.Four 8 areas of \nsupport E.Better 16 \ncoordination III. Issues 17 for \nconsideration \nA. Mainstreaming 17B.Coherent 18 and coordinated \napproaches C. Institutional 19 \nsupport D. Knowledge 20 \nmanagement E.One 21 \nvoice F. Roles 21 and \nresponsibilities G.Making 22 a stronger case for small island developing \nStates", "I. Introduction", "1. The unique sustainable development challenges facing small island developing States were first formally recognized by the international community when it articulated their special case in chapter 17 of Agenda 21,[2] adopted in 1992. The Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (“Barbados Programme of Action”),[3] adopted two years later, acknowledges the important role of all relevant organs, programmes and organizations of the United Nations system, within their respective areas of expertise and mandates, in supporting and supplementing national efforts in the implementation of the Programme of Action.", "2. Since the adoption of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (“Mauritius Strategy for Implementation”),[4] the need to review and enhance the effectiveness, coherence and coordination of United Nations system support for small island developing States has been recognized in their various resolutions by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. In the outcome document of the High-level Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, adopted by the Assembly, in its resolution 65/2, Heads of State and Government, Ministers and representatives of Member States called upon the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review and examine ways to enhance the coherence and coordination of United Nations support for those States and to report to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, putting forward concrete recommendations to Member States in this regard.", "3. The objective of the present report is to review the progress made by the United Nations system in mainstreaming and integrating the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation into its mandates, programmes and processes, in order to promote the coherence and coordination of United Nations support to small island developing States. The report also formulates recommendations on how such support can be better targeted and more efficient and effective.", "4. The report takes into account information gathered from a variety of sources, including websites, reports and publications of United Nations organizations, documentation prepared by the Small Island Developing States Unit, Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, for the consideration of the Committee for Development Policy at its twelfth session, inputs provided by members of the Inter-agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States, commissioned papers surveying some of the issues covered in this report, and direct inputs and views of Member States.", "5. Section II below reviews how United Nations entities have mainstreamed support for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy into their respective organizational structures; how issues relevant to small island developing States are dealt with at the global, regional and country levels; and how support is provided to small island developing States in four main domains, namely, the normative, capacity-building, analytical and coordinating work of the United Nations system. A number of recommendations are contained in section III.", "II. Support provided by the United Nations system to small island developing States", "6. The present section outlines relevant mandates of United Nations entities, institutional aspects, programmes and projects.", "A. Mandates", "7. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit at United Nations Headquarters has been entrusted with a broad range of functions aimed at providing support for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy (see General Assembly resolution 60/194). The Unit provides technical assistance and advice, supports intergovernmental processes, leads inter-agency coordination, and reports on progress made in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States is mandated to undertake advocacy work in support of small island developing States, in partnership with the relevant entities of the United Nations, and to mobilize resources for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy (see A/56/645).", "8. At the regional level, pursuant to the Mauritius Strategy the regional commissions are entrusted with responsibility for advocacy and the coordination of support to small island developing States. The regional commissions have a comparative advantage in facilitating coordination and collaboration with regard to the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy at the regional level. Two regional commissions have subregional offices that facilitate coordination. Those offices are the Pacific Operations Centre of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).[5]", "9. While the respective mandates of the organizations of the United Nations system relate to specific programme areas of relevance to the Mauritius Strategy, together they are directed towards implementing many of its objectives. The agencies, funds and programmes therefore play a major role in assisting small island developing States in implementing the Mauritius Strategy in various programme areas. Among these organizations are the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),[6] the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),[7] the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),[8] the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).", "10. The Convention on Biological Diversity,[9] the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change[10] and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa,[11] cover important issues highlighted in the Mauritius Strategy. The Conference of the Parties to each of these three Conventions provides a global forum in which small island developing States can articulate their needs and priorities and leverage support from the United Nations system.", "B. Institutional issues", "Specific institutional set-ups in support of small island developing States", "11. In paragraph 128 of the Barbados Programme of Action, the Secretary-General was requested to invite the organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to consider the establishment of focal points for its implementation. The response to this call has been mixed.", "12. Only 10 United Nations organizations have designated a specific focal point for small island developing States. The ECLAC Caribbean office has 46 regular budget positions, 33 substantive and 13 administrative, while the ESCAP Pacific office has nine regular and two extrabudgetary posts. UNEP has a dedicated focal point at its headquarters in Nairobi and a regional focal point for the Caribbean within its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, in Panama City. UNESCO has a Section for Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge, consisting of five regular and four extrabudgetary staff. Others have a focal point dealing with small island developing States as part of a broader portfolio, as is the case for FAO. Where the functions of the focal point are carried out by a regional office, the focus tends to be on coordination of regional activities rather than on the global coordination envisaged in the Barbados Programme of Action.", "13. At the United Nations Secretariat, given the zero budget growth over many years, the number of posts within the Small Island Developing States Unit has not increased: the Unit had four regular posts and three extrabudgetary staff around the time of the convening of the International Meeting in Mauritius in 2005 and the numbers and composition remain the same today. This team conducts all normative, analytical and capacity-building activities. One positive development of note since 2005 has been the fact that the Unit now reports directly to the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development. Also, the Office of the High Representative now has one post dedicated to small island developing States, which did not exist in 2005.", "14. There are other institutional arrangements. UNCTAD deals with small island developing States as part of its special programmes. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a programme of work on island biodiversity, supported by a dedicated staff. Other bodies deal with the issues of concern to small island developing States as part of their overall programme of work.", "Mainstreaming the Mauritius Strategy into work programmes within the United Nations system", "15. The mainstreaming and integration of activities related to small island developing States into the work programmes of the United Nations system have been identified as key for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy (see General Assembly resolution 65/156). The ways in which this has been carried out differ from entity to entity. ECLAC has effectively mainstreamed and integrated issues of concern to small island developing States into its work through the establishment of its Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. In the case of ESCAP, the priorities of Pacific small island developing States have been integrated into the work of the Commission through the work programme of its Pacific Operations Centre. Most United Nations organizations have mainstreamed issues relating to small island developing States into their programme of work without necessarily resorting to the establishment of a dedicated programme. UNEP takes an institution-wide strategic approach so as to ensure that issues related to the needs and priorities of small island developing States are mainstreamed into its programme of work. UNESCO, with activities coordinated by its small island developing States focal point, uses the intersectoral platform established in 2007 for the sustainable development of small island developing States to pursue an integrated approach in its work on sustainable island living and development, which emphasizes interregional cooperation. The World Health Organization (WHO) mainstreams issues of concern to small island developing States within the overall context of its work in all developing countries. The regional offices, however, help to tailor projects and programmes to the special needs of their constituent countries.", "16. Another approach used is the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process, managed by UNDP, which also helps to mainstream and integrate issues related to small island developing States, as individual countries and as part of a subregion, into the development activities of the United Nations system in support of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. At the country level, mainstreaming is also supported by other multilateral strategies, including the poverty reduction strategy papers of the World Bank and the four-year rolling national medium-term priority frameworks of FAO.", "C. Financial contributions", "Allocation of financial resources to small island developing States", "17. According to the 2008-2009 aid statistics of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD-DAC), United Nations organizations and the Bretton Woods institutions ranked among the top 10 donors of gross official development assistance (ODA) to the 34 small island developing States for which such data were available. While there are country differences, organizations among those 10 included the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group. The figures cited below represent only the information available at the time the present report was finalized, in July 2011.", "18. The World Bank has strengthened its financial assistance to small States, a category which includes several small island developing States. The resources allocated by IDA to small Pacific islands, except Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, have increased from about $40 million in each of the two previous IDA cycles (fiscal years 2003-2005 and 2006-2008) to nearly $100 million in the current IDA cycle (fiscal years 2009-2011). In June 2010, the Board of Directors of the World Bank Group endorsed the Regional Partnership Strategy of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, which seeks to support economic stability, competitiveness and inclusive and sustained growth; financial assistance of up to $193 million is anticipated, in addition to technical and advisory services, for the next four years. Through its climate investment funds, the World Bank is working with other regional development banks in the Caribbean and the Pacific on the pilot programme of climate resilience. This effort provides from $60 million to $70 million in grant financing for a range of activities, including data collection, monitoring and capacity-building.", "19. Small island developing States eligible for GEF funding have received financial allocations under the fourth and fifth replenishments of GEF. The total allocation for all eligible small island developing States under the fifth replenishment is about $150 million.", "20. In its regular programme budget, UNESCO has devoted about $15 million to small island developing States over the past five years. In addition, approximately $8 million were provided to small island developing States through its Participation Programme, which allows national execution of activities in line with the objectives of the Programme and the budget of the Organization.", "21. By early 2005, the total allocation for IFAD projects in small island developing States amounted to $148.7 million. Many of these projects are ongoing. IFAD funds are usually a mixture of loans and grants, the latter being employed particularly in the least developed countries and to alleviate poverty. The FAO Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety has been used to fund two regional projects, in the Pacific and the Caribbean.", "Resource mobilization", "22. The Small Island Developing States Unit has, over time, been able to mobilize donor funding, including to support the participation of small island developing States in the International Meeting in Mauritius, in the five-year review process of the Mauritius Strategy and, currently, in the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in 2012. The Unit has also mobilized bilateral funding to support proposed projects that would benefit all small island developing States, including a project funded by the Government of Spain (with a budget of over $2.8 million) which encompasses the revitalization of the Small Island Developing States Network (SIDSnet), a virtual training programme to be implemented through the university consortium of small island developing States, and a European Union-funded monitoring and evaluation project for the Mauritius Strategy ($470,000). ESCAP and ECLAC have played a role in helping the small island developing States in their constituencies to mobilize resources for implementing the Mauritius Strategy. GEF has also supported programmes and projects for small island developing States in its areas of focus through country-specific allocations. GEF, in partnership with implementing agencies and countries, works with other donors to help secure co-financing of projects. UNDP has played a key role by mobilizing significant resources from GEF for the implementation of activities covering various areas of the Mauritius Strategy. The World Bank has also played an important role in mobilizing financial resources. In the sixteenth replenishment of IDA, there is enhanced financial support to enable small economies, including small island developing States, to make progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, small island developing States can also access other funds, such as the Least Developed Countries Fund (with access being available to the 10 small island developing States in the least developed countries group) and the Special Climate Change Fund, both of which are managed by GEF.", "23. Other organizations of the United Nations system have also played an important role in mobilizing resources in their area of specialization. UNEP has been able to mobilize funds from GEF for activities and regional projects related to biodiversity, climate change, land management, persistent organic pollutants and international waters. UNEP has also mobilized funds for projects and programmes from bilateral donors and multilateral donors, such as the European Commission. WHO has successfully supported member States in mobilizing resources from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.", "D. Four areas of support", "1. Normative support", "(a) Monitoring and reporting", "24. Monitoring of, and reporting on, the progress made in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy is one of the primary functions of the Small Island Developing States Unit. The Unit reports to the Commission on Sustainable Development, the main United Nations body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. The planned European Union-funded monitoring and evaluation project to be undertaken by the Unit, in cooperation with the Indian Ocean Commission, will help to strengthen the monitoring capacity of small island developing States, as it includes country vulnerability and resilience profiling. In the Caribbean, the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee monitors the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. UNDP, UNEP and ESCAP also play important roles in supporting the process of follow-up to and monitoring of the Mauritius Strategy at various levels. Many of the agencies, funds and programmes are accountable to their governing bodies in regard to activities in support of small island developing States. GEF is accountable to its members through the GEF Council and to donors through a number of mechanisms. The Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA provides a monitoring mechanism for its programmes. Furthermore, UNDP has monitoring and reporting processes in place within each country programme, as well as in its subregional programmes. The 48 small States members of the World Bank, which group includes small island countries, gather at the Small States Forum to discuss their most pressing challenges and to hold themselves and their partners accountable for progress. The UNEP Governing Council and Global Ministerial Environment Forum provide a key monitoring mechanism at the global level for the work carried out by UNEP in relation to small island developing States. UNCTAD periodically reports to the Trade and Development Board on activities in favour of small island developing States, a denomination that was cited six times by member States in the Accra Accord, an outcome of the twelfth session of the Conference (2008).", "(b) Advocacy", "25. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States plays a key advocacy role within the United Nations system, in partnership with the Small Island Developing States Unit. The regional commissions work proactively to ensure that the priorities and concerns of small island developing States are reflected in regional decisions, including those concerning the implementation of the outcomes of United Nations conferences. Such outcomes help to set the global policy agenda and influence the policies advocated by international and regional organizations, as well as the types of projects that bilateral donors would be likely to fund. At some United Nations organizations, governing councils or similar bodies help with advocacy for small island developing States. The GEF Council provides a forum within which such States advocate for their needs and priorities with donor agencies, which could co-finance GEF-funded activities. UNEP also plays a key role in advocacy for small island developing States at the global, regional, subregional and national levels, particularly in areas identified by the Barbados Programme of Action that are directly related to its mandate. The advocacy role of UNCTAD focuses on substantively supporting small island developing States in their plea for modalities of special treatment. This relates to areas of critical importance to small island developing States, ranging from smooth transition measures for those that will be graduating from the least developed country category, to technical assistance that could be granted by virtue of their status. This implies enhancing the credibility of the category of small island developing State, a prerequisite to which UNCTAD has responded by adopting a list of 29 small island developing States for analytical and practical purposes.", "(c) Support to the intergovernmental process", "26. Support to the preparatory process for the high-level five-year review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy at the national, regional, interregional and global levels in 2010 was provided collectively by the United Nations system, in cooperation with relevant regional intergovernmental organizations, through numerous consultations held within the context of the Inter-agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States. Support was normative and included (a) providing national consultancy funding to small island developing States, upon request, to be utilized in undertaking national assessments; (b) commissioning regional assessments; and (c) funding, planning, organizing and coordinating both substantive and logistic arrangements for preparatory meetings in the three regions of small island developing States, for interregional meetings and for the High-level Meeting itself. Similar support is being provided in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.", "27. The Small Island Developing States Unit has also provided support to the negotiations held during the General Assembly on the review of and follow-up to the Mauritius Strategy and issues related to the Caribbean Sea and coral reefs, and to the planning for Small Island Developing States Day, first proclaimed by the Commission on Sustainable Development in 2005 and observed during its review sessions. The Office of the High Representative organized capacity-building events to strengthen the negotiating capability of officials of small island developing States and provided support to negotiations in meetings concerning fish stocks.", "(d) Knowledge management", "28. Knowledge management is one of the key functions of the Small Island Developing States Unit. The Unit is actively engaged in strengthening information activities for decision-making by small island developing States, and facilitating networking among the stakeholders. As part of its ongoing efforts, the Unit maintains a dedicated section within the website of the Division for Sustainable Development. This resource serves as a portal of access by small island developing States to information from a number of sources relevant to the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. In addition, the Unit supports SIDSnet, which was first established in 1997 as a direct follow-up to the Barbados Programme of Action. SIDSnet is currently undergoing a complete redesign and revitalization, as part of a new project funded by the Government of Spain. The network will be transformed into a much-needed central knowledge management system and platform for sharing knowledge and experience, and exploring partnership opportunities, among many other activities.", "29. The ESCAP and ECLAC websites provide information for their subregions. The GEF website has a specific section that provides information on small island developing countries, networks and organizations, island country experiences in regard to GEF, the projects supported by GEF in small island developing States, topics of interest, and country information and contacts.", "30. The World Bank has a subsite on small States, while FAO has a web page containing information on specific items of interest to small island developing countries. UNESCO maintains a dedicated platform which provides information on its actions on behalf of small island developing States within the framework of the chapters of the Mauritius Strategy. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a comprehensive website which contains a web portal on island biodiversity. The UNCTAD website contains a subsite on small island developing States, which provides useful materials and links.", "31. The subregional offices of UNDP have websites dedicated to small island developing States. In the Pacific subregion, UNDP has established a partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the University of the South Pacific and the Asian Development Bank which has led to the creation of the Pacific Solution Exchange, a virtual community of practice which brings together experts, policymakers and practitioners from 14 small island developing States in the Pacific region.", "2. Technical cooperation/capacity-building support", "32. The capacity-building support provided to small island developing States by various United Nations organizations has been steadily increasing in terms of both quantity and quality. As the needs of small island developing States have become better articulated, capacity-building support has become more targeted. Challenges and gaps continue to exist, with the vulnerability of small island developing States increasing owing to climate change, more frequent disasters, high debt and fuel costs, among many other factors.", "33. The financing of the portfolio of projects designed to benefit small island developing States that are carried out by the Division for Sustainable Development, including the Small Island Developing States Unit, now amounts to approximately $4.7 million. These projects aim to build the capacity of small island developing States within the context of the information and policymaking tools that address knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, national sustainable development strategies and indicators, and thematic areas such as climate change, energy, water, human security and community-based disaster management.", "34. UNDP assists small island developing States by offering a broad menu of policy advisory services and by delivering development programmes that are closely aligned with national development priorities. With regard to poverty, UNDP is working with several small island developing States in the areas of financial inclusion, strengthening national capacities as regards Millennium Development Goals-based policies and aid effectiveness systems, and promoting the exchange of knowledge on social protection systems. As regards governance deficits, UNDP works closely with national parliaments to strengthen their legislative and oversight capacities and advocates for the stronger political representation of women. As regards climate change, UNDP strives to strengthen adaptive capacity and the resilience of communities, and provides policy advice to Governments on climate finance. One example of this approach is provided by the UNDP/World Bank SIDS Dock initiative, developed in partnership with the Alliance of Small Island States.", "35. The Global Environment Facility is the main source of funding for programmes and projects undertaken in support of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. GEF ranked among the 10 top official development assistance (ODA) donors in respect of all small island developing States for which OECD-DAC aid statistics were reported. GEF provides funding for a wide range of projects and programmes on environment issues, including biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.", "36. The efforts of ECLAC and ESCAP have mainly focused on providing technical advice to the Governments of small island developing States, upon request. Various projects and activities related to the topics highlighted in the Mauritius Strategy are currently under way. Results have included policy changes influenced by the analytical inputs and policy advice provided by the two regional commissions to countries receiving technical cooperation services.", "37. In 2009-2010, the United Nations Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) administered capacity-development training sessions on e-government development for eastern Caribbean States in partnership with the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). Further, the Division has a project under development entitled “Support to ICT strategic planning in the Caribbean parliaments” whose goal is to assist the Caribbean parliaments in developing their vision and comprehensive strategic plans for the effective deployment of information and communications technology (ICT) in parliament. The project is funded by the European Union and will be implemented in partnership with CARICAD.", "38. Activities carried out by UNCTAD for the benefit of small island developing States have been geared towards enhancing their capacities to find beneficial economic opportunities in current global markets and to prevent their further marginalization within the global economy. This action involves research and analysis, the provision of policy advice to individual countries and technical assistance in areas ranging from smooth transition strategies for small island developing States that are graduating from the least developed country category, to trade and investment policies. UNCTAD has the longest experience within the United Nations system in dealing with issues of specific relevance to small island developing States, having addressed such issues since 1974.", "39. The capacity-building support provided by UNEP to small island developing States covers six cross-cutting thematic priorities of its medium-term strategy (2010-2013), namely, climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, harmful substances and hazardous waste, and resource efficiency. In the Caribbean, the efforts of UNEP are guided by its Caribbean small island developing States programme.", "40. The UNESCO programme for 2010-2011 includes interventions specific to island countries across the entire range of its activities, with particular emphasis given to such priorities as climate change, cultural heritage, and the identification of locally driven approaches to sustainable development. A number of UNESCO programmes have established subprogrammes dedicated to supporting the implementation of activities in the small island developing States members of the Organization.", "41. The International Fund for Agricultural Development has supported extensive projects in small island developing States. IFAD has funded 23 projects in countries of the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS) group, 8 projects in 4 Pacific small island developing States and 29 projects in 11 Caribbean countries. The aims of these projects include facilitating the development of pro‑poor policies and programmes, managing fish resources sustainably and profitably, improving the livelihoods of coastal communities threatened by overexploitation of the marine environment, and assisting rural households in diversifying their on- and off-farm income-generating enterprises and improving their prospects for gaining employment.", "42. Among other activities, FAO works to enhance the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to the development agenda of small island developing States. It implements national and regional programmes for food security, and seeks to assist small island developing States in integrating sustainable food security policies and programmes into national poverty reduction strategies.", "43. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has carried out activities aimed at bridging the digital divide between small island developing States and the rest of the world. Efforts undertaken by ITU have focused on reforming the telecommunication sector of these countries to enable the introduction of new structures that are more conducive to faster and sustained telecommunication development, with well-managed and modern networks, and ensuring the achievement of universal access to such services.", "44. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has trained government officials in various small island developing States in the areas of child protection and education in emergencies. It has supported the review and revision of policies designed to ensure the educational rights of children during disasters, as well as the study of the impact of climate change on children in respect of survival, development, protection and participation issues.", "45. The World Bank has focused its efforts on aligning assistance with the priorities of individual countries and harmonizing aid programmes with those of other agencies so as to boost aid effectiveness. In the Pacific, the World Bank has been active in taking the small States agenda forward, developing a targeted and innovative lending programme, and implementing a responsive programme of country-based activities. In the Caribbean, it has provided flexible support for disaster mitigation, including contingent loans and analysis of the insurance market in relation to natural disasters.", "46. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been engaged in the development and strengthening of national intellectual property systems and strategies to promote economic, social and cultural development in the small island developing States of all three regions. Efforts have included the protection of traditional knowledge, regional patent systems, and the formulation of national intellectual property strategies.", "47. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has been active in promoting a number of national and regional projects among small island developing States, mainly in the area of energy.", "3. Analytical support", "(a) Publications", "48. Overall, the publications of United Nations organizations related to small island developing States have been issued mostly on a non-recurrent basis over the period 2005-2010. Very few have focused solely on such States but many organizations have released thematic or generic development-related publications that encompass their interests or are relevant to them.", "49. Publications of organizations of the United Nations system on themes of direct interest or relevance to small island developing States include the following: (a) UNCTAD publications on trade and development; (b) the UNDP Human Development Report and other general development-related publications; (c) the UNESCO booklet entitled “Islands in a sea of change: UNESCO’s intersectoral platform for SIDS” (Paris, 2009); (d) the wide range of technical reports prepared by the Convention on Biological Diversity, in collaboration with UNEP; IUCN, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and others, on issues such as invasive alien species, biodiversity and tourism; (e) the two recent publications prepared by the Division for Sustainable Development for the five-year review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, entitled Trends in Sustainable Development: Small Island Developing States;[12] and “SIDS-SIDS success stories: an innovative partnership in South-South cooperation” (prepared jointly with UNDP); (f) the study entitled Enhancing Pacific Connectivity (ST/ESCAP/2472), prepared by ESCAP with the support of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and the Government of Turkey;[13] (g) the wealth of ECLAC publications, including “Economic survey of the Caribbean”, “Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean”, “Caribbean development report” and reports in the Studies and Perspectives series; and (h) the series of thematic and country-specific papers exploring the role of government policies and, in particular, social policies for the promotion of social development and economic transformation, focusing on 11 small island developing States, prepared by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat.", "(b) Data and statistics", "50. Some organizations of the United Nations system publish data specific to small island developing States and allow users to access country-specific data. The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics focuses on the group of 29 small island developing countries identified by UNCTAD as its operational list. The World Bank is one of the prime sources of statistics and data for all countries, including small island developing States, in particular in regard to economic data. UNEP provides a range of environmental information through the publications listed on its website, including the State of the Environment series, as well as environment-related information on individual countries. The section dedicated to small island developing countries on the UNESCO website contains links to statistics and data on key areas of interest, such as education statistics, and information on research and development, and access to the Data Centre which contains over 1,000 types of indicators and raw data on education, literacy, science and technology, culture and communication. UNESCO also provides assistance to member States in improving their statistical and analytical capacities. Through FAOSTAT, FAO provides data and statistics related to agriculture and food security, including for small island developing States. It is envisaged that, through the revitalization of SIDSnet, a dedicated web portal containing a broad range of data and statistical information related to the sustainable development of small island developing States will soon be available online. A special issue of the United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook was prepared by the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.", "51. At the regional level, ESCAP and ECLAC help to improve the statistical capabilities of the countries in their respective regions by strengthening national statistical infrastructure and promoting improvement in data quality, international comparability and the appropriate use of new techniques. In the Pacific, donors, United Nations organizations and multilateral organizations are working together to strengthen national disaggregated data and information systems through the 10-year Pacific statistics strategy. In the Caribbean, UNICEF, in partnership with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has supported the development of online DevInfo databases to enable the sharing of national data on children in the CARICOM secretariat (CARICOMInfo) and Saint Lucia (HelenInfo), while the secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Governments of Barbados, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have developed desktop versions of their databases. Furthermore, in 2009, the United Nations Statistics Division supported the CARICOM Secretariat along with its member States in formulating Caribbean Specific MDG indicators (CSMDGs) and in 2010, helped develop the capacities of the staff of national statistical offices of the CARICOM member countries with respect to the techniques and procedures used in editing population and housing census data.", "4. Coordination mechanisms", "52. Coordination mechanisms for activities related to small island developing States within the United Nations system use a diversity of approaches at the national, regional and global levels.", "53. At the national level, each UNDP office coordinates the activities of United Nations organizations by bringing them under the umbrella of the United Nations country team. The country team delivers coordinated services supporting the sustainable development goals and priorities of the country in order to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.", "54. At the regional level, the regional coordination mechanism in the Caribbean promotes a partnership among ECLAC, UNEP and the secretariats of CARICOM, the Association of Caribbean States and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. In the Pacific, membership in the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Council of Regional Organizations for the Pacific includes both United Nations and non-United Nations regional organizations in the region. The support provided by UNDP is coordinated through subregional offices in Fiji and Samoa (for the Pacific) and in Barbados (for the Caribbean), and by a focal point at headquarters. There is no coordination mechanism for the small island developing States of the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS) region, owing partly to the lack of a specific subregional coordinating office and partly to their geographical spread.", "E. Better coordination", "55. Progress in regard to coordination has been mixed. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit has the primary role for coordination of support for small island developing States within the United Nations system, through its role as both chair and convener of the Inter-agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States. The Inter-agency Group, which currently has 24 members, is an informal coordinating mechanism in which the focal points of all relevant United Nations and non-United Nations organizations hold consultations, exchange information and views, undertake joint planning and promote collaborative efforts in support of small island developing States. The Inter-agency Group has been instrumental in providing coordinated support to the five-year review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, especially at the national and regional levels. There is ongoing enhanced inter-agency collaboration in providing normative, analytical and capacity-building support to the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in 2012. Collaboration is also under way on the preparation of key reports of the Secretary-General.", "56. At the regional level, ESCAP and ECLAC, through their subregional offices, have worked in close collaboration with other United Nations entities and regional organizations to coordinate the support provided by the United Nations system to small island developing States. ECLAC and ESCAP are assisted by non-United Nations regional bodies, such as CARICOM, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Pacific Islands Forum. Through the work of these two regional commissions, small island developing States have an opportunity to become more closely aligned with other countries in the region, thus promoting regional cooperation.", "57. The United Nations Development Programme has played a vital role in the coordination of activities of the United Nations system at the national and regional levels through its country and subregional offices in the Pacific and the Caribbean. This role has been supported by the network of UNDP country and subregional offices around the globe, which have helped to coordinate the development activities of UNDP and of various other United Nations organizations in support of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. This process of coordination is usually undertaken in accordance with the results of the common country assessment, which becomes the basis of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for a country or subregion. The Framework for the Pacific provides a good example of the process and purpose of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, which aims to provide a coherent and coordinated “One United Nations” approach to development at the country or subregional level. Examples of small island developing States in which this approach has been adopted include Cape Verde, the Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles.", "58. The United Nations Environment Programme has strengthened the delivery of activities through the use of its network of regional offices, environmental conventions, action plans and partnerships. UNEP also coordinates its activities for small island developing States through the Regional Seas Programme and the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.[14] UNESCO has cooperated closely with key agencies in the delivery of its programmes to small island developing States. Partner agencies include the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific and CARICOM. UNIDO has formed partnerships with UNDP, FAO, IFAD, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Trade Organization, UNEP and GEF in delivering its services to small island developing States. UNCTAD has been actively engaged with the Small Island Developing States Unit at United Nations Headquarters on issues related to the Inter-agency Consultative Group, with ESCAP on technical assistance to countries in Asia and the Pacific graduating from the least developed country category, with UNDP on the provision of direct support at the local level to various graduating small island developing States, and with regional intergovernmental organizations in the Caribbean, Pacific and AIMS regions.", "III. Issues for consideration", "59. The overall conclusion is that, on the whole, the United Nations system has provided small island developing States with a wide range of targeted support in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, in accordance with respective mandates. There is, however, room for improvement and enhancement in the delivery of coordinated and coherent programmes.", "60. Strengthening United Nations support in accordance with the priorities identified in the Mauritius Strategy would accelerate progress towards the implementation of the Strategy and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and, in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 65/2, help to address the sustainable development challenges that continue to face small island developing States. Concerted action on critical elements would allow the efforts of the United Nations system to be more incisive. In light of these critical elements, which are discussed below, and of the lessons learned from constraints on mainstreaming and integrating issues of concern to small island developing States into the work programmes of United Nations entities, Member States may wish, inter alia, to consider the issues set out below.", "A. Mainstreaming", "61. The Mauritius Strategy and a number of General Assembly resolutions have highlighted the importance of the mainstreaming and integrating by United Nations entities of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy into their respective processes and programmes. One of the key conclusions of the present report is that, on the whole, United Nations entities have effectively mainstreamed the issues of concern to small island developing States into their programmes of work. This has been achieved in very different ways, according to individual mandates. The various approaches used by the organizations of the United Nations system illustrate a wide range of practices that can work effectively, given the necessary commitment and the allocation of sufficient resources.", "Recommendation 1 \nEffective mainstreaming of issues of concern to small islanddeveloping States into the work of the United Nations system can beachieved in a variety of ways. Mainstreaming does not necessarilyrequire special stand-alone programmes targeted at these States. Astrategic institution-wide approach that ensures that issuesrelated to the priorities of small island developing States areintegrated within the overall context of the global work programmesof United Nations organizations has proved to be effective.Thereafter, regional and local offices may help to tailor specificprojects and programmes based on the individual needs of theirconstituent countries.", "B. Coherent and coordinated approaches", "62. One area in which progress has been mixed is that covering the creation of coherent and coordinated approaches to issues of relevance to small island developing States: some successes have been achieved in this regard, while some gaps remain to be filled. While the Small Island Developing States Unit plays a leading role in coordinating the relevant activities within the United Nations system, it has been constrained by lack of human resources despite repeated calls by the General Assembly for its strengthening. High-level mechanisms, such as the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, are unlikely, because of their comprehensive mandates, to specifically address issues related to small island developing States.", "63. At the global level, the Inter-agency Consultative Group has been effective, despite its informal status, in working-level coordination of issues of concern to small island developing States. The work of this Group is enhanced by the involvement of regional intergovernmental entities from outside the United Nations system. Questions have been raised whether this mechanism should be reviewed with a view to including participation at the head-of-agency level, whether it should have a more formalized structure, and whether key outcomes of its discussions could more systematically feed into United Nations system-wide coordination mechanisms, such as the United Nations Development Group (UNDG).", "64. At the regional level, UNDP subregional offices and the subregional offices of ESCAP and ECLAC play vital roles in the coordination of United Nations system activities, and are ideally positioned to monitor the implementation of activities related to the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy at the regional level. In the Caribbean, the United Nations-CARICOM Regional Strategic Framework, as a mechanism for coordinating technical assistance, could be aligned with the decisions of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of ECLAC so that it would better reflect the views of the countries of the Caribbean. Such complementarity would ensure that the normative activities of the United Nations Secretariat are linked to the technical cooperation activities of the United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized agencies. This could help streamline the overall regional coordination mechanism, promote policy coherence and ensure that the United Nations does indeed work as one.", "65. In the Pacific, the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific is an effective regional-level coordinating mechanism. The Pacific Plan Action Committee is another forum for collective monitoring, prioritization and policy oversight which would contribute to the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy.", "66. For small island developing States in the AIMS region, for which there is no one regional coordinating mechanism or United Nations regional office, a regional institutional framework for sustainable development could be developed. UNDP could play a key role in this regard, through its country offices, by helping to provide coherent and coordinated support to small island developing States, thereby promoting the “One United Nations” approach. Given the lack of a dedicated office or programme for small island developing States, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) might focus on ensuring that the special needs and priorities of the small island developing States in its region are integrated into its programme of work.", "67. At the country level, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process provides an example of a good practice which helps the United Nations system to deliver a coherent and coordinated development programme. Positive examples of “One United Nations” approaches at the country level in small island developing States include those of Cape Verde, the Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles.", "Recommendation 2 \nCoordination and coherence of support provided to small islanddeveloping States by United Nations entities need to bestrengthened. At the global level, efforts might include, interalia, strengthening and expanding the role of the Inter-agencyConsultative Group on Small Island Developing States, reviewing itsmodus operandi, exploring the issue of its formalization, andconsidering its possible contribution to United Nations system-widecoordination mechanisms. At the regional level, the United Nationsorganizations represented in the AIMS region need to explorecollectively ways and means of setting up a coordinated supportmechanism for small island developing States. At the country level,efforts might include, inter alia, harnessing the United NationsDevelopment Assistance Framework process to ensure the adoption ofa “One United Nations” approach in an increasing number of smallisland developing States.", "C. Institutional support", "68. United Nations entities have adopted a diversity of approaches to providing institutional support to small island developing States. Some organizations have set up specific institutions to coordinate the support provided, while others have delegated responsibility for the coordination of their activities to regional offices located within a subregion. However, in cases where island-specific issues are handled by a unit located in a division with a broader regional or programmatic mandate, these issues can be “lost”. In this regard, a dedicated office and/or focal point assists the delivery of coordinated support to small island developing States.", "Recommendation 3 \nAlthough there is no one ideal mechanism for providing effectiveinstitutional support to small island developing States, setting upor strengthening a dedicated and clearly identified focal pointwithin every United Nations entity dealing with issues of concernor thematic issues of relevance to small island developing Statesis vital for the effective delivery of that support to such States.The need to strengthen the Small Island Developing States Unit ofthe Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economicand Social Affairs, requires that more urgent attention than everbefore be paid to providing effective support to small islanddeveloping States in the four domains mentioned above, especiallyin the context of continuing to assist these States in addressingvulnerabilities, building resilience and making their specialdevelopment case.", "D. Knowledge management", "69. Information and knowledge are key instruments for monitoring, decision-making and evaluation in respect of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, and all relevant organizations of the United Nations system have an important catalytic role to play in providing, analysing and disseminating such information and knowledge, within their given mandates. Websites dedicated to small island developing States, such as the revitalized SIDSnet, can facilitate effective knowledge management for small island developing States and promote partnerships, networking and collaboration among the organizations of the United Nations system, as well as among small island developing States and with other partners. Other island-specific pages on the websites of all relevant organizations should supplement and have links to dedicated websites so that access to the technical and policy resources of interest to small island developing States can be enhanced.", "Recommendation 4 \nWebsites dedicated to specific issues of concern to small islanddeveloping States, such as SIDSnet, should be strengthened, withthe active involvement of all small island developing States andtheir partners, in order to effectively promote partnerships, shareknowledge and expertise, accumulate the relevant data andinformation, and facilitate networking, and should have stronglinks to the respective websites of small island developing States.These websites should be easily accessible and containcomprehensive information on all activities of concern to smallisland developing States, including updated financial informationon the projects and programmes being implemented.", "E. One voice", "70. A key lesson and success story is provided in connection with the means by which various United Nations entities have assisted small island developing States in speaking with one voice in international forums. This has helped to ensure that the priorities and concerns of those States are reflected in global and regional decisions, including in the implementation of the outcomes of United Nations conferences. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States have, despite limited resources, facilitated the articulation by small island developing States of their concerns and priorities to the extent possible, and enabled them to work together as a group. Positive examples in this regard include the support offered to the Alliance of Small Island States, and the assistance provided to the delegations of small island developing States on the occasion of United Nations meetings. Similarly, ESCAP and ECLAC have helped small island developing States in their regions to work together and speak with one voice at both the regional and global levels. UNESCO, through initiatives such as Small Islands Voice and Climate Frontlines, and other specialized agencies have also contributed to this process.", "Recommendation 5 \nSmall island developing States need a strong voice at the globallevel. The Small Island Developing States Unit, the Office of theHigh Representative for the Least Developed Countries, LandlockedDeveloping Countries and Small Island Developing States and theregional commissions in particular play an active and catalyticrole in facilitating the emergence of a collective voice which canarticulate the particular concerns and priorities of small islanddeveloping States. Other United Nations organizations areencouraged to play an increasingly important role in helping togive small island developing States a voice in internationalforums.", "F. Roles and responsibilities", "71. The Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy identified key roles for the United Nations system in supporting the implementation of the programme areas for the sustainable development of small island developing States. These crucial roles have been reinforced by the General Assembly in various resolutions (for example, resolutions 59/311 and 65/2). In those resolutions, the Assembly reiterated that, while primary responsibility for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy rests with the small island developing States themselves, the relevant United Nations organizations have a key role, within their respective areas of expertise and mandates, in supporting and supplementing national efforts. The present analysis concludes that the United Nations system has provided support for the national implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, ranging from the coordination of activities and funding and implementation of major projects and programmes, to the active support provided by a wide range of specialized agencies. Small island developing States can, however, play a crucial role in ensuring that United Nations organizations are able to provide targeted support for their national efforts. There are various opportunities for small island developing States to work in partnership with the organizations of the United Nations system in tailoring services to their special needs and priorities. At the national level, these opportunities encompass, inter alia, the global support programme for national capacity self-assessments funded by GEF, the common country assessments undertaken by UNDP, and the United Nations Development Assessment Frameworks coordinated by the United Nations system. In order to benefit fully from the support of all relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, programmes and funds, these and other related processes need to be harnessed by each small island developing State.", "Recommendation 6 \nBy harnessing processes such as the national capacityself-assessment, common country assessment and the United NationsDevelopment Assistance Framework, small island developing Statesand the United Nations system have various opportunities to work inclose partnership. Enhanced collaboration among organizations ofthe United Nations system, also involving all relevant non-UnitedNations regional organizations, would allow small island developingStates to benefit fully from the support of the United Nationssystem, and would help the system to better tailor its services tothe special needs and priorities of those States.", "G. Making a stronger case for small island developing States", "72. Several organizations have been undertaking analytical work that addresses the particular vulnerabilities of small Island developing States. UNCTAD focuses its analytical work on the structural disadvantages and development needs of small island developing States, as well as on the criteria for the members of the least developed countries grouping, which includes some small island developing States. UNDP has undertaken a study on debt sustainability.", "73. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat and the World Bank have been working on, inter alia, climate change adaptation, risk assessment and insurance schemes. Threats to biodiversity have been addressed within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.", "Recommendation 7 \nAnalytical work undertaken to address the special vulnerabilitiesof small island developing States and explore ways to help buildtheir resilience needs to be continued by all concerned UnitedNations organizations in a coordinated and comprehensive manner,with a view to enabling a stronger case to be made in favour ofsmall island developing States within the various climate change,economic and trade forums.", "[1] * A/66/150.", "[2] Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3‑14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex II.", "[3] Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.94.I.18 and corrigenda), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.", "[4] Report of the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Port Louis, Mauritus, 10‑14 January 2005 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.05.II.A.4 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.", "[5] See resolution 65 (XXI) of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee, contained in part III of the report of the Committee on its twenty-first session (16 and 17 January 2006) (LC/CAR/L.86).", "[6] See Governing Council decision 22/13 of 7 February 2003 (A/58/25, annex).", "[7] See resolution 48 adopted by the General Conference at its thirty-second session (29 September-17 October 2003).", "[8] See the Accra Accord adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development at its twelfth session in 2008 (TD/442 and Corr.1, sect. II).", "[9] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619.", "[10] Ibid., vol. 1771, No. 30822.", "[11] Ibid., vol. 1954, No. 33480.", "[12] United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.II.A.12.", "[13] United Nations publication, Sales No. 08.II.F.14.", "[14] See A/51/116, annex II." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 19 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Sustainable development: follow-up to and implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States", "Review of United Nations system support for small island developing States", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States have emphasized the importance of the support of the United Nations system for activities aimed at the sustainable development of small island developing States. Over the years, different United Nations entities have provided this support in different ways. In general, United Nations system organizations have provided a wide range of targeted support services to small island States under the Mauritius Strategy, in accordance with their respective mandates. However, there are gaps and opportunities for improvement in the provision of this support, including the implementation of coordinated and coherent programmes for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. Collectively, the relevant United Nations organizations have also committed to providing policy, analytical and capacity-building support to small island developing States with a view to enhancing the international recognition of their special situation and contributing to their resilience to many challenges.", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 3II. Support 4 provided by the United Nations system to small island developing States A.Mandatos 4B.Institutional questions 5 C.Contributions 7 financial D.Cuatro 9 support areas E. Best 17 coordination III. Issues 18 to be considered A. Incorporation 18B.Coherent and coordinated approaches 19 C. Support 21 Institutional D.Management 21 of knowledge E.One 22 voice F. Functions 23 and responsibilities G. Strengthening 23 of the argument for small island developing States", "I. Introduction", "1. The international community officially recognized for the first time the unique sustainable development challenges facing small island developing States when it presented its special case in chapter 17 of Agenda 21[1], adopted in 1992. The Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States ( " Barbados Programme of Action " )[2], adopted two years later, recognizes the important role of all relevant bodies, programmes and organizations of the United Nations system, within their respective specialties and mandates, in supporting and complementing national activities in the implementation of that Programme of Action.", "2. Since the adoption of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States ( " Mauritius Strategy for Implementation " )[3], the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council have identified in various resolutions the need to review and improve the effectiveness, coherence and coordination of the support of the United Nations system to small island developing States. In the outcome document of the High-level Review Meeting on the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, adopted by the Assembly in resolution 65/2, heads of State and Government, ministers and representatives of Member States requested the Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review and to consider ways of enhancing coherence and coordination of the support of the sixty-sixth session of the Assembly.", "3. The purpose of the present report is to review the progress made by the United Nations system in mainstreaming and integrating the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation into its mandates, programmes and processes in order to promote coherence and coordination of United Nations support to small island developing States. Recommendations were also made on how to better manage such support and make it more efficient and effective.", "4. The report takes into account information from various sources, such as the websites, reports and publications of United Nations organizations, the documentation prepared by the Small Island Developing States Unit of the Division for Sustainable Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat for consideration by the Committee for Development Policy at its twelfth session, the inputs of members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States,", "5. Section II below examines how United Nations entities have incorporated support for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy into their respective organizational structures; how issues of relevance to small island developing States are addressed at the global, regional and national levels; and how small island developing States are supported in four main areas, namely, policy-making, analytical capacity-building, United Nations system-building. A number of recommendations are made in section III.", "II. United Nations system support to small island developing States", "6. This section identifies the mandates of United Nations entities, institutional aspects and relevant programmes and projects.", "A. Mandates", "7. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit at United Nations Headquarters has a wide range of functions to support the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy (see General Assembly resolution 60/194). The Unit provides technical assistance and advice, supports intergovernmental processes, leads inter-agency coordination and reports on progress in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States is mandated to develop advocacy activities in support of small island developing States, in collaboration with relevant United Nations entities, and mobilize resources to implement the Mauritius Strategy (see A/56/645).", "8. At the regional level, under the Mauritius Strategy, the regional commissions are responsible for promoting and coordinating support for small island developing States. The regional commissions have a comparative advantage in facilitating coordination and collaboration with regard to the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy at the regional level. Two regional commissions have subregional offices that facilitate coordination: the Pacific Operations Centre of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Caribbean Subregional Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)[4].", "9. The respective mandates of the organizations of the United Nations system relate to specific programme areas relevant to the Mauritius Strategy, but together they are aimed at achieving many of the objectives of the Strategy. Agencies, funds and programmes therefore play an important role in helping small island developing States to implement the Mauritius Strategy in various programme areas. These organizations include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)[5], the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)[6], the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),[7]", "10. The Convention on Biological Diversity[8], the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change[9] and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa[10], cover important issues highlighted in the Mauritius Strategy. The conference of the parties of each of these three conventions serves as a global forum in which small island developing States can express their needs and priorities and obtain support from the United Nations system.", "B. Institutional issues", "Specific institutional mechanisms in support of small island developing States", "11. Paragraph 128 of the Barbados Programme of Action requested the Secretary-General to invite the organs and organizations of the United Nations system to consider establishing focal points for their implementation. The answer to this invitation has been uneven.", "12. Only 10 United Nations organizations have designated a special coordinator for small island developing States. The ECLAC Caribbean Office has 46 regular budget posts, 33 substantive and 13 administrative posts, and the ESCAP Pacific Office has nine budget posts and two extrabudgetary posts. UNEP has a dedicated coordinator at its Nairobi headquarters and a regional coordinator for the Caribbean at its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama City. UNESCO has a Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge Section, with five budget and four extrabudgetary posts. Other organizations have a focal point dealing with small island developing States as part of a broader portfolio, for example FAO. As a regional office, focal points tend to focus on the coordination of regional activities rather than the global coordination envisaged in the Barbados Programme of Action.", "13. The number of posts in the Small Island Developing States Unit has not increased in the United Nations Secretariat owing to the zero growth of the budget for many years: the Unit had four budget posts and three extrabudgetary posts at the Mauritius International Meeting in 2005, and the number and composition of staff had not changed. This team develops all normative, analytical and capacity-building activities. A positive development since 2005 is that the Unit now depends directly on the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development. In addition, the Office of the High Representative now has a post dedicated to small island developing States that did not exist in 2005.", "14. There are other institutional arrangements. UNCTAD deals with small island developing States as part of its special programmes. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a programme of work on the biological diversity of the islands by dedicated staff. Other bodies address issues of concern to small island developing States as part of their overall programme of work.", "Mainstreaming the Mauritius Strategy into the United Nations system work programmes", "15. The mainstreaming and integration of small island developing States activities into the work programmes of the United Nations system has been identified as essential for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy (see General Assembly resolution 65/156). The way it has been done varies from one entity to another. ECLAC has effectively incorporated and integrated into its work the issues of concern to small island developing States through the establishment of its Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. In ESCAP, the priorities of Pacific small island developing States have been integrated into the work of the Commission through the work programme of its Pacific Operations Centre. Most United Nations organizations have incorporated small island developing States issues into their work programme without resorting to the establishment of a dedicated programme. UNEP has adopted a strategic approach covering the entire institution to ensure that issues related to the needs and priorities of small island developing States are incorporated into its work programme. UNESCO, whose activities are coordinated by the small island developing States focal point, uses the cross-sectoral platform established in 2007 for the sustainable development of small island developing States to follow an integrated approach to its work on sustainable living and development on the islands, which emphasizes interregional cooperation. The World Health Organization (WHO) incorporates issues of concern to small island developing States within the overall framework of their work in all developing countries, but regional offices help to adapt projects and programmes to the special needs of countries in the region.", "16. Another approach is the use of the UNDP-managed United Nations Development Assistance Framework process, which also helps to mainstream and integrate issues related to small island developing States, individually and as part of a subregion, into the development activities of the United Nations system in support of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. At the national level, mainstreaming is also supported by other multilateral strategies, including the World Bank ' s poverty reduction strategy papers and the FAO ' s medium-term, quadrennial renewable frameworks of national priorities.", "C. Financial contributions", "Allocation of financial resources to small island developing States", "17. According to the 2008-2009 aid statistics of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/OECD), United Nations organizations and the Bretton Woods institutions were among the top 10 ODA donors gross to the 34 small island developing States on which data were available. There are differences among countries, but among the top 10 donors were the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Development Association (IFA) of the World Bank Group. The figures below represent only the information available for the preparation of the present report (July 2011).", "18. The World Bank has increased financial assistance to small States, which includes several small island developing States. The resources allocated by IDA to the Pacific small islands, except Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, have increased from about $40 million in each of the previous two IDA cycles (economic exercises of 2003-2005 and 2006-2008) to almost $100 million in the current cycle (economic exercises of 2009-2011). In June 2010, the Board of Directors of the World Bank Group endorsed the Regional Partnerships Strategy of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, which seeks to support economic stability, competitiveness and inclusive and sustained growth; it is expected that in the next four years financial assistance will be provided up to $193 million, in addition to technical services and advice. Through its climate investment funds, the World Bank is collaborating with other Caribbean and Pacific regional development banks in the pilot climate resilience programme. This initiative provides between $60 million and $70 million in grants for various activities, such as data collection, monitoring and capacity-building.", "19. Small island developing States eligible for GEF funding have received financial allocations under the fourth and fifth replenishment of the GEF. In the fifth replenishment, the total allocation for all eligible small island developing States amounts to approximately $150 million.", "20. In its regular programme budget, UNESCO has spent some $15 million on small island developing States over the past five years. In addition, some $8 million was provided to those States through the Organization ' s Participation Programme, which allows for the national implementation of activities in line with the objectives of the Programme and the budget of the Organization.", "21. In early 2005, the total allocation for IFAD projects in small island developing States amounted to $148.7 million. Many of them are still in progress. IFAD ' s resources are often a mix of loans and donations, and these are particularly earmarked for least developed countries and poverty alleviation. The FAO Food Security and Safety Trust Fund has been used to fund two regional projects in the Pacific and the Caribbean.", "Resource mobilization", "22. The Small Island Developing States Unit has been able to mobilize donor funding for several years to support the participation of small island developing States in the Mauritius International Meeting, in the five-year review process of the Mauritius Strategy, and now in the preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The Unit has also mobilized bilateral funding to support project proposals that would benefit all small island developing States, including a project funded by the Government of Spain (with a budget of more than $2.8 million) covering the revitalization of the Small Island Developing States Information Network (SIDSNet), a virtual training programme that will be implemented through the consortium of universities of small island developing States. ESCAP and ECLAC have helped small island developing States in their regions mobilize resources to implement the Mauritius Strategy. The GEF has also supported programmes and projects for small island developing States in their areas of interest through allocations to specific countries. The GEF, in partnership with implementing agencies and countries, collaborates with other donors to help secure co-financing for projects. UNDP has played an essential role in mobilizing substantial resources from the GEF to implement activities covering various areas of the Mauritius Strategy. The World Bank has also played an important role in mobilizing financial resources. The sixteenth replenishment of IDA provides for increased financial resources to assist small-economy countries, including small island developing States, in advancing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In addition, small island developing States also have access to other funds, such as the Least Developed Countries Fund (they have access to the 10 small island developing States included in the group of least developed countries) and the GEF-administered Special Climate Change Fund.", "23. Other organizations of the United Nations system have also played an important role in mobilizing resources in their area of activity. UNEP has been able to mobilize GEF funds for regional biodiversity activities and projects, climate change, land management, persistent organic pollutants and international waters. It has also mobilized resources from bilateral donors and multilateral donors, such as the European Commission, for project and programme implementation. WHO has helped member States mobilize resources from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.", "D. Four support areas", "1. Policy support", "(a) Monitoring and information", "24. Monitoring and reporting on progress in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy is one of the main functions of the Small Island Developing States Unit. The Unit responds to the Commission on Sustainable Development, the principal United Nations body to follow the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. The European Union-funded monitoring and evaluation project to be implemented by the Unit, in cooperation with the Indian Ocean Commission, will contribute to strengthening the monitoring capacity of small island developing States, including the development of country vulnerability and resilience profiles. In the Caribbean, the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee follows the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. UNDP, UNEP and ESCAP also play an important role in supporting the follow-up and monitoring process of the Mauritius Strategy at various levels. Many agencies, funds and programmes report to their governing bodies on activities in support of small island developing States. The GEF is accountable to its members through its Council and donors through various mechanisms. The UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board provides a follow-up mechanism for its programmes. In addition, UNDP has monitoring and reporting processes in each country programme and its subregional programmes. The 48 small States members of the World Bank, including small island countries, meet at the Forum of Small States to discuss their most urgent problems and to account for progress made by themselves and their partners. The UNEP Governing Council and the Global Ministerial Environment Forum serve as an essential mechanism for global follow-up to UNEP ' s work on small island developing States. UNCTAD regularly informs the Trade and Development Board of activities for small island developing States, a group that member States mention six times in the Accra Accord, one of the outcomes of the twelfth session of the Conference (2008).", "(b) Promotion", "25. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States plays an essential advocacy role in the United Nations system, in partnership with the Small Island Developing States Unit. The regional commissions work proactively to ensure that the priorities and interests of small island developing States are reflected in regional decisions, including those relating to the implementation of the outcomes of United Nations conferences. These results help to establish the global policy agenda and influence policies promoted by international and regional organizations and the types of projects that bilateral donors tend to fund. In some United Nations organizations, management councils and similar bodies contribute to the promotion of small island developing States. The GEF Council serves as a forum for those States to advocate their needs and priorities for donor entities that could co-finance GEF-funded activities. UNEP also plays an essential role in promoting the interests of small island developing States at the global, regional, subregional and national levels, particularly in the areas identified by the Barbados Programme of Action that are directly related to its mandate. The advocacy role of UNCTAD is focused on providing substantive support to small island developing States in their arguments in favour of different forms of special treatment. This support refers to areas of great importance to those States, from the phased transition measures for countries emerging from the category of least developed countries to the technical assistance that could be provided to them under their situation. This implies increasing the credibility of the small island developing State category, which UNCTAD has responded by adopting a list of 29 small island developing States for analytical and practical purposes.", "(c) Support for the intergovernmental process", "26. In 2010, the United Nations system as a whole, in cooperation with relevant regional intergovernmental organizations, supported the preparations for the five-year high-level review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy at the national, regional, interregional and global levels, through many consultations within the framework of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States. The support was normative and included: (a) provision of funding for national consultancies to small island developing States, upon request, for national assessments, (b) commission of regional assessments and (c) funding, planning, organization and coordination of substantive and logistical arrangements for preparatory meetings in the three regions of small island developing States, for interregional meetings and for the same High-level Meeting. Similar support is being provided for the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.", "27. The Small Island Developing States Unit has also supported the negotiations held during the General Assembly on the review and follow-up of the Mauritius Strategy and Caribbean Sea and coral reef issues and the planning of Small Island Developing States Day, which was first proclaimed by the Commission on Sustainable Development in 2005 and which is observed during its review sessions. The Office of the High Representative organized capacity-building activities to strengthen the negotiating capacity of officials of small island developing States and supported negotiations at fish stock meetings.", "(d) Knowledge management", "28. Knowledge management is one of the main functions of the Small Island Developing States Unit. The Unit is actively working on strengthening information activities for decision-making by small island developing States and facilitates networking among stakeholders. As part of its activities, the Unit maintains a section on these matters on the website of the Division for Sustainable Development. This resource serves as a portal for small island developing States to access information from various sources relevant to the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. In addition, the Unit supports SIDSNet, established in 1997 as a direct complement to the Barbados Programme of Action. SIDSNet is currently undergoing reconfiguration and revitalization as part of a new project funded by the Government of Spain. The network will be transformed into a much-needed central knowledge and platform management system to share knowledge and experience and explore partnership opportunities, among many other activities.", "29. The ESCAP and ECLAC websites provide information for their subregions. The GEF website has a special section with information on small island developing States, networks and organizations, island country experiences with the GEF, GEF-funded projects in small island developing States, issues of interest, and country information and contacts.", "30. The World Bank has a subsidiary website on small States, and FAO has a website with information on specific issues of relevance to small island developing States. UNESCO maintains a special platform that provides information on its activities in favour of those States under the chapters of the Mauritius Strategy. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a comprehensive website with a portal on island biodiversity. The UNCTAD website has a subsidiary website on small island developing States, which provides useful materials and links.", "31. UNDP subregional offices have websites dedicated to small island developing States. In the Pacific subregion, UNDP has established a partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the University of the South Pacific and the Asian Development Bank, which has led to the creation of the Pacific Solutions Exchange, a virtual practice exchange community that brings together experts, policy makers and practitioners from 14 small island developing States in the Pacific region.", "2. Technical cooperation and capacity-building support", "32. Support for capacity-building provided to small island developing States by a number of United Nations organizations has continually grown in quality and quantity. As the needs of those States have been more clearly articulated, capacity-building support has been more focused on specific issues. Problems and gaps remain and the vulnerability of small island developing States increases with climate change, increased frequency of disasters, indebtedness and high price of fuel, among many other factors.", "33. The financing of the portfolio of projects aimed at benefiting small island developing States by the Division for Sustainable Development, including the Small Island Developing States Unit, today amounts to some $4.7 million. These projects aim to enhance the capacity of these States to use information and policy tools for knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, national strategies and indicators for sustainable development and the treatment of thematic areas such as climate change, energy, water, human security and community-based disaster management.", "34. UNDP assists small island developing States by providing a wide range of policy advisory services and implementing development programmes closely aligned with national development priorities. With regard to poverty, UNDP works with a number of small island developing States in the areas of financial inclusion, strengthening national policy capacities based on the Millennium Development Goals and aid effectiveness systems and promoting knowledge sharing on social protection systems. With regard to governance gaps, UNDP works closely with national parliaments to strengthen their legislative and supervisory capacity and promotes increased political representation of women. With regard to climate change, UNDP seeks to strengthen adaptation capacity and community resilience and provides policy advice to Governments on climate-related financing. An example of this approach is the UNDP/World Bank SIDS Dock initiative, developed in partnership with the Alliance of Small Island States.", "35. The Global Environment Facility is the main source of funding for programmes and projects implemented in support of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The GEF was among the top 10 ODA donors to small island developing States on which DAC/OECD aid statistics have been published. The GEF provides funding for a wide range of projects and programmes on environmental issues, including biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants.", "36. The activities of ECLAC and ESCAP have focused primarily on providing technical advice, at the request, to the Governments of small island developing States. A number of projects and activities related to the topics highlighted in the Mauritius Strategy are being implemented. Results have included policy changes influenced by the analytical inputs and policy advice of the two regional commissions to countries receiving technical cooperation services.", "37. In 2009-2010, the United Nations Division for Public Administration and Development Management administered capacity-building training sessions for e-government development for Eastern Caribbean States, in collaboration with the Caribbean Development Administration Centre (CARICAD). In addition, the Division is developing a project entitled " Support for strategic ICT planning in Caribbean parliaments " , which aims to assist Caribbean parliaments in developing their comprehensive strategic vision and plans for the effective deployment of information and communications technology (ICT). The project is funded by the European Union and will be implemented in collaboration with CARICAD.", "38. UNCTAD ' s activities for the benefit of small island developing States have been aimed at enhancing the capacity of those States to seek appropriate economic opportunities in current global markets and to avoid further marginalization in the global economy. These activities include research and analysis, the provision of policy advice to each country and technical assistance in areas ranging from phased transition strategies for small island developing States emerging from the least developed country category to trade and investment policies. UNCTAD is the agency of the United Nations system that has more experience in dealing with issues of particular interest to those States, having examined them since 1974.", "39. Support for capacity-building provided by UNEP to small island developing States covers six cross-cutting thematic priorities of its medium-term strategy (2010-2013), namely, climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, harmful substances and hazardous wastes, and resource efficiency. In the Caribbean, UNEP activities are guided by its programme for Caribbean small island developing States.", "40. The UNESCO 2010-2011 programme includes special interventions for island countries across the range of their activities, with a focus on priorities such as climate change, cultural heritage and the search for locally driven sustainable development approaches. Several UNESCO programmes have established subprogrammes to support the implementation of activities in small island developing States members of the organization.", "41. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has supported large projects in small island developing States. IFAD has funded 23 projects in countries of the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea (AIMS), 8 projects in 4 Pacific small island developing States and 29 projects in 11 Caribbean countries. These projects are aimed at facilitating the formulation of pro-poor policies and programmes, sustainable and cost-effective management of fisheries resources, improving the livelihoods of coastal communities threatened by over-exploitation of the marine environment and assisting rural families to diversify income-generating, agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises, and improving employment prospects.", "42. FAO develops, among others, activities aimed at increasing the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to the development agenda of small island developing States. It implements national and regional food security programmes and seeks to assist those States in integrating sustainable food security policies and programmes into national poverty reduction strategies.", "43. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has implemented activities aimed at bridging the digital divide between small island developing States and the rest of the world. ITU activities have focused on the reform of the telecommunications sector in those countries to allow the introduction of new structures that are more conducive to the rapid and sustained development of telecommunications, with modern and well-managed networks that ensure universal access to such services.", "44. The United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) has trained government officials in various small island developing States in the areas of child protection and education during emergencies. It had supported the review and review of policies aimed at ensuring children ' s rights to education during disasters and the study of the impact of climate change on children on survival, development, protection and participation.", "45. The World Bank has focused its efforts on accommodating assistance to individual country priorities and harmonizing aid programmes with those of other agencies to increase aid effectiveness. In the Pacific, the World Bank has played an active role in promoting issues of concern to small States, developing an innovative special credit programme and implementing a country-based programme of activities that meets the needs of small States. In the Caribbean, it has provided flexible support for disaster mitigation, including contingency loans and natural disaster insurance market analysis.", "46. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has worked on the development and strengthening of national intellectual property systems and strategies to promote the economic, social and cultural development of small island developing States in the three regions. Activities included the protection of traditional knowledge, regional patent systems and the development of national intellectual property strategies.", "47. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has actively promoted several national and regional projects among small island developing States, mainly in energy.", "3. Analytical support", "(a) Publications", "48. In general, United Nations organizations ' publications related to small island developing States were non-recurrent publications in the period 2005-2010. Very few have been devoted exclusively to those States, but many organizations have issued thematic or generic development publications that cover or are important to those countries ' interests.", "49. United Nations system publications on issues of interest or direct importance to small island developing States include: (a) UNCTAD ' s publications on trade and development; (b) UNDP ' s Human Development Report and other publications related to development in general; (c) the UNESCO brochure entitled " Isles in an ocean of change: UNESCO intersectoral platform for SIDS "", "(b) Data and statistics", "50. Some organizations of the United Nations system publish specific data from small island developing States and give users access to country-specific data. The UNCTAD Statistical Manual focuses on the group of 29 small island developing States that the organization included in its operational list. The World Bank is one of the main sources of statistics and data on all countries, including small island developing States, in particular economic data. UNEP provides a variety of environmental data in publications on its website, including The State of the Environment, and environmental information on selected countries. The section on small island developing States on the UNESCO website contains links with statistics and data on areas of particular interest, such as education and information statistics on research and development, and access to the Data Centre with over 1,000 types of gross indicators and data on education, literacy, science and technology, culture and communication. UNESCO also helps member States to improve their statistical and analytical capacity. Through FAOSTAT, FAO provides data and statistics on agriculture and food security, including data on small island developing States. A web portal with a wide range of data and statistical information on the sustainable development of small island developing States is expected to be available online through the revitalization of SIDSNet. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States prepared, in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, a special edition of the United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook.", "51. At the regional level, ESCAP and ECLAC help to improve the statistical capacity of countries in their respective regions by strengthening national statistical infrastructure and promoting improved data quality, international comparability and adequate use of new techniques. In the Pacific, donors, United Nations organizations and multilateral organizations collaborate to strengthen national information and disaggregated data systems through the 10-year statistical strategy for the Pacific. In the Caribbean, UNICEF, in partnership with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), has supported the creation of DevInfo databases online to allow the exchange of national data on children in the CARICOM secretariat (CARICOMInfo) and in Saint Lucia (HelenInfo), and the secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the Governments of Barbados, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines desktops have developed databases. In addition, in 2009, the United Nations Statistics Division assisted the CARICOM Secretariat and its member States in developing indicators of the Caribbean specific MDGs (CSMDG) and in 2010 helped to develop the capacity of staff of the national statistical offices of CARICOM member countries in techniques and procedures for editing population and housing census data.", "4. Coordination mechanisms", "52. Coordination mechanisms for small island developing States activities within the United Nations system employ various methods at the national, regional and global levels.", "53. At the national level, each UNDP office coordinates the activities of United Nations organizations by placing them under the authority of the United Nations country team. The country team provides coordinated services that support the country ' s sustainable development goals and priorities to promote the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.", "54. At the regional level, the Caribbean regional coordination mechanism promotes a partnership between ECLAC, UNEP and the CARICOM secretariats, the Association of Caribbean States and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. In the Pacific, regional organizations of the United Nations and other regional organizations are part of the Working Group on Sustainable Development of the Pacific Regional Organizations Council. UNDP support is coordinated through the Fiji and Samoa (for the Pacific) and Barbados (for the Caribbean) subregional offices and through a headquarters coordinator. There is no coordination mechanism for small island developing States in the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the South China Sea (AIMS), partly because of the lack of a specific subregional coordinating office and partly because of its geographical dispersion.", "E. Improved coordination", "55. Progress in coordination has been uneven. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit has the primary role of coordinating support to those States within the United Nations system through its role as chairman and convener of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group on Small Island Developing States. The Inter-Agency Group, which now has 24 members, is an informal coordination mechanism in which the focal points of all relevant organizations of the United Nations system and organizations that are not part of the system consult, exchange information and opinions, undertake joint planning and promote collaborative activities in support of small island developing States. The Inter-Agency Group has coordinated support for the five-year review of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, especially at the national and regional levels. Collaboration among agencies has increased to provide policy, analytical and capacity-building support to the preparations for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. There is also collaboration in the preparation of important reports of the Secretary-General.", "56. At the regional level, ESCAP and ECLAC, through their subregional offices, have worked closely with other United Nations entities and regional organizations to coordinate United Nations system support for small island developing States. ECLAC and ESCAP are assisted by regional bodies outside the United Nations system, such as CARICOM, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Pacific Islands Forum. Through the work of these two regional commissions, small island developing States have the opportunity to align themselves more closely with other countries in the region and thus promote regional cooperation.", "57. The United Nations Development Programme has played an essential role in coordinating the activities of the United Nations system at the national and regional levels through its country and subregional offices in the Pacific and the Caribbean. This role has been supported by the UNDP country and subregional office network worldwide, which have helped coordinate UNDP and other United Nations organizations in support of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. This coordination process is normally conducted in accordance with the outcomes of the common country assessment, which serves as the basis of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for a country or subregion. The Pacific Framework is a good example of the process and purpose of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, which aims to provide a coherent and coordinated approach to development at the national or subregional levels. Among the small island developing States that have adopted this approach are Cape Verde, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles.", "58. The United Nations Environment Programme has strengthened the implementation of activities through the use of its network of regional offices, environmental conventions, action plans and partnerships. UNEP also coordinates its activities for small island developing States through the Regional Seas Programme and the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.[13] UNESCO has worked closely with major agencies in the implementation of their programmes in small island developing States. Partners include the Pacific Regional Organizations Council and CARICOM. UNIDO has formed partnerships with UNDP, FAO, IFAD, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Trade Organization, UNEP and GEF to provide services to small island developing States. UNCTAD has actively collaborated with the Small Island Developing States Unit at United Nations Headquarters on issues relating to the Inter-Agency Consultative Group, ESCAP on technical assistance to countries in Asia and the Pacific emerging from the least developed country level, with UNDP in direct support at the local level to various small island developing States emerging from that category and with regional intergovernmental organizations in the Caribbean, Pacific and Pacific regions.", "III. Issues to be considered", "59. The overall conclusion is that, together, the United Nations system has provided small island developing States with a wide range of specific support services in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, in accordance with their respective mandates. However, there are possibilities for improving the implementation of coordinated and coherent programmes.", "60. Strengthening United Nations support in accordance with the priorities identified in the Mauritius Strategy would accelerate progress towards the implementation of the Strategy and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/2, would help to address the challenges of sustainable development that small island developing States continue to face. Concerted action on serious problems would make the activities of the United Nations system more effective. In view of these serious challenges, discussed below, and lessons learned on obstacles to the mainstreaming and integration of issues of concern to small island developing States in the programmes of work of United Nations entities, Member States may wish to consider, inter alia, the following issues.", "A. Incorporation", "61. The Mauritius Strategy and several General Assembly resolutions have emphasized the importance of United Nations entities incorporating and integrating the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy into their respective processes and programmes. One of the main conclusions of the present report is that, together, United Nations entities have effectively incorporated into their work programmes issues of relevance to small island developing States. This has been done in very different ways, according to the mandate of each entity. The various approaches adopted by the organizations of the United Nations system illustrate a wide range of practices that can work well, provided that there is the necessary dedication and adequate resources are allocated.", "Recommendation 1 The effective incorporation of issues of concern to small island developing States in the work of the United Nations system can be achieved in various ways. Incorporation does not necessarily require special independent programmes aimed at those States. A strategic approach encompassing the entire institution and ensuring that issues related to the priorities of small island developing States are integrated within the overall framework of the global work programmes of United Nations organizations have been effective. Regional and local offices can then help to adapt special projects and programmes according to the needs of each member country.", "B. Coherent and coordinated approaches", "62. One area where progress has been uneven is the creation of coherent and coordinated approaches to issues of concern to small island developing States: there have been some success in this regard, but some shortcomings remain. The Small Island Developing States Unit has a leading role in coordinating relevant activities within the United Nations system, but has been limited by the lack of human resources, despite repeated calls by the General Assembly for strengthening. In view of their broad mandates, it is difficult for high-level mechanisms, such as the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to specifically address issues related to small island developing States.", "63. At the global level, the Inter-Agency Advisory Group has been effective, despite its informal nature, in coordinating at the working level issues of concern to small island developing States. The work of this group is enhanced by the participation of regional intergovernmental entities other than the United Nations system. The question has been raised as to whether this mechanism should be reviewed with a view to including the participation of agency managers, whether it should have a more formal structure and whether the main results of its discussions could be more systematically incorporated into United Nations system-wide coordination mechanisms such as the United Nations Development Group (UNDG).", "64. At the regional level, the subregional offices of UNDP and the subregional offices of ESCAP and ECLAC play key roles in coordinating the activities of the United Nations system and are ideally positioned to follow the implementation of activities related to the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy at the regional level. In the Caribbean, the United Nations Regional Strategic Framework and CARICOM, as a mechanism for coordinating technical assistance, could be aligned with ECLAC Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee decisions to better reflect the views of the Caribbean countries. This complementarity would ensure that the normative activities of the United Nations Secretariat are linked to the technical cooperation activities of the United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized agencies. This could help to simplify the overall regional coordination mechanism, promote policy coherence and ensure that the United Nations effectively functioned as a single entity.", "65. In the Pacific, the Pacific Regional Organizations Council is an effective regional coordination mechanism. The Pacific Plan Action Committee is another forum for collective monitoring, prioritization and policy control that would contribute to the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy.", "66. For small island developing States in the AIMS region, for which there is no regional coordination mechanism or a United Nations regional office, a regional institutional framework for sustainable development could be developed. UNDP could play an essential role in this regard through its country offices, helping to provide coherent and coordinated support to small island developing States, thereby promoting the “One United Nations” approach. Given the lack of a specific office or programme for small island developing States, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) could focus on ensuring that the special needs and priorities of small island developing States in its region were integrated into its programme of work.", "67. At the national level, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process is an example of good practice that helps the United Nations system deliver a coherent and coordinated development agenda. Positive examples of a national “One United Nations” approach in small island developing States include Cape Verde, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles.", "Recommendation 2 The coordination and coherence of the support provided to small island developing States by United Nations entities should be strengthened. At the global level, the measures could include strengthening and broadening the role of the Inter-Agency Advisory Group on Small Island Developing States, reviewing their modus operandi, considering their formalization and considering their possible contribution to United Nations system-wide coordination mechanisms. At the regional level, United Nations organizations represented in the AIMS region should collectively explore ways and means of establishing a coordination support mechanism for small island developing States. Anivel national, a desirable measure, among others, could take advantage of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process to ensure the adoption of a “One United Nations” approach in an increasing number of small island developing States.", "C. Institutional support", "68. United Nations entities have adopted various approaches to institutional support for small island developing States. Some organizations have established special institutions to coordinate support; others have delegated responsibility for coordinating their activities in regional offices in a subregion. But when the specific issues of the islands are in charge of a unit within a division that has a wider regional or programmatic mandate, these issues can be lost in sight. In this regard, a dedicated office or coordinator helps to provide coordinated support to small island developing States.", "Recommendation 3 There is no ideal mechanism to provide effective institutional support to small island developing States, but the establishment or strengthening of a specially identified focal point within each United Nations entity dealing with issues of relevance or thematic issues of relevance to those States is essential to provide them with effective support. In view of the need to strengthen the Dependence of Small Island Developing States of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Sustainable Development, more urgent attention must be paid to providing effective support to small island States in the four areas mentioned above, especially in relation to the continuation of assistance to those States to address vulnerabilities, increase resilience and present arguments in favour of their development.", "D. Knowledge management", "69. Information and knowledge are essential tools for monitoring, decision-making and evaluating the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, and all relevant organizations of the United Nations system have an important catalytic role to play in the provision, analysis and dissemination of such information and knowledge within their respective mandates. Websites dedicated to small island developing States, such as revitalized SIDSNet, can facilitate effective knowledge management for small island developing States and promote partnerships, networking and collaboration of United Nations system organizations with each other and that of small island developing States with other partners. Other pages on islands identified on the websites of all relevant organizations should complement and link dedicated websites to increase access to technical and policy resources relevant to small island developing States.", "Recommendation 4 The dedicated websites for small island developing States, such as SIDSNet, should be strengthened with the active participation of all States and their partners, in order to effectively promote partnerships, exchange general and specialized knowledge, collect relevant information and data and facilitate networking, and sites should have strong links with the respective small island developing States websites. These sites should be easily accessible and contain comprehensive information on all activities of interest to those States, including up-to-date information on projects and programmes being implemented.", "E. One voice", "70. One of the main lessons and successes has to do with the means by which various United Nations entities have helped small island developing States speak with one voice in international forums. This has helped to ensure that the priorities and concerns of these States are taken into account in global and regional decisions, including the implementation of the outcomes of United Nations conferences. At the global level, the Small Island Developing States Unit and the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, despite resource constraints, have facilitated the expression of the concerns and priorities of small island developing States and enabled them to work together as a group. Positive examples in this regard include support provided to the Alliance of Small Island States and assistance provided to small island developing States delegations at United Nations meetings. Similarly, ESCAP and ECLAC have helped small island developing States in their regions to collaborate and speak with one voice at the regional and global levels. UNESCO has also contributed to this process through initiatives such as the Voice of Small Islanders and Frontline Climate Change, and other specialized agencies.", "Recommendation 5 Small island developing States need a global voice. The Small Island Developing States Unit, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and the regional commissions in particular play an active and catalytic role in facilitating the emergence of a collective voice that can express the particular concerns and priorities of the small island developing States. Other United Nations organizations are encouraged to help those States more and more voice in international forums.", "F. Functions and responsibilities", "71. The Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy identified the principal roles of the United Nations system in supporting the implementation of programmes for the sustainable development of small island developing States. These essential functions have been reinforced by the General Assembly in a number of resolutions (e.g. resolutions 59/311 and 65/2). In those resolutions, the General Assembly reiterated that, while the primary responsibility for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy lay with the same small island developing States, the relevant United Nations organizations had the essential role to play in supporting and supplementing, within their respective mandates and specialties, national efforts. The present analysis concludes that the United Nations system has supported the national implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, from the coordination of activities and the financing and implementation of major projects and programmes to the active support provided by many specialized agencies. But small island developing States can do much to enable United Nations organizations to provide specific support to their national activities. There are various opportunities for collaboration between small island developing States and United Nations system organizations to adapt services to their priorities and special needs. At the national level, these opportunities include, inter alia, the Global Support Programme for GEF-funded national capacity self-assessments, common country assessments by UNDP and the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks coordinated by the United Nations system. To gain the greatest benefit from the support provided by all relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, programmes and funds, each small island developing State must take advantage of these and other related processes.", "Recommendation 6 Building on processes such as self-assessment of national capacities, common country assessment and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, small island developing States and the United Nations system have a variety of opportunities to collaborate closely. The increased collaboration of United Nations system organizations with each other and with all relevant non-system regional organizations would enable small island developing States to benefit from the support of the United Nations system and would help the system to better adapt their services to the special priorities and needs of those States.", "G. Strengthening the argument for small island developing States", "72. A number of organizations have conducted an analysis of the particular vulnerabilities of small island developing States. UNCTAD focuses its analytical work on the structural disadvantages and development needs of those States and on the criteria for members of the group of least developed countries, including some small island developing States. UNDP has conducted a study on debt sustainability.", "73. The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Bank have collaborated in the study of climate change adaptation, risk assessment and insurance plans, among other matters. Biodiversity threats have been addressed under the Convention on Biological Diversity.", "Recommendation 7 All United Nations organizations concerned should continue in a coordinated and comprehensive manner the analytical work to address the special vulnerabilities of small island developing States and explore ways and means of enhancing their resilience in order to strengthen the proposition of small island developing States within the various climate change forums, the economy and trade.", "[1] Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), resolution 1, annex II.", "[2] Report of the World Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.94.I.18 and corrigenda), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.", "[3] Report of the International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Port Louis, Mauritius, 10-14 January 2005 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.05.II.A.4 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.", "[4] See resolution 65 (XXI) of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee in part III of the report of the Committee on the twenty-first session (16 and 17 January 2006) (LC/CAR/L.86).", "[5] See Governing Council decision 22/13 of 7 February 2003 (A/58/25, annex).", "[6] See resolution 48 adopted by the General Conference at its thirty-second session (29 September-17 October 2003).", "[7] See the Accra Accord adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development at the twelfth session (2008) (TD/442 and Corr.1, sect. II).", "[8] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619.", "[9] Ibid., vol. 1771, No. 30822.", "[10] Ibid., vol. 1954, No. 33480.", "[11] United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.II.A.12.", "[12] United Nations publication, Sales No. 08.II.F.14.", "[13] See A/51/116, annex II." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 23 b) del programa provisional*", "Erradicación de la pobreza y otras cuestiones de desarrollo: la mujer en el desarrollo", "Integración de una perspectiva de género en las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "De conformidad con la resolución 64/217 de la Asamblea General relativa a la mujer en el desarrollo, el presente informe se centra en la integración de una perspectiva de género en las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, con el apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y de los países donantes. A ese respecto se destaca como una buena práctica la elaboración de presupuestos que tengan en cuenta las cuestiones de género, y se presentan recomendaciones para la consideración de la Asamblea.", "I. Introducción", "1. En su resolución 64/217 relativa a la mujer en el desarrollo, la Asamblea General reconoció la interacción existente entre la igualdad entre los géneros y la erradicación de la pobreza y el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. También instó a los Estados Miembros y al sistema de las Naciones Unidas a empoderar a la mujer para que participe activamente y con eficacia en la formulación, ejecución y evaluación de las políticas nacionales de desarrollo y de las políticas, las estrategias y los programas de erradicación de la pobreza.", "2. La Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones le presentara un informe sobre los progresos realizados en la aplicación de la resolución, en particular sobre la integración de la perspectiva de género en las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. A partir de las aportaciones recibidas de los Estados Miembros y del sistema de las Naciones Unidas[1], en el presente informe se examinan las medidas adoptadas por los gobiernos, el apoyo proporcionado por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, la función que han cumplido los donantes y la nueva agenda de eficacia de la ayuda. Se destaca como ejemplo de una buena práctica la presupuestación y planificación con perspectiva de género y por último se presentan recomendaciones para la consideración de la Asamblea.", "II. Antecedentes", "3. Si bien se ha progresado hacia el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio[2] como resultado del crecimiento económico de algunos países en desarrollo y de los esfuerzos concretos realizados en algunos aspectos de los Objetivos, como la salud y la educación, sigue habiendo grandes diferencias entre las zonas urbanas y rurales y en los grupos más desfavorecidos económicamente o por motivos de sexo, edad, discapacidad u origen étnico. Los niños y especialmente las niñas de los hogares más pobres y que viven en zonas rurales o zonas de conflicto presentan la más alta probabilidad de no estar asistiendo a la escuela. En algunas regiones, el acceso de las niñas a la educación secundaria sigue siendo escaso. Alcanzar niveles de educación más altos sigue siendo decisivo a fin de que las mujeres y las niñas puedan adquirir las destrezas necesarias para satisfacer las exigencias actuales del mercado laboral.", "4. La mortalidad materna sigue estando concentrada en el África subsahariana y el Asia meridional, regiones que tuvieron en conjunto el 87% de la mortalidad mundial de las madres en 2007. En 2009, las mujeres representaban el 51,6% de la población que vivía con el VIH en el mundo, y las jóvenes de 15 a 24 años constituían el 60% de las personas que vivían con el VIH en ese grupo de edad[3].", "5. En todo el mundo, el acceso de la mujer al empleo, los recursos y los cargos de toma de decisiones sigue constituyendo un desafío. La proporción de mujeres que tenían empleo remunerado fuera del sector agrícola aumentó solo cinco puntos porcentuales durante casi dos décadas, del 35% en 1990 al 40% en 2009. El progreso ha sido aún más lento en los últimos años, como resultado de la crisis financiera y económica de 2008-2009. Según estimaciones recientes, si las mujeres tuvieran igual acceso que los hombres a los recursos productivos, se podría aumentar en un 2,5% a un 4,0% la producción agrícola total de los países en desarrollo, con lo que el número de personas con hambre en el mundo se reduciría entre un 12% y un 17%[4]. Durante los últimos 15 años, el porcentaje de mujeres parlamentarias aumentó únicamente del 11,6% en 1995 al 19,3% en 2011, y nueve países aún no tienen ninguna mujer parlamentaria.", "6. Para superar esas dificultades, los Estados Miembros han reconocido en repetidas ocasiones que el desarrollo, la paz y la seguridad y los derechos humanos están vinculados entre sí y se refuerzan mutuamente, y que la promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer es un objetivo clave de desarrollo y un medio importante de lograr todos los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, entre otras cosas, mediante la aplicación plena y efectiva de la Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing.", "7. Durante el examen quindenial de la aplicación de la Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing realizado en 2010 (véase E/CN.6/2010/2) se señalaron varias estrategias comunes que revestían importancia crítica para alcanzar los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros. Estas comprendían el fortalecimiento de la estrategia de incorporación de la perspectiva de género para asegurar que las necesidades y prioridades de las mujeres y las niñas, así como de los hombres y los niños, se tuvieran en cuenta de manera sistemática y efectiva en el diseño, la ejecución, la supervisión y la evaluación de las políticas, las estrategias, los planes y la asignación de recursos en todos los ámbitos normativos, incluidas las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. Otros factores positivos para el logro de los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros son un liderazgo visible, una mayor formación de capacidad de los órganos gubernamentales en todos los niveles, la participación más amplia de los mecanismos nacionales de promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros en la formulación de políticas, una mayor asignación de recursos destinados específicamente a las cuestiones de género y la elaboración y utilización de sistemas de supervisión y rendición de cuentas para seguir de cerca los resultados.", "8. Los órganos intergubernamentales han reafirmado repetidamente la importancia de las políticas nacionales que tienen en cuenta las cuestiones de género para el progreso hacia la igualdad entre los géneros y el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. En la declaración ministerial de 2010 del Consejo Económico y Social, los Estados Miembros se comprometieron a velar por que los planes nacionales de desarrollo contribuyeran de manera sistemática a promover la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer. De manera semejante, en la resolución 65/1, aprobada en su Reunión Plenaria de Alto Nivel de 2010 sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, la Asamblea General reconoció la necesidad de incorporar la perspectiva de género en la formulación y ejecución de las políticas de desarrollo.", "9. El Programa de Acción de Estambul en favor de los países menos adelantados para el decenio 2011-2020 (véase A/CONF.219/3/Rev.1) comprende objetivos para orientar las políticas nacionales y las medidas de apoyo internacionales con miras a lograr un crecimiento económico sostenido, equitativo e incluyente. La igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer se señalan como una esfera de acción prioritaria que resulta esencial para el progreso hacia el desarrollo social y humano y la erradicación de la pobreza en los países menos adelantados. Estos países se comprometieron a establecer y seguir ejecutando planes nacionales de desarrollo que tengan en cuenta las necesidades de las mujeres y las niñas. También se formularon compromisos respecto del fortalecimiento de la función de los mecanismos nacionales pertinentes, el aumento de los recursos destinados a la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer, y la promoción de la representación y la participación efectivas de la mujer en todas las esferas de la toma de decisiones. Los asociados en el desarrollo se comprometieron a proporcionar apoyo financiero y técnico para ejecutar políticas y programas que redunden para las mujeres en el aumento de las oportunidades económicas y de generación de ingresos, el empleo remunerado y el acceso a los recursos productivos.", "10. Con el fin de aumentar la eficacia de la asistencia para el desarrollo que proporcionan las Naciones Unidas, en el examen trienal amplio de las políticas (véase la resolución 62/208 de la Asamblea General) se reconoce que en el desarrollo no existe un criterio único aplicable a todos y que la prestación de asistencia para el desarrollo por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas debería responder a los planes y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. La resolución se centra principalmente en la ejecución y ofrece orientación detallada en varios aspectos, incluidos la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer. Además, la resolución pide que el ciclo del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo se ajuste en mayor grado a los procesos nacionales.", "III. Integración de una perspectiva de género en las políticas y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo", "11. A partir de las aportaciones recibidas de los Estados Miembros y del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, en esta sección III se describen las medidas adoptadas para integrar una perspectiva de género en las políticas y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, que son típicamente documentos multianuales en los que se esbozan las prioridades nacionales en materia de desarrollo y que comprenden las estrategias de reducción de la pobreza, los mecanismos de coordinación nacionales y planes sectoriales como las estrategias de desarrollo rural. Estos documentos generalmente se basan en procesos coordinados para alcanzar objetivos económicos, sociales y ambientales y están guiados por los principios de apropiación nacional, políticas integradas que abarcan todos los sectores, una amplia participación, el fomento de la capacidad, la concentración en los resultados y la ejecución, y los medios de aplicación.", "12. Según la definición de la incorporación de la perspectiva de género que figura en las conclusiones convenidas 1997/2 del Consejo Económico y Social, la integración de esa perspectiva en los planes y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo supone la necesidad de evaluar y analizar la situación de las mujeres y los hombres en cada país, identificar los obstáculos específicos que se oponen a la igualdad entre los géneros, desarrollar de manera sistemática estrategias y programas que tengan en cuenta las cuestiones de género en todos los sectores y vigilar y evaluar los resultados, para alcanzar los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros y corregir las desigualdades con que se enfrentan las mujeres y las niñas. Si bien es necesario adoptar iniciativas para incorporar la perspectiva de género en todos los sectores y todas las etapas de la formulación de políticas, estas deben complementarse con intervenciones concretas para suplir determinadas lagunas o superar las dificultades que se plantean a las mujeres y las niñas, como componente indispensable de la doble estrategia para promover la igualdad entre los géneros.", "13. Los gobiernos, con el apoyo necesario del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, adoptan diversos enfoques para integrar una perspectiva de género en sus estrategias de desarrollo. Cada vez más, las cuestiones de género se señalan como cuestiones prioritarias o de importancia intersectorial que deben incorporarse de manera sistemática en todas las etapas de la formulación de políticas, ejecución, supervisión y evaluación.", "14. Por ejemplo, en el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2010-2014 de El Salvador, las cuestiones de género se incorporan como asunto de interés intersectorial y se señalan como esferas prioritarias la erradicación de la pobreza y la discriminación y la violencia basadas en el género. En el plan de trabajo para el desarrollo de Indonesia, la incorporación de las cuestiones de género figura como uno de los principios rectores en todos los programas y actividades nacionales de desarrollo[5]. En consonancia con su compromiso de larga data con la igualdad entre los géneros, Nueva Zelandia exige que todos los organismos gubernamentales basen sus políticas en el análisis de género. También requiere que todos los documentos presentados al Comité de Política Social del Gabinete incluyan una descripción de las consecuencias de género.", "15. En otros casos, los países dedican una sección separada de sus estrategias nacionales de desarrollo a determinadas prioridades relacionadas con las mujeres y las niñas, como la educación de las niñas, la salud reproductiva, la participación de la mujer en la toma de decisiones y los medios de combatir la violencia contra la mujer. En su Undécimo Plan Nacional Quinquenal (2011-2015), la República Árabe Siria se propone reducir la desigualdad entre los géneros y promover el empoderamiento de la mujer en aspectos tales como la educación superior, la salud y la reducción de la pobreza, aunque solo se plantea parcialmente ese objetivo en otros sectores, como el de la justicia[6].", "16. En varios países, los organismos de las Naciones Unidas han prestado apoyo a los gobiernos nacionales para asegurar la integración de una perspectiva de género en los procesos de ejecución, supervisión y evaluación de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. Por ejemplo, en 2010, el PNUD ayudó a más de 20 países de la región de Asia y el Pacífico a integrar una perspectiva de género en los marcos nacionales de planificación y ejecución. En 2009 el PNUD, en colaboración con el UNFPA, prestó apoyo técnico al Gobierno de Maldivas para incorporar una perspectiva de género en su estrategia de desarrollo quinquenal y en los marcos de supervisión y evaluación conexos. En la República de Moldova, el PNUD apoyó la incorporación de los aspectos de género en varios planes de desarrollo, incluida la estrategia nacional de desarrollo. ONU-Mujeres, en colaboración con el UNFPA, proporcionó apoyo técnico al Gobierno de Indonesia para establecer indicadores relativos a la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en el plan nacional de desarrollo. En Jordania, el UNFPA, en colaboración con el PNUD, respaldó al Gobierno en sus iniciativas encaminadas a fortalecer los mecanismos para supervisar el progreso logrado en el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y de las prioridades nacionales, incluidos los objetivos relacionados con la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer.", "17. Muchos países han formulado planes de acción relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros, que complementan las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, pero la relación entre los dos instrumentos de política varía ampliamente de un país a otro. Algunos países adoptan medidas concretas para armonizar los planes de acción nacionales sobre la igualdad de hombres y mujeres con las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. En otros, los planes de acción nacionales sobre la igualdad entre los géneros constituyen un capítulo de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. La experiencia indica que la alineación entre los dos instrumentos es más eficaz cuando el plan de acción sobre la igualdad entre los géneros se formula como resultado de consultas nacionales y sectoriales o cuando se establecen vínculos explícitos entre los dos documentos durante los procesos de formulación[7].", "18. Los mecanismos nacionales que se ocupan de la igualdad entre los géneros son componentes esenciales de todos los esfuerzos dirigidos a alcanzar esa igualdad. Esos mecanismos son comúnmente los responsables de promover, apoyar y supervisar la incorporación de las perspectivas de género en todos los ámbitos de las políticas, incluidas las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. Cumplen una función de liderazgo en la tarea de formular y supervisar la ejecución de los planes, estrategias y programas relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros y a menudo se encargan de coordinar y vigilar la incorporación de la perspectiva de género y la creación de la capacidad necesaria en todos los órganos gubernamentales. En aquellos lugares donde los mecanismos nacionales colaboran estrechamente con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, en particular las organizaciones de mujeres, y las hacen partícipes en la formulación de las políticas y estrategias nacionales, hay una voz colectiva más fuerte que aboga por las necesidades prioritarias de las mujeres en el país. Los mecanismos nacionales también contribuyen al fortalecimiento de la reunión y el análisis de datos desglosados por sexos en todos los sectores (véase E/CN.6/2010/2).", "19. En consecuencia, reviste importancia crítica que los mecanismos nacionales que se ocupan de la igualdad entre los géneros dispongan de los recursos, capacidad y destrezas necesarios para cumplir eficazmente sus mandatos. Un estudio de los mecanismos nacionales encargados de promover la igualdad entre los géneros realizado en 2010 encontró que se habían logrado adelantos en varios frentes, entre otros, una mayor visibilidad política respecto del cumplimiento de los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer, una utilización más amplia de la estrategia de incorporación de una perspectiva de género en todas las regiones, el desarrollo de la capacidad para tratar las cuestiones de la igualdad entre los géneros y un mejoramiento de la reunión y el análisis de datos. Sin embargo, los mecanismos nacionales encargados de la igualdad entre los géneros siguen enfrentando dificultades en su función catalizadora para la incorporación de la perspectiva de género, como la marginación dentro de la estructura gubernamental, la frecuente reorganización y los cambios del personal directivo, los mandatos imprecisos y mal estructurados, la escasez de recursos de personal y presupuestarios, el conocimiento técnico insuficiente para promover la igualdad entre los géneros, tanto en el marco de los mecanismos nacionales como en otros órganos estatales, la coordinación insuficiente entre los diversos componentes de los mecanismos nacionales, la ineficacia de los sistemas de seguimiento y evaluación y la escasa capacidad de reunión y análisis de datos[8].", "20. Varios Estados Miembros que hicieron aportaciones al presente informe ofrecieron ejemplos de las medidas adoptadas y los resultados alcanzados por los mecanismos nacionales. El Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo de la Mujer formuló la Política Nacional de las Mujeres correspondiente a 2011-2014, en apoyo del plan nacional de desarrollo. La Política Nacional considera el empoderamiento económico de la mujer como una esfera de acción prioritaria y se plantea como objetivo la eliminación de todas las formas directas e indirectas de discriminación en los instrumentos laborales y de política económica vigentes.", "21. En Fiji, el Plan de Acción para la Mujer (2009-2018), preparado por el Departamento de la Mujer, incluye objetivos de política del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo y Marco Estratégico para el Cambio y de la Plataforma de Acción del Pacífico para 2005-2015. El Plan contiene un análisis de género de las políticas y los programas del Gobierno e indica los ámbitos de actividad de importancia crítica, así como estrategias apropiadas para la consideración del Gobierno.", "22. En el Afganistán, el Ministerio de Asuntos de la Mujer integró una perspectiva de género en los programas relacionados con la estrategia nacional de desarrollo. El Ministerio, que preside tres mecanismos previstos en la estrategia nacional de desarrollo, preparó el capitulo referente a la igualdad entre los géneros y realizó un último examen de los demás capítulos desde una perspectiva de género con el fin de integrar la igualdad entre los géneros como una estrategia intersectorial[9]. Con el apoyo de ONU-Mujeres, el Ministerio se propuso poner en práctica el plan de acción nacional para la mujer en el Afganistán, para lo cual, entre otras cosas, prestó apoyo a los ministerios sectoriales y las autoridades locales en el cumplimiento de sus compromisos en virtud del Plan y la vigilancia de su aplicación en 18 ministerios competentes[10].", "23. En Nueva Zelandia, el Ministerio de Asuntos de la Mujer apoya y asesora a los organismos del Gobierno respecto de las políticas que tienen repercusiones directas para las mujeres, dando prioridad en su labor a los aspectos en que es preciso introducir mejoras, como el aumento del número de mujeres que ocupan cargos directivos, las actividades dirigidas a combatir la violencia contra la mujer y el logro de una mayor independencia económica de todas las mujeres. De manera semejante, en Australia, el Comité Interdepartamental de la Mujer aborda la incorporación de una perspectiva de género con un enfoque que abarca a todo el Gobierno, para asegurar que en todas las políticas, los servicios y las iniciativas se tengan presentes las cuestiones de género y evaluar atentamente sus efectos para las mujeres y los hombres[11].", "24. En Dinamarca, el Ministerio para la Igualdad entre los Géneros tiene a su cargo las iniciativas del Gobierno en ese ámbito, y se ocupa de la coordinación, el desarrollo y la ejecución de las políticas gubernamentales. El Ministro también asesora al Parlamento en lo que concierne a la igualdad entre los géneros.", "25. En Italia, el Departamento de Igualdad de Oportunidades coordinó un proyecto que ha ofrecido talleres y cursos de capacitación a 12 ministerios sobre la integración de una perspectiva de género en diversos sectores. El proyecto comprendía apoyo para la formulación de políticas sociales y económicas que fomenten la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer y para crear una mayor capacidad con el fin de integrar una perspectiva de género en los procesos de planificación y la formulación de políticas.", "26. En algunos países, los ministerios competentes cooperan con los mecanismos nacionales encargados de promover la igualdad entre los géneros para integrar las perspectivas de género en las políticas y los programas sectoriales. En el Togo, el Ministerio de Desarrollo Comunitario y de los Gremios, la Juventud y el Empleo de los Jóvenes colabora estrechamente con el mecanismo nacional de promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros y con las organizaciones no gubernamentales, entre otras cosas, mediante campañas de divulgación y de fomento de la capacidad. En Grecia, el Programa Nacional para la Igualdad Sustantiva entre los Géneros (2010-2013) fomenta la cooperación entre la Secretaría General para la Igualdad entre los Géneros y otros ministerios sectoriales con el fin de incorporar una perspectiva de género en todos los sectores.", "27. Las entidades de las Naciones Unidas también prestaron apoyo a los Estados Miembros en sus intentos de integrar la perspectiva de género en los planes de desarrollo en diversos sectores y ámbitos como los de la salud, el empleo, la capacitación ocupacional y la preparación para la vida, la lucha contra el trato de personas, la salud reproductiva, la educación y capacitación de la mujer, la participación política de la mujer y sus derechos humanos, la formación para cargos directivos y de toma de decisiones, la solución de conflictos y las medidas dirigidas a combatir la violencia contra la mujer. ONU-Mujeres apoyó los esfuerzos dirigidos a incorporar una perspectiva de género en distintos sectores, recurriendo a diversos medios, entre ellos, el suministro de asistencia técnica a los Estados Miembros, la facilitación del diálogo entre los gobiernos y la sociedad civil, la colaboración con los mecanismos nacionales encargados de promover la igualdad entre los géneros y el fortalecimiento de la capacidad de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, especialmente las organizaciones de mujeres.", "28. El aumento de la capacidad del personal y de las instituciones, mediante la formación, la formulación de directrices y otros instrumentos, es un factor decisivo para asegurar que las cuestiones de género se reflejen de manera más sistemática en las políticas nacionales y en su ejecución. En el Afganistán, el Ministerio de Asuntos de la Mujer ofreció orientación para la formulación de la estrategia nacional de desarrollo relativa a la incorporación de la perspectiva de género. En México, la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social modificó las normas operacionales de los diferentes programas del país para asegurar que en su ejecución se tuvieran en cuenta los aspectos de género. Se prevé que los nuevos programas deberán referirse expresamente a las contribuciones que harán para promover la igualdad entre las mujeres y los hombres, mediante la incorporación gradual de la perspectiva de género y la reunión y utilización de datos e indicadores desglosados por sexo sobre los beneficiarios de los programas y sus resultados. En el Senegal, el Comité Técnico en Cuestiones de Género, en el que participan representantes del Gobierno, la sociedad civil y el grupo temático sobre cuestiones de género del equipo de las Naciones Unidas en el país, emitieron una nota sobre los aspectos fundamentales que deberán tratarse para integrar una perspectiva de género en el tercer documento sobre la estrategia de reducción de la pobreza.", "29. La integración sistemática de una perspectiva de género en la formulación y ejecución de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo exige intervenciones a nivel sectorial, así como la adopción de enfoques intersectoriales y la creación de asociaciones entre todos los interesados, incluidos los ministerios competentes, los asociados en el desarrollo, la sociedad civil, las redes de organizaciones de mujeres y el sector privado. En Togo, por ejemplo, el Ministerio de Desarrollo Comunitario y de los Gremios, la Juventud y el Empleo de los Jóvenes organiza cada dos años foros de los sectores interesados sobre la formulación, ejecución y supervisión de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, para examinar el progreso alcanzado. El Gobierno de Indonesia estipula que los grupos de mujeres deben estar representados en los procesos de planificación del desarrollo nacional para asegurar que en ellos se incorporen los intereses de la mujer[12].", "30. En algunos países, la colaboración entre los mecanismos nacionales encargados de la igualdad entre los géneros y las entidades de las Naciones Unidas ha permitido asegurar la participación de la sociedad civil y de los grupos de mujeres en los procesos de planificación del desarrollo nacional. Por ejemplo, en el Ecuador, ONU-Mujeres colaboró con los mecanismos nacionales para respaldar y facilitar las conversaciones entre el Gobierno y la sociedad civil. Como resultado de ello, la igualdad entre los géneros se incorporó debidamente en el Plan Nacional para el Buen Vivir, que comprende 46 políticas dirigidas a lograr la igualdad entre los géneros y un enfoque basado en esa igualdad en 12 objetivos estratégicos[13].", "31. En la India, ONU-Mujeres, el UNFPA, el PNUD y el UNICEF, en colaboración con el Gobierno, coordinaron la celebración de consultas múltiples entre el Gobierno y las organizaciones de mujeres durante la formulación de un plan nacional de desarrollo quinquenal. Esa iniciativa permitió incorporar las prioridades de las mujeres a nivel comunitario y sus necesidades en el plan quinquenal y facilitaron un proceso abierto, participativo y transparente[14].", "32. La eficacia de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo y los planes de acción sobre la igualdad entre los géneros dependen en gran medida y se benefician de la inclusión de metas anuales a las que puedan asignarse costos específicos y que estén acompañadas de presupuestos suficientes y sostenibles para su ejecución. En El Salvador, la Ley de Igualdad y Equidad reconoce la necesidad de que se asignen recursos públicos suficientes con ese fin en el próximo presupuesto público nacional. La ley especial que defiende el derecho de la mujer a una vida libre de violencia dispone que se asignen recursos públicos para su ejecución. La ley estipula que el Gobierno, por conducto del Ministerio de Finanzas, debe garantizar que se incluyan asignaciones anuales en el presupuesto nacional para financiar las instituciones que se ocupan de su ejecución.", "Un ejemplo de buena práctica: la presupuestación y planificación con perspectiva de género", "33. En los últimos años, un mayor número de gobiernos nacionales han adoptado medidas concretas para apoyar de manera sistemática la planificación y presupuestación con perspectiva de género. Por ello se entiende una planificación, programación y presupuestación públicas que contribuyan a promover la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer. Esto exige que se determinen las intervenciones necesarias para alcanzar esa igualdad en las políticas y presupuestos del gobierno, y que se vigilen y evalúen los recursos económicos destinados al cumplimiento de los compromisos del gobierno relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros. Esas medidas pueden ayudar a los gobiernos a decidir cuándo y cómo es necesario modificar las políticas y cómo deben redistribuirse los recursos para alcanzar las metas de igualdad.", "34. Desde que se empleó por primera vez en Australia en la década de 1980, la presupuestación con perspectiva de género ha recibido cada vez más atención de los gobiernos y las organizaciones no gubernamentales. Ese interés se intensificó a escala internacional cuando se destacó en la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing que los gobiernos deberían tomar medidas para revisar sistemáticamente la manera en que las mujeres se benefician de los gastos del sector público, ajustar los presupuestos para lograr la igualdad de acceso a los gastos del sector público, y cumplir con los compromisos en materia de género contraídos en otras cumbres y conferencias de las Naciones Unidas (véase A/CONF.177/20/Rev.1, párr. 346).", "35. Actualmente existen en las diversas regiones más de 60 iniciativas nacionales de presupuestación en que se tienen en cuenta las cuestiones de género. Varias entidades de las Naciones Unidas, entre ellas el PNUD, el UNFPA y ONU-Mujeres, apoyan iniciativas de presupuestación de ese tipo en todo el mundo. En 2008, ONU-Mujeres, en colaboración con la Comisión Europea, puso en marcha un programa dirigido a integrar la presupuestación con perspectiva de género en la agenda de eficacia de la ayuda internacional. Durante la etapa inicial de ese programa trienal se llevaron a cabo investigaciones en 10 países en desarrollo[15] para determinar cómo se habían utilizado los instrumentos y estrategias de presupuestación con perspectiva de género en el contexto de las modalidades de asistencia. En el estudio, ONU-Mujeres y la Comisión Europea indicaron que la integración de la perspectiva de género en los sistemas e instrumentos nacionales de planificación, presupuestación, y supervisión y evaluación podía aumentar la eficacia de la ayuda para conseguir los objetivos de igualdad entre los géneros, mediante una mejor gestión y suministro de la asistencia por los países receptores. Por tanto, es necesario aplicar los enfoques de la presupuestación con perspectiva de género en las prácticas de los donantes, los procesos nacionales y los mecanismos conjuntos de coordinación[16]. A partir de las conclusiones del estudio, se está llevando a cabo la segunda etapa del programa, en la que se proporciona apoyo técnico especializado a cinco países[17].", "36. En América Latina, la presupuestación con perspectiva de género se ha introducido en muchos países, entre ellos la Argentina, el Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, el Brasil, Colombia, el Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, el Paraguay y el Perú. Las directrices presupuestarias emitidas por los ministerios de planificación, economía o finanzas de varios de esos países exigen a los ministerios sectoriales y las autoridades locales que destinen recursos presupuestarios para programas que se ocupen de la igualdad entre los géneros. En el Ecuador, el Ministerio de Finanzas elaboró un clasificador presupuestario dirigido expresamente a vigilar las asignaciones y gastos del Gobierno para la ejecución del plan de igualdad de oportunidades. Además, varias instituciones académicas colaboran actualmente en la formación de los empleados públicos para la planificación y presupuestación con perspectiva de género. Algunas instituciones académicas como la Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales ofrecen cursos sobre género y macroeconomía y la elaboración de presupuestos con perspectiva de género a los funcionarios públicos de los departamentos de planificación y presupuestación del Ecuador. A nivel local, los procesos de presupuestación participativa adoptados en varios países de la región, especialmente en el Ecuador y el Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, han servido como punto de partida para que las mujeres participen activamente en la formulación de políticas locales, mediante audiencias y consultas con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil. De igual manera, las organizaciones de mujeres del Brasil consiguieron persuadir al Gobierno de aumentar los recursos financieros destinados a los programas relativos a la salud de la mujer y la violencia contra la mujer[18].", "37. En Marruecos se han adoptado medidas desde 2002 para integrar los aspectos de la igualdad entre los géneros en los instrumentos y procesos de planificación y elaboración de presupuestos, como parte de la reforma de los sistemas de gestión de las finanzas públicas y de la administración pública. A partir de 2007, y durante tres años consecutivos, las directrices presupuestarias emitidas por el Primer Ministro incluyeron recomendaciones relativas al tratamiento de las cuestiones de la igualdad entre los géneros en los planes y presupuestos sectoriales. En un anexo del presupuesto anual se incluye un informe sobre los aspectos de género, en el que los ministerios sectoriales consignan los resultados obtenidos en relación con los indicadores sobre la materia. Bajo la dirección del Ministerio de Finanzas, se ha adoptado un enfoque global respecto de la creación de capacidad que ha ayudado a fortalecer la capacidad del personal encargado de la planificación y presupuestación del Ministerio de Finanzas y los ministerios sectoriales. El Ministerio de Finanzas también ha facilitado activamente el aprendizaje Sur-Sur con diversos países, como el Ecuador, Haití y el Senegal[19].", "38. En Rwanda, el Ministerio de Finanzas y Planificación Económica dirige las actividades encaminadas a incorporar la perspectiva de género en los procesos de planificación y presupuestación nacionales. En respuesta a la gran demanda de capacitación, la Facultad de Finanzas y Banca de Rwanda ha establecido un programa de gestión de la política económica con una perspectiva de género, dirigido a los funcionarios encargados de los presupuestos y la planificación, y centrado en las estrategias de reducción de la pobreza y la política macroeconómica. El curso prepara a los participantes para comprender los vínculos que existen entre las políticas macroeconómicas y la desigualdad entre los géneros. A nivel sectorial, Rwanda ha procurado integrar una perspectiva de género en el sector agrícola, apoyando a un conjunto de organizaciones comunitarias de la sociedad civil con el fin de ampliar su capacidad para analizar y seguir de cerca los presupuestos con una perspectiva de género[20].", "39. En la República Unida de Tanzanía, bajo la dirección del Ministerio de Finanzas y Asuntos Económicos, se están llevando a cabo actividades de capacitación dirigidas a los economistas y oficiales de presupuesto de algunos ministerios, departamentos y organismos con el fin de aplicar la presupuestación con perspectiva de género a nivel sectorial y ajustar los programas sectoriales a los indicadores de la igualdad entre los géneros de la estrategia nacional de crecimiento económico y reducción de la pobreza. Además, cinco países africanos[21] están haciendo inversiones para mejorar el acceso de la mujer a los recursos y servicios a nivel local, mediante la planificación, programación y presupuestación con perspectiva de género, para responder mejor a las prioridades de las mujeres[22].", "40. En Nepal, el Ministerio de Finanzas introdujo en 2007-2008 la presupuestación con perspectiva de género, en el marco de la reforma general del sistema presupuestario, y pidió a los ministerios que clasificaran los presupuestos de sus programas en función del apoyo que ofrecieran a la igualdad entre los géneros, utilizando para ello cinco indicadores: el aumento de la capacidad de la mujer; la participación de las mujeres en la formulación y ejecución de los programas; la medida en que el gasto público beneficia a las mujeres; el apoyo al empleo y la generación de ingresos de la mujer, y las repercusiones favorables en la utilización del tiempo de las mujeres y en sus tareas de cuidado de la familia. La clasificación del presupuesto ha permitido establecer un sistema de supervisión que facilita una mayor rendición de cuentas institucional respecto del fortalecimiento de la gestión orientada hacia los resultados y el empleo constante del análisis presupuestario basado en las consideraciones de género para orientar la planificación y la formulación de programas. Un comité encargado de la presupuestación con perspectiva de género supervisa esa iniciativa[23].", "41. Los hechos indican que la presupuestación con perspectiva de género ha ayudado a corregir la disparidad entre los compromisos de los gobiernos de lograr la igualdad entre los géneros y la asignación de recursos, a promover la rendición de cuentas respecto de la utilización de los recursos públicos en favor de la mujer, y a aumentar la transparencia de los procesos normativos mediante la participación de la sociedad civil. Además, las iniciativas de presupuestación con un enfoque de género han contribuido en otros aspectos, como el fomento de la capacidad de planificación y presupuestación de los organismos estatales, especialmente en el contexto de la reforma presupuestaria; la modificación de las políticas y la formulación de marcos operacionales para incorporar las perspectivas de género en los sistemas presupuestarios; la participación más amplia de los promotores de la igualdad entre los géneros en los procesos de planificación y presupuestación, y el apoyo a las iniciativas de vigilancia presupuestaria con una perspectiva de género por parte de la sociedad civil[24].", "IV. Integración de una perspectiva de género en el Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo", "42. Las Naciones Unidas han hecho esfuerzos concertados para ayudar a los Estados Miembros a integrar una perspectiva de género en sus estrategias de desarrollo, entre otras cosas, por medio del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, un marco estratégico común para las actividades operacionales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas en los países. El Marco se formula a partir del trabajo analítico y de colaboración que supone la preparación de la evaluación común para los países, en la que se examina la situación de cada país en materia de desarrollo y se determinan los principales problemas de desarrollo. El Marco ofrece una respuesta colectiva, coherente e integrada del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a las prioridades de desarrollo nacionales, en el contexto de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, así como de otros objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente.", "43. Desde la formulación de los primeros marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo a fines de la década de 1990, se ha procurado reforzar la perspectiva de género en ellos, así como en las evaluaciones comunes para los países. Con el fin de examinar el progreso logrado en la incorporación de las cuestiones de género en el proceso de elaboración de las evaluaciones y de los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo, se han encargado múltiples estudios, el último de los cuales examinó 51 evaluaciones y marcos de asistencia preparados entre 2006 y 2009[25]. En un poco más de la mitad de los 51 marcos estudiados se señaló la igualdad entre los géneros como un tema de importancia intersectorial y se describieron expresamente los resultados relativos a la igualdad. Se observó que en todas las evaluaciones se citaban datos pertinentes desglosados por género, especialmente datos sobre la salud de las mujeres y la educación de las niñas.", "44. La planificación y la programación se concentraron en gran medida en los dos ámbitos tradicionales de la salud de las mujeres y la educación de las niñas, aunque los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo también se centraron de manera creciente en la participación política de las mujeres. Cerca de la mitad de los marcos se centraban en el fortalecimiento de la representación de la mujer y su participación en la toma de decisiones. Muy pocos hacían referencia a los medios de vida de las mujeres y su acceso a los recursos productivos[26].", "45. Combatir la violencia contra la mujer ha cobrado más importancia y en cerca de una cuarta parte de los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo se señala como una de las esferas de acción prioritarias[27], en comparación con los marcos de asistencia de generaciones anteriores[28], en que se le asignaba relativamente poca atención. Es sorprendente observar que en muy pocos marcos de asistencia se hacía referencia sustantiva a las experiencias de los países respecto de la aplicación de la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer y la presentación de informes sobre la materia, ya fuera como instrumento de diagnóstico o de rendición de cuentas. Además, aunque muchos países señalaban las normas y prácticas tradicionales que discriminan a la mujer como obstáculos a la posibilidad de las mujeres de elegir y de participar en la toma de decisiones, pocos proponían medidas o actividades concretas para corregir esa situación[29].", "46. El mayor progreso se ha logrado en lo que concierne a la supervisión y la evaluación. En las generaciones anteriores de los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo se lograron adelantos importantes en diversos aspectos, entre ellos la enunciación clara de los resultados relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros, la formulación de los resultados relativos a la igualdad en relación con los resultados en otros aspectos, y el establecimiento de relaciones concretas entre lo que era preciso medir y los indicadores de los marcos de supervisión y evaluación[30].", "47. El estudio señaló los siguientes factores que contribuían a la incorporación más eficaz de las prioridades relativas a la igualdad entre los géneros en los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo: el firme apoyo del personal directivo y la asignación de recursos suficientes a los grupos temáticos sobre el género; un análisis coherente de los principales problemas, vinculados claramente a los resultados de los programas; un proceso de ejecución vigoroso y un mecanismo eficaz de determinación del progreso alcanzado; la clara articulación de los resultados y los indicadores de la igualdad entre los géneros; una sólida capacidad técnica para tratar las cuestiones de la igualdad entre los géneros en la preparación de los marcos de asistencia; y mecanismos para definir la asignación de recursos a las actividades relacionadas con el género[31].", "48. Pese a haberse señalado como una limitación en el examen anterior realizado en 2006[32], la información sobre los recursos asignados expresamente a los fines de la igualdad entre los géneros siguió siendo insuficiente. En general, en muy pocos marcos de asistencia se especificaba la cuantía o el porcentaje de los recursos asignados a la obtención de resultados de igualdad entre los géneros, ya fuera como un ámbito de actividad separado o como parte de la consecución de otros objetivos previstos. En este último caso, los recursos se asignaban en función de los resultados, pero era difícil determinar las sumas destinadas a la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer como parte de ellos. La proporción más alta de los fondos destinados específicamente a la igualdad entre los géneros en un marco de asistencia para el desarrollo fue del 9%, pero el promedio fluctuaba entre el 3% y el 4%[33].", "49. Un firme compromiso con la igualdad entre los géneros en la orientación de las políticas y en las directrices normativas reviste importancia crítica para fortalecer la planificación y la programación con una perspectiva de género. Las directrices para las evaluaciones comunes de los países y los marcos de asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, emitidas inicialmente por el Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo en 1999 y cuya revisión más reciente se llevó a cabo en 2010, reconocen que la incorporación de una perspectiva de género y las intervenciones dirigidas específicamente a las cuestiones de género son estrategias fundamentales del análisis y la planificación estratégica que apoyan las Naciones Unidas, e incluyen la igualdad entre los géneros como uno de los cinco principios interrelacionados de la programación que deben aplicarse en el análisis de los países y la preparación de los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo[34].", "50. Las directrices destacan la importancia de la armonización con las prioridades y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, así como de las asociaciones con los grupos de mujeres y los promotores de la igualdad entre los géneros en la preparación de los marcos de asistencia[35]. Aunque cerca de la mitad de los 51 marcos de asistencia demostraban vínculos claros con las prioridades nacionales de desarrollo, solo en unos pocos se señalaban como parte del proceso la participación de los mecanismos nacionales encargados de la igualdad entre los géneros y la celebración de consultas con las organizaciones de mujeres[36].", "51. Muchos equipos en los países utilizaban los grupos temáticos sobre el género como principal mecanismo de coordinación para asegurar que los aspectos de género se reflejaran en los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo. Aunque las investigaciones han demostrado que la existencia de un grupo temático sólido sobre las cuestiones de género contribuye a una mejor integración de la perspectiva de género en los marcos de asistencia[37], en algunas regiones los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países se están inclinando gradualmente hacia grupos temáticos que reflejan las esferas prioritarias de los marcos de asistencia, que en muchos casos no prevén la igualdad entre los géneros como un resultado separado.", "52. Los grupos temáticos sobre cuestiones de género a menudo se encargan de asegurar la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo y otros programas de desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas en los países. En algunos países, los grupos temáticos sobre el género también participan en la formulación de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, proporcionando asistencia técnica y analítica a los gobiernos nacionales. En Viet Nam, por ejemplo, el grupo de coordinación de los programas de género coordinó un análisis de género del proyecto de la estrategia nacional de desarrollo para 2011-2015. Si bien muchos grupos temáticos sobre cuestiones de género funcionan como mecanismos de coordinación interinstitucional de las Naciones Unidas, un número creciente de esos grupos son presididos conjuntamente por los mecanismos nacionales competentes, con la participación de representantes del Gobierno y de la sociedad civil, o son presididos conjuntamente por los donantes y otros interesados. Por ejemplo, el grupo de coordinación de los programas de género en Viet Nam ha sido presidido conjuntamente por ONU-Mujeres y el mecanismo nacional encargado de la igualdad entre los géneros, desde 2008[38].", "53. Para asegurar la rendición de cuentas respecto de la integración de la igualdad entre los géneros en los marcos de asistencia para el desarrollo, en las directrices se señalan las auditorías de las cuestiones de género y los indicadores del desempeño sobre la igualdad entre los géneros establecidos por el Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo como instrumentos fundamentales para evaluar el progreso de la incorporación de la perspectiva de género a nivel operacional. La metodología de las auditorías de las cuestiones de género, establecida por la OIT, utiliza un enfoque basado en la autoevaluación para supervisar y evaluar el logro de la igualdad de género a partir de datos objetivos y de las percepciones de los interesados. En 2008 se pidió a los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países que establecieran una base de referencia de su desempeño, utilizando los indicadores del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, junto con la metodología de las auditorías de las cuestiones de género, para determinar los cambios a través del tiempo. Como resultado, unos 25 equipos en los países comenzaron la evaluación en 2008 y, para fines de 2010, 14 equipos la habían concluido[39] y estaban aplicando sus conclusiones para conseguir una respuesta más decidida en favor de la igualdad entre los géneros[40].", "54. Otro mecanismo pertinente de rendición de cuentas del sistema de las Naciones Unidas es el informe anual del coordinador residente, en el que se examina el desempeño de los equipos en los países. En 2006, el formato y la orientación del informe anual del coordinador residente se fortalecieron con la inclusión de una sección sobre la igualdad entre los géneros, para captar de manera más sistemática los resultados obtenidos, de conformidad con la petición formulada en la revisión trienal amplia de la política relativa a las actividades operacionales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo (resolución 59/250 de la Asamblea General).", "55. Desde 2004, los informes anuales de los coordinadores residentes son examinados por el personal del UNIFEM (ahora ONU-Mujeres) para determinar las tendencias de la presentación de informes sobre las cuestiones relacionadas con el género. Los exámenes anuales han indicado un aumento significativo de los informes presentados por los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países sobre las iniciativas concernientes a la igualdad entre los géneros. La tasa de aumento más alta se registró en los informes sobre iniciativas dirigidas a poner fin a la violencia contra la mujer; 28 equipos en los países informaron sobre ese tema en 2004, en comparación con 96 en 2009. Muchos factores pueden haber contribuido al aumento, entre ellos la campaña del Secretario General “Unidos para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres” y la demanda creciente de los gobiernos como resultado de las actividades de promoción de los defensores de los derechos humanos de la mujer. El apoyo prestado a los mecanismos nacionales encargados de la igualdad entre los géneros para el fomento de su capacidad se quintuplicó de 2004 a 2009; 53 coordinadores residentes informaron de actividades de los equipos en los países en ese ámbito en 2009, en comparación con 11 coordinadores residentes en 2004. La asistencia a los programas dirigidos a fortalecer la salud reproductiva y reducir la mortalidad materna, y el apoyo para la presentación de informes relativos a la aplicación de la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer y de la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing también aumentaron considerablemente en el mismo período (véanse E/2001/112 y UNW/2011/9). Varios mecanismos de financiación específicos como el Fondo para el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio patrocinado por España y el Fondo Fiduciario de las Naciones Unidas para poner fin a la violencia contra la mujer han contribuido al aumento de la programación conjunta para lograr la igualdad entre los géneros (véase UNW/2011/9).", "V. La función de los donantes en la integración de una perspectiva de género en la asistencia para el desarrollo", "56. La estructura de la asistencia para el desarrollo ha cambiado considerablemente en los últimos años, desde la aprobación en 2005 de la Declaración de París sobre la Eficacia de la Ayuda. Con el ánimo de mejorar la gestión y el suministro de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, en la Declaración de París se esbozan diversos compromisos de los donantes y de los asociados en el desarrollo, a partir de cinco principios que comprenden la apropiación por los países, la armonización, la alineación, la gestión orientada hacia los resultados y la mutua responsabilidad. Sin embargo, la Declaración de París ha sido criticada por su neutralidad en materia de género, ya que en las metas e indicadores enunciados en ella no se hace suficiente hincapié en el logro de resultados que incorporen una perspectiva de género ni se garantiza la atención a esas cuestiones en los procesos e instrumentos.", "57. En 2008, atendiendo al llamamiento para que se integrara una perspectiva de género en la agenda de la eficacia de la ayuda, los países donantes aprobaron el Programa de Acción de Accra, que ha conseguido vincular más eficazmente los sistemas de gestión de la ayuda con los derechos humanos y las normas de igualdad entre los géneros. Los donantes reconocieron la importancia de esa igualdad en la eficacia de la ayuda y del desarrollo y se comprometieron a velar por que las políticas y los programas de desarrollo se formularan y ejecutaran de modo que resultara compatible con sus compromisos internacionales relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros.", "58. En 2011, la Encuesta de Seguimiento de la Declaración de París incluyó por primera vez un módulo opcional sobre la igualdad de género[41]. En las respuestas a la encuesta[42] se resaltaron las medidas adoptadas por los gobiernos para responder a las prioridades de los países asociados relativas a la igualdad de género. Sin embargo, los donantes no asignaron recursos humanos y financieros suficientes para cumplir plenamente sus compromisos en ese ámbito. Se determinó que había una relación entre el empleo de datos desglosados por sexo y una mayor atención a la incorporación de la perspectiva de género y la destinación de mayores recursos presupuestarios a la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de la mujer. Sin embargo, pocas veces se reunían de manera sistemática datos desglosados por sexo y los donantes suministraban poca ayuda para su compilación. Además, no siempre se utilizaban datos desglosados por sexo para orientar el proceso de toma de decisiones.", "59. Es necesario hacer esfuerzos más concertados para asegurar que los compromisos de los gobiernos respecto de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer se reflejen plenamente en los procesos de formulación, ejecución y supervisión de toda la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo. El cuarto Foro de Alto Nivel sobre la eficacia de la ayuda, que tendrá lugar en Busan (República de Corea) en noviembre de 2011, ofrecerá una ocasión para que los Estados Miembros vayan más allá de la reafirmación política de la importancia de la igualdad entre los géneros en el marco de la asistencia para el desarrollo, para pasar a integrar la presupuestación con perspectiva de género en el sistema de gestión de la ayuda y a fortalecer la capacidad de los gobiernos nacionales para implantar una planificación, presupuestación y supervisión en que se tengan en cuenta las cuestiones de género.", "60. Fuera del contexto de la eficacia de la ayuda, los donantes y las organizaciones internacionales también han adoptado iniciativas para fortalecer la igualdad de género en la cooperación para el desarrollo. Por ejemplo, en el período 2007-2010, la Comisión Europea, ONU-Mujeres y el Centro Internacional de Formación de la OIT establecieron el programa de Asociación de la Comisión Europea y las Naciones Unidas sobre la igualdad entre los géneros para el desarrollo y la paz en 12 países receptores, incluidos países que habían salido recientemente de un conflicto[43]. Entre otros objetivos, el programa se proponía lograr la plena integración de la igualdad entre los géneros y los derechos humanos de la mujer en los procesos nacionales de desarrollo y los programas de cooperación apoyados por la Comisión Europea. Si bien se consideró que el programa había logrado preparar el terreno para introducir cambios en las instituciones y el comportamiento, es necesario adoptar otras medidas para efectuar un cambio profundo y duradero en el comportamiento de la Comisión Europea y otros donantes en lo que concierne a la igualdad de género y la eficacia de la ayuda[44]. La labor futura en este campo debe basarse en un enfoque estratégico múltiple para atender a las necesidades de corto y de largo plazo con diversas intervenciones que comprendan capacitación, asistencia técnica, aprovechamiento de los recursos y un mayor acceso a la información.", "61. En 2010, la Unión Europea adoptó un Plan de Acción sobre Igualdad de Género y Empoderamiento de las Mujeres en el Desarrollo (2010-2015)[45], con el fin de reforzar la coordinación dentro de la Unión Europea respecto de las políticas sobre la igualdad de género en la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países asociados, para lograr una mayor repercusión sobre el terreno. El Plan también compromete a la Unión Europea a aprovechar el trabajo preliminar de la Asociación de la Comisión Europea y las Naciones Unidas sobre la igualdad entre los géneros para el desarrollo y la paz y de la Red sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo de la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos concerniente a la incorporación de las perspectivas de género en la agenda de la eficacia de la ayuda. El Plan ofrece un marco para que la Unión Europea renueve su compromiso de lograr la igualdad entre los géneros.", "62. Varios países se han comprometido a incorporar la igualdad entre los géneros en todas las etapas de los programas de cooperación para el desarrollo con el fin de promover los derechos humanos, el desarrollo sostenible, la erradicación de la pobreza y el crecimiento económico. En Dinamarca, la igualdad entre hombres y mujeres es una de las cinco prioridades de la estrategia de cooperación para el desarrollo, titulada “Libertad de la pobreza, libertad para el cambio”, que se puso en marcha en 2010 y que aprovecha el impulso creado por la campaña danesa de promoción del tercer Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio. Los objetivos de la estrategia consisten en asegurar la igualdad de derechos, la igualdad de acceso y de control de los recursos y la igualdad de oportunidades de las mujeres y los hombres para ejercer influencia política y económica.", "63. En España, el género en el desarrollo es una de las cinco esferas prioritarias del Plan de Cooperación para 2009-2012, que se propone fortalecer la igualdad entre los géneros mediante actividades sectoriales e intersectoriales en los programas y proyectos de cooperación y la promoción de políticas que fomenten la igualdad. El Plan Estratégico de Igualdad de Oportunidades de España para 2008-2011 hace referencia explícita a la incorporación de la perspectiva de género como principio rector y señala entre sus objetivos estratégicos la asistencia para el desarrollo. El documento comprende un llamamiento para que se lleven a cabo estudios del impacto diferencial para hombres y mujeres en la toma de decisiones normativas o de ejecución y advierte la necesidad de modificar en consecuencia los procedimientos políticos y técnicos de las instituciones.", "64. La creación de mecanismos e instrumentos para tratar las cuestiones de la igualdad entre los géneros ha tenido importancia crítica en el fortalecimiento de los programas sectoriales y el fomento de la capacidad del personal que se ocupa de la incorporación efectiva de las cuestiones de género. Por ejemplo, el Programa de Asistencia de Nueva Zelandia se ha propuesto mejorar los resultados de género de sus programas de asistencia para el desarrollo, para lo cual suministra al personal encargado instrumentos para realizar análisis de género, les ofrece capacitación para la incorporación de los aspectos de género, supervisa las actividades y ha contratado un especialista en cuestiones de género para promover su incorporación en todas las actividades. El Organismo Danés de Desarrollo Internacional y el Departamento de Igualdad entre los Géneros de Dinamarca han preparado materiales de aprendizaje en línea que se han incorporado en los planes de formación de personal de varios ministerios. Con financiación de la Unión Europea, el Departamento está preparando una herramienta basada en la web que apoyará a las autoridades y las instituciones públicas en su labor de incorporar una perspectiva de género en todos los aspectos de la planificación y la administración públicas. Desde 2005, el Japón estableció centros de coordinación de las cuestiones de género en sus 96 embajadas en los países receptores para seguir de cerca las buenas prácticas de los proyectos en que se tienen en cuenta las cuestiones de género.", "65. Los donantes, los asociados bilaterales para el desarrollo y las organizaciones internacionales cumplen un papel fundamental para asegurar que los recursos financieros asignados a los fines de la igualdad entre los géneros sean suficientes y se incrementen a nivel nacional e internacional. En 1997, con el propósito de aumentar la capacidad y la rendición de cuentas de los donantes respecto de la promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer mediante la asistencia, la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos elaboró un marcador de las políticas de igualdad entre los géneros como parte del sistema de notificación de los países acreedores, la base de datos utilizada por el Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo para facilitar la supervisión y coordinación de las actividades de sus miembros.", "66. El marcador de las políticas de igualdad entre los géneros ofrece un sistema de clasificación para determinar en qué medida los diversos programas, fondos o actividades favorecen la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer, basado en tres categorías: “objetivo principal”, “objetivo importante” y “actividad no dirigida al objetivo de política”. Se considera que la igualdad entre los géneros es un “objetivo principal” de una actividad determinada cuando se menciona explícitamente entre sus objetivos y ocupa un lugar fundamental en su diseño. La clasificación “objetivo importante” indica que la igualdad entre los géneros es un objetivo importante pero secundario de la actividad, y que no es uno de los principales motivos de su ejecución. “No dirigida al objetivo de política” significa que la actividad se ha examinado en relación con ese objetivo pero se ha determinado que no está orientada a conseguirlo.", "67. En años recientes se han hecho esfuerzos por adoptar un marcador de las cuestiones de género en los organismos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, entre ellos el PNUD, la Oficina de Coordinación de la Asistencia Humanitaria, el Comité Permanente entre Organismos, el UNFPA, el UNICEF y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Consolidación de la Paz[46]. Esos intentos han demostrado que el sistema de marcadores de género es más que un instrumento de medición y que su aplicación ha permitido mejorar la calidad de los programas en diversos sectores que responden a las distintas circunstancias de las mujeres y las niñas.", "68. Además del sistema de marcadores de género, los diversos países donantes también siguen de cerca la asignación de recursos en sus programas de asistencia para el desarrollo. En 2009, cerca del 22% del monto total de la asistencia de Dinamarca para el desarrollo se utilizó para financiar actividades que estaban dirigidas directa o indirectamente a promover la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer. Las asignaciones para las actividades relacionadas con los aspectos de género se registran ya sea como intervenciones dirigidas concretamente a esos fines o como intervenciones en las que se han incorporado esos objetivos. El Gobierno de Noruega indicó que 868 millones de coronas noruegas se habían canalizado a través de 89 entidades asociadas (instituciones multilaterales y organizaciones no gubernamentales noruegas) que se ocupan del desarrollo económico y el comercio, para las que la promoción de los derechos de la mujer y la igualdad entre los géneros era un objetivo principal, o bien un objetivo secundario.", "VI. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "69. El logro de la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de la mujer son esenciales para alcanzar los objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente, incluidos los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Los procesos de planificación nacionales ofrecen oportunidades importantes para incorporar las perspectivas de género. Aunque el progreso ha sido desigual, los gobiernos han emprendido múltiples iniciativas a ese respecto, como las de atribuir a las cuestiones de género importancia prioritaria o señalarlas como cuestiones intersectoriales que deben integrarse de manera sistemática en todos los sectores y en todas las etapas del proceso normativo. No obstante, en algunos países las perspectivas de género se han integrado solo parcialmente en algunos sectores específicos.", "70. Más allá de las actividades de divulgación, fomento de la capacidad y formación, es necesario emprender esfuerzos concertados para incorporar eficazmente las perspectivas de género en las políticas y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo. Las estrategias comunes comprenden el desarrollo de la capacidad y la pericia técnica de los ministerios sectoriales, así como de los mecanismos nacionales encargados de promover la igualdad entre los géneros; el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos de rendición de cuentas, supervisión y evaluación; el suministro de recursos humanos y económicos suficientes, y el fomento de la participación de la sociedad civil, en particular de las organizaciones de mujeres, en los procesos nacionales de planificación para el desarrollo. Se ha concebido la presupuestación con perspectiva de género como instrumento eficaz para lograr que se asignen recursos suficientes para alcanzar los objetivos de la igualdad entre hombres y mujeres. Para ello es preciso ampliar la experiencia técnica de los diversos ministerios, entre ellos los de finanzas.", "71. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas y los donantes están adoptando de manera creciente medidas para integrar las perspectivas de género en todos los aspectos de la cooperación para el desarrollo, entre otras cosas, mediante el apoyo que prestan a los planes nacionales de desarrollo. Debe hacerse hincapié en la necesidad de integrar las perspectivas de género en toda la cooperación para el desarrollo, a partir de la implicación nacional en esas iniciativas. Las medidas para asegurar que se consideren las perspectivas de género en la asistencia para el desarrollo comprenden: mecanismos de vigilancia de los recursos asignados al logro de los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros; mecanismos de coordinación con un enfoque basado en la igualdad entre hombres y mujeres, y mecanismos de rendición de cuentas para medir y seguir de cerca los resultados. El suministro de financiación bilateral y multilateral debe coordinarse debidamente y debe estar dirigido claramente a los propósitos de la igualdad entre los géneros, y las perspectivas de género deben integrarse de manera sistemática en la agenda de eficacia de la ayuda.", "72. La Asamblea General tal vez desee pedir a los Estados Miembros y a todos los sectores pertinentes que adopten las medidas siguientes:", "Incorporación de una perspectiva de género", "• Integrar sistemáticamente una perspectiva de género en la formulación, ejecución, supervisión y evaluación de todas las estrategias y políticas nacionales de desarrollo y los planes sectoriales y asegurar la concordancia entre los planes de acción nacionales relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros y las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo", "• Aprovechar las enseñanzas derivadas de la experiencia y ampliar y profundizar las actividades para incorporar una perspectiva de género en las evaluaciones comunes de los países y los marcos de asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo", "• Fortalecer las iniciativas de ONU-Mujeres de colaboración con los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países para ayudar a los Estados Miembros a integrar una perspectiva de género en las políticas y estrategias nacionales de desarrollo", "Participación y rendición de cuentas", "• Fortalecer la repercusión y la contribución de los mecanismos nacionales encargados de promover la igualdad entre los géneros en todas las etapas de los procesos nacionales de planificación del desarrollo y todos los planes sectoriales", "• Fortalecer la función y la capacidad de los grupos temáticos sobre las cuestiones de género, apoyando a los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países en los asuntos relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros y facilitando la integración de la perspectiva de género en las estrategias y los planes nacionales de desarrollo", "• Lograr una mayor transparencia y participación en los procesos nacionales de planificación del desarrollo, involucrando a la sociedad civil, especialmente a las organizaciones de mujeres, en la formulación y supervisión de las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo y otros instrumentos normativos conexos", "Asignación y vigilancia de los recursos", "• Formular y adoptar mecanismos de medición eficaces para supervisar y vigilar los recursos nacionales, de las Naciones Unidas y de los donantes asignados al logro de los objetivos de la igualdad entre los géneros", "• Fortalecer la capacidad para la integración de las perspectivas de género, asignando suficientes recursos humanos y financieros a los ministerios sectoriales, estableciendo dependencias expresamente dedicadas a la igualdad entre los géneros, o fortaleciendo las ya existentes, facilitando la formación del personal técnico y elaborando instrumentos y directrices con esos fines", "• Velar por que los donantes asignen recursos suficientes para el pleno cumplimiento de sus compromisos relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros, ampliar el alcance del apoyo que proporcionan los donantes a las prioridades de la igualdad entre los géneros en todos los sectores y en esferas estratégicas, y mejorar la repercusión y la calidad de la financiación destinada a la igualdad entre los géneros", "Medidas e instrumentos", "• Elaborar y fortalecer metodologías e instrumentos para introducir de manera sistemática la presupuestación con perspectiva de género en todos los sectores y en los procesos nacionales de planificación del desarrollo y presupuestación, y para aplicar eficazmente la presupuestación con perspectiva de género en las prácticas de los donantes y en los mecanismos conjuntos de coordinación", "• Mejorar y sistematizar la reunión, el análisis y la difusión de datos desglosados por sexo, fortalecer la creación de capacidad en ese ámbito y elaborar indicadores que tengan en cuenta los aspectos de género para apoyar la formulación de políticas y los sistemas nacionales de supervisión y presentación de informes sobre el progreso y los efectos logrados", "Países menos adelantados", "• Asegurar el pleno cumplimiento de los compromisos relativos a la igualdad entre los géneros contraídos en el marco del Programa de Acción de Estambul en favor de los Países Menos Adelantados", "[1] Se recibieron aportaciones de los Gobiernos de Dinamarca, El Salvador, España, Grecia, Italia, el Japón, México, Noruega, Nueva Zelandia y el Togo. También hicieron aportaciones las siguientes entidades de las Naciones Unidas: la Comisión Económica y Social para Asia y el Pacífico (CESPAP), la Comisión Económica y Social para Asia Occidental (CESPAO), la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), la Entidad de las Naciones Unidas para la Igualdad entre los Géneros y el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres (ONU-Mujeres), la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito, el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA), la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y el Banco Mundial.", "[2] A menos que se indique lo contrario, los datos que figuran en el presente informe se han tomado del Informe de 2011 sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (Nueva York, 2011).", "[3] UNICEF, Oportunidades en tiempos de crisis: evitar el VIH desde la primera adolescencia hasta el comienzo de la edad adulta (Nueva York, 2011).", "[4] Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, El estado mundial de la agricultura y la alimentación, 2010-2011: Las mujeres en la agricultura: cerrar la brecha de género en aras del desarrollo (Roma, 2011).", "[5] CESPAP, Strengthening National Mechanisms for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women: Regional Study – Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, 2010). Puede consultarse en http://www.unescap.org/sdd/publications/gender/2010-Regional-Study-on-NWM.pdf.", "[6] Información basada en aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[7] Ibid.", "[8] Rounaq Jahan, “Strengthening national mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women: a global synthesis study”, preparado por encargo de la División para el Adelanto de la Mujer (ahora ONU-Mujeres) (Nueva York, 2010). Puede consultarse en http://www.un.org/ women/daw/Technical Cooperation/GLOBAL_SYNTHESIS_REPORT_Dec%202010.pdf .", "[9] CESPAP, 2010.", "[10] Información basada en aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[11] CESPAP, 2010.", "[12] Ibid.", "[13] Información basada en aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[14] Ibid.", "[15] El Camerún, Etiopía, la India, Marruecos, Mozambique, Nepal, el Perú, la República Unida de Tanzanía, Rwanda y Uganda.", "[16] UNIFEM (ahora ONU-Mujeres), ¿Cómo puede ser sensible al género la ayuda en el contexto de las nuevas modalidades de cooperación?, Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectiveness Knowledge Briefs Series (Nueva York, 2009).", "[17] El Camerún, Nepal, el Perú, la República Unida de Tanzanía y Rwanda.", "[18] Información basada en las aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[19] Ibid.", "[20] Ibid.", "[21] Mozambique, la República Unida de Tanzanía, Rwanda, el Senegal y Sierra Leona.", "[22] Información basada en las aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[23] Ibid.", "[24] Ibid.", "[25] Estudio encargado por el Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, relativo al fortalecimiento de la igualdad entre los géneros en los marcos de asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo (Nueva York, 2010).", "[26] Ibid.", "[27] Ibid.", "[28] Estudio encargado por el Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, relativo al análisis de género y la incorporación de una perspectiva de género en la programación común para los países (Nueva York, 2006).", "[29] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2010.", "[30] Ibid.", "[31] Ibid.", "[32] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2006.", "[33] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2010.", "[34] Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, “Cómo preparar un marco de asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo: directrices para los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países”, (Nueva York, 2010).", "[35] Ibid.", "[36] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2010.", "[37] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2006.", "[38] Información basada en las aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres.", "[39] Los informes de las evaluaciones de los 14 equipos en los países que utilizaron los indicadores del desempeño sobre la igualdad entre los géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo se encuentran en el sitio: http:/www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=222&SO=DATE#s2.", "[40] Equipo de Tareas sobre la Igualdad entre los Géneros del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, 2010.", "[41] Organización de Cooperación y Desarrrollo Económicos, “Findings and messages from the gender equality module of the 2011 Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey”, París, 2011. Puede consultarse en http://www.gender-budgets.org/index.php?option=com_joomdoc&task=doc_details&gid=1253&Itemid=565.", "[42] En total, 24 países respondieron al módulo opcional sobre la igualdad entre los géneros: Albania, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, el Camerún, las Comoras, el Ecuador, Egipto, el Gabón, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Malí, Marruecos, Mozambique, Nepal, el Níger, el Perú, la República de Moldova, la República Democrática del Congo, la República Dominicana, Rwanda, el Togo and Zambia.", "[43] El Camerún, Etiopía, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kirguistán, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua Nueva Guinea, la República Democrática del Congo, Suriname y Ucrania.", "[44] ONU-Mujeres, Informe final presentado a la Comisión Europea relativo a la Asociación de la Comisión Europea y las Naciones Unidas sobre la igualdad entre los géneros para el desarrollo y la paz.", "[45] Véase Plan de Acción de la Unión Europea sobre Igualdad de Género y Empoderamiento de las Mujeres en el Desarrollo (2010-2015).", "[46] Información basada en aportaciones de ONU-Mujeres." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 23 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Eradication of poverty and other development issues: women in development", "Integrating a gender perspective into national development strategies", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 64/217 on women in development, the present report focuses on the integration of a gender perspective into national development strategies, supported by the United Nations system and donor countries. It highlights gender-responsive budgeting as a good practice in that regard. Recommendations are provided for consideration by the Assembly.", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 64/217 on women in development, the General Assembly recognized the mutually reinforcing links between gender equality and poverty eradication and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It also urged Member States and the United Nations system to empower women to participate actively and effectively in the development, implementation and evaluation of national development and/or poverty eradication policies, strategies and programmes.", "2. The General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the resolution at its sixty-sixth session, including on integrating a gender perspective into national development strategies. Based on inputs received from Member States and the United Nations system,[1] the present report reviews measures taken by Governments, support provided by the United Nations system, the role of donors and the new aid effectiveness agenda. It highlights gender‑responsive budgeting and planning as a good practice example and concludes with recommendations for consideration by the Assembly.", "II. Background", "3. Despite progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals[2] as a result of economic growth in some developing countries and targeted efforts in some areas of the Goals, such as health and education, significant gaps remain between urban and rural areas and for those who are the most disadvantaged economically or because of sex, age, disability or ethnicity. Children from the poorest households, living in rural or in conflict areas, are the most likely not to be attending school, especially if they are girls. Access to secondary education remains restricted for girls in some regions. Higher levels of education are still critical in order for girls and women to acquire the necessary skills to meet current labour market demands.", "4. Maternal deaths continue to be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, which together accounted for 87 per cent of such deaths globally in 2007. In 2009, while women constituted 51.6 per cent of the population living with HIV globally, young women aged between 15 and 24 made up 60 per cent of people living with HIV within that age group.[3]", "5. Worldwide, women’s access to employment, resources and decision-making positions remains a challenge. The share of women in non-agricultural paid employment increased only five percentage points over almost two decades, from 35 per cent in 1990 to 40 per cent in 2009. Progress has been even slower in recent years, owing to the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009. According to recent estimates, with the same access to productive resources as men, women could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5-4 per cent, reducing the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17 per cent.[4] Over the past 15 years, the percentage of women parliamentarians increased only from 11.6 per cent in 1995 to 19.3 in 2011, with nine countries still having no women parliamentarians at all.", "6. To overcome these challenges, Member States have repeatedly recognized that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and that promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women is a key development goal and an important means for achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals, including through the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.", "7. During the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in 2010 (see E/CN.6/2010/2), a number of common strategies were identified as being critical to the achievement of gender equality goals. These include the strengthening of the gender mainstreaming strategy to ensure that the needs and priorities of women and girls as well as men and boys are systematically and effectively taken into account in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, strategies, plans and resource allocations across all policy areas, including national development strategies. Other positive factors for the achievement of gender equality goals include visible leadership, enhanced capacity‑building in government bodies at all levels, stronger involvement of national mechanisms for gender equality in policymaking, increased allocation of gender-specific resources and development and the use of monitoring and accountability systems to track results.", "8. Intergovernmental bodies have repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of gender-sensitive national policies for progress towards gender equality and the Millennium Development Goals. In the 2010 ministerial declaration of the Economic and Social Council, Member States committed to ensure that national development plans systematically contributed to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Similarly, in resolution 65/1, adopted at its High‑level Plenary Meeting in 2010 on the Millennium Development Goals, the General Assembly recognized the need for gender mainstreaming in the formulation and implementation of development policies.", "9. The Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 (see A/CONF.219/3/Rev.1) includes objectives to guide national policies and international support measures for the achievement of sustained, equitable and inclusive economic growth. Gender equality and the empowerment of women is reflected as a priority area and as essential to progress towards social and human development and the eradication of poverty in least developed countries. Least developed countries committed to establishing and continuing to implement national development plans that take into account the needs of women and girls. Commitments also addressed the strengthening of the role of relevant national mechanisms; scaling-up of resources for gender equality and the empowerment of women; and promotion of effective representation and participation of women in all spheres of decision-making. Development partners committed to providing financial and technical support in order to implement policies and programmes that enhance women’s economic and income-generating opportunities, productive employment and access to productive resources.", "10. To enhance the effectiveness of development assistance provided by the United Nations, the triennial comprehensive policy review (see General Assembly resolution 62/208) recognizes that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to development, and that United Nations development assistance should be aligned with national development plans and strategies. The resolution has a strong focus on implementation and provides detailed guidance in several areas, including gender equality and women’s empowerment. The resolution calls for further alignment of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework cycle with national processes.", "III. Integrating a gender perspective into national development policies and strategies", "11. Drawing on inputs from both Member States and the United Nations system, section III sets out efforts made to integrate a gender perspective into national development policies and strategies, which are typically multi-year documents outlining national priorities for development, include poverty reduction strategies, country coordination mechanisms and sectoral plans such as rural development strategies. They are generally based on coordinated processes to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives and are guided by the principles of country ownership, integrated policies across sectors, broad participation, capacity development, a focus on outcomes and implementation, and means of implementation.", "12. Building on the definition of gender mainstreaming in Economic and Social Council agreed conclusions 1997/2, integrating a gender perspective into national development planning and strategies entails assessing and analysing the situation of women and men in a given country, identifying specific obstacles to gender equality, systematically developing gender-sensitive strategies and programmes across sectors, and monitoring and evaluating outcomes, in order to achieve gender equality goals and address the inequalities faced by women and girls. While gender mainstreaming efforts are required across all sectors and in all stages of policymaking, those efforts need to be complemented by targeted interventions to address specific gaps or challenges faced by women and girls, as a necessary component of the two-pronged strategy for the promotion of gender equality.", "13. Governments, with support from the United Nations system as requested, use different approaches to integrate a gender perspective into their development strategies. Increasingly, gender issues are identified as a priority or a cross-cutting issue that is systematically mainstreamed across all stages of policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.", "14. For instance, in El Salvador, the National Development Plan 2010-2014 incorporates gender as a cross-cutting issue and identifies poverty eradication and gender-based discrimination and violence among its priority areas. In Indonesia, the development workplan includes gender mainstreaming as one of the guiding principles in all national development programmes and activities.[5] With a long-standing commitment to gender equality, New Zealand requires all Government agencies to base their policies on gender analysis. Gender implication statements are also required for all papers submitted to the Cabinet Social Policy Committee.", "15. In other cases, countries dedicate a separate section in their national development strategies to specific priorities related to women and girls, such as education for girls, reproductive health, the participation of women in decision-making, and addressing violence against women. In its Eleventh National Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) the Syrian Arab Republic aims at reducing gender inequality and empowering women in sectors such as higher education, health and poverty reduction, but only partially in other sectors such as justice.[6]", "16. In a number of countries, United Nations entities have provided support to national Governments to ensure the integration of a gender perspective during the implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes of national development strategies. For instance, UNDP supported more than 20 countries in the Asia Pacific region towards integrating a gender perspective in national planning and implementation frameworks in 2010. In 2009, UNDP, in collaboration with UNFPA, provided technical support to the Government of Maldives to ensure that a gender perspective was incorporated in its five-year national development strategy and in the monitoring and evaluation frameworks of the strategy. In the Republic of Moldova, UNDP supported gender mainstreaming into various development plans, including the national development strategy. UN-Women, in collaboration with UNFPA, provided technical support to the Government of Indonesia in the development of gender mainstreaming indicators for the national development plan. In Jordan, UNFPA, in collaboration with UNDP, supported the Government’s efforts to strengthen the monitoring mechanisms for progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and national priorities, including goals related to gender equality and the empowerment of women.", "17. Many countries have in place gender equality action plans that complement national development strategies, but the relationship between the two policy instruments differs greatly by country. Some countries take specific measures to align national action plans on gender equality with national development strategies. In other countries, national action plans on gender equality are included as a chapter in national development strategies. Experience suggests that the alignment of the two policy instruments is more successful when the gender equality action plan is formulated as a result of national and sectoral consultations or when explicit linkages are established outright during the formulation processes of both documents.[7]", "18. National machineries for gender equality are essential components in all efforts to achieve gender equality. They commonly are responsible for promoting, supporting and monitoring the incorporation of gender perspectives in all policy areas, including national development strategies. They take the lead in developing and monitoring the implementation of gender equality plans, strategies and programmes. They are often responsible for coordinating and monitoring gender mainstreaming and capacity development across government bodies. Where national machineries work closely with civil society organizations, particularly women’s organizations, and involve them in the development of national policies and strategies, there is a stronger collective voice to advocate for the key priorities that women are facing in the country. National machineries are also involved in strengthening the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data across sectors (see E/CN.6/2010/2).", "19. It is therefore critical that national machineries for gender equality have at their disposal the resources, capacities and skills necessary to effectively discharge their mandates. A 2010 study on national mechanisms for gender equality found that achievements have been made on multiple fronts, including greater political visibility in achieving the goals of gender equality and the empowerment of women, increased use of the gender mainstreaming strategy across all regions, development of capacity in addressing gender equality issues, and improvements in data collection and analysis. However, national mechanisms for gender equality continue to face challenges in their roles as catalysts for gender mainstreaming, including marginalization within the governmental structure, frequent reorganization and change in leadership, diffuse and poorly designed mandates, limited staff and budgetary resources, inadequate technical expertise to address gender equality within both national mechanisms as well as other government bodies, weak coordination among various components of national mechanisms, ineffective monitoring and evaluation systems, and limited capacity in data collection and analysis.[8]", "20. A number of Member States that submitted inputs for the present report provided examples of measures taken and results achieved by national mechanisms. The Salvadorean Institute for the Development of Women developed the 2011-2014 Women’s National Policy in support of the national development plan. The Policy addresses women’s economic empowerment as a key area, and aims at the elimination of all direct and indirect forms of discrimination within current labour and economic policy instruments.", "21. In Fiji, the Women’s Plan of Action (2009-2018), prepared by the Department of Women, includes policy objectives of the National Development Plan — Strategic Framework for Change, and the Pacific Platform for Action 2005-2015. The Plan provides a gender analysis of Government policies and programmes and identifies critical areas for action and appropriate strategies for the Government.", "22. In Afghanistan, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs integrated a gender perspective into programmes related to the national development strategy. As the Chair of three mechanisms within the national development strategy, the Ministry prepared the chapter on gender equality and conducted a final gender review of all other chapters, with the goal of addressing gender equality as a cross-cutting strategy.[9] The Ministry, with the support from UN-Women, made efforts to operationalize the national action plan for women of Afghanistan, including by supporting line ministries and local governments in implementing their commitments under the Plan and monitoring its implementation in 18 line ministries.[10]", "23. In New Zealand, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs supports and advises Government agencies on policies that have a direct impact on women, and prioritizes its work on areas that need improvements, including increasing the number of women in leadership roles, combating violence against women, and achieving greater economic independence for all women. Similarly, in Australia, the Women’s Interdepartmental Committee takes a whole-of-government approach to gender mainstreaming by ensuring that all policies, services and initiatives are gender-sensitive and by closely evaluating their impacts on women and men.[11]", "24. In Denmark, the Minister for Gender Equality is responsible for Government initiatives in the field of gender equality, through the coordination, development and implementation of Government policies. The Minister also advises Parliament on matters concerning gender equality.", "25. In Italy, the Department of Equal Opportunities coordinated a project that provided 12 ministries with workshops and training courses on the integration of a gender perspective in various sectors. The project included support on developing social and economic policies that foster gender equality and the empowerment of women, and on building capacities in integrating a gender perspective in planning processes and policy design.", "26. In some countries, line ministries cooperate with the national machineries for gender equality to integrate gender perspectives in sectoral policies and programmes. In Togo, the Ministry of Grass-roots Development, Crafts, Youth and Youth Employment works closely with the national machinery for gender equality and non-governmental organizations, including through awareness campaigns and capacity development. In its National Programme for Substantive Gender Equality (2010-2013), Greece calls for the cooperation between the General Secretariat for Gender Equality and other line ministries to mainstream a gender perspective across all sectors.", "27. United Nations entities also supported the efforts of Member States to integrate a gender perspective into development plans across various sectors and areas such as health; employment; job and life skills training; human trafficking; reproductive health; the education and training of women, women’s political participation and the human rights of women; leadership and decision-making; conflict resolution; and violence against women. UN-Women supported gender mainstreaming efforts across a variety of sectors through multiple channels, including by providing technical assistance to Member States, facilitating dialogue between Governments and civil society, collaborating with the national machineries for gender equality, and strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations, especially women’s organizations.", "28. Developing the capacity of staff and institutions, including through training, guidelines and other tools, is a key element towards ensuring that gender issues are more systematically reflected in national policies and their implementation. In Afghanistan, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs provided guidance for the drafting of the national development strategy on mainstreaming gender. In Mexico, the Secretary for Social Development revised the operational rules for the country’s different programmes to ensure gender-responsive implementation. New programmes are now expected to make explicit references to their contribution to promoting gender equality, through the gradual mainstreaming of a gender perspective and the collection and use of sex-disaggregated data and indicators on the beneficiaries and results of the programmes. In Senegal, the Gender Technical Committee, with representatives from the Government, civil society, and the United Nations Gender Theme Group, produced a note on the key issues that need to be addressed in order to integrate a gender perspective in the third poverty reduction strategy paper.", "29. Integrating a gender perspective systematically into the design and implementation of national development strategies requires sector-level interventions as well as cross-sectoral approaches and partnerships among all stakeholders, including line ministries, development partners, civil society, women’s networks and the private sector. For example, the Togo Ministry of Grass-roots Development, Crafts, Youth and Youth Employment organizes stakeholder forums on the development, implementation and monitoring of national development strategies every other year to review progress. The Government of Indonesia stipulates that women’s groups be represented in the processes of development planning in order to ensure that women’s concerns are incorporated in the national development planning process.[12]", "30. In some countries, collaboration between the national machineries for gender equality and United Nations entities has ensured the participation of civil society and women’s groups in the national development planning processes. For instance, in Ecuador, UN-Women worked with the national machineries to support and facilitate discussions between the Government and civil society. As a result, gender equality was well integrated in the National Plan for Good Living, which contains 46 policies aimed at achieving gender equality and a gender equality approach in 12 strategic objectives.[13]", "31. In India, UN-Women, UNFPA and UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government, coordinated multiple consultations between the Government and women’s organizations during the formulation of a five-year national development plan. That initiative enabled the incorporation of grass-roots women’s priorities and needs in the five-year plan, and facilitated an open, participatory and transparent process.[14]", "32. The effectiveness of national development strategies and gender equality action plans greatly depends on and benefits from the inclusion of annual targets that can be costed and that are accompanied by sufficient and sustainable budgets to implement them. In El Salvador, the law on equality and equity recognizes the need for adequate public resources to be approved in the next national public budget. The special law for women’s right to a life free of violence mandates the allocation of public resources towards its implementation. The law provides that the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, must ensure annual budget allocations in the national budget to the institutions in charge of implementing the law.", "A good practice example: gender-responsive budgeting and planning", "33. In recent years, an increasing number of national Governments have taken concrete measures to support gender-responsive planning and budgeting in a systematic manner. Gender-responsive budgeting refers to Government planning, programming and budgeting that contribute to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It entails identifying the interventions needed to address gender equality gaps in Government policies and budgets, and monitoring and evaluating the financial resources allocated for the implementation of Government commitments on gender equality. Such efforts can help Governments decide whether and how policies need to be adjusted and where resources need to be reallocated for the achievement of gender equality goals.", "34. Since it was first pioneered in Australia in the 1980s, gender-responsive budgeting has received growing attention from both Governments and non‑governmental organizations. The interest intensified internationally when contributing Governments to the Beijing Platform for Action emphasized that Governments should make efforts to systematically review how women benefit from public sector expenditures, adjust budgets to ensure equality of access to public sector expenditures, and achieve the gender-related commitments made in other United Nations summits and conferences (see A/CONF.177/20/Rev.1, para. 346).", "35. There are currently over 60 country initiatives for gender-responsive budgeting in all regions. A number of United Nations entities, including UNDP, UNFPA and UN-Women, are supporting gender-responsive budgeting initiatives worldwide. In 2008, UN-Women, in collaboration with the European Commission, initiated a programme aimed at integrating gender-responsive budgeting into the aid effectiveness agenda. During the initial phase of this three-year programme, research was carried out in 10 developing countries[15] to investigate how gender-responsive budgeting tools and strategies have been used in the context of aid modalities. In the study, UN-Women and the European Community suggested that the integration of a gender perspective into national planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation systems and instruments could enhance the effectiveness of aid in implementing gender equality objectives, through improved management and delivery of aid by the recipient countries. Thus, gender-responsive budgeting approaches needed to be applied to donor practices, national processes as well as joint coordination mechanisms.[16] Based on the study findings, the second stage of the programme is being carried out and provides targeted technical support to five countries.[17]", "36. In Latin America, gender-responsive budgeting has been introduced in many countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Budget guidelines issued by the ministries of planning, economy or finance in a number of those countries require sectoral ministries and local governments to allocate budgets for programmes addressing gender equality concerns. In Ecuador, a budget classifier was developed by the Ministry of Finance specifically to track the Government’s allocations and spending towards the equal opportunity plan. In addition, several academic institutions are now contributing to building the capacity of civil servants in the area of gender-responsive planning and budgeting. Academic institutions such as the Latin American School of Social Sciences offer courses on gender and macroeconomics and gender-responsive budgeting to civil servants from the departments of planning and budgeting in Ecuador. At the local level, the participatory budget processes adopted by a number of countries in the region, especially in Ecuador and the Plurinational State of Bolivia, served as an entry point for women to engage actively in local policymaking, through local hearings and consultations with civil society organizations. Similarly, women’s organizations in Brazil were successful in urging the Government to expand the financial resources for programmes on women’s health and violence against women.[18]", "37. In Morocco, efforts have been made since 2002 to integrate gender equality concerns into planning and budgeting instruments and processes as part of the public finance management systems and public administration reform. For three consecutive years starting in 2007, the budget guidelines issued by the Prime Minister included recommendations in relation to addressing gender equality concerns through sectoral plans and budgets. A report on gender is annexed to the annual budget, in which sectoral ministries report on their performance with regard to gender-sensitive indicators. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, a comprehensive capacity development approach has evolved and contributed to strengthening the capacity of planning and budgeting staff in the Ministry of Finance and sectoral ministries. The Ministry of Finance has also actively facilitated South-South learning with a range of countries, including Ecuador, Haiti and Senegal.[19]", "38. In Rwanda, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is taking the lead on the country’s efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in national planning and budgeting processes. In response to the high demand for capacity development, the Rwandan School of Finance and Banking has developed a training programme on gender-responsive economic policy management for budget and planning officers, with a focus on poverty reduction strategies and macroeconomic policies. The course prepares participants to understand the linkages between macroeconomic policies and gender inequality. At the sectoral level, Rwanda has sought to integrate a gender perspective into the agriculture sector by supporting an umbrella of community-based civil society organizations to develop capacity on gender-sensitive budget analysis and budget tracking.[20]", "39. In the United Republic of Tanzania, under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, capacity development efforts are targeting economists and budget officers in selected ministries, departments and agencies to apply gender-responsive budgeting at the sector level and align sector programmes with gender equality indicators in the country’s national strategy for growth and reduction of poverty. Moreover, five countries in Africa[21] are currently investing in improving women’s access to resources and services at the local level, through gender-responsive planning, programming and budgeting to better respond to women’s priorities.[22]", "40. In Nepal, the Ministry of Finance introduced gender-responsive budgeting in 2007-2008 within the overall reform of the budgetary system and required ministries to categorize their programme budgets according to the extent to which they supported gender equality using five indicators: women’s capacity development; women’s participation in programme formulation and implementation; benefit incidence of public expenditures on women; support to women’s employment and income generation; and positive impact on women’s time use and care work. The budget categorization has facilitated the establishment of a monitoring system that allows greater institutional accountability for the strengthening of results-oriented management and the continued use of gender-responsive budget analysis to inform planning and programming. A gender-responsive budget committee oversees the initiative.[23]", "41. Evidence suggests that gender-responsive budgeting has helped address the gaps between Government commitments on achieving gender equality goals and the allocation of resources; promote accountability on the use of public resources to women; and increase the transparency of policy processes through the participation of civil society. Moreover, gender-responsive budgeting initiatives have made contributions in other areas, including building the planning and budgeting capacities of Government agencies, especially in the context of budget reform; introducing policy changes and developing operational frameworks to mainstream gender perspectives into budgeting systems; promoting the participation of gender equality advocates in planning and budgeting processes; and supporting gender-responsive budget monitoring initiatives by civil society.[24]", "IV. Integrating a gender perspective into the United Nations Development Assistance Framework", "42. The United Nations makes concerted efforts to help Member States to integrate a gender perspective in their development strategies, including through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, a common strategic framework for the operational activities of the United Nations system at the country level. The Framework is formulated based on the analytical and collaborative effort of the Common Country Assessment, which examines the national development situation and identifies key development issues. The Framework provides a collective, coherent and integrated United Nations system response to national development priorities within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals as well as other internationally agreed development goals.", "43. Since the first roll-out of development assistance frameworks in the late 1990s, efforts have been made to strengthen gender perspectives within development assistance frameworks and common country assessments. To review the progress of gender mainstreaming in the assessment/framework process, multiple studies have been commissioned, with the most recent one examining 51 assessments/frameworks completed between 2006-2009.[25] Gender equality was highlighted as a cross-cutting theme and gender equality outcomes were specifically delineated in slightly over half of the 51 frameworks reviewed. All the assessments were found to cite relevant gender-differentiated data, especially data on women’s health and girls’ education.", "44. Planning and programming concentrated heavily on the two traditional areas of women’s health and girls’ education, though increasingly development assistance frameworks also focused on women’s political participation. About one half of the frameworks focused on strengthening women’s voices and participation in decision-making. Very few addressed women’s livelihood issues and access to productive resources.[26]", "45. Addressing violence against women has increased in importance, with about one quarter of all development assistance frameworks including it in the priority outcome areas,[27] compared with relatively little attention received in earlier generations of frameworks.[28] Surprisingly, very few frameworks made substantive reference to country experiences in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and reporting thereon, either as a diagnostic or accountability tool. Moreover, while many countries cited traditional norms and practices that discriminated against women as barriers to women’s ability to choose and participate in decision-making, few proposed concrete measures or activities to address them.[29]", "46. The most progress has been achieved in the area of monitoring and evaluation. Significant improvement was made over earlier generations of development assistance frameworks in areas including developing clear gender equality outcomes, formulating gender equality outputs connected to other outcome areas, and making clear connections between what needed to be measured and the indicators in the monitoring and evaluation frameworks.[30]", "47. The study identified the following factors that contributed to the better incorporation of gender equality priorities in development assistance frameworks: strong senior management support and adequate resources for gender theme groups; a cogent analysis of key issues linked with clear programme outcomes; a robust implementation process and progress tracking mechanism; clearly articulated gender equality outputs and indicators; strong technical expertise to address gender equality issues during the preparation of the frameworks; and mechanisms to specify the allocation of resources to gender-related activities.[31]", "48. Despite being identified as a limitation in the previous review conducted in 2006,[32] information on resources allocated specifically for gender equality purposes continued to be lacking. In general, few development assistance frameworks specified the amount or percentage of resources allocated to gender equality outcomes either as a separate area of work or as part of achieving other framework outcomes. In the latter case, resources were allocated per output, but it was difficult to determine the allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment within the outputs. The highest proportion of funds allocated specifically to gender equality in a Framework was 9 per cent, but the average was between 3 and 4 per cent.[33]", "49. Strong commitments to gender equality in policy guidance and guidelines are critical to strengthen gender-responsive planning and programming. The common country assessment/United Nations Development Assistance Framework guidelines, first developed by the United Nations Development Group in 1999 and most recently revised in 2010, recognize gender mainstreaming and targeted gender-specific interventions as key strategies of United Nations-supported analysis and strategic planning, and include gender equality as one of the five interrelated programming principles that must be applied for the country analysis and preparation of the frameworks.[34]", "50. The guidelines emphasize alignment with national development priorities and strategies as well as partnership with women’s groups and gender equality advocates in the preparation of frameworks.[35] Although about one half of the 51 frameworks demonstrated clear linkages to national development priorities, only a small number reported involvement of national machineries for gender equality and consultations with women’s organizations as part of the process.[36]", "51. Many country teams utilized gender theme groups as the main coordination mechanism to ensure that gender dimensions were reflected in frameworks. While research has shown that having a strong gender theme group contributes to better integration of a gender perspective in frameworks,[37] United Nations country teams, in some regions, are gradually shifting towards theme groups that mirror the framework priority areas that often do not include gender equality as a standalone outcome.", "52. Gender theme groups are often responsible for ensuring a gender perspective in development assistance frameworks and other United Nations country development programmes. In some countries, gender theme groups are also involved in the formulation of national development strategies by providing technical and analytical assistance to national Governments. For instance, in Viet Nam, the Gender Programme Coordination Group coordinated a gender analysis of the draft 2011-2015 national development strategy. While many gender theme groups function as a United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism, there are an increasing number that are co-chaired by the country’s national machinery, with participation from Government and civil society representatives, as well as theme groups that are co-chaired with donors and other stakeholders. The Gender Programme Coordination Group in Viet Nam, for instance, has been jointly chaired by UN-Women and the country’s national machinery for gender equality since 2008.[38]", "53. To ensure accountability in integrating gender equality in development assistance frameworks, the guidelines mention gender audits and United Nations Development Group Performance Indicators on Gender Equality as key tools for assessing progress on gender mainstreaming at an operational level. The gender audit methodology, developed by ILO, uses a self-assessment approach to monitor and evaluate the achievement of gender equality based on objective data and stakeholders’ perceptions. In 2008, United Nations country teams were urged to establish a baseline for their performance, using the United Nations Development Group Performance Indicators on Gender Equality, together with the gender audit methodology, to measure changes over time. As a result, about 25 country teams started to undertake the assessment in 2008 and, by the end of 2010, 14 country teams completed the assessment[39] and were in the process of implementing their findings to achieve a stronger response to gender equality.[40]", "54. Another related accountability mechanism of the United Nations system is the annual report of the resident coordinator, in which the performance of country teams is reviewed annually. In 2006, the template and guidance of the resident coordinator annual report were strengthened by including a section on gender equality, in order to capture more systematically those results that align with the request by the triennial comprehensive policy review (General Assembly resolution 59/250).", "55. Since 2004 the annual reports of resident coordinators have been reviewed by UNIFEM (now UN-Women) staff, to track trends in reporting on gender-related issues. The annual reviews have shown a significant increase in reporting by United Nations country teams on gender equality initiatives. The highest rate of increase has been in reporting on those initiatives aimed at ending violence against women, from 28 country teams reporting in 2004 to 96 in 2009. There are many factors that could have contributed to the increase, including the campaign of the Secretary-General entitled “UNiTE to end violence against women” and growing Government demand in response to the advocacy of women’s human rights defenders. The support provided to national gender equality machineries for capacity development saw a fivefold increase during 2004-2009, with 53 resident coordinators reporting country team efforts in 2009, compared with 11 in 2004. Assistance to programmes that strengthen reproductive health and reduce maternal mortality, and support to reporting on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action also increased significantly over the same period (see E/2011/112 and UNW/2011/9). A number of specific funding mechanisms such as the Spanish Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund and the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women have contributed to the increase in joint gender equality programming (see UNW/2011/9).", "V. Role of donors in integrating a gender perspective in development assistance", "56. The aid architecture landscape has changed significantly in the past few years since the adoption in 2005 of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Seeking to improve the management and delivery of official development assistance, the Paris Declaration outlines a number of commitments by donors and development partners, building on five principles, including national ownership, harmonization, alignment, managing for results and mutual accountability. However, the Paris Declaration has been criticized for being gender-blind as the targets and indicators identified therein do not place sufficient emphasis on achieving gender-responsive outcomes nor do they ensure the gender-responsiveness of processes and instruments.", "57. In 2008, in response to the call for a gender perspective in the aid effectiveness agenda, donor countries adopted the Accra Agenda for Action, which has shown improvement in linking aid management systems with human rights and gender equality standards. Donors recognized the importance of gender equality in aid and development effectiveness, and agreed to ensure that development policies and programmes should be designed and implemented in ways consistent with their international commitments on gender equality.", "58. In 2011, the Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey included for the first time an optional module on gender equality.[41] Survey responses[42] highlighted donors’ efforts to align with partner countries’ gender equality priorities. Nevertheless, donors did not allocate adequate human and financial resources to fully implement their commitments on gender equality. The use of sex-disaggregated data was found to be related to an enhanced focus on gender mainstreaming and increased budget allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, sex-disaggregated data were rarely collected systematically and limited support was provided by donors for collecting such data. In addition, sex-disaggregated data were not always used to guide the decision-making process.", "59. More concerted efforts are needed to ensure that the commitments of Governments towards gender equality and women’s empowerment are fully reflected in the design, implementation and monitoring processes of all official development assistance. The Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in November 2011 in Busan, Republic of Korea, offers an opportunity for Member States to go beyond the political affirmation of the centrality of gender equality to nationally owned development assistance, and move towards integrating gender-responsive budgeting into the aid management system and building capacities of national Governments, in order to implement gender-responsive planning, budgeting and monitoring.", "60. Apart from the aid effectiveness agenda, donors and international organizations have also undertaken initiatives to strengthen gender equality in development cooperation. For instance, during 2007-2010, the European Commission, UN-Women and the ILO International Training Centre implemented the European Community/United Nations Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace programme in 12 aid recipient countries, including post-conflict countries.[43] Among other objectives, the programme sought to ensure full integration of gender equality and women’s human rights in the national development processes and cooperation programmes supported by the European Commission. While the programme was found to be effective in preparing the ground for changes in institutions and behaviours, continued efforts are needed in order to make a profound and sustainable change in the behaviours of the European Commission and other donors in relation to gender equality and aid effectiveness.[44] Future work should follow a strategic and multipronged approach that addresses both short- and long-term needs with a range of interventions, including training, technical assistance, resource development and accessibility of information.", "61. In 2010, the European Union adopted its Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development (2010-2015),[45] which aims to reinforce coordination within the European Union regarding gender equality policies in development cooperation with partner countries, in order to achieve a greater impact on the ground. The Plan further commits the European Union to take advantage of the pioneering work carried out by the European Community/United Nations Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace, and by the Network on Gender Equality of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee in the area of mainstreaming gender perspectives in the aid effectiveness agenda. It offers a framework for the European Union to renew its commitment to gender equality.", "62. A number of countries have made a commitment to mainstreaming gender equality in all stages of development cooperation programmes to promote human rights, sustainable development, poverty eradication and economic growth. In Denmark, gender equality is one of five priorities in its strategy for development cooperation entitled “Freedom from poverty — freedom to change”, which was launched in 2010 and builds on the momentum created by the Danish campaign to promote Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals. The strategic objectives are to ensure equal rights, equal access to and control over resources and equal opportunities for political and economic influence for women and men.", "63. In Spain, gender in development is one of five key priorities of its Cooperation Plan 2009-2012, which aims at strengthening gender equality through sector and cross-cutting actions in cooperation programmes and projects and by promoting equality policies. Spain’s strategic equality plan for 2008-2011 explicitly mentions gender mainstreaming as its guiding principle and lists development aid as one of its strategic objectives. It includes the call for a gender impact analysis of any normative or executive decision-making and the need to change political and technical institutional procedures accordingly.", "64. The development of mechanisms and tools on gender equality issues has been critical to strengthening sector programmes and building the capacity of staff working on effective gender mainstreaming. For instance, the New Zealand Aid Programme aims at improving the gender-related outcomes of its development assistance programmes by providing staff members with gender analysis tools, offering gender mainstreaming training, monitoring activities, and recruiting a gender specialist to promote gender mainstreaming. The Danish International Aid Agency and the Department of Gender Equality developed e-learning materials that have been incorporated in the staff development plans of several ministries. With European Union funding, the Department on Gender Equality is developing a web-based tool that can support public authorities and institutions in their work on gender mainstreaming in all public planning and administration. Since 2005, Japan has appointed gender focal points in its 96 embassies in recipient countries in order to monitor good practices in gender-sensitive projects.", "65. Donors, bilateral development partners and international organizations play a key role in ensuring that financial resources allocated for gender equality purposes are sufficient and increased at both the national and international levels. In 1997, to enhance the capacity and accountability of donors in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through aid, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development developed the gender equality policy marker as part of the Creditor Reporting System, a database used by the Development Assistance Committee to facilitate monitoring and coordination of the Committee members’ activities.", "66. The gender equality policy marker provides a classification system to identify the extent to which programmes, funds or activities benefit gender equality and women’s empowerment, based on a marking system with three values: “principal objective”, “significant objective”, and “not targeted to the policy objective”. An activity that targets gender equality as a “principal objective” means that gender equality is an explicit objective of the activity and fundamental in its design. “Significant objective” indicates that gender equality is an important but secondary objective of the activity, and is not one of the principal reasons for undertaking the activity. “Not targeted” means that the activity is screened against, but is found not to be targeted to, the policy objective.", "67. In recent years, efforts have been made to adopt a gender marker within the United Nations system, including UNDP, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.[46] Those efforts have shown the gender marker system to be more than a measuring tool, and that its application has led to enhanced quality of programming across sectors responding to the different realities of women and girls.", "68. In addition to the gender marker system, individual donor countries also track resource allocations in their development assistance programmes. In 2009, about 22 per cent of the total development assistance of Denmark was used for financing activities that, directly or indirectly, aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. The allocations for gender-related activities are registered either as targeted gender interventions or as mainstreamed interventions. The Government of Norway reported that NOK 868 million was channelled through 89 partners (multilateral institutions and Norwegian non-governmental organizations) working on economic development and trade, for which the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality was either a main or a secondary objective.", "VI. Conclusions and recommendations", "69. The achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women is essential to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. National planning processes offer important opportunities to address gender perspectives. While progress has been uneven, Governments have undertaken many initiatives, such as identifying gender issues as a priority or a cross-cutting issue that is systematically mainstreamed across all sectors in all stages of the policy process. Nevertheless, in some countries, gender perspectives are only partially integrated in specific sectoral areas.", "70. Beyond awareness-raising, capacity-building and training activities, concerted efforts are needed for the effective incorporation of gender perspectives into national development policies and strategies. Common strategies include developing capacity and expertise in line ministries as well as in national mechanisms for gender equality; strengthening accountability, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; ensuring sufficient human and financial resources; and promoting the participation of civil society, particularly women’s organizations, in the national development planning processes. Gender-responsive budgeting has been developed as an effective tool to ensure that adequate resources are allocated for the achievement of gender equality goals. That requires technical expertise to be developed in a range of ministries, including ministries of finance.", "71. The United Nations system and donors are increasingly taking measures to integrate gender perspectives in all development cooperation work, including through their support for national development plans. Emphasis should be placed on integrating gender perspectives in all development cooperation work, building on the national ownership of gender-mainstreaming initiatives. Measures to ensure the consideration of gender perspectives in development assistance include: mechanisms to track resources allocated to achieve gender equality goals; coordination mechanisms with a gender equality focus; and accountability mechanisms to measure and track performance. The provision of bilateral and multilateral funding must be well coordinated and clearly targeted for gender equality purposes, and gender perspectives must be systematically integrated into the aid effectiveness agenda.", "72. The General Assembly may wish to call on Member States and all relevant actors to undertake the following actions:", "Gender mainstreaming efforts", "• Systematically integrate a gender perspective into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all national development strategies and policies and sectoral plans, and ensure the alignment between national action plans on gender equality and national development strategies", "• Build on lessons learned, expand and deepen efforts to mainstream a gender perspective in the United Nations Common Country Assessments and Development Assistance Frameworks", "• Strengthen efforts by UN-Women to work with United Nations country teams in helping Member States to integrate a gender perspective into national development policies and strategies", "Participation and accountability", "• Strengthen the impact and contribution of national mechanisms for gender equality in all stages of national development planning processes and across all sectoral plans", "• Strengthen the role and capacity of gender theme groups by supporting United Nations country teams on gender equality issues and facilitating a gender perspective in national development strategies and plans", "• Enhance the transparency of and participation in national development planning processes by involving civil society, especially women’s organizations, in the formulation and monitoring of national development strategies and other related policy instruments", "Resource allocation and tracking", "• Develop and adopt effective measuring mechanisms to monitor and track the national, United Nations and donor resources allocated to achieve gender equality goals", "• Strengthen capacities for gender mainstreaming by allocating adequate financial and human resources within line ministries, establishing and/or strengthening dedicated gender equality units, providing capacity development for technical staff, and developing tools and guidelines", "• Ensure that donors allocate adequate resources for the full implementation of their commitments on gender equality, expand the scope of donor support provided to gender equality priorities across all sectors and in strategic areas, and improve the impact and quality of financing for gender equality", "Measures and tools", "• Develop and strengthen methodologies and tools for systematic gender-responsive budgeting across all sectors in national development planning and budgeting processes, and for effective application of gender-responsive budgeting in donor practices, including joint coordination mechanisms", "• Improve and systematize the collection, analysis and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data, enhance capacity development in that regard, and develop gender-sensitive indicators to support policymaking and national systems for monitoring and reporting on progress and impacts", "Least developed countries", "• Ensure the full implementation of the commitments on gender equality in the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries", "[1] Contributions were received from the Governments of: Denmark, El Salvador, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and Togo. The following United Nations entities provided inputs: the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.", "[2] Unless otherwise noted, the data in the present report is drawn from The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011 (New York, 2011).", "[3] UNICEF, Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood (New York, 2011).", "[4] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The State of Food and Agriculture: Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap for Development (Rome, 2011).", "[5] ESCAP, Strengthening National Mechanisms for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women: Regional Study — Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, 2010). Available from http://www.unescap.org/sdd/publications/gender/2010-Regional-Study-on-NWM.pdf.", "[6] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[7] Ibid.", "[8] Rounaq Jahan, “Strengthening national mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women: a global synthesis study”, prepared for the Division for the Advancement of Women (now UN-Women), (New York, 2010). Available from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/ TechnicalCooperation/GLOBAL_SYNTHESIS_REPORT_Dec%202010.pdf.", "[9] ESCAP, 2010.", "[10] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[11] ESCAP, 2010.", "[12] Ibid.", "[13] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[14] Ibid.", "[15] Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.", "[16] UNIFEM (now UN-Women), How Can Aid Be Gender-Responsive in the Context of the New Aid Modalities?, Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectiveness Knowledge Briefs Series (New York, 2009).", "[17] Cameroon, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania.", "[18] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[19] Ibid.", "[20] Ibid.", "[21] Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and the United Republic of Tanzania.", "[22] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[23] Ibid.", "[24] Ibid.", "[25] Study commissioned by the United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality on strengthening gender equality in United Nations development frameworks (New York, 2010).", "[26] Ibid.", "[27] Ibid.", "[28] Study commissioned by the United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality on gender analysis and gender mainstreaming in common country programming (New York, 2006).", "[29] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[30] Ibid.", "[31] Ibid.", "[32] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2006.", "[33] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[34] United Nations Development Group, “How to prepare a United Nations development assistance framework: guidelines for United Nations country teams” (New York, 2010).", "[35] Ibid.", "[36] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[37] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2006.", "[38] Based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[39] The assessment reports of the 14 country teams using the United Nations Development Group Performance Indicators on Gender Equality can be found on the website: http://www.undg.org/ index.cfm?P=222&SO=DATE#s2.", "[40] United Nations Development Group Task Team on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[41] Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Findings and messages from the gender equality module of the 2011 Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey”, Paris, 2011. Available from http://www.gender-budgets.org/index.php?option=com_joomdoc&task=doc_ details&gid=1253&Itemid=565.", "[42] A total of 24 countries responded to the optional module on gender equality: Albania, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Gabon, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Togo and Zambia.", "[43] Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Suriname and Ukraine.", "[44] UN-Women final report to the European Commission on the European Community/United Nations Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace.", "[45] See European Union Plan of Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development (2010-2015).", "[46] Based on input from UN-Women." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 23 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Eradication of poverty and other development issues: women in development", "Integrating a gender perspective into national development strategies", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "In accordance with General Assembly resolution 64/217 on women in development, the present report focuses on gender mainstreaming in national development strategies, with the support of the United Nations system and donor countries. In that regard, the development of gender-sensitive budgets was a good practice and recommendations for the Assembly ' s consideration were presented.", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 64/217 on women in development, the General Assembly recognized the interaction between gender equality and poverty eradication and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It also urged Member States and the United Nations system to empower women to participate actively and effectively in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national development policies and poverty eradication policies, strategies and programmes.", "2. The General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report on the progress made in the implementation of the resolution, in particular on the integration of a gender perspective into national development strategies. Based on inputs received from Member States and the United Nations system[1], the present report reviews the actions taken by Governments, support provided by the United Nations system, the role of donors and the new aid effectiveness agenda. Gender-based budgeting and planning are highlighted as an example of good practice and recommendations for the Assembly ' s consideration are presented.", "II. Background", "3. While progress has been made towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals[2] as a result of the economic growth of some developing countries and the concrete efforts made in some aspects of the Goals, such as health and education, there remains a wide gap between urban and rural areas and in the most economically disadvantaged groups or on the basis of sex, age, disability or ethnic origin. Children and especially girls in the poorest households and living in rural areas or conflict areas are most likely not to attend school. In some regions, girls ' access to secondary education remains low. The attainment of higher levels of education remains critical in order to enable women and girls to acquire the skills necessary to meet the current demands of the labour market.", "4. Maternal mortality remains concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, with 87 per cent of global maternal mortality in 2007. In 2009, women accounted for 51.6 per cent of the world ' s population living with HIV, and young people aged 15-24 accounted for 60 per cent of people living with HIV in that age group.[3]", "5. Worldwide, women ' s access to employment, resources and decision-making positions remains a challenge. The proportion of women who had paid employment outside the agricultural sector increased only five percentage points for almost two decades, from 35 per cent in 1990 to 40 per cent in 2009. Progress has been even slower in recent years as a result of the 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis. Recent estimates indicate that if women had equal access to productive resources than men, total agricultural production in developing countries could be increased by 2.5 per cent to 4.0 per cent, thus reducing the number of people with hunger in the world from 12 to 17 per cent.[4] Over the past 15 years, the percentage of women parliamentarians increased only from 11.6 per cent in 1995 to 19.3 per cent in 2011, and nine countries still have no female parliamentarians.", "6. To overcome these difficulties, Member States have repeatedly recognized that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and that the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women is a key development goal and an important means of achieving all the Millennium Development Goals, including through the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.", "7. During the five-year review of the implementation of the 2010 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (see E/CN.6/2010/2), a number of common strategies were identified that were critical to achieving the goals of gender equality. These included strengthening the gender mainstreaming strategy to ensure that the needs and priorities of women and girls, as well as men and boys, are systematically and effectively taken into account in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, strategies, plans and resource allocation in all policy areas, including national development strategies. Other positive factors for achieving the goals of gender equality are visible leadership, enhanced capacity-building of government bodies at all levels, broader participation of national mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality in policy formulation, increased allocation of gender-specific resources and the development and use of monitoring and accountability systems to monitor results.", "8. The intergovernmental bodies have repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of national gender-sensitive policies for progress towards gender equality and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In the 2010 ministerial declaration of the Economic and Social Council, Member States pledged to ensure that national development plans systematically contribute to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Similarly, in resolution 65/1, adopted at its 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, the General Assembly recognized the need to mainstream a gender perspective in the formulation and implementation of development policies.", "9. The Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 (see A/CONF.219/3/Rev.1) is aimed at guiding national policies and international support measures towards sustained, equitable and inclusive economic growth. Gender equality and the empowerment of women are identified as a priority area of action that is essential for progress towards social and human development and poverty eradication in the least developed countries. These countries pledged to establish and continue to implement national development plans that take into account the needs of women and girls. Commitments were also made on strengthening the role of relevant national mechanisms, increasing resources for gender equality and women ' s empowerment, and promoting the effective representation and participation of women in all areas of decision-making. Development partners pledged to provide financial and technical support to implement policies and programmes for women in increasing economic and income-generating opportunities, paid employment and access to productive resources.", "10. In order to enhance the effectiveness of development assistance provided by the United Nations, the triennial comprehensive policy review (see General Assembly resolution 62/208) recognizes that development does not have a single criterion applicable to all and that the provision of development assistance by the United Nations system should respond to national development plans and strategies. The resolution focuses primarily on implementation and provides detailed guidance on various aspects, including gender equality and women ' s empowerment. In addition, the resolution calls for greater alignment of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework cycle with national processes.", "III. Gender mainstreaming in national development policies and strategies", "11. Based on the inputs received from Member States and the United Nations system, section III describes the measures taken to integrate a gender perspective into national development policies and strategies, which are typically multi-year documents outlining national development priorities, including poverty reduction strategies, national coordination mechanisms and sectoral plans such as rural development strategies. These documents are generally based on coordinated processes to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives and are guided by the principles of national ownership, integrated policies covering all sectors, wide participation, capacity-building, concentration on results and implementation, and means of implementation.", "12. According to the definition of gender mainstreaming contained in Economic and Social Council agreed conclusions 1997/2, the integration of such a perspective into national development plans and strategies entails the need to assess and analyse the situation of women and men in each country, identify specific obstacles to gender equality, develop gender-sensitive strategies and programmes in all sectors, and monitor and evaluate gender outcomes, While there is a need for initiatives to mainstream gender in all sectors and all stages of policy-making, these should be complemented by concrete interventions to fill specific gaps or overcome the challenges facing women and girls as an indispensable component of the dual strategy to promote gender equality.", "13. Governments, with the necessary support of the United Nations system, adopt various approaches to integrating a gender perspective into their development strategies. Increasingly, gender issues are identified as priority or cross-cutting issues that need to be systematically incorporated at all stages of policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.", "14. For example, the National Development Plan 2010-2014 of El Salvador incorporates gender issues as a cross-cutting issue and identifies as priority areas the eradication of poverty and gender-based discrimination and violence. In the Indonesian development workplan, gender mainstreaming is one of the guiding principles in all national development programmes and activities[5]. In line with its long-standing commitment to gender equality, New Zealand demands that all government agencies base their policies on gender analysis. It also requires that all documents submitted to the Cabinet Social Policy Committee include a description of gender implications.", "15. In other cases, countries devote a separate section of their national development strategies to specific priorities related to women and girls, such as girls ' education, reproductive health, women ' s participation in decision-making and ways of combating violence against women. In its Eleventh Five-Year National Plan (2011-2015), the Syrian Arab Republic intends to reduce gender inequality and promote women ' s empowerment in such areas as higher education, health and poverty reduction, although this is only partially proposed in other sectors, such as justice.", "16. In several countries, United Nations agencies have supported national Governments to ensure gender mainstreaming in national development strategies implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes. For example, in 2010, UNDP helped more than 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to integrate a gender perspective into national planning and implementation frameworks. In 2009, UNDP, in collaboration with UNFPA, provided technical support to the Government of Maldives to mainstream a gender perspective into its five-year development strategy and related monitoring and evaluation frameworks. In the Republic of Moldova, UNDP supported gender mainstreaming in several development plans, including the national development strategy. UN-Women, in collaboration with UNFPA, provided technical support to the Government of Indonesia to establish gender mainstreaming indicators in the national development plan. In Jordan, UNFPA, in collaboration with UNDP, supported the Government in its efforts to strengthen mechanisms to monitor progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and national priorities, including gender equality and women ' s empowerment.", "17. Many countries have developed action plans on gender equality, which complement national development strategies, but the relationship between the two policy instruments varies widely from country to country. Some countries take concrete steps to harmonize national action plans on gender equality with national development strategies. In others, national action plans on gender equality constitute a chapter of national development strategies. Experience indicates that alignment between the two instruments is more effective when the action plan on gender equality is formulated as a result of national and sectoral consultations or when explicit links between the two documents are established during the formulation process[7].", "18. National mechanisms dealing with gender equality are essential components of all efforts to achieve gender equality. These mechanisms are commonly responsible for promoting, supporting and monitoring gender mainstreaming in all policy areas, including national development strategies. They play a leading role in formulating and monitoring the implementation of gender equality plans, strategies and programmes and are often responsible for coordinating and monitoring gender mainstreaming and capacity-building in all government bodies. Where national mechanisms work closely with civil society organizations, in particular women ' s organizations, and involve them in the formulation of national policies and strategies, there is a stronger collective voice that advocates the priority needs of women in the country. National mechanisms also contribute to strengthening the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data in all sectors (see E/CN.6/2010/2).", "19. It is therefore critical that national mechanisms dealing with gender equality have the necessary resources, capacities and skills to effectively fulfil their mandates. A study of national mechanisms to promote gender equality in 2010 found that progress had been made on a number of fronts, including increased political visibility on the implementation of the goals of gender equality and women ' s empowerment, wider use of the gender mainstreaming strategy in all regions, capacity-building to address gender equality issues and improved data collection and analysis. However, national gender equality mechanisms continue to face challenges in their catalytic role in gender mainstreaming, such as marginalization within the government structure, frequent reorganization and changes in management, imprecise and poorly structured mandates, shortage of staff and budgetary resources, insufficient technical knowledge to promote gender equality, both within the framework of national mechanisms and in other State bodies,", "20. Several Member States that contributed to the present report provided examples of actions taken and results achieved by national mechanisms. The Salvadoran Institute for Women ' s Development formulated the National Women ' s Policy 2011-2014 in support of the national development plan. The National Policy considers women ' s economic empowerment as a priority area of action and aims to eliminate all direct and indirect forms of discrimination in existing labour and economic policy instruments.", "21. In Fiji, the Plan of Action for Women (2009-2018), prepared by the Department of Women, includes policy objectives of the National Development Plan and Strategic Framework for Change and the Pacific Platform for Action 2005-2015. The Plan contains a gender analysis of Government policies and programmes and identifies areas of critical activity, as well as appropriate strategies for the consideration of the Government.", "22. In Afghanistan, the Ministry of Women ' s Affairs integrated a gender perspective into national development strategy programmes. The Ministry, which chairs three mechanisms under the national development strategy, prepared the chapter on gender equality and conducted a final review of the other chapters from a gender perspective in order to integrate gender equality as a cross-cutting strategy.[9] With the support of UN-Women, the Ministry intended to implement the national action plan for women in Afghanistan, for which, inter alia, it supported sectoral ministries and local authorities in implementing their commitments under the Plan and monitoring its implementation in 18 relevant ministries[10].", "23. In New Zealand, the Ministry of Women ' s Affairs supports and advises Government agencies on policies that have a direct impact on women, giving priority in their work to areas where improvements need to be made, such as the increase in the number of women in leadership positions, efforts to combat violence against women and the achievement of greater economic independence for all women. Similarly, in Australia, the Inter-Departmental Committee on Women addresses gender mainstreaming with a Government-wide approach to ensure that gender issues are taken into account in all policies, services and initiatives and that their impact on women and men is carefully assessed.[11]", "24. In Denmark, the Ministry for Gender Equality is responsible for the Government ' s initiatives in this area, and is responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of government policies. The Minister also advises Parliament on gender equality.", "25. In Italy, the Department of Equal Opportunities coordinated a project that has offered workshops and training courses to 12 ministries on gender mainstreaming in various sectors. The project included support for the formulation of social and economic policies that promote gender equality and women ' s empowerment and build capacity to integrate a gender perspective into planning and policy-making processes.", "26. In some countries, the relevant ministries cooperate with national gender equality mechanisms to integrate gender perspectives into sectoral policies and programmes. In Togo, the Ministry of Community and Gremio Development, Youth and Youth Employment works closely with the national machinery for the promotion of gender equality and non-governmental organizations, including through outreach and capacity-building campaigns. In Greece, the National Programme for Gender Substantive Equality (2010-2013) fosters cooperation between the General Secretariat for Gender Equality and other sectoral ministries in order to incorporate a gender perspective into all sectors.", "27. United Nations entities also supported Member States in their efforts to integrate gender perspectives into development plans in various sectors and areas such as health, employment, occupational training and life-preparation, counter-treatment of persons, reproductive health, education and training for women, women ' s political participation and human rights, women ' s leadership and conflict-making training, decision-making and resolution. UN-Women supported efforts to mainstream a gender perspective across sectors, using various means, including the provision of technical assistance to Member States, the facilitation of dialogue between Governments and civil society, collaboration with national mechanisms to promote gender equality and the strengthening of the capacity of civil society organizations, especially women ' s organizations.", "28. Increased capacity of staff and institutions, through training, the formulation of guidelines and other instruments, is a critical factor in ensuring that gender issues are more systematically reflected in national policies and in their implementation. In Afghanistan, the Ministry of Women ' s Affairs provided guidance for the formulation of the national development strategy on gender mainstreaming. In Mexico, the Social Development Secretariat modified the operational standards of the country ' s different programmes to ensure that gender aspects are taken into account in their implementation. It is envisaged that the new programmes should explicitly refer to the contributions they will make to promote equality between women and men, through the gradual incorporation of the gender perspective and the collection and use of sex-disaggregated data and indicators on programme beneficiaries and their outcomes. In Senegal, the Technical Committee on Gender Issues, which includes representatives of the Government, civil society and the gender theme group of the United Nations country team, issued a note on key issues to be addressed in integrating a gender perspective into the third poverty reduction strategy paper.", "29. Systematic integration of a gender perspective in the formulation and implementation of national development strategies requires sectoral interventions, as well as intersectoral approaches and partnerships among all stakeholders, including relevant ministries, development partners, civil society, networks of women ' s organizations and the private sector. In Togo, for example, the Ministry of Community Development and the Guilds, Youth and Youth Employment organizes every two years forums of the sectors concerned on the formulation, implementation and monitoring of national development strategies to review progress. The Government of Indonesia stipulated that women ' s groups should be represented in national development planning processes to ensure that women ' s interests were incorporated into them.[12]", "30. In some countries, collaboration between national gender equality mechanisms and United Nations entities has ensured the participation of civil society and women ' s groups in national development planning processes. For example, in Ecuador, UN-Women worked with national mechanisms to support and facilitate discussions between the Government and civil society. As a result, gender equality was duly incorporated into the National Plan for Good Living, which includes 46 policies aimed at achieving gender equality and an approach based on gender equality in 12 strategic objectives.[13]", "31. In India, UN-Women, UNFPA, UNDP and UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government, coordinated multiple consultations between the Government and women ' s organizations during the formulation of a five-year national development plan. This initiative enabled women to incorporate priorities at the community level and their needs into the five-year plan and facilitated an open, participatory and transparent process.[14]", "32. The effectiveness of national development strategies and action plans on gender equality depends to a large extent and benefits from the inclusion of annual targets for which specific costs can be allocated and accompanied by adequate and sustainable budgets for implementation. In El Salvador, the Equality and Equity Act recognizes the need for adequate public resources to be allocated in the next national public budget. The special law that defends women ' s right to a life free of violence provides for the allocation of public resources for their implementation. The Act stipulates that the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, should ensure that annual allocations are included in the national budget to finance institutions that deal with their implementation.", "An example of good practice: gender budgeting and planning", "33. In recent years, more national Governments have taken concrete steps to systematically support gender planning and budgeting. That is why public planning, programming and budgeting are meant to contribute to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. This requires the identification of the necessary interventions to achieve this equality in government policies and budgets, and the monitoring and evaluation of economic resources for the implementation of government commitments on gender equality. Such measures can help Governments decide when and how policies need to be changed and how resources should be redeployed to achieve equality goals.", "34. Since its first use in Australia in the 1980s, gender-responsive budgeting has received increasing attention from Governments and non-governmental organizations. This interest was intensified at the international level when the Beijing Platform for Action emphasized that Governments should take steps to systematically review how women benefit from public sector expenditures, adjust budgets for equal access to public sector expenditures, and meet gender commitments at other United Nations summits and conferences (see A/CONF.177/20/Rev.1, para. 346).", "35. More than 60 national gender-responsive budgeting initiatives currently exist in the various regions. Several United Nations entities, including UNDP, UNFPA and UN-Women, support such budgeting initiatives worldwide. In 2008, UN-Women, in collaboration with the European Commission, launched a programme to integrate gender-responsive budgeting into the international aid effectiveness agenda. During the initial phase of this triennial programme, research was conducted in 10 developing countries[15] to determine how gender-responsive budgeting instruments and strategies had been used in the context of aid modalities. In the study, UN-Women and the European Commission indicated that gender mainstreaming in national planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation systems and tools could enhance aid effectiveness in achieving gender equality goals through improved management and delivery of assistance by recipient countries. It is therefore necessary to apply gender-responsive approaches to donor practices, national processes and joint coordination mechanisms[16]. Based on the findings of the study, the second phase of the programme is under way, providing specialized technical support to five countries.[17]", "36. In Latin America, gender-responsive budgeting has been introduced in many countries, including Argentina, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru. The budgetary guidelines issued by the ministries of planning, economy or finance of several of these countries require sectoral ministries and local authorities to allocate budgetary resources for programmes dealing with gender equality. In Ecuador, the Ministry of Finance developed a budget classification specifically aimed at monitoring government allocations and expenditures for the implementation of the equal opportunity plan. In addition, a number of academic institutions are currently working to train public employees for gender-responsive planning and budgeting. Some academic institutions such as the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences offer courses on gender and macroeconomics and the development of gender-responsive budgets to public officials in the planning and budgeting departments of Ecuador. At the local level, participatory budgeting processes in several countries in the region, especially in Ecuador and the Plurinational State of Bolivia, have served as a starting point for women to participate actively in the formulation of local policies, through hearings and consultations with civil society organizations. Similarly, women ' s organizations in Brazil persuaded the Government to increase the financial resources for programmes relating to women ' s health and violence against women.[18]", "37. In Morocco, measures have been taken since 2002 to integrate gender equality aspects into the planning and budgeting tools and processes, as part of the reform of public finance and public administration management systems. Since 2007, and for three consecutive years, the budget guidelines issued by the Prime Minister included recommendations on addressing gender equality issues in sectoral plans and budgets. A report on gender issues is included in an annex to the annual budget, in which the sectoral ministries reflect the results of the indicators on gender. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, a comprehensive approach to capacity-building has been adopted that has helped to strengthen the capacity of the planning and budgeting staff of the Ministry of Finance and sectoral ministries. The Ministry of Finance has also actively facilitated South-South learning with various countries, such as Ecuador, Haiti and Senegal.[19]", "38. In Rwanda, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning directs efforts to mainstream gender into national planning and budgeting processes. In response to the high demand for training, the Rwandan School of Finance and Banking has established a gender-responsive economic policy management programme for budget and planning officials, focusing on poverty reduction strategies and macroeconomic policy. The course prepares participants to understand the links between macroeconomic policies and gender inequality. At the sectoral level, Rwanda has sought to integrate a gender perspective into the agricultural sector, supporting a group of community civil society organizations to expand their capacity to analyse and monitor gender-responsive budgets[20].", "39. In the United Republic of Tanzania, under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, training is being carried out for economists and budget officers in some ministries, departments and agencies to implement gender-responsive budgeting at the sectoral level and to align sectoral programmes with gender equality indicators of the national economic growth and poverty reduction strategy. In addition, five African countries[21] are making investments to improve women ' s access to local resources and services through gender planning, programming and budgeting to better respond to women ' s priorities.[22]", "40. In Nepal, the Ministry of Finance introduced gender-responsive budgeting in 2007-2008 as part of the overall reform of the budget system, and requested ministries to classify the budgets of their programmes based on support for gender equality, using five indicators for this purpose: increasing women ' s capacity; women ' s participation in the formulation and implementation of programmes; the extent to which women ' s public expenditure benefits; s income; s support; s work; The budget classification has enabled the establishment of a monitoring system that facilitates greater institutional accountability for strengthening results-oriented management and the continued use of gender-based budget analysis to guide programme planning and formulation. A gender budgeting committee oversees this initiative[23].", "41. The facts indicate that gender-responsive budgeting has helped to address the disparity between Governments ' commitments to gender equality and resource allocation, to promote accountability for the use of public resources for women, and to increase transparency in policy processes through the participation of civil society. In addition, gender-sensitive budgeting initiatives have contributed in other areas, such as capacity-building for planning and budgeting of State agencies, especially in the context of budgetary reform; policy change and the development of operational frameworks to mainstream gender perspectives into budgetary systems; wider participation of gender equality advocates in planning and budgeting processes; and support for budgetary monitoring initiatives.24", "IV. Gender mainstreaming in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework", "42. The United Nations has made concerted efforts to assist Member States in integrating a gender perspective into their development strategies, including through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, a common strategic framework for operational activities of the United Nations system at the country level. The Framework is formulated from the analytical and collaborative work involved in the preparation of the common country assessment, which reviews the development situation of each country and identifies major development challenges. The Framework provides a collective, coherent and integrated United Nations system response to national development priorities, in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as other internationally agreed development goals.", "43. Since the formulation of the first development assistance frameworks in the late 1990s, efforts have been made to strengthen the gender perspective in them, as well as in common country assessments. In order to review the progress made in gender mainstreaming in the evaluation process and development assistance frameworks, multiple studies have been commissioned, the latter reviewed 51 evaluations and assistance frameworks prepared between 2006 and 2009.[25] A little more than half of the 51 frameworks studied noted gender equality as a cross-cutting theme and explicitly described the results of equality. It was noted that all evaluations cited relevant gender-disaggregated data, including data on women ' s health and girls ' education.", "44. Planning and programming focused heavily on the two traditional areas of women ' s health and girls ' education, although development assistance frameworks also increasingly focused on women ' s political participation. About half of the frameworks focused on strengthening women ' s representation and participation in decision-making. Very few referred to women ' s livelihoods and their access to productive resources.[26]", "45. Combating violence against women has become more important and nearly a quarter of the development assistance frameworks are identified as one of the priority areas of action[27], compared with previous generations ' assistance frameworks[28], which gave it relatively little attention. It was surprising to note that very few assistance frameworks made substantive reference to country experiences in the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and reporting on the subject, either as a diagnostic or accountability tool. Moreover, although many countries noted traditional norms and practices that discriminate against women as obstacles to women ' s choice and participation in decision-making, few proposed specific measures or activities to address that situation.[29]", "46. Increased progress has been made in monitoring and evaluation. Significant progress was made in the previous generations of development assistance frameworks in a number of areas, including the clear formulation of gender equality results, the formulation of results relating to results equality in other areas, and the establishment of specific relationships between what needs to be measured and indicators of monitoring and evaluation frameworks[30].", "47. The study identified the following factors that contributed to the more effective mainstreaming of gender equality priorities in development assistance frameworks: strong leadership support and the allocation of adequate resources to gender clusters; a coherent analysis of key challenges, clearly linked to programme outcomes; a robust implementation process and an effective mechanism for determining progress; a clear gender equality framework;", "48. Although it had been noted as a limitation in the previous review in 2006[32], information on resources specifically allocated for the purposes of gender equality remained insufficient. In general, very few assistance frameworks specified the amount or percentage of resources allocated for the achievement of gender equality results, either as a separate area of activity or as part of the achievement of other expected objectives. In the latter case, resources were allocated on the basis of results, but it was difficult to determine the amounts for gender equality and the empowerment of women as part of them. The highest proportion of funds earmarked for gender equality in a development assistance framework was 9 per cent, but the average fluctuated between 3 and 4 per cent.[33]", "49. A strong commitment to gender equality in policy guidance and policy directives is critical to strengthening gender planning and programming. The guidelines for common country assessments and United Nations development assistance frameworks, initially issued by the United Nations Development Group in 1999 and the most recent revision of which was carried out in 2010, recognize that gender mainstreaming and gender-specific interventions are key strategies for analysis and strategic planning that support the United Nations, and include gender equality as one of the five interrelated principles.", "50. The guidelines highlight the importance of harmonization with national development priorities and strategies, as well as partnerships with women ' s groups and gender equality advocates in the development of aid frameworks[35]. Although close to half of the 51 assistance frameworks demonstrated clear linkages with national development priorities, only a few identified the participation of national gender equality mechanisms and consultation with women ' s organizations as part of the process.[36]", "51. Many country teams used gender clusters as the main coordination mechanism to ensure that gender aspects are reflected in development assistance frameworks. While research has shown that the existence of a strong thematic cluster on gender issues contributes to better gender mainstreaming in aid frameworks[37], in some regions the United Nations country teams are gradually leaning towards thematic clusters that reflect priority areas of aid frameworks, which in many cases do not provide for gender equality as a separate outcome.", "52. The thematic groups on gender issues are often responsible for ensuring gender mainstreaming in development assistance frameworks and other United Nations development programmes at the country level. In some countries, gender clusters also participate in the formulation of national development strategies, providing technical and analytical assistance to national Governments. In Viet Nam, for example, the gender coordination group coordinated a gender analysis of the draft national development strategy for 2011-2015. While many gender thematic groups operate as United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanisms, an increasing number of such groups are co-chaired by the relevant national mechanisms, with the participation of government and civil society representatives, or co-chaired by donors and other stakeholders. For example, the gender coordination group in Viet Nam has been co-chaired by UN-Women and the national machinery for gender equality since 2008.[38]", "53. To ensure accountability for the integration of gender equality into development assistance frameworks, the guidelines identify gender audits and performance indicators on gender equality established by the United Nations Development Group as key tools for assessing progress in gender mainstreaming at the operational level. The gender audit methodology, established by ILO, uses a self-assessment approach to monitor and assess the achievement of gender equality through objective data and stakeholder perceptions. In 2008, United Nations country teams were requested to establish a baseline for their performance, using the indicators of the United Nations Development Group, together with the gender audit methodology, to identify changes over time. As a result, some 25 country teams started the evaluation in 2008 and by the end of 2010, 14 teams had completed it[39] and were applying their findings to achieve a more determined response to gender equality[40].", "54. Another relevant United Nations system accountability mechanism is the annual report of the resident coordinator, which reviews the performance of country teams. In 2006, the format and guidance of the resident coordinator ' s annual report were strengthened by the inclusion of a section on gender equality, to more systematically capture the results achieved, in accordance with the request contained in the triennial comprehensive policy review on operational activities of the United Nations development system (General Assembly resolution 59/250).", "55. Since 2004, the annual reports of resident coordinators have been reviewed by UNIFEM staff (now UN-Women) to identify gender-related reporting trends. The annual reviews have indicated a significant increase in reports submitted by United Nations country teams on gender equality initiatives. The higher rate of increase was recorded in the reports on initiatives to end violence against women; 28 country teams reported on this issue in 2004, compared with 96 in 2009. Many factors may have contributed to the increase, including the Secretary-General ' s campaign “united to end violence against women” and the growing demand of Governments as a result of advocacy for women ' s human rights defenders. The support provided to national gender equality mechanisms for capacity-building was increased from 2004 to 2009; 53 resident coordinators reported on country teams activities in 2009 compared to 11 resident coordinators in 2004. Assistance to programmes aimed at strengthening reproductive health and reducing maternal mortality, and support for reporting on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action also increased significantly in the same period (see E/2001/112 and UNW/2011/9). A number of specific funding mechanisms such as the Fund for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals sponsored by Spain and the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women have contributed to increased joint programming to achieve gender equality (see UNW/2011/9).", "V. The role of donors in gender mainstreaming in development assistance", "56. The structure of development assistance has changed considerably in recent years, since the adoption in 2005 of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. In order to improve the management and delivery of official development assistance, the Paris Declaration outlines various commitments from donors and development partners, based on five principles that include country ownership, harmonization, alignment, results-oriented management and mutual accountability. However, the Paris Declaration has been criticized for its gender neutrality, as the goals and indicators set out in it do not place sufficient emphasis on the achievement of results that incorporate a gender perspective or ensure attention to gender issues in processes and instruments.", "57. In 2008, in response to the call for the integration of a gender perspective into the aid effectiveness agenda, donor countries adopted the Accra Agenda for Action, which has succeeded in linking aid management systems with human rights and gender equality standards more effectively. Donors recognized the importance of such equality in aid and development effectiveness and pledged to ensure that development policies and programmes are formulated and implemented in a manner consistent with their international commitments on gender equality.", "58. In 2011, the Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey included for the first time an optional module on gender equality.[41] The responses to the survey[42] highlighted actions taken by Governments to respond to the priorities of partner countries on gender equality. However, donors did not allocate sufficient human and financial resources to fully implement their commitments in that area. It was found that there was a link between the use of sex-disaggregated data and increased attention to gender mainstreaming and the allocation of increased budgetary resources to gender equality and the empowerment of women. However, sex-disaggregated data were rarely systematically collected and donors provided little aid for their compilation. In addition, sex-disaggregated data were not always used to guide the decision-making process.", "59. More concerted efforts are needed to ensure that Governments ' commitments to gender equality and women ' s empowerment are fully reflected in the process of formulating, implementing and monitoring all official development assistance. The fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, in November 2011, will provide an opportunity for Member States to move beyond the political reaffirmation of the importance of gender equality within the framework of development assistance, to integrate gender-responsive budgeting into the aid management system and to strengthen the capacity of national Governments to implement gender-sensitive planning, budgeting and monitoring.", "60. Outside the context of aid effectiveness, donors and international organizations have also taken initiatives to strengthen gender equality in development cooperation. For example, in the period 2007-2010, the European Commission, UN-Women and the International Training Centre of ILO established the European Commission and the United Nations Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace in 12 recipient countries, including countries that had recently emerged from a conflict.[43] Among other objectives, the programme sought to ensure the full integration of gender equality and women ' s human rights into national development processes and cooperation programmes supported by the European Commission. While it was felt that the programme had been able to prepare the ground for changes in institutions and behaviour, other measures were needed to make a profound and lasting change in the behaviour of the European Commission and other donors in terms of gender equality and aid effectiveness.[44] Future work in this area should be based on a multi-strategic approach to addressing short- and long-term needs with various interventions including training, technical assistance, resource development and increased access to information.", "61. In 2010, the European Union adopted a Plan of Action on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Development (2010-2015)[45] to strengthen coordination within the European Union with regard to gender equality policies in development cooperation with partner countries in order to achieve greater impact on the ground. The Plan also commits the European Union to take advantage of the preliminary work of the Association of the European Commission and the United Nations on gender equality for development and peace and the Network on Gender Equality of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on gender mainstreaming in the aid effectiveness agenda. The Plan provides a framework for the European Union to renew its commitment to achieving gender equality.", "62. Several countries have committed to mainstreaming gender equality at all stages of development cooperation programmes in order to promote human rights, sustainable development, poverty eradication and economic growth. In Denmark, equality between men and women is one of the five priorities of the development cooperation strategy, entitled " Freedom of poverty, freedom of change " , launched in 2010 and building on the momentum created by the Danish campaign to promote Millennium Development Goal 3. The objectives of the strategy are to ensure equal rights, equal access and control of resources and equal opportunities for women and men to exercise political and economic influence.", "63. In Spain, gender in development is one of the five priority areas of the 2009-2012 Cooperation Plan, which aims to strengthen gender equality through sectoral and cross-sectoral activities in cooperation programmes and projects and the promotion of equality policies. Spain ' s Strategic Plan for Equal Opportunities for 2008-2011 makes explicit reference to gender mainstreaming as a guiding principle and identifies development assistance among its strategic objectives. The document includes an appeal for studies of the differential impact on men and women in policy and enforcement decision-making and warns the need to change the political and technical procedures of institutions accordingly.", "64. The creation of mechanisms and tools to address gender equality issues has been critical in strengthening sectoral programmes and capacity-building for staff involved in effective gender mainstreaming. For example, the New Zealand Programme of Assistance has been proposed to improve the gender outcomes of its development assistance programmes, providing gender analysis tools to staff, providing training for gender mainstreaming, monitoring activities and hiring a gender specialist to promote gender mainstreaming. The Danish International Development Agency and the Danish Gender Equality Department have developed online learning materials that have been incorporated into the staff training plans of several ministries. With funding from the European Union, the Department is developing a web-based tool that will support public authorities and institutions in their work of mainstreaming a gender perspective into all aspects of public planning and administration. Since 2005, Japan established gender focal points in its 96 embassies in recipient countries to monitor good practices in gender-sensitive projects.", "65. Donors, bilateral development partners and international organizations play a key role in ensuring that the financial resources allocated for the purposes of gender equality are adequate and increased at the national and international levels. In 1997 to enhance donor capacity and accountability for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through assistance, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development developed a gender equality policy marker as part of the reporting system of creditor countries, the database used by the Development Assistance Committee to facilitate the monitoring and coordination of the activities of its members.", "66. The gender equality policy marker provides a classification system to determine the extent to which the various programmes, funds or activities promote gender equality and women ' s empowerment, based on three categories: “main objective”, “important objective” and “activity not directed at the policy objective”. Gender equality is considered to be a “main objective” of a given activity when explicitly mentioned among its objectives and is at the heart of its design. The “important objective” classification indicates that gender equality is an important but secondary objective of the activity, and that it is not one of the main reasons for its implementation. “Not addressed to the policy objective” means that the activity has been discussed in relation to that objective but it has been determined that it is not aimed at achieving it.", "67. Recent efforts have been made to adopt a gender marker in United Nations system agencies, including UNDP, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, UNFPA, UNICEF and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.[46] These efforts have shown that the gender marker system is more than a measurement tool and that its implementation has improved the quality of programmes in various sectors that respond to the different circumstances of women and girls.", "68. In addition to the gender marker system, the various donor countries also closely follow the allocation of resources in their development assistance programmes. In 2009, close to 22 per cent of the total amount of Denmark ' s development assistance was used to finance activities that were directly or indirectly aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. The allocations for gender-related activities are recorded either as targeted interventions or as interventions that have incorporated those objectives. The Norwegian Government indicated that KK 868 million had been channelled through 89 partner entities (multilateral institutions and Norwegian non-governmental organizations) dealing with economic development and trade, for which the promotion of women ' s rights and gender equality was a major objective, or a secondary objective.", "VI. Conclusions and recommendations", "69. The achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women are essential to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. National planning processes provide important opportunities for gender mainstreaming. While progress has been uneven, Governments have undertaken multiple initiatives in this regard, such as gender mainstreaming, or as cross-cutting issues that need to be systematically integrated into all sectors and at all stages of the policy process. However, in some countries, gender perspectives have been integrated only partially into some specific sectors.", "70. Beyond outreach, capacity-building and training, concerted efforts are needed to effectively mainstream gender perspectives into national development policies and strategies. Common strategies include capacity-building and technical expertise of sectoral ministries, as well as national mechanisms to promote gender equality; strengthening accountability, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; providing adequate human and economic resources; and enhancing the participation of civil society, in particular women ' s organizations, in national development planning processes. Gender-responsive budgeting has been designed as an effective tool to ensure that adequate resources are allocated to achieve the goals of equality between men and women. To this end, the technical experience of the various ministries, including finance, needs to be expanded.", "71. The United Nations system and donors are increasingly taking steps to integrate gender perspectives into all aspects of development cooperation, including through support to national development plans. Emphasis should be placed on the need to integrate gender perspectives into all development cooperation, based on national ownership of such initiatives. Measures to ensure that gender perspectives are considered in development assistance include: resource monitoring mechanisms allocated to the achievement of gender equality goals; coordination mechanisms with a gender equality approach; and accountability mechanisms to measure and monitor results. The provision of bilateral and multilateral funding should be properly coordinated and should be clearly aimed at the purposes of gender equality, and gender perspectives should be systematically integrated into the aid effectiveness agenda.", "72. The General Assembly may wish to request Member States and all relevant sectors to take the following actions:", "Mainstreaming a gender perspective", "• Systematically integrate a gender perspective in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all national development strategies and policies and sectoral plans and ensure consistency between national action plans on gender equality and national development strategies", "• Building on lessons learned from experience and expanding and deepening efforts to mainstream a gender perspective into common country assessments and United Nations development assistance frameworks", "• Strengthen UN-Women collaborative efforts with United Nations country teams to assist Member States in integrating a gender perspective into national development policies and strategies", "Participation and accountability", "• Strengthen the impact and contribution of national mechanisms to promote gender equality at all stages of national development planning processes and all sectoral plans", "• Strengthen the role and capacity of thematic clusters on gender issues, supporting United Nations country teams on gender equality issues and facilitating gender mainstreaming in national development strategies and plans", "• Achieving greater transparency and participation in national development planning processes, involving civil society, especially women ' s organizations, in the formulation and monitoring of national development strategies and other related policy instruments", "Allocation and monitoring of resources", "• Develop and adopt effective measurement mechanisms to monitor and monitor national, United Nations and donor resources allocated to achieve the goals of gender equality", "• Strengthen capacity for gender mainstreaming, by allocating adequate human and financial resources to sectoral ministries, by establishing dedicated gender equality units, or by strengthening existing units, by facilitating the training of technical staff and developing tools and guidelines for these purposes", "• Ensure that donors allocate adequate resources for the full implementation of their gender equality commitments, broaden the scope of donor support to gender equality priorities in all sectors and in strategic areas, and improve the impact and quality of funding for gender equality", "Measures and instruments", "• Develop and strengthen methodologies and tools to systematically introduce gender-responsive budgeting in all sectors and national development planning and budgeting processes, and to effectively implement gender-responsive budgeting in donor practices and joint coordination mechanisms", "• Improve and systematize the collection, analysis and dissemination of sex-disaggregated data, strengthen capacity-building in this area and develop gender-sensitive indicators to support national policy formulation and monitoring and reporting systems on progress and impact achieved", "Least developed countries", "• Ensuring full implementation of commitments on gender equality under the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries", "[1] Contributions were received from the Governments of Denmark, El Salvador, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, New Zealand and Togo. Contributions were also made by the following United Nations entities: the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the United Nations", "[2] Unless otherwise indicated, the data contained in the present report have been taken from the 2011 Millennium Development Goals Report (New York, 2011).", "[3] UNICEF, Crisis Opportunities: Preventing HIV from the first adolescence to the beginning of adulthood (New York, 2011).", "[4] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The World State of Agriculture and Food, 2010-2011: Women in agriculture: closing the gender gap for development (Rome, 2011).", "[5] ESCAP, Strengthening National Mechanisms for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women: Regional Study – Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, 2010). Available at http://www.unescap.org/sdd/publications/gender/2010-Regional-Study-on-NWM.pdf.", "[6] Information based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[7] Ibid.", "[8] Rounaq Jahan, “Strengthening national mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women: a global synthesis study”, prepared by the Division for the Advancement of Women (now UN-Women) (New York, 2010). Available at http://www.un.org/ women/daw/Technical Cooperation/GLOBAL_SYNTHESIS_REPORT_Dec%202010.pdf .", "[9] ESCAP, 2010.", "[10] Information based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[11] ESCAP, 2010.", "[12] Ibid.", "[13] Information based on inputs from UN-Women.", "[14] Ibid.", "[15] Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Uganda.", "[16] UNIFEM (now UN-Women), How can aid be gender sensitive in the context of new forms of cooperation?, Gender Responsive Budgeting and Aid Effectiveness Knowledge Briefs Series (New York, 2009).", "[17] Cameroon, Nepal, Peru, the United Republic of Tanzania and Rwanda.", "[18] Information based on UN-Women inputs.", "[19] Ibid.", "[20] Ibid.", "[21] Mozambique, the United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal and Sierra Leone.", "[22] Information based on UN-Women inputs.", "[23] Ibid.", "[24] Ibid.", "[25] Study commissioned by the United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality on strengthening gender equality in United Nations development assistance frameworks (New York, 2010).", "[26] Ibid.", "[27] Ibid.", "[28] Survey commissioned by the United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality on gender analysis and gender mainstreaming in common country programming (New York, 2006).", "[29] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[30] Ibid.", "[31] Ibid.", "[32] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2006.", "[33] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[34] United Nations Development Group, “How to Prepare a United Nations Development Assistance Framework: Guidelines for United Nations Country Teams”, (New York, 2010).", "[35] Ibid.", "[36] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[37] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2006.", "[38] Information based on UN-Women inputs.", "[39] The reports of the evaluations of the 14 teams in countries using the performance indicators on gender equality of the United Nations Development Group are on the site: http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=222 strangerSO=DATE#s2.", "[40] United Nations Development Group Task Force on Gender Equality, 2010.", "[41] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Desarrrollo, “Findings and messages from the gender equality module of the 2011 Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey”, Paris, 2011. Available at http://www.gender-budgets.org/index.php?option=com_joomdoc faketask=doc_details hypogid=1253 luminousItemid=565.", "[42] In total, 24 countries responded to the optional module on gender equality: Albania, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Comoros, Ecuador, Egypt, Gabon, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, the Niger, Peru, the Republic of Moldova, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Togo and Zambia.", "[43] Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Suriname and Ukraine.", "[44] UN-Women, Final Report submitted to the European Commission on the Association of the European Commission and the United Nations on gender equality for development and peace.", "[45] See European Union Plan of Action on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Development (2010-2015).", "[46] Information based on inputs from UN-Women." ]

[ "Nota del Secretario General", "El Secretario General tiene el honor de transmitir al Consejo de Seguridad el informe adjunto de la Junta de Auditores sobre las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) correspondiente al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011.", "Cartas de envío", "31 de marzo de 2011", "De conformidad con lo dispuesto en el párrafo 6.5 del Reglamento Financiero, tengo el honor de presentar los resultados de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011, que apruebo por la presente. El Contralor ha preparado los estados financieros y ha certificado su conformidad.", "(Firmado) BAN Ki-moon", "Sr. Liu Jiayi", "Presidente de la Junta de Auditores", "Naciones Unidas", "Nueva York", "12 de julio de 2011", "Tengo el honor de transmitirle el informe de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas sobre los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas", "Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas", "Nueva York", "Informe de la Junta de Auditores sobre las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) correspondiente al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011", "Índice", "PáginaI.Informe 5 de la Junta de Auditores (opinión de los \nauditores) II.Informe 7 de la Junta de Auditores (informe \ndetallado) \nA.Antecedentes 9B.Mandato, 9 alcance y \nmetodología C.Conclusiones 10 y \nrecomendaciones 1.Estado 10 de aplicación de las recomendaciones \nanteriores 2.Sinopsis 10 de la situación \nfinanciera 3.Actividades 10 de \nliquidación D.Información 13 suministrada por la \nAdministración 1.Paso 13 a pérdidas y ganancias de las pérdidas de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar y \nbienes 2. Pagos 13 a título \ngraciable 3. Casos 13 de fraude y de presunción de \nfraude \nE.Agradecimientos 13Anexo.Estadodeaplicaciónde 14 las recomendacionesdelaJunta parael períodode12mesesterminadoel31dediciembrede 2010 \ndelbienio2010-2011 III. Certificación 15 de los estados \nfinancieros IV.Estados 16 financieros correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio \n2010-2011 EstadosfinancieroI. 16 Cuentasde garantíabloqueadasde las NacionesUnidas establecidas con arregloalodispuestoentodas las resoluciones del ConsejodeSeguridadrelativasal Iraq(salvolaresolución 1958 \n(2010)) Estadofinanciero 18 II. Cuentasde garantíabloqueadasde las NacionesUnidas establecidas con arregloalodispuestoentodas las resoluciones del ConsejodeSeguridadrelativasal Iraq(salvolaresolución 1958 \n(2010)) Estadofinanciero 20 III. Cuentasde garantíabloqueadasde las NacionesUnidas establecidas con arregloalodispuestoentodas las resoluciones del ConsejodeSeguridadrelativasal Iraq(salvolaresolución 1958 \n(2010)) Notasa 22 los estados \nfinancieros", "I. Informe de la Junta de Auditores (opinión de los auditores)", "Informe sobre los estados financieros", "La Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas ha verificado los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007), que abarcan el estado de ingresos y gastos y variaciones de las reservas y saldos de los fondos (estado financiero I), el estado del activo, el pasivo y las reservas y saldos de los fondos al 31 de diciembre de 2010 (estado financiero II) y el estado de las corrientes de efectivo en el período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011 (estado financiero III), así como las notas a los estados financieros.", "Responsabilidad de la Administración respecto de los estados financieros", "El Secretario General es el responsable de la preparación y presentación correcta de los estados financieros, de conformidad con las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, y de los controles internos que estime necesario realizar para permitir la preparación de estados financieros que no contengan inexactitudes significativas, ya sea por fraude o por error.", "Responsabilidad de los auditores", "Nuestra función consiste en formular una opinión sobre los estados financieros basada en nuestro examen. Nuestra auditoría se ajusta a las Normas Internacionales de Auditoría, según las cuales tenemos la obligación de respetar determinados requisitos éticos y planificar y realizar la auditoría de manera que tengamos una certeza razonable de que los estados financieros no contienen inexactitudes significativas.", "La auditoría consiste en aplicar procedimientos para obtener evidencia de auditoría sobre las sumas y los datos consignados en los estados financieros. Los procedimientos elegidos dependen del criterio del auditor, incluida la evaluación de los riesgos de que los estados financieros contengan inexactitudes significativas, ya sea por fraude o por error. Al evaluar esos riesgos, el auditor examina los controles internos aplicables para la preparación y presentación correcta de los estados financieros por la entidad, a fin de concebir procedimientos de auditoría que sean adecuados a las circunstancias, pero no a los efectos de expresar una opinión sobre la eficacia de los controles internos de la entidad. La auditoría consiste también en determinar si las políticas contables aplicadas por la Administración son apropiadas y si sus estimaciones contables son razonables, así como en evaluar la presentación general de los estados financieros.", "Consideramos que la evidencia de auditoría que hemos obtenido es base suficiente y adecuada para formular nuestra opinión.", "Opinión", "A nuestro juicio, los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) presentan adecuadamente, en lo esencial, la situación financiera de esas cuentas de garantía bloqueadas al 31 de diciembre de 2010 y los resultados de la operaciones financieras y las corrientes de efectivo en el período de 12 meses terminado en esa fecha del bienio 2010-2011, de conformidad con las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "Informe sobre otros requisitos legales y reglamentarios", "A nuestro juicio, además, las transacciones de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq que se nos han comunicado o que hemos comprobado en el marco de nuestra auditoría se ajustan en lo sustancial al Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas y a la base legislativa pertinente.", "De conformidad con el artículo VII del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas, también hemos publicado un informe detallado sobre nuestra auditoría de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas (Auditor principal)", "(Firmado) Terence Nombembe Auditor General de la República de Sudáfrica", "(Firmado) Amyas Morse Contralor y Auditor General del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte", "12 de julio de 2011", "II. Informe de la Junta de Auditores (informe detallado)", "Resumen \nLa Junta de Auditores ha efectuado la auditoría de los estadosfinancieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las NacionesUnidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto enlas resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778(1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007)correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembrede 2010 del bienio 2010-2011. La auditoría se basó en un examen delas transacciones financieras realizadas durante el séptimo año delas operaciones de liquidación. Opinión de los auditores \nLa Junta emitió una opinión de auditoría sin reservas sobre losestados financieros del período examinado, como se indica en lasección I. Estado de aplicación de las recomendaciones anteriores \nDe las tres recomendaciones formuladas para el bienio 2008-2009, dosse encontraban en curso de aplicación y una había quedado superadapor los acontecimientos, como se indica en el anexo del informe de laJunta. La Junta alienta a la Administración a que aplique lasrecomendaciones lo antes posible. Sinopsis de la situación financiera \nEn el período examinado, el total de los ingresos ascendió a 3,68millones de dólares y el total de los gastos a 46,86 millones dedólares, lo que dio lugar a una insuficiencia de ingresos respecto delos gastos por valor de 43,18 millones de dólares. Al 31 de diciembrede 2010, el total del activo ascendía a 5,04 millones de dólares y elpasivo a 0,32 millones de dólares, y las reservas y saldos de losfondos se habían reducido a 4,72 millones de dólares. Actividades de liquidación En 2010, el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” se encontraba en elséptimo año de su proceso de liquidación, iniciado con la aprobaciónpor el Consejo de Seguridad de la resolución 1483 (2003). La Juntareconoce los progresos del Secretario General en la reducción de lossaldos relativos a las actividades residuales del Programa. En su resolución 1958 (2010), de 15 de diciembre de 2010, el Consejode Seguridad solicitó al Secretario General que adoptara todas lasmedidas necesarias para concluir todas las actividades residuales delPrograma. \nNo obstante, al 31 de diciembre de 2010 las cuentas de garantíabloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq aún estaban en fase deliquidación. Los principales factores que afectaban al cierrecompleto de las cuentas eran un retraso en la enajenación de losbienes no fungibles y la falta de liquidación de pequeñas cuentas porcobrar y por pagar. Recomendaciones La Junta recomendó a la Administración que tomara las medidaspertinentes para: a) Enajenar los bienes no fungibles restantes; b) Liquidar las cuentas por pagar y por cobrar pendientes; c) Transferir todos los fondos no comprometidos que quedaran en lascuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq alFondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq, de conformidad con las resolucionespertinentes del Consejo de Seguridad. \nPosteriormente se informó a la Junta de que la Administración habíaliquidado las cuentas por cobrar y por pagar que quedaban y habíatransferido los saldos restantes al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraqel 6 de junio de 2011. También se habían terminado de enajenar losbienes no fungibles, con excepción de los de un organismo.", "A. Antecedentes", "1. Las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq se establecieron en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007). En 2010, el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” se encontraba en el séptimo año de su proceso de liquidación, iniciado con la aprobación por el Consejo de Seguridad de la resolución 1483 (2003).", "2. En su resolución 1958 (2010), el Consejo de Seguridad solicitó al Secretario General que concluyera todas las actividades residuales del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” y lo autorizó a crear una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada. La Junta también ha efectuado una auditoría de los estados financieros de esa cuenta recién creada, que figura en un informe separado (véase S/2011/480).", "3. El Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq se estableció en virtud de la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad y, entre otras cosas, se debían transferir a dicho Fondo todos los fondos no comprometidos del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”. El mandato de la Junta no incluye la auditoría de las actividades o registros financieros del Fondo. Esa auditoría corre a cargo de auditores independientes nombrados y designados por el Gobierno del Iraq, con la aprobación de la Junta Internacional de Asesoramiento y Supervisión, órgano de supervisión del Fondo.", "B. Mandato, alcance y metodología", "4. La Junta de Auditores ha efectuado la auditoría de los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq y ha examinado sus actividades de liquidación correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010. La auditoría se ha hecho de conformidad con el artículo VII del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas y su anexo, así como con las Normas Internacionales de Auditoría. Con arreglo a esas normas, la Junta debe respetar determinados requisitos éticos y planificar y realizar la auditoría de manera que ofrezca garantías razonables de que los estados financieros no contienen inexactitudes significativas.", "5. La auditoría se llevó a cabo, ante todo, para que la Junta pudiera determinar si los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq presentaban adecuadamente su situación financiera al 31 de diciembre de 2010 y los resultados de las operaciones y las corrientes de efectivo correspondientes al período terminado en esa fecha, de conformidad con las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Esto incluía determinar si los gastos registrados en los estados financieros se habían realizado con los propósitos aprobados por los órganos rectores y si los ingresos y los gastos estaban debidamente clasificados y registrados de conformidad con el Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada. La auditoría incluyó un examen general de los sistemas financieros y los mecanismos de control interno, así como una verificación de los comprobantes de contabilidad y otros documentos justificativos, en la medida en que la Junta lo consideró necesario para formarse una opinión acerca de los estados financieros.", "6. De conformidad con la nota 3 a), puesto que las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq están en fase de liquidación, los estados financieros se presentaron de conformidad con la contabilidad en valores de liquidación, razón por la cual podría resultar necesario reclasificar elementos del activo y el pasivo y reconocer nuevos elementos en el pasivo. No obstante, la Administración indicó que, tras un examen atento, no era necesario hacer ningún ajuste en el activo o el pasivo de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq al 31 de diciembre de 2010 por encontrarse en fase de liquidación. La Junta coincide con la Administración a este respecto.", "7. El presente informe abarca cuestiones que, a juicio de la Junta, deben señalarse a la atención del Consejo de Seguridad. Las observaciones y conclusiones de la Junta se examinaron con la Administración, cuyas opiniones se han recogido debidamente en el presente informe.", "C. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "1. Estado de aplicación de las recomendaciones anteriores", "8. De las tres recomendaciones formuladas para el bienio anterior, terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2009 (véase S/2010/627), dos se encontraban en curso de aplicación y una había quedado superada por los acontecimientos, como se indica en el anexo de la presente sección.", "9. Aunque la Junta constató los esfuerzos de la Administración por aplicar las recomendaciones, insta a la Administración a que acelere la plena aplicación de las dos recomendaciones restantes a la mayor brevedad posible.", "2. Sinopsis de la situación financiera", "10. En el período examinado, el total de los ingresos ascendió a 3,68 millones de dólares, procedentes principalmente de los intereses obtenidos de depósitos a la vista y a plazo y de la cuenta mancomunada. El total de los gastos ascendió a 46,86 millones de dólares, debido principalmente a una pérdida de 44,84 millones de dólares por fluctuaciones de los tipos de cambio. Ello dio lugar a una insuficiencia de ingresos respecto de los gastos por valor de 43,18 millones de dólares.", "11. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010, el total del activo ascendía a 5,04 millones de dólares, de los cuales 4,90 millones de dólares eran recursos en efectivo (depósitos a la vista y a plazo y cuenta mancomunada), mientras que el pasivo ascendía a 0,32 millones de dólares. El total de las reservas y saldos de los fondos se había reducido a 4,72 millones de dólares al 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "3. Actividades de liquidación", "Actividades de liquidación de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq de conformidad con las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 1483 (2003) y 1958 (2010)", "12. Tras dos prórrogas concedidas por el Consejo de Seguridad, en 2010 el proceso de liquidación del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”, iniciado con la aprobación por el Consejo de Seguridad de la resolución 1483 (2003), se encontraba en su séptimo año. La Junta observó que la Secretaría había realizado constantes esfuerzos para determinar la situación de las cartas de crédito pendientes y facilitar la resolución de los pagos pendientes. Como consecuencia de ello, a finales de 2010 el número de cartas de crédito se había reducido de las 69 del año anterior a 43, por un valor total de 101 millones de dólares.", "13. Habida cuenta de que el Gobierno del Iraq no expediría ninguna confirmación adicional de llegada de bienes y servicios con arreglo al Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”, el 15 de diciembre de 2010 el Consejo de Seguridad aprobó la resolución 1958 (2010), en que se solicitó al Secretario General que adoptara todas las medidas necesarias para concluir todas las actividades residuales del Programa y creara una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada con 20 millones de dólares para gastos de administración y hasta 131 millones de dólares como fondo de reserva para indemnizaciones. En la misma resolución, el Consejo solicitó al Secretario General que transfiriera todos los fondos restantes al Gobierno del Iraq a más tardar el 31 de diciembre de 2016, a menos que el Consejo autorizara otra cosa.", "14. Tras la aprobación de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, se cancelaron las 43 cartas de crédito pendientes y las obligaciones por liquidar conexas, se liberaron los fondos vinculados a esas cartas y se creó una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada con 151 millones de dólares. Al mismo tiempo, se transfirió la suma de 656 millones de dólares de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq en 2010. Las estadísticas indicaban que desde la aprobación de la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad hasta finales de 2010 se habían transferido fondos de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq al Fondo por un valor total de 11.070 millones de dólares, como se muestra en el gráfico que figura a continuación.", "Fondos transferidos al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq de 2003 a 2010", "(En millones de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Nota: Basado en los datos suministrados por la Administración.", "Actividades de liquidación de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección de conformidad con la resolución 1762 (2007) del Consejo de Seguridad", "15. En su resolución 1762 (2007), el Consejo de Seguridad puso fin al mandato de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección (UNMOVIC) (una de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas) y pidió al Secretario General que transfiriera al Gobierno del Iraq, a través del Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq, todos los fondos no comprometidos que quedaran en la cuenta establecida en virtud de la resolución 986 (1995). El Consejo pidió que esa transferencia se hiciera en un plazo máximo de tres meses a partir de la fecha de aprobación de la resolución.", "16. Sin embargo, en 2010 la UNMOVIC aún seguía en fase de liquidación. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010 se había resuelto la principal cuestión pendiente, a saber, el desmantelamiento del laboratorio químico de Kuwait, pero no se habían liquidado las pequeñas cuentas por pagar y por cobrar que aún quedaban. Por otra parte, no se había hecho transferencia alguna desde la cuenta de la UNMOVIC al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq durante el período examinado.", "Situación de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq al 31 de diciembre de 2010", "17. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010 las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq aún se encontraban en fase de liquidación. Los principales factores que afectaban al cierre completo de las cuentas eran un retraso en la enajenación de los bienes no fungibles y la falta de liquidación de pequeñas cuentas por cobrar y por pagar. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010, los saldos de las cuentas por cobrar y por pagar ascendían a 133.000 dólares y 141.000 dólares, respectivamente, mientras que el valor de los bienes no fungibles disponibles era de 718.000 dólares.", "18. La Administración convino con la recomendación de la Junta de enajenar los bienes no fungibles restantes.", "19. La Administración también convino con las recomendaciones reiteradas de la Junta de: a) liquidar las cuentas por pagar y por cobrar pendientes; y b) transferir todos los fondos no comprometidos que quedaran en las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq, de conformidad con las resoluciones pertinentes del Consejo de Seguridad.", "20. En el momento de la elaboración del presente informe, la Administración había informado a la Junta de que se habían liquidado todas las cuentas por cobrar y por pagar que quedaban y que los saldos restantes se habían transferido al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq el 6 de junio de 2011. También se habían terminado de enajenar los bienes no fungibles, con excepción de los de un organismo.", "D. Información suministrada por la Administración", "1. Paso a pérdidas y ganancias de las pérdidas de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar y bienes", "21. De conformidad con las reglas 106.8 y 106.9 del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada, la Administración informó a la Junta de que no se había pasado a pérdidas y ganancias ninguna pérdida de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar ni bienes durante el período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "2. Pagos a título graciable", "22. De conformidad con la regla 105.12 del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada, la Administración comunicó que no se habían efectuado pagos a título graciable durante el período examinado.", "3. Casos de fraude y de presunción de fraude", "23. La Administración informó a la Junta de que no había habido casos de fraude ni de presunción de fraude en relación con las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq en el período examinado.", "E. Agradecimientos", "24. La Junta expresa su agradecimiento por la cooperación y asistencia que prestaron a su personal el Secretario General, el Secretario General Adjunto de Gestión, el Subsecretario General y Contralor y el personal a su cargo.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas (Auditor principal)", "(Firmado) Terence Nombembe Auditor General de la República de Sudáfrica", "(Firmado) Amyas Morse Contralor y Auditor General del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte", "12 de julio de 2011", "Anexo", "Estado de aplicación de las recomendaciones de la Junta para el período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011", "Resumen de la recomendación\tPárrafodereferencia\tEjercicioeconómicoenquese\tAplicada\tEncursodeaplicación\tNoaplicada\tSuperadaporlosaconte-cimientos \n hizoporprimeravez \nExplicar en una nota apartede los estados financieroslos motivos de lareclasificación y lasmodificaciones que se puedanhaber introducido en lainformación comparativa\t16^(a)\t2008-2009\t–\t–\t–\tXa) Liquidar las cuentas porpagar y cuentas por cobrarpendientes de la UNMOVIC\t22^(b)\t2008\t–\tX\t–\t– \nb) Transferir todos losfondos no comprometidosrestantes de la UNMOVIC alFondo de Desarrollo para elIraq, de conformidad con laresolución 1762 (2007) delConsejo de Seguridad \nMantener en examen lacuestión de la transferenciade los fondos nocomprometidos al Fondo deDesarrollo para el Iraq\t33^(b)\t2008\t–\tX\t–\t–\nNúmero total derecomendaciones –\t2\t–\t1\nPorcentaje del número totalde recomendaciones –\t67\t–\t33", "^(a) S/2010/627.", "^(b) S/2009/314.", "III. Certificación de los estados financieros", "1. Los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011 se han preparado de conformidad con la regla 106.10 de la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas.", "2. En las notas a los estados financieros figura un resumen de las principales políticas contables aplicadas en la preparación de esos estados. Las notas proporcionan información y aclaraciones adicionales sobre las actividades financieras relacionadas con las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) realizadas por la Organización durante el período al que corresponden los estados, respecto de los cuales el Secretario General tiene responsabilidad administrativa.", "3. Certifico que los estados financieros adjuntos de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq, que llevan los números I a III, son correctos.", "(Firmado) Jun Yamazaki Subsecretario General, Contralor", "29 de marzo de 2011", "IV. Estados financieros correspondientes al período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011", "Estado financiero I", "Cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas establecidas con arreglo a lo dispuesto en todas las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad relativas al Iraq (salvo la resolución 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Estado de ingresos y gastos y variaciones de las reservas y saldos de los fondos en el período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Resoluciones Resoluciones Resoluciones 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), y 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) y 1284 (1999) y 1284 1762 (1999)^(c) (2007)^(b)\n Actividades Gastos Vigilancia, Otras Total Total humanitarias administrativos verificación actividades 2010 2008 en el Iraq y operacionales e inspección", "Ingresos", "Ingresos por concepto de 2 634 443 23 – 3 100 34 783 intereses", "Ingresos varios 464 117 – – 581 2 915", "Total de ingresos 3 098 560 23 – 3 681 37 698", "Gastos", "Compra de suministros – – – – – 684 humanitarios", "Compra de piezas de 326 – – – 326 722 repuesto^(d)", "Gastos administrativos – 1 086 20 272 1 378 5 444", "Gastos del Comité de – 309 – – 309 364 Investigación independientee", "Ajustes cambiarios^(f) 44 843 – – – 44 843 17 091", "Total de gastos 45 169 1 395^(g) 20^(g) 272 46 856 24 305", "Exceso (insuficiencia) de (42 071) (835) 3 (272) (43 13 393 los ingresos respecto de 175) los gastos", "Ajustes respecto de 545 (545) – – – (2) períodos anteriores^(h)", "Exceso neto (insuficiencia (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 13 391 neta) de los ingresos 175) respecto de los gastos", "Anulación de obligaciones 164 862 593 – 5 165 460 215 288 de períodos anteriores", "Transferencias al Fondo de (656 000) – – – (656 (5 859) Desarrollo para el 000) Iraq^(i)", "Transferencias a/desde (131 000)^(j) (17 578)^(k) – 362 (148 – otros fondos 216)", "Reservas y saldos de los 663 836 21 729 1 067 20 686 652 388 070 fondos al comienzo del período", "Reservas y saldos de los 172 3 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 fondos al final del período", "^(a) Durante este período no hubo actividades relacionadas con cargos en concepto de aranceles por uso de oleoductos ni transferencias de activos o contribuciones. Véanse también las notas 1 y 3.", "^(b) Se refiere a la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección. Véase la nota 3.", "^(c) Se refiere a las actividades realizadas en cumplimiento de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991) y 706 (1991). Véase la nota 3.", "^(d) Los gastos efectuados guardan relación con ajustes y restablecimientos de contratos celebrados en años anteriores.", "^(e) Véase la nota 4.", "^(f) Representa fluctuaciones de los tipos de cambio entre el euro y el dólar de los Estados Unidos y otras monedas.", "^(g) La parte de los gastos que tiene que ver con los desembolsos se sufraga con cargo a las reservas operacionales. Véase la nota 5.", "^(h) Representa el reembolso de la comisión de una carta de crédito relacionada con “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq” que se registró como “gastos administrativos y operacionales” en 2009.", "^(i) Representa transferencias al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq, a cargo del Banco Central del Iraq, de conformidad con la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad. Véase la nota 7 f).", "^(j) Representa la transferencia por valor de 131 millones de dólares a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "^(k) Representa la transferencia por valor de 20 millones de dólares a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad y de 362.000 dólares al Coordinador de Alto Nivel para las cuestiones relacionadas con la repatriación o el regreso de todos los nacionales de Kuwait y de terceros países o de sus restos mortales y la restitución de todos los bienes kuwaitíes, incluidos los archivos, incautados por el Iraq, compensadas en parte por la transferencia de 2.784.413 dólares procedentes de los fondos fiduciarios de las Naciones Unidas cerrados (a saber, 2.298.095 dólares procedentes del Fondo Fiduciario para el socorro humanitario en el Iraq y 486.318 dólares procedentes del Fondo Fiduciario de emergencia para la asistencia humanitaria al Iraq, Kuwait y las zonas fronterizas entre el Iraq y Turquía y el Iraq y el Irán).", "Las notas que acompañan a los estados financieros son parte integrante de estos.", "Estado financiero II", "Cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas establecidas con arreglo a lo dispuesto en todas las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad relativas al Iraq (salvo la resolución 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Estado del activo, el pasivo y las reservas y saldos de los fondos al 31 de diciembre de 2010", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Resoluciones Resoluciones Resoluciones Total Total 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), 2010 2008 y 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) y 1284 (1999) y 1284 1762 (2007)^(b) (1999)^(c)\n Actividades Gastos Vigilancia, Otras humanitarias administrativos y verificación actividades en el Iraq operacionales e inspección", "Activo", "Efectivo y depósitos a plazo 172 12 7 – 191 928 671", "Cuenta mancomunada – 3 599^(d) 1 114^(e) – 4 713 25 469", "Cuentas por cobrar", "Saldos entre fondos por – – 9 119 128 804 cobrar^(f)", "Cuentas entre organismos por – – – – – 4 624 cobrar", "Otras cuentas por cobrar – – – 5 5 92", "Cargos diferidos – – – – – 8", "Total del activo 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668", "Pasivo", "Obligaciones por liquidar – – 170 – 5 175 2 401 año en curso", "Obligaciones por liquidar – – – – – – 345 631 años anteriores", "Cuentas por pagar", "Saldos entre fondos por – 60 – – 60 627 pagar^(f)", "Otras cuentas por pagar – 17 60 4 81 119", "Total del pasivo – 247 60 9 316 348 778", "Reservas y saldos de los fondos", "Reservas operacionales^(g)", "Reservas para prestaciones – – – – – 2 546 por terminación del servicio y prestaciones con posterioridad a la jubilación", "Otras reservas – 170^(h) – – 170 207 543", "Superávit acumulado 172 3 194 1 070 115 4 551 400 801", "Total de las reservas y 172 3 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 saldos de los fondos", "Total del pasivo y las 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668 reservas y saldos de los fondos", "^(a) Durante este período no hubo actividades relacionadas con cargos en concepto de aranceles por uso de oleoductos ni transferencias de activos o contribuciones. Véanse también las notas 1 y 3.", "^(b) Se refiere a la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección. Véase la nota 3.", "^(c) Se refiere a las actividades realizadas en cumplimiento de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991) y 706 (1991). Véase la nota 3.", "^(d) Representa la parte de la cuenta mancomunada de la Sede de las Naciones Unidas para “gastos administrativos y operacionales”, que comprende depósitos a la vista y a plazo por valor de 519.379 dólares, inversiones a corto plazo por valor de 845.988 dólares (valor de mercado 854.141 dólares), inversiones a largo plazo por valor de 2.217.312 dólares (valor de mercado 2.221.670 dólares) e intereses devengados por cobrar por valor de 16.636 dólares.", "^(e) Representa la parte de la cuenta mancomunada de la Sede de las Naciones Unidas para “vigilancia, verificación e inspección”, que comprende depósitos a la vista y a plazo por valor de 160.776 dólares, inversiones a corto plazo por valor de 261.879 dólares (valor de mercado 264.403 dólares), inversiones a largo plazo por valor de 686.378 dólares (valor de mercado 687.727 dólares) e intereses devengados por cobrar por valor de 5.150 dólares.", "^(f) Véase la nota 2 k) iv).", "^(g) Véase la nota 5.", "^(h) Las reservas operacionales existentes al 31 de diciembre de 2010 han de utilizarse para saldar obligaciones por liquidar por valor de 169.908 dólares relacionadas con “gastos administrativos y operacionales”.", "Las notas que acompañan a los estados financieros son parte integrante de estos.", "Estado financiero III", "Cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas establecidas con arreglo a lo dispuesto en todas las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad relativas al Iraq (salvo la resolución 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Estado de las corrientes de efectivo en el período de 12 meses terminado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Resoluciones Resoluciones Resoluciones Total Total 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), 2010 2008 y 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) y 1284 (1999) y 1284 1762 (2007)^(b) (1999)^(c)\n Actividades Gastos Vigilancia, Otras humanitarias administrativos y verificación actividades en el Iraq operacionales e inspección", "Corrientes de efectivo procedente de las actividades operacionales", "Exceso neto (insuficiencia (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 175) 13 391 neta) de los ingresos respecto de los gastos (estado financiero I)", "(Aumento) disminución de los – 334 (9) (84) 241 (665) saldos entre fondos por cobrar", "(Aumento) disminución de 8 10 16 2 36 89 otras cuentas por cobrar", "(Aumento) disminución de los – – – – – 10 cargos diferidos", "Aumento (disminución) de las (268 017) (592) (171) – (268 780) (309 obligaciones por liquidar 480)", "Aumento (disminución) de las (545) 60 (32) – (517) (3 225) cuentas entre fondos por pagar", "Aumento (disminución) de – (47) 11 (13) (49) (171) otras cuentas por pagar", "Menos: ingresos por concepto (2 634) (443) (23) – (3 100) (34 de intereses 783)", "Efectivo neto procedente de (312 714) (2 058) (205) (367) (315 344) (334 las actividades 834) operacionales", "Corrientes de efectivo procedente de las actividades de inversión", "Ingresos por concepto de 2 634 443 23 – 3 100 34 783 intereses", "Efectivo neto procedente de 2 634 443 23 – 3 100 34 783 las actividades de inversión", "Corrientes de efectivo procedente de las actividades de financiación", "Anulación de obligaciones de 164 862 593 – 5 165 460 215 288 períodos anteriores", "Transferencias al Fondo de (656 000) – – – (656 000) (5 859) Desarrollo para el Iraq", "Transferencias a/de otros (131 000) (17 578) – 362 (148 216) – fondos", "Efectivo neto procedente de (622 138) (16 985) – 367 (638 756) 209 429 las actividades de financiación", "Aumento neto (disminución (932 218) (18 600) (182) – (951 000) (90 neta) de los depósitos a la 622) vista y a plazo y de la cuenta mancomunada", "Depósitos a la vista y a 932 390 22 211 1 303 – 955 904 1 044 plazo y cuenta mancomunada 762 al comienzo del período", "Depósitos a la vista y a 172 3 611 1 121 – 4 904 954 140 plazo y cuenta mancomunada al final del período", "^(a) Durante este período no hubo actividades relacionadas con cargos en concepto de aranceles por uso de oleoductos ni transferencias de activos o contribuciones. Véanse también las notas 1 y 3.", "^(b) Se refiere a la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección. Véase la nota 3.", "^(c) Se refiere a las actividades realizadas en cumplimiento de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991) y 706 (1991). Véase la nota 3.", "Las notas que acompañan a los estados financieros son parte integrante de estos.", "Notas a los estados financieros", "Nota 1", "Cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en la resolución 986 (1995) del Consejo de Seguridad (estados financieros I, II y III)", "a) En 1996 se estableció una cuenta de garantía bloqueada que sería administrada por el Secretario General y en la cual se depositaría el producto de la venta de petróleo del Iraq autorizada por el Consejo de Seguridad en su resolución 986 (1995). En el párrafo 1 de esa resolución, el Consejo autorizó a los Estados a que permitieran la importación de petróleo y de productos derivados del petróleo procedentes del Iraq, incluidas las transacciones financieras y otras transacciones básicas directamente relacionadas con esa importación, en la medida suficiente para producir una suma que no superara un total de 1.000 millones de dólares de los Estados Unidos cada 90 días. En el párrafo 3 de esa resolución, el Consejo decidió que dicha medida permanecería en vigor durante 180 días.", "b) La autorización concedida en el párrafo 2 de la resolución 986 (1995) permitía a Turquía importar petróleo y productos derivados del petróleo procedentes del Iraq en cantidad suficiente para pagar los aranceles por el uso del oleoducto Kirkuk-Yumurtalik para el transporte de esos productos del Iraq a Turquía, una vez deducido el 30% para el Fondo de Indemnización. En la resolución 1330 (2000), el Consejo de Seguridad redujo esa deducción al 25%. Debido a la conclusión del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”, ya no se pagan aranceles por el uso de oleoductos.", "c) Las disposiciones de la resolución 986 (1995) que autorizaban la venta de petróleo del Iraq por un valor no superior a 1.000 millones de dólares cada 90 días permanecieron en vigor hasta el 30 de mayo de 1998 en virtud de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 1111 (1997), 1129 (1997), 1143 (1997) y 1158 (1998).", "d) En el párrafo 2 de su resolución 1153 (1998), que entró en vigor el 1 de junio de 1998, el Consejo de Seguridad decidió que la autorización dada a los Estados en el párrafo 1 de la resolución 986 (1995) permitiría la importación de petróleo y productos derivados del petróleo procedentes del Iraq, incluidas las transacciones financieras y otras transacciones básicas directamente relacionadas con esa importación, en la medida suficiente para generar, en el período de 180 días mencionado en el párrafo 1 de la resolución 1153 (1998), una suma no superior a 5.256 millones de dólares. Esta disposición permaneció en vigor en virtud de las resoluciones 1210 (1998), 1242 (1999) y 1281 (1999).", "e) En su resolución 1284 (1999), de 17 de diciembre de 1999, el Consejo de Seguridad suprimió el límite máximo en dólares y autorizó la venta de cualquier volumen de petróleo del Iraq durante un período de 180 días. Esta disposición permaneció en vigor en virtud de las resoluciones 1302 (2000), 1330 (2000) y 1352 (2001), que prorrogó por 30 días las disposiciones de la resolución 1330 (2000); 1360 (2001), que prorrogó el período por 150 días; 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) y 1443 (2002), que prorrogó hasta el 4 de diciembre de 2002 las disposiciones de la resolución 1409 (2002); y 1447 (2002), que prorrogó el período hasta el 3 de junio de 2003. La última venta de petróleo en el marco del Programa se realizó el 20 de marzo de 2003.", "f) En los párrafos 1 y 3 de la resolución 1175 (1998), el Consejo de Seguridad autorizó a los Estados a permitir la exportación al Iraq de las piezas de repuesto y el equipo necesarios para que ese país pudiera aumentar sus exportaciones de petróleo y productos derivados del petróleo en una cantidad suficiente para generar la suma establecida en el párrafo 2 de la resolución 1153 (1998), y decidió que se podría utilizar hasta un total de 300 millones de dólares de los fondos de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada generados de conformidad con la resolución 1153 (1998) para sufragar gastos razonables que no fueran gastos pagaderos en el Iraq y que estuvieran directamente relacionados con los contratos aprobados por el Comité establecido en virtud de la resolución 661 (1990). En las resoluciones 1293 (2000) y 1302 (2000) se dispuso que se podría utilizar hasta un máximo de 600 millones de dólares para permitir a los Estados exportar al Iraq las piezas de repuesto y el equipo necesarios para que ese país pudiera aumentar las exportaciones de petróleo y productos derivados del petróleo. En las resoluciones 1330 (2000), 1352 (2001), 1360 (2001), 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) y 1447 (2002) se mantuvo el límite de 600 millones de dólares.", "g) En la resolución 1330 (2000), el Consejo de Seguridad estableció que se podría destinar hasta un máximo de 600 millones de euros depositados en la cuenta de garantía bloqueada para sufragar gastos de instalación y mantenimiento, incluidos servicios de capacitación, de equipo y piezas de repuesto para la industria del petróleo.", "h) En su resolución 1472 (2003), de 28 de marzo de 2003, el Consejo de Seguridad reconoció que, en vista de las circunstancias excepcionales que imperaban en el Iraq, debían hacerse en el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” ajustes técnicos y transitorios a título excepcional y provisional, y autorizó al Secretario General a mantener esos cambios durante un período de 45 días.", "i) En su resolución 1476 (2003), de 24 de abril de 2003, el Consejo de Seguridad decidió que las disposiciones contenidas en el párrafo 4 de la resolución 1472 (2003) permanecerían en vigor hasta el 3 de junio de 2003 y que podría renovarlas.", "j) En su resolución 1483 (2003), de 22 de mayo de 2003, el Consejo de Seguridad pidió al Secretario General que pusiera término al Programa en el plazo de seis meses y que transfiriera la responsabilidad de la administración de cualquier actividad restante a la Autoridad Provisional de la Coalición. El Consejo pidió también que se consolidaran las cuentas establecidas en virtud de lo dispuesto en los párrafos 8 a) (relativo a las 15 provincias del centro y el sur del Iraq) y 8 b) (relativo a las tres provincias del norte del Iraq) de la resolución 986 (1995).", "k) Las ventas de petróleo del Iraq se contabilizaban como ingresos en el fondo para actividades humanitarias en el Iraq con arreglo a la fecha del conocimiento de embarque y el valor total del petróleo cargado, según lo indicado en la factura comercial extendida por el Organismo Estatal de Comercialización del Petróleo. El producto de las ventas de petróleo del Iraq se asignaba, al recibirse los depósitos, a otras cuentas establecidas con arreglo al párrafo 8 de la resolución 986 (1995). No se han registrado ventas de petróleo desde el 20 de marzo de 2003.", "l) Los fondos procedentes de las ventas de petróleo del Iraq con arreglo a la autorización otorgada en el párrafo 1 de la resolución 986 (1995) debían utilizarse para atender las necesidades humanitarias de la población del Iraq y para los demás propósitos indicados en el párrafo 8 de esa resolución. En la resolución 1409 (2002), el Consejo de Seguridad autorizó la venta o suministro de artículos o productos salvo aquellos a los que se hacía referencia en el párrafo 24 de la resolución 687 (1991) en lo relativo a bienes y productos militares o los bienes y productos relacionados con la esfera militar comprendidos en la lista de artículos sujetos a examen (véase S/2002/515) y las modificaciones de esta que figuraban en el anexo A de la resolución 1454 (2002). Los porcentajes utilizados para asignar los ingresos procedentes de las ventas de petróleo eran los siguientes:", "i) El 53,034% para financiar la exportación al Iraq de medicamentos, suministros de uso médico, alimentos y materiales y suministros destinados a subvenir necesidades esenciales de la población civil. A raíz de la resolución 1302 (2000), el porcentaje se aumentó al 54,034%, y mediante la resolución 1330 (2000) se autorizó un nuevo aumento al 59,034%, del cual se debía deducir el pago al que se hace referencia en el apartado vi) infra;", "ii) El 13,0% para complementar la distribución por el Gobierno del Iraq de bienes importados proporcionando fondos al Programa Humanitario Interinstitucional de las Naciones Unidas que actuaba en las tres provincias septentrionales de Arbil, Dahuk y As-Sulaymaniya;", "iii) El 2,215% para sufragar los gastos administrativos y operacionales de las Naciones Unidas;", "iv) El 30,0% para el Fondo de Indemnización establecido en virtud de la resolución 705 (1991) del Consejo de Seguridad. En la resolución 1330 (2000), el porcentaje se redujo al 25,0%, y posteriormente al 5,0% en virtud de la resolución 1483 (2003);", "v) El 0,751% para la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección establecida en virtud de la resolución 1284 (1999) del Consejo de Seguridad, que sustituyó a las comisiones especiales establecidas en la resolución 687 (1991), a fin de sufragar gastos operacionales;", "vi) Un máximo de 10 millones de dólares cada 90 días para la cuenta de garantía bloqueada establecida en virtud de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 706 (1991) y 712 (1991), con el fin de efectuar los pagos previstos en el párrafo 6 de la resolución 778 (1992). En la resolución 1284 (1999), el Consejo decidió suspender los pagos a esa cuenta de garantía bloqueada durante un período inicial de seis meses a partir del 17 de diciembre de 1999. En la resolución 1302 (2000) se prorrogó esa suspensión durante un período adicional de 180 días y la asignación se transfirió a los propósitos que figuran en el apartado i) supra. En la resolución 1330 (2000) se restableció la asignación de un máximo de 10 millones de dólares cada 90 días a partir del 6 de diciembre de 2000.", "m) Independientemente de los períodos autorizados para la venta de petróleo del Iraq en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad, los estados financieros I, II y III de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq se preparan cada seis meses.", "n) En los estados financieros I, II y III se incluye información detallada sobre las actividades humanitarias, así como los gastos administrativos y operacionales conexos, efectuadas con arreglo a la resolución 986 (1995) del Consejo de Seguridad. Desde que se inició el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” en diciembre de 1996 hasta mediados de 2000, los gastos de ejecución relacionados con gastos efectivos realizados por organismos en actividades vinculadas con la compra de artículos humanitarios para el norte del Iraq se imputaron a la cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq”, y los gastos de apoyo al Programa relacionados con gastos efectivos administrativos y operacionales se imputaron a la cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales”. A mediados de 2000, siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Junta de Auditores y teniendo en cuenta el aumento de los fondos disponibles en la cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales”, la Secretaría decidió imputar todos los gastos de ejecución y de apoyo al Programa a la cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales”. A mediados de 2002, la Secretaría volvió a la práctica anterior, según la cual los gastos directos de ejecución del Programa en el norte del país se imputaban a la cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq”. Esa decisión obedecía a la necesidad de armonizar las imputaciones, independientemente de si la labor corría a cargo del propio organismo o se subcontrataba. En 2003, cuando los organismos empezaron a ejecutar diversos aspectos del Programa en el sur y el centro del Iraq, esos gastos de ejecución se imputaron también a la cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq”, en consonancia con la decisión adoptada en 2002.", "o) Los estados financieros del Fondo de Indemnización (véase el párr. l) iv) supra) figuran en un volumen distinto de los estados financieros de las Naciones Unidas.", "p) Los gastos efectuados en el bienio 2010-2011 en suministros humanitarios y piezas de repuesto guardan relación con ajustes y restablecimientos de contratos celebrados en años anteriores.", "q) En su resolución 1958 (2010), de 15 de diciembre de 2010, el Consejo de Seguridad solicitó al Secretario General que adoptara todas las medidas necesarias para concluir todas las actividades residuales del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”. La resolución autorizaba al Secretario General a crear una cuenta de garantía bloqueada para asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales por un período de seis años respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el Programa desde su creación y para sufragar los gastos de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa, incluidos el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones y los procedimientos que realizaran los Estados Miembros en relación con el Programa y los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel creada con arreglo a la resolución 1284 (1999). Además, se autorizó al Secretario General a transferir un total de 151 millones de dólares a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas creada en virtud de la resolución 1958 (2010), a saber, 131 millones a fin de asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales y 20 millones exclusivamente para sufragar los gastos de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa, incluidos el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones y los procedimientos que realizaran los Estados Miembros en relación con el Programa y los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel creada con arreglo a la resolución 1284 (1999), y a transferir lo antes posible al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq todos los fondos que restaran en las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq.", "Nota 2", "Resumen de las principales políticas contables y normas de presentación de informes financieros de las Naciones Unidas", "a) Las cuentas de las Naciones Unidas se llevan de conformidad con el Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas aprobados por la Asamblea General, las normas formuladas por el Secretario General según lo dispuesto en dicho Reglamento y las instrucciones administrativas cursadas por el Secretario General Adjunto de Gestión o el Contralor. También se tienen plenamente en cuenta las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas aprobadas por la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación. La Organización se ajusta a la Norma Internacional de Contabilidad núm. 1, “Presentación de estados financieros”, relativa a la divulgación de las políticas contables, en la forma en que fue modificada y aprobada por la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación, según se indica a continuación:", "i) Los conceptos de empresa en marcha, uniformidad y contabilidad en valores devengados son premisas contables fundamentales. Cuando los estados financieros se ajustan a las premisas contables fundamentales, no es necesario indicarlas. En cambio, si no se sigue una premisa contable fundamental, ese hecho debe consignarse, junto con las razones del caso (véase la nota 3 a));", "ii) La prudencia, la primacía del fondo sobre la forma y el principio de la importancia relativa deben regir la selección y aplicación de las políticas contables;", "iii) En los estados financieros se debe incluir una indicación clara y concisa de las principales políticas contables que se hayan aplicado;", "iv) La divulgación de las principales políticas contables empleadas debe ser parte integrante de los estados financieros. Por lo general, las políticas deben consignarse en un solo lugar;", "v) En los estados financieros deben consignarse las cifras pertinentes registradas en el ejercicio económico anterior;", "vi) Debe indicarse cualquier cambio introducido en una política contable que tenga un efecto importante en el período en curso o que pueda repercutir significativamente en períodos siguientes, junto con los motivos para ese cambio. De ser importante, el efecto del cambio debe indicarse y cuantificarse.", "b) Las cuentas de las Naciones Unidas se llevan de conformidad con la contabilidad por fondo. La Asamblea General, el Consejo de Seguridad o el Secretario General pueden establecer fondos separados para fines generales o especiales. Cada fondo se mantiene como una entidad financiera y contable distinta, con un conjunto de cuentas separadas que se llevan por partida doble y se compensan entre sí. Para cada fondo o para cada grupo de fondos de la misma índole se preparan estados financieros separados.", "c) El ejercicio económico de la Organización es un bienio y abarca dos años civiles consecutivos para todos los fondos, salvo las cuentas de mantenimiento de la paz, cuyo ejercicio económico abarca un período de 12 meses comprendido entre el 1 de julio y el 30 de junio.", "d) En general, los ingresos, los gastos, el activo y el pasivo se contabilizan sobre la base de valores devengados.", "e) Las cuentas de la Organización se presentan en dólares de los Estados Unidos. Las cuentas que se llevan en otras monedas se convierten a dólares de los Estados Unidos cuando se efectúa la transacción, y para ello se utilizan los tipos de cambio establecidos por las Naciones Unidas. Con respecto a esas monedas, los estados financieros reflejarán los fondos en efectivo, las inversiones, las contribuciones prometidas impagadas y las cuentas por cobrar y por pagar en monedas distintas del dólar de los Estados Unidos, convertidas a los tipos de cambio aplicables de las Naciones Unidas que estén vigentes en la fecha de los estados. Si la aplicación de los tipos de cambio reales a la fecha de los estados financieros proporciona una valoración que difiere apreciablemente de la que resultaría de la aplicación de los tipos de cambio de las Naciones Unidas para el último mes del ejercicio económico, se incluirá una nota a pie de página en que se cuantifique la diferencia.", "f) Los estados financieros de las Naciones Unidas se preparan sobre la base del costo inicial y no se ajustan para tener en cuenta los efectos de las variaciones de precios de los bienes y servicios.", "g) El estado resumido de la corriente de efectivo se basa en el método indirecto de los estados de las corrientes de efectivo a que se hace referencia en las Normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "h) Los estados financieros de la Organización se presentan, de conformidad con las recomendaciones del Grupo de Trabajo sobre normas de contabilidad, al Comité de Alto Nivel sobre Gestión de la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación.", "i) Ingresos:", "i) Las contribuciones voluntarias de los Estados Miembros y otros donantes se contabilizan como ingresos, sobre la base de su promesa escrita de hacer contribuciones en efectivo en fechas concretas del ejercicio económico en curso. Las contribuciones voluntarias hechas en forma de suministros y servicios aceptables para el Secretario General se contabilizan como ingresos o se señalan en los estados financieros;", "ii) Los ingresos recibidos en virtud de acuerdos interinstitucionales representan asignaciones de fondos procedentes de organismos para que la Organización pueda administrar proyectos o programas en su nombre;", "iii) Las asignaciones de otros fondos representan sumas consignadas o reservadas de un fondo para su transferencia a otro fondo y su desembolso con cargo a este;", "iv) Los ingresos por servicios prestados incluyen las sumas cargadas por concepto de sueldos del personal y otros gastos atribuibles a la prestación de apoyo técnico y administrativo a otras organizaciones;", "v) Los ingresos por concepto de intereses incluyen todos los intereses devengados por depósitos en cuentas bancarias, los ingresos devengados por inversiones en valores y otros instrumentos negociables y los ingresos devengados por inversiones en la cuenta mancomunada. Todas las pérdidas realizadas y las pérdidas netas no realizadas de inversiones a corto plazo se restan de los ingresos devengados por inversiones. Los ingresos devengados por inversiones y los costos relacionados con la gestión de las inversiones en la cuenta mancomunada se asignan a los fondos participantes. Los ingresos por concepto de intereses están disponibles a efectos de habilitación de créditos cada seis meses;", "vi) Las ganancias o pérdidas netas por fluctuaciones monetarias no relacionadas con obligaciones del año en curso se acumulan cada seis meses. A partir del 1 de enero de 2002, el monto neto se asienta como ingreso o gasto cada seis meses en los estados financieros;", "vii) Los ingresos varios incluyen los ingresos procedentes del alquiler de locales, la venta de bienes usados o sobrantes, el reintegro de gastos atribuidos a períodos anteriores, la liquidación de reclamaciones de indemnización, los fondos aceptados sin fines específicos y otros ingresos varios;", "viii) Los ingresos relativos a ejercicios económicos futuros no se contabilizan en el ejercicio económico en curso, sino que se asientan como ingresos diferidos, según se indica en el párrafo l) iii) infra.", "j) Gastos:", "i) Los gastos se efectúan con cargo a consignaciones autorizadas o autorizaciones para contraer compromisos. El total de los gastos consignados comprende las obligaciones por liquidar y los desembolsos. Los gastos incluyen también los ajustes cambiarios resultantes de la revalorización de obligaciones del período en curso;", "ii) Los gastos correspondientes a bienes no fungibles se imputan al presupuesto del período en que se adquieren y no se capitalizan. El inventario de esos bienes no fungibles se lleva al costo inicial;", "iii) Los gastos correspondientes a ejercicios económicos futuros no se imputan al ejercicio económico en curso, sino que se consignan como cargos diferidos, según se indica en el párrafo k) vi) infra.", "k) Activo:", "i) Los depósitos a la vista y a plazo comprenden las cuentas a la vista y los fondos depositados en cuentas que devengan intereses;", "ii) Las inversiones comprenden los valores y otros instrumentos negociables adquiridos por la Organización para producir ingresos. Las inversiones a corto plazo se asientan al costo o al valor de mercado, si este fuera más bajo; las inversiones a largo plazo se asientan al costo. El costo se define como el valor nominal más o menos la prima o el descuento sin amortizar. El valor de mercado de las inversiones se indica en notas de pie de página en los estados financieros;", "iii) La cuenta mancomunada incluye la parte correspondiente a cada fondo participante de los depósitos a la vista y a plazo, las inversiones a corto y largo plazo y los intereses devengados por las inversiones, todos los cuales son administrados en la cuenta. Las inversiones de la cuenta mancomunada son del mismo tipo. Las inversiones a corto plazo se asientan al costo o al valor de mercado, si este fuera más bajo; las inversiones a largo plazo se asientan al costo. El costo se define como el valor nominal más o menos la prima o el descuento sin amortizar. La parte de la cuenta mancomunada correspondiente a cada fondo se presenta por separado en los estados de los fondos participantes y su composición y el valor de mercado de sus inversiones se indican en notas de pie de página en los estados financieros correspondientes;", "iv) Los saldos entre fondos reflejan las transacciones entre fondos y se incluyen en las sumas por pagar al Fondo General de las Naciones Unidas o adeudadas por este. Los saldos entre fondos también reflejan las transacciones realizadas directamente con otras cuentas de garantía bloqueadas y con el Fondo General de las Naciones Unidas. Los saldos entre fondos se liquidan periódicamente según la disponibilidad de efectivo;", "v) No se hacen reservas en previsión de demoras en la recepción de saldos por cobrar;", "vi) Los cargos diferidos normalmente abarcan las partidas de gastos que no corresponde asentar como cargos del ejercicio económico en curso y que se contabilizarán como gastos en un ejercicio posterior. Estas partidas de gastos incluyen los compromisos aprobados por el Contralor para ejercicios económicos futuros, de conformidad con la regla 106.7 de la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada. Tales compromisos se limitan normalmente a necesidades administrativas de carácter permanente y a contratos u obligaciones jurídicas que requieren plazos prolongados para su cumplimiento;", "vii) Para fines del balance únicamente, la porción del anticipo a cuenta del subsidio de educación que se presume corresponde al año académico terminado a la fecha del estado financiero se asienta como cargo diferido. La suma total del anticipo se mantiene como cuenta por cobrar adeudada por el funcionario hasta que este presenta las pruebas necesarias de su derecho a recibir el subsidio de educación; en ese momento, se imputa a la cuenta presupuestaria correspondiente y el anticipo se cancela;", "viii) El mantenimiento y las reparaciones de bienes de capital se imputan a las cuentas presupuestarias pertinentes. El mobiliario, el equipo, otros bienes no fungibles y las mejoras de los locales arrendados no se incluyen en el activo de la Organización. Esas adquisiciones se imputan a las cuentas presupuestarias del año en que se efectúa la compra. El valor de los bienes no fungibles se indica en las notas a los estados financieros.", "l) Pasivo y reservas y saldos de los fondos:", "i) Las reservas operacionales incluyen las reservas para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y prestaciones con posterioridad a la jubilación, que figuran en una partida separada en los estados financieros. Las reservas operacionales se incluyen en los estados financieros en el total de las reservas y saldos de los fondos;", "ii) Las obligaciones por liquidar correspondientes a ejercicios futuros se contabilizan como cargos diferidos y como obligaciones por liquidar;", "iii) Los ingresos diferidos incluyen los ingresos recibidos pero todavía no devengados;", "iv) Los compromisos contraídos por la Organización en relación con el ejercicio económico en curso y ejercicios anteriores y futuros figuran como obligaciones por liquidar. Desde el 1 de enero de 2000, las obligaciones por liquidar correspondientes a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada para las actividades humanitarias en el Iraq siguen siendo válidas hasta la terminación del proyecto. Todas las demás obligaciones siguen siendo válidas durante los 12 meses siguientes al fin del bienio al que se refieren;", "v) El pasivo eventual, de haberlo, se consigna en las notas a los estados financieros;", "vi) Las Naciones Unidas están afiliadas a la Caja Común de Pensiones del Personal de las Naciones Unidas, que fue establecida por la Asamblea General para proporcionar prestaciones de jubilación y por fallecimiento y discapacidad y otras prestaciones conexas. La Caja es un plan de prestaciones definidas multiinstitucional capitalizado. Cada dos años se lleva a cabo una evaluación actuarial del activo y las prestaciones del régimen de pensiones de la Caja. Dado que no hay una base uniforme y fiable para determinar la parte del pasivo, el activo y los gastos que corresponde a las distintas organizaciones afiliadas, las Naciones Unidas no están en condiciones de determinar la parte que les corresponde de la situación financiera subyacente ni los resultados de la Caja con suficiente fiabilidad a efectos contables; por lo tanto, han tratado este plan como si fuera un plan de aportaciones definidas. En consecuencia, la parte que corresponde a las Naciones Unidas del valor neto del pasivo y el activo de la Caja no se refleja en los estados financieros. Las obligaciones financieras de la Organización con respecto a la Caja consisten en la aportación obligatoria de un porcentaje establecido por la Asamblea, que actualmente es del 7,9% de la remuneración pensionable para el afiliado y del 15,8% para la Organización, así como de la parte que le corresponda de toda aportación para enjugar un déficit que haya de pagarse con arreglo a lo dispuesto en el artículo 26 de los Estatutos de la Caja. Esta aportación para enjugar un déficit solo deberá pagarse si la Asamblea ha invocado el artículo 26, después de haber determinado que dicho pago es necesario, sobre la base de una evaluación de la suficiencia actuarial de la Caja a la fecha de la evaluación. A la fecha de presentación de estos estados financieros, la Asamblea no había invocado ese artículo.", "Nota 3 Cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) (estados financieros I, II y III)", "a) Puesto que las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq se hallan en proceso de liquidación (véase la nota 7 infra), no se sigue la premisa de empresa en marcha y los estados financieros se presentan de conformidad con la contabilidad en valores de liquidación, que puede requerir la enajenación de activos y la cancelación de obligaciones fuera del curso normal de las operaciones. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010, las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq no tenían activos ni pasivos que requirieran ajustes en su valoración o clasificación con arreglo a la contabilidad en valores de liquidación.", "b) En los estados financieros I, II y III se incluyen las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 706 (1991) y 712 (1991) para efectuar los pagos previstos en el párrafo 6 de la resolución 778 (1992) y la cuenta especial establecida en virtud de las resoluciones 687 (1991), 706 (1991) y 1284 (1999). La cuenta de garantía bloqueada establecida en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones 706 (1991), 712 (1991) y 778 (1992) devolvió todos los fondos en 2003. En consecuencia, no hay ninguna transacción que comunicar respecto de esta cuenta de garantía bloqueada.", "c) La cuenta de garantía bloqueada administrada por el Secretario General en virtud de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 706 (1991) y 712 (1991) comprendía los fondos del Iraq procedentes de la venta de petróleo que debían utilizarse para el pago por la Comisión de Indemnización de las Naciones Unidas de la totalidad de los gastos de ejecución de las tareas autorizadas en la sección C de la resolución 687 (1991), la totalidad de los gastos que representara para las Naciones Unidas la tarea de facilitar la restitución de todos los bienes kuwaitíes incautados por el Iraq, la mitad de los gastos de la Comisión de Demarcación de la Frontera y los gastos efectuados por las Naciones Unidas para aplicar la resolución 706 (1991) y para realizar otras actividades humanitarias necesarias en el Iraq.", "d) Al negarse el Iraq a vender petróleo con arreglo a lo dispuesto en las resoluciones 706 (1991) y 712 (1991), el 2 de octubre de 1992 el Consejo de Seguridad aprobó la resolución 778 (1992) como medio alternativo de proporcionar fondos con los fines señalados. Los Estados donde hubiera productos derivados del petróleo de propiedad del Iraq o los Estados donde hubiera fondos del Gobierno del Iraq correspondientes al producto de la venta de petróleo, pagados por el comprador después del 6 de agosto de 1990, debían transferir todos esos fondos o una parte de ellos a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada. Además, en la resolución 778 (1992) el Consejo instó a los Estados a que aportaran fondos de otras fuentes a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada. Todos los fondos transferidos o aportados a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada con arreglo a las disposiciones de la resolución 778 (1992) debían volver a transferirse a las cuentas de los Estados de donde provinieran esos fondos, junto con los intereses aplicables, cuando se produjeran las exportaciones de petróleo con arreglo al sistema previsto en las resoluciones 706 (1991) y 712 (1991) y la cuenta de garantía bloqueada recibiera los fondos procedentes de las ventas. Las exportaciones de petróleo del Iraq se iniciaron en diciembre de 1996 y en enero de 1997 la cuenta de garantía bloqueada empezó a recibir fondos procedentes de las ventas, que se volvieron a transferir a las cuentas de los Estados que habían proporcionado los fondos originales a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada.", "e) En diciembre de 1999, en cumplimiento de la resolución 1284 (1999) del Consejo de Seguridad, se suspendieron los pagos a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada procedentes de la venta de petróleo. La suspensión, que se prorrogó otros 180 días mediante la resolución 1302 (2000), fue levantada por la resolución 1330 (2000) en diciembre de 2000.", "f) En mayo de 2003 el Consejo de Seguridad, en su resolución 1483 (2003), pidió que el Secretario General restableciera los fondos que habían proporcionado los Estados Miembros conforme a la resolución 778 (1992). Todos esos fondos fueron devueltos en junio de 2003.", "g) En su resolución 687 (1991), el Consejo de Seguridad pidió al Secretario General que realizara determinadas labores en relación con la situación entre el Iraq y Kuwait. Los gastos derivados de esas actividades debían considerarse como un anticipo a la espera de que la Organización recibiera los pagos del Iraq relacionados con determinadas actividades y los pagos que hicieran el Iraq y Kuwait conjuntamente en relación con los gastos de la Comisión de Demarcación de la Frontera.", "h) Con la aprobación de la resolución 778 (1992) del Consejo de Seguridad, los gastos señalados quedaron cubiertos por las transferencias de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada. Además, los gastos de la Comisión Especial se sufragaban mediante transferencias de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada establecida en virtud de la resolución 986 (1995).", "i) El Consejo de Seguridad, por resolución 1284 (1999), decidió establecer la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas de Vigilancia, Verificación e Inspección (UNMOVIC). Las funciones encomendadas a la Comisión Especial fueron asumidas por la UNMOVIC.", "j) En sus resoluciones 1483 (2003) y 1546 (2004), el Consejo de Seguridad reafirmó su intención de volver a examinar el mandato de la UNMOVIC.", "k) Mediante su resolución 1762 (2007), el Consejo de Seguridad puso fin al mandato de la UNMOVIC y pidió al Secretario General que transfiriera todos los fondos restantes no comprometidos al Gobierno del Iraq en un plazo de tres meses, después de devolver a los Estados Miembros que lo solicitaran las contribuciones que hubiesen realizado con arreglo al párrafo 4 de la resolución 699 (1991).", "l) Los estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad se presentan por separado (véase S/2011/480).", "Nota 4 Comité de Investigación Independiente sobre el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” de las Naciones Unidas", "a) En abril de 2004, el Secretario General nombró un comité de investigación independiente de alto nivel para investigar la administración y gestión del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” desde su creación hasta que se transfirió a la Autoridad Provisional de la Coalición, incluidas las denuncias de fraude y corrupción de funcionarios, personal y agentes de las Naciones Unidas, así como de contratistas, comprendidas las entidades que habían celebrado contratos con las Naciones Unidas o con el Iraq en el marco de ese Programa. En su resolución 1538 (2004), el Consejo de Seguridad acogió con satisfacción dicha investigación. El Comité de Investigación Independiente finalizó su investigación el 27 de octubre de 2005 y publicó su informe final.", "b) El 1 de enero de 2007 el Comité de Investigación Independiente concluyó sus actividades y se estableció la Oficina del Comité de Investigación Independiente por un período provisional de dos años como parte de la Secretaría. La labor de la Oficina la lleva a cabo el representante nombrado por los exmiembros del Comité y las personas designadas por aquel. En noviembre de 2010 el Secretario General prorrogó el mandato del Comité de Investigación Independiente hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2011.", "c) Los gastos del Comité de Investigación Independiente se sufragaron con fondos asignados para gastos administrativos y operacionales del Programa. En el cuadro que figura a continuación se indican los gastos en que se incurrió durante el bienio 2010-2011.", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Sueldos 160", "Servicios por contrata 134", "Locales 15", "Total 309", "Nota 5 Reservas operacionales", "Cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq”", "a) El 31 de diciembre de 2005 se estableció una reserva operacional de 126.660.000 dólares en la cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq” para asegurar que hubiera fondos suficientes para resolver satisfactoriamente todas las cuestiones restantes en relación con las cartas de crédito pendientes. Por carta de fecha 10 de julio de 2006 (S/2006/510), el Secretario General recordó que las Naciones Unidas no habían recibido compensaciones del Gobierno del Iraq por los fondos que se habían transferido hasta la fecha al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq e informó al Consejo de Seguridad que hasta que se resolvieran las reclamaciones de los proveedores, y de no haber objeción del Consejo, se mantendría en reserva la suma de 187 millones de dólares para cubrir cualesquiera reclamaciones no previstas de los proveedores. Por carta de fecha 11 de agosto de 2006 (S/2006/646), el Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad tomó nota de los arreglos propuestos y se estableció y mantuvo una reserva operacional de 187 millones de dólares.", "b) Con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, de 15 de diciembre de 2010, todas las cartas de crédito vencidas quedaron canceladas y se creó una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada con el fin, entre otros, de asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales por un período de seis años respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el Programa desde su creación. En consecuencia, las reservas operacionales de la cuenta de “actividades humanitarias en el Iraq” dejaron de ser necesarias y el saldo restante se asentó como “superávit acumulado” el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "Cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales”", "c) El 31 de diciembre de 2005 se estableció una reserva operacional de 21.132.192 dólares en la cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales” para sufragar los gastos previstos del Comité de Investigación Independiente y los gastos administrativos de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas hasta que se concluyeran todos los aspectos del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”. Los cambios en la reserva desde su establecimiento se resumen en el cuadro que figura a continuación.", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Reserva operacional al 31 de diciembre de 2005 21 132", "Utilización de la reserva del 1 de enero de 2006 al (10 877) 31 de diciembre de 2009", "Transferencia de superávit acumulado 9 670 (1 207)", "Reserva operacional al 31 de diciembre de 2009 19 925", "Utilización de la reserva del 1 de enero al 31 de (1 225) diciembre de 2010", "Reducción de la reserva^(a) (18 530)", "Reserva operacional al 31 de diciembre de 2010^(b) 170", "^(a) Con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, de 15 de diciembre de 2010, se creó una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada con el fin, entre otros, de sufragar los gastos relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”. En consecuencia, la reserva operacional de la cuenta de “gastos administrativos y operacionales” dejó de ser necesaria (con excepción de 169.908 dólares, véase la nota b) y el saldo restante se asentó como “superávit acumulado” el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "^(b) Se ha mantenido una suma de 169.908 dólares para saldar obligaciones por liquidar relacionadas con “gastos administrativos y operacionales”.", "Cuenta de “vigilancia, verificación e inspección”", "d) El 30 de junio de 2007 se estableció una reserva operacional de 35.958.863 dólares en la cuenta de “vigilancia, verificación e inspección” para sufragar los gastos de liquidación estimados de la UNMOVIC, incluidos la liquidación de las deudas contraídas con el Gobierno de Alemania, los gastos de archivo de documentación y los gastos relacionados con el personal. Los gastos relacionados con el personal incluyen el pasivo acumulado para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y prestaciones con posterioridad a la jubilación. Los cambios en la reserva desde su establecimiento se resumen en el cuadro que figura a continuación.", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Reserva operacional al 30 de junio de 2007 35 959", "Utilización de la reserva del 1 de julio de 2007 al (32 671) 31 de diciembre de 2009", "Transferencia de superávit acumulado (2 463) (35 134)", "Reserva operacional al 31 de diciembre de 2009 825", "Utilización de la reserva del 1 de enero al 31 de (20) diciembre de 2010", "Reducción de la reserva^(a) (805)", "Reserva operacional al 31 de diciembre de 2010 –", "^(a) Con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, de 15 de diciembre de 2010, se creó una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada con el fin, entre otros, de sufragar los gastos relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”. En consecuencia, la reserva operacional de la cuenta de “vigilancia, verificación e inspección” dejó de ser necesaria y el saldo restante se asentó como “superávit acumulado” el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "Nota 6 Bienes no fungibles", "De conformidad con las políticas contables de las Naciones Unidas, los bienes no fungibles se imputan a la habilitación de créditos corriente en el año de su adquisición. Los bienes no fungibles, valorados a su costo inicial según los registros del inventario acumulado, se indican en el cuadro que figura a continuación.", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "2010 2008", "UNMOVIC – 1 194", "Organismos 670 959", "Comité de Investigación Independiente 48 290", "Nota 7 Funcionamiento futuro de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq establecidas en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007)", "a) En su resolución 1483 (2003), de 22 de mayo de 2003, el Consejo de Seguridad prorrogó el ejercicio de las funciones del Secretario General en virtud de las resoluciones 1472 (2003) y 1476 (2003) por un período de seis meses. El Consejo pidió al Secretario General que pusiera término, con la mejor relación costo-eficacia posible, al funcionamiento del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos”, tanto en la Sede como sobre el terreno, a más tardar el 21 de noviembre de 2003, y que transfiriera la responsabilidad de la administración de toda actividad restante en virtud del Programa a la Autoridad Provisional de la Coalición.", "b) Así pues, en las tres provincias del norte del Iraq donde los organismos de las Naciones Unidas estaban ejecutando el Programa, los contratos celebrados por los organismos se transfirieron a la Autoridad. De modo similar, en las 15 provincias del centro y el sur del Iraq donde, tras el estallido de las hostilidades, se habían encomendado a los organismos las actividades de adquisición anteriormente realizadas por el Gobierno del Iraq, se transfirieron a la Autoridad los contratos inacabados.", "c) En su resolución 1546 (2004), el Consejo de Seguridad decidió que, en relación con la disolución de la Autoridad Provisional de la Coalición, el Gobierno Provisional del Iraq y sus sucesores asumirían los derechos, las funciones y las obligaciones del Programa que habían sido transferidas a la Autoridad, incluidas las funciones operativas del Programa y las obligaciones contraídas por la Autoridad en relación con esas funciones, así como la de asegurarse de que hubiera una confirmación autenticada independiente de la entrega de los bienes, y decidió además que, tras un período de transición de 120 días a partir de la fecha de aprobación de la resolución, el Gobierno Provisional del Iraq y sus sucesores asumirían la responsabilidad de certificar la entrega de bienes en virtud de los contratos cuya prioridad se hubiera establecido previamente y que dicha certificación constituiría la confirmación autenticada independiente necesaria para liberar los fondos correspondientes a esos contratos, con las consultas que procedieran para que esas disposiciones se aplicaran sin tropiezos.", "d) De conformidad con la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad, se cancelaron todas las obligaciones relativas a contratos cuya prioridad no se había establecido, excepto aquellas derivadas de cartas de crédito que se hubieran conservado. Al 7 de diciembre de 2010 se habían conservado 43 cartas de crédito para contratos cuya prioridad se había establecido con arreglo a la resolución 1483 (2003).", "e) Por otra parte, mediante cartas de fecha 8 de agosto de 2005 (S/2005/535), 17 de octubre de 2005 (S/2005/656), 19 de diciembre de 2005 (S/2005/807), 10 de julio de 2006 (S/2006/570), 8 de diciembre de 2006 (S/2007/46), 27 de marzo de 2007 (S/2007/241), 19 de abril de 2007 (S/2007/218), 25 de julio de 2007 (S/2007/476), 7 de diciembre de 2007 (S/2007/725), 11 de marzo de 2008 (S/2008/175), 9 de mayo de 2008 (S/2008/318), 25 de julio de 2008 (S/2008/492), 1 de mayo de 2009 (S/2009/230) y 8 de diciembre de 2010 (S/2010/619), informes de fecha 27 de julio de 2009 (S/2009/385) y 1 de noviembre de 2010 (S/2010/563) y nota verbal de fecha 2 de noviembre de 2010 (S/2010/567), el Consejo de Seguridad ha sido informado de las medidas tomadas para liquidar las cartas de crédito pendientes y de las demoras a ese respecto.", "f) En su carta de fecha 8 de diciembre de 2010 dirigida al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad (S/2010/619), el Secretario General presentó un informe amplio y actualizado sobre la situación de las actividades residuales del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” y formuló recomendaciones para la conclusión definitiva de esas actividades. A raíz de ello, el Consejo de Seguridad, en su resolución 1958 (2010), de 15 de diciembre de 2010, solicitó al Secretario General que adoptara todas las medidas necesarias para concluir todas las actividades residuales del Programa, señalando que las 43 cartas de crédito restantes con reclamaciones de ejecución pendientes quedaban canceladas para todos los fines del Programa, sin perjuicio de los derechos o reclamaciones de pago o de otro tipo que los proveedores pudieran tener contra el Gobierno del Iraq. A raíz de la cancelación de las cartas de crédito también se cancelaron las obligaciones conexas y, en virtud de la autorización del Consejo para transferir lo antes posible al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq todos los fondos que restaran en las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas para el Iraq, el 29 de diciembre de 2010 se transfirió al Fondo la suma de 656 millones de dólares.", "g) Por otra parte, en su resolución 1958 (2010), de 15 de diciembre de 2010, el Consejo de Seguridad autorizó al Secretario General a crear una cuenta de garantía bloqueada a fin de asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales por un período de seis años respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” desde su creación, así como sufragar los gastos de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa, incluidos el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones y los procedimientos que realizaran los Estados Miembros en relación con el Programa y los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel creada con arreglo a la resolución 1284 (1999). Se autorizó al Secretario General a transferir un total de 151 millones de dólares a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas, a saber, 131 millones a fin de asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales y 20 millones exclusivamente para sufragar los gastos de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con la finalización ordenada de las actividades residuales del Programa, incluidos el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones y los procedimientos que realizaran los Estados Miembros en relación con el Programa y los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel creada con arreglo a la resolución 1284 (1999). Las transferencias se realizaron el 30 de diciembre de 2010.", "h) En su resolución 1762 (2007), el Consejo de Seguridad dio por terminado el mandato de la UNMOVIC, tras lo cual se estableció una reserva operacional para sufragar los gastos de liquidación (véase la nota 5). El 28 de septiembre de 2007 se transfirieron fondos no comprometidos por valor de 25.104.523 dólares al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq, y el 28 de febrero de 2008 y el 9 de diciembre de 2008 se transfirieron, respectivamente, las sumas de 875.285 dólares y 2.548.000 dólares.", "i) Desde que se aprobó la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad y hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2010 se ha transferido al Fondo de Desarrollo para el Iraq una suma total de 11.070 millones de dólares. Los fondos restantes que quedan se transferirán al Fondo de conformidad con lo dispuesto en las resoluciones 1483 (2003), 1546 (2004) y 1958 (2010).", "Nota 8 Pasivo eventual", "Con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad, y como parte del proceso de liquidación, todas las reclamaciones y controversias de las Naciones Unidas o sus organismos con terceros surgidas en la realización de las actividades del Programa “Petróleo por Alimentos” deben transferirse al Gobierno del Iraq, como sucesor de la Autoridad, en el que recaerá la responsabilidad al respecto. Podría haber circunstancias en que esa transferencia no fuera posible, en cuyo caso toda obligación y gastos conexos deberán ser sufragados con cargo a la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada creada en virtud de la resolución 1958 (2010) (véase la nota 7 g))." ]

[ "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit herewith to the Security Council the report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007), for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011.", "Letters of transmittal", "31 March 2011", "In accordance with financial regulation 6.5, I have the honour to submit the accounts of the United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011, which I hereby approve. The financial statements have been completed and certified as correct by the Controller.", "(Signed) BAN Ki-moon", "Mr. Liu Jiayi Chair of the Board of Auditors United Nations New York", "12 July 2011", "I have the honour to transmit to you the report of the United Nations Board of Auditors on the audit of the financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi", "Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China", "Chair, United Nations Board of Auditors", "The President of the Security Council of the United Nations New York", "Report of the Board of Auditors on the audit of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011", "Contents", "PageI.Report 5 of the Board of Auditors (audit \nopinion) II. Report 7 of the Board of Auditors (long-form \nreport) \nSummary 7\nA.Background 9B.Mandate, 9 scope and \nmethodology C.Findings 10 and \nrecommendations 1. Follow-up 10 of previous \nrecommendations 2. Financial 10 \noverview 3.Liquidation 10 \nactivities D.Disclosures 12 by \nmanagement 1. Write-off 12 of losses of cash, receivables and \nproperties 2.Ex 12 gratia \npayments 3. Cases 12 of fraud and presumptive \nfraud \nE.Acknowledgement 13Annex.Statusofimplementationof 14 the Board’s recommendations for the 12-monthperiodended31 December 2010of the \nbiennium2010-2011 III. Certification 15 of the financial \nstatements IV. Financial 16 statements for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium \n2010-2011 StatementI.Statementofincome 16 and expenditure and changesin reserves and fund balances for the 12-monthperiodended31 December 2010of the \nbiennium2010-2011 Statement 18 II.Statementof assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balancesasat31 December \n 2010 Statement 20 III.Statementof cashflows for the 12-monthperiodended31 December 2010of the \nbiennium2010-2011 Notesto 22 \nthefinancialstatements", "I. Report of the Board of Auditors (audit opinion)", "Report on the financial statements", "The United Nations Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007), which comprise the statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances (statement I), the statement of assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010 (statement II) and the cash flow statement for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011 (statement III), as well as the notes to the financial statements.", "Management’s responsibility for the financial statements", "The Secretary-General is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards and for such internal control as he deems is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.", "Auditor’s responsibility", "Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements to plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.", "An audit includes performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including an assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.", "We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained provides a sufficient and appropriate basis for the audit opinion.", "Opinion", "In our opinion, the financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts as at 31 December 2010 and their financial performance and cash flows for the 12-month period then ended of the biennium 2010-2011 in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards.", "Report on other legal and regulatory requirements", "Furthermore, in our opinion, the transactions of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts that have come to our notice, or which we have tested as part of our audit, have in all significant respects been in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and legislative authority.", "In accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, we have also issued a long-form report on our audit of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China Chair of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Lead Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "II. Report of the Board of Auditors (long-form report)", "Summary \nThe Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of theUnited Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established pursuant toSecurity Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986(1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-monthperiod ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011. The auditwas carried out through a review of the financial transactionscovering the seventh year of the phase-down operations. Audit opinion \nThe Board issued an unmodified audit opinion on the financialstatements for the period under review, as reflected in section I. Follow-up of previous recommendations \nOf the three recommendations made for the biennium 2008-2009, twowere under implementation and one was overtaken by events, asindicated in the annex to the Board’s report. The Board encouragesthe Administration to implement the recommendations as early aspossible. Financial overview \nTotal income for the period under review amounted to $3.68 million,while total expenditure amounted to $46.86 million, resulting in ashortfall of income over expenditure of $43.18 million. As at 31December 2010, total assets amounted to $5.04 million, whileliabilities amounted to $0.32 million, and reserves and fund balanceswere reduced to $4.72 million. Liquidation activities \nIn 2010, the liquidation of the oil-for-food programme was in itsseventh year, following the adoption by the Security Council ofresolution 1483 (2003). The Board recognizes the progress of theSecretary-General in the reduction of the balances relating toresidual activities under the programme.\nThe Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010) dated 15 December2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all actions necessaryto terminate all residual activities under the programme.\nAs at 31 December 2010, the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accountswere, however, still under liquidation. The major factors affectingthe full closure of the accounts were a delay in the disposal ofnon-expendable property and thenon-settlement of small accounts receivable and payable balances. Recommendations \nThe Board recommended that the Administration take appropriatemeasures:\n (a) To dispose of the remaining non-expendable property; \n (b) To settle the outstanding accounts payable and receivable; \n(c) To transfer all remaining unencumbered funds in the UnitedNations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq inaccordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.\nSubsequently, the Board was informed that the Administration hadcleared up the remaining receivable and payable balances andtransferred the remaining balances to the Development Fund for Iraqon 6 June 2011. The disposal of thenon-expendable property had also been completed, except for thoseheld by one agency.", "A. Background", "1. The United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts were established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007). In 2010, the liquidation of the oil-for-food programme was in its seventh year, following the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003).", "2. The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010), requested the Secretary-General to terminate all residual activities of the oil-for-food programme and authorized the Secretary-General to establish a new escrow account. The Board also performed an audit on the financial statements of the newly established account and issued a separate audit report (see S/2011/480).", "3. The Development Fund for Iraq was established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), to which, inter alia, all unencumbered funds from the oil-for-food programme must be transferred. The mandate of the Board does not include auditing the activities or financial records of the Fund. That audit is undertaken by independent auditors nominated and appointed by the Government of Iraq, subject to approval by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, which is the oversight body for the Fund.", "B. Mandate, scope and methodology", "4. The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts and has reviewed their liquidation activities for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010. The audit was conducted in conformity with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the annex thereto, as well as the International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that the Board comply with ethical requirements to plan and perform an audit to obtain reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.", "5. The audit was conducted primarily to enable the Board to form an opinion as to whether the financial statements presented fairly the financial position of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the period then ended, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards. This included an assessment as to whether the expenditures recorded in the financial statements had been incurred for the purposes approved by the governing bodies and whether income and expenditures had been properly classified and recorded in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules. The audit included a general review of financial systems and internal controls and an examination of the accounting records and other supporting evidence to the extent that the Board considered necessary to form an opinion on the financial statements.", "6. According to note 3 (a), since the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts are under liquidation, the financial statements were presented on the liquidation basis of accounting. This may require the reclassification of assets and liabilities, as well as the recognition of new liabilities. The Administration, however, indicated that, after a careful review, there was no need to make any adjustments to the assets or liabilities of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts as at 31 December 2010 as a result of their being in a liquidation stage. The Board concurs with the Administration in this regard.", "7. The present report covers matters that, in the opinion of the Board, should be brought to the attention of the Security Council. The Board’s observations and conclusions were discussed with the Administration, whose views have been appropriately reflected in the report.", "C. Findings and recommendations", "1. Follow-up of previous recommendations", "8. Of the three recommendations made for the previous biennium ended 31 December 2009 (see S/2010/627), two were under implementation and one was overtaken by events, as indicated in the annex to the present section.", "9. While the Board noted the efforts given by the Administration to implement the recommendations, it urges the Administration to expedite the full implementation of the two remaining recommendations as early as possible.", "2. Financial overview", "10. Total income for the period under review amounted to $3.68 million, mainly earned from interest on cash and term deposits and the cash pool. Total expenditure amounted to $46.86 million, mainly due to a currency exchange loss of $44.84 million. This gives a shortfall of income over expenditure of $43.18 million.", "11. As at 31 December 2010, total assets amounted to $5.04 million, $4.90 million of which were cash resources (cash and term deposits and cash pool), while liabilities amounted to $0.32 million. Total reserves and fund balances decreased to $4.72 million as at 31 December 2010.", "3. Liquidation activities", "Liquidation activities of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts according to Security Council resolutions 1483 (2003) and 1958 (2010)", "12. After two extensions by the Security Council, the liquidation of the oil-for-food programme was in its seventh year in 2010, following the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003). The Board noted that the Secretariat had made continuous efforts to determine the status of outstanding letters of credit and to facilitate the resolution of any outstanding payments. As a result, as at the end of 2010, the number of letters of credit had been reduced from 69 in the previous year to 43 with an aggregate value of $101 million.", "13. Given that no additional confirmation of arrival for goods and services under the oil-for-food programme would be provided by the Government of Iraq, on 15 December 2010, the Security Council adopted resolution 1958 (2010), in which the Secretary-General was requested to take all necessary actions to terminate all residual activities under the programme and to establish a new escrow account containing a $20 million fund for administration and up to $131 million as an indemnification reserve fund. In the same resolution, the Council requested the Secretary-General to transfer all the remaining funds to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016, unless it authorized otherwise.", "14. After the adoption of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), all the remaining 43 outstanding letters of credit were closed; the related unliquidated obligations were also closed; the funds associated with such letters were released; and a new escrow account with an amount of $151 million was established. At the same time, an amount of $656 million was transferred from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq in 2010. The statistics indicated that from the adoption of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) until the end of 2010, transferred funds from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Fund totalled $11.07 billion, as shown in the figure below.", "Funds transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq from 2003 to 2010", "(Millions of United States dollars)", "Note: Based on data provided by the Administration.", "Liquidation activities of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission according to Security Council resolution 1762 (2007)", "15. By its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) (one of the escrow accounts) and requested the Secretary-General to transfer all remaining unencumbered funds in the account established pursuant to resolution 986 (1995) to the Government of Iraq through the Development Fund for Iraq. The Council required that this should be done no later than three months from the adoption of that resolution.", "16. However, in 2010, the liquidation of UNMOVIC continued. As at 31 December 2010, the major outstanding issue regarding the disposal of the chemical laboratory in Kuwait had been settled, while the remaining small balance of accounts payable and receivable had not been settled. In addition, no transfer had been made from the account of UNMOVIC to the Development Fund for Iraq during the period under review.", "Status of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts as at 31 December 2010", "17. As at 31 December 2010, the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts were still under liquidation. The major factors affecting the full closure of the accounts were a delay in the disposal of non-expendable property and the non-settlement of small accounts receivable and payable balances. As at 31 December 2010, the accounts receivable and payable balances amounted to $133,000 and $141,000 respectively, while non-expendable property on hand amounted to $718,000.", "18. The Administration agreed with the Board’s recommendations to dispose of the remaining non-expendable property.", "19. The Administration also agreed with the Board’s reiterated recommendations: (a) to settle the outstanding accounts payable and receivable; and (b) to transfer all remaining unencumbered funds in the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.", "20. At the time of reporting, the Administration has informed the Board that all the remaining receivable and payable balances had been cleared, and the remaining balances were transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq on 6 June 2011. The disposal of the non-expendable property had also been completed, except for those held by one agency.", "D. Disclosures by management", "1. Write-off of losses of cash, receivables and properties", "21. As required by rules 106.8 and 106.9 of the Financial Regulations and Rules, the Administration informed the Board that there had been no write-off of cash, receivables or properties during the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010.", "2. Ex gratia payments", "22. As required by financial rule 105.12, the Administration reported that there had been no ex gratia payments during the period.", "3. Cases of fraud and presumptive fraud", "23. The Administration informed the Board that there were no cases of fraud or presumptive fraud relating to the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts for the period under review.", "E. Acknowledgement", "24. The Board wishes to express its appreciation for the cooperation and assistance extended to its staff by the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, and their staff members.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China Chair of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Lead Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "Annex", "Status of implementation of the Board’s recommendations for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011", "Summary of recommendations\tParagraphreference\tFinancialperiodfirstmade\tImplemented\tUnderimplementation\tNotimplemented\tOvertakenbyevents \nDisclose as a separate noteto the financial statementsthe reasons forreclassification andrestatement of anycomparative\t16^(a)\t2008-2009\t—\t—\t—\tX(a) Settle the outstandingaccounts payable andreceivable of UNMOVIC\t22^(b)\t2008\t—\tX\t—\t— \n(b) Transfer all remainingunencumbered funds ofUNMOVIC to the DevelopmentFund for Iraq in accordancewith Security Councilresolution 1762 (2007) \nKeep under review the matterof transferring theunencumbered funds to theDevelopment Fund for Iraq\t33^(b)\t2008\t—\tX\t—\t—\nTotal number ofrecommendations —\t2\t—\t1\nPercentage of total numberof recommendations —\t67\t—\t33", "^(a) S/2010/627.", "^(b) S/2009/314.", "III. Certification of the financial statements", "1. The financial statements for the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011 have been prepared in accordance with financial rule 106.10.", "2. The summary of significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these statements is included as notes to the financial statements. The notes provide additional information and clarifications for the financial activities related to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) undertaken by the Organization during the period covered by these statements, for which the Secretary-General has administrative responsibility.", "3. I certify that the appended financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts, numbered I to III, are correct.", "(Signed) Jun Yamazaki Assistant Secretary-General, Controller", "29 March 2011", "IV. Financial statements for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011", "Statement I", "United Nations escrow accounts established under the provisions of all Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq (excluding resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions 986 Resolutions Resolutions (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), and 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991), 1284 (1999), 1284 1762 (1999)^(c) (2007)^(b)\n Humanitarian Administrative Monitoring, Other Total Total activities in and operational verification activities 2010 2008 Iraq costs and inspection", "Income", "Interest income 2 634 443 23 — 3 100 34 783", "Miscellaneous income 464 117 — — 581 2 915", "Total income 3 098 560 23 — 3 681 37 698", "Expenditure", "Purchase of — — — — — 684 humanitarian supplies", "Purchase of spare 326 — — — 326 722 parts^(d)", "Administrative — 1 086 20 272 1 378 5 444 expenses", "Independent Inquiry — 309 — — 309 364 Committee expenses^(e)", "Currency exchange 44 843 — — — 44 843 17 091 adjustments^(f)", "Total expenditure 45 169 1 395^(g) 20^(g) 272 46 856 24 305", "Excess (shortfall) of (42 071) (835) 3 (272) (43 13 393 income over 175) expenditure", "Prior-period 545 (545) — — — (2) adjustments^(h)", "Net excess (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 13 391 (shortfall) of income 175) over expenditure", "Cancellation of 164 862 593 — 5 165 460 215 288 prior-period obligations", "Transfers to the (656 000) — — — (656 (5 859) Development Fund for 000) Iraq^(i)", "Transfers (to)/from (131 000)^(j) (17 578)^(k) — 362 (148 — other funds 216)", "Reserves and fund 663 836 21 729 1 067 20 686 652 388 070 balances, beginning of period", "Reserves and fund 172 3 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 balances, end of period", "^(a) There were no activities relating to pipeline tariff charges or assets transfers and contributions during this period. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) Refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) Refers to activities undertaken further to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "^(d) Expenditure incurred relating to adjustments and reinstatements of contracts entered into in previous years.", "^(e) See note 4.", "^(f) Represents currency exchange fluctuations between the euro and the United States dollar and other currencies.", "^(g) The portion of expenditures that relates to disbursements is met from operating reserves. See note 5.", "^(h) Represents refund of a letter of credit fee related to “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” that was recorded under “Administrative and operational costs” in 2009.", "^(i) Represents transfers to the Development Fund for Iraq held by the Central Bank of Iraq pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003). See note 7 (f).", "^(j) Represents the transfer of $131,000,000 to the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "^(k) Represents the transfer of $20,000,000 to the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) and $362,000 to the High-level Coordinator for the repatriation or return of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals on their remains and the return of all Kuwaiti property, including archives, seized by Iraq, partly offset by the transfer of $2,784,413 from the closed United Nations trust funds (comprising $2,298,095 from the Trust Fund for Humanitarian Relief in Iraq and $486,318 from the Emergency Trust Fund for Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq, Kuwait and the Iraq-Turkey and Iraq-Iran Border Areas).", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement II", "United Nations escrow accounts established under the provisions of all Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq (excluding resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Statement of assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions Resolutions Resolutions 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), and 1483 706 (1991), 706 (1991), (2003) 1284 (1999), 1284 1762 (1999)^(c) (2007)^(b)\n Humanitarian Administrative Monitoring, Other Total Total activities in and operational verification activities 2010 2008 Iraq costs and inspection", "Assets", "Cash and term deposits 172 12 7 — 191 928 671", "Cash pool — 3 599^(d) 1 114^(e) — 4 713 25 469", "Accounts receivable", "Inter-fund balances — — 9 119 128 804 receivable^(f)", "Inter-agency accounts — — — — — 4 624 receivable", "Other accounts receivable — — — 5 5 92", "Deferred charges — — — — — 8", "Total assets 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668", "Liabilities", "Unliquidated obligations — 170 — 5 175 2 401 — current year", "Unliquidated obligations — — — — — 345 631 — prior years", "Accounts payable", "Inter-fund balances — 60 — — 60 627 payable^(f)", "Other accounts payable — 17 60 4 81 119", "Total liabilities — 247 60 9 316 348 778", "Reserves and fund balances", "Operating reserves^(g)", "Reserves for — — — — — 2 546 end-of-service and post-retirement benefits", "Other reserves — 170^(h) — — 170 207 543", "Cumulative surplus 172 3 194 1 070 115 4 551 400 801", "Total reserves and fund 172 3 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 balances", "Total liabilities and 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668 reserves and fund balances", "^(a) There were no activities relating to pipeline tariff charges or assets transfers and contributions during this period. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) Refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) Refers to activities undertaken further to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "^(d) Represents share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool for “Administrative and operational costs”, comprising cash and term deposits of $519,379, short-term investments of $845,988 (market value $854,141), long-term investments of $2,217,312 (market value $2,221,670) and accrued interest receivable of $16,636.", "^(e) Represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool for “Monitoring, Verification and Inspection” comprising cash and term deposits of $160,776, short-term investments of $261,879 (market value $264,403), long-term investments of $686,378 (market value $687,727) and accrued interest receivable of $5,150.", "^(f) See note 2 (k) (iv).", "^(g) See note 5.", "^(h) Operating reserves retained as of 31 December 2010 are to be utilized to discharge unliquidated obligations of $169,908 related to “Administrative and operational costs”.", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement III", "United Nations escrow accounts established under the provisions of all Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq (excluding resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Statement of cash flows for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions Resolutions Resolutions Total Total 2008 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), 2010 and 1483 706 (1991), 706 (1991), (2003) 1284 (1999), 1284 1762 (1999)^(c) (2007)^(b)\n Humanitarian Administrative Monitoring, Other activities in and operational verification activities Iraq costs and inspection", "Cash flows from operating activities", "Net excess (shortfall) of (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 13 391 income over expenditure 175) (statement I)", "(Increase) decrease in — 334 (9) (84) 241 (665) inter-fund balances receivable", "(Increase) decrease in 8 10 16 2 36 89 other accounts receivable", "(Increase) decrease in — — — — — 10 deferred charges", "Increase (decrease) in (268 017) (592) (171) — (268 (309 480) unliquidated obligations 780)", "Increase (decrease) in (545) 60 (32) — (517) (3 225) inter-fund accounts payable", "Increase (decrease) in — (47) 11 (13) (49) (171) other accounts payable", "Less: Interest income (2 634) (443) (23) — (3 100) (34 783)", "Net cash from operating (312 714) (2 058) (205) (367) (315 (334 834) activities 344)", "Cash flows from investing activities", "Interest income 2 634 443 23 — 3 100 34 783", "Net cash from investing 2 634 443 23 — 3 100 34 783 activities", "Cash flows from financing activities", "Cancellation of 164 862 593 — 5 165 460 215 288 prior-period obligations", "Transfers to the (656 000) — — — (656 (5 859) Development Fund for Iraq 000)", "Transfers (to)/from other (131 000) (17 — 362 (148 — funds 578) 216)", "Net cash from financing (622 138) (16 — 367 (638 209 429 activities 985) 756)", "Net increase (decrease) in (932 218) (18 (182) — (951 (90 622) cash and term deposits and 600) 000) cash pool", "Cash and term deposits and 932 390 22 211 1 303 — 955 904 1 044 762 cash pool, beginning of period", "Cash and term deposits and 172 3 611 1 121 — 4 904 954 140 cash pool, end of period", "^(a) There were no activities relating to pipeline tariff charges or assets transfers and contributions during this period. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) Refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) Refers to activities undertaken further to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Notes to the financial statements", "Note 1 United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 986 (1995) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) An escrow account to be administered by the Secretary-General was established in 1996 in order to receive the proceeds from the sale of Iraqi oil approved by the Security Council in its resolution 986 (1995). In paragraph 1 of that resolution, the Council authorized States to permit the import of petroleum and petroleum products originating in Iraq, including financial and other essential transactions directly relating thereto, sufficient to produce a sum not exceeding a total of $1 billion every 90 days. In paragraph 3 of that resolution, the Council decided that the provision should remain in force for 180 days.", "(b) The authorization given in paragraph 2 of resolution 986 (1995) permitted Turkey to import petroleum and petroleum products originating in Iraq, sufficient to meet the pipeline tariff charges for the transport of those products through the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline in Turkey, after the deduction of 30 per cent for the Compensation Fund. In resolution 1330 (2000), the Security Council revised the deduction to 25 per cent. Owing to the cessation of the oil-for-food programme, pipeline tariff charges are no longer incurred.", "(c) The provision of resolution 986 (1995) authorizing sales of Iraqi oil not exceeding a total of $1 billion every 90 days remained in force until 30 May 1998 in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1111 (1997), 1129 (1997), 1143 (1997) and 1158 (1998).", "(d) The Security Council, in paragraph 2 of resolution 1153 (1998), which took effect on 1 June 1998, decided that the authorization given to States in paragraph 1 of resolution 986 (1995) should permit the import of petroleum and petroleum products originating in Iraq, including financial and other essential transactions directly relating thereto, sufficient to produce a sum not exceeding a total of $5.256 billion, in the 180-day period referred to in paragraph 1 of resolution 1153 (1998). This provision remained in force in accordance with resolutions 1210 (1998), 1242 (1999) and 1281 (1999).", "(e) In its resolution 1284 (1999) of 17 December 1999, the Security Council lifted the dollar cap and authorized sales of Iraqi oil of any volume during the 180‑day mandate period. This provision remained in force in accordance with resolutions 1302 (2000), 1330 (2000) and 1352 (2001), which extended the provisions of resolution 1330 (2000) for 30 days; 1360 (2001), which extended the mandate period for 150 days; 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) and 1443 (2002), which extended the provisions of resolution 1409 (2002) until 4 December 2002; and 1447 (2002), which extended the mandate period to 3 June 2003. The final sale of oil for shipment under the programme was made on 20 March 2003.", "(f) The Security Council, in paragraphs 1 and 3 of resolution 1175 (1998), authorized States to permit the export to Iraq of the necessary parts and equipment (“spare parts”) to enable Iraq to increase the export of petroleum and petroleum products, in quantities sufficient to produce the sum established in paragraph 2 of resolution 1153 (1998), and decided that the funds in the escrow account produced pursuant to resolution 1153 (1998) up to a total of $300 million might be used to meet any reasonable expenses, other than expenses payable in Iraq, which followed directly from contracts approved by the Committee established pursuant to resolution 661 (1990). Resolutions 1293 (2000) and 1302 (2000) established that up to $600 million might be used to permit States to export to Iraq the necessary parts and equipment to enable Iraq to increase the export of petroleum and petroleum products. Resolutions 1330 (2000), 1352 (2001), 1360 (2001), 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) and 1447 (2002) retained the $600 million limit.", "(g) Security Council resolution 1330 (2000) allowed for funds up to €600 million from the escrow account to be used for the cost of installation and maintenance, including training services, of spare parts and equipment relating to the oil industry.", "(h) In its resolution 1472 (2003) of 28 March 2003, the Security Council recognized that in view of the exceptional circumstances prevailing in Iraq, on an interim and exceptional basis, technical and temporary adjustments should be made to the oil-for-food programme, and authorized the Secretary-General to make such changes for a period of 45 days.", "(i) In its resolution 1476 (2003) of 24 April 2003, the Security Council decided that the provisions contained in paragraph 4 of resolution 1472 (2003) should remain in force until 3 June 2003 and might be subject to further renewal by the Council.", "(j) In its resolution 1483 (2003) of 22 May 2003, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to terminate the programme within six months and to transfer responsibility for the administration of any remaining activity to the Coalition Provisional Authority. The Council also requested the consolidation of the accounts established pursuant to paragraphs 8 (a) (relating to 15 governorates of central and southern Iraq) and 8 (b) (relating to 3 governorates of northern Iraq) of resolution 986 (1995).", "(k) Sale of Iraqi oil was recognized as revenue in the fund for humanitarian activities in Iraq based on the bill of lading date and the total value of oil loaded as stipulated in the commercial invoice issued by the State Oil Marketing Organization. The proceeds from the sale of Iraqi oil were allocated, upon receipt of deposits, to other accounts established pursuant to paragraph 8 of resolution 986 (1995). No oil sales have been recorded since 20 March 2003.", "(l) The funds from the sale of Iraqi oil pursuant to the authorization given in paragraph 1 of resolution 986 (1995) were to be used to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and for the other purposes set out in paragraph 8 of resolution 986 (1995). Resolution 1409 (2002) permitted the sale or supply of any commodities or products other than those referred to in paragraph 24 of resolution 687 (1991) as it related to military commodities and products, or military-related commodities or products covered by the Goods Review List (see S/2002/515) and the amendments thereto contained in annex A to resolution 1454 (2002). The percentages used in allocating the oil sale proceeds were determined as follows:", "(i) 53.034 per cent to finance the export to Iraq of medicine, health supplies, food, and materials and supplies for essential civilian needs. In follow-up to resolution 1302 (2000), this was increased to 54.034 per cent, and resolution 1330 (2000) authorized a further increase to 59.034 per cent less the payment referred to in (vi) below;", "(ii) 13.0 per cent to complement the distribution by the Government of Iraq of imported goods by providing funds to the United Nations Inter-Agency Humanitarian Programme operating in the three northern Governorates of Arbil, Dihouk and Suleimaniyeh;", "(iii) 2.215 per cent to meet the operational and administrative costs to the United Nations;", "(iv) 30.0 per cent allocated to the Compensation Fund established pursuant to Security Council resolution 705 (1991). Pursuant to resolution 1330 (2000), this percentage was decreased to 25.0 per cent, and further decreased to 5.0 per cent pursuant to resolution 1483 (2003);", "(v) 0.751 per cent allocated to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1284 (1999), which replaced the special commissions established pursuant to resolution 687 (1991), to meet operating costs;", "(vi) A maximum of $10 million every 90 days to be allocated to the escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) for the payments envisaged under paragraph 6 of resolution 778 (1992). In resolution 1284 (1999), the Council decided to suspend payments to this escrow account for an initial period of six months from 17 December 1999. In resolution 1302 (2000), this suspension was extended for a further 180-day period and the allocation transferred to (i) above. In resolution 1330 (2000), the allocation of a maximum of $10 million every 90 days was reinstated from 6 December 2000.", "(m) Notwithstanding the periods for the sale of Iraqi oil as authorized by the Security Council, financial statements I, II and III of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts are prepared every six months.", "(n) Included in financial statements I, II and III are details relating to the humanitarian activities and related operational and administrative costs that are undertaken under the provisions of Security Council resolution 986 (1995). From the beginning of the oil-for-food programme, in December 1996, to mid-2000, implementation costs on actual expenditures incurred by agencies for activities associated with the purchase of humanitarian goods for northern Iraq were charged to the “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account, and programme support costs on actual expenditures for the administrative and operational costs were charged to the “Administrative and operational costs” account. In mid-2000, following recommendations of the Board of Auditors, and taking into account the increased level of funds available in the “Administrative and operational costs” account, the Secretariat decided to prospectively charge all implementation and programme support costs to the “Administrative and operational costs” account. In mid-2002, the Secretariat reverted to the earlier treatment, whereby direct costs of implementing the programme in northern Iraq were charged to the “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account. This decision reflected the need to harmonize treatment, whether the work was done by an agency itself or contracted out. In 2003, when agencies began implementing various aspects of the programme in southern and central Iraq, those implementation costs were also charged to the “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account, in line with the decision taken in 2002.", "(o) The financial statements of the Compensation Fund (see para. (l) (iv) above) are reported on in a separate volume of the United Nations financial statements.", "(p) Expenditures incurred during the 2010-2011 biennium for humanitarian supplies and spare parts relate to adjustments and reinstatements of contracts entered into in previous years.", "(q) The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all actions necessary to terminate all residual activities under the oil-for-food programme. The resolution authorized the Secretary-General to establish an escrow account for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors for a period of six years with regard to all activities in connection with the programme since its inception, for the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly termination of the residual activities of the programme, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and Member State proceedings related to the programme, and for the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator created pursuant to resolution 1284 (1999). Furthermore, the Secretary-General was authorized to transfer a total of $151 million to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), comprising $131 million for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors and $20 million exclusively for the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly termination of the residual activities of the programme, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and Member State proceedings related to the programme and the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator created pursuant to resolution 1284 (1999) and to transfer all remaining funds in the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq as soon as possible.", "Note 2 Summary of significant accounting and financial reporting policies of the United Nations", "(a) The accounts of the United Nations are maintained in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly, the rules formulated by the Secretary-General as required under the Regulations and administrative instructions issued by the Under-Secretary-General for Management or the Controller. They also take fully into account the United Nations system accounting standards, as adopted by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). The Organization follows International Accounting Standard 1, “presentation of financial statements”, on the disclosure of accounting policies, as modified and adopted by CEB, as shown below:", "(i) Going concern, consistency and accrual are fundamental accounting assumptions. Where fundamental accounting assumptions are followed in financial statements, disclosure of such assumptions is not required. If a fundamental accounting assumption is not followed, that fact should be disclosed together with the reasons (see note 3 (a));", "(ii) Prudence, substance over form and materiality should govern the selection and application of accounting policies;", "(iii) Financial statements should include clear and concise disclosure of all significant accounting policies that have been used;", "(iv) The disclosure of the significant accounting policies used should be an integral part of the financial statements. These policies should normally be disclosed in one place;", "(v) Financial statements should show comparative figures for the corresponding period of the preceding financial period;", "(vi) A change in an accounting policy that has a material effect in the current period or may have a material effect in subsequent periods should be disclosed together with the reasons. The effect of the change should, if material, be disclosed and quantified.", "(b) The Organization’s accounts are maintained on a fund accounting basis. Separate funds for general or special purposes may be established by the General Assembly, the Security Council, or the Secretary-General. Each fund is maintained as a distinct financial and accounting entity with a separate self-balancing double-entry group of accounts. Separate financial statements are prepared for each fund or for a group of funds of the same nature.", "(c) The financial period of the Organization is a biennium and consists of two consecutive calendar years for all funds other than peacekeeping accounts, which are reported on a fiscal year basis covering the period from 1 July to 30 June.", "(d) Generally, income, expenditure, assets and liabilities are recognized on the accrual basis of accounting.", "(e) The accounts of the Organization are presented in United States dollars. Accounts maintained in other currencies are translated into United States dollars at the time of the transactions at rates of exchange established by the United Nations. In respect of such currencies, the financial statements shall reflect the cash, investments, unpaid pledges and current accounts receivable and payable in currencies other than the United States dollar, translated at the applicable United Nations rates of exchange in effect at the date of the statements. In the event that the application of actual exchange rates at the date of the statements would provide a valuation materially different from the application of the Organization’s rates of exchange for the last month of the financial period, a footnote will be provided quantifying the difference.", "(f) The Organization’s financial statements are prepared on the historical cost basis of accounting and are not adjusted to reflect the effects of changing prices for goods and services.", "(g) The cash flow summary statement is based on the indirect method of cash flows as referred to in the United Nations system accounting standards.", "(h) The Organization’s financial statements are presented in accordance with the ongoing recommendations of the Task Force on Accounting Standards to the High-level Committee on Management of CEB.", "(i) Income:", "(i) Voluntary contributions from Member States or other donors are recorded as income on the basis of a written commitment to pay monetary contributions at specified times within the current financial period. Voluntary contributions made in the form of services and supplies that are acceptable to the Secretary-General are credited to income or noted in the financial statements;", "(ii) Income received under inter-organizational arrangements represents allocations of funding from agencies to enable the Organization to administer projects or other programmes on their behalf;", "(iii) Allocations from other funds represent monies appropriated or designated from one fund for transfer to and disbursement from another fund;", "(iv) Income for services rendered includes amounts charged for salaries of staff members and other costs which are attributable to providing technical and administrative support to other organizations;", "(v) Interest income includes all interest earned on deposits in various bank accounts, investment income earned on marketable securities and other negotiable instruments, and investment income earned in the cash pool. All realized losses and net unrealized losses on short-term investments are offset against investment income. Investment income and costs associated with the operation of investments in the cash pool are allocated to participating funds. Interest income is available for allotment purposes on a semi-annual basis;", "(vi) Net gains or losses on currency fluctuations other than for current year’s obligations are accumulated on a semi-annual basis. Effective 1 January 2002, the net amount is recognized as income or expenditure every six months in the financial statements;", "(vii) Miscellaneous income includes income from the rental of premises, the sale of used or surplus property, refunds of expenditures charged to prior periods, settlements of insurance claims, monies accepted for which no purpose was specified and other sundry income;", "(viii) Income relating to future financial periods is not recognized in the current financial period and is recorded as deferred income as referred to in paragraph (l) (iii) below.", "(j) Expenditure:", "(i) Expenditures are incurred against authorized appropriations or commitment authorities. Total expenditures reported include unliquidated obligations and disbursements. Expenditures also include currency exchange adjustments arising from the evaluation of current-period obligations;", "(ii) Expenditures incurred for non-expendable property are charged to the budget of the period when acquired and are not capitalized. Inventory of such non-expendable property is maintained at historical cost;", "(iii) Expenditures for future financial periods are not charged to the current financial period and are recorded as deferred charges as referred to in paragraph (k) (vi) below.", "(k) Assets:", "(i) Cash and term deposits represent funds in demand deposit accounts and interest-bearing bank deposits;", "(ii) Investments include marketable securities and other negotiable instruments acquired by the Organization to produce income. Short-term investments are stated at the lower of cost or market value; long-term investments are stated at cost. Cost is defined as the nominal value plus or minus any unamortized premium or discount. The market value of investments is disclosed in the footnotes in the financial statements;", "(iii) Cash pools comprise participating funds’ share of the cash and term deposits, short-term and long-term investments and accrual of investment income, all of which are managed in the cash pools. The investments in the cash pools are similar in nature. Short-term investments are stated at the lower of cost or market value; long-term investments are stated at cost. Cost is defined as the nominal value plus or minus any unamortized premium or discount. The share in cash pools is reported separately in each participating fund’s statement and its composition and the market value of its investments are disclosed in footnotes in the individual statements;", "(iv) Inter-fund balances reflect transactions between funds and are included in the amounts due to and from the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances also reflect transactions directly with other escrow accounts and with the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances are settled periodically, depending on the availability of cash resources;", "(v) Provision for delays in collection of receivable balances is not made;", "(vi) Deferred charges normally comprise expenditure items that are not properly chargeable in the current financial period. They will be charged as expenditure in a subsequent period. These expenditure items include commitments approved by the Controller for future financial periods in accordance with financial rule 106.7. Such commitments are normally restricted to administrative requirements of a continuing nature and to contracts or legal obligations where long lead times are required for delivery;", "(vii) For purposes of the balance sheet statements only, those portions of education grant advances that are assumed to pertain to the scholastic years completed as at the date of the financial statement are shown as deferred charges. The full amounts of the advances are maintained as accounts receivable from staff members until the required proofs of entitlement are produced, at which time the budgetary accounts are charged and the advances settled;", "(viii) Maintenance and repair of capital assets are charged against the appropriate budgetary accounts. Furniture, equipment, other non-expendable property and leasehold improvements are not included in the assets of the Organization. Such acquisitions are charged against budgetary accounts in the year of purchase. The value of non-expendable property is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.", "(l) Liabilities and reserves and fund balances:", "(i) Operating reserves include reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits, which are shown in a separate line on the financial statements. Operating reserves are included in the totals for reserves and fund balances shown in the financial statements;", "(ii) Unliquidated obligations for future years are reported both as deferred charges and as unliquidated obligations;", "(iii) Deferred income includes income received but not yet earned;", "(iv) Commitments of the Organization relating to prior, current and future financial periods are shown as unliquidated obligations. Effective 1 January 2000, unliquidated obligations for the escrow account for humanitarian activities in Iraq remain valid until the completion of the project. All other obligations continue to remain valid for 12 months following the end of the biennium to which they relate;", "(v) Contingent liabilities, if any, are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements;", "(vi) The United Nations is a member organization participating in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, which was established by the General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability and related benefits. The Fund is a funded, multi-employer defined benefit plan. An actuarial valuation of the Fund’s assets and pension benefits is prepared every two years. As there is no consistent and reliable basis for allocating the related liabilities or assets and costs to individual organizations participating in the plan, the United Nations is not in a position to identify its share of the underlying financial position and performance of the plan with sufficient reliability for accounting purposes, and hence has treated this plan as if it were a defined contribution plan; thus, the United Nations share of the related net liability/asset position of the Fund is not reflected in the financial statements. The Organization’s contribution to the Fund consists of its mandated contribution at the rate established by the Assembly, currently 7.9 per cent for the participant and 15.8 per cent for the Organization, respectively, of the applicable pensionable remuneration, together with its share of any actuarial deficiency payments under article 26 of the Regulations of the Pension Fund. Such deficiency payments are payable only if and when the Assembly has invoked the provision of article 26, following determination that there is a requirement for deficiency payments based on an assessment of the actuarial sufficiency of the Fund as of the valuation date. As at the reporting date of the current financial statements, the Assembly had not invoked this provision.", "Note 3 United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) As the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts are in a liquidation process (see note 7 below), the going concern assumption is not followed and the financial statements are presented according to the liquidation basis of accounting, which may require realization of assets and extinguishment of liabilities outside the normal course of business. As at 31 December 2010, the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts have no assets or liabilities requiring adjustments in their measurement or classification under the liquidation basis of accounting.", "(b) Included in financial statements I, II and III are the escrow accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) for the payments envisaged under paragraph 6 of resolution 778 (1992) and the special account established pursuant to resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991) and 1284 (1999). The escrow account established under resolutions 706 (1991), 712 (1991) and 778 (1992) returned all funds in 2003. As a result, there are no further transactions to report relating to this escrow account.", "(c) The escrow account administered by the Secretary-General under Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) provided for Iraqi funds from the sale of oil to be used for payment by the United Nations Compensation Commission of the full costs of carrying out the tasks authorized by section C of resolution 687 (1991), the full costs incurred by the United Nations in facilitating the return of all Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq, half the costs of the Boundary Commission and the cost to the United Nations of implementing resolution 706 (1991) and of other necessary humanitarian activities in Iraq.", "(d) With the refusal of Iraq to sell oil under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991), the Security Council adopted resolution 778 (1992) on 2 October 1992 as an alternate means of providing funds for the purposes specified. States in which there were petroleum products owned by Iraq or States in which there were funds of the Government of Iraq representing the proceeds of petroleum sales, paid for by the purchaser after 6 August 1990, were required to transfer some or all of those funds to the escrow account. In addition, in resolution 778 (1992), the Council urged States to contribute funds from other sources to the escrow account. All such funds transferred or contributed to the escrow account under the provisions of resolution 778 (1992) were to be transferred back to the accounts of States from which funds were provided, together with applicable interest, at such time when oil exports had taken place pursuant to the system provided in resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) and the escrow account had received funds from the proceeds of sale. Iraqi oil exports began in December 1996, and in January 1997, the escrow account started receiving funds from the proceeds of sale that were transferred back to the accounts of States that provided the original funds to the escrow account.", "(e) In December 1999, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1284 (1999), payment to the escrow account from the proceeds of sale was suspended. The suspension, which was extended for an additional 180 days by resolution 1302 (2000), was lifted by resolution 1330 (2000) in December 2000.", "(f) In May 2003, the Security Council, in its resolution 1483 (2003), requested that the Secretary-General restore funds that had been provided by Member States pursuant to resolution 778 (1992). All such funds were returned in June 2003.", "(g) The Security Council, in its resolution 687 (1991), requested the Secretary-General to undertake certain tasks in connection with the situation between Iraq and Kuwait. The costs of those activities were to be considered as an advance pending the receipt of payments to the Organization by Iraq in respect of certain activities, and by Iraq and Kuwait jointly in respect of the costs of the Boundary Commission.", "(h) Since the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 778 (1992), the above-mentioned costs have been covered by transfers from the escrow account. Furthermore, the costs of the Special Commission are met by transfer from the escrow account pursuant to resolution 986 (1995).", "(i) The Security Council decided, by resolution 1284 (1999), to establish the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). The responsibilities mandated to the Special Commission are undertaken by UNMOVIC.", "(j) In its resolutions 1483 (2003) and 1546 (2004), the Security Council reaffirmed its intention to revisit the mandate of UNMOVIC.", "(k) By its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of UNMOVIC and requested the Secretary-General to transfer all remaining unencumbered funds to the Government of Iraq within three months, after returning to Member States at their request contributions made by them pursuant to paragraph 4 of resolution 699 (1991).", "(l) The United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) is reported on in a separate set of financial statements (see S/2011/480).", "Note 4 Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations oil-for-food programme expenditure", "(a) In April 2004, the Secretary-General appointed a high-level, independent inquiry committee to investigate the administration and management of the oil-for-food programme from its inception to its transfer to the Coalition Provisional Authority, including allegations of fraud and corruption on the part of United Nations officials, personnel and agents as well as contractors, including entities that have entered into contracts with the United Nations or with Iraq under the programme. By its resolution 1538 (2004), the Security Council welcomed the inquiry. The Independent Inquiry Committee completed its investigation on 27 October 2005 and issued its final report.", "(b) Effective 1 January 2007, the Independent Inquiry Committee wound up its operation, and the Office of the Independent Inquiry Committee was established for an interim period of two years as part of the Secretariat. The work of the Office is being performed by the representative designated by the former members of the Committee and his or her designees. In November 2010, the Secretary-General extended the mandate of the Independent Inquiry Committee until 31 December 2011.", "(c) The costs of the Independent Inquiry Committee were met from funds allocated for the administrative and operational costs of the programme. Expenditures during the biennium 2010-2011 are set out in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Salaries 160", "Contractual services 134", "Premises 15", "Total 309", "Note 5 Operating reserves", "“Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account", "(a) An operating reserve of $126,660,000 was established as of 31 December 2005 under the “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account, to ensure that sufficient funds are available for the satisfactory resolution of all remaining issues relating to outstanding letters of credit. In a letter dated 10 July 2006 (S/2006/510), the Secretary-General, recalling that the United Nations had no indemnification from the Government of Iraq on the funds that had been transferred to date to the Development Fund for Iraq, informed the Security Council that until the issues of claims from suppliers were resolved, and if there was no objection from the Council, an amount of $187 million would be held as a reserve for any unanticipated claims from suppliers. In a letter dated 11 August 2006 (S/2006/646), the President of the Security Council took note of the proposed arrangements, and an operating reserve of $187 million was established and maintained.", "(b) Under the terms of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, all expired letters of credit were closed and a new escrow account was established, which, inter alia, would provide indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors for a period of six years with regard to all activities in connection with the programme since its inception. Hence operating reserves under “Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account were no longer required and the balance was closed to “Cumulative surplus” as of 31 December 2010.", "“Administrative and operational costs” account", "(c) An operating reserve of $21,132,192 was established as of 31 December 2005 under the “Administrative and operational costs” account to meet the expected costs of the Independent Inquiry Committee and the administrative costs of the escrow accounts until all aspects of the oil-for-food programme are completed. Changes in the reserve since its establishment are summarized in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Operating reserve as at 31 December 2005 21 132", "Utilization from 1 January 2006 to 31 December (10 877) 2009", "Transfer from cumulative surplus 9 670 (1 207)", "Operating reserve as at 31 December 2009 19 925", "Utilization from 1 January to 31 December 2010 (1 225)", "Reduction in the reserve^(a) (18 530)", "Operating reserve as at 31 December 2010^(b) 170", "^(a) Under the terms of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, a new escrow account was established, which, inter alia, would provide for expenses for the orderly termination of the residual activities of the oil-for-food programme. Hence, the operating reserve under the “Administrative and operational costs” account was no longer required (except for $169,908, see footnote b) and the remaining balance was closed to “Cumulative surplus” as of 31 December 2010.", "^(b) An amount of $169,908 has been retained to discharge unliquidated obligations relating to “Administrative and operational costs”.", "“Monitoring, verification and inspection” account", "(d) An operating reserve of $35,958,863 was established as of 30 June 2007 under the “Monitoring, verification and inspection” account to meet the estimated liquidation costs pertaining to UNMOVIC, including the settlement of debts owed to the Government of Germany, for archiving of documentation and archiving and staff-related costs. Staff-related costs include accrued liabilities for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits. Changes in the reserve since its establishment are summarized in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Operating reserve as at 30 June 2007 35 959", "Utilization from 1 July 2007 to 31 December (32 671) 2009", "Transfer to cumulative surplus (2 463) (35 134)", "Operating reserve as at 31 December 2009 825", "Utilization from 1 January to 31 December (20) 2010", "Reduction in the reserve^(a) (805)", "Operating reserve as at 31 December 2010 —", "^(a) Under the terms of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, a new escrow account was established, which, inter alia, would provide for expenses for the orderly termination of the residual activities of the oil-for-food programme. Hence, the operating reserve under the “Monitoring, verification and inspection” account was no longer required and the remaining balance was closed to “Cumulative surplus” as of 31 December 2010.", "Note 6 Non-expendable property", "In accordance with United Nations accounting policies, non-expendable property is charged against the current allotment in the year of purchase. The non‑expendable property valued at historical cost, according to the cumulative inventory records, is shown in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "2010 2008", "UNMOVIC — 1 194", "Agencies 670 959", "Independent Inquiry 48 290 Committee", "Note 7 Future modus operandi of United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007)", "(a) In its resolution 1483 (2003) of 22 May 2003, the Security Council extended the Secretary-General’s responsibilities under Security Council resolutions 1472 (2003) and 1476 (2003) for a period of six months. The Council requested the Secretary-General to terminate, in the most cost-effective manner, the ongoing operations of the oil-for-food programme, both at Headquarters and in the field, by 21 November 2003 and to transfer responsibility for the administration of any remaining activity under the programme to the Coalition Provisional Authority.", "(b) Accordingly, in the three governorates of northern Iraq where the United Nations agencies were implementing the programme, contracts entered into by the agencies were transferred to the Authority. Similarly, in the 15 governorates of central and southern Iraq, where, after the outbreak of hostilities, agencies had been assigned responsibility for procurement activities previously undertaken by the Government of Iraq, uncompleted contracts were handed over to the Authority.", "(c) By its resolution 1546 (2004), the Security Council decided that in connection with the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Interim Government of Iraq and its successors should assume the rights, responsibilities and obligations relating to the programme that had been transferred to the Coalition Provisional Authority, including all operational responsibility for the programme and any obligations undertaken by the Coalition Provisional Authority in connection with such responsibility, and responsibility for ensuring independently authenticated confirmation that goods had been delivered and further decided that following a 120-day transition period from the date of adoption of the resolution, the Interim Government of Iraq and its successors should assume all responsibility for certifying the delivery of goods under previously prioritized contracts, and that such certification should be deemed to constitute the independent authentication required for the release of funds associated with such contracts, consulting as appropriate to ensure the smooth implementation of those arrangements.", "(d) In accordance with Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), all obligations relating to contracts that had not been prioritized were closed, except for those where letters of credit had been retained. As at 7 December 2010, 43 letters of credit had been retained for contracts prioritized pursuant to resolution 1483 (2003).", "(e) Furthermore, by letters dated 8 August 2005 (S/2005/535), 17 October 2005 (S/2005/656), 19 December 2005 (S/2005/807), 10 July 2006 (S/2006/570), 8 December 2006 (S/2007/46), 27 March 2007 (S/2007/241), 19 April 2007 (S/2007/218), 25 July 2007 (S/2007/476), 7 December 2007 (S/2007/725), 11 March 2008 (S/2008/175), 9 May 2008 (S/2008/318), 25 July 2008 (S/2008/492), 1 May 2009 (S/2009/230) and 8 December 2010 (S/2010/619), reports dated 27 July 2009 (S/2009/385) and 1 November 2010 (S/2010/563) and the note verbale dated 2 November 2010 (S/2010/567), the Security Council has been informed of the arrangements for the liquidation of the outstanding letters of credit and of the slow progress being made.", "(f) In his letter dated 8 December 2010 to the President of the Security Council (S/2010/619), the Secretary-General provided a comprehensive update on the status of residual activities of the oil-for-food programme, and made recommendations for their definitive conclusion. Acting thereon, the Security Council, by its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all actions necessary to terminate all residual activities under the programme, noting that the remaining 43 letters of credit with outstanding claims of delivery were closed for all purposes under the programme without prejudice to any rights or claims that the suppliers may have against the Government of Iraq. Following the closure of the letters of credits, the related obligations were also closed, and pursuant to the Council authorization to transfer all remaining funds in the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the Development Fund for Iraq as soon as possible, an amount of $656 million was transferred to the Fund on 29 December 2010.", "(g) Furthermore, the Security Council, by its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December, authorized the Secretary-General to establish an escrow account for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors for a period of six years with regard to all activities in connection with the oil-for-food programme since its inception and for the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly termination of the residual activities of the programme, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and Member State proceedings related to the programme, and the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator created pursuant to resolution 1284 (1999). The Secretary-General was authorized to transfer a total of $151 million to the United Nations escrow account, comprising $131 million for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors, and $20 million exclusively for the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly termination of the residual activities of the programme, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and Member State proceedings related to the programme, and the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator created pursuant to resolution 1284 (1999). The transfers were effected on 30 December 2010.", "(h) By its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of UNMOVIC, pursuant to which an operating reserve to meet liquidation costs was established (see note 5). Unencumbered funds in the amount of $25,104,523 were transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq on 28 September 2007 and further sums of $875,285 and $2,548,000 were transferred on 28 February 2008 and 9 December 2008, respectively.", "(i) From the adoption of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) up to 31 December 2010, a total amount of $11.07 billion has been transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq. The remaining surplus funds will be transferred to the Fund in accordance with the provisions of resolutions 1483 (2003), 1546 (2004) and 1958 (2010).", "Note 8 Contingent liabilities", "Under the terms of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), as part of the liquidation process, all claims and disputes involving the United Nations or its agencies with third parties in carrying out the activities of the oil-for-food programme are to be transferred to and become the responsibility of the Authority, which has since been succeeded by the Government of Iraq. There may be some circumstances where such transfer is not possible and any liability and related fees will need to be met from the new escrow account established by resolution 1958 (2010) (see note 7 (g))." ]

[ "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the Security Council the attached report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011.", "Letters of shipment", "31 March 2011", "In accordance with financial regulation 6.5, I have the honour to submit the results of the United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011, which I hereby approve. The Controller has prepared the financial statements and certified their conformity.", "(Signed) BAN Ki-moon", "Mr. Liu Jiayi", "Chairman of the Board of Auditors", "United Nations", "New York", "12 July 2011", "I have the honour to transmit to you the report of the United Nations Board of Auditors on the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors", "President of the United Nations Security Council", "New York", "Report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011", "Contents", "PageI.Report 5 of the Board of Auditors (audit opinion) II.Report 7 of the Board of Auditors (detailed report) A. Background 9B.Mandato, 9 scope and methodology C.Conclusions 10 and recommendations 1.Standard 10 of implementation of previous recommendations 2.Synoopsis 10 of the financial situation 3.Activities 10 of liquidation D.Information 13 provided by the Administration. Ex gratia payments 13 3. Cases 13 of fraud and presumption of fraud E. Acknowledgements 13Annex.Statement of application of 14 the recommendations of the Board for the period of12mesesterminated the31 December 2010 of the Biennium2010-2011 III. Certification 15 of financial statements IV.States 16 for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011 financial statements I. 16 Unlocked United Nations security accounts established pursuant to the resolutions of the Council of Relative Security to Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010)) Rule 18 II. United Nations Unlocked Guarantee Accounts established pursuant to the resolutions of the Council of Relative Security to Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010)) Rule 20 III. United Nations Unlocked Guarantee Accounts established pursuant to the resolutions of the Council of Relative Security Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010)) Note 22", "I. Report of the Board of Auditors (audit opinion)", "Report on the financial statements", "The United Nations Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007), covering the statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances (statement I), statement of assets,", "Management ' s responsibility for the financial statements", "The Secretary-General is responsible for the proper preparation and presentation of the financial statements, in accordance with the United Nations System Accounting Standards, and any internal controls he deems necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that do not contain significant inaccuracies, either by fraud or by mistake.", "Auditors ' responsibility", "Our role is to formulate an opinion on the financial statements based on our review. Our audit is in line with the International Standards of Audit, according to which we have an obligation to respect certain ethical requirements and to plan and perform the audit so that we have a reasonable certainty that the financial statements do not contain significant inaccuracies.", "The audit involves applying procedures to obtain audit evidence on the amounts and data reported in the financial statements. The chosen procedures depend on the auditor ' s approach, including the assessment of the risks that the financial statements contain significant inaccuracies, whether for fraud or for error. In assessing these risks, the auditor reviews the internal controls applicable to the preparation and correct presentation of the financial statements by the entity in order to devise audit procedures that are appropriate to the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal controls of the entity. The audit also involves determining whether the accounting policies implemented by the Administration are appropriate and whether their accounting estimates are reasonable, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.", "We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate basis for formulating our opinion.", "Opinion", "In our view, the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) provide, essentially, the financial status of those escrow accounts as at 31 December 2010 and the results of the financial operations and cash flows for the period ended 12 months of the biennium 2010-2011.", "Report on other legal and regulatory requirements", "In our view, in addition, the transactions of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq that have been communicated to us or which we have audited within the framework of our audit are substantially in line with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the relevant legislative authority.", "In accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, we have also issued a detailed report on our audit of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Principal Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "II. Report of the Board of Auditors (detailed report)", "Summary The Board of Auditors has conducted the audit of the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007)correspondents for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011. The audit was based on a review of financial transactions during the seventh year of liquidation operations. Audit opinion The Board issued an unqualified audit opinion on the financial statements for the period under review, as indicated in section I. Status of implementation of previous recommendations Of the three recommendations made for the biennium 2008-2009, two were under implementation and one had been overcome by developments, as indicated in the annex to the report of the Board. The Board encourages the Administration to implement the recommendations as soon as possible. Overview of the financial situation During the period under review, total income amounted to $3.68 million and total expenditure to $46.86 million, resulting in insufficient income over expenditure of $43.18 million. As at 31 December 2010, the total assets amounted to $5.04 million and $0.32 million, and the reserves and fund balances had been reduced to $4.72 million. Liquidation Activities In 2010, the " Food Oil " Programme was in the last year of its liquidation process, initiated with the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003). The Board acknowledges the progress of the Secretary-General in reducing the Programme ' s residual activities. In its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities of the Programme. However, as at 31 December 2010, the United Nations unlocked security accounts for Iraq were still in liquidation. The main factors affecting the complete closure of the accounts were a delay in the disposal of non-expendable property and the lack of liquidation of small accounts payable. Recommendations The Board recommended that the Administration take the measures to: (a) dispose of the remaining non-expendable property; (b) Liquidate outstanding accounts payable and receivable; (c) Transfer all unencumbered funds remaining in United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq to the Development Fund for Iraq, in accordance with Security Council resolutions. The Board was subsequently informed that the Administration had liquidated the remaining accounts receivable and payable and had transferred the remaining balances to the Development Fund for Iraq on 6 June 2011. Non-expendable property had also been disposed of, except for one agency.", "A. Background", "1. The United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq were established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007). In 2010, the " Food Oil " Programme was in the seventh year of its liquidation process, initiated with the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003).", "2. In its resolution 1958 (2010), the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to complete all residual activities under the " Food Oil " Programme and authorized him to establish a new escrow account. The Board has also conducted an audit of the financial statements of that newly established account, contained in a separate report (see S/2011/480).", "3. The Development Fund for Iraq was established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) and, inter alia, all unencumbered funds of the " Food Oil " Programme should be transferred to that Fund. The Board ' s mandate does not include the audit of the Fund ' s activities or financial records. This audit is conducted by independent auditors appointed and appointed by the Government of Iraq, with the approval of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, the oversight body of the Fund.", "B. Mandate, scope and methodology", "4. The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq and has reviewed its liquidation activities for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010. The audit has been conducted in accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and its annex, as well as the International Standards on Auditing. Under these standards, the Board must respect certain ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit in a manner that provides reasonable assurance that the financial statements do not contain significant inaccuracies.", "5. The audit was conducted primarily to enable the Board to determine whether the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq adequately presented its financial position as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the period ended at that date, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards. This included determining whether the expenditures recorded in the financial statements had been incurred for the purposes approved by the governing bodies and whether the income and expenditure were properly classified and recorded in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules. The audit included a comprehensive review of financial systems and internal control mechanisms, as well as a verification of accounting vouchers and other supporting documents, to the extent that the Board considered it necessary to form an opinion on the financial statements.", "6. In accordance with footnote 3 (a), since the United Nations Iraq escrow accounts are in liquidation phase, the financial statements were submitted in accordance with the liquidation accounting, which is why it might be necessary to reclassify assets and liabilities and to recognize new elements in the liability. However, the Administration indicated that, following an attentive review, no adjustment was required in the assets or liabilities of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq as at 31 December 2010 for being in liquidation. The Board agrees with the Administration in this regard.", "7. The present report covers matters which, in the opinion of the Board, should be brought to the attention of the Security Council. The Board ' s observations and conclusions were discussed with the Administration, whose views have been duly reflected in the present report.", "C. Conclusions and recommendations", "1. Status of implementation of previous recommendations", "8. Of the three recommendations made for the previous biennium, ended 31 December 2009 (see S/2010/627), two were under implementation and one had been overtaken by developments, as indicated in the annex to the present section.", "9. While the Board noted the Administration ' s efforts to implement the recommendations, it urges the Administration to accelerate the full implementation of the two remaining recommendations as soon as possible.", "2. Overview of the financial situation", "10. During the period under review, total income amounted to $3.68 million, mainly from interest earned from cash and term deposits and the cash pool. Total expenditures amounted to $46.86 million, owing mainly to a loss of $44.84 million from exchange rate fluctuations. This resulted in insufficient income over expenditure of $43.18 million.", "11. As at 31 December 2010, the total assets amounted to $5.04 million, of which $4.90 million was cash resources (time and cash deposits and cash pools), while liabilities amounted to $0.32 million. Total reserves and fund balances had been reduced to $4.72 million as at 31 December 2010.", "3. Liquidation activities", "Liquidation of United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1483 (2003) and 1958 (2010)", "12. Following two extensions granted by the Security Council, in 2010 the liquidation process of the “Petroleo por Alimentos” programme, initiated with the approval of the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003), was in its seventh year. The Board noted that the Secretariat had made continued efforts to determine the status of outstanding letters of credit and facilitate the resolution of outstanding payments. As a result, by the end of 2010, the number of letters of credit had been reduced from 69 of the year prior to 43, totalling $101 million.", "13. Since the Government of Iraq would not issue any additional confirmation of the arrival of goods and services under the " Food Oil " Programme, on 15 December 2010, the Security Council adopted resolution 1958 (2010), in which the Secretary-General was requested to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities of the Programme and to establish a new blocked guarantee account with $20 million for administration costs and up to $131 million as a reserve fund. In the same resolution, the Council requested the Secretary-General to transfer all remaining funds to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016, unless otherwise authorized by the Council.", "14. Following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), the 43 outstanding letters of credit and related unliquidated obligations were cancelled, funds linked to those letters were released and a new security account blocked at $151 million was established. At the same time, the amount of $656 million was transferred from the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq to the Development Fund for Iraq in 2010. Statistics indicated that since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) until the end of 2010 funds had been transferred from the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq to the Fund totalling $11,070 million, as shown in the figure below.", "Funds transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq from 2003 to 2010", "(Millions of United States dollars)", "Note: Based on the data supplied by the Administration.", "Liquidation activities of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission in accordance with Security Council resolution 1762 (2007)", "15. In its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) (one of the escrow accounts) and requested the Secretary-General to transfer to the Government of Iraq, through the Development Fund for Iraq, all unencumbered funds remaining in the account established by resolution 986 (1995). The Council requested that this transfer be made within three months of the date of adoption of the resolution.", "16. However, UNMOVIC was still in liquidation phase in 2010. As at 31 December 2010, the main outstanding issue had been resolved, namely, the dismantling of the Kuwaiti chemical laboratory, but the remaining small accounts payable and receivable had not been settled. On the other hand, no transfer had been made from the UNMOVIC account to the Development Fund for Iraq during the period under review.", "Status of United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq as at 31 December 2010", "17. As at 31 December 2010, the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq were still in liquidation. The main factors affecting the complete closure of accounts were a delay in the disposal of non-expendable property and the lack of liquidation of small accounts receivable and payable. As at 31 December 2010, the balances of accounts receivable and payable amounted to $133,000 and $141,000, respectively, while the value of non-expendable property available was $718,000.", "18. The Administration agreed with the Board ' s recommendation to dispose of the remaining non-expendable property.", "19. The Administration also agreed with the Board ' s reiterated recommendations: (a) to liquidate outstanding and receivable accounts; and (b) to transfer all unencumbered funds remaining in the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq to the Development Fund for Iraq, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.", "20. At the time of the preparation of the present report, the Administration had informed the Board that all remaining receivables had been settled and that the remaining balances had been transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq on 6 June 2011. Non-expendable property had also been disposed of, except for one agency.", "D. Information provided by the Administration", "1. Write-off of losses of cash, receivables and property", "21. In accordance with financial rules 106.8 and 106.9, the Administration informed the Board that no loss of cash, receivables or property had been written off for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010.", "2. Ex gratia payments", "22. In accordance with financial rule 105.12, the Administration reported that no ex gratia payments had been made during the period under review.", "3. Cases of fraud and presumptive fraud", "23. The Administration informed the Board that there had been no cases of fraud or presumption of fraud in relation to the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq during the period under review.", "E. Acknowledgements", "24. The Board expresses its appreciation for the cooperation and assistance provided to its staff by the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Assistant Secretary-General and Controller and his staff.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Principal Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "Annex", "Status of implementation of the recommendations of the Board for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011", "Summary of recommendation Paragraph-reference Exercise-based Applied Appropriate Appropriation Overseason-based foundations did for the first time Explaining in a separate note of the financial statements the reclassification and demodifications that may have been introduced in comparative information 16^MO(a) 2008-2009 – – – Xa) Liquidation of the accounts payable Transfer all unencumbered funds of UNMOVIC to the Development Fund for the Iraq, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1762 (2007) Keep under review the question of the transfer of non-compromised funds to the Development Fund for Iraq 33^(b) 2008 - X - - Total number of recommendations - 2 - 1 Percentage of total number 33 - - 67", "^(a) S/2010/627.", "^(b) S/2009/314.", "III. Certification of the financial statements", "1. The financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011 have been prepared in accordance with United Nations financial rule 106.10.", "2. The notes to the financial statements provide a summary of the main accounting policies applied in the preparation of those statements. The notes provide additional information and clarification on the financial activities related to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) carried out by the Organization during the reporting period, for which the Secretary-General has administrative responsibility.", "3. I certify that the attached financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq, which carry numbers I to III, are correct.", "(Signed) Jun Yamazaki Assistant Secretary-General, Controller", "29 March 2011", "IV. Financial statements for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011", "Statement I", "United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to all Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions Resolutions 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), and 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) and 1284 (1999) and 1284 1762 (1999)^(c) (2007)^(b) Activities Expenditures Surveillance, Other Total administrative total verification activities 2010 2008 in Iraq and operational and inspection", "Income", "Income for 2 634 443 23 - 3 100 34 783 interest", "Miscellaneous income 464 117 - - 581 2 915", "Total income 3 098 560 23 - 3 681 37 698", "Cost", "Purchase of supplies - - - - - 684 humanitarian", "Purchase of 326 parts - - - 326 722 spare parts^(d)", "Administrative expenses - 1 086 20 272 1 378 5 444", "Committee expenditure - 309 - - 309 364 Independent investigatione", "Currency exchange adjustments^(f) 44 843 - - - 44 843 17 091", "Total expenditure 45 169 1 395^(g) 20^(g) 272 46 856 24 305", "Excess (insufficiency) of (42 071) (835) 3 (272) (43 13 393 income over 175) expenditure", "Adjustments for 545 (545) - - - (2) previous periods^(h)", "Net excess (insufficiency (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 13 391 net) of income 175) over expenditure", "Cancellation of obligations 164 862 593 - 5 165 460 215 288 prior periods", "Transfers to the Fund of (656 000) - - - (656 (5 859) Development for the 000) Iraq^(i)", "Transfers to/from (131 000)^(j) (17 578)^(k) – 362 (148 – other 216 funds)", "Reserves and balances of 663 836 21 729 1 067 20 686 652 388 070 funds at the beginning of the period", "Reserves and balances of 172 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 funds at the end of the period", "^(a) During this period there were no activities related to tariff charges for use of pipelines or transfers of assets or contributions. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) It refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) It refers to activities carried out pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "^(d) Costs incurred relate to adjustments and re-establishment of contracts in previous years.", "^(e) See note 4.", "^(f) It represents fluctuations in exchange rates between the euro and the United States dollar and other currencies.", "^(g) The share of expenditures related to disbursements is borne from operational reserves. See note 5.", "^(h) It represents the reimbursement of a letter of credit related to “humanitarian activities in Iraq” that was recorded as “administrative and operational costs” in 2009.", "^(i) It represents transfers to the Development Fund for Iraq by the Central Bank of Iraq in accordance with Security Council resolution 1483 (2003). See note 7 (f).", "^(j) It represents the transfer of $131 million to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "^(k) Represents the transfer in the amount of $20 million to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) and of $362,000 to the High-level Coordinator for the repatriation or return of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their mortal remains and the restitution of all Kuwaiti property, including archives, seized by Iraq, of $286", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of these.", "Statement II", "United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to all Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Statement of assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions Resolutions Total Total 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), 2010 2008 and 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) and 1284 (1999) and 1284 1762 (2007)^(b) (1999)^(c) Activities Expenditures Monitoring, Other Administrative Humanitarians and Verification Activities in Iraq Operational and Inspection", "Assets", "Cash and term deposits 172 12 7 - 191 928 671", "Cash pool - 3 599^(d) 1 114^(e) - 4 713 25 469", "Accounts receivable", "Inter-fund balances by - - 9 119 128 804 receivable^(f)", "Inter-agency accounts per - - - - 4 624 receivable", "Other accounts receivable - - - 5 5 92", "Deferred charges - - - - - 8", "Total assets 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668", "Liabilities", "Unliquidated obligations - - 170 - 5 175 2 401 current year", "Unliquidated obligations - - - - - 345 631 previous years", "Accounts payable", "Inter-fund balances for - 60 - - 60 627 pay^(f)", "Other accounts payable - 17 60 4 81 119", "Total liabilities - 247 60 9 316 348 778", "Reserves and fund balances", "Operational reserves^(g)", "Benefits Reserves - - - - - 2 546 for termination of service and post-retirement benefits", "Other reserves - 170^(h) - - 170 207 543", "Cumulative surplus 172 3 194 1 070 115 4 551 400 801", "Total reserves and 172 364 1 070 115 4 721 610 890 fund balances", "Total liabilities and 172 3 611 1 130 124 5 037 959 668 reserves and fund balances", "^(a) During this period there were no activities related to tariff charges for use of pipelines or transfers of assets or contributions. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) It refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) It refers to activities carried out pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "^(d) It represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool for “administrative and operational costs”, comprising cash and term deposits of $519,379, short-term investments of $845,988 (market value $854,141), long-term investments of $2,217,312 (market value $2,221,670) and accrued interest receivable of $16,636.", "^(e) It represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool for " monitoring, verification and inspection " , comprising cash and term deposits of $160,776, short-term investments of $261,879 (market value $264,403), long-term investments of $686,3150 (market value $687,727) and accrued interest receivable of $5.", "^(f) See note 2 (k) iv).", "^(g) See note 5.", "^(h) Existing operational reserves as at 31 December 2010 are to be used to settle unliquidated obligations of $169,908 related to “administrative and operational costs”.", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of these.", "Statement III", "United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to all Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq (except resolution 1958 (2010))^(a)", "Status of cash flows for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Resolutions Resolutions Total Total 986 (1995) 687 (1991), 687 (1991), 2010 2008 and 1483 (2003) 706 (1991), 706 (1991) and 1284 (1999) and 1284 1762 (2007)^(b) (1999)^(c) Activities Expenditures Monitoring, Other Administrative Humanitarians and Verification Activities in Iraq Operational and Inspection", "Cash flows from operational activities", "Net excess (insufficiency (41 526) (1 380) 3 (272) (43 175) 13 391 net) of income over expenditure (statement I)", "(Increase) decrease of - 334 (9) (84) 241 (665) inter-fund balances receivable", "(Increase) decrease of 8 10 16 2 36 89 other accounts receivable", "(Increase) decrease of - - - - - 10 deferred charges", "Increase (decrease) (268 017) (592) (171) - (268 780) (309 unliquidated obligations 480)", "Increase (decrease) of (545) 60 (32) - (517) (3 225) inter-fund accounts payable", "Increase (decrease) of - (47) 11 (13) (49) (171) other accounts payable", "Less: income (2 634) (443) (23) - (3 100) (34 interest 783)", "Net cash from (312 714) (2 058) (205) (367) (315 344) (334 activities 834) operational", "Cash flows from investment activities", "Income for 2 634 443 23 - 3 100 34 783 interest", "Net cash from 2 634 443 23 - 3 100 34 783 investment activities", "Cash flows from financing activities", "Cancellation of obligations of 164 862 593 - 5 165 460 215 288 prior periods", "Transfers to the Fund of (656 000) - - - (656 000) (5 859) Development for Iraq", "Transfers to/from others (131 000) (17 578) - 362 (148 216) - funds", "Net cash from (622 138) (16 985) - 367 (638 756) 209 429 financing activities", "Net increase (decrease (932 218) (18 600) (182) - (951 000) (90 net) of deposits to 622) view and term and cash pool", "Cash deposits and 932 390 22 211 1 303 - 955 904 1 044 term and 762 cash pool at the beginning of the period", "Deposits in sight and 172 3 611 1 121 – 4 904 954 140 deadline and cash pool at the end of the period", "^(a) During this period there were no activities related to tariff charges for use of pipelines or transfers of assets or contributions. See also notes 1 and 3.", "^(b) It refers to the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. See note 3.", "^(c) It refers to activities carried out pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 706 (1991). See note 3.", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of these.", "Notes to the financial statements", "Note 1", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 986 (1995) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) A blocked security account was established in 1996 and would be administered by the Secretary-General and would deposit the proceeds of the sale of Iraqi oil authorized by the Security Council in its resolution 986 (1995). In paragraph 1 of that resolution, the Council authorized States to allow the import of oil and petroleum products from Iraq, including financial transactions and other core transactions directly related to that import, to the extent sufficient to produce an amount not exceeding a total of $1 billion every 90 days. In paragraph 3 of that resolution, the Council decided that such a measure would remain in force for 180 days.", "(b) The authorization granted in paragraph 2 of resolution 986 (1995) allowed Turkey to import oil and petroleum products from Iraq in sufficient quantity to pay the tariffs for the use of the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline for the transport of those products from Iraq to Turkey, after deducting 30 per cent for the Compensation Fund. By resolution 1330 (2000), the Security Council reduced that deduction to 25 per cent. Due to the conclusion of the “Petroleum for Food” Program, tariffs are no longer paid for using pipelines.", "(c) The provisions of resolution 986 (1995) authorizing the sale of Iraqi oil in value not exceeding $1 billion every 90 days remained in force until 30 May 1998 pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1111 (1997), 1129 (1997), 1143 (1997) and 1158 (1998).", "(d) In paragraph 2 of its resolution 1153 (1998), which entered into force on 1 June 1998, the Security Council decided that the authorization given to States in paragraph 1 of resolution 986 (1995) would allow the import of petroleum and petroleum products from Iraq, including financial transactions and other basic transactions directly related to that import, to the extent sufficient to generate, in the 180-day period referred to in paragraph 1 of resolution 1153 (1998), an amount not exceeding 556 million. This provision remained in force under resolutions 1210 (1998), 1242 (1999) and 1281 (1999).", "(e) By its resolution 1284 (1999) of 17 December 1999, the Security Council abolished the ceiling in dollars and authorized the sale of any Iraqi oil volume for a period of 180 days. This provision remained in force pursuant to resolutions 1302 (2000), 1330 (2000) and 1352 (2001), which extended for 30 days the provisions of resolution 1330 (2000); 1360 (2001), which extended the period for 150 days; 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) and 1443 (2002), which extended until 4 December 2002 the provisions of resolution 1409 (2002); and 1447 (2002), which extended the period until 3 June 2003. The latest sale of oil under the Programme was made on 20 March 2003.", "f) In paragraphs 1 and 3 of resolution 1175 (1998), the Security Council authorized States to allow the export to Iraq of the necessary spare parts and equipment to enable that country to increase its exports of oil and petroleum products in a sufficient amount to generate the amount set out in paragraph 2 of resolution 1153 (1998), and decided that up to a total of $300 million of the funds of the settlement account would be used directly by the Committee to cover 1153 (1998). Resolutions 1293 (2000) and 1302 (2000) provided that up to a maximum of $600 million could be used to enable States to export spare parts and equipment to Iraq so that that country could increase exports of oil and petroleum products. Resolutions 1330 (2000), 1352 (2001), 1360 (2001), 1382 (2001), 1409 (2002) and 1447 (2002) retained the limit of $600 million.", "(g) In resolution 1330 (2000), the Security Council established that up to a maximum of Euro600 million could be allocated to the escrow account for installation and maintenance costs, including training, equipment and spare parts for the oil industry.", "(h) In its resolution 1472 (2003) of 28 March 2003, the Security Council recognized that, in view of the exceptional circumstances prevailing in Iraq, technical and transitional adjustments should be made in the “Food Oil” Programme on an exceptional and provisional basis, and authorized the Secretary-General to maintain those changes for a period of 45 days.", "(i) By its resolution 1476 (2003) of 24 April 2003, the Security Council decided that the provisions contained in paragraph 4 of resolution 1472 (2003) would remain in force until 3 June 2003 and that they could be renewed.", "(j) In its resolution 1483 (2003) of 22 May 2003, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to terminate the Programme within six months and to transfer responsibility for the administration of any remaining activity to the Coalition Provisional Authority. The Council also requested that the accounts established pursuant to paragraphs 8 (a) (relative to the 15 provinces of central and southern Iraq) and 8 (b) (relative to the three northern provinces of Iraq) of resolution 986 (1995) be consolidated.", "(k) Iraq ' s oil sales were accounted for as income in the humanitarian fund in Iraq on the basis of the date of shipping knowledge and the total value of the oil charged, as indicated in the commercial invoice issued by the State Oil Marketing Agency. The proceeds of Iraq ' s oil sales were assigned, upon receipt of deposits, to other accounts established under paragraph 8 of resolution 986 (1995). No oil sales have been recorded since 20 March 2003.", "(l) Funds from Iraq ' s oil sales under the authorization granted in paragraph 1 of resolution 986 (1995) should be used to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi population and for the other purposes set out in paragraph 8 of that resolution. In resolution 1409 (2002), the Security Council authorized the sale or supply of items or products other than those referred to in paragraph 24 of resolution 687 (1991) in respect of military goods and products or military goods and products included in the list of items subject to review (see S/2002/515) and the amendments thereto contained in annex A to resolution 1454 (2002). The percentages used to allocate revenues from oil sales were as follows:", "(i) 53.034% to finance the export to Iraq of medicines, medical supplies, food and materials and supplies intended to meet essential needs of the civilian population. Following resolution 1302 (2000), the percentage increased to 54.034%, and resolution 1330 (2000) authorized a further increase to 59.034%, from which the payment referred to in subparagraph (vi) below should be deducted;", "(ii) 13.0% to complement the distribution by the Government of Iraq of imported goods by providing funds to the United Nations Inter-Agency Humanitarian Programme operating in the three northern provinces of Arbil, Dahuk and As-Sulaymaniya;", "(iii) 2.215% to cover the administrative and operational costs of the United Nations;", "(iv) 30.0 per cent for the Compensation Fund established by Security Council resolution 705 (1991). By resolution 1330 (2000), the percentage fell to 25.0%, and then to 5.0% by resolution 1483 (2003);", "(v) The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1284 (1999), which replaced the special commissions established in resolution 687 (1991), to cover operational costs;", "(vi) A maximum of $10 million per 90 days for the escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991), with a view to making payments under paragraph 6 of resolution 778 (1992). In resolution 1284 (1999), the Council decided to suspend payments to that escrow account for an initial period of six months beginning on 17 December 1999. Resolution 1302 (2000) extended this suspension for an additional period of 180 days and the assignment was transferred to the purposes set out in subparagraph (i) above. Resolution 1330 (2000) re-established the allocation of up to $10 million every 90 days from 6 December 2000.", "(m) Regardless of the periods authorized for the sale of Iraq ' s oil in Security Council resolutions, financial statements I, II and III of the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq are prepared every six months.", "(n) Statements I, II and III include detailed information on humanitarian activities, as well as related administrative and operational costs, pursuant to Security Council resolution 986 (1995). Since the launch of the " Food Oil " Programme in December 1996 through mid-2000, the actual expenditure incurred by agencies in activities related to the purchase of humanitarian goods for the north of Iraq was charged to the " humanitarian activities in Iraq " account, and the programme support costs related to actual administrative and operational costs were charged to the " administrative and operational costs " account. In mid-2000, following the recommendations of the Board of Auditors and taking into account the increase in funds available in the “administrative and operational costs” account, the Secretariat decided to charge all implementation and programme support costs to the “administrative and operational costs” account. In mid-2002, the Secretariat returned to the previous practice, according to which the direct implementation costs of the Programme in the north of the country were charged to the “humanitarian activities in Iraq”. This decision was the result of the need to harmonize the charges, irrespective of whether or not the work was carried out by the agency itself. In 2003, when agencies began to execute various aspects of the Programme in the south and the centre of Iraq, these implementation costs were also charged to the “humanitarian activities in Iraq” account, in line with the decision taken in 2002.", "(o) The financial statements of the Compensation Fund (see para. (l) (iv) above) are shown in a volume other than the United Nations financial statements.", "(p) Costs incurred in the biennium 2010-2011 in humanitarian supplies and spare parts relate to adjustments and re-establishment of contracts in previous years.", "(q) In its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities under the " Food Oil " Programme. The resolution authorized the Secretary-General to establish a blocked security account to ensure to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for a period of six years for all activities related to the Programme since its inception and to cover United Nations expenditures related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the Programme, including the Organization ' s support for investigations and procedures undertaken by Member States in connection with the High-resolution Programme and the expenditure of 1284. In addition, the Secretary-General was authorized to transfer a total of $151 million to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to resolution 1958 (2010), namely, $131 million to ensure to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors and $20 million exclusively to cover the costs of the United Nations related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the Programme, including the Organization ' s support for investigations and procedures established in Iraq.", "Note 2", "Summary of major United Nations accounting policies and financial reporting standards", "(a) The United Nations accounts are maintained in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations adopted by the General Assembly, the rules formulated by the Secretary-General in accordance with the Regulations and administrative instructions issued by the Under-Secretary-General for Management or the Controller. The United Nations system accounting standards approved by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination are also fully taken into account. The Organization complies with International Accounting Standard No. 1, “Financial statement presentation”, on disclosure of accounting policies, as amended and approved by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, as follows:", "(i) Current business concepts, uniformity and accrual accounting are fundamental accounting assumptions. When the financial statements conform to the fundamental accounting assumptions, it is not necessary to indicate them. However, if a fundamental accounting premise is not followed, that fact should be disclosed, together with the reasons for the case (see note 3 (a));", "(ii) Prudence, the primacy of the fund on the form and principle of relative importance should govern the selection and implementation of accounting policies;", "(iii) The financial statements should include a clear and concise indication of the main accounting policies that have been implemented;", "(iv) The disclosure of the main accounting policies employed should be an integral part of the financial statements. Policies should generally be disclosed in one place;", "(v) The financial statements should reflect the relevant figures recorded in the previous financial period;", "(vi) Any change in an accounting policy that has an important effect in the current period or may have a significant impact in subsequent periods, along with the reasons for such a change, should be indicated. If important, the effect of change should be indicated and quantified.", "(b) The United Nations accounts are maintained in accordance with fund accounting. The General Assembly, the Security Council or the Secretary-General may establish separate funds for general or special purposes. Each fund is maintained as a distinct financial and accounting entity, with a set of separate accounts that are maintained on a double basis and are offset by each other. Separate financial statements are prepared for each fund or for each group of funds of the same nature.", "(c) The financial period of the Organization is a biennium and covers two consecutive calendar years for all funds, except for the peacekeeping accounts, the financial period of which covers a period of 12 months from 1 July to 30 June.", "(d) In general, income, expenditure, assets and liabilities are accounted for on the accrual basis.", "(e) The accounts of the Organization are presented in United States dollars. Accounts in other currencies are converted to United States dollars when the transaction is made, and for that purpose the exchange rates established by the United Nations are used. With respect to these currencies, the financial statements will reflect the cash, investments, unpaid pledges and accounts receivable and payable in currencies other than the United States dollar, converted to applicable United Nations exchange rates that are in effect on the date of the statements. If the application of actual exchange rates to the date of the financial statements provides an assessment that differs significantly from that resulting from the application of United Nations exchange rates for the last month of the financial period, a footnote will be included quantifying the difference.", "f) The United Nations financial statements are prepared on the basis of the initial cost and are not adjusted to take into account the effects of changes in the prices of goods and services.", "(g) The summary statement of cash flow is based on the indirect method of cash flow statements referred to in the United Nations system accounting standards.", "(h) The financial statements of the Organization are presented, in accordance with the recommendations of the Working Group on Accounting Standards, to the High-level Committee on Management of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.", "(i) Income:", "(i) Voluntary contributions from Member States and other donors are recorded as income on the basis of their written pledge to make cash contributions on specific dates of the current financial period. Voluntary contributions made in the form of supplies and services acceptable to the Secretary-General are recorded as income or disclosed in the financial statements;", "(ii) Income received under inter-agency agreements represents allocations of funds from agencies to enable the Organization to manage projects or programmes on its behalf;", "(iii) Allocations from other funds represent amounts appropriated or reserved from one fund for transfer to and disbursement from another fund;", "(iv) Service income includes staff salaries and other costs attributable to the provision of technical and administrative support to other organizations;", "(v) Interest income includes all interest earned on deposits in bank accounts, income earned on investments in securities and other negotiable instruments and income earned on investments in the cash pool. All realized losses and unrealized net short-term investment losses are deducted from investment income. Income from investments and costs related to investment management in the cash pool are allocated to participating funds. Interest income is available for credit allocation every six months;", "(vi) Net gains or losses due to currency fluctuations not related to current year ' s obligations are accumulated every six months. As of 1 January 2002, the net amount is recorded as income or expenditure every six months in the financial statements;", "(vii) Miscellaneous income includes income from rental of premises, sale of used or surplus goods, refund of expenditures attributed to prior periods, settlement of claims for compensation, unearmarked accepted funds and other miscellaneous income;", "(viii) Income relating to future financial periods is not recorded in the current financial period, but is recorded as deferred income, as indicated in paragraph (l) (iii) below.", "(j) Expenses:", "(i) Expenditures are incurred from authorized appropriations or commitment authority. Total expenditures included include unliquidated obligations and disbursements. Expenditures also include currency adjustments resulting from the revaluation of current period obligations;", "(ii) Expenditures for non-expendable property are charged to the budget for the period in which they are acquired and not capitalized. The inventory of such non-expendable property is at the initial cost;", "(iii) Expenditures for future financial periods are not charged to the current financial period, but are recorded as deferred charges, as indicated in paragraph (k) (vi) below.", "(k) Asset:", "(i) Cash and term deposits comprise the accounts in sight and the funds deposited in interest-bearing accounts;", "(ii) Investment includes the values and other negotiable instruments acquired by the Organization to produce revenue. Short-term investments are based on cost or market value, if lower; long-term investments are based on cost. The cost is defined as the nominal value more or less the premium or discount without amortizing. The market value of investments is indicated in footnotes in the financial statements;", "(iii) The cash pool includes the share of each participating fund of the cash and term deposits, short- and long-term investments and interest earned by investments, all of which are administered in the account. The investments of the cash pool are of the same kind. Short-term investments are based on cost or market value, if lower; long-term investments are based on cost. The cost is defined as the nominal value more or less the premium or discount without amortizing. The share of the cash pool for each fund is presented separately in the statements of the participating funds and their composition and the market value of their investments are indicated in footnotes in the corresponding financial statements;", "(iv) Inter-fund balances reflect inter-fund transactions and are included in or owed to the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances also reflect transactions made directly with other blocked security accounts and with the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances are settled on a regular basis on the basis of cash availability;", "(v) No reservations are made in anticipation of delays in receipt of receivables;", "(vi) Deferred charges normally cover expenditure items that are not appropriate for current financial periods and which will be recorded as expenditure in a later period. These expenditure items include commitments approved by the Controller for future financial periods, in accordance with financial rule 106.7. Such commitments are normally limited to administrative requirements of a permanent nature and to contracts or legal obligations that require prolonged deadlines for their implementation;", "(vii) For the purpose of the balance sheet only, the portion of the education grant advance that is presumed corresponds to the academic year ended at the date of the financial statement is shown as a deferred charge. The total amount of the advance is maintained as a receivable owed by the staff member until it presents the necessary evidence of his right to receive the education grant; at that time, the corresponding budget account is charged and the advance is cancelled;", "(viii) The maintenance and repairs of capital assets are charged to the relevant budget accounts. Furniture, equipment, other non-expendable property and improvements in leased premises are not included in the assets of the Organization. These acquisitions are charged to the budget accounts of the year in which the purchase is made. The value of non-expendable property is indicated in the notes to the financial statements.", "(l) Liabilities and reserves and fund balances:", "(i) Operational reserves include reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits, as shown in a separate heading in the financial statements. Operational reserves are included in the financial statements in the total reserves and fund balances;", "(ii) Unliquidated obligations for future periods are counted as deferred charges and as unliquidated obligations;", "(iii) Deferred income includes income received but not yet earned;", "(iv) The commitments made by the Organization in respect of the current financial period and previous and future periods are as unliquidated obligations. Since 1 January 2000, unliquidated obligations under the escrow account for humanitarian activities in Iraq remain valid until the completion of the project. All other obligations remain valid for the 12 months following the end of the biennium to which they relate;", "(v) The eventual liability, if any, is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements;", "(vi) The United Nations is affiliated with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, which was established by the General Assembly to provide retirement, death and disability benefits and related benefits. The Fund is a defined multi-institutional capitalized benefit plan. An actuarial valuation of the assets and benefits of the Pension Scheme of the Fund is carried out every two years. Since there is no uniform and reliable basis for determining the share of the liability, assets and expenses of the various member organizations, the United Nations is not in a position to determine their share of the underlying financial situation or the Fund ' s results with sufficient reliability for accounting purposes; therefore, they have treated this plan as a defined contribution plan. Accordingly, the United Nations share of the net liability and assets of the Fund is not reflected in the financial statements. The financial obligations of the Organization vis-à-vis the Fund consist of the mandatory contribution of a percentage established by the Assembly, which is currently 7.9 per cent of the pensionable remuneration for the participant and 15.8 per cent for the Organization, as well as the corresponding share of any contribution to remedy a deficit to be paid under article 26 of the Regulations of the Fund. This contribution to remedy a deficit should be paid only if the Assembly has invoked article 26, after having determined that such payment is necessary, on the basis of an assessment of the actuarial sufficiency of the Fund at the date of the evaluation. As of the date of submission of these financial statements, the Assembly had not invoked that article.", "Note 3 United Nations escrow accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) Since the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq are in the process of liquidation (see note 7 below), the business premise is not followed and the financial statements are presented in accordance with the liquidation accounting, which may require the disposal of assets and cancellation of obligations outside the normal course of operations. As at 31 December 2010, the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq had no assets or liabilities that required adjustments to their valuation or classification under liquidation accounting.", "(b) Statements I, II and III include the escrow accounts established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) for payment under paragraph 6 of resolution 778 (1992) and the special account established pursuant to resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991) and 1284 (1999). The escrow account established pursuant to resolutions 706 (1991), 712 (1991) and 778 (1992) returned all funds in 2003. Consequently, there is no transaction to report on this blocked warranty account.", "(c) The escrow account administered by the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) included Iraq ' s funds from the sale of oil to be used for the payment by the United Nations Compensation Commission of the full costs of the implementation of the tasks authorized in section C of resolution 687 (1991), the full cost of the United Nations in the implementation of all the expenses incurred by the United Nations by the demarcation of the", "(d) By denying Iraq to sell oil in accordance with resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991), on 2 October 1992, the Security Council adopted resolution 778 (1992) as an alternative means of providing funds for the stated purposes. States with products derived from Iraq-owned oil or States with funds from the Government of Iraq for the proceeds of the sale of oil, paid by the buyer after 6 August 1990, should transfer all such funds or part of them to the escrow account. In addition, in resolution 778 (1992), the Council urged States to provide funds from other sources to the escrow account. All funds transferred or contributed to the escrow account under the provisions of resolution 778 (1992) should be redeployed to the accounts of the States from which such funds were derived, together with the applicable interests, when oil exports were produced under the system provided for in resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991) and the escrow account received the funds from sales. Iraq ' s oil exports started in December 1996 and in January 1997 the blocked warranty account began to receive funds from sales, which were re-transferred to the accounts of States that had provided the original funds to the escrow account.", "(e) In December 1999, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1284 (1999), payments to the escrow account from the sale of oil were suspended. The suspension, which was extended another 180 days by resolution 1302 (2000), was lifted by resolution 1330 (2000) in December 2000.", "f) In May 2003, the Security Council, in its resolution 1483 (2003), requested that the Secretary-General re-establish the funds provided by Member States in accordance with resolution 778 (1992). All of these funds were returned in June 2003.", "(g) In its resolution 687 (1991), the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to undertake certain work on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait. Expenditure resulting from such activities should be considered as an advance pending receipt by the Organization of Iraq of payments related to certain activities and payments made by Iraq and Kuwait in conjunction with the costs of the Boundary Demarcation Commission.", "(h) With the adoption of Security Council resolution 778 (1992), the expenses indicated were covered by transfers of the escrow account. In addition, the expenses of the Special Commission were borne by transfers of the escrow account established by resolution 986 (1995).", "(i) The Security Council, by resolution 1284 (1999), decided to establish the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). The functions entrusted to the Special Commission were assumed by UNMOVIC.", "(j) In its resolutions 1483 (2003) and 1546 (2004), the Security Council reaffirmed its intention to revisit the mandate of UNMOVIC.", "(k) By its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of UNMOVIC and requested the Secretary-General to transfer all remaining unencumbered funds to the Government of Iraq within three months, after returning Member States to request their contributions under paragraph 4 of resolution 699 (1991).", "(l) The financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) are presented separately (see S/2011/480).", "Note 4 Independent Inquiry Committee on the United Nations Oil for Food Programme", "(a) In April 2004, the Secretary-General appointed a high-level independent research committee to investigate the administration and management of the " Food Oil " Programme from its inception until it was transferred to the Coalition Provisional Authority, including allegations of fraud and corruption of United Nations officials, personnel and agents, as well as contractors, including entities that had entered into contracts with the United Nations or Iraq under that Programme. In its resolution 1538 (2004), the Security Council welcomed that investigation. The Independent Investigation Committee completed its investigation on 27 October 2005 and published its final report.", "(b) On 1 January 2007, the Independent Investigation Committee completed its activities and established the Office of the Independent Inquiry Committee for a two-year interim period as part of the Secretariat. The work of the Office is carried out by the representative appointed by the Committee ' s former members and the persons designated by the Committee. In November 2010, the Secretary-General extended the mandate of the Independent Investigation Committee until 31 December 2011.", "(c) The costs of the Independent Inquiry Committee were met from funds allocated for administrative and operational costs of the Programme. The table below shows the expenditure incurred during the biennium 2010-2011.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Salaries 160", "Contractual services 134", "Premises 15", "Total 309", "Note 5 Operational reserves", "“Humanitarian activities in Iraq” account", "(a) On 31 December 2005, an operational reserve of $126,660,000 was established in the “humanitarian activities in Iraq” account to ensure that there were sufficient funds to successfully resolve all remaining issues in relation to outstanding letters of credit. By letter dated 10 July 2006 (S/2006/510), the Secretary-General recalled that the United Nations had not received compensation from the Government of Iraq for the funds that had been transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq to date and informed the Security Council that until the claims of the vendors were resolved, and if there was no objection from the Council, the amount of $187 million would be retained to cover any unforeseen claims of the vendors. By letter dated 11 August 2006 (S/2006/646), the President of the Security Council took note of the proposed arrangements and established and maintained an operational reserve of $187 million.", "(b) Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, all the letters of credit expired were cancelled and a new escrow account was established for, inter alia, the purpose of ensuring the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for a period of six years for all activities related to the Programme since its inception. Accordingly, the operational reserves of the “humanitarian activities in Iraq” account were no longer required and the remaining balance was recorded as “accruited surplus” on 31 December 2010.", "“Administrative and operational costs” account", "(c) On 31 December 2005, an operational reserve of $21,132,192 was established in the “administrative and operational costs” account to cover the projected costs of the Independent Investigation Committee and the administrative costs of the escrow accounts until all aspects of the “Food Oil” Programme were completed. The changes to the reservation since its establishment are summarized in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Operational reserve as at 31 December 2005 21 132", "Use of the reserve from 1 January 2006 to (10 877) 31 December 2009", "Accrued surplus transfer 9 670 (1 207)", "Operational reserve as at 31 December 2009 19 925", "Use of reserve from 1 January to 31 (1 225) December 2010", "Reduction of booking^(a) (18 530)", "Operational reserve as at 31 December 2010^(b) 170", "^(a) Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, a new escrow account was established to cover, inter alia, the costs related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the " Oil for Food " Programme. Accordingly, the operational reserve for the “administrative and operational costs” account was no longer required (with the exception of $169,908, see note (b) and the remaining balance was set as “accrued surplus” on 31 December 2010.", "^(b) An amount of $169,908 has been maintained to settle unliquidated obligations related to “administrative and operational costs”.", "“Vigilance, verification and inspection” account", "(d) On 30 June 2007, an operational reserve of $35,958,863 was established in the " monitoring, verification and inspection " account to cover the estimated liquidation costs of UNMOVIC, including the liquidation of debts owed to the Government of Germany, the archiving of documentation and personnel-related costs. Staff-related costs include the accrued liability for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits. The changes to the reservation since its establishment are summarized in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Operational reserve as at 30 June 2007 35 959", "Use of the reserve from 1 July 2007 to (32 671) 31 December 2009", "Transfer of accumulated surplus (2 463) (35 134)", "Operational reserve as at 31 December 2009 825", "Use of the reserve from 1 January to 31 December 2010", "Reduction of booking^(a) (805)", "Operational reserve as at 31 December 2010 -", "^(a) Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, a new escrow account was established to cover, inter alia, the costs related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the " Oil for Food " Programme. Accordingly, the operational reserve of the “monitoring, verification and inspection” account ceased to be necessary and the remaining balance was recorded as “accrued surplus” on 31 December 2010.", "Note 6 Non-expendable property", "In accordance with United Nations accounting policies, non-expendable property is attributable to the provision of current credit in the year of acquisition. Non-expendable property, valued at its initial cost according to the accumulated inventory records, is shown in the table below.", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "2010 2008", "UNMOVIC - 1 194", "Agencies 670 959", "Independent Inquiry Committee 48 290", "Note 7 Future operation of United Nations blocked security accounts for Iraq established pursuant to Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007)", "(a) By its resolution 1483 (2003) of 22 May 2003, the Security Council extended the exercise of the functions of the Secretary-General pursuant to resolutions 1472 (2003) and 1476 (2003) for a period of six months. The Council requested the Secretary-General to terminate, with the best possible cost-effectiveness, the operation of the " Food Oil " Programme, both at Headquarters and in the field, no later than 21 November 2003, and to transfer responsibility for the administration of any remaining activities under the Programme to the Coalition Provisional Authority.", "(b) Thus, in the three northern provinces of Iraq where United Nations agencies were implementing the Programme, the contracts concluded by the agencies were transferred to the Authority. Similarly, in the 15 provinces of central and southern Iraq where, following the outbreak of hostilities, agencies had been entrusted with the procurement activities previously carried out by the Government of Iraq, unfinished contracts were transferred to the Authority.", "(c) In its resolution 1546 (2004), the Security Council decided that, in connection with the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Interim Government of Iraq and its successors would assume the rights, functions and obligations of the Programme that had been transferred to the Authority, including the operational functions of the Programme and the obligations assumed by the Authority in connection with those functions, as well as the assurance that there would be an authenticated confirmation of the surrender of the assets,", "(d) In accordance with Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), all obligations relating to contracts whose priority had not been established, except those arising from letters of credit retained, were cancelled. As at 7 December 2010, 43 letters of credit had been retained for contracts whose priority had been established pursuant to resolution 1483 (2003).", "(e) 2/", "f) In his letter dated 8 December 2010 addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2010/619), the Secretary-General submitted a comprehensive and updated report on the status of residual activities of the " Oil for Food " Programme and made recommendations for the final completion of those activities. As a result, the Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities of the Programme, noting that the remaining 43 letters of credit with outstanding claims were cancelled for all purposes of the Programme, without prejudice to the rights or claims of payment or other claims that the suppliers might have against the Government of Iraq. Following the cancellation of the letters of credit, the related obligations were also cancelled and, under the authorization of the Council to transfer as soon as possible to the Development Fund for Iraq all funds remaining in the United Nations escrow accounts for Iraq, the amount of $656 million was transferred to the Fund on 29 December 2010.", "(g) On the other hand, in its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, the Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to establish a blocked security account to ensure to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for a period of six years for all activities related to the " Oil for Food " Programme since its inception, as well as to cover the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the United Nations Programme The Secretary-General was authorized to transfer a total of $151 million to the United Nations escrow account, that is, $131 million to ensure to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors and $20 million exclusively to cover the expenses of the United Nations related to the orderly completion of the residual activities of the Programme, including the Organization ' s support for investigations and procedures undertaken by Member States in connection with the High-level Programme and 1284. The transfers were made on 30 December 2010.", "(h) In its resolution 1762 (2007), the Security Council terminated the mandate of UNMOVIC, after which an operational reserve was established to cover the liquidation costs (see note 5). On 28 September 2007, unencumbered funds of $25,104,523 were transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq, and the amounts of $875,285 and $2,548,000 were transferred on 28 February 2008 and 9 December 2008.", "(i) Since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), a total amount of $11,070 million has been transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq until 31 December 2010. The remaining funds will be transferred to the Fund in accordance with resolutions 1483 (2003), 1546 (2004) and 1958 (2010).", "Note 8", "Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), and as part of the liquidation process, all claims and disputes by the United Nations or its agencies with third parties arising in the conduct of the activities of the " Oil for Food " Programme must be transferred to the Government of Iraq, as the successor of the Authority, to which the responsibility will rest. There may be circumstances in which such a transfer is not possible, in which case any obligation and related costs shall be borne by the new blocked warranty account established by resolution 1958 (2010) (see note 7 (g))." ]

[ "Informe de la Junta de Auditores sobre la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad", "Nota del Secretario General", "El Secretario General tiene el honor de transmitir adjunto al Consejo de Seguridad el informe de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas sobre la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, correspondiente al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "Cartas de envío", "31 de marzo de 2011", "De conformidad con lo dispuesto en el párrafo 6.5 del Reglamento Financiero, tengo el honor de presentar los estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, correspondiente al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010, que apruebo por la presente. El Contralor ha preparado los estados financieros y ha certificado su conformidad.", "(Firmado) BAN Ki-moon", "Sr. Lin Jiayi Presidente de la Junta de Auditores Naciones Unidas Nueva York", "12 de julio de 2011", "Tengo el honor de transmitirle los estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, correspondiente al ejercicio económico comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010, y el informe de la Junta de Auditores sobre la cuenta mencionada.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas", "El Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas Nueva York", "Informe de la Junta de Auditores sobre la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, correspondiente al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010", "Índice", "PáginaI.Informe 5 de la Junta de Auditores (opinión de los \nauditores) II.Informe 7 de la Junta de Auditores (informe \ndetallado) \nResumen 7\nA.Antecedentes 8B.Mandato, 9 alcance y \nmetodología C.Conclusiones 10 y \nrecomendaciones 1.Sinopsis 10 \nfinanciera 2. Fondo 10 de reserva para \nindemnizaciones 3.Reservas 10 para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la \njubilación 4.Pasivos 11 \neventuales D.Información 11 suministrada por la \nadministración 1.Paso 11 a pérdidas y ganancias de pérdidas de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar y \nbienes 2. Pagos 12 a título \ngraciable 3. Casos 12 de fraude y presunto \nfraude \nE.Agradecimientos 12III. Certificación 13 de los estados \nfinancieros IV.Estados 14 financieros correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de \n 2010 \nEstadofinancieroI 14\nEstadofinancieroII 15Estadofinanciero 16 \n III Notasa 17 los estados \nfinancieros", "I. Informe de la Junta de Auditores (opinión de los auditores)", "Informe sobre los estados financieros", "Hemos verificado los estados financieros adjuntos de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, que abarcan el estado de los ingresos y gastos y las variaciones en las reservas y saldos de los fondos (estado financiero I); el estado del activo, el pasivo, las reservas y los saldos de los fondos al 31 de diciembre de 2010 (estado financiero II), y el estado de las corrientes de efectivo correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010 (estado financiero III), así como las notas a los estados financieros.", "Responsabilidad de la dirección por la presentación de informes financieros", "El Secretario General es el responsable de la preparación y presentación correcta de estos estados financieros, de conformidad con las normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, y de los controles internos que estime necesario realizar para permitir la preparación de estados financieros que no contengan inexactitudes significativas, atribuibles ya sea a fraude o a error.", "Responsabilidad de los auditores", "Nuestra función consiste en expresar una opinión sobre estos estados financieros basada en nuestro examen. Nuestra auditoría se ajusta a las normas internacionales de auditoría, que nos imponen la obligación de cumplir ciertos requisitos éticos y planificar y realizar la auditoría de manera que tengamos una certeza razonable de que los estados financieros no contienen inexactitudes significativas.", "La auditoría consiste en aplicar procedimientos para obtener elementos de prueba que permitan verificar las sumas y los datos consignados en los estados financieros. Los procedimientos elegidos dependen del criterio del auditor, e incluyen la evaluación del riesgo de que los estados financieros contengan inexactitudes significativas, ya sea debido a fraude o error. Al evaluar esos riesgos, el auditor examina los controles internos aplicables para la preparación y presentación correcta de los estados financieros por parte de la entidad, a fin de concebir procedimientos que sean apropiados en las circunstancias, pero no a los efectos de expresar una opinión sobre la eficacia del control interno de la entidad. La auditoría consiste también en determinar si las políticas de contabilidad aplicadas por la Administración son apropiadas y si sus estimaciones contables son razonables, así como en evaluar la presentación general de los estados financieros.", "Consideramos que los elementos de prueba que hemos obtenido son suficientes y adecuados como base de nuestra opinión de auditoría.", "Opinión", "Opinamos que los estados financieros reflejan fielmente, en todos los aspectos sustantivos, la situación financiera de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas al 31 de diciembre de 2010, así como los resultados de sus operaciones financieras y corrientes de efectivo correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010, con arreglo a las normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "Informe sobre otros requisitos jurídicos y reglamentarios", "Opinamos asimismo que las transacciones de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) que se nos han presentado, o que hemos verificado como parte de nuestra auditoría, se han ajustado en todos los aspectos importantes al Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas y a la base legislativa.", "De conformidad con el artículo VII del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas, también hemos publicado un informe detallado sobre nuestra auditoría de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas (Auditor principal)", "(Firmado) Terence Nombembe Auditor General de la República de Sudáfrica", "(Firmado) Amyas Morse Contralor y Auditor General del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte", "12 de julio de 2011", "II. Informe de la Junta de Auditores (informe detallado)", "Resumen \nLa Junta de Auditores ha auditado los estados financieros de lacuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida deconformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad,correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 dediciembre de 2010. La auditoría se realizó por medio de un examen delas transacciones financieras realizadas desde el establecimiento dela cuenta. Opinión de los auditores \nLa Junta emitió una opinión de auditoría sin salvedades sobre losestados financieros del período examinado, como se indica en lasección I. Sinopsis de la situación financiera La cuenta fue establecida el 15 de diciembre de 2010 en virtud de laresolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad. De conformidad conesta resolución, la Administración transfirió de las cuentas degarantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) a una nueva cuentade garantía bloqueada 151 millones de dólares, incluidos 20 millonesdel fondo de administración y 131 millones del fondo de reserva paraindemnizaciones. \nAl 31 de diciembre de 2010, los ingresos totales (por interesesdevengados) ascendían a 6.000 dólares, y no se habían efectuadogastos. El saldo total de caja era de 151 millones de dólares, cifraque incluía 20 millones del fondo de administración y 131 millonesdel fondo de reserva para indemnizaciones.Reservas para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posterioresa la jubilación \nLos estados financieros no reflejan las prestaciones por terminacióndel servicio y posteriores a la jubilación para el personal queparticipa plenamente en la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de lasNaciones Unidas, que ascienden a 1,757 millones de dólares, como unapartida separada. Estas prestaciones se incluyeron, en cambio, en lareserva operacional de la cuenta. En opinión de la Junta, supresentación por separado mejorará la claridad y transparencia. Pasivo eventual De conformidad con lo estipulado en la resolución 1483 (2003) delConsejo de Seguridad, tres cartas de crédito por valor de 4,2millones de dólares, que fueron canceladas, pero en relación con lascuales había reclamaciones de ejecución anteriores a su vencimiento,se han registrado como un pasivo eventual en las notas a los estadosfinancieros. El Secretario General, en las cartas dirigidas alPresidente del Consejo de Seguridad entre 2008 y 2010, indicó queestas tres cartas de crédito debían ser tratadas de la misma maneraque las cartas de crédito con reclamaciones de ejecución pendientes,de ahí su registro como pasivo eventual. De conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo deSeguridad, se pidió al Secretario General que tomara todas lasmedidas necesarias para terminar todas las actividades residualesrelacionadas con el programa “Petróleo por alimentos”. Como resultadode ello, las restantes 43 cartas de crédito por un valor total de 101millones de dólares fueron canceladas al 31 de diciembre de 2010. Sinembargo, las reclamaciones de ejecución de esas 43 cartas de créditono se registraron como pasivo eventual en las notas a los estadosfinancieros. La Junta opinó que se habría requerido coherencia en eltratamiento contable de las cartas de crédito canceladas en relacióncon las cuales aún hay reclamaciones de ejecución. \nLa Administración tomó luego medidas para tener en cuenta losresultados de esta auditoría y los cambios correspondientes sereflejan en los estados financieros revisados.", "A. Antecedentes", "1. Las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) se establecieron de conformidad con las disposiciones de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007). En 2010, la liquidación del programa “Petróleo por alimentos” estaba en su séptimo año, a raíz de la aprobación de la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "2. El Consejo de Seguridad, en su resolución 1958 (2010), autorizó al Secretario General a que estableciera una nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada para los fines detallados a continuación, designara contadores públicos independientes y certificados para efectuar la auditoría y mantuviera al Gobierno del Iraq plenamente informado.", "3. El Consejo de Seguridad autorizó al Secretario General a transferir 20 millones de dólares y hasta 131 millones de dólares de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) a la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada establecida en virtud de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, y a mantener el total de 151 millones de dólares en esta última cuenta hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2016. La cantidad de 20 millones de dólares era exclusivamente para los gastos de las Naciones Unidas relacionados con la terminación ordenada de las actividades residuales del programa “Petróleo por alimentos”, incluido el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones de los Estados Miembros y los procedimientos relacionados con el programa, y los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel. La suma de hasta 131 millones de dólares se reservaba con el propósito de proporcionar indemnización a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales por un período de seis años, respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el programa desde su creación. Dado que la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada expira el 31 de diciembre de 2016, la totalidad de los fondos restantes deberá transferirse al Gobierno del Iraq antes del 31 de diciembre de 2016, a menos que el Consejo de Seguridad autorice otro procedimiento.", "4. A fin de aplicar plena y eficazmente la resolución 1958 (2010), el Consejo de Seguridad autorizó al Secretario General a concertar todos los arreglos o acuerdos de ejecución necesarios lo antes posible con el Gobierno del Iraq: a) para indemnizar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales respecto de todas las actividades del programa “Petróleo por alimentos” desde su creación, y b) para que el Gobierno del Iraq renuncie a toda reclamación que pueda tener en el futuro contra las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el programa desde su creación. El Consejo de Seguridad solicitó al Secretario General que le informara cuando así hubiera procedido.", "B. Mandato, alcance y metodología", "5. La Junta de Auditores ha comprobado los estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con las disposiciones de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad para el período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010. La auditoría se realizó de conformidad con el artículo VII del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas y su anexo, así como con las Normas Internacionales de Auditoría, en virtud de las cuales la Junta de Auditores debe cumplir ciertos requisitos éticos y hacer la verificación de manera que ofrezca garantías razonables de que los estados financieros no contienen inexactitudes significativas.", "6. La auditoría se realizó principalmente para que la Junta pudiera formarse una opinión respecto de si los estados financieros presentan fielmente la situación financiera de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada al 31 de diciembre de 2010 y los resultados de las operaciones y las corrientes de efectivo por el período terminado en esa fecha, de acuerdo con las normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Esto incluyó una evaluación de si los gastos registrados en los estados financieros se habían efectuado para los fines aprobados por los órganos rectores y si los ingresos y los gastos se habían clasificado y registrado debidamente, de acuerdo con el Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada. La auditoría incluyó un examen general de los sistemas financieros y los controles internos y un examen de los registros contables y otros documentos justificativos, en la medida en que la Junta consideró necesario para formarse una opinión sobre los estados financieros.", "7. La auditoría se llevó a cabo junto con la auditoría de los estados financieros de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) establecidas en virtud de las disposiciones de las resoluciones del Consejo de Seguridad 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) y 1762 (2007) por el período de 12 meses finalizado el 31 de diciembre de 2010 del bienio 2010-2011. La Junta emitió un informe separado sobre la auditoría de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) (véase S/2011/479).", "8. El presente informe abarca cuestiones que, a juicio de la Junta, debían señalarse a la atención del Consejo de Seguridad. Las observaciones de la Junta y las conclusiones se examinaron con la Administración, cuyas opiniones han sido incorporadas en el informe.", "C. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "1. Sinopsis financiera", "9. Al 31 de diciembre de 2010, los ingresos totales (por intereses devengados) ascendían a 6.000 dólares y no se había incurrido en gastos. El saldo total de caja era de 151 millones de dólares, cifra que incluía 20 millones de dólares en el fondo de administración y 131 millones en el fondo de reserva para indemnizaciones. Todos estos fondos fueron transferidos de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq), de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "2. Fondo de reserva para indemnizaciones", "10. La Administración, de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, transfirió 131 millones de dólares como fondo de reserva para indemnizaciones de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) a la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada. Sin embargo, la Administración no proporcionó a la Junta un desglose de la cifra, ni la forma en que la Administración llegó a establecerla.", "11. La Administración explicó que se habían celebrado varias reuniones con los miembros permanentes del Consejo de Seguridad en 2010 y señaló las posibles esferas de riesgo de la Organización en relación con el cierre del programa “Petróleo por alimentos”. Sin embargo, debido a la naturaleza altamente confidencial del asunto y las negociaciones en curso con las partes interesadas, la Administración consideró que, en esta etapa, iría contra los intereses de la Organización proporcionar información detallada sobre el desglose de los 131 millones de dólares y la forma en que se determinó la cifra.", "12. La Junta reconoce que la suma de 131 millones de dólares está dentro de los límites permitidos por la resolución del Consejo de Seguridad y que representa exactamente la transferencia efectuada de la reserva de las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq). Aunque esto no afecta a la presentación fiel de los estados financieros, la Junta considera que el desglose de esta cifra y la forma en que la Administración la determinó habrían constituido la base para que la Junta confirmara la fiabilidad de la información proporcionada al Consejo de Seguridad por la Administración. La Junta examinará la cuestión en el contexto de la próxima auditoría de la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada.", "3. Reservas para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación", "13. La Junta observó que, a diferencia de la práctica anterior en las cuentas de garantía bloqueadas de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq), las prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación por valor de 1,757 millones de dólares no se registraron como una partida separada, sino que se incluyeron en las reservas operacionales en los estados financieros de la nueva cuenta de garantía bloqueada al 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "14. La Junta también observó que las explicaciones de las prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación que figuran en las diferentes notas de los estados financieros no eran consistentes. En particular, no figura en las notas la información relativa a las prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación, incluidos la composición, el proceso actuarial y las principales hipótesis, así como los cambios conexos.", "15. Posteriormente, la Administración realizó los cambios necesarios y revisó los estados financieros.", "4. Pasivos eventuales", "16. De conformidad con la resolución 1483 (2003) del Consejo de Seguridad, como parte del proceso de liquidación, todas las reclamaciones y controversias presentadas por terceros contra las Naciones Unidas o sus organismos en el marco de la ejecución de las actividades del programa “Petróleo por alimentos” debían transferirse a la Autoridad, que más tarde fue sucedida por el Gobierno del Iraq. En consecuencia, tres cartas de crédito por un monto de 4,2 millones de dólares, que fueron canceladas, pero en relación con las cuales había reclamaciones de ejecución anteriores a su vencimiento, se registraron como pasivo eventual en las notas a los estados financieros.", "17. La Junta observó que, de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, 43 cartas de crédito por un valor total de 101 millones de dólares habían sido canceladas al 31 de diciembre de 2010, pero las reclamaciones de ejecución anteriores no se habían registrado como pasivo eventual en las notas a los estados financieros.", "18. En las cartas dirigidas al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad de fecha 25 de julio de 2008 (S/2008/492), 1 de mayo de 2009 (S/2009/230) y 8 de diciembre de 2010 (S/2010/619), el Secretario General indicó que cualquiera fuera la opción seleccionada por el Consejo de Seguridad para la conclusión de todas las cuestiones pendientes en el marco del programa “Petróleo por alimentos”, tres cartas de crédito que habían sido canceladas pero en relación con las cuales los beneficiarios habían presentado reclamaciones de ejecución antes de la fecha de vencimiento, debían ser tratadas de la misma manera que las cartas de crédito con reclamaciones de ejecución aún pendientes.", "19. La Junta considera que la naturaleza de las 43 cartas de crédito es muy similar a la de las otras tres, ya que todavía pueden exponer a las Naciones Unidas al riesgo potencial de reclamaciones, como confirma lo señalado más arriba. Por lo tanto, debían ser tratadas de la misma manera. Si eventualmente se exigiera al programa “Petróleo por alimentos” que se hiciera cargo de la totalidad o de parte de estas reclamaciones, el costo se sufragaría con cargo a la nueva cuenta.", "20. Posteriormente, la Administración hizo los cambios necesarios y revisó los estados financieros en consecuencia.", "D. Información suministrada por la administración", "1. Paso a pérdidas y ganancias de pérdidas de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar y bienes", "21. Como exigen las reglas 106.8 y 106.9 del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada, la Administración informó a la Junta de que no se efectuaría ningún paso a pérdidas y ganancias de pérdidas de efectivo, cuentas por cobrar ni bienes durante el período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 diciembre de 2010.", "2. Pagos a título graciable", "22. Como exige la regla 105.12 del Reglamento Financiero y Reglamentación Financiera Detallada, la Administración informó de que no hubo pagos a título graciable durante el período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "3. Casos de fraude y presunto fraude", "23. La Administración informó a la Junta de que durante el período que se examina no hubo casos de fraude ni presunto fraude relacionados con la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "E. Agradecimientos", "24. La Junta desea expresar su agradecimiento por la cooperación y asistencia brindadas a su personal por el Secretario General, el Secretario General Adjunto de Gestión, el Subsecretario General y el Contralor, así como su personal.", "(Firmado) Liu Jiayi Auditor General de la República Popular China Presidente de la Junta de Auditores de las Naciones Unidas (Auditor principal)", "(Firmado) Terence Nombembe Auditor General de la República de Sudáfrica", "(Firmado) Amyas Morse Contralor y Auditor General del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte", "12 de julio de 2011", "III. Certificación de los estados financieros", "1. Los estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en virtud de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010 han sido preparados de acuerdo con la regla financiera 106.10.", "2. En las notas a los estados financieros figura un resumen de las principales normas de contabilidad aplicadas en la preparación de esos estados. Las notas contienen información y aclaraciones adicionales sobre las actividades financieras relacionadas con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad realizadas por la Organización durante el período al que corresponden esos estados, respecto de las cuales el Secretario General tiene la responsabilidad administrativa.", "3. Certifico que los estados financieros adjuntos de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en virtud de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad que llevan los números I a III son correctos.", "(Firmado) Jun Yamazaki Subsecretario General, Contralor", "29 de marzo de 2011", "IV. Estados financieros correspondientes al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010", "Estado financiero I", "Cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad^(a)", "Estado de ingresos y gastos y variaciones de las reservas y los saldos de los fondos en el período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Administración Reserva para Total 2010 indemnización", "Ingresos", "Intereses devengados 1 5 6", "Total de ingresos 1 5 6", "Gastos – – –", "Superávit (déficit) de los 1 5 6 ingresos con respecto a los gastos", "Transferencias de otros 20 000 131 000 151 000 fondos^(b)", "Reservas y saldos de los fondos a – – – comienzos del período", "Reservas y saldos de los fondos 20 001 131 005 151 006 al final del período", "^(a) Véase nota 1.", "^(b) Representa las transferencias de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas (Iraq) autorizadas por la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "Las notas que acompañan los estados financieros son parte integrante de éstos.", "Estado financiero II", "Cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad^(a)", "Estado del activo, el pasivo, las reservas y los saldos de fondos al 31 de diciembre de 2010", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Administración Reserva para Total 2010 indemnización", "Activo", "Efectivo y depósitos a plazo 45 45 90", "Cuenta mancomunada 19 956^(b) 130 960^(c) 150 916", "Total del activo 20 001 131 005 151 006", "Pasivo – – –", "Reservas y saldos de los fondos", "Reservas operacionales^(d) 1 757 – 1 757", "Superávit acumulado 18 244 131 005 149 249", "Total de reservas y saldos de los 20 001 131 005 151 006 fondos", "^(a) Véase nota 1.", "^(b) Representa la parte de la cuenta mancomunada de la Sede de las Naciones Unidas, que comprende efectivo y depósitos a plazo por valor de 2.879.573 dólares, inversiones a corto plazo de 4.690.372 dólares (valor de mercado 4.735.575 dólares), inversiones a largo plazo de 12.293.350 dólares (valor demarcado 12.317.509 dólares) e intereses devengados por cobrar de 92.233 dólares.", "^(c) Representa la parte de la cuenta mancomunada de la Sede de las Naciones Unidas, que comprende efectivo y depósitos a plazo por valor de 18.897.424 dólares, inversiones a corto plazo de 30.780.931 dólares (valor de mercado 31.077.578 dólares), inversiones a largo plazo de 80.676.065 dólares (valor de mercado 80.834.613 dólares) e intereses devengados por cobrar de 605.289 dólares.", "^(d) Representa las reservas para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación. Véase nota 4.", "Las notas que acompañan los estados financieros son parte integrante de éstos.", "Estado financiero III", "Cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad^(a)", "Estado de las corrientes de efectivo correspondiente al período comprendido entre el 15 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010", "(En miles de dólares de los Estados Unidos)", "Administración Reserva para Total 2010 indemnización", "Corrientes de caja de las actividades operacionales", "Superávit neto (déficit neto) de los 1 5 6 ingresos respecto de los gastos (estado I)", "Menos: ingresos en concepto de (1) (5) (6) intereses", "Importe neto en efectivo procedente de – – – las actividades operacionales", "Corrientes de efectivo procedente de las actividades de inversión", "Ingresos en concepto de intereses 1 5 6", "Importe neto en efectivo procedente de 1 5 6 actividades de inversión", "Corrientes de efectivo procedentes de las actividades de financiación", "Transferencias de otros fondos 20 000 131 000 151 000", "Importe neto en efectivo procedente de 20 000 131 000 151 000 actividades de financiación", "Aumento neto del efectivo y los 20 001 131 005 151 006 depósitos a plazo y cuenta mancomunada", "Efectivo, depósitos a plazo y cuenta – – – mancomunada, comienzo del período", "Efectivo, depósitos a plazo y cuenta 20 001 131 005 151 006 mancomunada, final del período", "^(a) Véase nota 1.", "Las notas que acompañan los estados financieros son parte integrante de estos.", "Notas a los estados financieros", "Nota 1", "Cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en virtud de las disposiciones de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad (estados financieros I, II y III)", "a) El Consejo de Seguridad, en su resolución 1958 (2010), de 15 de diciembre de 2010, solicitó al Secretario General que adoptara todas las medidas necesarias para concluir todas las actividades residuales del programa “Petróleo por alimentos”. El Consejo de Seguridad autorizó al Secretario General a establecer una cuenta de garantía bloqueada y mantener en ella 20 millones de dólares hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2016 para los gastos relacionados con la terminación ordenada de las actividades residuales, incluido el apoyo de la Organización a las investigaciones de los Estados Miembros y los procedimientos de los Estados Miembros relacionados con el programa, así como los gastos de la Oficina del Coordinador de Alto Nivel, creada en virtud de su resolución 1284 (1999).", "b) En la misma resolución, el Consejo de Seguridad autorizó también al Secretario General a mantener en la cuenta de garantía bloqueada hasta 131 millones de dólares a fin de asegurar a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales por un período de seis años respecto de todas las actividades relacionadas con el programa “Petróleo por alimentos” desde su creación.", "c) También en la misma resolución, el Consejo de Seguridad solicitó que todos los fondos que restaran en la cuenta de garantía bloqueada una vez transcurridos los seis años, se transfirieran al Gobierno del Iraq, a más tardar el 31 de diciembre de 2016.", "d) Estos son los primeros estados financieros de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad. Las actividades descritas en los apartados a) y b) figuran en las columnas “Administración” y “Reserva para indemnización” de los estados financieros, respectivamente.", "Nota 2", "Resumen de las principales normas de contabilidad y de presentación de informes financieros de las Naciones Unidas", "a) Las cuentas de las Naciones Unidas se llevan de conformidad con el Reglamento Financiero y la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada de las Naciones Unidas aprobados por la Asamblea General, las normas formuladas por el Secretario General según lo dispuesto en dicho Reglamento y las instrucciones administrativas cursadas por el Secretario General Adjunto de Gestión o el Contralor. También se tienen plenamente en cuenta las normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas aprobadas por la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación. Las Naciones Unidas se ajustan a la Norma Internacional de Contabilidad núm. 1, “Presentación de estados financieros”, relativa a la divulgación de las prácticas contables, en la forma en que fue modificada y aprobada por la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación, según se indica a continuación:", "i) Los conceptos de empresa en marcha, uniformidad y contabilidad en valores devengados son premisas contables fundamentales. Cuando los estados financieros se ajustan a premisas contables fundamentales, no se exige la divulgación de tales premisas. En cambio, si no se sigue una premisa contable fundamental, ese hecho debe consignarse, juntamente con las razones del caso;", "ii) La prudencia, la primacía del fondo sobre la forma y el principio de la importancia relativa deben regir la selección y aplicación de las prácticas de contabilidad;", "iii) En los estados financieros se debe incluir una indicación clara y concisa de todas las prácticas de contabilidad importantes que se hayan utilizado;", "iv) La divulgación de las prácticas de contabilidad importantes empleadas debe ser parte integrante de los estados financieros. Por lo general, las prácticas deben consignarse en un solo lugar;", "v) En los estados financieros deben consignarse las cifras pertinentes registradas en el ejercicio anterior;", "vi) Debe divulgarse cualquier cambio introducido en una práctica de contabilidad que tenga un efecto importante en el ejercicio en curso o que pueda repercutir significativamente en ejercicios siguientes, junto con los motivos para ese cambio. De ser importante, el efecto del cambio debe divulgarse y cuantificarse.", "b) Las cuentas de la Organización se llevan de conformidad con la contabilidad por fondo. La Asamblea General, el Consejo de Seguridad o el Secretario General pueden establecer fondos separados para fines generales o especiales. Cada fondo se mantiene como una entidad financiera y contable distinta, con un grupo de cuentas separadas que se llevan por partida doble y se compensan entre sí. Para cada fondo o para cada grupo de fondos de la misma índole se preparan estados financieros separados.", "c) El ejercicio económico de la Organización es un bienio y abarca dos años civiles consecutivos para todos los fondos, salvo las cuentas de mantenimiento de la paz, cuyo ejercicio económico abarca un período de 12 meses comprendido entre el 1 de julio y el 30 de junio.", "d) Los ingresos, los gastos, el activo y el pasivo se contabilizan en general sobre la base de valores devengados.", "e) Las cuentas de la Organización se presentan en dólares de los Estados Unidos. Las cuentas que se llevan en otras monedas se convierten a dólares de los Estados Unidos cuando se efectúa la transacción, y para ello se utilizan los tipos de cambio establecidos por las Naciones Unidas. Con respecto a esas monedas, los estados financieros reflejarán los fondos en efectivo, las inversiones, las contribuciones prometidas aún no recibidas y las cuentas por cobrar y por pagar en monedas distintas del dólar de los Estados Unidos, convertidas a los tipos de cambio aplicables de las Naciones Unidas que estén vigentes en la fecha de los estados. En caso de que la aplicación de los tipos de cambio reales en la fecha de los estados financieros produzca una valoración que difiera apreciablemente de la que resultaría de la aplicación de los tipos de cambio de las Naciones Unidas para el último mes del ejercicio económico, se presentará una nota a pie de página en que se cuantifique la diferencia.", "f) Los estados financieros de las Naciones Unidas se preparan sobre la base del costo inicial y no se ajustan para tener en cuenta los efectos de las variaciones de precios de los bienes y servicios.", "g) El estado resumido de la corriente de efectivo se basa en el método indirecto de los estados de las corrientes de efectivo a que se hace referencia en las normas de contabilidad del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "h) Los estados financieros de la Organización se presentan, de conformidad con las recomendaciones del Grupo de Trabajo sobre normas de contabilidad, al Comité de Alto Nivel sobre Gestión.", "i) Ingresos:", "i) Las contribuciones voluntarias de los Estados Miembros y otros donantes se contabilizan como ingresos, con arreglo a su promesa escrita de hacer contribuciones en efectivo en fechas concretas del ejercicio económico en curso. Las contribuciones voluntarias hechas en forma de suministros y servicios aceptables para el Secretario General se contabilizan como ingresos o se consignan en una nota a los estados financieros;", "ii) Los ingresos recibidos en virtud de acuerdos interinstitucionales representan asignaciones de fondos procedentes de organismos para que la Organización pueda administrar proyectos o programas en su nombre;", "iii) Las asignaciones de otros fondos representan créditos consignados o reservados de un fondo para su transferencia a otro fondo y su desembolso con cargo a éste;", "iv) Los ingresos por servicios prestados incluyen las sumas cargadas por concepto de sueldos del personal y otros gastos atribuibles a la prestación de apoyo técnico y administrativo a otras organizaciones;", "v) Los ingresos por concepto de intereses incluyen todos los intereses devengados por depósitos en cuentas bancarias, los ingresos devengados por inversiones en valores y otros instrumentos negociables y los ingresos devengados por inversiones en la cuenta mancomunada. Todas las pérdidas realizadas y las pérdidas no realizadas en cifras netas de inversiones a corto plazo se restan de los ingresos devengados por inversiones. Los ingresos devengados por inversiones y los costos relacionados con la gestión de las inversiones en la cuenta mancomunada se asignan a los fondos participantes;", "vi) Los ingresos varios incluyen ingresos procedentes del alquiler de locales, la venta de bienes usados o excedentes, el reintegro de gastos atribuidos a ejercicios anteriores, la liquidación de reclamaciones de indemnización, los fondos aceptados sin fines específicos y otros ingresos varios;", "vii) Los ingresos para períodos financieros futuros no se registran en el período financiero en curso y se contabilizan como ingresos diferidos como se indica en el párrafo l) iii), infra.", "j) Gastos:", "i) Los gastos se efectúan con cargo a consignaciones autorizadas o autorizaciones para contraer obligaciones. El total de los gastos consignados comprende las obligaciones por liquidar y los desembolsos. Los gastos incluyen también ajustes cambiarios resultantes de la revalorización de obligaciones del período en curso;", "ii) Los gastos correspondientes a bienes no fungibles se imputan al presupuesto del período en que se adquieren y no se capitalizan. El inventario de esos bienes no fungibles se lleva al costo inicial;", "iii) Los gastos correspondientes a ejercicios económicos futuros no se imputan al ejercicio económico en curso y se consignan como cargos diferidos, como se indica en el párrafo k) v) infra.", "k) Activo:", "i) El efectivo y los depósitos a plazo comprenden las cuentas a la vista y los fondos depositados en cuentas que devengan intereses;", "ii) Las inversiones comprenden los valores y otros instrumentos negociables adquiridos por la Organización para producir ingresos. Las inversiones a corto plazo se asientan al costo o al valor de mercado, si éste fuera más bajo; las inversiones a largo plazo se asientan al costo. El costo se define como el valor nominal más o menos la prima o el descuento sin amortizar. El valor de mercado de las inversiones se indica en las notas de pie de página de los estados financieros;", "iii) La cuenta mancomunada incluye las partes del efectivo y los depósitos a plazo, las inversiones a corto plazo y a largo plazo y los intereses devengados correspondientes a los fondos participantes que administra la cuenta. Las inversiones de la cuenta son similares. Las inversiones a corto plazo se asientan al costo o al valor de mercado, si éste fuera más bajo; las inversiones a largo plazo se asientan al costo. El costo se define como el valor nominal más o menos la prima o el descuento sin amortizar. La parte de la cuenta mancomunada correspondiente a cada fondo se presenta por separado en los estados de los fondos participantes y su composición y el valor de mercado de sus inversiones se indica en notas de pie de página de los estados financieros pertinentes;", "iv) Los saldos entre fondos reflejan transacciones entre fondos y se incluyen en las sumas por pagar al Fondo General de las Naciones Unidas o adeudadas por éste. Los saldos entre fondos también reflejan transacciones directas con otras cuentas de garantía bloqueadas y con el Fondo General de las Naciones Unidas. Los saldos entre fondos se liquidan periódicamente según la disponibilidad de efectivo;", "v) Los cargos diferidos normalmente abarcan las partidas de gastos que no corresponde asentar como cargos del ejercicio económico en curso y que se contabilizarán como gastos en un ejercicio posterior. Estas partidas de gastos incluyen los compromisos aprobados por el Contralor para ejercicios futuros, de conformidad con la regla 106.7 de la Reglamentación Financiera Detallada. Tales compromisos se limitan normalmente a necesidades administrativas de carácter permanente y a contratos u obligaciones jurídicas que requieren plazos prolongados para su cumplimiento;", "vi) Para fines de balance únicamente, la porción del anticipo a cuenta del subsidio de educación presuntamente correspondiente al año académico terminado a la fecha del estado financiero se asienta como cargo diferido. La suma total del anticipo se mantiene como cuentas por cobrar adeudadas por el funcionario hasta que éste presenta las pruebas necesarias de su derecho a recibir el subsidio de educación; en ese momento, se imputan a las cuentas presupuestarias correspondientes y el anticipo se cancela;", "vii) El mantenimiento y las reparaciones de bienes de capital se imputan a las cuentas presupuestarias pertinentes. El mobiliario, el equipo, otros bienes no fungibles y las mejoras de los locales arrendados no se incluyen en el activo de la Organización. Las adquisiciones se imputan a las cuentas presupuestarias del año en que se efectúa la compra. El valor de los bienes no fungibles se indica en las notas a los estados financieros.", "l) Pasivo y reservas y saldos de los fondos:", "i) Las reservas para gastos operacionales incluyen las reservas para prestaciones por terminación del servicio y prestaciones con posterioridad a la jubilación, que figuran en partidas separadas en los estados financieros. Las reservas para gastos operacionales se incluyen en los estados financieros en los totales de “reservas y saldos de los fondos”;", "ii) Las obligaciones por liquidar correspondientes a ejercicios futuros se contabilizan como cargos diferidos y como obligaciones por liquidar;", "iii) Los ingresos diferidos incluyen los otros ingresos recibidos pero todavía no devengados;", "iv) Los compromisos contraídos por la Organización en relación con el ejercicio económico en curso y ejercicios anteriores y futuros figuran como obligaciones por liquidar. Las obligaciones del período en curso siguen siendo válidas durante los 12 meses posteriores al cierre del ejercicio económico al que se refieren;", "v) Si hubiera pasivo eventual se consigna en notas de pie de página en los estados financieros correspondientes;", "vi) Las Naciones Unidas están afiliadas a la Caja Común de Pensiones del Personal de las Naciones Unidas, que fue establecida por la Asamblea General para proporcionar prestaciones de jubilación, fallecimiento e incapacidad y otras prestaciones conexas. La Caja es un plan de prestaciones definidas. La obligación financiera de la Organización con respecto a la Caja consiste en la aportación obligatoria de un porcentaje establecido por la Asamblea, así como de la parte que le corresponda de todo déficit actuarial que haya de pagar con arreglo a lo dispuesto en el artículo 26 de los Estatutos de la Caja. Este déficit actuarial sólo deberá pagarse si la Asamblea ha invocado el artículo 26, después de haber determinado que dicho pago es necesario, sobre la base de una evaluación de la suficiencia actuarial de la Caja a la fecha de la evaluación. A la fecha de presentación de los estados financieros que se examinan, la Asamblea no había invocado ese artículo.", "Nota 3", "Políticas contables aplicadas a la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en virtud de las disposiciones de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad (estados financieros I, II y III)", "Las cuentas de la cuenta de garantía bloqueada de las Naciones Unidas establecida en virtud de las disposiciones de la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad se llevan en un ciclo bienal, constituido por dos años consecutivos, el primero de los cuales será un año par. Se preparan estados financieros anuales con el fin de informar acerca del uso de los fondos y los gastos al Consejo.", "Nota 4", "Reservas operacionales", "Las reservas operacionales incluyen los pasivos estimados para el pago de las prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación a los miembros del personal pertinentes. Las prestaciones comprenden el seguro de salud después de la separación del servicio y el pago compensatorio por los días de vacaciones anuales no utilizados. El pasivo correspondiente a las prestaciones por terminación del servicio y posteriores a la jubilación se determina sobre la base de una evaluación actuarial, que fue llevada a cabo por una firma actuarial independiente y calificada, y los valores se determinaron al 31 de diciembre de 2009. Los pasivos estimados al 31 de diciembre 2010 se basan en el arrastre de los valores correspondientes al 31 de diciembre 2009, y comprenden 1.735 millones dólares para el seguro médico y 22.000 dólares para los días de vacaciones no utilizadas, lo que se eleva a un total de 1.757 millones dólares. Las reservas operacionales se incluyen en el total de las reservas y saldos de los fondos.", "Nota 5", "Pasivos eventuales", "A raíz de la resolución 1958 (2010), se cancelaron 43 cartas de crédito en el marco del programa “Petróleo por alimentos” por valor de 101 millones de dólares, con reclamaciones de ejecución pendientes. Además, se determinó que tres cartas de crédito por un monto de 4,5 millones de dólares, que habían sido canceladas, tenían reclamaciones de ejecución pendientes presentadas antes de su vencimiento. A este respecto, y de conformidad con la resolución 1958 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad, la Secretaría está concertando un acuerdo con el Gobierno del Iraq, en virtud del cual el Gobierno abonaría la indemnización correspondiente a las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales en relación con todas las actividades del programa desde su creación, y renunciaría a toda reclamación que pudiera tener en el futuro contra las Naciones Unidas, sus representantes, agentes y contratistas individuales con respecto a todas las actividades relacionadas con el programa desde su creación. Se espera que gracias a este acuerdo las Naciones Unidas sean plenamente indemnizadas." ]

[ "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit herewith to the Security Council the report of the Board of Auditors on the audit of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010.", "Letters of transmittal", "31 March 2011", "In accordance with financial regulation 6.5, I have the honour to submit the accounts of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010, which I hereby approve. The financial statements have been completed and certified as correct by the Controller.", "(Signed) BAN Ki-moon", "Mr. Liu Jiayi Chair of the Board of Auditors United Nations New York", "12 July 2011", "I have the honour to present to you the audited financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the financial period 15 to 31 December 2010 and the report of the United Nations Board of Auditors thereon.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China Chair, United Nations Board of Auditors", "The President of the Security Council of the United Nations New York", "Report of the Board of Auditors on the audit of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "Contents", "PageI.Report 5 of the Board of Auditors (audit \nopinion) II. Report 7 of the Board of Auditors (long-form \nreport) \nSummary 7\nA.Background 9B.Mandate, 9 scope and \nmethodology C.Findings 10 and \nrecommendations 1. Financial 10 \noverview 2.Indemnification 10 reserve \n fund 3.Reserves 11 for end-of-service and post-retirement \nbenefits 4.Contingent 11 \nliabilities D.Disclosures 12 by \nmanagement 1. Write-off 12 of losses of cash, receivables and \nproperty 2.Ex 12 gratia \npayments 3. Cases 12 of fraud and presumptive \nfraud \nE.Acknowledgement 12III. Certification 13 of the financial \nstatements IV. Financial 14 statements for the period from 15 to 31 December \n 2010 StatementI.Statementofincome 14 and expenditure and changesin reserves and fund balances for theperiod from15to31 December \n 2010 Statement 15 II.Statementof assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balancesasat 31December \n 2010 Statement 16 III.Statementof cashflows for theperiod from15to31 December \n 2010 Notesto 17 \nthefinancialstatements", "I. Report of the Board of Auditors (audit opinion)", "Report on the financial statements", "We have audited the accompanying financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), comprising the statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances (statement I), the statement of assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010 (statement II) and the cash flow statement for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010 (statement III), as well as the notes to the financial statements.", "Management’s responsibility for the financial statements", "The Secretary-General is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards and for such internal control as he deems is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.", "Auditor’s responsibility", "Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.", "An audit includes performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.", "We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.", "Opinion", "In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the United Nations escrow account as at 31 December 2010 and its financial performance and cash flows for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010 in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards.", "Report on other legal and regulatory requirements", "Furthermore, in our opinion, the transactions of the United Nations escrow account that have come to our notice, or which we have tested as part of our audit, have in all significant respects been in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and legislative authority.", "In accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, we have also issued a long-form report on our audit of the United Nations escrow account.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China Chair of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Lead Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "II. Report of the Board of Auditors (long-form report)", "Summary", "The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010. The audit was carried out through a review of the financial transactions covering the establishment of the account.", "Audit opinion", "The Board issued an unmodified audit opinion on the financial statements for the period under review, as reflected in section I.", "Financial overview", "The escrow account was established on 15 December 2010 by the Security Council in its resolution 1958 (2010). Pursuant to the resolution, the Administration transferred $151 million from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to a new escrow account, including $20 million in the administration fund and $131 million in the indemnification reserve fund.", "As at 31 December 2010, total income (from interest) amounted to $6,000, while no expenditure was incurred. The total cash balance was $151 million, consisting of $20 million in the administration fund and $131 million in the indemnification reserve fund.", "Reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits", "The financial statements do not reflect the end-of-service and post-retirement benefits for the staff fully involved in the United Nations escrow account, amounting to $1.757 million, as a separate line item. Instead, they were included in the account’s operating reserve. In the Board’s view, the separate disclosure will increase clarity and transparency.", "Contingent liabilities", "In line with the terms of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), three letters of credit amounting to $4.2 million, which were cancelled but identified to have claims of delivery made prior to the expiry, were disclosed as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements. The Secretary-General, in his letters to the President of the Security Council from 2008 to 2010, indicated that the three letters of credit should be treated in the same manner as those letters of credit with claims of delivery still outstanding, hence their recording as contingent liabilities.", "Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), the Secretary-General was requested to take all actions necessary to terminate all residual activities under the oil-for-food programme. As a result, the remaining 43 outstanding letters of credit with an aggregate value of $101 million were cancelled as at 31 December 2010. However, the claims of the 43 letters of credit were not disclosed as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements. The Board is of the view that there should have been consistency of accounting treatment for cancelled letters of credit for which claims still exist.", "The Administration has since taken measures to address the findings noted during this audit, and corresponding changes are reflected in the revised financial statements.", "A. Background", "1. United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts were established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007). In 2010, the liquidation of the oil-for-food programme was in its seventh year, following the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1483 (2003).", "2. The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010), authorized the Secretary-General to establish a new escrow account for the purposes detailed below, to appoint independent and certified public accountants to audit it and to keep the Government of Iraq fully informed.", "3. The Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to transfer $20 million and up to $131 million from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the new escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) and to retain the total of $151 million in the latter account until 31 December 2016. The amount of $20 million was exclusively for United Nations expenses relating to the orderly termination of the residual activities of the oil-for-food programme, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and proceedings related to the programme and the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator. The amount of up to $131 million was reserved for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors for a period of six years with regard to all activities in connection with the programme since its inception. As the new escrow account expires on 31 December 2016, all the remaining funds must be transferred to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016, unless otherwise authorized by the Security Council.", "4. In order to fully and effectively implement resolution 1958 (2010), the Security Council further authorized the Secretary-General to enter into all necessary implementing arrangements or agreements as soon as possible with the Government of Iraq: (a) to provide appropriate indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors, with regard to all oil-for-food programme activities since its inception; and (b) to provide for a waiver of any future claims the Government of Iraq might have against the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors with regard to all programme activities since its inception. The Council further requested the Secretary-General to report to it after entering into the said arrangements or agreements.", "B. Mandate, scope and methodology", "5. The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010. The audit was conducted in conformity with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the annex thereto, as well as the International Standards on Auditing. Those standards require that the Board comply with ethical requirements and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.", "6. The audit was conducted primarily to enable the Board to form an opinion as to whether the financial statements presented fairly the financial position of the escrow account as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the period then ended, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards. This included an assessment as to whether the expenditures recorded in the financial statements had been incurred for the purposes approved by the governing bodies and whether income and expenditures had been properly classified and recorded in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules. The audit included a general review of financial systems and internal controls and an examination of the accounting records and other supporting evidence to the extent that the Board considered necessary to form an opinion on the financial statements.", "7. The audit was performed together with the audit on the financial statements of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 of the biennium 2010-2011. The Board issued a separate report on the audit of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts (see S/2011/479).", "8. The present report covers matters that, in the opinion of the Board, should be brought to the attention to the Security Council. The Board’s observations and conclusions were discussed with the Administration, whose views have been appropriately addressed in the report.", "C. Findings and recommendations", "1. Financial overview", "9. As at 31 December 2010, total income (from interest) amounted to $6,000, while no expenditure was incurred. The total cash balance was $151 million, comprising $20 million in the administration fund and $131 million in the indemnification reserve fund. These funds were all transferred from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "2. Indemnification reserve fund", "10. The Administration, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), transferred $131 million as the indemnification reserve fund from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts to the new escrow account. However, the Administration did not provide the Board with a breakdown of the figure and how the Administration arrived at it.", "11. The Administration explained that it had held several meetings with the permanent members of the Security Council in 2010 and indicated the Organization’s potential areas of exposure relating to the closure of the oil-for-food programme. However, owing to the highly confidential nature of the matter and the ongoing negotiations with the relevant stakeholders, the Administration considered that it would, at this stage, be against the best interest of the Organization to provide detailed information about the breakdown of the $131 million and how the figure was arrived at.", "12. The Board recognizes that the amount of $131 million is within the limit allowed by the Security Council resolution and accurately discloses the transfer from the reserve of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts. Although this does not affect the fair presentation of the financial statements, the Board is of the view that the breakdown of this figure and how the Administration arrived at it would have formed the basis for the Board to confirm the reasonableness of the information provided to the Security Council by the Administration. The Board will review this matter in the context of the next audit of the new escrow account.", "3. Reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits", "13. The Board noted that, unlike the past practice in the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts, the end-of-service and post-retirement benefits of $1.757 million were not recognized as a separate line item but were included in the operating reserves in the financial statements of the new escrow account as at 31 December 2010.", "14. The Board also noted that the explanations of the end-of-service and post-retirement benefits in different notes to the financial statements were not consistent. In particular, the information relative to the end-of-service and post-retirement benefits, including the composition, actuarial process and major assumptions as well as associated changes, was not disclosed in the notes.", "15. Subsequently, the Administration made the necessary changes and revised the financial statements.", "4. Contingent liabilities", "16. Under the terms of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), as part of the liquidation process, all claims and disputes involving the United Nations or its agencies with third parties in carrying out the activities of the oil-for-food programme were to be transferred to the Authority, which has since been succeeded by the Government of Iraq. Accordingly, three letters of credit in the amount of $4.2 million, which were cancelled but had been identified as having claims of delivery made prior to their expiry, were disclosed as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements.", "17. The Board noted that in accordance with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), 43 outstanding letters of credit with an aggregate value of $101 million had been cancelled as at 31 December 2010, but the claims of those letters had not been disclosed as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements.", "18. In his letters to the President of the Security Council dated 25 July 2008 (S/2008/492), 1 May 2009 (S/2009/230) and 8 December 2010 (S/2010/619), the Secretary-General indicated that whatever option might be selected by the Security Council for concluding all outstanding issues under the oil-for-food programme, the three letters of credit that had been cancelled but to which the beneficiaries had made claims of delivery prior to the expiration date should be treated in the same manner as those letters of credit with claims of delivery still outstanding.", "19. The Board is of the view that the nature of the 43 letters of credit is very similar to that of the other 3, as they may still expose the United Nations to potential risk of claims, as confirmed by the above statements. They should therefore be treated in the same manner. Should the oil-for-food programme ultimately be required to absorb all or a portion of those claims, they will be met from the new escrow account.", "20. The Administration subsequently made the necessary changes and revised the financial statements accordingly.", "D. Disclosures by management", "1. Write-off of losses of cash, receivables and property", "21. As required by rules 106.8 and 106.9 of the Financial Regulations and Rules, the Administration informed the Board that there had been no write-off of cash, receivables or properties during the period from 15 to 31 December 2010.", "2. Ex gratia payments", "22. As required by financial rule 105.12, the Administration reported that there had been no ex gratia payments during the period.", "3. Cases of fraud and presumptive fraud", "23. The Administration informed the Board that there were no cases of fraud or presumptive fraud relating to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period under review.", "E. Acknowledgement", "24. The Board wishes to express its appreciation for the cooperation and assistance extended to its staff by the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Assistant Secretary-General and Controller, and their staff members.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People’s Republic of China Chair of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Lead Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "III. Certification of the financial statements", "1. The financial statements for the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010 have been prepared in accordance with financial rule 106.10.", "2. The summary of significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these statements is included as notes to the financial statements. The notes provide additional information and clarifications for the financial activities related to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) undertaken by the Organization during the period covered by these statements, for which the Secretary-General has administrative responsibility.", "3. I certify that the appended financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), numbered I to III, are correct.", "(Signed) Jun Yamazaki Assistant Secretary-General, Controller", "29 March 2011", "IV. Financial statements for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "Statement I", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Indemnification Total 2010 reserve", "Income", "Interest income 1 5 6", "Total income 1 5 6", "Expenditure — — —", "Excess (shortfall) of 1 5 6 income over expenditure", "Transfers from other 20 000 131 000 151 000 funds^(b)", "Reserves and fund — — — balances, beginning of period", "Reserves and fund 20 001 131 005 151 006 balances, end of period", "^(a) See note 1.", "^(b) Represents transfers from the United Nations escrow (Iraq) accounts as authorized by Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement II", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Statement of assets, liabilities and reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Indemnification Total 2010 reserve", "Assets", "Cash and term 45 45 90 deposits", "Cash pool 19 956^(b) 130 960^(c) 150 916", "Total assets 20 001 131 005 151 006", "Liabilities — — —", "Reserves and fund balances", "Operating 1 757 — 1 757 reserves^(d)", "Cumulative surplus 18 244 131 005 149 249", "Total reserves and 20 001 131 005 151 006 fund balances", "^(a) See note 1.", "^(b) Represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool, comprising cash and term deposits of $2,879,573, short-term investments of $4,690,372 (market value $4,735,575), long-term investments of $12,293,350 (market value $12,317,509) and accrued interest receivable of $92,233.", "^(c) Represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool, comprising cash and term deposits of $18,897,424, short-term investments of $30,780,931 (market value $31,077,578), long-term investments of $80,676,065 (market value $80,834,613) and accrued interest receivable of $605,289.", "^(d) Represents reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits. See note 4.", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement III", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Statement of cash flows for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Indemnification Total 2010 reserve", "Cash flows from operating activities", "Net excess (shortfall) of 1 5 6 income over expenditure (statement I)", "Less: Interest income (1) (5) (6)", "Net cash from operating — — — activities", "Cash flows from investing activities", "Interest income 1 5 6", "Net cash from investing 1 5 6 activities", "Cash flows from financing activities", "Transfers from other funds 20 000 131 000 151 000", "Net cash from financing 20 000 131 000 151 000 activities", "Net increase in cash and 20 001 131 005 151 006 term deposits and cash pool", "Cash and term deposits and — — — cash pool, beginning of period", "Cash and term deposits and 20 001 131 005 151 006 cash pool, end of period", "^(a) See note 1.", "The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Notes to the financial statements", "Note 1", "United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all actions necessary to terminate all residual activities of the oil-for-food programme. The Council authorized the Secretary-General to establish an escrow account and retain $20 million in it until 31 December 2016 for the expenses related to the orderly termination of the residual activities, including the Organization’s support to Member State investigations and Member State proceedings related to the programme, as well as the expenses of the Office of the High-level Coordinator created pursuant to its resolution 1284 (1999).", "(b) In the same resolution, the Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to retain in the escrow account up to $131 million for the purpose of providing indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors with regard to all activities in connection with the oil-for-food programme since its inception, for a period of six years.", "(c) Also in the same resolution, the Security Council requested that all funds remaining in the escrow account after six years be transferred to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016.", "(d) These are the first financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010). The activities described in (a) and (b) above are shown in the “Administration” and “Indemnification reserve” columns, respectively, in the financial statements.", "Note 2", "Summary of significant accounting and financial reporting policies of the United Nations", "(a) The accounts of the United Nations are maintained in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly, the rules formulated by the Secretary-General as required under the Regulations and administrative instructions issued by the Under-Secretary-General for Management or the Controller. They also take fully into account the United Nations system accounting standards, as adopted by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). The Organization follows International Accounting Standard 1, “presentation of financial statements”, on the disclosure of accounting policies, as modified and adopted by CEB, as shown below:", "(i) Going concern, consistency and accrual are fundamental accounting assumptions. Where fundamental accounting assumptions are followed in financial statements, disclosure of such assumptions is not required. If a fundamental accounting assumption is not followed, that fact should be disclosed together with the reasons;", "(ii) Prudence, substance over form, and materiality should govern the selection and application of accounting policies;", "(iii) Financial statements should include clear and concise disclosure of all significant accounting policies that have been used;", "(iv) The disclosure of the significant accounting policies used should be an integral part of the financial statements. These policies should normally be disclosed in one place;", "(v) Financial statements should show comparative figures for the corresponding period of the preceding financial period;", "(vi) A change in an accounting policy that has a material effect in the current period or may have a material effect in subsequent periods should be disclosed together with the reasons. The effect of the change should, if material, be disclosed and quantified.", "(b) The Organization’s accounts are maintained on a fund accounting basis. Separate funds for general or special purposes may be established by the General Assembly, the Security Council, or the Secretary-General. Each fund is maintained as a distinct financial and accounting entity with a separate self-balancing double-entry group of accounts. Separate financial statements are prepared for each fund or for a group of funds of the same nature.", "(c) The financial period of the Organization is a biennium and consists of two consecutive calendar years for all funds other than peacekeeping accounts, which are reported on a fiscal year basis covering the period from 1 July to 30 June.", "(d) Generally, income, expenditure, assets and liabilities are recognized on the accrual basis of accounting.", "(e) The accounts of the Organization are presented in United States dollars. Accounts maintained in other currencies are translated into United States dollars at the time of the transactions at rates of exchange established by the United Nations. In respect of such currencies, the financial statements shall reflect the cash, investments, unpaid pledges and current accounts receivable and payable in currencies other than the United States dollar, translated at the applicable United Nations rates of exchange in effect at the date of the statements. In the event that the application of actual exchange rates at the date of the statements would provide a valuation materially different from the application of the Organization’s rates of exchange for the last month of the financial period, a footnote will be provided quantifying the difference.", "(f) The Organization’s financial statements are prepared on the historical cost basis of accounting and are not adjusted to reflect the effects of changing prices for goods and services.", "(g) The cash flow summary statement is based on the indirect method of cash flows as referred to in the United Nations system accounting standards.", "(h) The Organization’s financial statements are presented in accordance with the ongoing recommendations of the Task Force on Accounting Standards to the High-level Committee on Management of CEB.", "(i) Income:", "(i) Voluntary contributions from Member States or other donors are recorded as income on the basis of a written commitment to pay monetary contributions at specified times within the current financial period. Voluntary contributions made in the form of services and supplies that are acceptable to the Secretary-General are credited to income or noted in the financial statements;", "(ii) Income received under inter-organizational arrangements represents allocations of funding from agencies to enable the Organization to administer projects or other programmes on their behalf;", "(iii) Allocations from other funds represent monies appropriated or designated from one fund for transfer to and disbursement from another fund;", "(iv) Income for services rendered include amounts charged for salaries of staff members and other costs which are attributable to providing technical and administrative support to other organizations;", "(v) Interest income includes all interest earned on deposits in various bank accounts, investment income earned on marketable securities and other negotiable instruments and investment income earned in the cash pool. All realized losses and net unrealized losses on short-term investments are offset against investment income. Investment income and costs associated with the operation of investments in the cash pool are allocated to participating funds;", "(vi) Miscellaneous income includes income from the rental of premises, the sale of used or surplus property, refunds of expenditures charged to prior periods, settlements of insurance claims, net gains on currency fluctuations other than for the current year’s obligations, monies accepted for which no purpose was specified and other sundry income;", "(vii) Income relating to future financial periods is not recognized in the current financial period and is recorded as deferred income as referred to in paragraph (l) (iii) below.", "(j) Expenditure:", "(i) Expenditures are incurred against authorized appropriations or commitment authorities. Total expenditures reported include unliquidated obligations and disbursements. Expenditures also include currency exchange adjustments arising from the evaluation of current-period obligations;", "(ii) Expenditures incurred for non-expendable property are charged to the budget of the period when acquired and are not capitalized. Inventory of such non-expendable property is maintained at historical cost;", "(iii) Expenditures for future financial periods are not charged to the current financial period and are recorded as deferred charges as referred to in paragraph (k) (v) below.", "(k) Assets:", "(i) Cash and term deposits represent funds in demand deposit accounts and interest-bearing bank deposits;", "(ii) Investments include marketable securities and other negotiable instruments acquired by the Organization to produce income. Short-term investments are stated at the lower of cost or market value; long-term investments are stated at cost. Cost is defined as the nominal value plus or minus any unamortized premium or discount. The market value of investments is disclosed in the footnotes in the financial statements;", "(iii) Cash pools comprise participating funds’ share of the cash and term deposits, short-term and long-term investments and accrual of investment income, all of which are managed in the cash pools. The investments in the cash pools are similar in nature. Short-term investments are stated at the lower of cost or market value; long-term investments are stated at cost. Cost is defined as the nominal value plus or minus any unamortized premium or discount. The share in cash pools is reported separately in each participating fund’s statement and its composition and the market value of its investments are disclosed in footnotes in the individual statements;", "(iv) Inter-fund balances reflect transactions between funds and are included in the amounts due to and from the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances also reflect transactions directly with other escrow accounts and with the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances are settled periodically, depending on the availability of cash resources;", "(v) Deferred charges normally comprise expenditure items that are not properly chargeable in the current financial period. They will be charged as expenditure in a subsequent period. These expenditure items include commitments approved by the Controller for future financial periods in accordance with financial rule 106.7. Such commitments are normally restricted to administrative requirements of a continuing nature and to contracts or legal obligations where long lead times are required for delivery;", "(vi) For purposes of the balance sheet statements only, those portions of education grant advances that are assumed to pertain to the scholastic years completed as at the date of the financial statement are shown as deferred charges. The full amounts of the advances are maintained as accounts receivable from staff members until the required proofs of entitlement are produced, at which time the budgetary accounts are charged and the advances settled;", "(vii) Maintenance and repair of capital assets are charged against the appropriate budgetary accounts. Furniture, equipment, other non-expendable property and leasehold improvements are not included in the assets of the Organization. Such acquisitions are charged against budgetary accounts in the year of purchase. The value of non-expendable property is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.", "(l) Liabilities and reserves and fund balances:", "(i) Operating reserves include reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits. Operating reserves are included in the totals for reserves and fund balances shown in the financial statements;", "(ii) Unliquidated obligations for future years are reported both as deferred charges and as unliquidated obligations;", "(iii) Deferred income includes income received but not yet earned;", "(iv) Commitments of the Organization relating to prior, current and future financial periods are shown as unliquidated obligations. Current-period obligations remain valid for 12 months following the end of the financial period to which they relate;", "(v) Contingent liabilities, if any, are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements;", "(vi) The United Nations is a member organization participating in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, which was established by the General Assembly to provide retirement, death, disability and related benefits. The Fund is a funded defined benefit plan. The financial obligation of the Organization to the Fund consists of its mandated contribution at the rate established by the Assembly together with its share of any actuarial deficiency payments under article 26 of the Regulations of the Pension Fund. Such deficiency payments are payable only if and when the Assembly has invoked the provision of article 26, following determination that there is a requirement for deficiency payments based on an assessment of the actuarial sufficiency of the Fund as at the valuation date. As at the date of the current financial statement, the Assembly has not invoked this provision.", "Note 3", "Accounting policies for the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) (statements I, II and III)", "The accounts of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) are maintained on a biennial cycle consisting of two consecutive years, the first of which shall be an even-numbered year. Annual financial statements are prepared for purposes of reporting usage of funds and expenditures to the Council.", "Note 4", "Operating reserves", "Operating reserves comprise estimated liabilities for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits for applicable staff members. The benefits comprise those for after-service health insurance coverage and commutation of unused vacation days. The liabilities for the end-of-service and post-retirement benefits are determined on the basis of an actuarial valuation, which was undertaken by an independent, qualified actuarial firm, and values determined as of 31 December 2009. The estimated liabilities as of 31 December 2010 are based on roll forwards of the 31 December 2009 values, and comprise $1,735,000 for after-service health insurance and $22,000 for unused vacation days, totalling $1,757,000. Operating reserves are included in the total for reserves and fund balances.", "Note 5", "Contingent liabilities", "Further to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), 43 letters of credit under the oil-for-food programme with outstanding claims of delivery in the amount of $101 million have been closed. In addition, three letters of credit in the amount of $4.5 million, which were cancelled, were identified to have claims of delivery made prior to their expiry. In respect thereof, and in accordance with Council resolution 1958 (2010), the Secretariat is entering into an agreement with the Government of Iraq under which the Government would provide appropriate indemnification to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors with regard to all activities in connection with the programme since its inception and a waiver of any future claims that the Government of Iraq may have against the United Nations, its representatives, agents and independent contractors with regard to all activities in connection with the programme since its inception. With such an agreement, the United Nations is expected to be fully indemnified." ]

[ "Report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)", "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the Security Council the report of the United Nations Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010.", "Letters of shipment", "31 March 2011", "In accordance with financial regulation 6.5, I have the honour to submit the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010, which I hereby approve. The Controller has prepared the financial statements and certified their conformity.", "(Signed) BAN Ki-moon", "Mr. Lin Jiayi President of the United Nations Board of Auditors New York", "12 July 2011", "I have the honour to transmit to you the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the financial period from 15 to 31 December 2010 and the report of the Board of Auditors on the above-mentioned account.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors", "The President of the United Nations Security Council New York", "Report of the Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "Contents", "PageI.Report 5 of the Board of Auditors (auditor's opinion) II.Report 7 of the Board of Auditors (detailed report) Summary 7 A. Background 8B.Mandato, 9 scope and methodology C.Conclusions 10 and recommendations 1. Reservoir 10 for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits 4.Passives 11 eventual D.Information 11 provided by management 1.Step 11 for losses of cash, receivables and assets 2. Ex gratia payments 12 3. Cases 12 of fraud and presumptive fraud E. Acknowledgements 12III. Certification 13 of the financial statements IV.States 14 for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010 financial statements financial statements 14", "I. Report of the Board of Auditors (audit opinion)", "Report on the financial statements", "We have audited the attached financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), covering the statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances (statement I); statement of assets, liabilities, reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010 (statement II), and statement of cash flows for the period from 15 to 15 December 2010;", "Management responsibility for financial reporting", "The Secretary-General is responsible for the proper preparation and presentation of these financial statements, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards, and for any internal controls he deems necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that do not contain significant inaccuracies, attributable either to fraud or error.", "Auditors ' responsibility", "Our role is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our review. Our audit is consistent with international audit standards, which impose the obligation on us to meet certain ethical requirements and to plan and perform the audit so that we have a reasonable certainty that the financial statements do not contain significant inaccuracies.", "The audit is to apply procedures for obtaining evidence to verify the amounts and data in the financial statements. The chosen procedures depend on the auditor ' s approach, and include the risk assessment that the financial statements contain significant inaccuracies, either due to fraud or error. In assessing these risks, the auditor reviews the internal controls applicable to the preparation and correct presentation of the financial statements by the entity in order to devise appropriate procedures in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal control of the entity. The audit also involves determining whether the accounting policies implemented by the Administration are appropriate and whether their accounting estimates are reasonable, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.", "We believe that the evidence we have obtained is sufficient and adequate as the basis of our audit opinion.", "Opinion", "We believe that the financial statements faithfully reflect, in all substantive aspects, the financial situation of the United Nations escrow account as at 31 December 2010, as well as the results of its financial operations and cash flows for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards.", "Report on other legal and regulatory requirements", "We also believe that the transactions of the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) that have been submitted to us, or that we have audited as part of our audit, have been adjusted in all important respects to the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the legislative authority.", "In accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, we have also issued a detailed report on our audit of the United Nations escrow account.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Principal Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "II. Report of the Board of Auditors (detailed report)", "Summary The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established in deconformity with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), which are accountable for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010. The audit was conducted through a review of financial transactions made from the establishment of the account. Audit opinion The Board issued an unqualified audit opinion on the financial statements for the period under review, as indicated in section I. Financial overview The account was established on 15 December 2010 by Security Council resolution 1958 (2010). In accordance with this resolution, the Administration transferred from the United Nations (Iraq) blocked degarant accounts to a new blocked security account $151 million, including $20 million of the administration fund and $131 million of the para-indemnization reserve fund. As at 31 December 2010, the total income (for interest earned) amounted to $6,000 and had not been realized. The total cash balance was $151 million, inclusive of $20 million of the administration fund and $131 million of the compensation reserve fund.Reservations for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits The financial statements do not reflect end-of-service and post-retirement benefits for staff who participate fully in the United Nations escrow account, which amounts to $1.757 million, as a separate share. These benefits were included, however, in the operational reserve of the account. In the Board ' s view, its separate submission will enhance clarity and transparency. Contingent liability In accordance with Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), three letters of credit of $4.2 million, which were cancelled, but in relation to the claims of execution prior to expiry, have been recorded as an eventual liability in the notes to the financial statements. The Secretary-General, in his letters to the President of the Security Council between 2008 and 2010, indicated that these three letters of credit should be treated in the same way as letters of credit with pending claims, hence their registration as contingent liabilities. In accordance with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), the Secretary-General was requested to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities related to the “Food Oil” programme. As a result, the remaining 43 letters of credit totalling 101 million dollars were cancelled as at 31 December 2010. However, claims for the execution of those 43 letters of credit were recorded as contingent liability in the notes to the financial statements. The Board was of the view that consistency would have been required in the accounting of the letters of credit cancelled in relation to which there are still claims of execution. The Administration then took steps to take into account the results of this audit and the corresponding changes will be met in the revised financial statements.", "A. Background", "1. The United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) were established in accordance with the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007). In 2010, the liquidation of the “Food Oil” programme was in its seventh year, following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003).", "2. The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010), authorized the Secretary-General to establish a new escrow account for the following purposes, to designate independent public accountants and certificates to carry out the audit and to keep the Government of Iraq fully informed.", "3. The Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to transfer $20 million and up to $131 million from the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) to the new escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) and to maintain the total of $151 million in the latter account until 31 December 2016. The amount of $20 million was exclusively for United Nations expenditures related to the orderly termination of residual activities under the " Food oil " programme, including the Organization ' s support for investigations by Member States and programme-related procedures, and the costs of the Office of the High-level Coordinator. The amount of up to $131 million was reserved for the purpose of providing compensation to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for a period of six years, for all programme activities since its inception. Since the new escrow account expires on 31 December 2016, all remaining funds shall be transferred to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016, unless the Security Council authorizes another procedure.", "4. In order to fully and effectively implement resolution 1958 (2010), the Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to conclude all necessary implementation arrangements or agreements as soon as possible with the Government of Iraq: (a) to compensate the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for all the activities of the " Oil for food " programme since its inception, and (b) for the Government of Iraq to renounce any claims that may be made against the United Nations, The Security Council requested the Secretary-General to report to it as appropriate.", "B. Mandate, scope and methodology", "5. The Board of Auditors has audited the financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established in accordance with the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010. The audit was conducted in accordance with article VII of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and the annex thereto, as well as the International Standards on Auditing, whereby the Board of Auditors must meet certain ethical requirements and perform verification in a manner that provides reasonable assurance that the financial statements do not contain significant inaccuracies.", "6. The audit was conducted primarily to enable the Board to form an opinion on whether the financial statements faithfully present the financial situation of the escrow account as at 31 December 2010 and the results of operations and cash flows for the period ended at that date, in accordance with the United Nations system accounting standards. This included an assessment of whether the expenditures recorded in the financial statements had been incurred for the purposes approved by the governing bodies and whether the income and expenditure had been properly classified and recorded, in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules. The audit included a general review of financial systems and internal controls and a review of accounting records and other supporting documents, to the extent that the Board considered necessary to form an opinion on the financial statements.", "7. The audit was conducted in conjunction with the audit of the financial statements of the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) established under the provisions of Security Council resolutions 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 778 (1992), 986 (1995), 1284 (1999), 1483 (2003) and 1762 (2007) for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2010 for the biennium 2010-2011. The Board issued a separate report on the audit of the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) (see S/2011/479).", "8. The present report covers matters which, in the opinion of the Board, should be brought to the attention of the Security Council. The Board ' s comments and conclusions were discussed with the Administration, whose views have been incorporated in the report.", "C. Conclusions and recommendations", "1. Financial overview", "9. As at 31 December 2010, total income (for interest earned) amounted to $6,000 and had not been incurred. The total cash balance was $151 million, which included $20 million in the administration fund and $131 million in the compensation reserve fund. All of these funds were transferred from the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq), pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "2. Reserve Fund for Compensation", "10. The Administration, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), transferred $131 million as a reserve fund for compensation of the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq) to the new escrow account. However, the Administration did not provide the Board with a breakdown of the figure, nor how the Administration established it.", "11. The Administration explained that a number of meetings had been held with the permanent members of the Security Council in 2010 and noted the potential risk areas of the Organization regarding the closure of the “Food Oil” programme. However, owing to the highly confidential nature of the matter and ongoing negotiations with the parties concerned, the Administration considered that, at this stage, it would go against the interests of the Organization to provide detailed information on the breakdown of $131 million and how the figure was determined.", "12. The Board acknowledges that the amount of $131 million is within the limits permitted by the Security Council resolution and represents exactly the transfer of the United Nations escrow (Iraq) reserve. While this does not affect the accurate presentation of the financial statements, the Board considers that the breakdown of this figure and the manner in which the Administration determined it would have formed the basis for the Board to confirm the reliability of the information provided to the Security Council by the Administration. The Board will consider the matter in the context of the next audit of the new escrow account.", "3. End-of-service and post-retirement benefits", "13. The Board noted that, unlike past practice in the United Nations escrow accounts (Iraq), end-of-service and post-retirement benefits of $1.757 million were not recorded as a separate item, but were included in operational reserves in the financial statements of the new escrow account as at 31 December 2010.", "14. The Board also noted that the explanations of end-of-service and post-retirement benefits contained in the different notes to the financial statements were not consistent. In particular, the notes do not include information on end-of-service and post-retirement benefits, including composition, actuarial process and major assumptions, as well as related changes.", "15. Subsequently, the Administration made the necessary changes and revised the financial statements.", "4. Contingent liabilities", "16. Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1483 (2003), as part of the liquidation process, all claims and disputes filed by third parties against the United Nations or its agencies in the context of the implementation of the activities of the " Food Oil " programme should be transferred to the Authority, which was later succeeded by the Government of Iraq. Accordingly, three letters of credit in the amount of $4.2 million, which were cancelled, but in respect of which claims for execution prior to their expiry, were recorded as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements.", "17. The Board noted that, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), 43 letters of credit totalling $101 million had been cancelled as at 31 December 2010, but the previous performance claims had not been recorded as contingent liabilities in the notes to the financial statements.", "18. In letters addressed to the President of the Security Council dated 25 July 2008 (S/2008/492), 1 May 2009 (S/2009/230) and 8 December 2010 (S/2010/619), the Secretary-General indicated that either was the option selected by the Security Council for the completion of all outstanding issues under the “Petroleo por alimentos” programme, three letters of credit that had been cancelled but in relation to which the beneficiaries still had to be executed.", "19. The Board considers that the nature of the 43 letters of credit is very similar to that of the other three, as they can still expose the United Nations to the potential risk of claims, as confirmed above. Therefore, they should be treated in the same way. If the “Food Oil” programme was eventually required to take full or part of these claims, the cost would be met from the new account.", "20. Subsequently, the Administration made the necessary changes and revised the financial statements accordingly.", "D. Information provided by management", "1. Write-off of losses of cash, receivables and property", "21. As required by financial rules 106.8 and 106.9, the Administration informed the Board that there would be no write-offs of cash, receivables or property for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010.", "2. Ex gratia payments", "22. As required under financial rule 105.12, the Administration reported that there were no ex gratia payments for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010.", "3. Cases of fraud and presumptive fraud", "23. The Administration informed the Board that during the reporting period there were no cases of fraud or presumptive fraud related to the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "E. Acknowledgements", "24. The Board wishes to express its appreciation for the cooperation and assistance provided to its staff by the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Assistant Secretary-General and the Controller, as well as their staff.", "(Signed) Liu Jiayi Auditor-General of the People ' s Republic of China President of the United Nations Board of Auditors (Principal Auditor)", "(Signed) Terence Nombembe Auditor-General of the Republic of South Africa", "(Signed) Amyas Morse Comptroller and Auditor-General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", "12 July 2011", "III. Certification of the financial statements", "1. The financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010 have been prepared in accordance with financial rule 106.10.", "2. The notes to the financial statements provide a summary of the main accounting standards applied in the preparation of those statements. The notes contain additional information and clarification on the financial activities related to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) carried out by the Organization during the period covered by those States, for which the Secretary-General has administrative responsibility.", "3. I certify that the attached financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) that carry numbers I to III are correct.", "(Signed) Jun Yamazaki Assistant Secretary-General, Controller", "29 March 2011", "IV. Financial statements for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "Statement I", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Statement of income and expenditure and changes in reserves and fund balances for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Reserve for Total 2010 compensation", "Income", "Interest earned 1 5 6", "Total income 1 5 6", "Expenditure - - -", "Surplus (deficit) of 1 5 6 income over expenditure", "Transfers of another 20 000 131 000 151 000 funds^(b)", "Reserves and fund balances to - - - beginning of the period", "Reserves and fund balances 20 001 131 005 151 006 at the end of the period", "^(a) See note 1.", "^(b) It represents transfers of the United Nations escrow account (Iraq) authorized by Security Council resolution 1958 (2010).", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement II", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Statement of assets, liabilities, reserves and fund balances as at 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Reserve for Total 2010 compensation", "Assets", "Cash and term deposits 45 45 90", "Cash pool 19 956^(b) 130 960^(c) 150 916", "Total assets 20 001 131 005 151 006", "Liabilities - -", "Reserves and fund balances", "Operational reserves^(d) 1 757 - 1 757", "Cumulative surplus 18 244 131 005 149 249", "Total reserves and fund balances of 20 001 131 005 151 006", "^(a) See note 1.", "^(b) It represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool, comprising cash and term deposits of $2,879,573, short-term investments of $4,690,372 (market value $4,735,575), long-term investments of $12,293,350 (demarcated value $12,317,509) and accrued interest receivable of $92,233.", "^(c) It represents the share of the United Nations Headquarters cash pool, comprising cash and term deposits of $18,897,424, short-term investments of $3,780,931 (market value $31,077,578), long-term investments of $80,676,065 (market value 80,834,613) and accrued interest receivable of $605,289.", "^(d) It represents reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits. See note 4.", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of the financial statements.", "Statement III", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010)^(a)", "Status of cash flows for the period from 15 to 31 December 2010", "(Thousands of United States dollars)", "Administration Reserve for Total 2010 compensation", "Cash flows from operational activities", "Net surplus (net deficit) of 1 5 6 income over expenditure (statement I)", "Less: (1) (5) interest income", "Net cash import from - - - operational activities", "Cash flows from investment activities", "Interest income 1 5 6", "Net cash import from 1 5 6 investment activities", "Cash flows from financing activities", "Transfers from other funds 20 000 131 000 151 000", "Net cash import from 20 000 131 000 151 000 funding activities", "Net increase in cash and 20 001 131 005 151 006 term deposits and cash pool", "Cash, term deposits and account – – – pool, beginning of period", "Cash, term deposits and account 20 001 131 005 151 006 cash pool, end of period", "^(a) See note 1.", "Notes accompanying the financial statements are an integral part of these.", "Notes to the financial statements", "Note 1", "United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) (statements I, II and III)", "(a) The Security Council, in its resolution 1958 (2010) of 15 December 2010, requested the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures to complete all residual activities under the " Food Oil " programme. " The Security Council authorized the Secretary-General to establish a blocked security account and to maintain $20 million by 31 December 2016 for expenditures related to the orderly termination of residual activities, including the Organization ' s support for investigations by Member States and the procedures of Member States relating to the programme, as well as the costs of the Office of the High-level Coordinator, established pursuant to its resolution 1284 (1999).", "(b) In the same resolution, the Security Council also authorized the Secretary-General to keep the security account blocked up to $131 million in order to ensure to the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors for a period of six years for all activities related to the " Food Oil " programme since its inception.", "(c) Also in the same resolution, the Security Council requested that all funds remaining in the escrow account after the age of six be transferred to the Government of Iraq by 31 December 2016.", "(d) These are the first financial statements of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1958 (2010). The activities described in subparagraphs (a) and (b) are shown in the “Administration” and “Reservation for Compensation” columns of the financial statements, respectively.", "Note 2", "Summary of major United Nations accounting and financial reporting standards", "(a) The United Nations accounts are maintained in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations adopted by the General Assembly, the rules formulated by the Secretary-General in accordance with the Regulations and administrative instructions issued by the Under-Secretary-General for Management or the Controller. The United Nations system accounting standards approved by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination are also fully taken into account. The United Nations conforms to International Accounting Standard No. 1, “Financial statement presentation”, on disclosure of accounting practices, as amended and approved by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, as follows:", "(i) Current business concepts, uniformity and accrual accounting are fundamental accounting assumptions. Where the financial statements conform to fundamental accounting assumptions, disclosure of such premises is not required. However, if a fundamental accounting premise is not followed, that fact must be disclosed, together with the reasons for the case;", "(ii) Prudence, the primacy of the fund on the form and principle of relative importance should govern the selection and application of accounting practices;", "(iii) The financial statements should include a clear and concise indication of all major accounting practices used;", "(iv) The disclosure of significant accounting practices employed should be an integral part of the financial statements. Practices should generally be disclosed in one place;", "(v) The financial statements should reflect the relevant figures recorded in the previous year;", "(vi) Any change in an accounting practice that has an important effect in the current period or may have a significant impact in subsequent periods, along with the reasons for such change, should be disclosed. If important, the effect of change must be disclosed and quantified.", "(b) The Organization ' s accounts are maintained in accordance with substantive accounting. The General Assembly, the Security Council or the Secretary-General may establish separate funds for general or special purposes. Each fund is maintained as a distinct financial and accounting entity, with a separate group of accounts that are maintained on a double basis and are offset by each other. Separate financial statements are prepared for each fund or for each group of funds of the same nature.", "(c) The financial period of the Organization is a biennium and covers two consecutive calendar years for all funds, except for the peacekeeping accounts, the financial period of which covers a period of 12 months from 1 July to 30 June.", "(d) Income, expenditure, assets and liabilities are generally accounted for on the accrual basis.", "(e) The accounts of the Organization are presented in United States dollars. Accounts in other currencies are converted to United States dollars when the transaction is made, and for that purpose the exchange rates established by the United Nations are used. With respect to these currencies, the financial statements will reflect cash, investments, pledges not yet received and accounts receivable and payable in currencies other than the United States dollar, converted to applicable United Nations exchange rates that are in effect on the date of the statements. If the application of actual exchange rates at the date of the financial statements produces an assessment that differs significantly from that resulting from the application of United Nations exchange rates for the last month of the financial period, a footnote will be presented quantifying the difference.", "f) The United Nations financial statements are prepared on the basis of the initial cost and are not adjusted to take into account the effects of changes in the prices of goods and services.", "(g) The summary statement of cash flow is based on the indirect method of cash flow statements referred to in the United Nations system accounting standards.", "(h) The financial statements of the Organization are submitted, in accordance with the recommendations of the Working Group on Accounting Standards, to the High-level Committee on Management.", "(i) Income:", "(i) Voluntary contributions from Member States and other donors are recorded as income, in accordance with their written pledge to make cash contributions on specific dates of the current financial period. Voluntary contributions made in the form of supplies and services acceptable to the Secretary-General are recorded as income or disclosed in a note to the financial statements;", "(ii) Income received under inter-agency agreements represents allocations of funds from agencies to enable the Organization to manage projects or programmes on its behalf;", "(iii) Allocations from other funds represent credits appropriated or reserved from one fund for transfer to and disbursement from another fund;", "(iv) Service income includes staff salaries and other costs attributable to the provision of technical and administrative support to other organizations;", "(v) Interest income includes all interest earned on deposits in bank accounts, income earned on investments in securities and other negotiable instruments and income earned on investments in the cash pool. All losses incurred and net losses of short-term investments are deducted from investment income. Income from investments and costs related to investment management in the cash pool are allocated to participating funds;", "(vi) Miscellaneous income includes income from rental of premises, sale of used or surplus goods, refund of expenditures attributed to prior periods, settlement of claims for compensation, unearmarked accepted funds and other miscellaneous income;", "(vii) Income for future financial periods is not recorded in the current financial period and is recorded as deferred income as indicated in paragraph (l) (iii), below.", "(j) Expenses:", "(i) Expenditures are incurred from authorized appropriations or authorizations for contracting obligations. Total expenditures included include unliquidated obligations and disbursements. Expenditures also include exchange adjustments resulting from the revaluation of current period obligations;", "(ii) Expenditures for non-expendable property are charged to the budget for the period in which they are acquired and not capitalized. The inventory of such non-expendable property is at the initial cost;", "(iii) Expenditures for future financial periods are not charged to the current financial period and are recorded as deferred charges, as indicated in paragraph (k) (v) below.", "(k) Asset:", "(i) Cash and term deposits include cash and interest-bearing accounts;", "(ii) Investment includes the values and other negotiable instruments acquired by the Organization to produce revenue. Short-term investments are based on cost or market value, if lower; long-term investments are based on cost. The cost is defined as the nominal value more or less the premium or discount without amortizing. The market value of investments is indicated in the footnotes of the financial statements;", "(iii) The cash pool includes cash and term deposits, short-term and long-term investments and accruals for participating funds administered by the account. Account investments are similar. Short-term investments are based on cost or market value, if lower; long-term investments are based on cost. The cost is defined as the nominal value more or less the premium or discount without amortizing. The share of the cash pool for each fund is presented separately in the statements of the participating funds and their composition and the market value of their investments is indicated in footnotes to the relevant financial statements;", "(iv) Inter-fund balances reflect inter-fund transactions and are included in or owed to the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances also reflect direct transactions with other blocked warranty accounts and with the United Nations General Fund. Inter-fund balances are settled on a regular basis on the basis of cash availability;", "(v) Deferred charges normally cover expenditure items that are not appropriate for current financial periods and which will be recorded as expenditure in a later period. These expenditure items include commitments approved by the Controller for future periods, in accordance with financial rule 106.7. Such commitments are normally limited to administrative requirements of a permanent nature and to contracts or legal obligations that require prolonged deadlines for their implementation;", "(vi) For balance sheets only, the portion of the education grant advances allegedly for the academic year ended at the date of the financial statement is shown as a deferred charge. The total amount of the advance is maintained as accounts receivable owed by the staff member until the staff member submits the necessary evidence of his right to receive the education grant; at that time, the corresponding budget accounts are charged and the advance is cancelled;", "(vii) The maintenance and repairs of capital assets are charged to the relevant budget accounts. Furniture, equipment, other non-expendable property and improvements in leased premises are not included in the assets of the Organization. Procurement is charged to the budget accounts of the year in which the purchase is made. The value of non-expendable property is indicated in the notes to the financial statements.", "(l) Liabilities and reserves and fund balances:", "(i) The reserves for operational costs include reserves for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits, which are shown in separate items in the financial statements. The reserves for operational costs are included in the financial statements in the total “reservations and fund balances”;", "(ii) Unliquidated obligations for future periods are counted as deferred charges and as unliquidated obligations;", "(iii) Deferred income includes other income received but not yet earned;", "(iv) The commitments made by the Organization in respect of the current financial period and previous and future periods are as unliquidated obligations. The obligations of the current period remain valid for 12 months after the end of the financial period to which they relate;", "(v) If there were any contingent liabilities, it is disclosed in footnotes in the corresponding financial statements;", "(vi) The United Nations is affiliated with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, which was established by the General Assembly to provide retirement, death and disability benefits and other related benefits. The Fund is a defined benefit plan. The financial obligation of the Organization vis-à-vis the Fund is the mandatory contribution of a percentage established by the Assembly, as well as its share of any actuarial deficit to be paid under article 26 of the Regulations of the Fund. This actuarial deficit should be paid only if the Assembly has invoked article 26, after having determined that such payment is necessary, on the basis of an assessment of the actuarial sufficiency of the Fund at the date of the evaluation. As of the date of submission of the financial statements under review, the Assembly had not invoked that article.", "Note 3", "Accounting policies applied to the United Nations escrow account established under the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) (statements I, II and III)", "The accounts of the United Nations escrow account established pursuant to the provisions of Security Council resolution 1958 (2010) are maintained in a biennial cycle, consisting of two consecutive years, the first of which will be one year. Annual financial statements are prepared to report on the use of funds and expenditures to the Council.", "Note 4", "Operational reserves", "Operational reserves include estimated liabilities for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits to relevant staff members. Benefits include after-service health insurance and compensatory payment for unused annual leave days. The liabilities for end-of-service and post-retirement benefits are determined on the basis of an actuarial valuation, which was carried out by an independent and qualified actuarial firm, and the values were determined as at 31 December 2009. The estimated liabilities as at 31 December 2010 are based on the tracing of 31 December 2009, comprising $1,735 million for medical insurance and $22,000 for unused vacation days, totalling $1,757 million. Operational reserves are included in the total reserves and fund balances.", "Note 5", "Contingent liabilities", "Following resolution 1958 (2010), 43 letters of credit were cancelled under the " Food Oil " programme amounting to $101 million, with pending execution claims. In addition, it was determined that three letters of credit in the amount of $4.5 million, which had been cancelled, had pending enforcement claims filed prior to their expiry. In this regard, and in accordance with Security Council resolution 1958 (2010), the Secretariat is concluding an agreement with the Government of Iraq, whereby the Government would pay compensation for the United Nations, its representatives, agents and individual contractors in relation to all programme activities since its inception, and would waive any future claims against the United Nations, its individual representatives, agents and contractors with respect to all programme activities since its inception. The United Nations is expected to be fully compensated by this agreement." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 21 c) del programa provisional*", "Globalización e interdependencia: cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos", "Cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "En los decenios recientes los países de ingresos medianos han hecho notables progresos económicos y sociales en una amplia gama de aspectos. No obstante, el avance ha sido desigual y diverso y siguen existiendo retos formidables. Pese a que se ha progresado sustancialmente en la reducción de la pobreza, los países de ingresos medianos siguen albergando a aproximadamente el 75% de los pobres del mundo, que viven con menos de 1,25 dólares al día. La desigualdad en las rentas tiende a ser mayor en los países de ingresos medianos que en los países de ingresos bajos o altos. Para los países que no han conseguido diversificar su economía y protegerla de las inestables condiciones del mercado sigue siendo difícil lograr un crecimiento más sostenible e inclusivo.", "El sistema de las Naciones Unidas y las instituciones financieras multilaterales han sido importantes asociados y facilitadores de la cooperación internacional con los países de ingresos medianos en materia de desarrollo. Si bien debemos reconocer que no existe una solución única que sirva para todos, hay un fuerte consenso sobre la necesidad de mejorar la cooperación internacional para ayudar a los países de ingresos medianos a tratar de superar sus dificultades de desarrollo, en particular en el apoyo que presta el sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "I. Introducción", "1. En su sexagésimo cuarto período de sesiones, celebrado en 2009, la Asamblea General reconoció que los países de ingresos medianos seguían afrontado importantes desafíos en sus esfuerzos por alcanzar los objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente. Asimismo, subrayó la importancia de prestar apoyo internacional, por diversos medios y teniendo debidamente en cuenta las prioridades nacionales, para atender las necesidades de desarrollo de esos países, y reconoció los esfuerzos realizados y los éxitos logrados por muchos países de ingresos medianos para erradicar la pobreza y alcanzar los objetivos de desarrollo, así como la aportación de esos países al desarrollo y a la estabilidad económica mundiales y regionales.", "2. En la resolución 64/208, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que presentara un informe sobre la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos, haciendo especial referencia a las estrategias y medidas que aplica el sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo en materia de cooperación con los países de ingresos medianos y teniendo en cuenta la labor de otras organizaciones internacionales competentes, incluidas las instituciones financieras internacionales. El presente informe se ha preparado para atender esa solicitud.", "3. En la resolución no se formula una definición precisa de la categoría de países de ingresos medianos. Como se hizo en el informe anterior sobre esta cuestión (véase A/64/253), en el presente informe se considera provisionalmente que los países de ingresos medianos son aquellos que tienen un ingreso nacional bruto per capita de entre 996 dólares y 12.195 dólares, con arreglo a la clasificación del Banco Mundial[1]. En 2011, había en esta categoría 104 países, 56 de los cuales, según el Banco Mundial, son países de ingresos medianos bajos y tienen un ingreso nacional bruto per capita de 3.945 dólares o menos. El Banco Mundial no reconoce la categoría de países menos adelantados establecida por las Naciones Unidas sino que para sus políticas sobre préstamos utiliza la categoría de países de ingresos bajos. Así pues, la categoría de países de ingresos medianos se sitúa entre las categorías de países de ingresos bajos y de ingresos altos; es pues una categoría intermedia que se define solamente por los ingresos per capita, a diferencia de la categoría de los países menos adelantados, en la cual se tienen también en cuenta la vulnerabilidad económica y ambiental y el nivel de desarrollo humano[2]. Por lo tanto, en el sistema de las Naciones Unidas se suele considerar que pertenecen a la categoría de países de ingresos medianos los países en desarrollo y de economía en transición que no son países menos adelantados.", "4. En conjunto, los países de ingresos medianos representan más del 70% de la población mundial y casi el 43% del producto mundial bruto, con arreglo a la paridad del poder adquisitivo. Puesto que a lo largo del último decenio la economía de varios países de este grupo ha experimentado un crecimiento rápido, su contribución al crecimiento mundial también ha aumentado, con lo cual se ha reconfigurado la estructura mundial de la producción, el comercio, las corrientes de capital, la tecnología y las condiciones laborales. El crecimiento de la economía de los países de ingresos medianos también ha producido positivos efectos secundarios en otros países en desarrollo gracias al aumento de los vínculos comerciales, las corrientes de capital y la cooperación Sur-Sur para el desarrollo. Aunque en los años recientes se han producido reducciones notables de la pobreza extrema en los países de ingresos medianos y este grupo de países se sigue ampliando, en ellos viven con menos de 1,25 dólares al día tres cuartas partes de la población mundial.", "5. El progreso económico de los países de ingresos medianos ha sido muy diverso: en los decenios recientes, algunos han experimentado un crecimiento sólido y sostenido mientras que otros, especialmente los de economía menos diversificada que dependen en gran medida de las exportaciones de productos básicos primarios, han registrado menos progreso y más inestabilidad. Los avances en el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio también reflejan un grado de disparidad similar.", "6. En el presente informe se examinan algunos de los grandes desafíos en materia de desarrollo económico y social a que se enfrentan los países de ingresos medianos, la cooperación del sistema de las Naciones Unidas con los países de ingresos medianos y las repercusiones para la labor futura del sistema con esos países.", "II. Principales desafíos que plantea el desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos", "A. Tendencias macroeconómicas recientes[3]", "7. Después de la crisis financiera mundial a muchos países de ingresos medianos les ha ido mejor que a las economías desarrolladas, ya que el crecimiento económico de esos países casi ha duplicado el promedio mundial. A los países de ingresos medianos se debe aproximadamente la mitad de la recuperación de la economía mundial después de la crisis (véase el gráfico). No obstante, se prevé que el crecimiento de muchos de estos países se modere a causa de diversos factores, que incluyen los persistentes aspectos frágiles de las economías desarrolladas, además de unas corrientes de capital y unos precios mundiales de los productos básicos inestables y con aumentos bruscos que plantean dificultades en materia de políticas macroeconómicas. En particular, está aumentando la presión inflacionaria debido a la subida de los precios de los productos básicos a nivel mundial, situación que se ve exacerbada, en muchos casos, por el rápido crecimiento del crédito y la escasez de oferta agrícola. La subida de los precios de los alimentos y la energía ha erosionado los ingresos reales, en particular los de los pobres. Ocuparse de ellos es particularmente importante para los países de ingresos medianos, ya que albergan a la gran mayoría de los pobres del mundo.", "Gráfico", "Contribución al crecimiento económico mundial de los grupos de países por nivel de ingresos, 2000-2012", "Fuente: Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, base de datos sobre la situación y las perspectivas económicas mundiales, mayo de 2011.", "8. Por regiones, los países de ingresos medianos de Asia Oriental y Asia Meridional siguen experimentando el crecimiento más fuerte. En esas regiones el crecimiento ha venido impulsado primordialmente por la recuperación de las inversiones y las exportaciones de productos manufacturados, con el apoyo de estímulos de política fiscal y monetaria. El gran aumento del consumo privado en las economías mayores, como las de China, la India e Indonesia, ha creado positivos efectos secundarios en los países vecinos y ha servido de catalizador para que crezca el empleo, cuyos niveles han superado los anteriores a la crisis. Si bien han diversificado su economía, los países de esas regiones que tienen una economía menor todavía dependen principalmente de las exportaciones a las regiones desarrolladas y también son vulnerables a las oscilaciones de las corrientes de capital.", "9. La recuperación del comercio internacional y de las economías de Asia Oriental y Meridional ha contribuido a los recientes aumentos bruscos de los precios de los productos básicos. Ello ha tenido efectos positivos en la actividad económica de otras regiones, especialmente en la de los países ricos en recursos de Asia Occidental, América Latina, África y la comunidad de Estados independientes; sin embargo, como se ha señalado anteriormente, también está generando considerables problemas macroeconómicos. Así pues, es probable que el crecimiento de muchas de esas economías siga siendo más inestable que el de las economía de Asia Oriental y Asia Meridional. Además, la mejora del crecimiento registrada en los años recientes no ha ido acompañada de la diversificación de la economía subyacente. Así pues, grandes sectores de su población no encuentra trabajo decente. En algunos países de ingresos medianos, especialmente de Asia Occidental y el Norte de África, las oportunidades de empleo para los trabajadores jóvenes son particularmente escasas, factor que ha incidido en las recientes revueltas políticas.", "10. Desde fines de 2010 la recuperación de los países de ingresos medianos de Europa Oriental se ha consolidado, pero sigue dependiendo sobre todo de las exportaciones, mientras que la demanda interna todavía no se ha rehecho. En Europa Sudoriental, por más que el considerable aumento de las exportaciones, apoyado por la subida de los precios de los productos básicos y el crecimiento de la demanda turística, así como por una pequeña recuperación de las remesas, sacó a la región de la recesión en 2010, la recuperación sigue siendo débil.", "B. Pobreza y desigualdad en los países de ingresos medianos", "11. Aunque la reciente crisis económica mundial hizo que aumentara la pobreza en muchos países, en los dos decenios pasados se ha progresado significativamente en la reducción de la pobreza en los países de ingresos medianos. Desde principios de la década de 1990 unos 600 millones de habitantes de lo que ahora son países de ingresos medianos han conseguido salir de la pobreza extrema —es decir, vivir con ingresos inferiores a 1,25 dólares al día, en valores de la paridad del poder adquisitivo de 2005—, mientras que en los países actualmente clasificados como de ingresos bajos han sido menos de 3 millones (véase el cuadro)[4]. La reducción de la pobreza en los países de ingresos medianos ha sido menos sustancial si se toma como referencia el umbral de la pobreza de 2 dólares por día; según ese cálculo, todavía viven en una pobreza moderada muchas personas (casi 2.000 millones). Ello demuestra la vulnerabilidad de un gran número de “casi pobres” a las sacudidas.", "12. La reducción de la pobreza ha alcanzado los niveles más significativos en los países de ingresos medianos de Asia Meridional, Asia Oriental y partes de América Latina y el Caribe, especialmente en el Brasil, China, Indonesia, el Pakistán y Viet Nam. En cambio, el número de personas que viven en la pobreza extrema en los 18 países de ingresos medianos del África Subsahariana ha aumentado en más de 32 millones desde principios de la década de 1990[5].", "Cuadro Número de pobres por nivel de ingresos de los países, 1990 a 1994 y 2005 a 2009", "(En millones)", "Datos más Datos más Diferencia Porcentaje antiguos recientes de sobre sobre los pobres el período el período del mundo en 1990-1994 2005-2009 2005-2009", "Número de personas que viven en la pobreza extrema (con menos de 1,25 dólares al día)", "Países de ingresos bajos 323,5 320,8 -2,6 25", "Países de ingresos medianos 1 502,1 923,5 -578,7 72 bajos", "Países de ingresos medianos 56,1 36,7 -19,4 3 altos", "Países de ingresos altos 1,7 0,0 -1,6 0", "Total 1 883,4 1 281,1 -602,3 100", "Número de pobres (viven con menos de 2 dólares al día)", "Países de ingresos bajos 4 32,8 494,8 62,0 20", "Países de ingresos medianos 2 236,8 1 844,0 -392,7 76 bajos", "Países de ingresos medianos 131,9 92,1 -39,8 4 altos", "Países de ingresos altos 3,5 0,1 -3,4 0", "Total 2 805,0 2 431,1 -373,9 100", "Fuente: Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, sobre la base de datos procedentes del sitio web oficial de las Naciones Unidas sobre los indicadores de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/data.aspx).", "13. El crecimiento sustancial sostenido ha sido uno de los factores importantes para que disminuyan las tasas de pobreza, pero la reducción ha sido mucho más significativa en los lugares en que el crecimiento ha venido impulsado por un cambio económico estructural dinámico basado en mejoras de la productividad en la agricultura, la diversificación en favor de actividades industriales que generan mucho empleo e inversiones continuadas en la educación. Estos elementos han sido clave para el éxito de la reducción de la pobreza en Asia Oriental y partes de Asia Meridional. Los países de economía menos diversificada que dependen de los ingresos procedentes de la extracción de recursos naturales han sido más propensos a experimentar un crecimiento con menos capacidad de recuperación y menos inclusivo, acompañado de una desigualdad mayor de las rentas.", "14. La distribución de las rentas tiende a ser mucho más desigual en los países de ingresos medianos que en los países de ingresos bajos o altos. No obstante, también a este respecto, las condiciones varían en gran medida entre unos países de ingresos medianos y otros. A escala mundial, tanto el nivel más elevado (Namibia) como el más bajo (Belarús) de desigualdad en las rentas nacionales se da en este grupo de países[6]. Por regiones, América Latina sigue siendo la que presenta, como promedio, el grado más elevado de desigualdad en los ingresos, aunque desde el año 2000 se han producido notables mejoras. La concentración de las rentas tiende a ser menor en Asia Meridional y Asia Central. Los países de ingresos medianos de Europa oriental y Asia Central, que partían de niveles relativamente bajos, experimentaron los aumentos más pronunciados de la desigualdad entre 1990 y 2008[7]. Si bien en ocasiones el aumento de la desigualdad en los ingresos es producto de procesos dinámicos de crecimiento —por ejemplo, cuando los trabajadores pasan de actividades de poca productividad, como la agricultura, a otras de mayor productividad, como las industrias manufactureras—, las brechas persistentes en materia de ingresos tienden a aminorar los efectos del crecimiento en la reducción de la pobreza y a mermar el propio crecimiento económico a lo largo del tiempo. El aumento de la desigualdad es también causa de agitación social, lo cual puede ir en detrimento de la labor encaminada a cumplir los objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente.", "15. Son varios los factores que, en grados diversos, afectan a la dinámica de la desigualdad. Los factores sociales —como la discriminación, la exclusión social y las prácticas tanto oficiales como no oficiales— suelen promoverla, mientras que los factores económicos que impulsan su aumento incluyen las imperfecciones del mercado crediticio, las diferencias en el acceso a los ingresos generados por los productos naturales, la globalización injusta, el cambio tecnológico que desplaza a la mano de obra y la industrialización con gran densidad de capital o de conocimientos especializados. Por ejemplo, en los países en que abundan los recursos naturales, la proporción de los ingresos nacionales totales que representan los procedentes de la tierra y los recursos naturales suele ser grande y estar distribuida de forma desigual. En parte, esto puede explicar por qué en los países y regiones ricos en recursos, como el África Subsahariana y América Latina, la desigualdad de las rentas es más elevada que en los países y regiones menos ricos en recursos, como Asia Meridional y Oriental. De manera similar, la globalización y el cambio tecnológico pueden contribuir a que se den unos niveles de desigualdad mayores, ya que la tecnología industrial avanzada tiende a favorecer la demanda relativa de mano de obra especializada, lo cual genera diferencias mayores de ingresos dentro de cada país, al menos a corto plazo. El hecho de que actualmente en algunos países haya aumentado la desigualdad de ingresos en comparación con la que se registraba hace unos decenios, se explica en parte porque prácticamente se han abandonado la mayoría de los intentos anteriores de corregir las desigualdades espaciales y de otra índole, además de por las consecuencias poco igualitarias de muchos procesos asociados con la liberación del mercado y el fortalecimiento de los derechos de propiedad privada tanto a nivel nacional como internacional.", "16. La desigualdad influye en la pobreza de múltiples maneras. Por ejemplo, puede obstaculizar el crecimiento, lo cual, a su vez, afecta a la pobreza. Además, el crecimiento es menos eficaz para reducir la pobreza cuando la desigualdad es grande, ya que esta disminuye la medida en que los pobres se benefician del crecimiento general. También hay cada vez más pruebas de que los niveles elevados de desigualdad, particularmente en lo que se refiere a oportunidades, así como entre regiones o grupos étnicos, puede alimentar los conflictos violentos y poner en peligro la estabilidad social, lo cual socava el desarrollo y la reducción de la pobreza, como se ha observado recientemente en parte del Norte de África y el Oriente Medio.", "17. La desigualdad también tiende a afectar al progreso en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de desarrollo humano en materia de educación y salud. Por ejemplo, en los Estados árabes, Asia Oriental y el Pacífico, y América Latina y el Caribe, el riesgo de muerte en la primera infancia es aproximadamente el doble en los hogares de la quinta parte inferior de la distribución de los ingresos que en la quinta parte superior. En Indonesia y Nicaragua, las muertes de lactantes de la quinta parte más pobre son incluso más de tres veces superiores a las de la más rica. En el Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia y el Perú, las madres y los niños de la quinta parte más rica tienen un acceso casi universal a asistencia cualificada en el alumbramiento, mientras que solo entre el 10% y el 15% de los más pobres la tienen. De manera similar, los niños de los hogares más pobres, especialmente los que viven en zonas rurales, tienen menos probabilidades de asistir a la escuela. Las niñas de la quinta parte más pobre de los hogares tienen 3,5 veces más probabilidades de no asistir a la escuela que las de los hogares más ricos, y cuatro veces más probabilidades que los niños de los hogares más ricos. Esas desigualdades tienden a perpetuarse en el acceso al empleo y las oportunidades de obtener ingresos.", "C. Desafíos en materia de políticas", "18. La diversidad que caracteriza a los países de ingresos medianos implica que los desafíos a que se enfrentan en materia de políticas sean también distintos. No obstante, en la mayoría de los casos, las dificultades macroeconómicas a corto plazo incluyen el modo de hacer frente a los efectos de la creciente inflación y los aumentos bruscos de las entradas de capital. Muchos gobiernos han respondido haciendo más restrictivas las políticas monetarias, incluso aumentando los tipos de interés y las proporciones de las reservas que están obligados a mantener los bancos. Puesto que en algunos de estos países los tipos de interés reales siguen siendo bajos, es probable que durante el resto de 2011 se mantengan las políticas monetarias restrictivas. En tanto diversos gobiernos han empezado también a retirar las medidas de estímulo fiscal, la lucha contra la inflación mediante restricciones monetarias puede ir en detrimento del crecimiento y el empleo en alguna medida, y también es poco probable que resulte eficaz cuando la inflación obedezca principalmente a aumentos bruscos de los precios de los alimentos y la energía.", "19. Asimismo, varios países de ingresos medianos han adoptado medidas de control de las corrientes de capital para mitigar los riesgos asociados a la variabilidad de esas corrientes, que puede tener efectos desestabilizadores. Actualmente, las entradas cuantiosas de capital han ejercido una presión al alza en los tipos de cambio y han agrandado las burbujas de los precios de los activos, que, a su vez, están socavando la competitividad de las exportaciones y, en algunos casos, el esfuerzo de diversificación económica. La reacción convencional a la inflación sería fijar tipos de interés oficiales más elevados, pero ello no haría sino exacerbar el problema atrayendo incluso más entradas de capital. A pesar de que los controles en este ámbito han sido moderados, han conducido a que se favorezcan las inversiones a largo plazo frente a las de corto plazo en lugar de hacer disminuir las entradas de capital.", "20. A mediano y a largo plazo, el reto a que se enfrentan los gobiernos de los países de ingresos medianos es asegurar que las políticas macroeconómicas sean, o sigan siendo, propicias para el crecimiento equilibrado, equitativo e inclusivo. El marco de políticas conexo debe adaptarse a las condiciones imperantes y a las necesidades del contexto particular de cada país; no obstante, pueden sugerirse ciertas orientaciones generales en materia de políticas[8].", "21. Numerosos países de ingresos medianos todavía están construyendo su capacidad productiva. En muchos de esos países los mercados aún no se han desarrollado plenamente, sobre todo los de los países que exportan productos básicos. Si bien las exportaciones de productos básicos primarios han contribuido al elevado crecimiento de algunos países, la desigualdad se ha incrementado porque el aumento de los ingresos no se ha distribuido de forma uniforme. Especialmente en estos países, el problema clave consiste en adoptar estrategias nacionales eficaces en materia de desarrollo que tengan por objetivo diversificar la economía y reducir la dependencia de las exportaciones de productos primarios. En un buen número de países, ello entraña la reglamentación cautelar y económica del sector financiero, una mayor inversión en infraestructura y desarrollo agrícola, y el establecimiento de condiciones favorables para las industrias con posibles economías de escala para fomentar la creación de empleo remunerado en el sector estructurado. Como se ha comprobado, las economías de Asia Oriental que crecieron con rapidez lograron cambios estructurales dinámicos incluyendo políticas macroeconómicas en estrategias nacionales de desarrollo más amplias que no sustituían la política industrial por una liberalización generalizada del comercio. Esos cambios exigen un esfuerzo importante de creación de capacidad nacional con el fin de que el gobierno tenga una función más activa en el desarrollo.", "22. La experiencia ha demostrado que las políticas macroeconómicas tienden a favorecer más el desarrollo cuando son sistemáticamente anticíclicas, como la acumulación de amortiguadores fiscales en los buenos tiempos que puedan utilizarse en épocas malas. Ello podría entrañar el establecimiento de fondos de estabilización de los productos básicos, como ocurrió en Chile, por ejemplo. Esa normativa también ampliaría los marcos reguladores del sector financiero interno y la gestión de las corrientes internacionales de capital, como en los casos de Chile y Malasia. Habría que coordinar las políticas monetarias con las políticas relativas a los sectores financiero e industrial. En Asia Oriental, por ejemplo, los gobiernos han supervisado y subvencionado planes de crédito y han gestionado los tipos de interés para influir de manera directa en las inversiones, inicialmente en industrias con gran densidad de mano de obra, ya que el aumento del empleo es esencial para reducir la pobreza, y posteriormente en los sectores que tienen el mayor potencial para perfeccionar los conocimientos, permitiéndoles de ese modo obtener economías de escala y aumentar la productividad. Las políticas también deben tener en cuenta el desarrollo agrícola para conseguir la seguridad alimentaria.", "23. Especialmente en los países de ingresos medianos, donde la desigualdad es grande y los beneficios del crecimiento no se comparten de forma equitativa, los gobiernos deben considerar la posibilidad de complementar el marco macroeconómico con políticas sociales amplias, como las de atención primaria de la salud y educación básica estatales, planes de garantía del empleo y transferencias de efectivo, para asegurar que las disparidades en los ingresos y las oportunidades no persistan ni aumenten con el tiempo. Los gobiernos pueden acometer la desigualdad y resolver cuestiones relacionadas con la deuda y los déficits persistentes mediante instrumentos como el aumento de la recaudación de ingresos y políticas de redistribución de nuevo diseño. Una base impositiva más amplia serviría, entre otras cosas, para fortalecer los sistemas de protección social y hacer más accesibles los servicios sociales. En muchos países de ingresos medianos, los programas de transferencia de bienestar, como las transferencias de efectivo condicionadas, se utilizan para proporcionar mayor protección a los pobres en materia de ingresos y aumentar su acceso a la educación y los servicios de salud. Reduciendo la desigualdad en el acceso a la educación y la salud, esos programas pueden promover el crecimiento económico a largo plazo. El programa Bolsa Familia del Brasil, por ejemplo, es el que abarca al mayor número de beneficiarios de los existentes en los países en desarrollo (actualmente, del orden de 12 millones de familias brasileñas) y ha contribuido a lograr un progreso notable en otros ámbitos relacionados con los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, como la reducción de la malnutrición y la mortalidad infantil y la consecución de la educación universal. No obstante, los resultados de estos programas pueden variar, según las circunstancias particulares. Por ejemplo, en zonas urbanas donde la incidencia de la pobreza es elevada, los pagos de efectivo alivian la pobreza pero pueden no aumentar significativamente el desarrollo de los recursos humanos si las tasas de matriculación son ya altas. Por otra parte, gastar más en educación no aumentará los ingresos futuros si las políticas macroeconómicas amplias no generan suficientes oportunidades de empleo productivo.", "24. Las transferencias redistributivas entre regiones pueden también contribuir a reducir la desigualdad y luchar contra la pobreza. Es posible tratar de corregir las desigualdades entre las regiones ricas en productos básicos y las pobres en esos productos compartiendo los ingresos de ellos derivados. En países como Colombia, Indonesia, Kazajstán, México y la República Bolivariana de Venezuela se ha regulado la distribución de los ingresos procedentes de la producción minera entre el gobierno central y las administraciones locales.", "25. Para tratar de corregir las desigualdades causadas por la globalización y las diferencias entre los beneficios que obtienen los obreros cualificados y no cualificados, puede ser necesario asignar mayor prioridad a las políticas en materia de educación y tecnología con miras a ampliar la oferta de mano de obra cualificada y difundir las nuevas tecnologías entre la población. En algunos contextos, los gobiernos tal vez deseen también considerar la posibilidad de eliminar gradualmente el tratamiento preferencial otorgado a las empresas foráneas en etapas anteriores del desarrollo para atraer inversiones extranjeras directas. En China, por ejemplo, desde 2008 se aplica un tipo impositivo unificado para las empresas extranjeras y nacionales con el fin de fomentar el crecimiento de las industrias del país. Ello permite que las empresas nacionales compitan en mayor igualdad de condiciones con las filiales de empresas extranjeras y puede estimular la demanda de mano de obra cualificada. Además, cierra una importante vía de pérdida de ingresos y, por lo tanto, amplía el espacio fiscal.", "26. Entre otras políticas que podrían utilizarse para corregir la desigualdad se incluyen el aumento de las tasas de participación en la fuerza de trabajo, en particular las de las mujeres y los trabajadores de edad, y la mejora del empleo poco cualificado, poco remunerado y vulnerable. También se puede luchar contra el empleo vulnerable estableciendo requisitos en materia de salario mínimo o aumentándolos, proporcionando mayor protección al empleo o invirtiendo en capacitación y perfeccionamiento de las aptitudes de los trabajadores vulnerables. Asimismo, los programas de obras públicas se han utilizado con éxito para reducir la pobreza. Por ejemplo, en la Ley nacional de empleo rural de la India se prevén 100 días de trabajo remunerado al año para cada hogar rural que necesite empleo, cobrando el salario mínimo establecido. En el ejercicio fiscal 2009/2010, se proporcionó empleo en el marco de esa Ley a casi 55 millones de hogares de la India y más del 48% de los participantes eran mujeres. Otra opción puede ser alentar a que las empresas extranjeras den empleo a trabajadores locales e inviertan en el desarrollo local. Por ejemplo, en 2010, Anglo American, uno de los mayores grupos mineros, anunció una iniciativa de desarrollo empresarial para fortalecer la economía en Sudáfrica.", "27. Un marco de políticas macroeconómicas amplio debe también abarcar esfuerzos más explícitos para expandir y profundizar los mercados financieros y aumentar la inclusión en ese ámbito. Normalmente los bancos comerciales prefieren a los grandes prestatarios y suelen ser reacios a conceder préstamos a empresas pequeñas y medianas. También las empresas nuevas tienen dificultades para acceder al crédito, lo cual limita su crecimiento, mientras que muchos hogares cuyos integrantes trabajan en el sector no estructurado o en zonas rurales tropiezan con limitaciones debidas al escaso acceso a los servicios bancarios y de seguros. Si bien la ampliación de la microfinanciación sería un paso importante en este sentido, hasta la fecha las instituciones que la conceden son responsables de menos del 1% del crédito otorgado por los bancos comerciales en América Latina. Las políticas públicas deberían tener por objeto ampliar la inclusión financiera por conducto de medidas como el establecimiento de instituciones financieras especializadas en las empresas pequeñas y medianas y los agricultores. También deben apoyar la capitalización de las instituciones crediticias y ocuparse de la reforma del marco regulador de los requisitos relativos al capital y a las garantías. Los incentivos fiscales que favorecen los préstamos colectivos y los procedimientos de suspensión de pagos más oportunos aumentarían la oferta de crédito de los bancos comerciales, en particular, y de servicios bancarios, en general, para los pobres, con lo cual se aumentaría la inclusión financiera[9].", "28. Es particularmente importante que después de lograr niveles más elevados de ingresos per capita, los países de ingresos medianos intensifiquen el esfuerzo para hacer más sostenible su desarrollo. El crecimiento sostenido no es lo mismo que el crecimiento sostenible. El ritmo actual de urbanización y las tecnologías utilizadas en la agricultura y la industria están agotando y contaminando rápidamente los recursos naturales de los que depende la vida en el planeta[10]. Adoptar y difundir la tecnología ecológica y estrategias nacionales de gestión sostenible de los recursos serán componentes importantes del desarrollo sostenible de los países de ingresos medianos. Por ejemplo, reducir al mínimo la degradación del suelo, rehabilitar las zonas degradadas y optimizar el uso de la tierra son cruciales para la ordenación sostenible de la tierra. Asimismo, lograr una seguridad alimentaria que también sea sostenible requerirá que se utilicen técnicas agrícolas más favorables para el medio ambiente. Si bien la tecnología y las prácticas agrícolas han de adaptarse a las condiciones locales, la gama de tecnología y de prácticas sostenibles es amplia y brinda opciones para introducir cambios radicales en favor de la seguridad alimentaria sostenible, que incluyen los conocimientos y las prácticas agrícolas tradicionales, como la agricultura de bajo nivel de labranza, la rotación de cultivos, el cultivo intercalado, la utilización de abono verde, la recuperación del agua y los cultivos que aprovechan mejor el agua. Esas prácticas ofrecen grandes oportunidades, sin efectos negativos, para aumentar la productividad y los ingresos de los agricultores, reducir la malnutrición y restaurar entornos frágiles, así como para contribuir a mitigar el cambio climático. Desvincular el crecimiento económico de la degradación del medio ambiente exigiría además que se transformaran los sistemas energéticos invirtiendo en eficiencia y en la difusión de la tecnología limpia¹⁰. Esas inversiones también estimularían el crecimiento y la generación de empleo.", "III. Cooperación del sistema de las Naciones Unidas con los países de ingresos medianos[11]", "A. Principales logros de la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos", "29. Los principios definidos en la revisión trienal amplia de la política relativa a las actividades operacionales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo (véase la resolución 62/208 de la Asamblea General) son los que guían las operaciones de las Naciones Unidas en los países de ingresos medianos. Una gran parte de la labor que realiza la Organización en esos países se dedica a la disminución de las disparidades, la promoción de la equidad y la inclusión social, la asistencia a respuestas frente a vulneraciones de los derechos humanos, la creación de capacidad y la promoción. El asesoramiento en la formulación de políticas y su aplicación, así como otros tipos de apoyo técnico con objetivos bien delimitados, son elementos importantes de la contribución que efectúan las Naciones Unidas a los países de ingresos medianos.", "30. Según una encuesta realizada para elaborar el presente informe, a consecuencia del gran número de pobres que viven en países de ingresos medianos, erradicar la pobreza extrema y el hambre (primer Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio) sigue siendo una de las prioridades de la cooperación para el desarrollo entre el sistema de las Naciones Unidas y los países de ingresos medianos. En las respuestas a la encuesta también se calificaba la sostenibilidad ambiental y el establecimiento de una alianza mundial para el desarrollo (Objetivos séptimo y octavo) de elementos de importancia fundamental en la cooperación para el desarrollo. Puesto que muchos países de ingresos medianos han avanzado sustancialmente en la consecución de los Objetivos relacionados con la salud y la educación, estos tienen una prioridad menor en la labor dedicada a mejorar la cooperación con el sistema de las Naciones Unidas. En las respuestas se puso de relieve además que el desarrollo agrícola y el desarrollo industrial eran ámbitos clave en que se necesitaba más cooperación.", "31. Asimismo, en la encuesta se puso de manifiesto que los gobiernos de los países de ingresos medianos consideran que el sistema de las Naciones Unidas ha realizado contribuciones importantes a la cooperación para el desarrollo en lo tocante al desarrollo de la capacidad y el asesoramiento en materia de políticas sociales, buena gobernanza, descentralización y desarrollo local. Estos aspectos coinciden con los ámbitos prioritarios definidos por los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas para apoyar el desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos (véase A/64/253). Las entidades interesadas de dichos países consideran de la máxima utilidad la promoción y el desarrollo de la capacidad que facilitan las Naciones Unidas a los funcionarios públicos y los agentes no estatales, junto con la transmisión de conocimientos y experiencias de otros países que reciben apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Este último elemento se considera un componente vital de la cooperación para el desarrollo. Las opiniones coinciden en que el sistema de las Naciones Unidas desempeña una función fundamental al coordinar a los donantes y ayudar a los encargados de formular políticas a ajustar las prioridades nacionales para que respondan a los retos planteados por las cambiantes condiciones mundiales. A fin de facilitar el intercambio de información sobre los países de ingresos medianos a nivel mundial y regional, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas organiza periódicamente conferencias dedicadas a la cooperación y la integración regionales, la cooperación Sur-Sur y el desarrollo de la capacidad comercial. Las funciones relativamente nuevas del Consejo Económico y Social —realizar el examen ministerial anual y organizar el Foro sobre Cooperación para el Desarrollo— contribuyen también a que los países de ingresos medianos compartan sus experiencias y dialoguen con otros Estados Miembros, la sociedad civil y los parlamentarios sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y la cooperación para el desarrollo.", "32. Pese a los logros obtenidos por el sistema de las Naciones Unidas en los países de ingresos medianos y a la positiva opinión que tienen los gobiernos de la cooperación para el desarrollo con las Naciones Unidas, varios obstáculos impiden que esa cooperación haga efectivo todo su potencial en dichos países. Tales obstáculos incluyen los de tipo operacional —como mandatos que se solapan o falta de cooperación entre los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas, o entre las Naciones Unidas y los gobiernos— restricciones financieras y limitaciones estratégicas, que principalmente guardan relación con la falta de programas de trabajo adecuados o bien definidos que guíen las actividades sustantivas en los países de ingresos medianos (véase A/64/253).", "33. La principal limitación estratégica a que se enfrenta el sistema de las Naciones Unidas es la inexistencia de un marco estratégico bien definido y coherente que se centre en la promoción y el asesoramiento en materia de políticas para los países de ingresos medianos y permita crear capacidad en los ámbitos más pertinentes para esos países. Si bien dichos organismos han formulado diferentes definiciones de qué constituye un país de ingresos medianos, es frecuente que las estrategias parezcan venir determinadas por criterios relacionados con la asignación de recursos en lugar de por prioridades sustantivas o de políticas.", "34. En el informe anterior del Secretario General sobre este tema (véase A/64/253) también se destacó la inexistencia de una estrategia coherente del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos. Diversos organismos y equipos en los países de las Naciones Unidas están tratando de corregir esta deficiencia. Para el sistema en su conjunto, la dificultad consiste en asegurar que las estrategias y programas se adapten a las necesidades y prioridades de desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos. Con tal fin, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas debe reorientar sus procesos internos de planificación y coordinación, incluido el Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, con miras a participar más en los procesos nacionales. Ello contribuiría a mantener la concentración en los resultados y a reducir los costos de transacción asociados con la programación.", "35. Actualmente, en muchas regiones los organismos del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo funcionan sobre todo mediante una red de oficinas en los países, que reciben apoyo técnico de sus sedes respectivas y, cada vez más, de su capacidad regional de apoyo. Por ejemplo, varias organizaciones, que incluyen el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo y el Programa Mundial de Alimentos, han transferido sus funciones regionales de gestión y apoyo técnico en los Estados árabes y la región del Oriente Medio y el Norte de África estableciendo centros regionales en Egipto, mientras que el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia mantiene una oficina regional en Jordania. Si bien el sistema de oficinas en los países permite a los organismos mantener un estrecho diálogo estratégico sobre políticas con sus homólogos nacionales, las exigencias a que ha de hacer frente el personal en cuanto a la gestión de los proyectos o las funciones de apoyo conexas, así como la limitada capacidad especializada que existe en las oficinas en los países, suelen ser un obstáculo para que haya suficiente diálogo sobre políticas. Con el fin de corregir esta deficiencia, se alienta a los equipos en los países y a los coordinadores residentes de las Naciones Unidas a que se centren más en las necesidades de política general y aprovechen en mayor medida la capacidad de los organismos no residentes disponible en las sedes.", "36. Además, los organismos de las Naciones Unidas suelen tender a aplicar en los países de ingresos medianos el mismo modelo de intervención que en los países de ingresos bajos. Ese modelo entraña la participación activa en la ejecución de los proyectos y la prestación de apoyo en funciones auxiliares y de supervisión. Las intervenciones conexas van dirigidas sobre todo a hacer llegar los beneficios del desarrollo directamente a sus destinatarios a nivel microeconómico y forman parte de un enfoque programático más general cuyo objetivo es asegurar efectos más amplios en el desarrollo. Sin embargo, a diferencia de lo que ocurre en los países de ingresos bajos, en los países de ingresos medianos esas intervenciones tienden a emprenderse a una escala mucho menor, lo cual limita las posibilidades de que tengan un efecto amplio, salvo que las intervenciones formen parte integrante de políticas de desarrollo más generales.", "B. Participación de las instituciones financieras internacionales en los países de ingresos medianos", "37. Las instituciones financieras internacionales, que incluyen el Grupo del Banco Mundial, el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y diversos bancos multilaterales regionales, siguen siendo asociados importantes en la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos. En las reformas de la gobernanza llevadas a cabo recientemente tanto en el FMI como en el Banco Mundial se ha reconocido a los países en desarrollo y de economía en transición, en particular a los países de ingresos medianos, un peso mayor en la economía mundial, ya que se ha aumentado la voz y el número de votos de tales países en dichas instituciones. En diciembre de 2010, la Junta de Gobernadores del FMI aprobó reformas en materia de cuotas y gobernanza en el marco de la 14^(a) revisión general de cuotas. Con las reformas, un porcentaje superior al 6% de las cuotas pasará a países en desarrollo, sin que por ello disminuyan las partes de las cuotas ni el número de votos de los miembros más pobres. Las reformas también contemplan que todo el Directorio Ejecutivo sea elegido y que haya en él una representación mayor de los países en desarrollo, al tiempo que se mantiene su tamaño. Por otra parte, en la segunda fase de la reforma de la gobernanza del Grupo del Banco Mundial, que se acordó en abril de 2010, el número de votos de los países en desarrollo y de economía en transición se aumentó entre 4,59 y 6,07 puntos porcentuales en las distintas entidades del Grupo del Banco Mundial[12]. No obstante, pese a que ha habido cierta mejora en la reforma de las cuotas, el peso del voto básico ha disminuido en gran medida a lo largo de las décadas, con lo cual se ha reducido la influencia de todos los países de ingresos medianos salvo los que tienen las economías mayores. Así pues, si bien las medidas recientes representan cierto progreso, hace falta seguir mejorando, incluso introduciendo un proceso de selección de los directivos superiores abierto y transparente que se base en el mérito, independientemente de su nacionalidad y género, y promoviendo una mayor diversidad de la administración y del personal.", "38. Recientemente se han fortalecido las redes internacionales de seguridad financiera para los países en desarrollo. En 2010, el FMI aumentó los fondos disponibles en la línea de crédito flexible y estableció una línea de crédito precautoria nueva. La primera se concibió para los países de ingresos medianos que tuvieran políticas y fundamentos económicos defendidos por el FMI, mientras que la segunda proporciona protección contra imprevistos a los países de vulnerabilidad moderada que no reúnen las condiciones necesarias para acogerse a la línea de crédito flexible, que excluye a la gran mayoría de los países de ingresos medianos.", "39. Si bien la labor cooperativa llevada a cabo durante la crisis ha reforzado la red mundial de seguridad financiera, sigue existiendo una gran preocupación respecto de la suficiencia y la composición del apoyo internacional en materia de liquidez. La crisis puso de relieve la necesidad de que existieran grandes amortiguadores de liquidez para hacer frente a una inestabilidad de los mercados de capital caracterizada por la rapidez y la envergadura. Con tal fin hace falta seguir fortaleciendo la capacidad multilateral para resistir las sacudidas de carácter sistémico. A este respecto, durante la crisis reciente, la mayor parte de la liquidez necesaria se suministró por medio de arreglos ad hoc establecidos caso por caso por los bancos centrales pertinentes. También se ha puesto de manifiesto que la incertidumbre respecto de la disponibilidad y el funcionamiento de las redes de seguridad financiera puede acarrear costos significativos.", "40. Se han formulado varias posibles maneras de conferir efectividad y previsibilidad a la red mundial de seguridad financieras. Una ambiciosa propuesta consiste en ampliar las responsabilidades del FMI para que incluyeran la función de prestamista internacional de último recurso, lo cual entrañaría que el Fondo dispusiera de fondos suficientes para dar a los países acceso a liquidez cuando ninguna otra entidad de crédito estuviera dispuesta a prestar en una escala suficiente para hacer frente con eficacia a una crisis financiera[13]. Los países podrían tener derecho a esta financiación sometiéndose a la supervisión ordinaria del FMI con arreglo al Artículo IV, sin condiciones adicionales.", "41. El Fondo también está estudiando opciones para establecer un mecanismo permanente destinado a suministrar liquidez en las crisis sistémicas en conjunción con los arreglos bilaterales y regionales de apoyo en materia de liquidez. En ese contexto, se están examinando varias modalidades para dicho mecanismo mundial de estabilización, con grados diversos de previsibilidad y eficacia, pero todavía han de definirse sus elementos principales, como los procedimientos para activarlo, el acceso a la financiación y la aprobación conexa, los instrumentos involucrados, la financiación del mecanismo, la coordinación con los bancos centrales y los arreglos regionales pertinentes, y las salvaguardias para reducir el riesgo moral. Otra alternativa más pragmática sería que el FMI asumiera la función de gestor o coordinador de una red multilateral de líneas de crédito recíproco y liquidez de los bancos centrales.", "42. Un elemento fundamental para fortalecer la red mundial de seguridad financiera es que exista una cooperación más estrecha con los mecanismos regionales y subregionales. Los arreglos financieros regionales, como el Fondo Monetario Árabe, la Iniciativa de Chiang-Mai o el Fondo Latinoamericano de Reservas, pueden ser muy útiles para prevenir y mitigar las crisis financieras. Muchos países de ingresos medianos desempeñan funciones importantes en estos arreglos financieros regionales.", "43. Se siguen debatiendo las cuestiones relativas a la sostenibilidad de la deuda de los países de ingresos medianos. En 2003, el Club de París aprobó el enfoque de Evian, con arreglo al cual solo se intervendría en relación con la deuda de los países pobres que no estuvieran muy endeudados en caso de quiebra inminente, como consecuencia de lo cual la solución de la crisis tendría un efecto de mayor duración. Si fuera necesario y en cooperación con el FMI, también articularía un conjunto amplio de medidas de renegociación de la deuda para todos los acreedores bilaterales, oficiales y privados. El FMI propuso una reforma más sistemática, el mecanismo de reestructuración de la deuda soberana, que fue rechazado en 2003 debido principalmente a la oposición de entidades interesadas tanto de los mercados financieros como de los prestatarios, que temían que, con el tiempo, ese mecanismo llevara a un aumento del costo de los préstamos. Así pues, actualmente se están realizando evaluaciones utilizando el marco de análisis de la sostenibilidad de la deuda de los países que tienen acceso al mercado elaborado por el FMI. Mediante ese instrumento se analiza la dinámica de la deuda a lo largo de un período de cinco años en diversas situaciones hipotéticas. Implícitamente, se basa en la idea de que, si la proporción de la deuda respecto del producto interno bruto (PIB) es estable o está disminuyendo, se cumple la condición de solvencia. En cambio, en el caso de los países de ingresos bajos, este método de análisis no incluye umbrales de proporción de la deuda, ya que el establecimiento de parámetros de referencia podría influir directamente en el recargo que tendrían que pagar los prestatarios por los préstamos. Los datos referentes a los países de ingresos medianos indican que el 13% de las quiebras se produjeron cuando la proporción de la deuda externa respecto del PIB era inferior al 40%, lo cual implica que, aun cuando la proporción sea baja, pueden producirse quiebras. Si bien el marco incluye estimaciones de las necesidades de financiación en cifras brutas, se centra en gran medida en las proporciones del volumen de la deuda y no en los riesgos derivados de la composición de ésta ni en la situación en materia de liquidez en sentido más general. Por ejemplo, no hace hincapié en los indicadores de liquidez pertinentes, como la posición de activos líquidos (reservas internacionales para cubrir las cuentas corrientes y de capital), ni en la falta de correlación entre los aspectos cambiarios y de vencimiento de la deuda y los recursos fiscales para liquidarla. El marco debería ampliarse para incluir estos factores y hacer el seguimiento de datos más desglosados y frecuentes sobre el volumen de la deuda, incluida la deuda a corto plazo e interna[14].", "44. El Banco Mundial presta una atención significativa a las cuestiones relacionadas con la pobreza en los países de ingresos medianos, incluso proporcionando apoyo para hacer evaluaciones y confeccionar estrategias de reducción. Recientemente, el Banco ha intensificado sus esfuerzos para lograr que su modelo institucional sea más flexible, responsable e innovador y tenga más capacidad de respuesta. También se están adoptando medidas para reducir los costos de las operaciones con el Banco. Además del apoyo financiero y la aportación de conocimientos, el Banco está tratando de colaborar con los países de ingresos medianos en una amplia gama de esferas, que abarca desde el cambio climático y la seguridad energética hasta el comercio y la producción de alimentos. Asimismo, el Banco Mundial comprende que debe mejorar su apoyo a los países de ingresos medianos, en particular mediante la elaboración conjunta con esos países de estrategias de asociación más sólidas, el perfeccionamiento de la gama de servicios que se les ofrece, especialmente servicios financieros y opciones de financiación combinada, el fomento de los vínculos entre las investigaciones del Banco y las necesidades de los países de ingresos medianos, y una gestión más idónea de los conocimientos especializados del Banco en todas las redes.", "45. Otras instituciones financieras multilaterales, en particular los bancos regionales de desarrollo, también desempeñan funciones importantes apoyando el desarrollo económico de los países de ingresos medianos y prestando asistencia en la labor de integración regional. Esto sigue siendo así, aunque más países de ingresos medianos recurren con mayor frecuencia a los mercados internacionales de capital para obtener financiación externa. El apoyo técnico que prestan los bancos regionales de desarrollo, en forma de asesoramiento estratégico sobre políticas, servicios bancarios y gestión de activos, así como sus servicios de asesoramiento y asistencia técnica, son importantes para muchos países de ingresos medianos.", "IV. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "46. Pese a que los niveles medios de ingresos son superiores a los de los países de ingresos bajos, en muchos países de ingresos medianos la pobreza extrema sigue siendo elevada. En los países de esta categoría también son mayores las desigualdades de las rentas que en los países de ingresos bajos o altos. Por lo tanto, a fin de erradicar la pobreza y hacer frente a la desigualdad, hace falta una cooperación más eficaz con los países de ingresos medianos en materia de desarrollo, especialmente dado que la mayoría de esos países siguen siendo muy vulnerables a las sacudidas externas y las crisis internas.", "47. Promover la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos también es relevante debido a los positivos efectos secundarios transfronterizos y mundiales que tendría para los países de ingresos bajos y a la estabilidad que aportaría al sistema internacional. La importancia que tienen los países de ingresos medianos para que se haga realidad la visión de las Naciones Unidas de desarrollo para todos, incluido el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, exige una participación continuada del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y las demás organizaciones internacionales, incluidas las instituciones financieras internacionales, en la cooperación para el desarrollo con los países de ingresos medianos.", "48. En la actual agenda para el desarrollo se hace un gran hincapié en el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, objetivos sociales básicos que todos los países deben tratar de alcanzar. Aunque muchos países de ingresos medianos ya han cumplido, o están en camino de cumplir, los Objetivos y las metas conexas, siguen enfrentándose a importantes problemas de desarrollo y capacidad en ámbitos como la gobernanza, la inclusión social, las vulneraciones de los derechos humanos, la eliminación de las disparidades, la vulnerabilidad del comercio, las sacudidas financieras externas, el desarrollo y la transferencia de tecnología, y la adaptación al cambio climático y su mitigación. El asesoramiento de las Naciones Unidas en la formulación y la aplicación de políticas, así como el apoyo técnico de otra índole con objetivos bien delimitados en esas esferas, son elementos importantes de la contribución que hace la Organización a los países de ingresos medianos.", "49. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas, junto con las organizaciones financieras internacionales, está ampliamente representado en los países de ingresos medianos. Si bien proporciona a esos países una cooperación para el desarrollo muy diversa, la cooperación entre los organismos y con los países debe fortalecerse y las actividades de los programas deben ajustarse más estrechamente a las estrategias y políticas nacionales de desarrollo de los países. Además, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas carece de programa de trabajo bien definido y de marco estratégico para la cooperación con esos países en materia de desarrollo.", "50. La falta de estrategia clara en la mayoría de los países de ingresos medianos obedece, en parte, a que se utilizan los ingresos per capita como criterio rector de la cooperación para el desarrollo. Si bien con arreglo a la Declaración de París sobre la eficacia de la ayuda al desarrollo y el Programa de acción de Accra, los países en desarrollo deben asumir la responsabilidad primordial de su propio desarrollo, está plenamente justificado asignar a los países más pobres una porción mayor de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo. En consonancia con la revisión trienal amplia de la política relativa a las actividades operacionales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, los países menos adelantados necesitan una asistencia prioritaria continuada (véase la resolución 62/208, párrafo 26, de la Asamblea General). La Asamblea reconoció también que los países de ingresos medianos aún se enfrentaban a dificultades considerables en lo referente a la erradicación de la pobreza y que se debían apoyar las medidas encaminadas a resolver esas dificultades para asegurar que se mantuvieran los logros alcanzados hasta la fecha.", "51. No obstante, si se utilizan los ingresos per capita para clasificar los países con miras a orientar la cooperación para el desarrollo, se pasa por alto el carácter multidimensional del desarrollo. No hay dos economías iguales, aunque tengan el mismo nivel medio per capita. Las estrategias y prioridades nacionales de desarrollo dependen en gran medida de las condiciones y del potencial económico. Además, este tipo de clasificación no tiene en cuenta que del orden del 75% de las personas que viven en la pobreza extrema se encuentran en países de ingresos medianos y no reconoce la diversidad existente entre unos países y otros y dentro de cada uno. Esta diversidad va más allá de los ingresos y comprende, por ejemplo, el progreso en el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, el nivel de desarrollo humano, pobreza, desigualdad y otros aspectos relacionados con sus transiciones democráticas, así como el tamaño de su población. Tampoco tiene en cuenta el hecho de que muchos países de ingresos medianos todavía no han desarrollado plenamente la capacidad ni los recursos necesarios para resolver de forma independiente los problemas a que se enfrentan, ni que muchos siguen siendo muy vulnerables a las sacudidas externas y las crisis internas, pese a tener niveles más elevados de ingresos per capita.", "52. Aunque no existe ningún enfoque del desarrollo que sirva para todos, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas debe elaborar un marco de políticas más específico para los países de ingresos medianos. Entre otras actividades, la evaluación independiente de la iniciativa “Unidos en la acción” que se va a realizar en relación particularmente con los cinco países de ingresos medianos piloto, es un paso importante en ese sentido. La conferencia de alto nivel que se celebrará en Uruguay en noviembre ofrecerá una oportunidad para que se produzca un importante intercambio de experiencias entre los países piloto de la iniciativa “Unidos en la acción”, incluidos los países de ingresos medianos.", "53. Todo marco de políticas significativo y apropiado debe tener más en cuenta la diversidad, en lugar de asociar mecánicamente el estado de desarrollo de un país con sus ingresos per capita. Por consiguiente, debe prestar apoyo a los países en su empeño por seguir avanzando y debe reconocer que las necesidades de cada país diferirán y que normalmente, pero no siempre, los países de ingresos medianos tendrán más recursos para hacer frente a sus problemas de desarrollo. Así pues, con arreglo a ese marco, la cooperación técnica y la asistencia de otra índole deberán prestarse de modo que mejoren la capacidad de los países de ingresos medianos para a) transformar las economías basadas en los productos básicos primarios para promover economías industriales y de servicios modernas, de mayor valor añadido y basadas en los conocimientos; b) diversificar las exportaciones, en particular en los países que dependen de los recursos naturales y de los productos básicos primarios; c) aumentar el empleo, especialmente el de los jóvenes; d) promover la inclusión social y las inversiones en desarrollo social para tratar de corregir las disparidades; e) asegurar un marco y políticas macrofinancieros sistemáticamente anticíclicos; f) fortalecer la reglamentación financiera nacional cautelar, incluida la gestión de las corrientes de capital; y g) asegurar la coherencia de las políticas económicas, sociales y ambientales mediante estrategias nacionales de desarrollo.", "54. Puesto que varios donantes bilaterales están reduciendo o eliminando paulatinamente sus contribuciones a la asistencia para el desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos, es importante que las Naciones Unidas fortalezcan su función en esos países para asegurar que se haga frente eficazmente a los problemas de desarrollo restantes, se preserven las mejoras logradas y la disminución de la asistencia financiera no afecte negativamente a su desarrollo sostenible e inclusivo. A esos efectos, es necesario establecer prioridades claras, aprovechar la capacidad existente en los países y conseguir compromisos nuevos, incluso un aumento de la financiación nacional e internacional. Los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas deben racionalizar y ampliar sus redes de práctica profesional con el fin de que sus conocimientos especializados sean más pertinentes para los problemas de desarrollo a que se enfrentan. También deben examinar si su capacidad a nivel de los países y sus enfoques e instrumentos de programación se ajustan a las necesidades de los países de ingresos medianos y tienen en cuenta sus características. Asimismo, se deben utilizar más los conocimientos especializados de los organismos no residentes.", "55. A fin de reconocer la importancia que reviste disponer de un enfoque más coherente de la cooperación del sistema de las Naciones Unidas con los países de ingresos medianos en materia de desarrollo, así como que esos países se enfrentan a problemas de desarrollo que no siempre coinciden con los de otros, tal vez los Estados Miembros deseen estudiar la posibilidad de establecer un grupo de alto nivel o un grupo de trabajo ad hoc que elabore en mayor detalle el marco adecuado en que acometer los problemas de desarrollo de los países de ingresos medianos, teniendo en cuenta su heterogeneidad, los positivos efectos secundarios que pueden tener en el desarrollo de los países de ingresos bajos y el análisis que habrá de realizarse en el contexto de la revisión trienal amplia de la política relativa a las actividades operacionales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo que llevará próximamente a cabo la Asamblea General.", "[1] Las clasificaciones del Banco Mundial en función de los ingresos se establecen cada año el 1 de julio. En el presente informe se hace referencia a los países incluidos en la categoría de ingresos medianos en el período comprendido entre el 1 de julio de 2010 y el 30 de junio de 2011.", "[2] En relación con los criterios para formar parte de los países menos adelantados, véase Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.07.II.A.9).", "[3] La información de este capítulo procede de World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011 (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.11.II.C.2) y World Economic Situation and Prospects: Update as of mid-2011.", "[4] La comparación se basa en una muestra de 88 países clasificados como de ingresos medianos en 2009, que incluyen China y la India, países que hasta fechas bastante recientes seguían clasificados como de ingresos bajos.", "[5] Si bien en África las tasas de pobreza están disminuyendo, el gran crecimiento de la población contribuye a que aumente el número de personas que viven en la pobreza extrema.", "[6] En 2005 se registró en Namibia un coeficiente de Gini del 0,68, mientras que en Belarús en 2007 fue del 0,27. El coeficiente de Gini es una medida de la desigualdad que se utiliza con frecuencia y oscila entre 0 y 1; cuanto más alto sea el coeficiente, mayor desigualdad en las rentas indica.", "[7] Véase Isabel Ortíz y Mathew Cummins, “Global inequality: beyond the bottom billion”, Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, documento de trabajo sobre políticas sociales y económicas, Nueva York, abril de 2011.", "[8] Véase, por ejemplo, el capítulo II de Estudio Económico y Social Mundial, 2010: Nuevos Instrumentos para el Desarrollo Mundial (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.10.II.C.1).", "[9] Véase Annual Report to the Secretay General, 2010, Agente Especial del Secretario General para la Financiación Inclusiva del Desarrollo.", "[10] Véase Estudio Económico y Social Mundial 2011: La gran transformación basada en tecnologías ecológicas (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.11.II.C.1) de próxima publicación.", "[11] Las conclusiones que figuran en este capítulo se basan en un cuestionario utilizado para preparar el documento A/64/253, que se distribuyó en junio de 2009 a todos los equipos en los países y equipos regionales de las Naciones Unidas en países de ingresos medianos, y en una encuesta distribuida a los gobiernos de los países de ingresos medianos en mayo de 2011. De los 104 países de ingresos medianos a que se distribuyó el cuestionario, respondieron 19.", "[12] En el informe del Secretario General sobre el sistema financiero internacional y el desarrollo (A/66/167) figura una evaluación más detallada.", "[13] Véase, por ejemplo, Eduardo Fernández Arias y Eduardo Levy Yeyati, “Global financial safety nets: where do we go from here?”, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Working Paper Series, núm. 231, noviembre de 2010.", "[14] Se encontrarán más detalles en MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011: Time to Deliver (de próxima publicación pero disponible en http://un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml a partir del 15 de septiembre de 2011)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 21 (c) of the provisional agenda*", "Globalization and interdependence: development cooperation with middle-income countries", "* A/66/150.", "Development cooperation with middle-income countries", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "Middle-income countries have made remarkable economic and social progress on a broad front over recent decades. Progress has been uneven and diverse, however, and formidable challenges remain. Despite substantial progress in reducing poverty, middle-income countries remain home to about 75 per cent of the world’s poor, who live on less than $1.25 per day. Income inequality tends to be higher among middle-income countries than low- or high-income countries. Achieving more sustained and inclusive growth remains challenging for countries that have not managed to diversify their economies and shield them against volatile market conditions.", "The United Nations system and the multilateral financial institutions have been important partners and facilitators for international development cooperation with middle-income countries. While recognizing that no one size fits all, there is a strongly felt need to develop better international cooperation to support middle-income countries in addressing their development challenges, in particular the support provided by the United Nations system.", "I. Introduction", "1. At its sixty-fourth session, in 2009, the General Assembly recognized that middle-income countries still faced significant challenges in their efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals. It underlined the importance of various forms of international support that were well aligned with national priorities so as to address their development needs, and acknowledged the efforts made and successes achieved by many middle-income countries in eradicating poverty and achieving the development goals, as well as their contribution to global and regional development and economic stability.", "2. In resolution 64/208, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on development cooperation with middle-income countries, with a focus on the existing strategies and actions of the United Nations system on development cooperation with middle-income countries, taking into account the work of other relevant international organizations, including international financial institutions. The present report responds to that request.", "3. The resolution does not provide a precise definition of the category of middle-income countries. Like the previous report on this matter (see A/64/253), the present report tentatively identifies middle-income countries as those with a per capita gross national income (GNI) of between $996 and $12,195, following the World Bank classification.[1] In 2011, 104 countries are in this category, of which 56 are categorized by the World Bank as lower middle-income countries, with a per capita GNI of less than $3,945. The World Bank does not recognize the United Nations category of least developed countries, but instead identifies low-income countries as a specific category in terms of its lending policies. In this sense, middle-income countries have emerged between the low- and high-income categories as an intermediate category defined in terms of per capita income alone, unlike the category of least developed countries, which also considers economic and environmental vulnerability and the level of human development.[2] In the United Nations system the category of middle-income countries is therefore often used to refer to developing and transition economies not categorized as least developed countries.", "4. As a group, middle income countries account for more than 70 per cent of the world population and almost 43 per cent of world gross product, measured in purchasing power parity terms. With a number of economies in this group sustaining rapid growth over the past decade, the contribution of middle income countries to global growth has increased, thereby reshaping patterns of global production, trade, capital flows and technology and labour conditions. The growth of these economies has also produced positive spillovers for other developing countries, through increased trade linkages, capital flows and South-South development cooperation. Notable reductions in extreme poverty have occurred in middle-income countries in recent years. Although the group of middle-income countries continues to expand, these countries are still home to three quarters of the world population who live on less than $1.25 per day.", "5. Economic progress among middle income countries has been highly varied, with some witnessing strong and sustained growth in recent decades, and others seeing less progress and more volatility, especially the less diversified economies that rely heavily on primary commodity exports. Progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals has been similarly uneven.", "6. The present report discusses some of the major economic and social development challenges facing middle-income countries, cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income countries and implications for further engagement of the system with these countries.", "II. Major challenges for the development of middle- income countries", "A. Recent macroeconomic trends[3]", "7. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, many middle-income countries have fared better than developed economies. Economic growth in middle-income countries has been almost twice the world average. Middle-income countries have contributed to about half of the post-crisis recovery of the world economy (see figure). The outlook, however, indicates that growth in many of these economies is moderating owing to various constraints, including continued weaknesses in developed economies, in addition to surging and volatile capital flows and global commodity prices, which are posing macroeconomic policy challenges. In particular, inflationary pressures, pushed by higher global commodity prices, are mounting and are often exacerbated, in many instances, by rapid credit growth and supply shortages in agriculture. Higher food and energy prices have eroded real incomes, in particular those of the poor. Tackling them is especially important for middle-income countries, as they are home to the vast majority of the global poor.", "Figure Contribution to world economic growth by groups of countries by income level, 2000-2012", "[]", "Source: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, database of World Economic Situation and Prospects, May 2011.", "8. By region, middle-income economies in East Asia and South Asia continue to experience the strongest growth. Growth in these regions was driven mainly by the rebound in investment and in export manufacturing, supported by fiscal and monetary policy stimuli. Strong private consumption growth in the larger economies, such as China, India and Indonesia, has created positive spillover effects for neighbouring economies and has catalysed employment growth. Indeed, employment levels have risen to above pre-crisis levels. While having diversified their economies, the smaller economies in these regions still rely mainly on exports to developed regions and are also vulnerable to swings in capital flows.", "9. The recovery in international trade and the rebound of the economies in East Asia and South Asia have contributed to recent surges in commodity prices. This has had a positive impact on economic activity in other regions, in particular in resource-rich countries in West Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. As noted above, however, the recovery is also creating considerable macroeconomic challenges. Thus, growth in many of these economies is likely to remain more volatile than in those of East Asia and South Asia. Additionally, improved growth performance in recent years has not gone hand-in-hand with diversification of their underlying economies. Consequently, broad segments of their populations are unable to find decent jobs. In some middle-income countries, especially in West Asia and North Africa, employment opportunities for young workers are particularly scarce and were a factor in the recent political uprisings.", "10. Recovery in middle-income countries in Eastern Europe has strengthened since late 2010, but remains predominantly export-led, while domestic demand has yet to rebound. In South-Eastern Europe, strong export growth, supported by higher commodity prices and increased tourism demand, and a modest recovery in remittances pulled the region out of recession in 2010, but recovery remains feeble.", "B. Poverty and inequality in middle-income countries", "11. Although the recent global economic crisis has increased poverty in many countries, significant progress has been made in reducing poverty in middle-income countries over the past two decades. About 600 million people living in what are now middle-income countries managed to emerge from extreme poverty — that is, living on incomes of under $1.25 per day valued at purchasing power parity rates for 2005 — since the beginning of the 1990s, compared with less than 3 million in countries currently classified as low-income (see table).[4] Poverty reduction in middle-income countries has been less substantial when measured against a poverty line of $2 per day, still leaving almost 2 billion people in moderate poverty. This suggests the vulnerability of a large number of the “near poor” to shocks.", "12. Poverty reduction has been most significant in middle-income countries in South Asia, East Asia and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, notably in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Viet Nam. In contrast, the number of people living in extreme poverty in the 18 middle-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa has increased by more than 32 million since the beginning of the 1990s.[5]", "Table Number of poor by country income level, 1990-1994 and 2005-2009 (millions)", "Earliest Latest data Change Percentage data for the share for the period of world’s period 2005-2009 poor 1990-1994 2005-2009", "Number of extreme poor (living on less than $1.25 per day)", "Low-income countries 323.5 320.8 -2.6 25", "Lower middle-income 1 502.1 923.5 -578.7 72", "Upper middle-income 56.1 36.7 -19.4 3", "High-income countries 1.7 0.0 -1.6 0", "Total 1 883.4 1 281.1 -602.3 100", "Number of poor (living on less than $2.00 per day)", "Low-income countries 432.8 494.8 62.0 20", "Lower middle-income 2 236.8 1 844.0 -392.7 76", "Upper middle-income 131.9 92.1 -39.8 4", "High-income countries 3.5 0.1 -3.4 0", "Total 2 805.0 2 431.1 -373.9 100", "Source: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, based on data drawn from the official United Nations Millennium Development Goals indicators website (available from http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/data.aspx).", "13. Sustained robust growth has been an important factor in driving down poverty rates, but poverty reduction has been much more significant where growth has been driven by dynamic structural economic change, building on productivity improvements in agriculture and diversifying into job-intensive industrial activities and continuous investments in education. These have been key elements of successful poverty reduction in East Asia and parts of South Asia. Countries with less diversified economies that rely on income from natural resource extraction have been more likely to have experienced less resilient and less inclusive growth with higher income inequality.", "14. The distribution of income tends to be far more unequal in middle-income countries than in low- or high-income countries. However, also in this regard, conditions vary greatly among middle-income countries. Both the highest and the lowest degree of country income inequality in the world — Namibia and Belarus, respectively — are found within that group.[6] By region, Latin America continues to have the highest degree of income inequality on average, although marked improvements have been made since 2000. The concentration of income tends to be lower in South Asia and Central Asia. Starting from relatively low levels, middle-income countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia saw the sharpest increases in inequality between 1990 and 2008.[7] Rising income inequality is sometimes the outcome of dynamic growth processes, for instance as workers shift from lower-productivity activities, such as agriculture, to higher ones, such as manufacturing. Nevertheless, persistently high income gaps tend to diminish the poverty-reducing effect of growth and shrink economic growth itself over time. Rising inequality is also a source of social unrest, which could hinder efforts to reach the internationally agreed development goals.", "15. A number of factors have varying degrees of impact on the dynamics of inequality. Social factors — such as discrimination, social exclusion and informal and formal practices — often foster inequality, while the economic drivers of higher inequality include credit market imperfections, unequal access to natural resource income, unfair globalization, labour-displacing technological change and capital-intensive or skill-intensive industrialization. For instance, in countries where natural resources are relatively abundant, shares in total national income of income from land and natural resources are often high and unequally distributed. This may, in part, explain why income inequality in resource-rich countries and regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, is higher than in less resource-rich countries and regions, such as South or East Asia. Similarly, globalization and technological change may contribute to higher levels of inequality, as advanced industrial technology tends to favour the relative demand for skilled labour, which leads to greater income differentials within a country, at least in the short run. In comparison with a few decades ago, today’s higher income inequality in some countries is partly explained by the virtual abandonment of most earlier efforts to redress spatial and other inequalities, in addition to the inegalitarian consequences of many processes associated with market liberalization and the strengthening of private property rights at national and international levels alike.", "16. Inequality influences poverty through multiple channels. For example, inequality can hinder growth, which in turn affects poverty. Moreover, where inequality is high, growth is less effective in reducing poverty, as inequality decreases the extent to which the poor benefit from overall growth. There is also growing evidence that high levels of inequality, particularly in terms of opportunities and among regions or ethnic groups, may fuel violent conflict and jeopardize social stability, thereby undermining development and poverty reduction, as was recently experienced in parts of North Africa and the Middle East.", "17. Inequality also tends to affect progress in meeting human development goals in education and health. For instance, in the Arab States, East Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean, the risk of early childhood death is about twice as high among households in the bottom quintile of income distribution than among those in the top quintile. In Indonesia and Nicaragua, infant deaths in the poorest quintile are even more than three times as common as in the richest. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Peru, mothers and children from the richest quintile have almost universal access to a skilled attendant at birth, while only 10 to 15 per cent of the poorest do. Similarly, children from the poorest households, especially those living in rural areas, are less likely to be enrolled in school. Girls in the poorest quintile of households are three and a half times more likely to be out of school than girls in the richest households, and four times more likely than boys in the richest households. Such inequalities tend to be perpetuated in access to employment and income opportunities.", "C. Policy challenges", "18. The diversity of middle-income countries also implies that their policy challenges are different. For most, however, short-term macroeconomic challenges include dealing with the impacts of rising inflation and surging capital inflows. Many Governments have responded by tightening monetary policy, including by raising interest rates and increasing bank reserve requirement ratios. As real interest rates in some of these economies remain low, monetary tightening is likely to continue for the rest of 2011. As a number of Governments have also started to unwind fiscal stimulus measures, combating inflation by monetary tightening may come at the expense of some growth and employment, but is also unlikely to be effective when inflation is caused mainly by surging food and energy prices.", "19. A number of middle-income countries have also adopted capital flow control measures to mitigate the risks of capital flow volatility, which can have a destabilizing effect. At present, high capital inflows have exerted upward pressure on exchange rates and worsened asset price bubbles, which in turn are undermining export competitiveness and, in some cases, economic diversification efforts. While the conventional policy reaction to inflation would be to set higher policy interest rates, this would only exacerbate the problem by attracting even more capital inflows. Although capital controls have been moderate, they have led to a shift from short-term to longer-term investments instead of an outright drop in capital inflows.", "20. In the medium and long run, the challenge for Governments of middle-income countries is to ensure that macroeconomic policies are, or remain, supportive of balanced, equitable and inclusive growth. While the related policy framework must be tailored to the prevailing conditions and needs of country-specific contexts, some general policy directions may be suggested.[8]", "21. Many middle-income countries are still building their productive capacities. Markets in many middle-income countries are not always fully developed, especially in commodity-exporting countries. Although exports of primary commodities have contributed to high growth in some countries, inequality has increased as income gains have not been evenly distributed. Particularly in these economies, the key challenge is to adopt effective national development strategies aimed at diversifying the economy and reducing dependence on primary exports. In many countries, this means prudential and economic regulation of the financial sector, increased investment in infrastructure and agricultural development and the creation of favourable conditions for industries with potential economies of scale to foster remunerative employment creation in the formal sector. Indeed, as witnessed, the fast-growing East Asian economies achieved dynamic structural change by embedding macroeconomic policies in broader national development strategies that did not substitute industrial policy with generalized trade liberalization. Such changes require substantial efforts to build national capacities so as to ensure a more active and developmental role for Government.", "22. Experience has shown that macroeconomic policies tend to be more supportive of development when they are consistently countercyclical, such as the accumulation of fiscal buffers in good times which can be used in bad times. This could entail establishing commodity stabilization funds, as was the case in Chile, for instance. Such rules would also extend the regulatory frameworks for the domestic financial sector and management of international capital flows, for example in Chile and Malaysia. Monetary policies would need to be coordinated with financial sector and industrial policies. In East Asia, for example, Governments have directed and subsidized credit schemes and managed interest rates so as to directly influence investment, initially in labour-intensive industries, as expansion of employment is essential to reducing poverty, and then in industries with the greatest potential for upgrading skills, enabling them to reap economies of scale and raise productivity. Policies should also mirror agricultural development to ensure food security.", "23. Particularly in middle-income countries, where inequality is high and the benefits of growth are not shared evenly, Governments should consider complementing the macroeconomic framework with comprehensive social policies, such as public provision of primary health care and basic education, employment guarantee schemes and cash transfers to ensure that income and opportunity gaps do not persist or increase over time. Greater revenue collection and redesigned redistributive policies are tools with which Governments can tackle inequality and resolve issues of indebtedness and persistent deficits. A broader tax base would serve, inter alia, to strengthen social protection systems and make social services more universally accessible. In many middle-income countries, welfare transfer programmes, such as conditional cash transfers, are being used to provide greater income protection to the poor and to enhance their access to education and health services. By reducing inequality of access to education and health, such programmes can foster long-term economic growth. Brazil’s Bolsa Familia programme, for instance, covers the largest number of recipients among developing countries (currently, about 12 million Brazilian families) and has contributed to achieving notable progress in other areas related to the Millennium Development Goals, such as reducing malnutrition and child mortality and achieving universal education. The results of these programmes may vary, however, depending on individual circumstances. For instance, in urban areas where the incidence of poverty is high, such cash payments alleviate poverty but may not significantly increase human resource development if enrolment rates are already high. Moreover, greater spending on education will not raise future income if broader macroeconomic policies fail to generate sufficient productive employment opportunities.", "24. Redistributive transfers among regions can also help to reduce inequality and combat poverty. Inequalities between commodity-rich and commodity-poor regions can be addressed by sharing commodity-based revenues. Rules for the sharing of revenues from mineral production between central and local Governments have been adopted, for instance, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Colombia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Mexico.", "25. To address the inequalities caused by globalization and the differences between returns to skilled and unskilled labour, greater priority may need to be placed on education and technology policies to expand the supply of skilled labour and disseminate new technologies among the population. In some contexts, Governments may further wish to consider gradually phasing out the preferential treatment for foreign companies that many had introduced in earlier stages of development to attract foreign direct investment. In China, for example, a unified tax rate for foreign and domestic companies has been applied since 2008 to foster the growth of domestic industries. This creates a more level playing field for domestic businesses that compete with foreign subsidiaries and could stimulate demand for skilled labour. In addition, it stops an important source of revenue loss and hence enhances fiscal space.", "26. Other policies to address inequality could include increasing labour force participation rates, in particular for women and older workers, and upgrading low-skill, low-wage and vulnerable employment. Vulnerable employment can also be addressed by adopting or raising minimum wage requirements, providing greater employment protection or investing in training and upgrading the skills of vulnerable workers. Public works programmes have also been successfully used to reduce poverty. For instance, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in India provides 100 days of paid work every year to each rural household needing employment and pays the statutory minimum wage. In India’s fiscal year 2009/10, almost 55 million households were provided with employment under the Act, with over 48 per cent participation by women. A further option may be to encourage foreign firms to employ local workers and to invest in local development. For instance, in 2010, Anglo American, one of the world’s largest mining groups, unveiled an enterprise development venture to strengthen local economies in South Africa in 2010.", "27. A broader macroeconomic policy framework should also embrace more explicit efforts to expand and deepen financial markets and increase financial inclusion. Commercial banks usually prefer large borrowers and are often reluctant to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the main providers of employment in many middle-income countries. New companies have difficulties accessing credit, which limits their expansion, while many households in the informal sector or in rural areas are also constrained owing to poor access to banking and insurance services. While the extension of microfinance would bean important step in this direction, to date such institutions account for less than 1 per cent of the credit provided by commercial banks in Latin America. Public policies should aim instead to broaden financial inclusion by adopting such measures as specialized financial institutions for small and medium-sized enterprises and for farmers. They should also focus on supporting the capitalization of lending institutions and on reforming the regulatory framework for capital and collateral requirements. Fiscal incentives that encourage group lending and more timely bankruptcy procedures would increase the supply of conventional bank credit in particular, and banking services in general, to the poor, thereby broadening financial inclusion.[9]", "28. Having achieved higher levels of per capita income, it is particularly important that middle-income countries intensify efforts to make their development more sustainable. Sustained growth is not the same as sustainable growth. Current rates of urbanization and technologies use are rapidly depleting and polluting the natural resources that support life on the planet.[10] An important component of sustainable development in middle-income countries will be to adopt and spread green technologies and sustainable national resource management strategies. For instance, minimizing land degradation, rehabilitating degraded areas and optimizing land use are crucial for sustainable land management. At the same time, achieving food security that is also sustainable would require the use of more environmentally friendly farming techniques. While agricultural technologies and practices need to be adapted to local conditions, an extensive menu of technologies and sustainable practices in agriculture is available and provides options for a radical shift towards sustainable food security, including traditional knowledge and farming practices, such as low-tillage farming, crop rotation, interplanting, green manure utilization, water harvesting and water-efficient cropping. Such practices offer vast win-win opportunities to increase farmers’ productivity and income, reduce malnutrition and restore fragile environments, and help to mitigate climate change. Delinking economic growth and environmental degradation would further require a transformation of energy systems through investments in energy efficiency and the diffusion of clean energy technologies.¹⁰ Such investments, in turn, would also stimulate growth and employment generation.", "III. Cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income countries[11]", "A. Major achievements in development cooperation with middle-income countries", "29. The operations of the United Nations in middle-income countries are guided by the principles defined in the triennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system (see General Assembly resolution 62/208). Much of its work in middle-income countries focuses on the elimination of disparities, the promotion of equity and social inclusion, assistance in responses to human rights violations, capacity development and advocacy. Advice on policy formulation and implementation, as well as other targeted technical support, are important elements of the United Nations contribution to middle-income countries.", "30. According to a survey conducted for the present report, and in recognition of the large number of poor living in middle-income countries, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (Millennium Development Goal 1) remains a priority in development cooperation between the United Nations system and middle-income countries. Respondents also ranked environmental sustainability and the forging of a global partnership for development (Goals 7 and 8, respectively) as critically important areas for development cooperation. As many middle-income countries have made substantial progress in achieving the health- and education-related Goals, these are lower priorities in efforts to enhance cooperation with the United Nations system. Respondents further emphasized agricultural and industrial development as key areas where more development cooperation is needed.", "31. The survey also revealed that Governments of middle-income countries consider that the United Nations system has made major contributions to development cooperation in terms of capacity development and advice on social policies, good governance, decentralization and local development. These areas coincide with the priority areas identified by United Nations agencies, funds and programmes in their support for development in middle-income countries (see A/64/253). Stakeholders in middle-income countries most value the advocacy and capacity development provided by the United Nations to public officials and non‑State actors, along with the sharing of knowledge and experiences of other countries receiving support from the United Nations system. Indeed, the latter is considered a vital component of development cooperation. The United Nations system is seen to be playing a critical role in donor coordination and in helping policymakers to adjust national priorities so as to meet the challenges posed by changing global conditions. To facilitate the exchange of information on middle-income countries at the global and regional levels, the United Nations system periodically organizes conferences focusing on regional cooperation and integration, South-South cooperation and developing trade capacity. The relatively new functions of the Economic and Social Council — conducting the annual ministerial review and organizing the Development Cooperation Forum — also provide platforms for middle-income countries to share their experiences and engage in dialogue with other Member States, civil society and parliamentarians on the Millennium Development Goals and development cooperation.", "32. Notwithstanding the achievements of the United Nations system in middle-income countries, and the positive view that Governments have of development cooperation with the United Nations, a number of constraints prevent development cooperation from reaching its full potential in middle-income countries. These include operational constraints, such as overlapping mandates or lack of cooperation among United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, or between the United Nations and Governments, financing constraints, and strategic constraints, which refer primarily to the lack of appropriate or well-defined agendas guiding substantive programmes in middle-income countries (see A/64/253).", "33. By and large, the principal strategic constraint facing the United Nations system is the lack of a well-defined, coherent strategic framework that focuses on providing advocacy and policy advice to middle-income countries and that develops capacity in areas that are most relevant to these countries. While different agencies have developed various definitions of middle-income countries, strategies often appear to be determined by resource allocation criteria rather than by substantive or policy priorities.", "34. The lack of a coherent development strategy of the United Nations system for middle-income countries was also stressed in the previous report of the Secretary-General on this item (see A/64/253). A number of United Nations agencies and country teams are trying to address this deficiency. For the system at large, the challenge is to ensure that strategies and programmes are tailored to the development needs and priorities of middle-income countries. This requires the United Nations system to reorient its internal planning and coordination processes, including the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, towards greater participation in national processes. This would help to maintain the focus on results and reduce transaction costs associated with programming.", "35. At present, in many regions, the agencies of the United Nations Development Group operate mainly through a network of agency country offices, with technical support provided by their respective headquarters and, increasingly, by the agencies’ regional support capacities. For instance, several organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme, have devolved their regional management and technical support functions in the Arab States and the Middle East and North Africa region by setting up regional centres in Egypt, while the United Nations Children’s Fund maintains a regional office in Jordan. While the country office system enables agencies to maintain a close strategic policy dialogue with national counterparts, demands on staff arising from project management and/or related support functions, as well as limited specialist capacities in country offices, often constrain adequate policy dialogue. To address this shortcoming, United Nations country teams and resident coordinators are encouraged to focus more on upstream policy requirements and make more use of the capacities of non-resident agencies available at headquarters.", "36. Moreover, United Nations agencies often tend to apply the same intervention model in middle-income countries as the one used in low-income countries. This model involves active engagement in project implementation and providing back-office support and oversight functions. The related interventions are primarily targeted at delivering development benefits directly to beneficiaries at the micro level, and are embedded in a broader programmatic approach aimed at ensuring broader development impact. However, unlike in low-income countries, such interventions tend to be undertaken on a much smaller scale in middle-income countries, which limits the potential for wider impact unless the interventions are an integral part of broader development policies.", "B. Engagement of international financial institutions in middle-income countries", "37. International financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a number of regional multilateral banks, remain important partners for development cooperation with middle-income countries. Recent governance reforms of both IMF and the World Bank have recognized the larger weight of developing and transition economies in the world economy, in particular those of middle-income countries, as their shares in voice and voting power in these institutions has increased. In December 2010, the IMF Board of Governors approved quota and governance reforms under the Fourteenth General Review of Quotas. The reforms will shift more than 6 per cent of quota shares to developing countries without lowering the quota shares or voting power of the poorest members. The reforms also envisage an all-elected Executive Board with increased representation of developing countries while maintaining the size of the Board. Meanwhile, the second phase of governance reform for the World Bank Group, agreed in April 2010, increased the voting power of developing countries and economies in transition by between 4.59 and 6.07 percentage points for different entities in the World Bank Group.[12] However, while there has been some improvement in quota reform, the weight of the basic vote has greatly declined over the decades, diminishing the influence of all but the biggest middle-income country economies. Hence, while recent measures indicate progress, further improvements are needed, including the introduction of an open and transparent senior leadership selection process based on merit, irrespective of nationality and gender, and the promotion of greater management and staff diversity.", "38. The international financial safety nets for developing countries have been recently strengthened. In 2010, IMF increased the credit available under the existing Flexible Credit Line, and also established a new Precautionary Credit Line. The former was designed for middle-income countries with policies and economic fundamentals favoured by IMF, while the latter provides contingency protection for countries with moderate vulnerabilities that do not qualify for the Flexible Credit Line, which excludes the vast majority of middle-income countries.", "39. While cooperative efforts during the crisis have strengthened global financial safety net, important concerns remain regarding the sufficiency and composition of international liquidity support. Indeed, the crisis highlighted the need for large liquidity buffers to deal with fast and sizable capital market volatility. This requires further strengthening the multilateral capacity to cope with shocks of a systemic nature. In this regard, in the recent crisis, most of the required liquidity was provided through ad hoc arrangements deployed on a one-off basis by key central banks. It has also become evident that uncertainties about the availability and functioning of financial safety nets can impose significant costs.", "40. A number of proposals have been made on how to make the global financial safety net more effective and predictable. One ambitious proposal is to extend IMF responsibilities to include the function of international lender of last resort, meaning that the Fund would need adequate resources to be able to provide countries with access to liquidity when no other lender is willing to lend in sufficient volume to deal effectively with a financial crisis.[13] Countries could qualify for access to such funding through regular article IV IMF surveillance without additional conditions.", "41. The Fund has also been exploring options for setting up a permanent mechanism to provide liquidity in systemic crises in conjunction with bilateral and regional liquidity support arrangements. Alternative modalities for such a global stabilization mechanism are under consideration, providing varying degrees of predictability and efficacy. Key elements of such a mechanism still need to be defined, such as procedures for activating the mechanism, access to and approval of financing, the instruments involved, the funding of the mechanism, the coordination with relevant central banks and regional arrangements, and safeguards to reduce moral hazard. As a more pragmatic alternative, IMF could take on the role of manager or coordinator of a multilateral network of central bank swap and liquidity lines.", "42. A key element in strengthening the global financial safety net is closer cooperation with regional and subregional mechanisms. Regional financial arrangements, such as the Arab Monetary Fund, the Chiang-Mai Initiative or the Latin American Reserve Fund, can play an important role in preventing and mitigating financial crises. Many middle-income countries play important roles in these regional financial arrangements.", "43. Issues concerning middle-income countries’ debt sustainability remain in debate. In 2003, the Paris Club adopted its Evian approach, whereby the debt of non-heavily indebted poor countries would be dealt with only in the case of imminent default and as a result of which the resolution of crises would have a longer-lasting impact. It would also formulate, if necessary and in cooperation with IMF, a comprehensive debt workout package for all bilateral official and private creditors. A more systematic reform proposal, the sovereign debt restructuring mechanism, was proposed by IMF but rejected in 2003, owing mainly to opposition from both stakeholders in financial markets and borrowers, who feared that such a mechanism would eventually raise the cost of borrowing. Thus, debt sustainability is currently assessed using the IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis for Market-Access Countries. The framework analyses debt dynamics over a five-year period using a range of scenarios. It implicitly relies on the idea that if the debt-to-GDP ratio is either stable or declining, the solvency condition is met. In contrast, for low-income countries, this framework does not include debt ratio thresholds, since benchmarking could directly influence the premium that borrowers would have to pay on loans. Data for middle-income countries show that 13 per cent of defaults occurred when the external debt-to-GDP ratio fell to below 40 per cent, implying that even if the ratio is low, a default can still occur. Although the framework includes estimates of gross financing needs, it focuses extensively on ratios involving the stock of debt and not on risks arising from the composition of debt or the liquidity situation more generally. For instance, it does not emphasize relevant liquidity indicators, such as the liquid asset position (international reserves to provide cover for the current and capital accounts), or currency and maturity mismatches between debt and the fiscal resources to repay it. The framework should be expanded to include these factors and to monitor more disaggregated and higher-frequency data on debt stock, including short-term and domestic debt.[14]", "44. The World Bank has paid significant attention to poverty issues in middle-income countries, including support in making poverty assessments and designing poverty reduction strategies. Most recently, the Bank has made greater efforts to make its business model more responsive, flexible, responsible and innovative. Actions are under way to reduce the cost of doing business with the Bank. Beyond financial and knowledge support, the Bank is also increasing its efforts to work with middle-income countries in a wide array of areas, ranging from climate change and energy security to trade and food production. The World Bank also realizes that it must improve its support to middle-income countries, in particular by jointly developing stronger country partnership strategies with middle-income countries; improving the range of services offered to middle-income countries, notably financial services and blending options; fostering links between Bank research and middle-income country needs; and through better management of Bank expertise across all networks.", "45. Other multilateral financial institutions, in particular regional development banks, also play important roles in supporting economic development in middle-income countries and assisting in regional integration efforts. This is still true, although more middle-income countries are increasingly relying on international capital markets to secure external financing. The technical support provided by regional development banks, in the form of strategic advice on policies, banking services and asset management, as well as their knowledge and technical assistance services, are of importance to many middle-income countries.", "IV. Conclusions and recommendations", "46. Despite higher average income levels than in low-income countries, extreme poverty remains high in many middle-income countries. Income inequalities are also higher in this classification than in low- or high-income countries. Eradicating poverty and tackling inequality, therefore, require more effective development cooperation with middle-income countries, especially as most of these countries remain highly vulnerable to external shocks and internal crises.", "47. Furthering development cooperation with middle-income countries is also important owing to the positive cross-border and global spillovers from middle- to low-income countries, with a view to providing stability in the international system. The importance of middle-income countries in realizing the United Nations agenda of development for all, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, thus calls for the continued engagement of the United Nations system and other international organizations, including international financial institutions, in development cooperation with middle-income countries.", "48. The current development agenda places strong emphasis on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, which represent basic social objectives that every country should strive to meet. Although many middle-income countries have already reached, or are on track to reach, the Goals and related targets, they continue to face significant development and capacity challenges in such areas as governance, social inclusion, human rights violations, elimination of disparities, vulnerability of trade, external financing shocks, technology development and transfer, and adaptation and mitigation to tackle the challenges of climate change. The advice of the United Nations on policy formulation and implementation, as well as its other targeted technical support in these areas, are important elements of the Organization’s contribution to middle-income countries.", "49. The United Nations system, along with international financial institutions, is widely represented in middle-income countries. While it provides a broad spectrum of development cooperation to these economies, cooperation among agencies and with middle-income countries needs to be strengthened and programme activities must be more closely aligned with the national development strategies and policies of middle-income countries. Moreover, the United Nations system lacks a well-defined agenda and a strategic framework for development cooperation with these countries.", "50. The lack of a clear strategy in most middle-income countries is, in part, rooted in the use of per capita income as a criterion for guiding development cooperation. Indeed, while developing countries must take primary responsibility for their own development, consistent with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, allocating more official development assistance to poorer countries is, of course, entirely justified. Indeed, consistent with the triennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development, least developed countries need continued priority assistance (see General Assembly resolution 62/208, para. 26). In the review, the Assembly also recognized that middle-income countries still faced significant challenges and that efforts to address those challenges should be supported in order to ensure that achievements that had been made to date were sustained.", "51. However, the use of per capita income to classify countries as a means of guiding development cooperation disregards the nature and multidimensional nature of development. No two economies are the same, even when they may have the same average per capita level. National development strategies and priorities depend very much on economic conditions and potential. Furthermore, this type of classification ignores the fact that an estimated 75 per cent of the extremely poor live in middle-income countries, and fails to recognize the diversity among, and within, those countries. That diversity extends beyond income status, for example to progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the level of human development, poverty, inequality and other aspects related to their demographic transitions and population sizes. It also ignores the fact that many middle-income countries have not yet fully developed the capacity and capabilities to independently resolve the challenges they face, and that many remain highly vulnerable to external shocks and internal crises, despite having higher levels of per capita income.", "52. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to development, the United Nations system needs to develop a more specific policy framework for middle-income countries. Among other initiatives, the upcoming independent evaluation of the “Delivering as one” initiative, in particular of the five pilot middle-income countries, is an important step in this direction. The Uruguay high-level conference, to be held in November, will provide an opportunity for an important exchange of experiences among “Delivering as one” pilot countries, including middle-income countries.", "53. Any meaningful and appropriate policy framework should recognize these diversities more broadly, rather than mechanically associate a country’s stage of development with its per capita income. It should then support countries in their endeavours to further their advancement. The policy framework should recognize that the needs of individual countries will differ and that middle-income countries typically, but not always, have more resources with which to address their development challenges. Under the framework, technical cooperation and other assistance will then need to be provided to enhance the capacities of middle-income countries to (a) transform primary commodity-based economies to promote higher value-added, knowledge-based industrial and modern service economies; (b) diversify exports, in particular in countries that depend on natural resources and primary commodities; (c) increase employment, especially for young people; (d) promote social inclusion and investment in social development so as to address disparities; (e) ensure a consistently countercyclical macrofinancial framework and policies; (f) strengthen prudential national financial regulation, including capital flow management; and (g) ensure economic, social and environmental policy coherence by means of national development strategies.", "54. Several bilateral donors are downsizing or phasing out development assistance contributions to middle-income countries. Hence, it is important that the United Nations strengthen its role in these countries to ensure that their remaining development challenges are addressed effectively, the achieved gains are preserved and decreased financial assistance does not negatively affect their sustainable and inclusive development. This requires setting clear priorities, drawing upon existing capacities in these countries, and brokering new commitments, including increased national and international funding. United Nations agencies, funds and programmes must also streamline and expand their professional practice networks to make their expertise more relevant to their development challenges. They should review whether their country-level capacities and their programming approaches and instruments are attuned to the needs and recognize the characteristics of middle-income countries. Greater use must also be made of the expertise of non-resident agencies.", "55. In order to recognize the importance of having a more coherent approach to the development cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income countries, and to acknowledge that these countries face development challenges that do not always coincide with those of others, Member States may wish to consider establishing a high-level panel or an ad hoc working group, which could elaborate, in greater detail, on the appropriate framework with which to tackle the development challenges of middle-income countries, taking into account their heterogeneity, the positive spillover effects of middle-income countries on the development of low-income countries and the analysis to be undertaken in the context of the upcoming triennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system by the General Assembly.", "[1] Income classifications of the World Bank are set each year on 1 July. The present report refers to middle-income countries categorized as such during the period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.", "[2] For least developed country criteria, see Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.07.II.A.9).", "[3] Information in the present chapter is drawn from World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.2), and World Economic Situation and Prospects: Update as of mid-2011.", "[4] The comparison is made on the basis of a sample of 88 countries classified as middle-income countries in 2009, including China and India, which up until fairly recently were still classified as low-income countries.", "[5] While poverty rates are falling in Africa, high population growth is contributing to rising numbers of those living in extreme poverty.", "[6] Namibia registered a Gini coefficient of 0.68 in 2005, while the measure for Belarus in 2007 was 0.27. The Gini coefficient is a widely used measure of inequality ranging between 0 and 1; the higher the coefficient, the greater the income inequality.", "[7] See Isabel Ortiz and Matthew Cummins, “Global inequality: beyond the bottom billion”, United Nations Children’s Fund, Social and Economic Policy Working Paper (New York, April 2011).", "[8] See, for example, chapter II in World Economic and Social Survey 2010: Retooling Global Development (United Nations publication, Sales. No. E.10.II.C.1).", "[9] See Annual Report to the Secretary-General, 2010, Special Advocate of the Secretary-General for Inclusive Finance for Development.", "[10] See World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.1).", "[11] Findings in this chapter are based on a questionnaire used in the preparation of document A/64/253, which was disseminated to all United Nations country and regional teams in middle-income countries in June 2009, and a survey disseminated to the Governments of middle-income countries in May 2011. A total of 19 of the 104 middle-income countries surveyed responded to the questionnaire.", "[12] For a more detailed assessment, see the report of the Secretary-General on the international financial system and development (A/66/167).", "[13] See, for instance, Eduardo Fernández Arias and Eduardo Levy Yeyati “Global financial safety nets: where do we go from here?”, Inter-American Development Bank Working Paper Series No. 231, November 2010.", "[14] For a more detailed discussion, see MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011: Time to Deliver (forthcoming, but available from http://un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/ index.shtml, from 15 September 2011)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 21 (c) of the provisional agenda*", "Globalization and interdependence: development cooperation with middle-income countries", "Development cooperation with middle-income countries", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "In recent decades, middle-income countries have made significant economic and social progress in a wide range of aspects. However, progress has been uneven and diverse and formidable challenges remain. Although substantial progress has been made in poverty reduction, middle-income countries continue to house approximately 75 per cent of the world ' s poor, living on less than $1.25 a day. Income inequality tends to be higher in middle-income countries than in low- or high-income countries. For countries that have failed to diversify their economy and protect it from unstable market conditions, it remains difficult to achieve more sustainable and inclusive growth.", "The United Nations system and multilateral financial institutions have been important partners and facilitators of international cooperation with middle-income developing countries. While we must recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there is a strong consensus on the need to improve international cooperation to help middle-income countries try to overcome their development challenges, particularly in the support provided by the United Nations system.", "I. Introduction", "1. At its sixty-fourth session, in 2009, the General Assembly recognized that middle-income countries continued to face significant challenges in their efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals. It also stressed the importance of providing international support, through various means and with due regard to national priorities, to meet the development needs of those countries, and recognized the efforts made and successes achieved by many middle-income countries to eradicate poverty and achieve development goals, as well as the contribution of those countries to global and regional economic development and stability.", "2. In resolution 64/208, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on development cooperation with middle-income countries, with particular reference to strategies and measures implemented by the United Nations development system in cooperation with middle-income countries and taking into account the work of other relevant international organizations, including international financial institutions. The present report has been prepared for that request.", "3. The resolution does not provide a precise definition of the category of middle-income countries. As was done in the previous report on this issue (see A/64/253), the present report is considered provisionally that middle-income countries are those with a per capita gross national income of between $996 and $12,195, according to the World Bank classification[1]. In 2011, there were 104 countries, 56 of which, according to the World Bank, are low-middle-income countries and have a per capita gross national income of $3,945 or less. The World Bank does not recognize the category of least developed countries established by the United Nations but rather uses the category of low-income countries for its lending policies. Thus, the middle-income category is among the categories of low- and high-income countries; it is therefore an intermediate category that is defined only by per capita income, unlike the category of least developed countries, which also take into account economic and environmental vulnerability and the level of human development.[2] Therefore, the United Nations system typically considers that it belongs to the middle-income category of developing countries and economies in transition that are not least developed countries.", "4. Overall, middle-income countries account for more than 70 per cent of the world ' s population and nearly 43 per cent of gross global product, according to purchasing power parity. Since the economy of several countries of this group has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, its contribution to global growth has also increased, thereby reshaping the global structure of production, trade, capital flows, technology and working conditions. Growth in the economy of middle-income countries has also produced positive side effects in other developing countries through increased trade linkages, capital flows and South-South development cooperation. Although there have been significant reductions in extreme poverty in middle-income countries in recent years and this group of countries is expanding, they live on less than $1.25 a day three quarters of the world ' s population.", "5. Economic progress in middle-income countries has been very diverse: in recent decades, some have experienced strong and sustained growth, while others, especially those with less diversified economies that are heavily dependent on primary commodity exports, have experienced less progress and more instability. Progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals also reflected a similar level of disparity.", "6. The present report reviews some of the major challenges facing middle-income countries in economic and social development, the cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income countries and the impact on the future work of the system with those countries.", "II. Key challenges posed by the development of middle-income countries", "A. Recent macroeconomic trends[3]", "7. After the global financial crisis, many middle-income countries have been better off than the developed economies, as their economic growth has nearly doubled the global average. Middle-income countries account for approximately half of the post-crisis recovery of the world economy (see figure). However, the growth of many of these countries is expected to be moderated by a number of factors, including the persistent fragile aspects of developed economies, in addition to unstable capital flows and global commodity prices and gross increases in macroeconomic policy challenges. In particular, inflationary pressure is increasing due to rising commodity prices at the global level, which is exacerbated in many cases by the rapid growth of credit and the scarcity of agricultural supply. The rise in food and energy prices has eroded real income, particularly those of the poor. Taking care of them is particularly important for middle-income countries, as they shelter the vast majority of the world ' s poor.", "Figure", "Contribution to the global economic growth of groups of countries by income level, 2000-2012", "Source: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Economic Situation Database and Perspectives, May 2011.", "8. By region, middle-income countries in East Asia and South Asia continue to experience stronger growth. In these regions, growth has been driven primarily by the recovery of investments and exports of manufactured products, with the support of fiscal and monetary policy stimuli. The large increase in private consumption in major economies, such as China, India and Indonesia, has created positive side effects in neighbouring countries and has served as a catalyst for employment growth, the levels of which have exceeded pre-crisis levels. While they have diversified their economy, countries in those regions with a smaller economy still rely mainly on exports to developed regions and are also vulnerable to fluctuations in capital flows.", "9. The recovery of international trade and the economies of East and South Asia has contributed to the recent sharp increases in commodity prices. This has had a positive impact on the economic activity of other regions, especially those of the resource-rich countries of Western Asia, Latin America, Africa and the community of independent States; however, as noted above, it is also generating considerable macroeconomic problems. Thus, the growth of many of these economies is likely to remain more volatile than that of the East Asia and South Asia economy. Furthermore, the improvement of growth in recent years has not been accompanied by the diversification of the underlying economy. Thus, large sectors of its population do not find decent work. In some middle-income countries, especially in West Asia and North Africa, employment opportunities for young workers are particularly low, which has affected recent political upheavals.", "10. Since the end of 2010, the recovery of middle-income countries in Eastern Europe has been consolidated, but it continues to depend mainly on exports, while domestic demand has not yet been reinstated. In South-Eastern Europe, in spite of the considerable increase in exports, supported by rising commodity prices and growth in tourist demand, as well as a small recovery of remittances, brought the region out of recession in 2010, recovery remains weak.", "B. Poverty and inequality in middle-income countries", "11. Although the recent global economic crisis had led to increased poverty in many countries, significant progress had been made in reducing poverty in middle-income countries over the past two decades. Since the early 1990s, some 600 million inhabitants of what are now middle-income countries have managed to get out of extreme poverty—that is, living with incomes below $1.25 a day, in terms of the parity of purchasing power in 2005—while in countries currently classified as low-income countries have been less than 3 million (see table)[4]. Poverty reduction in middle-income countries has been less substantial if the poverty threshold of $2 per day is taken as a reference; according to this estimate, many people still live in moderate poverty (about $2 billion). This demonstrates the vulnerability of a large number of “almost poor” to the shakes.", "12. Poverty reduction has reached the most significant levels in middle-income countries in South Asia, East Asia and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Viet Nam. On the other hand, the number of people living in extreme poverty in the 18 middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by more than 32 million since the early 1990s.[5]", "Table Number of poor by country income level, 1990-1994 and 2005-2009", "(millions)", "Data More Data Difference Recent Old Proportion of on the Poor for the period in 1990-1994 2005-2009 2005-2009", "Number of people living in extreme poverty (with less than $1.25 per day)", "Low-income countries 323,5 320.8 -2,6 25", "Middle-income countries 1 502.1 923.5 -578.7 72 low", "Middle-income countries 56.1 36.7 -19.4 3", "High-income countries 1.7 0.01.6 0", "Total 1 883.4 1 281,1 -602,3 100", "Number of poor (live with less than $2 a day)", "Low-income countries 4 32.8 494.8 62.0 20", "Middle-income countries 2 236,8 1 844,0 -392,7 76 low", "Medium-income countries 131.9 92.1 -39.8 4", "High-income countries 3.5 0.1 -3,4 0", "Total 2 805.0 2 431.1 -373.9 100", "Source: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, based on data from the United Nations official website on Millennium Development Goals indicators (http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/data.aspx).", "13. Substantial sustained growth has been one of the important factors in reducing poverty rates, but reduction has been much more significant in the places where growth has been driven by dynamic structural economic change based on productivity improvements in agriculture, diversification in favour of industrial activities that generate much employment and continued investment in education. These elements have been key to the success of poverty reduction in East Asia and parts of South Asia. Less diversified economies that depend on income from natural resource extraction have been more likely to experience growth with less recovery and less inclusiveness, accompanied by increased income inequality.", "14. Income distribution tends to be much more unequal in middle-income countries than in low- or high-income countries. However, conditions also vary greatly between middle-income and other countries. On a global scale, both the highest (Namibia) and the lowest (Belarus) level of inequality in national incomes is given in this group of countries[6]. By region, Latin America continues to be the one that presents, on average, the highest level of income inequality, although there have been significant improvements since 2000. Income concentration tends to be lower in South Asia and Central Asia. Middle-income countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which were at relatively low levels, experienced the sharpest increases in inequality between 1990 and 2008.[7] While increasing income inequality is sometimes the product of dynamic growth processes — for example, when workers move from low-productivity activities, such as agriculture, to others with higher productivity, such as manufacturing industries — persistent income gaps tend to slow down the effects of growth on poverty reduction and lower economic growth itself over time. The increase in inequality is also a cause of social upheaval, which may be at the expense of efforts to meet the internationally agreed development goals.", "15. There are several factors that, in varying degrees, affect the dynamics of inequality. Social factors—such as discrimination, social exclusion and both official and non-official practices—usually promote it, while the economic factors driving its increase include imperfections in the credit market, differences in access to income generated by natural products, unfair globalization, technological change that shifts to labour and industrialization with high capital density or expertise. For example, in countries where natural resources abound, the proportion of total national income representing land and natural resources is often large and unevenly distributed. In part, this can explain why in resource-rich countries and regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, income inequality is higher than in countries and regions less resource-rich, such as South and East Asia. Similarly, globalization and technological change can contribute to higher levels of inequality, as advanced industrial technology tends to favour the relative demand for skilled labour, which generates greater differences of income within each country, at least in the short term. The fact that income inequality in some countries has now increased compared to that recorded a few decades ago, is partly explained by the fact that most of the previous attempts to correct spatial and other inequalities have been abandoned, in addition to the uneven consequences of many processes associated with market liberation and the strengthening of private property rights at both the national and international levels.", "16. Inequality influences poverty in multiple ways. For example, it may hinder growth, which in turn affects poverty. In addition, growth is less effective in reducing poverty when inequality is large, as this decreases the extent to which the poor benefit from overall growth. There is also growing evidence that high levels of inequality, particularly in terms of opportunities, as well as between regions or ethnic groups, can fuel violent conflicts and jeopardize social stability, which undermines development and poverty reduction, as has recently been observed in part of North Africa and the Middle East.", "17. Inequality also tends to affect progress in meeting human development goals in education and health. For example, in the Arab States, East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, the risk of early childhood death is approximately twice in the homes of the fifth lower share of income distribution than in the fifth upper part. In Indonesia and Nicaragua, infant deaths in the poorest fifth are even more than three times the richest. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Peru, mothers and children of the richest fifth have almost universal access to qualified assistance in lighting, while only between 10 and 15 per cent of the poorest have it. Similarly, children in the poorest households, especially those living in rural areas, are less likely to attend school. Girls in the poorest fifth of households are 3.5 times more likely not to attend school than those in the richest households, and four times more likely than boys in the richest homes. These inequalities tend to perpetuate access to employment and income-generating opportunities.", "C. Policy challenges", "18. The diversity that characterizes middle-income countries implies that policy challenges are also different. However, in most cases, short-term macroeconomic difficulties include addressing the effects of rising inflation and sharp increases in capital inflows. Many Governments have responded by making monetary policies more restrictive, including by increasing interest rates and proportions of reserves that are required to maintain banks. Since in some of these countries real interest rates remain low, restrictive monetary policies are likely to be maintained for the rest of 2011. While a number of Governments have also begun to withdraw fiscal stimulus measures, the fight against inflation through monetary restrictions may be detrimental to growth and employment to some extent, and it is also unlikely that it will be effective when inflation mainly results in sharp increases in food and energy prices.", "19. In addition, several middle-income countries have taken measures to control capital flows to mitigate the risks associated with the variability of these flows, which may have destabilizing effects. At present, large capital inflows have exerted increased pressure on exchange rates and have enlarged asset price bubbles, which in turn are undermining export competitiveness and, in some cases, the economic diversification effort. The conventional reaction to inflation would be to establish higher official interest rates, but that would only exacerbate the problem by attracting even more capital inflows. Although controls in this area have been moderate, they have led to long-term investments in favour of short-term investments rather than lowering capital inflows.", "20. In the medium and long term, the challenge facing Governments in middle-income countries is to ensure that macroeconomic policies are, or continue to be, conducive to balanced, equitable and inclusive growth. The related policy framework should be adapted to the prevailing conditions and needs of the particular context of each country; however, some general policy guidance may be suggested[8].", "21. Many middle-income countries are still building their productive capacity. In many of these countries, markets have not yet fully developed, particularly those of commodity-exporting countries. While primary commodity exports have contributed to high growth in some countries, inequality has increased because the increase in income has not been distributed uniformly. Especially in these countries, the key challenge is to adopt effective national development strategies aimed at diversifying the economy and reducing dependence on exports of primary products. In a good number of countries, this entails the precautionary and economic regulation of the financial sector, increased investment in infrastructure and agricultural development, and the establishment of favourable conditions for industries with potential economies of scale to promote the creation of paid employment in the formal sector. As has been proven, the rapidly growing East Asian economies achieved dynamic structural changes, including macroeconomic policies in broader national development strategies that did not substitute industrial policy for widespread trade liberalization. These changes require an important effort to build national capacity in order to make the government more active in development.", "22. Experience has shown that macroeconomic policies tend to further promote development when they are systematically anticyclical, such as the accumulation of fiscal buffers in good times that can be used in bad times. This could involve the establishment of commodity stabilization funds, as in Chile, for example. This regulation would also expand regulatory frameworks for the domestic financial sector and the management of international capital flows, as in the case of Chile and Malaysia. Monetary policies should be coordinated with financial and industrial sector policies. In East Asia, for example, Governments have monitored and subsidized credit schemes and managed interest rates to directly influence investments, initially in labour-intensive industries, as employment growth is essential to poverty reduction, and subsequently in sectors with the greatest potential to improve knowledge, thereby enabling them to achieve economies of scale and increase productivity. Policies should also take into account agricultural development to achieve food security.", "23. Especially in middle-income countries, where inequality is large and the benefits of growth are not shared equitably, Governments should consider complementing the macroeconomic framework with comprehensive social policies, such as primary State health care and basic education, employment guarantee schemes and cash transfers, to ensure that disparities in income and opportunities do not persist or increase over time. Governments can address inequality and resolve debt issues and persistent deficits through instruments such as increased revenue collection and redistribution policies. A broader tax base would serve, inter alia, to strengthen social protection systems and make social services more accessible. In many middle-income countries, welfare transfer programmes, such as conditional cash transfers, are used to provide greater protection to the poor in terms of income and increase their access to education and health services. Reducing inequality in access to education and health, these programmes can promote long-term economic growth. Brazil ' s Bolsa Familia programme, for example, covers the largest number of beneficiaries in developing countries (currently 12 million Brazilian families) and has contributed to significant progress in other areas related to the Millennium Development Goals, such as reducing malnutrition and infant mortality and achieving universal education. However, the results of these programmes may vary, depending on the particular circumstances. For example, in urban areas where the incidence of poverty is high, cash payments alleviate poverty but may not significantly increase human resource development if enrolment rates are already high. Moreover, spending more on education will not increase future income if comprehensive macroeconomic policies do not generate sufficient opportunities for productive employment.", "24. Redistributive transfers between regions can also contribute to reducing inequality and combating poverty. Inequalities between commodity-rich and poor commodity-rich regions can be addressed by sharing their income. In countries such as Colombia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the distribution of income from mining production between the central government and local governments has been regulated.", "25. In order to address the inequalities caused by globalization and the differences between the benefits of skilled and unskilled workers, it may be necessary to give higher priority to education and technology policies with a view to expanding the supply of skilled labour and disseminating new technologies among the population. In some contexts, Governments may also wish to consider phasing out the preferential treatment given to foreign firms in earlier stages of development to attract FDI. In China, for example, a unified tax rate has been applied since 2008 for foreign and domestic companies to promote the growth of the country ' s industries. This allows national enterprises to compete more equally with foreign companies ' subsidiaries and can stimulate the demand for skilled labour. In addition, it closes an important way of loss of income and thus expands the fiscal space.", "26. Other policies that could be used to address inequality include increasing labour force participation rates, particularly those of women and older workers, and improving unskilled, unpaid and vulnerable employment. Vulnerable employment can also be combated by establishing minimum wage requirements or by increasing them, providing greater protection to employment or investing in training and upgrading the skills of vulnerable workers. Public works programmes have also been successfully used to reduce poverty. For example, the Indian National Rural Employment Act provides for 100 days of paid work per year for each rural household in need of employment, charging the minimum wage. In fiscal year 2009/2010, employment under this Act was provided to almost 55 million households in India and more than 48 per cent of the participants were women. Another option may be to encourage foreign companies to employ local workers and invest in local development. For example, in 2010, Anglo American, one of the largest mining groups, announced a business development initiative to strengthen the economy in South Africa.", "27. A comprehensive macroeconomic policy framework should also encompass more explicit efforts to expand and deepen financial markets and increase inclusion in that area. Commercial banks normally prefer large borrowers and are often reluctant to lend to small and medium-sized enterprises. New enterprises also face difficulties in accessing credit, which limits their growth, while many households whose members work in the informal sector or in rural areas face limited access to banking and insurance services. While the expansion of microfinance would be an important step in this regard, to date the institutions granting it are responsible for less than 1 per cent of the credit provided by commercial banks in Latin America. Public policies should aim to expand financial inclusion through measures such as the establishment of specialized financial institutions in small and medium-sized enterprises and farmers. They should also support the capitalization of credit institutions and address the reform of the regulatory framework for capital and guarantees requirements. Fiscal incentives favouring collective loans and more timely payment suspension procedures would increase the credit supply of commercial banks, in particular, and banking services, in general, for the poor, thereby increasing financial inclusion.[9]", "28. It is particularly important that, following higher levels of per capita income, middle-income countries intensify efforts to make their development more sustainable. Sustained growth is not the same as sustainable growth. The current pace of urbanization and technologies used in agriculture and industry are rapidly depleting and contaminating the natural resources on which life on the planet depends[10]. Adopting and disseminating green technology and national strategies for sustainable resource management will be important components of sustainable development in middle-income countries. For example, minimizing land degradation, rehabilitating degraded areas and optimizing land use are crucial for sustainable land management. Also, achieving food security that is also sustainable will require more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques. While agricultural technology and practices need to be adapted to local conditions, the range of technology and sustainable practices is wide and provides options for introducing radical changes in favour of sustainable food security, including traditional agricultural knowledge and practices, such as low-level agriculture, crop rotation, intercalated cultivation, green fertilization, water recovery and better-use crops. These practices offer great opportunities, without adverse effects, to increase the productivity and income of farmers, reduce malnutrition and restore fragile environments, as well as to help mitigate climate change. Delinking the economic growth of environmental degradation would also require the transformation of energy systems by investing in efficiency and the diffusion of clean technology.10 Such investments would also stimulate growth and employment generation.", "III. Cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income countries[11]", "A. Key achievements of development cooperation with middle-income countries", "29. The principles defined in the triennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities of the United Nations development system (see General Assembly resolution 62/208) are those guiding United Nations operations in middle-income countries. Much of the Organization ' s work in those countries is devoted to reducing disparities, promoting equity and social inclusion, assisting in responding to human rights violations, capacity-building and advocacy. Policy advice and implementation, as well as other types of technical support with well-defined objectives, are important elements of the United Nations contribution to middle-income countries.", "30. According to a survey conducted to produce the present report, as a result of the large number of poor living in middle-income countries, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (MDG) remains one of the priorities of development cooperation between the United Nations system and middle-income countries. The responses to the survey also identified environmental sustainability and the establishment of a global partnership for development (seventh and eighth objectives) as key elements in development cooperation. Since many middle-income countries have made substantial progress in achieving the health and education goals, they have a lower priority in efforts to improve cooperation with the United Nations system. The responses further emphasized that agricultural development and industrial development were key areas where more cooperation was needed.", "31. The survey also revealed that middle-income countries ' Governments believe that the United Nations system has made significant contributions to development cooperation in capacity-building and social policy advice, good governance, decentralization and local development. These aspects coincide with the priority areas defined by United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to support the development of middle-income countries (see A/64/253). Interested entities in those countries consider the promotion and development of the capacity of the United Nations to public officials and non-State actors to be of the utmost value, together with the transmission of knowledge and experiences from other countries supported by the United Nations system. The latter element is considered a vital component of development cooperation. The views agree that the United Nations system plays a key role in coordinating donors and helping policymakers to adjust national priorities to meet the challenges posed by changing global conditions. In order to facilitate the exchange of information on middle-income countries at the global and regional levels, the United Nations system regularly organizes conferences dedicated to regional cooperation and integration, South-South cooperation and trade capacity development. The relatively new functions of the Economic and Social Council — conducting the annual ministerial review and organizing the Development Cooperation Forum — also help middle-income countries share their experiences and engage with other Member States, civil society and parliamentarians on the Millennium Development Goals and development cooperation.", "32. Despite the achievements of the United Nations system in middle-income countries and the positive view of Governments of development cooperation with the United Nations, several obstacles prevent such cooperation from realizing its full potential in those countries. Such obstacles include those of an operational nature — such as mandates that overlap or lack of cooperation between United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, or between the United Nations and Governments — financial constraints and strategic constraints, which primarily relate to the lack of adequate or well-defined work programmes that guide substantive activities in middle-income countries (see A/64/253).", "33. The main strategic limitation facing the United Nations system is the absence of a well-defined and coherent strategic framework focusing on policy advocacy and advice for middle-income countries and enabling capacity-building in the areas most relevant to those countries. While such agencies have formulated different definitions of what constitutes a middle-income country, strategies often appear to be determined by criteria related to resource allocation rather than by substantive or policy priorities.", "34. The previous report of the Secretary-General on this item (see A/64/253) also highlighted the lack of a coherent United Nations system development strategy for middle-income countries. A number of agencies and teams in United Nations countries are trying to correct this gap. For the system as a whole, the challenge is to ensure that strategies and programmes are tailored to the development needs and priorities of middle-income countries. To that end, the United Nations system should refocus its internal planning and coordination processes, including the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, with a view to participating more in national processes. This would help to maintain concentration on results and reduce transaction costs associated with programming.", "35. Currently, in many regions, the United Nations Development Group agencies operate mainly through a network of country offices, which receive technical support from their respective headquarters and increasingly from their regional support capacity. For example, a number of organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme, have transferred their regional management and technical support functions to the Arab States and the Middle East and North Africa region by establishing regional centres in Egypt, while the United Nations Children ' s Fund maintains a regional office in Jordan. While the country office system allows agencies to maintain a close strategic policy dialogue with their national counterparts, the demands to be met by staff on project management or related support functions, as well as the limited expertise in country offices, are often an obstacle to sufficient policy dialogue. In order to address this gap, country teams and United Nations resident coordinators are encouraged to focus more on overall policy needs and to build on the capacity of non-resident agencies available at headquarters.", "36. In addition, United Nations agencies tend to apply in middle-income countries the same intervention model as in low-income countries. This model involves active participation in the implementation of projects and the provision of support in auxiliary and supervisory functions. The related interventions are primarily aimed at bringing the benefits of development directly to their target audiences at the micro-economic level and are part of a more general programmatic approach aimed at ensuring broader development impact. However, unlike what is happening in low-income countries, such interventions in middle-income countries tend to be undertaken at a much lower scale, which limits the potential for a wide-ranging impact, unless interventions are an integral part of broader development policies.", "B. Participation of international financial institutions in middle-income countries", "37. International financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and various regional multilateral banks, remain important partners in development cooperation with middle-income countries. Recent governance reforms in both the IMF and the World Bank have recognized developing countries and countries with economies in transition, in particular middle-income countries, a greater weight in the world economy, as the voice and number of votes of such countries in these institutions have increased. In December 2010, the IMF Board of Governors approved quota and governance reforms under the 14^(a) general assessment review. With the reforms, a percentage greater than 6 per cent of assessed contributions will go to developing countries, thus reducing the shares of assessed contributions and the number of votes of the poorest members. The reforms also contemplate that the entire Executive Board be elected and that there is a larger representation of developing countries, while maintaining its size. On the other hand, in the second phase of the governance reform of the World Bank Group, which was agreed in April 2010, the number of votes of developing countries and economies in transition increased between 4.59 and 6.07 percentage points in the different entities of the World Bank Group[12]. However, although there has been some improvement in quota reform, the weight of the core vote has declined largely over the decades, thereby reducing the influence of all middle-income countries except those with the larger economies. Thus, while recent measures represent some progress, further improvement is needed, including the introduction of an open and transparent senior management selection process based on merit, irrespective of nationality and gender, and the promotion of a greater diversity of management and staff.", "38. International financial security networks for developing countries have recently been strengthened. In 2010, IMF increased funds available on the flexible credit line and established a new precautionary credit line. The first was designed for middle-income countries that had economic policies and foundations defended by the IMF, while the second provided unforeseen protection to moderately vulnerable countries that did not meet the necessary conditions for the flexible credit line, which excluded the vast majority of middle-income countries.", "39. While the cooperative work carried out during the crisis has strengthened the global financial security network, there is still great concern about the sufficiency and composition of international liquidity support. The crisis highlighted the need for large liquidity buffers to cope with the volatility of capital markets characterized by speed and size. To that end, it is necessary to further strengthen multilateral capacity to resist systemic shocks. In this regard, during the recent crisis, most of the necessary liquidity was provided through ad hoc arrangements established on a case-by-case basis by the relevant central banks. It has also been shown that uncertainty regarding the availability and functioning of financial safety nets can lead to significant costs.", "40. A number of possible ways of making the global financial security network effective and predictable have been developed. An ambitious proposal is to broaden the responsibilities of the IMF to include the role of the international lender of last resort, which would entail the Fund having sufficient funds to provide countries with access to liquidity when no other credit entity was willing to provide on a sufficient scale to deal effectively with a financial crisis.[13] Countries could be entitled to such funding by subjecting regular IMF supervision under Article IV without additional conditions.", "41. The Fund is also exploring options for establishing a permanent mechanism to provide liquidity in systemic crises in conjunction with bilateral and regional liquidity support arrangements. In this context, a number of modalities for such a global stabilization mechanism are under consideration, with varying degrees of predictability and effectiveness, but their main elements, such as procedures for activating it, access to related financing and approval, the instruments involved, financing of the mechanism, coordination with central banks and relevant regional arrangements, and safeguards to reduce moral risk, are still to be defined. Another more pragmatic alternative would be for the IMF to assume the role of manager or coordinator of a multilateral network of reciprocal credit lines and liquidity of central banks.", "42. A key element in strengthening the global financial security network is closer cooperation with regional and subregional mechanisms. Regional financial arrangements, such as the Arab Monetary Fund, the Chiang-Mai Initiative or the Latin American Reserve Fund, can be very useful in preventing and mitigating financial crises. Many middle-income countries play important roles in these regional financial arrangements.", "43. Debt sustainability issues in middle-income countries continue to be discussed. In 2003, the Paris Club adopted Evian ' s approach, which would only address the debt of poor countries that were not heavily indebted in the event of impending bankruptcy, as a result of which the resolution of the crisis would have a longer effect. If necessary and in cooperation with the IMF, it would also articulate a comprehensive set of debt renegotiation measures for all bilateral, official and private creditors. The IMF proposed a more systematic reform, the sovereign debt restructuring mechanism, which was rejected in 2003 mainly because of the opposition of stakeholders from both financial and borrowing markets, who feared that, over time, that mechanism would lead to an increase in the cost of loans. Thus, assessments are currently under way using the Debt Sustainability Analysis Framework for countries with access to the market developed by IMF. This instrument analyses debt dynamics over a five-year period in various scenarios. Implicitly, it is based on the idea that if the proportion of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) is stable or is declining, the condition of solvency is met. In the case of low-income countries, however, this approach does not include debt ratio thresholds, since the establishment of benchmarks could directly influence the surcharge that borrowers would have to pay for loans. Data on middle-income countries indicate that 13 per cent of bankruptcies occurred when the share of external debt over GDP was less than 40 per cent, which means that even if the share is low, bankruptcies can occur. While the framework includes estimates of gross funding requirements, it focuses largely on the proportions of the volume of the debt rather than on the risks arising from the composition of the debt and the liquidity situation more generally. For example, it does not emphasize relevant liquidity indicators, such as the position of liquid assets (international reserves to cover current and capital accounts), nor the lack of correlation between the exchange and the maturity of the debt and the fiscal resources to liquidate it. The framework should be expanded to include these factors and to track more disaggregated and frequent data on debt volume, including short-term and domestic debt.[14]", "44. The World Bank pays significant attention to poverty-related issues in middle-income countries, including providing support for evaluations and designing reduction strategies. Recently, the Bank has stepped up its efforts to make its institutional model more flexible, accountable and innovative and responsive. Measures are also being taken to reduce the costs of operations with the Bank. In addition to financial support and knowledge input, the Bank is working to collaborate with middle-income countries in a wide range of areas, ranging from climate change and energy security to food trade and production. In addition, the World Bank understands that it should improve its support to middle-income countries, in particular through the joint development of stronger partnership strategies with those countries, the improvement of the range of services provided to them, especially financial services and combined financing options, the promotion of linkages between Bank research and the needs of middle-income countries, and better management of Bank expertise across all networks.", "45. Other multilateral financial institutions, in particular regional development banks, also play important roles in supporting the economic development of middle-income countries and assisting in regional integration efforts. This is still the case, although more middle-income countries are more frequently resorting to international capital markets for external financing. The technical support provided by regional development banks, in the form of strategic advice on policies, banking services and asset management, as well as their advisory services and technical assistance, are important for many middle-income countries.", "IV. Conclusions and recommendations", "46. Although average income levels are higher than those in low-income countries, extreme poverty in many middle-income countries remains high. In the countries of this category, income inequalities are also greater than in low- or high-income countries. Therefore, in order to eradicate poverty and address inequality, more effective cooperation is needed with middle-income developing countries, especially since most of these countries remain highly vulnerable to external shocks and internal crises.", "47. Promoting development cooperation with middle-income countries is also relevant because of the positive transboundary and global side effects it would have for low-income countries and the stability it would bring to the international system. The importance of middle-income countries to realize the vision of the United Nations for development for all, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, requires continued participation by the United Nations system and other international organizations, including international financial institutions, in development cooperation with middle-income countries.", "48. The current development agenda places a strong emphasis on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the basic social goals that all countries should seek to achieve. While many middle-income countries have already met, or are on track to meet, the Goals and related targets, they continue to face major development and capacity challenges in areas such as governance, social inclusion, human rights violations, disparity elimination, trade vulnerability, external financial shocks, technology development and transfer, and adaptation to climate change and mitigation. The advice of the United Nations in the formulation and implementation of policies and other technical support with well-defined objectives in these areas are important elements of the Organization ' s contribution to middle-income countries.", "49. The United Nations system, together with international financial organizations, is widely represented in middle-income countries. While providing those countries with very diverse development cooperation, cooperation between agencies and countries should be strengthened and programme activities should be more closely aligned with national development strategies and policies. Furthermore, the United Nations system lacks a well-defined programme of work and a strategic framework for development cooperation with those countries.", "50. The lack of clear strategy in most middle-income countries is partly due to the use of per capita income as a guiding criterion for development cooperation. While in accordance with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, developing countries must assume the primary responsibility for their own development, it is fully justified to assign the poorest countries a larger portion of official development assistance. In line with the triennial comprehensive policy review of the operational activities of the United Nations development system, the least developed countries need continued priority assistance (see General Assembly resolution 62/208, para. 26). The Assembly also recognized that middle-income countries still faced considerable difficulties in poverty eradication and that efforts to address those difficulties should be supported to ensure that the achievements to date were maintained.", "51. However, if per capita income is used to classify countries with a view to guiding development cooperation, the multidimensional nature of development is ignored. There are not two equal economies, even if they have the same average level per capita. National development strategies and priorities depend largely on conditions and economic potential. In addition, this type of classification does not take into account that of the order of 75 per cent of people living in extreme poverty are in middle-income countries and does not recognize the diversity between countries and others and within each. This diversity goes beyond income and includes, for example, progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the level of human development, poverty, inequality and other aspects related to their democratic transitions, as well as the size of their population. Nor does it take into account the fact that many middle-income countries have not yet fully developed the capacity or resources necessary to independently resolve the problems they face, nor that many remain very vulnerable to external shocks and internal crises, despite higher levels of per capita income.", "52. While there is no development approach that serves all, the United Nations system should develop a more targeted policy framework for middle-income countries. Among other activities, the independent evaluation of the " Units in Action " initiative to be undertaken in particular with respect to the five pilot middle-income countries is an important step in this regard. The high-level conference to be held in Uruguay in November will provide an opportunity for an important exchange of experiences among the pilot countries of the " Delivering as One " initiative, including middle-income countries.", "53. Any meaningful and appropriate policy framework should take into account diversity rather than mechanically associate a country ' s state of development with its per capita income. It should therefore support countries in their efforts to make further progress and should recognize that the needs of each country would differ and that, normally but not always, middle-income countries would have more resources to address their development challenges. Thus, under this framework, technical cooperation and other assistance should be provided to improve the capacity of middle-income countries to (a) transform primary commodity-based economies to promote industrial and modern services economies, of greater value added and knowledge-based; (b) diversify exports, in particular in countries dependent on natural resources and primary commodities; (c) to address gender disparity;", "54. Since a number of bilateral donors are gradually reducing or eliminating their contributions to development assistance from middle-income countries, it is important that the United Nations strengthen its role in those countries to ensure that the remaining development challenges are effectively addressed, the improvements achieved and the decline in financial assistance do not adversely affect their sustainable and inclusive development. To that end, clear priorities need to be established, harnessing existing capacities in countries and achieving new commitments, including increased national and international funding. United Nations agencies, funds and programmes should rationalize and expand their professional practice networks in order to make their expertise more relevant to the development challenges they face. They should also consider whether their capacity at the country level and their approaches and programming tools meet the needs of middle-income countries and take into account their characteristics. The expertise of non-resident agencies should also be used more.", "55. In order to recognize the importance of a more coherent approach to the cooperation of the United Nations system with middle-income developing countries, as well as that those countries face development challenges that do not always match those of others, Member States may wish to consider establishing a high-level working group or ad hoc working group that elaborates the appropriate framework for addressing the developmental problems of middle-income countries.", "[1] The World Bank ' s income classifications are established every year on 1 July. The present report refers to middle-income countries for the period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.", "[2] With regard to criteria for membership in the least developed countries, see Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category: Inclusion, Graduation and Special Support Measures (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.07.II.A.9).", "[3] The information in this chapter comes from World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.2) and World Economic Situation and Prospects: Update as of mid-2011.", "[4] The comparison is based on a sample of 88 countries classified as middle-income in 2009, including China and India, countries that until fairly recent times remained classified as low-income.", "[5] While poverty rates in Africa are declining, the large population growth contributes to the increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty.", "[6] A Gini coefficient of 0.68 was registered in Namibia in 2005, while in Belarus in 2007 it was 0.27. The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality that is frequently used and ranges from 0 to 1; the higher the coefficient, the higher income inequality indicates.", "[7] See Isabel Ortíz and Mathew Cummins, “Global inequality: beyond the bottom billion”, United Nations Children ' s Fund, working paper on social and economic policies, New York, April 2011.", "[8] See, for example, chapter II of the World Economic and Social Survey, 2010: New Global Development Instruments (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.II.C.1).", "[9] See Annual Report to the Secretay General, 2010, Special Agent of the Secretary-General for Inclusive Financing of Development.", "[10] See World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The major transformation based on green technologies (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.1).", "[11] The conclusions contained in this chapter are based on a questionnaire used to prepare document A/64/253, which was circulated in June 2009 to all country teams and United Nations regional teams in middle-income countries, and a survey distributed to Governments of middle-income countries in May 2011. Of the 104 middle-income countries to which the questionnaire was distributed, 19 responded.", "[12] A more detailed assessment is contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the international financial system and development (A/66/167).", "[13] See, for example, Eduardo Fernández Arias and Eduardo Levy Yeyati, “Global financial safety nets: where do we go from here?”, Inter-American Development Bank, Working Paper Series, No. 231, November 2010.", "[14] Further details are available at MDG Gap Task Force Report 2011: Time to Deliver (for next publication but available at http://un.org/en/development/desa/policy/mdg_gap/index.shtml from 15 September 2011)." ]

[ "Carta de fecha 29 de julio de 2011 dirigida al Secretario General por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Serbia ante las Naciones Unidas", "Tengo el honor de transmitirle la carta dirigida a usted por el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de la República de Serbia, Sr. Vuk Jeremić (véase el anexo).", "Le agradecería que tuviera a bien señalar esta carta y su anexo a la atención de los miembros del Consejo de Seguridad y hacerla distribuir como documento del Consejo.", "(Firmado) Milan Milanović Embajador Encargado de Negocios interino", "Anexo de la carta de fecha 29 de julio de 2011 dirigida al Secretario General por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Serbia ante las Naciones Unidas", "29 de julio de 2011", "Agradezco a usted la reunión que mantuvo conmigo ayer en Nueva York. Dado que no se me permitió dirigirme al Consejo de Seguridad en relación con la apremiante cuestión en que se centró nuestro intercambio de opiniones, quisiera solicitarle que haga distribuir esta carta como documento del Consejo de Seguridad.", "En los cuatro últimos días, la situación en los Balcanes occidentales se ha vuelto, repentinamente, menos segura, estable y predecible. Esto es una consecuencia directa de la decisión calculada, por parte de los dirigentes secesionistas de etnia albanesa, de ordenar una incursión armada no provocada en Kosovo septentrional. Su unilateralismo flagrante debe ser condenado explícitamente.", "La noche del lunes 25 de julio de 2011, la milicia de operaciones especiales de Pristina, cuyas siglas son ROSU, fue movilizada y dotada de equipo completo para la represión de tumultos. Docenas de vehículos armados de transporte de personal llevaron a cientos de hombres fuertemente armados a través del río Ibar. Esto constituyó una violación flagrante del acuerdo de larga data entre Pristina y la Misión de la Unión Europea por el Estado de Derecho en Kosovo (EULEX) para que la ROSU no se desplegase en el norte sin la aprobación de la EULEX, que realiza sus actividades en el territorio bajo la autoridad general de las Naciones Unidas y en el marco de su condición de neutralidad, de conformidad con la resolución 1244 (1999) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "El objetivo más inmediato de la operación era apoderarse de dos puestos de control entre Kosovo septentrional y el resto de Serbia: Jarinje (el puesto 1) y Brnjak (el puesto 31).", "El hecho, no sancionado, de enviar a paramilitares de etnia albanesa de Kosovo meridional fue percibido por la mayoría de la población de Kosovo septentrional como un intento de ocupar el territorio.", "Mientras la ROSU cruzaba el río Ibar, sus milicianos empezaron a detener sin mandato judicial y a golpear a varios civiles locales serbios. En el puesto 31 relevaron por la fuerza a la unidad de policía ordinaria, compuesta principalmente de serbios de Kosovo, y detuvieron y desarmaron a sus miembros. Como respuesta, la población local estableció bloqueos de carreteras a fin de defenderse ante la incursión, e hicieron lo mismo junto al puesto 1, lo que impidió que la ROSU llegara a este puesto de control.", "El Gobierno de la República de Serbia envió rápidamente una delegación oficial a Kosovo septentrional para ayudar a reducir las tensiones, la cual inició negociaciones con la Fuerza Internacional de Seguridad en Kosovo (KFOR) para restablecer el orden público en la provincia. El martes 26 de julio por la mañana, el Comandante de la KFOR, General de División Erhard Buhler, del ejército alemán, había obtenido lo que considerábamos que era un acuerdo con Pristina para que la ROSU se retirase de Kosovo septentrional.", "Sin embargo, tras una retirada inicial, los paramilitares que habían ocupado brevemente el puesto 31 dieron vuelta atrás y empezaron a dirigirse de nuevo al puesto de control. Antes de que pudieran llegar a su objetivo, fue a su encuentro prácticamente toda la población de etnia serbia de la localidad de Zubin Potok.", "Lamentablemente, las escaramuzas resultantes causaron varias víctimas, al menos una de ellas mortal.", "Sólo después de las deliberaciones adicionales que la KFOR celebró con las autoridades de etnia albanesa ese mismo día, los militares de la ROSU empezaron a evacuar la zona. En ese momento, parecía que la calma y el status quo se restablecerían sin mayores incidentes.", "Sin embargo, el miércoles 27 de julio por la mañana, varios “agentes de aduanas” de Kosovo fueron transportados en helicóptero, aparentemente por la KFOR, a los puestos 1 y 31. Esto, inevitablemente, volvió a aumentar las tensiones.", "Poco después, la atención de todo el mundo recayó en un incidente muy lamentable ocurrido en el puesto 1, donde unos individuos enmascarados prendieron fuego a las instalaciones del puesto de control.", "El Gobierno de Serbia condena firmemente este acto de extremismo. Ya hemos indicado nuestra disposición a colaborar con las partes interesadas pertinentes para esclarecer la identidad y los motivos de los autores de estas agresiones, así como determinar quién había dado las instrucciones que seguían.", "En las primeras horas de la mañana del jueves 28 de julio, teníamos entendido que se habían establecido acuerdos provisionales entre Belgrado y la KFOR para mantener a la ROSU y a los “agentes de aduanas” de Kosovo alejados de los puestos 1 y 31.", "Sin embargo, ese mismo día, la KFOR anunció que pondría en práctica las leyes y decisiones de las autoridades secesionistas en Pristina. Esto situaría a la KFOR fuera del marco de neutralidad de las Naciones Unidas. Otro hecho preocupante fue que el mismo día la KFOR declaró los puestos 1 y 31 zonas militares restringidas, con normas para entablar combate que incluyen el uso de fuerza letal.", "Las negociaciones con la KFOR continuaron hoy, 29 de julio, y podrían continuar el fin de semana y más adelante. Seguimos creyendo que si las negociaciones se desarrollan con buena fe por parte de todos los participantes, se logrará restablecer la situación anterior.", "La paz y la seguridad en nuestra provincia de Kosovo son responsabilidad del Consejo de Seguridad. Para entender lo que ocurrió y determinar quién es responsable de la disminución drástica de la estabilidad en todo el territorio que sigue bajo la administración provisional de las Naciones Unidas de conformidad con la resolución 1244 (1992), creímos que era fundamental dirigirnos al Consejo.", "Si no se nos hubiera impedido hacerlo, la República de Serbia habría hecho hincapié en su convicción de que debe restablecerse la situación anterior.", "También habríamos subrayado que quienes siguen alentando activamente el unilateralismo de Pristina deberán compartir la responsabilidad por la violencia y las muertes que puedan producirse en la provincia.", "Además, hemos mantenido constantemente la opinión de que quienes desestabilizaron Kosovo septentrional a través de las acciones de la ROSU deben rendir cuentas por ello. Quien dio la orden de cruzar el río Ibar violó un acuerdo con EULEX, y debe sufrir las consecuencias.", "Las partes interesadas responsables deben hacer todo lo necesario para garantizar que no vuelvan a ocurrir actos unilaterales similares.", "Esperamos que, en su próximo informe periódico al Consejo de Seguridad, la Secretaría haga una crónica amplia de todos los aspectos de la incursión de la ROSU, que abarque el papel de la KFOR y la EULEX.", "Las Naciones Unidas también deben colaborar más estrechamente con la KFOR para velar por que actúe de manera plenamente acorde con el marco de neutralidad establecido por la resolución 1244 (1999) del Consejo de Seguridad. El apoyo logístico a los separatistas de etnia albanesa de Kosovo septentrional debe cesar inmediatamente.", "Además, la KFOR y la EULEX deberán vigilar atentamente la situación en Kosovo septentrional y estar preparadas para responder con firmeza a cualquier otro acto unilateral de las autoridades de Pristina. Por ello, y por muchas otras razones, la KFOR debe mantener su dotación actual de tropas, así como su presencia fija exclusiva en todos los lugares sagrados de Serbia que actualmente protegen.", "Por último, la Unión Europea deberá manifestar claramente a Pristina que los desacuerdos en la mesa de negociaciones en Bruselas no pueden resolverse utilizando medios físicos sobre el terreno.", "Algunos medios de difusión han dado información falsa peligrosa en los últimos días.", "Un ejemplo es la confusión sobre la causa y el efecto. La incursión de la ROSU es la causa. Todo lo demás ocurrido sobre el terreno posteriormente es el efecto.", "También sería una falacia equiparar la incursión de la ROSU con el extremismo inaceptable de los saqueadores enmascarados del puesto 1, cuyas acciones no fueron planeadas ni aprobadas por Serbia. Al contrario, la incursión de la ROSU fue parte integral de una estrategia concebida en los niveles superiores de gobierno de Pristina para imponer por la fuerza un régimen ilegítimo y claramente no deseado a los residentes de Kosovo septentrional.", "Una última idea errónea es la de que la última ronda de negociaciones entre Belgrado y Pristina fue aplazada por Serbia. Esto es simplemente incorrecto. No podemos aceptar responsabilidad alguna por la decisión del facilitador de la Unión Europea de imponer una interrupción del proceso de diálogo.", "En nombre de la República de Serbia, le solicito respetuosamente que haga todo lo que esté en su mano para asegurar que no se recompense a Pristina por su comportamiento unilateral y belicoso. Para poder avanzar, debe restablecerse la situación anterior, a fin de que el diálogo pueda reanudarse y convertirse de nuevo en el único foro aceptable para superar los desacuerdos.", "Tal como deja claro la presente carta, existían motivos sobrados para que se celebrase una reunión de emergencia del Consejo de Seguridad. Lamentablemente, algunos de sus miembros decidieron no permitir que se oyera la voz de Serbia. Aunque la distribución de esta carta entre los miembros del Consejo no sustituye una reunión, espero que contribuya, de algún modo, a superar este impedimento que no facilita nuestro objetivo común de reducir las tensiones en Kosovo septentrional, y ayude a mejorar la estabilidad en toda la región de los Balcanes occidentales.", "(Firmado) Vuk Jeremić" ]

[ "Letter dated 29 July 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "I have the honour to forward the letter of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Vuk Jeremić, addressed to you (see annex).", "I should be grateful if you would bring this letter and its annex to the attention of the members of the Security Council and have it circulated as a document of the Council.", "(Signed) Milan Milanović Ambassador Chargé d’affaires a.i.", "Annex to the letter dated 29 July 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "29 July 2011", "Thank you for having met with me yesterday in New York. As I was not allowed to address the Security Council on the pressing issue that was the subject of our exchange of views, I would request that you circulate this letter as a document of the Security Council.", "Over the past four days, the situation in the Western Balkans has suddenly become less secure, less stable and less predictable. This is a direct consequence of the calculated decision by the ethnic-Albanian secessionist leadership to order an unprovoked armed incursion into North Kosovo. Their flagrant unilateralism must be clearly condemned.", "On Monday night, 25 July 2011, Pristina’s special operations militia, the so‑called ROSU, was mobilized and equipped in full riot gear. Dozens of armoured personnel carriers transported hundreds of heavily armed men across the River Ibar. This blatantly violated the long-standing agreement between Pristina and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) that ROSU is not to be deployed in the North without the approval of EULEX, which operates in the territory under the overall authority and within the status-neutral framework of the United Nations, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).", "The most immediate aim of the operation was seizing the two checkpoints between North Kosovo and the rest of Serbia: Jarinje or Gate 1, and Brnjak or Gate 31.", "The unsanctioned act of sending ethnic-Albanian paramilitaries from South Kosovo was perceived by the majority population of North Kosovo as an attempt to occupy the territory.", "As ROSU crossed the River Ibar, its militiamen began to summarily arrest and beat a number of local Serb civilians. At Gate 31, they forcibly relieved the regular police unit composed mainly of Kosovo Serbs, detaining and disarming them. In response, locals put up roadblocks, as a way to defend themselves against the incursion. They did the same near Gate 1, which stopped ROSU from getting to that checkpoint.", "The Government of the Republic of Serbia swiftly sent an official delegation to North Kosovo to help bring down the tensions. They began negotiations with the International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR) about restoring law and order in the province. By Tuesday morning, 26 July, the KFOR Commander, Major General Erhard Buhler of the German Army, had secured what we believed was an agreement with Pristina for ROSU to withdraw from North Kosovo.", "After an initial pullback, however, the paramilitaries that had briefly occupied Gate 31 turned around, and started heading back to the checkpoint. Before they could reach their goal, they were met by practically the entire ethnic-Serb population of the town of Zubin Potok.", "Regrettably, the resulting skirmishes led to a number of casualties, and at least one fatality.", "Only after additional discussions between KFOR and the ethnic-Albanian authorities later in the same day did the ROSU militants begin to vacate the area. At the time, it appeared that calm and the status quo ante would be restored without further incident.", "On Wednesday morning, 27 July, however, a number of so-called “Kosovo Customs” agents were transported by helicopter to Gates 1 and 31, apparently by KFOR. This inevitably raised tensions further.", "Soon thereafter, everyone’s attention was drawn to a highly regrettable incident at Gate 1, where masked individuals set fire to the checkpoint buildings.", "The Serbian Government strongly condemns this act of extremism. We have already indicated our readiness to work with relevant stakeholders to uncover the perpetrators’ identities and motives, as well as to determine whose instructions they were following.", "Early Thursday morning, on 28 July, we had understood that provisional agreements had been struck between Belgrade and KFOR to keep ROSU and the so‑called “Kosovo Customs” away from Gates 1 and 31.", "Later that day, however, KFOR announced that it would implement the laws and decisions of the secessionist authorities in Pristina. This would place KFOR outside the status-neutral framework of the United Nations. Another worrisome development was that on the same day, KFOR declared Gates 1 and 31 restricted military areas, with rules of engagement that include the use of lethal force.", "The negotiations with KFOR continued today, 29 July, and might continue into the weekend and beyond. We continue to believe that if they are conducted in good faith by all participants, the outcome will produce a return to the status quo ante.", "Peace and security in our province of Kosovo is the responsibility of the Security Council. To understand what happened, and to determine who is responsible for the dramatic drop in stability throughout the territory that remains under the interim administration of the United Nations in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999), we had felt it essential to address the Council.", "Had we not been prevented from doing so, the Republic of Serbia would have emphasized our firm belief that the status quo ante must be reinstated.", "We would also have underscored that those who keep actively encouraging Pristina’s unilateralism will have to share with them the responsibility for the violence and fatalities that may take place in the province.", "Moreover, we would have steadfastly maintained the view that those who destabilized North Kosovo through the actions of ROSU must be brought to account. Whoever gave the order to cross the River Ibar violated an agreement with EULEX — and must suffer the consequences.", "The responsible stakeholders have to do whatever is necessary to ensure that no similar unilateral acts happen again.", "We expect the Secretariat to chronicle extensively all aspects of the ROSU incursion in your next regular report to the Security Council, including the roles played by KFOR and EULEX.", "The United Nations will also have to work more closely with KFOR to make sure that it operates fully within the status-neutral framework of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Logistical assistance to the ethnic-Albanian separatists in North Kosovo must cease immediately.", "In addition, KFOR and EULEX will have to closely monitor the situation in North Kosovo and be ready to respond forcefully to any further unilateralism by the authorities in Pristina. For this and a number of other reasons, KFOR must maintain its present troop levels, together with its exclusive static presence at all the Serbian holy sites they currently protect.", "Lastly, the European Union will have to make it very clear to Pristina that disagreements at the negotiating table in Brussels cannot be resolved using physical means on the ground.", "Several dangerous misconceptions have appeared in certain media over the past few days.", "One centres on confusing cause with effect. The ROSU incursion is the cause. Whatever else happened on the ground in its wake is the effect.", "It would also be a fallacy to equate the ROSU incursion with the unacceptable extremism of masked looters at Gate 1, whose actions were neither planned nor sanctioned by Serbia. In contrast, the ROSU incursion was an integral part of a strategy engineered at the most senior level in Pristina to forcibly impose an illegitimate and decisively unwanted regime upon the residents of North Kosovo.", "A final erroneous belief is that the last round of talks between Belgrade and Pristina were postponed by Serbia. This is simply incorrect. We can bear no responsibility for the decision made by the European Union facilitator to impose a hiatus on the dialogue process.", "On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I respectfully ask you to do all that is in your power to make sure Pristina is not rewarded for unilateral and bellicose behaviour. To be able to move forward, the status quo ante must be restored, so that the dialogue can recommence and once more become the sole acceptable forum for overcoming disagreements.", "As this letter makes clear, ample reasons had existed for a Security Council emergency meeting to have taken place. Regretfully, a choice was made by some of its members not to allow the voice of Serbia to be heard. Although you circulating this letter to the Council is no substitute, I nevertheless hope that this will, in a small way, contribute to overcoming this unhelpful impediment to our shared goal of reducing tensions in North Kosovo and contribute to improving stability throughout the Western Balkans.", "(Signed) Vuk Jeremić" ]

[ "Letter dated 29 July 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "I have the honour to transmit to you the letter addressed to you by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Vuk Jeremić (see annex).", "I should be grateful if you would bring this letter and its annex to the attention of the members of the Security Council and circulate it as a document of the Council.", "(Signed) Milan Milan Milanović", "Annex to the letter dated 29 July 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "29 July 2011", "I thank you for the meeting you held with me yesterday in New York. Since I was not allowed to address the Security Council on the pressing issue of our exchange of views, I would like to request you to circulate this letter as a document of the Security Council.", "In the last four days, the situation in the Western Balkans has suddenly become less secure, stable and predictable. This is a direct consequence of the calculated decision by the ethnic Albanian secessionist leaders to order an unprovoked armed incursion in northern Kosovo. Their flagrant unilateralism must be explicitly condemned.", "On the night of Monday, 25 July 2011, the Pristina special operations militia, whose acronyms are ROSU, was mobilized and equipped with complete equipment for the suppression of tumults. Dozens of armed personnel transport vehicles brought hundreds of heavily armed men across the Ibar River. This constituted a flagrant violation of the long-standing agreement between Pristina and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) to ensure that ROSU is not deployed in the north without the approval of EULEX, which carries out its activities in the territory under the overall authority of the United Nations and within the framework of its neutrality, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).", "The most immediate objective of the operation was to seize two checkpoints between northern Kosovo and the rest of Serbia: Jarinje (post 1) and Brnjak (post 31).", "The unsanctioned fact of sending ethnic Albanian paramilitaries from southern Kosovo was perceived by the majority of the population of northern Kosovo as an attempt to occupy the territory.", "While the ROSU was crossing the Ibar River, its militia began to stop without a judicial mandate and beat several local Serb civilians. In post 31, they forcibly removed the regular police unit, composed mainly of Kosovo Serbs, and detained and disarmed its members. In response, the local population established roadblocks in order to defend themselves against the incursion, and did the same with post 1, which prevented the ROSU from reaching this checkpoint.", "The Government of the Republic of Serbia quickly sent an official delegation to northern Kosovo to help reduce tensions, which began negotiations with the International Security Force in Kosovo (KFOR) to restore public order in the province. On Tuesday, 26 July in the morning, the KFOR Commander, Major General Erhard Buhler of the German army, had obtained what we considered to be an agreement with Pristina for the ROSU to withdraw from northern Kosovo.", "However, after an initial withdrawal, the paramilitaries who had briefly occupied post 31 turned back and began to turn back to the checkpoint. Before they could reach their goal, he went to meet practically the entire ethnic Serb population of Zubin Potok.", "Unfortunately, the resulting skirmish caused several victims, at least one of them deadly.", "Only after the additional discussions that KFOR held with the Albanian ethnic authorities on the same day, the ROSU military began evacuating the area. At that time, it seemed that the calm and status quo would be restored without further incidents.", "However, on Wednesday, 27 July in the morning, several Kosovo ' s “custodial agents” were transported by helicopter, apparently by KFOR, to posts 1 and 31. This inevitably increased tensions again.", "Shortly thereafter, everyone ' s attention fell into a very unfortunate incident at post 1, where masked individuals set fire to the checkpoint facilities.", "The Serbian Government strongly condemns this act of extremism. We have already indicated our willingness to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to clarify the identity and motives of the perpetrators of these attacks, as well as to determine who had given the following instructions.", "In the early morning of Thursday, 28 July, we understood that interim agreements had been established between Belgrade and KFOR to keep ROSU and Kosovo ' s “custodial agents” away from posts 1 and 31.", "However, on the same day, KFOR announced that it would implement the laws and decisions of the secessionist authorities in Pristina. This would place KFOR outside the United Nations neutrality framework. Another worrying fact was that on the same day KFOR declared positions 1 and 31 restricted military zones, with rules of engagement including the use of lethal force.", "Negotiations with KFOR continued today, 29 July, and could continue the weekend and later. We continue to believe that if the negotiations take place in good faith on the part of all the participants, the previous situation will be restored.", "Peace and security in our province of Kosovo are the responsibility of the Security Council. In order to understand what happened and to determine who is responsible for the drastic decline in stability throughout the territory that continues under the provisional administration of the United Nations in accordance with resolution 1244 (1992), we believed that it was essential to address the Council.", "If we had not been prevented from doing so, the Republic of Serbia would have emphasized its conviction that the previous situation should be restored.", "We would also have stressed that those who continue to actively encourage Pristina ' s unilateralism should share responsibility for violence and deaths in the province.", "In addition, we have consistently maintained the view that those who destabilized northern Kosovo through the ROSU actions must be held accountable for that. Whoever gave the order to cross the Ibar River violated an agreement with EULEX, and must suffer the consequences.", "The responsible parties must do their utmost to ensure that similar unilateral acts do not occur again.", "We hope that, in its next periodic report to the Security Council, the Secretariat will make a comprehensive report of all aspects of the ROSU incursion, including the role of KFOR and EULEX.", "The United Nations should also work more closely with KFOR to ensure that it operates fully in line with the neutrality framework established by Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). Logistical support to the Albanian ethnic separatists in northern Kosovo must cease immediately.", "Furthermore, KFOR and EULEX should carefully monitor the situation in northern Kosovo and be prepared to respond firmly to any other unilateral act by the Pristina authorities. For this reason, and for many other reasons, KFOR must maintain its current troop strength, as well as its exclusive fixed presence in all the sacred sites in Serbia that currently protect.", "Finally, the European Union should clearly state to Pristina that disagreements at the negotiating table in Brussels cannot be resolved using physical means on the ground.", "Some media have given false dangerous information in recent days.", "An example is confusion about cause and effect. The ROSU incursion is the cause. Everything else happened on the ground later is the effect.", "It would also be a fallacy to equate the incursion of ROSU with the unacceptable extremism of the masked plunderers of post 1, whose actions were neither planned nor approved by Serbia. On the contrary, ROSU ' s incursion was an integral part of a strategy designed at the higher levels of Pristina ' s government to forcefully impose an illegitimate and clearly unwanted regime on the residents of northern Kosovo.", "One last mistaken idea is that the last round of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina was postponed by Serbia. This is just wrong. We cannot accept any responsibility for the decision of the European Union facilitator to impose an interruption in the process of dialogue.", "On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I respectfully request you to do everything in your hand to ensure that Pristina is not compensated for its unilateral and bellicose behaviour. In order to move forward, the previous situation must be restored so that dialogue can resume and become the only forum acceptable to overcome disagreements.", "As the present letter makes clear, there were plenty of reasons for an emergency meeting of the Security Council. Unfortunately, some of its members decided not to allow the voice of Serbia to be heard. While the distribution of this letter among the members of the Council does not replace a meeting, I hope that it will somehow contribute to overcoming this impediment that does not facilitate our common goal of reducing tensions in northern Kosovo, and help to improve stability throughout the Western Balkan region.", "(Signed) Vuk Jeremić" ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "Tema 21 a) del programa provisional*", "Globalización e interdependencia: papel de las Naciones Unidas en la promoción del desarrollo en el contexto de la globalización y la interdependencia", "* A/66/150.", "Globalización e interdependencia: un crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo para una globalización justa y más equitativa para todos, incluida la creación de empleo", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "El presente informe se ha preparado en atención a la resolución 65/168 de la Asamblea General. La globalización se examina en función de las repercusiones de la crisis financiera y económica mundial. Además, se analizan el crecimiento económico y las políticas para que el crecimiento sea más sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo en el contexto más amplio de la globalización. En el informe se vinculan estos asuntos con los objetivos del pleno empleo y el trabajo decente, y se examinan el crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo y la creación de empleo en el contexto más amplio de la globalización, especialmente en lo concerniente al logro de una globalización más justa y equitativa para todos.", "I. Introducción", "1. A lo largo de los años ha habido diversas definiciones de globalización. Por lo general, se trata de la integración económica, es decir, la transferencia de políticas a través de las fronteras y la transmisión de conocimientos. La Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) define la globalización como un fenómeno de interdependencia creciente de los mercados y la producción de diferentes países por medio del comercio de bienes y servicios, las corrientes de capital transfronterizas y el intercambio de tecnología[1]. El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) utiliza una definición similar, a tenor de la cual se entiende por globalización la interdependencia económica creciente de los países a nivel mundial derivada del volumen y la diversidad cada vez mayores de las transacciones transfronterizas de bienes y servicios y de las corrientes de capital internacionales, así como de la difusión más rápida y amplia de la tecnología[2].", "2. La globalización, medida en función de la circulación de bienes y servicios, en particular las finanzas, se ha profundizado en los últimos decenios. El aumento de las comunicaciones, impulsado por la nueva tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC), así como el progreso tecnológico en general han ido a la par de esas tendencias económicas y las han profundizado. Si bien esto ha acarreado una gran variedad de nuevas oportunidades y beneficios, la mayor interdependencia producida por esos movimientos ha aumentado la vulnerabilidad de los países y de sus poblaciones a las conmociones externas y la inseguridad económica. La globalización también ha ido acompañada de un aumento de la desigualdad dentro de los países y entre ellos.", "3. La globalización de las finanzas, o globalización financiera, reviste particular importancia debido al desmantelamiento progresivo de los controles de las corrientes de capital transfronterizas que suele complementar la desregulación del sector financiero interno. Esto ha dado lugar a la integración de los sistemas financieros nacionales en las instituciones y los mercados financieros internacionales. Se esperaba que la globalización financiera propiciara la transferencia de capital de los países desarrollados a los países en desarrollo (de los “ricos en capital” a los “pobres de capital”), redujera el costo del capital, puesto que aumentaría la disponibilidad de crédito más barato, y moderara la inestabilidad y la volatilidad de los sistemas financieros.", "4. Sin embargo, la experiencia de los dos últimos decenios ha suscitado considerables dudas respecto de los supuestos beneficios de la globalización financiera, dado que el mundo ha sido testigo de corrientes netas de capital de los países en desarrollo a los países desarrollados, así como de crisis financieras más frecuentes y más intensas, en tanto que los menores costos del capital no se pueden atribuir con certeza a la globalización financiera. Las crisis de los países escandinavos a principios del decenio de 1990, de Asia y la Federación de Rusia en 1997-1998, del Brasil en 1999, del Ecuador en 2000, de la Argentina y Turquía en 2001 y del Uruguay en 2002 guardan relación con la globalización financiera. Los ciclos más extremos de expansión y contracción han contrarrestado enormemente el anterior aumento de los ingresos, y las crisis financieras han agravado la pobreza[3].", "5. La importante reducción del crecimiento económico global, provocada por la crisis financiera y económica y la recesión recientes a nivel mundial también es atribuible a la globalización financiera. La rápida propagación de la crisis económica desde el epicentro a la periferia a causa de la contracción del comercio y la inversión de las corrientes financieras, reflejada en el consiguiente aumento del desempleo y la pobreza, es un claro recordatorio de que la vulnerabilidad ha aumentado debido a la mayor integración económica derivada de la globalización.", "6. Así pues, si bien el logro de tasas de crecimiento económico elevadas y sostenidas es difícil de por sí, la globalización puede hacerlo más difícil aun. Los fundamentos de política de un crecimiento elevado y sostenido deberían crear un entorno propicio a altos niveles de inversión y creación de empleo, así como a la protección, la inclusión y la equidad sociales. Es igualmente importante que haya un entorno internacional conducente al crecimiento en los países en desarrollo.", "7. De conformidad con la resolución 65/168, de la Asamblea General, en el presente informe se examinan la crisis financiera y económica mundial desde una perspectiva histórica reciente, la evolución de la globalización, especialmente desde la crisis económica de 2008-2009, los asuntos del crecimiento sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo, la creación de empleo y el trabajo decente en el contexto de la globalización, y las medidas y políticas para avanzar hacia una globalización más justa y equitativa para todos. Al final del informe se formulan recomendaciones.", "II. La crisis financiera y económica mundial desde una perspectiva histórica reciente", "8. En 2008-2009 el mundo sufrió la peor crisis financiera y económica desde la Gran Depresión del decenio de 1930. Esto ocurrió cuando el mundo, sobre todo los países en desarrollo, todavía se tambaleaba por el impacto de marcados aumentos de los precios de los alimentos y la energía. Si bien las medidas de estímulo cuantiosas, coordinadas y sin precedentes adoptadas por los países más ricos permitieron evitar una recesión mundial más profunda y prolongada, varios países aun están afectados por las secuelas de la crisis.", "9. Aunque sería prematuro cuantificar con precisión los efectos totales de la crisis en el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y en muchos resultados sociales, se puede afirmar casi con certeza que la crisis ha contribuido al aumento del desempleo en los países desarrollados y a la mayor vulnerabilidad del empleo en los países en desarrollo. Por lo menos 30 millones de empleos se perdieron en todo el mundo entre 2007 y finales de 2009 como consecuencia de la crisis mundial, y se estima que en 2009 el número de personas sin trabajo había aumentado a unos 212 millones, respecto de los 178 millones registrados en 2007. El número de personas con empleo vulnerable puede haber aumentado en 110 millones entre 2008 y 2009, lo que elevaría el total de 1.500 millones a 1.600 millones. También ha aumentado notablemente el número de trabajadores pobres, es decir, las personas que ganan menos de los 1,25 dólares diarios considerados como el umbral de pobreza a nivel internacional. El desempleo de los jóvenes también aumentó considerablemente en la mayoría de los países, y la inseguridad en el empleo va decididamente en aumento en casi todo el mundo[4].", "10. En los tres últimos decenios la frecuencia y la gravedad de las crisis financieras parecen haber aumentado, y por lo general las crisis han ido precedidas por grandes movimientos de capital, aumentos de los precios de las materias primas y alzas de los tipos de interés[5]. En promedio, la recuperación de los niveles previos a la crisis requiere dos años en el caso de la producción y 4,8 años en el del empleo. La actual recuperación “sin empleo” en los países desarrollados no es infrecuente en la historia reciente de los ciclos económicos. Sin embargo, en los países desarrollados, el tiempo necesario para restablecer el empleo a sus niveles anteriores a la recesión ha ido progresivamente en aumento desde el decenio de 1950.", "11. La inestabilidad parece estar relacionada, en gran medida, con las corrientes de capital privado. Desde la segunda guerra mundial la historia registra tres ciclos económicos generalizados de expansión y contracción de las corrientes de capital privado hacia las economías en desarrollo y emergentes, con graves retrocesos de desarrollo, en el contexto de períodos de crecimiento alternados con prolongados períodos de inestabilidad y estancamiento. El primer ciclo de expansión y contracción se inició a fines del decenio de 1970 y finalizó con la crisis de la deuda, principalmente en América Latina, a comienzos del decenio de 1980. El segundo se inició en los primeros años del decenio de 1990 y estuvo seguido por una serie de crisis de balanza de pagos y de la deuda en Asia oriental, América Latina y otras regiones. El tercer ciclo empezó en los primeros años del nuevo milenio y terminó en el segundo semestre de 2008 con la crisis financiera.", "12. Desde la crisis de la deuda de principios del decenio de 1980, se presentó a los países en desarrollo una combinación de políticas macroeconómicas rigurosas, privatizaciones, rápida liberalización y desregulación (el denominado “Consenso de Washington”), como una base política de aplicación general para crear una economía sana y un entorno favorable a la inversión. Los programas sociales con financiación estatal se redujeron en favor de la privatización y la disciplina fiscal. No obstante, las mejoras macroeconómicas no se tradujeron en un crecimiento económico elevado y sostenido. Al contrario, la generalización de los programas de liberalización económica y consolidación fiscal dio lugar a una importante reducción del espacio político en los países en desarrollo. Esto disminuyó la capacidad de esos países para controlar la rápida reversión de corrientes de capital privado, por lo que se produjeron retiros considerables de capital en un período muy breve, o para contrarrestar la inestabilidad financiera y la contracción económica resultantes y aplicar políticas financieras y macroeconómicas anticíclicas. El avance paralelo de la globalización financiera liberalizada y el carácter procíclico de las corrientes de capital privado también incrementaron el riesgo de crisis financieras, como las experimentadas por muchas economías de mercados emergentes en los decenios de 1990 y 2000[6].", "13. Si bien desde la aprobación de la Declaración del Milenio, en 2000, se ha hecho mayor hincapié en la aplicación de políticas sociales eficaces y en el buen funcionamiento de las instituciones para combatir la pobreza generalizada, asegurar la adecuada prestación de servicios de atención de la salud y de educación y prevenir la exclusión social, las medidas adoptadas desde fines del decenio de 1990 siguieron liberalizando los sectores financieros en todo el mundo. Aun cuando la liberalización financiera puede acarrear beneficios, los países en desarrollo han afrontado importantes riesgos asociados con la inestabilidad macroeconómica y la volatilidad financiera derivadas de las burbujas del precio de determinados activos, los excesivos riesgos asumidos, los desequilibrios financieros y el rápido retiro de capital privado. El mundo cada vez más globalizado aun debe resolver los problemas de la volatilidad financiera, la inestabilidad económica y los ciclos de expansión y contracción asociados con las corrientes de capital privado sin restricciones, así como los efectos negativos de las crisis financieras recurrentes.", "III. Asuntos nuevos y emergentes en el contexto de la globalización[7]", "14. En esta época posterior a la crisis financiera y económica mundial una interrogante fundamental es si las tendencias de la globalización serán iguales a las del período anterior a la crisis o diferentes, y si serán transitorias o permanentes, o supondrán una acentuación de los niveles anteriores a la crisis. Aunque todavía es demasiado pronto para llegar a una conclusión definitiva sobre el carácter de las tendencias desde la crisis, es útil presentar un examen preliminar de algunos asuntos nuevos y emergentes.", "Crecimiento económico", "15. La rápida desaceleración económica mundial de 2008-2009 trastocó gravemente el crecimiento económico en todo el mundo y provocó retrocesos significativos en los progresos alcanzados hacia la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. La tasa de crecimiento anual de la producción mundial disminuyó de aproximadamente un 4% en el bienio 2006-2007 a un 1,6% en 2008; la tasa de crecimiento de la producción continuó disminuyendo en 2009, a -2%, y en 95 países se registró una disminución del ingreso medio per capita.", "16. La economía mundial se ha venido recuperando de manera desigual, impulsada principalmente por las economías en desarrollo y emergentes, pero la recuperación ha sido lenta porque la mayor parte de los países más desarrollados siguen en dificultades. Es probable que esta lenta recuperación continúe, con el riesgo de que se produzca una recaída en la recesión en caso de que los países recurran a la austeridad fiscal antes de que se recupere la demanda privada. Una inminente crisis de la deuda en varios países de Europea también produce incertidumbre. El crecimiento de la producción es débil en muchos países desarrollados, que hasta ahora han experimentado una “recuperación sin empleo”. A las tasas actuales de crecimiento, el restablecimiento de los niveles de empleo previos a la crisis podría requerir otros cuatro o cinco años.", "17. El rápido crecimiento de las economías emergentes en los últimos decenios ha producido un cambio fundamental, dado que los focos de crecimiento económico mundial están repartidos ahora entre las economías desarrolladas y las economías en desarrollo. La actual recuperación y expansión después de la crisis sigue encabezada por las grandes economías emergentes de Asia y América Latina, particularmente el Brasil, China y la India. Sin embargo, las perspectivas de crecimiento de esas economías se ven amenazadas por el fantasma del aumento de la inflación, debida principalmente al aumento de los precios de los alimentos y la energía, las nuevas burbujas de precios de los activos nacionales atribuibles al rápido ingreso de capital, y las consiguientes presiones alcistas sobre los tipos de cambio.", "18. La actividad económica se ha recuperado en los países menos adelantados y en otras economías estructuralmente débiles, incluidos los países en desarrollo sin litoral y los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, gracias al impulso de la recuperación del comercio internacional y de los precios de las materias primas. Parte de la actual recuperación de esos países se ha debido al aumento del comercio y al fortalecimiento de los vínculos económicos con las economías emergentes. Sin embargo, las actuales tasas de crecimiento de los países menos adelantados no llegan al nivel anterior a la crisis y en muchos países están por debajo del nivel necesario para surtir un efecto significativo en el desempleo y la reducción de la pobreza.", "Pobreza económica", "19. En las últimas décadas se han realizado grandes avances en cuanto a la reducción de la pobreza. Antes de las crisis más recientes, la incidencia de la pobreza en el mundo había disminuido en un 40% desde 1990. La crisis económica modificó radicalmente esa perspectiva: según estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas, entre 47 millones y 84 millones más de personas cayeron en la pobreza extrema o permanecieron atrapadas en ella a consecuencia de la crisis. Las estimaciones del Informe anual de seguimiento mundial de 2010 elaborado conjuntamente por el FMI y el Banco Mundial indican que solo en 2010 otros 64 millones más de personas cayeron en la pobreza extrema debido a la crisis económica. En el informe también se estima que para 2015 habrán superado la pobreza 53 millones de personas menos que las que lo habrían logrado de no haberse producido la recesión de 2008-2009, si bien se habrá alcanzado la meta de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio relativa a la reducción de la pobreza (reducir a la mitad la tasa de pobreza).", "20. Aunque se está avanzando hacia la reducción de la pobreza en todo el mundo, debido principalmente al rápido progreso en China, se observan tendencias divergentes en distintas regiones. Según las previsiones, el África subsahariana, Asia occidental y los países del Cáucaso y Asia central no alcanzarán la meta del Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio relativa a la reducción de la pobreza. Las tasas de pobreza más elevadas se registran en el África subsahariana.", "Empleo", "21. En 2010 el número de personas desempleadas se mantuvo en 205 millones, básicamente sin cambios respecto del año anterior, y por encima del número de 2007 en 27,6 millones, con escasas esperanzas de que en un futuro próximo se recuperen los niveles previos a la crisis. La tasa mundial de desempleo fue del 6,2% en 2010, en comparación con un 6,3% en 2009, porcentaje todavía muy superior al 5,6% de 2007. Las tasas de desempleo y subempleo (en forma de horarios de trabajo reducidos o empleo a tiempo parcial involuntario) son muy altas entre los jóvenes (de 15 a 24 años), tanto en las regiones desarrolladas como en las regiones en desarrollo. Se estimaba que a fines de 2009 había 81 millones de jóvenes desempleados, y la tasa mundial de desempleo entre los jóvenes era de un 13%. En algunos países el desempleo entre los jóvenes ha cobrado dimensiones alarmantes.", "22. Se estima que el número de trabajadores que en 2009 tenían empleos vulnerables, definido como la suma de trabajadores por cuenta propia y trabajadores familiares no remunerados, era de 1.530 millones de personas, lo que entrañaba un aumento de más de 146 millones con respecto a 1999. La mayor proporción de empleo vulnerable se registra en Asia meridional (78,5% del empleo total en 2009), seguida por el África subsahariana (75,8%) y Asia sudoriental y el Pacífico (61,8%). En todas las regiones, la tasa de empleo vulnerable entre las mujeres supera a la de los hombres.", "23. La proporción de personas desempleadas por períodos prolongados ha aumentado significativamente en la mayoría de los países desarrollados desde 2007. Las economías con tasas de desempleo elevadas y persistentes con una recuperación débil de la producción podrían quedar atrapadas en un largo período de crecimiento inferior a su potencial. Cuanto más dure el período de bajo crecimiento y desempleo prolongado mayor será el riesgo de que el desempleo cíclico adquiera carácter estructural y menoscabe más aun el posible crecimiento a largo plazo.", "Desigualdad", "24. Según numerosos indicadores, la desigualdad en el mundo es elevada y sigue aumentando. Si bien no se dispone de datos sobre la situación después de la crisis, antes de la crisis la desigualdad de ingresos per capita entre los países aumentaba a un ritmo constante. La brecha entre los países más ricos y los más pobres se ha ampliado significativamente. Aunque algunos países en desarrollo y algunos con economías emergentes han venido creciendo mucho más rápidamente que los países más ricos, en general, las desigualdades entre los diferentes países respecto de los ingresos medios continúan aumentando. En 2007, el 80% de la población mundial percibía solo el 30% de los ingresos mundiales, mientras el 70% restante beneficiaba al 20% de la población. Los ingresos de los 61 millones de personas más ricas del mundo (el 1% de la población mundial) equivalen a los ingresos totales de los 3.500 millones de personas más pobres (el 56% de la población mundial)[8].", "25. La brecha entre ciudadanos ricos y pobres tanto en los países desarrollados como en los países en desarrollo también ha venido aumentando. Según un estudio reciente de la OCDE, la desigualdad de ingresos aumentó en casi todos los países miembros. En la mayoría de los países, los ingresos familiares del 10% más rico de la población aumentaron más rápidamente que los del 10% más pobre y, por consiguiente, se intensificó la desigualdad de ingresos; al mismo tiempo, el coeficiente de Gini aumentó en un 10% desde mediados del decenio de 1980 hasta fines del decenio de 2000[9]. El ingreso medio del 10% más rico de la población es unas nueve veces el del 10% más pobre.", "26. En la mayoría de los países persisten elevados niveles de desigualdad basada en el género, la etnia y la geografía. En los países en desarrollo, suele haber más niños con peso inferior al normal en los hogares más pobres y en las zonas rurales que en los hogares más ricos o en las ciudades y pueblos. En algunos de los países menos adelantados la probabilidad de que los niños de los hogares más pobres asistan a la escuela primaria es tres veces inferior a la de los niños de los hogares más ricos. En todo el mundo, el porcentaje de niñas que abandonan la escuela es muy superior al de los niños.", "Comercio internacional", "27. En 2010 el comercio mundial de bienes y servicios aumentó en casi un 12%, porcentaje mayor al destinado anteriormente lo que constituyó una sólida recuperación tras la abrupta caída del 11% en 2009. A finales de 2010 el volumen de las exportaciones mundiales de mercaderías había recuperado su nivel máximo anterior a la crisis, si bien se mantuvo muy por debajo de la tendencia a largo plazo. Se prevé que en 2011 y 2012 el crecimiento del comercio mundial será algo inferior, de aproximadamente un 7%. El temor principal tras la crisis era que pudiera aumentar el proteccionismo, cosa que no sucedió. Un cambio importante de las modalidades del comercio, fue el surgimiento de países en desarrollo, como la India y China, como principales propulsores del crecimiento del comercio mundial, y el aumento de los vínculos comerciales y económicos entre los países en desarrollo. Las economías emergentes también están generando nuevas fuentes de corrientes financieras e intercambios tecnológicos.", "28. A pesar de estas tendencias positivas, muchos países en desarrollo no consiguen integrarse totalmente en el sistema mundial de comercio ni aprovechar los beneficios de la expansión del comercio. La dependencia de una pequeña gama de exportaciones de materias primas, el limitado acceso a la financiación, la tecnología y los conocimientos especializados, y un marco normativo mundial desigual constituyen obstáculos importantes para esos países. La experiencia internacional indica que los países en desarrollo que dependen de las exportaciones de productos básicos suelen experimentar trastornos comerciales mucho más graves que los países con estructuras de exportación más diversificadas o que exportan productos manufacturados, que por lo general se ven mucho menos afectados por las conmociones en sus relaciones de intercambio y, por lo tanto, son menos vulnerables a las fluctuaciones económicas.", "Corrientes financieras: inversión extranjera directa, asistencia oficial para el desarrollo y remesas", "29. Tras alcanzar un nivel máximo de aproximadamente 1,2 billones de dólares en 2007, las entradas netas de capital privado disminuyeron a la mitad en 2008 y se redujeron aun mas en 2009, a unos 350.000 millones de dólares. La mayor caída se registró en el crédito bancario internacional a las economías emergentes, que en 2007 habían recibido entradas netas de 400.000 millones de dólares y en 2009 tuvieron salidas netas de más de 80.000 millones de dólares. Las entradas netas de capital privado hacia las economías emergentes comenzaron a recuperarse en 2010. Según las perspectivas para el resto de 2011 y para 2012, el mayor crecimiento de la producción y de las tasas de rentabilidad seguirá atrayendo más corrientes de capital hacia las economías emergentes. Los encargados de la formulación de políticas de los mercados emergentes están cada vez más preocupados por el efecto de los ingresos cuantiosos de capital en la apreciación de las monedas y la inflación de burbujas de precios de activos. Ante esta situación, los gobiernos de muchas economías emergentes están interviniendo en sus mercados de divisas para tratar de atenuar la volatilidad de las corrientes de capital con diversas medidas de control.", "30. Entre 2004 y 2010 la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo (AOD) aumentó en un 37% en términos reales. En 2010 se desembolsaron 128.700 millones de dólares (a precios corrientes), que equivalían al 0,32% del ingreso nacional bruto combinado de los miembros del Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo de la OCDE, mientras en 1998 la suma correspondiente había sido de 64.000 millones de dólares. A pesar de esas tendencias alentadoras a largo plazo, a corto plazo la crisis financiera y económica mundial ha repercutido gravemente en las finanzas de los países y, por consiguiente, en el porcentaje destinado a la asistencia para el desarrollo. El presupuesto para la ayuda se ha restringido, dado que muchos gobiernos donantes han recurrido a medidas de austeridad fiscal. Según la publicación de las Naciones Unidas Situación y perspectivas para la economía mundial, 2011, la frágil recuperación en los países desarrollados y la posible amenaza de una recaída en la recesión producen considerable incertidumbre respecto del nivel de las corrientes de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo en el futuro, y el suministro de asistencia es inferior al prometido por la comunidad de donantes. Los datos preliminares del Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo indican que en 2010 las corrientes de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo estuvieron unos 18.000 millones de dólares (en dólares de 2004 y ajustados en función del crecimiento) por debajo de las promesas anunciadas por los donantes en la Cumbre del Grupo de los Ocho celebrada en Gleneagles en 2005. África solo recibió una suma adicional de 11.000 millones de dólares (a precios de 2004) en vez de los 25.000 millones de dólares de aumento de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo neta prometidos en 2005.", "31. El número total de migrantes internacionales aumentó de 156 millones en 1990 a 214 millones en 2010. Las remesas contribuyen a reducir la pobreza porque permiten mejorar la salud y la educación de los miembros de la familia que permanecen en el país de origen. En total, las remesas disminuyeron en un 6,1%, de 336.000 millones de dólares en 2008 a 315.000 millones de dólares en 2009. Sin embargo, en la crisis actual las remesas han demostrado mayor capacidad de recuperación que las corrientes de capital privado, si bien algunos países de América Latina y Asia central resultaron más gravemente afectados que otros. Según estimaciones, en 2010 la entrada de remesas a los países en desarrollo fue de unos 325.000 millones de dólares.", "Alivio de la deuda", "32. En 2010, gracias a la recuperación mundial, la carga de la deuda externa de los países en desarrollo en su conjunto se redujo al 22% del producto interno bruto (PIB), es decir, disminuyó respecto del 24% del año anterior. El alivio de la deuda concedido a países de bajos ingresos en el marco de la Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados y de otras iniciativas multilaterales ha contribuido a reducir sustancialmente la carga de la deuda de esos países.", "33. Sin embargo, para los países de ingresos medios, en particular los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo, el alivio ha sido exiguo. La reducción de la salida de recursos de esos países es esencial para contrarrestar los efectos negativos de la crisis en sus economías. En 2008, unos 6.000 millones de dólares salieron de países de bajos ingresos hacia organismos multilaterales de crédito y acreedores bilaterales (para pago de capital e intereses)[10]. Las estimaciones del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo indican que en 26 países de ingresos bajos y medios la cancelación del servicio de la deuda con acreedores oficiales respecto de la deuda a largo plazo contraída hasta diciembre de 2008 liberaría en promedio unos 2.800 millones de dólares anuales hasta 2014[11].", "Problemas de endeudamiento en las economías desarrolladas", "34. Persisten graves inquietudes respecto de la tendencia en aumento al endeudamiento fiscal en las economías desarrolladas. En 2011, el coeficiente de endeudamiento fiscal en las economías desarrolladas ha superado el 100% del PIB, lo que ha ocasionado una nueva rebaja de la calificación de la deuda soberana de varios países. Como reacción, muchos se han comprometido a adoptar medidas de reducción del déficit fiscal, aunque no está claro si ello bastará para evitar las crisis de la deuda. Si el compromiso de reducir el déficit fiscal no es suficientemente fidedigno para reducir la deuda pública, las tasas de interés en los mercados financieros podrían aumentar, lo que aumentaría el riesgo de falta de pago. Por otra parte, si las medidas de austeridad son demasiado drásticas y se aplican en una etapa demasiado temprana de la recuperación económica, el crecimiento económico y el empleo se pueden resentir y el sector bancario, todavía frágil, puede debilitarse aun mas, lo que aumentaría el riesgo de falta de pago.", "Seguridad alimentaria", "35. La seguridad alimentaria está estrechamente ligada a los precios de los alimentos y a la volatilidad de esos precios. Los consumidores pobres se ven muy afectados por los precios elevados, porque una parte muy importante del presupuesto total de los hogares más pobres se destina a la alimentación. En el período transcurrido desde 2006 la volatilidad de los precios de los alimentos ha sido extrema. Los precios aumentaron bruscamente en 2006 y 2007; y los de algunos productos alimentarios alcanzaron su nivel máximo en el segundo semestre de 2007 y los de otros, en el primer semestre de 2008. En el caso de algunos productos, el aumento entre el precio medio de 2005 y el precio máximo fue de varios cientos por ciento. En el segundo semestre de 2008 los precios cayeron precipitadamente, aunque en casi todos los casos se mantuvieron a niveles iguales o superiores a los del período inmediatamente anterior al inicio de la subida. En 2010 se produjeron nuevos aumentos marcados de los precios de algunos alimentos y a principios de 2011 el índice de precios de los alimentos elaborado por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura se situaba nuevamente en el nivel máximo alcanzado durante la crisis de 2008.", "36. La volatilidad de los precios en el período 2007-2008 causó graves penurias a los pobres e influyó en gran medida en el aumento del número estimado de personas que padecen hambre en el mundo, de 820 millones en 2007 a más de 1.000 millones en 2009, con una reducción a unos 900 millones en la actualidad. Esta leve mejora se ve amenazada actualmente por un nuevo encarecimiento de los alimentos. Ni las respuestas nacionales a la crisis ni las internacionales han podido resolver totalmente el problema de la seguridad alimentaria.", "Medio ambiente y cambio climático", "37. Los cambios en el medio ambiente mundial no respetan las fronteras nacionales y constituyen uno de los desafíos más apremiantes de la globalización. En un mundo en globalización, con casi 7.000 mil millones de habitantes, que para 2050 serán más de 9.000 millones, es imprescindible definir una vía de desarrollo global sostenible que incluya un crecimiento económico de base amplia orientado a erradicar la pobreza al tiempo que se reconoce la necesidad de reducir sustancialmente el consumo de energía y de recursos.", "38. Uno de los dos temas principales de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible que se celebrará en 2012 en Río de Janeiro (Brasil) será el de una economía ecológica en el contexto del desarrollo sostenible y la erradicación de la pobreza. Se necesitan esfuerzos colectivos para lograr la transformación tecnológica hacia una economía global más ecológica, con empleos ecológicos, que incluya una transición energética mundial integral destinada a reducir la utilización de formas de energía no renovables. En la actualidad, el 90% de la energía se genera mediante tecnologías que utilizan combustibles fósiles, que producen aproximadamente el 60% de las emisiones de dióxido de carbono.", "39. En las últimas décadas los riesgos de desastres relacionados con el clima se han intensificado extraordinariamente. La frecuencia de las sequías, las inundaciones y las tormentas se ha quintuplicado en los últimos 40 años, y el promedio anual de desastres naturales ha aumentado de 69 en el decenio de 1970 a 350 en el decenio de 2000. Los desastres entrañan enormes costos económicos y sociales, especialmente en los países en desarrollo, que afectan a su capacidad para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, en particular el séptimo Objetivo, por cuanto más personas se desplazan desde las zonas propensas a desastres hacia zonas urbanas. Por ello, el número de habitantes de barrios marginales seguirá aumentando. Se estima que 828 millones de personas viven actualmente en barrios marginales urbanos, en comparación con 657 millones en 1990 y 767 millones en 2000.", "Tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones", "40. La tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones (TIC) facilita enormemente la globalización. A pesar de la contracción económica, el sector mundial de la TIC ha seguido creciendo, en gran parte debido al crecimiento sostenido en los mercados emergentes. La gran disparidad entre los países desarrollados y los países en desarrollo en lo que respecta a las tasas de acceso a Internet y las tasas de penetración de banda ancha ilustran la necesidad de asegurar que los países en desarrollo no queden excluidos de la sociedad de la información digital. La tasa media de penetración de los servicios móviles de banda ancha es 10 veces mayor en los países desarrollados que en los países en desarrollo, en los que el limitado número de líneas de telefonía fija también restringe el acceso mediante líneas fijas (por cable) de banda ancha. En África, por ejemplo, una tasa de penetración de menos del 1% demuestra los problemas que siguen dificultando la ampliación del acceso a Internet de alta velocidad en la región. En cuanto a los precios, los usuarios de los países desarrollados todavía gastan una parte relativamente mucho menor de sus ingresos (1,5%) en los servicios de TIC que sus pares de los países en desarrollo (17,5%)[12].", "IV. Crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo y creación de empleo", "41. El crecimiento económico es necesario para el desarrollo incluido el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. El logro de un crecimiento económico positivo constante es de por sí un desafío, pero puede ser particularmente difícil para los países en desarrollo en un mundo en rápido proceso de globalización en el que los beneficios y los costos de la globalización se distribuyen de forma desigual y la economía internacional se caracteriza por la volatilidad financiera y la inestabilidad económica.", "A. Crecimiento económico sostenido", "42. Por crecimiento económico sostenido se puede entender un crecimiento económico fuerte durante períodos largos. Según se ha visto, cuando los beneficios se distribuyen de manera justa y equitativa en toda la sociedad, el crecimiento económico sostenido es el medio más eficaz para reducir la pobreza. Las economías más diversificadas tienden a ser menos vulnerables a las conmociones externas, mantienen un crecimiento más rápido a lo largo del tiempo y distribuyen más ampliamente los ingresos entre la población.", "43. Algunos países de Asia oriental, a saber, China, el Japón, la República de Corea y Singapur han obtenido resultados particularmente satisfactorios en cuanto al logro de un crecimiento sostenido que ha dado lugar a una rápida reducción de la pobreza. Indonesia, Malasia, Tailandia, Viet Nam y otras economías de Asia sudoriental también han conseguido una reducción similar de la pobreza desde el decenio de 1980. El crecimiento sostenido también ha posibilitado las inversiones orientadas a la consecución de otros Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio.", "44. En los países de Asia oriental el crecimiento ha sido propiciado por políticas que promueven el cambio estructural, como las destinadas a reducir las desigualdades y mejorar la productividad agrícola mediante reformas agrarias; apoyar el desarrollo industrial; invertir en capital humano e infraestructura; aplicar una política comercial activa, incluidas la promoción de las exportaciones y la protección selectiva del comercio; y apoyar el desarrollo de la capacidad tecnológica y, al mismo tiempo, exponer las empresas gradualmente a la competencia mundial.", "45. La mayoría de los países que han logrado un crecimiento sostenido habían adoptado políticas heterodoxas que reflejaban sus respectivas circunstancias nacionales. También tenían en común la capacidad de alcanzar un buen nivel de coherencia entre los distintos ámbitos de las políticas económicas y sociales, y por lo general estaban en condiciones de plasmar un crecimiento económico de base amplia en todos los sectores mediante una transformación estructural.", "46. Sin embargo, no hay una solución única aplicable a todos. Las circunstancias y las condiciones iniciales de los países son diferentes, y la experiencia del pasado ha demostrado que existen muchos caminos para superar los obstáculos que dificultan el crecimiento y el desarrollo sostenidos. Lo que es apropiado para un país puede no serlo para otro. Es importante entender las limitaciones particulares que dificultan el crecimiento de cada país.", "47. Si bien la experiencia en diferentes países revela algunas características generales comunes de los países con crecimiento fuerte, el contexto particular de cada país determina formas peculiares en que esas características también pueden ser frustradas. La determinación de los obstáculos que se oponen al crecimiento de un país y la priorización y secuenciación de las reformas que podrían ser útiles dependen únicamente del contexto del país. Las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo se deben adaptar a las condiciones específicas de cada país, y un desafío importante es determinar las secuencias y las prioridades de las reformas orientadas al crecimiento. Los países en desarrollo pueden considerar la posibilidad de identificar otros países con estructuras y recursos similares, pero con mayores ingresos, a fin de determinar qué industrias o sectores impulsaron su crecimiento. Las enseñanzas adquiridas se pueden aplicar o adaptar a las circunstancias particulares de un país, o se pueden reproducir las estrategias de desarrollo apropiadas.", "B. Crecimiento económico inclusivo y equitativo", "48. El crecimiento económico sostenido no basta para que los beneficios del crecimiento se distribuyan debidamente entre todos los ciudadanos: para ello, el crecimiento ha de ser también inclusivo y equitativo. Las conclusiones de la Comisión de Crecimiento y Desarrollo indican que la inclusión, que ha de abarcar la equidad, la igualdad de oportunidades, la protección ante las transiciones del mercado y el empleo, es un componente esencial de toda estrategia de crecimiento provechosa[13].", "49. El crecimiento económico inclusivo supone que sus beneficios lleguen a los grupos de bajos ingresos, sobre todo a los que perciben los ingresos más bajos; a los sectores económicos pobres; a las personas y los grupos sociales desfavorecidos, incluidas las minorías étnicas y religiosas; y a las regiones geográficas marginadas. Por lo tanto, un crecimiento inclusivo deberá promover la equidad y la igualdad, incluida una mayor igualdad de ingresos.", "50. Un crecimiento económico más inclusivo y equitativo es particularmente importante para la reducción de la pobreza y el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Ese crecimiento facilita un avance más rápido hacia el logro de los Objetivos, por cuanto el aumento de los ingresos de las familias pobres permite financiar la educación, mejor alimentación y nutrición, y el acceso a agua limpia y a mejores viviendas. Además, reduce las tensiones sociales, que pueden ser una fuente de inestabilidad política y un obstáculo para la inversión. Se ha determinado que la desigualdad es un factor determinante importante de los conflictos civiles y armados en muchos países, conflictos que han provocado pérdidas de crecimiento y considerables retrocesos del desarrollo.", "51. En muchos países el crecimiento se ha concentrado con frecuencia en sectores que benefician a quienes ya perciben ingresos más altos, mientras los pobres, carentes de recursos o excluidos de las oportunidades del mercado, se ven atrapados en un proceso perpetuo que hace que la reducción de la pobreza y de las desigualdades resulte muy difícil. En general, los países con mayores niveles de desigualdad deben crecer mucho más rápidamente, o tardarán más en lograr el mismo grado de reducción de la pobreza que aquellos con menores niveles de desigualdad. Las tendencias anteriores a la crisis financiera y económica muestran que en un país en desarrollo típico de ingresos medios o bajos el crecimiento económico debe ser mucho más rápido que hace dos decenios para que se logre la misma tasa de reducción de la pobreza. Para acelerar la reducción de la pobreza el crecimiento debe ir acompañado de una distribución más equitativa de los ingresos, bienes y oportunidades.", "52. Una distribución equitativa de los recursos físicos y humanos sienta las bases para un crecimiento económico más ampliamente compartido. En muchos países, al comienzo del despegue económico, las reformas agrarias son fundamentales para lograr una distribución más equitativa de la tierra y las oportunidades de producción agrícola. Las políticas sociales que promueven la inclusión, como el acceso universal a la educación y a la atención de salud, también distribuyen el progreso en cuanto al desarrollo humano.", "53. América Latina proporciona ejemplos recientes de países que han conseguido reducir la desigualdad de ingresos. El período 2003-2008 se caracterizó no solo por el crecimiento económico sostenido, sino también por una tendencia leve pero clara hacia una menor concentración de los ingresos. En varios países de la región se registraron reducciones del coeficiente de Gini[14] superiores al 10%. A pesar de que la desigualdad en materia de ingresos en América Latina sigue siendo una de las mayores del mundo, la tendencia favorable de los últimos años indica que es posible mejorar la distribución de los ingresos.", "54. La tendencia positiva de la distribución de los ingresos está vinculada fundamentalmente con la dinámica del mercado laboral y las transferencias a los hogares y, en menor medida, con las variables demográficas que dan lugar a tasas de dependencia más bajas. El empleo creció más rápidamente que la oferta de mano de obra; en particular, el aumento del empleo en el sector estructurado de alta calidad y de tiempo completo y el aumento de los salarios por hora aportaron beneficios proporcionalmente mayores a los hogares de menores ingresos, por lo que disminuyó la brecha entre los ingresos medios por trabajador. Las transferencias a los hogares constituyeron otro factor positivo, por cuanto los cambios de esta fuente de ingresos produjeron aproximadamente la quinta parte de la reducción de la brecha de ingresos per capita en la región. Los factores que en el futuro podrían limitar el progreso hacia la igualdad incluyen la actual disparidad de acceso a la educación y la persistente transmisión intergeneracional de la desigualdad.", "C. Creación de empleo y trabajo decente en el contexto de la globalización", "55. La creación de empleo productivo y el trabajo decente son parte integral del crecimiento sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo. Los beneficios del crecimiento económico sostenido se vuelven inclusivos y equitativos y se traducen en mayores ingresos y mejores niveles de vida para un mayor número de personas principalmente de resultas del aumento de los niveles de empleo y las oportunidades de trabajo, salarios más altos y mejores condiciones de trabajo.", "56. En lo que respecta a la política sobre el mercado laboral y la creación de empleo, la globalización ha acarreado oportunidades y desafíos. Si bien las oportunidades de trabajo pueden aumentar a consecuencia de la intensificación del comercio internacional, la inversión extranjera directa y la migración internacional, las perspectivas y las normas de empleo se ven también amenazadas por el aumento de la migración de las zonas rurales a las zonas urbanas, los rápidos cambios tecnológicos y las normas laborales menos rigurosas adoptadas con el fin de atraer inversión extranjera y mejorar la competitividad internacional.", "57. En la actualidad, el máximo desafío consiste en abordar la situación del empleo tras la crisis financiera y económica mundial. Como se ha dicho, la crisis económica se ha transformado en una crisis de empleo a nivel mundial que en los países desarrollados entraña grandes pérdidas de empleos, y mayor desempleo y restricción salarial, y en los países en desarrollo se caracteriza por el subempleo, el crecimiento de la economía no estructurada, el aumento del empleo vulnerable y la pobreza de los trabajadores.", "58. Aun antes de la crisis actual los mercados de trabajo estaban deprimidos en la mayoría de los países. Si bien la economía mundial se está recuperando, el empleo va a la zaga de otros indicadores, y las oportunidades de trabajo pleno, productivo y decente siguen siendo limitadas. El desempleo elevado continúa afectando a numerosos trabajadores de los países desarrollados que atraviesan por una fase de crecimiento sin empleo. Aunque en muchos países en desarrollo se han recuperado los niveles totales de empleo anteriores a la crisis, se ha producido un aumento de los niveles de empleo de trabajadores pobres y de puestos de trabajo más vulnerables, como las actividades en el sector no estructurado y el empleo vulnerable.", "59. Un período prolongado de tasas de desempleo y subempleo altas entraña riesgos considerables para las normas laborales, incluso restricción salarial, especialmente en los contextos normativos que propician la flexibilidad del mercado de trabajo. Esos riesgos han aumentado con la liberalización de los mercados de trabajo, en cuyo contexto se han reducido o eliminado protecciones como el salario mínimo o los sindicatos. Dado que los trabajadores son más vulnerables en tiempos difíciles, cuando se permite a las empresas rebajar los salarios o despedir empleados para reducir costos, la flexibilidad del mercado de trabajo entraña inseguridad para los trabajadores, especialmente si no hay una protección social adecuada. En particular, los grupos que sufren discriminación y tienen menos opciones de empleo, como las mujeres, las minorías, los inmigrantes, las personas con discapacidad y las personas de edad, están más expuestas a quedar atrapados en lo que la Organización Internacional del Trabajo ha calificado de “trabajos sucios, peligrosos y degradantes”. Esto subraya la importancia de las instituciones del mercado de trabajo que protegen el empleo y mejoran las condiciones de trabajo de los grupos discriminados, así como de la valoración cualitativa del empleo cuando se determinan las tendencias del mercado de trabajo.", "60. Ahora más que nunca es importante promover la creación de empleo y el trabajo decente, tanto a corto plazo, en el período de recuperación, como a largo plazo, con el fin de propiciar un crecimiento económico más inclusivo y equitativo. A ese respecto, en el Pacto Mundial para el Empleo se reconoce la necesidad urgente de reducir los riesgos que suponen el desempleo de larga duración y el aumento del trabajo en el sector no estructurado, que son difíciles de revertir. El Pacto sitúa el empleo pleno y productivo y el trabajo decente como elementos fundamentales de la respuesta a la crisis, y sugiere una amplia gama de posibles respuestas normativas incluidas recomendaciones sobre políticas macroeconómicas anticíclicas, la limitación y prevención de la pérdida de empleos, la asistencia a las personas que buscan trabajo; la inversión en la capacitación de los trabajadores con miras a mejorar sus posibilidades de empleo, la creación de un clima favorable para las microempresas y las empresas pequeñas y medianas y, un entorno normativo propicio para la creación de empleo.", "61. Para que se pueda vincular la creación de empleo y de trabajo decente con un crecimiento económico sostenido y transformador que sea inclusivo y equitativo se requerirá una inversión de capital del sector privado y un aumento de la productividad de los trabajadores. Para ello la creación de empleo y de trabajo decente deben constituir una prioridad de la política y se debe crear un entorno propicio para la inversión y el desarrollo del sector privado. Esto incluye diversos elementos, como inversión en educación, salud y capacitación para aumentar las posibilidades de empleo de los trabajadores; estabilidad política; estabilidad macroeconómica (lo que supone atenuar los ciclos económicos mediante políticas anticíclicas); un sistema financiero sólido y eficiente; desarrollo de la infraestructura; y una gobernanza pragmática orientada al desarrollo, que incluya un sistema jurídico y normativo sólido y medidas destinadas a luchar contra la corrupción.", "V. Hacia una globalización más justa y equitativa para todos", "62. Una globalización más justa y equitativa para todos implica realizar sus beneficios potenciales y hacerlos más inclusivos y equitativos para todas las personas y países y, al mismo tiempo, minimizar los considerables costos, riesgos y vulnerabilidades que ha acarreado la globalización. Esto tiene repercusiones de alcance nacional e internacional.", "A. Plano nacional", "63. En el plano nacional, una globalización más justa y equitativa exige mejorar las condiciones y los niveles de vida, en particular de los pobres, y fomentar el aumento de las oportunidades y la igualdad. En el contexto de sus estrategias nacionales de desarrollo, los gobiernos deben aplicar políticas que den prioridad a un crecimiento sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo, a la creación de empleo y al trabajo decente. La comunidad internacional debe apoyar activamente a los gobiernos en este empeño mediante el establecimiento de un entorno internacional favorable.", "64. Un elemento común a los países que más éxito han tenido en el logro de un crecimiento sostenido, equitativo e inclusivo es una mayor coherencia entre las políticas económicas y las sociales. Las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo deben estar orientadas a ese objetivo, para lo cual es preciso adaptarlo a las circunstancias específicas de cada país, tener en cuenta las limitaciones de la economía mundial y establecer salvaguardias para la protección contra las conmociones económicas. Sin embargo, la actividad normativa mundial, especialmente en las áreas del comercio y las finanzas, ha limitado el espacio político para la aplicación de políticas nacionales de desarrollo. Por consiguiente, se necesitará mayor coherencia entre la formulación de políticas en el ámbito nacional y la gobernanza económica mundial.", "65. Otro elemento clave es un marco macroeconómico que respalde el crecimiento con creación de empleo y diversificación económica, y el fortalecimiento de la capacidad nacional para la aplicación de políticas. Aunque un crecimiento vigoroso requiere un entorno macroeconómico estable, muchos países han tenido dificultades para establecer y mantener ese entorno debido, en parte, a la liberalización de la cuenta de capital y la inestabilidad de los mercados de capital. Las políticas macroeconómicas también deben apoyar el crecimiento y la creación de empleo productivo, lo que exigirá que tales políticas sean anticíclicas, propicias a la inversión y favorables a los objetivos en materia de empleo, y se alejen del objetivo estrecho de mantener la inflación en un nivel muy bajo y salvaguardar el equilibrio fiscal a toda costa. Es decir, las políticas macroeconómicas se deben adaptar a los objetivos de desarrollo más amplios, incluida la inversión en educación, salud e infraestructura.", "66. Para que el crecimiento y el desarrollo sean verdaderamente inclusivos y equitativos es preciso aplicar políticas que apoyen el crecimiento dinámico en sectores de importancia para los pobres, como la agricultura y el desarrollo rural sostenibles; aplicar políticas sociales integrales y coherentes y ejecutar programas de protección social; y proteger los derechos humanos.", "B. Plano internacional", "67. En el plano internacional, una globalización más justa y equitativa para todos incluye el establecimiento de un entorno internacional general propicio que facilite el crecimiento y el desarrollo de los países en desarrollo y fomente su capacidad de obtener los beneficios y aprovechar las oportunidades de la globalización y, al mismo tiempo, los proteja de los riesgos y la inestabilidad que pueda producir la globalización.", "68. Los países en desarrollo se han beneficiado de las mejoras en algunos ámbitos del entorno internacional actual, especialmente el aumento de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo y el alivio de la deuda, pero los progresos se han estancado en otros ámbitos, como los del comercio, el acceso a los medicamentos y la tecnología, la migración y el cambio climático. Una mayor coherencia de las políticas internacionales concernientes a todos los aspectos del desarrollo es decisiva para el logro de un entorno internacional favorable y de una globalización más justa y equitativa.", "69. El logro de un crecimiento de base amplia, rápido y sostenido de los ingresos y del empleo entraña problemas de política cada vez más complejos. Por consiguiente, la comunidad internacional también debe ayudar a los países en desarrollo a aumentar su capacidad nacional para gestionar sus procesos de desarrollo.", "Cooperación para el desarrollo", "70. El Grupo de Tareas sobre el desfase en el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio ha propuesto medios para proporcionar con más eficacia la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo, incluso mediante compromisos plurianuales de asistencia para programas y la plena armonización con las estrategias nacionales de desarrollo y crecimiento inclusivo. Esos esfuerzos se deben fortalecer con la cooperación Sur-Sur y la filantropía. Además, aun se puede mejorar considerablemente la distribución y la asignación de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo. El volumen de la ayuda a los países menos adelantados no ha aumentado a un ritmo favorable en comparación con el volumen de la ayuda a otros países. La asistencia multilateral, con su capacidad de respuesta a las condiciones socioeconómicas básicas de los países menos adelantados, encierra la posibilidad de aumentar la equidad mejorando la distribución. Asimismo, se debe progresar más rápidamente en el marco de las agendas de eficacia de la ayuda aprobadas en los foros de alto nivel celebrados en Roma, París y Accra.", "71. La cooperación para el desarrollo se está transformando radicalmente y el fomento de la cooperación Sur-Sur y de la cooperación triangular, ofrece grandes posibilidades, dada la creciente influencia económica y política de las economías en desarrollo. Asimismo, los mecanismos de financiación innovadores pueden aumentar los recursos para el desarrollo, si bien no deben fragmentar más las estructuras de ayuda ni distraer la atención de la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo tradicional.", "Comercio y finanzas internacionales", "72. Para que los países en desarrollo se beneficien debidamente de la globalización es preciso reformar aun mas el sistema de comercio. El hecho de que no se hayan finalizado las negociaciones comerciales de la ronda de Doha orientadas al desarrollo sigue siendo la principal carencia en cuanto al cumplimiento de los compromisos relativos a un sistema de comercio más justo. Es esencial que se supere el actual estancamiento de las negociaciones y los países deben comprometerse, sin sacrificar el objetivo de beneficiar explícitamente a los países en desarrollo, a finalizar la ronda de Doha a la brevedad posible. El acceso de los países en desarrollo a los mercados apenas ha mejorado, por lo que es preciso seguir avanzando en la facilitación de acceso libre de derechos y cupos, en particular para los países menos adelantados.", "73. Se debe fortalecer más la Iniciativa de ayuda al comercio a fin de apoyar el desarrollo de la capacidad de comercio y producción de los países en desarrollo de manera compatible con las estrategias orientadas a la diversificación económica y el crecimiento sostenido. Se debe acelerar la reducción de los subsidios a las exportaciones y a la producción agrícola en los países desarrollados para aumentar las oportunidades de ingresos de los agricultores de los países en desarrollo. Además, la integración regional Sur-Sur ofrece un complemento prometedor que permite a los países aunar recursos, capacidad agrícola e industrial y destrezas. El proceso de reformas debe ayudar también a los países en desarrollo a obtener acceso a los mercados y las tecnologías de los países desarrollados, sobre una base preferencial y sin reciprocidad.", "74. La regulación financiera internacional y la reforma de la estructura financiera internacional constituyen también un desafío apremiante. Los intentos de fortalecer la regulación financiera y crear más espacio político nacional mediante los controles de capital están en conflicto con las normas de la Organización Mundial del Comercio relativas al comercio desregulado de servicios financieros con arreglo al Acuerdo General sobre el Comercio de Servicios. Es preciso examinar este asunto, especialmente en lo que respecta a los objetivos de la estabilidad financiera mundial y la reforma de la regulación financiera mundial. Dado que la expansión de los servicios financieros mundiales debe ir acompañada de arreglos reguladores sólidos, se necesita un proceso internacional independiente de supervisión de los mecanismos internacionales de regulación financiera, que tendría preeminencia en la formulación de normas.", "Alivio de la deuda", "75. Las modalidades ampliadas de reestructuración y alivio de la deuda son fundamentales para apoyar los esfuerzos en pro del desarrollo en los países agobiados por la deuda. La Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados ha concluido oficialmente, pero 18 países de ingresos bajos y medios bajos siguen en situación de alto riesgo o agobiados por la deuda, mientras que muchos otros tienen una elevada deuda pública[15]. La volatilidad de los mercados mundiales podría modificar rápidamente las perspectivas de sostenibilidad de la deuda. Puesto que aun hay países agobiados por la deuda, debería considerarse urgentemente la prórroga de la Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados, de manera que sea accesible a todos los países de bajos ingresos con problemas de endeudamiento, hasta tanto se elabore un marco más amplio para la renegociación ordenada de la deuda soberana que permita tener en cuenta los intereses de los deudores y los acreedores. Esta decisión de la Reunión Plenaria de Alto Nivel de la Asamblea General sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, celebrada en 2010, aún no se ha aplicado.", "Competencia en cuestiones tributarias y de inversión", "76. Con frecuencia los gobiernos se han visto motivados a proporcionar incentivos fiscales y de otra índole a las empresas multinacionales con el fin de atraer la inversión extranjera, lo que origina una tendencia a participar en una competencia en cuestiones tributarias que “empobrece al vecino”, o en una “carrera hasta el fin”, en cuyo marco los gobiernos suelen perder considerables ingresos fiscales. La mayor movilidad del capital ha estimulado la competencia en materia reguladora y tributaria, y el desmantelamiento generalizado de los controles del capital ha permitido a la industria financiera relocalizar activos en distintos países a efectos tributarios. Esto ha menoscabado la capacidad de las autoridades fiscales y financieras para llevar a cabo la supervisión financiera y la recaudación tributaria. El fortalecimiento de la cooperación internacional en materia tributaria y la armonización y coordinación de la regulación financiera entre los países podrían evitar dicha competencia en cuestiones tributarias. La cooperación internacional efectiva en el ámbito tributario también podría aportar importantes recursos adicionales para el desarrollo, que probablemente superarían el nivel actual de las corrientes anuales de asistencia para el desarrollo.", "Inseguridad alimentaria y financialización de los productos básicos", "77. En los mercados de productos básicos se ha observado una tendencia hacia una mayor “financialización”, que incluye la presencia creciente de inversionistas financieros en los mercados de futuros de productos básicos, y la creación por bancos de inversión de productos financieros centrados en productos básicos. Esto ha añadido una volatilidad considerable a los precios de los productos básicos, que ha afectado a consumidores y productores y ha agravado la inseguridad alimentaria en general. Se necesitan medidas para mejorar la transparencia de los mercados financieros y frenar la especulación con productos básicos.", "Migración", "78. A raíz de los cambios y los desequilibrios demográficos, un reexamen de la cooperación internacional en materia de migración reportaría grandes beneficios para todos los países. La migración, gestionada debidamente, con inclusión de la protección de los derechos de los migrantes, puede beneficiar a los países de origen, a las comunidades de acogida y los propios migrantes. Los países de donde proceden remesas deben establecer políticas orientadas a mejorar el flujo de las remesas y reducir el costo.", "Tecnología", "79. Es preciso fortalecer la cooperación internacional en las esferas del acceso a la tecnología y los conocimientos especializados con el fin de ampliar el acceso de los países en desarrollo a tecnologías apropiadas, especialmente las relativas a la salud, las comunicaciones y la lucha contra el cambio climático. Esto exige aumentar los incentivos que apoyan la innovación, y la financiación de investigaciones sobre propiedad intelectual y tecnologías específicas. También entraña facilitar la inversión en la infraestructura de la TIC, reducir el costo del acceso a las tecnologías y desarrollar los recursos humanos.", "C. Recomendaciones", "80. Un entorno internacional general que propicie el crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo, la creación de empleo, el trabajo decente y el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio es indispensable para eliminar las desigualdades de la globalización. Ese entorno debe incluir también una mayor coherencia y coordinación de las políticas para la gestión de la globalización y la ampliación del espacio político para los países en desarrollo.", "81. A ese respecto, y como un primer paso hacia el mejoramiento de la capacidad para gestionar la globalización de manera coherente e integral, la comunidad internacional tal vez desee examinar el asunto de la medición de la globalización, para lo cual habrá que seleccionar y aprobar un conjunto de instrumentos y medidas e indicadores estandarizados.", "82. La comunidad internacional puede también prestar mayor apoyo a una globalización justa y más equitativa para todos mediante:", "a) La promoción de mayor coherencia y coordinación a nivel internacional para prevenir y mitigar los efectos de futuras crisis financieras y contener los posibles efectos indirectos de la actual crisis de la deuda en los países desarrollados;", "b) La asistencia a los países en desarrollo para que aumenten su capacidad para gestionar sus respectivos procesos de desarrollo;", "c) La asistencia a los países en desarrollo para que formen capital y capacidad humanos por medio de la educación, la salud y el adiestramiento, no solo en los sectores orientados a la exportación, sino también, a fin de aumentar la inclusión y la equidad, en los sectores no comerciables;", "d) La promoción de la creación de fuentes de trabajo y el empleo productivo, el trabajo decente, las normas internacionales del trabajo, la igualdad entre los géneros y la inclusión y cohesión social mediante la intensificación de los esfuerzos dirigidos a aplicar el Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y a establecer niveles mínimos de protección social;", "e) Esfuerzos colectivos, incluso con los gobiernos nacionales, la sociedad civil y el sector privado, para hacer frente a los desafíos del desempleo y el subempleo;", "f) La asistencia a los países en desarrollo para que establezcan y fortalezcan una protección social universal con el fin de reducir la inseguridad y la vulnerabilidad económicas y para que aumenten la capacidad de los hogares para adquirir alimentos, mejorar la nutrición infantil, acceder a los servicios de salud y mantener a los niños en la escuela;", "g) El cumplimiento de los compromisos sobre la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo y la armonización del apoyo total, incluidos los compromisos relacionados con el alivio de la deuda, con las estrategias, instituciones y procedimientos nacionales de desarrollo de los países beneficiarios, y la armonización de las actividades de los donantes mediante la aplicación de disposiciones comunes y procedimientos simplificados para reducir la duplicación y aumentar la transparencia de la ayuda;", "h) Alivio de la deuda mediante la prórroga de la Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados de manera que beneficie a todos los países de bajos ingresos con problemas de endeudamiento, hasta tanto se elabore un marco más amplio para la renegociación ordenada de la deuda soberana que permita tener en cuenta los intereses de los deudores y los acreedores;", "i) Una conclusión provechosa y equilibrada de la ronda de Doha de negociaciones comerciales multilaterales de manera que las necesidades de los países en desarrollo constituyan el elemento principal y se prevean; medidas complementarias constantes de asistencia para el desarrollo del comercio;", "j) El establecimiento de un proceso internacional independiente de supervisión de los mecanismos internacionales de regulación financiera con el fin de introducir disposiciones reguladoras sólidas que acompañen la expansión de los servicios financieros mundiales;", "k) El fortalecimiento de la cooperación, la armonización y la coordinación de la regulación financiera internacional en cuestiones tributarias con el fin de contrarrestar las presiones hacia la competencia en cuestiones tributarias y la carrera hasta el fin en la competencia mundial por las inversiones y los mercados;", "l) El fomento de políticas y medidas para apoyar la transferencia de tecnología a los países en desarrollo, incluidas las tecnologías ecológicas, y establecer condiciones más favorables para esa transferencia en el marco de acuerdos comerciales multilaterales, incluidos mayores esfuerzos a nivel internacional para eliminar la brecha tecnológica mediante la financiación de actividades de investigación y desarrollo y la facilitación de la inversión en infraestructura de TIC;", "m) El aumento de la cooperación internacional en materia de migración, incluidas la gestión adecuada y la facilitación de las corrientes migratorias, la protección de los derechos de los migrantes y la determinación de formas de mejorar el flujo de remesas y reducir su costo.", "[1] Marcos Bonturi y Kiichiro Fukasaku, “Globalisation and intra-firm trade: an empirical note”, OECD Economic Studies núm. 20 (París, Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, primavera de 1993), pág. 146.", "[2] Fondo Monetario Internacional, Perspectivas de la Economía Mundial (Washington, D.C., mayo de 1997), cap. III, pág. 45.", "[3] Ekkehard Ernst y Verónica Escudero, “The effects of financial globalization on global imbalances, employment and inequality”, Documento de debate DP/191/2008 (Ginebra, Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Instituto Internacional de Estudios Laborales, 2008).", "[4] Report on the World Social Situation 2011: The Global Social Crisis (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.10.IV.12).", "[5] Carmen Reinhart y Kenneth Rogoff, “The aftermath of financial crises”, Working paper núm. 146546 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, enero de 2009).", "[6] Report on the World Social Situation 2010: Rethinking Poverty (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.09.IV.10).", "[7] Esta sección se basa en los volúmenes de World Economic Situation and Prospects publicados en 2009, 2010 y 2011 (publicaciones de las Naciones Unidas, números de venta: E.09.II.C.2, E.10.II.C.2 y E.11.II.C.2) y en los de Report on the World Social Situation publicados en 2010 y 2011 (publicaciones de las Naciones Unidas, números de venta: E.09.IV.10 y E.10.IV.12).", "[8] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, “Una nueva era de justicia social” (ILC.100/DG/1A), Memoria del Director General presentada a la centésima reunión de la Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo, 2011.", "[9] Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, “Growing income inequality in OECD countries: what drives it and how can policy tackle it?” OECD Forum on Tackling Inequality, París, 2 de mayo de 2011.", "[10] Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, ¿Qué se necesita para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio? Evaluación Internacional (Nueva York, junio de 2010).", "[11] Ibid.", "[12] Unión Internacional de Telecomunicaciones, Tendencias en las Reformas de las Telecomunicaciones 2010-2011: Propiciar el mundo digital del mañana, 11ª edición (Ginebra, 2011).", "[13] Comisión de Crecimiento y Desarrollo, The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development (Washington, D.C., Banco Internacional de Reconstrucción y Fomento/Banco Mundial, en nombre de la Comisión, 2008).", "[14] Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, La hora de la igualdad: brechas por cerrar, caminos por abrir (Santiago, mayo de 2010).", "[15] Véase, Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, ¿Qué se necesita ...? (véase la nota 10)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 21 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Globalization and interdependence: role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence", "Globalization and interdependence: sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth for a fair and more equitable globalization for all, including job creation", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report was prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/168. It reviews globalization in the wake of the global financial and economic crisis. It addresses economic growth and policies to make growth more sustained, inclusive and equitable in the broader context of globalization. The report links these matters with the goals of full employment and decent work, examining the issues of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and job creation in the broader context of globalization, particularly with respect to achieving a fairer and more equitable globalization for all.", "I. Introduction", "1. Globalization has been defined in various ways over the years. Generally, it involves economic integration — the transfer of policies across borders and the transmission of knowledge. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines globalization as a phenomenon of “increasing interdependence of markets and production in different countries through trade in goods and services, cross-border flows of capital, and exchanges of technology”.[1] The International Monetary Fund (IMF) uses a similar definition: “Globalization refers to the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through the increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services and of international capital flows, and also through the more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology”.[2]", "2. Globalization, measured in terms of movements of goods and services, including finance, has deepened over recent decades. Increased communications, driven by new information and communications technology (ICT), and technological progress in general have paralleled and further deepened these economic trends. While this has brought a large array of new opportunities and benefits, the increased interdependence that has accompanied these movements has left countries and their populations more vulnerable to external shocks and economic insecurity. Globalization has also been accompanied by rising inequality both within and among countries.", "3. Of particular importance is the globalization of finance, or financial globalization, with the progressive dismantling of controls over cross-border flows of capital usually complementing domestic financial sector deregulation. This has integrated domestic financial systems with international financial markets and institutions. Financial globalization was supposed to move capital from developed countries to developing countries (from the “capital rich” to the “capital poor”), lower the costs of capital — together increasing the availability of cheaper credit — and reduce the instability and volatility of their financial systems.", "4. However, the experience of the past two decades has raised significant doubts about the alleged benefits of financial globalization, as the world has witnessed net capital flows from developing countries to developed countries and more frequent financial crises with increased intensity, while the lower costs of capital cannot be clearly attributed to financial globalization. The crises in Scandinavia in the early 1990s, Asia and the Russian Federation in 1997-1998, Brazil in 1999, Ecuador in 2000, Argentina and Turkey in 2001 and Uruguay in 2002 are associated with financial globalization. More extreme boom-bust cycles have greatly reduced earlier income gains as financial crises have increased poverty.[3]", "5. The substantial drop in global economic growth, triggered by the recent global financial and economic crisis and recession, is also attributable to financial globalization. The rapid spread of the economic downturn from the epicentre to the periphery, through reduced trade and reversed financial flows and reflected in consequent increases in unemployment and poverty, is a dramatic reminder of increased vulnerability due to greater economic integration due to globalization.", "6. Thus, while achieving high, sustained rates of economic growth itself is difficult, globalization can make it even more challenging. The policy underpinnings of sustained, high growth should create an environment for high levels of investment and job creation, as well as social protection, inclusiveness and equity. Equally important is an enabling international environment conducive to growth in developing countries.", "7. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/168, the present report addresses the global financial and economic crisis from a recent historical perspective; developments in globalization, particularly since the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the themes of sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, job creation and decent work in the context of globalization, and actions and policies to move towards a fairer and more equitable globalization for all. The report concludes with recommendations.", "II. The global financial and economic crisis in recent historical perspective", "8. During 2008-2009, the world suffered the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This occurred when the world, particularly developing countries, was still reeling under the impacts of sharp rises in food and energy prices. Although a deeper and prolonged global recession was averted by unprecedented, large coordinated stimulus measures by major countries, several countries are still coping with its after-effects.", "9. While it is too soon to quantify with much accuracy the full impact of the crisis on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and on many social outcomes, the crisis has almost certainly contributed to rising unemployment in developed countries and more vulnerable employment in developing countries. At least 30 million jobs were lost worldwide between 2007 and the end of 2009 as a result of the global crisis, resulting in an estimated 212 million jobless people in 2009, up from the 178 million people unemployed in 2007. Vulnerable employment may have increased by up to 110 million people between 2008 and 2009, raising the total number from 1.5 billion to 1.6 billion. There has also been a sharp rise in the working poor — people earning less than the $1.25 a day international poverty line. Youth unemployment has also increased substantially in most countries, while job insecurity is definitely on the rise in most of the world.[4]", "10. Over the past three decades, the frequency and severity of financial crises seem to have worsened, usually preceded by large capital movements, rising commodity prices and interest rate hikes.[5] On average, it takes two years for output and 4.8 years for employment to recover to pre-crisis levels. The “jobless” recovery currently faced by the developed countries is also not uncommon in the recent history of business cycles. Since the 1950s, however, the time needed for employment levels to recover to pre-recession levels in developed countries has become successively longer.", "11. Much of this instability appears to be associated with the movement of private capital flows. History since the Second World War has witnessed three generalized economic boom-bust cycles in private capital flows to developing and emerging economies with severe setbacks to development, where periods of growth have alternated with prolonged periods of volatility and stagnation. The first boom-bust cycle started in the late 1970s and ended with the debt crisis, mainly in Latin America, in the early 1980s. The second boom started in the early 1990s and was followed by a series of balance-of-payments and debt crises in East Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. The third cycle started in the early years of the new millennium and ended in the second half of 2008 with the financial crisis.", "12. Since the debt crisis of the early 1980s, a combination of tight macroeconomic policies, privatization, rapid liberalization and deregulation — the so-called “Washington Consensus” — was presented to developing countries as a one size fits all policy basis on which to build a healthy economy and investment climate. Government-sponsored social programmes were diminished in favour of privatization and fiscal discipline. The macroeconomic improvements, however, did not result in sustained high economic growth. Rather, the spread of economic liberalization and fiscal consolidation programmes resulted in a significant shrinkage of policy space in developing countries. This lessened their ability to control rapid private capital flow reversals, with substantial amounts of capital withdrawn from the country in a very short period of time, or to counter the resulting financial turmoil and economic contraction, and to implement counter-cyclical financial and macroeconomic policies. The accompanying advance of deregulated financial globalization and the pro-cyclical nature of private capital flows also enhanced the risk of financial crises, experienced by many emerging market economies during the 1990s and 2000s.[6]", "13. Although there has been increased emphasis on effective social policies and well-functioning institutions to combat widespread poverty, ensure adequate provision of health care and education and address social exclusion since the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000, further measures since the late 1990s continued to liberalize financial sectors worldwide. While there are advantages to be derived from financial liberalization, developing countries have witnessed significant risks associated with macroeconomic instability and financial volatility stemming from asset bubbles, excessive risk-taking, financial imbalances and rapid withdrawal of private capital. The increasingly globalized world has yet to solve problems of financial volatility, economic instability and boom-bust cycles associated with unrestricted private capital flows, as well as the negative impacts of recurring financial crises.", "III. New and emerging developments in globalization[7]", "14. In the current aftermath of the global financial and economic crisis, one key question is whether the globalization trends will be the same or different compared with pre-crisis trends, and if they will be transient, permanent or an accentuation of pre-crisis levels. While it is still too early to come to any definitive conclusions about the nature of the trends since the crisis, it is useful to present a preliminary examination of some new and emerging developments.", "Economic growth", "15. The rapid global economic downturn of 2008-2009 severely disrupted economic growth worldwide and caused significant setbacks in the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The annual growth rate in global output fell from about 4 per cent during the period 2006-2007, to 1.6 per cent in 2008; the rate of growth in output dropped even further in 2009 to minus 2 per cent, with 95 countries experiencing declines in average per capita income.", "16. The world economy has been recovering unevenly, driven mainly by developing and emerging economies, but the rebound has been slow as most developed countries are still struggling. This slow recovery is likely to continue, with risks of a double-dip recession as countries shift to fiscal austerity before private demand recovers. An impending debt crisis in a number of European countries is also causing uncertainty. Output growth is feeble in many developed economies and, thus far, they have experienced a “jobless recovery”: at the current rates of growth, it could take another four or five years before employment is back to pre-crisis levels.", "17. The fast rise of emerging economies over the past few decades has resulted in a shift, where centres of global economic growth are now distributed across both developed and developing economies. The current post-crisis recovery and expansion continues to be led by the large emerging economies in Asia and Latin America, particularly Brazil, China and India. However, for these economies, the growth outlook is challenged by the spectre of rising inflation, due mainly to rising food and energy prices, emerging domestic asset price bubbles attributable to rapid capital inflows and related upward pressure on exchange rates.", "18. Economic activity has recovered across the least developed countries and other structurally weak economies, including landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, bolstered by a recovery in international trade and a rebound in commodity prices. Part of their ongoing recovery has been driven by increasing trade and economic links with the emerging economies. Yet, the current growth rates recorded by the least developed countries fall short of those sustained before the crisis and, in many countries, are below the level needed to have a significant impact on unemployment and poverty reduction.", "Income poverty", "19. In the past few decades, large strides were made in reducing poverty. Prior to the recent crises, the incidence of poverty worldwide had fallen 40 per cent since 1990. The economic crisis changed this perspective dramatically: according to United Nations estimates, between 47 and 84 million more people fell into, or remained trapped in, extreme poverty because of the crisis. The joint IMF-World Bank Global Monitoring Report 2010 estimates that an additional 64 million people had fallen into extreme poverty due to the economic crisis alone by 2010. The report also estimates that by 2015, 53 million fewer people will have escaped poverty due to the 2008-2009 recession, although the global Millennium Development Goal poverty target (halving the poverty rate) will be achieved.", "20. Although poverty reduction is improving globally, mainly due to rapid progress in China, there are divergent trends at the regional level. Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia and countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia region are not expected to reach the Millennium Development Goal poverty target. Poverty rates are highest in sub-Saharan Africa.", "Employment", "21. The number of unemployed stood at 205 million in 2010, essentially unchanged from a year earlier and 27.6 million higher than in 2007, with little hope for this figure to revert to pre-crisis levels in the near future. The global unemployment rate stood at 6.2 per cent in 2010, versus 6.3 per cent in 2009, but still well above the rate of 5.6 per cent in 2007. Rates of unemployment and underemployment (in the form of shorter working hours or involuntary part-time employment) are very high among young people (aged 15 to 24 years), in both developed and developing regions. At the end of 2009, there were an estimated 81 million unemployed young people and the global youth unemployment rate stood at 13.0 per cent. In some countries, youth unemployment has reached alarming heights.", "22. The estimate of the number of workers in vulnerable employment, defined as the sum of own-account workers and unpaid family workers, in 2009 is 1.53 billion people, an increase of more than 146 million since 1999. The highest shares of vulnerable employment are in South Asia (78.5 per cent of total employment in 2009), sub-Saharan Africa (75.8 per cent) and South-East Asia and the Pacific (61.8 per cent). In all regions, the vulnerable employment rate among women exceeds that of men.", "23. The proportion of the long-term unemployed has increased significantly in most developed countries since 2007. Economies experiencing persistent high unemployment and a subdued output recovery could become trapped in a protracted period of below-potential growth. The longer the period in which low growth and long-term employment continues, the higher the risk of cyclical unemployment becoming structural, further impairing potential growth in the longer term.", "Inequality", "24. World inequality, by many measures, is high and rising. While post-crisis data are not available, per capita income inequality across countries rose steadily before the crisis. The gap between the richest and poorest groups of countries has increased significantly. Although some developing countries and emerging economies have been growing much more rapidly than the richest countries, in general cross-country inequalities in terms of mean income continue to widen. On a global level, as at 2007, 80 per cent of the world’s population earned only 30 per cent of the world’s income, while 70 per cent accrued to the remaining 20 per cent. The world’s wealthiest 61 million people (1 per cent of the world’s population) have the same amount of total income as the poorest 3.5 billion (56 per cent of the world’s population).[8]", "25. The gap between rich and poor citizens within both developed and developing nations has also been growing. According to a recent study by OECD, income inequality increased in nearly all OECD countries. Household incomes of the top 10 per cent grew faster than those of the poorest 10 per cent in most of the countries, leading to widening income inequality, and the Gini coefficient increased by 10 per cent from the mid-1980s to the late 2000s.[9] The average income of the richest 10 per cent of the population is about nine times that of the poorest 10 per cent.", "26. Large levels of inequality persist in most countries based on gender, ethnicity and geography. In developing countries, children in the poorest households and those in rural areas have a greater chance of being underweight than children in the richest households or those in cities and towns. In some of the least developed countries, children in the poorest households are three times less likely to attend primary school than those in the richest households. Globally, girls account for a much higher percentage of school drop outs than boys.", "International trade", "27. World trade in goods and services expanded by almost 12 per cent in 2010, more than previously estimated, representing a strong rebound after the steep decline by 11 per cent in 2009. By the end of 2010, the volume of world merchandise exports had fully recovered to the pre-crisis peak, although it remained markedly below its long-term trend. Growth of world trade is expected to moderate to around 7 per cent in 2011 and 2012. The major change that was feared in the aftermath of the crisis was a rise in protectionism, which did not materialize. A major change in trade patterns was the emergence of developing countries, such as India and China, as major engines of trade growth worldwide, as well as increasing trade and economic links between developing countries. Emerging economies are also generating new sources of financial flows and technological exchanges.", "28. Despite these positive trends, many developing countries are unable to properly integrate into the global trading system or to reap the benefits of trade expansion. Their reliance on a narrow range of primary exports, weak access to financing, technology and know-how and an uneven global policy framework represent significant hurdles. International experience suggests that developing countries, dependent upon exports of primary commodities, face far greater trade shocks than countries with more diversified export structures or manufactured exports, which typically suffer much less from terms of trade shocks and hence are less vulnerable to economic fluctuations.", "Financial flows: foreign direct investment, official development assistance and remittances", "29. After peaking at about $1.2 trillion in 2007, net private inflows halved in 2008 and plunged further to about $350 billion in 2009. The sharpest drop was in international bank lending to emerging economies, with a total net inflow of $400 billion in 2007 becoming a net outflow of more than $80 billion in 2009. Net private capital inflows to emerging economies began to recover in 2010. In the outlook for the rest of 2011 and 2012, higher output growth and rates of return will continue to attract more capital flows to emerging economies. Policymakers in emerging markets have become increasingly concerned with the impact of large capital inflows in the form of appreciating currencies and inflation of asset bubbles. In response, Governments of many emerging economies are intervening in their currency markets and are attempting to dampen capital flow volatility through a variety of control measures.", "30. Official development assistance (ODA) increased by 37 per cent in real terms between 2004 and 2010. A total of $128.7 billion (in current prices), representing 0.32 per cent of the combined gross national income of members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, was disbursed in 2010, up from $64 billion in 1998. Despite these encouraging long-term trends, in the short term the global financial and economic crisis has been taking its toll on country finances and consequently the share allocated to development assistance. The aid budget has come under pressure as many donor Governments turned to fiscal austerity measures. According to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2011, the fragile recovery in developed countries and the threat of a possible double-dip recession create considerable uncertainty about the future volume of ODA flows, while aid delivery is falling short of commitments by the donor community. Preliminary data from the Development Assistance Committee show that ODA flows in 2010 fell about $18 billion (in 2004 dollars and growth adjusted) short of the commitments made by donors at the Gleneagles Group of Eight Summit in 2005. Africa received only an additional $11 billion (in 2004 prices) as opposed to the $25 billion increase in net ODA promised in 2005.", "31. The global number of international migrants increased from 156 million in 1990 to 214 million in 2010. Remittances contribute to poverty reduction by improving the health and education of family members who stay behind. Overall, remittances declined by 6.1 per cent, from $336 billion in 2008 to $315 billion in 2009. However, in the current crisis remittances have proven more resilient than private capital flows, although some countries in Latin America and Central Asia were more severely affected than others. In 2010, the inflow of remittances to developing countries was estimated at $325 billion.", "Debt relief", "32. Assisted by the global recovery, the external debt burden of developing countries as a group fell to 22 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, down from 24 per cent the previous year. Debt relief provided to low-income countries under the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative and multilateral debt relief initiatives has helped to reduce their debt burdens substantially.", "33. Middle-income countries, however, particularly small island developing States, have experienced little relief. Reducing the outflow of resources from these countries is essential to counteract the negative impact of the crisis on their economies. In 2008, there was an outflow of $6 billion from low-income countries to multilateral lenders and bilateral creditors (for principal and interest payments).[10] United Nations Development Programme estimates suggest that in 26 low- and middle-income countries, cancellation of debt service repayments to official creditors on long-term debt contracted until December 2008 would release about $2.8 billion each year on average to 2014.[11]", "Debt distress in developed economies", "34. Major concerns remain over the still-rising trend in public indebtedness in developed economies. The average public debt ratio for developed economies has already surpassed 100 per cent of GDP in 2011, triggering a further downgrading of several countries’ sovereign debt ratings. In response, many have committed to fiscal consolidation, but it is not clear that this will be enough to stave off debt crises. If the commitment to fiscal consolidation is not credible enough to bring down public debt, interest rates in financial markets may increase anyway, heightening the risk of default. If, however, the austerity measures are too drastic and come too soon during the economic recovery, economic growth and employment could suffer and the still fragile banking sector could weaken further, and thus also increase the risk of default.", "Food security", "35. Food security is closely linked to food prices and food price volatility. Poor consumers are severely affected by high prices, as food accounts for a very high share of the total budget of the poorest households. The period since 2006 has been one of extreme volatility in food prices. Prices rose sharply in 2006 and 2007, peaking in the second half of 2007 for some food products and in the first half of 2008 for others. For some products, the increase between the 2005 average and the peak was several hundred per cent. Prices then fell sharply in the second half of 2008, although in virtually all cases they remained at or above the levels in the period just before the price hikes began. Sharp rises in some food prices emerged again during 2010, and by early 2011 the food price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was again at the level reached at the peak of the crisis in 2008.", "36. One effect of the price volatility of 2007-2008 was that it caused grave hardship among the poor and was a major factor in the increase in the estimated number of hungry people in the world from 820 million in 2007 to more than a billion in 2009, falling to about 900 million at present. This modest improvement is now being threatened by renewed surges in food prices. Neither national nor international responses to the crisis were able to fully cope with the food security problem.", "Environment and climate change", "37. Changes in the global environment do not respect national boundaries and represent one of the most critical challenges of globalization. In a globalizing world of nearly 7 billion people, rising to over 9 billion by 2050, it is imperative to establish a global sustainable development path that includes broad-based economic growth for poverty eradication while recognizing the need to become far less energy- and resource-intensive.", "38. One of the two major themes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. Collective efforts are required to achieve the technological transformation to a greener global economy with green jobs, including a comprehensive global energy transition that reduces non-renewable energy usage. Presently, 90 per cent of energy is generated through technologies that utilize fossil fuels, responsible for about 60 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.", "39. Climate-related disaster risk has intensified dramatically over the past decades. The frequency of droughts, floods and storms has increased by a factor of five in the past 40 years, from an average of 69 natural disasters a year in the 1970s to an average of 350 in the 2000s. Disasters result in large economic and social costs, particularly to developing countries, affecting their ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including Goal 7, as more people move from disaster-prone areas to urban areas Thus, the number of slum dwellers will continue to grow. An estimated 828 million people currently live in urban slums, compared with 657 million in 1990 and 767 million in 2000.", "Information and communications technology", "40. Information and communications technology (ICT) is a strong facilitator of globalization. Despite the economic downturn, the global ICT sector has continued to grow, in large part owing to continued growth in emerging markets. The wide disparity between developed and developing countries in rates of Internet access and broadband penetration levels illustrates the need to ensure developing countries are not excluded from the digital information society. The average penetration level of mobile broadband services is 10 times higher in developed than in developing countries, where the limited number of fixed telephone lines also constrains the deployment of fixed (wired) broadband access. A penetration rate of less than 1 per cent in Africa, for example, illustrates the challenges that persist in increasing high-speed Internet access in the region. In terms of affordability, people in developed countries still spend relatively much less of their income (1.5 per cent) on ICT services compared with people in developing countries (17.5 per cent).[12]", "IV. Sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and job creation", "41. Economic growth is necessary for development, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Consistently achieving positive economic growth is a challenge, but it can be particularly difficult for developing countries in a rapidly globalizing world, where the benefits and costs of globalization are unevenly distributed and the international economy is filled with financial volatility and economic instability.", "A. Sustained economic growth", "42. Sustained economic growth can be understood as strong economic growth over prolonged periods. When the benefits are shared fairly and equitably throughout society, sustained economic growth has been shown to be the most effective means for reducing poverty. More diversified economies tend to be less vulnerable to external shocks, sustain faster growth over time and spread income more broadly among the population.", "43. Countries in East Asia — China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore — have been particularly successful in achieving sustained growth resulting in rapid poverty reduction. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam and other economies of South-East Asia have also seen a similar dramatic reduction of poverty since the 1980s. Sustained growth has also made it possible to carry out investments for achieving other Millennium Development Goals.", "44. Among East Asian countries, growth has been supported by policies promoting structural change, such as reducing inequality and improving agricultural productivity through agrarian reforms; supporting industrial development; investing in human capital and infrastructure; conducting an active trade policy, including export promotion and selective trade protection; and supporting the development of technological capacity while exposing firms gradually to global competition.", "45. Of the countries that have been successful in achieving sustained growth, most have adopted heterodox policies that reflected their national conditions. They have also had in common an ability to achieve a fair degree of coherence across different domains of economic and social policies, and have generally been able to shape economic growth to be broadly based across sectors through structural transformation.", "46. Yet, there is no one size fits all solution. Country contexts and initial conditions differ, and past experiences have shown that there exist many pathways to overcoming obstacles to sustained growth and development. What is appropriate for one country might not work for another. Understanding a country’s particular constraints to growth is important.", "47. While cross-country experience gives some general shared features of countries with strong growth, the particular country context determines unique ways in which those features could also be hindered. Knowing the barriers to growth in a country and the prioritization and sequencing of reforms that could work depends uniquely on the country context. National development strategies have to be tailored to country-specific conditions, and the sequencing and prioritization of reforms for growth is a significant challenge. Developing countries may consider identifying other countries with similar endowment structures but higher incomes in order to determine what industries or sectors triggered growth. Lessons may be applied or adapted to the unique circumstances of a country and by replicating appropriate development strategies.", "B. Inclusive and equitable economic growth", "48. Sustained economic growth by itself is not sufficient to ensure that the benefits of growth are adequately shared among all citizens: for this, growth also needs to be inclusive and equitable. The findings of the Commission on Growth and Development suggest that inclusiveness — defined to encompass equity, equality of opportunity and protection in market and employment transitions — is an essential ingredient of any successful growth strategy.[13]", "49. Inclusive economic growth implies that its benefits reach low income groups, particularly those earning the lowest incomes; poor economic sectors; deprived social groups and peoples, including ethnic or religious minorities; and marginalized geographical regions. Therefore, growth that is inclusive should enhance fairness and equality, including greater income equality.", "50. Economic growth that is more inclusive and equitable is particularly important for reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It facilitates faster progress towards achievement of the Goals, as increased incomes among poor families translate into affording education expenses, better food and nutrition, access to clean water and improved housing. It also mitigates social tensions that can be a source of political instability and a barrier to investment. Inequality has been found to be an important determinant of civil and armed conflicts in many countries, and such conflicts have subsequently caused growth collapses and major reversals of development gains.", "51. In many countries, growth has often been concentrated among sectors that benefit those who already have higher incomes, while the poor who lack resources or are excluded from market opportunities are caught in a self-perpetuating process that makes reducing poverty and inequality a difficult challenge. In general, countries with higher levels of inequality need to grow much more rapidly, or take much longer, to achieve the same degree of poverty reduction as those with lower levels of inequality. Trends before the financial and economic crisis show that, for a typical lower middle-income developing country, much more rapid economic growth is needed to achieve the same rate of poverty reduction than two decades ago. To accelerate poverty reduction, growth must be accompanied by a more equal distribution of income, assets and opportunities.", "52. An equitable distribution of physical and human resources provides the basis for more broadly shared economic growth. Land and agrarian reforms are central to a more equitable distribution of land and agricultural production opportunities at the start of the economic take-off of many countries. Social policies that promote inclusiveness, such as universal access to education and health care, also spread improvements in human development.", "53. A recent example of countries decreasing income inequality comes from Latin America. The period 2003-2008 was characterized not only by sustained economic growth but also by a slight but clear trend towards a lesser concentration of income. Several countries of this region recorded declines exceeding 10 per cent in the Gini coefficient.[14] While income inequality in Latin America is still among the highest in the world, the favourable trend in recent years shows that income distribution can be improved.", "54. The positive trend in income distribution was linked primarily to labour market dynamics and transfers to households and, to a lesser extent, to demographic variables resulting in lower dependency rates. Employment grew faster than the labour supply and, in particular, the increase in formal, high-quality and full-time jobs and rising hourly wages were of proportionately greater benefit to lower-income households, resulting in a narrowing of the gap in average incomes per worker. Another positive factor was household transfers, where changes in this income source accounted for roughly one fifth of the reduction in the per capita income gap across the region. Factors that could constrain future progress towards equality include the current inequality in access to education and the continued intergenerational transmission of inequality.", "C. Job creation and decent work in the context of globalization", "55. Productive job creation and decent work are an integral part of sustained, inclusive and equitable growth. It is primarily through increases in employment levels and job opportunities, higher wages and better working conditions that the benefits of sustained economic growth become inclusive and equitable, and are translated into higher incomes and better living standards for greater numbers of people.", "56. Globalization has presented both opportunities and challenges to labour market policy and job creation. While job opportunities can be improved through increased international trade, foreign direct investment and international migration, employment prospects and standards are also challenged by increased rural-urban migration, rapidly changing technology and lower labour standards to attract foreign investment and enhance international competitiveness.", "57. Currently, the greatest challenge is coping with the employment situation in the aftermath of the global financial and economic crisis. As previously mentioned, the economic crisis has morphed into a global jobs crisis involving widespread job losses, increased unemployment and wage repression in developed countries, and underemployment, a growing informal economy, increased vulnerable employment and working poverty in developing countries.", "58. Labour markets were sluggish in most countries even before the current crisis. Although the global economy is recovering, employment lags behind other indicators, and opportunities for full, productive and decent work remain limited. High unemployment continues to affect many workers in developed countries experiencing jobless growth. Although aggregate employment levels are back to pre-crisis levels in many developing countries, there has been a rise in the employment levels of the working poor and of more vulnerable types of jobs, such as informal and vulnerable employment.", "59. A prolonged period of high unemployment and underemployment poses significant risks to labour standards, including wage repression, particularly under labour laws that encourage labour market flexibility. These risks have increased with the liberalization of labour markets, where protections, such as minimum wages or labour unions, have been diminished or eliminated. Since workers are more vulnerable in bad times, when firms are allowed to cut wages or lay off employees to reduce costs, labour market flexibility translates into insecurity for workers, especially in the absence of adequate social protection. In particular, groups who suffer from discrimination and have fewer job choices, such as women, minorities, immigrants, persons with disabilities and older workers, are at increased risk of becoming entrapped in what the International Labour Organization has termed “dirty, dangerous and demeaning jobs”. This underlines the importance of labour market institutions that protect jobs and improve the working conditions of discriminated groups, as well as of measuring employment quality when assessing employment trends.", "60. Promoting job creation and decent work is more important than ever, in both the short term, during the recovery period, and in the long term, in order to make economic growth more inclusive and equitable. In this regard, the Global Jobs Pact recognizes the urgent need to reduce the risk of long-term unemployment and increased informal work, which are difficult to reverse. The Pact puts full and productive employment and decent work at the heart of the crisis response, suggesting a wide range of potential policy responses, including recommendations for counter-cyclical macroeconomic policy measures, limiting and avoiding job losses, assisting job seekers, investing in development of workers’ skills to improve employability, ensuring a favourable environment for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and a regulatory environment conducive to job creation.", "61. Linking job creation and decent work to a transformational sustained economic growth that is inclusive and equitable will also require private sector capital investment and rising worker productivity. This requires making job creation and decent work a policy priority, accompanied by an enabling environment for private sector investment and development. This involves multiple elements, including investment in education, health and skills to increase the employability of workers; political stability; macroeconomic stability (meaning moderating business cycles by counter-cyclical policies); a sound and efficient financial system; infrastructure development; and pragmatic development-friendly governance, including a sound legal and regulatory system and measures to control corruption.", "V. Towards a fair and more equitable globalization for all", "62. A fair and more equitable globalization for all implies realizing its potential benefits and making them more inclusive and equitable for all individuals and countries, while minimizing the considerable costs, risks and vulnerabilities that globalization has created. This has implications at both the national and international levels.", "A. National level", "63. At the national level, a fair and more equitable globalization means improving living conditions and standards, particularly of the poor, and fostering increased opportunity and equality. Through their national development strategies, Governments should implement policies that prioritize sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, job creation and decent work. They should be actively supported in this endeavour by the international community through the establishment of a supportive international enabling environment.", "64. The countries that are more successful in achieving sustained, equitable and inclusive growth have had in common increased coherence across economic and social policies. National development strategies must pursue this objective, tailoring it to country-specific conditions, considering the constraints of the global economy and building safeguards against economic shocks. However, global rules-setting, especially in the areas of trade and finance, have limited the policy space for conducting national development policies. Greater coherence will be needed therefore between policymaking in the national arena and global economic governance.", "65. Another key element is a macroeconomic framework that supports growth with job creation and economic diversification, and the strengthening of national capacities for policy implementation. While a stable macroeconomic environment is necessary for robust growth, it has been difficult for many countries to achieve and maintain owing, in part, to capital account liberalization and instability in capital markets. Macroeconomic policies also need to support growth and productive employment creation, which would require such policies to be counter-cyclical, pro‑investment and sensitive to employment objectives, and move away from a narrow focus on keeping inflation at a very low level and maintaining fiscal balance at any cost. That is, macroeconomic policies should be aligned with broader development objectives, including investment in education, health and infrastructure.", "66. For growth and development to be truly inclusive and equitable, it is necessary to implement policies that support dynamic growth in sectors that are relevant to the poor, such as sustainable agriculture and rural development; implement comprehensive and coherent social policies and social protection programmes; and protect human rights.", "B. International level", "67. At the international level, a fair and more equitable globalization for all includes the forging of a comprehensive international enabling environment to facilitate growth and development of developing countries and their capacity to benefit from and take advantage of the opportunities associated with globalization while shielding them from globalization’s risks and instabilities.", "68. Developing countries have benefited from improvements in some areas of the current international environment, notably increased ODA and debt relief, but progress in others is stagnating, for example trade, access to medicines and technology, migration and climate change. Enhanced international policy coherence across the broad spectrum of development is critical for creating an international enabling environment and a fair and more equitable globalization.", "69. Achieving broad-based, rapid and sustained growth in incomes and employment involves policy challenges that are increasingly complex. The international community must therefore also assist developing countries to increase their national capacity to manage their development processes.", "Development cooperation", "70. The Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force has suggested ways to deliver ODS more effectively, including through multi-year commitments for programmable assistance and full alignment with national development and inclusive growth strategies. These efforts should be reinforced with South-South cooperation and philanthropy. There is also much scope for improving the distribution and allocation of ODA. Aid to least developed countries has not been increasing at a favourable rate compared with countries that are not among the least developed. Given its responsiveness to the underlying socio-economic conditions of least developed countries, multilateral aid has the potential to increase equity by improving its distribution. Faster progress should also be made under the agendas on aid effectiveness adopted at the high-level forums held in Rome, Paris and Accra.", "71. Development cooperation is undergoing a radical transformation, and there is great potential in facilitating South-South and triangular cooperation, reflecting the growing economic and political influence of developing economies. As well, innovative financing has the potential to increase resources for development, but should not fragment the aid architecture further or distract attention from traditional ODA.", "International trade and finance", "72. Additional trade reform is needed if developing countries are to benefit adequately from globalization. The failure to complete a development-oriented Doha Round of trade negotiations remains the largest gap in delivery on commitments for a fairer trading system. Moving the negotiations out of the present impasse is critical and countries should undertake, without sacrificing the ambition to deliver benefits explicitly to developing countries, to complete the Doha Round as soon as possible. Market access for developing countries is little improved and further progress needs to be made in providing duty- and quota-free access, particularly to least developed countries.", "73. The Aid for Trade Initiative needs to be strengthened further in order to support the development of the trading and production capacities of developing countries in ways that are consistent with strategies aimed at economic diversification and sustained growth. The reduction of export and agricultural production subsidies in developed countries needs to be accelerated in order to enhance income opportunities for farmers in developing countries. In addition, South-South regional integration offers a promising complement, allowing countries to pool resources, agricultural and industrial capacities, and skills. The reform process should also assist developing countries to secure access to the markets and technologies available in developed countries on a non-reciprocal and preferential basis.", "74. International financial regulation and reform of the existing international financial architecture is also a pressing challenge. Attempts at strengthening financial regulation and creating more national policy space through capital controls are in tension with rules of the World Trade Organization regarding liberal trade of financial services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. This needs to be addressed, particularly with respect to the objectives of global financial stability and financial regulatory reforms. Since expanding global financial services need to be accompanied by robust regulatory arrangements, there is need for an independent international process overseeing international financial regulatory mechanisms that would take precedence in rule-setting.", "Debt relief", "75. Enhanced debt restructuring and relief modalities are critical for supporting development efforts in debt-distressed countries. The HIPC framework for poor countries has formally come to an end, but 18 low and lower-middle-income countries remain at high risk or are in debt distress, while many more have high public debt ratios.[15] Volatile global markets could also quickly change the outlook for debt sustainability. Given continued debt distress, extension of the HIPC initiative should be urgently considered, making it accessible to all low-income countries with debt problems, while a more comprehensive framework is developed for orderly sovereign debt workouts which takes into account the interests of both debtors and creditors. This decision of the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals still remains unaddressed.", "Tax and investment competition", "76. Often Governments have been motivated to provide tax and other incentives to multinational companies in order to attract foreign investment, resulting in a tendency to engage in a “beggar thy neighbour” tax competition, or a “race to the bottom” where Governments tend to lose out on significant tax revenue. Heightened capital mobility has also stimulated regulatory and tax competition, where the widespread dismantling of capital controls has facilitated the financial industry to engage in the international relocation of assets for tax purposes. This has resulted in a diminished ability of tax and financial authorities to carry out financial supervision and tax collection. Strengthened international tax cooperation, harmonization and financial regulatory coordination among countries could prevent such tax competition. Effective international tax cooperation may also yield significant additional resources for development, possibly exceeding the present level of annual flows of development assistance.", "Food insecurity and the financialization of commodities", "77. Commodity markets have seen a tendency towards greater “financialization”, including the growing presence of financial investors on commodity futures exchanges and investment bankers developing commodity-led financial products. This has added considerable volatility to commodity prices, affecting consumers and producers, and has increased overall food insecurity. Actions are needed to improve transparency of financial markets and to curb speculation on commodities.", "Migration", "78. All countries have much to gain from reconsidering international cooperation on migration, given demographic changes and imbalances. If properly managed, including protecting the rights of migrants, migration can bring benefits to origin countries, host communities and migrants themselves. Policies should be established by remittance-sending countries to improve the flow and reduce the cost of remittances.", "Technology", "79. International cooperation should be strengthened in the areas of access to technologies and know-how to increase access by developing countries to appropriate technologies, including those for health, communications and combating climate change. This involves strengthening incentives that support innovation and financing research on intellectual property and context-specific technologies. It also involves facilitating investment in ICT infrastructure, cheaper access to technologies and human resources development.", "C. Recommendations", "80. A comprehensive international enabling environment for sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, job creation, decent work and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is essential to eliminate the inequities of globalization. Such an enabling environment would also include increased policy coherence and coordination in terms of managing globalization and enhancing the policy space for developing countries.", "81. In this regard, and as a first step towards enhancing the ability to manage globalization in a coherent and comprehensive manner, the international community may wish to address the issue of the measurement of globalization, identifying and agreeing upon a set of tools and standardized measurements and indicators.", "82. The international community can also provide further support to a fair and more equitable globalization for all through:", "(a) Promoting greater policy coherence and coordination at the international level to prevent and mitigate the effects of future financial crises and to contain possible spill-over effects from the current debt crisis in developed countries;", "(b) Assisting developing countries to increase their capacity to manage their respective development processes;", "(c) Assisting developing countries to engage in building human capital and capacity through education, health and job training, not only in their export-oriented sectors but also, so as to enhance inclusiveness and equity, in their non-tradable sectors;", "(d) Promoting job creation and productive employment, decent work, international labour standards, gender equality and social inclusion and cohesion, through the redoubling of efforts towards implementing the Global Jobs Pact and establishing social protection floors;", "(e) Undertaking collective efforts, including with national Governments, civil society and the private sector, to address the challenges of unemployment and underemployment;", "(f) Assisting developing countries to establish and strengthen universal social protection in order to reduce economic insecurity and vulnerability, and enhance household capacity to acquire food, improve child nutrition, access health services and keep children in school;", "(g) Adhering to ODA commitments and aligning overall support, including debt relief commitments, to recipient countries’ national development strategies, institutions and procedures, with donors harmonizing their actions by implementing common arrangements and simplification procedures to reduce duplication and enhance the transparency of aid;", "(h) Providing debt relief by extending the HIPC initiative to all low income countries with debt problems, while a more comprehensive framework is developed for orderly sovereign debt workouts that takes into account the interests of both debtors and creditors;", "(i) Completing a successful and balanced conclusion to the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations that places the needs of developing countries at its centre and provides for complementary ongoing aid-for-trade measures;", "(j) Establishing an independent international process overseeing international financial regulatory mechanisms so as to put in place robust regulatory arrangements to accompany expanding global financial services;", "(k) Strengthening international tax cooperation, harmonization and financial regulatory coordination in order to counteract the pressures towards tax competition and the “race to the bottom” in the global competition for investments and markets;", "(l) Promoting policies and measures to support and provide more favourable terms for technology transfer, including green technology, to developing countries under multilateral trade agreements, including more efforts at the international level to bridge technology gaps by funding research and development and facilitating investment in ICT infrastructure;", "(m) Enhancing international cooperation on migration, including the proper management and enabling of migration flows, protecting the rights of migrants and finding ways to improve the flow and reduce the cost of remittances.", "[1] Marcos Bonturi and Kiichiro Fukasaku, “Globalisation and intra-firm trade: an empirical note”, OECD Economic Studies No. 20 (Paris, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Spring 1993), p. 146.", "[2] International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (Washington, D.C., May 1997), chap. III, p. 45.", "[3] Ekkehard Ernst and Verónica Escudero, “The effects of financial globalization on global imbalances, employment and inequality”, Discussion paper DP/191/2008 (Geneva, International Labour Organization, International Institute for Labour Studies, 2008).", "[4] Report on the World Social Situation 2011: The Global Social Crisis (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.IV.12).", "[5] Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, “The aftermath of financial crises”, Working paper No. 146546 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, January 2009).", "[6] Report on the World Social Situation 2010: Rethinking Poverty (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.09.IV.10).", "[7] This section draws on World Economic Situation and Prospects published in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (United Nations publications, Sales Nos. E.09.II.C.2, E.10.II.C.2 and E.11.II.C.2) and Report on the World Social Situation published in 2010 and 2011 (United Nations publications, Sales Nos. E.09.IV.10 and E.10.IV.12).", "[8] International Labour Organization, “A new era of social justice” (ILC.100/DG/1A), report of the Director-General to the International Labour Conference, 100th Session, 2011.", "[9] Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Growing income inequality in OECD countries: what drives it and how can policy tackle it?” OECD Forum on Tackling Inequality, Paris, 2 May 2011.", "[10] United Nations Development Programme, What Will It Take to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals? An International Assessment (New York, June, 2010).", "[11] Ibid.", "[12] International Telecommunication Union, Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2010/11: Enabling Tomorrow’s Digital World, 11th ed. (Geneva, 2011).", "[13] Commission on Growth and Development, The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development (Washington, D.C., International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank, on behalf of the Commission, 2008).", "[14] Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Time for equality: closing gaps, opening trails (Santiago, May 2010).", "[15] See United Nations Development Programme, What will it take (see footnote 10)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 21 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Globalization and interdependence: role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence", "* A/66/150.", "Globalization and interdependence: sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth for a fair and more equitable globalization for all, including job creation", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report has been prepared in response to General Assembly resolution 65/168. Globalization is reviewed on the basis of the impact of the global financial and economic crisis. In addition, economic growth and policies are analysed to make growth more sustained, inclusive and equitable in the broader context of globalization. The report links these issues with the objectives of full employment and decent work, and examines sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and employment creation in the broader context of globalization, especially with regard to achieving a more just and equitable globalization for all.", "I. Introduction", "1. Over the years there have been various definitions of globalization. It is generally economic integration, that is, the transfer of policies across borders and the transmission of knowledge. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines globalization as a phenomenon of growing interdependence of markets and the production of different countries through trade in goods and services, cross-border capital flows and the exchange of technology[1]. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) uses a similar definition, in the light of which the growing economic interdependence of countries at the global level is understood as globalizing the increasing volume and diversity of cross-border transactions of goods and services and international capital flows, as well as the faster and wider diffusion of technology[2].", "2. Globalization, a measure based on the movement of goods and services, in particular finance, has deepened in recent decades. The increase in communications, driven by the new information and communication technology (ICT), as well as technological progress in general, have gone along with these economic trends and deepened them. While this has led to a wide range of new opportunities and benefits, the increased interdependence produced by these movements has increased the vulnerability of countries and their populations to external shocks and economic insecurity. Globalization has also been accompanied by increased inequality within and among countries.", "3. Globalization of finance, or financial globalization, is particularly important because of the progressive dismantling of controls on cross-border capital flows that often complement the deregulation of the domestic financial sector. This has led to the integration of national financial systems into international financial institutions and markets. Financial globalization was expected to encourage the transfer of capital from developed countries to developing countries (from “rich in capital” to “poor capital”), reduce the cost of capital, as it would increase the availability of cheaper credit, and moderate the instability and volatility of financial systems.", "4. However, the experience of the past two decades has raised considerable doubts about the supposed benefits of financial globalization, as the world has witnessed the net flows of capital from developing countries to developed countries, as well as more frequent and more intense financial crises, while the lower costs of capital cannot be attributed to financial globalization. The crises of Scandinavian countries in the early 1990s, Asia and the Russian Federation in 1997-1998, Brazil in 1999, Ecuador in 2000, Argentina and Turkey in 2001 and Uruguay in 2002 are related to financial globalization. The most extreme cycles of expansion and contraction have greatly offset the previous increase in income, and the financial crises have aggravated poverty.[3]", "5. The significant reduction in global economic growth, caused by the financial and economic crisis and the recent global recession, is also attributable to financial globalization. The rapid spread of the economic crisis from the epicentre to the periphery due to the contraction of trade and the investment of financial flows, reflected in the consequent increase in unemployment and poverty, is a clear reminder that vulnerability has increased due to the increased economic integration resulting from globalization.", "6. Thus, while achieving high and sustained economic growth rates is difficult in itself, globalization can make it even more difficult. The policy foundations for high and sustained growth should create an enabling environment at high levels of investment and employment creation, as well as social protection, inclusion and equity. It is equally important that there be an international environment conducive to growth in developing countries.", "7. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/168, the present report reviews the global financial and economic crisis from a recent historical perspective, the evolution of globalization, especially since the 2008-2009 economic crisis, the issues of sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, job creation and decent work in the context of globalization, and measures and policies to move towards a more just and equitable globalization for all. Recommendations are made at the end of the report.", "II. The global financial and economic crisis from a recent historical perspective", "8. In 2008-2009 the world suffered the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This occurred when the world, especially developing countries, was still shocked by the impact of marked increases in food and energy prices. While the quantitative, coordinated and unprecedented stimulus measures adopted by the richest countries prevented a deeper and longer global recession, several countries are still affected by the aftermath of the crisis.", "9. While it would be premature to accurately quantify the total impact of the crisis on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and many social outcomes, it can be said almost certainly that the crisis has contributed to increased unemployment in developed countries and the increased vulnerability of employment in developing countries. At least 30 million jobs were lost worldwide between 2007 and the end of 2009 as a result of the global crisis, and it is estimated that in 2009 the number of unemployed people had increased to about 212 million, compared to 178 million in 2007. The number of people with vulnerable employment may have increased by 110 million between 2008 and 2009, bringing the total to 1.5 billion to 1.6 billion. The number of poor workers, i.e. those who earn less than $1.25 per day as the international poverty line, has also increased significantly. Unemployment among young people also increased significantly in most countries, and insecurity in employment is strongly increasing in almost the world.[4]", "10. In the last three decades the frequency and severity of the financial crises seem to have increased, and the crises have generally been preceded by large capital movements, increases in the prices of raw materials and rising interest rates.[5] On average, recovery of pre-crisis levels requires two years in the case of production and 4.8 years in employment. The current “unemployment” recovery in developed countries is not rare in the recent history of economic cycles. However, in developed countries, the time needed to restore employment to their pre-recession levels has been progressively increasing since the 1950s.", "11. The instability seems to be largely related to private capital flows. Since the Second World War, history has recorded three broad economic cycles of expansion and contraction of private capital flows to developing and emerging economies, with severe development declines, in the context of alternating growth periods with long periods of instability and stagnation. The first cycle of expansion and contraction began in the late 1970s and ended with the debt crisis, mainly in Latin America, in the early 1980s. The second started in the early 1990s and was followed by a series of balance-of-payments and debt crises in East Asia, Latin America and other regions. The third cycle began in the early years of the new millennium and ended in the second half of 2008 with the financial crisis.", "12. Since the debt crisis of the early 1980s, a combination of rigorous macroeconomic policies, privatizations, rapid liberalization and deregulation (the so-called “Washington Consensus”) was presented to developing countries as a general political basis for the creation of a healthy economy and an investment-friendly environment. Social programs with state funding were reduced in favour of privatization and fiscal discipline. However, macroeconomic improvements were not translated into high and sustained economic growth. On the contrary, the generalization of economic liberalization and fiscal consolidation programmes led to a significant reduction in political space in developing countries. This reduced the capacity of those countries to control the rapid reversal of private capital flows, resulting in substantial withdrawals of capital in a very short period, or to counter the resulting financial instability and economic contraction and to implement anti-cyclical financial and macroeconomic policies. The parallel advance of liberalized financial globalization and the procyclical nature of private capital flows also increased the risk of financial crises, such as those experienced by many emerging market economies in the 1990s and 2000s.[6]", "13. While greater emphasis has been placed since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, on the implementation of effective social policies and the smooth functioning of institutions to combat widespread poverty, ensuring the proper provision of health care and education services and preventing social exclusion, measures taken since the end of the 1990s continue to liberalize the financial sectors around the world. Even though financial liberalization may bring benefits, developing countries have faced significant risks associated with macroeconomic instability and financial volatility resulting from the price bubbles of certain assets, excessive risks assumed, financial imbalances and rapid withdrawal of private capital. The increasingly globalized world must still solve the problems of financial volatility, economic instability and cycles of expansion and contraction associated with unrestricted private capital flows, as well as the negative effects of recurrent financial crises.", "III. New and emerging issues in the context of globalization[7]", "14. At this time after the global financial and economic crisis, a fundamental question is whether the trends of globalization will be equal to those of the pre-crisis period or different, and whether they will be temporary or permanent, or will have an accentuation of the pre-crisis levels. While it is still too early to reach a final conclusion on the nature of trends since the crisis, it is useful to present a preliminary review of some new and emerging issues.", "Economic growth", "15. The rapid global economic slowdown in 2008-2009 seriously affected global economic growth and led to significant declines in progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The annual growth rate of global production decreased from approximately 4 per cent in the biennium 2006-2007 to 1.6 per cent in 2008; the production growth rate continued to decline in 2009 to 2 per cent, and in 95 countries there was a decrease in average per capita income.", "16. The world economy has been recovering unevenly, driven mainly by developing and emerging economies, but recovery has been slow because most of the more developed countries remain in difficulty. This slow recovery is likely to continue, with the risk of a relapse in the recession in case countries resort to fiscal austerity before private demand is recovered. An imminent debt crisis in several European countries also produces uncertainty. The growth of production is weak in many developed countries, which have so far experienced “unemployment recovery”. At current growth rates, re-establishing pre-crisis employment levels might require another four or five years.", "17. The rapid growth of emerging economies over the past few decades has led to a fundamental change, as the focus of global economic growth is now shared between developed and developing economies. The current post-crisis recovery and expansion continues to be led by major emerging economies in Asia and Latin America, particularly Brazil, China and India. However, the growth prospects of these economies are threatened by the spectre of rising inflation, mainly due to rising food and energy prices, new domestic asset price bubbles attributable to rapid capital inflow, and the resulting alcist pressures on exchange rates.", "18. Economic activity has been recovered in the least developed countries and other structurally weak economies, including landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, through the impetus for the recovery of international trade and commodity prices. Part of the current recovery of these countries has been due to increased trade and strengthened economic linkages with emerging economies. However, the current growth rates of the least developed countries do not reach the pre-crisis level and in many countries are below the level required to have a significant impact on unemployment and poverty reduction.", "Economic poverty", "19. Great progress has been made in reducing poverty in recent decades. Prior to the most recent crises, the incidence of poverty in the world had declined by 40 per cent since 1990. The economic crisis radically changed that perspective: according to United Nations estimates, between 47 million and 84 million more people fell into extreme poverty or remained trapped in it as a result of the crisis. The estimates of the 2010 annual global follow-up report jointly prepared by the IMF and the World Bank indicate that only another 64 million people fell into extreme poverty in 2010 due to the economic crisis. The report also estimates that by 2015 53 million people would have overcome poverty less than those who would have achieved it if the recession in 2008-2009 had not occurred, but the Millennium Development Goals target on poverty reduction (to halve the poverty rate).", "20. While progress is being made towards poverty reduction worldwide, owing mainly to rapid progress in China, divergent trends are observed in different regions. Under-Saharan Africa, Western Asia and the Caucasus and Central Asia are expected to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target on poverty reduction. The highest rates of poverty are recorded in sub-Saharan Africa.", "Employment", "21. In 2010, the number of unemployed persons remained at 205 million, basically unchanged over the previous year, and above the number of 2007 at 27.6 million, with little hope that the pre-crisis levels will be recovered in the near future. The global unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in 2010, compared to 6.3 per cent in 2009, still far higher than 5.6 per cent in 2007. Unemployment and underemployment rates (in the form of reduced working hours or involuntary part-time employment) are very high among young people (from 15 to 24 years) in both developed and developing regions. It was estimated that at the end of 2009 there were 81 million unemployed youth, and the global youth unemployment rate was 13 per cent. In some countries, youth unemployment has taken on alarming dimensions.", "22. The number of workers who in 2009 had vulnerable jobs, defined as the sum of self-employed and unpaid family workers, was estimated to be 1,530 million people, with an increase of more than 146 million compared to 1999. The highest proportion of vulnerable employment is recorded in South Asia (78.5 per cent of total employment in 2009), followed by sub-Saharan Africa (75.8 per cent) and South-East Asia and the Pacific (61.8 per cent). In all regions, the rate of vulnerable employment among women exceeds that of men.", "23. The proportion of unemployed persons for prolonged periods has increased significantly in most developed countries since 2007. Savings with high and persistent unemployment rates with weak production recovery could be trapped in a long period of growth below their potential. The longer the period of low growth and prolonged unemployment will last, the greater the risk of cyclical unemployment gaining structural character and lessening even the possible long-term growth.", "Inequality", "24. According to numerous indicators, inequality in the world is high and continues to increase. While there is no data on the post-crisis situation, prior to the crisis, per capita income inequality among countries increased steadily. The gap between the richest and the poorest countries has expanded significantly. While some developing countries and some with emerging economies have been growing much faster than the richest countries, in general, inequalities between different countries with regard to average income continue to increase. In 2007, 80 per cent of the world ' s population received only 30 per cent of global income, while the remaining 70 per cent benefited 20 per cent of the population. The income of the 61 million richest people in the world (one per cent of the world ' s population) is equivalent to the total income of the 3.5 billion poorest people (56 per cent of the world ' s population)[8].", "25. The gap between rich and poor citizens in both developed and developing countries has also been increasing. According to a recent OECD study, income inequality increased in almost all member countries. In most countries, the family income of the richest 10 per cent of the population increased faster than the poorest 10 per cent and thus increased income inequality; at the same time, Gini coefficient increased by 10 per cent from the mid 1980s to the end of the 2000s.[9] The average income of the richest 10% of the population is about nine times the poorest 10%.", "26. High levels of gender-based inequality, ethnicity and geography persist in most countries. In developing countries, there are usually more underweight children in the poorest households and in rural areas than in the richest households or in cities and towns. In some of the least developed countries, the likelihood of children in the poorest households attending primary school is three times lower than that of children in the richest households. Worldwide, the percentage of girls leaving school is much higher than that of boys.", "International trade", "27. In 2010, global trade in goods and services increased by almost 12 per cent, a higher percentage than previously intended, resulting in a solid recovery following the abrupt decline of 11 per cent in 2009. By the end of 2010, the volume of world merchandise exports had recovered its highest level prior to the crisis, although it remained far below the long-term trend. Global trade growth is expected to be somewhat lower in 2011 and 2012. The main fear behind the crisis was that it could increase protectionism, which did not happen. An important change in trade patterns was the emergence of developing countries, such as India and China, as the main drivers of global trade growth, and the increase in trade and economic linkages among developing countries. Emerging economies are also generating new sources of financial flows and technological exchanges.", "28. Despite these positive trends, many developing countries cannot fully integrate into the global trading system or benefit from trade expansion. The dependence on a small range of raw materials exports, limited access to finance, technology and expertise, and an unequal global policy framework are important obstacles to these countries. International experience indicates that developing countries dependent on commodity exports often experience much more serious trade disorders than countries with more diversified export structures or exporting manufactured goods, which are generally much less affected by shocks in their trade relations and are therefore less vulnerable to economic fluctuations.", "Financial flows: foreign direct investment, official development assistance and remittances", "29. After reaching a peak of approximately $1.2 billion in 2007, net private capital inflows decreased by half in 2008 and decreased further in 2009, to some $350 billion. The largest fall was recorded in the international banking credit to emerging economies, which in 2007 had received net revenues of $40 billion and in 2009 had net outflows of over $8 billion. Net private capital inflows to emerging economies began to recover in 2010. According to prospects for the remainder of 2011 and 2012, increased production growth and profitability rates will continue to attract more capital flows to emerging economies. Emerging market policymakers are increasingly concerned about the effect of large capital income on currency appreciation and the inflation of asset price bubbles. In the face of this situation, the governments of many emerging economies are intervening in their foreign exchange markets to try to mitigate the volatility of capital flows with various control measures.", "30. Between 2004 and 2010, ODA increased by 37 per cent in real terms. In 2010, $128.7 billion (at current prices) was disbursed, accounting for 0.32 per cent of the combined gross national income of OECD members, while the corresponding amount had been $64 billion in 1998. Despite these encouraging long-term trends, in the short term, the global financial and economic crisis has had a serious impact on country finance and, therefore, on the percentage for development assistance. The aid budget has been restricted, as many donor Governments have resorted to fiscal austerity measures. According to the publication of the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects, 2011, the fragile recovery in developed countries and the potential threat of a relapse in the recession produces considerable uncertainty about the level of official development assistance flows in the future, and the provision of assistance is less than that promised by the donor community. Preliminary data from the Development Assistance Committee indicate that in 2010 official development assistance flows were approximately $18 billion (in 2004 dollars adjusted for growth) below donor pledges at the G-8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005. Africa received only an additional $11 billion (at 2004 prices) instead of $25 billion in increase in official net development assistance pledged in 2005.", "31. The total number of international migrants increased from 156 million in 1990 to 214 million in 2010. Remittances contribute to reducing poverty by improving the health and education of family members who remain in the country of origin. In total, remittances decreased by 6.1 per cent, from $336 billion in 2008 to $31 billion in 2009. However, in the current crisis, remittances have shown greater resilience than private capital flows, although some countries in Latin America and Central Asia were more severely affected than others. According to estimates, the inflow of remittances to developing countries in 2010 was approximately $325 billion.", "Debt relief", "32. In 2010, owing to global recovery, the external debt burden of developing countries as a whole was reduced to 22 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), i.e. decreased from 24 per cent of the previous year. Debt relief to low-income countries under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and other multilateral initiatives has helped to substantially reduce the debt burden of those countries.", "33. However, for middle-income countries, in particular small island developing States, relief has been elusive. The reduction in the flow of resources from those countries is essential to countering the negative effects of the crisis on their economies. In 2008, some $6 billion came from low-income countries to multilateral lending agencies and bilateral creditors (for capital and interest payments)[10]. The estimates of the United Nations Development Programme indicate that in 26 low- and middle-income countries the cancellation of debt service to official creditors in respect of long-term debt contracted up to December 2008 would on average release some $2.8 billion annually until 2014[11].", "Debt problems in developed economies", "34. Serious concerns remain with regard to the growing trend in fiscal indebtedness in developed economies. In 2011, the fiscal debt ratio in developed economies has exceeded 100 per cent of GDP, resulting in a further reduction in the sovereign debt rating of several countries. As a reaction, many have pledged to take measures to reduce the fiscal deficit, although it is unclear whether this will be sufficient to avoid debt crises. If the commitment to reducing the fiscal deficit is not sufficiently reliable to reduce public debt, interest rates in financial markets could increase, which would increase the risk of non-payment. On the other hand, if austerity measures are too drastic and apply at an too early stage of economic recovery, economic growth and employment can be resented and the still fragile banking sector can be further weakened, which would increase the risk of non-payment.", "Food security", "35. Food security is closely linked to food prices and the volatility of these prices. Poor consumers are greatly affected by high prices, because a very important part of the total budget of the poorest households is intended for food. In the period since 2006, food price volatility has been extreme. Prices rose sharply in 2006 and 2007; and some food products reached their peak in the second half of 2007 and others in the first half of 2008. In the case of some products, the increase between the average price of 2005 and the maximum price was several hundred percent. In the second half of 2008, prices fell rapidly, although in almost all cases they remained at levels equal to or higher than those in the period immediately prior to the start of the climb. In 2010, there were further marked increases in food prices and in early 2011 the food price index developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was again at the highest level during the 2008 crisis.", "36. Price volatility in the period 2007-2008 caused serious hardship to the poor and greatly influenced the increase in the estimated number of hungry people in the world, from 820 million in 2007 to over 1 billion in 2009, with a reduction to about 900 million today. This slight improvement is currently threatened by a new food escalation. Neither the national responses to the crisis nor the international ones have been able to fully resolve the problem of food security.", "Environment and climate change", "37. Changes in the global environment do not respect national borders and constitute one of the most pressing challenges of globalization. In a world in globalization, with nearly 7 billion inhabitants, which by 2050 will be more than 9 billion, it is imperative to define a sustainable global development path that includes broad-based economic growth aimed at eradicating poverty while recognizing the need to substantially reduce energy and resource consumption.", "38. One of the two main themes of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be that of an ecological economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. Collective efforts are needed to achieve technological transformation towards a greener global economy, with green jobs, including a comprehensive global energy transition aimed at reducing the use of non-renewable forms of energy. Currently, 90 per cent of energy is generated through fossil fuel technologies, which produce approximately 60 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.", "39. In recent decades, climate-related disaster risks have increased dramatically. The frequency of droughts, floods and storms has increased fivefold over the past 40 years, and the annual average of natural disasters has increased from 69 in the 1970s to 350 in the 2000s. Disasters entail enormous economic and social costs, especially in developing countries, which affect their ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 7, as more people move from disaster-prone areas to urban areas. The number of slum dwellers will therefore continue to increase. It is estimated that 828 million people currently live in urban slums, compared to 657 million in 1990 and 767 million in 2000.", "Information and communications technology", "40. Information and communication technology (ICT) greatly facilitates globalization. Despite economic contraction, the global ICT sector has continued to grow, largely due to sustained growth in emerging markets. The wide disparity between developed and developing countries in terms of Internet access rates and broadband penetration rates illustrate the need to ensure that developing countries are not excluded from digital information society. The average rate of penetration of broadband mobile services is 10 times higher in developed countries than in developing countries, where the limited number of fixed telephony lines also restricts access through fixed (cable) broadband lines. In Africa, for example, a penetration rate of less than 1 per cent demonstrates the continuing challenges of expanding high-speed Internet access in the region. In terms of prices, users in developed countries still spend a relatively much lower share of their income (1.5 per cent) on ICT services than their peers in developing countries (17.5 per cent)[12].", "IV. Sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and employment creation", "41. Economic growth is necessary for development including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The achievement of sustained positive economic growth is indeed a challenge, but it can be particularly difficult for developing countries in a rapidly globalizing world where the benefits and costs of globalization are unevenly distributed and the international economy is characterized by financial volatility and economic instability.", "A. Sustained economic growth", "42. Sustained economic growth means strong economic growth for long periods. As seen, when benefits are distributed fairly and equitably throughout society, sustained economic growth is the most effective means of reducing poverty. The most diversified economies tend to be less vulnerable to external shocks, maintain faster growth over time and more widely distribute income among the population.", "43. Some countries in East Asia, namely, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore have achieved particularly successful results in achieving sustained growth that has led to rapid poverty reduction. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam and other economies in South-East Asia have also achieved similar poverty reduction since the 1980s. Sustained growth has also enabled investments aimed at achieving other Millennium Development Goals.", "44. In East Asian countries, growth has been fostered by policies that promote structural change, such as those aimed at reducing inequalities and improving agricultural productivity through agrarian reforms; supporting industrial development; investing in human capital and infrastructure; implementing an active trade policy, including export promotion and selective trade protection; and supporting technological capacity development and, at the same time, gradually exposing companies to global competition.", "45. Most countries that have achieved sustained growth had adopted heterodox policies that reflected their respective national circumstances. They also shared the ability to achieve a good level of coherence between the different areas of economic and social policies, and were generally in a position to translate broad-based economic growth into all sectors through structural transformation.", "46. However, there is no single solution applicable to all. The initial circumstances and conditions of countries are different, and the experience of the past has shown that there are many ways to overcome obstacles to sustained growth and development. What is appropriate for one country may not be for another. It is important to understand the particular limitations that hinder the growth of each country.", "47. While experience in different countries reveals some common general characteristics of countries with strong growth, the particular context of each country determines peculiar ways in which these characteristics can also be frustrated. The identification of obstacles to a country ' s growth and the prioritization and sequencing of reforms that could be useful depend solely on the country ' s context. National development strategies must be tailored to country-specific conditions, and a major challenge is to identify the sequences and priorities of growth-oriented reforms. Developing countries may consider identifying other countries with similar structures and resources, but with higher income, in order to determine which industries or sectors boosted their growth. Lessons learned can be applied or adapted to the particular circumstances of a country, or appropriate development strategies can be replicated.", "B. Inclusive and equitable economic growth", "48. Sustained economic growth is not sufficient for the benefits of growth to be properly distributed among all citizens: growth must be inclusive and equitable. The findings of the Commission on Growth and Development indicate that inclusion, which should cover equity, equal opportunities, protection from market transitions and employment, is an essential component of any successful growth strategy[13].", "49. Inclusive economic growth means that its benefits reach low-income groups, particularly those receiving the lowest income; poor economic sectors; disadvantaged individuals and social groups, including ethnic and religious minorities; and marginalized geographical regions. Thus, inclusive growth should promote equity and equality, including increased income equality.", "50. More inclusive and equitable economic growth is particularly important for poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This growth facilitates faster progress towards the achievement of the Goals, as the increase in incomes of poor families allows for education, better food and nutrition, and access to clean water and better housing. It also reduces social tensions, which can be a source of political instability and an obstacle to investment. Inequality has been identified as an important determinant of civil and armed conflicts in many countries, conflicts that have led to growth losses and significant declines in development.", "51. In many countries, growth has often concentrated on sectors that benefit those who already receive higher income, while the poor, lacking resources or excluded from market opportunities, are trapped in a perpetual process that makes poverty reduction and inequalities very difficult. In general, countries with higher levels of inequality should grow much faster, or it would take longer to achieve the same level of poverty reduction as those with lower levels of inequality. The trends before the financial and economic crisis show that in a typical middle- or low-income developing country economic growth must be much faster than two decades ago to achieve the same poverty reduction rate. To accelerate poverty reduction, growth must be accompanied by a more equitable distribution of income, goods and opportunities.", "52. An equitable distribution of physical and human resources lays the foundation for more widely shared economic growth. In many countries, at the beginning of the economic take-off, agrarian reforms are critical to achieving a more equitable distribution of land and agricultural production opportunities. Social policies that promote inclusion, such as universal access to education and health care, also distribute progress in human development.", "53. Latin America provides recent examples of countries that have managed to reduce income inequality. The period 2003-2008 was characterized not only by sustained economic growth, but also by a slight but clear trend towards lower income concentration. In several countries of the region, Gini coefficient reductions were recorded[14] above 10%. Although income inequality in Latin America remains one of the largest in the world, the favourable trend in recent years indicates that income distribution can be improved.", "54. The positive trend in income distribution is primarily linked to the dynamics of the labour market and transfers to households and, to a lesser extent, to demographic variables resulting in lower dependency rates. Employment grew faster than labour supply; in particular, increased employment in the formal high-quality and full-time sector and increased wages per hour contributed proportionally greater benefits to lower-income households, thus reducing the gap between average income per worker. Transfers to households constituted another positive factor, as changes in this source of income produced approximately one fifth of the reduction of the per capita income gap in the region. Factors that could limit progress towards equality in the future include the current disparity of access to education and the persistent intergenerational transmission of inequality.", "C. Creation of employment and decent work in the context of globalization", "55. The creation of productive employment and decent work are an integral part of sustained, inclusive and equitable growth. The benefits of sustained economic growth become inclusive and equitable and result in higher income and better living standards for more people mainly as a result of increased employment levels and job opportunities, higher wages and better working conditions.", "56. With regard to labour market policy and job creation, globalization had brought opportunities and challenges. While work opportunities can increase as a result of the intensification of international trade, foreign direct investment and international migration, prospects and employment standards are also threatened by increased migration from rural to urban areas, rapid technological changes and less rigorous labour standards adopted to attract foreign investment and improve international competitiveness.", "57. At present, the greatest challenge is to address the employment situation following the global financial and economic crisis. As has been said, the economic crisis has become a global employment crisis involving large job losses in developed countries, increased unemployment and wage constraints, and in developing countries it is characterized by underemployment, growth in the informal economy, increased vulnerable employment and poverty of workers.", "58. Even before the current crisis, labour markets were depressed in most countries. While the global economy is recovering, employment is lagging behind other indicators, and full, productive and decent work opportunities remain limited. High unemployment continues to affect many workers in developed countries who are undergoing a phase of jobless growth. While total pre-crisis employment levels have been recovered in many developing countries, there has been an increase in employment levels for poor workers and more vulnerable jobs, such as informal sector and vulnerable employment.", "59. A prolonged period of high unemployment and underemployment poses considerable risks to labour standards, including wage restrictions, especially in policy contexts that promote labour market flexibility. These risks have increased with the liberalization of labour markets, in which context protections such as the minimum wage or trade unions have been reduced or eliminated. Since workers are more vulnerable in difficult times, when businesses are allowed to lower wages or dismiss employees to reduce costs, labour market flexibility entails insecurity for workers, especially if there is no adequate social protection. In particular, groups that suffer discrimination and have fewer employment options, such as women, minorities, immigrants, persons with disabilities and older persons, are more likely to be trapped in what the International Labour Organization has called “dirty, dangerous and degrading jobs.” This underlines the importance of labour market institutions that protect employment and improve the working conditions of discriminated groups, as well as the qualitative valuation of employment when labour market trends are determined.", "60. More than ever, it is important to promote job creation and decent work, both in the short term, in the recovery period and in the long term, in order to foster more inclusive and equitable economic growth. In this regard, the Global Jobs Pact recognizes the urgent need to reduce the risks of long-term unemployment and increased work in the informal sector, which are difficult to reverse. The Covenant places full and productive employment and decent work as key elements of crisis response, and suggests a wide range of possible policy responses including recommendations on anti-cyclical macroeconomic policies, limitation and prevention of job loss, assistance to job seekers; investment in the training of workers with a view to improving their employment potential, creating a favourable environment for micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises.", "61. In order to link job creation and decent work with sustained and transformative economic growth that is inclusive and equitable, a private sector capital investment and an increase in workers ' productivity will be required. To that end, job creation and decent work should be a policy priority and an enabling environment for private sector investment and development should be created. This includes various elements, such as investment in education, health and training to increase the employment potential of workers; political stability; macroeconomic stability (which means attenuating economic cycles through anticyclical policies); a sound and efficient financial system; infrastructure development; and pragmatic development-oriented governance, including a sound legal and policy system and anti-corruption measures.", "V. Towards a more just and equitable globalization for all", "62. A fairer and more equitable globalization for all involves realizing their potential benefits and making them more inclusive and equitable for all people and countries and, at the same time, minimizing the considerable costs, risks and vulnerabilities of globalization. This has national and international implications.", "A. National plan", "63. At the national level, a more just and equitable globalization requires improving living conditions and standards, in particular for the poor, and promoting increased opportunities and equality. In the context of their national development strategies, Governments should implement policies that prioritize sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, job creation and decent work. The international community should actively support Governments in this endeavour through the establishment of a favourable international environment.", "64. A common element for the most successful countries in achieving sustained, equitable and inclusive growth is greater coherence between economic and social policies. National development strategies should be geared towards that goal, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each country, take into account the limitations of the global economy and establish safeguards for protection against economic shocks. However, global policy activity, especially in the areas of trade and finance, has limited political space for the implementation of national development policies. There will therefore be a need for greater coherence between national policymaking and global economic governance.", "65. Another key element is a macroeconomic framework that supports growth with job creation and economic diversification, and strengthening national capacity for policy implementation. While vigorous growth requires a stable macroeconomic environment, many countries have had difficulties in establishing and maintaining that environment owing, in part, to the liberalization of the capital account and the instability of capital markets. Macroeconomic policies should also support growth and the creation of productive employment, which would require such policies to be anticyclical, investment-friendly and job-friendly, and to move away from the narrow goal of maintaining inflation at a very low level and safeguarding fiscal balance at all costs. That is, macroeconomic policies must be tailored to broader development goals, including investment in education, health and infrastructure.", "66. For growth and development to be truly inclusive and equitable, policies that support dynamic growth in sectors of relevance to the poor, such as sustainable agriculture and rural development, comprehensive and coherent social policies and social protection programmes, and human rights protection, need to be implemented.", "B. International plan", "67. At the international level, a more just and equitable globalization for all includes the establishment of a comprehensive enabling international environment that facilitates the growth and development of developing countries and enhances their ability to reap the benefits and take advantage of the opportunities of globalization and, at the same time, protects them from the risks and instability that globalization can produce.", "68. Developing countries have benefited from improvements in some areas of the current international environment, especially increased official development assistance and debt relief, but progress has stagnated in other areas, such as trade, access to medicines and technology, migration and climate change. Increased coherence of international policies on all aspects of development is crucial for the achievement of a favourable international environment and a more just and equitable globalization.", "69. Achieving broad-based, rapid and sustained income and employment growth entails increasingly complex policy challenges. The international community should therefore also help developing countries to increase their national capacity to manage their development processes.", "Development cooperation", "70. The Millennium Development Goals Task Force has proposed ways to more effectively provide official development assistance, including through multi-year programme assistance commitments and full harmonization with national development and inclusive growth strategies. Such efforts should be strengthened through South-South cooperation and philanthropy. In addition, the distribution and allocation of official development assistance can still be significantly improved. The volume of aid to least developed countries has not increased at a favourable rate compared to the volume of aid to other countries. Multilateral assistance, with its capacity to respond to the basic socio-economic conditions of the least developed countries, includes the possibility of increasing equity by improving distribution. Similarly, progress should be made more rapidly in the context of aid effectiveness agendas adopted at the high-level forums held in Rome, Paris and Accra.", "71. Development cooperation is being radically transformed and the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation offers great possibilities, given the growing economic and political influence of developing economies. Innovative financing mechanisms can also increase resources for development, although they should not further fragment aid structures or divert attention from official assistance for traditional development.", "International trade and finance", "72. In order for developing countries to benefit from globalization, the trade system must be further reformed. The failure to complete the development-oriented Doha round trade negotiations remains the major gap in the implementation of commitments relating to a fairer trading system. It is essential that the current stalemate in negotiations be overcome and countries must commit themselves, without sacrificing the goal of explicitly benefiting developing countries, to complete the Doha round as soon as possible. Access by developing countries to markets has only improved, and progress is needed in the provision of free access to rights and quotas, particularly for the least developed countries.", "73. The Aid to Trade Initiative should be further strengthened to support developing countries ' trade and production capacity development in a manner consistent with strategies for economic diversification and sustained growth. Reduction of export subsidies and agricultural production in developed countries should be accelerated to increase the income opportunities of farmers in developing countries. In addition, South-South regional integration offers a promising complement that allows countries to pool resources, agricultural and industrial capacity and skills. The reform process should also help developing countries gain access to markets and technologies in developed countries, on a preferential and non-reciprocity basis.", "74. International financial regulation and reform of the international financial structure are also a pressing challenge. Efforts to strengthen financial regulation and create more national political space through capital controls are in conflict with the World Trade Organization ' s rules on deregulated trade in financial services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. This issue needs to be considered, especially with regard to the objectives of global financial stability and the reform of global financial regulation. Since the expansion of global financial services must be accompanied by sound regulatory arrangements, an independent international process of monitoring international financial regulatory mechanisms, which would have a pre-eminence in the formulation of standards, is needed.", "Debt relief", "75. Expanded modalities of debt restructuring and relief are critical to supporting development efforts in debt-depleted countries. The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative has officially concluded, but 18 low- and middle-income countries remain at high risk or depleted by debt, while many others have high public debt.[15] The volatility of global markets could rapidly change prospects for debt sustainability. Since there are still debt-depleted countries, the extension of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative should be urgently considered, so that it is accessible to all low-income countries with indebtedness problems, pending the development of a broader framework for the orderly renegotiation of sovereign debt that would enable the interests of debtors and creditors to be taken into account. This decision of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in 2010, has not yet been implemented.", "Competition on tax and investment issues", "76. Governments have often been motivated to provide tax and other incentives to multinational corporations in order to attract foreign investment, which leads to a tendency to participate in competition in tax matters that “share the neighbour” or in a “stop to the end”, within which governments often lose considerable fiscal revenue. The increased mobility of capital has stimulated competition in regulatory and tax matters, and the widespread dismantling of capital controls has allowed the financial industry to relocate assets in different countries for tax purposes. This has undermined the ability of tax and financial authorities to carry out financial supervision and tax collection. Strengthening international tax cooperation and harmonizing and coordinating financial regulation among countries could avoid such competition in tax matters. Effective international cooperation in the tax field could also provide important additional resources for development, which would probably exceed the current level of annual development assistance flows.", "Food insecurity and commodity financialization", "77. In commodity markets, there has been a trend towards greater “finance”, which includes the growing presence of financial investors in future commodity markets, and the creation by commodity-centred investment banks. This has added considerable volatility to commodity prices, which has affected consumers and producers and has aggravated food insecurity in general. Measures are needed to improve the transparency of financial markets and curb commodity speculation.", "Migration", "78. As a result of demographic changes and imbalances, a re-examination of international migration cooperation would bring great benefits to all countries. Duely managed migration, including the protection of the rights of migrants, can benefit countries of origin, host communities and migrants themselves. Remittances countries should establish policies aimed at improving remittance flows and reducing costs.", "Technology", "79. International cooperation in the areas of access to technology and know-how should be strengthened in order to expand developing countries ' access to appropriate technologies, especially health, communications and climate change control. This requires increasing incentives that support innovation, and financing research on intellectual property and specific technologies. It also entails facilitating investment in ICT infrastructure, reducing the cost of access to technologies and developing human resources.", "C. Recommendations", "80. A comprehensive international environment conducive to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, job creation, decent work and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is essential to eliminating inequalities in globalization. Such an environment should also include greater policy coherence and coordination for the management of globalization and the expansion of political space for developing countries.", "81. In this regard, and as a first step towards improving the capacity to manage globalization in a coherent and comprehensive manner, the international community may wish to consider the issue of measuring globalization, for which a set of standardized instruments and measures and indicators should be selected and adopted.", "82. The international community can also support a fair and more equitable globalization for all by:", "(a) Promoting greater international coherence and coordination to prevent and mitigate the effects of future financial crises and containing the potential indirect effects of the current debt crisis in developed countries;", "(b) Assistance to developing countries to increase their capacity to manage their respective development processes;", "(c) Assistance to developing countries to build capital and human capacity through education, health and training, not only in export-oriented sectors, but also in order to increase inclusion and equity in non-commercial sectors;", "(d) Promoting job creation and productive employment, decent work, international labour standards, gender equality and social inclusion and cohesion through increased efforts to implement the Global Jobs Pact and to establish minimum levels of social protection;", "(e) Collective efforts, including with national Governments, civil society and the private sector, to address the challenges of unemployment and underemployment;", "f) Assistance to developing countries to establish and strengthen universal social protection in order to reduce economic insecurity and vulnerability and to increase the capacity of households to acquire food, improve child nutrition, access health services and maintain children at school;", "(g) Compliance with ODA commitments and harmonization of total support, including debt relief commitments, with national development strategies, institutions and procedures of beneficiary countries, and harmonization of donor activities through the implementation of common arrangements and simplified procedures to reduce duplication and enhance aid transparency;", "(h) Debt relief through the extension of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative to benefit all low-income countries with indebtedness problems, pending the development of a broader framework for the orderly renegotiation of sovereign debt that would enable the interests of debtors and creditors to be taken into account;", "(i) A successful and balanced conclusion of the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations so that the needs of developing countries are the main and envisaged; ongoing complementary measures of trade development assistance;", "(j) The establishment of an independent international process to monitor international financial regulatory mechanisms with a view to introducing sound regulatory provisions to support the expansion of global financial services;", "(k) Strengthening cooperation, harmonization and coordination of international financial regulation on tax matters with a view to countering competition pressures on tax issues and careers to the end in global competition for investment and markets;", "(l) Promoting policies and measures to support the transfer of technology to developing countries, including green technologies, and establishing more favourable conditions for such transfer under multilateral trade agreements, including increased international efforts to bridge the technological gap through the financing of research and development activities and the facilitation of investment in ICT infrastructure;", "(m) Increased international cooperation in migration, including adequate management and facilitation of migratory flows, protection of migrants ' rights and identification of ways to improve the flow of remittances and reduce their cost.", "[1] Marcos Bonturi and Kiichiro Fukasaku, “Globalisation and intra-firm trade: an empirical note”, OECD Economic Studies No. 20 (Paris, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, spring 1993), p. 146.", "[2] International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (Washington, D.C., May 1997), chap. III, p. 45.", "[3] Ekkehard Ernst and Verónica Escudero, “The effects of financial globalization on global imbalances, employment and inequality”, Discussion paper DP/191/2008 (Geneva, International Labour Organization, International Institute for Labour Studies, 2008).", "[4] Report on the World Social Situation 2011: The Global Social Crisis (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.IV.12).", "[5] Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, “The aftermath of financial crises”, Working paper No. 146546 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, January 2009).", "[6] Report on the World Social Situation 2010: Rethinking Poverty (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.09.IV.10).", "[7] This section is based on the volumes of the World Economic Situation and Prospects published in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (United Nations publication, Sales Numbers: E.09.II.C.2, E.10.II.C.2 and E.11.II.C.2) and Report on the World Social Situation published in 2010 and 2011 (United Nations publication, Sales Numbers: E.09.IV.10 and E.10.IV.12).", "[8] International Labour Organization, “A new era of social justice” (ILC.100/DG/1A), Report of the Director-General to the hundredth meeting of the International Labour Conference, 2011.", "[9] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Growing income inequality in OECD countries: what drives it and how can policy tackle it?” OECD Forum on Tackling Inequality, Paris, 2 May 2011.", "[10] What is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals? International Evaluation (New York, June 2010).", "[11] Ibid.", "[12] International Telecommunication Union, Trends in Telecommunications Reforms 2010-2011: Promote the morning digital world, 11th edition (Geneva, 2011).", "[13] Commission on Growth and Development, The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development (Washington, D.C., International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank, on behalf of the Commission, 2008).", "[14] Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, The hour of equality: gaps to close, roads to open (Santiago, May 2010).", "[15] See, United Nations Development Programme, what is needed ...? (see note 10)." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 51 del programa provisional*", "Organismo de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente", "Personas desplazadas como resultado de las hostilidades de junio de 1967 y las hostilidades posteriores", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "En su resolución 65/99, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que, tras celebrar consultas con el Comisionado General del Organismo de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente (OOPS), la informara sobre los progresos realizados para aplicar la resolución.", "En el presente informe se hace referencia a las comunicaciones intercambiadas por el Secretario General y el Representante Permanente de Israel ante las Naciones Unidas en relación con las medidas adoptadas por el Gobierno de Israel para aplicar las disposiciones pertinentes de dicha resolución. Se presenta también la información que el actual Comisionado General del OOPS puso a disposición del Secretario General acerca del regreso a la Ribera Occidental y la Franja de Gaza de los refugiados inscritos en el Organismo procedentes de Jordania, el Líbano y la República Árabe Siria.", "1. Este informe se presenta a la Asamblea General de conformidad con el párrafo 5 de su resolución 65/99, titulada “Personas desplazadas como resultado de las hostilidades de junio de 1967 y las hostilidades posteriores”, cuya parte dispositiva dice así:", "La Asamblea General,", "1. Reafirma el derecho de todas las personas desplazadas a causa de las hostilidades de junio de 1967 y las hostilidades posteriores a regresar a sus hogares o lugares de residencia anteriores en los territorios ocupados por Israel desde 1967;", "2. Destaca la necesidad de que se acelere el regreso de las personas desplazadas y pide que se cumpla el mecanismo acordado por las partes en el artículo XII de la Declaración de Principios sobre las Disposiciones relacionadas con un Gobierno Autónomo Provisional, de 13 de septiembre de 1993, sobre el regreso de las personas desplazadas;", "3. Hace suyas, entretanto, las iniciativas del Comisionado General del Organismo de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente para seguir prestando toda la asistencia humanitaria posible, con carácter urgente y como medida temporal, a las personas que se encuentran actualmente desplazadas en la región y siguen teniendo una gran necesidad de asistencia como resultado de las hostilidades de junio de 1967 y las hostilidades posteriores;", "4. Hace un encarecido llamamiento a todos los gobiernos y a las organizaciones y los particulares para que hagan contribuciones generosas al Organismo y a las demás organizaciones intergubernamentales y no gubernamentales que corresponda para los fines mencionados supra;", "5. Solicita al Secretario General que, tras la celebración de consultas con el Comisionado General, la informe antes de su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones sobre los progresos realizados para aplicar la presente resolución.", "2. Los días 9 y 11 de mayo de 2011 el Secretario General dirigió a los Representantes Permanentes de los Estados Miembros, incluido el Representante Permanente de Israel ante las Naciones Unidas, notas verbales en las que señalaba a su atención la obligación de presentar un informe con arreglo a la citada resolución y les pedía que le informaran de las medidas que sus gobiernos hubieran adoptado o previeran adoptar en cumplimiento de las disposiciones pertinentes de la resolución.", "3. En una nota verbal de fecha 8 de julio de 2011 el Representante Permanente de Israel respondió lo siguiente:", "La Misión Permanente de Israel ante las Naciones Unidas saluda atentamente al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas y tiene el honor de referirse a su nota de fecha 9 de mayo de 2011 relativa a las resoluciones 65/98 a 65/101, aprobadas por la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones en relación con el tema “Organismo de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente”.", "Si bien Israel votó en contra de esas resoluciones a la luz de su politización y su unilateralidad, al igual que lo ha hecho en el caso de otras resoluciones similares aprobadas anteriormente, la Misión Permanente desea reiterar el apoyo de Israel a las actividades humanitarias que realiza el OOPS. En este sentido, Israel reafirma su intención de seguir facilitando la prestación de los servicios humanitarios vitales del OOPS a sus beneficiarios sobre el terreno.", "Pese a la continua y grave amenaza para su seguridad, Israel ha hecho todo lo posible por crear las condiciones necesarias para la cooperación y el desarrollo económicos palestinos, incluida la liberalización del sistema de entrada de bienes de uso civil a Gaza, y por ayudar a prestar asistencia humanitaria a los beneficiarios palestinos.", "Desde principios de 2010 Israel ha aprobado la ejecución de 72 proyectos del OOPS en Gaza. No obstante, el OOPS, por sus propias razones, ha empezado a trabajar apenas en 33 de esos proyectos (10 de los cuales han concluido). En la esfera de la educación, por ejemplo, Israel ha aprobado la construcción de 24 escuelas en Gaza (sin contar otros 18 nuevos proyectos aprobados en junio de 2011). Sin embargo, el OOPS ha iniciado la construcción de 11 escuelas únicamente. Cabe observar también que, pese a su retraso en la ejecución de los proyectos aprobados, entre 2008 y 2010 el OOPS construyó 35 escuelas en Gaza, lo que equivale a un aumento del 40% en comparación con el número de escuelas construidas en el período comprendido entre 2000 y 2007.", "A lo largo del año transcurrido el Gobierno de Israel también autorizó medidas importantes para suavizar las restricciones relacionadas con la seguridad en la Ribera Occidental. En 2010 se retiraron 98 barricadas de las carreteras de Judea y Samaria y la circulación es fluida entre las principales ciudades palestinas de esas dos regiones, desde Jenin en el norte hasta Hebrón en el sur. En la Ribera Occidental el PBI ascendió al 8% en 2010 y el turismo aumentó el 49%, principalmente hacia Belén.", "La tendencia favorable se mantuvo en el primer trimestre de 2011: el PBI aumentó el 3,4% en comparación con el primer trimestre de 2010.", "Pese a los ataques de Hamas, Israel sigue facilitando la entrada a Gaza de grandes cantidades de suministros humanitarios y otros productos. En 2010 el número de camiones que entraron a Gaza aumentó el 28% (39.868 en 2010, en comparación con 31.055 en 2009) y el promedio diario de camiones ascendió a 163, lo que entraña un aumento del 43% en comparación con 2009. También aumentaron las exportaciones de la Franja de Gaza: en 2010 se exportaron 152 toneladas de fresas y 368.208 flores. El mismo año se permitió salir de la Franja de Gaza a 17.924 pacientes y acompañantes con objeto de recibir tratamiento médico en Israel, lo que entraña un aumento del 70% en comparación con 2009. A lo largo del año Israel mantiene el suministro de electricidad a la Franja de Gaza. El envío de combustible diesel para la central eléctrica de Gaza se llevó a cabo conforme a lo solicitado por la Autoridad Palestina; se enviaron 70.876.781 litros.", "Esos cambios dieron lugar al aumento del 15% del PBI en Gaza en 2010. Esa tendencia favorable continúa en el primer trimestre de 2011: se registra un crecimiento del 24,4% del PBI y del 20% del PBI per cápita en comparación con el primer trimestre de 2010.", "Pese a todo esto, las organizaciones terroristas de la Ribera Occidental y la Franja de Gaza, controlada por Hamas, siguen planificando, preparando e intentando ejecutar atentados terroristas.", "En 2010 hubo 463 ataques terroristas que tuvieron su origen en la Ribera Occidental o fueron perpetrados en ese territorio, con un saldo de nueve ciudadanos israelíes muertos. Los ataques fueron perpetrados de todas las formas y en todos los frentes, particularmente por Hamas.", "En el primer semestre de 2011 se produjo una alarmante intensificación de las actividades terroristas contra objetivos israelíes en la Ribera Occidental y en Jerusalén. En los cinco primeros meses de 2011 se llevaron a cabo 278 ataques terroristas en la Ribera Occidental u originados en esa zona, que dejaron un saldo de 11 ciudadanos israelíes muertos, entre ellos, en marzo de 2011, el brutal asesinato de la familia Fogel, en el que cinco integrantes de esa familia (el padre, la madre y tres hijos, de 11 y 4 años y un bebé de 3 meses) fueron asesinados mientras dormían por dos terroristas que penetraron en su hogar.", "En 2010 en la Franja de Gaza se originaron 372 ataques terroristas. En los cuatro primeros meses de 2011 aumentó en forma alarmante el número de atentados originados en esa zona, que actualmente asciende a 163. También es alarmante la gravedad de los ataques, en los que se utilizan, además de misiles Grad, cohetes y proyectiles de mortero, misiles antitanque dirigidos contra la población civil israelí. Un ejemplo es el ataque perpetrado el 7 de abril de 2011, en que un misil antitanque disparado desde Gaza contra un autobús escolar mató a un adolescente israelí.", "A pesar del apoyo que brinda a las actividades humanitarias del OOPS, Israel sigue expresando su inquietud acerca de la motivación política de las resoluciones mencionadas y observa con consternación que estas presentan una visión unilateral ajena a la realidad sobre el terreno. Las declaraciones públicas de funcionarios del OOPS, que tienen un claro sentido político y un tono unilateral, son motivo de honda preocupación. Dada su condición de organismo humanitario profesional, el OOPS debe mantenerse vigilante para evitar toda referencia a cuestiones polémicas de índole política.", "Israel está a favor de unificar las resoluciones relativas al OOPS y de eliminar de ellas toda referencia a cuestiones políticas ajenas al Organismo. Además, Israel insta al Secretario General y al OOPS a que, junto con las partes interesadas, estudien el modo en que las Naciones Unidas pueden mejorar los métodos que aplican para promover el bienestar del pueblo palestino.", "Al respecto, Israel está a favor de que se apliquen en el contexto palestino los principios uniformes por los que se rigen las Naciones Unidas en relación con el trato de los refugiados. Concretamente, en el mandato del OOPS debería definirse el derecho a sus servicios de una manera compatible con la política uniforme correspondiente de las Naciones Unidas. Asimismo, como parte de su mandato, el OOPS debería promover activamente en el contexto palestino los objetivos de las Naciones Unidas, ampliamente aplicados, de reasentamiento e integración local de los refugiados.", "Las resoluciones anuales de la Asamblea General sobre el OOPS constituyen una desviación, basada en motivaciones políticas, de la política uniforme de las Naciones Unidas para las cuestiones relativas a los refugiados. Esta politización de una cuestión estrictamente humanitaria ha exacerbado la situación de los refugiados palestinos al impedir la adopción de soluciones prácticas para sus necesidades, como las que se han aplicado con éxito a numerosos grupos de refugiados en todo el mundo. Israel considera importante que en dichas resoluciones se promuevan cambios que garanticen que el mandato del OOPS sea compatible con los principios rectores generales de la política de las Naciones Unidas relativa a los refugiados.", "4. En relación con el párrafo 5 de la resolución 65/99 de la Asamblea General, el Secretario General ha obtenido del actual Comisionado General del OOPS la información que obra en su poder sobre el regreso de las personas inscritas como refugiados en el Organismo. Como se indica en informes anteriores sobre la cuestión, el Organismo no participa en ningún plan para el regreso de refugiados, ni tampoco de personas desplazadas que no estén inscritas como refugiados. La información disponible proviene de las solicitudes formuladas por refugiados inscritos que han regresado, a efectos de que sus registros de inscripción se transfieran de Jordania, el Líbano o la República Árabe Siria a las zonas a las que han regresado. El Organismo no tiene conocimiento necesariamente del regreso de los refugiados inscritos que no hayan solicitado la transferencia de sus registros de inscripción. Según los datos de que dispone, entre el 1 de julio de 2010 y el 30 de junio de 2011, 207 refugiados inscritos regresaron a la Ribera Occidental y 158 a la Franja de Gaza desde fuera del territorio palestino ocupado. Cabe destacar la posibilidad de que algunas de esas personas no fueran desplazadas en 1967, sino en años anteriores o posteriores, o que sean familiares de desplazados inscritos como refugiados. Así pues, habida cuenta de la estimación que figura en el párrafo 4 del informe anterior (A/65/283), el número de desplazados inscritos como refugiados que, según la información de que dispone el Organismo, han regresado a los territorios ocupados desde junio de 1967 asciende aproximadamente a 33.639. El Organismo no está en condiciones de estimar el número total de habitantes desplazados que han regresado; solo lleva registros de los refugiados inscritos y, como ya se ha señalado, incluso esos registros pueden ser incompletos, sobre todo en lo que se refiere a la ubicación de los refugiados inscritos.", "5. En relación con el párrafo 3 de la resolución 65/99 de la Asamblea General, el Secretario General se remite al informe del Comisionado General del OOPS correspondiente al período comprendido entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de diciembre de 2010 (A/66/13) y a los informes anteriores, donde se reseña la asistencia que sigue prestando el OOPS a las personas desplazadas que aún la necesitan." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 51 of the provisional agenda*", "United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East", "Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "In its resolution 65/99, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report to it, after consulting with the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on the progress made in the implementation of the resolution.", "The present report refers to correspondence between the Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations regarding actions taken by the Government of Israel in implementing the relevant provisions of the resolution. It also presents the information made available by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA to the Secretary-General on the return of refugees registered with the Agency to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.", "1. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to paragraph 5 of its resolution 65/99, entitled “Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities”, the operative part of which reads:", "The General Assembly,", "1. Reaffirms the right of all persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities to return to their homes or former places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967;", "2. Stresses the necessity for an accelerated return of displaced persons, and calls for compliance with the mechanism agreed upon by the parties in article XII of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements of 13 September 1993 on the return of displaced persons;", "3. Endorses, in the meanwhile, the efforts of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to continue to provide humanitarian assistance, as far as practicable, on an emergency basis, and as a temporary measure, to persons in the area who are currently displaced and in serious need of continued assistance as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities;", "4. Strongly appeals to all Governments and to organizations and individuals to contribute generously to the Agency and to the other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned for the above-mentioned purposes;", "5. Requests the Secretary-General, after consulting with the Commissioner-General, to report to the General Assembly before its sixty-sixth session on the progress made with regard to the implementation of the present resolution.", "2. On 9 and 11 May 2011, the Secretary-General addressed notes verbales to the Permanent Representatives of Member States, including the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, in which he drew attention to his reporting responsibility under the resolution and requested the Permanent Representative to inform him of any action his or her Government had taken or envisaged taking in implementation of the relevant provisions of the resolution.", "3. In a note verbale dated 8 July 2011, the Permanent Representative of Israel replied as follows:", "The Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honour to refer to the latter’s note, dated 9 May 2011, concerning resolutions 65/98 to 65/101 adopted by the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session under the agenda item “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”.", "While Israel voted against these resolutions in light of their politicization and one-sided perspective, as it has done on similar resolutions in the past, the Permanent Mission wishes to reiterate Israel’s support for UNRWA’s humanitarian activities. In this respect, Israel reaffirms its intention to continue facilitating UNRWA’s extension of humanitarian services to its beneficiaries in the field.", "Despite an ongoing and acute threat to its security, Israel has gone to great lengths fostering conditions for Palestinian economic development and cooperation, including liberalization of the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza and assisting in extending humanitarian assistance to Palestinian beneficiaries.", "Since the beginning of 2010, Israel has approved the building of 72 UNRWA projects in Gaza. However, UNRWA, for reasons of its own, has commenced work on only 33 of those projects (of those 10 have been completed). In education, for example, Israel has approved the building of 24 new schools in Gaza (not including an additional 18 new education projects approved in June 2011). However, UNRWA has started work on 11 schools only. It should also be noted that, despite the delay in execution of approved projects on UNRWA’s side, in the years 2008 to 2010 UNRWA has built 35 new schools in Gaza — an increase of 40 per cent compared to the number of schools built in 2000-2007.", "Over the last year the Government of Israel has also authorized major steps to ease security-related restrictions in the West Bank. In 2010, 98 roadblocks were removed throughout Judea and Samaria and there is a free flow of movement between all major Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria — from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south. GDP growth in the West Bank for 2010 is at 8 per cent and tourists’ visits increased 49 per cent, mainly to Bethlehem.", "The positive trend is maintained in the first quarter of 2011: GDP grew by 3.4 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2010.", "Despite attacks by Hamas, Israel continues to facilitate the entry of large quantities of humanitarian supplies and other products into Gaza. In 2010 there was a 28 per cent increase in the number of truckloads that were transferred into Gaza (39,868 in 2010 compared to 31,055 in 2009) and the daily average of truckloads transferred into Gaza amounted to 163, a 43 per cent increase compared to 2009. Export from the Gaza Strip was also expanded — 152 tons of strawberries and 368,208 flowers have been exported in 2010. In 2010, 17,924 patients and accompanying individuals were permitted to exit the Gaza Strip for medical care, a 70 per cent increase compared to 2009. Throughout the year Israel maintains the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip. The transfer of diesel for the Gaza power station was carried out according to requests from the Palestinian Authority — 70,876,781 litres of diesel were transferred.", "These changes resulted in an increase of 15 per cent in Gaza GDP in 2010. This positive trend is continuing in the first quarter of 2011 — which shows a 24.4 per cent growth in GDP and 20 per cent growth in GDP per capita compared to the first quarter of 2010.", "Notwithstanding the above, terrorist organizations in the West Bank and Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip remain active in planning, preparing and attempting to execute terrorist attacks.", "In 2010, 463 terrorist attacks emanated from or were carried out in the West Bank, leading to nine deaths of Israeli citizens. These attacks were carried out in all forms and on all fronts, particularly by Hamas.", "The first half of 2011 witnessed an alarming escalation in the nature of terrorist activity against Israeli targets in the West Bank and Jerusalem. In the first five months of 2011, 278 terrorist attacks were carried out in or emanated from the West Bank, resulting in the death of 11 Israeli citizens including, in March 2011, the brutal murder of the Fogel family, in which five family members (father, mother and three children — 11 years old, 4 years old and a baby of 3 months) were murdered in their sleep by two terrorists who penetrated their home.", "In 2010, 372 terrorist attacks emanated from the Gaza Strip. In the first four months of 2011 we witnessed an alarming increase in the number of terror attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip, which currently stands at 163. Another alarming escalation is the nature of the attacks, which involve, in addition to Grad missiles, rockets and mortar shells, anti-tank missiles aimed at Israeli civilian populations. One example is the attack that was carried out on 7 April 2011 when an anti-tank missile, fired from Gaza at a school bus, killed one Israeli teenager.", "Notwithstanding its support for UNRWA’s humanitarian activities, Israel remains concerned by the political motivation of the aforesaid resolutions, and is disturbed by the fact that they present a one-sided view which fails to reflect the reality on the ground. In this respect, public statements by UNRWA officials carrying a strong political and one-sided tone are deeply troubling. As a professional, humanitarian body, UNRWA must be vigilant in avoiding references to matters of a political nature.", "Israel supports a consolidation of UNRWA resolutions, and a removal of all extraneous political language. Moreover, Israel urges the Secretary-General and UNRWA to consider, together with the concerned parties, ways in which the United Nations can enhance the manner in which it advances the welfare of the Palestinian people.", "In this respect, Israel favours an application in the Palestinian context of the standard principles guiding the United Nations with respect to treatment of refugees. Specifically, UNRWA’s mandate should be such that entitlement to its services will be defined in a manner consistent with the standard United Nations policy on refugees. Furthermore, UNRWA’s mandate should include the active promotion in the Palestinian context of the broadly applied United Nations goals of resettlement and local integration of refugees.", "The annual General Assembly resolutions on UNRWA represent a politically motivated departure from the standard United Nations policy on refugee matters. This politicization of a strictly humanitarian issue has exacerbated the situation of the Palestinian refugees by preventing practical solutions to their needs, such as have been successfully implemented with respect to numerous groups of refugees around the world. Israel attaches importance to promoting such changes in these resolutions as will ensure that the mandate of UNRWA is consistent with the general principles guiding United Nations policy on refugees.", "4. In connection with paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 65/99, the Secretary-General has obtained from the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) the information available to him on the return of refugees registered with the Agency. As indicated in previous reports on the subject, the Agency is not involved in any arrangements for the return of refugees, nor is it involved in any arrangements for the return of displaced persons who are not registered as refugees. Its information is based on requests by returning registered refugees for transfer of their UNRWA registration records from Jordan, Lebanon or the Syrian Arab Republic to the areas to which they have returned. The Agency would not necessarily be aware of the return of any registered refugees who did not request the transfer of their registration records. So far as is known to the Agency, from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011, 207 refugees registered with UNRWA returned to the West Bank and 158 to the Gaza Strip from places outside the occupied Palestinian territory. It should be noted that some of these may not have been displaced in 1967 but may have been displaced in earlier or later years or may be members of the family of a displaced registered refugee. Thus, taking into account the estimate given in paragraph 4 of the previous report (A/65/283), the number of displaced registered refugees who are known by the Agency to have returned to the occupied territories since June 1967 is about 33,639. The Agency is unable to estimate the total number of displaced inhabitants who have returned. It keeps records only of registered refugees and, as noted above, even those records, particularly with respect to the location of registered refugees, may be incomplete.", "5. In connection with paragraph 3 of General Assembly resolution 65/99, the Secretary-General refers to the report of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2010 (A/66/13) and to the previous reports of the Commissioner-General for accounts of the continuous and ongoing assistance provided by UNRWA to persons displaced and in need of continued assistance." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 51 of the provisional agenda*", "United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East", "Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "In its resolution 65/99, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General, following consultations with the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to report on progress in implementing the resolution.", "The present report refers to communications exchanged by the Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations regarding measures taken by the Government of Israel to implement the relevant provisions of that resolution. It also provides information that the current Commissioner-General of UNRWA made available to the Secretary-General on the return of refugees registered with the Agency from Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.", "1. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in accordance with paragraph 5 of its resolution 65/99, entitled “Persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities”, the operative part of which reads as follows:", "The General Assembly,", "1. Reaffirms the right of all displaced persons as a result of the June 1967 hostilities and subsequent hostilities to return to their former homes or places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967;", "2. Stresses the need to accelerate the return of displaced persons and calls for the compliance of the mechanism agreed upon by the parties to article XII of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements of 13 September 1993 on the return of displaced persons;", "3. Endorses, in the meantime, the initiatives of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to continue to provide all possible humanitarian assistance, as a matter of urgency and as a temporary measure, to those currently displaced in the region and continue to have a great need for assistance as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities;", "4. Calls upon all Governments and organizations and individuals to make generous contributions to the Agency and other relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations for the above-mentioned purposes;", "5. Requests the Secretary-General, following consultations with the Commissioner-General, to report to the General Assembly before its sixty-sixth session on the progress made towards the implementation of the present resolution.", "2. On 9 and 11 May 2011, the Secretary-General addressed the Permanent Representatives of Member States, including the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, notes verbales drawing his attention to the obligation to submit a report pursuant to the above-mentioned resolution, and requested them to inform him of the measures taken or envisaged by their Governments in compliance with the relevant provisions of the resolution.", "3. In a note verbale dated 8 July 2011, the Permanent Representative of Israel responded:", "The Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honour to refer to his note dated 9 May 2011 on resolutions 65/98 to 65/101, adopted by the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session under the item “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”.", "While Israel voted against those resolutions in the light of its politicization and unilaterality, as it has in the case of other similar resolutions adopted earlier, the Permanent Mission wishes to reiterate Israel ' s support for the humanitarian activities of UNRWA. In this regard, Israel reaffirms its intention to continue to facilitate the delivery of UNRWA ' s vital humanitarian services to its beneficiaries on the ground.", "Despite the continuing and grave threat to its security, Israel has made every effort to create the necessary conditions for Palestinian economic cooperation and development, including the liberalization of the system for the entry of civilian objects into Gaza, and to help provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian beneficiaries.", "Since early 2010, Israel has approved the implementation of 72 UNRWA projects in Gaza. However, UNRWA, for its own reasons, has started working only on 33 of these projects (10 of which have been completed). In the area of education, for example, Israel has approved the construction of 24 schools in Gaza (without another 18 new projects approved in June 2011). However, UNRWA had initiated the construction of 11 schools only. It should also be noted that, despite its delay in the implementation of approved projects, UNRWA built 35 schools in Gaza between 2008 and 2010, an increase of 40 per cent compared with the number of schools built in the period from 2000 to 2007.", "Over the past year, the Government of Israel also authorized important measures to ease security restrictions in the West Bank. In 2010, 98 roadblocks were removed from Judea and Samaria and the circulation is fluid between the main Palestinian cities in these two regions, from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south. In the West Bank, GDP reached 8 per cent in 2010 and tourism increased 49 per cent, mainly to Bethlehem.", "The favourable trend continued in the first quarter of 2011: GDP increased by 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2010.", "Despite the Hamas attacks, Israel continues to facilitate the entry into Gaza of large quantities of humanitarian supplies and other products. In 2010, the number of trucks entering Gaza increased by 28 per cent (39,868 in 2010, compared with 31,055 in 2009) and the average daily truckload was 163, representing a 43 per cent increase compared to 2009. Exports from the Gaza Strip also increased: 152 tons of strawberries and 368,208 flowers were exported in 2010. In the same year, 17,924 patients and companions were allowed to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israel, an increase of 70 per cent compared with 2009. Throughout the year Israel maintains the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip. The shipment of diesel fuel for the Gaza power station was carried out as requested by the Palestinian Authority; 70,876,781 litres were sent.", "These changes resulted in an increase of 15 per cent of GDP in Gaza in 2010. This favourable trend continues in the first quarter of 2011: there is a growth of 24.4% of GDP and 20% of GDP per capita compared to the first quarter of 2010.", "Despite all this, Hamas-controlled terrorist organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip continue to plan, prepare and attempt to carry out terrorist attacks.", "In 2010, there were 463 terrorist attacks originating in or perpetrated in the West Bank, with a balance of nine Israeli citizens killed. The attacks were perpetrated on all forms and on all fronts, particularly by Hamas.", "In the first half of 2011, there was an alarming intensification of terrorist activities against Israeli targets in the West Bank and Jerusalem. In the first five months of 2011, 278 terrorist attacks were carried out in the West Bank or originated in that area, leaving a balance of 11 Israeli citizens killed, including in March 2011, the brutal murder of the Fogel family, in which five members of that family (the father, the mother and three children, 11 and 4 years old and a 3-month-old baby) were killed while sleeping by two terrorists who penetrated their home.", "372 terrorist attacks originated in the Gaza Strip in 2010. In the first four months of 2011, the number of attacks originating in that area increased alarmingly, which currently stands at 163. The seriousness of the attacks, which are used in addition to Grad missiles, rockets and mortar shells, anti-tank missiles directed against the Israeli civilian population, is also alarming. One example is the attack on 7 April 2011, in which an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza on a school bus killed an Israeli teenager.", "Despite its support for UNRWA ' s humanitarian activities, Israel continues to express its concern about the political motivation of the above-mentioned resolutions and notes with dismay that they present a unilateral vision beyond reality on the ground. The public statements of UNRWA officials, which have a clear political sense and a unilateral tone, are of deep concern. Given its status as a professional humanitarian agency, UNRWA should remain vigilant to avoid any reference to political contentious issues.", "Israel favoured the unification of UNRWA resolutions and the elimination of any reference to political issues outside the Agency. In addition, Israel urged the Secretary-General and UNRWA, together with the parties concerned, to consider ways in which the United Nations could improve its methods of promoting the well-being of the Palestinian people.", "In that regard, Israel favoured the application in the Palestinian context of the uniform principles governing the United Nations in relation to the treatment of refugees. Specifically, the mandate of UNRWA should define the right to its services in a manner consistent with the United Nations uniform policy. In addition, as part of its mandate, UNRWA should actively promote in the Palestinian context the objectives of the widely applied United Nations, resettlement and local integration of refugees.", "The annual resolutions of the General Assembly on UNRWA constitute a deviation, based on political motivation, of the United Nations standard policy on refugee issues. This politicization of a strictly humanitarian issue has exacerbated the situation of Palestinian refugees by preventing the adoption of practical solutions to their needs, such as those that have been successfully applied to many refugee groups around the world. Israel considers it important that such resolutions promote changes to ensure that the mandate of UNRWA is consistent with the general guiding principles of the United Nations refugee policy.", "4. In connection with paragraph 5 of General Assembly resolution 65/99, the Secretary-General has obtained from the current Commissioner-General of UNRWA information in his possession on the return of persons registered as refugees in the Agency. As indicated in previous reports on the issue, the Agency does not participate in any plan for the return of refugees, or of displaced persons who are not registered as refugees. The information available comes from requests made by registered refugees who have returned, so that their registration records are transferred from Jordan, Lebanon or the Syrian Arab Republic to the areas to which they have returned. The Agency is not necessarily aware of the return of registered refugees who have not requested the transfer of their registration records. According to the available data, between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011, 207 registered refugees returned to the West Bank and 158 returned to the Gaza Strip from outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It should be noted that some of those persons were not displaced in 1967, but in previous or subsequent years, or who were relatives of displaced persons registered as refugees. Thus, given the estimate contained in paragraph 4 of the previous report (A/65/283), the number of displaced persons registered as refugees who, according to the information available to the Agency, have returned to the occupied territories since June 1967 amounts to approximately 33,639. The Agency is not in a position to estimate the total number of displaced persons who have returned; it only records the registered refugees and, as already noted, even those records may be incomplete, particularly with regard to the location of registered refugees.", "5. In connection with paragraph 3 of General Assembly resolution 65/99, the Secretary-General refers to the report of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2010 (A/66/13) and the previous reports, which outlines the continued assistance of UNRWA to the displaced persons who still need it." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 23 a) del programa provisional*", "Erradicación de la pobreza y otras cuestiones de desarrollo", "Aplicación del Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza (2008-2017)", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "Este informe se presenta de conformidad con la resolución 65/174 de la Asamblea General relativa al Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza (2008-2017), en que la Asamblea pidió al Secretario General que le presentara un informe sobre la aplicación de la resolución bajo el tema “Empleo pleno de trabajo decente para todos”. En el informe se abordan los problemas que se plantean para erradicar la pobreza y algunas medidas de política fundamentales para reducirla. También se destaca la creciente coherencia en las políticas que se aplican en el marco del Segundo Decenio y se describen los esfuerzos actuales por mejorar la coordinación en apoyo del Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y la Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social. El informe concluye con un conjunto de recomendaciones en las que se subraya la necesidad de fortalecer la coherencia de las políticas y promover una colaboración interinstitucional más sólida para mejorar la aplicación del plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio.", "Introducción", "1. Los problemas que plantea la erradicación de la pobreza fueron reconocidos por la reunión plenaria de alto nivel del sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones de la Asamblea General sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio celebrada en septiembre de 2010, en que se destacó que se había progresado parcialmente en el logro de los objetivos de desarrollo, en particular en el logro de las metas de reducción de la pobreza, el hambre, el empleo y el trabajo decente para todos. Los gobiernos se comprometieron a adoptar políticas económicas orientadas al futuro que llevaran a un crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo y a un desarrollo sostenible, y que aumentaran las oportunidades de empleo, promovieran el desarrollo agrícola y redujeran la pobreza[1]. También se comprometieron a reorientar el crecimiento hacia la creación de puestos de trabajo con el Pacto Mundial para el Empleo como marco general[2]. Además, reiteraron su profunda preocupación por las múltiples crisis que se han producido y que están relacionadas entre sí, entre ellas, la inseguridad alimentaria y los crecientes desafíos planteados por el cambio climático[3].", "2. La puesta en marcha del Segundo Decenio para la erradicación de la pobreza (2008-2017) coincidió con el inicio de la gran recesión. Desde entonces, la economía mundial ha entrado en un proceso de recuperación que sigue siendo frágil y vulnerable. Persiste el desempleo elevado, en tanto que se ha vuelto más difícil reducir la pobreza en todas sus dimensiones, debido a los efectos de las crisis económicas y alimentarias. La prolongada crisis social y laboral hace que sea aún más importante aplicar con éxito el plan de acción del Segundo Decenio, aunque también más difícil.", "3. El Secretario General Adjunto de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, como coordinador de la implementación del Segundo Decenio, es el encargado de dirigir la aplicación de un plan de acción para la erradicación de la pobreza en todo el sistema, que fue elaborado por 21 organismos, fondos, programas y comisiones regionales de las Naciones Unidas y recibió apoyo del Comité de Programas de la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación en octubre de 2009. Mediante el plan de acción se procura mejorar la coherencia y la sinergia de las actividades de todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, en la esfera del empleo y el trabajo decente con miras a la erradicación de la pobreza[4].", "4. En el presente informe se examinan las dificultades planteadas en la reunión plenaria de alto nivel y las medidas de política fundamentales para la erradicación de la pobreza y el hambre. En el informe también se describen las actividades recientemente realizadas con miras a la aplicación del plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio en todo el sistema. En particular, se discuten las actividades que se llevan a cabo para dar coherencia a las políticas en apoyo del Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y la Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social, y que son componentes importantes del plan de acción. También se examinan las medidas adoptadas para mejorar la puesta en marcha del Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad, como solicitó la Asamblea General en su resolución 65/174. El informe concluye con un conjunto de recomendaciones sobre las políticas que se deberían aplicar para subsanar las carencias que existan en la ejecución del plan de acción.", "II. Problemas que plantea la erradicación de la pobreza", "5. A pesar de los obstáculos que se han presentado como consecuencia de las múltiples crisis ocurridas, la pobreza extrema —definida como la situación económica de las personas que viven con menos de 1,25 dólares diarios— ha disminuido a nivel mundial. Sin embargo, persisten elevados niveles de pobreza en muchas partes del mundo. Las últimas estimaciones de la pobreza muestran que si bien en Asia oriental ya se ha alcanzado la meta de reducir a la mitad la cantidad de personas que viven con menos de 1,25 dólares por día, el África subsahariana no va bien encaminada para cumplir con esa meta de pobreza económica: se prevé que el 36% de la población en el África subsahariana viva por debajo de la línea de la pobreza en 2015, un porcentaje que excede la meta del 29% que se había fijado[5]. Si los efectos de las crisis duran más de lo esperado, peligrarán los modestos logros alcanzados desde el año 2000.", "6. Alcanzar la meta de pobreza establecida en los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio es solo un paso para cumplir con el compromiso de erradicar la pobreza formulado en la Cumbre Mundial sobre Desarrollo Mundial de 1995. Al ritmo de reducción de la pobreza observado entre 1990 y 2005, período en que el número de personas que vivían con menos de 1,25 dólares diarios se redujo de 1.800 a 1.400 millones, serían necesarios otros 88 años para erradicar la pobreza extrema[6]. Además, son muchas las personas que viven apenas por encima de la línea de pobreza de 1,25 dólares diarios y la menor crisis puede hacerlas caer nuevamente en la pobreza. Por ejemplo, si se toma la línea de pobreza del Banco Mundial de 2 dólares diarios, los niveles de pobreza en los países en desarrollo aumentan drásticamente (a 2.500 millones de personas en 2005).", "7. Sin embargo, a pesar de que en el mundo se redujo la pobreza económica, el número de personas malnutridas aumentó de 817 millones en 1990-1992 a más de 1.000 millones en 2009, aunque se estima que descenderá a 925 millones en 2010[7]. Esta mejora marginal puede verse malograda por el creciente precio de los alimentos y la mayor volatilidad de ese precio que se viene produciendo desde fines de 2010.", "A. Falta de un crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo", "8. Los datos muestran que el rápido crecimiento económico es una condición necesaria para reducir la pobreza. En China y otros países de Asia oriental y sudoriental, como Malasia, Tailandia y Viet Nam, el fuerte crecimiento producido en los últimos 20 años ha contribuido a que la pobreza disminuya considerablemente. Sin embargo, en los países menos adelantados, el crecimiento, que ha sido escaso y volátil, ha ido acompañado de persistentes niveles de pobreza. En efecto, el producto interno bruto (PIB) per cápita descendió en 17 de 24 países menos adelantados de África y la pobreza económica aumentó en 11 de esos países entre 1981 y 1999, un período de acomodamiento estructural y de elevado crecimiento de la población[8]. El crecimiento económico ha aumentado en muchos de los países menos adelantados desde el año 2000, aunque hasta ahora los resultados de la reducción de la pobreza han sido lentos: en los países menos adelantados la pobreza económica solo bajó del 62% en 1999 al 54% en 2005, un porcentaje que sigue estando lejos de la meta de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio de reducir la pobreza al 34% para 2015; además, el número de personas que viven en la pobreza en esos países aumentó en 9 millones durante ese período[9].", "9. Sin embargo, las tendencias de la pobreza en cada región ocultan una variedad de experiencias nacionales, incluso en países con niveles de ingresos similares y tasas de crecimiento económico comparables. En los países menos adelantados, por ejemplo, la estimación de la pobreza económica en 2005 oscilaba entre un 13,1% en Mauritania y un 86,1% en Liberia. El porcentaje de personas que vivían en la pobreza fue más de dos veces mayor en Zambia (65%) que en Gambia (31%), aunque se registró un PIB per cápita de alrededor de 350 dólares en ambos países[10]. Si bien las tasas de crecimiento promedio de los ingresos per cápita superaron el 7% anual en países como Angola, Camboya y el Chad en 2000-2007, la prevalencia de la pobreza económica no registró variaciones en el Chad en el período 1999-2005, en tanto que Angola y Camboya avanzaron considerablemente en su reducción.", "10. Esa diversidad de niveles de pobreza muestra que los efectos del crecimiento económico en la reducción de la pobreza dependen, entre otras cosas, de la forma en que los beneficios de ese crecimiento se distribuyan entre los distintos sectores de la sociedad. En los países en los que los pobres han sido excluidos de los procesos de crecimiento económico o en que se encuentran atrapados en empleos de baja productividad, el crecimiento ha beneficiado desproporcionadamente a quienes ya eran más ricos. Entre 1990 y 2005, en aproximadamente dos tercios de los países de los que se tienen datos aumentó la desigualdad de ingresos, y la brecha entre el 10% más rico y el 10% más pobre de quienes perciben ingresos se amplió en un 70% de los países[11]. La desigualdad de ingresos entre los aborígenes, otras minorías étnicas y el resto de la población también ha aumentado con el tiempo[12]. La creciente desigualdad ha hecho que sea cada vez más difícil salir de la pobreza para quienes no tienen acceso a los recursos productivos y a ciertos servicios, como la salud o la educación.", "11. Con mucha frecuencia, los países que han experimentado un fuerte crecimiento no lo han mantenido durante demasiado tiempo. El crecimiento fue especialmente volátil en los países menos adelantados durante las décadas de 1980 y 1990. Incluso durante el período 2000-2007, que fue un período de gran crecimiento, solo nueve de los 32 países menos adelantados de África de los que se disponen datos tuvieron siete años de crecimiento positivo e ininterrumpido[13]. El crecimiento basado en las exportaciones de productos básicos, que es vulnerable a las crisis y las presiones externas, ha sido particularmente volátil. Incluso antes de las crisis económicas y alimentarias, depender de la exportación de unos pocos productos básicos no aumentaba considerablemente entre la productividad agrícola, la formación de capitales ni el desarrollo de la capacidad productiva lo que hubiera dado mayor resistencia a los países que dependían de esas exportaciones para afrontar la crisis. En los países que exportan otros recursos, la expansión de la industria del petróleo y otras industrias de extracción, además de tener escasos efectos en el empleo, a menudo produjeron un aumento de las tasas de cambio reales —el llamado “síndrome holandés”—, lo que disminuyó la competitividad de otros sectores de la economía. En efecto, la dependencia de la importación de alimentos creció marcadamente en los países menos adelantados entre 2000 y 2008, y la producción de manufacturas, como porcentaje del PIB, se redujo en 27 de ellos, especialmente en África, durante el mismo período[14].", "B. Lentitud en la generación de empleo", "12. El empleo es un medio fundamental para lograr un crecimiento económico inclusivo y equitativo. El empleo adecuadamente remunerado da seguridad en la percepción de ingresos, acceso a la protección social, una mejor situación educativa y de salud y constituye una forma de salir de la pobreza.", "13. El crecimiento del empleo durante el período de expansión que precedió a la crisis económica no fue suficiente para absorber el aumento de la fuerza de trabajo: el desempleo mundial subió de 160 millones en 1996 a aproximadamente 177 millones en 2007, y la tasa de desempleo se mantuvo en torno del 6% a lo largo de ese período[15]. Además, el crecimiento del empleo fue acompañado de una redistribución de ingresos que no se destinaron al pago de la fuerza de trabajo. América Latina y el Caribe fue la región del mundo en que más disminuyó la proporción de sueldos en el PIB total —en esa región la proporción cayó un 13% entre 1990 y 2007—, seguida por Asia y el Pacífico —en que disminuyó en un 10%— y los países desarrollados (9%)[16]. Es interesante destacar que la proporción de sueldos se mantuvo igual en los países que tuvieron un déficit comercial en el período 2000-2005, pero disminuyó (en un 7%) en los países con superávit comercial, lo que sugiere que las ganancias resultantes del crecimiento impulsado por las exportaciones no se repartieron equitativamente entre dividendos y sueldos[17].", "14. La crisis económica redujo fuertemente el nivel de empleo. A nivel mundial, el número de desempleados llegó a 205 millones en 2010, un aumento de 28 millones desde 2007[18]. Cabe señalar que el desempleo de largo plazo contrasta con la recuperación mundial del PIB real y otros indicadores macroeconómicos fundamentales que se viene produciendo desde 2010, y sigue creciendo el temor de que esa recuperación no se traduzca en un aumento del nivel de empleo. Sin embargo, las variaciones del nivel de empleo no reflejan todos los efectos que tiene la crisis en los trabajadores y los hogares. En los países más pobres, los trabajadores que perdieron su empleo en el sector formal han pasado a la economía informal, en que los sueldos suelen ser más bajos y las condiciones laborales inferiores. La recesión ha obligado a los trabajadores del sector no estructurado a percibir ingresos incluso menores, al disminuir la demanda de trabajadores y aumentar la competencia por puestos de trabajo en ese sector. Como consecuencia de ello, se avanzó más lentamente en la reducción de la pobreza de los trabajadores. Se calcula que el número de trabajadores que vive con menos de 1,25 dólares diarios disminuyó de 660 millones en 2007 a 631 millones en 2009, pero que si la pobreza hubiera seguido decreciendo al ritmo en que venía haciéndolo con anterioridad a la crisis, el número de trabajadores pobres se habría reducido en otros 40 millones en 2009¹⁸. Por el contrario, ese número ha aumentado en algunas regiones, en particular en el África subsahariana (en que subió de 170 millones en 2008 a alrededor de 175 millones en 2009), en el norte de África y en América Latina y el Caribe.", "15. En muchos países también está aumentando el número de trabajadores que han perdido la esperanza de encontrar empleo[19], especialmente los jóvenes —a quienes el desempleo afecta desproporcionadamente y que se encuentran sobrerrepresentados en el sector informal—, y los pobres. Las primeras experiencias de los jóvenes en el mercado de trabajo inciden en sus posibilidades de percibir ingresos en el futuro, así como en el bienestar de las generaciones actuales y futuras de jóvenes. Cuanto más perdura la crisis en un mercado de trabajo, más riesgo corren los trabajadores, sus familias y sus comunidades de quedar atrapados en la pobreza de largo plazo.", "16. En general, la trayectoria de desarrollo económico que han recorrido muchos países en desarrollo no ha producido una mejora sostenida del empleo productivo. En los casos en que subió el empleo, los puestos de trabajo no sirvieron para aumentar la protección social ni la seguridad en la percepción de ingresos. Los trabajadores que debieron abandonar el sector de la agricultura debido a la baja productividad y el crecimiento de la población a menudo pasaron a desarrollar actividades con poco valor agregado, especialmente en el sector informal de las ciudades, en que las posibilidades de crecimiento sostenido de la producción y la movilidad ascendente son limitadas, en tanto que la productividad agrícola siguió estancada en muchas zonas rurales. Se estima que en los países africanos de los que se disponen datos el 90% de los trabajadores está empleado en el sector informal tanto en las zonas rurales como urbanas, y que el porcentaje supera el 90% en las mujeres y los jóvenes que trabajan[20]. En la India, el 90% de la población activa trabaja en el sector no estructurado de la economía, a pesar de que en los últimos años han crecido varios servicios con alto valor agregado.", "C. Aumento del precio mundial de los alimentos y escaso desarrollo agrícola", "17. El índice de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) para los precios de los alimentos registró un aumento récord en febrero de 2011, principalmente debido a una serie de crisis climáticas que afectaron a la oferta, y en mayo de 2011 se mantenía por encima del valor máximo que había alcanzado en 2008[21]. Sigue habiendo una fuerte demanda de alimentos debido a que ha crecido el uso de existencias para alimentar animales, así como el consumo de carne y biocombustibles. Por lo tanto, las existencias de alimentos siguen siendo bajas a nivel mundial. La mayor financiación del mercado de productos básicos también contribuye a la volatilidad de los precios.", "18. La suba del precio de los alimentos y la creciente inseguridad alimentaria en el mundo están generando nuevamente preocupación por el aumento de la pobreza y el hambre. Dado que los pobres gastan una gran proporción de sus ingresos en alimentos, incluso una suba temporaria de esos precios puede afectar considerablemente a su nivel de ingresos, por lo que la pobreza tiende a crecer cuando sube el precio de los alimentos. El Banco Mundial estima que es posible que otros 44 millones de personas hayan caído en la pobreza en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos debido al aumento del precio de los alimentos entre junio y diciembre de 2010[22]. La FAO ha advertido que el número de personas que padecen hambre crónica, estimado en 925 millones en 2010, podría aumentar, en razón de la suba del precio de los alimentos[23].", "19. Además de las crisis climáticas ocurridas en los grandes países productores, la especulación en las operaciones a futuro de productos agrícolas básicos y el aumento de la demanda de los biocombustibles también han contribuido a esta última crisis. Sin embargo, desde el punto de vista histórico, el número de personas que pasan hambre ha seguido subiendo incluso en períodos de crecimiento elevado y precios relativamente bajos, lo que sugiere que el hambre, al igual que la pobreza, es la consecuencia de problemas estructurales. La escasa inversión en la agricultura y las distorsiones del sistema mundial de comercio son algunas de las causas de largo plazo de la persistente inseguridad alimentaria.", "20. El gasto público orientado a la agricultura declinó fuertemente en los países en desarrollo, en particular en el África subsahariana durante el período de programas de ajuste estructural de las décadas de 1980 y 1990 y ha seguido disminuyendo desde entonces. A nivel mundial, la proporción de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo que se destinó a la agricultura cayó de un 16% en 1980 a un 4% en 2005 y descendió en un 50% en términos absolutos[24]. Los gobiernos de los países en desarrollo también se han visto obligados a promover cultivos de exportación. Las inversiones destinadas a la agricultura de exportación se dirigieron a la producción de cultivos más caros, en detrimento de cultivos más baratos necesarios para satisfacer las necesidades de la creciente población de esos países. Además, los subsidios agrícolas que otorgan desde hace tiempo los países desarrollados siguen constituyendo un obstáculo al desarrollo agrícola de los países pobres. Los países que fueron alentados a liberalizar el comercio rápidamente tuvieron grandes dificultades, dado que se vieron obligados a competir contra las exportaciones baratas de alimentos subsidiados de los países desarrollados.", "21. Décadas de abandono han producido un estancamiento de la productividad agrícola en muchos países en desarrollo. La producción de cereales en los países menos adelantados en promedio es solo la mitad de la media mundial, una brecha que no se ha modificado en las últimas dos décadas[25]. En 14 de los 22 países menos adelantados de los que se disponen datos comparables, la producción de alimentos per cápita cayó entre 1990 y 2005[26].", "D. Cambio climático y conflictos", "22. Gran parte de la población que vive apenas por encima de la línea de la pobreza sigue siendo vulnerable a la pobreza. Las crisis imprevistas como las sequías estacionales, la pérdida de un empleo o un enfermo en la familia pueden consumir los recursos del hogar y hacer caer a las personas en la pobreza o empujar a los pobres a una pobreza mayor. Cuando las familias no pueden recuperarse de esas crisis en el corto plazo, tienen posibilidades de quedar atrapadas en una pobreza de largo plazo.", "23. El cambio climático y los conflictos guardan relación con la pobreza. Las personas que viven en la pobreza o que son vulnerables a ella a menudo no se encuentran en una posición que les permita resistir o mitigar los efectos negativos del cambio climático y los conflictos, y por lo tanto, son quienes tienden a sufrir más.", "Cambio climático", "24. La deforestación, la degradación de las costas naturales, la mayor densidad de la población en las zonas costeras y una infraestructura deficiente han aumentado la probabilidad de que las crisis climáticas se conviertan en desastres humanitarios. La vulnerabilidad a los efectos de los desastres naturales guarda una estrecha relación con la pobreza, dado que los países pobres y los sectores más carenciados de la población no cuentan con una infraestructura sólida ni con la capacidad técnica necesaria para reducir los riesgos de desastre. Entre 1970 y 2009, el número promedio de muertes por cada 100.000 habitantes por causa de un desastre natural fue cinco veces superior en las regiones en desarrollo que en las regiones desarrolladas y 13 veces más elevado en los países menos adelantados que las regiones desarrolladas[27].", "25. Las personas que viven en la pobreza, en particular en entornos marginales y zonas de baja productividad agrícola, dependen directamente de la diversidad genética y de la diversidad de especies y ecosistemas para conservar sus medios de vida. Por lo tanto, los efectos del cambio climático en los sistemas naturales hacen peligrar su bienestar. En los países en desarrollo ya puede verse cómo los cambios de temperatura y los patrones de lluvias afectan a la agricultura; las malas cosechas y la muerte de los animales de cría traen pérdidas económicas, que contribuyen al aumento del precio de los alimentos además de atentar cada vez más contra la seguridad alimentaria, especialmente en algunas regiones del África subsahariana. Se estima que para 2050 el número de niños malnutridos podría aumentar en un 20% como consecuencia de los efectos del cambio climático en la agricultura[28]. Para ese mismo año, otros 1.800 millones de personas podrían carecer de agua[29]. Mientras tanto, es posible que peligren las estrategias de reducción de la pobreza centradas en la agricultura, que hacen hincapié en fomentar los ingresos y el empleo rurales.", "Conflictos", "26. La pobreza puede contribuir a desencadenar un conflicto por la desesperante situación que genera y la falta de oportunidades sociales y económicas que significa para los pobres. La desigualdad de ingresos y las limitadas oportunidades para encontrar empleo, especialmente entre los jóvenes, sumadas a la fragmentación y la exclusión sociales, exacerban las tensiones sociales y pueden desatar un conflicto.", "27. Ningún país de bajos ingresos que sea frágil o que esté pasando por un conflicto ha logrado hasta ahora cumplir con un Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio[30]. En promedio, los países que han experimentado episodios graves de violencia en el período comprendido entre 1981 y 2005 tienen una tasa de pobreza un 21% más elevada que los países que no han pasado por una situación de violencia[31]. Se estima que el 20% de los pobres del mundo vivían en un país frágil en 2005, pero que ese porcentaje habrá superado el 50% en 2015[32]. Los efectos de un episodio grave de violencia en la pobreza son mucho mayores que los efectos de los desastres naturales o los ciclos económicos y pueden destruir completamente el progreso económico logrado a lo largo de toda una generación.", "28. Los conflictos dañan la estructura básica de un país y afectan negativamente a los servicios públicos, como la atención de la salud y la educación, así como a los canales de distribución de alimentos y otros artículos de consumo. Es posible que la inseguridad también impida a los adultos llegar a sus puestos de trabajo, lo que reduce la productividad y los ingresos, y que obligue a los niños a abandonar la escuela, lo que tiene como consecuencia lagunas irreparables en el aprendizaje de los jóvenes. El capital humano también disminuye por causa de lesiones y enfermedades, especialmente entre los no combatientes. El 90% de las muertes asociadas a conflictos se deben a enfermedades o malnutrición y no directamente a la violencia[33]. Asimismo, el capital social se deteriora en el conflicto, con la separación o el desplazamiento de las familias.", "III. Principales consideraciones de políticas para la erradicación de la pobreza", "29. Las crisis han puesto en evidencia la vulnerabilidad de las personas y las familias pobres y la necesidad de aplicar políticas más eficaces. En el plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio se reconoció que el empleo y la protección social eran dos caminos fundamentales para lograr la reducción de la pobreza y un crecimiento inclusivo y equitativo. Dado que la agricultura sigue siendo el principal medio de vida de los pobres, la productividad agrícola y el desarrollo rural son fundamentales para reducir la pobreza.", "A. Logro de un crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo y promoción de la creación de empleo", "30. El logro de un crecimiento económico amplio e inclusivo, necesario para reducir la pobreza, constituye un desafío considerable, especialmente para los países pobres. Ese crecimiento debe ir acompañado de la creación de empleos productivos y medios de vida suficientes para ocupar una fuerza de trabajo que aumenta rápidamente. También requiere estrategias para promover la diversificación económica y mejorar el acceso a los mercados, la tierra, el crédito y otros recursos productivos.", "31. La reducción de la pobreza ha avanzado más rápidamente en los países en que el crecimiento económico trajo aparejado un incremento de la productividad agrícola, un crecimiento de las industrias manufactureras y aumentos sostenidos de puestos de trabajo decente, tanto en zonas rurales como urbanas. Esos países se han beneficiado con la adopción de políticas complementarias adoptadas en los sectores económicos y sociales, en que los gobiernos hicieron fuertes inversiones en el desarrollo de infraestructura, la protección social y los servicios sociales, que ayudaron a aumentar la productividad y reducir la vulnerabilidad. La inversión en infraestructura puede tener efectos importantes en los ingresos de los pobres en los países en desarrollo. Se sabe que la necesidad de infraestructura es considerable en los países pobres y que para satisfacer esa necesidad es necesario que se preste asistencia internacional. No obstante, sin infraestructura básica ni planes de transferencia social que faciliten el acceso a la atención de la salud y ayuden a alcanzar niveles adecuados de nutrición y estabilidad social, un país no puede desarrollar todo su potencial productivo.", "32. Para que el crecimiento económico sea sostenible es necesario orientar la política macroeconómica hacia la creación de empleo y la reducción de la pobreza. Las políticas de estabilización macroeconómica dirigidas a controlar la inflación y el déficit fiscal han aumentado la volatilidad de la economía real y del mercado de trabajo. El énfasis que se ha puesto en equilibrar los presupuestos fiscales a menudo ha tenido como consecuencia una menor inversión pública en infraestructura, tecnología y capital humano, lo que resulta fundamental para lograr un crecimiento inclusivo y sostenido. La adopción temprana de políticas como respuesta a la crisis económica muestra que existía la voluntad política de incorporar objetivos sociales en las estrategias de recuperación económica. Sin embargo, el cambio actual a nuevas políticas consistentes en la adopción de medidas de austeridad fiscal que se está produciendo en un número creciente de países sugiere que la crisis no se utilizará como una oportunidad para revisar los marcos macroeconómicos existentes que sean inadecuados.", "33. Dado que el aumento del empleo que se produjo antes de la crisis no alcanzó para absorber la creciente fuerza de trabajo, debería fijarse como objetivo alcanzar niveles de empleo superiores a los que existían antes de la crisis. Para ello, es necesario que se tomen medidas tendientes a garantizar la seguridad de ingresos y de empleo, y se ponga énfasis en el establecimiento de sistemas de protección social más sólidos y permanentes. Las políticas que se adopten en relación con el mercado de trabajo son un instrumento importante para prevenir el desempleo de largo plazo y apoyar la transformación estructural de la economía. Es fundamental que se invierta en educación y capacitación, dado que la disponibilidad de una base sólida de conocimientos promueve la productividad y mejora los ingresos y el acceso al empleo.", "34. Los programas de empleo público pueden servir para aumentar la demanda agregada y ser un instrumento de política adicional para resolver el problema del subempleo y del empleo informal, como parte de una serie de medidas más amplia de empleo y protección social. Dado que la recuperación del empleo será mucho más lenta que la de la economía, los programas de empleo público no deberían eliminarse prematuramente. Los programas que garantizan el empleo pueden constituir una estrategia eficaz para resolver las deficiencias de infraestructura y la escasez de otros bienes y servicios[34].", "35. En muchos países las empresas pequeñas y medianas emplean a una gran parte de la fuerza de trabajo urbana y rural. En los países en desarrollo, esas empresas a menudo operan informalmente y se caracterizan por pagar sueldos bajos, no ofrecer ingresos seguros ni proporcionar otros beneficios. Aumentar la capacidad de esas empresas de generar trabajo decente requiere que se disponga de acceso al crédito y asistencia técnica, y que se fomente la capacidad de gestión e información.", "36. Los problemas que afronta el sector informal deben resolverse fomentando la capacidad productiva y competitiva de largo plazo y mejorando la seguridad de los ingresos y las condiciones laborales de los trabajadores informales. Si el crecimiento económico no va acompañado de un cambio hacia la adopción de medidas que fomenten el trabajo decente, especialmente en el sector informal, tendrá escasas repercusiones en la reducción de la pobreza.", "B. Promoción del desarrollo agrícola y rural y producción alimentaria", "37. La agricultura sigue siendo el principal medio de vida de los pobres y proporciona empleo a la mayoría de la población en los países en desarrollo. Por lo tanto, la promoción del desarrollo agrícola y rural tiene grandes efectos en la reducción de la pobreza y el crecimiento económico. Alrededor del 75% de los pobres que viven en zonas rurales en la actualidad se beneficiarían considerablemente si percibieran ingresos más elevados por sus actividades agrícolas[35]. Debe aumentarse la capacidad de los pobres que viven en zonas rurales y resolverse las causas de su vulnerabilidad para que sus medios de vida sean mejores y más seguros.", "38. Para superar las crisis alimentarias y sus efectos en los pobres y la población vulnerable es necesario adoptar una combinación de medidas de corto y largo plazo orientadas a apoyar la agricultura y fortalecer la seguridad alimentaria. Al respecto, es necesario aplicar estrategias destinadas a incrementar la productividad agrícola, la sostenibilidad ambiental y la resistencia a los cambios ambientales; aumentar el acceso a los mercados y el comercio agrícolas y de los alimentos; y mejorar la infraestructura y el acceso a los servicios sociales y los programas de protección social. Las medidas de apoyo a la producción de alimentos y, en particular, las medidas destinadas a ampliar el acceso de los pequeños agricultores a semillas, fuentes de energía y fertilizantes de mejor calidad tienen importantes repercusiones en la reducción de la pobreza.", "39. Entre otras medidas, es necesario mejorar la capacidad nacional para gestionar la volatilidad, perfeccionar los pronósticos meteorológicos, realizar una mayor inversión en la agricultura, adoptar nuevas tecnologías y resolver cuestiones relacionadas con el cambio climático. Dado que son los pobres los más afectados por el cambio climático y la degradación ambiental, las estrategias que mitigan los efectos de ese cambio y conducen a la adopción de sistemas de producción sostenibles desde el punto de vista ambiental benefician a los pobres.", "40. Es necesario realizar esfuerzos concertados para que la seguridad alimentaria se convierta en una prioridad en los países en desarrollo, en particular en aquellos países que son susceptibles de sufrir una escasez crónica de alimentos. Producir una mayor cantidad de alimentos es solo un aspecto de la seguridad alimentaria (su disponibilidad) y debe complementarse con otras intervenciones para resolver las inequidades en el acceso a los alimentos y mejorar la nutrición. La seguridad alimentaria se logra cuando todas las personas, en todo momento, tienen acceso a alimentos suficientes, seguros y nutritivos que les permitan llevar una vida activa y saludable. Por lo tanto, los programas de seguridad alimentaria deberían abordar también cuestiones relacionadas con el acceso a alimentos suficientes y nutritivos e incluir la aplicación de planes de nutrición integrados para los pobres y la población vulnerable. En el corto plazo, debería darse suma prioridad a las zonas con problemas de hambre crítica. Las intervenciones basadas en la prevención, como la distribución de micronutrientes fortificados y suplementos esenciales, así como el apoyo selectivo a los niños, mediante la entrega de alimentos en las escuelas, también deben complementarse con intervenciones que prevean el suministro de tratamientos, por ejemplo, el tratamiento de niveles graves y moderados de malnutrición aguda y la desparasitación generalizada de los niños. Algunas de las medidas que deberían adoptarse para reducir los efectos que tiene el elevado precio de los alimentos en los pobres son los programas de asistencia social y nutrición para los pobres.", "41. Promover el desarrollo de empresas pequeñas y medianas, incluso en zonas rurales, puede reducir la pobreza, mejorar la seguridad alimentaria y facilitar la diversificación de la agricultura en otras actividades rurales. A pesar de que se considera en general que las exportaciones son la opción más ventajosa y que son las grandes empresas agrícolas las que pueden llegar a los mercados internacionales con más eficiencia, de los datos disponibles se desprende en general que en varios países los mercados urbanos internos son el principal factor de impulso de la productividad agrícola, y que se benefician en una mayor medida si reciben los productos de pequeños establecimientos agrícolas familiares, que son más flexibles, a condición de que esos establecimientos estén conectados con redes de comercio local y se financien con ingresos que no provengan de establecimientos agrícolas[36]. Los pequeños agricultores también han mostrado una gran capacidad de innovación en su forma de responder, entre otras, a las crisis climáticas.", "42. En lo que respecta a las políticas, para muchos países pobres el desafío es adoptar medidas que promuevan un crecimiento sostenible de pequeños establecimientos agrícolas que posibiliten a su vez transformaciones estructurales que, en muchos casos, deberían incluir la reducción de las actividades agrícolas en el largo plazo y el crecimiento de un sector manufacturero más dinámico. Los países con grandes sectores agrícolas que se han centrado en promover el desarrollo rural y no solo la agricultura, aumentando la productividad de los pequeños establecimientos, creando oportunidades de empleo fuera de ellos, y ampliando el acceso de sus propietarios a infraestructura, información y mercados, han logrado incrementar considerablemente en su producción agrícola. El desarrollo de una economía rural fuera de los establecimientos agrícolas es especialmente importante en los países pobres, en razón de los efectos que tiene en el empleo y su vinculación con el resto de la economía.", "43. Si bien cada Estado es responsable de velar por la disponibilidad de alimentos y el acceso a ellos, la mayoría de los países pobres necesitaría asistencia de la comunidad internacional para desarrollar su sector agrícola e impedir la falta de alimentos. Por lo tanto, es importante que a nivel internacional se siga prestando una atención prioritaria en las políticas a la seguridad alimentaria en el mundo, así como a la asignación de recursos. La comunidad internacional también debería adoptar medidas para estabilizar los precios de los alimentos, por ejemplo, impidiendo las restricciones a las exportaciones, revisando los subsidios a la producción de biocombustibles y regulando la financiación de los mercados de futuros y opciones de alimentos básicos.", "C. Avances universales hacia la protección social", "44. Alrededor del 75% de la población mundial no recibe servicios básicos de protección social y muchas personas no tienen acceso a atención básica de la salud. Otras carecen de un mínimo siquiera de seguridad en sus ingresos y al no tener una capacidad suficiente para obtenerlos, su nutrición, salud y educación son deficientes, lo que se traduce en una escasa capacidad productiva para sí mismas y sus hijos[37].", "45. Los efectos negativos de las crisis en un número tan considerable de personas pone de manifiesto la naturaleza multidimensional de la pobreza y la importancia fundamental que tiene la protección social en la reducción de la vulnerabilidad. Las consecuencias sociales de las crisis económicas han sido especialmente severas en los países con sistemas de protección social más frágiles o insuficientes, y se han visto agravadas por la débil capacidad institucional y fiscal de esos países. Desde el año 2000, las inversiones en el establecimiento y la ampliación de los sistemas de protección social en América Latina y el Caribe, por ejemplo, han amortiguado los efectos negativos de la crisis en la región, ayudando a los hogares a afrontar la contracción de la economía y compensarla[38].", "46. Las medidas de protección social pueden contribuir a que se vuelvan a generar actividades económicas y medios de vida y pueden actuar como un factor automático de estabilización, transfiriendo una cierta cantidad de riqueza a los necesitados y fomentando la demanda agregada durante períodos de recesión económica. Al garantizar la satisfacción de las necesidades esenciales de la población vulnerable, la protección social contribuye a romper el ciclo vicioso de la pobreza que genera más pobreza. En el largo plazo, la protección social puede ayudar a las personas y familias a crear recursos humanos y sociales, liberando el potencial productivo de la fuerza de trabajo. La protección social no es solo una expresión de solidaridad, sino que también ayuda a reducir los conflictos y los disturbios sociales y a promover la justicia social.", "47. Los beneficios de la seguridad social, si están bien pensados, son un elemento de promoción del empleo productivo, la igualdad entre los géneros, la cohesión social y un sólido crecimiento económico. La protección social aumenta la participación en el mercado de trabajo, permitiendo que las mujeres y los hombres tengan empleos productivos y contribuyan al desarrollo económico, como lo muestran varios ejemplos de países tan distintos como Bangladesh, el Brasil, la India, México y Sudáfrica[39]. La disponibilidad de protección social también mejora el funcionamiento de los mercados y reduce parte de la desigualdad que estos tienden a producir.", "48. Por lo tanto, la protección social debería verse como un componente importante de las estrategias de crecimiento más inclusivas y equitativas, que distribuye más ampliamente los beneficios del crecimiento. El acceso universal a la protección y los servicios sociales básicos es necesario para romper el ciclo de pobreza y reducir la desigualdad y la exclusión social. Un nivel mínimo de protección social básica es asequible desde el punto de vista económico y deben ponderarse sus beneficios contra los posibles elevados costos humanos, económicos y sociales de no invertir en ella. Sobre la base de un análisis de 80 estudios distintos acerca de transferencias de efectivo orientadas a dar un elemento de protección social que se realizaron en alrededor de 30 países en desarrollo del mundo, la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) llegó a la conclusión de que la mayoría de los países puede costear algún nivel de protección social para sus poblaciones y que ello puede tener repercusiones considerables en la pobreza. Un mero análisis de la distribución de transferencias sociales básicas muestra que la combinación de una modesta asignación de efectivo por hijos y una modesta jubilación, que podría constituir el “nivel inicial” de un piso mínimo de prestaciones sociales en los países más pobres, podría reducir el número de pobres en alrededor de un 40% —una contribución considerable al logro del Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio 1[40].", "49. Las estimaciones de la OIT muestran que un piso mínimo de prestaciones sociales, que aseguren un nivel mínimo de ingresos para los niños, las ancianas, los ancianos y los trabajadores pobres en al menos 49 de los países menos avanzados costaría alrededor de 46.000 millones por año. Esos recursos significarían una contribución muy importante al logro del Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio 1 y harían salir a alrededor de 442 millones de personas de la pobreza extrema en el primer año. El costo de estas medidas (8,7% del PIB de todos los países menos adelantados) requeriría una aplicación gradual si tuviera que financiarse plenamente con los presupuestos nacionales[41].", "50. Asegurar un piso mínimo de protección social a las personas que luchan por su subsistencia debe ser una prioridad si se quiere afrontar una pobreza multifacética. Esas medidas, que se adoptarían para cumplir con el compromiso de ofrecer una prestación universal de servicios, deberían llegar a la población más vulnerable. Los recortes que se están produciendo en el gasto social en un número creciente de países solo servirán para aumentar la vulnerabilidad y la pobreza de los trabajadores.", "IV. Generar coherencia en las políticas para erradicar la pobreza", "51. Los organismos, fondos y programas pertinentes del sistema de las Naciones Unidas han seguido aplicando el plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza mediante actividades de colaboración a los efectos de promover la concienciación en relación con el programa de trabajo decente, compartir las buenas prácticas y apoyar el fortalecimiento de la capacidad[42]. En el último año, los esfuerzos realizados por aumentar la coordinación y la coherencia de las políticas con objeto de erradicar la pobreza y el pleno empleo se han centrado en prestar apoyo al Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y a la Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social, dos iniciativas comprendidas en el marco del Segundo Decenio.", "Pacto Mundial para el Empleo", "52. El Pacto Mundial para el Empleo proporciona un marco general para que los países formulen conjuntos de medidas adaptadas a su situación y prioridades a fin de acelerar la recuperación. El Pacto incluye una variedad de medidas para responder a la crisis que los países pueden adaptar a sus necesidades y situación específicas. No se trata de ofrecer una solución única para todos los casos, sino de proporcionar una serie de alternativas que han dado resultados; el Pacto también fue pensado para servir de guía para la adopción de medidas y prestarles apoyo a nivel multilateral. Mediante el Pacto se promueve una recuperación productiva basada en inversiones, empleo y protección social, y se procura que el empleo pase a ser el eje del programa de políticas[43].", "53. La OIT ha elaborado un conjunto de documentos de políticas sobre cuestiones como la creación de empleo y los servicios, las inversiones, la economía no estructurada, el empleo ecológico, los jóvenes, las mujeres y los grupos vulnerables[44]. Los enfoques plasmados en esos documentos son compatibles con el Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y proporcionan orientación sobre qué intervenciones serían eficaces. Se ha mostrado que esos enfoques impulsan la creación de empleo y la recuperación de puestos de trabajo y apoyan una recuperación macroeconómica más amplia[45]. En los países que han aplicado un enfoque más inclusivo, se han perdido menos puestos de trabajo, se han producido menores tensiones sociales y la economía se ha recuperado más rápidamente.", "54. La OIT y el Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas organizaron una reunión técnica interinstitucional sobre la creación de empleo y el trabajo decente para lograr una recuperación y desarrollo sostenibles, en un esfuerzo por aumentar la coherencia interinstitucional en el marco del plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio. La finalidad de la reunión, que se celebró en Turín (Italia), del 29 de noviembre al 1 de diciembre de 2010, fue alentar el diálogo sobre el Pacto Mundial para el Empleo, generar respuestas más coherentes de las Naciones Unidas a los problemas que se plantean en relación con el empleo y el trabajo decente e intercambiar buenas prácticas. En la reunión, a la que asistieron entidades que participan en el plan de acción, además de otras organizaciones internacionales, se elaboraron propuestas e iniciativas útiles para fortalecer ese plan. También se elaboró una síntesis única de las ideas del pensamiento y las medidas actuales del sistema de las Naciones Unidas sobre los principales problemas del desarrollo, el crecimiento y la erradicación de la pobreza.", "Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social[46]", "55. La Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social es un emprendimiento conjunto de todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas para promover la ampliación de servicios y transferencias esenciales a todas las personas que necesitan esa protección. En torno de esa Iniciativa se generó una coalición sólida de organismos de las Naciones Unidas, asociados bilaterales, bancos de desarrollo y organizaciones no gubernamentales que procuran asegurar la coherencia y la coordinación de todos los agentes y sectores, que prestan un apoyo óptimo a nivel de los países.", "56. Muchas de las actividades que se realizan en el marco de la Iniciativa han tenido repercusiones en varios sectores, como el bienestar social, la fuerza de trabajo, la salud, la educación, la infraestructura y la agricultura. Mediante la Iniciativa también se alienta a los países a unificar distintos procesos de planificación de políticas sociales en un marco de planificación para el desarrollo único y coherente en que se fijen objetivos claros de mediano y largo plazo, lo que facilita la introducción de políticas de protección social, su reforma o financiación, y posibilita que los gobiernos exploren sinergias entre los distintos sectores. Los marcos nacionales de la Iniciativa varían según las circunstancias de cada país; sin embargo, su proceso de elaboración debería ser consultivo, inclusivo y participatorio, e involucrar a representantes gubernamentales de los ministerios competentes, interlocutores sociales, parlamentarios y miembros de la sociedad civil.", "57. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas ofrece instrumentos de asistencia técnica para planificar y aplicar las políticas de la Iniciativa. La intensa colaboración interinstitucional que tiene lugar mediante la red de asesoramiento mundial creada en el marco de la Iniciativa asegura asistencia técnica para apoyar a los países, aprovechando al máximo las distintas áreas de conocimiento y las ventajas comparativas de cada organismo. Entre los instrumentos elaborados en el marco de la Iniciativa figuran el manual de operaciones de la Iniciativa en el país, herramientas para determinar costos y una metodología para que se celebren diálogos en el marco de la Iniciativa basados en evaluaciones. Además, cada organismo dispone de instrumentos específicos para su esfera de competencia relativos a elementos concretos del piso mínimo o a los grupos a los que va dirigida la Iniciativa, por ejemplo, la seguridad de los ingresos, la salud, los recursos hídricos y el saneamiento, la seguridad alimentaria, la vivienda, la infancia, los ancianos, las personas con discapacidad, las personas afectadas por el VIH/SIDA, las mujeres y las personas que viven en zonas rurales remotas, etc.", "58. Mediante la Iniciativa se ha apoyado a varios países en la aplicación de niveles mínimos de protección social y se han entablado diálogos a nivel nacional sobre las necesidades y prioridades de protección social, sobre la base de un análisis inicial de los planes y programas existentes y los costos estimados de introducir nuevos beneficios. Algunos de los países en los que se llevan a cabo actividades conjuntas en el marco de la Iniciativa son Armenia, Benín, Burkina Faso, Camboya, El Salvador, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Tailandia, Togo y Viet Nam. La idea de establecer un nivel mínimo de protección social se ha plasmado en la práctica en un manual sobre el tema con directrices para orientar a los países sobre el marco estratégico a fin de que puedan llevar a cabo actividades en el país con las Naciones Unidas. Dado que los conocimientos y la experiencia de los países en desarrollo que ya han avanzado en el establecimiento de sus niveles mínimos de protección social pueden servir para inspirar a los países que apenas ahora están comenzando a elaborar estrategias de ese tipo, se ha puesto un fuerte énfasis en la cooperación Sur-Sur y en la cooperación triangular. Mediante la Iniciativa también se ofrecen programas de formación y fomento de la capacidad a los encargados de planificar las políticas sociales a nivel nacional y de adoptar decisiones, así como a quienes tienen a su cargo la ejecución de esos planes.", "59. Puesto que la Iniciativa proporciona un marco coherente para que los gobiernos y el sistema de las Naciones Unidas coordinen sus actividades y aceleren la reducción de la pobreza, se han celebrado actividades de promoción para aumentar la concienciación sobre el establecimiento de un nivel mínimo de protección social a nivel regional y mundial. En agosto de 2010 se estableció un Grupo asesor de alto nivel sobre el nivel mínimo de protección social para aumentar las actividades de promoción a nivel mundial. Promover el programa sobre el establecimiento de un nivel mínimo de protección social de modo sostenible será fundamental para reequilibrar el desarrollo económico y social a fin de asegurar una globalización inclusiva y, por lo tanto, el éxito del Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza.", "V. Iniciativas para la erradicación de la pobreza", "Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad[47]", "60. En 2002, la Asamblea General aprobó la resolución 57/265 titulada “Establecimiento del Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad”, basándose en la experiencia de los fondos de solidaridad nacional que hacen hincapié en mejorar las condiciones de vida de las poblaciones marginadas mediante microproyectos de generación de ingresos.", "61. Se preveía que el Fondo contribuyera a la erradicación de la pobreza y promoviera el desarrollo social y humano en los países en desarrollo para que “apoye las solicitudes de los gobiernos de países en desarrollo para financiar proyectos destinados a aliviar la pobreza, incluso iniciativas de organizaciones basadas en la comunidad y de pequeñas entidades del sector privado” (resolución 57/265).", "62. En dicha resolución, la Asamblea General pidió al Secretario General que solicitara al Administrador del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo que adoptara las medidas necesarias para que el Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad entrara en funcionamiento de inmediato como fondo fiduciario del Programa, con sujeción al reglamento financiero y a la reglamentación financiera detallada aprobados por la Junta Ejecutiva del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo y del Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas. El PNUD, sobre la base de ese mandato y en cooperación con asociados, organizó la reunión de un grupo de trabajo que se celebró el 17 de septiembre de 2004, y a la que asistieron el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Túnez, la Presidenta del Consejo Económico y Social y el Administrador del PNUD, así como otros representantes de organismos y gobiernos. El PNUD, en cooperación con el Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales y otros asociados, elaboró los documentos de antecedentes para la reunión, entre ellos documentos sobre medidas relativas a las modalidades de funcionamiento sugeridas para el Fondo, la aprobación de proyectos y el proceso de presentación de informes. El grupo de trabajo discutió cuestiones fundamentales sobre arreglos institucionales y operacionales, la composición del Comité de alto nivel e ideas para reunir fondos.", "63. En la reunión del grupo de trabajo se acordó que el Comité de alto nivel impartiría dirección estratégica y realizaría actividades de promoción para el Fondo, movilizaría recursos para este y supervisaría sus actividades, de conformidad con lo establecido en la resolución 57/265, y sobre la base de las recomendaciones que figuran en el informe del Secretario General relativo a la propuesta de establecer un Fondo mundial de solidaridad para la erradicación de la pobreza (A/57/137). También se acordó que el Gobierno de Túnez organizaría una reunión del Comité de alto nivel. Lamentablemente, el Fondo no ha recibido contribuciones y tampoco se celebró la reunión de alto nivel del comité.", "64. Debido a la falta de fondos y la ausencia de dirección del Comité de alto nivel, el PNUD no pudo establecer una estructura para la gestión del Fondo ni la aplicación de los programas. El PNUD informó a la Segunda Comisión de la Asamblea General y a su Junta Ejecutiva sobre la situación del Fondo.", "65. A la luz de la crisis financiera actual, es poco probable que el Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad comience a funcionar si no existe un fuerte compromiso de los Estados Miembros de contribuir a él. No obstante, la erradicación de la pobreza es un objetivo fundamental de la cooperación internacional para el desarrollo. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad es el eje de la labor del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, dado que sus actividades están encaminadas a alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio.", "VI. Conclusión y recomendaciones", "66. A fin de alcanzar la meta de pobreza de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y a los efectos de asegurar una recuperación sostenible, es necesario que se dé una respuesta coordinada que conduzca a un crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo y que promueva el desarrollo sostenible. Al respecto, resultan de suma importancia las políticas macroeconómicas que promueven la creación de empleo productivo y apoyan la prestación de una mayor protección social. Las inversiones en la agricultura y el desarrollo rural son dimensiones importantes del crecimiento que también contribuyen a reducir la pobreza y mejorar la seguridad alimentaria.", "67. El Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza (2008-2017) proporciona un importante marco de acción para mejorar la coherencia y la sinergia entre las actividades de todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas y apoyar los esfuerzos de los países para erradicar la pobreza. También constituye una plataforma eficaz para aumentar la visibilidad del pilar social de desarrollo sostenible. El plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio ya ha recibido un amplio apoyo y como consecuencia de ello ha mejorado la coherencia y la coordinación de políticas en las Naciones Unidas. Sin embargo, para afrontar con eficacia las amenazas que plantea la persistente crisis mundial de empleo se requerirán esfuerzos adicionales, a fin de mejorar la coherencia de las políticas y promover la colaboración de los Estados Miembros, la sociedad civil y todos los asociados pertinentes.", "68. La Asamblea General quizás desee considerar la adopción de las siguientes recomendaciones:", "a) Alentar a la comunidad internacional a seguir apoyando los esfuerzos de los países orientados a erradicar la pobreza generando un entorno internacional favorable y asegurando una mayor coherencia de las políticas macroeconómicas, comerciales y sociales;", "b) Instar a los Estados Miembros a seguir apoyando el plan de acción para todo el sistema para el Segundo Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Erradicación de la Pobreza y los esfuerzos realizados a ese fin orientados a lograr el pleno empleo y el trabajo decente para todos;", "c) Reconociendo que la creación de empleo pleno y productivo y el trabajo decente deberían ser el eje de un marco de políticas orientado a lograr un crecimiento sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo, alentar a los Estados Miembros a aplicar los principios y los objetivos del Pacto Mundial para el Empleo y reorientar las políticas macroeconómicas a fin de estabilizar los ingresos y el empleo, aplicando sistemáticamente políticas macroeconómicas anticíclicas;", "d) Reconociendo que el acceso universal a la protección social y los servicios sociales básicos es necesario para romper el ciclo de pobreza y desigualdad, alentar a los Estados Miembros a considerar la posibilidad de establecer niveles mínimos de protección social, como una salvaguarda eficaz contra la pobreza, que sean coherentes con las políticas nacionales y las circunstancias de cada país;", "e) Instar al sistema de las Naciones Unidas a seguir promoviendo una colaboración interinstitucional más intensa para que la aplicación del plan de acción para el Segundo Decenio tenga mayores efectos a nivel de los países y para apoyar la Iniciativa sobre el nivel mínimo de protección social;", "f) Reconociendo los efectos persistentes que tienen las crisis alimentarias en la pobreza, el hambre y la seguridad alimentaria, alentar a los Estados Miembros a ejercer una función de apoyo más sólida en lo que respecta al desarrollo de la agricultura y la producción de alimentos, por ejemplo, aumentando la productividad de los pequeños emprendimientos agrícolas y promoviendo una gestión sostenible de los recursos ambientales; y al respecto, alentar a la comunidad internacional a intensificar su cooperación en apoyo del desarrollo agrícola, en particular la producción alimentaria;", "g) Dado que no se ha avanzado en la puesta en marcha del Fondo Mundial de Solidaridad, la Asamblea General quizás desee considerar la posibilidad de concertar arreglos y adoptar mecanismos alternativos para alcanzar los objetivos del Fondo, mediante la realización de actividades e iniciativas complementarias que ya se estén llevando a cabo en el sistema de las Naciones Unidas.", "[1] Resolución 65/1 de la Asamblea General, párrafo 70 b).", "[2] Ibid., párr. 48.", "[3] Ibid., párr. 6.", "[4] El plan de acción puede consultarse en http://social.un.org/index/Poverty/UNDecadefortheEradicationofPoverty/SecondUNDecade fortheEradicationofPoverty.aspx.", "[5] Banco Mundial, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs, Washington, D.C., Fondo Monetario Internacional y Banco Mundial. En la publicación de las Naciones Unidas World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 se estima que en 2009 siguieron siendo pobres o cayeron en la pobreza entre 47 y 84 millones de personas más que si no hubiera habido una crisis. Según la Introducción al Global Monitoring Report 2010: the MDGs after the Crisis, publicado por el Banco Mundial y el Fondo Monetario Internacional, otros 64 millones de personas cayeron en la pobreza extrema debido a la crisis, y para 2015, dejarían de salir de la crisis 53 millones de personas menos de lo que se había previsto.", "[6] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Una nueva era de justicia social: memoria del Director General (Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo, 100ª reunión, 2011).", "[7] Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, El estado de la inseguridad alimentaria en el mundo 2010: la inseguridad alimentaria en crisis prolongadas (Roma, octubre de 2010).", "[8] Estimaciones realizadas por la División de Política Social y Desarrollo Social, sobre la base de datos de indicadores mundiales de desarrollo del Banco Mundial, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador (consultada el 25 de mayo de 2011).", "[9] Estimaciones basadas en el instrumento de análisis de la pobreza del Banco Mundial (PovcalNet), http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/povDuplic.html (consultado el 1 de junio de 2011).", "[10] PIB per cápita, calculado en 2.000 dólares corrientes, sobre la base de datos de indicadores mundiales de desarrollo del Banco Mundial, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador (consultada el 27 de mayo de 2011).", "[11] Instituto Internacional de Estudios Laborales, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Ginebra, Oficina Internacional del Trabajo, 2008); Francisco H. G. Ferreira y Martin Ravallion, “Global Poverty and Inequality: A Review of the Evidence”, en Policy Research Working Paper 4623 (2008).", "[12] Banco Mundial, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs.", "[13] Estimaciones realizadas por la División de Política Social y Desarrollo Social, sobre la base de datos de indicadores mundiales de desarrollo del Banco Mundial, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador (consultada el 2 de junio de 2011).", "[14] UNCTAD, Los países menos adelantados. Informe 2010: Hacia una nueva arquitectura internacional del desarrollo a favor de los PMA (Nueva York y Ginebra, Naciones Unidas, 2010).", "[15] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Tendencias Mundiales del Empleo, enero de 2008 (Ginebra, Oficina Internacional del Trabajo, 2008).", "[16] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Ginebra, 2008).", "[17] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Instituto Internacional de Estudios Laborales, World of Work Report 2010: From One Crisis to the Next? (Ginebra, 2010).", "[18] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Global Employment Trends 2011: The challenge of a Jobs Recovery (Ginebra, Oficina Internacional del Trabajo, 2011).", "[19] Personas en edad activa que desean trabajar pero que no buscan activamente empleo (y a quienes no se cuenta como desempleados).", "[20] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least Developed Countries: Report of the International Labour Office for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Estambul, 9 a 13 de mayo de 2011 (Oficina Internacional del Trabajo, Ginebra, 2011).", "[21] Índice de la FAO para los precios de los alimentos, que puede consultarse en http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/es/ (consultado el 9 de junio de 2011).", "[22] Banco Mundial, Food Price Watch, febrero de 2011, que puede consultarse en: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPREMNET/Resources/Food_Price_Watch_Feb_2011_Final_Version.pdf. Véase también M. Ivanic, W. Martin y H. Zaman, “Estimating the Short-Run Poverty Impacts of the 2010-11 Surge in Food Prices”, Banco Mundial, Policy Research Working Paper 5633 (abril de 2011), para una descripción completa de las suposiciones en la que se basa y la metodología utilizada.", "[23] Iniciativa de la FAO sobre la subida de los precios de los alimentos, que puede consultarse en http://www.fao.org/isfp/about/es/ (consultada el 13 de junio de 2011).", "[24] Banco Mundial, World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development (Washington, D.C., 2007).", "[25] UNCTAD, Los países menos adelantados. Informe 2010 (véase la nota de pie de página 14).", "[26] Banco Mundial, Informe sobre el Desarrollo Mundial 2008.", "[27] World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation (Publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.11.II.C.1).", "[28] Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, El estado de la inseguridad alimentaria en el mundo 2009: crisis económicas: repercusiones y enseñanzas extraídas (Roma, 2009).", "[29] Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, Informe sobre desarrollo humano 2007/2008: la lucha contra el cambio climático: solidaridad frente a un mundo dividido (Nueva York, 2007).", "[30] Banco Mundial, World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development. (Washington, D.C., 2011).", "[31] Ibid., gráfico F1.3, pág. 4.", "[32] L. Chandy y G. Gertz, Poverty in Numbers: The Changing State of Global Poverty from 2005 to 2015. The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 2011-01, Washington, D.C., enero de 2011.", "[33] Gareth Evans (2009), Conflict and Poverty. Discurso pronunciado en la sesión plenaria “Tackling Conflict, Fragility and Insecurity: Creating the Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction”, Departamento de Desarrollo Internacional, Conference on Future of International Development, (Londres, 10 de marzo de 2009), pág. 6.", "[34] R. Lal, S. Miller, M. Lieuw-Kie-Song y D. Kostzer, Public Works and Employment Programmes: Towards a Long-Term Development Approach, Documento de trabajo núm. 66, junio de 2010, Centro Internacional de Políticas para el Crecimiento Inclusivo, Grupo de Pobreza, PNUD.", "[35] Banco Mundial, Agriculture and Development: A Brief Review of the Literature, Policy Research Working Paper 5553 (enero de 2011).", "[36] Véase Cecilia Tacoli, “Links between rural and urban development in Africa and Asia”, en Proceedings of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development (Naciones Unidas, Nueva York, enero de 2008).", "[37] Véase Organización Internacional del Trabajo, World Social Security Report 2010/11: Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond.", "[38] Para un análisis más profundo, véase Did Latin America Learn to Shield Its Poor from Economic Shocks? (Banco Mundial, LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, octubre de 2010).", "[39] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Una nueva era de justicia social: memoria del Director General (Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo, 100ª reunión, 2011).", "[40] Véase F. Gassmann, y C. Behrendt, “Cash benefits in low-income countries: Simulating the effects on poverty reductions for Senegal and Tanzania, Issues in Social Protection”. Documento de debate 15 (Ginebra, OIT, agosto de 2006), págs. 47 a 49.", "[41] Organización Internacional del Trabajo. Una nueva era de justicia social: memoria del Director General.", "[42] En el informe del Secretario General sobre la aplicación del Segundo Decenio figura una descripción completa de las iniciativas y las actividades ejecutadas por las organizaciones pertinentes hasta mediados de 2010 (A/65/230).", "[43] En abril de 2009 la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la coordinación, lanzó la iniciativa “Pacto Mundial para el Empleo”, que tiene por finalidad que la atención de los encargados de la adopción de decisiones se centre en las medidas para fomentar el empleo y el trabajo decente como fundamento de la recuperación de largo plazo (véase la resolución 65/1 de la Asamblea General).", "[44] Véase www.ilo.org/jobspact/resources.", "[45] Por ejemplo, como parte de su nuevo plan de crecimiento (New Growth Path), Sudáfrica se fijó la meta de generar 5 millones de puestos de trabajo para 2020 y reducir el desempleo en un 15%. Se prevé que parte de este plan se logre mediante el programa de ampliación de obras públicas, que se ejecutó por primera vez entre 2005 y 2009 y que generó más de 100.000 puestos de trabajo.", "[46] La presente sección se basa en información presentada por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo.", "[47] La presente sección se basa en información recibida del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 23 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Eradication of poverty and other development issues", "Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/174, on the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017), in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution under the theme “Full employment and decent work for all”. The report addresses the challenges to poverty eradication and some key policy measures for poverty reduction. It also highlights the growing policy coherence within the framework of the Second Decade and describes current efforts to enhance coordination in support of the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Initiative. The report concludes with a set of recommendations that underscore the need to strengthen policy coherence and promote stronger inter-agency collaboration to enhance the implementation of the plan of action for the Second Decade.", "I. Introduction", "1. The challenges to poverty eradication were recognized by the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals held in September 2010, which highlighted the mixed progress in meeting the development objectives, particularly in achieving the targets on poverty reduction, hunger, employment and decent work for all. Governments committed themselves to adopting forward-looking economic policies that lead to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development, and which increase employment opportunities, promote agricultural development and reduce poverty.[1] They also committed to reorienting growth towards job creation with the Global Jobs Pact as a general framework.[2] In addition, they reiterated their deep concern at the multiple and interrelated crises, including food insecurity as well as the increasing challenges posed by climate change.[3]", "2. The Second Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) was launched at the outset of the Great Recession. Since then, the world economy has entered a recovery that is still fragile and vulnerable. Unemployment remains stubbornly high, while the challenges to reducing poverty in all its dimensions have intensified owing to the impacts of the economic and food crises. A prolonged jobs and social crisis makes successful implementation of the Second Decade’s plan of action more meaningful, but also more challenging.", "3. The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as the focal point for coordination of the implementation of the Second Decade, leads the implementation of a system-wide plan of action for poverty eradication prepared by 21 United Nations agencies, funds, programmes and regional commissions and endorsed by the Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in October 2009. The plan of action seeks to enhance the coherence and synergy of system-wide activities throughout the United Nations in the area of employment and decent work towards poverty eradication.[4]", "4. The present report examines the challenges highlighted at the High-level Plenary Meeting and examines key policy measures for poverty eradication and hunger. The report also describes recent activities towards the implementation of the Second Decade’s system-wide plan of action. In particular, it discusses efforts to build policy coherence in support of the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Initiative, which are important components of the plan of action. It also looks at measures taken to better operationalize the World Solidarity Fund, as requested by the General Assembly in resolution 65/174, and concludes with a set of policy recommendations to address gaps in the implementation of the plan of action.", "II. Challenges to poverty eradication", "5. Despite setbacks resulting from the multiple crises, extreme poverty — defined as living on less than $1.25 a day — has declined at the global level. Yet, poverty levels remain high and persistent in many parts of the world. The latest poverty estimates show that while East Asia has already met the poverty target of halving the proportion of people living on less than $1.25 a day, sub-Saharan Africa is not on track to meet the income poverty target: 36 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to live below the poverty line in 2015, above the target of 29 per cent.[5] If the impacts of the crisis are more lasting than expected, the modest achievements made since 2000 would be jeopardized.", "6. Reaching the poverty target of the Millennium Development Goals is but one step towards the commitment to poverty eradication made at the World Summit for Social Development in 1995. At the rate of decline observed from 1990 to 2005, when the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day declined from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion, it would take another 88 years to eradicate extreme poverty.[6] In addition, many individuals live just above the $1.25 a day poverty line and a small shock can push them into poverty. Using the $2 a day World Bank poverty line, for instance, leads to a dramatic increase in poverty levels in developing countries (amounting to 2.5 billion people in 2005).", "7. However, despite the global decline in income poverty, the number of undernourished people increased from 817 million in 1990-1992 to over 1 billion in 2009, and it is estimated to have declined to 925 million in 2010.[7] This marginal improvement is under threat because of increased food price volatility and rising food prices since late 2010.", "A. Lack of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth", "8. The evidence shows that rapid economic growth is a necessary condition for poverty reduction. In China and other countries of East and South-East Asia, such as Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam, strong growth during the past 20 years has helped to reduce poverty significantly. In the least developed countries, however, low and volatile growth has gone hand in hand with stagnant levels of poverty. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita actually declined in 17 out of 24 African least developed countries and income poverty increased in 11 of those countries between 1981 and 1999, a period of structural adjustment and high population growth.[8] Economic growth has picked up in many least developed countries since 2000 but success in reducing poverty has so far been slow: income poverty in the least developed countries only declined from 62 per cent in 1999 to 54 per cent in 2005, still far from the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target of 34 per cent, while the number of people living in poverty in those countries increased by 9 million during the period.[9]", "9. However, regional poverty trends mask diverse national experiences, even in countries with similar income levels and comparable rates of economic growth. In the least developed countries, for example, estimated income poverty in 2005 ranged from 13.1 per cent in Mauritania to 86.1 per cent in Liberia. The percentage of people living in poverty was more than twice as large in Zambia (65 per cent) as compared to the Gambia (31 per cent), while GDP per capita was close to $350 in both countries.[10] Whereas average growth rates of income per capita were above 7 per cent per year in countries such as Angola, Cambodia and Chad in 2000-2007, the prevalence of income poverty remained stagnant in Chad in 1999-2005, while Angola and Cambodia made significant strides in reducing it.", "10. Such diversity in poverty levels shows that the impact of economic growth on poverty reduction depends, among other things, on how the benefits of such growth are distributed among different sectors of society. In countries where the poor have been excluded from economic growth processes or trapped in low-productivity jobs, the gains from growth have gone disproportionately to those who were already wealthier. Between 1990 and 2005, approximately two thirds of countries with available data experienced an increase in income inequality, and the income gap between the wealthiest and poorest 10 per cent of income earners increased in 70 per cent of countries.[11] The gap between indigenous peoples, other ethnic minorities and the rest of the population has also grown over time.[12] Growing inequalities have made it more difficult for those who already lack access to productive resources and assets such as health and education to grow out of poverty.", "11. Countries that have experienced strong growth have very often failed to sustain it for an extended period of time. Growth was particularly volatile in the least developed countries during the 1980s and 1990s. Even during the high-growth period of 2000-2007, only nine out of 32 African least developed countries with data available enjoyed seven years of positive, uninterrupted growth.[13] Commodity export-led growth, vulnerable to external shocks and pressures, has been particularly volatile. Even before the food and economic crises, reliance on a few export commodities had not resulted in significant increases in agricultural productivity, capital formation or the development of productive capacities that would make countries depending on such exports more resilient to shocks. In resource-exporting countries, the expansion of oil and other extractive industries, besides having a weak impact on employment, has often resulted in increases of real exchange rates — the so-called “Dutch disease” — which have reduced the competitiveness of other sectors of the economies concerned. In fact, dependence on food imports increased markedly in the least developed countries between 2000 and 2008, and manufacturing output as a share of GDP declined in 27 of them, mostly in Africa, during the same period.[14]", "B. Slow employment creation", "12. Employment is a crucial means to inclusive and equitable economic growth. Adequately remunerated jobs provide income security, access to social protection, improved health and educational status and a way out of poverty.", "13. Employment growth during the period of expansion preceding the economic crisis was not sufficient to absorb the growing labour force: global unemployment grew from 160 million in 1996 to approximately 177 million in 2007, and the unemployment rate remained around 6 per cent throughout the period.[15] In addition, employment growth occurred alongside a redistribution of income away from labour. The share of wages in total GDP declined by the largest margin in Latin America and the Caribbean — by 13 percentage points between 1990 and 2007 — followed by Asia and the Pacific (-10 points) and developed countries (-9 points).[16] Interestingly, the share of wages stagnated in countries that had a trade deficit in 2000-2005 but declined (by 7 points) in trade-surplus countries, suggesting that the gains from export-led growth were not shared equally by profits and wages.[17]", "14. The economic crisis has led to sharp falls in employment. Globally, the number of jobless persons reached 205 million in 2010, an increase in 28 million unemployed persons since 2007.[18] Increasing long-term unemployment stands in contrast to the global recovery of real GDP and other key macroeconomic indicators since 2010, and continues to raise fears of a jobless recovery. However, changes in unemployment do not reflect the full impact of the crisis on workers and households. In poor countries, workers laid off from the formal sector have turned to the informal economy, where salaries are often lower and working conditions are poorer. The recession has subjected workers in the informal sector to even lower earnings owing to a decrease in demand and increased competition for informal jobs. As a result, progress in reducing working poverty has slowed. The estimated number of workers living on less than $1.25 a day declined from 660 million in 2007 to 631 million in 2009, but if poverty had continued declining at pre-crisis rates, the number of working poor would have fallen by an additional 40 million in 2009.¹⁸ Nevertheless, the number of working poor has increased in some regions, namely, sub-Saharan Africa (from 170 million in 2008 to close to 175 million in 2009), Northern Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.", "15. Many countries are also witnessing a surge in the number of discouraged workers,[19] particularly among youth, who are also disproportionately affected by unemployment and overrepresented in the informal sector and among the working poor. Early labour market experiences shape the future earning potential of youth as well as the well-being of the current and future generations of young people. The longer the distress in labour markets persists, the more affected workers, their families and their communities run the risk of being trapped in long-lasting poverty.", "16. Overall, the economic development path followed by many developing countries has not resulted in a sustained improvement in productive employment. Where employment has grown, jobs have not been a vehicle for promoting social protection and income security. Workers pushed out of agriculture by low productivity and population pressure have often gone into low value-added activities, mostly in the urban informal sector, where the scope for sustained productivity growth and upward mobility is limited, while farm productivity has remained stagnant in many rural areas. In African countries with available data, an estimated 90 per cent of workers are in the informal sector in both rural and urban areas, with the percentage being higher than 90 per cent among working women and youth.[20] In India, 90 per cent of the working population belongs to the informal sector, despite the fact that a number of high value-added services have taken off in recent years.", "C. Increasing global food prices and weak agricultural development", "17. The Food Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reached a record high in February 2011, mainly because of a series of weather-related supply shocks, and remained above its 2008 peak by May 2011.[21] Food demand has remained robust owing to increased use of food stocks for animal feed with growing meat consumption as well as biofuels. As a result, global food inventories remain low. Increased financialization of the commodities market is also contributing to price volatility.", "18. Surging food prices and global food insecurity are sparking concerns again over increased poverty and hunger. Since poor people spend large shares of their income on food, even short-lived price increases can have a significant impact on their income levels. So poverty tends to increase when food prices rise. The World Bank estimates that an additional 44 million people may have fallen into poverty in low- and middle-income countries because of the rise in food prices from June to December 2010.[22] FAO has warned that the number of people suffering from chronic hunger, estimated at 925 million in 2010, may rise owing to the increase in food prices.[23]", "19. In addition to weather shocks in large producing countries, speculation in agricultural commodity futures and the surge in biofuel demand have also contributed to this latest crisis. Historically, however, the number of hungry people has kept on increasing even in periods of high growth and relatively low prices, suggesting that hunger, like poverty, is the result of structural problems. Low investment in agriculture and distortions in the global trading system are some of the long-term causes of persistent food insecurity.", "20. Public expenditure in agriculture declined sharply in developing countries, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, during the period of structural adjustment programmes of the 1980s and 1990s, and has continued to decline since then. Globally, the share of Official Development Assistance going to agriculture also fell, from 16 per cent in 1980 to 4 per cent in 2005, and by 50 per cent in absolute terms.[24] Governments in developing countries have also been pressed to promote the production of export crops. Export-oriented agriculture has induced investment in the production of higher-priced crops for export, to the detriment of lower-priced crops needed to meet the needs of the growing populations in those countries. In addition, long-standing agricultural subsidies in developed countries remain a critical obstacle to agricultural development in poor countries. Countries that were encouraged to liberalize trade quickly have struggled under the pressure of cheap subsidized food exports from developed countries.", "21. Decades of neglect have left agricultural productivity stagnant in many developing countries. Average cereal yields in the least developed countries are only half of the world’s average, a gap that has remained unchanged over the past two decades.[25] In 14 out of 22 least developed countries with comparable data, per capita food production fell between 1990 and 2005.[26]", "D. Climate change and conflict", "22. Much of the population residing just above the poverty line remains vulnerable to poverty. An unexpected shock such as seasonal drought, a job loss or family disease can consume household resources and push people into poverty, or push the poor into deeper poverty. When families are unable to recover from such shocks in the short term, they may fall into long-term poverty traps.", "23. Climate change and conflict have significant and dynamic links with poverty. People who live in poverty or who are vulnerable to poverty are often ill equipped to resist or mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and conflict, and therefore tend to suffer most.", "Climate change", "24. Deforestation, the degradation of natural coastlines, increased population density in coastal areas and poor infrastructure have increased the likelihood that weather shocks will develop into human disasters. Vulnerability to the impact of natural disasters is highly correlated with poverty, since poor countries and the poorest sectors of the population lack resilient infrastructure and the technical capacities required for risk reduction. The average number of persons killed per 100,000 inhabitants by a natural disaster between 1970 and 2009 was five times higher in developing than in developed regions and 13 times higher in the least developed countries than in developed regions.[27]", "25. People living in poverty, especially in marginal environments and areas with low agricultural productivity, depend directly on genetic, species and ecosystem diversity to support their livelihoods. The effects of climate change on natural systems therefore threaten their well-being. Impacts on agriculture in developing countries from changes in temperature and rainfall patterns are already visible; crop failures and livestock deaths are causing economic losses, contributing to higher food prices and increasingly undermining food security, especially in parts of sub‑Saharan Africa. It is estimated that, by 2050, the number of malnourished children could increase by 20 per cent as a result of the impact of climate change on agriculture.[28] By the same year, an additional 1.8 billion people could be living amidst water scarcity.[29] Meanwhile, agriculture-led poverty reduction strategies which focus on building rural income and employment may be compromised.", "Conflict", "26. Poverty can contribute to conflict through the desperate conditions it generates and the lack of economic and social opportunities it affords poor people. Income inequality and limited job opportunities, particularly among young people, combined with social fragmentation and exclusion, exacerbate social tensions and can ignite conflict.", "27. No low-income fragile or conflict-affected country has yet achieved a Millennium Development Goal.[30] On average, a country that experienced major violence over the period from 1981 to 2005 has a poverty rate 21 percentage points higher than a country that saw no violence.[31] It is estimated that while 20 per cent of the world’s poor lived in a fragile country in 2005, this share will exceed 50 per cent by 2015.[32] The impact of a major episode of violence on poverty is much larger than that of natural disasters or economic cycles, and can wipe out an entire generation of economic progress.", "28. Conflict damages essential infrastructure, disrupting public services, such as health care and education, and delivery channels for food and other consumption items. Insecurity may further prevent adults from accessing jobs, reducing productivity and income, and prevent children from attending school, creating irreparable learning gaps among young people. Human capital is further diminished through injury and illness, primarily among non-combatants. Ninety per cent of deaths associated with conflict are due to disease and malnutrition rather than direct violence.[33] Social capital, too, deteriorates amidst conflict, as families are separated or displaced.", "III. Key policy considerations for poverty eradication", "29. The crises have exposed the vulnerability of poor individuals and families and have emphasized the need for more effective policies. The plan of action for the Second Decade recognized employment and social protection as two crucial avenues for poverty reduction and inclusive and equitable growth. Because agriculture is still the main source of livelihood for poor people, agricultural productivity and rural development are vital for poverty reduction.", "A. Achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and promoting job creation", "30. Achieving the broad-based and inclusive economic growth that is necessary for poverty reduction constitutes a significant policy challenge, particularly for poor countries. It entails generating sufficient productive jobs and livelihoods for a labour force that is growing rapidly. It also requires strategies to promote economic diversification, and improve access to markets, land, credit and other productive resources.", "31. Progress in reducing poverty has been faster in countries where economic growth has taken place with gains in agricultural productivity, growth of manufacturing industries and sustained increases in decent work in both rural and urban areas. Such countries have benefited from complementary policies in the economic and social sectors where Governments invested heavily in infrastructure development, social protection and social services that helped to raise productivity and reduce vulnerability. Closing the infrastructure gap can have a substantial impact on the income of the poor in developing countries. Admittedly, infrastructure needs are great in poor countries and meeting them will require international assistance. However, without basic infrastructure, social transfer schemes that foster access to health care, adequate levels of nutrition and social stability, a country cannot unlock its full productive potential.", "32. Sustaining economic growth requires orienting macroeconomic policy towards employment creation and poverty reduction. Macroeconomic stabilization policies aimed at curbing inflation and controlling fiscal deficits have increased volatility in the real economy and the labour market. Emphasis on balancing public budgets has often resulted in declines in public investment in infrastructure, technologies and human capital, all of which are critical for inclusive and sustained growth. Early policy responses to the economic crisis showed that there was political will to incorporate social objectives into economic recovery strategies. However, the current move towards fiscal tightening in a growing number of countries suggests that the crisis will not be used as an opportunity to review the inadequacy of existing macroeconomic frameworks.", "33. Since job growth before the crisis was insufficient to absorb the growing labour force, employment goals should be set above pre-crisis levels. This will require addressing job and income security, giving emphasis to the creation of stronger and permanent social protection systems. Labour market policies are an important tool for preventing long-term unemployment and supporting structural transformation of the economy. Investing in education and training is critical, as a strong skills base promotes productivity, incomes and access to employment.", "34. Public employment programmes can be effective in order to increase aggregate demand, and offer an additional policy instrument to tackle the problem of underemployment and informal employment as part of a wider employment and social protection policy. Because the job recovery will lag significantly behind the recovery, public employment programmes should not be withdrawn prematurely. Employment-guarantee programmes can be an effective strategy for addressing shortages in infrastructure and other goods and services.[34]", "35. Small- and medium-sized enterprises employ a large share of both the urban and rural labour force in many countries. In developing countries, these enterprises often operate informally and are characterized by low pay, income insecurity and lack of benefits. Enhancing the ability of such enterprises to generate decent work requires access to credit, technical assistance, building of management capacity and information.", "36. The challenges facing the informal sector must be addressed from the perspective of fostering long-term, competitive productive capacity and improving the income security and working conditions of informal workers. If economic growth is not associated with a move towards decent work, particularly in the informal sector, growth will have a small impact on poverty reduction.", "B. Promoting agricultural and rural development, and food production", "37. Agriculture is still the main source of livelihood for poor people and provides employment to a majority of the population in developing countries. Therefore, promoting agricultural and rural development has a huge potential to reduce poverty and generate economic growth. Some 75 per cent of today’s rural poor would benefit significantly from higher agricultural incomes.[35] The capabilities of the rural poor must be strengthened and the sources of their vulnerability must be addressed in order to enable them to build better and more secure livelihoods.", "38. Overcoming the food crises and their impact on poor and vulnerable people requires a combination of short-term and long-term actions to support agriculture and to strengthen food security. This requires strategies to increase agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience; to enhance access to agricultural and food markets and trade; to improve infrastructure and to improve access to social services and social protection programmes. Support to food production and, in particular, measures to boost small farmers’ access to improved seeds, energy and fertilizers have important implications for poverty reduction.", "39. Other needed measures include improving national capacity to manage volatility, better weather forecasting, more investment in agriculture, the adoption of new technologies and efforts to address climate change. Indeed, inasmuch as the poor are the most affected by climate change and environmental degradation, strategies that mitigate the impacts of climate change and lead towards environmentally-sustainable production systems will benefit the poor.", "40. Concerted efforts have to be made to ensure that food security is a priority in developing countries, particularly in those poor countries susceptible to chronic food shortages. Producing more food affects only one aspect of food security (food availability) and must be complemented by other interventions to address inequities in access to food and to improve nutrition. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. Therefore, food security programmes should also address issues of access to adequate nutritious food and implement integrated nutrition programmes for the poor and vulnerable. In the short term, hunger hotspots within countries should be a top priority. Prevention-based interventions, such as the distribution of vital micronutrient fortification and supplementation, as well as targeted support of children, through provision of school-based meals, must also be complemented by treatment-based interventions, such as the treatment of severe and moderate levels of acute malnutrition and mass deworming for children. Measures to reduce the impact of high food prices on the poor include social assistance and nutrition programmes for the poorest.", "41. The promotion of small- and medium-sized enterprises, including in rural areas, can reduce poverty, improve food security and facilitate diversification from agriculture towards other rural activities. Despite the widely-held view that export production is the most profitable option and that large commercial farms are more efficient in reaching international markets, most of the evidence suggests that domestic urban markets are the key driver of agricultural productivity in a number of countries, and that such markets are better served by small, more flexible family farms, provided they are connected to local trade networks and supported by non‑farm income sources.[36] Small farm-holders have also shown great capacity to innovate in response to weather and other shocks.", "42. The policy challenge for many poor countries is to promote sustainable growth in small-holder agriculture while enabling the structural transformations that, in many cases, should involve the long-term decline of farming and the growth of a more dynamic manufacturing sector. Countries with large agricultural sectors that have focused on promoting rural development, rather than agriculture alone, by raising small-holder on-farm productivity as well as off-farm employment opportunities, and increasing small-holder access to infrastructure, information and markets, have seen significant increases in agricultural output. Developing the rural non-farm economy is of particular importance in poor countries because of its employment effects and linkages to the rest of the economy.", "43. While it is the responsibility of each State to ensure the availability of and access to food, most poor countries would need assistance from the international community in developing their agricultural sectors if they are to prevent food scarcity. Therefore, it is important that global food security remain an international priority in terms of policy attention and in the allocation of resources. The international community should also find measures to stabilize food prices, for example, by preventing export restrictions, revisiting the subsidization of biofuel production and regulating the financialization of food commodity futures and options markets.", "C. Advancing universal social protection", "44. Around 75 per cent of the world’s population does not have access to basic social protection coverage. Many people do not have access to essential health care. For others, a lack of minimum income security with insufficient earning capacity translates into poor nutrition, health and education, leading to poor productive capacity for themselves and their children.[37]", "45. The adverse impact of the crisis on so many people underscores the multidimensional nature of poverty and the critical importance of social protection for reducing vulnerability. The social consequences of economic crises have been most severe in countries where social protection systems were weakest and least adequate, made worse by their weak institutional and fiscal capacity. Investments in building and expanding social protection systems across Latin America and the Caribbean since 2000, for instance, have cushioned the fallout from the crisis in the region, helping households to cope with and compensate for the contraction.[38]", "46. Social protection measures can help to regenerate economic activities and livelihoods, and can also act as an automatic stabilizer by transferring a certain amount of wealth to the needy and spurring aggregate demand during periods of economic downturn. By ensuring that the essential needs of the vulnerable are met, social protection helps to break the vicious cycle of poverty breeding more poverty. In the long term, social protection can help individuals and families to build human and social resources, and thereby unleash the productive potential of the workforce. Social protection as an expression of solidarity also helps to reduce social upheavals and conflicts, and promote social justice.", "47. Well-designed social security benefits are one element of policies promoting productive employment, gender equality, social cohesion and sound economic growth. Social protection enhances participation in the labour market by enabling women and men to engage in productive employment and contribute to economic development, as shown by various examples from countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.[39] The availability of social protection also makes markets work better and reduces some of the inequality they tend to produce.", "48. Therefore, social protection should be seen as an important ingredient of a more inclusive and equitable growth strategy, widening the distribution of the benefits of growth. Universal access to basic social protection and social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality and social exclusion. A basic social protection floor is affordable; its benefits need to be weighed against the high potential human, social and economic costs of not investing in social protection. Based on an analysis of 80 individual studies on cash transfers that provide an element of social protection in about 30 developing countries around the world, the International Labour Organization (ILO) makes the case that most countries can afford some level of social protection for their population, which can have a dramatic impact on poverty. A distributional analysis of essential social transfers alone shows that the combination of a modest cash benefit for children and a modest pension, which could be an “entry level” of a social floor for poorer countries, could reduce the poverty head count by about 40 per cent — a major contribution to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1.[40]", "49. Estimates by ILO show that a social protection floor, consisting of a minimum level of income security for children, older women and men and poor workers, in 49 least developed countries would cost about US$ 46 billion per annum. These resources would provide a very substantial contribution to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1 by pulling about 442 million people out of extreme poverty in the first year. The cost of this package (8.7 per cent of the GDP of all least developed countries) would require gradual implementation if it were to be fully financed from national budgets.[41]", "50. Ensuring a social protection floor for people who are struggling to survive should be a priority to address the multifaceted nature of poverty. These measures within the commitment to universal provisioning should ensure that the most vulnerable are reached. The ongoing cuts in social spending in a growing number of countries will only serve to increase vulnerability and working poverty.", "IV. Building policy coherence for poverty eradication", "51. Relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system have continued to implement the plan of action for the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty through activities and collaborative efforts to promote awareness of the decent work agenda, share good practices and support capacity-building.[42] Over the past year, efforts to enhance coordination and policy coherence for poverty eradication and full employment have focused on supporting the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Floor Initiative, two initiatives that fall within the framework of the Second Decade.", "Global Jobs Pact", "52. The Global Jobs Pact provides a general framework for use by countries in formulating appropriate policy packages specific to their national situation and priorities in order to accelerate recovery. It includes a range of crisis-response measures that countries can adapt to their specific needs and situation. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a portfolio of options based on successful examples, and is designed also to inform and support action at the multilateral level. The Pact promotes a productive recovery centred on investments, employment and social protection, and also strives to put employment at the centre of the policy agenda.[43]", "53. The ILO has developed a set of policy briefs, covering issues such as employment creation and services, investments, the informal economy, green jobs, youth, gender and vulnerable groups.[44] The policy approaches reflected in the briefs are consistent with the Global Jobs Pact and provide guidance on effective interventions. They have been shown to help boost employment generation and jump-start a job recovery and support a broader macroeconomic recovery.[45] Those countries that followed a more inclusive, job-centred approach have been rewarded with more limited job losses, fewer social tensions and faster economic recovery.", "54. The ILO and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat organized an inter-agency technical meeting on building employment and decent work into a sustainable recovery and development, in an effort to enhance inter-agency coherence within the framework of the plan of action for the Second Decade. The aim of the meeting, which took place in Turin, Italy, from 29 November to 1 December 2010, was to encourage dialogue on the Global Jobs Pact, prompt more coherent United Nations policy responses to employment and decent work challenges and exchange good practices. The meeting, attended by agencies engaged in the plan of action as well as other international organizations, produced useful proposals and initiatives to strengthen the plan of action. It also provided a unique overview of current thinking and action within the United Nations system on the key challenges of development, growth and poverty eradication.", "Social Protection Floor Initiative[46]", "55. The Social Protection Floor (SPF) Initiative is the United Nations system-wide joint effort to promote the extension of a set of essential services and transfers to all in need of such protection. The SPF Initiative has developed a strong coalition of United Nations agencies, bilateral partners, development banks and non‑governmental organizations to ensure coherence and coordination across actors and sectors, thus providing optimal support at the country level.", "56. Many SPF activities have spillover effects in several sectors, such as social welfare, labour, health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and others. The SPF Initiative also encourages countries to bring disparate planning processes for social policies into one coherent development planning framework that sets clear medium- and long-term objectives. This facilitates the introduction or reform and financing of social protection policies and enables Governments to explore synergies between different sectors. The national SPF frameworks vary depending on national circumstances, but the process to develop this framework should be consultative, inclusive and participatory, involving government representatives from relevant ministries, social partners, parliamentarians and civil society.", "57. The United Nations system offers technical assistance tools for the planning and implementation of SPF policies. Strong inter-agency collaboration through the Global SPF Advisory Network set up by the SPF Initiative ensures technical assistance to support countries, making optimal use of the respective areas of expertise and comparative advantage of each agency. Tools developed by the Initiative include the manual for SPF country operations, costing tools, and a methodology for assessment-based SPF dialogues. In addition, each agency disposes of specific tools in its area of competence relating to specific elements of the floor or target groups such as income security, health, water and sanitation, food security, housing, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, people affected by HIV/AIDS, women, people living in remote rural areas, and so forth.", "58. The SPF Initiative has supported various countries in implementing SPFs by launching national dialogues on social protection needs and priorities based on an initial analysis of existing schemes and programmes and estimated costs of introducing new benefits. Countries where joint SPF activities are under way include Armenia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Thailand, Togo and Viet Nam. The SPF concept is translated into practice through an SPF manual with guidelines for country operations on the strategic framework for joint United Nations country operations. As the knowledge, expertise and experience of developing countries that have already advanced in building their SPFs are suitable to inspire countries that are now starting to develop their SPF strategies, the Initiative has strongly emphasized South-South and triangular cooperation. The Initiative also offers training and capacity-building programmes for national social policy planners and decision makers and those implementing the schemes.", "59. Since the SPF Initiative provides a coherent framework for Governments and the United Nations system to coordinate their activities and accelerate progress on poverty reduction, there have been advocacy activities to raise awareness about the SPF at the regional and global levels. A high-level Social Protection Floor Advisory Group was established in August 2010 to enhance global advocacy. Sustained advocacy for the Social Protection Floor agenda will be crucial for the rebalancing of economic and social development to ensure an inclusive globalization and thus a successful Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.", "V. Initiatives for poverty eradication", "World Solidarity Fund[47]", "60. In 2002, the General Assembly adopted resolution 57/265 entitled “Establishment of the World Solidarity Fund”, drawing from the experience of national solidarity funds that focused on improving the living conditions of marginalized populations through income-generating microprojects.", "61. The Fund was expected to contribute to eradicating poverty and promoting social and human development in the developing countries and was additionally expected to “support requests received from Governments of developing countries for financing poverty alleviation projects, including initiatives from community-based organizations and small private sector entities” (resolution 57/265).", "62. In resolution 57/265, the General Assembly also requested the Secretary-General to mandate the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “to take the necessary measures for the immediate operationalization of the World Solidarity Fund as a trust fund of the Programme, subject to the financial rules and regulations as adopted by the Executive Board of UNDP and of the United Nations Population Fund”. Based on this mandate, UNDP, in cooperation with concerned partners, organized a working group meeting on 17 September 2004, attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, the President of the Economic and Social Council and the Administrator of UNDP as well as other government representatives and agencies. UNDP, in cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and other partners, prepared relevant background papers for the meeting, including on measures for the suggested operationalization of the Fund, project approval and the reporting process. The working group discussed key issues regarding the institutional and operational arrangements, composition of the high-level committee and ideas for fund-raising.", "63. At the meeting of the working group, it was agreed that the high-level committee would provide strategic direction and advocacy for the Fund, mobilize resources for the Fund, and oversee and monitor its activities. This was in line with resolution 57/265 and based on the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the proposal to establish a world solidarity fund for poverty eradication (A/57/137). It was also agreed that the Government of Tunisia would convene a meeting of the high-level committee. Unfortunately, no contributions have been received by the Fund, and the meeting of the high-level committee did not take place.", "64. In the absence of funding or direction from the high-level committee, UNDP could not set up a structure for management of the Fund or implementation of programmes. UNDP has briefed both the Second Committee of the General Assembly as well as its Executive Board on the status of the Fund.", "65. In the light of the current financial crisis, it is unlikely that the World Solidarity Fund will become operational without a strong commitment from Member States to contribute to it. Yet, poverty eradication is a key objective of international development cooperation. The objective of the World Solidarity Fund is therefore at the core of the work of the United Nations system through its efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.", "VI. Conclusion and recommendations", "66. In order to reach the poverty target of the Millennium Development Goals and to ensure a sustainable recovery, a coordinated response that leads to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and promotes sustainable development is required. In this regard, macroeconomic policies that promote the creation of productive employment and support stronger social protection are of critical importance. Agricultural investments and rural development are both important dimensions of growth which also help to reduce poverty and improve food security.", "67. The Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) provides an important framework for action to enhance coherence and synergy among United Nations system-wide activities in support of national efforts to eradicate poverty. It also constitutes a meaningful platform to raise the visibility of the social pillar of sustainable development. The plan of action for the Second Decade has already earned broad support and resulted in improved policy coherence and coordination within the United Nations. However, an effective response to the threats posed by the continuing global jobs crisis will require additional efforts to enhance policy coherence and further collaboration by Member States, civil society and all relevant partners.", "68. The General Assembly may wish to consider the following recommendations:", "(a) Encourage the international community to continue its support for national efforts to eradicate poverty by creating a favourable international environment and ensuring greater coherence among macroeconomic, trade and social policies;", "(b) Urge Member States to continue to support the system-wide plan of action for the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and related efforts to achieve full employment and decent work for all;", "(c) Recognizing that the creation of full and productive employment and decent work should be at the centre of a policy framework for sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, encourage Member States in this regard to implement the principles and objectives of the Global Jobs Pact and reorient macroeconomic policies to stabilize income and employment by pursuing consistently counter-cyclical macroeconomic policies;", "(d) Recognizing that universal access to basic social protection and social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and inequality, encourage Member States to consider establishing a social protection floor as an effective safeguard against poverty, consistent with national priorities and circumstances;", "(e) Urge the United Nations system to continue to promote stronger inter-agency collaboration for implementation of the plan of action for the Second Decade to have a greater impact at the country level and in support of the Social Protection Floor Initiative;", "(f) Recognizing the persistent impacts of the food crises upon poverty, hunger and food security, encourage Member States to play a stronger supportive role in the development of agriculture and food production, including by raising the productivity of small farms and promoting sustainable environmental resource management; and, in this regard, encourage the international community to improve and enhance international cooperation in support of agricultural development, particularly food production;", "(g) Given the lack of progress in operationalizing the World Solidarity Fund, the General Assembly may wish to consider alternative arrangements and mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the Fund through complementary activities and initiatives already being undertaken by the United Nations system.", "[1] General Assembly resolution 65/1, paragraph 70 (b).", "[2] Ibid., para. 48.", "[3] Ibid., para. 6.", "[4] The plan of action is available from http://social.un.org/index/Poverty/ UNDecadefortheEradicationofPoverty/SecondUNDecadefortheEradicationofPoverty.aspx.", "[5] World Bank, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs (Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund and the World Bank). The United Nations publication World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 estimated that between 47 and 84 million additional people remained poor or fell into poverty in 2009 than would have been the case without the crisis. According to the Foreword of the Global Monitoring Report 2010: The MDGs after the Crisis, published by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, an additional 64 million people fell into extreme poverty due to the crisis, with 53 million fewer people escaping poverty by 2015.", "[6] International Labour Organization, A New Era of Social Justice: Report of the Director-General (International Labour Conference, 100th Session, 2011).", "[7] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010: Addressing Food Insecurity in Protracted Crises (Rome, October 2010).", "[8] Calculations by the Division for Social Policy and Development based on data from the World Development Indicators Database, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator (accessed on 25 May 2011).", "[9] Calculations based on the World Bank Online Poverty Analysis Tool (PovcalNet), http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/povDuplic.html (accessed on 1 June 2011).", "[10] GDP per capita at constant US$ 2,000. From: World Development Indicators Database, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator (accessed on 27 May 2011).", "[11] International Institute for Labour Studies, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2008); Francisco H. G. Ferreira and Martin Ravallion, “Global Poverty and Inequality: A Review of the Evidence”, in Policy Research Working Paper 4623 (2008).", "[12] World Bank, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs.", "[13] Calculations by the Division for Social Policy and Development based on data from the World Development Indicators Database, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator (accessed on 2 June 2011).", "[14] UNCTAD, The Least Developed Countries Report 2010: Towards a New International Development Architecture for LDCs (New York and Geneva, United Nations, 2010).", "[15] International Labour Organization, Global Employment Trends January 2008 (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2008).", "[16] International Labour Organization, International Institute for Labour Studies, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Geneva, 2008).", "[17] International Labour Organization, International Institute for Labour Studies, World of Work Report 2010: From One Crisis to the Next? (Geneva, 2010).", "[18] International Labour Organization, Global Employment Trends 2011: The Challenge of a Jobs Recovery (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2011).", "[19] Working-age individuals willing to work but not actively seeking employment (and not counted as unemployed).", "[20] International Labour Organization, Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least Developed Countries: Report of the International Labour Office for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul, 9-13 May 2011 (International Labour Office, Geneva, 2011).", "[21] The FAO Food Price Index is available from http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/ foodpricesindex/en/ (accessed on 9 June 2011).", "[22] World Bank, Food Price Watch, February 2011. Available from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ INTPREMNET/Resources/Food_Price_Watch_Feb_2011_Final_Version.pdf. See also M. Ivanic, W. Martin and H. Zaman, “Estimating the Short-Run Poverty Impacts of the 2010-11 Surge in Food Prices”, The World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper 5633 (April 2011), for a thorough description of the assumptions and methodology used.", "[23] FAO Initiative on Soaring Food Prices, available from http://www.fao.org/isfp/about/en/ (accessed on 13 June 2011).", "[24] World Bank, World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development (Washington, D.C., 2007).", "[25] UNCTAD, The Least Developed Countries Report 2010 (see footnote 14).", "[26] World Bank, World Development Report 2008.", "[27] World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.1).", "[28] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2009: Economic Crises — Impacts and Lessons Learned (Rome, 2009).", "[29] United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting Climate Change — Human Solidarity in a Divided World (New York, 2007).", "[30] World Bank, World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development (Washington, D.C., 2011).", "[31] Ibid., figure F1.3, p. 4.", "[32] L. Chandy, and G. Gertz, Poverty in Numbers: The Changing State of Global Poverty from 2005 to 2015. The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 2011-01 (Washington, D.C., January 2011).", "[33] Gareth Evans, Conflict and Poverty. Keynote Address to Plenary Session “Tackling Conflict, Fragility and Insecurity: Creating the Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction”, Department for International Development, Conference on Future of International Development (London, 10 March 2009), p. 6.", "[34] R. Lal, S. Miller, M. Lieuw-Kie-Song and D. Kostzer, Public Works and Employment Programmes: Towards a Long-Term Development Approach, Working Paper No. 66, June 2010, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, Poverty Group, UNDP.", "[35] World Bank, Agriculture and Development: A Brief Review of the Literature, Policy Research Working Paper 5553 (January 2011).", "[36] See Cecilia Tacoli, “Links between rural and urban development in Africa and Asia”, in Proceedings of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development (United Nations, New York, January 2008).", "[37] See International Labour Organization, World Social Security Report 2010/11: Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond.", "[38] For further analysis, see Did Latin America Learn to Shield Its Poor from Economic Shocks? (World Bank, LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, October 2010).", "[39] International Labour Organization: A New Era of Social Justice: Report of the Director-General (International Labour Conference, 100th Session, 2011).", "[40] See F. Gassmann and C. Behrendt, “Cash benefits in low-income countries: Simulating the effects on poverty reductions for Senegal and Tanzania, Issues in Social Protection”. Discussion paper 15 (Geneva, ILO, August 2006), pp. 47-49.", "[41] International Labour Organization, A New Era of Social Justice: Report of the Director-General.", "[42] A full description of initiatives and activities implemented by relevant organizations until mid‑2010 is contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Second Decade (A/65/230).", "[43] The United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in April 2009 launched the Global Jobs Pact Initiative, which is aimed at focusing the attention of decision makers on employment measures and decent work as the foundation for long-term recovery (see General Assembly resolution 65/1).", "[44] See www.ilo.org/jobspact/resources.", "[45] For example, as part of its New Growth Path, South Africa set a target to generate 5 million jobs by 2020 and reduce unemployment by 15 per cent. Part of this plan is envisaged to be achieved through the Expanded Public Works Programme, which was first implemented between 2005 and 2009 and created more than 100,000 jobs.", "[46] This section is based on information submitted by the International Labour Organization.", "[47] This section is based on information received from the United Nations Development Programme." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 23 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Eradication of poverty and other development issues", "Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "1. The present report is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/174 on the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017), in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the resolution under the item “Decent full employment for all”. The report addresses the challenges facing poverty eradication and some key policy measures to reduce poverty. It also highlights the growing coherence in policies under the Second Decade and outlines current efforts to improve coordination in support of the Global Jobs Pact and the Minimum Social Protection Initiative. The report concludes with a set of recommendations underlining the need to strengthen policy coherence and promote stronger inter-agency collaboration to improve the implementation of the plan of action for the Second Decade.", "Introduction", "1. The challenges posed by poverty eradication were recognized by the high-level plenary meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals held in September 2010, which stressed that progress had been partially made in achieving the development goals, in particular in achieving the goals of poverty reduction, hunger, employment and decent work for all. Governments pledged to adopt future-oriented economic policies that would lead to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development, and to increase employment opportunities, promote agricultural development and reduce poverty[1]. They also pledged to reorient growth towards the creation of jobs with the Global Jobs Pact as a general framework[2]. In addition, they reiterated their deep concern at the many crises that have occurred and are interrelated, including food insecurity and the growing challenges posed by climate change.[3]", "2. The launch of the Second Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) coincided with the beginning of the major recession. Since then, the global economy has entered a recovery process that remains fragile and vulnerable. High unemployment persists, while poverty reduction has become more difficult in all its dimensions, owing to the effects of the economic and food crises. The protracted social and labour crisis makes it even more important to successfully implement the plan of action for the Second Decade, albeit more difficult.", "3. The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as coordinator of the implementation of the Second Decade, is responsible for directing the implementation of a system-wide poverty eradication action plan, which was developed by 21 United Nations agencies, funds, programmes and regional commissions and received support from the Programme Committee of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in October 2009. The action plan seeks to improve the coherence and synergy of United Nations system-wide activities in the area of employment and decent work towards poverty eradication.[4]", "4. The present report examines the challenges posed at the high-level plenary meeting and key policy measures for the eradication of poverty and hunger. The report also describes recent activities with a view to implementing the plan of action for the Second Decade system-wide. In particular, the efforts being made to ensure coherence in policies in support of the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Minimum Initiative are discussed and are important components of the action plan. Measures taken to improve the implementation of the Global Solidarity Fund are also discussed, as requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/174. The report concludes with a set of recommendations on policies to be implemented to address gaps in the implementation of the action plan.", "II. Problems posed by poverty eradication", "5. Despite the obstacles that have arisen as a result of the multiple crises, extreme poverty—defined as the economic situation of people living on less than $1.25 a day—has declined globally. However, high levels of poverty persist in many parts of the world. The latest estimates of poverty show that while in East Asia the target of halving the number of people living on less than $1.25 per day has already been achieved, sub-Saharan Africa is not going well to meet this goal of economic poverty: 36 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to live below the poverty line in 2015, which exceeds the target of 29 per cent. If the effects of the crises last longer than expected, they will jeopardize the modest achievements since 2000.", "6. Reaching the poverty target set out in the Millennium Development Goals is only a step towards meeting the commitment to eradicate poverty at the 1995 World Summit for World Development. The rate of poverty reduction observed between 1990 and 2005, when the number of people living on less than $1.25 per day was reduced from $1.8 billion to $1.4 billion, another 88 years would be required to eradicate extreme poverty.[6] In addition, many people live just above the poverty line of $1.25 a day and the least crisis can bring them back into poverty. For example, if the World Bank ' s 2-dollar poverty line is taken, poverty levels in developing countries are increasing dramatically (to $2.5 billion in 2005).", "7. However, despite the world ' s decline in economic poverty, the number of malnourished persons increased from 817 million in 1990-1992 to more than 1 billion in 2009, although it is estimated to fall to 925 million in 2010.[7] This marginal improvement can be adversely affected by the growing price of food and the increased volatility of that price that has been taking place since the end of 2010.", "A. Lack of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth", "8. Data show that rapid economic growth is a necessary condition for reducing poverty. In China and other countries in East and South-East Asia, such as Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam, strong growth in the past 20 years has contributed to a significant decline in poverty. However, in the least developed countries, growth, which has been low and volatile, has been accompanied by persistent levels of poverty. In fact, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) declined in 17 of 24 African least developed countries and economic poverty increased in 11 of those countries between 1981 and 1999, a period of structural and high population growth[8]. Economic growth has increased in many of the least developed countries since 2000, although the results of poverty reduction have so far been slow: in the least developed countries economic poverty fell only from 62 per cent in 1999 to 54 per cent in 2005, a percentage that remains far from the Millennium Development Goals target of reducing poverty to 34 per cent by 2015; in addition, the number of people living in poverty in those countries increased by 9 million during that period.", "9. However, poverty trends in each region conceal a variety of national experiences, including in countries with similar income levels and comparable economic growth rates. In least developed countries, for example, the estimate of economic poverty in 2005 ranged from 13.1 per cent in Mauritania to 86.1 per cent in Liberia. The percentage of people living in poverty was more than twice as high in Zambia (65 per cent) as in the Gambia (31 per cent), although there was a per capita GDP of about $350 in both countries.[10] While the average growth rates of per capita income exceeded 7 per cent per year in countries such as Angola, Cambodia and Chad in 2000-2007, the prevalence of economic poverty did not change in Chad in the period 1999-2005, while Angola and Cambodia made significant progress in its reduction.", "10. This diversity of poverty levels shows that the impact of economic growth on poverty reduction depends, inter alia, on how the benefits of such growth are distributed among different sectors of society. In countries where the poor have been excluded from economic growth processes or are trapped in low-productivity jobs, growth has disproportionately benefited those who were already richer. Between 1990 and 2005, approximately two thirds of countries with data increased income inequality, and the gap between the richest 10 and the poorest 10 per cent of income earners was expanded by 70 per cent of countries.[11] Inequality among Aboriginals, other ethnic minorities and the rest of the population has also increased over time[12]. The growing inequality has made it increasingly difficult to get out of poverty for those who do not have access to productive resources and certain services, such as health or education.", "11. Often, countries that have experienced strong growth have not maintained it for too long. Growth was particularly volatile in the least developed countries during the 1980s and 1990s. Even during the period 2000-2007, which was a period of great growth, only nine of the 32 least developed countries in Africa with data had seven years of positive and uninterrupted growth.[13] Growth based on commodity exports, which is vulnerable to crises and external pressures, has been particularly volatile. Even before the economic and food crises, relying on the export of a few commodities did not increase significantly between agricultural productivity, capital formation and productive capacity development, which would have given greater resistance to countries dependent on such exports to confront the crisis. In countries exporting other resources, the expansion of the oil industry and other mining industries, in addition to having little impact on employment, often resulted in an increase in real exchange rates — the so-called “Dutch syndrome” — which reduced the competitiveness of other sectors of the economy. In fact, the dependence on food imports grew sharply in the least developed countries between 2000 and 2008, and the production of manufactures, as a percentage of GDP, fell by 27 of them, especially in Africa, during the same period.[14]", "B. Slow employment generation", "12. Employment is a fundamental means of achieving inclusive and equitable economic growth. Properly paid employment provides security in income perceptions, access to social protection, a better educational and health situation and constitutes a way out of poverty.", "13. The growth in employment during the expansion period leading to the economic crisis was not sufficient to absorb the increase in the workforce: global unemployment rose from 160 million in 1996 to approximately 177 million in 2007, and the unemployment rate remained at around 6 per cent over that period.[15] In addition, employment growth was accompanied by a redistribution of income that was not used to pay the workforce. Latin America and the Caribbean was the region in the world where the share of salaries in total GDP declined the most — in that region the share fell by 13 per cent between 1990 and 2007 — followed by Asia and the Pacific — where it fell by 10 per cent — and developed countries (9%)[16]. It is interesting to note that the rate of salaries remained the same in countries that had a trade deficit in the period 2000-2005, but declined (by 7 per cent) in countries with trade surpluses, suggesting that the gains resulting from export-driven growth were not equally divided between dividends and salaries.[17]", "14. The economic crisis strongly reduced the level of employment. Globally, the number of unemployed reached 205 million in 2010, an increase of 28 million since 2007.[18] It should be noted that long-term unemployment contrasts with the global recovery of real GDP and other key macroeconomic indicators that have taken place since 2010, and the fear that this recovery will not lead to an increase in the level of employment continues to grow. However, changes in the level of employment do not reflect all the effects of the crisis on workers and households. In the poorest countries, workers who lost their jobs in the formal sector have gone to the informal economy, where salaries are often lower and lower working conditions. The recession has forced workers from the informal sector to earn even lower incomes, by reducing demand for workers and increasing competition for jobs in this sector. As a result, more slowly progress was made in reducing workers ' poverty. It is estimated that the number of workers living on less than $1.25 per day decreased from $660 million in 2007 to $631 million in 2009, but that if poverty had continued to decline to the rate at which it had been doing so prior to the crisis, the number of poor workers would have been reduced by another 40 million in 2009.18 On the contrary, this number has increased in some regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (which rose from 170 million in 2008 to about 175 million in 2009), in North Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean.", "15. In many countries, the number of workers who have lost hope of finding employment is also increasing,[19] especially young people—who are disproportionately affected and overrepresented in the informal sector—and the poor. The first experiences of young people in the labour market affect their potential for future income, as well as the well-being of current and future generations of young people. The more the crisis persists in a labour market, the more workers, their families and their communities are at risk of becoming trapped in long-term poverty.", "16. In general, the path of economic development that many developing countries have experienced has not produced sustained improvement in productive employment. In cases where employment increased, jobs did not serve to increase social protection and security in income perception. Workers who had to leave the agriculture sector because of low productivity and population growth often went on to develop activities with little added value, especially in the informal sector of cities, where the possibilities of sustained growth in output and upward mobility are limited, while agricultural productivity remained stagnant in many rural areas. It is estimated that in African countries with data available, 90 per cent of workers are employed in the informal sector in both rural and urban areas, and that the percentage exceeds 90 per cent in working women and youth[20]. In India, 90 per cent of the workforce works in the informal sector of the economy, despite the fact that in recent years several services have grown with high added value.", "C. Increased global food price and low agricultural development", "17. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) food price index recorded a record increase in February 2011, mainly due to a series of climate crises that affected the supply, and in May 2011 it remained above the maximum value it had achieved in 2008.[21] There is still a strong demand for food because the use of stocks to feed animals has grown, as well as the consumption of meat and biofuels. Therefore, food stocks remain low globally. Increased commodity market funding also contributes to price volatility.", "18. The rise in food prices and the growing food insecurity in the world are generating renewed concern about the increase in poverty and hunger. Since the poor spend a large proportion of their income on food, even a temporary increase in these prices can significantly affect their income level, so poverty tends to grow when the food price rises. The World Bank estimates that an additional 44 million people may have fallen into poverty in low- and middle-income countries due to rising food prices between June and December 2010[22]. FAO has warned that the number of people suffering from chronic hunger, estimated at 925 million in 2010, could increase because of the rise in food prices.[23]", "19. In addition to the climate crises in large-scale producer countries, speculation in future operations of basic agricultural commodities and increased demand for biofuels have also contributed to this latest crisis. However, from the historical point of view, the number of people who are hungry has continued to rise even in periods of high growth and relatively low prices, suggesting that hunger, like poverty, is the consequence of structural problems. The low investment in agriculture and distortions in the global trading system is some of the long-term causes of persistent food insecurity.", "20. Public spending on agriculture declined sharply in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa during the structural adjustment programme period of the 1980s and 1990s and has continued to decline since then. At the global level, the proportion of ODA to agriculture fell from 16 per cent in 1980 to 4 per cent in 2005 and dropped by 50 per cent in absolute terms.[24] Governments in developing countries have also been forced to promote export crops. Investments for export agriculture were directed to the production of more expensive crops, to the detriment of cheaper crops needed to meet the needs of the growing population of those countries. Moreover, the long-standing agricultural subsidies provided by developed countries continue to impede the agricultural development of poor countries. Countries that were encouraged to liberalize trade quickly had great difficulties, as they were forced to compete against cheap subsidized food exports from developed countries.", "21. Decades of abandonment have led to stagnation of agricultural productivity in many developing countries. The production of cereals in the least developed countries on average is only half of the global average, a gap that has not changed over the past two decades.[25] In 14 of the 22 least developed countries with comparable data, per capita food production fell between 1990 and 2005.[26]", "D. Climate change and conflict", "22. Much of the population living just above the poverty line remains vulnerable to poverty. Unforeseen crises such as seasonal droughts, loss of employment or a sick person in the family can consume household resources and bring people to poverty or push the poor to greater poverty. When families cannot recover from such crises in the short term, they have the potential to be trapped in long-term poverty.", "23. Climate change and conflict are related to poverty. People living in or vulnerable to poverty are often not in a position that allows them to resist or mitigate the negative effects of climate change and conflict, and therefore they tend to suffer more.", "Climate change", "24. Deforestation, degradation of natural shores, increased population density in coastal areas and poor infrastructure have increased the likelihood of climate crises becoming humanitarian disasters. Vulnerability for the effects of natural disasters is closely related to poverty, as poor countries and the poorest sectors of the population do not have a strong infrastructure or the technical capacity to reduce disaster risks. Between 1970 and 2009, the average number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants from a natural disaster was five times higher in developing regions than in developed regions and 13 times higher in least developed countries than in developed regions.[27]", "25. People living in poverty, particularly in marginal environments and areas of low agricultural productivity, are directly dependent on genetic diversity and the diversity of species and ecosystems to preserve their livelihoods. The effects of climate change on natural systems therefore jeopardize their well-being. In developing countries, temperature changes and rainfall patterns can already be seen as affecting agriculture; poor harvests and the death of breeding animals bring economic losses, which contribute to the increase in food prices, as well as to increasingly affect food security, especially in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of malnourished children could increase by 20 per cent as a result of the effects of climate change on agriculture.[28] By the same year, another 1.8 billion people could lack water.[29] Meanwhile, agriculture-centred poverty reduction strategies may be compromised, with an emphasis on promoting rural income and employment.", "Conflicts", "26. Poverty can help trigger a conflict by the desperate situation it generates and the lack of social and economic opportunities it means for the poor. Inequality of income and limited employment opportunities, especially among young people, coupled with social fragmentation and exclusion, exacerbate social tensions and may unleash a conflict.", "27. No low-income country that is fragile or is going through conflict has thus far succeeded in achieving a Millennium Development Goal.[30] On average, countries that have experienced severe violence in the period from 1981 to 2005 have a poverty rate of 21 per cent higher than those countries that have not experienced violence.[31] It is estimated that 20 per cent of the world ' s poor lived in a fragile country in 2005, but that percentage would have exceeded 50 per cent in 2015.[32] The effects of a serious episode of violence on poverty are much greater than the effects of natural disasters or economic cycles and can completely destroy the economic progress achieved throughout a generation.", "28. Conflicts damage the basic structure of a country and adversely affect public services, such as health care and education, as well as food distribution channels and other consumer goods. Insecurity may also prevent adults from reaching their jobs, reducing productivity and income, and forcing children to leave school, resulting in irreparable gaps in youth learning. Human capital also decreases because of injury and disease, especially among non-combatants. 90 per cent of conflict-related deaths are due to disease or malnutrition and not directly to violence.[33] Social capital also deteriorates in the conflict, with the separation or displacement of families.", "III. Key policy considerations for poverty eradication", "29. The crises have highlighted the vulnerability of poor people and families and the need for more effective policies. The plan of action for the Second Decade recognized that employment and social protection were two fundamental paths for achieving poverty reduction and inclusive and equitable growth. Since agriculture remains the primary livelihood of the poor, agricultural productivity and rural development are critical to reducing poverty.", "A. Achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and promoting employment creation", "30. The achievement of comprehensive and inclusive economic growth, necessary to reduce poverty, was a significant challenge, especially for poor countries. Such growth must be accompanied by the creation of productive jobs and sufficient livelihoods to occupy a rapidly increasing workforce. It also requires strategies to promote economic diversification and improve access to markets, land, credit and other productive resources.", "31. Poverty reduction has progressed faster in countries where economic growth has led to increased agricultural productivity, growth in manufacturing industries and sustained increases in decent jobs, both in rural and urban areas. Those countries had benefited from the adoption of complementary policies in the economic and social sectors, where Governments had made strong investments in infrastructure development, social protection and social services, which helped to increase productivity and reduce vulnerability. Investment in infrastructure may have a significant impact on the income of the poor in developing countries. It is known that the need for infrastructure is substantial in poor countries and that international assistance is needed to meet this need. However, without basic infrastructure or social transfer plans that facilitate access to health care and help achieve adequate levels of nutrition and social stability, a country cannot develop its full productive potential.", "32. In order for economic growth to be sustainable, it is necessary to guide macroeconomic policy towards job creation and poverty reduction. Macroeconomic stabilization policies aimed at controlling inflation and the fiscal deficit have increased the volatility of the real economy and the labour market. The emphasis on balancing fiscal budgets has often resulted in lower public investment in infrastructure, technology and human capital, which is critical to achieving inclusive and sustained growth. The early adoption of policies in response to the economic crisis shows that there was a political will to incorporate social objectives into economic recovery strategies. However, the current shift to new policies of fiscal austerity measures that are taking place in a growing number of countries suggests that the crisis will not be used as an opportunity to review existing macroeconomic frameworks that are inadequate.", "33. Since the increase in employment that occurred prior to the crisis did not reach to absorb the growing workforce, it should aim to reach higher levels of employment than before the crisis. To this end, it is necessary to take measures to ensure income and employment security, and to emphasize the establishment of stronger and more permanent social protection systems. Policies adopted in relation to the labour market are an important tool for preventing long-term unemployment and supporting the structural transformation of the economy. It is essential to invest in education and training, as the availability of a sound knowledge base promotes productivity and improves income and access to employment.", "34. Public employment programmes can serve to increase aggregate demand and be an additional policy tool to address the problem of underemployment and informal employment as part of a wider range of employment and social protection measures. Since employment recovery will be much slower than that of the economy, public employment programmes should not be eliminated prematurely. Programmes that guarantee employment can be an effective strategy to address infrastructure gaps and the shortage of other goods and services.[34]", "35. In many countries, small and medium-sized enterprises employ a large part of the urban and rural workforce. In developing countries, such enterprises often operate informally and are characterized by low pay, non-safe income or other benefits. Increasing the capacity of such enterprises to generate decent work requires access to credit and technical assistance, and enhancing management and information capacity.", "36. Problems facing the informal sector need to be resolved by building long-term productive and competitive capacities and improving the safety of the income and working conditions of informal workers. If economic growth is not accompanied by a shift towards action that promotes decent work, especially in the informal sector, it will have little impact on poverty reduction.", "B. Promotion of agricultural and rural development and food production", "37. Agriculture remains the primary livelihood of the poor and provides employment to the majority of the population in developing countries. Therefore, the promotion of agricultural and rural development has a major impact on poverty reduction and economic growth. About 75 per cent of the poor living in rural areas today would benefit considerably if they received higher income from their agricultural activities.[35] The capacity of the poor living in rural areas should be enhanced and the causes of their vulnerability resolved to make their livelihoods better and safer.", "38. To overcome food crises and their impact on the poor and the vulnerable population, a combination of short- and long-term measures to support agriculture and strengthen food security is necessary. In this regard, strategies are needed to increase agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and resistance to environmental changes; increase market access and agricultural and food trade; and improve infrastructure and access to social services and social protection programmes. Food production support measures and, in particular, measures aimed at expanding smallholder farmers ' access to better-quality seeds, energy sources and fertilizers have a significant impact on poverty reduction.", "39. Among other measures, there is a need to improve national capacity to manage volatility, improve weather forecasts, invest more in agriculture, adopt new technologies and resolve climate change issues. Since the poor are the most affected by climate change and environmental degradation, strategies that mitigate the effects of such change and lead to the adoption of environmentally sustainable production systems benefit the poor.", "40. Concerted efforts are needed to make food security a priority in developing countries, particularly in those countries that are susceptible to chronic food shortages. Producing more food is just one aspect of food security (the availability of food) and should be complemented by other interventions to resolve food inequities and improve nutrition. Food security is achieved when all people, at all times, have access to adequate, safe and nutritious food that allows them to live an active and healthy life. Food security programmes should therefore also address issues related to access to adequate and nutritious food and include the implementation of integrated nutrition plans for the poor and the vulnerable. In the short term, priority should be given to areas with critical hunger problems. Prevention-based interventions, such as the distribution of fortified micronutrients and essential supplements, as well as selective support to children, through food delivery in schools, should also be complemented by interventions that provide treatment, for example, the treatment of severe and moderate levels of acute malnutrition and the widespread disparasitation of children. Some of the measures that should be taken to reduce the impact of the high price of food on the poor are social assistance and nutrition programmes for the poor.", "41. Promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, including in rural areas, can reduce poverty, improve food security and facilitate the diversification of agriculture in other rural activities. Although it is generally considered that exports are the most advantageous option and that large agricultural enterprises can reach the most efficient international markets, available data generally show that in several countries domestic urban markets are the main driving factor in agricultural productivity, and that they benefit to a greater extent if they receive products from small family farms, which are more flexible, provided that these establishments are not connected with agricultural revenues. Small farmers have also shown a great capacity for innovation in responding, among others, to climate crises.", "42. With regard to policies, for many poor countries, the challenge is to take measures that promote sustainable growth of small agricultural establishments that in turn enable structural transformations that, in many cases, should include the reduction of agricultural activities in the long term and the growth of a more dynamic manufacturing sector. Countries with large agricultural sectors that have focused on promoting rural development and not just agriculture, increasing the productivity of small establishments, creating employment opportunities outside them, and expanding their owners ' access to infrastructure, information and markets, have been able to significantly increase their agricultural production. The development of a rural economy outside agricultural establishments is particularly important in poor countries, because of the impact it has on employment and its linkage to the rest of the economy.", "43. While each State is responsible for ensuring the availability of and access to food, most poor countries would need assistance from the international community to develop their agricultural sector and prevent food shortages. It is therefore important that, at the international level, priority attention be given to global food security policies and resource allocation. The international community should also take measures to stabilize food prices, for example by preventing export restrictions, reviewing subsidies for the production of biofuels and regulating the financing of future markets and basic food options.", "C. Universal progress towards social protection", "44. About 75 per cent of the world ' s population does not receive basic social protection services and many people do not have access to basic health care. Others lack even a minimum of income security and lack sufficient capacity to obtain them, their nutrition, health and education are poor, resulting in a low productive capacity for themselves and their children.[37]", "45. The negative effects of crises on such a considerable number of people reveal the multidimensional nature of poverty and the fundamental importance of social protection in reducing vulnerability. The social consequences of the economic crises have been particularly severe in countries with more fragile or insufficient social protection systems, and have been exacerbated by the weak institutional and fiscal capacity of those countries. Since 2000, investments in the establishment and expansion of social protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, have cushioned the negative effects of the crisis in the region, helping households to cope with the contraction of the economy and compensate it.[38]", "46. Social protection measures can contribute to the regeneration of economic and livelihood activities and can act as an automatic stabilization factor, transferring a certain amount of wealth to those in need and fostering aggregate demand during periods of economic recession. By ensuring the basic needs of the vulnerable population, social protection contributes to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty that generates more poverty. In the long term, social protection can help individuals and families create human and social resources, freeing the productive potential of the workforce. Social protection is not only an expression of solidarity, but also helps to reduce social conflicts and disturbances and promote social justice.", "47. The benefits of social security, if well thought out, are an element of promoting productive employment, gender equality, social cohesion and strong economic growth. Social protection increases participation in the labour market, allowing women and men to have productive jobs and contribute to economic development, as shown by several examples of countries as different as Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.[39] The availability of social protection also improves the functioning of markets and reduces some of the inequality they tend to produce.", "48. Social protection should therefore be seen as an important component of more inclusive and equitable growth strategies, which more broadly distributes the benefits of growth. Universal access to basic social protection and services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality and social exclusion. A minimum level of basic social protection is affordable from an economic point of view and its benefits must be weighed against the potential high human, economic and social costs of not investing in it. Based on an analysis of 80 different studies on cash transfers aimed at providing an element of social protection carried out in some 30 developing countries around the world, the International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded that most countries can afford some level of social protection for their populations and that this can have a significant impact on poverty. A mere analysis of the distribution of basic social transfers shows that the combination of a modest allocation of cash for children and a modest retirement, which could constitute the “initial level” of a minimum social benefit floor in the poorest countries, could reduce the number of the poor by about 40 per cent — a significant contribution to achieving Millennium Development Goal 1[40].", "49. The ILO estimates show that a minimum level of social benefits, ensuring a minimum level of income for children, elderly people, the elderly and poor workers in at least 49 of the least developed countries would cost around 46,000 million per year. Those resources would make a very important contribution to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 1 and would bring about 442 million people out of extreme poverty in the first year. The cost of these measures (8.7 per cent of GDP in all least developed countries) would require gradual implementation if fully funded by national budgets[41].", "50. Ensuring a minimum floor for social protection for people struggling for their livelihoods should be a priority if multifaceted poverty is to be addressed. Such measures, which would be taken to fulfil the commitment to providing universal service delivery, should reach the most vulnerable population. The cuts in social spending in a growing number of countries will only serve to increase workers ' vulnerability and poverty.", "IV. Ensuring coherence in policies to eradicate poverty", "51. The relevant agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system have continued to implement the plan of action for the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty through collaborative efforts to promote awareness of the decent work programme, share good practices and support capacity-building.[42] Over the past year, efforts to enhance policy coordination and coherence to eradicate poverty and full employment have focused on supporting the Global Jobs Pact and the Social Protection Minimum Initiative, two initiatives under the Second Decade.", "Global Jobs Pact", "52. The Global Jobs Pact provides a comprehensive framework for countries to formulate appropriate action packages and priorities to accelerate recovery. The Covenant includes a variety of measures to respond to the crisis that countries can adapt to their specific needs and situation. It is not a question of providing a unique solution for all cases, but of providing a number of alternatives that have yielded results; the Covenant was also intended to serve as a guide to action and support them at the multilateral level. The Covenant promotes productive recovery based on investment, employment and social protection, and seeks employment to become the centrepiece of the policy agenda.[43]", "53. ILO has developed a set of policy documents on issues such as job creation and services, investment, the informal economy, green employment, youth, women and vulnerable groups[44]. The approaches contained in these documents are consistent with the Global Jobs Pact and provide guidance on what interventions would be effective. These approaches have been shown to drive job creation and job recovery and support broader macroeconomic recovery.[45] In countries that have applied a more inclusive approach, fewer jobs have been lost, fewer social tensions have occurred and the economy has recovered more quickly.", "54. The ILO and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat organized an inter-agency technical meeting on job creation and decent work for sustainable recovery and development, in an effort to enhance inter-agency coherence within the framework of the action plan for the Second Decade. The purpose of the meeting, held in Turin, Italy, from 29 November to 1 December 2010, was to encourage dialogue on the Global Jobs Pact, to generate more coherent United Nations responses to problems related to employment and decent work and to exchange good practices. The meeting, which was attended by actors involved in the action plan, in addition to other international organizations, developed useful proposals and initiatives to strengthen that plan. A unique synthesis of the ideas of thought and the current actions of the United Nations system on the main problems of development, growth and poverty eradication was also developed.", "Initiative on a minimum level of social protection[46]", "55. The Minimum Level of Social Protection Initiative is a joint United Nations system-wide undertaking to promote the expansion of essential services and transfers to all those in need of such protection. This initiative generated a strong coalition of United Nations agencies, bilateral partners, development banks and non-governmental organizations that seek to ensure coherence and coordination of all actors and sectors, which provide optimal support at the country level.", "56. Many of the activities under the Initiative have had an impact on several sectors, such as social welfare, labour force, health, education, infrastructure and agriculture. The Initiative also encourages countries to unify different social policy planning processes in a unique and coherent development planning framework that sets clear medium- and long-term goals, facilitating the introduction of social protection policies, their reform or funding, and enabling Governments to explore synergies among the different sectors. The national frameworks of the Initiative vary according to the circumstances of each country; however, their development process should be consultative, inclusive and participatory, and involve government representatives from the relevant ministries, social partners, parliamentarians and members of civil society.", "57. The United Nations system offers technical assistance tools to plan and implement the policies of the Initiative. The intensive inter-agency collaboration that takes place through the global advisory network established under the Initiative ensures technical assistance to support countries, maximizing the different areas of knowledge and the comparative advantages of each agency. Tools developed under the Initiative include the Country Initiative ' s Operations Manual, cost-setting tools and a methodology for dialogue under the Evaluation-based Initiative. In addition, each agency has specific instruments for its area of competence relating to specific elements of the floor or to groups to which the Initiative is directed, for example, income security, health, water resources and sanitation, food security, housing, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, persons affected by HIV/AIDS, women and people living in remote rural areas, etc.", "58. The Initiative has supported a number of countries in the implementation of minimum levels of social protection and dialogues at the national level on social protection needs and priorities, based on an initial analysis of existing plans and programmes and the estimated costs of introducing new benefits. Some of the countries with joint activities under the Initiative are Armenia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nepal, Rwanda, Thailand, Togo and Viet Nam. The idea of establishing a minimum level of social protection has been put into practice in a handbook on the subject with guidelines to guide countries on the strategic framework so that they can carry out activities in the country with the United Nations. Since the knowledge and experience of developing countries that have already made progress in establishing their minimum levels of social protection can serve to inspire countries that are just now beginning to develop such strategies, strong emphasis has been placed on South-South and triangular cooperation. The Initiative also provides training and capacity-building programmes for national social policy planners and decision makers, as well as those responsible for implementing these plans.", "59. As the Initiative provides a coherent framework for Governments and the United Nations system to coordinate and accelerate poverty reduction, advocacy has been undertaken to raise awareness of the establishment of a minimum level of social protection at the regional and global levels. A high-level advisory group on the minimum level of social protection was established in August 2010 to increase global advocacy. Promoting the programme on the establishment of a minimum level of social protection in a sustainable manner will be essential to rebalance economic and social development in order to ensure inclusive globalization and thus the success of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.", "V. Poverty eradication initiatives", "World Solidarity Fund[47]", "60. In 2002, the General Assembly adopted resolution 57/265 entitled " Establishment of the World Solidarity Fund " , drawing on the experience of national solidarity funds that emphasize improving the living conditions of marginalized populations through income-generating microprojects.", "61. The Fund was expected to contribute to poverty eradication and promote social and human development in developing countries to “support the requests of developing country Governments to finance projects aimed at poverty alleviation, including community-based organizations and small private sector entities” (resolution 57/265).", "62. In that resolution, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to request the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Global Solidarity Fund becomes operational immediately as the Trust Fund of the Programme, subject to the financial regulations and rules adopted by the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund. UNDP, on the basis of that mandate and in cooperation with partners, organized the meeting of a working group on 17 September 2004, which was attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, the President of the Economic and Social Council and the Administrator of UNDP, as well as other representatives of agencies and Governments. UNDP, in cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and other partners, developed background documents for the meeting, including action documents on the modalities of operation suggested for the Fund, project approval and the reporting process. The working group discussed key issues on institutional and operational arrangements, the composition of the High-level Committee and ideas for fund-raising.", "63. At the meeting of the working group, it was agreed that the High-level Committee would provide strategic direction and advocacy for the Fund, mobilize resources for the Fund and monitor its activities, in accordance with resolution 57/265, and on the basis of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the proposal to establish a Global Poverty Eradication Solidarity Fund (A/57/137). It was also agreed that the Government of Tunisia would organize a meeting of the High-level Committee. Unfortunately, the Fund had not received any contributions and the high-level meeting of the Committee had not been held.", "64. Owing to the lack of funds and the absence of leadership from the High-level Committee, UNDP was unable to establish a structure for Fund management and programme implementation. UNDP briefed the Second Committee of the General Assembly and its Executive Board on the status of the Fund.", "65. In the light of the current financial crisis, it is unlikely that the World Solidarity Fund will begin to operate if there is no strong commitment from Member States to contribute to it. However, poverty eradication is a fundamental objective of international cooperation for development. The objective of the Global Solidarity Fund is therefore at the heart of the work of the United Nations system, as its activities are aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.", "VI. Conclusion and recommendations", "66. In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals poverty target and to ensure sustainable recovery, a coordinated response to sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth that promotes sustainable development is needed. In this regard, macroeconomic policies that promote the creation of productive employment are of paramount importance and support the provision of greater social protection. Investments in agriculture and rural development are important dimensions of growth that also contribute to reducing poverty and improving food security.", "67. The Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) provides an important framework for action to improve coherence and synergy among United Nations system-wide activities and to support country efforts to eradicate poverty. It also provides an effective platform for increasing the visibility of the social pillar of sustainable development. The plan of action for the Second Decade has already received broad support and as a result has improved policy coherence and coordination at the United Nations. However, additional efforts will be required to address effectively the threats posed by the persistent global employment crisis in order to improve policy coherence and promote the collaboration of Member States, civil society and all relevant partners.", "68. The General Assembly may wish to consider the adoption of the following recommendations:", "(a) Encourage the international community to continue to support the efforts of countries aimed at poverty eradication by creating a favourable international environment and ensuring greater coherence in macroeconomic, trade and social policies;", "(b) To urge Member States to continue to support the system-wide plan of action for the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and efforts to that end aimed at achieving full employment and decent work for all;", "(c) Recognizing that the creation of full and productive employment and decent work should be at the heart of a policy framework aimed at achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable growth, encourage Member States to implement the principles and objectives of the Global Jobs Pact and reorient macroeconomic policies in order to stabilize income and employment, systematically implementing anti-cyclical macroeconomic policies;", "(d) Recognizing that universal access to social protection and basic social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and inequality, encourage Member States to consider establishing minimum levels of social protection, as an effective safeguard against poverty, consistent with national policies and the circumstances of each country;", "(e) To urge the United Nations system to continue to promote stronger inter-agency collaboration so that the implementation of the plan of action for the Second Decade will have greater impact at the country level and to support the Social Protection Minimum Initiative;", "f) Recognizing the continuing impact of food crises on poverty, hunger and food security, to encourage Member States to play a stronger support role in the development of agriculture and food production, for example by increasing the productivity of small agricultural enterprises and promoting sustainable management of environmental resources; and in this regard, to encourage the international community to enhance its cooperation in support of agricultural development, in particular food production;", "(g) As no progress has been made in the launch of the Global Solidarity Fund, the General Assembly may wish to consider concluding arrangements and adopting alternative mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the Fund, through the implementation of complementary activities and initiatives already under way within the United Nations system.", "[1] General Assembly resolution 65/1, paragraph 70 (b).", "[2] Ibid., para. 48.", "[3] Ibid., para. 6.", "[4] The action plan is available at http://social.un.org/index/Poverty/UNDecadefortheEradicationofPoverty/SecondUNDecade fortheEradicationofPoverty.aspx.", "[5] World Bank, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs, Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund and World Bank. In the United Nations publication World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 it is estimated that in 2009 47 to 84 million more people remained poor or fell into poverty than there had been no crisis. According to the Introduction to the Global Monitoring Report 2010: the MDGs after the Crisis, published by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, another 64 million people fell into extreme poverty due to the crisis, and by 2015, 53 million people would no longer get out of the crisis than was planned.", "[6] International Labour Organization, a new era of social justice: memory of the Director-General (International Labour Conference, 100th meeting, 2011).", "[7] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The state of food insecurity in the world 2010: food insecurity in protracted crises (Rome, October 2010).", "[8] Estimates made by the Division for Social Policy and Development, based on World Bank global development indicators data, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicator (available on 25 May 2011).", "[9] Estimates based on the World Bank ' s poverty analysis tool (PovcalNet), http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/povDuplic.html (see 1 June 2011).", "[10] GDP per capita, estimated at $2,000 current, based on World Bank global development indicators data, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicator (available on 27 May 2011).", "[11] International Institute for Labour Studies, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2008); Francisco H. G. Ferreira and Martin Ravallion, “Global Poverty and Inequality: A Review of the Evidence”, in Policy Research Working Paper 4623 (2008).", "[12] World Bank, Global Monitoring Report 2011: Improving the Odds of Achieving the MDGs.", "[13] Estimates made by the Division for Social Policy and Development, based on World Bank global development indicators data, http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicator (see 2 June 2011).", "[14] UNCTAD, Least Developed Countries. Report 2010: Towards a new international development architecture for LDCs (New York and Geneva, United Nations, 2010).", "[15] International Labour Organization, World Employment Trends, January 2008 (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2008).", "[16] International Labour Organization, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization (Geneva, 2008).", "[17] International Labour Organization, International Labour Studies Institute, World of Work Report 2010: From One Crisis to the Next? (Geneva, 2010).", "[18] International Labour Organization, Global Employment Trends 2011: The challenge of a Jobs Recovery (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2011).", "[19] People of active age who wish to work but who do not actively seek employment (and those who do not count as unemployed).", "[20] International Labour Organization, Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least Developed Countries: Report of the International Labour Office for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul, 9-13 May 2011 (International Labour Office, Geneva, 2011).", "[21] FAO Food Price Index, available at http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/es/ (available on 9 June 2011).", "[22] World Bank, Food Price Watch, February 2011, available at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPREMNET/Resources/Food_Price_Watch_Feb_2011_Final_Version.pdf. See also M. Ivanic, W. Martin and H. Zaman, “Estimating the Short-Run Poverty Impacts of the 2010-11 Surge in Food Prices”, World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper 5633 (April 2011), for a full description of the assumptions on which it is based and the methodology used.", "[23] FAO Food Price Up Initiative, available at http://www.fao.org/isfp/about/es/ (accessed on 13 June 2011).", "[24] World Bank, World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development (Washington, D.C., 2007).", "[25] UNCTAD, Least Developed Countries. Report 2010 (see footnote 14).", "[26] World Bank, World Development Report 2008.", "[27] World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.11.II.C.1).", "[28] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The state of food insecurity in the world 2009: economic crises: impacts and lessons learned (Rome, 2009).", "[29] United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2007/08: the fight against climate change: solidarity against a divided world (New York, 2007).", "[30] World Bank, World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development. (Washington, D.C., 2011).", "[31] Ibid., figure F1.3, p. 4.", "[32] L. Chandy and G. Gertz, Poverty in Numbers: The Changing State of Global Poverty from 2005 to 2015. The Brookings Institution, Policy Brief 2011-01, Washington, D.C., January 2011.", "[33] Gareth Evans (2009), Conflict and Poverty. Address delivered at the plenary session “Tackling Conflict, Fragility and Insecurity: Creating the Conditions for Effective Poverty Reduction”, Department of International Development, Conference on Future of International Development (London, 10 March 2009), p. 6.", "[34] R. Lal, S. Miller, M. Lieuw-Kie-Song and D. Kostzer, Public Works and Employment Programmes: Towards a Long-Term Development Approach, Working Paper No. 66, June 2010, International Centre for Inclusive Growth Policy, Poverty Group, UNDP.", "[35] World Bank, Agriculture and Development: A Brief Review of the Literature, Policy Research Working Paper 5553 (January 2011).", "[36] See Cecilia Tacoli, “Links between rural and urban development in Africa and Asia”, in Proceedings of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Population Distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and Development (United Nations, New York, January 2008).", "[37] See International Labour Organization, World Social Security Report 2010/11: Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond.", "[38] For further analysis, see Did Latin America Learn to Shield Its Poor from Economic Shocks? (World Bank, LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, October 2010).", "[39] International Labour Organization, A new era of social justice: memory of the Director-General (International Labour Conference, 100th meeting, 2011).", "[40] See F. Gassmann, and C. Behrendt, “Cash benefits in low-income countries: Simulating the effects on poverty reductions for Senegal and Tanzania, Issues in Social Protection”. Discussion paper 15 (Geneva, ILO, August 2006), pp. 47-49.", "[41] International Labour Organization. A new era of social justice: memory of the Director General.", "[42] The report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Second Decade contains a complete description of the initiatives and activities carried out by the relevant organizations until mid-2010 (A/65/230).", "[43] In April 2009, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination launched the " Global Jobs Pact " initiative, which aims at focusing on measures to promote employment and decent work as the basis for long-term recovery (see General Assembly resolution 65/1).", "[44] See www.ilo.org/jobspact/resources.", "[45] For example, as part of its new growth plan (New Growth Path), South Africa set the target of generating 5 million jobs by 2020 and reducing unemployment by 15%. Part of this plan is expected to be achieved through the Public Works Enlargement Programme, which was first implemented between 2005 and 2009 and which generated more than 100,000 jobs.", "[46] This section is based on information submitted by the International Labour Organization.", "[47] This section is based on information received from the United Nations Development Programme." ]

[ "Comité del Consejo de Seguridad dimanante de las resoluciones 751 (1992) y 1907 (2009) relativas a Somalia y Eritrea", "Nota del Presidente", "El Presidente del Comité del Consejo de Seguridad dimanante de las resoluciones 751 (1992) y 1907 (2009) relativas a Somalia y Eritrea tiene el honor de transmitir adjunta una carta de fecha 27 de julio de 2011 que le dirigió el Coordinador del Grupo de Supervisión para Somalia y Eritrea (véase el anexo).", "Anexo", "En relación con la carta del Grupo de Supervisión para Somalia y Eritrea de fecha 20 de junio de 2011, por la que el Grupo transmitió al Presidente del Comité su informe final (véase S/2011/433), los miembros del Grupo desean señalar lo siguiente a la atención del Comité.", "De conformidad con las directrices que nos suministró el Comité en varias oportunidades, hemos intentado incluir la mayor cantidad posible de testimonios y pruebas en nuestro informe final. Dado el alcance del mandato del Grupo de Supervisión, que abarca Somalia y Eritrea, esto dio como resultado un informe de excepcional longitud. Sin embargo, debido a las resoluciones de la Asamblea General relativas al control y la limitación de la documentación, en particular las resoluciones 52/214, de 22 de diciembre de 1997, 53/208, de 18 de diciembre de 1998, y 59/265, de 23 de diciembre de 2004, ha habido que utilizar varios anexos, con lo que la estructura del informe ha resultado incómoda y compleja, y gran parte del contenido no se tradujo. Fue necesario recurrir al uso de varios anexos a pesar de que la Secretaría otorgó una exención que permitió al Grupo superar significativamente el límite de 10.700 palabras que se aplica a los informes que no tienen origen en ella.", "Por lo tanto, recomendamos que el Comité busque una solución que equilibre las exigencias complejas y, en ocasiones, contradictorias impuestas al Grupo por el Comité, la Asamblea General y la Secretaría en relación con la longitud, el formato, el contenido y los plazos de presentación de los informes.", "El Grupo agradecería que se publicara la presente carta como documento del Comité.", "(Firmado) Matt Bryden Coordinador Grupo de Supervisión para Somalia y Eritrea Resolución 1916 (2010) del Consejo de Seguridad" ]

[ "Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea", "Note by the Chair", "The Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea has the honour to transmit herewith a letter dated 27 July 2011 addressed to him by the Coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (see annex).", "Annex", "In reference to the letter of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea dated 20 June 2011, by which the Group transmitted its final report (see S/2011/433) to the Chair of the Committee, the members of the Group would like to bring to the attention of the Committee the following.", "In conformity with the guidance provided to us by the Committee on several occasions, we endeavoured to include as much of the testimony and evidence as possible in our final report. Given the scope of the Monitoring Group’s mandate, covering both Somalia and Eritrea, this resulted in a report of exceptional length. However, General Assembly resolutions on the control and limitation of documentation, in particular resolutions 52/214 of 22 December 1997, 53/208 of 18 December 1998 and 59/265 of 23 December 2004, necessitated the extensive use of annexes, rendering the structure awkward and complex and preventing much of the substance from being translated. The extensive use of annexes was necessary despite the granting of a waiver by the Secretariat, which enabled the Group to go significantly beyond the 10,700-word limit applicable to reports not originating in the Secretariat.", "We therefore recommend that the Committee seek a solution to balance the complex and sometimes contradictory demands on the Group by the Committee, the General Assembly and the Secretariat with respect to report length, format, content and schedule.", "The Group would be grateful if the present letter could be issued as a document of the Committee.", "(Signed) Matt Bryden Coordinator Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group Security Council resolution 1916 (2010)" ]

[ "Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea", "Note by the Chairman", "The Chairman of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea has the honour to transmit herewith a letter dated 27 July 2011 from the Coordinator of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea (see annex).", "Annex", "In connection with the letter of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea dated 20 June 2011, by which the Group transmitted to the Chairman of the Committee its final report (see S/2011/433), the members of the Group would like to bring the following to the attention of the Committee.", "In accordance with the guidelines provided to us by the Committee on several occasions, we have tried to include as much evidence and evidence as possible in our final report. Given the scope of the mandate of the Monitoring Group, covering Somalia and Eritrea, this resulted in an exceptionally long report. However, owing to General Assembly resolutions on the control and limitation of documentation, in particular resolutions 52/214 of 22 December 1997, 53/208 of 18 December 1998 and 59/265 of 23 December 2004, a number of annexes had to be used, making the structure of the report uncomfortable and complex, and much of the content was not translated. The use of a number of annexes was required despite the fact that the Secretariat granted an exemption that allowed the Panel to significantly exceed the limit of 10,700 words that applied to reports that did not originate therein.", "We therefore recommend that the Committee seek a solution that balances the complex and sometimes contradictory requirements imposed on the Panel by the Committee, the General Assembly and the Secretariat in relation to the length, format, content and reporting time frames.", "The Group would appreciate the issuance of the present letter as a document of the Committee.", "(Signed) Matt Bryden Coordinator Monitoring Group for Somalia and Eritrea Security Council resolution 1916 (2010)" ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "Temas 134 y 143 del programa provisional*", "Proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012-2013", "Administración de justicia en las Naciones Unidas", "Actividades de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "La Asamblea General, en su resolución 65/251, reafirmó que la solución informal de conflictos es un elemento decisivo del sistema de administración de justicia y puso de relieve que debe hacerse todo el uso posible del sistema informal a fin de establecer relaciones de trabajo armoniosas y evitar litigios innecesarios. Asimismo, la Asamblea acogió con beneplácito la presentación del segundo informe conjunto sobre las entidades de que se ocupa la Oficina integrada del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas y solicitó al Secretario General que le presentara un informe de ese tipo en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones.", "El presente informe es el tercero sobre las actividades de la Oficina integrada del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas, que presta servicios de solución informal de conflictos al personal de la Secretaría, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados.", "El presente informe contiene una solicitud de recursos adicionales para la Oficina por un total de 918.400 dólares (antes del ajuste) en las secciones 1, 29D y 37 del proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012-2013.", "A continuación se resumen las observaciones más destacadas del presente informe, que abarca el período comprendido entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "* A/66/150.", "Efectos regionales", "Dado que en 2012 se celebrará el décimo aniversario del establecimiento de la primera función de ombudsman en la Secretaría y que las oficinas regionales y el Servicio de Mediación han concluido un año de funcionamiento, la Oficina ha puesto en marcha iniciativas para evaluar sus efectos y su eficacia. Tras una evaluación preliminar se comprobó que la descentralización de la Oficina mejoró su acceso a los grupos interesados e hizo posible que prestara servicios en persona sobre el terreno, lo que constituye el medio más eficaz de solución de conflictos. Esto representó uno de los principales incentivos para el establecimiento de las oficinas regionales por la Asamblea General. La Oficina también ha logrado una mayor comprensión de la dinámica regional. Además, el Servicio de Mediación ha proporcionado al personal y los administradores otro instrumento alternativo con el que resolver los conflictos laborales.", "En cuanto a los problemas, las limitaciones presupuestarias han dificultado aún más los desplazamientos de los ombudsman regionales dentro de sus jurisdicciones respectivas para prestar servicios en persona para la resolución de conflictos o cuestiones latentes, incluso en lugares remotos, y el despliegue de los ombudsman y los equipos de mediación de respuesta rápida necesarios por parte de la Oficina.", "Servicios de ombudsman y cuestiones sistémicas", "En cumplimiento del mandato de la Oficina, en el informe se señalan las cuestiones sistémicas e intersectoriales que se han señalado a la atención de la Oficina durante el período objeto de examen, así como las detectadas por los ombudsman, junto con las recomendaciones conexas. En consonancia con los precedentes en toda la Oficina integrada, las esferas de especial preocupación de los visitantes que se valieron de los servicios de ombudsman durante el período de que se informa fueron el puesto y la carrera, las relaciones interpersonales y la remuneración y las prestaciones.", "Estadísticas", "Se constató que el número de casos relacionados con miembros del personal de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas aumentó un 70% y que el número total de casos que se presentaron a la Oficina integrada aumentó un 35%. Esto se debió en gran medida a la disponibilidad de servicios de ombudsman en las oficinas regionales.", "Servicios de mediación", "El Servicio de Mediación registró un aumento del número de casos; varias mediaciones complicadas y sensibles se resolvieron con éxito. Las esferas de especial preocupación de las partes interesadas que recabaron la asistencia del Servicio de Mediación fueron el puesto y la carrera; asuntos relacionados con el cumplimiento de las normas jurídicas, reglamentarias y financieras; y las relaciones de evaluación.", "Información actualizada sobre los incentivos para la resolución informal", "En el párrafo 22 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que asegurara la plena aplicación de los incentivos para el recurso a soluciones oficiosas señaladas en el último informe del Secretario General a la Asamblea General (A/65/303). Entre las principales medidas ejecutadas se cuentan las siguientes: la impartición de directrices por el personal directivo superior a todas las oficinas y departamentos instándolas a que utilizaran el proceso de solución informal de los conflictos y a que respondieran oportunamente al ser contactadas por la Oficina; la realización de esfuerzos continuos por la Oficina integrada y la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos para, entre otras cosas, ofrecer capacitación en materia de solución de controversias a los asociados principales del sistema amplio de administración de justicia y al personal interesado; y la presentación por la Oficina a algunos departamentos de informes de resultados con énfasis en las tendencias y cuestiones sistémicas en sus respectivas esferas de competencia.", "Conclusión", "La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas espera que la Asamblea General examine favorablemente sus necesidades adicionales de recursos y su apoyo continuo a la vía informal como primer paso hacia la resolución de los conflictos laborales, incluida la aplicación rápida en todo el sistema de incentivos para alentar el recurso a la solución oficiosa.", "Índice", "PáginaPreámbulo:Principios 5 \nbásicos I.Oficina 6 del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones \nUnidas A. Servicios 6 del \nOmbudsman B. Servicios 8 de \nMediación C.Efectos 9 \nregionales D.Información 13 actualizada sobre la aplicación de incentivos para la solución \ninformal E.Divulgación 14 y \npromoción II. Cuestiones 19 \nsistémicas A.Fuente 19 y \ncontexto B.Cuestiones 19 sistémicas determinadas durante el período de que se informa en la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los \nRefugiados III.Información 30 estadística: servicios de \nombudsman A.Número 30 de \ncasos B.Características 32 \ndemográficas C.Distribución 35 de las cuestiones por categoría \nprofesional D.Cuestiones 37 planteadas a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por lugar de \ndestino IV.Información 38 estadística sobre los servicios de \nmediación A.Número 38 de casos de mediación y \nresultados B.Características 39 \ndemográficas C. Casos 40 sometidos a mediación por categoría \nprofesional D. Casos 41 de mediación por \nfuente E. Tipos 42 de \ncuestiones V. Evolución 42 \nfutura VI.Necesidades 44 de \nrecursos VII.Medidas 47 que deberá adoptar la Asamblea \nGeneral", "Preámbulo", "Principios básicos", "Como principal pilar informal del sistema de resolución de conflictos de la Organización, la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas utiliza métodos informales y de colaboración para resolver conflictos en una etapa temprana. La Oficina se guía por los principios básicos de la independencia, la neutralidad, la confidencialidad y la informalidad, que se resumen a continuación.", "Independencia", "La Oficina mantiene la independencia respecto de otras entidades y órganos, y de sus autoridades; tiene acceso directo al Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas, a los jefes ejecutivos de los fondos y programas y de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR), y al personal directivo superior de toda la Organización, según las necesidades; a la información pertinente a los casos, excepto las fichas médicas; y a distintas personas de la Organización que le proporcionan asesoramiento, información u opiniones sobre un asunto en particular.", "Neutralidad", "La Oficina aboga por la justicia y por procesos limpios y administrados equitativamente, no en nombre de una persona determinada de la Organización, teniendo en cuenta los derechos y obligaciones de la Organización y de los funcionarios y la equidad de la situación.", "Confidencialidad", "La Oficina mantiene una confidencialidad estricta y no divulga información sobre los casos ni las visitas de los funcionarios; no está obligada por ningún órgano o autoridad de las Naciones Unidas a rendir testimonio.", "Informalidad", "La informalidad incluye no llevar registros para las Naciones Unidas o para parte alguna; no realizar investigaciones formales ni aceptar notificaciones legales en nombre de las Naciones Unidas; y no tener facultad para adoptar decisiones; no emitir fallos ni conclusiones determinantes.", "I. Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas", "A. Servicios del Ombudsman", "Tendencias", "1. Como en 2008 y 2009, las esferas de mayor preocupación de los visitantes que utilizaron los servicios de ombudsman en la Oficina integrada[1] en 2010 guardaban relación con el puesto y la carrera (34%); las relaciones de evaluación (20%) y la remuneración y las prestaciones (15%). Gran parte de los casos resueltos mediante los servicios de ombudsman provinieron de oficinas fuera de la Sede y de operaciones sobre el terreno, donde se encuentra el grueso del personal. En este contexto, la integración de la mediación con el método del ombudsman y la fácil interacción entre estos (por ejemplo, cuando un asunto que inicialmente se trata con un método pero que luego se determina corresponde más al otro se transfiere con facilidad) brinda a los funcionarios un recurso informal de gran eficacia.", "Alcance", "2. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas considera importante dar acceso a la solución informal a todo el personal de la Organización independientemente de su categoría. En el diálogo que mantuvo con los miembros de la Sexta Comisión en 2010, la Oficina confirmó su disposición a prestar servicios al personal que no es de plantilla, para lo cual los recursos adicionales requeridos serían modestos en comparación con los beneficios a largo plazo de la inversión. La experiencia de las demás organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas que prestan servicios de ombudsman al personal que no es de plantilla ha demostrado que esa intervención ha contribuido a evitar que los conflictos se prolonguen sin crear esperanzas infundadas sobre su situación contractual. La Secretaría tiene 16.480 personas que no son funcionarios de plantilla en operaciones sobre el terreno y 10.080 que no están basadas en el terreno[2]. En esas cifras no se incluyen los consultores ni contratistas de la Secretaría administrados por la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas de Servicios para Proyectos (UNOPS) o el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). La estructura descentralizada actual de la Oficina del Ombudsman facilitará el acceso al personal de esa categoría.", "3. Si la Asamblea General decidiera hacer extensiva la solución informal al personal que no es de plantilla haría falta incrementar los recursos de la Oficina. En armonía con el espíritu de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas, dicha ampliación del alcance de los servicios haría posible que todos los empleados de las Naciones Unidas se beneficiaran de otro mecanismo de garantía en materia procesal con un costo mínimo para la Organización.", "Exámenes externos", "4. El análisis de cómo la Oficina establece contacto con sus clientes y las partes interesadas es fundamental en cuanto a cómo funciona. En vista del carácter independiente y confidencial de sus funciones, la Oficina recurre a los servicios de expertos externos para supervisar y evaluar su desempeño sustantivo y los efectos sistémicos, así como para mejorar la calidad de sus servicios. La Oficina estudiará la posibilidad de que un equipo de expertos externos lleve a cabo un examen de mitad de período para 2011-2012. La realización de tales exámenes por profesionales externos es fundamental por dos razones: a) los expertos en determinadas materias poseen conocimientos y experiencia suficientes para examinar las operaciones en todos sus aspectos y, previo diálogo con los interesados pertinentes y el personal mediante encuestas, recomendar cómo tales relaciones pueden y deben evolucionar; b) la realización de tales exámenes por expertos sustantivos es percibida por los clientes que utilizan los servicios de la Oficina como creíble y confidencial y protege tanto a la Oficina como a su clientela.", "Mandato", "5. En los párrafos 16 y 17 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que concluyera con rapidez las negociaciones interinstitucionales sobre el mandato revisado de la Oficina integrada y velara por que se promulgara lo antes posible. Como se mencionó en anteriores informes, el mandato de la Oficina integrada ha sido objeto de extensas consultas con la participación del personal y la administración, así como de los fondos y programas y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR). Después de estas consultas, el proyecto de mandato se presentó para su promulgación en un boletín del Secretario General en 2010. Sin embargo, la resolución 65/251 de la Asamblea General exigió un nuevo examen del proyecto de mandato. En consonancia con los procedimientos establecidos, el proyecto de mandato ha sido objeto de consultas y examen adicionales en todo el sistema. Se espera que se presente un proyecto revisado de boletín del Secretario General para que sea promulgado una vez concluida esta fase consultiva.", "Auditoría del programa de divulgación", "6. A pedido del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas, entre noviembre y diciembre de 2010 la División de Auditoría Interna de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna realizó una auditoría centrada en el programa de divulgación de la Oficina, que incluyó las oficinas regionales de Nairobi y Santiago.", "7. Los auditores llegaron a la conclusión de que desde su creación la Oficina había llevado a cabo varias campañas de divulgación destinadas a sensibilizar al personal en general sobre sus funciones y servicios y a alentar al personal a valerse activamente del proceso de resolución informal de conflictos. También reconocieron los esfuerzos realizados por la Oficina para sensibilizar al personal directivo superior sobre la importancia de la conciliación oficiosa en la solución de los conflictos laborales. Los auditores señalaron además que el concepto de comunicación de la Oficina para el período 2011-2013, que establece los objetivos, la estrategia y las medidas de la ejecución en materia de divulgación, debía ultimarse para que incluyera directrices específicas sobre cómo ejecutar su programa de divulgación a fin de velar por la coherencia de todas las actividades y mensajes en la Oficina integrada, incluidas sus oficinas regionales. Esto se hará en consulta con los fondos y programas y el ACNUR.", "B. Servicios de Mediación", "8. En cumplimiento de lo decidido por la Asamblea General en el párrafo 16 de su resolución 61/261 se estableció oficialmente un Servicio de Mediación en la Oficina del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas a fin de que prestara servicios de mediación a la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR. El Servicio de Mediación se ocupa de los casos que le someten las partes en una controversia y de los que le remiten las dependencias de evaluación interna, el Tribunal Contencioso-Administrativo de las Naciones Unidas y el Tribunal de Apelaciones de las Naciones Unidas, entre otros.", "9. En 2010, el Servicio de Mediación registró un aumento de su número de casos de resultas del reconocimiento de sus servicios y ha empezado a reunir datos para analizar las tendencias y pautas. El número de casos remitidos por los tribunales o la administración ha aumentado, incluidos casos de carácter disciplinario. En este contexto, cabe señalar que los casos de mediación versan sobre diversos asuntos, como las relaciones de evaluación, la situación contractual y las condiciones de separación del servicio, entre otras, en los que hay cuestiones de carácter muy emocional y delicado de por medio. Por otra parte, dado el carácter voluntario de la mediación, puede resultar difícil conseguir que todas las partes concernidas consientan en participar en el proceso. Asimismo, se ha observado que algunas de las partes que desean valerse de los servicios de mediación se dirigen a otros servicios simultáneamente, como la Oficina de Ética, la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna o la Dependencia de Conducta y Disciplina, lo que puede dificultar la gestión de las expectativas. Pese a estos problemas, el Servicio de Mediación ha tratado y resuelto con éxito un amplio abanico de casos.", "Principios y directrices de mediación", "10. Las distintas etapas del proceso de mediación y las consideraciones conexas importantes se describen en los principios y directrices de mediación, que han estado disponibles en la página web de la Oficina desde el 1 de julio de 2009. Esto responde también a la solicitud hecha por la Asamblea General en el párrafo 17 de su resolución 65/251 de que el Secretario General velara por que las directrices para el Servicio de Mediación se promulgaran lo antes posible. Con objeto de prestar servicios de la más alta calidad, con el tiempo se han introducido las modificaciones necesarias en los principios y directrices de mediación a la luz de la experiencia práctica adquirida. Cabe señalar que el mandato revisado de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación, que está siendo examinado con vistas a su promulgación, incluye una sección relativa a los servicios de mediación, que se basa en los principios y directrices de mediación.", "Mediadores disponibles", "11. La Oficina sigue realizando esfuerzos para preparar una lista de mediadores disponibles tanto en la Sede como en las regiones. El Servicio de Mediación ha mantenido estrechos contactos con su contraparte en el Banco Mundial a fin de intercambiar prácticas óptimas y ejecutar su proyecto conjunto para la identificación de mediadores regionales. El Servicio de Mediación está evaluando sus necesidades regionales y su presupuesto a fin de contratar mediadores regionales de la lista de mediadores disponibles en el período 2011-2012.", "Fortalecimiento de las asociaciones y las actividades de divulgación", "12. Durante el período que se examina, el Servicio de Mediación continuó fortaleciendo las asociaciones en toda la Organización y con los principales interesados del sistema de administración de justicia a fin de evaluar y reforzar los servicios de mediación. Esto ha redundado en un aumento del número de solicitudes y remisiones y en un proceso de mediación simplificado. El Director del Servicio de Mediación hizo varias presentaciones sobre la solución de conflictos laborales a equipos de toda la Organización y llevó a cabo misiones fuera de la Sede, incluso a Ginebra y Addis Abeba, para la realización de actividades de mediación y promoción in situ, así como a Nairobi para divulgación y participación en una reunión con los magistrados y secretarios del Tribunal Contencioso-Administrativo de las Naciones Unidas.", "13. En diciembre de 2010, en asociación con la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos y el PNUD, el Servicio de Mediación contribuyó a la elaboración y ejecución de un programa de capacitación en gestión de conflictos y solución de conflictos laborales dirigido a destinatarios específicos. Esta iniciativa fue bien recibida por los participantes y se están planificando otros programas de esta clase en la Sede y sobre el terreno, en coordinación con la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos.", "C. Efectos regionales", "Razón de ser de la descentralización", "14. Al crear una única Oficina integrada y geográficamente descentralizada para la prestación de servicios de ombudsman y mediación, la Asamblea General realizó una inversión fundamental en el sistema oficioso como cauce fundamental para el aumento de la productividad individual y el fomento de la salud de la Organización. Como previó el grupo de expertos que examinó el sistema interno de justicia de las Naciones Unidas (el Grupo de Reforma), la descentralización de los servicios tenía por objeto “facilitar más el acceso y acelerar la respuesta”, lo que reportaría “grandes beneficios para el sistema de justicia en su conjunto”[3].", "15. El argumento esgrimido por el Grupo de Reforma en pro de la descentralización se centró en la noción de que las estructuras para servicios de ombudsman existentes en la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR habían asistido “a un marcado aumento (a alrededor del 75%) en el porcentaje de casos que se ha[ía]n originado fuera de la Sede” y que, por ende, “en el caso del personal sobre el terreno, la descentralización [era] la única forma viable de lograr que la solución de controversias oficiosa se realiz[ara] de manera eficaz y a tiempo”. Asimismo, el Grupo comprobó que además de la creación de sinergias mediante la remisión de todas las cuestiones relacionadas con el empleo a una única oficina, la descentralización brindaría a la Oficina del Ombudsman “una excelente posibilidad de vigilar los problemas sistémicos y recomendar soluciones”. Desde la óptica del Grupo, “la eliminación de los problemas de acceso y de la duplicación de los servicios beneficiar[ía] a todo el personal y ahorrar[ía] recursos humanos y financieros, sobre todo a nivel regional”[4].", "La descentralización en la práctica", "16. La descentralización de la Oficina integrada se hizo realidad en 2010. El agente regional consiste en siete oficinas regionales ubicadas en Bangkok, Ginebra, Nairobi, Santiago y Viena y en las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz en la República Democrática del Congo y el Sudán. Antes de 2010, los efectos reales de la descentralización no se habrían podido observar plenamente y se extrajeron muchas enseñanzas como consecuencia de su puesta en práctica. En vista de que en 2012 se celebrará el décimo aniversario del establecimiento de la primera función de ombudsman en la Secretaría, la Oficina comenzó a revisar sus operaciones, empezando por las oficinas regionales, a fin de determinar los principales logros alcanzados en su primer año de funcionamiento y los problemas que había que abordar.", "17. En general, se determinó que la presencia de los ombudsman sobre el terreno ha facilitado el acceso necesario al personal de campo. Asimismo, ha contribuido a generar amplios conocimientos sobre las condiciones y necesidades concretas de las distintas regiones y a una comprensión más profunda de las tradiciones y sensibilidades culturales, en particular a nivel de las misiones. Además, ha facilitado considerablemente las iniciativas de divulgación y promoción sobre el terreno.", "Logros", "18. La principal prioridad de todas las oficinas en su primer año de funcionamiento fue el establecimiento, la dotación de personal y el mantenimiento de una práctica eficiente de prestación de servicios en persona al personal en las regiones para la resolución informal de sus problemas en el trabajo. Esto se ha logrado.", "19. El acceso directo para los visitantes y los continuos encuentros presenciales con los ombudsman regionales han allanado el camino para varios avances en la solución de controversias, muchas de las cuales se habían prolongado durante mucho tiempo. También ha permitido consolidar la confianza y la credibilidad de los ombudsman frente a sus clientes. La presencia de los ombudsman sobre el terreno ha facilitado aún más el acceso al personal directivo superior y al personal de recursos humanos y ha agilizado la solución de los problemas en el trabajo señalados a la atención de los ombudsman por los visitantes en sus respectivas regiones. Esta interacción periódica también ha alentado a los administradores a cooperar con la Oficina y a recurrir a sus servicios para la resolución de los conflictos laborales. Los ombudsman regionales han empezado a mediar en casos en las regiones y colaboran estrechamente con el Servicio de Mediación a este respecto.", "Divulgación y promoción sobre el terreno", "20. Tras ser desplegados, los ombudsman regionales llevaron a cabo una intensa actividad de divulgación, colaboraron con todas las partes interesadas desde un principio y fomentaron la conciencia sobre la gama de servicios que ofrece la Oficina integrada y las ventajas de la solución oficiosa en el arreglo de controversias. Desde su óptica, la información facilitada de palabra ha demostrado ser un instrumento de divulgación muy eficaz en función del costo. Los visitantes satisfechos suelen tender a comentar sus experiencias con sus compañeros y a alentarles a formular sus propias reclamaciones. Lo contrario también es cierto y es por ello que el establecimiento de un práctica eficaz basada en una sólida reputación era una de las prioridades clave de los ombudsman regionales.", "21. En el caso de las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz en el Sudán y la República Democrática del Congo, las visitas a las oficinas sobre el terreno demostraron ser muy eficaces, toda vez que el personal de campo que se encuentra en lugares remotos suele sentirse desconectado de su sede y no tiene el mismo acceso a los servicios ofrecidos por la Oficina. Las demás carencias en materia de acceso, como en el caso de las misiones políticas especiales, están siendo examinadas para determinar las mejores modalidades para subsanar el problema.", "Los tres asuntos que más preocupan en las oficinas regionales", "22. Los asuntos de mayor preocupación sobre los que se informó a las oficinas regionales en 2010 fueron el puesto y la carrera, las relaciones interpersonales y la gestión del rendimiento. Estos asuntos se describen con mayor detalle más adelante en el capítulo sobre las cuestiones sistémicas.", "Equilibrio entre el volumen de trabajo y los recursos asignados", "23. Una de las principales prioridades y preocupaciones de los ombudsman regionales ha sido la necesidad de contar con los recursos necesarios para ser completamente eficaces. Además de las necesidades locales, esto implica la realización periódica de misiones con fines de prevención y solución de controversias y sensibilización dentro de las regiones. Los recursos asignados a las oficinas regionales desde 2010 han sido muy limitados y no se han asignado recursos para misiones y capacitación profesional.", "24. En el párrafo 26 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General “que tenga plenamente en cuenta el equilibrio entre el volumen de trabajo de los ombudsman regionales y los recursos que se les asignen en los futuros proyectos de presupuesto por programas”. Como se había previsto, el período sobre el que se informa se caracterizó por un aumento del 70% del número de casos presentados tan solo por el personal de la Secretaría, lo que obedeció en parte a la presencia de los ombudsman regionales sobre el terreno. Conforme se vaya adquiriendo más experiencia, la Oficina seguirá dando seguimiento al equilibrio entre el número de casos de los ombudsman regionales y los recursos asignados.", "25. En vista de la probabilidad de que el número de casos fluctúe y de la necesidad de velar por que se asignen recursos suficientes para atender las necesidades, se sugiere que cualesquiera recursos nuevos para viajes se centralicen, en cuyo caso podrían desplegarse en las zonas de alta demanda. Este enfoque proporcionaría flexibilidad operacional, lo que permitiría aprovechar los recursos al máximo.", "Retos", "26. Los ombudsman regionales tropezaron con dos tipos de retos en los esfuerzos que realizaron durante su primer año de funcionamiento, a saber, administrativos y conceptuales. Los retos administrativos guardaban relación con las limitaciones en materia de presupuesto, acceso y tiempo. El reto conceptual estriba en promover una cultura de confianza y prevención de los conflictos en toda la Organización.", "27. La inestable situación política y de seguridad en los países atendidos por las oficinas regionales donde se encuentran en marcha operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz dificultó a menudo el acceso al personal que presta servicios en las zonas respectivas. A causa de las limitaciones presupuestarias y del hecho de que la Oficina sigue funcionando con los mismos créditos para viajes que antes de la expansión, la capacidad de los ombudsman regionales de llevar a cabo las misiones necesarias en sus respectivas zonas de operaciones ha sido escasa. En consecuencia, los miembros del personal que trabajan fuera de los lugares de destino no gozan del mismo acceso o asistencia que los que tienen acceso directo a los ombudsman regionales en sus zonas y pueden reunirse con ellos en persona para abordar sus preocupaciones. La provisión de recursos presupuestarios para viajes a zonas remotas es fundamental.", "28. Se ha comprobado asimismo que el apoyo de los directivos de nivel superior a la solución oficiosa es un incentivo para que el personal acuda a la Oficina y solicite su intervención. Sin ese compromiso de la administración con el proceso, los miembros del personal se muestran poco dispuestos a dar ese paso. La experiencia ha demostrado que algunos administradores se sienten limitados en su capacidad de actuar con flexibilidad en la solución de casos a causa de la aparente rigidez de las normas y reglamentaciones o los límites de su autoridad delegada.", "Experiencia adquirida", "29. Las condiciones de vida y trabajo propias de las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz que, en algunos casos suponen vivir y trabajar en el mismo complejo, crean conflictos de naturaleza específica. Así, desde la óptica de los ombudsman de las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz en la República Democrática del Congo y el Sudán, estar sobre el terreno es esencial para comprender mejor la dinámica y el contexto complejos en que surgen tales conflictos laborales y proporciona el medio más eficaz de intervención para resolverlos de forma oficiosa. Además de traer consigo una comprensión más profunda del contexto regional, la descentralización ha permitido a la Oficina determinar las regiones donde más falta hacen los servicios de ombudsman, particularmente en las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz.", "30. Las partes en conflicto tienden a valerse de los distintos mecanismos de los componentes oficiosos y no oficiosos del sistema de justicia interna según lo que, a su juicio, esos mecanismos les pueden ofrecer. Algunas creen que mientras más arriba en la jerarquía se ventile el conflicto (con la esperanza de que un superior imponga una solución) más rápidamente obtendrán una solución o que podrán obtener una solución lucrativa utilizando el sistema formal (confiando también en que se imponga una solución), perdiendo de vista a menudo los beneficios sostenibles a largo plazo de la solución informal. Conseguir que las personas asuman ellas mismas la responsabilidad de dar solución a sus problemas de trabajo es con frecuencia uno de los retos a que se enfrentan los profesionales del sistema informal. En consecuencia, las iniciativas para promover dicho sistema dentro y fuera de la Oficina del Ombudsman deberían hacer hincapié en la importancia de la prevención y gestión tempranas de los conflictos. En este contexto, los ombudsman regionales seguirán colaborando con las partes interesadas pertinentes sobre el terreno y en la Sede para promover ese enfoque.", "D. Información actualizada sobre la aplicación de incentivos para la solución informal", "31. En su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones, la Asamblea General examinó una serie de incentivos destinados a alentar el recurso a la solución oficiosa[5], que la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas preparó a pedido de la Asamblea[6]. Las propuestas, que se formularon teniendo en cuenta la experiencia adquirida y las mejores prácticas de oficinas similares de organizaciones internacionales, se debatieron en el período de sesiones que el Comité de Coordinación entre la Administración y el Personal celebró en Beirut en junio de 2010. Entre ellas figuraron propuestas relacionadas con la necesidad de fomentar la sensibilización acerca del mandato y las actividades de la Oficina y de las ventajas de la solución oficiosa: alentar a los administradores a cooperar con la Oficina y a responder de forma oportuna a pedido de ésta; mejorar el acceso desplegando equipos de respuesta rápida; enmendar el Reglamento del Personal en lo que atañe al cómputo de los plazos; fomentar la competencia para la solución de conflictos; y una mayor expresión de apoyo a la solución oficiosa por parte de la Organización, el personal directivo y las asociaciones de personal.", "32. La Asamblea General, reafirmando que la solución informal de conflictos es un elemento decisivo del sistema de administración de justicia, examinó con ánimo favorable los incentivos propuestos por la Oficina. En el párrafo 22 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General recordó las recomendaciones contenidas en los párrafos 124 a 126 y 128 a 133 del informe del Secretario General (A/65/303) y solicitó al Secretario General que asegurara la plena aplicación de las recomendaciones que pudieran llevarse a la práctica fácilmente y que no requirieran recursos adicionales ni enmiendas al Reglamento y Estatuto del Personal, y que incluyera todas las demás recomendaciones en el proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012‑2013.", "33. En esta sección se proporciona información actualizada respecto de las iniciativas en marcha para aplicar los incentivos para la solución oficiosa aprobados por la Asamblea General. La Oficina se siente alentada de que las partes interesadas hayan empezado a aplicar los incentivos y seguirá colaborando con todos los interesados, con inclusión del personal y la administración, para garantizar que los incentivos se apliquen plenamente.", "34. Una novedad importante en este ámbito son las directrices transmitidas por el Secretario General Adjunto de Gestión a todos los jefes de departamento y oficina en enero de 2011, que se basaron en las orientaciones anteriores de la Vicesecretaria General a los funcionarios directivos de categoría superior. En la comunicación correspondiente se hizo hincapié en la importante función que el componente informal del sistema de justicia desempeña en el entorno de trabajo, así como en las ventajas de la solución oficiosa, y se alentó a los administradores a que respondieran de inmediato a cualquier solicitud de información, aportaciones, etc. de la Oficina y en cualquier caso a más tardar 30 días después de que se formulara la solicitud. La Oficina ya está constatando los efectos de esta directriz en la reducción del tiempo de respuesta que se observa en la tramitación de varios casos.", "35. Una segunda novedad importante es la que se ha producido en materia de competencia para la solución de conflictos y fomento de la capacidad de los administradores y el personal para ocuparse de las situaciones de conflicto que surgen en el lugar de trabajo y hacer uso del sistema informal con eficacia. En este contexto, la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas está colaborando, entre otros, con la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos para impartir capacitación en la solución de controversias a los asociados clave de sistema amplio de administración de justicia y otros miembros del personal interesados. Habida cuenta de la importancia que la gestión de conflictos reviste en cualquier contexto institucional, la Oficina integrada continuará con dicha colaboración para fortalecer la capacitación especializada en la gestión de conflictos en los distintos lugares de destino.", "36. Otra novedad en la aplicación de incentivos es la preparación por el Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas de informes de resultados para algunos departamentos de la Secretaría en los que se señalan las pautas y cuestiones sistémicas en sus respectivas esferas. Ya se han presentado dos de estos informes. Esta práctica se ampliará progresivamente a todos los departamentos. Por otra parte, el Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas ha sido invitado por la Vicesecretaria General a participar en las reuniones de la Junta sobre el Desempeño de las Funciones Directivas y el Comité de Gestión. Esa colaboración constante y el apoyo decidido del Secretario General y de la Vicesecretaria General al proceso de solución informal han producido resultados positivos: la solución oficiosa se incluye actualmente como uno de los elementos de un liderazgo eficaz en los pactos entre el Secretario General y el personal directivo superior.", "37. En lo que respecta a las propuestas hechas por la Oficina para enmendar el Reglamento del Personal, la Asamblea General, en el párrafo 23 de su resolución 65/251, solicitó al Secretario General que, en consulta con los interesados pertinentes, le presentara una propuesta a ese respecto en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones. En este contexto, la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos tiene previsto examinar los capítulos X y XI del Reglamento del Personal relativos a la administración de justicia cuando se aborde la enmienda a la regla 11.1 c). En los futuros informes de actividad se seguirá proporcionando información actualizada sobre la aplicación de los incentivos para la solución oficiosa.", "E. Divulgación y promoción", "Promoción de una cultura de colaboración y prevención de los conflictos", "38. En 2010 la Oficina integrada consolidó sus actividades de divulgación en varias esferas en consonancia con el espíritu de las directrices de la Asamblea General sobre la solución informal, incluso por lo que respecta a la necesidad de un mejor acceso al personal y un mayor recurso al sistema informal. Los ombudsman de la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR siguieron coordinando sus actividades de divulgación sobre la base de principios comunes que permiten crear sinergias y promover en forma concertada una cultura de colaboración y vías alternativas de solución de controversias dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Si bien se guiaron por principios comunes, las distintas entidades elaboraron sus campañas de divulgación en función de las necesidades específicas de sus respectivos interlocutores.", "Instrumentos de comunicación conjuntos", "39. Las actividades de divulgación, como presentaciones, reuniones, cursillos de capacitación, videoconferencias y misiones, constituyen un componente importante de la labor de la Oficina y una plataforma para explicar toda la gama de servicios que el ombudsman puede prestar, incluida la función de asesoramiento. Tienen asimismo como objetivo dotar a los funcionarios de aptitudes de gestión de conflictos que les ayuden a prevenir los conflictos y a ocuparse de forma temprana y eficaz de los conflictos que hayan sido mal gestionados.", "40. Uno de los componentes clave de las actividades de divulgación es la página web, que permite acceder a información en los seis idiomas oficiales de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Oficina y los servicios que presta. La Oficina estableció contactos con todas las operaciones sobre el terreno para proporcionarles información acerca de la página web y sobre cómo acceder a la intranet de la Oficina a través de Internet.", "41. Para dar mayor visibilidad a la Oficina se distribuyó un cartel ilustrativo de los principios de la solución informal a todas las oficinas de la Sede y sobre el terreno. Se formularon varias solicitudes de material adicional para su distribución a las oficinas sobre el terreno. Otros instrumentos de comunicación preparados conjuntamente por la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR son las presentaciones y los artículos para las intranet de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Oficina y los beneficios de la solución informal.", "Actividades de divulgación entre el personal sobre el terreno y de los lugares de destino fuera de la Sede", "42. La capacidad de prestar servicios en persona a los funcionarios que se encuentran fuera de la Sede aumentó considerablemente en 2010 de resultas de la presencia de las oficinas regionales. Las iniciativas de divulgación cobraron nuevo impulso gracias a que se centraron en diversas actividades en cada región, incluidas reuniones con el personal, el personal directivo superior, representantes del personal y otros interesados clave. En la medida en que lo permitieron las limitaciones presupuestarias, también se realizaron viajes con fines de divulgación a misiones sobre el terreno y lugares de destino establecidos, juntamente con la prestación de servicios de ombudsman.", "43. En la Secretaría, las misiones sobre el terreno para la prestación de servicios en persona a fin de resolver controversias se aprovecharon para promover una mayor sensibilización en lo tocante a la solución informal de conflictos. Esto consistió en reuniones con el personal directivo superior y los organismos de representación del personal, así como en reuniones abiertas de debate destinadas a aumentar la comprensión del mandato y las actividades de la Oficina. Las delegaciones en misión se ocuparon asimismo de casos concretos de cara a la solución de problemas en el trabajo. Cabe señalar que se hicieron esfuerzos especiales para llegar al personal de contratación nacional. Entre esas misiones, que se llevaron a cabo dentro de los límites de los fondos asignados a la cuenta de apoyo para las operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz, se contaron las enviadas a la Operación de las Naciones Unidas en Côte d’Ivoire, la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Liberia, la Fuerza Provisional de las Naciones Unidas en el Líbano, la Fuerza de las Naciones Unidas de Observación de la Separación, el Organismo de las Naciones Unidas para la Vigilancia de la Tregua (ONUVT), la Misión Integrada de las Naciones Unidas en Timor-Leste y la Misión de las Naciones Unidas para el Referéndum del Sáhara Occidental.", "44. Entre las actividades en el ámbito del mantenimiento de la paz se contó asimismo la participación en videoconferencias con funcionarios directivos de operaciones sobre el terreno, incluso de la ONUVT y la MINURSO. Las misiones realizadas con cargo al presupuesto ordinario incluyeron las que se enviaron a la Comisión Económica y Social para Asia Occidental y la Comisión Económica para África.", "45. En 2010, los ombudsman para los fondos y programas llevaron a cabo cinco misiones sobre el terreno en cuatro regiones. La Oficina del Ombudsman del ACNUR llevó a cabo misiones sobre el terreno en paralelo a cursillos del asesor sobre un lugar de trabajo respetuoso en Europa oriental y el África meridional.", "Actividades de divulgación entre los funcionarios directivos y otros grupos interesados", "46. Durante el período de que se informa se realizaron esfuerzos de divulgación especiales con el fin primordial de señalar a la atención de las partes interesadas pertinentes el valor institucional de la solución oficiosa. El Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas moderó una sesión sobre cómo aumentar la confianza entre el personal y la administración mediante las reformas institucionales durante el retiro de trabajo para personal directivo superior convocado por el Secretario General en 2010. El Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas participó asimismo en reuniones de la Junta sobre el Desempeño de las Funciones Directivas, el Comité de Gestión, el Comité de Coordinación entre el Personal y la Administración (Beirut, junio de 2010) y varias reuniones del equipo directivo superior a nivel de departamento. Esas actividades incrementaron la conciencia de los funcionarios directivos de categoría superior sobre los beneficios de la solución informal y redundaron en un mayor compromiso con el proceso informal, como demostró el aumento del número de casos remitidos a la Oficina por funcionarios directivos.", "47. En el contexto de las actividades conjuntas para mejorar la cooperación con los interesados externos e intercambiar mejores prácticas, los ombudsman de la Secretaría y los fondos y programas participaron en la reunión anual de la Asociación Internacional de Ombudsman celebrada en Nueva Orleans en abril de 2010 y, junto con el ombudsman del ACNUR, en la reunión de los ombudsman y mediadores del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y las organizaciones internacionales conexas que tuvo lugar en París en septiembre de 2010.", "48. Los ombudsman de los fondos y programas participaron en tres reuniones regionales de grupos temáticos del PNUD, en las que se reunieron con la administración y los representantes del personal. Asimismo se invitó a los ombudsman a que hicieran una presentación ante 300 funcionarios directivos con ocasión de la reunión mundial anual del Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA). Además, los ombudsman hicieron uso de la palabra ante los asesores en materia de seguridad del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF) e hicieron presentaciones en el cursillo sobre técnicas de mediación y transformación de la División de Soluciones y Servicios de Tecnología de la Información del UNICEF. Por otra parte, los ombudsman acogieron con satisfacción la oportunidad de dirigirse a los Coordinadores Residentes de reciente contratación con ocasión del seminario de capacitación sobre liderazgo y gestión celebrado en Nueva York.", "49. En 2010 la Oficina del Ombudsman del ACNUR siguió ampliando su red de asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso como parte de sus actividades de divulgación. El objetivo es prevenir o reducir la intensidad de los conflictos abordándolos con prontitud y en su raíz, garantizando al mismo tiempo que se disponga la información pertinente sobre las vías que los interesados pueden seguir para recabar asesoramiento o asistencia o presentar una reclamación. El programa de asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso se basa en un modelo elaborado por el Banco Mundial y consiste en: a) la postulación y el nombramiento, mediante un sistema de votación secreta, como asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso de colegas en los que se confía; b) un cursillo; c) la prestación de apoyo ulterior por la Oficina del Ombudsman del ACNUR. Los asesores comparten un informe temático con la Oficina del Ombudsman del ACNUR cada cuatro meses.", "Día de la Solución de Conflictos", "50. El 21 de octubre de 2010, la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas celebró el día de la solución de conflictos con personal de la Secretaría y los fondos y programas. Se celebraron reuniones de participación general en Nairobi y Santiago para promover el recurso a la solución informal de conflictos y brindar a las distintas partes que intervienen en la solución de conflictos laborales la posibilidad de familiarizarse con la labor de la Oficina y de conocer y saludar a los funcionarios. La oficina regional en Nairobi celebró el día presentando una serie de videoclips inspiradores e ilustrativos de casos en que la teoría que sirve de base a la solución de conflictos se aplicó en escuelas, el lugar de trabajo y a nivel mundial. La información recibida indicó que esos videos permitieron que los participantes percibieran sus interacciones en el lugar de trabajo y el hogar desde una óptica distinta. La Oficina en Santiago, que presta servicios a América Latina y el Caribe, también celebró una jornada de puertas abiertas, que congregó a un buen número de funcionarios de la región. El Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL celebró la iniciativa señalando que “es alentador observar que, gracias a la labor de los ombudsman regionales, nuestra organización está mejor equipada para abordar y resolver las diferencias laborales en beneficio de todos”. La Oficina tiene previsto celebrar este día con carácter anual.", "Fomento de la competencia para la solución de conflictos", "51. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas se asoció con la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos y el PNUD para ofrecer un programa de capacitación en gestión de conflictos y solución de controversias laborales a los principales asociados del sistema amplio de administración de justicia y a otros miembros del personal interesados. Cerca de 100 funcionarios de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas, el PNUD, el UNICEF, la UNOPS, el UNFPA y el Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA) participaron en esta fructífera actividad de capacitación. Las observaciones sobre el particular fueron positivas. Después de familiarizarse con los distintos instrumentos de solución informal de controversias y, en particular, con los servicios de mediación ofrecidos por la Oficina del Ombudsman, uno de los participantes comentó que “No era consciente de que la mediación tuviera semejante poder transformador de conflictos aparentemente insolubles”. Otro dijo: “Deberíamos tomar medidas para que todo el personal conozca este proceso y aprovecharlo en mayor grado en nuestra calidad de funcionarios directivos”.", "52. En julio de 2010, el ACNUR organizó un cursillo sobre asesoramiento respecto de un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso para algunos funcionarios de países de Europa central, oriental y sudoriental, y en octubre del mismo año organizó un cursillo conjunto con el PMA de carácter similar para funcionarios del África meridional. El objetivo de los cursillos era preparar a funcionarios sobre el terreno para una posible función voluntaria como asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso. En 2009, se organizó un seminario sobre asesoramiento en la materia en colaboración con el PMA para funcionarios del PMA de los países de África oriental, tras un curso experimental de capacitación que tuvo lugar en el África occidental en 2007. El ACNUR cuenta actualmente con 48 asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso que prestan servicios en 31 países. Los seminarios los organiza el Centro Mundial de Aprendizaje del ACNUR, en tanto que la Oficina del Ombudsman del ACNUR y, cuando procede, el PMA, participan en la impartición de la capacitación.", "53. En 2010, el ACNUR tomó asimismo la iniciativa de abordar la gestión de los conflictos aplicando un nuevo concepto de aprendizaje, a saber, el del Programa de Gestión de Conflictos, que se pondrá en marcha experimentalmente en 2011. El programa va dirigido a modificar la manera en que el personal se ocupa de los conflictos laborales. Además, se impartirá capacitación especial sobre mediación en conflictos laborales al personal directivo. A partir de 2011, la formación en mediación también formará parte de la capacitación de los nuevos representantes. El Centro Mundial de Aprendizaje del ACNUR dirige el Programa de Gestión de Conflictos y la capacitación de los representantes.", "54. Los fondos y programas tienen la intención de reexaminar las posibilidades que ofrece el programa de asesoramiento sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso, para lo cual se han ejecutado varios programas piloto, incluso con el UNICEF. El programa ha demostrado ser útil como primer recurso del que pueden valerse los miembros del personal ante una situación de conflicto en las oficinas en los países. También se fortalecerá la cooperación con el ACNUR, el Banco Mundial y el PMA. Además, la Oficina tiene previsto estudiar la experiencia del ACNUR para ofrecer formación en mediación a algunos miembros del personal.", "55. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas está elaborando una estrategia activa de comunicaciones que aproveche los progresos logrados en materia de fomento de la solución informal, aliento y facilitación del recurso a la solución informal por el personal directivo superior y otros interesados importantes, así como de promoción de una cultura de colaboración y prevención de conflictos. En este contexto se organizarán varias actividades para el décimo aniversario del establecimiento de la función de ombudsman en las Naciones Unidas en 2012.", "II. Cuestiones sistémicas", "A. Fuente y contexto", "Determinación y comunicación de las cuestiones", "56. En el párrafo 21 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General recordó el párrafo 11 de su resolución 64/233, en que puso de relieve que la función del Ombudsman era informar sobre las cuestiones sistémicas generales que determinara, así como sobre las cuestiones que se señalaran a su atención, a fin de promover una mayor armonía en el lugar de trabajo. En el párrafo 12 de la resolución 64/233, la Asamblea solicitó al Secretario General que la informara periódicamente de las medidas que se adoptaran en respuesta a las conclusiones del Ombudsman sobre las cuestiones sistémicas.", "57. Aunque el elevado porcentaje de casos relacionados con una cuestión en particular es un buen indicador de que existe un problema sistémico, hay cuestiones que el Ombudsman identifica directamente que tienen carácter sistémico y pueden tener repercusiones sistémicas. Para la determinación de las cuestiones sistémicas que han de incluirse en el informe anual, la Oficina procura mantener un equilibrio entre las cuestiones sistémicas identificadas en función del número de casos y otras cuestiones que tal vez no produzcan aún el mismo número de casos pero que, sin embargo, son problemáticas y pueden empeorar si no se tratan debidamente.", "B. Cuestiones sistémicas determinadas durante el período de que se informa en la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados", "58. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas utiliza las categorías de cuestiones definidas por la Asociación Internacional de Ombudsman[7]. En 2010, como en 2009, las categorías de cuestiones que se señalaron con mayor frecuencia a la atención de la Oficina fueron cuestiones en materia de puesto y carrera, relaciones de evaluación (supervisión), remuneración y prestaciones, y cuestiones jurídicas, reglamentarias y financieras y de cumplimiento.", "Gráfico I", "Cuestiones planteadas en la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por categoría", "1. Puesto y carrera", "59. En el período de que se informa, el 34% de los casos de que tomó conocimiento la Oficina guardaban relación con cuestiones de puesto y carrera[8]. Tales cuestiones han predominado en los últimos tres años. Según informaron los ombudsman regionales, también figuraron entre las principales preocupaciones sobre el terreno.", "60. En la Secretaría, la frustración que provocan la falta de perspectivas de carrera y la falta de confianza en el proceso de selección han sido motivo de preocupación constante. Es posible que un elemento importante sea la discrepancia entre las expectativas del personal, que ve en el ascenso un factor de satisfacción en ese sentido, por una parte, y la capacidad de la Organización de satisfacer esas expectativas en un entorno económico y un panorama del mantenimiento de la paz cambiantes, por otra. En este contexto, hay una serie de medidas que la Organización podría adoptar para mejorar la experiencia laboral y la motivación consiguiente del personal con los medios existentes, de forma que el ascenso no se convierta en el prisma por defecto desde el cual los miembros del personal perciban sus carreras. Esto supondría pasar de la perspectiva que se centra en el éxito expresado en ascensos a una centrada en la satisfacción en el empleo a través de la realización de tareas que constituyen un reto, la planificación de la carrera y un sentimiento de responsabilidad y contribución. Este enfoque exigiría que el personal directivo desempeñara un papel más activo en lo referente a la satisfacción en el empleo y las tareas asignadas a sus subordinados.", "61. En algunas regiones, el recurso excesivo a contratos temporarios, que no siempre se conciertan para completar proyectos específicos, sino para el desempeño de funciones ordinarias, coloca en una situación muy precaria a muchas personas a quienes se notifica la renovación de sus contratos con muy poca antelación.", "62. Se recibieron denuncias de casos de discriminación por motivo de género en las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz por parte de las visitantes, quienes presentaron quejas por discriminación en los procesos de contratación, las relaciones laborales y en materia de promoción profesional. En la Secretaría en general, las visitantes también denunciaron casos de acoso sexual y discriminación por motivo de género.", "63. En los fondos y programas, la expresión de preocupaciones en torno a cuestiones relacionadas con el puesto y la carrera varió según la categoría de los miembros del personal. Por ejemplo, un número significativamente mayor de funcionarios nacionales del cuadro orgánico y del servicio de apoyo presentaron quejas respecto de los procesos de presentación de candidaturas y selección para puestos que los funcionarios internacionales del cuadro orgánico. Esto podría indicar que existe la necesidad de ofrecer mayores oportunidades de progresión profesional a esos funcionarios, toda vez que no suelen tener tantas oportunidades de adquirir experiencia y de promoción profesional como sus colegas internacionales. Otra diferencia en esta categoría es que más mujeres que hombres acuden a la Oficina para exponer preocupaciones en materia de progresión en la carrera y oportunidades en ese sentido.", "64. En el ACNUR se expusieron con frecuencia preocupaciones en materia de candidaturas a puestos y selección para ellos, así como por la no renovación de contratos; la tercera preocupación más importante giró en torno a la progresión en la carrera y las oportunidades a ese respecto. Se comprobó que las preocupaciones en torno a la progresión en la carrera fueron expuestas con más frecuencia por mujeres que hombres. Los problemas relacionados con la no renovación de contratos fueron planteadas casi exclusivamente por funcionarios de categorías distintas de la de los funcionarios internacionales del cuadro orgánico.", "Reasignación planificada entre misiones", "65. La Oficina se ha enterado de que numerosos miembros del personal han prestado servicios en la misma misión, incluso en lugares de destino difíciles, durante años, sin perspectivas de carrera u oportunidades de desarrollo o cambio, incluso en forma de traslados laterales. Se ha establecido un sistema de listas de candidatos para las misiones y se espera que contribuya a responder mejor a las preocupaciones de este tipo.", "Requisitos exigidos al personal temporario", "66. En los casos presentados al Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas entraron en juego distintas interpretaciones en la aplicación de las normas concebidas para que el personal temporario considerado externo pueda optar a puestos de cualquier nivel por los que, a su juicio, pueda razonablemente competir. Como la redacción de la regla que rige en estos casos es clara[9], la cuestión sistémica que esos casos ilustran no es normativa sino de incongruencia en la aplicación de las normas.", "Recomendaciones", "1. El personal de recursos humanos y el personal directivo deberían transmitir al personal de todos los niveles información realista sobre las perspectivas de carrera, la pirámide de puestos, el número medio de ascensos de cada funcionario y los efectos de la reducción de las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz. El personal directivo debería proporcionar información constructiva pero realista a sus subordinados en general y determinar oportunidades de promover la satisfacción en el empleo. Asimismo, los miembros del personal no seleccionados para puestos se beneficiarían del suministro de información, que el personal directivo debería proporcionar, en caso de que se solicite.", "2. La participación del personal ya está prevista como parte del proceso de reducción de las misiones de mantenimiento de la paz. El personal directivo debería velar por la observancia y, de ser posible, el fortalecimiento, de estos procedimientos, facilitando información a todos los niveles de forma que el personal pueda comprender la orientación y las decisiones adoptadas y tomar decisiones fundadas sobre su futuro lo antes posible.", "3. Se debería emprender una reorientación de las expectativas a fin de cambiar la percepción de que el ascenso es la única vía hacia una carrera satisfactoria. Las contribuciones deberían evaluarse a todos los niveles y se debería poner énfasis en la satisfacción en el empleo. Esta reorientación debería recibir apoyo institucional a través de los mecanismos apropiados, como un examen periódico de la carrera y las tareas asignadas a los miembros del personal por parte de los jefes de departamento en reuniones interdepartamentales. Ese examen debería centrarse en particular en los miembros del personal que lleven un período prolongado en su puesto.", "4. Debería introducirse la reasignación programada entre misiones para complementar el mecanismo de selección existente para la colocación de los funcionarios a fin de evitar dificultades indebidas y el estancamiento en la carrera. Debería estudiarse la posibilidad de ampliar el programa de la iniciativa voluntaria de intercambio en redes y garantizarse la aplicación efectiva de la política de movilidad prevista.", "2. Relaciones de evaluación y entre pares y colegas", "67. El 20% de las cuestiones que se señalaron a la atención de la Oficina integrada en 2010 guardaban relación con las relaciones de evaluación, que representaron el 19% de los casos en la Secretaría, el 21% en los fondos y programas y el 26% en el ACNUR. Las preocupaciones relativas a un trato respetuoso constituyeron el subtema que se planteó con mayor frecuencia.", "Proceso de evaluación del desempeño", "68. Proporcionar y recibir información constructiva en un entorno diverso y multicultural es una tarea difícil y compleja. Los casos presentados al ombudsman revelan deficiencias en la capacidad del personal y la administración de hacerlo. Las diferencias en la percepción y las expectativas respecto del papel de los directivos también son causa de conflictos. En la mayoría de los casos recibidos en toda la Oficina integrada, los subordinados esperaban que el estilo de gestión fuera más democrático y participativo, mientras que los directivos optaban por estilos de gestión más direccionales, citando a menudo la necesidad de hacer las cosas. Esta fuente de conflictos no se limita al proceso de evaluación del desempeño, aunque son frecuentes los casos en que los genera. Los directivos han solicitado ayuda a la Oficina del Ombudsman para ocuparse de los miembros del personal que se consideran difíciles, mientras que los funcionarios que acuden a la Oficina desean que se aborde la necesidad de ser escuchados o apreciados en mayor grado por sus superiores.", "Acoso y abuso de autoridad", "69. Las dificultades existentes en la interacción de los supervisores y los supervisados han causado con frecuencia denuncias de hostigamiento y abuso de autoridad por parte de miembros del personal que no veían otra alternativa para que se abordaran sus preocupaciones. Esta tendencia fue señalada asimismo a la atención del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas durante las visitas a misiones por las dependencias de conducta y disciplina que habían recibido quejas de esta naturaleza. Muchas de las quejas, que estaban pendientes desde hacía mucho tiempo, habían desembocado en denuncias oficiales, lo que se habría podido evitar si todos los interesados hubiesen hecho frente a la situación con más habilidad.", "Incorporación de aptitudes para la solución conflictos y fomento de la confianza", "70. Es necesario redoblar los esfuerzos en toda la Organización para mejorar la capacidad de gestión del desempeño e incorporar aptitudes para resolver conflictos como una de las competencias del personal y la administración. Un elemento esencial de esto último consistiría en fomentar la confianza.", "71. La Oficina se felicita de que el Secretario General, siguiendo el consejo del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas, haya incorporado esas aptitudes en su pacto con el personal directivo superior como uno de los elementos de liderazgo requeridos. Se espera que esto tenga un efecto de “filtración” sobre todos los administradores, supervisores y funcionarios. El aumento de las iniciativas de capacitación en aptitudes para la solución de conflictos a todos los niveles es asimismo una respuesta sistémica encomiable.", "72. Por otra parte, en el contexto del examen de las competencias de organización por la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos, el Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas propuso la incorporación de las aptitudes para la resolución de conflictos en las competencias que todo el personal debe tener. La propuesta fue bien recibida.", "Trato respetuoso", "73. El respeto de la diversidad es uno de los valores básicos de las Naciones Unidas y se espera que todos los miembros del personal expresen este valor básico en su labor cotidiana. Lamentablemente, no siempre es así. La falta de respeto y la consiguiente falta de confianza son siempre factores que desencadenan conflictos en cualquier contexto. Se ha observado que tales situaciones se dan a menudo en las misiones y afectan en particular al personal de contratación nacional. Se necesita la colaboración de todos los interesados para que esta situación reciba la atención que se merece.", "Recomendaciones", "1. Se deberían incrementar las actividades encaminadas a mejorar las aptitudes de gestión del desempeño en toda la Organización, incluidas las misiones, en la inteligencia de que el proceso de evaluación y el diálogo continuo que lleva aparejado son una responsabilidad compartida de todo el personal y la administración.", "2. Los jefes de departamentos y misiones deberían participar directamente en la gestión del desempeño de sus subordinados en sus respectivos ámbitos de competencia.", "3. Las dependencias de conducta y disciplina y la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna deberían señalar a la atención de los funcionarios directivos y otros funcionarios pertinentes las experiencias adquiridas a raíz de denuncias de carácter más administrativo que disciplinario. Esas experiencias deberían ser examinadas por la Junta sobre el Desempeño de las Funciones Directivas e incorporadas en los programas de capacitación en liderazgo y gestión.", "4. Las actividades en curso para incorporar la capacidad de resolución de conflictos en toda la Organización deberían continuar, mediante la capacitación y la exigencia de que el personal rinda cuentas a través de los mecanismos de evaluación, siguiendo el ejemplo dado por el Secretario General y la Junta sobre el Desempeño de las Funciones Directivas para el personal directivo superior.", "5. Debería prescribirse que el personal directivo superior, incluido el de las misiones, marque la pauta en materia de tratamiento respetuoso de todo el personal y fortalezca periódicamente ese mensaje en sus reuniones y otros foros apropiados.", "3. Remuneración y prestaciones y servicios y administración", "74. El 15% de las cuestiones presentadas a la Oficina integrada en 2010 guardaban relación con la remuneración y las prestaciones y representaron el 16% de los casos en la Secretaría, el 17% en los fondos y programas y el 10% en el ACNUR.", "75. Ambas categorías se examinan juntas ya que resultó que muchas cuestiones relativas a la remuneración y las prestaciones tenían más que ver con la forma en que se gestionaban las prestaciones y se trataba al personal que con las prestaciones en sí mismas.", "Información y asesoramiento del personal sobre las prestaciones y capacidad de responder a preguntas", "76. La interpretación y aplicación de las normas no siempre parece uniforme en todo el sistema. Es posible que el elevado número de cambios introducidos mediante procesos de reforma anteriores y en curso y los múltiples cambios consiguientes en las condiciones de servicio contribuyan a esto.", "77. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas reconoce que el personal tiene toda la información pertinente a su disposición en la intranet. Al respecto, el Ombudsman considera muy positivas las iniciativas recientes para reorganizar la información publicada en la intranet (iSeek) a fin de hacerla más accesible para los usuarios. Se ha observado que el aumento de los esfuerzos de comunicación ha tenido lugar centralmente en los niveles de formulación de políticas. Sin embargo, existe, al parecer, la necesidad de armonizar mejor los recursos de información existentes con una ejecución eficaz para que las directrices se puedan aplicar y comunicar con mayor efectividad al personal.", "Suministro oportuno al personal de información sobre los cambios en las prestaciones variables", "78. Se señaló a la atención de la Oficina que en algunos casos los cambios en los ciclos de descanso y recuperación se habían comunicado después de su entrada en vigor y, en algunos de ellos, con fechas de aplicación distintas. Esto hizo que al personal le resultara difícil planificar sus actividades futuras. La Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos está tomando medidas para abordar las situaciones de este tipo.", "Subsidio por funciones especiales", "79. El subsidio por funciones especiales se abona para remunerar la prestación de servicios de un nivel más elevado que el que corresponde a la categoría del funcionario. Ahora bien, según las reglas, su pago es discrecional, lo que no garantiza una remuneración igual por trabajo igual según algunos visitantes. Por otra parte, los procedimientos seguidos para conceder este subsidio entrañan una serie de pasos que algunos consideran innecesariamente engorrosos y anticuados, ya que en la actualidad las asignaciones temporales de funcionarios a puestos de una categoría superior a su categoría actual solo se efectúan después de un proceso de selección competitivo, lo que no era el caso cuando se redactaron las reglas sobre el subsidio por funciones especiales.", "Prestaciones por familiares a cargo", "80. La Oficina del Ombudsman ha planteado a la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos las preocupaciones de los miembros del personal separados o divorciados respecto de cuál de los padres ha de percibir las prestaciones por sus hijos a cargo. La Oficina se complace en señalar que esta cuestión se abordará en la próxima instrucción administrativa pertinente que se publique.", "Recomendaciones", "1. Los mecanismos empleados para informar a los miembros del personal sobre sus condiciones de servicio se deberían revisar, simplificar, normalizar y fortalecer en todas las etapas de la carrera, esto es, durante el proceso de incorporación; durante las sesiones de orientación consagradas a sus condiciones de servicio; cuando se introducen cambios en sus condiciones de servicio a lo largo de su carrera; y en el momento de la separación del servicio. Cabe señalar que el suministro de información por medios impresos o electrónicos no sustituye la comunicación interactiva con los miembros del personal interesados en un entorno donde pueden formular preguntas y conseguir que sus preocupaciones se aborden de inmediato, ni es tan eficaz como ella.", "2. Se debería velar por que los funcionarios de recursos humanos y administrativos interesados en todos los lugares de destino estén suficientemente familiarizados con las reglas y capacitados en su aplicación, así como en la orientación de los clientes, a fin de garantizar que las reglas se apliquen uniformemente de forma que los funcionarios consideren que se les trata como es debido.", "3. Debería considerarse la posibilidad de elaborar directrices sobre el tiempo de respuesta a las consultas del personal y otras normas de orientación de los clientes.", "4. La Oficina ha observado que la comunicación de información sobre los ciclos de descanso y recuperación ha mejorado. Con todo, es importante que cualesquiera cambios en las prestaciones variables se comuniquen en forma oportuna a los miembros del personal afectados.", "5. El proceso del subsidio por funciones especiales debería revisarse con miras a simplificar su aplicación y a suprimir los grupos encargados de dicho subsidio.", "4. Cuestiones jurídicas, reglamentarias, financieras y de cumplimiento", "81. De conformidad con las directrices y las categorías de cuestiones elaboradas por la Asociación Internacional de Ombudsman, que la Oficina aplica en la presentación de informes, las cuestiones de esta categoría guardan relación con asuntos financieros, jurídicos y disciplinarios que incluyen el hostigamiento, el derroche, el uso indebido de fondos y procesos de investigación o disciplinarios. Durante el período de que se informa, el 8% de los asuntos que se señalaron a la atención de la Oficina pertenecían a esta categoría y el hostigamiento (excluido el acoso sexual) fue el motivo de preocupación más frecuente. El porcentaje de cuestiones de este tipo fue ligeramente superior en 2009 (10%). Los ombudsman de los fondos y programas informaron de que en un 80% de los casos sometidos a sus oficinas se había indicado que la otra parte en el conflicto era un funcionario directivo superior o un supervisor directo. En la Secretaría y el ACNUR, las cuestiones jurídicas, reglamentarias, financieras y de cumplimiento representaron el 11% y el 8% de los casos, respectivamente.", "Información actualizada sobre las demoras de las investigaciones sobre posibles cuestiones disciplinarias", "82. La cuestión de las demoras de las investigaciones se abordó en el último informe del Secretario General (A/65/303) y se siguió planteando en 2010 como cuestión de debido proceso y desde el punto de vista de sus efectos en las perspectivas de carrera y la situación del personal afectado. La Oficina acoge pues con satisfacción los esfuerzos realizados por los más altos cargos de la administración y la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna para ocuparse de este asunto. Se llevó a cabo un examen completo, inicialmente con los auspicios de la Vicesecretaria General y más tarde de la Oficina de Servicios de Supervisión Interna, que condujo a propuestas para remediar la situación en el contexto de una actualización de los procedimientos disciplinarios vigentes. Ese enfoque integrado de la cuestión garantiza que el asunto se abordará a nivel sistémico.", "83. Aun cuando los casos específicos que se tratan son de carácter disciplinario, la cuestión sistémica es la de la capacidad de investigar con rapidez y eficacia. Por otra parte, muchos de los casos que se presentaron en forma de denuncias de hostigamiento o abuso de autoridad, habrían podido agravarse porque no fueron tratados debidamente por las partes interesadas. En consecuencia, es posible que la realización de esfuerzos para fortalecer la gestión del desempeño y las aptitudes para resolver conflictos en todo el sistema contribuya a reducir la frecuencia con que se plantea este problema.", "5. Cuestiones de organización, liderazgo y gestión", "84. El 5% de las cuestiones que se señalaron a la atención de la Oficina guardaban relación con asuntos de organización, liderazgo y gestión y representaron el 8% de los casos en el ACNUR y los fondos y programas y el 4% en la Secretaría. Las cuestiones de esta categoría guardan relación, entre otras cosas, con el clima de la organización y la gestión del cambio, así como con el liderazgo en la organización y los estilos de gestión.", "Fortalecimiento de una cultura de resolución informal de conflictos", "85. En general, las directrices impartidas por el personal directivo superior a todos los jefes de oficinas y departamentos de que se fomente el recurso a la resolución informal y se mejore la capacidad de respuesta en ese sentido han contribuido eficazmente a que los directivos y administradores participen más en el proceso. Resultará fundamental proseguir con tales esfuerzos y garantizar un compromiso mejor orientado y sostenido de todos los interesados a fin de incrementar la eficacia del proceso informal. La experiencia ha demostrado que cuando las partes participan de manera constructiva desde temprano es posible alcanzar resultados positivos, lo que aumenta la confianza en el resolución informal de conflictos y el paso de una actitud de confrontación a una de diálogo y resolución de los problemas mutuos.", "Gestión del cambio", "86. Por regla general, las reformas que ayudan a la Organización a estar a tono con los tiempos, cumplir su mandato y seguir siendo competitiva y atractiva en cuanto empleadora tienen una buena acogida por parte del personal y la administración. Ahora bien, las diversas reformas introducidas sucesivamente en el último decenio, algunas de las cuales exigen que el personal haga más sin recursos adicionales, parece haber dejado tanto al personal como a la administración hastiados de reformas. Una de las dificultades específicas que la Oficina ha detectado estriba en la conceptualización y aplicación de tales iniciativas de reforma o, si se quiere, en cómo la necesidad de cambios se determina y luego comunica a los sectores interesados; en qué medida el personal ha de participar en las iniciativas de gestión del cambio para que acepte y se comprometa con tales procesos; y si se dispone o se dispondrá de los recursos y mecanismos de capacitación necesarios para conseguir que las reformas sean sostenibles.", "Recomendaciones", "Las cuestiones relacionadas con la gestión del cambio y la cultura de gestión institucional, incluida la rendición de cuentas, deberían abordarse al más alto nivel, como por ejemplo en la Junta sobre el Desempeño de las Funciones Directivas. Los cambios exigen una estrategia de comunicación y la participación del personal en la toma de decisiones de manera de garantizar que se identifique y comprometa con el proceso. Debería hacerse todo lo posible para determinar cómo se podría reforzar esa participación. Más importante aún, toda reforma debería planificarse teniendo debidamente en cuenta la implementación y la provisión de los recursos y el apoyo necesarios para los períodos de transición. Es posible que la iniciativa de reforma reciente brinde una excelente oportunidad para abordar las reformas en curso y ulteriores teniendo en mente lo que precede.", "6. Cuestiones de seguridad, salud, bienestar, estrés y de la vida laboral y personal", "87. Las cuestiones relativas a a) la seguridad, la salud, el bienestar el estrés y la vida laboral y personal, b) los valores, la ética y las normas, y c) los servicios y la administración, representaron el 4% de todas las cuestiones que se plantearon en la Oficina integrada.", "Información actualizada sobre la gestión de las situaciones de emergencia y crisis en cuanto a sus efectos en el personal e información sobre una cuestión nueva", "88. Una de las funciones básicas de las Naciones Unidas es ayudar a otros en situaciones de crisis. Lamentablemente, en vista de los ataques selectivos contra funcionarios de las Naciones Unidas y de que los desastres naturales a gran escala afectan también a muchos funcionarios, es necesario que la Organización elabore planes de acción y medidas especiales a fin de atender las necesidades del personal después de tales acontecimientos. La Oficina del Ombudsman se ha estado ocupando de esta cuestión desde hace algún tiempo y acogió con satisfacción el establecimiento de un equipo de preparación y respuesta para emergencias en la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos como primer paso. La Oficina acoge también con satisfacción el aumento de la atención y el apoyo prestados a dicho equipo[10]. Asimismo, la Oficina del Ombudsman celebra los importantes esfuerzos que se han consagrado a la compilación de las experiencias adquiridas por el Departamento de Gestión y el Departamento de Apoyo a las Actividades sobre el Terreno. La Oficina del Ombudsman colaborará con el equipo de preparación y respuesta para emergencias en el intercambio de información sobre las tendencias y pautas sistémicas que se detecten después de situaciones de emergencia y las mejores prácticas derivadas de la experiencia adquirida en este ámbito.", "89. Otras preocupaciones son la aplicación eficaz de las medidas especiales después de las crisis y la necesidad de examinar tales medidas o excepciones en las situaciones de crisis con vistas a incrementar la capacidad de aplicarlas antes de que se comuniquen. En este contexto, la Oficina del Ombudsman está colaborando con todos las partes interesadas, determinados funcionarios, los sindicatos del personal, el personal directivo y la administración para resolver las cuestiones pendientes.", "Cuestiones de salud y seguridad", "90. Los casos relacionados con asuntos médicos, en particular sobre el terreno, revelaron que la mayor parte de las preocupaciones guardaban relación con cuestiones de política de salud y seguridad, lo que indica la necesidad de una política global de salud y seguridad para todo el personal de las Naciones Unidas. La Oficina señala que una de las recomendaciones hechas por el grupo de trabajo de directores médicos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas es que se adopte una política de seguridad y salud en el trabajo. La Oficina acoge con beneplácito la recomendación y considera que cualquier política en la materia debe tomar asimismo en cuenta la correlación entre los conflictos mal llevados y las posibles consecuencias adversas para la salud.", "91. Por ejemplo, una de las cuestiones concretas que se señalan a menudo a la atención del Ombudsman es el ausentismo, esto es, la tendencia de los funcionarios que pueden estar experimentando niveles de estrés superiores a los normales debido a conflictos laborales, a acogerse a las licencias prolongadas de enfermedad. Cuando vuelven al trabajo, lejos de encontrar un entorno de trabajo mejorado, constatan que la situación se ha agravado incrementando los efectos en los colegas que quizá se mostraran solidarios antes del período de licencia pero luego se volvieron rencorosos por tener que asumir total o parcialmente el trabajo adicional derivado de su ausencia. En consecuencia, el ausentismo como elemento de los conflictos laborales es una cuestión que debería abordarse en su totalidad en vista de sus posibles efectos en la productividad y la moral.", "92. Los visitantes de la Oficina integrada expresaron asimismo preocupaciones respecto de los procedimientos que rigen la selección de médicos para integrar las juntas médicas encargadas de examinar las reclamaciones. De conformidad con las directrices en vigor, la administración designa un médico y el miembro del personal otro; los dos médicos designados deben convenir en un tercero; a veces estos médicos no consiguen ponerse de acuerdo sobre un tercero, lo que ocasiona demoras que pueden ser prolongadas. Al examinar tales casos, la Oficina observó que la Junta Médica y el directorio de la Caja Común de Pensiones del Personal de las Naciones Unidas son vestigios del sistema antiguo y carecen de mecanismos formales de resolución de conflictos. Quizá exista la necesidad de volver a examinar la política y los procedimientos de funcionamiento de esas entidades en el marco del nuevo sistema de administración de justicia, que pone énfasis en la resolución informal de los conflictos.", "Recomendaciones", "1. Al idearse medidas especiales para los miembros del personal afectados por crisis debería tomarse debidamente en cuenta a su aplicación eficaz de forma que las medidas propuestas contribuyan efectivamente a mitigar el problema que van dirigidas a subsanar. Es posible que la elaboración de modelos y medidas para posibles escenarios sin la presión de una crisis real sea útil para ello. La mejora de la cooperación en esta esfera entre el Departamento de Gestión, la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos, los servicios médicos y el Departamento de Apoyo a las Actividades sobre el Terreno, tanto en la Sede como en las operaciones sobre el terreno, es alentador y merece reconocimiento. Asimismo, cabe mencionar que, posteriormente, se adoptaron varias medidas especiales que resultaron ser muy útiles para el personal pertinente sin que se plantearan dificultades ni los consiguientes casos del tipo antes descrito.", "2 El personal debería ser libre de exponer sus preocupaciones a la Oficina del Ombudsman y ser respetado en el caso de que lo haga. El personal no debe temer que cuando recurra a la Oficina del Ombudsman o al mecanismo de presentación de quejas oficiales, será objeto de represalias o que será aislado o adquirirá mala reputación.", "3. Debería establecerse una política global de salud y seguridad ocupacionales. Ésta debería tener en cuenta las posibles consecuencias adversas para la salud de los conflictos mal llevados.", "4. Deberían revisarse las directrices relativas al examen de casos por parte de la Junta Médica, para incluir, entre otras cosas, la resolución informal de diferencias.", "III. Información estadística: servicios de ombudsman", "A. Número de casos", "93. En 2010, el número de casos sometidos a la Oficina aumentó en un 35%, a un total de 1.764 en comparación con 1.287 en 2009.", "Gráfico II", "Número de casos abiertos entre 2008 y 2010 en la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas", "94. En la Secretaría la demanda de servicios fue mayor durante el período de que se informa y el número de casos aumentó un 70% entre 2009 y 2010. En las oficinas regionales se abrieron 725 casos en 2010, lo que influyó asimismo en el importante aumento. El personal de la Oficina integrada continuó trabajando más allá de lo que era su deber a fin de satisfacer la demanda y asegurar la prestación de servicios de calidad a pesar de los problemas planteados por ese incremento. Cabe señalar que el grado de complejidad tiende a variar mucho de un caso a otro. Los visitantes presentan con frecuencia un caso que plantea múltiples cuestiones que pueden relacionarse con distintas políticas y prácticas y hacer necesaria una interacción entre distintos interesados. Por ejemplo, un visitante puede ponerse en contacto con la Oficina en relación con el hecho de no haber sido seleccionado para un puesto, lo que puede repercutir asimismo en la evaluación de su actuación profesional, su situación contractual, sus derechos y prestaciones, etc.", "95. Los casos se registran según el número de visitantes y no del número de cuestiones que plantean. El tiempo que lleva resolverlos, que depende de la complejidad de las cuestiones plateadas, oscila entre dos semanas y tres meses. Esto supone múltiples sesiones con cada visitante y varios contactos con las partes interesadas pertinentes en nombre del visitante, incluida la mediación itinerante, para debatir los distintos aspectos del asunto y llegar a una solución mutuamente aceptable.", "96. El ombudsman para los fondos y programas abrió 418 casos en 2010[11]. Durante el primer semestre del año, mientras se esperaba que los nuevos ombudsman asumieran sus funciones, el número total de visitantes permaneció estable debido a la reducida capacidad de abordar casos. El número de casos aumentó sustancialmente en el segundo semestre del año después de que los nuevos ombudsman tomaran posesión de sus cargos.", "97. El ombudsman del ACNUR recibió 140 visitantes en 2010, número algo menor que en 2009. Además, en 2010 la red de asesores sobre un lugar de trabajo respetuoso del ACNUR, que se amplió a finales de 2009, recibió 65 visitantes que, en conjunto, plantearon 87 cuestiones.", "B. Características demográficas", "Número de casos sometidos a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por tipo de lugar de destino", "98. Los tipos de lugar de destino en la Secretaría son la Sede en Nueva York, las oficinas situadas fuera de la Sede y las misiones sobre el terreno. En los fondos y programas, los tipos de lugar de destino son las sedes en Copenhague y Nueva York y las oficinas en los países, y en el ACNUR son la sede en Ginebra, el Centro Mundial de Servicios de Budapest y las oficinas sobre el terreno. En el gráfico III se desglosan los casos por lugar de destino en la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR.", "99. Como en los dos años anteriores, en 2010 la mayoría de los visitantes trabajaban en oficinas situadas fuera de la sede, en oficinas en los países y en oficinas sobre el terreno. Sin embargo, la distribución de los visitantes por tipo de lugar de destino varía de un sector a otro y con el tiempo.", "Gráfico III", "Porcentaje de casos en la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación y las distintas entidades en 2010 por tipo de lugar de destino", "100. El porcentaje de casos recibidos de las oficinas sobre el terreno (que solo forman parte de la Secretaría) aumentó del 24% en 2009 al 34% en 2010. La proporción de casos de esta categoría de personal podría aumentar en el futuro, toda vez que el 60% del personal de la Secretaría presta servicios en misiones sobre el terreno.", "101. En los fondos y programas, el 73% de los casos abordados durante el período de que se informa eran casos originados en las oficinas en los países y el 27% eran casos originados en oficinas situadas fuera de la Sede. Esto concuerda con los resultados de los años anteriores y refleja el carácter de las organizaciones, que se orienta a las actividades sobre el terreno.", "102. Al igual que en 2009, el 38% de los visitantes del ACNUR procedía de lugares de destino en que hay sedes y el 62% de oficinas sobre el terreno. Esta información indica que la inversión de la situación observada antes de 2008 parece haberse estabilizado, lo que puede atribuirse a una mayor conciencia del papel y la función de la Oficina del Ombudsman de resultas de las misiones sobre el terreno y, en particular, de la nueva expansión en colaboración con el PMA de la red de asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso.", "Categoría profesional del personal que visitó la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas", "103. Desde 2008, los funcionarios del cuadro orgánico han sido los que más han visitado la Oficina (44%), seguidos del personal de apoyo (19%, en comparación con 26% en 2008 y 2009).", "104. Únicamente la Secretaría cuenta con una categoría especial de personal sobre el terreno, que consiste en personal internacional de apoyo que presta servicios exclusivamente en misiones sobre el terreno (de mantenimiento de la paz y misiones políticas especiales). El personal sobre el terreno constituyó el 11% de todos los funcionarios de la Secretaría que visitaron la Oficina.", "105. La proporción de visitantes de las distintas categorías profesionales que trabajan fuera de la Sede aumentó. El porcentaje del personal nacional que solicitó asistencia aumentó del 7% en 2008 y 2009 y al 13% en 2010. El porcentaje de visitantes pertenecientes al personal que trabaja sobre el terreno (específico de la Secretaría) también aumentó, del 8% en 2008 y 2009, al 11% en 2010.", "106. Entre 2008 y 2010 permanecieron constantes, en cerca del 3%, los porcentajes de visitantes pertenecientes a las tres categorías ocupacionales restantes: a) exfuncionarios y jubilados, b) voluntarios y c) director y categorías superiores, permanecieron estables,.", "Gráfico IV", "Visitantes de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por categoría profesional", "107. En la Secretaría, el 41% de los visitantes pertenecían al cuadro orgánico y el 17% de los casos fueron iniciados por funcionarios de apoyo.", "108. En los fondos y programas, como en el pasado, la mayoría de los visitantes (54%) pertenecían al cuadro orgánico y categorías superiores. En cuanto al cuadro de servicios generales, más mujeres (56%) que hombres se pusieron en contacto con la Oficina.", "109. En el ACNUR, dos tercios de los visitantes, lo que supuso un ligero aumento proporcional respecto del año anterior, pertenecían al cuadro orgánico. El número de funcionarios de apoyo que visitaron la Oficina del Ombudsman disminuyó un poco, lo que fue compensado con creces (aunque no se refleja en las estadísticas) por el número de funcionarios que visitaron a los asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso. El número de funcionarios de nivel superior (de categoría P-5 y categorías superiores) que se dirigieron a la Oficina del Ombudsman en busca de asesoramiento, sobre sus propias preocupaciones o sus preocupaciones en cuanto administradores, se mantuvo ligeramente por encima del 10%.", "C. Distribución de las cuestiones por categoría profesional", "110. La distribución general de las cuestiones planteadas varía de una categoría profesional a otra. Con todo, hay similitudes entre algunas de ellas. Por ejemplo, la distribución de los tres principales tipos de cuestiones planteadas es la misma entre los funcionarios del cuadro orgánico, el personal de apoyo, el personal de contratación nacional y los voluntarios, que plantearon con más frecuencia la cuestión del puesto y la carrera, seguida de las relaciones de evaluación y la remuneración y las prestaciones.", "111. La distribución fue ligeramente diferente entre los visitantes pertenecientes al personal sobre el terreno específico de la Secretaría, siendo el puesto y la carrera la principal cuestión que plantearon, la remuneración y las prestaciones la segunda y la relación de evaluación la tercera. En la categoría de director y categorías superiores se aprecia una distribución singular: las relaciones de evaluación son la cuestión planteada con mayor frecuencia, seguida por el puesto y la carrera y la remuneración y las prestaciones. La principal cuestión planteada por los visitantes de “otro personal” es la de la remuneración y las prestaciones.", "Gráfico V", "Tipos de cuestiones planteadas a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por categoría profesional", "112. Los conflictos en torno a las relaciones en el lugar de trabajo son la segunda cuestión que con más frecuencia lleva a miembros del personal de los fondos y programas a acudir a la Oficina del Ombudsman y representó el 30% de los casos en 2010. Más mujeres que hombres solicitaron asistencia en relación con este asunto. Los miembros del personal presentan con frecuencia a la Oficina denuncias de falta de respeto y tratamiento inapropiado, generalmente en forma de falta de atención inapropiada a colegas o subordinados así como falta de capacidades de comunicación sólidas y sustentadoras. Uno de los principales rasgos de las relaciones positivas en el lugar de trabajo es la comunicación eficaz y el fomento de la búsqueda del consenso mediante la comunicación.", "113. En el ACNUR, los funcionarios internacionales del cuadro orgánico plantean con más frecuencia cuestiones concernientes a las relaciones de evaluación, seguidas de preocupaciones sobre el puesto y la carrera. Por contraste, los funcionarios nacionales del cuadro orgánico plantean principalmente preocupaciones relativas al puesto y la carrera. Los funcionarios del cuadro de servicios generales plantean sobre todo cuestiones relativas al puesto y la carrera, seguidas por las relaciones de evaluación y las relaciones entre pares y colegas.", "D. Cuestiones planteadas a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por lugar de destino", "114. Las preocupaciones predominantes que los visitantes plantearon en 2010, independientemente de su ubicación, guardaban relación con el puesto y la carrera. La segunda cuestión más citada tenía que ver con las relaciones de evaluación y la de la remuneración y las prestaciones ocupó el tercer lugar. La situación fue la misma en 2009. En las misiones sobre el terreno, que son específicas de la Secretaría, las cuestiones relacionadas con el puesto y la carrera fueron las más numerosas. La remuneración y las prestaciones y las relaciones de evaluación ocuparon los lugares segundo y tercero, respectivamente.", "Gráfico VI", "Categorías de cuestiones planteadas a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas por lugar de destino", "[]", "115. En los fondos y programas, el 73% de los casos tuvieron su origen en las oficinas en los países y el 27% en la sede. En ambas ubicaciones las cuestiones relacionadas con el puesto y la carrera fueron el principal motivo de contacto inicial por parte de los visitantes. Una proporción mayor de funcionarias (29%) que de funcionarios (19%) planteó preocupaciones respecto de las oportunidades de progresión profesional.", "116. En el ACNUR, un poco más de un tercio de las cuestiones fueron planteadas por personal de la sede. En este grupo, las dos cuestiones que se plantearon con mayor frecuencia fueron las relaciones de evaluación (33%) y el puesto y la carrera (15%). En las oficinas situadas fuera de la sede, las dos cuestiones planteadas con mayor frecuencia fueron el puesto y la carrera (32%) y las relaciones de evaluación (28%). En este contexto, cabe observar (aunque no se refleja en las estadísticas presentadas) que las cuestiones tratadas con los asesores sobre un ambiente de trabajo respetuoso guardaban relación sobre todo con el puesto y la carrera (23%) y las relaciones con los pares y colegas (21%), en tanto que las relaciones de evaluación constituyeron el 15% de todas las cuestiones.", "IV. Información estadística sobre los servicios de mediación", "A. Número de casos de mediación y resultados", "117. En esta sección se proporciona información estadística con respecto a los casos y resultados, las características demográficas y los tipos de cuestiones que se sometieron a mediación durante el período comprendido entre el 1 de julio de 2009, la fecha de entrada en funcionamiento del nuevo sistema de administración de justicia, y el 31 de diciembre de 2010.", "Gráfico VII", "Casos de mediación entre el 1 de julio de 2009 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010", "[]", "118. Durante el período comprendido entre el 1 de julio de 2009 y el 31 de diciembre de 2010, el Servicio de Mediación abrió un total de 62 casos, de los cuales 28 (45%) se sometieron a mediación. Veintiuno de éstos últimos (75%) se resolvieron satisfactoriamente y en siete (25%) no se llegó a una solución positiva. Según las Directrices sobre Mediación se requiere el acuerdo de todas las partes en una controversia para que se someta a mediación. Diversos casos (29%) no pudieron someterse a mediación porque una de las partes o ambas optaron por no recurrir a ella después de una consulta preliminar y tres casos (5%) no se sometieron a mediación debido a otras circunstancias (el caso no era idóneo para ser sometido a mediación o se resolvió antes de ser sometido a ella). Un total de 13 casos (21%) se estaban tramitando a finales de 2010.", "B. Características demográficas", "Gráfico VIII", "Mediación y características demográficas", "[]", "119. La mayoría de los casos que el Servicio de Mediación tramitó durante el período de que se informa se originaron en oficinas situadas fuera de la Sede (50%). Un total de 11 casos se originaron en operaciones sobre el terreno (18%) y 20 (32%) se originaron en la Sede. Esto confirma que la mayor parte de los casos se plantean sobre el terreno y por ende que es necesario aumentar la capacidad de abordar casos en las regiones.", "C. Casos sometidos a mediación por categoría profesional", "Gráfico IX", "[] Casos sometidos a mediación por categoría profesional", "120. Los funcionarios que solicitaron o participaron con mayor frecuencia en la mediación durante el período de que se informa pertenecían a las siguientes categorías profesionales: cuadro orgánico (58%), categoría de director o categorías superiores (10%) y personal de apoyo (19%). Esas categorías fueron seguidas por el personal sobre el terreno y los exfuncionarios y jubilados (5% cada una) y el personal de contratación nacional y otro personal (2% cada una).", "D. Casos de mediación por fuente", "Gráfico X", "[] Casos de mediación por fuente", "121. La mediación puede ser solicitada por una o todas las partes en una controversia o puede ser remitida a mediación por las dependencias de evaluación interna, el Tribunal Contencioso-Administrativo de las Naciones Unidas, el Tribunal de Apelaciones de las Naciones Unidas, la Oficina de Asistencia Letrada al Personal u otras oficinas similares. El Servicio de Mediación examina todas las solicitudes de mediación o remisiones a ella para determinar si los casos son idóneos para ello.", "122. Durante el período de que se informa, en 24 (39%) de todos los casos abiertos esto se hizo a petición de una o todas las partes en la controversia, 13 (21%) fueron remitidos por el Tribunal Contencioso-Administrativo y 10 (16%) comenzaron a ser tramitados por el ombudsman y luego se sometieron a mediación. Los casos restantes (24%) fueron remitidos por la Oficina de Asistencia Letrada al Personal, las dependencias de evaluación interna y otras dependencias de la Organización. Los casos que no eran idóneos para ser sometidos a mediación, se remitieron a los servicios de ombudsman.", "123. El hecho de que los propios clientes sean la principal fuente de casos es resultado de las actividades de divulgación concertadas del Servicio de Mediación para dar a conocer el proceso y sus beneficios, así como de la eficacia del procedimiento de mediación. Se espera que nuevas actividades de divulgación, la calidad del servicio y una mayor descentralización hagan aumentar el número de casos.", "E. Tipos de cuestiones", "Gráfico XI", "Tipos de cuestiones tramitadas por el Servicio de Mediación", "[]", "124. El principal tema de conflicto en los asuntos tramitados por el Servicio de Mediación fue el puesto y la carrera (38%), que abarca las cuestiones relacionadas con la situación contractual. La segunda categoría por número de asuntos guarda relación con las asuntos jurídicos, reglamentarios, financieros y de cumplimiento (21%). Las relaciones de evaluación constituyen la tercera categoría más importante (16%). En un segundo nivel se sitúan las cuestiones siguientes: remuneración y prestaciones (12%), organización, liderazgo y gestión (4%), servicios y administración (1%), seguridad, salud y bienestar (1%) y valores, ética y normas (3%).", "V. Evolución futura", "1. Fomento de la credibilidad y la capacidad para resolver conflictos", "125. La Oficina continuará buscando la manera de promover una cultura de resolución de conflictos y fomento de la confianza. En este contexto, la Secretaría, los fondos y programas y el ACNUR tienen previsto seguir fortaleciendo su labor de capacitación, divulgación y promoción. En consecuencia, la estrategia de comunicación de la Oficina se centrará en tres ámbitos prioritarios: a) fomento de la solución oficiosa, incluida la mediación, como primer paso seguro para la resolución de conflictos laborales; b) asociación con el personal directivo superior y otras partes interesadas importantes para alentar y facilitar la utilización del mecanismo de solución oficiosa de conflictos; y c) promoción constante de una cultura de colaboración y prevención de conflictos como componente esencial de la salud institucional.", "2. Fomento de la capacidad sobre el terreno", "126. La Oficina trabajará para aumentar su capacidad de prestar servicios al personal sobre el terreno, incluso en zonas remotas, aprovechando la labor ya realizada mediante una acción oportuna y efectiva en relación con los casos y la mejora de las relaciones con los interesados, tanto en la Sede como en las distintas regiones. La Oficina continuará estudiando la posibilidad de establecer una nueva oficina regional a fin de prestar servicios en persona y mejorar el acceso a las zonas remotas, incluidas las misiones políticas especiales, y procurando movilizar recursos financieros para este fin.", "127. Los fondos y programas y el ACNUR continuarán examinando las opciones para evaluar y ampliar sus respectivos programas de asesoramiento sobre un lugar de trabajo respetuoso.", "3. Medición de la eficacia de los servicios", "128. La Oficina tiene previsto evaluar sus operaciones en el marco del nuevo sistema de administración de justicia, que se puso en funcionamiento en julio de 2009, así como la eficacia y los efectos de su recientemente creada estructura, que está integrada con los fondos y programas y el ACNUR y geográficamente descentralizada y cuenta con siete oficinas regionales. Se espera que el grupo de expertos determine las enseñanzas obtenidas y formule recomendaciones para mejorar la calidad global de los servicios prestados.", "4. Fortalecimiento del Servicio de Mediación", "129. El Servicio de Mediación seguirá tratando de consolidar la labor realizada desde el punto de vista de la prestación y la calidad de los servicios y las actividades de divulgación, en particular sobre el terreno, así como de mejorar las asociaciones con los interesados de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones profesionales externas. La División examinará asimismo las mejores prácticas y las experiencias adquiridas en su primer año de funcionamiento a fin de mejorar la prestación de servicios. También mejorará su lista de mediadores disponibles y trabajará con los interesados pertinentes para estudiar si es apropiada la suspensión obligatoria de los plazos de presentación de solicitudes mientras se celebran los procedimientos de solución informal de los conflictos.", "5. Contribución al proceso de gestión del cambio", "130. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación fue invitada a participar en la reunión conjunta de los comités de políticas y de gestión de mayo de 2011 sobre el programa de reformas. La Oficina está estudiando la manera de colaborar con el recientemente establecido equipo de gestión del cambio a fin de coadyuvar en las actividades en curso para simplificar y mejorar la eficiencia de la Organización, incluso informando al equipo sobre las tendencias y pautas sistémicas que identifique.", "VI. Necesidades de recursos", "131. La descentralización ha ofrecido a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas una gran oportunidad para crecer y mejorar la eficiencia, según lo previsto inicialmente por el Grupo de Reforma y aprobado más tarde por la Asamblea General. Ahora bien, la provisión de recursos generales para la Oficina, que es uno de los elementos más críticos para sus operaciones y eficacia, sigue planteando un problema importante. Como se describió en el último informe del Secretario General sobre las actividades de la Oficina (A/65/303), la financiación con cargo al presupuesto ordinario ha seguido basándose en el presupuesto anterior a la expansión para cubrir las necesidades operacionales, en particular para las oficinas regionales y el Servicio de Mediación. Esto ha limitado gravemente la capacidad de la Oficina de responder a las necesidades del personal sobre el terreno y a crisis en ciernes que justifican una intervención en persona.", "132. La Oficina ha adoptado una serie de medidas de reducción de gastos[12] para hacer frente a las limitaciones presupuestarias durante el proceso de reforma iniciado en enero de 2008. Al hacerlo, la Oficina era consciente del clima financiero en el que actúan los Estados Miembros y del llamamiento dirigido por el Secretario General a todos los departamentos para que hicieran más con los recursos existentes. Habida cuenta de que la prevención de conflictos es en sí misma una medida que reduce los gastos de la Organización, la Oficina continuará explorando todas las oportunidades posibles para utilizar eficientemente las asignaciones presupuestarias existentes. Sin embargo, cabe señalar que esos esfuerzos no pueden compensar plenamente los problemas que plantea la gestión de una estructura descentralizada y la fuerte demanda de servicios de solución informal de conflictos señalada por la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones, en particular en la Secretaría, donde el número de casos aumentó un 70% entre 2009 y 2010[13].", "133. En los párrafos 24 y 25 de su resolución 65/251, la Asamblea General puso de relieve que es importante asegurar que todo el personal tenga acceso igualitario y permanente al sistema informal de administración de justicia, incluso a los equipos de respuesta rápida que la Oficina del Ombudsman despliega para responder a crisis y solicitó al Secretario General que corrigiera las limitaciones a la capacidad de recursos en las futuras propuestas presupuestarias. En esta sección se explica por qué la Oficina necesita más recursos que los solicitados en el proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012-2013 (A/66/6, secc. 1) y se indican los ámbitos que ha determinado para introducir ajustes a fin de satisfacer sus necesidades actuales.", "134. La Oficina del Ombudsman de la Secretaría fue objeto de un examen amplio a cargo de un grupo externo en 2007. Una de las principales conclusiones del grupo fue la siguiente: “Es probable que la demanda de sus servicios crezca a medida que la Oficina sea más conocida y comprendida. El desafío consiste en seguir vigilando la capacidad de la Oficina para garantizar su suficiencia a la hora de absorber y procesar los casos y ofrecer un seguimiento oportuno y adecuado. De otro modo, existe un riesgo de que se deteriore la imagen de la Oficina y de que los casos que habría podido tramitar el Ombudsman sean remitidos al sistema oficial, con sus consiguientes costos y congestión, lo que reproduce las condiciones imperantes antes de la creación del puesto del Ombudsman”. Las mismas preocupaciones siguen siendo válidas hoy en día.", "135. Las necesidades de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas con cargo al presupuesto ordinario se basan en cuatro principios fundamentales:", "a) Una evaluación de las necesidades basada en una mayor demanda de servicios, teniendo en cuenta la experiencia adquirida desde el establecimiento de la Oficina en 2002 y su descentralización en 2008;", "b) La provisión de acceso igualitario a todo el personal y particularmente al que presta servicios en zonas remotas y entornos inhóspitos;", "c) El fomento de la solución oficiosa de los conflictos por medio de los incentivos pertinentes definidos en el último informe del Secretario General sobre las actividades de la Oficina (A/65/303) y aprobados más tarde por la Asamblea General en el párrafo 22 de su resolución 65/251. En este contexto, la Asamblea General solicitó que se incluyeran las necesidades presupuestarias específicas en el presupuesto por programas para que los incentivos se aplicaran.", "d) El fortalecimiento de la estructura descentralizada y el aumento de la capacidad administrativa de la Oficina para gestionar sus operaciones más eficazmente.", "136. La estructura de la Oficina ha cambiado considerablemente con la creación de siete oficinas regionales, el Servicio de Mediación y una reserva de ombudsman y mediadores disponibles. En los dos últimos años la Oficina ha tropezado con problemas en sus operaciones cotidianas que han repercutido en la gestión de sus recursos financieros y humanos. En su carta sobre asuntos de gestión de fecha 15 de junio de 2010, la Junta de Auditores señaló que era probable que los problemas de administración diaria aumentaran a raíz de la descentralización y constituirían una ocupación de tiempo completo para un oficial administrativo que garantizara la coherencia y la coordinación en toda la estructura descentralizada. A causa de su función multisectorial, la Oficina también tiene una participación creciente en el fomento de la prevención de conflictos y condiciones de trabajo armoniosas en la Sede y sobre el terreno, lo que exige una coordinación considerable con los diversos interesados dentro de la Organización. Con objeto de subsanar estas deficiencias y permitir que el Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas y su personal se concentren plenamente en sus funciones sustantivas de resolución de conflictos laborales, se propone crear dos puestos del cuadro orgánico cuyos titulares presten el apoyo necesario al Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas, al Director de la Oficina y al equipo en su conjunto.", "137. En consecuencia, se propone crear los dos puestos siguientes en el bienio 2012-2013:", "a) Un Oficial Administrativo (P-4), que ayude al Director de la Oficina a gestionar y supervisar los recursos humanos y financieros de la Oficina y a garantizar la coherencia de sus normas y operaciones. Esto incluye la administración de los ombudsman y los mediadores disponibles y el tratamiento de las cuestiones presupuestarias y financieras para la Sede y todas sus oficinas;", "b) Un Asistente Especial (P-4), para que apoye al Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas en la planificación estratégica y operacional, así como en la coordinación normativa y la gestión de la información. Cabe señalar que todos los altos funcionarios de la Secretaría de las Naciones Unidas cuentan con este apoyo fundamental que les permite concentrarse plenamente en sus responsabilidades básicas de suministro de orientación estratégica. El Asistente Especial apoyaría al Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas y al Director en la supervisión de la gestión cotidiana de la Oficina del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas y la coordinación de las aportaciones de los distintos componentes de la estructura integrada, lo que garantizaría un enfoque ágil y coherente en el funcionamiento de las operaciones en general. El titular apoyaría asimismo al Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas en el procesamiento y seguimiento de los casos de alto riesgo y en sus interacciones con sus contrapartes de alto nivel, incluso en su labor con los organismos intergubernamentales.", "138. Se solicitan recursos para viajes por valor de 180.000 dólares para el bienio 2012-2013 para que la Oficina pueda resolver controversias mediante intervenciones en persona, prevenir el enconamiento de las cuestiones y evitar que éstas afecten a la productividad y la moral y den lugar a un oneroso proceso judicial. Esos recursos brindarían asimismo la oportunidad de realizar actividades adicionales como prestar asesoramiento en materia de conflictos y fomentar la capacidad de resolver conflictos en los lugares de destino donde el ombudsman no tiene presencia. Los recursos también harían posible que los ombudsman regionales se reunieran con funcionarios en sus áreas de responsabilidad inmediatas y visitaran periódicamente las comisiones regionales que no cuentan con un ombudsman. Esa presencia periódica ha sido solicitada por la administración y el personal repetidas veces. Los recursos se utilizarán además para establecer el equipo de respuesta inmediata del ombudsman, mecanismo que permitirá responder y dar solución rápidamente a situaciones imprevistas. A medida que el sistema informal fue obteniendo un mayor reconocimiento en 2010, el número de solicitudes de intervención inmediata por parte del Ombudsman de las Naciones Unidas o de los ombudsman y los mediadores disponibles aumentó considerablemente y en varias situaciones críticas no fue posible enviar un ombudsman o un equipo de mediación debido a la falta de recursos para viajes. Por último, los recursos permitirán a la Oficina celebrar un retiro anual para que todo su personal intercambie las mejores prácticas y las experiencias adquiridas con vistas a mejorar la capacidad global de operación de la Oficina.", "139. Se solicitan recursos de capacitación por valor de 150.000 dólares para sufragar gastos en concepto de capacitación, viajes conexos y conferencias relacionadas con la capacitación para el personal de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación, incluidas las oficinas regionales. Esto le permitiría impartir módulos de capacitación en gestión de conflictos en su área de responsabilidad en coordinación con la Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos a fin de crear capacidad de resolver conflictos. Cada vez más se solicita a la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas que imparta sesiones de capacitación sobre la tramitación colaborativa de conflictos a grupos de funcionarios como parte de la prevención de conflictos y la sensibilización respecto de los conflictos. Este enfoque incrementará la capacidad de la Oficina de aumentar la posibilidad de que los clientes y otros grupos destinatarios, como el personal directivo, gestionen conflictos.", "140. En consecuencia, si la Asamblea General estuviera de acuerdo con los arreglos propuestos para la Oficina, se considerarían necesidades adicionales de recursos por un monto de 918.400 dólares (antes del ajuste) de conformidad con las disposiciones que rigen el fondo para imprevistos con arreglo a lo dispuesto en las resoluciones 41/213 y 42/211 de la Asamblea General. Al respecto, cabe recordar que la Asamblea, en su resolución 65/262, aprobó un fondo para imprevistos para el bienio 2012-2013 de un monto de 40,5 millones de dólares.", "141. Se propone que los puestos nuevos a que se hace referencia en el presente informe se creen con efecto a contar del 1 de enero de 2012. Teniendo en cuenta que la Comisión Consultiva en Asuntos Administrativos y de Presupuesto recomendó en el párrafo 20 de su primer informe sobre el proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2008-2009 (A/62/7) que toda propuesta nueva debía presentar información sobre el efecto retardado de los puestos, la Asamblea tal vez desee tomar nota de que las necesidades adicionales para la financiación completa de los dos puestos nuevos en el bienio 2014-2015 se estiman actualmente en 352.400 dólares: 306,000 dólares en la sección 1, Determinación de políticas, dirección y coordinación generales, y 46.400 dólares en la sección 37, Contribuciones del personal, que se compensarían con una suma equivalente en la sección 1 de ingresos, Ingresos por concepto de contribuciones del personal.", "VII. Medidas que deberá adoptar la Asamblea General", "142. Por consiguiente, si la Asamblea General aprueba las propuestas que figuran en el presente informe relativas a recursos adicionales, tal vez desee:", "a) Aprobar el establecimiento de dos nuevos puestos de categoría P-4 con efecto a partir del 1 de enero de 2012 con cargo al proyecto de presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012-2013;", "b) Consignar una suma total de 918,400 dólares (antes del ajuste) en el presupuesto por programas para el bienio 2012-2013, que comprendería aumentos en la sección 1, Determinación de políticas, dirección y coordinación generales (725.400 dólares); la sección 29D, Oficina de Servicios Centrales de Apoyo (135.800 dólares); y la sección 37, Contribuciones del personal (57.200 dólares), compensados por un monto equivalente en la sección 1, Ingresos por concepto de contribuciones del personal. Esta consignación se imputaría al fondo para imprevistos.", "143. La Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas espera que la Asamblea General examine favorablemente sus necesidades adicionales de recursos y su apoyo continuo a la vía informal como primer paso hacia la resolución de los conflictos laborales, incluida la aplicación rápida de incentivos en todo el sistema para alentar el recurso a la solución oficiosa.", "[1] Algunas partes del presente informe se refieren específicamente a cada entidad y así se indica en él.", "[2] A/65/373, párr. 185", "[3] A/61/205, párr. 47.", "[4] Ibid, párr. 48.", "[5] Véase A/65/303, secc. V.", "[6] Resolución 63/253, párr. 20.", "[7] Dichas categorías son: puesto y carrera; relaciones de evaluación; remuneración y prestaciones; cuestiones jurídicas, reglamentarias y financieras y de cumplimiento; seguridad, salud, bienestar y entorno laboral; valores, ética y normas; relaciones entre pares y colegas; cuestiones de organización, liderazgo y gestión; y servicios y administración.", "[8] Esta categoría incluye: selección y contratación, clasificación de puestos, arreglos contractuales, promoción de las perspectivas de carrera, asignación, préstamo, adscripción y traslado, no renovación del contrato y rescisión del nombramiento.", "[9] Las reglas no suspenden las normas que rigen el examen para pasar del cuadro de servicios generales al cuadro orgánico, aunque esto es lo que sostuvieron algunos miembros del personal. La Oficina de Gestión de Recursos Humanos aportará precisiones al respecto en la correspondiente instrucción en la primera oportunidad que tenga de hacerlo.", "[10] Véanse las recomendaciones y la información actualizada sobre el particular que figuran en los documentos A/62/311, 64/314 y A/65/303.", "[11] El ombudsman para los fondos y programas y el ombudsman para el ACNUR publican informes separados que pueden consultarse en el sitio web de la Oficina del Ombudsman y de Servicios de Mediación de las Naciones Unidas.", "[12] Véase A/65/303, párrs. 19 a 24.", "[13] A/RES/65/251, párr. 13." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Items 134 and 143 of the provisional agenda*", "Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013", "Administration of justice at the United Nations", "Activities of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The General Assembly, in its resolution 65/251, reaffirmed that the informal resolution of conflict is a crucial element of the system of administration of justice and emphasized that all possible use should be made of the informal system in order to establish harmonious working conditions and avert unnecessary litigation. The Assembly also welcomed the submission of the second joint report for the entities covered by the integrated Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services and requested the Secretary-General to submit such a report at its sixty-sixth session.", "The present report is the third covering the activities of the integrated Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services, which delivers informal conflict resolution services to the staff of the Secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Office for Project Services and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.", "The present report contains a request for additional resources for the Office amounting to $918,400 (before recosting) under sections 1, 29D and 37 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013.", "Summarized below are some of the main points of the present report, which covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2010.", "Regional impact", "As 2012 will mark the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the first ombudsman function in the Secretariat, and as the regional branches and Mediation Service have now completed one year of operation, the Office has launched efforts to assess its impact and effectiveness. Following a preliminary assessment, it was found that decentralization has provided the Office with better access to its constituencies and enabled it to provide in-person intervention at the field level, which is the most effective means for conflict resolution. This was one of the primary incentives for the establishment of the regional branches by the General Assembly. The Office has also been able to develop a greater understanding of regional dynamics. Furthermore, the Mediation Service has provided staff and managers an additional alternative tool with which to resolve workplace disputes.", "In terms of challenges, budgetary constraints have made it difficult for regional ombudsmen to travel within their respective areas to provide in-person intervention for the resolution of conflicts or festering issues, including in the deep field, and for the Office to deploy rapid response ombudsmen and mediation teams as needed.", "Systemic issues: ombudsman services", "In accordance with the mandate of the Office, the report identifies systemic and cross-cutting issues brought to the attention of the Office during the reporting period, as well as those that have been identified by the Ombudsman, together with related recommendations. Consistent with existing precedents across the integrated Office, the primary areas of concern for visitors who used ombudsman services during the reporting period were job and career, interpersonal relationships, and compensation and benefits.", "Statistics", "A 70 per cent increase was noted in the case volume relating to staff members in the United Nations Secretariat and a 35 per cent increase in overall case volume for the integrated Office. This was due, in large part, to the availability of on-site services provided by the ombudsmen in the regional branches.", "Mediation services", "The Mediation Service witnessed an increase in its caseload, with several complex and sensitive mediations leading to successful resolutions. The primary areas of concern for parties who sought the assistance of the Mediation Service were job and career; legal, regulatory, financial and compliance matters; and evaluative relationships.", "Update on incentives for informal resolution", "In paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure full implementation of the incentives for informal resolution that had been identified in the Secretary-General’s last report to the General Assembly (A/65/303). Some of the main actions thus far implemented include: directives by senior management to all offices and departments urging use of the informal resolution process to resolve conflicts and timely responses when contacted by the Office; ongoing efforts by the integrated Office and the Office of Human Resources Management to, among other things, offer dispute resolution training to key partners in the broader administration of justice system and interested staff; and the provision of feedback reports by the Office to certain departments, highlighting trends and systemic issues in their respective areas.", "Conclusion", "The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services looks forward to the General Assembly’s favourable consideration of its additional resource requirements and its continued support for informal resolution as a key first step in the resolution of workplace disputes, including system-wide and speedy implementation of incentives to encourage the usage of informal resolution.", "Contents", "PagePreamble: 5 \ncoreprinciples I.Office 5 of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation \nServices A. Ombudsman 5 \nservices B. Mediation 7 \nservices C.Regional 9 \nimpact D.Update 12 regarding implementation of incentives for informal \nresolution E.Outreach 13 and \nadvocacy II.Systemic 17 \nissues A.Source 17 and \ncontext B.Systemic 17 issues identified during the reporting period in the Secretariat, the funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for \nRefugees III.Statistical 27 information: ombudsman \nservices A.Case 27 \nvolume \nB.Demographics 28C. Issue 31 distribution by occupational \ngroup D.Issues 32 by type of office \nlocation IV.Statistical 34 information: mediation \nservices A.Case 34 volume and \noutcomes \nB.Demographics 35C. Mediation 35 cases by occupational \ngroup D. Mediation 36 cases by \nsource E. Types 37 of \nissues V.Future 37 \ndirections VI.Resource 38 \nrequirements VII. Action 41 to be taken by the General \nAssembly", "Preamble", "Core principles", "As the main informal pillar of the Organization’s conflict resolution system, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services uses informal and collaborative approaches to resolving conflict at an early stage. The Office is guided by the core principles of independence, neutrality, confidentiality and informality, which are summarized below.", "Independence", "The Office maintains independence from other organizational entities, organs or officials and has direct access to the United Nations Secretary-General, executive heads of funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and senior management throughout the Organization as needed; access to information relevant to cases, except medical records; and access to individuals in the Organization for advice, information or opinion on a particular matter.", "Neutrality", "The Office serves as an advocate for justice and fair, equitably administered processes, not on behalf of any individual within the Organization, taking into account the rights and obligations between the Organization and the staff member, and the equity of the situation.", "Confidentiality", "The Office maintains strict confidentiality and does not disclose information about individual cases or visits from staff members; it cannot be compelled by any United Nations organ or official to testify.", "Informality", "Informality includes not keeping records for the United Nations or any other party; not conducting formal investigations or accepting legal notice on behalf of the United Nations; not having decision-making powers; and not making determinative findings or judgements.", "I. Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "A. Ombudsman services", "Trends", "1. As was the case in 2008 and 2009, the top three areas of concern for visitors who utilized ombudsman services across the integrated Office[1] in 2010 pertained to job and career (34 per cent), evaluative relationships (20 per cent) and compensation and benefits (15 per cent). The majority of cases resolved through ombudsman services, emanated from offices away from Headquarters and field operations, where most staff are located. In this context, the integration of mediation with the ombudsman approach and the ease of interaction between the two (e.g., when matters initially dealt with through one approach are ultimately determined to be more appropriate for the other, the approach can be easily changed), has created a highly effective informal resource for staff members.", "Scope", "2. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services considers it important to provide access to informal resolution to all United Nations personnel, regardless of category. In its dialogue with the members of the Sixth Committee in 2010, the Office confirmed its willingness to serve non-staff personnel, for which the additional resources required would be modest considering the long-term gains from the investment. Experience from other United Nations organizations that are currently providing ombudsman services to non-staff personnel has demonstrated that such intervention has helped to prevent conflicts from festering without creating any undue expectations regarding their contractual status. In the Secretariat, there are 16,480 non-staff personnel in field operations and 10,080 not based in the field.[2] Those numbers exclude any Secretariat consultants and individual contractors administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The current decentralized structure of the Ombudsman’s Office would provide easy access to that category of personnel.", "3. If the General Assembly decided that informal resolution should be extended to non-staff personnel, that would require an increase in the Office’s resources. In line with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, such expansion in scope would allow all United Nations employees to benefit from another mechanism of due process at minimal cost to the Organization.", "External reviews", "4. Analysing how the Office connects to its clients and stakeholders is crucially important to how it operates. Owing to the independent and confidential nature of its functions, the Office utilizes the services of external experts to monitor and assess its substantive performance and systemic impact and to improve the quality of its services. The Office will look at the possibility of a midterm review by a team of external experts for 2011-2012. The conduct of such reviews by outside individuals who are experts in the profession is critically important on two counts: (a) subject experts have the substantive knowledge and expertise to review all aspects of operations, and, in dialogue with relevant stakeholders and staff through surveys, to recommend how such relationships can and should evolve; (b) the conduct of such reviews by substantive experts is perceived by clients of the Office as credible and confidential and protects both the Office and its clientele.", "Terms of reference", "5. In paragraphs 16 and 17 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to conclude inter-agency negotiations on the revised terms of reference of the integrated Office and to ensure that they were promulgated as soon as possible. As mentioned in earlier reports, the terms of reference of the integrated Office have been the subject of extensive consultations involving staff and management, as well as the funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Following those consultations, the draft terms of reference were submitted for promulgation in a Secretary-General’s bulletin in 2010. However, General Assembly resolution 65/251 necessitated a further review of the draft terms of reference. In accordance with established procedures, the draft terms of reference have been the subject of additional consultations and review across the system. It is expected that a revised draft Secretary-General’s bulletin will be submitted for promulgation upon completion of this consultative phase.", "Audit of the outreach programme", "6. At the request of the United Nations Ombudsman, the Internal Audit Division of the Office of Internal Oversight Services conducted an audit from November to December 2010 focusing on the Office’s outreach programme, which included the regional branches in Nairobi and Santiago.", "7. The auditors concluded that since its creation, the Office had conducted several outreach campaigns aimed at increasing awareness among the staff at large about its functions and services and encouraging staff to make proactive use of the informal dispute resolution process. They also acknowledged efforts made by the Office to promote awareness among senior managers of the importance of informal resolution in the settlement of workplace disputes. The auditors further noted that the Office’s communications concept for 2011-2013, which sets out the Office’s outreach goals, strategy and performance measurements, should be finalized to include specific guidelines on how to implement its outreach programme to ensure that all activities and messages are delivered consistently across the integrated Office, including by its regional branches. This will be done in consultation with the funds and programmes and UNHCR.", "B. Mediation services", "8. As mandated by the General Assembly in paragraph 16 of its resolution 61/261, a Mediation Service was formally established within the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman to provide mediation services for the United Nations Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR. The Mediation Service handles cases as requested by the parties to a dispute, or referred by management evaluation units, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, among others.", "9. In 2010, the Mediation Service witnessed an increase in its caseload as its services gained recognition, and it has now started to collect data to analyse trends and patterns. The number of referrals from the Tribunals and the Administration has increased, including cases of a disciplinary nature. In this context, it should be noted that mediation cases involve various issues, such as evaluative relationships, contractual status and terms of separation, which often entail emotional and highly sensitive matters. Also, in view of the voluntary nature of mediation, it can be challenging to secure the agreement of all parties concerned to participate in the process. It has also been observed that some parties wishing to avail themselves of mediation services approach other services simultaneously, such as the Ethics Office, the Office of Internal Oversight Services or the Conduct and Discipline Units, which could pose a challenge in managing expectations. Despite such challenges, the Mediation Service has handled and successfully resolved a wide range of cases.", "Mediation principles and guidelines", "10. The various stages in the mediation process and related important considerations are described in the mediation principles and guidelines, which have been available on the Office’s website since 1 July 2009. This also addresses the General Assembly’s request, in paragraph 17 of its resolution 65/251, for the Secretary-General to ensure that the guidelines for the Mediation Service are promulgated as soon as possible. In order to ensure the highest quality of service, the necessary modifications were introduced to the mediation principles and guidelines over time, based on lessons learned from practical experience. It should be noted that the revised terms of reference for the Office, which are in the process of being reviewed for promulgation, also include a section regarding mediation services, which is derived from the mediation principles and guidelines.", "On-call mediators", "11. The Office is continuing efforts to build a roster of on-call mediators, both at Headquarters and in the regions. The Mediation Service has maintained close contacts with its counterpart at the World Bank to share best practices and implement their joint project for the identification of regional mediators. The Mediation Service is currently in the process of assessing its regional needs and budget in order to recruit on-call mediators from the joint roster in 2011-2012.", "Enhancing partnerships and outreach", "12. During the reporting period, the Mediation Service continued to build partnerships throughout the Organization and with key stakeholders in the system of administration of justice to gauge and enhance mediation services. This has led to an increase in requests and referrals and a more streamlined mediation process. The Director of the Mediation Service made several presentations on resolving workplace disputes to targeted teams across the Organization and conducted various missions overseas, including to Geneva and Addis Ababa for on-site mediation and outreach activities and to Nairobi for outreach and participation in a meeting with the judges and registrars of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal.", "13. In December 2010, in partnership with the Office of Human Resources Management and UNDP, the Mediation Service helped to design and execute a conflict management and workplace dispute resolution training programme targeting specific audiences. That initiative was well received by the participants, and further training programmes of this nature are being planned at Headquarters and in the field, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources Management.", "C. Regional impact", "Rationale for decentralization", "14. By creating a single integrated and geographically decentralized Office for the provision of ombudsman and mediation services, the General Assembly made a critical investment in the informal system as a vital conduit for enhancing individual productivity and promoting organizational health. As envisaged by the panel of experts that reviewed the United Nations internal justice system (the Redesign Panel), the decentralization of services was intended to provide “easier access and quicker response”, which would bring “important benefits to the justice system as a whole”.[3]", "15. The Redesign Panel’s rationale for decentralization centred on the notion that the existing ombudsman structures in the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR had witnessed “a marked increase (to about 75 per cent) in the proportion of cases originating away from Headquarters” and, therefore, “for field staff in particular, decentralization [was] the only viable means of providing effective and timely informal dispute resolution”. The Panel also found that, in addition to building synergies by directing employment-related concerns to a single office, decentralization would give the Office of the Ombudsman “a privileged position from which to monitor systemic problems and to recommend solutions”. From the perspective of the Panel, “closing gaps of access and avoiding duplication of services [would] benefit all staff and [would] save human and financial resources, especially at the regional level”.[4]", "Decentralization in practice", "16. In 2010 the decentralization of the integrated Office was realized. The regional arm consists of seven regional branches, located in Bangkok, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna and the peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan. Prior to 2010, the real impact of decentralization could not have been fully observed, and many lessons were learned as a consequence of implementation. Bearing in mind that 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the first ombudsman function in the Secretariat, the Office began to review its operations, starting with the regional branches, in order to identify key achievements in their first year of operation and challenges that needed to be addressed.", "17. Overall, it was determined that the presence of ombudsmen on the ground has provided vital and easy access to staff in the field. It has also helped to develop a wealth of knowledge regarding specific conditions and requirements in the various regions and a deeper understanding of cultural traditions and sensitivities, particularly at the mission level. Furthermore, it has greatly assisted the Office in its outreach and advocacy efforts at the field level.", "Achievements", "18. The key priority for all branches in their first year of operation was the set-up, staffing and running of an efficient practice that provides in-person intervention to United Nations personnel in the regions for the informal resolution of workplace concerns. This has been accomplished.", "19. Direct access for visitors and sustained face-to-face encounters with the regional ombudsmen has paved the way for several breakthroughs in conflict and dispute resolution cases, many of which had festered for long periods of time. It has also allowed the regional ombudsmen to build trust and credibility with their constituencies. The presence of ombudsmen on the ground has further facilitated access to senior managers and human resources personnel and expedited the settlement of workplace-related concerns brought to the attention of the ombudsmen by visitors in their respective areas. Such regular interaction has also encouraged managers to cooperate with the Office and to seek its services for the resolution of workplace disputes. The regional ombudsmen have started to mediate cases and collaborate closely with the Mediation Service in this regard.", "Outreach and advocacy in the field", "20. The regional ombudsmen were very active in their outreach efforts upon deployment, engaging with all stakeholders early on and promoting awareness of the range of services offered by the integrated Office and the advantages of informal resolution in the settlement of conflict. From their perspective, word of mouth has proved to be a very cost-effective outreach tool. Satisfied visitors are often inclined to discuss their experiences with their peers and encourage them to come forward with their own grievances. The opposite is also true, which is why the establishment of a successful practice based on a solid reputation was paramount among the regional ombudsmen’s priorities.", "21. In the peacekeeping missions in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, visits to field offices proved very effective, since staff in the remote field often feel disconnected from their headquarters and do not have the same access to the services offered by the Office. Other gaps in access, such as to special political missions, are being examined to identify the best modalities for addressing the problem.", "Top three areas of concern in the regional branches", "22. The dominant areas of concern reported to the regional branches in 2010 were job and career, interpersonal relationships and performance management. These issues are further explored in the section on systemic issues below.", "Balance between workload and resources allocated", "23. Paramount among the regional ombudsmen’s priorities and concerns has been the need to have the resources required to be fully effective. In addition to on-site requirements, this also involves regular missions in the regions for conflict prevention and resolution and for awareness-raising purposes. Since 2010, the resources allocated to the regional offices have been very limited, with no allocations for missions or professional training.", "24. In paragraph 26 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General “to take fully into account the balance between the workload of the regional ombudsmen and the resources allocated to them in his future proposed programme budgets”. As anticipated, the reporting period was characterized by a 70 per cent increase in cases brought forward by Secretariat personnel alone, owing in large part to the presence of regional ombudsmen on the ground. As more experience is gained, the Office will continue to monitor the balance between the workload of the regional ombudsmen and the resources allocated.", "25. Given the likelihood of fluctuation in caseloads and considering the need to ensure that resource allocation is adequate to meet demands, it is suggested that any new travel resources should be centralized; such resources could then be deployed as needed to areas of high demand. This approach would provide operational flexibility, which would allow for maximum use of the resources.", "Challenges", "26. Efforts by the regional ombudsmen during their first year of operation were met with two types of challenges: administrative and conceptual. The administrative challenges involved budget, access and time constraints. The conceptual challenge lies in promoting a culture of trust and conflict prevention throughout the Organization.", "27. The volatile political and security situations in the countries covered by the regional branches in the peacekeeping missions has often hampered their access to staff serving in those areas. Owing to budgetary constraints and the fact that the Office is still operating on its pre-expansion budget in terms of its travel allocations, the ability of the regional ombudsmen to conduct the necessary missions in their respective areas of operation has been limited. Therefore, staff members located outside the duty stations do not enjoy the same access or assistance afforded to those who have direct access to the regional ombudsmen in their areas and who could meet with them face to face to address their concerns. The provision of budgetary resources for travel to remote areas is crucial.", "28. It has been found that tangible support among senior-level managers for informal conflict resolution is an incentive for staff to approach the Office and seek intervention. Without such commitment to the process on the part of management, staff members are reluctant to come forward. Experience has also shown that some managers feel limited in their ability to exercise flexibility in the resolution of cases because of either perceived rigidity in the rules and regulations or limitations in their delegated authority.", "Lessons learned", "29. Conditions in peacekeeping missions, which in some cases involve living and working together in the same compound, create conflicts of a specific nature. Therefore, from the perspective of the ombudsmen in the peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan, being on the ground is essential to better understand the complex dynamics and context in which such work-related conflicts appear and provides the most effective means of intervention for informal conflict resolution. In addition to deepening its understanding of the regional context, decentralization has better enabled the Office to identify regions where ombudsman services are most required, particularly in the peacekeeping missions.", "30. Parties in conflict tend to resort to the various mechanisms available in the formal and informal components of the internal justice system based on their perception of what those mechanisms could offer them. Some believe that they would get a resolution more quickly if they pushed conflicts up the hierarchy (hoping that a superior will impose a solution) or that they would attain lucrative financial settlements in the formal system (again hoping for a solution to be imposed), often losing sight of the long-term and sustainable benefits of informal resolution. Getting people to take responsibility for resolving their workplace concerns themselves is a challenge often faced by practitioners in the informal system. Therefore, efforts to promote the informal system, both within the Office of the Ombudsman and beyond, should focus on the importance of early conflict prevention and conflict management. In this context, the regional ombudsmen will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders both in the field and at Headquarters to promote such an approach.", "D. Update regarding implementation of incentives for informal resolution", "31. At its sixty-fifth session, the General Assembly considered a set of incentives intended to encourage recourse to informal resolution,[5] which were prepared by the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services upon request by the Assembly.[6] The proposals, which were formulated on the basis of lessons learned and best practices in similar offices in international organizations, were discussed with the Staff-Management Coordination Committee at its session held in Beirut in June 2010. They included proposals regarding the need to increase awareness of the mandate and activities of the Office and the benefits of informal resolution; encouraging managers to cooperate with the Office and to respond in timely fashion when approached by it; improving access by deploying rapid response teams; amending the Staff Rules regarding the tolling of time limits; building conflict competence; and greater expression of support for informal resolution from the Organization, managers and staff associations.", "32. The General Assembly, reaffirming that the informal resolution of conflict is a crucial element of the system of administration of justice, favourably considered the incentives proposed by the Office. In paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251, the Assembly recalled the recommendations contained in paragraphs 124 to 126 and 128 to 133 of the Secretary-General’s report (A/65/303) and requested the Secretary-General to ensure full implementation of those recommendations that were readily implementable and that did not require additional resources or amendments to the Staff Regulations and Rules, and to include all other recommendations in his proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013.", "33. The present section provides an update with respect to ongoing efforts to implement the incentives for informal resolution endorsed by the General Assembly. The Office is encouraged that the stakeholders have started to implement the incentives and will continue to work in partnership with all concerned, including on the staff and management sides, to ensure that the incentives are fully implemented.", "34. One significant development in this area, building on the Deputy Secretary-General’s earlier guidance to senior managers, involves directives sent by the Under-Secretary-General for Management to all heads of departments and offices in January 2011. That communication emphasized the important role that the informal component of the justice system plays in the working environment, highlighting the benefits of informal resolution and urging managers to respond immediately to any request from the Office for information, input, etc., and in any event, no later than 30 days after the request is made. The Office is already seeing the impact of this directive in the shorter response time observed in the handling of several cases.", "35. A second important development is in the area of conflict competence and building the capacity of staff and managers to deal with conflict situations that arise in the workplace and to make effective use of the informal system. In this context, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is partnering with the Office of Human Resources Management, among others, to offer dispute resolution training to key partners in the broader system of administration of justice and other interested staff. Bearing in mind the importance of conflict prevention and conflict management in any organizational setting, the integrated Office will continue that partnership to enhance specialized training in conflict management in the various duty stations.", "36. Other developments in the implementation of the incentives include the preparation of feedback reports by the United Nations Ombudsman for selected departments in the Secretariat, identifying systemic issues and patterns in their areas. Two of those feedback reports have already been submitted. This practice will be progressively expanded to all departments. Furthermore, the United Nations Ombudsman has been invited by the Deputy Secretary-General to participate in meetings of the Management Performance Board and the Management Committee. Such ongoing collaboration and strong support by the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General for the informal resolution process has yielded positive results: informal resolution is now included as an element of effective leadership in the Secretary-General’s compacts with senior managers.", "37. With respect to the proposals put forward by the Office for amending the Staff Rules, the General Assembly, in paragraph 23 of its resolution 65/251, requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to submit a proposal to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. In this context, the Office of Human Resources Management is planning to review chapters X and XI of the Staff Rules, on the system of administration of justice, when the amendment of staff rule 11.1 (c) is addressed. Further updates regarding the implementation of the incentives for informal resolution will be provided in future activity reports.", "E. Outreach and advocacy", "Advocating for a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention", "38. In 2010, the integrated Office consolidated its outreach efforts in a number of areas, in the spirit of the General Assembly’s direction on informal resolution, including with regard to the need for better access to staff and further reliance on the informal system. The ombudsmen of the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR continued to coordinate their outreach activities on the basis of common principles that allow for synergies and for concerted promotion of a culture of collaboration and alternative dispute resolution within the United Nations system. While guided by common principles, the various entities tailored their outreach campaigns to the specific needs of their respective constituencies.", "Joint communication tools", "39. Outreach activities, such as presentations, meetings, training workshops, videoteleconferences and missions, constitute an important component of the work of the Office and formed a platform on which to explain the whole range of services the Ombudsman can provide, including the coaching role. They are also aimed at providing employees with conflict management skills through training that will help them to prevent conflict and to address badly managed conflict early and effectively.", "40. A key component of joint outreach activities is the website, which serves as a gateway to information in all six official languages about the Office and the services it delivers. The Office initiated contact with all field operations to inform them about the website and how to ensure web access to the Office Intranet.", "41. To enhance the visibility of the Office, a poster highlighting the key principles of informal resolution was distributed to offices at Headquarters and in the field. Several requests for additional materials were made for further distribution to field offices. Other communication tools prepared jointly by the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR include presentations and articles for United Nations Intranets regarding the Office and the benefits of informal resolution.", "Outreach to field-based staff and duty stations outside Headquarters", "42. The ability to provide in-person intervention to staff located outside Headquarters increased significantly in 2010 through the presence of the regional branches. Outreach efforts gained new momentum by focusing on a variety of activities in each region, including meetings with staff, senior management, staff representatives and other key stakeholders. Outreach travel to field missions and established duty stations, in conjunction with the provision of ombudsman services, was also carried out to the extent permitted by budget constraints.", "43. In the Secretariat, field missions conducted for in-person intervention to resolve disputes were also used to promote awareness of informal conflict resolution. These consisted of meetings with senior management and staff representation bodies, as well as town hall meetings to raise awareness of the mandate and activities of the Office. Travelling delegations also handled individual cases for the settlement of workplace concerns. It should be noted that special efforts were made to reach out to national staff. Such missions, which were undertaken to the extent permitted by budget constraints under the peacekeeping support account, included those to the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).", "44. Efforts in the peacekeeping area also included participation in videoconferences with senior managers in field operations, including UNTSO and MINURSO. Missions carried out under the regular budget have included those to the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the Economic Commission for Africa.", "45. In 2010, the Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes conducted five field missions in four regions. The UNHCR Ombudsman’s Office conducted field missions in conjunction with Respectful Workplace Adviser workshops in Eastern Europe and Southern Africa.", "Outreach to senior management and other stakeholder groups", "46. During the reporting period, special outreach efforts focused on highlighting to key stakeholders the added organizational value of informal conflict resolution. The United Nations Ombudsman moderated a session during the Secretary-General’s 2010 senior management retreat on how to build trust between staff and management through institutional reforms. The United Nations Ombudsman also participated in meetings of the Management Performance Board, the Management Committee, the Staff-Management Coordination Committee (Beirut, June 2010) and several senior management team meetings at the departmental level. Such efforts increased the awareness of senior managers regarding the benefits of informal resolution and garnered further commitment to the informal process. This was evidenced by the greater number of cases referred to the Office by senior managers.", "47. In the context of joint efforts to enhance cooperation with external stakeholders and to exchange best practices, the ombudsmen in the Secretariat and the funds and programmes participated in the annual meeting of the International Ombudsman Association held in New Orleans, United States of America, in April 2010 and, together with the UNHCR Ombudsman, in the meeting of the ombudsmen and mediators of the United Nations system and related international organizations held in Paris in September 2010.", "48. The Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes participated in three UNDP regional-cluster meetings, where they met with management and staff representatives. The Ombudsmen were also invited to give a presentation to 300 managers assembled at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) annual global meeting. Additionally, the Ombudsmen addressed United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) security advisers and gave presentations to the UNICEF Division of Information Technology Solutions and Services in their transformative mediation skills workshop. The Ombudsmen also welcomed the opportunity to address newly recruited resident coordinators at the leadership and management-training workshop held in New York.", "49. As part of its outreach activities, in 2010 the UNHCR Ombudsman’s Office continued to expand its network of Respectful Workplace Advisers. The objective is to prevent or reduce the intensity of conflicts by addressing them promptly and at their source, while ensuring that relevant information is available regarding avenues through which interested individuals can seek advice and assistance or register a complaint. The Respectful Workplace Adviser programme is based on a model developed by the World Bank and involves (a) the nomination and selection, through a confidential voting system, of trusted colleagues as Respectful Workplace Advisers; (b) a workshop; and (c) subsequent back-up support provided by the UNHCR Ombudsman’s Office. The Respectful Workplace Advisers share an issue report every four months with the UNHCR Ombudsman’s Office.", "Conflict resolution day", "50. On 21 October 2010, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services celebrated conflict resolution day with staff from the Secretariat and the funds and programmes. Open houses were held in Nairobi and Santiago to promote the use of informal conflict resolution and to give the various stakeholders involved in the resolution of workplace disputes an insight into the work of the Office and an opportunity to meet and greet the staff. The regional branch in Nairobi marked the event by presenting a series of short, inspirational video clips illustrating instances where the theory underlying conflict resolution was applied in schools, in the workplace and on the global stage. The feedback received indicated that the videos allowed participants to view their interactions both at the workplace and at home from a different perspective. The office in Santiago, serving Latin America and the Caribbean, also held an open-door day, which was well attended by staff in the region. In welcoming this initiative, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean noted that, thanks to the work of the regional Ombudsman, the organization was better equipped to address and resolve work-related differences for the benefit of all. The Office is planning to celebrate conflict resolution day on an annual basis.", "Building conflict competence", "51. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services partnered with the Office of Human Resources Management and UNDP to offer a conflict management and workplace dispute resolution training programme to key partners in the broader administration of justice system and other interested staff. Nearly 100 staff from the United Nations Secretariat, UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNFPA and the World Food Programme (WFP) participated in that successful training event. The feedback was positive. One participant, after learning about the various tools of informal dispute resolution and in particular about the mediation services offered by the Ombudsman’s Office, commented, “I did not realize that mediation has such power in transforming a seemingly intractable conflict”. Another said, “We should expose staff at large to this valuable process and make more use of it as managers”.", "52. In July 2010, UNHCR conducted a workshop for Respectful Workplace Advisers for selected staff from countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and in October 2010, jointly with WFP, a similar workshop was held for staff from countries in Southern Africa. The purpose of the workshops was to prepare staff in the field for a possible volunteer role as Respectful Workplace Advisers. In 2009, a Respectful Workplace Adviser workshop was conducted jointly with WFP for staff from countries in East Africa, following a pilot training event in West Africa in 2007. UNHCR now has 48 active Respectful Workplace Advisers operating in 31 countries. The Respectful Workplace Adviser workshops are conducted by the UNHCR Global Learning Centre while the UNHCR Ombudsman’s Office and, where applicable, WFP Ombudsman’s Office participate in the delivery of the training.", "53. In 2010 UNHCR also took the initiative of addressing conflict management through a newly developed learning concept, namely, the Conflict Management Programme, which is to be piloted in 2011. The Programme is aimed at changing how staff deal with workplace conflicts. In addition, managers will receive special training on mediation in workplace conflicts. Starting in 2011, mediation training will also be a part of new representatives’ training. The Conflict Management Programme and the representatives’ training are run by the UNHCR Global Learning Centre.", "54. The funds and programmes intend to re-examine the potential of the RWA programme, for which a number of pilot programmes were launched in the past, including with UNICEF. As a first resource for staff facing conflict in the country offices, the Respectful Workplace Adviser programme has proved to be useful. Cooperation with the World Bank, WFP and UNHCR will also be strengthened. In addition, the Office plans to examine UNHCR experience to offer mediation training to selected staff.", "55. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is currently working on a targeted communications strategy that would build on the progress achieved in the areas of promoting informal conflict resolution, encouraging and facilitating recourse to informal resolution by senior managers and other important stakeholders and advocating a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention. In this context, several activities will be designed for the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the ombudsman function in the United Nations, in 2012.", "II. Systemic issues", "A. Source and context", "Issue identification and reporting", "56. In paragraph 21 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly recalled paragraph 11 of resolution 64/233, in which it emphasized the role of the Ombudsman as a vehicle for reporting on broad systemic issues that he or she identifies, as well as issues that are brought to his or her attention, in order to promote greater harmony in the workplace. In paragraph 12 of resolution 64/233, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report regularly on actions taken to address the findings of the Ombudsman on systemic issues.", "57. Although the high percentage of cases relating to a particular issue is a strong indicator that a systemic problem exists, there are issues that are directly identified by the Ombudsman that are systemic in nature and that have the potential for systemic impact. In identifying the systemic issues for inclusion in its annual report, the Office tries to maintain a balance between systemic issues that are characterized by case volume and other issues that may not yet produce such volume, but that are nevertheless noted as problematic and can worsen if not properly addressed.", "B. Systemic issues identified during the reporting period in the Secretariat, the funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees", "58. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services uses the issue categories defined by the International Ombudsman Association.[7] In 2010, as in 2009, the categories in which the most cases were brought to the attention of the integrated Office were job and career, evaluative (supervisory) relationships, compensation and benefits, and legal, regulatory, financial and compliance issues.", "Figure I Issues by category across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "1. Job and career", "59. During the reporting period, 34 per cent of the issues brought to the attention of the integrated Office pertained to job and career issues.[8] Such concerns have been dominant for the past three years. They were also among the top concerns at the field level, as reported by the regional ombudsmen.", "60. In the Secretariat, frustration over lack of career development and distrust of the selection process has been a continuous concern. One important element may be a discrepancy between the expectations of staff, who see promotion as a career satisfier, on the one hand, and the ability of the Organization, on the other hand, to meet those expectations in a changing economic environment and a changing peacekeeping landscape. In this context, there are a number of measures the Organization could take to enhance the work experience and thus the motivation of staff within existing means, so that the focus on promotion does not become the default perspective from which staff view their careers. This would involve a change from a perspective that is focused on success expressed in promotions to a focus on job satisfaction through challenging assignments, career mapping and a sense of purpose and contribution. This approach would require more active engagement by managers with regard to the job satisfaction and work assignments of their staff.", "61. The excessive use of temporary contracts in some regions, which are not issued to complete specific projects but rather to carry out regular functions, created a very precarious situation for many individuals who were informed about the eventual renewal of their contracts only at very short notice.", "62. Gender discrimination was reported in peacekeeping missions by female visitors who complained of discrimination in recruitment processes, working relationships and matters of professional advancement. More broadly, in the Secretariat, female visitors also brought forward cases involving sexual harassment and gender discrimination.", "63. In the funds and programmes, concerns pertaining to job and career-related issues manifested themselves differently depending on the category of staff. For example, significantly more national Professional and support service staff complained about job application and selection processes than did international Professional staff. This might indicate a need to provide greater opportunities for career progression to staff at the national Professional and support service levels, since they do not usually receive as many opportunities for exposure and career advancement as their international colleagues. Another distinction in this category is that more female than male staff came to the Office with concerns about career progression and opportunities.", "64. At UNHCR, concerns about job application and selection and recruitment processes and non-renewal of contracts were raised frequently, with career progression and opportunities the third most frequent concern. It was noted that career-progression concerns were more frequently brought up by women than men. Problems relating to non-renewal of contracts were almost exclusively raised by categories other than international Professional staff.", "Managed reassignment between missions", "65. It has come to the attention of the Office that a number of staff have served in the same mission for years, including at hardship duty stations, with no career prospects or opportunities for growth or change, including lateral transfers. A roster system has now been established for the missions, which is expected to help address these types of concerns more effectively.", "Eligibility of temporary staff", "66. Cases brought to the United Nations Ombudsman involved different interpretations in the application of the rules designed to allow temporary staff with external status to apply for posts at any level that they feel they can reasonably compete for. Since the rule governing these cases is clearly worded,[9] the systemic issue that these cases illustrate is not one of policy but of inconsistency in the application of the rules.", "Recommendations", "1. Human resources personnel and managers should communicate to staff at all levels information about realistic career prospects, the facts of the post pyramid, the average number of promotions for a staff member and the impact of downsizing peacekeeping missions. Managers should provide constructive but honest feedback to staff under their supervision in general and identify opportunities to promote job satisfaction. Also, staff members not selected for posts would benefit from feedback, which managers should provide if requested.", "2. Staff participation is already foreseen as part of the process in the downsizing of peacekeeping missions. Managers should ensure that relevant procedures are adhered to and, where possible, strengthened through communication by managers at all levels so that staff can understand the direction and decisions taken and are enabled to make informed decisions about their future at the earliest possible time.", "3. A reorientation of expectations should be undertaken to change the perception that promotion is the only avenue for a satisfactory career. Contributions at all levels should be valued, and emphasis should be placed on job satisfaction. Such a reorientation should be institutionally supported through appropriate mechanisms such as a periodic review of staff members’ careers and assignments by the heads of departments in cross-departmental meetings. Such a review should focus in particular on staff members who have been in their posts for an extended period of time.", "4. Managed reassignment between missions should be introduced to complement the current selection mechanism for the placement of staff in order both to avoid undue hardship and to prevent careers from going stale. The possibility of expanding the voluntary initiative for network exchanges (VINES) programme should be explored, and effective implementation of the envisaged mobility policy should be ensured.", "2. Evaluative and peer and colleague relationships", "67. Twenty per cent of the issues brought to the attention of integrated Office in 2010 were related to evaluative relationships, comprising 19 per cent of the cases in the Secretariat, 21 per cent in the funds and programmes and 26 per cent in UNHCR. Concerns pertaining to respectful treatment constituted the most frequent sub-issue.", "Performance evaluation process", "68. Providing and receiving constructive feedback in a diverse multicultural environment is a difficult and complex undertaking. The cases brought to the Ombudsman reveal weaknesses in the ability of both staff and managers to do so. Conflicts also stem from differences in the perceptions and expectations regarding, the role of the manager. In most cases received throughout the integrated Office, supervisees expected a more democratic, participatory style of management, while managers relied on more directional styles of management, often citing the need to get things done. This source of conflict is not limited to the performance evaluation process, although it is often triggered by it. Managers have sought help from the Office of the Ombudsman in dealing with staff they see as difficult, while staff who come to the Office wish to address the need to be heard or appreciated more by their managers.", "Harassment and abuse of authority", "69. Difficulties in interactions between supervisors and supervisees have led to complaints of harassment and abuse of authority by staff who saw no other way for their concerns to be addressed. During mission visits, this trend was also drawn to the attention of the United Nations Ombudsman by the Conduct and Discipline Units that had received complaints of this nature. Many of the complaints had festered for a long time, escalating to formal complaints, which could have been avoided through a more skilful handling of the situation by all concerned.", "Mainstreaming conflict resolution skills and trust-building", "70. Continued efforts are needed throughout the Organization to improve performance management skills and to mainstream conflict resolution skills as a managerial and staff competency. The latter would involve trust-building as an essential element.", "71. The Office is gratified to note that the Secretary-General, on the advice of the United Nations Ombudsman, has incorporated conflict resolution skills into his compact with senior managers as one of the expected elements of leadership. It is hoped that this will have a trickle-down effect on all managers, supervisors and staff. In addition, increased training efforts on conflict resolution skills at all levels are a welcome systemic response.", "72. In addition, and in the context of a review of organizational competencies by the Office of Human Resources Management, the United Nations Ombudsman proposed the incorporation of conflict resolution skills into the competencies required of all staff. The proposal was well received.", "Respectful treatment", "73. Respect for diversity is one of the core values of the United Nations, and all staff members are expected to express this core value in their day-to-day work. Regrettably, this is not always evidenced. Lack of respect and the resulting lack of trust are consistent triggers of conflict in any context. It has been noted that such situations often occur in missions and affect national staff in particular. Efforts are needed on the part of all concerned to ensure that this situation receives the attention it deserves.", "Recommendations", "1. Efforts should be increased to upgrade performance management skills throughout the Organization, including in missions, with the understanding that the evaluation process and attendant continuous dialogue are a shared responsibility for staff and managers.", "2. Heads of departments and missions should be directly involved in the performance management of their staff in their respective areas of responsibility.", "3. The Conduct and Discipline Units and the Office of Internal Oversight Services should highlight to managers and other appropriate officials lessons learned from complaints that may be more managerial than disciplinary in nature. Such lessons learned should be reviewed by the Management Performance Board and incorporated into leadership and managerial training programmes.", "4. Ongoing efforts to mainstream conflict resolution skills throughout the Organization should continue, through training and by holding staff accountable through the evaluation mechanisms, following the example set by the Secretary-General and the Management Performance Board for senior managers.", "5. Senior managers, including in the missions, should be required to set the tone for the respectful treatment of all staff and regularly reinforce that message in senior management meetings and other appropriate forums.", "3. Compensation and benefits/services and administration", "74. Fifteen per cent of the issues across the integrated Office in 2010 related to compensation and benefits, representing 16 per cent of cases from the Secretariat, 17 per cent from the funds and programmes and 10 per cent from UNHCR.", "75. These two categories are dealt with together, as many compensation and benefits issues turned out to be as much about the way the benefits were administered and staff were treated in the process as about the benefits themselves.", "Information and advice on entitlements to staff, responsiveness to queries", "76. The interpretation and application of the rules does not always appear to be uniform across the system. A contributing factor may be the significant number of changes introduced through previous and ongoing reform processes and the many attendant changes in the conditions of service.", "77. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services acknowledges that all relevant information is available to staff via the Intranet. In this connection, recent efforts to reorganize information on the Intranet (iSeek) to make it more accessible to users are deemed excellent by the Ombudsman. It has been noted that increased efforts for communication have been made centrally at the policymaking levels. However, there appears to be a need to better match existing information resources with effective delivery in order to allow for more effective application and communication of guidelines to staff.", "Timely information to staff on changes in variable benefits", "78. It was brought to the attention of the Office that changes in the rest and recuperation cycles were communicated in some cases after they had come into effect and with varying implementation dates. This made it difficult for the staff concerned to plan ahead. The Office of Human Resources Management is taking steps to address these types of situations.", "Special post allowance", "79. Special post allowance (SPA) is a payment to compensate for work performed at a level higher than the personal grade of the staff member. However, under the rules, its payment is discretionary, which does not guarantee equal pay for equal work, according to some visitors. The procedures for granting this allowance also involve a number of steps, which some perceive to be unnecessarily cumbersome and outdated, given that temporary assignments to a higher level are now granted only following a competitive selection process, which was not the case when the SPA rules were formulated.", "Dependency benefits", "80. The Office of the Ombudsman has raised with the Office of Human Resources Management concerns from separated or divorced staff members regarding which of the parents should receive the benefits for their dependent children. The Office is pleased to note that this issue will be addressed in the next issuance of the relevant administrative instruction.", "Recommendations", "1. The mechanisms by which staff are informed of their conditions of service should be reviewed, streamlined, standardized and strengthened at all stages of their career, namely: during the on-boarding process; during induction sessions relating to their conditions of service; when changes occur in their conditions of service throughout their careers; and at the time of separation. It should be noted that the provision of information via print or electronic media is not a substitute for, nor is it as effective as, interactive communication with the staff members concerned in a setting where they can ask questions and have their concerns addressed immediately.", "2. It should be ensured that human resources and administrative staff concerned at all duty stations, including missions, are sufficiently informed and trained in the application of the rules and in client orientation to ensure consistent application of the rules in a way that makes the staff feel properly treated.", "3. Guidelines for the time taken to respond to staff enquiries and other standards of client orientation should be considered.", "4. Improvement in the communication of information on rest and recuperation cycles has been noted by the Office. It is important, however, to ensure that any changes in entitlements are communicated to the staff members concerned in a timely manner.", "5. The special post allowance process should be reviewed with a view to streamlining its implementation and abolishing SPA panels.", "4. Legal, regulatory, financial and compliance", "81. In accordance with the guidelines and categories of issues established by the International Ombudsman Association, which the Office applies in its reporting, questions in this category pertain to financial, legal and disciplinary issues, which include harassment, waste, fraud, abuse of funds and investigative or disciplinary processes. During the reporting period, 8 per cent of the issues brought to the attention of the Office were in this category, with harassment (not including sexual harassment) being the most frequent source of concern. The percentage of this type of issue was slightly higher in 2009 (10 per cent). The Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes reported that 80 per cent of the cases that came to their Office cited the other party in the conflict as either a senior manager or a direct supervisor. In the Secretariat and UNHCR, legal, regulatory, financial and compliance issues accounted for 11 and 8 per cent of cases, respectively.", "Delays in investigations in possible disciplinary matters: update", "82. The question of delays in investigations was addressed in the Secretary-General’s last report (A/65/303); it continued to be raised as a due-process issue in 2010, and also in terms of its effect on the career development and contractual status of the staff concerned. Accordingly, the Office welcomes efforts by the Administration and the Office of Internal Oversight Services at the highest levels to address this matter. A full review has been conducted, initially under the auspices of the Deputy Secretary-General and later by the Office of Internal Oversight Services, resulting in proposals for remedying the situation in the context of an update of the current disciplinary procedures. Such an integrated approach to the issue promises to address the matter at the systemic level.", "83. Although the specific cases handled are disciplinary in nature, the systemic issue is one of capacity to investigate promptly and effectively. In addition, many cases that were brought forward as harassment or abuse-of-authority complaints could have escalated unnecessarily because they were not properly handled by the parties concerned. Therefore, efforts to strengthen performance management and conflict resolution skills system-wide may help to reduce the frequency of this problem.", "5. Organizational, leadership and management", "84. Five per cent of the issues brought to the attention of the Office were related to organizational, leadership and management matters, representing 8 per cent of cases in UNHCR, 8 per cent in the funds and programmes and 4 per cent in the Secretariat. Questions in this category have to do with, inter alia, the organizational climate and change management, as well as leadership in the organization and management styles.", "Strengthening a culture of informal conflict resolution", "85. Directives from senior management to all heads of offices and departments encouraging recourse and better responsiveness to informal resolution have been largely effective in further engaging managers and administrators in the process. It will be critical to pursue such efforts and to secure a more focused and sustained engagement on the part of all concerned in order to make the informal process even more effective. Experience has shown that where parties are constructively engaged early on, positive results can be achieved, creating further trust in informal conflict resolution and shifting the culture from one of confrontation to one of dialogue and mutual problem-solving.", "Change management", "86. Generally, reforms that help the Organization to keep up with the times, fulfil its mandate and remain a competitive and attractive employer are welcomed by both staff and management. However, the succession of various reforms over the last decade, some of which have required staff to do more without additional resources, appears to have left both staff and management reform-weary. A particular difficulty that the Office has discerned is in the conceptualization and implementation of such reform initiatives, that is to say, how the need for change is determined and later communicated to the various constituencies; the extent to which staff are involved in change management initiatives to ensure their acceptance of, and commitment to, such processes; and whether the necessary resources and training mechanisms are available or will be made available to make reform sustainable.", "Recommendations", "Issues of change management and organizational managerial culture, including accountability, should be taken up at the highest level, such as the Management Performance Board. Change requires a communication strategy and the participation of staff in decision-making to ensure their buy-in and engagement in the process. Every effort should be made to see how such participation could be strengthened. Most importantly, any reform should be planned with due regard to implementation and the provision of the necessary resources and support for the transitional periods. The most recent reform initiative may be an excellent opportunity to approach ongoing and further reforms with the above in mind.", "6. Safety, health, well-being, stress and work/life", "87. Issues relating to (a) safety, health, well-being, stress and work/life, (b) values, ethics and standards and (c) services and administration amounted to 4 per cent of the overall issues across the integrated Office.", "Handling of emergencies and crises as they affect staff: update and new issue", "88. One of the core functions of the United Nations is to help others in crisis. Unfortunately, with targeted attacks on United Nations personnel and large-scale natural catastrophes also affecting large numbers of employees, it has become necessary for the Organization to devise action plans and special measures to address the needs of staff in the aftermath of such events. The Office of the Ombudsman has been engaged with this issue for some time. It welcomed the establishment of the Emergency Preparedness and Support Team in the Office of Human Resources Management as a first step. The Office further welcomes the increased attention and support provided to that Team.[10] The Office of the Ombudsman also salutes the considerable efforts devoted to the compilation of lessons learned by the Department of Management and the Department of Field Support. The Office of the Ombudsman will work with the Emergency Preparedness and Support Team in sharing systemic trends and patterns identified following emergency situations and best practices derived from its experience in this area.", "89. Another concern is the effective implementation of special post-crisis measures and the need to examine such measures or exceptions in crisis situations with a view to enhancing the Organization’s ability to implement them before communicating them. In this context, the Office of the Ombudsman is working with all stakeholders — individual staff members, staff unions, management and administration — to resolve outstanding issues.", "Health and safety issues", "90. Cases involving medical issues, particularly from the field, revealed that most concerns are linked to health and safety policy issues, which signals the need for a comprehensive health and safety policy for all United Nations staff. The Office notes that one of the recommendations made by the United Nations Medical Directors Working Group is for the adoption of an occupational safety and health policy. The Office welcomes that recommendation and believes that any such policy must also take into account the correlation between poorly managed conflict and the potential for adverse health consequences.", "91. For example, absenteeism is one of the issues often brought to the attention of the Ombudsman, specifically, the tendency for staff members who may be experiencing higher than normal levels of stress owing to work-related conflicts to go on extended sick leave. When they return to work they often find, far from an improved work environment, that the situation deteriorates further, bringing additional impacts on colleagues who may have been sympathetic before the leave period but who subsequently became resentful because they had to take on all or part of the additional work created by the absence. Absenteeism, therefore, as an aspect of workplace conflict, is an issue that should be addressed in its entirety given its potential impact on productivity and morale.", "92. Visitors to the integrated Office also expressed concerns regarding the procedures governing the selection of doctors for the medical boards tasked with the review of complaints. In accordance with current guidelines, the administration selects one doctor and the staff member another; those two doctors then need to agree on a third. The two selected doctors sometimes fail to reach an agreement on a third, resulting in a delay that can last a long time. In reviewing such cases, the Office noted that the Medical Board and the Board of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, among others, are vestiges of the old system and do not have a mechanism for informal dispute resolution. In the new system of administration of justice, where emphasis is placed on informal dispute resolution, there may be a need to revisit the policy and procedures for the workings of such boards.", "Recommendations", "1. In devising special measures for staff affected by crisis, due regard should be given to effective implementation so that the proposed measures actually alleviate the problem they are intended to address. To this end, the development of templates and measures for potential scenarios without the pressure of an actual crisis may be useful. Improved cooperation in this area between the Department of Management, the Office of Human Resources Management, medical services, and the Department of Field Support, both at Headquarters and in field operations, is encouraging and deserves recognition. It should also be mentioned that, subsequently, a significant number of special measures that were extremely helpful to the staff concerned were implemented without the sort of difficulties and resulting cases mentioned above.", "2. Staff should feel free to bring up their concerns with the Office of the Ombudsman and be respected if they do so. Staff should not be concerned that when they approach the Ombudsman’s Office or when they enter the formal complaint mechanism they will face retaliation or reprisal or that they will be ostracized or acquire a bad reputation.", "3. A comprehensive occupational health and safety policy should be established. It should take into account the potential for adverse health consequences of poorly managed conflicts.", "4. The guidelines pertaining to the review of cases by the Medical Board should be revised to include, among other things, the possibility of informal dispute resolution.", "III. Statistical information: ombudsman services", "A. Case volume", "93. In 2010, the integrated Office registered a 35 per cent increase in its caseload, with a total of 1,764 cases in 2010 compared to 1,287 in 2009.", "Figure II Number of cases opened across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services, 2008-2010", "[]", "94. In the Secretariat, there was a higher demand for services during the reporting period, and the case volume increased by 70 per cent between 2009 and 2010. The regional branches opened a total of 725 cases in 2010, which was also a factor in the sizeable increase. Staff of the integrated Office continued to work beyond the call of duty to meet the demand and to ensure quality in service delivery despite the challenges posed by such an increase. It should be noted that the level of complexity tends to vary greatly from one case to another. Visitors frequently bring forward one case with multiple issues that may involve different policies and practices, which could require interaction with different stakeholders. For example, a visitor may approach the Office regarding non-selection for a post, which might also have an impact on performance evaluation, contractual status, entitlements, benefits, etc.", "95. Cases are registered according to the number of visitors and not the number of issues they raise. The time taken for resolution, depending on the complexity of the issues raised, generally ranges from two weeks to three months. This involves multiple sessions with each visitor and several contacts with relevant stakeholders on behalf of the visitor, including shuttle mediation, to discuss the various aspects of each matter and reach a mutually agreeable solution.", "96. The Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes opened 418 cases in 2010.[11] During the first half of the year, pending the arrival of the new Ombudsmen, the total number of visitors remained stable owing to the reduced capacity to address cases. The caseload increased significantly in the second half of the year following the arrival of the Ombudsmen.", "97. The UNHCR Ombudsman received 140 visitors in 2010, slightly fewer than in 2009. In addition, the UNHCR Respectful Workplace Adviser network, which was expanded at the end of 2009 and in 2010, received 65 visitors, who raised 87 issues.", "B. Demographics", "Number of cases by type of office location across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "98. The types of office locations in the Secretariat are Headquarters in New York, offices away from Headquarters and field missions. For funds and programmes, office types are headquarters in Copenhagen and New York and country offices, and for UNHCR they are headquarters in Geneva, the Budapest Global Service Centre and field offices. Figure III shows how the breakdown of visitors by type of office varies among the Secretariat, the funds and programmes and UNHCR.", "99. In 2010, as in the previous two years, the majority of visitors worked in offices away from headquarters and country and field offices. However, the distribution of visitors by location varies from one sector to the other and over time.", "Figure III Cases by type of office location across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services and in the different entities, 2010", "[]", "100. The proportion of cases from field missions (which are part of the Secretariat only) increased from 24 per cent in 2009 to 34 per cent in 2010. The share of cases from this category of personnel could increase further in the future, as 60 per cent of Secretariat staff serve in field missions.", "101. In the funds and programmes, 73 per cent of the cases addressed during the reporting period were from country offices and 27 per cent from headquarters locations. This is consistent with results from previous years and reflects the field-oriented nature of the organizations.", "102. As was the case in 2009, 38 per cent of visitors from UNHCR came from headquarters locations and 62 per cent from offices in the field. This information suggests that the reversion of the pattern observed prior to 2008 has stabilized, which can be attributed to a greater awareness of the role and the function of the Office of the Ombudsman as a result of field missions and, in particular, following a further expansion of the Respectful Workplace Adviser network, jointly with WFP.", "Occupational groups across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "103. Since 2008, the largest occupational group of visitors to UNOMS has been staff in the Professional category (44 per cent), followed by support staff (19 per cent, compared to 26 per cent in 2008 and 2009).", "104. Only the Secretariat has a specific occupational group of field staff, which consists of international support staff working exclusively in field missions (peacekeeping and special political missions). Field staff constituted 11 per cent of the total number of Secretariat visitors.", "105. The proportion of visitors from occupational groups deployed outside Headquarters increased. The percentage of national staff who sought assistance increased from 7 per cent in 2008 and 2009 to 13 per cent in 2010. The percentage of visitors belonging to the field staff category, specific to the Secretariat, also increased from 8 per cent in 2008 and 2009 to 11 per cent in 2010.", "106. The proportions of visitors belonging to the remaining three occupational categories — (a) former staff and retirees, (b) volunteers and (c) Director and above — remained stable between 2008 and 2010, at approximately 3 per cent each.", "Figure IV Visitors by occupational group across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "[]", "107. In the Secretariat, 41 per cent of visitors belonged to the Professional category and 17 per cent of cases were initiated by support staff.", "108. In the funds and programmes, as in the past, visitors in majority of cases (54 per cent) were staff from the Professional and higher categories. In the General Service category, more female (56 per cent) than male visitors contacted the Office.", "109. In UNHCR, two thirds of the visitors came from the Professional category, representing a small pro rata increase compared to the year before. The number of support staff visiting the Ombudsman’s Office decreased somewhat, but the decrease was more than offset (although not included in the statistics) by the number of staff visiting the Respectful Workplace Advisers. The number of senior-level personnel (P-5 and above) contacting the Ombudsman’s Office for advice, either about their own concerns or their concerns as managers, remained at just over 10 per cent.", "C. Issue distribution by occupational group", "110. The overall distribution of issues varies from one occupational group to another. However, some groups share similarities. For instance, the distribution of the three main types of issues is the same among Professionals, support staff, national staff and volunteers, with job and career issues being the most prevalent, followed by evaluative relationships and compensation and benefits.", "111. Visitors from the field staff category, specific to the Secretariat, displayed a slightly different distribution: job and career constituted their main category, compensation and benefits came second and evaluative relationships third. The Director and above category shows a particular pattern: for this group, evaluative relationships are the primary type of issue, followed by job and career and compensation and benefits. The main issue for staff in the “other” category is compensation and benefits.", "Figure V Types of issues by occupational group of visitors across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "112. Conflict concerning workplace relationships is the second most frequent issue that brings staff to the Office of the Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes, accounting for 30 per cent of cases in 2010. More female staff requested assistance on relationship matters than their male counterparts. Staff often bring to the Office claims of lack of respect and inappropriate treatment, usually in the form of inappropriate disregard for colleagues or supervisees and lack of strong and supportive communication skills. A major attribute of positive relationships in the workplace is effective communication and fostering consensus-building through communication.", "113. In UNHCR, international Professional staff members most frequently raise evaluative relationship issues, followed by concerns relating to job and career. National Professional staff, by contrast, primarily bring up job and career concerns. General Service staff members mostly raise issues relating to job and career, followed by evaluative relationships and peer and colleague relationships.", "D. Issues by type of office location", "114. The predominant concerns raised by visitors in 2010, regardless of their location, related to job and career. The second most numerous type of issue related to evaluative relationships, with compensation and benefits ranking third. The pattern was the same in 2009. For field missions, which are specific to the Secretariat, job and career-related issues were the most numerous. Compensation and benefits and evaluative relationships ranked second and third, respectively.", "Figure VI Categories of issues by type of office location across the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "[]", "115. In the funds and programmes, 73 per cent of the cases were from the country offices and 27 per cent from headquarters. In both locations, job and career-related issues were the primary reason for the initial contact by visitors. A larger proportion of female visitors (29 per cent) had concerns about career progression or opportunities than their male counterparts (19 per cent).", "116. In UNHCR, just over one third of the issues were raised by headquarters staff. In this group, the two most frequently raised issues were evaluative relationships (33 per cent) and job and career (15 per cent). In offices away from headquarters, the two issues raised most frequently were job and career (32 per cent) and evaluative relationships (28 per cent). In this context, it is also noteworthy (although not included in the statistics presented) that the issues raised with the Respectful Workplace Advisers primarily concerned job and career (23 per cent) and peer and colleague relationships (21 per cent), while evaluative relationships constituted 15 per cent of all issues.", "IV. Statistical information: mediation services", "A. Case volume and outcomes", "117. The present section provides statistical information with respect to cases and outcomes, demographics and types of issues mediated, covering the period from 1 July 2009 — when the new system of administration of justice was launched — until 31 December 2010.", "Figure VII Mediation cases, 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2010", "[]", "118. During the period from 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2010, the Mediation Service opened 62 cases, of which 28 (45 per cent) were mediated. Of the cases mediated, 21 (75 per cent) were successfully resolved and 7 (25 per cent) did not reach a successful resolution. In accordance with the mediation guidelines, the agreement of all parties to a dispute is required for mediation to proceed. A number of cases (29 per cent) were not able to be mediated owing to the fact that one or both parties chose not to mediate following a preliminary consultation, and three cases (5 per cent) were not mediated owing to other circumstances (either the case was not suitable for mediation or was resolved prior to mediation). A total of 13 cases (21 per cent) were ongoing at the end of 2010.", "B. Demographics", "Figure VIII Mediation demographics", "[]", "119. The majority of cases that the Mediation Service handled during the reporting period originated in offices away from Headquarters (50 per cent). A total of 11 cases originated in field operations (18 per cent) and 20 (32 per cent) at Headquarters. This confirms that the majority of cases are field-based and thus that strengthened capacity is required to deal with cases in the regions.", "C. Mediation cases by occupational group", "Figure IX Mediation cases by occupational group", "[]", "120. The top three occupational groups that sought or participated in mediation during the reporting period were as follows: Professional category (58 per cent), Director and above (10 per cent) and support staff (19 per cent). Those groups were followed by field staff and former staff/retirees (5 per cent each) and national staff/ other (2 per cent each).", "D. Mediation cases by source", "Figure X Mediation cases by source", "[]", "121. Mediation may be requested by one or all of the parties to a dispute, or referral for mediation may be made by the management evaluation units, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, the Office of Staff Legal Assistance or other similar offices. All requests for, or referrals to, mediation are reviewed by the Mediation Service to determine the suitability of the case for mediation.", "122. Of the total number of cases opened during the reporting period, 24 (39 per cent) were requested by a party or parties to a dispute, 13 (21 per cent) were referred by the Dispute Tribunal and 10 (16 per cent) started as ombudsman cases and were subsequently mediated. The remaining cases (24 per cent) were referred by the Office of Staff Legal Assistance, the management evaluation units and other parts of the Organization. Where cases were not found suitable for mediation, they were referred for ombudsman services.", "123. The fact that the largest source of cases is the clients themselves is the result of concerted outreach efforts by the Mediation Service to raise awareness about the process and its benefits, and is also due to the success of mediation proceedings. It is expected that future outreach efforts, quality of service and further decentralization will lead to an increase in case volume.", "E. Types of issues", "Figure XI Types of issues handled by the Mediation Service", "[]", "124. The category with the largest number of cases brought to the Mediation Service is job and career (38 per cent), which includes issues related to contractual status. The second largest category relates to legal, regulatory, financial and compliance matters (21 per cent). The evaluative relationships category is the third largest (16 per cent). A second tier of issues involves compensation and benefits (12 per cent), organizational leadership and management (4 per cent), services and administration (1 per cent), safety, health and well-being (1 per cent) and values, ethics and standards (3 per cent).", "V. Future directions", "1. Building credibility and conflict competence", "125. The Office will continue to look for ways to promote a culture of conflict prevention and trust-building. In this context, the Secretariat, the funds and programmes and UNHCR plan to further strengthen their work in the area of training, outreach and advocacy. The Office’s communication strategy will therefore focus on three priority areas: (a) promoting informal resolution, including mediation, as a safe first step for the resolution of workplace disputes; (b) partnering with senior management and other important stakeholders to encourage and facilitate the use of the informal conflict resolution mechanism; and (c) continued advocacy of a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention as an essential component of organizational health.", "2. Capacity-building in the field", "126. The Office will work to increase its capacity to serve staff in the field, including in remote areas, building on the work already accomplished through timely and effective action on cases and enhancing relationships with stakeholders, both at Headquarters and in the various regions. The Office will continue to explore the possibility of establishing a new regional branch to provide in-person intervention and better access to the deep field, including special political missions, and identifying financial resources for this purpose.", "127. The funds and programmes and UNHCR will continue to explore options to assess and expand their respective Respectful Workplace Adviser programmes.", "3. Measuring effectiveness of services", "128. The Office plans to evaluate its operations under the new system of administration of justice, which was launched in July 2009, and the effectiveness and impact of its newly created structure, which is integrated with the funds and programmes and UNHCR and geographically decentralized, with seven regional offices. The panel of experts is expected to identify lessons learned and formulate recommendations for improvement in overall service delivery.", "4. Strengthening the Mediation Service", "129. Efforts to consolidate the work already done will be pursued by the Mediation Service in terms of delivery and quality of service and outreach, particularly in the field, and enhancing partnerships with stakeholders in the United Nations system, as well as with external professional organizations. The Division will also examine best practices and lessons learned in its first year of operation in order to strengthen service delivery. It will also further develop its roster of on-call mediators and work with relevant stakeholders to review the appropriateness of mandatory suspension of filing timelines while informal dispute resolution proceedings are taking place.", "5. Contributing to the change management process", "130. The Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services was invited to participate in the joint meeting of the Policy and Management Committees in May 2011 regarding the reform agenda. The Office is exploring ways of collaborating with the recently established change management team to assist in ongoing efforts to streamline and improve the efficiency of the Organization, including by sharing with the team the systemic trends and patterns it identifies.", "VI. Resource requirements", "131. Decentralization has presented the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services with a tremendous opportunity for growth and improved efficiency, as initially envisioned by the Redesign Panel and later endorsed by the General Assembly. However, the overall provision of resources for the Office, which is one of the areas most critical to its operations and effectiveness, continues to pose a major challenge. As described in the Secretary-General’s last report on the activities of the Office (A/65/303), funding from the regular budget has continued to rely on its pre-expansion budget to cover operational needs, in particular for the regional branches and the Mediation Services. This has seriously hampered the Office’s capacity to respond to the needs of staff in the field, as well as emerging crises that warrant in-person intervention.", "132. The Office has proactively adopted a number of cost-saving measures[12] to deal with budget constraints during the reform implementation process, which began in January 2008. In doing so, the Office was cognizant of the financial climate in which Member States operate and the Secretary-General’s call for all departments to deliver more within existing resources. Bearing in mind that the prevention of conflict is, in itself, a cost-saving measure for the Organization, the Office will continue to explore every opportunity for the efficient use of its existing budget allocations. Nevertheless, it must be noted that such efforts cannot fully offset the challenges posed by the management of a decentralized structure and the high demand for informal conflict resolution, which was noted by the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, particularly in the Secretariat, where the number of cases increased by 70 per cent from 2009 to 2010.[13]", "133. In paragraphs 24 and 25 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly stressed the importance of ensuring access for all staff members to the new administration of justice system, including to the rapid response teams deployed by the Office of the Ombudsman to respond to crises, and requested the Secretary-General to address the limitations to response capacity in future budget proposals. The present section explains the rationale for the Office’s requirements additional to those requested in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013 (A/66/6, sect. 1) and the areas it has identified for adjustments to meet its present needs.", "134. The Office of the Ombudsman in the Secretariat underwent a comprehensive review by an external panel in 2007. One of the panel’s main conclusions was that the demand for services was likely to grow as the Office became better known and better understood. The challenge was to keep monitoring the capacity of the Office to ensure that it was sufficient to absorb and process the caseload and provide adequate and timely follow-up. Otherwise, there was a risk that the Office’s image could deteriorate, and that cases that could have been handled by the Ombudsman might be diverted to the formal system, with its attendant costs and congestion, thus replicating conditions that existed before the creation of the post of Ombudsman. The same concerns remain valid today.", "135. The regular budget requirements for the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services are guided by four main principles:", "(a) A needs assessment based on higher demand for services, taking into account experience gained since the establishment of the Office in 2002 and its decentralization in 2008;", "(b) The provision of equal access to all staff, including in remote areas, and particularly those who serve in the deep field and harsh environments;", "(c) The encouragement of informal conflict resolution in line with the incentives identified in the Secretary-General’s last report on the activities of the Office (A/65/303) and later endorsed by the General Assembly in paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251. In this context, the General Assembly requested the inclusion of specific budget requirements in the programme budget to implement the incentives;", "(d) The strengthening of the decentralized structure and the upgrade of the administrative capacity of the Office to manage its operations more effectively.", "136. The Office’s structure has changed significantly with the creation of seven regional branches, the Mediation Service and a pool of on-call ombudsmen and mediators. In the past two years, the Office has faced challenges in its day-to-day operations that affected the management of its financial and human resources. In its management letter dated 15 June 2010, the Board of Auditors noted that with decentralization, problems of daily management were likely to increase and would constitute a full-time occupation for an administrative officer who would provide consistency, coherence and coordination across the decentralized structure. Owing to its cross-cutting function, the Office is also increasingly involved in promoting conflict prevention and harmonious working conditions at Headquarters and in the field, which requires a substantial amount of coordination with the various stakeholders within the Organization. In order to fill these gaps and allow the United Nations Ombudsman and his or her staff to focus fully on their substantive functions and the resolution of workplace conflicts, it is proposed to establish two Professional posts that will provide the necessary support to the United Nations Ombudsman, the Director of the Office and the overall team.", "137. Accordingly, it is proposed that the following two posts be established in the biennium 2012-2013:", "(a) An Administrative Officer (P-4), who will assist the Director of the Office in managing and monitoring the human and financial resources of the Office and ensuring coherence and consistency in its standards and operations. This includes the administration of on-call ombudsmen and mediators and dealing with budgetary and financial issues for Headquarters and all its branches;", "(b) A Special Assistant (P-4) to support the United Nations Ombudsman in strategic and operational planning as well as policy coordination and information management. It should be noted that all senior officials in the United Nations Secretariat have such pivotal support, which allows them to fully focus on their core responsibilities in providing strategic direction. The Special Assistant will support the United Nations Ombudsman and the Director in overseeing the day-to-day management of the immediate Office and coordinating inputs from the various components of the integrated structure, which would ensure a streamlined and coherent approach in the functioning of the overall operations. The incumbent will also support the United Nations Ombudsman in the processing and follow-up of high-risk cases and in interactions with senior counterparts, including in his or her work with intergovernmental bodies.", "138. Travel resources in the amount of $180,000 for the biennium 2012-2013 are requested to enable the Office to resolve disputes through in-person intervention, to prevent issues from festering and affecting productivity and morale, and to prevent cases from proceeding to costly litigation. Such resources would also provide opportunities to conduct additional activities such as conflict coaching and building conflict competence in duty stations with no ombudsman presence. The resources would also allow the regional ombudsmen to meet with staff in their immediate areas of responsibility and allow for regular visits to the regional commissions that currently have no ombudsman. Such a regular presence has been requested by management and staff repeatedly. In addition, the resources will be used to establish the critical ombudsman response team mechanism, which will allow for quick response and speedy resolution in unforeseen situations. As the informal system gained more recognition in 2010, the number of requests for immediate intervention by the United Nations ombudsmen or through on-call ombudsmen and mediators has increased significantly, and in several critical cases an ombudsman or a mediator team could not be dispatched because of the lack of travel resources. Lastly, the resources will allow the Office to hold an annual retreat for all staff of the Office to exchange best practices and lessons learned with a view to enhancing the overall operations of the Office.", "139. Training resources in the amount of $150,000 are requested to cover training fees, associated travel and training-related conference fees for the staff of the Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services, including the regional branches. This would also allow them, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources Management, to deliver training modules on conflict management in their area of responsibility to build conflict competence. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is increasingly requested to conduct such training sessions with groups of staff in collaborative conflict-handling as part of conflict prevention and building conflict awareness. This approach will increase the Office’s capacity to enhance the conflict management ability of clients and other target groups, such as managers.", "140. Accordingly, should the General Assembly agree with the above proposals, additional resource requirements in the amount of $918,400 (before recosting) would be considered in accordance with the provisions governing the contingency fund in accordance with the terms of Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211. In this regard, it is recalled that the Assembly, in its resolution 65/262, approved a contingency fund for the biennium 2012-2013 in the amount of $40.5 million.", "141. All new posts reflected in the present report are proposed to be established as from 1 January 2012. Given that the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, in paragraph 20 of its first report on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009 (A/62/7), recommended that information on the delayed impact of posts should be reflected in any new proposals, the Assembly may wish to note that the additional requirements for the full costing of the proposed two new posts in the biennium 2014-2015 are currently estimated at $352,400: under section 1, Overall policymaking, direction and coordination, $306,000, and under section 37, Staff assessment, $46,400, to be offset by an equivalent amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment.", "VII. Action to be taken by the General Assembly", "142. Accordingly, should the General Assembly approve the proposals contained in the present report for additional resources, it may wish:", "(a) To approve the establishment of two new P-4 posts effective 1 January 2012 under the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013;", "(b) To appropriate a total amount of $918,400 (before recosting) under the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013, comprising increases under section 1, Overall policymaking, direction and coordination ($725,400); section 29D, Office of Central Support Services ($135,800); and section 37, Staff assessment ($57,200), to be offset by a corresponding amount under income section 1, Income from staff assessment. The provision would represent a charge against the contingency fund.", "143. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services looks forward to the General Assembly’s favourable consideration of its additional resource requirements and its continued support for informal resolution as a key first step in the resolution of workplace disputes, including system-wide and speedy implementation of incentives to encourage the usage of informal resolution.", "[1] There are areas in the present report that are specific to each entity and are noted as such.", "[2] A/65/373, para. 185.", "[3] A/61/205, para. 47.", "[4] Ibid., para. 48.", "[5] See A/65/303, sect. V.", "[6] Resolution 63/253, para. 20.", "[7] The categories are: job and career; evaluative relationships; compensation and benefits; legal, regulatory, financial and compliance; safety, health, well-being and environment; values, ethics and standards; peer and colleague relationships; organizational, leadership and management; and services and administration.", "[8] This category includes selection and recruitment, post classification, contractual arrangements, career development, assignment, loan/secondment/transfer, non-renewal of contract and termination.", "[9] The rules do not suspend the rules governing the G-to-P process, although this was argued by some staff. The Office of Human Resources Management will provide clarification in the relevant instruction at the next opportunity.", "[10] See the recommendations and updates in A/62/311, A/64/314 and A/65/303.", "[11] The Ombudsmen for the funds and programmes and the Ombudsman for UNHCR issue separate annual reports, which are available on the website of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services.", "[12] See A/65/303, paras. 19-24.", "[13] Resolution 65/251, para. 13." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Items 134 and 143 of the provisional agenda*", "Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013", "Administration of justice at the United Nations", "Activities of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The General Assembly, in its resolution 65/251, reaffirmed that the informal settlement of conflicts is a critical element of the system of administration of justice and emphasized that all possible use of the informal system should be made in order to establish harmonious working relationships and avoid unnecessary litigation. The Assembly also welcomed the submission of the second joint report on the entities of the integrated Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and requested the Secretary-General to submit such a report to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.", "The present report is the third on the activities of the Integrated Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services, which provides informal conflict resolution services to Secretariat staff, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children ' s Fund, the United Nations Office for Project Services and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.", "The present report contains a request for additional resources for the Office for a total of $918,400 (before recosting) under sections 1, 29D and 37 of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013.", "The highlights of the present report are summarized below, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2010.", "* A/66/150.", "Regional impacts", "As the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the first ombudsman function in the Secretariat will be celebrated in 2012, and the regional offices and the Mediation Service have completed one year of operation, the Office has launched initiatives to assess its impact and effectiveness. Following a preliminary assessment, it was found that the decentralization of the Office improved its access to the groups concerned and made it possible to provide services in person on the ground, which is the most effective means of conflict resolution. This represented one of the main incentives for the establishment of regional offices by the General Assembly. The Office has also gained greater understanding of regional dynamics. In addition, the Mediation Service has provided staff and managers with another alternative tool to resolve labour disputes.", "Regarding problems, budgetary constraints have further hampered the displacement of regional ombudsmen within their respective jurisdictions to serve in person for conflict resolution or latent issues, including in remote locations, and the deployment of the Ombudsman and the necessary rapid response mediation teams by the Office.", "Ombudsman services and systemic issues", "Pursuant to the mandate of the Office, the report identifies systemic and cross-cutting issues that have been brought to the attention of the Office during the period under review, as well as those identified by the ombudsman, together with the related recommendations. In line with the precedents throughout the Integrated Office, the areas of particular concern of visitors using ombudsman services during the reporting period were post and career, interpersonal relationships and remuneration and benefits.", "Statistics", "It was found that the number of cases involving staff members of the United Nations Secretariat increased by 70 per cent and that the total number of cases submitted to the Integrated Office increased by 35 per cent. This was largely due to the availability of ombudsman services in regional offices.", "Mediation services", "The Mediation Service recorded an increase in the number of cases; several complicated and sensitive mediations were successfully resolved. The areas of particular concern of stakeholders seeking assistance from the Mediation Service were the post and career; matters relating to compliance with legal, regulatory and financial standards; and evaluation relations.", "Update on incentives for informal resolution", "In paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of the incentives for the use of informal solutions identified in the Secretary-General ' s last report to the General Assembly (A/65/303). The main measures implemented include the following: the provision of guidelines by senior managers to all offices and departments by urging them to use the informal conflict resolution process and to respond in a timely manner to the Office ' s contact; the continued efforts of the Integrated Office and the Office of Human Resources Management to, inter alia, provide training in dispute resolution to key partners in the comprehensive system of administration;", "Conclusion", "The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services expects the General Assembly to give favourable consideration to its additional resource requirements and its continued support to the informal road as a first step towards resolving labour conflicts, including rapid system-wide implementation of incentives to encourage recourse to informal settlement.", "Contents", "Preamble:Principles 5 basics I.Office 6 of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services A. Services 6 of the Ombudsman B. Services 8 Mediation C. Effects 9 regional D. Updated 13 on the application of incentives for informal solution E. Disclosure 14 and promotion II. Mediation 19 systemic issues A.Source 19 and context B. Issues 19 systems determined during the reporting period in the Secretariat, funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees III.Information 30 statistics: ombudsman services A.Number 30 cases B.Features 32 demographics C.Distribution 35 of the issues by professional category D. Cases 40 subject to mediation by professional category D. Cases 41 of mediation by source E. Types 42 of issues V. Evolution 42 future VI.Necessities 44 of resources VII.Measures 47 to be adopted by the General Assembly", "Preamble", "Basic principles", "As the main informal pillar of the Organization ' s conflict resolution system, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services uses informal and collaborative methods to resolve conflicts at an early stage. The Office is guided by the basic principles of independence, neutrality, confidentiality and informality, which are summarized below.", "Independence", "The Office maintains independence from other entities and bodies, and from its authorities; it has direct access to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the executive heads of the funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the senior management staff of the entire Organization, as required; information relevant to cases, except medical records; and individuals of the Organization providing advice, information or views on a particular matter.", "Neutrality", "The Office advocates justice and fair and fair processes, not on behalf of a particular person of the Organization, taking into account the rights and obligations of the Organization and staff and the fairness of the situation.", "Confidentiality", "The Office maintains strict confidentiality and does not disclose information on cases or visits by staff; it is not required by any United Nations body or authority to testify.", "Informality", "Informality includes not keeping records for the United Nations or for any part; not conducting formal investigations or accepting legal notifications on behalf of the United Nations; and not having the power to take decisions; not issuing determining decisions or conclusions.", "I. Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "A. Ombudsman services", "Trends", "1. As in 2008 and 2009, the areas of greatest concern of visitors who used ombudsman services in the Integrated Office[1] in 2010 were related to post and career (34%); evaluation relations (20%) and remuneration and benefits (15%). Much of the cases resolved through ombudsman services resulted from offices away from Headquarters and field operations, where the bulk of the staff is located. In this context, the integration of mediation with the ombudsman method and the easy interaction between ombudsman (e.g. when an issue that initially deals with a method but is then determined corresponds more to the other one is easily transferred) provides staff with an informal resource of great efficiency.", "Scope", "2. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services considers it important to provide access to the informal solution to all United Nations staff irrespective of their level. In its dialogue with the members of the Sixth Committee in 2010, the Office confirmed its willingness to provide services to non-staff staff, for which the additional resources required would be modest compared to the long-term benefits of investment. The experience of other United Nations organizations providing ombudsman services to non-staff personnel has shown that this intervention has helped to prevent conflicts from prolonging without creating unfounded hopes about their contractual situation. The Secretariat has 16,480 non-staff personnel in field operations and 10,080 non-field-based operations.[2] These figures do not include Secretariat consultants or contractors administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) or the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The current decentralized structure of the Office of the Ombudsman will facilitate access to such staff.", "3. If the General Assembly decided to extend the informal solution to non-staff personnel, it would be necessary to increase the resources of the Office. In line with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, such expansion of the scope of services would make it possible for all United Nations employees to benefit from another procedural guarantee mechanism at a minimum cost to the Organization.", "External reviews", "4. The analysis of how the Office makes contact with its clients and stakeholders is critical of how it works. In view of the independent and confidential nature of its functions, the Office uses external expertise to monitor and evaluate its substantive performance and systemic impact, as well as to improve the quality of its services. The Office will consider the possibility of a team of external experts conducting a midterm review for 2011-2012. The conduct of such reviews by external professionals is fundamental for two reasons: (a) experts in certain subjects have sufficient knowledge and experience to review operations in all their aspects and, after dialogue with relevant stakeholders and staff through surveys, recommend how such relationships can and should evolve; (b) conducting such reviews by substantive experts is perceived by clients using the Office ' s services as credible and confidential and protects both the Office and its client.", "Mandate", "5. In paragraphs 16 and 17 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to speedily conclude the inter-agency negotiations on the revised mandate of the integrated Office and to ensure that it was promulgated as soon as possible. As mentioned in previous reports, the mandate of the Integrated Office has been extensively consulted with the participation of staff and administration, as well as funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Following these consultations, the draft terms of reference were presented for promulgation in a Secretary-General ' s bulletin in 2010. However, General Assembly resolution 65/251 required further consideration of the draft mandate. In line with established procedures, the draft mandate has been the subject of additional system-wide consultations and review. It is hoped that a revised draft Secretary-General ' s bulletin will be submitted for adoption after the conclusion of this consultative phase.", "Audit of the outreach programme", "6. At the request of the United Nations Ombudsman, between November and December 2010, the Internal Audit Division of the Office of Internal Oversight Services conducted an audit focusing on the Office ' s outreach programme, which included the regional offices in Nairobi and Santiago.", "7. The auditors concluded that since its inception the Office had conducted a number of outreach campaigns aimed at sensitizing staff at large on their roles and services and encouraging staff to actively avail themselves of the informal conflict resolution process. They also recognized the efforts made by the Office to sensitize senior managers on the importance of informal conciliation in resolving labour conflicts. The auditors further noted that the Office ' s communication concept for the period 2011-2013, which sets out outreach objectives, strategy and implementation measures, should be finalized to include specific guidelines on how to implement its outreach programme in order to ensure coherence of all activities and messages in the integrated Office, including its regional offices. This will be done in consultation with funds and programmes and UNHCR.", "B. Mediation services", "8. As decided by the General Assembly in paragraph 16 of its resolution 61/261, a Mediation Service was formally established in the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman to provide mediation services to the United Nations Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR. The Mediation Service deals with cases submitted to it by the parties to a dispute and referred to it by the internal assessment units, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, among others.", "9. In 2010, the Mediation Service recorded an increase in the number of cases resulting from the recognition of its services and has begun to collect data to analyse trends and patterns. The number of cases referred by the courts or the administration has increased, including disciplinary cases. In this context, it should be noted that mediation cases deal with various issues, such as evaluation relations, contractual status and separation conditions, including issues of a very emotional and sensitive nature. On the other hand, given the voluntary nature of mediation, it may be difficult to ensure that all the parties concerned consent to participate in the process. It has also been noted that some of the parties wishing to avail themselves of mediation services are directed at other services simultaneously, such as the Ethics Office, the Office of Internal Oversight Services or the Conduct and Discipline Unit, which may hinder the management of expectations. Despite these problems, the Mediation Service has successfully treated and resolved a wide range of cases.", "Mediation principles and guidelines", "10. The different stages of the mediation process and the relevant related considerations are described in the mediation principles and guidelines, which have been available on the Office ' s website since 1 July 2009. This also responds to the request of the General Assembly in paragraph 17 of its resolution 65/251 that the Secretary-General ensure that the guidelines for the Mediation Service are promulgated as soon as possible. In order to provide services of the highest quality, the necessary modifications in mediation principles and guidelines have been made over time in the light of the practical experience gained. It should be noted that the revised mandate of the Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services, which is being reviewed for promulgation, includes a section on mediation services, which is based on mediation principles and guidelines.", "Available mediators", "11. The Office continues to make efforts to prepare a list of mediators available both at Headquarters and in the regions. The Mediation Service has maintained close contacts with its counterpart at the World Bank to exchange best practices and execute its joint project for the identification of regional mediators. The Mediation Service is assessing its regional needs and budget to recruit regional mediators from the list of mediators available in the period 2011-2012.", "Strengthening partnerships and outreach", "12. During the reporting period, the Mediation Service continued to strengthen partnerships across the Organization and with key stakeholders in the justice administration system to assess and strengthen mediation services. This has resulted in an increase in the number of requests and referrals and a simplified mediation process. The Director of the Mediation Service made a number of presentations on the resolution of labour conflicts to teams from across the Organization and conducted missions away from Headquarters, including Geneva and Addis Ababa, for mediation and on-site promotion, as well as Nairobi for outreach and participation in a meeting with the judges and secretaries of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal.", "13. In December 2010, in partnership with the Office of Human Resources Management and UNDP, the Mediation Service contributed to the development and implementation of a training programme on conflict management and job conflict resolution for specific recipients. This initiative was welcomed by participants and other such programmes are being planned at Headquarters and in the field, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources Management.", "C. Regional impacts", "Reason for decentralization", "14. In creating a single integrated and geographically decentralized Office for the provision of ombudsman and mediation services, the General Assembly made a fundamental investment in the informal system as a key channel for the enhancement of individual productivity and the promotion of the health of the Organization. As the panel of experts that reviewed the internal justice system of the United Nations (the Reform Group), the decentralization of services was aimed at “facilitating more access and accelerating response”, which would provide “big benefits for the justice system as a whole”[3].", "15. The argument raised by the Decentralization Reform Group focused on the notion that the structures for ombudsman services existing in the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR had been “at a marked increase (at about 75 per cent) in the percentage of cases that have been originated outside Headquarters” and that, therefore, “in the case of staff on the ground, the one-of-a-a-kind solution” would be effective. The Panel also found that in addition to creating synergies through the referral of all employment-related issues to a single office, decentralization would provide the Office of the Ombudsman “an excellent possibility of monitoring systemic problems and recommending solutions.” From the Panel’s view, “the elimination of access problems and duplication of services would benefit all staff and save human and financial resources, particularly at the regional level”[4].", "Decentralization in practice", "16. The decentralization of the Integrated Office was realized in 2010. The regional agent consists of seven regional offices located in Bangkok, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna and peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan. Prior to 2010, the real effects of decentralization could not have been fully observed and many lessons learned were drawn as a result of its implementation. In view of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the first ombudsman function in the Secretariat in 2012, the Office began to review its operations, beginning with regional offices, in order to identify the main achievements of its first year of operation and the challenges to be addressed.", "17. In general, the presence of ombudsmen on the ground was determined to facilitate the necessary access to field staff. It has also contributed to generating extensive knowledge of the specific conditions and needs of different regions and to a deeper understanding of cultural traditions and sensitivities, particularly at the mission level. In addition, it has significantly facilitated outreach and advocacy initiatives in the field.", "Achievements", "18. The main priority of all offices in their first year of operation was the establishment, staffing and maintenance of efficient service delivery practice in person to staff in the regions for the informal resolution of their problems at work. This has been achieved.", "19. Direct access for visitors and continuing face-to-face meetings with regional ombudsmen have paved the way for several advances in dispute resolution, many of which have long been extended. It has also made it possible to consolidate the confidence and credibility of the ombudsman against their clients. The presence of the Ombudsman in the field has further facilitated access to senior managers and human resources staff and has expedited the solution of the problems at work brought to the attention of the Ombudsman by visitors in their respective regions. This regular interaction has also encouraged managers to cooperate with the Office and to use its services to resolve labour conflicts. Regional ombudsmen have begun to mediate in cases in the regions and work closely with the Mediation Service in this regard.", "Dissemination and promotion in the field", "20. After deployment, the regional ombudsman engaged in intensive outreach, collaborated with all stakeholders from the outset and raised awareness of the range of services offered by the Integrated Office and the advantages of informal settlement in dispute settlement. From its perspective, word-provided information has proven to be a cost-effective outreach tool. Satisfied visitors tend to tend to comment on their experiences with their peers and encourage them to make their own claims. The opposite is also true and that is why the establishment of an effective practice based on a strong reputation was one of the key priorities of the regional ombudsman.", "21. In the case of peacekeeping missions in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, field visits proved to be very effective, since field staff in remote locations often feel disconnected from their headquarters and do not have the same access to the services offered by the Office. Other access gaps, as in the case of special political missions, are being reviewed to identify the best ways to address the problem.", "The three issues that most concern regional offices", "22. The issues of greater concern reported to regional offices in 2010 were post and career, interpersonal relationships and performance management. These matters are described in greater detail below in the chapter on systemic issues.", "Balance between workload and allocated resources", "23. One of the main priorities and concerns of the regional ombudsman has been the need to have the necessary resources to be fully effective. In addition to local needs, this involves regular missions for the prevention and settlement of disputes and awareness within the regions. Resources allocated to regional offices since 2010 have been very limited and resources for missions and vocational training have not been allocated.", "24. In paragraph 26 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General “to take fully into account the balance between the workload of regional ombudsmen and the resources allocated to them in future proposed programme budgets”. As planned, the reporting period was marked by an increase of 70 per cent of the number of cases submitted only by Secretariat staff, partly owing to the presence of regional ombudsmen in the field. As more experience is gained, the Office will continue to monitor the balance between the number of cases of regional ombudsman and the resources allocated.", "25. In view of the likelihood that the number of cases fluctuates and the need to ensure that adequate resources are allocated to meet needs, it is suggested that any new resources for travel be centralized, where they could be deployed in high-demand areas. This approach would provide operational flexibility, which would make the most of the resources.", "Challenges", "26. The regional ombudsman faced two types of challenges in their efforts during their first year of operation, namely, administrative and conceptual. Administrative challenges related to budget, access and time constraints. The conceptual challenge was to promote a culture of trust and conflict prevention throughout the Organization.", "27. The volatile political and security situation in countries served by regional offices in which peacekeeping operations are under way often hampered access to staff serving in the respective areas. Owing to budgetary constraints and the continued functioning of the Office with the same travel credits as before expansion, the capacity of the regional ombudsmen to carry out the necessary missions in their respective areas of operations has been limited. Accordingly, staff members working outside duty stations do not enjoy the same access or assistance as those who have direct access to regional ombudsmen in their areas and may meet with them in person to address their concerns. The provision of budgetary resources for travel to remote areas is critical.", "28. It has also been proved that the support of senior managers over the informal solution is an incentive for staff to come to the Office and request their intervention. Without such commitment by management to the process, staff members are unwilling to take that step. Experience has shown that some administrators feel limited in their ability to act flexibly in case resolution because of the apparent rigidity of rules and regulations or the limits of their delegated authority.", "Lessons learned", "29. The living and working conditions of peacekeeping missions which in some cases involve living and working in the same complex create specific conflicts of nature. Thus, from the ombudsman perspective of peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan, being on the ground is essential to better understand the complex dynamics and context in which such labour conflicts arise and provides the most effective means of intervention to resolve them informally. In addition to bringing with it a deeper understanding of the regional context, decentralization has enabled the Office to identify the regions where the most missing are ombudsman services, particularly in peacekeeping missions.", "30. The parties to the conflict tend to rely on the various mechanisms of the informal and non-official components of the internal justice system, which they believe can offer. Some believe that the higher the hierarchy the conflict (in the hope that a superior will impose a solution) will more quickly get a solution or that they will be able to obtain a lucrative solution using the formal system (also relying on a solution), often losing sight of the long-term sustainable benefits of the informal solution. Achieving that people themselves take responsibility for solving their work problems is often one of the challenges faced by professionals in the informal system. Efforts to promote such a system within and outside the Office of the Ombudsman should therefore emphasize the importance of early conflict prevention and management. In this context, the regional ombudsman will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in the field and at Headquarters to promote this approach.", "D. Update on the application of incentives for informal settlement", "31. At its sixty-fifth session, the General Assembly considered a series of incentives to encourage recourse to the informal settlement,[5] which was prepared by the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services at the request of the Assembly. The proposals, which were formulated in the light of lessons learned and best practices from similar offices of international organizations, were discussed at the session of the Management-Personnel Coordination Committee held in Beirut in June 2010. These included proposals related to the need to raise awareness of the mandate and activities of the Office and the benefits of the informal solution: to encourage managers to cooperate with and respond in a timely manner at the request of the Office; to improve access by deploying quick response teams; to amend the Staff Rules with regard to the computation of timelines; to promote competition for conflict resolution; and to enhance the expression of support for the management part;", "32. The General Assembly, reaffirming that informal conflict resolution is a critical element of the system of administration of justice, welcomed the incentives proposed by the Office. In paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly recalled the recommendations contained in paragraphs 124 to 126 and 128 to 133 of the report of the Secretary-General (A/65/303) and requested the Secretary-General to ensure the full implementation of recommendations that could be implemented easily and that they did not require additional resources or amendments to the Staff Regulations and Regulations, and to include all other recommendations in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012 - 2013.", "33. This section provides up-to-date information on ongoing efforts to implement the incentives for the informal settlement approved by the General Assembly. The Office is encouraged that stakeholders have started to apply incentives and will continue to work with all stakeholders, including staff and management, to ensure that incentives are fully implemented.", "34. An important development in this area is the guidelines transmitted by the Under-Secretary-General for Management to all heads of departments and offices in January 2011, which were based on the previous directions of the Deputy Secretary-General to senior managers. The relevant communication emphasized the important role that the informal component of the justice system plays in the working environment, as well as the advantages of the informal solution, and managers were encouraged to respond immediately to any request for information, inputs, etc. of the Office and in any case no later than 30 days after the request was made. The Office is already finding the effect of this guideline in reducing the response time observed in the handling of several cases.", "35. A second important development is the competition for conflict resolution and capacity-building for managers and staff to deal with conflict situations in the workplace and make use of the informal system effectively. In this context, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is working, inter alia, with the Office of Human Resources Management to provide training in dispute resolution to key partners in the comprehensive system of administration of justice and other interested staff. In view of the importance of conflict management in any institutional context, the Integrated Office will continue with such collaboration to strengthen specialized training in conflict management at different duty stations.", "36. Another development in the application of incentives is the preparation by the United Nations Ombudsman of results reports for some departments of the Secretariat which identify systemic guidelines and issues in their respective areas. Two of these reports have already been submitted. This practice will be progressively extended to all departments. On the other hand, the United Nations Ombudsman has been invited by the Deputy Secretary-General to participate in the meetings of the Management Performance Board and the Management Committee. Such continued collaboration and the determined support of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General for the informal settlement process have produced positive results: the informal solution is currently included as one of the elements of effective leadership in the compacts between the Secretary-General and senior managers.", "37. With regard to proposals made by the Office to amend the Staff Rules, the General Assembly, in paragraph 23 of its resolution 65/251, requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to submit a proposal in that regard to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. In this context, the Office of Human Resources Management plans to review chapters X and XI of the Staff Rules relating to the administration of justice when the amendment to rule 11.1 (c) is addressed. Future activity reports will continue to provide updated information on the implementation of incentives for informal settlement.", "E. Dissemination and promotion", "Promoting a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention", "38. In 2010, the Integrated Office consolidated its outreach activities in a number of areas in line with the spirit of the General Assembly guidelines on informal settlement, including with regard to the need for better access to staff and increased recourse to the informal system. The secretariat ' s ombudsman, funds and programmes and UNHCR continued to coordinate their outreach activities on the basis of common principles that enable synergies to be developed and a culture of collaboration and alternative dispute resolution within the United Nations system to be coordinated. While guided by common principles, different entities developed their outreach campaigns based on the specific needs of their respective stakeholders.", "Joint communication instruments", "39. Outreach activities, such as presentations, meetings, training workshops, videoconferencing and missions, constitute an important component of the work of the Office and a platform to explain the full range of services that the Ombudsman can provide, including the advisory function. They are also aimed at providing conflict management skills to help prevent conflicts and to deal with conflicts that have been mismanaged in an early and effective manner.", "40. One of the key components of outreach activities is the website, which allows access to information in the six official United Nations languages on the Office and the services it provides. The Office established contacts with all field operations to provide information on the website and how to access the Office ' s intranet through the Internet.", "41. In order to give greater visibility to the Office, an illustrative poster of the principles of the informal solution was distributed to all offices at Headquarters and in the field. A number of requests for additional material were made for distribution to field offices. Other communication tools prepared jointly by the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR are presentations and articles for the United Nations intranet on the Office and the benefits of the informal solution.", "Outreach activities between field staff and duty stations away from Headquarters", "42. The ability to service staff outside Headquarters in person increased significantly in 2010 as a result of the presence of regional offices. Outreach initiatives gained new momentum through the focus of various activities in each region, including staff meetings, senior management, staff representatives and other key stakeholders. Insofar as budgetary constraints permitted, travel was also made for outreach to field missions and established duty stations, together with the provision of ombudsman services.", "43. In the Secretariat, field missions for the provision of services in person to resolve disputes were used to promote greater awareness of informal conflict resolution. This consisted of meetings with senior management and staff representation agencies, as well as open discussions to enhance the understanding of the mandate and activities of the Office. Delegations on mission also dealt with specific cases with a view to solving problems at work. It should be noted that special efforts were made to reach national staff. Among those missions, which were carried out within the limits of the funds allocated to the support account for peacekeeping operations, were those sent to the United Nations Operation in Côte d ' Ivoire, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste,", "44. Peacekeeping activities also included videoconferencing with field managers, including UNTSO and MINURSO. Regular budget missions included those sent to the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the Economic Commission for Africa.", "45. In 2010, the ombudsman for funds and programmes carried out five field missions in four regions. The Office of the Ombudsperson of UNHCR conducted field missions in parallel with workshops of the Adviser on a Respectful Workplace in Eastern Europe and Southern Africa.", "Outreach activities among managers and other stakeholders", "46. During the reporting period, special outreach efforts were made to bring to the attention of relevant stakeholders the institutional value of the informal solution. The United Nations Ombudsman moderated a session on how to increase staff-management confidence through institutional reforms during the senior management retreat convened by the Secretary-General in 2010. The United Nations Ombudsman also participated in meetings of the Management Performance Board, the Management Committee, the Staff-Management Coordination Committee (Beirut, June 2010) and several senior management team meetings at the departmental level. These activities increased the awareness of senior managers of the benefits of informal settlement and resulted in increased commitment to the informal process, as demonstrated by the increase in the number of cases referred to the Office by managers.", "47. In the context of joint efforts to enhance cooperation with external stakeholders and exchange best practices, the ombudsman of the Secretariat and the funds and programmes participated in the annual meeting of the International Association of Ombudsman held in New Orleans in April 2010 and, together with the ombudsman of UNHCR, at the ombudsman and mediators of the United Nations system and related international organizations held in Paris in September 2010.", "48. The ombudsman of funds and programmes participated in three UNDP regional cluster meetings, which met with management and staff representatives. Ombudsmen were also invited to make a presentation to 300 managers at the annual global meeting of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In addition, the Ombudsman addressed the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) security advisers and made presentations at the Mediation and Transformation Techniques Workshop of the UNICEF Information Technology Solutions and Services Division. On the other hand, the Ombudsman welcomed the opportunity to address recent Resident Coordinators on the occasion of the New York Leadership and Management Training Seminar.", "49. In 2010, the Office of the UNHCR Ombudsman continued to expand its network of advisers on a respectful working environment as part of its outreach activities. The objective is to prevent or reduce the intensity of conflicts by addressing them promptly and at their root, while ensuring that relevant information is available on the avenues that stakeholders can follow to seek advice or assistance or file a claim. The programme of advisers on a respectful working environment is based on a model developed by the World Bank and consists of: (a) postulation and appointment, through a secret voting system, as advisers on a trusted working environment of colleagues; (b) one workshop; (c) the provision of further support by the Office of the UNHCR Ombudsman. The advisers share a thematic report with the Office of the UNHCR Ombudsman every four months.", "Conflict Resolution Day", "50. On 21 October 2010, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services held the day of conflict resolution with Secretariat staff and funds and programmes. General participation meetings were held in Nairobi and Santiago to promote the use of informal conflict resolution and to provide the various parties involved in the settlement of labour conflicts with the possibility of familiarizing themselves with the work of the Office and of knowing and greeting officials. The regional office in Nairobi held the day presenting a series of inspiring and illustrative video clips of cases where the theory that serves as the basis for conflict resolution was applied in schools, the workplace and globally. The information received indicated that these videos allowed participants to perceive their interactions in the workplace and home from a different perspective. The Office in Santiago, which serves Latin America and the Caribbean, also held an open day, bringing together a number of officials from the region. The Executive Secretary of ECLAC welcomed the initiative, noting that “it is encouraging to note that, thanks to the work of the regional ombudsman, our organization is better equipped to address and resolve labour differences for the benefit of all.” The Office plans to hold this day on an annual basis.", "Enhancing competition for conflict resolution", "51. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services partnered with the Office of Human Resources Management and UNDP to provide a training programme on conflict management and settlement of labour disputes to key partners in the comprehensive justice system and other interested staff. Nearly 100 United Nations Secretariat, UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNFPA and WFP staff participated in this fruitful training. The observations on the subject were positive. After familiarizing himself with the various informal dispute resolution instruments and, in particular, with the mediation services offered by the Office of the Ombudsman, one of the participants commented that “he was not aware that mediation had such transformative power of seemingly insoluble conflicts.” Another said: “We should take steps to make all staff aware of this process and make greater use of it as managers.”", "52. In July 2010, UNHCR organized a workshop on advice on an environment of work that is respectful for some officials from Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and in October of the same year organized a joint workshop with WFP of a similar nature for Southern African officials. The aim of the workshops was to prepare field staff for a possible voluntary role as advisers on a respectful working environment. In 2009, an advisory workshop was organized in collaboration with WFP for WFP staff from East African countries, following a pilot training course in West Africa in 2007. UNHCR currently has 48 advisers on a respectful working environment serving in 31 countries. The seminars are organized by the UNHCR Global Learning Centre, while the Office of the UNHCR Ombudsman and, where appropriate, WFP participate in the provision of training.", "53. In 2010, UNHCR also took the initiative to address conflict management by applying a new learning concept, namely, that of the Conflict Management Programme, which will be piloted in 2011. The programme is aimed at changing the way staff deal with labour conflicts. In addition, special training on mediation in labour conflicts will be provided to managers. Since 2011, mediation training will also be part of the training of new representatives. The Global Learning Centre of UNHCR leads the Conflict Management Programme and the training of representatives.", "54. The funds and programmes intend to re-examine the possibilities offered by the advisory programme on a respectful working environment, for which a number of pilot programmes have been implemented, including with UNICEF. The programme has proved to be useful as a first resource for staff members in the face of conflict in country offices. Cooperation with UNHCR, the World Bank and WFP will also be strengthened. In addition, the Office plans to study UNHCR ' s experience in providing mediation training to some staff members.", "55. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is developing an active communications strategy that will build on progress in promoting informal settlement, encouraging and facilitating recourse to informal settlement by senior managers and other important stakeholders, as well as promoting a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention. In this context, a number of activities will be organized for the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the ombudsman role in the United Nations in 2012.", "II. Systemic issues", "A. Source and context", "Identification and communication of issues", "56. In paragraph 21 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly recalled paragraph 11 of its resolution 64/233, in which it emphasized that the role of the Ombudsman was to report on the overall systemic issues to be identified, as well as on the issues brought to its attention, in order to promote greater harmony in the workplace. In paragraph 12 of resolution 64/233, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report to it on a regular basis on actions taken in response to the findings of the Ombudsman on systemic issues.", "57. While the high percentage of cases related to a particular issue is a good indicator of a systemic problem, there are issues that the Ombudsman identifies directly that are systemic and may have systemic implications. For the determination of systemic issues to be included in the annual report, the Office seeks to maintain a balance between systemic issues identified on the basis of the number of cases and other issues that may not yet produce the same number of cases but which, however, are problematic and may worsen if not properly addressed.", "B. Systemic issues identified during the reporting period in the Secretariat, funds and programmes and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees", "58. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services uses the categories of issues defined by the International Association of Ombudsman[7]. In 2010, as in 2009, the categories of issues most frequently brought to the attention of the Office were job and career issues, evaluation relationships (oversight), remuneration and benefits, and legal, regulatory and financial and compliance issues.", "Figure I", "Issues raised in the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by category", "1. Post and career", "59. During the reporting period, 34 per cent of cases reported by the Office were related to post and career issues.[8] Such issues have prevailed over the past three years. The regional ombudsman reported that they were also among the major concerns on the ground.", "60. In the Secretariat, the frustration caused by the lack of career prospects and the lack of confidence in the selection process has been a constant concern. It is possible that an important element is the discrepancy between the expectations of the staff, which sees in the rise a satisfaction factor in that regard, on the one hand, and the Organization ' s ability to meet those expectations in a changing economic environment and a changing peacekeeping landscape, on the other. In this context, there are a number of measures that the Organization could take to improve the work experience and the consequent motivation of staff with existing means, so that the promotion does not become the default prism from which staff members perceive their careers. This would mean moving from the perspective that focuses on the success expressed in promotions to one focused on job satisfaction through the realization of challenging tasks, career planning and a sense of responsibility and contribution. This approach would require managers to play a more active role in terms of job satisfaction and the tasks assigned to their subordinates.", "61. In some regions, the excessive use of temporary contracts, which are not always in place to complete specific projects, but for the performance of regular functions, places in a very precarious situation many people who are notified of the renewal of their contracts in very short notice.", "62. Complaints were received of cases of gender discrimination in peacekeeping missions by visitors, who filed complaints of discrimination in recruitment, labour relations and professional promotion processes. In the Secretariat in general, visitors also reported cases of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.", "63. In the funds and programmes, the expression of concerns about post and career issues varied according to the category of staff members. For example, a significantly higher number of national Professional and support staff filed complaints regarding nomination and selection processes for posts than international Professional staff. This might indicate that there is a need to provide greater opportunities for professional progression to such officials, since they do not often have as many opportunities to acquire experience and professional promotion as their international colleagues. Another difference in this category is that more women than men go to the Office to expose career progression concerns and opportunities in this regard.", "64. UNHCR frequently raised concerns regarding nominations and selection for posts, as well as non-renewal of contracts; the third most important concern focused on career progression and opportunities in this regard. It was found that the concerns about career progression were most often exposed by women than men. Problems related to the non-renewal of contracts were raised almost exclusively by category staff other than that of international Professional staff.", "Planned reassignment between missions", "65. The Office has learned that many staff members have served on the same mission, including in difficult duty stations, for years, without career prospects or development or change opportunities, including in the form of side transfers. A roster system has been established for missions and is expected to contribute to better responding to such concerns.", "Requirements for temporary assistance", "66. In the cases submitted to the United Nations Ombudsman, different interpretations were put into play in the application of the rules designed to allow temporary assistance considered external to be eligible for posts at any level which, in his view, could reasonably compete. As the wording of the rule governing these cases is clear[9], the systemic issue that these cases illustrate is not normative but rather inconsistent with the application of the rules.", "Recommendations", "1. Human resources staff and managers should transmit to staff at all levels realistic information on career prospects, the pyramid of posts, the average number of promotions of each staff member and the impact of the reduction of peacekeeping missions. Managers should provide constructive but realistic information to their subordinates in general and identify opportunities to promote job satisfaction. In addition, unselected staff members would benefit from the provision of information, which managers should provide, if requested.", "2. Staff participation is already planned as part of the process of reducing peacekeeping missions. Management should ensure compliance and, where possible, strengthening of these procedures by providing information at all levels so that staff can understand the direction and decisions taken and make informed decisions about their future as soon as possible.", "3. A reorientation of expectations should be undertaken in order to change the perception that promotion is the only way to a successful career. Contributions should be assessed at all levels and emphasis should be placed on job satisfaction. This reorientation should receive institutional support through appropriate mechanisms, such as a periodic review of the career and tasks assigned to staff members by heads of department at interdepartmental meetings. Such a review should focus particularly on staff members who have long-term positions.", "4. The planned reassignment between missions should be introduced to complement the existing selection mechanism for the placement of staff in order to avoid undue difficulties and stagnation in careers. Consideration should be given to expanding the programme of the voluntary networking initiative and ensuring the effective implementation of the planned mobility policy.", "2. Evaluation and peer-to-peer relationships", "67. 20 per cent of the issues brought to the attention of the Integrated Office in 2010 were related to evaluation relationships, which accounted for 19 per cent of cases in the Secretariat, 21 per cent in funds and programmes and 26 per cent in UNHCR. Concerns regarding respectful treatment constituted the most frequently raised sub-item.", "Performance assessment process", "68. Providing and receiving constructive information in a diverse and multicultural environment is a difficult and complex task. The cases presented to the ombudsman reveal deficiencies in the staff capacity and management of doing so. Differences in perception and expectations regarding the role of managers are also a cause of conflict. In most cases received throughout the Integrated Office, subordinates expected more democratic and participatory management styles, while managers opted for more directional management styles, often citing the need to do things. This source of conflicts is not limited to the performance assessment process, although the cases in which it generates them are common. Managers have requested help from the Office of the Ombudsman to address staff members who are considered difficult, while staff members who come to the Office wish to address the need to be heard or appreciated to a greater extent by their seniors.", "Harassment and abuse of authority", "69. The difficulties encountered in the interaction of supervisors and monitors have often caused allegations of harassment and abuse of authority by staff members who saw no alternative to address their concerns. This trend was also brought to the attention of the United Nations Ombudsman during visits to missions by the conduct and discipline units that had received complaints of this nature. Many of the complaints, which had been pending for a long time, had led to official complaints, which could have been avoided if all concerned had faced the situation with more skill.", "Building conflict resolution and confidence-building skills", "70. There is a need to redouble efforts across the Organization to improve performance management capacity and incorporate conflict-resolution skills as one of the staff and management competencies. An essential element of the latter would be to build confidence.", "71. The Office welcomes the fact that the Secretary-General, following the advice of the United Nations Ombudsman, has incorporated these skills into his compact with senior management as one of the required leadership elements. This is expected to have a “filtration” effect on all administrators, supervisors and officials. The increase in training in conflict resolution skills at all levels is also a commendable systemic response.", "72. Furthermore, in the context of the review of organizational competencies by the Office of Human Resources Management, the United Nations Ombudsman proposed the incorporation of conflict resolution skills into the competencies that all staff should have. The proposal was well received.", "Respectful treatment", "73. Respect for diversity is one of the core values of the United Nations and all staff members are expected to express this core value in their daily work. Unfortunately, it's not always like that. Lack of respect and consequent lack of confidence are always factors that trigger conflicts in any context. It has been noted that such situations often occur in missions and affect in particular national staff. The collaboration of all stakeholders is needed to ensure that this situation receives the attention it deserves.", "Recommendations", "1. Efforts to improve performance management skills throughout the Organization, including missions, should be increased on the understanding that the evaluation process and the ongoing dialogue it brings are a shared responsibility of all staff and administration.", "2. Heads of departments and missions should participate directly in the management of the performance of their subordinates in their respective areas of competence.", "3. The conduct and discipline units and the Office of Internal Oversight Services should draw the attention of managers and other relevant staff to lessons learned as a result of more administrative and disciplinary complaints. Such experiences should be reviewed by the Management Performance Board and incorporated into leadership and management training programmes.", "4. The ongoing efforts to incorporate conflict resolution capacity throughout the Organization should continue, through training and the need for staff to be held accountable through evaluation mechanisms, following the example given by the Secretary-General and the Senior Management Performance Board.", "5. It should be prescribed that senior managers, including missions, should mark the guidelines for respectful treatment of all staff and should periodically strengthen that message in their meetings and other appropriate forums.", "3. Remuneration and benefits and services and administration", "74. 15 per cent of the issues presented to the Integrated Office in 2010 related to remuneration and benefits and accounted for 16 per cent of cases in the Secretariat, 17 per cent in funds and programmes and 10 per cent in UNHCR.", "75. Both categories were discussed together as many pay and benefits issues had more to do with the way in which benefits were managed and staffed than with benefits themselves.", "Staff information and advice on benefits and ability to answer questions", "76. The interpretation and application of the rules does not always appear uniform throughout the system. The high number of changes introduced through previous and ongoing reform processes and the multiple consequent changes in conditions of service may contribute to this.", "77. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services recognizes that staff have all relevant information at their disposal on the intranet. In this regard, the Ombudsman considers recent initiatives to reorganize the information published on the intranet (iSeek) very positive in order to make it more accessible to users. It has been noted that increased communication efforts have taken place centrally at policy-making levels. However, there appears to be a need to better harmonize existing information resources with effective implementation so that the guidelines can be implemented and communicated more effectively to staff.", "Timely provision to information staff on changes in variable benefits", "78. The attention of the Office was drawn to the fact that in some cases the changes in the rest and recovery cycles had been reported after their entry into force and, in some cases, with different application dates. This made it difficult for staff to plan their future activities. The Office of Human Resources Management is taking steps to address such situations.", "Special functions allowance", "79. The special functions allowance is paid to pay for the provision of services at a higher level than the level of the staff member. However, according to the rules, their payment is discretionary, which does not guarantee equal pay for work according to some visitors. On the other hand, the procedures followed for granting this grant involve a number of steps that some consider unnecessary and outdated, as at present temporary assignments of staff to posts above their current level are only made after a competitive selection process, which was not the case when the rules on the special functions allowance were drafted.", "Benefits for dependants", "80. The Office of the Ombudsman has raised to the Office of Human Resources Management the concerns of staff members who are separated or divorced in respect of which parent is to receive benefits for their dependent children. The Office is pleased to note that this issue will be addressed in the next relevant administrative instruction to be issued.", "Recommendations", "1. The mechanisms used to inform staff members of their conditions of service should be revised, simplified, normalized and strengthened at all stages of the career, that is, during the incorporation process; during the orientation sessions devoted to their conditions of service; when changes in their conditions of service are introduced throughout their career; and at the time of separation of service. It should be noted that the provision of information through print or electronic media does not replace interactive communication with staff members interested in an environment where they can ask questions and get their concerns addressed immediately, nor is it as effective as it is.", "2. It should be ensured that the human and administrative staff concerned at all duty stations are sufficiently familiar with the rules and trained in their application, as well as customer guidance, in order to ensure that the rules are uniformly applied in a manner that staff members consider to be treated as appropriate.", "3. Consideration should be given to developing guidelines on the time of response to staff consultations and other client guidance standards.", "4. The Office has noted that reporting on rest and recovery cycles has improved. However, it is important that any changes in the variable benefits be communicated in a timely manner to the staff members concerned.", "5. The special functions subsidy process should be reviewed with a view to simplifying its implementation and deleting the groups responsible for such a subsidy.", "4. Legal, regulatory, financial and compliance issues", "81. In accordance with the guidelines and categories of issues developed by the International Association of Ombudsmen, which the Office applies in reporting, the issues of this category relate to financial, legal and disciplinary matters, including harassment, waste, misuse of funds and research or disciplinary processes. During the reporting period, 8 per cent of cases brought to the attention of the Office were of this category and harassment (excluding sexual harassment) was the most common concern. The percentage of such issues was slightly higher in 2009 (10 per cent). The ombudsman of funds and programmes reported that 80 per cent of cases submitted to their offices had indicated that the other party to the conflict was a senior management officer or a direct supervisor. In the Secretariat and UNHCR, legal, regulatory, financial and compliance issues accounted for 11 per cent and 8 per cent of cases, respectively.", "Update on the delays in investigations on possible disciplinary matters", "82. The question of delays in investigations was addressed in the Secretary-General ' s last report (A/65/303) and continued to be raised in 2010 as a matter of due process and from the point of view of their impact on career prospects and the situation of staff affected. The Office therefore welcomes the efforts of the senior management and the Office of Internal Oversight Services to address this issue. A full review was conducted, initially under the auspices of the Deputy Secretary-General and later the Office of Internal Oversight Services, which led to proposals to remedy the situation in the context of an update on the existing disciplinary procedures. That integrated approach to the issue ensures that the issue will be addressed at the systemic level.", "83. Even if the specific cases dealt with were of a disciplinary nature, the systemic issue was the ability to investigate quickly and effectively. On the other hand, many of the cases submitted in the form of complaints of harassment or abuse of authority, could have been aggravated because they were not properly treated by the parties concerned. Consequently, efforts to strengthen performance management and system-wide conflict resolution skills may help to reduce the frequency of this problem.", "5. Organizational, leadership and management issues", "84. 5 per cent of issues brought to the attention of the Office were related to organizational, leadership and management issues and accounted for 8 per cent of cases in UNHCR and funds and programmes and 4 per cent in the Secretariat. The issues of this category relate, inter alia, to the climate of organization and change management, as well as to leadership in organization and management styles.", "Strengthening a culture of informal conflict resolution", "85. In general, the guidelines provided by senior managers to all heads of offices and departments that encourage recourse to informal resolution and improve response capacity in this regard have effectively contributed to the increased involvement of managers and managers in the process. It will be crucial to continue such efforts and to ensure a better oriented and sustained commitment by all stakeholders to increase the effectiveness of the informal process. Experience has shown that when the parties engage constructively early, it is possible to achieve positive results, which increases confidence in informal conflict resolution and the passage of an attitude of confrontation to a dialogue and resolution of mutual problems.", "Change management", "86. As a rule, reforms that help the Organization to keep up with time, to fulfil its mandate and to remain competitive and attractive as an employer are well received by staff and management. However, the various reforms introduced successively in the past decade, some of which require staff to do more without additional resources, appear to have left both staff and administration overcrowded with reforms. One of the specific challenges that the Office has identified is the conceptualization and implementation of such reform initiatives or, if desired, how the need for change is determined and then communicated to the sectors concerned; to what extent staff are required to participate in change management initiatives to accept and commit to such processes; and whether the necessary resources and training mechanisms are available or available to ensure that reforms are sustainable.", "Recommendations", "Issues related to change management and organizational management culture, including accountability, should be addressed at the highest level, such as the Management Performance Board. Changes require a communication strategy and staff participation in decision-making to ensure that the process is identified and committed. Every effort should be made to determine how such participation could be strengthened. More importantly, any reform should be planned with due regard to the implementation and provision of the necessary resources and support for transition periods. The recent reform initiative may provide an excellent opportunity to address ongoing and subsequent reforms in the light of the above.", "6. Safety, health, well-being, stress and working and personal life issues", "87. Issues relating to (a) security, health, well-being, stress and work and personal life, (b) values, ethics and standards, and (c) services and administration, accounted for 4 per cent of all issues raised in the Integrated Office.", "Update on emergency and crisis management and information on a new issue", "88. One of the core functions of the United Nations is to assist others in crisis situations. Unfortunately, in view of selective attacks against United Nations officials and that large-scale natural disasters also affect many staff members, it is necessary for the Organization to develop action plans and special measures to address the needs of staff after such events. The Office of the Ombudsman has been addressing this issue for some time and welcomed the establishment of an emergency preparedness and response team at the Office of Human Resources Management as a first step. The Office also welcomes the increased attention and support provided to that team[10]. The Office of the Ombudsman also welcomes the important efforts that have been made to build lessons learned from the Department of Management and the Department of Field Support. The Office of the Ombudsman will work with the Emergency Preparedness and Response Team to exchange information on systemic trends and patterns that are detected after emergencies and best practices derived from experience in this area.", "89. Other concerns include the effective implementation of post-crisis special measures and the need to consider such measures or exceptions in crisis situations with a view to enhancing the capacity to implement them before communicating. In this context, the Office of the Ombudsman is working with all stakeholders, certain officials, staff unions, managers and management to resolve outstanding issues.", "Health and safety issues", "90. Cases related to medical matters, particularly in the field, revealed that most of the concerns were related to health and safety policy issues, indicating the need for a comprehensive health and safety policy for all United Nations staff. The Office notes that one of the recommendations made by the United Nations system medical directors working group is that a health and safety policy be adopted at work. The Office welcomes the recommendation and considers that any policy in this area should also take into account the correlation between misleading conflicts and possible adverse health consequences.", "91. For example, one of the specific issues that are often brought to the attention of the Ombudsman is absenteeism, that is, the tendency of officials who may be experiencing higher levels of stress than normal due to labour conflicts, to take advantage of extended sick leave. When they return to work, far from finding an improved working environment, they find that the situation has worsened by increasing the effects on colleagues who might show solidarity prior to the period of leave but then became resentful because they had to take full or part in the additional work resulting from their absence. As a result, absenteeism as an element of labour conflicts is an issue that should be fully addressed in view of its potential effects on productivity and morals.", "92. The visitors of the Integrated Office also expressed concerns about the procedures governing the selection of doctors to integrate the medical boards responsible for reviewing complaints. In accordance with the guidelines in force, the administration appoints one doctor and one staff member; the two designated doctors must agree on a third; sometimes these doctors fail to agree on a third party, resulting in delays that may be prolonged. In considering such cases, the Office noted that the Medical Board and the directory of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund are vestiges of the old system and lack formal conflict resolution mechanisms. There may be a need to revisit the policies and procedures for the functioning of those entities within the framework of the new system of administration of justice, which emphasizes the informal resolution of conflicts.", "Recommendations", "1. In devising special measures for crisis-affected staff members, due consideration should be given to their effective implementation so that the proposed measures effectively contribute to mitigating the problem they face. Models and measures for possible scenarios may be developed without the pressure of a real crisis. Improved cooperation in this area between the Department of Management, the Office of Human Resources Management, medical services and the Department of Field Support, both at Headquarters and in field operations, is encouraging and deserves recognition. It should also be mentioned that, subsequently, a number of special measures were taken which proved to be very useful for relevant staff without any difficulties or the consequent cases of the type described above.", "2 Staff should be free to expose their concerns to the Office of the Ombudsman and be respected if they do. Staff should not be afraid that when they resort to the Office of the Ombudsman or to the formal complaints mechanism, they would be subject to reprisals or that they would be isolated or acquire a bad reputation.", "3. A comprehensive occupational health and safety policy should be established. This should take into account the potential adverse consequences for the health of the ill-driven conflicts.", "4. Guidelines on case review by the Medical Board should be revised to include, inter alia, informal dispute resolution.", "III. Statistical information: ombudsman services", "A. Number of cases", "93. In 2010, the number of cases submitted to the Office increased by 35 per cent, to a total of 1,764 compared to 1,287 in 2009.", "Figure II", "Number of cases opened between 2008 and 2010 in the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "94. In the Secretariat, demand for services was increased during the reporting period and the number of cases increased by 70 per cent between 2009 and 2010. In the regional offices, 725 cases were opened in 2010, which also influenced the significant increase. The staff of the Integrated Office continued to work beyond their duty to meet demand and ensure the delivery of quality services despite the challenges posed by this increase. It should be noted that the degree of complexity tends to vary greatly from case to case. Visitors often present a case that raises multiple issues that can relate to different policies and practices and require interaction between different stakeholders. For example, a visitor may contact the Office in connection with the fact that he has not been selected for a post, which may also affect the evaluation of his/her performance, contractual status, rights and benefits, etc.", "95. The cases are recorded according to the number of visitors and not the number of issues they raise. The time it takes to resolve them, which depends on the complexity of silver issues, ranges between two weeks and three months. This involves multiple sessions with each visitor and several contacts with relevant stakeholders on behalf of the visitor, including itinerant mediation, to discuss the different aspects of the matter and reach a mutually acceptable solution.", "96. The ombudsman for funds and programmes opened 418 cases in 2010[11]. During the first semester of the year, while the new ombudsman were expected to assume their functions, the total number of visitors remained stable due to the reduced capacity to deal with cases. The number of cases increased substantially in the second half of the year after the new ombudsman took office.", "97. UNHCR ' s ombudsman received 140 visitors in 2010, slightly smaller than in 2009. In addition, in 2010, the network of advisers on a UNHCR-respectful workplace, which was expanded by the end of 2009, received 65 visitors who, together, raised 87 issues.", "B. Demographic characteristics", "Number of cases submitted to the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by type of duty station", "98. The types of duty stations in the Secretariat are Headquarters in New York, offices away from Headquarters and field missions. In funds and programmes, duty station rates are headquarters in Copenhagen and New York and country offices, and UNHCR is the headquarters in Geneva, the Budapest Global Service Centre and field offices. Figure III provides a breakdown of cases by duty station in the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR.", "99. As in the previous two years, most visitors worked in offices away from headquarters, country offices and field offices in 2010. However, the distribution of visitors by type of duty station varies from one sector to another and with time.", "Figure III", "Percentage of cases in the Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services and individual entities in 2010 by type of duty station", "100. The percentage of cases received from field offices (which are only part of the Secretariat) increased from 24 per cent in 2009 to 34 per cent in 2010. The proportion of cases in this category of staff could increase in the future, as 60 per cent of Secretariat staff serve in field missions.", "101. In the funds and programmes, 73 per cent of cases addressed during the reporting period were cases originated in country offices and 27 per cent were cases originated in offices away from Headquarters. This is consistent with the results of previous years and reflects the nature of the organizations, which is geared to field activities.", "102. As in 2009, 38 per cent of UNHCR visitors came from headquarters duty stations and 62 per cent from field offices. This information indicates that the investment of the situation observed prior to 2008 appears to have stabilized, which can be attributed to increased awareness of the role and role of the Office of the Ombudsman as a result of field missions and, in particular, the new expansion in collaboration with WFP of the network of advisers on a respectful working environment.", "Professional category of staff visiting the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services", "103. Since 2008, Professional staff have been the most visited by the Office (44 per cent), followed by support staff (19 per cent, compared with 26 per cent in 2008 and 2009).", "104. Only the Secretariat has a special category of field staff, consisting of international support staff serving exclusively in field missions (peacekeeping and special political missions). Field staff accounted for 11 per cent of all Secretariat staff who visited the Office.", "105. The proportion of visitors from different professional categories working outside Headquarters increased. The percentage of national staff seeking assistance increased from 7 per cent in 2008 and 2009 to 13 per cent in 2010. The percentage of visitors from field staff (specifically Secretariat) also increased from 8 per cent in 2008 and 2009 to 11 per cent in 2010.", "106. Between 2008 and 2010, the percentages of visitors belonging to the three remaining occupational categories remained constant, at about 3 per cent: (a) former staff members and retirees, (b) volunteers and (c) director and above, remained stable.", "Figure IV", "Visitors to the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by professional level", "107. In the Secretariat, 41 per cent of the visitors belonged to the Professional category and 17 per cent of the cases were initiated by support staff.", "108. In the funds and programmes, as in the past, most visitors (54%) belonged to the Professional category and above. As for the General Service category, more women (56%) than men contacted the Office.", "109. In UNHCR, two thirds of visitors, a slight proportional increase over the previous year, belonged to the Professional category. The number of support staff who visited the Office of the Ombudsman decreased somewhat, which was more than offset (although not reflected in statistics) by the number of staff who visited the advisers on a respectful working environment. The number of senior staff (at the P-5 level and above) who addressed the Office of the Ombudsman for advice, on their own concerns or concerns as managers, remained slightly above 10 per cent.", "C. Distribution of issues by professional category", "110. The overall distribution of the issues raised varies from one professional category to another. However, there are similarities between some of them. For example, the distribution of the three main types of issues raised is the same among Professional staff, support staff, national staff and volunteers, who raised the issue of post and career more frequently, followed by evaluation relationships and remuneration and benefits.", "111. The distribution was slightly different among the visitors from the Secretariat-specific field staff, with the post and career being the main issue they raised, the second and the third assessment ratio. In the category of director and senior categories, there is a unique distribution: evaluation relations are the most frequently raised issue, followed by the post, career and remuneration and benefits. The main issue raised by “other staff” visitors is that of remuneration and benefits.", "Figure V", "Types of issues raised to the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by professional category", "112. Conflicts around workplace relations are the second issue that most often leads staff of funds and programmes to go to the Office of the Ombudsman and accounted for 30 per cent of cases in 2010. More women than men requested assistance in this matter. Staff members frequently submit to the Office allegations of lack of respect and inappropriate treatment, usually in the form of inappropriate attention to colleagues or subordinates, as well as lack of sound and supportive communication capacities. One of the main features of positive relationships in the workplace is effective communication and consensus-building through communication.", "113. In UNHCR, international Professional staff raise more frequently issues of evaluation relationships, followed by concerns about post and career. By contrast, national Professional staff raise primarily concerns regarding post and career. General Service staff raise above all issues relating to post and career, followed by evaluation relationships and peer-to-peer relationships.", "D. Issues raised to the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by duty station", "114. The prevailing concerns raised by visitors in 2010, regardless of location, were related to the post and career. The second most cited issue had to do with evaluation and remuneration and benefits ratios. The situation was the same in 2009. In field missions, which are specific to the Secretariat, post and career issues were the most numerous. Remuneration and performance and evaluation relations were second and third, respectively.", "Figure VI", "Categories of issues raised to the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services by duty station", "[]", "115. In the funds and programmes, 73 per cent of cases originated in country offices and 27 per cent at headquarters. In both locations, the post and career issues were the main reason for initial contact by visitors. A higher proportion of female staff (29 per cent) than of staff (19 per cent) raised concerns about career advancement opportunities.", "116. In UNHCR, a little over a third of the issues were raised by headquarters staff. In this group, the two issues most frequently raised were evaluation relationships (33%) and post and career (15%). In offices away from headquarters, the two most frequently raised issues were post and career (32%) and evaluation relationships (28%). In this context, it should be noted (although it is not reflected in the statistics presented) that the issues addressed with the advisers on a respectful working environment were mainly related to the post and career (23%) and relations with peers and colleagues (21%), while the evaluation relations constituted 15 per cent of all issues.", "IV. Statistical information on mediation services", "A. Number of cases of mediation and results", "117. This section provides statistical information on cases and results, demographic characteristics and types of issues that were mediationd during the period from 1 July 2009, the date of entry into operation of the new system of administration of justice, and 31 December 2010.", "Figure VII", "Mediation cases between 1 July 2009 and 31 December 2010", "[]", "118. During the period from 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2010, the Mediation Service opened a total of 62 cases, of which 28 (45%) were subjected to mediation. Twenty-one of the latter (75%) were resolved satisfactorily and seven (25%) did not reach a positive solution. The Mediation Guidelines require the agreement of all parties to a dispute for mediation. A number of cases (29 per cent) could not be subjected to mediation because one of the parties or both opted not to resort to it after a preliminary consultation and three cases (5%) were not subjected to mediation because of other circumstances (the case was not suitable for mediation or was resolved prior to its submission). A total of 13 cases (21%) were being processed by the end of 2010.", "B. Demographic characteristics", "Figure VIII", "Mediation and demographic characteristics", "[]", "119. The majority of cases handled by the Mediation Service during the reporting period originated in offices away from Headquarters (50%). A total of 11 cases originated in field operations (18 per cent) and 20 (32 per cent) originated at Headquarters. This confirms that most cases are on the ground and therefore there is a need to increase the capacity to deal with cases in the regions.", "C. Cases under mediation by professional category", "Figure IX", "[] Cases under mediation by professional category", "120. Staff members who requested or participated more frequently in mediation during the reporting period were among the following professional categories: Professional (58 per cent), Principal or higher (100 per cent) and Support staff (19 per cent). These categories were followed by field staff and former staff and retirees (5% each) and national staff and other staff (2% each).", "D. Cases of mediation by source", "Figure X", "[] Cases of mediation by source", "121. Mediation may be requested by one or all parties to a dispute or may be referred to mediation by the internal assessment units, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal, the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, the Office of Staff Legal Assistance or other similar offices. The Mediation Service reviews all requests for mediation or referrals to the Mediation Service to determine whether cases are suitable for this purpose.", "122. During the reporting period, in 24 (39 per cent) of all cases opened, this was done at the request of one or all parties to the dispute, 13 (21 per cent) were referred by the Dispute Tribunal and 10 (16 per cent) began to be handled by the ombudsman and then submitted to mediation. The remaining cases (24 per cent) were referred by the Office of Staff Legal Assistance, the internal assessment units and other units of the Organization. Cases that were not suitable for mediation were referred to ombudsman services.", "123. The fact that the clients themselves are the main source of cases is the result of the concerted outreach activities of the Mediation Service to publicize the process and its benefits, as well as the effectiveness of the mediation procedure. New outreach activities, quality of service and increased decentralization are expected to increase the number of cases.", "E. Types of issues", "Figure XI", "Types of issues processed by the Mediation Service", "[]", "124. The main issue of conflict in matters dealt with by the Mediation Service was the post and career (38 per cent), which covers matters relating to the contractual situation. The second category per issue relates to legal, regulatory, financial and compliance matters (21 per cent). Evaluation relationships constitute the third largest category (16 per cent). At a second level, the following issues are: remuneration and benefits (12 per cent), organization, leadership and management (4 per cent), services and administration (11 per cent), safety, health and well-being (11 per cent) and values, ethics and standards (3 per cent).", "V. Future developments", "1. Building credibility and capacity to resolve conflicts", "125. The Office will continue to seek ways to promote a culture of conflict resolution and confidence-building. In this context, the Secretariat, funds and programmes and UNHCR intend to further strengthen their training, outreach and advocacy work. Accordingly, the Office ' s communication strategy will focus on three priority areas: (a) promotion of informal settlement, including mediation, as a safe first step in resolving labour conflicts; (b) partnership with senior managers and other important stakeholders to encourage and facilitate the use of the informal dispute settlement mechanism; and (c) continued promotion of a culture of collaboration and conflict prevention as an essential component of institutional health.", "2. Capacity-building in the field", "126. The Office will work to enhance its capacity to provide services to field staff, including in remote areas, building on the work already done through timely and effective action on cases and improved relationships with stakeholders, both at Headquarters and in different regions. The Office will continue to explore the possibility of establishing a new regional office to provide services in person and improve access to remote areas, including special political missions, and to mobilize financial resources for this purpose.", "127. The funds and programmes and UNHCR will continue to review options for assessing and expanding their respective advisory programmes on a respectful workplace.", "3. Measuring the effectiveness of services", "128. The Office plans to assess its operations under the new system of administration of justice, which was operational in July 2009, as well as the effectiveness and impact of its newly established structure, which is integrated with funds and programmes and UNHCR and geographically decentralized and has seven regional offices. The expert group is expected to identify lessons learned and make recommendations to improve the overall quality of services provided.", "4. Strengthening of the Mediation Service", "129. The Mediation Service will continue its efforts to consolidate its work from the point of view of the delivery and quality of outreach services and activities, particularly in the field, as well as to enhance partnerships with United Nations stakeholders and external professional organizations. The Division will also review best practices and lessons learned in its first year of operation to improve service delivery. It will also improve its roster of available mediators and work with relevant stakeholders to consider whether the mandatory suspension of filing deadlines is appropriate while informal conflict resolution procedures are being held.", "5. Contribution to the change management process", "130. The Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services was invited to participate in the joint meeting of the May 2011 policy and management committees on the reform programme. The Office is exploring ways of working with the newly established change management team to assist in ongoing efforts to simplify and improve the Organization ' s efficiency, including by informing the team about systemic trends and patterns that it identifies.", "VI. Resource requirements", "131. Decentralization has offered the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services a great opportunity to grow and improve efficiency, as originally envisaged by the Reform Group and subsequently approved by the General Assembly. However, the provision of general resources for the Office, which is one of the most critical elements for its operations and effectiveness, continues to pose a major challenge. As described in the Secretary-General ' s last report on the activities of the Office (A/65/303), regular budget funding has continued on the basis of the pre-expansion budget to meet operational requirements, in particular for regional offices and the Mediation Service. This has severely constrained the Office ' s ability to respond to the needs of staff in the field and to crises in the deer that justify intervention in person.", "132. The Office has taken a series of cost reduction measures[12] to address budgetary constraints during the reform process initiated in January 2008. In doing so, the Office was aware of the financial climate in which Member States operate and of the Secretary-General ' s appeal to all departments to do more with existing resources. Since conflict prevention is itself a measure that reduces the Organization ' s expenditure, the Office will continue to explore all possible opportunities to efficiently utilize existing budgetary allocations. It should be noted, however, that such efforts cannot fully offset the challenges posed by the management of a decentralized structure and the strong demand for informal conflict resolution services identified by the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, particularly in the Secretariat, where the number of cases increased by 70 per cent between 2009 and 2010.[13]", "133. In paragraphs 24 and 25 of its resolution 65/251, the General Assembly emphasized that it is important to ensure that all staff have equal and permanent access to the informal system of administration of justice, including the rapid response teams deployed by the Office of the Ombudsman to respond to crises and requested the Secretary-General to correct resource capacity constraints in future budget proposals. This section explains why the Office needs more resources than those requested in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013 (A/66/6, sect. 1) and identifies the areas it has identified for adjustments to meet its current needs.", "134. The Office of the Ombudsman of the Secretariat was subject to a comprehensive review by an external group in 2007. One of the main findings of the group was: “The demand for its services is likely to grow as the Office is best known and understood. The challenge is to continue to monitor the Office ' s ability to ensure its sufficiency in absorbing and processing cases and to provide timely and appropriate follow-up. Otherwise, there is a risk that the image of the Office will deteriorate and that the cases that the Ombudsperson would have been able to deal with are referred to the official system, with their consequent costs and congestion, which reproduces the conditions prevailing prior to the establishment of the Ombudsperson post.” The same concerns remain valid today.", "135. The requirements of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services under the regular budget are based on four fundamental principles:", "(a) An assessment of needs based on increased demand for services, taking into account the experience gained since the establishment of the Office in 2002 and its decentralization in 2008;", "(b) The provision of equal access to all staff and particularly those serving in remote areas and inhospitable environments;", "(c) Promoting the informal settlement of conflicts through the relevant incentives defined in the latest report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Office (A/65/303) and subsequently adopted by the General Assembly in paragraph 22 of its resolution 65/251. In this context, the General Assembly requested that specific budgetary requirements be included in the programme budget for the implementation of incentives.", "(d) Strengthening the decentralized structure and enhancing the administrative capacity of the Office to manage its operations more effectively.", "136. The structure of the Office has changed considerably with the establishment of seven regional offices, the Mediation Service and a reserve of available ombudsman and mediators. Over the past two years, the Office has encountered problems in its day-to-day operations that have affected the management of its financial and human resources. In its management letter dated 15 June 2010, the Board of Auditors noted that daily management problems were likely to increase following decentralization and would constitute a full-time occupancy for an administrative officer to ensure coherence and coordination throughout the decentralized structure. Owing to its multisectoral role, the Office also has a growing involvement in promoting conflict prevention and harmonious working conditions at Headquarters and in the field, which requires considerable coordination with the various stakeholders within the Organization. In order to address these shortcomings and to enable the United Nations Ombudsman and his staff to concentrate fully on their substantive functions of resolving labour conflicts, it is proposed to establish two Professional posts whose incumbents provide the necessary support to the United Nations Ombudsman, the Director of the Office and the team as a whole.", "137. Accordingly, it is proposed to establish the following two posts in the biennium 2012-2013:", "(a) One Administrative Officer (P-4), to assist the Director of the Office in managing and monitoring the human and financial resources of the Office and in ensuring the coherence of its standards and operations. This includes the administration of available ombudsmen and mediators and the treatment of budgetary and financial issues for Headquarters and all their offices;", "(b) A Special Assistant (P-4) to support the United Nations Ombudsman in strategic and operational planning, as well as in policy coordination and information management. It should be noted that all senior officials of the United Nations Secretariat have this critical support that enables them to concentrate fully on their core responsibilities for providing strategic guidance. The Special Assistant would support the United Nations Ombudsman and the Director in monitoring the day-to-day management of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and the coordination of inputs from the various components of the integrated structure, which would ensure an agile and coherent approach to the functioning of operations in general. The incumbent would also support the United Nations Ombudsman in processing and monitoring high-risk cases and in his interactions with his high-level counterparts, including in his work with intergovernmental agencies.", "138. Travel resources amounting to $180,000 are requested for the biennium 2012-2013 to enable the Office to resolve disputes through in-person interventions, to prevent the concealment of issues and to prevent them from affecting productivity and morals and to lead to a challenging judicial process. Such resources would also provide an opportunity for additional activities such as providing conflict advice and building the capacity to resolve conflicts at duty stations where the Ombudsman has no presence. Resources would also make it possible for regional ombudsmen to meet with officials in their immediate areas of responsibility and to regularly visit regional commissions that do not have an ombudsman. This regular presence has been requested by the administration and staff repeatedly. The resources will also be used to establish the immediate response team of the ombudsman, a mechanism that will enable rapid response and resolution of unforeseen situations. As the informal system was receiving increased recognition in 2010, the number of requests for immediate intervention by the United Nations Ombudsman or the available ombudsman and mediators increased considerably and in several critical situations it was not possible to send an ombudsman or mediation team due to the lack of travel resources. Finally, the resources will enable the Office to hold an annual retreat so that all its staff will exchange best practices and lessons learned with a view to improving the overall operational capacity of the Office.", "139. Training resources of $150,000 are requested to cover training, related travel and conference costs related to training for staff of the Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services, including regional offices. This would enable it to deliver conflict management training modules in its area of responsibility in coordination with the Office of Human Resources Management to build conflict resolution capacity. Increasingly, the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is requested to provide training sessions on the collaborative handling of conflicts to groups of staff as part of conflict prevention and sensitization of conflicts. This approach will enhance the Office ' s ability to increase the potential for clients and other target groups, such as management, to manage conflicts.", "140. Accordingly, should the General Assembly agree with the proposed arrangements for the Office, additional requirements of $918,400 (before recosting) would be considered in accordance with the provisions governing the contingency fund pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 41/213 and 42/211. In this regard, it should be recalled that the Assembly, in its resolution 65/262, approved a contingency fund for the biennium 2012-2013 of $40.5 million.", "141. It is proposed that the new posts referred to in the present report be established with effect from 1 January 2012. Taking into account the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph 20 of its first report on the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009 (A/62/7) that any new proposal should provide information on the delayed impact of posts, the Assembly may wish to note that the additional requirements for the full funding of the two new posts in the biennium 2014-2015 are currently estimated at $352,400: $306,000 in section 1, Overall,", "VII. Action to be taken by the General Assembly", "142. Accordingly, if the General Assembly approves the proposals contained in the present report on additional resources, it may wish:", "(a) To approve the establishment of two new P-4 posts effective 1 January 2012 from the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013;", "(b) Appropriate a total amount of $918,400 (before recosting) in the programme budget for the biennium 2012-2013, including increases under section 1, Overall policymaking, direction and coordination ($725,400); section 29D, Office of Central Support Services ($135,800); and section 37, Staff assessment ($57,200), offset in the equivalent amount under section 1, Staff assessment income. This appropriation would be charged to the contingency fund.", "143. The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services hopes that the General Assembly will give favourable consideration to its additional resource requirements and its continued informal support as a first step towards resolving labour conflicts, including the rapid application of system-wide incentives to encourage recourse to informal settlement.", "[1] Some parts of the present report refer specifically to each entity and thus indicate it.", "[2] A/65/373, para. 185", "[3] A/61/205, para. 47.", "[4] Ibid, para. 48.", "[5] See A/65/303, sect. V.", "[6] Resolution 63/253, para. 20.", "[7] These categories are: post and career; assessment relationships; remuneration and benefits; legal, regulatory and financial and compliance issues; safety, health, well-being and working environment; values, ethics and standards; peer and peer relationships; organizational, leadership and management issues; and services and administration.", "[8] This category includes: selection and recruitment, job classification, contractual arrangements, career development, assignment, loan, subscription and transfer, non-renewal of contract and termination.", "[9] The rules do not suspend the rules governing the review to move from General Service to Professional level, although this is what some staff members maintained. The Office of Human Resources Management will provide details in the relevant instruction at the first opportunity to do so.", "[10] See the recommendations and updated information on the subject contained in documents A/62/311, 64/314 and A/65/303.", "[11] The ombudsman for funds and programmes and the ombudsman for UNHCR publish separate reports that are available on the website of the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services.", "[12] See A/65/303, paras. 19 to 24.", "[13] A/RES/65/251, para. 13." ]

[ "Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre el envejecimiento", "Segundo período de sesiones de trabajo", "Nueva York, 1 a 4 de agosto de 2011", "Tema 6 del programa", "Aprobación del informe", "Proyecto de informe", "Relator: Léo Faber (Luxemburgo)", "Organización del período de sesiones", "A. Apertura y duración del período de sesiones", "1. El Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre el envejecimiento celebró su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo en la Sede de las Naciones Unidas del 1 al 4 de agosto de 2011. El Grupo de Trabajo celebró ___ sesiones.", "2. Declaró inaugurado el período de sesiones el Sr. Jorge Martín Argüello (Argentina), Presidente del Grupo de Trabajo, quien formuló una declaración.", "B. Asistencia", "3. Asistieron al período de sesiones los representantes de ___ Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas. Asistieron también representantes de organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y observadores de organizaciones intergubernamentales y no gubernamentales. La lista de participantes puede consultarse en el siguiente sitio web: http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/secondsession.shtml.", "C. Elección de miembros de la Mesa", "4. De conformidad con el artículo 103 del reglamento de la Asamblea General, el Grupo de Trabajo, en la primera sesión de su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo, celebrada el 1 de agosto, eligió por aclamación al Sr. Ervin Nina (Albania) como Vicepresidente.", "D. Programa y organización de los trabajos", "5. En la primera sesión de su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo, celebrada el 1 de agosto, el Grupo de Trabajo acordó el programa provisional de sus períodos de sesiones de trabajo aprobado previamente, que figura en el documento A/AC.278/2011/3. El programa es el siguiente:", "1. Elección de la Mesa.", "2. Aprobación del programa y otras cuestiones de organización.", "3. Participación de las organizaciones no gubernamentales en la labor del Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre el envejecimiento.", "4. Marco internacional vigente de los derechos humanos de las personas de edad y detección de las deficiencias existentes a nivel internacional.", "5. Otros asuntos.", "6. Aprobación del informe.", "6. En la misma sesión, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó la organización de los trabajos de su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo propuesta en un documento oficioso que se distribuyó únicamente en inglés.", "E. Participación de las organizaciones no gubernamentales en la labor del Grupo de Trabajo de composición abierta sobre el envejecimiento", "7. En la primera sesión de su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo, el Grupo de Trabajo decidió acreditar a las siguientes organizaciones no gubernamentales para que participaran en su labor:", "Action solidaire pour un développement entretenu à la base (Togo)", "Age Concern Ukraine (Ucrania)", "Age UK (Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte)", "Aging Safely Inc. (Estados Unidos de América)", "Alzheimer’s Disease International (Reino Unido)", "AMD Alliance International (Reino Unido)", "American Federation for Aging Research (Estados Unidos)", "Associação Nacional dos Membros do Ministério Público de Defesa dos Direitos dos Idosos e Pessoas com Deficiência (Brasil)", "Benetas (Australia)", "Beth Johnson Foundation (Reino Unido)", "Campaign for Human Rights and Development Sierra Leone (Sierra Leona)", "Council on the Ageing Australia (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing (South Australia) Inc. (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing Victoria (Australia)", "DaneAge Association (Dinamarca)", "Dementia S. A. (Sudáfrica)", "Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (India)", "Fiji Council of Social Services (Fiji)", "Fundashon Nos Grandinan (Países Bajos)", "Geriatric Centre Nepal (Nepal)", "Janaseva Foundation (India)", "Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (Estados Unidos)", "National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (Estados Unidos)", "Regional Centre for the Welfare of Ageing Persons in Cameroon (Camerún)", "Regional Public Foundation Assistance for the Elderly “Dobroe Delo” (Federación de Rusia)", "Silver Inning Foundation (India)", "Volunteers of America Inc. (Estados Unidos)", "Život 90 (República Checa)", "G. Marco internacional vigente de los derechos humanos de las personas de edad y detección de las deficiencias existentes a nivel internacional", "[Se añadirá más adelante]", "H. Aprobación del informe sobre el período de sesiones de organización", "8. En su ___ sesión, celebrada el ___ de agosto, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó el proyecto de informe sobre su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo, que figura en el documento A/AC.278/2011/L.4.", "9. En la misma sesión, el Grupo de Trabajo fue informado de que el resumen de la Presidencia de los principales puntos tratados en el período de sesiones sería finalizado posteriormente por la Secretaría en colaboración con la Mesa.", "I. Documentación", "10. La lista de documentos que tuvo ante sí el Grupo de Trabajo en su segundo período de sesiones de trabajo puede consultarse en http://social.un.org/ageing- working-group/secondsession.shtml." ]

[ "Open-ended Working Group on Ageing", "Second working session", "New York, 1-4 August 2011", "Agenda item 6", "Adoption of the report", "Draft report", "Rapporteur: Léo Faber (Luxembourg)", "Organization of the session", "A. Opening and duration of the session", "1. The Open-ended Working Group on Ageing held its second working session at United Nations Headquarters from 1 to 4 August 2011. The Working Group held ___ meetings.", "2. The session was opened by the Chair of the Working Group, Jorge Martín Argüello (Argentina), who made a statement.", "B. Attendance", "3. The session was attended by representatives of ____ States Members of the United Nations. Representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations also attended. A list of participants is available from http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/secondsession.shtml.", "C. Election of officers", "4. Pursuant to rule 103 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the Working Group, at the 1st meeting of its second working session, on 1 August, elected Ervin Nina (Albania) as Vice-Chair, by acclamation.", "D. Agenda and organization of work", "5. At the 1st meeting of its second working session, on 1 August, the Working Group agreed to the previously adopted provisional agenda for its working sessions, as contained in document A/AC.278/2011/3. The agenda read as follows:", "1. Election of the Bureau.", "2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.", "3. Participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.", "4. Existing international framework on the human rights of older persons and identification of existing gaps at the international level.", "5. Other matters.", "6. Adoption of the report.", "6. At the same meeting, the Working Group approved the proposed organization of work for its second working session, as set out in an informal paper, in English only.", "E. Participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing", "7. At the 1st meeting of its second working session, the Working Group decided to grant accreditation to the following non-governmental organizations to participate in its work:", "Action solidaire pour un développement entretenu à la base (Togo)", "Age Concern Ukraine (Ukraine)", "Age UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)", "Aging Safely Inc. (United States of America)", "Alzheimer’s Disease International (United Kingdom)", "AMD Alliance International (United Kingdom)", "American Federation for Aging Research (United States)", "Associação Nacional dos Membros do Ministério Público de Defesa dos Direitos dos Idosos e Pessoas com Deficiência (Brazil)", "Benetas (Australia)", "Beth Johnson Foundation (United Kingdom)", "Campaign for Human Rights and Development Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone)", "Council on the Ageing Australia (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing (South Australia) Inc. (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing Victoria (Australia)", "DaneAge Association (Denmark)", "Dementia S.A. (South Africa)", "Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (India)", "Fiji Council of Social Services (Fiji)", "Fundashon Nos Grandinan (Netherlands)", "Geriatric Centre Nepal (Nepal)", "Janaseva Foundation (India)", "Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (United States)", "National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (United States)", "Regional Centre for the Welfare of Ageing Persons in Cameroon (Cameroon)", "Regional Public Foundation Assistance for the Elderly “Dobroe Delo” (Russian Federation)", "Silver Inning Foundation (India)", "Volunteers of America Inc. (United States)", "Život 90 (Czech Republic)", "F. Existing international framework on the human rights of older persons and identification of existing gaps at the international level", "[To be inserted]", "G. Adoption of the report on the organizational session", "8. At its ____ meeting, on ____ August, the Working Group adopted the draft report on its second working session, as contained in document A/AC.278/2011/L.4.", "9. At the same meeting, the Working Group was informed that the Chair’s summary of the key points of the session would be finalized at a later stage by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Bureau.", "H. Documentation", "10. The list of documents before the Working Group at its second working session is available from http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/secondsession.shtml." ]

[ "Open-ended Working Group on Ageing", "Second working session", "New York, 1-4 August 2011", "Agenda item 6", "Adoption of the report", "Draft report", "Rapporteur: Léo Faber (Luxembourg)", "Organization of the session", "A. Opening and duration of the session", "1. The Open-ended Working Group on Ageing held its second session at United Nations Headquarters from 1 to 4 August 2011. The Working Group held ___ meetings.", "2. The session was opened by Mr. Jorge Martín Argüello (Argentina), Chairman of the Working Group, who made a statement.", "B. Assistance", "3. Representatives of ___ Member States of the United Nations attended the session. Representatives of United Nations system organizations and observers for intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations also attended. The list of participants is available at http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/secondsession.shtml.", "C. Election of officers", "4. In accordance with rule 103 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the Working Group, at the 1st meeting of its second working session, on 1 August, elected Mr. Ervin Nina (Albania) as Vice-President.", "D. Programme and organization of work", "5. At the 1st meeting of its second working session, on 1 August, the Working Group agreed on the provisional agenda for its previously adopted working sessions, as contained in document A/AC.278/2011/3. The agenda is as follows:", "1. Election of officers.", "2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.", "3. Participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.", "4. Existing international framework for the human rights of older persons and identification of international gaps.", "5. Other business.", "6. Adoption of the report.", "6. At the same meeting, the Working Group adopted the organization of the work of its second working session proposed in an informal paper that was circulated in English only.", "E. Participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing", "7. At the 1st meeting of its second working session, the Working Group decided to accredited the following non-governmental organizations to participate in its work:", "Action solidaire pour un développement entretenu à la base (Togo)", "Age Concern Ukraine (Ukraine)", "Age UK (United Kingdom)", "Aging Safely Inc. United States of America", "Alzheimer’s Disease International (United Kingdom)", "AMD Alliance International (United Kingdom)", "American Federation for Aging Research (USA)", "Associação Nacional dos Membros do Ministério Público de Defesa dos Direitos dos Idosos e Pessoas com Deficiência (Brazil)", "Benets (Australia)", "Beth Johnson Foundation (United Kingdom)", "Campaign for Human Rights and Development Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone)", "Council on the Ageing Australia (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing (South Australia) Inc. (Australia)", "Council on the Ageing Victoria (Australia)", "DaneAge Association (Denmark)", "Dementia S. A. (South Africa)", "Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (India)", "Fiji Council of Social Services (Fiji)", "Fundashon Nos Grandinan (Netherlands)", "Geriatric Centre Nepal (Nepal)", "Janaseva Foundation (India)", "Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (United States)", "National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, United States", "Regional Centre for the Welfare of Ageing Persons in Cameroon (Cameroon)", "Regional Public Foundation Assistance for the Elderly “Dobroe Delo” (Russian Federation)", "Silver Inning Foundation (India)", "Volunteers of America Inc. (United States)", "Život 90 (Czech Republic)", "G. Current international human rights framework for older persons and identification of international gaps", "[To be added later]", "H. Adoption of the report on the organizational session", "8. At its ___ meeting, on ___ August, the Working Group adopted the draft report on its second working session, contained in document A/AC.278/2011/L.4.", "9. At the same meeting, the Working Group was informed that the Chair ' s summary of the main points dealt with at the session would be finalized subsequently by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Bureau.", "I. Documentation", "10. The list of documents before the Working Group at its second session is available at http://social.un.org/ageing- working-group/secondsession.shtml." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 69 b) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos humanos: cuestiones de derechos humanos, incluidos otros medios de mejorar el goce efectivo de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales", "Seguimiento del Año Internacional del Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "El presente informe se ha preparado en respuesta a la resolución 64/82 de la Asamblea General, relativa al seguimiento del Año Internacional del Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos, en que la Asamblea solicitó al Secretario General que en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones le presentara un informe sobre la aplicación de la resolución.", "En el informe se proporciona información acerca de las iniciativas emprendidas a nivel internacional durante el período comprendido entre agosto de 2009 y junio de 2011 a efectos de promover la educación y el aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos en el marco de las actividades de seguimiento del Año Internacional. Se destacan las actividades ejecutadas en el contexto del Programa Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos y de la preparación y aprobación por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos. Se concluye que las iniciativas de las Naciones Unidas, entre ellas el Programa Mundial, la Declaración y el Año Internacional, contribuyen a sensibilizar a la opinión pública mundial acerca de los derechos humanos y la función de la educación y el aprendizaje como instrumentos esenciales para promover y proteger los derechos humanos en todo el mundo.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 3II.Programa 4 Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos (iniciado en 2005 y actualmente en \ncurso) A.Coordinación 4 general del Programa \nMundial B.Evaluación 4 de la aplicación del plan de acción para la primera etapa \n(2005-2009) C.Iniciación 5 de la segunda etapa (2010-2014) y aprobación del plan de acción \ncorrespondiente D.Actividades 7 encaminadas a intercambiar \ninformación E. Apoyo 9 a la capacidad nacional y a las iniciativas de la sociedad \ncivil III.Declaración 11 de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos \nhumanos \nIV.Conclusiones 12", "I. Introducción", "1. En su resolución 62/171 la Asamblea General decidió que el año que comenzaba el 10 de diciembre de 2008 fuera proclamado Año Internacional del Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos, exhortó a los Estados Miembros a que intensificaran sus esfuerzos para promover el aprendizaje y la educación sobre los derechos humanos en los planos local, nacional e internacional, y, para tal fin, promovieran la cooperación a todos los niveles y con todas las partes interesadas pertinentes. En su resolución 63/173 la Asamblea instó a los Estados Miembros a que, en coordinación con los interesados pertinentes y con el apoyo y la colaboración de la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos, elaboraran estrategias internacionales o programas de acción regionales, nacionales y locales dirigidos a promover un aprendizaje amplio y sostenido sobre los derechos humanos a todos los niveles. La Asamblea pidió al Secretario General que le informara sobre la aplicación de las dos resoluciones en su sexagésimo cuarto período de sesiones.", "2. En consecuencia, en su sexagésimo cuarto período de sesiones la Asamblea General tuvo ante sí un informe del Secretario General (A/64/293) en el que se proporcionaba información sobre las iniciativas emprendidas hasta agosto de 2009 para lograr los objetivos del Año Internacional. En su resolución 64/82, la Asamblea, reconociendo que la sociedad civil, el mundo académico, el sector privado, los medios de comunicación y, cuando procediera, los parlamentarios, podían desempeñar un papel importante en la promoción e implementación del aprendizaje sobre los derechos humanos, alentó a adoptar medidas para garantizar el aprendizaje sobre los derechos humanos general y sostenido en todos los niveles y por una variedad de interesados. Exhortó a la Alta Comisionada y al Consejo de Derechos Humanos a cooperar y colaborar estrechamente con la sociedad civil, el sector privado, el mundo académico, las organizaciones regionales, los medios de comunicación y otras instancias interesadas, así como con las organizaciones, programas y fondos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, y a apoyarlos en la labor de impulsar, en particular, la elaboración de estrategias y programas de acción internacionales, regionales, nacionales y locales a fin de asegurar ese aprendizaje. En la misma resolución la Asamblea solicitó al Secretario General que, en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones, le presentara un informe sobre la aplicación de la resolución.", "3. El presente informe abarca el período comprendido entre agosto de 2009 y junio de 2011 y en él se reseñan las iniciativas emprendidas en materia de educación, capacitación y aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos en el marco del seguimiento del Año Internacional, facilitadas por la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH), en particular en el contexto del Programa Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos (iniciado en 2005 y actualmente en curso), así como los esfuerzos del Consejo de Derechos Humanos por establecer normas en relación con la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos.", "II. Programa Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos (iniciado en 2005 y actualmente en curso)", "A. Coordinación general del Programa Mundial", "4. El Programa Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos fue proclamado por la Asamblea General en su resolución 59/113 A en calidad de iniciativa mundial permanente estructurada en etapas consecutivas que se iniciarían el 1 de enero de 2005. De conformidad con el plan de acción aprobado por la Asamblea en su resolución 59/113 B (véase A/59/525/Rev.1), la primera etapa (2005-2007) se centró en la integración de la educación sobre los derechos humanos en los sistemas de enseñanza primaria y secundaria. Posteriormente, en virtud de su resolución 6/24, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos prorrogó la primera etapa del plan dos años más, hasta diciembre de 2009.", "5. La segunda etapa (2010-2014) del Programa Mundial está centrada en la educación sobre los derechos humanos en la enseñanza superior y en los programas de capacitación en materia de derechos humanos para maestros y educadores, funcionarios públicos, las fuerzas del orden y el personal militar. El Consejo de Derechos Humanos aprobó el plan de acción correspondiente (véase A/HRC/15/28) en su resolución 15/11.", "6. Durante el período que se examina el ACNUDH siguió promoviendo los planes de acción para las etapas primera y segunda y ayudando a los Estados Miembros a aplicarlos a nivel nacional. La Oficina interactuó con frecuencia con una amplia variedad de interesados, entre ellos los gobiernos, las entidades de las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones intergubernamentales, así como con la sociedad civil; proporcionó información, publicaciones, asesoramiento y apoyo y participó en foros pertinentes.", "B. Evaluación de la aplicación del plan de acción para la primera etapa (2005-2009)", "7. Durante el período comprendido entre agosto de 2009 y mediados de 2010, el ACNUDH siguió prestando servicios de secretaría al Comité interinstitucional de coordinación de las Naciones Unidas para la educación en derechos humanos en el sistema escolar, que se había establecido en septiembre de 2006, en el contexto de la primera etapa del Programa Mundial, con objeto de facilitar apoyo coordinado de las Naciones Unidas para la aplicación de los planes de educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos en los sistemas de enseñanza primaria y secundaria[1].", "8. Durante el período comprendido entre el último trimestre de 2009 y mediados de 2010 el Comité de coordinación llevó a cabo la evaluación final de la ejecución nacional de la primera etapa (2005-2009) del Programa Mundial, de conformidad con la resolución 12/4 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos. El Comité de coordinación celebró su séptima y última reunión el 3 de diciembre de 2009, ocasión en la que examinó, en particular, la metodología de evaluación y aprobó un cuestionario de evaluación con ese fin.", "9. El informe de la evaluación final (A/65/322), elaborado a partir de 76 informes nacionales, fue presentado a la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones. Según el informe, los Estados Miembros habían adoptado algunas medidas para integrar la educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos en sus sistemas de enseñanza; en particular, se habían logrado grandes avances en lo que respecta a incorporar la educación sobre los derechos humanos en los planes de estudio nacionales. Se informó de numerosas iniciativas normativas y prácticas encaminadas a promover una actitud de respeto de los derechos humanos en las actividades cotidianas de los centros de enseñanza. Se encontraron ciertas lagunas en lo que respecta a la ejecución, lo que indicaba la necesidad de aplicar un enfoque más amplio y sistemático a nivel nacional. En consecuencia, se alentó a los Estados Miembros a que siguieran ejecutando las actividades en consonancia con las directrices proporcionadas en el plan de acción a efectos de consolidar los progresos realizados.", "10. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado ha venido difundiendo las conclusiones de la evaluación final en sus contactos con diversos interesados en la educación en materia de derechos humanos. El informe de la evaluación final y los informes de cada país se pueden consultar en una página web especial, que también contiene los informes presentados por los gobiernos tras la conclusión del informe de evaluación[2].", "11. El 12 de junio de 2010, con ocasión del Día mundial contra el trabajo infantil, el Comité de coordinación emitió una tercera declaración conjunta en la que instó a los Estados Miembros a que siguieran promoviendo la educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos como medio de lograr el objetivo de eliminar las peores formas de trabajo infantil para 2016[3].", "12. El mandato del Comité de coordinación expiró al concluir la primera etapa del Programa Mundial. No obstante, el ACNUDH sigue colaborando regularmente con otras entidades de las Naciones Unidas en lo que respecta a la promoción de la educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos a nivel mundial.", "C. Iniciación de la segunda etapa (2010-2014) y aprobación del plan de acción correspondiente", "13. En cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en la resolución 10/3 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la Alta Comisionada consultó a los Estados Miembros, las instituciones nacionales de defensa de los derechos humanos y las organizaciones internacionales y no gubernamentales sobre el posible elemento central de la segunda etapa del Programa Mundial. En agosto de 2009 se presentaron los resultados de las consultas al Consejo (A/HRC/12/36). Con objeto de estimular los debates y facilitar el proceso de adopción de decisiones acerca del elemento central y la duración de la segunda etapa, el 18 de septiembre de 2009 el Grupo de Trabajo sobre educación y aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos, de la Conferencia de las organizaciones no gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por las Naciones Unidas, convocó una reunión en Ginebra en la que se examinó el período de transición entre las etapas primera y segunda del Programa Mundial. Participaron en la reunión representantes del Gobierno patrocinador (Costa Rica), el ACNUDH, el Consejo Asesor sobre Derechos Humanos de Marruecos y dos organizaciones de la sociedad civil.", "14. En su resolución 12/4 el Consejo de Derechos Humanos decidió que la segunda etapa (2010-2014) se centrara en la enseñanza superior y en programas de capacitación en materia de derechos humanos para maestros y educadores, funcionarios públicos, las fuerzas del orden y el personal militar a todos los niveles, y alentó a los Estados Miembros que aún no lo hubiesen hecho a que incorporaran la educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos en los sistemas de enseñanza primaria y secundaria. El Consejo pidió al ACNUDH que, en colaboración con las organizaciones intergubernamentales pertinentes, en particular la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO), y con entidades no gubernamentales interesadas, preparara un plan de acción para la segunda etapa, consultara a los Estados al respecto y sometiera el plan a su consideración en su 15º período de sesiones.", "15. Por consiguiente, el ACNUDH, en consulta con la UNESCO y otros interesados, elaboró un proyecto de plan de acción para la segunda etapa (véase A/HRC/15/28). El proyecto, que se sometió a examen de los gobiernos y se revisó a la luz de sus observaciones, fue aprobado por el Consejo en su 15º período de sesiones (resolución 15/11). Durante ese período de sesiones, el Grupo de Trabajo sobre educación y aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos, de la Conferencia de las organizaciones no gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por las Naciones Unidas, convocó una reunión de examen en la que participaron el ACNUDH y los gobiernos patrocinadores, con objeto de dar a conocer el plan de acción para la segunda etapa y promover su aplicación.", "16. En el plan de acción para la segunda etapa se proporciona un marco general de acción para los gobiernos y orientación práctica sustantiva para la ejecución del plan en los países. La educación en derechos humanos se define como “el conjunto de actividades de aprendizaje, enseñanza, formación e información orientadas a crear una cultura universal de los derechos humanos” (A/HRC/15/28, párr. 3), se destaca la necesidad de que “todos los componentes y procesos del aprendizaje, incluidos los planes de estudio, los materiales, los métodos y la formación misma, conduzcan al aprendizaje de los derechos humanos” (A/HRC/15/28, párr. 22 a)) y se promueve la utilización de métodos y criterios centrados en los educandos, el interés activo de los educandos en los procesos de aprendizaje y el examen y revisión de los materiales de enseñanza y aprendizaje para asegurarse de que estén en consonancia con los principios de derechos humanos (A/HCR/15/28, párrs. 28 y 44).", "17. Conjuntamente con la UNESCO, el ACNUDH viene aplicando estrategias de difusión del plan de acción dirigidas a los interesados pertinentes en la educación en materia de derechos humanos, entre ellos los gobiernos, las instituciones nacionales defensoras de los derechos humanos, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, las instituciones de enseñanza superior y las organizaciones intergubernamentales.", "18. De conformidad con lo dispuesto en la resolución 15/11 del Consejo, el ACNUDH presentará un informe a este, en su último período de sesiones de 2012, sobre los progresos realizados en relación con la implementación del Programa Mundial.", "D. Actividades encaminadas a intercambiar información", "19. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado ha seguido dando a conocer las iniciativas en materia de educación sobre los derechos humanos a diversos niveles mediante actividades de intercambio de información y de formación de redes[4]. El ACNUDH ha elaborado y ampliado las páginas web[5] del Programa Mundial, que se ofrecen en español, francés e inglés. Esas páginas contienen, entre otras cosas, información recibida de los gobiernos sobre iniciativas de los países relacionadas con la educación sobre los derechos humanos en los centros de enseñanza y sobre los planes y estrategias nacionales generales en materia de educación sobre los derechos humanos.", "20. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado ha prestado apoyo a la documentación, reunión y difusión de prácticas acertadas en materia de educación sobre los derechos humanos a nivel regional. Se elaboró un compendio de buenas prácticas que publicaron conjuntamente, en octubre de 2009, el ACNUDH, la Oficina para las Instituciones Democráticas y Derechos Humanos de la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación en Europa (OSCE), la UNESCO y el Consejo de Europa. La publicación, titulada Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice, figura en inglés y ruso en versión impresa, en CD y en un atractivo formato electrónico[6].", "21. La Oficina ha seguido elaborando y difundiendo material y metodología seleccionados basados en prácticas acertadas para la formación y educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos[7]. En marzo de 2011 publicó, conjuntamente con EQUITAS–Centro internacional de educación en derechos humanos, el trabajo titulado Evaluating Human Rights Training Activities: A Handbook for Human Rights Educators[8], que tiene por objeto apoyar la evaluación rigurosa, sistemática y continua de las actividades de formación en la esfera de los derechos humanos para educandos adultos con miras a optimizar y medir sus repercusiones. El manual, apoyándose en investigaciones y en la experiencia en materia de evaluación educacional, ofrece a los educadores conocimientos básicos sobre evaluación y orientación detallada, entre otras cosas, ejemplos de instrumentos y técnicas que pueden adaptarse a diferentes contextos. Otro instrumento metodológico que se está por concluir es una guía de autoevaluación para los gobiernos sobre la integración de la educación en materia de derechos humanos en el sistema de enseñanza.", "22. Dos importantes recursos elaborados por el ACNUDH son la Colección de recursos sobre educación y capacitación en la esfera de los derechos humanos y la Base de Datos sobre la Educación en materia de Derechos Humanos. La Colección de recursos, sección especializada de la biblioteca del ACNUDH en Ginebra, comprende más de 2.000 materiales de todo el mundo sobre educación y formación en la esfera de los derechos humanos; en el período que se examina se añadieron más de 400 nuevas adquisiciones[9]. La Base de Datos tiene por objeto facilitar el intercambio de información con respecto a los programas e instituciones de enseñanza de todo el mundo[10] y contiene información sobre los programas de más de 1.100 instituciones de defensa de los derechos humanos y 350 programas de formación en la materia. Tiene diversas funciones que la hacen fácil de usar e interactiva. La más destacada es una opción de búsqueda múltiple que permite a los usuarios encontrar las instituciones y programas que buscan por programa o clase de institución, país y grupo destinatario. Periódicamente se incorporan nuevos datos.", "23. Con miras a difundir a nivel mundial la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos, el ACNUDH ha reunido una amplia colección de versiones de la Declaración en diversos idiomas y dialectos, que se pueden consultar en su sitio web, y una colección de material impreso y de otra índole. Las dos colecciones se iniciaron en el contexto del Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la educación en la esfera de los derechos humanos (1995-2004) y han ido aumentando constantemente a lo largo de los años. Actualmente el texto de la Declaración Universal figura en más de 375 idiomas y dialectos nacionales y locales y la colección de material abarca más de 350 recursos, entre ellos, material impreso y audiovisual y una amplia variedad de material conmemorativo.", "24. Como parte de sus actividades cotidianas de divulgación, el ACNUDH ha respondido a las inquietudes de entidades gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, entre ellas, instituciones académicas, en relación con cuestiones de educación en materia de derechos humanos y ha prestado servicios de referencia conexos y brindado orientación de otra índole. Las subvenciones y publicaciones del ACNUDH, la participación de su personal especializado y otras contribuciones han apoyado las actividades internacionales y regionales en materia de educación sobre los derechos humanos organizadas por otras entidades.", "25. El Consejo de Europa ha iniciado un grupo de contacto internacional sobre educación ciudadana y en materia de derechos humanos con objeto de garantizar una estrecha cooperación entre las iniciativas regionales e internacionales en esas dos esferas, entre otras cosas mediante el intercambio de información y la ejecución de actividades conjuntas. Actualmente integran el grupo el ACNUDH, la Agencia de los Derechos Fundamentales de la Unión Europea, la Comisión Europea, el Consejo de Europa, la Oficina para las Instituciones Democráticas y Derechos Humanos de la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación en Europa y la UNESCO. Se seguirá estudiando la posibilidad de cooperar con otras organizaciones regionales.", "26. Las instituciones nacionales de defensa de los derechos humanos son agentes fundamentales para promover la educación en la materia, y durante las reuniones anuales 23ª y 24ª del Comité Internacional de Coordinación de Instituciones Nacionales para la Promoción y Protección de los Derechos Humanos, celebradas en Ginebra en 2010 y 2011, se convocaron sesiones sobre el tema. En la 23ª reunión, el 25 de marzo de 2010 se celebró una reunión de examen de las novedades en materia de educación y capacitación en derechos humanos en la que participaron representantes del Comité Asesor del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la institución defensora de los derechos humanos de Marruecos y el ACNUDH. En la 24ª reunión, el 18 de mayo de 2011 se celebró una reunión de examen de las instituciones nacionales defensoras de los derechos humanos y la educación y la capacitación en la materia. Participaron representantes de instituciones de derechos humanos de Marruecos, Irlanda, el Salvador y la India que intercambiaron sus experiencias en lo que respecta a promover una actitud de respeto de los derechos humanos mediante la educación y la capacitación en esa esfera.", "E. Apoyo a la capacidad nacional y a las iniciativas de la sociedad civil", "27. Se ha prestado apoyo a la capacidad nacional en materia de educación y capacitación sobre los derechos humanos por medio de proyectos del ACNUDH sobre el terreno y en la sede. La Oficina ha intensificado sus esfuerzos por fomentar la capacidad nacional de formación en materia de derechos humanos del personal militar, de policía y demás personal desplegado en operaciones de mantenimiento de la paz. También ha elaborado e implementado, en colaboración con el Instituto de las Naciones Unidas para Formación Profesional e Investigaciones (UNITAR), el Programa de orientación en materia de derechos humanos para diplomáticos, que tiene por objeto dar a conocer más a esos funcionarios la labor del ACNUDH y el sistema de las Naciones Unidas de protección de los derechos humanos. Desde 2009 se han organizado programas todos los años en Ginebra y Nueva York y uno en Addis Abeba. Se llevaron a cabo cursos de formación sobre la metodología de vigilancia de los derechos humanos para las instituciones nacionales pertinentes de Djibouti, el Ecuador, la República Unida de Tanzanía y Tailandia. En 2010 el Centro de las Naciones Unidas de capacitación y documentación sobre derechos humanos para el Asia sudoccidental y la región árabe, con sede en Doha, se dedicó especialmente a establecer su presencia en la región, en calidad de asociado, a efectos de desarrollar la capacidad de los titulares de obligaciones y de derechos para la defensa de los derechos humanos y como centro de excelencia para el aprendizaje, la documentación y el intercambio de buenas prácticas. En la Federación de Rusia se ha establecido una maestría en derechos humanos, la primera en ese país, mediante un proyecto conjunto del ACNUDH, el Centro Interuniversitario Europeo para los Derechos Humanos y la Democratización y la Universidad de la Federación de Rusia. El ACNUDH también ha facilitado la creación de un centro de recursos interuniversitarios para investigaciones sobre cuestiones de derechos humanos y lo ha dotado de equipo.", "28. Se han realizado numerosas actividades de capacitación en materia de derechos humanos por conducto de diversos programas del ACNUDH sobre el terreno[11], entre ellas cursos de capacitación sobre la vigilancia de los derechos humanos durante las elecciones en Guinea y Uganda, formación en derechos humanos para las fuerzas de seguridad en el Togo y Sierra Leona, formación para la sociedad civil en materia de defensa de los derechos humanos en Côte d’Ivoire y capacitación para funcionarios judiciales en Darfur y la República Democrática del Congo. En Camboya el ACNUDH prestó apoyo a la elaboración de un plan amplio de capacitación para el personal penitenciario que fue aprobado posteriormente por el Ministerio del Interior. En el Perú se organizó un curso de formación para jueces y fiscales sobre los derechos de las poblaciones indígenas. En Nepal se organizaron cursos prácticos sobre vigilancia de los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales para funcionarios públicos locales, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y grupos de la comunidad. Se impartió formación especial sobre justiciabilidad y respeto de los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales a nivel interno para funcionarios locales en la región del África occidental. En Haití el ACNUDH prestó apoyo, mediante programas de capacitación en materia de protección de los derechos humanos y por otros medios, a la integración de los desplazados internos y, en particular, a la participación de grupos de mujeres en la gestión de los campamentos de desplazados y la elaboración de estrategias de protección en sus lugares de residencia. En Serbia se organizaron cursos prácticos sobre el derecho a una vivienda digna. En Timor-Leste se proporcionó asesoramiento técnico y capacitación a funcionarios públicos y a organizaciones de la sociedad civil con objeto de fortalecer las instituciones nacionales y promover la justicia de transición.", "29. En materia de capacitación sobre los mecanismos de las Naciones Unidas de protección de los derechos humanos, se organizaron cursos prácticos sobre el proceso de examen periódico universal en varias regiones y países, entre ellos el Oriente Medio, el Níger, Somalia, Myanmar, Honduras, Panamá y la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. El ACNUDH también organizó programas de capacitación sobre la presentación de informes y la aplicación de las recomendaciones de los órganos establecidos en virtud de tratados de las Naciones Unidas. En 2010 se llevaron a cabo 12 actividades de creación de capacidad y de capacitación, a solicitud de los Estados partes, en relación con las directrices sobre el documento básico común y el documento específico del tratado, la presentación de informes, las comunicaciones individuales y el seguimiento de las recomendaciones, en Bahrein, Belarús, Cabo Verde, la ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia, el Japón, Kazajstán, México, el Perú, Qatar, la Región Administrativa Especial de Hong Kong (China), el Senegal y Turkmenistán.", "30. El proyecto de “Ayuda conjunta a las comunidades” es una iniciativa conjunta del ACNUDH y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) en apoyo de las iniciativas populares de educación sobre los derechos humanos en determinados países. Desde su iniciación, que tuvo lugar en 1998, se han concedido pequeños subsidios a más de 700 organizaciones nacionales y locales de la sociedad civil[12]. La séptima etapa del proyecto (2011-2012), iniciada por el ACNUDH y el PNUD en abril de 2011, está dedicada especialmente a prestar apoyo a actividades contra la discriminación por cualquier motivo y con respecto a cualquier grupo, en consonancia con una de las seis prioridades temáticas del ACNUDH para el bienio 2010-2011. En 2011 el ACNUDH y el PNUD concederán subsidios en 14 países[13].", "III. Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos", "31. Durante el período que se examina el ACNUDH siguió facilitando la iniciativa del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, dirigida por la Plataforma para la educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos[14], encaminada a elaborar una declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos. La iniciativa fue presentada en septiembre de 2007 por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos en su resolución 6/10, en la que pidió a su Comité Asesor que preparase el proyecto. Entre agosto de 2008 y enero de 2010 un grupo de redacción del Comité Asesor trabajó en el proyecto de declaración y el Comité lo sometió a consideración del Consejo en su 13º período de sesiones, de conformidad con sus resoluciones 6/10 y 10/28[15].", "32. El proyecto de declaración transmitido por el Comité Asesor se examinó en una reunión de alto nivel del Consejo celebrada durante su 13º período de sesiones. En su resolución 13/15 el Consejo decidió establecer un grupo de trabajo intergubernamental de composición abierta que se reuniría por un máximo de cinco días laborables antes de su 16º período de sesiones con objeto de negociar, finalizar y presentar al Consejo el proyecto de declaración sobre la base del proyecto presentado por el Comité Asesor.", "33. Antes de la convocación del grupo de trabajo, los días 24 de junio, 3 de septiembre y 14 de diciembre de 2010, la Plataforma para la educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos celebró consultas oficiosas de participación abierta sobre el texto presentado por el Comité Asesor, el cual posteriormente lo revisó.", "34. El grupo de trabajo, al cual el ACNUDH prestó servicios de secretaría, se reunió en Ginebra del 10 al 14 de enero de 2011 para negociar y concluir el proyecto de declaración, que aprobó y sometió a consideración del Consejo de Derechos Humanos en su 16º período de sesiones[16]. En su resolución 16/1, de 23 de marzo, el Consejo aprobó la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos y recomendó a la Asamblea General que le diera su aprobación[17].", "35. En la Declaración se definen la educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos como “el conjunto de actividades educativas, de formación, información y aprendizaje que tienen por objeto promover el respeto y la observancia universales de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales, contribuyendo así, entre otras cosas, a la prevención de los abusos y violaciones de los derechos humanos al proporcionar a las personas conocimientos, capacidades y comprensión y desarrollar sus actitudes y comportamientos para que puedan contribuir a la creación y promoción de una cultura universal de derechos humanos” (artículo 2.1).", "36. La sociedad civil contribuyó al proceso de redacción aportando textos, formulando declaraciones por escrito y verbales durante los períodos de sesiones del Consejo y participando, entre otras cosas, en tres consultas oficiosas y en las reuniones del grupo de trabajo. El Grupo de Trabajo sobre educación y aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos, de la Conferencia de las organizaciones no gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por las Naciones Unidas, con sede en Ginebra, organizó dos reuniones de examen del proyecto de declaración, paralelamente a los períodos de sesiones 13º y 16º del Consejo (el 17 de marzo de 2010 y el 11 de marzo de 2011, respectivamente), en las que participaron representantes de los gobiernos patrocinadores, instituciones nacionales defensoras de los derechos humanos, instituciones académicas y organizaciones no gubernamentales que actúan en la esfera de la educación sobre los derechos humanos.", "37. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado ha preparado una página web[18] dedicada a la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos que se actualizará para tener en cuenta el examen de la Declaración por la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones.", "IV. Conclusiones", "38. En el marco de las actividades de seguimiento del Año Internacional del Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos (que comenzó el 10 de diciembre de 2008) se emprendieron numerosas iniciativas dedicadas a la educación y el aprendizaje sobre los derechos humanos a nivel internacional, lo que refleja el interés creciente de los organismos gubernamentales, las instituciones nacionales defensoras de los derechos humanos, las organizaciones intergubernamentales y las entidades de la sociedad civil por el tema. La sinergia creada entre iniciativas internacionales como el Año Internacional del Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos, el Programa Mundial para la educación en derechos humanos y la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos ha promovido un avance general en lo que respecta a la educación y el aprendizaje en la esfera de los derechos humanos, lo que también abarca la formulación de estrategias nacionales, la expansión de la cooperación nacional, regional e internacional, la elaboración de un mayor número de recursos para el intercambio de información y de instrumentos metodológicos y un mayor compromiso de parte de los gobiernos a nivel internacional, lo que puede fortalecer la sostenibilidad de los esfuerzos nacionales.", "[1] El Comité de coordinación está integrado por las siguientes entidades: la Organización Internacional del Trabajo, la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, el Programa conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA, el Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, el Departamento de Información Pública, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura y su Oficina Internacional de Educación, el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, el Organismo de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente y el Banco Mundial. El Consejo de Europa participó como observador. Se puede obtener más información sobre el Comité de coordinación en www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UN-inter-agency.htm.", "[2] Véase www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/evaluationWPHRE.htm.", "[3] El texto completo de la declaración figura en www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/joint_statements.htm.", "[4] Puede obtenerse más información sobre las actividades en www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/index.htm.", "[5] Véase www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/programme.htm.", "[6] Se puede obtener en www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/TrainingEducation.aspx, www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=172&doc_id=458.", "[7] Las publicaciones del ACNUDH, incluidas las versiones electrónicas correspondientes, se obtienen en www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/Publications.aspx.", "[8] Figura en inglés en http://equitas.org/en/popular/may-10-2011-publication-of-evaluating-human-rights-training-activities-a-handbook-for-human-rights-educators/. Las versiones española y francesa se ofrecerán en septiembre y diciembre de 2011, respectivamente.", "[9] El catálogo figura en www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/collection.htm.", "[10] La base de datos puede consultarse en http://hre.ohchr.org/hret.", "[11] Para obtener información más completa, véase el Informe del ACNUDH 2010, que figura en www2.ohchr.org/english/ohchrreport2010/web_version/ohchr_report2010_web/index.html#/home.", "[12] Véase www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/act.htm.", "[13] Camerún, Cabo Verde, Djibouti, Ecuador, ex República Yugoslava de Macedonia, Iraq, Kosovo, Mauritania, República Centroafricana, República de Moldova, Senegal, Togo, Uganda y Uruguay.", "[14] La Plataforma para la educación y formación en materia de derechos humanos es una agrupación gubernamental oficiosa interregional integrada por Costa Rica, Eslovenia, Filipinas, Italia, Marruecos, Senegal y Suiza.", "[15] Véase el informe del Comité Asesor sobre su cuarto período de sesiones (A/HRC/AC/4/4), recomendación 4/2.", "[16] Véase también el informe del grupo de trabajo de composición abierta (A/HRC/WG.9/1/3).", "[17] El texto de la Declaración aprobado por el Consejo figura en el anexo de la resolución 16/1.", "[18] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UNDHREducationTraining.htm." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "Follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report is submitted in response to General Assembly resolution 64/82, concerning the follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report on the implementation of the resolution.", "The report provides information about initiatives undertaken at the international level during the period from August 2009 and June 2011 to advance human rights education and learning in follow-up to the International Year. It highlights activities carried out in the context of the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the drafting and adoption by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. The report concludes that United Nations initiatives, such as the World Programme, the United Nations Declaration and the International Year, contribute to increasing global awareness of human rights and the role of human rights education and learning as significant instruments in promoting and protecting human rights throughout the world.", "* A/66/150.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 3II. World 3 Programme for Human Rights Education \n(2005-ongoing) A.Global 3 coordination of the World \nProgramme B.Evaluation 4 of the implementation of the plan of action for the first phase \n(2005-2009) C.Launch 5 of the second phase (2010-2014) and adoption of the related plan of \naction D.Activities 6 aimed at information \nsharing E.Supporting 8 national capacities and civil society \ninitiatives III. United 10 Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and \nTraining \nIV.Conclusions 11", "I. Introduction", "1. By resolution 62/171, the General Assembly decided that the year commencing on 10 December 2008 should be proclaimed the International Year of Human Rights Learning, called upon Member States to intensify their efforts to promote human rights learning and education at the local, national and international levels and, to that end, encouraged cooperation at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders. By resolution 63/173, the Assembly urged Member States, in coordination with relevant stakeholders and with the support and collaboration of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council, to develop international strategies and/or regional, national and local plans of action aimed at broad-based and sustained human rights learning at all levels. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report to it on the implementation of both resolutions at its sixty-fourth session.", "2. Accordingly, at its sixty-fourth session, the General Assembly had before it a report of the Secretary-General (A/64/293), which provided information on the initiatives undertaken up to August 2009 to achieve the objectives of the International Year. In resolution 64/82, the Assembly, acknowledging that civil society, academia, the private sector, the media and, where appropriate, parliamentarians could play an important role in the promotion and implementation of learning about human rights, encouraged action aimed at broad-based and sustained human rights learning at all levels by a variety of stakeholders. It called upon the High Commissioner and the Human Rights Council to support, cooperate and collaborate closely with civil society, the private sector, academia, regional organizations, the media and other relevant stakeholders, as well as with organizations, programmes and funds of the United Nations system, in efforts to develop, in particular, the design of strategies and international, regional, national and local programmes of action aimed at such learning. In the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report on the implementation of the resolution.", "3. The present report covers the period from August 2009 to June 2011 and describes human rights education, training and learning initiatives undertaken in follow-up to the International Year, which were facilitated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), particularly in the context of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing), as well as the standard-setting efforts of the Human Rights Council with relation to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training.", "II. World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005‑ongoing)", "A. Global coordination of the World Programme", "4. The World Programme for Human Rights Education was proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 59/113 A as an ongoing global initiative, structured in consecutive phases which were scheduled to begin on 1 January 2005. In accordance with the plan of action adopted by the Assembly in resolution 59/113 B (see A/59/525/Rev.1), the first phase (2005-2007) was focused on the integration of human rights education into primary and secondary school systems. Subsequently, by resolution 6/24, the Human Rights Council extended the first phase of the plan for two more years, until December 2009.", "5. The second phase (2010-2014) of the World Programme is focused on human rights education in higher education and on human rights training for teachers and educators, civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel. The related plan of action (see A/HRC/15/28) was adopted by the Human Rights Council in resolution 15/11.", "6. During the reporting period, OHCHR continued to promote the plans of action for the first and second phases and to assist Member States in their implementation at the national level. OHCHR frequently interacted with a wide range of actors, such as Governments, United Nations entities and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as civil society, it provided information, publications, advice and other support and it participated in relevant events.", "B. Evaluation of the implementation of the plan of action for the first phase (2005-2009)", "7. During the period from August 2009 to mid-2010, OHCHR continued to provide the secretariat for the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Human Rights Education in the School System, which had been established in September 2006 in the context of the World Programme’s first phase with the aim of facilitating coordinated United Nations support for the national implementation of human rights education in primary and secondary school systems.[1]", "8. During the period between the last quarter of 2009 and mid-2010, the Coordinating Committee carried out the final evaluation of national implementation of the first phase (2005-2009) of the World Programme, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 12/4. The Coordinating Committee held its seventh and final meeting on 3 December 2009 when it discussed in particular the evaluation methodology and agreed on an evaluation questionnaire developed for that purpose.", "9. The final evaluation report (A/65/322), elaborated on the basis of 76 national reports, was submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. According to the report, Member States had taken some measures to integrate human rights education in their school systems; particularly notable progress had been made in making human rights education part of national curricula. A number of national initiatives were reported, in terms of policy and action to foster a culture of respect for human rights in daily school life. The report identified certain gaps in implementation, which suggested the need for a more comprehensive and systematic approach at the national level. Accordingly, Member States were encouraged to consolidate progress further by continuing implementation in line with the guidance provided by the plan of action.", "10. The Office of the High Commissioner has been disseminating the findings of the final evaluation in its contacts with various human rights education stakeholders. The final evaluation report and individual national submissions are available for consultation on a dedicated web page, which also contains the national reports submitted by Governments after the finalization of the evaluation report.[2]", "11. On 12 June 2010, the Coordinating Committee issued a third joint statement on the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour, urging Member States to further promote human rights education as a means of achieving the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.[3]", "12. The mandate of the Coordinating Committee expired with the conclusion of the first phase of the World Programme. OHCHR, however, continues to collaborate on a regular basis with other United Nations entities in the global promotion of human rights education.", "C. Launch of the second phase (2010-2014) and adoption of the related plan of action", "13. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 10/3, the High Commissioner consulted with Member States, national human rights institutions and international and non-governmental organizations on the possible focus for the second phase of the World Programme. In August 2009, the findings of the consultation were presented to the Council (A/HRC/12/36). To stimulate discussions and facilitate the decision-making on the focus and length of the second phase, the Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) convened in Geneva, on 18 September 2009, a panel which discussed the transition from the first to the second phase of the World Programme. Panellists included representatives of the sponsoring Government (Costa Rica), OHCHR, the Advisory Council on Human Rights of Morocco and two civil society organizations.", "14. The Human Rights Council, by resolution 12/4, decided to focus the second phase (2010-2014) on higher education and on human rights training programmes for teachers and educators, civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel at all levels, and encouraged Member States that had not yet done so to incorporate human rights education in primary and secondary school systems. The Council requested OHCHR to prepare, in cooperation with relevant intergovernmental organizations, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and non-governmental actors, to consult States on and submit to it for consideration at its fifteenth session a plan of action for the second phase.", "15. Accordingly, OHCHR, in consultation with UNESCO and other stakeholders, elaborated a draft plan of action for the second phase (see A/HRC/15/28). The draft plan, which was submitted to Governments for review and revised in the light of their comments, was adopted by the Council at its fifteenth session (resolution 15/11). During that session, the CONGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning convened a discussion panel with the participation of OHCHR and sponsoring Governments, aimed at increasing awareness of the plan of action for the second phase and at promoting its implementation.", "16. The plan of action for the second phase provides a general framework for action by Governments and substantive practical guidance for national implementation. It defines human rights education as “any learning, education, training and information efforts aimed at building a universal culture of human rights” (A/HRC/15/28, para. 3). It stresses that “all the components and processes of learning, including curricula, materials, methods and training, should be conducive to the learning of human rights” (A/HRC/15/28, para. 22 (a)) and it promotes the use of learner-centred methods and approaches, the active involvement of learners in learning processes, and the review and revision of teaching and learning materials to ensure that they conform to human rights principles (A/HRC/15/28, paras. 28 and 44).", "17. Together with UNESCO, OHCHR is currently implementing dissemination strategies for the plan of action, targeting relevant human rights education stakeholders, including Governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, higher education institutions and intergovernmental organizations.", "18. In accordance with Council resolution 15/11, OHCHR will submit a progress report on the implementation of the World Programme to the Human Rights Council at its last session in 2012.", "D. Activities aimed at information sharing", "19. The Office of the High Commissioner has continued to raise awareness of human rights education initiatives at various levels through information sharing and networking activities.[4] OHCHR has maintained and further expanded the web pages[5] on the World Programme, which are available in English, French and Spanish. The pages contain, inter alia, information received from Governments on national initiatives related to human rights education in schools and on overall national plans and strategies for human rights education.", "20. The Office of the High Commissioner has supported the documentation, collection and dissemination of good practices on human rights education at the regional level. A compendium of good practice was developed and published jointly in October 2009 by OHCHR, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The publication, entitled Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice, is available in English and Russian, in print, as a CD and in an attractive electronic format.[6]", "21. The Office has continued to develop and disseminate selected human rights training and education materials and methodologies based on good practice.[7] In March 2011, it published, jointly with EQUITAS-The International Centre for Human Rights Education, Evaluating Human Rights Training Activities: A Handbook for Human Rights Educators,[8] which is aimed at supporting the rigorous, systematic and continuous evaluation of human rights training activities for adult learners with a view to maximizing and measuring training impact. The handbook, building on existing research and practice in educational evaluation, equips human rights educators with basic knowledge in evaluation and provides step-by-step guidance, including examples of tools and techniques that can be adapted to different contexts. Another methodological tool currently being finalized is a self-assessment guide for Governments on the integration of human rights education into the school system.", "22. Two major resources developed by OHCHR are the Resource Collection on Human Rights Education and Training and the database on human rights education and training. The Resource Collection, a specialized section of the OHCHR library in Geneva, gathers more than 2,000 human rights education and training materials from around the world; more than 400 new acquisitions were added in the period under review.[9] The database is intended to facilitate the sharing of information in regard to learning programmes and educational institutions throughout the world,[10] and contains information on the programmes of over 1,100 human rights institution and 350 human rights training. The database has various functions which make it user-friendly and interactive. Most notably, a multiple search option allows users to carry out a customized search for institutions and programmes by programme or institution type, country and target group. New entries are added on a regular basis.", "23. With a view to globally disseminating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, OHCHR maintains an extensive collection of the Declaration in various languages and dialects, all available from the OHCHR website, and a collection of printed and other material. Both collections were initiated in the context of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and have grown steadily over the years. At present, the text of the Universal Declaration is available in over 375 national and local languages and dialects, and the collection of materials now comprises more than 350 items, such as printed materials, audio-visual resources and a broad range of commemorative items.", "24. As part of its daily outreach activities, OHCHR has responded to human rights education queries from governmental and non-governmental entities, including academia, and provided related reference services and other guidance. OHCHR grants, publications, the participation of specialized OHCHR staff and other contributions have supported the international and regional human rights education activities organized by other actors.", "25. The Council of Europe has initiated an international contact group on citizenship and human rights education to ensure close cooperation among regional and international initiatives in the field of citizenship and human rights education, including the sharing of information and the implementation of joint activities. Current members include the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, OHCHR, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and UNESCO. Cooperation with other regional organizations will be further explored.", "26. National human rights institutions are key actors in human rights education and, during the twenty-third and twenty-fourth annual meetings of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Geneva in 2010 and 2011, thematic sessions were convened on human rights education. At the twenty-third meeting, a panel discussion of developments in human rights education and training was held on 25 March 2010, with panellists representing the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, the national human rights institution of Morocco and OHCHR. At the twenty-fourth meeting, a thematic panel discussion of national human rights institutions and human rights education and training was held on 18 May 2011. Panellists representing the national human rights institutions of Morocco, Ireland, El Salvador and India exchanged their experiences in promoting a human rights culture through human rights education and training.", "E. Supporting national capacities and civil society initiatives", "27. National capacities for human rights education and training have been supported through OHCHR field presences and headquarters. OHCHR has enhanced its efforts to strengthen national capacities for human rights training of military, police and other staff deployed to peacekeeping operations. It has also developed and implemented, in cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the OHCHR/UNITAR Human Rights Orientation Programme for Diplomats. The programme is aimed at enhancing understanding by governmental officials of OHCHR and the United Nations human rights protection system. Since 2009, programmes have been organized each year in Geneva and New York, and one has been held in Addis Ababa. Training courses on human rights monitoring methodologies for national human rights institutions were held in Djibouti, Ecuador, the United Republic of Tanzania and Thailand. The United Nations Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region, located in Doha, focused in 2010 on establishing its presence in the region as a partner for building the human rights capacity of duty bearers and rights holders, and as a centre of excellence for learning, documentation and the exchange of positive practice. A human rights Masters programme, the first of its kind in the Russian Federation, has been established through a joint project of OHCHR, the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation and the Russian University Consortium; OHCHR has also facilitated the creation of an inter-university resource centre for research on human rights issues and provided the centre with equipment.", "28. A significant number of human rights training activities has been carried out by various OHCHR field presences. A non-exhaustive list of the activities[11] includes training on human rights monitoring during elections in Guinea and Uganda, human rights training for security forces in Togo and Sierra Leone, training for civil society on human rights advocacy in Côte d’Ivoire, and training for judicial actors in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Cambodia, OHCHR supported the development of a comprehensive training plan for prison staff, which was subsequently approved by the Ministry of Interior. In Peru, a training course on indigenous people’s rights was organized for judges and public prosecutors. In Nepal, workshops on monitoring economic, social and cultural rights were organized for local government officials, civil society organizations and community-based groups. Targeted training on the justiciability and domestic application of economic, social and cultural rights was provided to local actors in the West Africa region. In Haiti, OHCHR supported, through training on protection issues and by other means, the integration of internally displaced persons and, in particular, involvement of women’s groups in the management of camps for internally displaced persons and the drawing up of protection strategies in their areas of residence. Workshops on the right to adequate housing were held in Serbia. In Timor-Leste, technical advice and training were provided to government officials and civil society organizations to strengthen national institutions and promote transitional justice.", "29. With respect to training on United Nations human rights mechanisms, workshops on the universal periodic review process were organized in a number of regions and countries, including the Middle East, the Niger, Somalia, Myanmar, Honduras, Panama and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. OHCHR also conducted training on the reporting and implementation of recommendations of United Nations treaty bodies. In 2010, a total of 12 capacity-building and training activities concerning the common core document and treaty-specific guidelines, reporting, individual communications and follow-up to recommendations were carried out with State parties, at their request, in Bahrain, Belarus, Cape Verde, China (Hong Kong SAR), Japan, Kazakhstan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mexico, Peru, Qatar, Senegal and Turkmenistan.", "30. The Assisting Communities Together (ACT) project is a joint initiative of OHCHR and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in support of grass-roots human rights education initiatives in selected countries. Since its launch in 1998, the project has provided small grants to over 700 national and local civil society organizations.[12] The seventh phase (2011-2012) of the project was launched by OHCHR and UNDP in April 2011 and is focused in particular on support for activities which counter discrimination on any ground and in regard to any group, in line with one of the six thematic priorities of OHCHR for the biennium 2010-2011. In 2011, OHCHR and UNDP will award grants in 14 countries.[13]", "III. United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training", "31. During the reporting period, OHCHR continued to facilitate the initiative of the Human Rights Council, led by the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training,[14] to develop a United Nations declaration on human rights education and training. This initiative was launched in September 2007 by the Human Rights Council in resolution 6/10, by which it requested the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee to prepare the draft. Between August 2008 and January 2010, a drafting group of the Advisory Committee worked on its development, and a draft declaration was transmitted by the Advisory Committee to the Council for consideration at its thirteenth session, in accordance with both Council resolution 6/10 and resolution 10/28.[15]", "32. The draft declaration transmitted by the Advisory Committee was discussed at a high-level meeting of the Council, held during its thirteenth session. The Council, by resolution 13/15, decided to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group which would meet for a maximum of five working days prior to its sixteenth session to negotiate, finalize and submit to the Council the draft declaration on the basis of the draft submitted by the Advisory Committee.", "33. Prior to the convening of the working group, the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training held, on 24 June, 3 September and 14 December 2010, open-ended informal consultations on the text submitted by the Advisory Committee, which it subsequently revised.", "34. The working group, for which OHCHR provided the secretariat, met in Geneva from 10 to 14 January 2011 to negotiate and finalize the draft United Nations declaration, which it adopted and transmitted to the Human Rights Council for consideration at its sixteenth session.[16] The Council, by resolution 16/1 of 23 March, adopted the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training and recommended it for adoption by the General Assembly.[17]", "35. The Declaration defines human rights education and training as “all educational, training, information, awareness-raising and learning activities aimed at promoting universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and thus contributing to, inter alia, the prevention of human rights violations and abuses by providing persons with knowledge, skills and understanding and developing their attitudes and behaviours, to empower them to contribute to the building and promotion of a universal culture of human rights” (art. 2.1).", "36. Civil society contributed to the drafting process by providing written input, delivering written and oral statements during the Council’s sessions, and participating, inter alia, in the three informal consultations and meetings of the open-ended working group. The Geneva-based CONGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning organized two panel discussions of the draft declaration, in parallel with the thirteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Council (on 17 March 2010 and 11 March 2011, respectively), which brought together representatives of sponsoring Governments, national human rights institutions, academia and non-governmental organizations active in the area of human rights education.", "37. The Office of the High Commissioner has developed a web page dedicated to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. The web page[18] will be updated to reflect the consideration of the Declaration by the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.", "IV. Conclusions", "38. In follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning which commenced on 10 December 2008, many efforts have been devoted internationally to human rights education and learning. This reflects a growing interest in human rights education and learning among governmental bodies, national human rights institutions, intergovernmental organizations and civil society actors. The synergy among such international initiatives as the International Year of Human Rights Learning, the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training has stimulated overall progress in human rights education and learning, including the development of national strategies, an expansion of national, regional and international cooperation, a greater number of' information-sharing resources and methodological tools and an increased commitment by Governments at the international level, which can have a positive impact on the sustainability of national efforts.", "[1] The Coordinating Committee was composed of the following entities: International Labour Organization, OHCHR, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Development Group, United Nations Development Programme, Department of Public Information, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its International Bureau of Education, United Nations Population Fund, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and World Bank. The Council of Europe participated as an observer. More information about the Inter-Agency Committee is available from www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UN-inter-agency.htm.", "[2] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/evaluationWPHRE.htm.", "[3] The full text of the statement is available from www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/ training/joint_statements.htm.", "[4] More information on the activities is available from www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/ training/index.htm.", "[5] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/programme.htm.", "[6] Available from www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/TrainingEducation.aspx.", "[7] OHCHR publications, including relevant electronic versions, are available from www.ohchr.org/ EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/Publications.aspx.", "[8] Available in English from http://equitas.org/en/popular/may-10-2011-publication-of-evaluating-human-rights-training-activities-a-handbook-for-human-rights-educators/. French and Spanish versions will be available in December and September 2011, respectively.", "[9] The catalogue is available from www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/ collection.htm.", "[10] The database can be accessed at http://hre.ohchr.org/hret.", "[11] For more complete information, see OHCHR Report 2010, available from www2.ohchr.org/ english/ohchrreport2010/web_version/ohchr_report2010_web/index.html#/home.", "[12] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/act.htm.", "[13] Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Ecuador, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iraq, Kosovo, Mauritania, Republic of Moldova, Senegal, Togo, Uganda and Uruguay.", "[14] The Platform for Human Rights Education and Training is an informal, cross-regional governmental group consisting of Costa Rica, Italy, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, Slovenia and Switzerland.", "[15] See the report of the Advisory Committee on its fourth session (A/HRC/AC/4/4), recommendation 4/2.", "[16] See also the report of the open-ended working group (A/HRC/WG.9/1/3).", "[17] The text of the Declaration as adopted by the Council is contained in the annex to resolution 16/1.", "[18] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UNDHREducationTraining.htm." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "Follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report has been prepared in response to General Assembly resolution 64/82 on the follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report on the implementation of the resolution.", "The report provides information on initiatives undertaken at the international level during the period from August 2009 to June 2011 to promote human rights education and learning within the framework of the follow-up to the International Year. The activities implemented in the context of the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the preparation and adoption by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training are highlighted. It is concluded that United Nations initiatives, including the World Programme, the Declaration and the International Year, contribute to sensitizing global public opinion about human rights and the role of education and learning as essential tools for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 3II.World Programme 4 for Human Rights Education (initiated in 2005 and currently underway) A. General Coordination 4 of World Programme B. Assessment 4 of the implementation of the plan of action for the first phase (2005-2009) C. Introduction 5 of the second phase (2010-2014) and adoption of the corresponding plan of action D.Activities 7 for the exchange of information E. Support 9 of the national capacity", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 62/171, the General Assembly decided that the year beginning on 10 December 2008 would be proclaimed the International Year of Human Rights Learning, called upon Member States to intensify their efforts to promote human rights learning and education at the local, national and international levels, and to that end to promote cooperation at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders. In its resolution 63/173, the Assembly urged Member States, in coordination with relevant stakeholders and with the support and collaboration of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council, to develop regional, national and local international strategies or action programmes aimed at promoting comprehensive and sustained human rights learning at all levels. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report to the Assembly on the implementation of the two resolutions at its sixty-fourth session.", "2. Accordingly, at its sixty-fourth session, the General Assembly had before it a report of the Secretary-General (A/64/293) providing information on the initiatives undertaken until August 2009 to achieve the objectives of the International Year. In its resolution 64/82, the Assembly, recognizing that civil society, academia, the private sector, the media and, where appropriate, parliamentarians could play an important role in promoting and implementing human rights learning, encouraged action to ensure comprehensive and sustained human rights learning at all levels and a variety of stakeholders. It called upon the High Commissioner and the Human Rights Council to cooperate and work closely with civil society, the private sector, academia, regional organizations, the media and other stakeholders, as well as with the organizations, programmes and funds of the United Nations system, and to support them in promoting, in particular, the development of international, regional, national and local strategies and programmes of action to ensure such learning. In the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session on the implementation of the resolution.", "3. The present report covers the period from August 2009 to June 2011 and outlines the initiatives undertaken in the field of human rights education, training and learning within the framework of the follow-up to the International Year, facilitated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in particular in the context of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (initiated in 2005 and currently in progress), as well as the efforts of the Human Rights Council.", "II. World Programme for Human Rights Education (started in 2005 and currently underway)", "A. General coordination of the World Programme", "4. The World Programme for Human Rights Education was proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 59/113 A as a standing, structured global initiative at consecutive stages beginning on 1 January 2005. In accordance with the plan of action adopted by the Assembly in its resolution 59/113 B (see A/59/525/Rev.1), the first phase (2005-2007) focused on integrating human rights education into primary and secondary education systems. Subsequently, by its resolution 6/24, the Human Rights Council extended the first phase of the plan two more years, until December 2009.", "5. The second phase (2010-2014) of the Global Programme focuses on human rights education in higher education and human rights training programmes for teachers and educators, public officials, law enforcement and military personnel. The Human Rights Council adopted the corresponding plan of action (see A/HRC/15/28) in its resolution 15/11.", "6. During the period under review, OHCHR continued to promote action plans for the first and second stages and to assist Member States in implementing them at the national level. The Office interacted frequently with a wide range of stakeholders, including Governments, United Nations entities and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as civil society; provided information, publications, advice and support and participated in relevant forums.", "B. Evaluation of the implementation of the first phase action plan (2005-2009)", "7. During the period from August 2009 to mid-2010, OHCHR continued to provide secretariat services to the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordination Committee on Human Rights Education in the School System, which had been established in September 2006, in the context of the first phase of the Global Programme, in order to facilitate coordinated United Nations support for the implementation of human rights education plans in primary and secondary education systems[1].", "8. During the period from the last quarter of 2009 to the middle of 2010, the Coordinating Committee conducted the final assessment of the national implementation of the first phase (2005-2009) of the World Programme, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 12/4. The Coordinating Committee held its seventh and final meeting on 3 December 2009, at which it considered, in particular, the evaluation methodology and adopted an evaluation questionnaire for that purpose.", "9. The report of the final evaluation (A/65/322), prepared from 76 national reports, was submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. According to the report, Member States had taken some steps to integrate human rights education into their education systems; in particular, significant progress had been made in mainstreaming human rights education into national curricula. Numerous policy initiatives and practices were reported to promote an attitude of respect for human rights in the day-to-day activities of educational institutions. Some gaps in implementation were found, indicating the need for a more comprehensive and systematic approach at the national level. Member States were therefore encouraged to continue to implement the activities in line with the guidelines provided in the action plan to consolidate progress.", "10. The Office of the High Commissioner has been disseminating the findings of the final evaluation in its contacts with various stakeholders in human rights education. The final evaluation report and country reports are available on a special website, which also contains reports submitted by Governments following the completion of the evaluation report[2].", "11. On 12 June 2010, on the occasion of the World Day against Child Labour, the Coordinating Committee issued a third joint statement urging Member States to continue to promote human rights education as a means of achieving the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016[3].", "12. The mandate of the Coordinating Committee expired at the conclusion of the first phase of the Global Programme. However, OHCHR continues to work regularly with other United Nations entities on the promotion of human rights education at the global level.", "C. Initiation of the second phase (2010-2014) and approval of the corresponding action plan", "13. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 10/3, the High Commissioner consulted Member States, national human rights institutions and international and non-governmental organizations on the possible central element of the second phase of the Global Programme. The results of the consultations to the Council were presented in August 2009 (A/HRC/12/36). In order to stimulate the discussions and facilitate the decision-making process on the centrality and duration of the second phase, on 18 September 2009, the Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning, of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, convened a meeting in Geneva to discuss the transition period between the first and second stages of the World Programme. Representatives of the sponsoring Government (Costa Rica), OHCHR, the Moroccan Human Rights Advisory Council and two civil society organizations participated in the meeting.", "14. In its resolution 12/4, the Human Rights Council decided that the second phase (2010-2014) should focus on higher education and human rights training programmes for teachers and educators, public officials, law enforcement and military personnel at all levels, and encouraged Member States that had not yet done so to incorporate human rights education into primary and secondary education systems. The Council requested OHCHR, in collaboration with relevant intergovernmental organizations, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and with interested non-governmental organizations, to prepare a plan of action for the second phase, to consult States on this matter and to submit the plan for consideration at its fifteenth session.", "15. Accordingly, OHCHR, in consultation with UNESCO and other stakeholders, developed a draft plan of action for the second phase (see A/HRC/15/28). The draft, which was reviewed by Governments and revised in the light of its observations, was adopted by the Council at its fifteenth session (resolution 15/11). During that session, the Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning, of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, convened a review meeting in which OHCHR and the sponsoring Governments participated, in order to publicize the plan of action for the second phase and to promote its implementation.", "16. The action plan for the second phase provides a comprehensive framework of action for Governments and substantive practical guidance for the implementation of the country plan. Human rights education is defined as “the set of learning, teaching, training and information activities aimed at creating a universal culture of human rights” (A/HRC/15/28, para. 3), emphasizes the need for “all learning components and processes, including curricula, materials, methods and training itself, to lead to human rights learning” (A/HRC/15/28, para. 22 (a) and to ensure the active use of education", "17. Together with UNESCO, OHCHR is implementing strategies to disseminate the action plan for relevant stakeholders in human rights education, including Governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, higher education institutions and intergovernmental organizations.", "18. In accordance with Council resolution 15/11, OHCHR will submit a report to the Council at its last session in 2012 on progress in implementing the Global Programme.", "D. Activities to exchange information", "19. The Office of the High Commissioner has continued to disseminate human rights education initiatives at various levels through information-sharing and networking activities.[4] OHCHR has developed and expanded the World Programme website[5], which is offered in English, French and Spanish. These pages contain, inter alia, information received from Governments on country initiatives related to human rights education in schools and on general national plans and strategies for human rights education.", "20. The Office of the High Commissioner has supported the documentation, collection and dissemination of successful practices in human rights education at the regional level. A compendium of good practices was developed and published jointly in October 2009 by OHCHR, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The publication, entitled Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice, is printed in English and Russian, on CD and in an attractive electronic format[6].", "21. The Office has continued to develop and disseminate selected materials and methodologies based on successful practices for human rights training and education.[7] In March 2011, he published, in conjunction with EQUITAS, the International Centre for Human Rights Education, the work entitled Evaluating Human Rights Training Activities: A Handbook for Human Rights Educators[8], which aims to support the rigorous, systematic and ongoing evaluation of human rights training to educate adults to optimize and measure their impact. The handbook, based on research and educational evaluation experience, provides educators with basic knowledge on evaluation and detailed guidance, including examples of tools and techniques that can be adapted to different contexts. Another methodological instrument to be concluded is a self-assessment guide for Governments on integrating human rights education into the education system.", "22. Two important resources developed by OHCHR are the Human Rights Education and Training Resource Collection and the Human Rights Education Database. The resource collection, a specialized section of the OHCHR library in Geneva, comprises more than 2,000 materials worldwide on human rights education and training; over 400 new procurements were added during the period under review.[9] The database aims to facilitate the exchange of information with respect to education programmes and institutions worldwide[10] and contains information on programmes of more than 1,100 human rights institutions and 350 training programmes in the field. It has various functions that make it easy to use and interactive. The most outstanding is a multiple search option that allows users to find the institutions and programs that they seek by program or class of institution, country and target group. New data are regularly incorporated.", "23. With a view to disseminating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights worldwide, OHCHR has collected a wide range of versions of the Declaration in various languages and dialects, which are available on its website, and a collection of printed and other materials. The two collections began in the context of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and have been increasing steadily over the years. The text of the Universal Declaration now appears in more than 375 national and local languages and dialects and the collection of materials covers more than 350 resources, including printed and audiovisual material and a wide variety of commemorative materials.", "24. As part of its day-to-day outreach activities, OHCHR has responded to the concerns of governmental and non-governmental entities, including academic institutions, on human rights education issues and has provided related reference services and provided other guidance. OHCHR grants and publications, the participation of its specialized staff and other contributions have supported international and regional human rights education activities organized by other entities.", "25. The Council of Europe has initiated an international contact group on citizen and human rights education to ensure close cooperation between regional and international initiatives in these two areas, including through the exchange of information and the implementation of joint activities. The group is currently composed of OHCHR, the Agency for Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and UNESCO. Consideration will continue to be given to cooperating with other regional organizations.", "26. National human rights institutions are key actors in promoting human rights education, and during the 23rd and 24th annual meetings of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, held in Geneva in 2010 and 2011, meetings were convened on the subject. At the twenty-third meeting, on 25 March 2010, a review meeting was held on developments in human rights education and training, involving representatives of the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council, the human rights defender institution of Morocco and OHCHR. At the twenty-fourth meeting, a review meeting of national human rights institutions and human rights education and training was held on 18 May 2011. Representatives of human rights institutions from Morocco, Ireland, El Salvador and India shared their experiences in promoting an attitude of respect for human rights through education and training in that area.", "E. Support for national capacity and civil society initiatives", "27. Support has been provided to national capacity in human rights education and training through OHCHR field and headquarters projects. The Office has intensified its efforts to build national human rights training for military, police and other personnel deployed in peacekeeping operations. It has also developed and implemented, in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Human Rights Guidance Programme for Diplomats, which aims to raise awareness of the work of OHCHR and the United Nations system for the protection of human rights. Since 2009, programmes have been organized every year in Geneva and New York and one in Addis Ababa. Training courses were conducted on the human rights monitoring methodology for relevant national institutions in Djibouti, Ecuador, the United Republic of Tanzania and Thailand. In 2010, the United Nations Centre for Human Rights Training and Documentation for South-West Asia and the Arab region, based in Doha, focused on establishing its presence in the region, as a partner, to develop the capacity of human rights and duty holders and as a centre of excellence for learning, documentation and sharing good practices. A master ' s degree in human rights has been established in the Russian Federation, the first in that country, through a joint OHCHR project, the European Inter-university Centre for Human Rights and Democratization and the University of the Russian Federation. OHCHR has also facilitated the establishment of an inter-university resource centre for human rights research and has provided it with a team.", "28. Numerous human rights training activities have been carried out through various OHCHR field programmes[11], including training on human rights monitoring during the elections in Guinea and Uganda, human rights training for security forces in Togo and Sierra Leone, training for civil society in the area of human rights advocacy in Côte d’Ivoire and training for judicial officials in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Cambodia, OHCHR supported the development of a comprehensive training plan for prison staff that was subsequently approved by the Ministry of the Interior. In Peru, a training course for judges and prosecutors on the rights of indigenous peoples was organized. Workshops on monitoring economic, social and cultural rights for local public officials, civil society organizations and community groups were organized in Nepal. Special training on justice and respect for economic, social and cultural rights at the domestic level was provided for local officials in the West African region. In Haiti, OHCHR supported, through training programmes on human rights protection and other means, the integration of internally displaced persons and, in particular, the participation of women ' s groups in the management of displaced persons camps and the development of protection strategies in their places of residence. Workshops on the right to decent housing were held in Serbia. In Timor-Leste, technical advice and training were provided to public officials and civil society organizations to strengthen national institutions and promote transitional justice.", "29. In the area of training on United Nations mechanisms for the protection of human rights, workshops were organized on the universal periodic review process in various regions and countries, including the Middle East, Niger, Somalia, Myanmar, Honduras, Panama and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. OHCHR also organized training programmes on reporting and implementation of recommendations of United Nations treaty bodies. In 2010, 12 capacity-building and training activities were carried out, at the request of States parties, under the guidelines on the common core document and the treaty-specific document, reporting, individual communications and follow-up to recommendations, in Bahrain, Belarus, Cape Verde, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru, Qatar, the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China, Senegal and Turkmenistan.", "30. The “Joint Community Aid” project is a joint initiative of OHCHR and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in support of popular human rights education initiatives in selected countries. Since its inception in 1998, small grants have been granted to over 700 national and local civil society organizations[12]. The seventh phase of the project (2011-2012), initiated by OHCHR and UNDP in April 2011, is particularly dedicated to supporting anti-discrimination activities on any grounds and with respect to any group, in line with one of the six thematic priorities of OHCHR for the biennium 2010-2011. In 2011, OHCHR and UNDP will grant grants in 14 countries.[13]", "III. United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training", "31. During the period under review, OHCHR continued to facilitate the initiative of the Human Rights Council, led by the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training[14], aimed at developing a United Nations declaration on human rights education and training. The initiative was presented in September 2007 by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/10, in which it requested its Advisory Committee to prepare the draft. Between August 2008 and January 2010, a drafting group of the Advisory Committee worked on the draft declaration and the Committee submitted it to the Council at its thirteenth session, in accordance with its resolutions 6/10 and 10/28[15].", "32. The draft declaration transmitted by the Advisory Committee was discussed at a high-level meeting of the Council at its thirteenth session. In its resolution 13/15, the Council decided to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group that would meet for up to five working days prior to its sixteenth session in order to negotiate, finalize and submit to the Council the draft declaration on the basis of the draft submitted by the Advisory Committee.", "33. Prior to the convening of the working group, on 24 June, 3 September and 14 December 2010, the Platform for Human Rights Education and Training held open-ended informal consultations on the text submitted by the Advisory Committee, which subsequently revised it.", "34. The working group, to which OHCHR provided secretariat services, met in Geneva from 10 to 14 January 2011 to negotiate and finalize the draft declaration, which it adopted and submitted to the Human Rights Council at its sixteenth session.[16] In its resolution 16/1 of 23 March, the Council adopted the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training and recommended to the General Assembly its adoption.[17]", "35. The Declaration defines human rights education and training as “the set of educational, training, information and learning activities aimed at promoting universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, thereby contributing, inter alia, to the prevention of human rights abuses and violations by providing people with knowledge, skills and understanding and developing their attitudes and behaviours 2.1 so that they can contribute to the creation and promotion of a universal culture of human rights”.", "36. Civil society contributed to the drafting process by providing texts, making written and oral statements during the sessions of the Council and participating, inter alia, in three informal consultations and in the meetings of the working group. The Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning, of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, based in Geneva, organized two review meetings of the draft declaration, in parallel to the thirteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Council (on 17 March 2010 and 11 March 2011, respectively), in which representatives of the sponsoring Governments, national human rights institutions, academic institutions and human rights institutions participated.", "37. The Office of the High Commissioner has prepared a website[18] dedicated to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training to be updated to take into account the consideration of the Declaration by the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.", "IV. Conclusions", "38. As part of the follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Learning (which began on 10 December 2008), many initiatives were undertaken on human rights education and learning at the international level, reflecting the growing interest of government agencies, national human rights institutions, intergovernmental organizations and civil society entities in the subject. The synergy created between international initiatives such as the International Year of Human Rights Learning, the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training has promoted a general advance in human rights education and learning, including the development of national strategies, the expansion of national, regional and international cooperation, the development of a greater number of resources for the sharing of national and international instruments.", "[1] The Coordinating Committee is composed of the following entities: the International Labour Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Development Group, the United Nations Development Programme, the Department of Public Information, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its International Office for Education, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Population Fund The Council of Europe participated as an observer. Further information on the Coordinating Committee is available at www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UN-inter-agency.htm.", "[2] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/evaluationWPHRE.htm.", "[3] The full text of the statement is available at www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/joint_statements.htm.", "[4] More information on activities can be found at www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/index.htm.", "[5] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/programme.htm.", "[6] It can be obtained at www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/TrainingEducation.aspx, www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=172 imaginardoc_id=458.", "[7] OHCHR publications, including relevant electronic versions, are available at www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/Publications.aspx.", "[8] Figure in English at http://equitas.org/en/popular/may-10-2011-publication-of-evaluating-human-rights-training-activities-a-handbook-for-human-rights-educators/. The Spanish and French versions will be offered in September and December 2011, respectively.", "[9] The catalogue is available at www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/collection.htm.", "[10] The database is available at http://hre.ohchr.org/hret.", "[11] For more comprehensive information, see the Report of OHCHR 2010, www2.ohchr.org/english/ohchrreport2010/web_version/ohchr_report2010_web/index.html#/home.", "[12] See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/act.htm.", "[13] Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Ecuador, Iraq, Kosovo, Mauritania, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Senegal, Togo, Uganda and Uruguay.", "[14] The Platform for Human Rights Education and Training is an informal interregional governmental group composed of Costa Rica, the Philippines, Italy, Morocco, Senegal and Switzerland.", "[15] See the report of the Advisory Committee on its fourth session (A/HRC/AC/4/4), recommendation 4/2.", "[16] See also the report of the open-ended working group (A/HRC/WG.9/1/3).", "[17] The text of the Declaration adopted by the Council is contained in the annex to resolution 16/1.", "[18] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/UNDHREducationTraining.htm." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "** El presente documento contiene una sinopsis del Report of the World Social Situation 2011 y algunas conclusiones y recomendaciones del Secretario General. El informe completo se publicará más adelante en el curso de 2011, como publicación de las Naciones Unidas.", "Tema 27 a) del programa provisional*", "Desarrollo social: aplicación de los resultados de la Cumbre Mundial sobre Desarrollo Social y del vigésimo cuarto período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General", "La situación social en el mundo de 2011: la crisis social mundial", "Informe del Secretario General**", "Resumen", "En el bienio 2008-2009 el mundo atravesó su peor crisis financiera y económica desde la Gran Depresión del decenio de 1930. Esta crisis se desencadenó tras el aumento de los precios de los alimentos y los combustibles en 2007 y 2008. El Report on the World Social Situation 2011: the global social crisis expone las consecuencias sociales adversas de la crisis después de pasar revista a sus causas y su propagación. Si bien las medidas de estímulo coordinadas permitieron evitar una recesión global más profunda y prolongada, la recuperación es frágil y desigual. La contracción económica dio lugar a la reducción del gasto social en la mayoría de los países en desarrollo, mientras que en los países desarrollados el regreso a políticas de austeridad fiscal restringió el gasto social y puso en peligro la recuperación incipiente.", "El Informe señala el rápido aumento del desempleo y la vulnerabilidad, especialmente en los países en desarrollo que carecen de sistemas de protección social integral para hacer frente a la crisis económica mundial. Debido a esta crisis, decenas de millones de personas han caído o se han visto atrapadas en la pobreza extrema, mientras que el número de personas que padecen hambre ascendió en 2009 a más de 1.000 millones, una cifra sin precedentes. El Informe destaca claramente las valiosas enseñanzas extraídas de las respuestas nacionales a la crisis mundial, la importancia de las políticas de integración social y la necesidad de que exista una protección social universal. Una conclusión fundamental es que los países deben aplicar políticas anticíclicas de manera sistemática. La segunda enseñanza clave es que los países con un sistema de protección social pudieron evitar las peores consecuencias sociales y recuperarse mucho más rápidamente. Esto pone de relieve la necesidad de que los sistemas de protección social universal y los programas activos del mercado laboral sean permanentes, y no meros componentes temporales de las respuestas nacionales a la crisis. Por último, en el contexto de la política macroeconómica se debería otorgar mayor importancia a las políticas sociales, en particular las concernientes al empleo productivo, en vez de considerarlas como elementos de asistencia marginal a las personas pobres y los grupos desfavorecidos.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 4II.Más 4 allá de la recuperación: afrontar la crisis \nsocial III. La 7 crisis social \ncontinuada IV. Hacer 10 frente a la crisis: el camino a \nseguir A.Función 10 del \ngobierno B.Atención 11 centrada en el crecimiento del \nempleo C. Necesidad 14 de protección \nsocial D.Pobreza 14 y seguridad \nalimentaria V.Replantear 15 la política \nsocial VI.Conclusiones 16 y \nrecomendaciones", "I. Introducción", "1. La contracción económica mundial ha tenido repercusiones sociales negativas de amplio alcance y ha obstaculizado los progresos hacia la consecución de los objetivos de desarrollo internacionalmente acordados, en particular los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. En vista de la fragilidad de la recuperación económica y de los desiguales progresos alcanzados en las principales economías, se prevé que las condiciones sociales se restablecerán lentamente. Los elevados niveles de pobreza, hambre y desempleo seguirán afectando a miles de millones de personas durante muchos años.", "II. Más allá de la recuperación: afrontar la crisis social", "2. Durante el bienio 2008-2009 el mundo sufrió su peor crisis financiera y económica desde la Gran Depresión del decenio de 1930. La rápida contracción económica mundial trastocó gravemente el crecimiento económico en todo el mundo y provocó importantes retrocesos en los esfuerzos orientados a la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, así como de otros objetivos de desarrollo internacionalmente acordados. Según estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas, la tasa de crecimiento anual de la producción mundial disminuyó de aproximadamente un 4% alcanzado en el bienio 2006-2007, al 1,6% en 2008; la tasa de crecimiento de la producción se contrajo más aún en 2009, a -2%, debido a que el promedio de ingresos per cápita se redujo en 95 países.", "3. El desempleo aumentó repentinamente. El número de personas desempleadas ascendió de 178 millones en 2007, a 205 millones en 2009. Según las estimaciones más recientes de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo[1], en 2010 el índice de desempleo permaneció elevado y sin cambios en todo el mundo. El aumento del desempleo ha sido la principal repercusión social de la crisis en las economías de los países desarrollados, pero en los países en desarrollo la situación del mercado laboral ha sido menos evidente. Si bien los sectores de la economía informal y la agricultura absorbieron en gran medida los efectos de las pérdidas de empleo en el sector estructurado, en los países en desarrollo aumentó considerablemente el número de trabajadores con condiciones de empleo más precarias.", "4. La pérdida del empleo no solo entraña la pérdida de ingresos, sino también un aumento de la vulnerabilidad, especialmente en los países en desarrollo en los que no existe un sistema integral de protección social. Diversas estimaciones sugieren que entre 47 y 84 millones de personas han caído o están atrapadas en la pobreza extrema como consecuencia de la crisis mundial[2]. La crisis financiera mundial comenzó a manifestarse inmediatamente después del repentino encarecimiento de los combustibles y los alimentos. A consecuencia de ello, el número de personas que padecen hambre en todo el mundo ascendió en 2009 a un nivel sin precedentes de más de 1.000 millones.", "5. Aun cuando la crisis financiera no se originó en los países en desarrollo, sus economías, en particular las más integradas en los mercados financieros internacionales, no escaparon a las turbulencias financieras. Las repercusiones se manifestaron de diversas formas, tales como el colapso del comercio y de los precios de los productos básicos, la inversión de las corrientes de capital, el aumento de los costos de los préstamos, la disminución de los ingresos derivados de las remesas y las presiones sobre la asistencia oficial para el desarrollo. La crisis afectó a los países en grados diferentes, en función de su estructura económica y su vulnerabilidad a las conmociones.", "6. Los efectos de la crisis se vieron influenciados más aun por la capacidad de los gobiernos para afrontarlos y contrarrestar sus consecuencias, lo que dependió de la eficacia y solidez de sus mecanismos de políticas macroeconómicas anticíclicas, sus sistemas de protección social, sus marcos normativos, sus estructuras de gobernanza y su estabilidad política. A su vez, estos factores influyeron en la manera en que la crisis afectó a los diferentes grupos sociales. Los países más pobres se han convertido en los más vulnerables a las vicisitudes de la economía global y, generalmente, dependen en gran medida del financiamiento, el comercio y la ayuda del exterior. Sus ingresos en divisas e ingresos fiscales suelen basarse únicamente en unos pocos productos básicos, y debido al reducido espacio fiscal sus sistemas de protección social son limitados.", "7. Una conclusión clave del presente informe es que los países deben ser capaces de aplicar políticas anticíclicas de manera sistemática. El espacio político se debería crear mediante un cambio en la orientación y el carácter fundamentales de las políticas prescritas por las organizaciones internacionales a los países como condición necesaria para recibir asistencia. A pesar de haber anunciado cambios en las políticas que promueven, las instituciones financieras internacionales siguen incluyendo condiciones procíclicas en los paquetes de asistencia financiera que otorgan a países necesitados y prestando escasa atención a las consecuencias sociales de esas políticas.", "8. El relativo éxito de algunos Gobiernos de Asia y América Latina en lo que respecta al alivio de los efectos económicos y sociales de la crisis más reciente pone claramente de relieve la necesidad de que los gobiernos adopten políticas anticíclicas de manera sistemática, así como la conveniencia de preservar los recursos fiscales obtenidos en períodos de auge, con miras a respaldar las medidas anticíclicas en tiempos de necesidad. De hecho, los sistemas de protección social universal y los programas activos del mercado laboral deberían tener carácter permanente, en vez de ser meros componentes temporales de la respuesta nacional a la crisis.", "9. Es esencial que los gobiernos tengan en cuenta las probables repercusiones sociales de sus políticas económicas. Una y otra vez se ha visto que las políticas económicas consideradas separadamente de sus consecuencias sociales pueden producir resultados nefastos en lo concerniente a nutrición, salud y educación, lo que, a su vez, menoscaba el crecimiento económico a largo plazo. La separación entre las políticas económicas y sus consecuencias sociales puede generar un círculo vicioso de crecimiento lento y progreso social insuficiente.", "Recuadro 1Optimismo desbordante\t\n\tLa actual crisis financiera y económica mundial tomó casi porsorpresa a muchas organizaciones internacionales. Por ejemplo, elFondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), que sigue la evoluciónmacrofinanciera global, mantuvo una perspectiva optimista; el FMItardó algún tiempo en comprender que la crisis pronto afectaría atodo el mundo. Un mes antes de los primeros temblores provocadospor la crisis de las hipotecas de alto riesgo en los EstadosUnidos de América, el FMI señaló: “La fuerte expansión mundialcontinúa y las proyecciones del crecimiento para 2007 y 2008 sehan corregido al alza ...”^(a).\t\n\tAdemás la Oficina de Evaluación Independiente del FMI hareconocido este desacierto. Incluso hasta abril de 2007, elmensaje del FMI era de un sostenido optimismo, en el contexto decircunstancias mundiales propicias. Memorandos del personal yotros documentos del FMI sugieren una perspectiva positiva a cortoplazo y, fundamentalmente, buenas condiciones de los mercadosfinancieros. Tras el estallido de las perturbaciones financieras,el FMI adoptó un tono más prudente, que se reflejó en lasadiciones de las Perspectivas de la economía mundial y en elInforme sobre la estabilidad financiera mundial publicados enoctubre de 2007^(b).\t\n\tOtras organizaciones importantes tampoco percibieron la proximidadde la crisis. Por ejemplo, tres meses antes del comienzo de laimplosión del sector financiero debida al colapso del mercado dehipotecas de alto riesgo en los Estados Unidos en agosto de 2007,la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE)afirmó que la desaceleración en los Estados Unidos no anunciaba unperíodo de debilitamiento de la economía mundial, a diferencia,por ejemplo, de lo ocurrido en 2001. Antes bien, se preveía unatranquila recuperación del equilibrio, en cuyo contexto Europarelevaría a los Estados Unidos en el liderazgo del crecimiento dela zona de la OCDE. De hecho, las proyecciones esenciales seguíansiendo muy alentadoras: un aterrizaje suave en los Estados Unidos,una recuperación firme y sostenida en Europa, una trayectoriasólida en el Japón y una actividad floreciente en China y laIndia^(c).\t\n\tNo había ningún motivo creíble para tan desbordante optimismo.Fuera del Banco de Pagos Internacionales y, las Naciones Unidasfueron la única organización internacional que manifestó ciertaspreocupaciones. En su publicación Situación y Perspectivas para laEconomía Mundial 2006, las Naciones Unidas advirtieron losiguiente: “Un ajuste desordenado de los crecientes desequilibriosmacroeconómicos de las economías más grandes es un riesgo degrandes proporciones, que puede afectar la estabilidad y elcrecimiento de la economía mundial ... Una reversión del alza enlos precios de la vivienda ... aumentaría el riesgo de no pago delas deudas hipotecarias y podría disparar así la ocurrencia denuevas crisis bancarias ... Una fuerte caída de los precios de lavivienda en una de las economías más grandes podría precipitar unajuste abrupto y desestabilizador de los desequilibriosglobales”^(d).\t\n\tLas Naciones Unidas no solo analizaron correctamente los riesgossubyacentes para la economía global, sino que, además, susproyecciones de crecimiento para 2009 fueron más realistas. Ennoviembre de 2009, cuando el FMI preveía un crecimiento mundialdel 2,2% para ese año, las proyecciones de las Naciones Unidas(2009) sugerían un valor de referencia para la tasa de crecimientodel 0,9%. Como se vio posteriormente, en 2009 la economía globalse contrajo un -2,0%. \n\t^(a) Fondo Monetario Internacional, Actualización de Perspectivasde la economía mundial: (Washington, D.C., julio de 2007). ^(b) Oficina de Evaluación Independiente del Fondo MonetarioInternacional, IMF Performance in the Run-Up to the Financial andEconomic Crisis: IMF Surveillance in 2004-07 (Washington, D.C.,Fondo Monetario Internacional, 2011). ^(c) Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, OECDEconomic Outlook, vol. 2007/1 (París, 2007). \n\t^(a) ^(d) Naciones Unidas, Situación y Perspectivas para laEconomía Mundial 2006, publicación de las Naciones Unidas, númerode venta: S.06.II.C.2).", "III. La crisis social continuada", "10. Los verdaderos efectos de la crisis financiera y económica sobre el progreso social en esferas como la educación y la salud no se pueden identificar inmediatamente, y solo se podrán apreciar plenamente con el tiempo. No obstante, estimaciones preliminares revelan que esos efectos fueron intensos, amplios y profundos. En vista de la fragilidad de la recuperación económica y de los desiguales progresos logrados en las principales economías, se prevé que las condiciones sociales se restablecerán lentamente. Los mayores niveles de pobreza, hambre y desempleo derivados de la crisis mundial continuarán afectando durante años a miles de millones de personas en muchos países desarrollados y en desarrollo.", "11. Mientras tanto, en algunas economías adelantadas, entre ellas Grecia y España, las medidas de austeridad adoptadas en respuesta al elevado endeudamiento público no solo están poniendo en peligro el empleo en el sector público y el gasto social, sino que, además, están haciendo más incierta y frágil la recuperación. La mayor presión ejercida en aras de la consolidación fiscal y las nuevas presiones para responder al endeudamiento han limitado gravemente el espacio fiscal y político en las economías desarrolladas, lo que restringe sus opciones ante el avance de la crisis. Muchos países en desarrollo, especialmente los que ejecutan programas del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), están siendo objeto de presiones orientadas a la reducción del gasto público y la aplicación de medidas de austeridad.", "12. Si bien los paquetes integrales de estímulo económico adoptados por las principales economías permitieron detener la contracción y evitar de esa manera una recesión prolongada, en muchos casos la recuperación ha sido un trabajo deficiente caracterizado por niveles de desempleo y subempleo inaceptablemente elevados. Los datos relativos a recesiones recientes sugieren que se ha ampliado el desfase entre la producción y la recuperación del empleo. Los perjuicios a largo plazo para el empleo como consecuencia de la crisis actual ya son visibles y, en la mayoría de los países, el desempleo entre los jóvenes ha alcanzado niveles alarmantes. Tanto en los países desarrollados como en desarrollo, las tasas de desempleo y subempleo entre los jóvenes de 15 a 24 años son muy altas: según estimaciones, a finales de 2009 había 79 millones de jóvenes desempleados, y la tasa mundial de desempleo juvenil era del 13%.", "13. Desde 2007, la proporción de desempleo estructural o a largo plazo ha aumentado significativamente en la mayoría de los países desarrollados. Por ejemplo, en los Estados Unidos de América la proporción de trabajadores desempleados 27 semanas o más aumentó en 2010 a un ritmo alarmante; aproximadamente la mitad de los trabajadores desempleados han estado sin trabajo por lo menos seis meses. La situación es igualmente preocupante en muchos países europeos.", "14. En los países en desarrollo la mayoría de las pérdidas de empleo se produjeron en los dinámicos sectores de exportación. El incremento del empleo precario y el número de trabajadores pobres han sido motivos de honda preocupación, por cuanto cada vez son más las personas que al perder sus empleos en la economía estructurada pasan a la economía informal, en la que los trabajos están mal pagados y la protección ofrecida es deficiente o inexistente.", "15. Se prevé que en los países en desarrollo las condiciones del mercado laboral seguirán planteando problemas, por al menos dos motivos. El primero es que la mayoría de los 47 millones de trabajadores que anualmente se incorporan a los mercados de trabajo de todo el mundo están buscando empleo en países en desarrollo. Según las Naciones Unidas[3], solamente en Asia se necesitarán alrededor de 51 millones de empleos nuevos para absorber la creciente población activa en el bienio 2010-2011. El segundo motivo es que se prevé que, lo mismo que en los países desarrollados, en los países en desarrollo la creación de empleo en los sectores estructurados e industriales sea más lenta que la recuperación de la producción. Por ejemplo, tras la crisis financiera de 1997-1998 en Asia, el proceso de recuperación del empleo llevó al menos tres años. Dado el carácter global de la crisis actual, la recuperación del empleo podría llevar aún más tiempo.", "16. La contracción de la economía mundial ha tenido vastas repercusiones sociales negativas para las personas, familias, comunidades y sociedades. La pobreza y el desempleo se han relacionado con la delincuencia, la violencia sexista, la toxicomanía y la enfermedad mental, en particular la depresión y el suicidio. En épocas de crisis financiera y económica las familias suelen adoptar estrategias de adaptación como la modificación del patrón de gastos familiares; sin embargo, esto puede influir negativamente en los resultados de la educación, la salud y la nutrición, lo que podría dar lugar a deficiencias permanentes en los niños afectados y, de ese modo, contribuir a perpetuar la pobreza intergeneracional.", "17. Los efectos de la volatilidad y la carestía de los alimentos, los bajos ingresos y el creciente desempleo están retrasando los esfuerzos para reducir el hambre y mejorar la nutrición. En 2007 y 2008 el brusco aumento de los precios mundiales de los alimentos y la energía socavó más aún el bienestar de los pobres del mundo, y obligó a más familias a depender de programas públicos de asistencia alimentaria insuficientemente financiados, saltar comidas, consumir menos o sustituir alimentos nutritivos por otros más económicos y menos saludables. Los países importadores de alimentos registraron un aumento del costo total de sus importaciones, debido al incremento de los precios y de los costos de la energía para su transporte, que se trasladó a los consumidores[4].", "18. En 2009, los precios de los alimentos volvieron a aumentar, debido principalmente a problemas persistentes en la producción y la oferta de alimentos en todo el mundo, agravados por la demanda de producción de biocombustibles y la mayor especulación con los productos básicos en los mercados futuros y opciones. La continuada crisis alimentaria conlleva graves consecuencias para la estabilidad política y social de los países pobres importadores de alimentos. Algunos disturbios relacionados con los alimentos se han producido a raíz de los prolongados efectos que la carestía de los alimentos ha tenido para los pobres y otros grupos vulnerables. La Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura advirtió recientemente de un “aumento preocupante” de los precios de los alimentos, que afectará a millones de personas como resultado de la imprevista escasez de algunos cereales muy importantes, ocasionada en 2010 por condiciones climáticas adversas, inundaciones e incendios.", "Recuadro 2La patología social de las crisis \n\tLas repercusiones sociales de la crisis económica, en particularsobre la salud pública y la educación, solo se pueden conocercabalmente después de un largo período de gestación. Sin embargo,es posible extraer enseñanzas de las crisis financieras yeconómicas anteriores, entre ellas la Gran Depresión del deceniode 1930 y la crisis financiera de 1997-1998 en Asia. Por ejemplo,en los Estados Unidos de América, una reducción del 30% de losingresos entre 1929 y 1932 provocó un aumento del 40% en la tasade suicidios y del 10% en la de defunciones en general^(a).Asimismo, entre 1997 y 1998 la tasa de suicidios entre los varonesaumentó un 39% en el Japón, un 44% en Hong Kong (China) y un 45%en la República de Corea. La tasa de suicidios entre los varonestambién aumentó en Tailandia. En Hong Kong (China), el Japón y laRepública de Corea, el aumento de 10.400 suicidios en 1998 conrespecto a 1997 se relacionó con la crisis económica. Tras elcolapso de la ex Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas laesperanza de vida en esas repúblicas disminuyó considerablemente,y volvió a disminuir a raíz de la crisis del rublo, en 1998^(b).\t\n\tLas crisis económicas han tenido repercusiones adversas tambiénpara la salud pública. M. Harvey Brenner^(c) estableció unarelación entre las crisis económicas y el aumento de la mortalidadpor enfermedades cardíacas en el Estado de Nueva York y en losEstados Unidos entre 1900 y 1967. Los incrementos a corto plazodel consumo de alcohol reflejan, al menos parcialmente, lastensiones sociales y psicológicas relacionadas con la recesióneconómica^(d). Si una situación de recesión económica se prolonga,el aumento del alcoholismo podría dar lugar a mayores tasas demortalidad por cirrosis hepática, según observó Brenner^(e) enInglaterra y Gales durante el período 1936-1976.\t\n\tLos efectos sanitarios adversos son mayores en los nivelessocioeconómicos más bajos y en las familias que carecen deseguridad económica. Esta carencia suele generar tensiones: lasestructuras sociales y familiares se deterioran y se adoptanhábitos perjudiciales para la salud. Esos efectos se puedentraducir en situaciones psicopatológicas tales como el suicidio o,después de algunos años, enfermedades crónicas. Las conclusionesde Brenner coinciden con las de David Dooley, Ralph Catalano yGeorjeanna Wilson^(f), quienes determinaron que la pérdida delempleo provoca mayores síntomas de depresión a corto plazo (un añoo menos). Además, los autores aportan pruebas del aumento delconsumo de alcohol entre las personas que han perdido el empleo. \n\t^(a) David Stuckler y otros, “The public health effect of economiccrises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empiricalanalysis”, en The Lancet, vol. 374, núm. 9686 (2009); DavidStuckler y otros, “The health implications of financial crisis: areview of the evidence”, en Ulster Medical Journal, vol. 78, núm.3 (2009).\t\n\t^(b) Shu-Sen Chang y otros, “Was the economic crisis 1997-1998responsible for rising suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia? Atime-trend analysis for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan,Singapore and Thailand”, en Social Science and Medicine, vol. 68,núm. 7 (2009).\t\n\t^(c) M. Harvey Brenner, “Economic changes and heart diseasemortality”, en American Journal of Public Health, vol. 61, núm. 3(1971).\t\n\t^(d) M. Harvey Brenner, “Trends in alcohol consumption andassociated illnesses: some effects of economic changes”, enAmerican Journal of Public Health, vol. 65, núm. 12 (1975).\t\n\t^(e) M. Harvey Brenner, “Mortality and the national economy”, enThe Lancet, vol. 314, núm. 8142 (1979).\t\n\t^(f) David Dooley, Ralph Catalano y Georjeanna Wilson, “Depressionand unemployment: panel findings from the Epidemiologic CatchmentArea study”, en American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 22,núm. 6 (1994).", "IV. Hacer frente a la crisis: el camino a seguir", "A. Función del gobierno", "19. En octubre de 2008 la respuesta multilateral inicial a la crisis financiera prometía la adopción de enfoques integrales centrados en la cooperación y la coordinación[5]. Consiguientemente, muchas medidas gubernamentales de estímulo proporcionaron el impulso esencial para encaminar la recuperación de la economía mundial. Sin embargo, dado que esas medidas propiciaron la austeridad fiscal, en algunos países existe el peligro de que la recuperación dirigida por los gobiernos se pueda interrumpir, e incluso invertir. En vista de la constante fragilidad de la recuperación económica en numerosos países, y con el fin de evitar una posible recaída, es imperativo que las instancias normativas resistan las presiones para que reduzcan en exceso, y demasiado pronto, el gasto público.", "20. Evidentemente, las medidas anticíclicas de política macroeconómica han permitido mitigar los efectos de la crisis. Tanto la recesión como sus repercusiones sociales han sido menos graves de lo que se temía inicialmente, gracias a las rápidas respuestas normativas de muchos países, en particular las economías emergentes del mundo en desarrollo. Según estimaciones de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo las medidas anticíclicas aplicadas por el Grupo de los Veinte permitieron preservar o crear 21 millones de empleos en sus economías[6].", "21. Esto destaca la importancia de la intervención oportuna del Estado para responder a una crisis. Sin embargo, la sostenibilidad de esas respuestas normativas se ha visto amenazada por afirmaciones exageradas acerca de los efectos perjudiciales de la carga fiscal y otras consecuencias conexas que la crisis ha impuesto a los gobiernos. Sin duda, las cargas fiscales de los gobiernos han aumentado, pues la desaceleración económica redujo los ingresos fiscales debido a la contracción de las bases impositivas. La causa principal del déficit presupuestario es la disminución de ingresos asociada a las drásticas caídas de la producción y los ingresos, y no las medidas de estímulo y el gasto social. Esta merma en los ingresos tributarios, combinada con la creciente necesidad de programas sociales, ha agravado los efectos de la crisis en el desarrollo social.", "22. Las presiones cada vez mayores para que se adopten medidas de austeridad, aparentemente por motivos de consolidación fiscal, están poniendo en peligro los programas de protección social, salud pública y educación, así como la aplicación de medidas de recuperación económica. Muchos países industrializados y numerosos países en desarrollo ya están restringiendo el gasto social. Los gobiernos deben responder con prudencia a las presiones en favor de medidas de consolidación fiscal y austeridad para no poner en peligro la sostenibilidad de la recuperación. Es preciso mantener un apoyo constante a las medidas de fomento y recuperación, con miras a fortalecer el impulso de la recuperación de la producción y proteger las inversiones económicas y sociales que apuntalan el crecimiento futuro.", "23. Más importante aún, las respuestas a la crisis no han abordado sus causas fundamentales. Por ejemplo, las reformas financieras en las principales economías no responden a las expectativas iniciales y exponen la recuperación a nuevos abusos, excesos y vulnerabilidades. Existen indicios de que esto ya está ocurriendo. Los progresos para hacer frente a otras causas estructurales de la crisis también han sido limitados. Entre otras cosas, siguen aumentando las desigualdades en materia de ingresos; el reequilibrio global es limitado, y persiste la contracción de la demanda mundial. Si no se superan las causas profundas de la crisis, la recuperación sostenible no será posible.", "B. Atención centrada en el crecimiento del empleo", "24. Evidentemente, la recuperación del empleo está rezagada con respecto a otros indicadores de recuperación económica, por lo que los gobiernos deberán seguir centrando sus medidas de estímulo en el crecimiento del empleo. Este retraso en la recuperación del empleo pone de relieve las dificultades que ocasiona la crisis financiera y económica mundial para la erradicación de la pobreza y la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM) para 2015. El pleno empleo productivo y el trabajo decente para todos son elementos de importancia crucial para erradicar la pobreza y alcanzar los ODM. Esto se puso claramente de relieve poco antes del inicio de la crisis, en el contexto de la iniciativa del Pacto Mundial para el Empleo, orientado a promover una recuperación con altos niveles de empleo[7].", "25. En la Reunión plenaria de alto nivel del sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones de la Asamblea General sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, celebrada en septiembre de 2010 la Asamblea señaló la importancia del empleo productivo y el trabajo decente como medios esenciales para la consecución de los ODM. En particular, la expansión de las oportunidades de trabajo decente permite que los beneficios del crecimiento económico lleguen a toda la población[8]. Por lo tanto, la promoción de una recuperación con altos niveles de empleo sentará bases sólidas para alcanzar el objetivo de crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo previsto en el documento final[9].", "26. Ahora bien, el desafío que plantea la creación de empleo no se debería subestimar, por cuanto la tasa de crecimiento económico necesaria para volver a los niveles de empleo previos a la crisis deberá ser suficientemente alta como para compensar el aumento de la población activa e incrementar la productividad. Además, ese crecimiento deberá entrañar el uso intensivo de mano de obra y, para ser sostenible, deberá estar impulsado por el crecimiento de la productividad. Esto significa que debe producirse un cambio estructural generalizado que favorezca a los sectores dinámicos de la economía.", "27. Los llamamientos en favor de una mayor flexibilización del mercado laboral, una condición que suele propiciar salarios más bajos y condiciones de empleo degradadas, se promocionan como una necesidad para hacer frente a los crecientes niveles de desempleo[10]. Sin embargo, esta fórmula de liberalización del mercado laboral pasa por alto tres consideraciones esenciales. En primer lugar, en los países con disposiciones de protección del mercado laboral las desigualdades salariales suelen ser pequeñas. Por lo tanto, las disposiciones que protegen los derechos de los trabajadores reducen las desigualdades sin imponer ninguna pérdida significativa de la producción ni del empleo[11].", "28. En segundo lugar, el razonamiento actual sobre la flexibilidad del mercado laboral se refiere a un régimen de empleo no regulado, en el que los gobiernos no imponen restricción alguna a la contratación, el despido o las condiciones de empleo. Por consiguiente, desde esta perspectiva, tanto los empleadores como los trabajadores tendrían la libertad de elegir condiciones de empleo mutuamente convenientes. En la realidad, sin embargo, la flexibilidad es solo para los empleadores. En tiempos de prosperidad esto podría pasar desapercibido, pero en épocas de crisis, cuando se permite a las empresas reducir los salarios o despedir en masa a sus empleados a fin de reducir costos, esa flexibilidad para los empleadores se traduce en inseguridad para los trabajadores, especialmente si no existe una protección social universal apropiada.", "29. En tercer lugar, centrarse en la flexibilidad del mercado laboral para superar la crisis económica mundial puede menoscabar el potencial de crecimiento a largo plazo, si mediante los cambios normativos se creara una estructura de incentivos en cuyo contexto los trabajadores respondieran con una modificación del comportamiento colectivo que condujera a un círculo vicioso de bajos salarios y baja productividad.", "30. Existe un mensaje normativo tácito según el cual tener un trabajo cualquiera es mejor que no tener ninguno. Este mensaje pasa por alto la importancia de mejorar la seguridad laboral. Ante la falta de sistemas estructurados de prevención de riesgos, los trabajadores podrían verse inclinados a aceptar de buen grado trabajos de baja productividad con salarios igualmente bajos. Ello podría llevar la economía a un círculo vicioso de bajos salarios-baja productividad, y propiciar la sustitución de los empleos productivos por “malos” empleos.", "31. Por otra parte, una continua renovación de personal, propiciada por la mayor flexibilidad del mercado laboral, podría reducir los incentivos para que los trabajadores en situación de inseguridad adquiriesen una capacitación que mejoraría la productividad de la mano de obra. Debido a la falta de seguridad y protección jurídica en el empleo, los trabajadores pagan a los empleadores una prima (en forma de salarios bajos y de su disposición a aceptar cualquier trabajo) con el fin de reducir el riesgo de quedarse sin empleo. En esas circunstancias, la imposición de normas laborales más exigentes y de diversos sistemas de prevención de riesgos podría ser eficaz (por cuanto orientaría la economía hacia una situación equilibrada de productividad elevada-salarios elevados) y equitativa (dado que permitiría a los trabajadores vulnerables afrontar los riesgos del mercado laboral).", "C. Necesidad de protección social", "32. Los devastadores efectos de la crisis sobre tantas personas ponen de manifiesto el carácter dinámico y multidimensional de la pobreza, así como la importancia primordial de la protección social para reducir la vulnerabilidad. Los países con sistemas de protección social tienen mayor capacidad para mitigar los efectos negativos de las conmociones y evitar que las personas se empobrezcan más aun. Además, las medidas de protección social pueden ayudar a restablecer las actividades económicas y los medios de subsistencia[12].", "33. A largo plazo, la protección social puede ayudar a las personas y las familias a desarrollar los recursos humanos y sociales, entre otros activos, y mejorar sus perspectivas de subsistencia[13] para, de ese modo, reducir la pobreza y liberar el potencial productivo de la fuerza de trabajo. Por lo tanto, la protección social no se debería entender como una medida temporal destinada a amortiguar las repercusiones de una crisis, sino como una inversión continua orientada a promover el crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo. La aceptación de una reducción del gasto social a raíz de la crisis podría agravar y prolongar sus efectos negativos, por ejemplo, en los niveles de malnutrición, las tasas de deserción escolar y el desempleo a largo plazo.", "34. El acceso universal a la protección social y a los servicios sociales básicos es necesario para romper el ciclo de pobreza y reducir las desigualdades y la exclusión social. Un nivel mínimo de protección social básica es asequible; sus beneficios se deben evaluar en comparación con el costo humano, social y económico potencialmente elevado que entrañaría la falta de inversión en protección social. Sin mecanismos que aseguren el acceso a la atención de la salud, así como niveles de nutrición suficientes y estabilidad social, un país no puede desplegar su pleno potencial humano, económico y productivo. Una estrategia de desarrollo basada en los derechos humanos deberá promover el pleno ejercicio de los derechos sociales y económicos y, entre otras cosas, fomentar y proteger los progresos en materia de desarrollo social en tiempos de crisis. El derecho a la seguridad social consagrado en la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos exige que la protección social universal asegure el bienestar básico de todas las personas, en particular las que viven en la pobreza y las que están expuestas al riesgo de empobrecimiento.", "D. Pobreza y seguridad alimentaria", "35. Los efectos de la actual crisis financiera y económica se agravaron en 2007 y 2008 con el incremento del precio de los alimentos. La producción de alimentos está aumentando más lentamente, y cada vez más productos alimenticios se destinan a la elaboración de alimentos para animales y biocombustibles, por lo que es sumamente improbable que los precios de los alimentos vuelvan en lo inmediato a la tendencia descendente del período anterior. La incertidumbre se vio agravada también por algunos problemas recientes de abastecimiento atribuidos a condiciones meteorológicas, incendios e inundaciones. En cierta medida, el encarecimiento de los alimentos se debió a la especulación en los mercados de productos básicos, cuando los inversores abandonaron los mercados financieros tradicionales. Obviamente, el aumento del precio de los alimentos menoscabó los esfuerzos por reducir la pobreza y el hambre.", "36. Es preciso solucionar problemas fundamentales del sistema mundial de producción y comercialización de alimentos para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria constante. Los países en desarrollo deben cambiar las políticas agrícolas orientadas principalmente a la exportación, por otras que refuercen la producción nacional de alimentos destinados a satisfacer las necesidades locales de alimentos asequibles y amortiguar las repercusiones de las crisis de precios internacionales. Este cambio presupone una función de apoyo más decidida del Estado, una cooperación internacional más intensa y una mayor inversión en el desarrollo de los sectores alimentario y agrícola, en un marco que otorgue prioridad a las pequeñas explotaciones agrícolas y a la gestión sostenible de los recursos del medio ambiente.", "V. Replantear la política social", "37. La crisis ofrece una ocasión para replantear la función de la política social y la inversión social mediante la transformación de las respuestas normativas a la crisis en oportunidades que permitan fortalecer el progreso social y alcanzar un desarrollo más sostenido, inclusivo y equitativo. Además, es una circunstancia apropiada para reformular el programa mundial económico, social y de desarrollo. Se está comprendiendo ahora que es necesario dar una mayor importancia en el marco de la política macroeconómica a las cuestiones de política social, en particular las relativas al empleo productivo, en vez de considerarlas como un elemento marginal de asistencia a las personas pobres y los grupos desfavorecidos perjudicados por las políticas macroeconómicas destinadas únicamente a reducir la inflación o eliminar los déficits presupuestarios.", "38. La crisis económica ha servido de recordatorio de la importancia esencial de la salud, la educación, la vivienda y la alimentación apropiadas para que las personas sean más productivas y puedan efectuar una mejor aportación a la sociedad. En otras palabras, la política social en general y las medidas orientadas a acabar con la pobreza en todas sus dimensiones deberían ser elementos integrales de la política macroeconómica destinada a promover el desarrollo. Por consiguiente, los enfoques relativos a la reducción de la pobreza se deberán centrar en el desarrollo, ser de carácter integral, e incorporar políticas económicas y sociales dirigidas a conseguir resultados de desarrollo que beneficien a la población.", "39. En el contexto de la crisis, una recuperación con elevado nivel de empleo exige la incorporación de objetivos sociales en las estrategias y políticas de recuperación económica. De hecho, las medidas de política macroeconómica destinadas a promover la recuperación sostenida deberían respaldar enfoques favorables al crecimiento del empleo y la erradicación de la pobreza. En el marco de las estrategias de recuperación y las políticas de desarrollo se debería acordar prioridad a las inversiones sociales.", "40. La inversión social siempre contribuye al crecimiento y el desarrollo a largo plazo. En los países en desarrollo, el aumento del gasto destinado a ampliar la protección social y mejorar el acceso a la educación y los servicios de salud contribuirá a asegurar un desarrollo más inclusivo con una mayor demanda interna, y sentar bases más sólidas para el crecimiento futuro.", "41. La crisis también ofrece una oportunidad para reexaminar los enfoques concernientes a la política social. El hecho de que la crisis alimentaria, financiera y económica mundial haya afectado negativamente a poblaciones tanto en los países ricos como en los pobres, reafirma la conveniencia de adoptar un enfoque universal para la política social que no se limite solamente a las personas pobres. La previsión social universal debería ser el objetivo de la formulación de políticas sociales. Esto también asegurará un apoyo más amplio y sostenido que el que proporcionan las medidas políticas con objetivos limitados, que comportan un riesgo significativo, si bien involuntario, de exclusión de muchas personas necesitadas.", "42. La Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social promueve el acceso universal a las transferencias y los servicios sociales esenciales[14]. Más del 75% de la población mundial carece de garantías sociales que les permitan afrontar los riesgos para su subsistencia. Es preciso asegurar un nivel mínimo de protección social para las personas que luchan por sobrevivir, como un primer paso para abordar el carácter polifacético de la pobreza. Para ello podría ser necesaria la adopción de medidas especiales orientadas a asegurar que los beneficios lleguen a las personas más vulnerables, en el marco del compromiso de previsión social universal.", "43. Para muchos países en desarrollo esos programas requerirán el apoyo de la comunidad internacional, al menos a mediano plazo. Asegurar un nivel mínimo de protección social para toda la población mundial supone un desafío considerable, pero diversos organismos de las Naciones Unidas han demostrado que un nivel mínimo básico de transferencias sociales es asequible para todos los países en prácticamente cualquier fase de desarrollo económico.", "44. La historia ha mostrado que en situaciones de crisis desencadenantes de malestar social y político, un firme liderazgo político puede ser el factor crucial para realizar importantes cambios sociales. La crisis actual ofrece esa oportunidad para alcanzar progresos sociales: es importante aprovecharla con miras a promover iniciativas que permitan materializar el acceso universal a la protección social.", "VI. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "45. En el bienio 2008-2009 el mundo padeció su peor crisis financiera y económica desde la Gran Depresión. Desde entonces, la economía mundial se ha recuperado, pero esa recuperación fue desigual y sigue siendo frágil, y sus consecuencias sociales se mantienen. El rápido aumento del desempleo desencadenó una creciente vulnerabilidad en los países en desarrollo que carecen de un sistema integral de protección social. La crisis económica se vio agravada por los efectos del encarecimiento de los alimentos y los combustibles. Las múltiples crisis menoscabaron los progresos que muchos países habían realizado hacia la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Los países que respondieron con políticas anticíclicas y disponían de sistemas de protección social, así como de programas activos del mercado laboral, pudieron recuperarse antes y evitar algunas de las peores consecuencias sociales. En vista de la fragilidad de la recuperación económica, el aumento del precio de los alimentos y de la energía, y los progresos desiguales en muchos países, se prevé que las condiciones sociales no se restablecerán sino lentamente.", "46. Tal vez la Asamblea General desee considerar las recomendaciones siguientes:", "a) Se alienta a los gobiernos a adoptar políticas anticíclicas de manera sistemática, tanto en las fases de expansión como de contracción, a fin de estabilizar los ingresos y el empleo y preservar los progresos alcanzados. Se debería crear un espacio político por medio de un cambio en la orientación y el carácter fundamentales de las recomendaciones normativas, y el fortalecimiento del espacio fiscal. Esto podría requerir asistencia presupuestaria de la comunidad internacional sin condicionamientos normativos ni programáticos;", "b) Los gobiernos deben tener en cuenta las probables repercusiones sociales de sus políticas económicas. Consideradas al margen de sus efectos sociales, las políticas económicas pueden acarrear graves consecuencias en lo relativo a la pobreza, el empleo, la nutrición, la salud y la educación, y esto, a su vez, puede menoscabar el desarrollo sostenible a largo plazo;", "c) Los sistemas de protección social universal y los programas activos de empleo deberían ser elementos permanentes de las políticas nacionales para abordar la crisis, a fin de evitar demoras en la respuesta a las fases de contracción económica y otras conmociones, como las provocadas por desastres, y debería mejorarse su relación costo-eficacia. Esto es especialmente urgente en vista de la creciente inseguridad económica derivada de la globalización y el cambio climático;", "d) Se debería acordar prioridad a las inversiones sociales en el marco de las estrategias de recuperación y las políticas de desarrollo. El aumento del gasto destinado a ampliar la protección social y mejorar el acceso a los servicios de educación y salud contribuirá a asegurar un desarrollo más inclusivo, con una mayor demanda interna y bases más sólidas para el crecimiento futuro.", "[1] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Tendencias Mundiales del Empleo 2011: El desafío de la recuperación del empleo (Ginebra, Organización Internacional del Trabajo, 2011).", "[2] Estas estimaciones, referidas a personas que viven con menos de 1,25 dólares por día, son similares a las del Banco Mundial, según el cual, hasta 2010, habían empobrecido unos 64 millones de personas más que si no se hubiera producido la crisis. Véase, Banco Mundial y Fondo Monetario Internacional, Global Monitoring Report 2010: The Milleniun development after the Crisis (Washington, D.C., Banco Mundial, 2010).", "[3] Naciones Unidas, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010, publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.10.II.C.2.", "[4] Anuradha Mittal, “The 2008 food price crisis: rethinking food security policies”, G-24 Discussion Paper Series, núm.56 (Ginebra, Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo, 2009).", "[5] Naciones Unidas, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009, publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.09.II.C.2.", "[6] Organización Internacional del Trabajo y Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, “Acelerar una recuperación con altas cotas de empleo en los países del G20 a partir de la experiencia adquirida”, Informe de la reunión de los Ministros de Trabajo y Empleo del G20, Washington, D.C., 20 y 21 de abril de 2010.", "[7] En abril de 2009 la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas estableció el “Pacto Mundial para el Empleo”, una iniciativa destinada a centrar la atención de las instancias decisorias en medidas de promoción del empleo y el trabajo decente, que los países puedan adaptar a sus necesidades y circunstancias específicas. El Pacto no es una solución para todos los problemas, sino un conjunto de opciones basadas en ejemplos eficaces, concebidas con el fin de inspirar y apoyar medidas en el plano multilateral. Los elementos clave del Pacto Mundial para el Empleo son la promoción del empleo y la protección social.", "[8] Naciones Unidas, The Employment Imperative: Report on the World Social Situation 2007, publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: E.07.IV.9.", "[9] Véase el párrafo 23 b) de la resolución 65/1 de la Asamblea General.", "[10] Por ejemplo, en un reciente documento de trabajo de la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), Zuzana Brixiova afirmaba que los mercados laborales más flexibles serían un mecanismo de ajuste fundamental durante la recesión y a mediano plazo. (véase “Labour market flexibility in Estonia: what more can be done?”, documento de trabajo núm. 697 (2009) del Departamento de Economía de la OCDE). Anis Chowdhury e Iyanatul Islam (“The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and labour market flexibility: which way now?”, en VoxEU commentary, 2009) se refieren a un artículo en The Economist (“When jobs disappear”, 12 de marzo de 2009) y señalan que la publicación expresa la esperanza de un renovado compromiso con la flexibilidad del mercado mundial de trabajo para hacer frente a la pérdida de empleos en todo el mundo y acelerar la recuperación basada en el empleo. Los autores citan al Banco Mundial, según el cual, leyes de protección del empleo demasiado rigurosas obligan a las empresas a contratar personal y propician niveles insuficientes de empleo, un aspecto particularmente importante durante las crisis económicas, y añaden que, de hecho, muchos creían que la recesión derivada de la crisis financiera brindaba una oportunidad para desmantelar las normas que rigen el mercado laboral. Por ejemplo, un ex Ministro de Hacienda y Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile había sostenido que la crisis económica ofrecía oportunidades para suprimir la protección del mercado laboral, y había afirmado que la reforma laboral era siempre un tema políticamente controvertido, pero que la crisis actual, al poner de manifiesto los peligros de soslayar las reformas necesarias a largo plazo, había facilitado el logro de un consenso sobre la necesidad de tomar medidas. (Alejandro Foxley, “Recovery: the global financial crisis and middle-income countries”, Washington, D.C., Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2009).", "[11] Richard B. Freeman, “Labor market institutions around the world”, NBER working paper, núm. 13242 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2007).", "[12] La protección social, consistente por lo general en un sistema de normas de seguridad social, asistencia social (incluidas las transferencias universales financiadas con impuestos) y protección del mercado de trabajo, funciona también como un estabilizador automático en los ciclos comerciales y promueve el crecimiento económico.", "[13] Por ejemplo, en el Brasil, Bolsa Família, un programa de transferencias monetarias condicionadas ha permitido mejorar la educación, la nutrición y la salud de las familias beneficiarias. Véase Organización Internacional del Trabajo, “Bolsa Família en Brasil: Contexto, Concepto e Impacto” (Ginebra, 2009).", "[14] Organización Internacional del Trabajo, Seguridad social para la justicia social y una globalización equitativa (Ginebra, 2011)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "** The present document contains an overview of the Report on the World Social Situation 2011 and presents some conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary-General. The full report will be issued later in the year as a United Nations sales publication.", "Item 27 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Social development: implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly", "World social situation 2011: the global social crisis", "Report of the Secretary-General**", "Summary", "During 2008-2009, the world experienced its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The crisis followed the effects of food and fuel price hikes in 2007 and 2008. The Report on the World Social Situation 2011: The Global Social Crisis reviews the ongoing adverse social consequences of the crisis, after providing an overview of its causes and transmission. While a deeper, more prolonged global recession has been averted through coordinated stimulus measures, the recovery is fragile and uneven. The economic slowdown has reduced social spending in most developing countries, while the turn towards fiscal austerity has undermined social spending in developed countries, as well as threatening nascent recovery.", "The report points to the rapid rise in unemployment and vulnerability, especially in developing countries without comprehensive social protection in the wake of the global economic crisis. Tens of millions fell into, or were trapped in, extreme poverty because of the global crisis, while the number of people living in hunger in the world rose to over 1 billion in 2009, the highest on record. The report strongly underscores important lessons learned from national responses to the global crisis, the importance of inclusive social policies and the need for universal social protection. A key conclusion is that countries need to be able to pursue counter-cyclical policies in a consistent manner. The second key lesson is that countries with a social protection system were able to avoid the worst social impact and recover much faster. This highlights the need to make universal social protection systems and active labour market programmes permanent, not merely temporary, components of national crisis response. Finally, social policy considerations, especially productive employment, should be given greater importance within macroeconomic policy, rather than being viewed as residual assistance to poor people and disadvantaged groups.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 4II. Beyond 4 recovery: addressing the social \ncrisis III.The 7 continuing social \ncrisis IV. Addressing 10 the crisis: the way \nforward A.Role 10 of \nGovernment B. Focus 11 on employment \ngrowth C.Need 13 for social \nprotection D.Poverty 13 and food \nsecurity V.Rethinking 14 social \npolicy VI.Conclusions 15 and \nrecommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. The global economic downturn has had wide-ranging negative social outcomes and has impeded progress towards achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. Given the fragility of the economic recovery and uneven progress in major economies, social conditions are expected to recover only slowly. The increased levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment will continue to affect billions for years to come.", "II. Beyond recovery: addressing the social crisis", "2. During the period 2008-2009, the world suffered the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The rapid global economic downturn severely disrupted economic growth worldwide and caused significant setbacks in the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals. According to United Nations estimates, the annual growth rate in global output fell from about 4 per cent during the period 2006-2007 to 1.6 per cent in 2008; the rate of growth in output dropped even further — to -2 per cent — in 2009, when 95 countries experienced declines in average per capita income.", "3. Unemployment rose sharply; 205 million people were unemployed in 2009, compared with 178 million in 2007. According to the most recent estimates by the International Labour Organization,[1] global unemployment remained high and unchanged in 2010. Increased unemployment has been the dominant social impact of the crisis in developed economies, but the employment situation in developing countries has been less obvious. While the informal economy and peasant agricultural sector have absorbed much of the impact of formal sector job losses, much larger numbers of workers are now subject to more vulnerable employment conditions in developing countries.", "4. The loss of jobs means not only loss of incomes but also an increase in vulnerability, especially in developing countries without comprehensive social protection. Various estimates suggest that between 47 million and 84 million people fell into, or were trapped in, extreme poverty because of the global crisis.[2] The global financial crisis began to unfold immediately after food and fuel prices had risen sharply. As a result, the number of people living in hunger in the world rose to more than 1 billion in 2009, the highest on record.", "5. Although the financial crisis did not originate in developing countries, their economies, especially those more integrated into international financial markets, were not immune to the financial turmoil. The impact was transmitted through a variety of channels, including collapsing trade and commodity prices, capital flow reversals, higher costs of borrowing, declining remittance income and strains on official development assistance. Countries were affected to different degrees, depending on their economic structure and vulnerability to shocks.", "6. The impact of the crisis was further influenced by the capacity of Governments to cope with and counteract its consequences, which has depended on the efficiency and strength of their counter-cyclical macroeconomic policy mechanisms, social protection systems, regulatory frameworks, governance structures and political stability. These factors, in turn, influenced how different social groups have been affected by the crisis. The poorest countries have become the most vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the global economy and are generally heavily dependent on external finance, including aid, and trade. Their foreign exchange earnings and Government revenue tend to rely on only a few commodities, and, with little fiscal space, they have weak social protection systems.", "7. A key conclusion of the present report is that countries need to be able to pursue counter-cyclical policies in a consistent manner. Such policy space should be enabled by changing the fundamental orientation and nature of policy prescriptions that international organizations impose on countries as conditions for assistance. International financial institutions — despite having declared changes in their policy prescriptions — continue to attach pro-cyclical conditions to the financial assistance packages they extend to countries in need and have paid insufficient attention to the social implications of such policies.", "8. The relative success of some Asian and Latin American Governments in mitigating the economic and social impacts of the recent crisis strongly underscores the need for Governments to be consistently counter-cyclical and the wisdom of conserving fiscal resources during boom periods to support counter-cyclical measures in times of need. In fact, universal social protection systems and active labour market programmes should become permanent measures, not merely temporary components of national crisis response.", "9. It is essential that Governments take into account the likely social implications of their economic policies. It has been shown time and again that economic policies considered in isolation from their social consequences can have dire outcomes for nutrition, health and education, which, in turn, adversely affect long-term economic growth. The disconnect between economic policies and their social consequences can create a vicious circle of slow growth and poor social progress.", "Box 1Blinding optimism\nThe current global financial and economic crisis came almost as asurprise to many international organizations. For example, theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), which monitors globalmacrofinancial developments, maintained an optimistic view; it tooksome time for IMF to realize that the crisis would soon engulf thewhole world. A month before the first tremors of the sub-primemortgage crisis in the United States of America were felt, IMFnoted: “The strong global expansion is continuing, and projectionsfor global growth in both 2007 and 2008 have been revised up.”^(a)\nFurthermore, this failing has been acknowledged by the IndependentEvaluation Office of IMF. Even as late as April 2007, the IMFbanner message was one of continued optimism within a prevailingbenign global environment. Staff reports and other IMF documentspointed to a positive near-term outlook and fundamentally soundfinancial market conditions. Only after the eruption of financialturbulence did IMF adopt a more cautionary tone, in the October2007 editions of World Economic Outlook and Global FinancialStability Report.^(b)\nOther leading organizations also failed to see the crisis coming.For example, three months before the implosion of the financialsector began with the sub-prime market collapse in the UnitedStates of America in August 2007, the Organization for EconomicCooperation and Development (OECD) took the view that the slowdownin the United States “was not heralding a period of worldwideeconomic weakness, unlike, for instance, in 2001. Rather a ‘smooth’rebalancing was to be expected, with Europe taking over the batonfrom the United States in driving OECD growth. ... Our centralforecast remains indeed quite benign: a soft landing in the UnitedStates, a strong and sustained recovery in Europe, a solidtrajectory in Japan and buoyant activity in China and India.”^(c)\nThere was no credible reason for such exuberant optimism. Asidefrom the Bank for International Settlements, the United Nations wasthe only international organization which raised concerns. In itspublication World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006, the UnitedNations issued the following warning: “The possibility of adisorderly adjustment of the widening macroeconomic imbalances ofthe major economies is a major risk which could harm the stabilityand growth of the world economy. ... A reversal in house prices …will heighten the risk of default and could trigger bank crises.... A sharp fall in house prices in one of the major economiescould, then, precipitate an abrupt and destabilizing adjustment ofthe global imbalances.”^(d)\nThe United Nations not only correctly analysed the underlying risksfor the global economy, but also made more realistic projectionsfor growth in 2009. When, in November 2009, IMF was projectingglobal growth of 2.2 per cent for 2009, the United Nationsprojected a baseline growth rate of 0.9 per cent. As it turned out,the global economy contracted by -2.0 per cent in 2009.^(a) International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Update(Washington, D.C., July, 2007). ^(b) Independent Evaluation Office of the International MonetaryFund, IMF Performance in the Run-Up to the Financial and EconomicCrisis: IMF Surveillance in 2004-07 (Washington, D.C.,International Monetary Fund, 2011). ^(c) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECDEconomic Outlook, vol. 2007/1 (Paris, 2007). \n^(d) United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.06.II.C.2).", "III. The continuing social crisis", "10. The full impact of the financial and economic crisis on social progress in areas such as education and health are not immediately discernible and will become fully evident only over time. However, initial estimates show that the effects have been sharp, widespread and deep. Given the fragility of the economic recovery and uneven progress in major economies, social conditions are expected to recover only slowly. The increased levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment due to the global crisis will continue to affect billions of people in many developed and developing countries for years to come.", "11. Meanwhile, austerity measures in response to high Government debt in some advanced economies, such as Greece and Spain, are not only threatening public sector employment and social expenditure, but also making the recovery more uncertain and fragile. Increased pressure for fiscal consolidation and new pressures in response to such debt have severely limited fiscal and policy space in developed economies, restricting their options as the crisis continues. Many developing countries, especially those under International Monetary Fund (IMF) programmes, are also coming under pressure to cut public expenditure and undertake austerity measures.", "12. Although the massive stimulus packages adopted by major economies were able to halt the downslide and thus prevent a prolonged recession, in many cases the recovery has been job-poor, with unemployment and underemployment remaining at unacceptably high levels. Evidence from recent recessions suggests that the lag between output and employment recovery has grown. The longer term adverse employment consequences of the current crisis are already visible and, in most countries, youth unemployment has reached alarming levels. In developed as well as developing countries, unemployment and underemployment rates are very high among young people 15 to 24 years of age: at the end of 2009, there were an estimated 79 million unemployed young people, and the rate of youth unemployment stood at 13.0 per cent globally.", "13. Structural or long-term unemployment has increased significantly in most developed countries since 2007. For example, the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more in the United States of America rose at an alarming pace during 2010; approximately half of workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least half a year. The unemployment situation is equally worrisome in many European countries.", "14. In developing countries, most job losses have occurred in the dynamic export sectors. Of great concern have been the rise in vulnerable employment and the number of working poor, as people who lost their jobs in the formal economy have increasingly moved to the informal economy where jobs are poorly paid and offer little or no protection.", "15. Labour market conditions in developing countries are expected to remain a challenge for at least two reasons. First, most of the 47 million new workers who enter labour markets worldwide each year are searching for jobs in developing countries. According to the United Nations,[3] an estimated 51 million additional jobs will be needed in Asia alone to absorb the growing labour force during the period 2010-2011. Second, as in developed countries, employment creation in the formal and industrial sectors in developing countries is expected to lag behind output recovery. For example, in the aftermath of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis the process of job recovery took at least three years. Given the global nature of the current crisis, job recovery may take even longer.", "16. The global economic downturn has had wide-ranging negative social outcomes for individuals, families, communities and societies. Poverty and unemployment have been linked to crime, gender-based violence, substance abuse and manifestations of mental illness, including depression and suicide. During times of financial and economic crisis, households often adopt coping strategies, such as making changes in household expenditure patterns; however, these can negatively influence education, health and nutrition outcomes, which may lead to lifelong deficits for the children affected and thus perpetuate intergenerational poverty.", "17. The impact of volatile and high food prices, diminishing incomes and rising unemployment are slowing progress towards reducing hunger and improving nutrition. The sharp rise in global food and energy prices in 2007 and 2008 further undermined the welfare of the world’s poor, forcing more families to rely on underfunded public food assistance programmes, skip meals, consume less or substitute nutritious foods with cheaper, less healthful alternatives. Food-importing countries saw their import bills increase as a result of higher prices and higher transport energy costs passed on to consumers.[4]", "18. Food prices started rising once again in 2009, primarily because of persistent problems with global food production and supply, exacerbated by the demand for biofuel production and greater speculation in commodity futures and options markets. The continuing food crisis has serious implications for political and social stability in poor food-importing countries. Outbreaks of food riots have been related to the continued impacts of high food prices on the poor and other vulnerable groups. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently warned of a “worrying rise” in food prices which would affect millions of people, following unexpected shortfalls in major cereals caused by bad weather, floods and fires in 2010.", "Box 2The social pathology of crises\nThe full social impacts of economic crises, especially on publichealth and education, become known only after a long gestationperiod. However, one can draw lessons from past financial andeconomic crises, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s and the1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. For example, a 30 per cent dropin income between 1929 and 1932 led to a 40 per cent rise insuicide rates and a 10 per cent rise in deaths from all causes inthe United States of America.^(a) Similarly, between 1997 and 1998,suicide rates among males rose by 39 per cent in Japan, 44 per centin Hong Kong, China, and 45 per cent in the Republic of Korea.Suicide rates among males also rose in Thailand. In Hong Kong,China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the economic crisis wasassociated with 10,400 more suicides in 1998 than in 1997. Afterthe collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, lifeexpectancy there fell steeply, and it fell again with the roublecrisis of 1998.^(b)\nEconomic downturns have also produced adverse impacts on publichealth. M. Harvey Brenner^(c) found that economic downturns wereassociated with increased mortality from heart disease in New YorkState and in the United States in general over the period from 1900to 1967. Short-term increases in alcohol consumption at leastpartly reflect the social-psychological stresses related toeconomic recession.^(d) If an economic recession is prolonged,increased alcoholism is likely to lead to increased mortality dueto liver cirrhosis, as Brenner^(e) found was the case in Englandand Wales during the period from 1936 to 1976.\nAdverse health effects are higher in the lower socio-economiclevels, in households without economic security. Lack of economicsecurity is often stressful: social and family structures breakdown, and habits harmful to health are adopted. These effects maybe manifested in psychopathological events, such as suicide, or,after a time lag of a few years, in chronic disease. Brenner’sfindings are consistent with those of David Dooley, Ralph Catalanoand Georjeanna Wilson,^(f) who found that losing a job leads, inthe short term (a year or less), to increased symptoms ofdepression. They also cite evidence of increased alcohol abuseamong those who have lost their jobs.^(a) David Stuckler and others, “The public health effect ofeconomic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: anempirical analysis”, in The Lancet, vol. 374, No. 9686 (2009);David Stuckler and others, “The health implications of financialcrisis: a review of the evidence”, in The Ulster Medical Journal,vol. 78, No. 3 (2009). ^(b) Shu-Sen Chang and others, “Was the economic crisis 1997-1998responsible for rising suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia? atime-trend analysis for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan,Singapore and Thailand”, in Social Science and Medicine, vol. 68,No. 7 (2009). ^(c) M. Harvey Brenner, “Economic changes and heart diseasemortality”, in American Journal of Public Health, vol. 61, No. 3(1971). ^(d) M. Harvey Brenner, “Trends in alcohol consumption andassociated illnesses: some effects of economic changes”, inAmerican Journal of Public Health, vol. 65, No. 12 (1975). ^(e) M. Harvey Brenner, “Mortality and the national economy”, inThe Lancet, vol. 314, No. 8142 (1979). \n^(f) David Dooley, Ralph Catalano and Georjeanna Wilson,“Depression and unemployment: panel findings from the EpidemiologicCatchment Area study”, in American Journal of Community Psychology,vol. 22, No. 6 (1994).", "IV. Addressing the crisis: the way forward", "A. Role of Government", "19. The initial multilateral response, in October 2008, to the financial crisis promised comprehensive approaches that emphasized cooperation and coordination.[5] As a result, many Government stimulus measures furnished the essential impetus to drive global recovery. However, as these stimulus measures have given way to fiscal austerity, there is the danger that Government-led recovery in some countries may stall or even be reversed. Given the continuing fragility of the economic recovery in many countries, it is imperative that policymakers resist pressures to cut spending too much and too soon if they are to avert the possibility of a relapse.", "20. Counter-cyclical macroeconomic policy measures have clearly worked to mitigate the impacts of the crisis. Both the recession and its social impacts have been less severe than initially feared, thanks to the prompt policy responses by many countries, including emerging economies in the developing world. The International Labour Organization has estimated that counter-cyclical measures implemented by the Group of Twenty countries saved or created 21 million jobs in their economies.[6]", "21. This highlights the importance of timely State intervention in response to a crisis. Yet, the sustainability of these policy responses has been threatened by exaggerated claims of the deleterious effects of the fiscal burdens and other related consequences that the crisis has imposed on Governments. Undoubtedly, the fiscal burdens on Governments have grown as the economic slowdown has reduced the fiscal revenues available in tandem with the contraction of tax bases. The primary cause of budgetary deficits is the decline in revenues associated with drastic output and income contractions, not stimulus measures and social spending. These declining tax revenues, combined with the increased need for social programmes, have exacerbated the impact of the crisis on social development.", "22. The growing pressure for austerity measures, ostensibly for reasons of fiscal consolidation, is putting at risk social protection, public health and education programmes, as well as the economic recovery measures. Reductions in social expenditure are already taking place in many industrialized countries and in many developing countries as well. Governments must respond with caution to pressures for fiscal consolidation and austerity measures, lest they jeopardize the sustainability of the recovery. Continued support for stimulus and other recovery measures is needed to strengthen the momentum of output recovery and to protect the economic and social investments that underpin future growth.", "23. More important, the responses to the crisis have not addressed its fundamental causes. For example, financial reform in major economies has not matched initial expectations and exposes the recovery to new abuses, excesses and vulnerabilities. There are signs that this is already happening. Progress in addressing other structural causes of the crisis has also been limited. For example, income inequalities continue to grow, global rebalancing is limited and global demand remains depressed. The failure to address the root causes of the crisis will impede a sustainable recovery.", "B. Focus on employment growth", "24. Employment recovery clearly lags behind other indicators of economic recovery, and Governments must continue to focus stimulus measures on job growth. The lag in employment recovery underscores the challenge posed by the global financial and economic crisis for poverty eradication and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Full and productive employment and decent work for all are critically important for poverty eradication and the achievement of the Goals. This was strongly emphasized shortly after the onset of the crisis by the Global Jobs Pact initiative, aimed at promoting a job-rich recovery.[7]", "25. At the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in September 2010, the Assembly called attention to the importance of productive employment and decent work as crucial means to achieve the Goals. In particular, the expansion of decent employment opportunities enables the benefits of economic growth to reach the broader population.[8] Therefore, promoting a job-rich recovery will lay a solid foundation for realizing the goal of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth envisioned in the outcome document.[9]", "26. However, the challenge of employment generation should not be underestimated, because the rate of economic growth needed to restore employment to pre-crisis levels must be sufficiently high both to compensate for the increases in the size of the working population and to increase productivity. In addition, this growth has to be employment-intensive and, for sustainability, must be driven by productivity growth. This means that there must be widespread structural change favouring the dynamic sectors of the economy.", "27. Calls to enhance labour market flexibility, a condition which often encourages lower wages and degraded employment conditions, are touted as necessary to address rising unemployment levels.[10] However, this prescription of deregulating the labour market overlooks three key considerations. First, countries with labour-friendly regulations are associated with lower wage inequality. Hence, regulations to protect labour rights lower inequality without imposing any significant loss in terms of output and employment.[11]", "28. Second, the current discourse on labour market flexibility refers to a regime of employment at will, in which Governments impose no restrictions on hiring, firing or employment conditions. Hence, from this perspective, both employers and workers should be free to choose mutually convenient terms of employment. In reality, however, flexibility is meant only for employers. In good times, this may go unnoticed, but in bad times, when firms are allowed to cut wages or fire employees en masse to reduce costs, this flexibility for employers translates into insecurity for workers, especially in the absence of adequate universal social protection.", "29. Third, the focus on labour market flexibility to cope with the global economic crisis runs the risk of impairing long-term growth potential if regulatory changes create an incentive structure in which workers respond by changing their collective behaviour to induce a low-pay, low-productivity trap.", "30. There is an implicit normative message that any job is better than no job. Such a view discounts the value of improving job security. In the absence of formal risk-mitigation schemes, workers could be induced to readily accept low-productivity jobs at low wages. This could propel an economy into a low-wage, low-productivity trap, with “bad” jobs driving out good jobs.", "31. A high turnover of workers induced by greater labour market flexibility might also reduce incentives for insecure workers to acquire training that would enhance labour productivity. In the absence of job security and legal protection, workers pay a premium (in the form of low wages and willingness to accept any job) to employers to reduce the risk of being unemployed. In such circumstances, the imposition of higher labour standards and various risk-mitigation schemes could be both efficient (leading an economy towards a high productivity, high wage equilibrium) and equitable (enabling vulnerable workers to cope with labour market risks).", "C. Need for social protection", "32. The devastating impact of the crisis on so many people underscores the dynamic and multidimensional nature of poverty and the critical importance of social protection for reducing vulnerability. Countries that have social protection systems are more capable of mitigating the negative impacts of shocks and preventing people from falling deeper into poverty. Social protection measures can also help regenerate economic activities and livelihoods.[12]", "33. In the long term, social protection can help individuals and families build human and social resources, among other assets, and improve their livelihood prospects,[13] thereby reducing poverty and unleashing the productive potential of the workforce. Therefore, social protection should not be viewed as a temporary measure to cushion the impact of a crisis, but rather as an ongoing investment to promote sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth. If social expenditures are allowed to decline in the wake of the crisis, such a situation is likely to exacerbate and prolong its adverse impacts on, for example, levels of malnutrition, school dropout rates and long-term unemployment.", "34. Universal access to basic social protection and social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality and social exclusion. A basic social protection floor is affordable; its benefits need to be weighed against the potentially high human, social and economic costs of not investing in social protection. Without schemes that ensure access to health care, adequate levels of nutrition and social stability, a country cannot unlock its full human, economic and productive potential. A human rights-based development strategy must advance the full realization of social and economic rights, and should also, for example, advance and protect gains in social development during times of crisis. The right to social security, set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, requires universal social protection to ensure the basic well-being of all individuals, including people living in poverty and those at risk of becoming poor.", "D. Poverty and food security", "35. The effects of the current financial and economic crisis were compounded by food-price hikes in 2007 and 2008. With global food production growing more slowly and foodstuffs increasingly used to produce animal feed and biofuels, it is highly unlikely that there will be an early return to the preceding period of declining food prices. Recent supply problems attributed to weather, fires and floods have also exacerbated uncertainties. The food-price hikes were due in part to speculation in the commodities markets as financial investors fled traditional financial markets. Clearly, higher food prices have adversely affected efforts to reduce poverty and hunger.", "36. Fundamental problems in the global food production and trading system must be addressed to ensure sustained food security. Developing countries need to shift from predominantly export-oriented agricultural policies to policies that strengthen domestic food production, the better to meet local needs for affordable food and to cushion the impact of international price shocks. Such a shift presupposes a stronger supportive role for the State, improved international cooperation and greater investment in food and agricultural development, with priority for small-scale farming and sustainable environmental resource management.", "V. Rethinking social policy", "37. The crisis offers an opportunity to rethink the role of social policy and social investment by transforming policy responses to the crisis into opportunities to strengthen social development and to achieve more sustained, inclusive and equitable development. It presents an opportunity to reshape the global economic, social and development agenda. There is a renewed realization that social policy considerations, especially productive employment, should be given greater importance within macroeconomic policy, rather than being viewed as residual assistance to poor people and disadvantaged groups who have been adversely affected by macroeconomic policies aimed only at lowering inflation or eliminating budget deficits.", "38. The economic crisis has served as a reminder that it is essential for people to be healthy, educated, adequately housed and well fed in order to be more productive and better able to contribute to society. In other words, social policy in general, as well as measures to end poverty in all its dimensions, should be an integral part of macroeconomic policy to promote development. Approaches to poverty reduction should therefore be developmental and holistic, integrating economic and social policies to achieve people-centred development outcomes.", "39. In the context of the crisis, a job-rich recovery requires the incorporation of social objectives into economic recovery strategies and policies. In fact, macroeconomic policy measures to promote sustained recovery should support policies for employment growth and poverty eradication. Social investments should be accorded priority in recovery strategies and development policies.", "40. Social investment invariably contributes to long-term growth and development. In developing countries, increasing expenditure to expand social protection and improve access to education and health services will help ensure more inclusive development with stronger domestic demand and establish a more solid foundation for future growth.", "41. The crisis also provides an opportunity to re-examine approaches to social policy. The fact that populations in rich and poor countries alike have been negatively affected by the global food, financial and economic crises underscores the case for a universal approach to social policy that does not focus only on people already in poverty. Universal social provisioning should be the goal of social policymaking. This will also ensure support that is broader and more sustained than that provided through narrowly targeted policy measures which risk the significant, albeit inadvertent, exclusion of many of the deserving.", "42. The Social Protection Floor Initiative promotes universal access to essential social transfers and services.[14] More than 75 per cent of the global population do not enjoy social guarantees that would enable them to cope with livelihood risks. Ensuring a social protection floor for people struggling to survive should be a necessary first step in addressing the multifaceted nature of poverty. This may require special, targeted measures — within the commitment to universal provisioning — to ensure that the most vulnerable are reached.", "43. For many poor developing countries, such programmes would require at least medium-term support from the international community. Ensuring a social protection floor for the entire global population represents a considerable challenge, but various United Nations agencies have shown that a basic floor of social transfers is affordable in all countries at virtually any stage of economic development.", "44. History has shown that, during moments of crisis leading to social and political unrest, strong political leadership can be the key factor in realizing important social change. The current crisis offers such a window of opportunity for achieving social progress: it is important to seize the opportunity to pioneer initiatives that will make universal social protection a reality.", "VI. Conclusions and recommendations", "45. Over the period 2008-2009, the world experienced its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. Since then, the global economy has bounced back, but the recovery has been uneven and remains fragile, with ongoing social consequences. The rapid rise in unemployment triggered an increase in vulnerability in developing countries without comprehensive social protection. The economic crisis was exacerbated by the effects of food and fuel prices. The multiple crises set back the progress that many countries had made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Countries which responded with counter-cyclical policies and had social protection systems as well as active labour market programmes were able to recover early and to avoid some of the worst social outcomes. Given the fragility of the economic recovery, rising food and energy prices and the uneven progress in many countries, social conditions are expected to recover only slowly.", "46. The General Assembly may wish to consider the following recommendations:", "(a) Governments are encouraged to pursue counter-cyclical policies in a consistent manner — during both economic upswings and downswings — in order to stabilize income and employment as well as to protect the gains made. Policy space should be created by changing the fundamental orientation and nature of policy prescriptions, and by enhancing fiscal space. This may require budget support from the international community without policy or programme conditionality;", "(b) Governments need to take into account the likely social implications of their economic policies. Economic policies considered in isolation from their social consequences can have serious consequences for poverty, employment, nutrition, health and education, which in turn adversely affect long-term sustainable development;", "(c) Universal social protection systems and active employment programmes should become permanent features of national crisis response measures in order to avoid delays in responding to economic downturns and other shocks, such as disasters, and to make those systems and programmes cost-effective. This is particularly urgent in view of the increased economic insecurity due to globalization and climate change;", "(d) Social investments should be accorded priority in recovery strategies and development policies. Increasing expenditures to expand social protection and improve access to education and health services will help ensure more inclusive development with stronger domestic demand and a more solid foundation for future growth.", "[1] International Labour Organization, Global Employment Trends 2011: The Challenge of a Jobs Recovery (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2011).", "[2] These estimates refer to people living on less than $1.25 per day and are similar to those of the World Bank, which estimated that about 64 million additional people had become poor by 2010 compared with the situation that would have existed had the crisis not taken place. See World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Global Monitoring Report 2010: The MDGs after the Crisis (Washington, D.C., World Bank, 2010).", "[3] United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.II.C.2).", "[4] Anuradha Mittal, “The 2008 food price crisis: rethinking food security policies”, G-24 Discussion Paper Series, No. 56 (Geneva, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2009).", "[5] United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.09.II.C.2).", "[6] International Labour Organization and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Accelerating a job-rich recovery in G20 countries: building on experience”, report to the Meeting of G20 Labour and Employment Ministers, Washington, D.C., 20 and 21 April 2010.", "[7] In April 2009, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination launched the “Global Jobs Pact” initiative aimed at focusing the attention of decision-makers on employment measures and decent work as the foundation for long-term recovery. The Global Jobs Pact includes a range of crisis-response measures that countries can adapt to their specific needs and situations. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a portfolio of options based on successful examples, and is designed also to inform and support action at the multilateral level. The key components of the Global Jobs Pact are employment promotion and social protection.", "[8] United Nations, The Employment Imperative: Report on the World Social Situation 2007, (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.07.IV.9).", "[9] See General Assembly resolution 65/1, para. 23 (b).", "[10] For example, in a recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) working paper, Zuzana Brixiova argued: “More flexible labour markets will be a key adjustment mechanism during the recession as well as in the medium term” (see “Labour market flexibility in Estonia: what more can be done?”, OECD Economics Department working paper No. 697 (2009)). Anis Chowdhury and Iyanatul Islam (“The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and labour market flexibility: which way now?”, VoxEU commentary, 2009) referred to an article in The Economist (“When jobs disappear”, 12 March 2009), noting that the publication had pinned its hopes on a renewed commitment to global labour market flexibility to cope with worldwide job losses and accelerate employment-led recovery. They quoted the World Bank as suggesting that overly stringent employment protection laws constrained firm hiring and led to sub-optimal levels of employment, a feature particularly important during economic downturns, adding that, in fact, many believed that the financial crisis-induced recession provided an opportunity to dismantle labour market regulations. For example, a former finance minister and foreign minister of Chile had argued that the economic crisis provided opportunities to remove labour market protection, and had stated: “Labour reform is always politically contentious, but the current crisis, by illustrating the dangers of ignoring necessary long-term reforms, has made it easier to reach consensus on the need for action.” (Alejandro Foxley, “Recovery: the global financial crisis and middle-income countries”, Washington, D.C., Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2009).", "[11] Richard B. Freeman, “Labor market institutions around the world”, NBER working paper No. 13242 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2007).", "[12] Social protection, which typically consists of social insurance, social assistance, including universal tax-financed transfers, and protective labour market regulations, also functions as an automatic stabilizer through business cycles and supports economic growth.", "[13] For example, Bolsa Familia, a conditional cash-transfer programme in Brazil, has improved the education, nutrition and health of beneficiary families. See International Labour Office, “Bolsa Familia in Brazil: context, concept and impacts” (Geneva, 2009).", "[14] International Labour Office, Social Security for Social Justice and a Fair Globalization (Geneva, 2011)." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "** The present document contains an overview of the Report of the World Social Situation 2011 and some conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary-General. The full report will be issued later in 2011, as a United Nations publication.", "Item 27 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Social development: implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly", "The social situation in the world of 2011: the global social crisis", "Report of the Secretary-General**", "Summary", "In the biennium 2008-2009, the world experienced its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This crisis was triggered by rising food and fuel prices in 2007 and 2008. The Report on the World Social Situation 2011: the global social crisis exposes the adverse social consequences of the crisis after reviewing its causes and its spread. While coordinated stimulus measures prevented a deeper and longer global recession, recovery is fragile and unequal. Economic contraction resulted in the reduction of social spending in most developing countries, while in developed countries the return to fiscal austerity policies restricted social spending and jeopardized the emerging recovery.", "The report notes the rapid increase in unemployment and vulnerability, especially in developing countries that lack comprehensive social protection systems to address the global economic crisis. Because of this crisis, tens of millions of people have fallen or have been caught in extreme poverty, while the number of people suffering from hunger rose to over 1 billion in 2009, an unprecedented figure. The report clearly highlights the valuable lessons learned from national responses to the global crisis, the importance of social integration policies and the need for universal social protection. A fundamental conclusion is that countries must systematically implement anticyclical policies. The second key lesson is that countries with a social protection system could avoid the worst social consequences and recover much more quickly. This underscores the need for universal social protection systems and active labour market programmes to be permanent, and not merely temporary components of national responses to the crisis. Finally, in the context of macroeconomic policy, social policies should be given greater importance, in particular those relating to productive employment, rather than considering them as elements of marginal assistance to the poor and disadvantaged groups.", "Contents", "Page I.Introduction 4II. Beyond recovery: facing the social crisis III. The 7 continuing social crisis IV. Addressing the Crisis: The Way to Follow A.Function 10 of Government B. Attention 11 focused on job growth C. Social Protection Need 14 D.Power 14 and Food Security V.Replant 15 social policy VI.Conclusions 16 and recommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. Global economic contraction has had far-reaching negative social impact and has hampered progress towards the internationally agreed development goals, in particular the Millennium Development Goals. In view of the fragility of economic recovery and the uneven progress achieved in major economies, social conditions are expected to be restored slowly. High levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment will continue to affect billions of people for many years.", "II. Beyond Recovery: Addressing the Social Crisis", "2. During the biennium 2008-2009, the world suffered its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The rapid global economic downturn seriously disrupted global economic growth and led to significant declines in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as well as other internationally agreed development goals. According to United Nations estimates, the annual growth rate of global production decreased from approximately 4 per cent in the biennium 2006-2007 to 1.6 per cent in 2008; the rate of growth in production contracted further in 2009, to 2 per cent, as the average per capita income fell in 95 countries.", "3. Unemployment suddenly increased. The number of unemployed persons rose from 178 million in 2007, to 205 million in 2009. According to the most recent estimates of the International Labour Organization[1], the unemployment rate remained high and unchanged worldwide in 2010. The increase in unemployment has been the main social impact of the crisis on the economies of developed countries, but in developing countries the labour market situation has been less evident. While the sectors of the informal economy and agriculture largely absorbed the effects of job losses in the formal sector, the number of workers with more precarious employment conditions in developing countries increased considerably.", "4. The loss of employment not only entails loss of income, but also increased vulnerability, especially in developing countries where there is no comprehensive social protection system. Various estimates suggest that between 47 and 84 million people have fallen or are trapped in extreme poverty as a result of the global crisis[2]. The global financial crisis began to manifest itself immediately after the sudden escalation of fuel and food. As a result, the number of people suffering from hunger worldwide rose to an unprecedented level of over 1 billion in 2009.", "5. Although the financial crisis did not originate in developing countries, their economies, particularly those most integrated in international financial markets, did not escape financial turbulence. The impact was manifested in various ways, such as the collapse of trade and commodity prices, the investment of capital flows, the increase in borrowing costs, the decline in remittance revenues and pressures on official development assistance. The crisis affected countries at different levels, depending on their economic structure and their vulnerability to shocks.", "6. The effects of the crisis were further influenced by the capacity of Governments to address and counter their consequences, which depended on the effectiveness and robustness of their anti-cyclical macroeconomic policy mechanisms, social protection systems, policy frameworks, governance structures and political stability. In turn, these factors influenced how the crisis affected different social groups. The poorest countries have become the most vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the global economy and are generally heavily dependent on financing, trade and foreign aid. Its foreign exchange and tax revenues are usually based only on a few commodities, and because of the limited fiscal space its social protection systems are limited.", "7. A key conclusion to the present report is that countries must be able to systematically implement anticyclical policies. Political space should be created by a change in the fundamental orientation and nature of policies prescribed by international organizations to countries as a necessary condition for assistance. Despite having announced changes in the policies they promote, international financial institutions continue to include procyclical conditions in the financial assistance packages that they give to countries in need and paying little attention to the social consequences of those policies.", "8. The relative success of some Governments in Asia and Latin America in alleviating the economic and social effects of the most recent crisis clearly underscores the need for Governments to adopt countercyclical policies in a systematic manner, as well as the desirability of preserving the fiscal resources obtained during peak periods, with a view to supporting anticyclical measures in times of need. Indeed, universal social protection systems and active labour market programmes should be permanent rather than merely temporary components of the national response to the crisis.", "9. It is essential that Governments take into account the probable social impact of their economic policies. Over and over again, it has been seen that economic policies considered separately from their social consequences can produce harmful results in terms of nutrition, health and education, which in turn undermines long-term economic growth. Separation between economic policies and their social consequences can generate a vicious circle of slow growth and insufficient social progress.", "Box 1Optimism Overflowing The current global financial and economic crisis took almost by surprise many international organizations. For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which follows global evolution, maintained an optimistic perspective; the IMF had some time to understand that the crisis would soon affect the whole world. A month before the first tremors caused by the crisis of high-risk mortgages in the United States of America, the IMF noted: “The strong global expansion continues and the growth projections for 2007 and 2008 have been corrected up ...”^(a). In addition, the IMF Independent Evaluation Office has recognized this uncertainty. Even until April 2007, the IMF's message was of sustained optimism, in the propitious global context. Memorandums of the IMF’s iotro personnel suggest a positive short-term perspective and, fundamentally, good market conditions. Following the outbreak of financial shocks, the IMF adopted a more prudent tone, which was reflected in the World Economy Outlook and the 2007^(b) Report on Global Financial Stability. Other major organizations also did not perceive the proximity of the crisis. For example, three months before the start of the financial sector’s implosion due to the collapse of the high-risk dehydrotry market in the United States in August 2007, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) stated that the slowdown in the United States did not announce a waste of weakening the world economy, unlike, for example, what happened in 2001. Rather, there was a long-standing recovery of balance, in which context Europe would lead the United States to the growth leadership of the OECD area. In fact, the essential projections were still very encouraging: a smooth landing in the United States, a firm and sustained recovery in Europe, a trajectory in Japan and a flourishing activity in China and India^(c). There was no credible reason for such overwhelming optimism. Outside the Bank for International Settlements and the United Nations was the only international organization that expressed certain concerns. In its publication World Economic Outlook and Outlook 2006, the United Nations warned the following: “A disorderly adjustment of the growing macroeconomic imbalances of the larger economies is a risk of great proportions, which can affect the stability and growth of the world economy ... A reversal of rising housing prices would increase the risk of not paying mortgage debts and could thus trigger the occurrence of new banking crises ... A sharp fall in lavival prices in one of the largest economies could precipitate an abrupt and destabilizing adjustment of the global imbalances”^(d). The United Nations not only properly analysed the risks of the global economy, but also more realistic about its growth projections for 2009. In November 2009, when the IMF expected global growth of 2.2 per cent by that year, the United Nations projections (2009) suggested a benchmark for the growth rate of 0.9 per cent. As was subsequently seen, in 2009 the global economy contracted a -2.0%. ^(a) International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Update: (Washington, D.C., July 2007). ^(b) International Monetary Fund Independent Evaluation OfficeInternational, IMF Performance in the Run-Up to the Financial andEconomic Crisis: IMF Surveillance in 2004-07 (Washington, D.C.) 2007/1 (Paris, 2007). ^(a) ^(d) United Nations, World Economic Situation and Outlook 2006, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.06.II.C.2).", "III. The continuing social crisis", "10. The real effects of the financial and economic crisis on social progress in areas such as education and health cannot be identified immediately, and can only be fully appreciated over time. However, preliminary estimates show that these effects were intense, comprehensive and profound. In view of the fragility of economic recovery and the uneven progress achieved in major economies, social conditions are expected to be restored slowly. The highest levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment resulting from the global crisis will continue to affect billions of people in many developed and developing countries for years.", "11. Meanwhile, in some advanced economies, including Greece and Spain, austerity measures taken in response to high public indebtedness are not only jeopardizing employment in the public sector and social spending, but are also making recovery more uncertain and fragile. The increased pressure on fiscal consolidation and new pressures to respond to indebtedness have severely limited fiscal and political space in developed economies, restricting their options to the progress of the crisis. Many developing countries, especially those implementing programmes of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are under pressure to reduce public spending and implement austerity measures.", "12. While the integral packages of economic stimulus adopted by the major economies allowed the halt of contraction and thus avoid a prolonged recession, in many cases recovery has been a poor job characterized by unemployment and unacceptably high underemployment. Recent recession data suggest that the gap between production and employment recovery has been increased. Long-term losses to employment as a result of the current crisis are already visible and, in most countries, youth unemployment has reached alarming levels. In both developed and developing countries, unemployment and underemployment rates among young people aged 15-24 are very high: according to estimates, at the end of 2009 there were 79 million unemployed youth, and the global youth unemployment rate was 13 per cent.", "13. Since 2007, the proportion of structural or long-term unemployment has increased significantly in most developed countries. For example, in the United States of America the proportion of unemployed workers 27 weeks or more increased in 2010 at an alarming rate; approximately half of unemployed workers have been unemployed for at least six months. The situation is equally worrying in many European countries.", "14. In developing countries, most employment losses occurred in the dynamic export sectors. The increase in precarious employment and the number of poor workers have been a matter of deep concern, as more and more people than losing their jobs in the formal economy go to the informal economy, where jobs are underpaid and the protection offered is poor or non-existent.", "15. In developing countries, labour market conditions are expected to continue to pose problems, for at least two reasons. The first is that most of the 47 million workers who annually join the labour markets around the world are seeking employment in developing countries. According to the United Nations[3], only about 51 million new jobs will be required in Asia to absorb the growing workforce in the biennium 2010-2011. The second reason is that, as in developed countries, job creation in the formal and industrial sectors is expected to be slower than production recovery. For example, following the 1997-1998 financial crisis in Asia, the employment recovery process took at least three years. Given the global nature of the current crisis, job recovery could take even longer.", "16. The contraction of the world economy has had vast negative social repercussions on individuals, families, communities and societies. Poverty and unemployment have been linked to crime, sexist violence, drug abuse and mental illness, including depression and suicide. In times of financial and economic crisis, families often adopt adaptation strategies such as the modification of the pattern of family expenses; however, this can negatively affect the results of education, health and nutrition, which could lead to permanent deficiencies in affected children and thus contribute to perpetuating intergenerational poverty.", "17. The effects of volatility and the burden of food, low income and growing unemployment are delaying efforts to reduce hunger and improve nutrition. In 2007 and 2008, the gross increase in global food and energy prices further undermined the well-being of the world ' s poor, and forced more families to rely on underfunded public food assistance programmes, skip meals, consume less or replace nutritious foods with more economical and less healthy. Food-importing countries recorded an increase in the total cost of their imports, due to increased prices and costs of energy for their transport, which was transferred to consumers.[4]", "18. In 2009, food prices rose again, mainly due to persistent problems in food production and supply worldwide, aggravated by demand for biofuel production and increased speculation with commodities in future markets and options. The continuing food crisis has serious implications for the political and social stability of poor food-importing countries. Some food-related disturbances have occurred as a result of the protracted effects of food shortages on the poor and other vulnerable groups. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently warned of a “worrisome increase” in food prices, which will affect millions of people as a result of the unforeseen shortage of some very important cereals, caused in 2010 by adverse weather conditions, floods and fires.", "Box 2The social pathology of the crisis The social repercussions of the economic crisis, in particular on public health and education, can only be known in a long period of gestation. However, it is possible to draw lessons from the previous financial and economic crises, including the Great Depression of the 1930s and the 1997-1998 financial crisis in Asia. For example, in the United States of America, a 30 per cent reduction in intake between 1929 and 1932 led to a 40 per cent increase in the rate of suicide and 10 per cent in death in general^(a). Between 1997 and 1998, the suicide rate among males increased by 39 per cent in Japan, 44 per cent in Hong Kong, China, and 45 per cent in the Republic of Korea. The suicide rate among males also increased in Thailand. In Hong Kong, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the increase of 10,400 suicides in 1998 in 1997 was related to the economic crisis. After the coupling of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the hope of life in those republics fell considerably, and again declined following the ruble crisis in 1998^(b). Economic crises have also had an adverse impact on public health. M. Harvey Brenner^(c) established a link between the economic crises and the increase in cardiac mortality in the State of New York and the United States between 1900 and 1967. Short-term increases in alcohol consumption reflect, at least partially, social and psychological trials related to the economic recession^(d). If an economic recession is prolonged, the increase in alcoholism could result in higher rates of hepatic cirrhosis mortality, as Brenner^(e) observed in England and Wales during the period 1936-1976. The adverse health effects are higher in the lower socio-economic levels and in families without economic security. This lack tends to generate tensions: social and family structures deteriorate and health-injurious habitats are adopted. These effects can be translated into psychopathological situations such as suicide or, after a few years, chronic diseases. Brenner's findings coincide with those of David Dooley, Ralph Catalano andGeorjeanna Wilson^(f), who determined that loss of unemployment causes greater symptoms of short-term depression (one year or less). In addition, the authors provide evidence of the increase in alcohol consumption among people who have lost their jobs. ^(a) David Stuckler et al., “The public health effect of economiccrises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empiricalanalysis”, in The Lancet, vol. 374, No. 9686 (2009); DavidStuckler et al., “The health implications of financial crisis: areview of the evidence”, in Ulster Medical Journal, vol. 78, No.3 (2009). ^(b) Shu-Sen Chang et al., “Was the economic crisis 1997-1998responsible for rising suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia? Atime-trend analysis for Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan,Singapore and Thailand”, in Social Science and Medicine, vol. 68, no. 7 (2009). ^(c) M. Harvey Brenner, “Economic changes and heart diseasemortality”, in American Journal of Public Health, vol. 61, No. 3(1971). ^(d) M. Harvey Brenner, “Trends in alcohol consumption and associated illnesses: some effects of economic changes”, inAmerican Journal of Public Health, vol. 65, No. 12 (1975). ^(e) M. Harvey Brenner, “Mortality and the national economy”, inThe Lancet, vol. 314, No. 8142 (1979). ^(f) David Dooley, Ralph Catalano and Georjeanna Wilson, “Depressionand unemployment: panel findings from the Epidemiologic CatchmentArea study”, in American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 22, no. 6 (1994).", "IV. Addressing the crisis: the way forward", "A. Role of the government", "19. In October 2008, the initial multilateral response to the financial crisis promised the adoption of comprehensive approaches focused on cooperation and coordination.[5] Consequently, many government stimulus measures provided the essential impetus for the recovery of the world economy. However, since such measures had led to fiscal austerity, in some countries there was a danger that the recovery led by Governments could be interrupted and even reversed. In view of the continued fragility of economic recovery in many countries, and in order to avoid a possible relapse, it is imperative that policy bodies resist pressures to reduce over and too soon public expenditure.", "20. Clearly, anti-cyclical macroeconomic policy measures have mitigated the effects of the crisis. Both the recession and its social repercussions have been less serious than it was initially feared, thanks to the rapid policy responses of many countries, in particular the emerging economies of the developing world. According to estimates of the International Labour Organization, anti-cyclical measures implemented by the Group of Twenty allowed the preservation or creation of 21 million jobs in their economies[6].", "21. This highlights the importance of timely State intervention to respond to a crisis. However, the sustainability of such policy responses has been threatened by overstated claims about the adverse effects of fiscal burden and other related consequences that the crisis has imposed on Governments. Without a doubt, government fiscal burdens have increased, as the economic slowdown reduced tax revenues due to the contraction of tax bases. The main cause of the budget deficit is the decline in income associated with drastic drops in production and income, not stimulus measures and social spending. This decline in tax revenue, combined with the growing need for social programmes, has aggravated the impact of the crisis on social development.", "22. The increasing pressures for austerity measures, apparently for reasons of fiscal consolidation, are jeopardizing social protection, public health and education programmes, as well as the implementation of economic recovery measures. Many industrialized countries and many developing countries are already restricting social spending. Governments must respond prudently to pressures for fiscal consolidation and austerity measures to avoid jeopardizing the sustainability of recovery. Continued support is needed for development and recovery measures, with a view to strengthening the momentum of production recovery and protecting the economic and social investments that are aimed at future growth.", "23. More importantly, responses to the crisis have not addressed their root causes. For example, financial reforms in major economies do not meet initial expectations and expose recovery to new abuses, excesses and vulnerabilities. There are indications that this is already happening. Progress in addressing other structural causes of the crisis has also been limited. Among other things, income inequalities continue to increase; global rebalancing is limited, and global demand contraction persists. If the root causes of the crisis are not overcome, sustainable recovery will not be possible.", "B. Attention focused on employment growth", "24. The recovery of employment is obviously lagging behind other economic recovery indicators, and Governments will need to continue to focus their efforts on employment growth. This backlog in employment recovery highlights the challenges of the global financial and economic crisis for poverty eradication and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Full productive employment and decent work for all are crucial elements for eradicating poverty and achieving the MDGs. This was clearly highlighted shortly before the beginning of the crisis, in the context of the Global Jobs Pact initiative, aimed at promoting recovery with high levels of employment.[7]", "25. At the High-level Plenary Meeting of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, held in September 2010, the Assembly noted the importance of productive employment and decent work as essential means for achieving the MDGs. In particular, the expansion of decent work opportunities allows the benefits of economic growth to reach the entire population.[8] Therefore, the promotion of high-level employment recovery will lay a solid foundation for achieving the goal of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth envisaged in the outcome document[9].", "26. However, the challenge posed by job creation should not be underestimated, since the economic growth rate needed to return to pre-crisis employment levels should be high enough to offset the increase in the workforce and increase productivity. Moreover, such growth should involve labour intensive use and, to be sustainable, should be driven by productivity growth. This means that there must be a generalized structural change that favors the dynamic sectors of the economy.", "27. Calls for greater easing of the labour market, a condition that tends to promote lower wages and degraded employment conditions, are promoted as a need to address the growing levels of unemployment.[10] However, this formula of labour market liberalization ignores three essential considerations. First, in countries with labour market protection provisions, wage inequalities are often small. Thus, the provisions protecting the rights of workers reduce inequalities without imposing any significant loss of production or employment.[11]", "28. Secondly, the current reasoning on labour market flexibility refers to an unregulated employment regime, where Governments do not impose any restrictions on recruitment, dismissal or employment conditions. Therefore, from this perspective, both employers and workers would have the freedom to choose mutually convenient employment conditions. In reality, however, flexibility is only for employers. In times of prosperity this could go unnoticed, but in times of crisis, when companies are allowed to reduce wages or mass dismiss their employees in order to reduce costs, that flexibility for employers is translated into insecurity for workers, especially if there is no appropriate universal social protection.", "29. Thirdly, focusing on labour market flexibility to overcome the global economic crisis can undermine the long-term growth potential, if policy changes create an incentive structure in which workers respond with a change in collective behaviour leading to a vicious circle of low wages and low productivity.", "30. There is a tacit normative message that having any work is better than having none. This message ignores the importance of improving job security. In the absence of structured risk prevention systems, workers could be inclined to accept low productivity jobs with equally low wages. This could lead the economy to a vicious circle of low wages-low productivity, and foster the replacement of productive jobs by “bad” jobs.", "31. On the other hand, a continued staff renewal, which is facilitated by increased labour market flexibility, could reduce incentives for workers in insecurity to acquire training that would improve labour productivity. Because of the lack of security and legal protection in employment, workers pay employers a premium (in the form of low wages and their willingness to accept any work) in order to reduce the risk of being unemployed. Under these circumstances, the imposition of more demanding labour standards and various risk prevention systems could be effective (as it would guide the economy towards a balanced high-salary productivity situation) and equitable (as it would allow vulnerable workers to face labour market risks).", "C. Need for social protection", "32. The devastating effects of the crisis on so many people reveal the dynamic and multidimensional nature of poverty, as well as the paramount importance of social protection to reduce vulnerability. Countries with social protection systems have greater capacity to mitigate the negative effects of shocks and prevent people from becoming more impoverished. Furthermore, social protection measures can help restore economic activities and livelihoods.[12]", "33. In the long term, social protection can help individuals and families develop human and social resources, among other assets, and improve their livelihood prospects[13] to, thus, reduce poverty and free the productive potential of the workforce. Social protection should therefore not be understood as a temporary measure aimed at cushioning the impact of a crisis, but as a continuous investment aimed at promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth. The acceptance of a reduction in social spending following the crisis could aggravate and prolong its negative effects, for example, on levels of malnutrition, dropout rates and long-term unemployment.", "34. Universal access to social protection and basic social services is necessary to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequalities and social exclusion. A minimum level of basic social protection is affordable; its benefits must be assessed compared to the potentially high human, social and economic costs of lack of investment in social protection. Without mechanisms to ensure access to health care, as well as adequate nutrition and social stability, a country cannot deploy its full human, economic and productive potential. A human rights-based development strategy should promote the full realization of social and economic rights and, inter alia, promote and protect progress in social development in times of crisis. The right to social security enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights requires that universal social protection ensure the basic well-being of all persons, in particular those living in poverty and those at risk of impoverishment.", "D. Poverty and food security", "35. The effects of the current financial and economic crisis were exacerbated in 2007 and 2008 by the increase in food prices. Food production is increasing more slowly, and more and more food products are destined for the production of food for animals and biofuels, so it is highly unlikely that food prices will return immediately to the downward trend of the previous period. Uncertainty was also compounded by some recent supply problems attributed to weather conditions, fires and floods. To some extent, the rise in food was due to speculation in commodity markets, when investors left the traditional financial markets. Obviously, the rise in food prices reduced efforts to reduce poverty and hunger.", "36. Key problems of the global food production and marketing system need to be addressed to ensure constant food security. Developing countries must change export-oriented agricultural policies, by others that reinforce national food production to meet local needs for affordable food and cushion the impact of international price crises. This change presupposes a more determined support role of the State, stronger international cooperation and increased investment in the development of the food and agricultural sectors, within a framework that gives priority to small farms and to the sustainable management of environmental resources.", "V. Replacing social policy", "37. The crisis provides an opportunity to rethink the role of social policy and social investment by transforming policy responses to the crisis into opportunities to strengthen social progress and achieve more sustained, inclusive and equitable development. Moreover, it is an appropriate circumstance to reformulate the global economic, social and development agenda. It is now being understood that it is necessary to give greater importance in the framework of macroeconomic policy to social policy issues, in particular those relating to productive employment, rather than to consider them as a marginal element of assistance to the poor and disadvantaged groups by macroeconomic policies aimed solely at reducing inflation or eliminating budgetary deficits.", "38. The economic crisis has served as a reminder of the essential importance of appropriate health, education, housing and food to make people more productive and better contribute to society. In other words, social policy in general and measures aimed at ending poverty in all its dimensions should be integral elements of macroeconomic policy aimed at promoting development. Poverty reduction approaches should therefore focus on development, be integral, and incorporate economic and social policies aimed at achieving development results that benefit the population.", "39. In the context of the crisis, high-level employment recovery requires the incorporation of social objectives into economic recovery strategies and policies. In fact, macroeconomic policy measures to promote sustained recovery should support employment growth and poverty eradication approaches. Social investments should be accorded priority under recovery strategies and development policies.", "40. Social investment always contributes to long-term growth and development. In developing countries, increased spending on expanding social protection and improving access to education and health services will contribute to ensuring more inclusive development with increased domestic demand, and laying a stronger foundation for future growth.", "41. The crisis also provides an opportunity to re-examine social policy approaches. The negative impact of the global food, financial and economic crisis on populations in both rich and poor countries reaffirms the desirability of adopting a universal approach to social policy that is not limited to poor people alone. Universal social forecasting should be the goal of social policy formulation. This will also ensure wider and more sustained support that is provided by policy measures with limited objectives, which pose a significant, but involuntary risk of the exclusion of many people in need.", "42. The Social Protection Minimum Level Initiative promotes universal access to essential social transfers and services[14]. More than 75 per cent of the world ' s population lacks social guarantees that enable them to address the risks to their livelihoods. A minimum level of social protection must be ensured for people struggling to survive, as a first step in addressing the multifaceted nature of poverty. This could require special measures aimed at ensuring that benefits reach the most vulnerable, within the framework of the universal social insurance commitment.", "43. For many developing countries, such programmes will require the support of the international community, at least in the medium term. Ensuring a minimum level of social protection for the entire world population poses a significant challenge, but several United Nations agencies have shown that a basic minimum level of social transfers is affordable for all countries at virtually any stage of economic development.", "44. History has shown that in crisis situations triggering social and political unrest, strong political leadership can be the crucial factor in making important social changes. The current crisis offers this opportunity to achieve social progress: it is important to take advantage of it with a view to promoting initiatives that will enable universal access to social protection.", "VI. Conclusions and recommendations", "45. In the biennium 2008-2009, the world suffered its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. Since then, the world economy has recovered, but that recovery was uneven and still fragile, and its social consequences remain. The rapid rise in unemployment triggered growing vulnerability in developing countries that lack a comprehensive social protection system. The economic crisis was exacerbated by the effects of food and fuel growth. The multiple crises undermined the progress that many countries had made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Countries that responded with anti-cyclical policies and had social protection systems, as well as active labour market programmes, were able to recover before and avoid some of the worst social consequences. In view of the fragility of economic recovery, rising food and energy prices, and uneven progress in many countries, social conditions are expected to be restored only slowly.", "46. The General Assembly may wish to consider the following recommendations:", "(a) Governments are encouraged to adopt countercyclical policies in a systematic manner, both in expansion and contraction phases, in order to stabilize income and employment and preserve progress. A political space should be created through a change in the fundamental orientation and character of policy recommendations and the strengthening of fiscal space. This may require budgetary assistance from the international community without policy or programmatic constraints;", "(b) Governments should take into account the probable social impact of their economic policies. Considered outside their social effects, economic policies may have serious consequences for poverty, employment, nutrition, health and education, and this, in turn, may undermine long-term sustainable development;", "(c) Universal social protection systems and active employment programmes should be permanent elements of national policies to address the crisis, in order to avoid delays in responding to economic contraction and other shocks, such as disasters, and their cost-effectiveness should be improved. This is especially urgent in view of the growing economic insecurity resulting from globalization and climate change;", "(d) Priority should be accorded to social investments under recovery strategies and development policies. Increased spending on expanding social protection and improving access to education and health services will contribute to more inclusive development, with increased domestic demand and stronger foundations for future growth.", "[1] International Labour Organization, World Employment Trends 2011: The Challenge of Job Recovery (Geneva, International Labour Organization, 2011).", "[2] These estimates, for people living on less than $1.25 per day, are similar to those of the World Bank, according to which, until 2010, some 64 million more people had been impoverished than the crisis had not occurred. See, World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Global Monitoring Report 2010: The Milleniun development after the Crisis (Washington, D.C., World Bank, 2010).", "[3] United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.10.II.C.2.", "[4] Anuradha Mittal, “The 2008 food price crisis: rethinking food security policies”, G-24 Discussion Paper Series, No.56 (Geneva, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2009).", "[5] United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.09.II.C.2.", "[6] International Labour Organization and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, “Accelerating Recovery with High Employment Qualities in G20 Countries from Lessons Learned”, Report of the Meeting of the Ministers of Labour and Employment of the G20, Washington, D.C., 20-21 April 2010.", "[7] In April 2009, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board established the " Global Jobs Pact " , an initiative to focus the attention of decision-making bodies on employment promotion and decent work, which countries can adapt to their specific needs and circumstances. The Covenant is not a solution to all problems, but a set of options based on effective examples designed to inspire and support multilateral action. The key elements of the Global Jobs Pact are promoting employment and social protection.", "[8] United Nations, The Employment Imperative: Report on the World Social Situation 2007, United Nations publication, Sales No. E.07.IV.9.", "[9] See paragraph 23 (b) of General Assembly resolution 65/1.", "[10] For example, in a recent working paper of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Zuzana Brixiova stated that the more flexible labour markets would be a fundamental adjustment mechanism during the recession and in the medium term. (see “Labour market flexibility in Estonia: what more can be done?”, working paper No. 697 (2009) of the OECD Department of Economics. Anis Chowdhury and Iyanatul Islam (“The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and labour market flexibility: which way now?”, in VoxEU commentary, 2009) refer to an article in The Economist (“When disappears”, March 12, 2009) and point out that the publication expresses the hope of a renewed commitment to the flexibility of the global labour market to deal with job loss around the world and accelerating recovery based on job recovery. The authors cite the World Bank, according to which too rigorous employment protection laws require companies to hire staff and encourage insufficient employment levels, a particularly important aspect during the economic crises, and they add that, in fact, many believed that the recession resulting from the financial crisis provided an opportunity to dismantle the rules governing the labour market. For example, a former Minister of Finance and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Chile had argued that the economic crisis offered opportunities to suppress labour market protection, and had stated that labour reform was always a politically controversial issue, but that the current crisis, by highlighting the dangers of undermining the necessary long-term reforms, had facilitated consensus on the need to take action. (Alejandro Foxley, “Recovery: the global financial crisis and middle-income countries”, Washington, D.C., Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2009).", "[11] Richard B. Freeman, “Labor market institutions around the world”, NBER working paper, No. 13242 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2007).", "[12] Social protection, usually in a system of social security standards, social assistance (including universal tax-funded transfers) and labour market protection, also operates as an automatic stabilizer in business cycles and promotes economic growth.", "[13] For example, in Brazil, Bolsa Família, a conditional cash transfer programme has improved the education, nutrition and health of beneficiary families. See International Labour Organization, “Bolsa Família in Brazil: Context, Concept and Impact” (Geneva, 2009).", "[14] International Labour Organization, Social Security for Social Justice and Equitable Globalization (Geneva, 2011)." ]

[ "Cartas idénticas de fecha 1 de agosto de 2011 dirigidas al Secretario General y al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad por el Representante Permanente de Israel ante las Naciones Unidas", "El propósito de la presente carta es expresarle mi honda preocupación en relación con un grave incidente que se produjo esta mañana en la zona de la Línea Azul entre Israel y el Líbano.", "Hoy, aproximadamente a las 7.00 horas, un soldado de las Fuerzas Armadas Libanesas abrió fuego contra soldados de las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel situados al sur de la Línea Azul. Este ataque por parte de las Fuerzas Armadas Libanesas, sin que mediara provocación, constituye una clara violación de la resolución 1701 (2006) del Consejo de Seguridad.", "Esta es mi segunda carta en las dos últimas semanas con relación a actos de provocación por parte del Líbano en la frontera septentrional de Israel. Este incidente muestra un claro patrón de actos de provocación de las Fuerzas Armadas Libanesas que han mostrado repetidamente una gran facilidad para abrir fuego. En el pasado esta actitud ha cobrado víctimas: el 3 de agosto de 2010, en otro ataque sin que mediara provocación, las Fuerzas Armadas Libanesas dispararon al comandante de batallón de las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel, Teniente Coronel en la reserva Dov Harari causándole la muerte. Milagrosamente, en este incidente no se han producido víctimas.", "Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel han cooperado plenamente en la investigación del incidente por parte de la Fuerza Provisional de las Naciones Unidas en el Líbano (FPNUL) y continuarán haciéndolo. En todo momento, las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel permanecieron al sur de la Línea Azul, de conformidad con la resolución 1701 (2006) del Consejo de Seguridad. Deseo poner de relieve que las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel respondieron en legítima defensa solo después de haber recibido disparos y actuaron con la máxima contención.", "Exigimos que el Gobierno del Líbano investigue plenamente qué papel desempeñaron las Fuerzas Armadas Libanesas en esta provocación. Además, esperamos que el Gobierno del Líbano tome todas las medidas necesarias para impedir que incidentes peligrosos como ese vuelvan a producirse en el futuro y para asegurar que la Línea Azul sea respetada en su integridad.", "Exhortamos también a la comunidad internacional a que adopte medidas para prevenir nuevas provocaciones, enviando un claro mensaje al Gobierno del Líbano en el sentido de que esos ataques no solo constituyen una violación de la resolución 1701 (2006) del Consejo de Seguridad, sino que suponen un grave peligro de escalada, amenazando la paz y la estabilidad en la zona.", "Israel sigue decidido a proteger sus fronteras y a sus civiles y soldados de provocaciones ilegítimas como la que se produjo esta mañana. Israel continuará haciendo grandes esfuerzos por mantener la paz y la seguridad en la región y espera que nuestros vecinos actúen con la misma responsabilidad.", "Le agradecería que tuviera a bien hacer distribuir la presente carta como documento del Consejo de Seguridad.", "(Firmado) Ron Prosor Embajador Representante Permanente" ]

[ "Identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "I write to express my grave concern regarding a serious incident that took place this morning in the area of the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.", "Today, at approximately 7 a.m. local time, a soldier from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) opened fire on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers situated south of the Blue Line. This unprovoked attack by the LAF is a clear violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).", "This is my second letter in the last two weeks dealing with Lebanese acts of provocation on the northern border. This incident is indicative of a clear pattern of provocative acts by the LAF, which has repeatedly shown itself trigger-happy and quick to open fire. In the past this has led to fatalities: on 3 August 2010, in another unprovoked attack, the LAF shot and killed reservist IDF Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Dov Harari. Miraculously, no causalities have been reported in this incident.", "The IDF has fully cooperated with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) investigation into the incident and will continue to do so. At all times, the IDF remained south of the Blue Line, in compliance with Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). I would like to emphasize that the IDF responded in self-defence only after being fired upon, acting with maximum restraint.", "We demand that the Government of Lebanon fully investigate the role of the LAF in causing this provocation. Moreover, we expect the Government of Lebanon to take all necessary measures to prevent such dangerous incidents from reoccurring in the future, and to ensure that the Blue Line is respected in its entirety.", "We also call upon the international community to take action to prevent further provocations, conveying a clear message to the Government of Lebanon that such attacks are not only in violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), but also carry with them a serious potential for escalation, threatening peace and stability in this area.", "Israel remains determined to protect its borders, civilians and soldiers from unlawful provocations such as the one that took place this morning. Israel will continue to take great efforts to maintain regional peace and security and hopes that our neighbours will act in the same responsible way.", "I should be grateful if you would have the present letter distributed as a document of the Security Council.", "(Signed) Ron Prosor Ambassador Permanent Representative" ]

[ "Identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "The purpose of this letter is to express my deep concern to you regarding a serious incident that occurred this morning in the Blue Line area between Israel and Lebanon.", "Today, at approximately 0700 hours, a Lebanese Armed Forces soldier opened fire on Israeli Defence Forces soldiers south of the Blue Line. This attack by the Lebanese Armed Forces, without any provocation, constitutes a clear violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).", "This is my second letter in the last two weeks regarding acts of provocation by Lebanon on the northern border of Israel. This incident shows a clear pattern of provocative acts by the Lebanese Armed Forces that have repeatedly shown great ease of opening fire. In the past this attitude has claimed victims: on 3 August 2010, in another attack without any provocation, the Lebanese Armed Forces shot the commander of the battalion of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant Colonel in the Dov Harari reserve causing him to die. Miraculously, there have been no casualties in this incident.", "The Israel Defense Forces have cooperated fully in investigating the incident by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and will continue to do so. At all times, the Israel Defense Forces remained south of the Blue Line, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). I would like to emphasize that the Israel Defense Forces responded in self-defence only after they had been shot and acted with the utmost restraint.", "We demand that the Government of Lebanon fully investigate what role the Lebanese Armed Forces played in this provocation. In addition, we hope that the Government of Lebanon will take all necessary measures to prevent such dangerous incidents from occurring in the future and to ensure that the Blue Line is fully respected.", "We also call upon the international community to take measures to prevent further provocations by sending a clear message to the Government of Lebanon that such attacks not only constitute a violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), but pose a serious threat of escalation, threatening peace and stability in the area.", "Israel remains determined to protect its borders and its civilians and soldiers from illegitimate provocations such as that which occurred this morning. Israel will continue to make great efforts to maintain peace and security in the region and hopes that our neighbours will act with the same responsibility.", "I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.", "(Signed) Ron Prosor Ambassador Permanent Representative" ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 65 a) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos del niño", "Informe anual de la Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños", "Resumen", "El segundo informe anual de la Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños se presenta a la Asamblea General de conformidad con su resolución 65/197. El informe de la Representante Especial se guía por el informe del experto independiente para el estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños (A/61/299) y se basa en la visión y las esferas prioritarias definidas por la Representante Especial en su informe inicial (A/65/292).", "El presente informe complementa el informe anual de la Representante Especial al Consejo de Derechos Humanos (A/HRC/16/54) y en él se examinan los principales acontecimientos y las iniciativas propuestas con el objetivo de avanzar en el seguimiento del estudio a nivel mundial, regional y nacional, institucionalizar las estructuras de gobernanza regionales y fortalecer las alianzas estratégicas para acelerar los progresos generales hacia un mundo libre de violencia.", "A fin de imprimir un impulso mayor a esos progresos, el informe identifica los objetivos prioritarios a cuyo cumplimiento la Representante Especial prestará una especial atención en el próximo período, a saber: a) promover la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño; b) consolidar aún más las estructuras de gobernanza regionales sobre la violencia contra los niños; c) proseguir la serie de consultas de expertos sobre temas relacionados con la violencia; y d) llevar a cabo una encuesta mundial que permita evaluar los progresos realizados y sirva de base para la adopción de nuevas medidas dirigidas a prevenir y enfrentar la violencia.", "Índice", "PáginaI.Mandato 3 y prioridades \nestratégicas II. Consolidación 4 de los progresos realizados en la ejecución del programa estratégico para la aplicación del estudio de las Naciones \nUnidas A. Hacia 5 la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del \n Niño B. Consolidación 6 de la protección jurídica de los niños contra todas las formas de \nviolencia C. Promoción 9 del establecimiento de mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación adaptados a los niños que permitan hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia contra los niños y garanticen su disponibilidad, accesibilidad y uso por niños con \ndiscapacidad D.Prevención 12 y enfrentamiento de la violencia contra los niños en las \nescuelas E.Realización 17 de una encuesta mundial para evaluar los progresos realizados en la prevención y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los \nniños III.Alianzas 18 estratégicas e institucionalización de las estructuras de gobernanza regionales para acelerar el \nprogreso A.Cooperación 18 con el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, incluidos los órganos y mecanismos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos \nhumanos B.Cooperación 19 con organizaciones e instituciones intergubernamentales y \nregionales C.Cooperación 24 con la sociedad civil, incluidos los niños y los \njóvenes IV.Asegurar 25 un apoyo \nfirme V.Perspectivas 25 \nfuturas A. Promoción 26 de la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del \n Niño B. Consolidación 26 del desarrollo de las estructuras de gobernanza regionales y de la promoción del intercambio interregional de experiencias con miras a asegurar la protección de los niños contra la \nviolencia C.Organización 26 de consultas de expertos y elaboración de informes \ntemáticos D.Realización 27 de una encuesta mundial para evaluar los progresos en la prevención y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los \nniños", "I. Mandato y prioridades estratégicas", "1. La Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños[1] es una destacada defensora global independiente de la prevención y la erradicación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños. Su mandato se guía por el informe del experto independiente para el estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños y sus recomendaciones estratégicas (A/61/299) y promueve la protección de los niños contra la violencia como un imperativo de los derechos humanos. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y sus Protocolos facultativos, junto con otros instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos, constituyen una base normativa sólida para prevenir y enfrentar la violencia. Por esta razón, la Representante Especial promueve la ratificación universal y la aplicación efectiva de los tratados básicos de derechos humanos.", "2. La Representante Especial tiende puentes y sirve de catalizadora de medidas en todas las regiones y todos los sectores y ámbitos en que puedan producirse actos de violencia contra los niños. Coopera con una amplia gama de asociados estratégicos dentro y fuera del sistema de las Naciones Unidas y moviliza acciones y apoyo político para mantener el impulso en relación con su programa, reavivar la inquietud por los efectos nocivos de la violencia para los niños, promover cambios sociales y de conducta y, entretanto, lograr progresos sostenidos.", "3. La Representante Especial utiliza estrategias que se apoyan mutuamente, en particular mediante la promoción de la protección de los niños contra la violencia; la contribución a las reuniones estratégicas que se celebren a escala internacional, regional y nacional con el fin de acelerar los progresos en esta esfera, determinar prácticas idóneas y fomentar el intercambio de experiencias en todas las regiones, sectores y contextos; la organización de misiones sobre el terreno y la preparación de estudios e informes temáticos.", "4. Como se señala en sus informes anteriores a la Asamblea General y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos[2], la Representante Especial atribuye una importancia prioritaria a lo siguiente:", "a) La promoción de un programa estratégico basado en las recomendaciones del estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños (véase la sección II);", "b) El fortalecimiento de las principales alianzas para lograr avances sostenidos en el seguimiento del estudio (véase la sección III);", "c) La obtención de un apoyo firme a su mandato, en particular mediante su financiación adecuada para fomentar el progreso en la prevención de la violencia y la protección de los niños contra todas las formas de violencia (véase la sección IV).", "5. El objetivo general del mandato de la Representante Especial es acelerar los progresos en la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio. Habida cuenta de su particular urgencia, tres de esas recomendaciones comprenden metas con plazos definidos en ámbitos a los que la Representante Especial dedica una atención prioritaria, a saber:", "a) La elaboración por cada Estado de una estrategia nacional amplia para prevenir y enfrentar todas las formas de violencia;", "b) El establecimiento de una prohibición legislativa explícita de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños, en todos los contextos;", "c) La consolidación de un sistema nacional de reunión, análisis y difusión de datos y un programa de investigación sobre la violencia contra los niños.", "6. Se han logrado resultados prometedores en esos ámbitos. La Representante Especial ha perseguido esos objetivos prioritarios a través de un proceso de colaboración a nivel regional con organizaciones intergubernamentales y agrupaciones políticas, la celebración de consultas de expertos sobre aspectos estratégicos del programa dirigido a combatir la violencia contra los niños y la elaboración de informes temáticos en apoyo de la promoción y de reformas normativas y jurídicas[3], así como mediante la realización de 37 misiones en países de todas las regiones.", "II. Consolidación de los progresos realizados en la ejecución del programa estratégico para la aplicación del estudio de las Naciones Unidas", "7. Durante el primer año del mandato de la Representante Especial, a fin de consolidar los cambios en las esferas prioritarias antes mencionadas se prestó particular atención a la revitalización de las redes que participaron en la elaboración del estudio, la promoción de nuevas alianzas y el fortalecimiento ulterior de las alianzas estratégicas y, en particular, la institucionalización de las estructuras de gobernanza regionales que se ocupan de la cuestión de la violencia contra los niños. Estos esfuerzos han sido fundamentales para promover la incorporación de la cuestión de la erradicación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños en los programas de políticas a nivel internacional, regional y nacional.", "8. El segundo año del mandato fue un período clave para movilizar un firme apoyo a las iniciativas dirigidas a enfrentar problemas persistentes y acelerar los progresos generales hacia un mundo libre de violencia. En apoyo a ese proceso, la Representante Especial organizó, con importantes asociados, tres consultas de expertos en esferas de especial preocupación, a saber, la creación de mecanismos que respondan a las necesidades de los niños para hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia, la realización de reformas legislativas que aseguren la protección de los niños y la aplicación de estrategias para prevenir y combatir la violencia en las escuelas. A continuación se presentan las principales conclusiones y recomendaciones de esas reuniones.", "9. La Representante Especial trabaja, además, en la presentación de informes temáticos y herramientas de promoción sobre estos temas, a fin de ayudar a gobiernos y otras partes interesadas a asegurar la protección de los niños contra la violencia. Se elaborarán materiales especialmente dirigidos a los niños, inclusive sobre mecanismos que respondan a las necesidades de los niños para hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia.", "10. Como parte de su estrategia de promoción y comunicación, la Representante Especial estableció un sitio web (http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org) para difundir información sobre novedades de interés en materia de protección de los niños contra la violencia. Este sitio web es igualmente una plataforma para la creación de redes entre asociados clave e incluye instrumentos de los medios sociales, así como un “Rincón de los niños” con materiales adecuados a los niños.", "11. En 2011, en el marco general de su programa prioritario, la Representante Especial ha puesto especial énfasis en la consecución de los siguientes objetivos:", "a) Avanzar hacia la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención, en particular para asegurar la protección de los niños contra la venta, la prostitución y la pornografía;", "b) Consolidar la protección jurídica de los niños contra todas las formas de violencia;", "c) Promover el establecimiento de mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación adaptados a los niños que permitan hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia contra los niños, incluidos los niños con discapacidad;", "d) Intensificar las actividades de concienciación y promoción para prevenir y combatir la violencia contra los niños en las escuelas, así como en las instituciones del sistema judicial;", "e) Realizar una encuesta mundial para evaluar los progresos realizados en la prevención y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños.", "A. Hacia la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño", "12. La campaña mundial en favor de la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, iniciada en 2010 por el Secretario General, proporciona un programa fundamental para consolidar la colaboración institucional con aliados estratégicos dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, como la Representante Especial del Secretario General para la cuestión de los niños y los conflictos armados, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH), el Comité de los Derechos del Niño y la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía. La campaña también se ha convertido en punto de referencia fundamental para la colaboración con la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC).", "13. Habida cuenta de su mandato, la Representante Especial sobre la violencia contra los niños pone especial empeño en que se logre la adhesión global al Protocolo sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía. Para poner en práctica ese programa, realiza actividades de promoción a nivel mundial, fomenta la participación regional y lleva a cabo misiones sobre el terreno.", "14. Durante el primer año de la campaña se realizaron progresos importantes. Se incorporó el objetivo de la ratificación universal en el programa normativo de las Naciones Unidas, incluidos el Plan de Acción Mundial de las Naciones Unidas para combatir la trata de personas[4] y la Hoja de ruta para lograr la eliminación de las peores formas de trabajo infantil para 2016, aprobada el 11 de mayo de 2011 en la Conferencia mundial sobre trabajo infantil celebrada en La Haya (véase la sección III). El compromiso con la ratificación y aplicación del Protocolo también halló eco en organizaciones regionales y agrupaciones políticas, como la Organización de Cooperación Islámica, la Liga de los Estados Árabes, el Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y los Estados de Asia y la región del Pacífico. El Consejo de Europa puso en marcha una amplia campaña de información sobre la violencia sexual contra los niños, uno de cuyos componentes fundamentales es la ratificación del Protocolo.", "15. Desde que se inició la campaña, ocho Estados han ratificado el Protocolo: la Arabia Saudita, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Malta, Mauricio, Nigeria y el Pakistán. La República Centroafricana ha firmado el instrumento.", "16. A fin de acelerar el cumplimiento de ese objetivo, en mayo de 2011 la Representante Especial, en colaboración con asociados estratégicos, organizó en Nueva York una jornada sobre el Protocolo, con ocasión del primer aniversario del inicio de la campaña, y brindó apoyo a la realización en Addis Abeba de una reunión regional auspiciada por la Unión Africana y en la que participaron la Comisión Económica para África, el UNICEF y el ACNUDH. En esa y otras reuniones de alto nivel, la campaña recibió un fuerte apoyo de gobiernos, organismos de las Naciones Unidas, parlamentarios, defensores de los derechos de los niños, organizaciones religiosas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil.", "17. Por lo menos 18 Estados se han comprometido de manera oficial a ratificar el Protocolo, en particular en el marco del examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos y ante el Comité de los Derechos del Niño o de titulares de mandatos de derechos humanos. De los Estados que todavía no son partes, el 40% han ratificado el Protocolo de Palermo para prevenir, reprimir y sancionar la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños, que complementa la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Delincuencia Organizada Transnacional, y el 90% han ratificado el Convenio núm. 182 de la OIT sobre las peores formas de trabajo infantil, instrumentos ambos en que se abordan similares esferas de interés.", "B. Consolidación de la protección jurídica de los niños contra todas las formas de violencia", "18. Entre las recomendaciones principales del estudio figuró la aprobación de nuevas leyes para prohibir todas las formas de violencia contra los niños en todos los ámbitos, junto con la creación de un marco jurídico adecuado para prevenir y responder a la violencia, lo que constituye además una prioridad del mandato de la Representante Especial. A fin de lograr avances en esa esfera tan importante, la Representante Especial organizó, conjuntamente con el ACNUDH, la Unión Interparlamentaria y el Consejo Consultivo de las organizaciones no gubernamentales para el seguimiento del estudio sobre la violencia contra los niños, una consulta de expertos sobre la reforma legislativa, celebrada en Ginebra en julio de 2011. A continuación se presentan sus conclusiones principales.", "19. Como se destacó en informes anteriores, la reforma legislativa sobre la violencia contra los niños es un tema que está cobrando impulso. Al momento de finalizarse el estudio, en 16 países existían leyes que prohibían la violencia en todos los ámbitos. En la actualidad, ascienden a 29 los países en los que se ha establecido una prohibición legislativa amplia, que en algunos casos ha sido incorporada en su Constitución. En algunos países, también los tribunales han desempeñado un papel decisivo en la protección del derecho del niño a que se respete su integridad física y a no sufrir violencia, inclusive en el hogar. En todas las regiones se han puesto en marcha importantes iniciativas con el objetivo de lograr la prohibición legislativa total de la violencia contra los niños y en muchos países se han promulgado leyes contra formas particulares de violencia contra los niños, como el abuso y la explotación sexuales, la trata y las prácticas tradicionales nocivas.", "20. En los últimos dos años también han hecho suyo este objetivo, con carácter prioritario, organizaciones regionales y agrupaciones políticas como la Organización de Cooperación Islámica, la Liga de los Estados Árabes, la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños, el MERCOSUR y el Consejo de Europa. Además, el Comité africano de expertos sobre los derechos y el bienestar del niño, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño y la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos han prestado su firme apoyo.", "21. A pesar de esos importantes avances, se precisa seguir realizando ingentes esfuerzos. En primer lugar, habrá que redoblar los esfuerzos dirigidos a lograr que se prohíban por ley de manera explícita todas las formas de violencia contra los niños; a nivel mundial, menos del 5% de los niños se benefician de la protección jurídica contra todas las formas de violencia en todos los ámbitos.", "22. En segundo lugar, en los países en los que se han promulgado leyes al respecto es necesario adoptar nuevas medidas para reducir la brecha entre la legislación y la práctica. En las observaciones finales del Comité de los Derechos del Niño sobre la aplicación del Protocolo facultativo sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía se señala que en más de la mitad de los países examinados es necesario introducir enmiendas en la legislación sobre la prostitución infantil, entre otras cosas para asegurar la protección de los niños varones. Por su parte, en las observaciones finales sobre la aplicación de la Convención se señala que en al menos un tercio de los países son inadecuadas las disposiciones legislativas sobre otras formas de violencia sexual, ya que no penalizan la violación ni proporcionan una definición adecuada de abuso sexual. De manera similar, las investigaciones realizadas por la Red de Información sobre los Derechos del Niño indican que en al menos 40 países los niños corren el riesgo de ser sentenciados a castigos violentos, como latigazos, flagelación, azotes con caña o amputación, y en varios países las leyes todavía permiten que se condene a muerte a los niños.", "23. En resumen, si bien en muchos países se han adoptado medidas para erradicar la violencia contra los niños en algunas de sus formas y en algunos contextos, solamente en unos pocos se ha establecido una prohibición total. Por otra parte, la observancia de las leyes sigue siendo limitada y son escasas la difusión y la comprensión de los cambios introducidos. Se han realizado muy pocas actividades para hacer el seguimiento de los efectos de la reforma legislativa, abordar los problemas que surjan y asegurar la prestación de servicios y la ejecución de programas bien coordinados y dotados de recursos suficientes para apoyar a las víctimas en su recuperación y reintegración a largo plazo.", "24. La consulta de expertos sobre la reforma legislativa celebrada en Ginebra proporcionó una plataforma estratégica para examinar iniciativas y experiencias positivas de diferentes países del mundo, reconocer los progresos realizados y reflexionar sobre factores decisivos que o bien facilitan o bien ponen en riesgo la protección jurídica de los niños contra la violencia en los cinco entornos identificados por el estudio. Durante la reunión también se determinaron oportunidades para acelerar el progreso y promover el asesoramiento técnico en esta esfera fundamental.", "25. La reunión dio lugar a importantes conclusiones y recomendaciones sobre cómo salvaguardar la protección de los niños contra la violencia en sus distintas formas y ámbitos, incluidos el abuso y la explotación sexuales, la trata, las prácticas tradicionales nocivas, la justicia de menores, la violencia relacionada con el trabajo y la violencia en el hogar. Estas cuestiones se abordarán con mayor detalle en el informe temático que la Representante Especial presentará en los próximos meses.", "26. En previsión de este informe, las cuatro conclusiones generales siguientes son merecedoras de una atención especial, teniendo en cuenta su valor esencial para la configuración de iniciativas legislativas sobre la violencia contra los niños.", "27. En primer lugar, la reforma legislativa sobre la violencia contra los niños es un componente esencial de un sistema nacional sólido de protección de los niños. Por esta razón, debe ser apoyada por servicios e instituciones bien coordinados y dotados de recursos suficientes y ponerse en práctica con un enfoque integral. Ello supone abordar las causas profundas de la violencia; prohibir y disuadir los incidentes de violencia; salvaguardar los derechos de los niños, incluidos los niños en situación de mayor riesgo; proporcionar resarcimiento y reintegración y combatir la impunidad. El establecimiento por ley de mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación accesibles y adaptados a los niños que permitan hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia es un aspecto vital de este proceso.", "28. En segundo lugar, la reforma legislativa es un proceso continuo y no puede reducirse a medidas aisladas o fragmentadas. Dicho proceso requiere un esfuerzo constante para asegurar su armonización con las normas internacionales y poner en práctica los compromisos políticos contraídos en ese ámbito; subsanar lagunas en la aplicación y abordar los problemas que surjan como los derivados de la utilización de nuevas tecnologías. Allí donde convenciones sociales profundamente arraigadas aceptan el uso de la violencia como práctica de crianza de los hijos o forma necesaria de disciplina, es fundamental impulsar un proceso sostenido de promoción, educación, promulgación y aplicación de nuevas leyes y evaluación.", "29. En tercer lugar, la legislación para proteger a los niños contra la violencia es de por sí compleja y de gran alcance. Requiere una prohibición legislativa completa y explícita que transmita de manera inequívoca la obligación de salvaguardar el derecho de los niños a no ser víctimas de la violencia, en ningún lugar y en todo momento. Gracias a la reforma constitucional o a la introducción de nuevas disposiciones en los códigos penales y de familia y en las leyes relativas a la protección del niño y la violencia en el hogar, este proceso está ganando terreno en un número cada vez mayor de Estados.", "30. La prohibición legislativa también debe ser apoyada a través de la inclusión de disposiciones detalladas en leyes específicas, tanto para abordar las distintas formas de violencia, como el abuso y la explotación sexuales, la trata de personas o las prácticas tradicionales nocivas, como para enfrentar la violencia en entornos particulares, como las escuelas, las instituciones de salud y de justicia y el hogar. Reviste una importancia vital la elaboración de leyes o disposiciones habilitantes en los ámbitos jurídicos pertinentes para dar pleno sentido a la prohibición y disuadir los incidentes de violencia, proteger a los niños afectados, prestar el apoyo debido a los mecanismos de aplicación de la ley y combatir la impunidad.", "31. Estos dos enfoques, uno amplio y otro específico, son por tanto necesarios y recíprocos.", "32. En cuarto lugar, las iniciativas emprendidas en materia de reforma legislativa han tenido éxito sobre todo cuando se han promovido mediante un proceso inclusivo y participativo, con la participación de las principales partes interesadas, como organismos gubernamentales, parlamentarios, instituciones nacionales independientes de derechos de los niños y agentes clave de la sociedad civil, incluidos grupos profesionales, autoridades locales y dirigentes religiosos, así como los propios jóvenes.", "33. Además, el cumplimiento de la ley ha sido más eficaz cuando se ha apoyado a esas medidas con iniciativas de movilización social y campañas de sensibilización (tanto para el público en general como para los niños y sus familias en particular) y con la elaboración de normas éticas, la realización de actividades de desarrollo de la capacidad y orientaciones específicas para los profesionales y las instituciones que trabajan con los niños y para ellos. Por esta razón, las iniciativas en materia de reforma legislativa deben incluir un plan de aplicación claro, con una estimación de los costos y la asignación anticipada de los recursos con que sufragarlos.", "C. Promoción del establecimiento de mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación adaptados a los niños que permitan hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia contra los niños y garanticen su disponibilidad, accesibilidad y uso por niños con discapacidad", "34. A petición del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la Representante Especial se unió a la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía en la preparación de un informe sobre el establecimiento de mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación eficaces y adaptados a los niños que permitan hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia, incluida la violencia sexual (A/HRC/16/56). El Consejo ha instado a los Estados a asegurarse de que dichos mecanismos sean confidenciales y apropiados para la edad de los niños, tengan en cuenta las cuestiones relativas al género y la discapacidad y sean seguros, bien conocidos y accesibles para todos los niños. Se formuló una recomendación similar en el estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños.", "35. Los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación constituyen recursos fundamentales para hacer frente a las violaciones de los derechos de los niños, incluida la violencia. Su desarrollo se sustenta en las normas internacionales de derechos humanos y, habida cuenta de la urgencia con que se necesitan, en el Tercer Congreso Mundial contra la Explotación Sexual de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes, celebrado en Río de Janeiro (Brasil) en 2008, se exhortó a todos los países a establecer tales mecanismos para 2013.", "36. Sobre la base de los resultados de una consulta de expertos organizada en 2010 por el ACNUDH y de investigaciones realizadas e información proporcionada por gobiernos nacionales y otras partes interesadas, el informe conjunto presenta un panorama de los mecanismos existentes de orientación, denuncia y notificación. En el informe se reconocen los esfuerzos realizados en muchos países por gobiernos, instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil y comunitarias para promover la orientación y facilitar la denuncia y la notificación de los incidentes de violencia, incluidos los casos de abuso y explotación sexuales. No obstante, también se reconoce que estas iniciativas siguen siendo poco sistemáticas y a menudo son inadecuadas para responder a las preocupaciones específicas de los niños. Como resultado, esas iniciativas no son suficientes para garantizar la protección de los niños contra la violencia y con frecuencia no se consideran componentes esenciales de un sistema sólido de protección de los niños.", "37. En la mayoría de los casos, los niños no disponen de un acceso fácil a los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación y no confían en esos servicios, por temor a ser desestimados en lugar de creídos, juzgados en vez de escuchados. Los niños temen convertirse en objeto de exposición pública, estigmatización, acoso y represalias si notifican incidentes de violencia. A menudo, los niños no conocen la existencia de esos mecanismos y carecen de información sobre cómo obtener asesoramiento y asistencia.", "38. En cuanto a la explotación y el abuso sexuales, a menudo perpetrados por personas que los niños conocen y en las que confían en el seno de instituciones, la escuela y el hogar, los padres se sienten tentados a ocultar tales incidentes con tal de proteger a sus hijos y salvaguardar la imagen y la unidad de la familia. A veces, los profesionales carecen de la formación necesaria para detectar los primeros signos y hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia de forma ética y tomando en cuenta las cuestiones relativas al género y a los niños, o carecen de orientación sobre cuándo o cómo notificar esos casos o remitirlos. Aún cuando se aborden, los incidentes de violencia siguen siendo examinados separadamente, por diferentes profesionales y desde la perspectiva de disciplinas desvinculadas entre sí, lo cual crea el riesgo de que las mismas personas vuelvan a ser víctimas de esos actos.", "39. A los niños con vulnerabilidades especiales les resulta particularmente difícil acceder a los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación. Habida cuenta del debate temático sostenido en la Asamblea General sobre los derechos de los niños con discapacidad, la Representante Especial aprovecha esta oportunidad para poner de relieve los problemas particulares a que se enfrentan esos niños.", "40. Los niños con discapacidad viven una existencia marcada por la estigmatización, la discriminación, los prejuicios culturales, las percepciones erróneas y la invisibilidad. Su capacidad y sus posibilidades de desarrollo suelen ser ignoradas. Su existencia se ve a menudo marcada, además, por el abandono, la violencia, las lesiones y la explotación. A pesar de la escasez de datos e investigaciones en esa esfera, los estudios disponibles revelan que el riesgo de violencia contra los niños con discapacidad alcanza niveles alarmantes, desde su alta vulnerabilidad a la violencia física y emocional en edades más tempranas hasta un mayor riesgo de violencia sexual una vez que llegan a la pubertad.", "41. La discapacidad se sigue percibiendo mayormente como una maldición, un motivo de vergüenza para la familia y una desgracia para la comunidad. En ocasiones, se cree que es causada por la brujería o la posesión por malos espíritus y que es posible liberar al niño haciendo que pase hambre, exponiéndolo al calor o el frío extremos o al fuego o propinándole fuertes palizas.", "42. Los niños con discapacidad que son utilizados como mendigos son mantenidos en las calles mediante la violencia y a menudo sufren abusos físicos dirigidos a llamar la atención y alentar la caridad. En las escuelas, a menudo de baja calidad, son víctimas de palizas, actos de intimidación, descuido y abuso a manos de sus propios compañeros de clase o de maestros mal preparados que no logran entender y atender sus necesidades especiales. Los niños internados en instituciones, al cuidado de funcionarios escasamente formados, mal remunerados y a menudo frustrados, en un entorno caracterizado por actitudes estigmatizantes en la comunidad, corren riesgos aún mayores de violencia física y abuso verbal y emocional.", "43. En las familias de los niños con discapacidad, enfrentadas a fuertes exigencias y altos niveles de estrés, la falta de apoyo y de servicios y un profundo sentimiento de aislamiento, se agrava el riesgo de violencia en el hogar. Algunas familias reaccionan a esta situación con abandono, en lugar de con violencia activa. Otras mantienen al niño alejado de todo contacto con el mundo exterior, entre otras razones para proteger al niño contra el abuso y la estigmatización, a veces en terribles condiciones (por ejemplo, en habitaciones sin ventanas o calurosos patios interiores). Las hay que incluso disponen una “muerte misericordiosa” para poner fin al presunto sufrimiento del niño, a veces bajo la presión o el asesoramiento de familiares o personas influyentes de la comunidad.", "44. Los niños con discapacidad tienen menos posibilidades que otros niños de sortear la amenaza de la violencia o notificar los abusos que hayan sufrido. Estas dificultades se vuelven insalvables cuando su único punto de referencia es el propio agresor, trátese de un familiar, un vecino o el trabajador profesional del que dependen. También pueden mostrarse reacios a presentar denuncias por temor a perder el apoyo de las personas a cuyo cuidado se encuentran o la atención y el afecto de las personas de quienes dependen. Además, el acceso a los servicios de orientación, denuncia y notificación puede resultar difícil desde el punto de vista físico.", "45. Por otro lado, en la mayoría de los casos se desestiman las denuncias de incidentes de violencia presentadas por niños con discapacidad, ya que prevalece la percepción de que esos niños son fáciles de confundir y no están en condiciones de prestar testimonio de manera convincente y precisa.", "46. En muchos casos el sistema de justicia no responde a las necesidades de los niños o no tiene en cuenta las cuestiones relacionadas con la discapacidad; las dificultades que enfrenta un niño ciego para identificar a un delincuente sexual así lo ilustran con creces. No obstante, en muchos países persisten barreras adicionales, como cuando el sistema jurídico no reconoce el testimonio prestado ante los tribunales por niños con discapacidad y les impide declarar bajo juramento o firmar documentos jurídicos. En tales circunstancias, es imposible superar la conspiración del silencio.", "47. Teniendo presentes estas preocupaciones, en el informe al Consejo de Derechos Humanos se presenta un conjunto de principios rectores basados en las normas de derechos humanos y se formulan recomendaciones prácticas para acelerar los progresos en la creación de mecanismos seguros, eficaces y adaptados a las necesidades de los niños, accesibles a todos. Estos mecanismos deben ser establecidos por ley y tener un mandato bien definido, que se guíe por los mejores intereses de los niños y tenga en cuenta sus experiencias y perspectivas. Se debe, además, asegurar su amplia difusión entre los niños, así como su fácil acceso sin discriminación de ningún tipo, y deben garantizar la seguridad de los niños, asegurar la confidencialidad y facilitar una respuesta urgente y rápida y su seguimiento.", "48. Estos requisitos indispensables son esenciales para ayudar a los niños a sentirse facultados, apoyados y confiados en que van a ser escuchados en forma ética y segura y en que su testimonio no será divulgado o utilizado indebidamente ni los expondrá a nuevos riesgos.", "D. Prevención y enfrentamiento de la violencia contra los niños en las escuelas", "49. En muchos países están cobrando impulso las iniciativas para prevenir y combatir la violencia contra los niños en las escuelas. Entre las principales novedades de este importante proceso de cambio cabe mencionar las campañas dirigidas a asegurar un entorno para el aprendizaje sin miedo y hacer frente a formas específicas de violencia, como la intimidación, el acoso cibernético y la violencia por motivos de género. La realización de auditorías y debates participativos en las escuelas sirven de base a la promoción de normas éticas y fomentan la prestación de servicios de orientación, notificación, mediación y asistencia a las víctimas adaptados a las necesidades de los niños. Los datos y las investigaciones abordan las causas profundas de la violencia y apoyan a los niños en situación de riesgo. Las iniciativas en materia de reforma legislativa tienen por objeto prohibir todas las formas de violencia en la educación.", "50. La educación tiene posibilidades únicas para crear un entorno positivo en que modificar las actitudes que toleran la violencia e inculcar comportamientos no violentos. Las escuelas son lugares idóneos para romper los patrones de violencia y formar habilidades que permitan a las personas comunicarse, negociar y apoyar la solución pacífica de los conflictos. Ello es posible en todas las etapas de la vida, sobre todo en la primera infancia, durante la cual las iniciativas pueden mejorar de manera decisiva el desarrollo de aptitudes y habilidades, reducir la marginación y los riesgos concomitantes de violencia y promover el acceso a la escuela y el éxito educativo. Un ambiente libre de violencia en todas sus formas es también un instrumento para promover la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y, en particular, a garantizar la enseñanza primaria universal y eliminar las disparidades de género en la educación.", "51. Desafortunadamente, existe un marcado contraste entre esas posibilidades únicas y la realidad cotidiana de millones de niños. En los entornos escolares y sus alrededores, tanto las niñas como los niños siguen expuestos a la violencia, incluidos el abuso verbal, la intimidación, la agresión física y, en algunos casos, el abuso sexual. A veces también son víctimas de actos de violencia y agresión perpetrados por bandas.", "52. La violencia tiene efectos negativos y, a menudo duraderos, en los niños víctimas. No obstante, además de los niños directamente afectados, la violencia genera temor e inseguridad entre los estudiantes, lo cual entorpece sus oportunidades de aprendizaje y su bienestar. Ello a su vez hace que aumenten la ansiedad y las preocupaciones de las familias, que se ven sometidas a una presión cada vez mayor por mantener a sus hijos, especialmente a las niñas, fuera de la escuela o alienta la deserción escolar como medio de evitar más violencia.", "53. Consciente de la importancia crucial que tienen, por un lado, la educación para la protección de los derechos del niño y, por otro, las escuelas libres de violencia para las comunidades a las que sirven, la Representante Especial, en colaboración con el Gobierno de Noruega y el Consejo de Europa, organizó una consulta de expertos sobre cómo combatir la violencia en las escuelas. La reunión, celebrada en Oslo en junio de 2011, congregó a responsables políticos, expertos en educación y en derechos del niño, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y académicos de diversas regiones del mundo, así como organismos de las Naciones Unidas.", "54. La consulta se guió por las normas internacionales y regionales de derechos humanos y las recomendaciones del estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños. En el estudio se destaca que los enfoques más eficaces para contrarrestar la violencia en las escuelas son los que se ajustan a las circunstancias específicas de cada escuela. Estos enfoques, además, tienen en común algunos elementos claves basados en el reconocimiento de que todos los niños y las niñas tienen los mismos derechos a la educación en entornos libres de violencia y de que una de las funciones de la educación es formar adultos imbuidos de valores y prácticas no violentos[5].", "55. En la consulta de Oslo se reconoció la importancia de prevenir y enfrentar la violencia en las escuelas a través de una estrategia multidimensional. En particular, se recomendó tener en cuenta las cinco dimensiones prioritarias siguientes:", "a) Promover estrategias integrales, participativas y centradas en los niños;", "b) Colaborar con los niños;", "c) Apoyar a los maestros y al personal docente, dotándolos de los conocimientos y los recursos necesarios;", "d) Consolidar los datos y las investigaciones en esta esfera;", "e) Asegurar la protección jurídica de los niños.", "1. Promover estrategias integrales, participativas y centradas en los niños", "56. Las escuelas son parte inherente de las comunidades en que se encuentran; la violencia en las escuelas constituye un reflejo de actitudes sociales que toleran la violencia, así como del entorno que rodea a las escuelas, incluidos el malestar social, la disponibilidad de armas y las actividades de bandas delictivas. Por esta razón, las medidas que se adopten para poner fin a la violencia en las escuelas deben dirigirse no solo a crear en los establecimientos docentes un ambiente seguro y favorable a los niños, sino también a hacer frente a la aceptación cultural de la violencia contra los niños y fomentar la prevención de la violencia y la aplicación de técnicas disciplinarias positivas en el hogar y la comunidad.", "57. Los esfuerzos de las escuelas por poner freno a la violencia se ven coronados por el éxito particularmente cuando se alejan de los enfoques estrictamente sectoriales y favorecen la aplicación de estrategias integrales, participativas y centradas en los niños. Esas estrategias facilitan la participación de las familias en la vida escolar y conciben a los niños como actores decisivos y agentes de cambio que incorporan sus perspectivas y experiencias en la adopción de decisiones. Además, ayudan a superar las divisiones burocráticas y administrativas y proceder de manera multifacética mediante la capacitación de los maestros y el personal docente, la elaboración de planes de estudio, la gestión de las escuelas, la elaboración de políticas, las asignaciones presupuestarias y la promulgación de leyes firmes que aseguren la protección de los niños contra la violencia.", "58. Este enfoque integral de la educación permeó el intercambio de importantes experiencias en la reunión de Oslo, en particular en lo que respecta a la promoción de iniciativas dirigidas a prevenir el acoso en las escuelas. El éxito de esas iniciativas ha estado estrechamente vinculado con la participación de los maestros, el personal docente y los estudiantes, así como de los padres y otros miembros de la comunidad. También se ha logrado reducir el número de incidentes de acoso con el mantenimiento de un compromiso firme, la elaboración de planes claramente definidos y la combinación estratégica de medidas, a saber:", "a) El compromiso sincero y generalizado de hacer frente a este fenómeno, acompañado de la aprobación oficial y la amplia difusión de normas contra el acoso y su presentación en el marco de una actividad oficial en la escuela;", "b) El establecimiento de un sistema de gobernanza en el que participen todas las partes interesadas;", "c) La creación de un sistema de vigilancia para el examen periódico de incidentes y cuestiones motivo de preocupación;", "d) La difusión de mensajes contra el acoso en la comunidad en general.", "59. Estas importantes enseñanzas extraídas de la aplicación de programas contra el acoso constituyen un punto de referencia fundamental para la prevención y la eliminación de otras formas de violencia contra los niños en las escuelas.", "2. Colaborar con los niños", "60. Las intervenciones en las escuelas y en todo el sistema profundizan la comprensión y fomentan el cambio de las actitudes y normas sociales que toleran la violencia, en particular su aplicación como medida disciplinaria. También ayudan a promover una cultura de tolerancia, respeto y no violencia y, en consecuencia, a prevenir la violencia, reducir el absentismo y la deserción escolares, mejorar el rendimiento académico y aumentar las habilidades sociales y el bienestar de los niños.", "61. Para consolidar este proceso es fundamental colaborar con los niños. El trabajo conjunto con los jóvenes ayuda a contrarrestar la invisibilidad de la violencia, comprender mejor la manera en que los niños perciben ese fenómeno y aumentar la eficacia general de los esfuerzos para prevenir y eliminar la violencia en sus diferentes formas.", "62. Los niños reconocen la importancia de contar con normas claras e inequívocas que tengan como base la protección de sus derechos. A pesar de los altos niveles de violencia que muchos de ellos sufren, los niños siguen comprometidos con la promoción de un entorno escolar inclusivo y libre de violencia. En todas las regiones, los niños participan en clubes escolares, programas de educación y orientación entre pares y actividades de mediación y solución de conflictos, así como en consejos escolares y procedimientos disciplinarios en los que se abordan incidentes de violencia.", "63. Para apoyar a los niños en este proceso, es fundamental promover la creación de un entorno escolar favorable a los niños y planes de estudios pertinentes centrados en la preparación de los niños para la vida activa y su educación en materia de derechos humanos, y fomentar los valores de la igualdad social, la tolerancia de la diversidad y la solución de conflictos por medios no violentos. Todos estos elementos proporcionan a los niños formas alternativas de comprender el mundo, incluso en situaciones en que la violencia fuera del entorno escolar afecta a sus comunidades y su vida.", "64. Estos esfuerzos deben redoblarse en lo que respecta a los grupos vulnerables de niños, como las niñas, los niños con discapacidad, los niños pertenecientes a grupos minoritarios o indígenas y los niños afectados por el VIH y el SIDA. Esos niños enfrentan dificultades particulares para acceder a la educación y permanecer en la escuela. Son más propensos a ser víctimas de la violencia o ser ignorados a la hora de pedir consejo sobre cómo notificar incidentes de violencia o denunciarlos. Como resultado, pueden terminar optando por no notificar el acto de violencia de que se trate por temor a llamar la atención.", "3. Apoyar a los maestros y al personal docente, dotándolos de los conocimientos y los recursos necesarios", "65. Tanto los maestros como el resto del personal docente desempeñan una función decisiva para prevenir la violencia y hacerle frente. Por tanto, es esencial proporcionarles los conocimientos, el apoyo y los recursos necesarios. En este proceso es indispensable llevar a cabo actividades de sensibilización e información sobre la violencia contra los niños. Esas actividades ayudan al personal a utilizar técnicas y métodos disciplinarios de carácter constructivo en las escuelas, colaborar con los estudiantes en la prevención de la violencia, servir de modelos positivos de conducta, aprender acerca de la mediación y solución pacífica de conflictos y promover el establecimiento de mecanismos de seguridad en las escuelas, tales como códigos de conducta y mecanismos de notificación que sean fáciles de usar por los estudiantes. Es igualmente importante brindar orientaciones claras sobre la forma de abordar los incidentes de violencia, la obligación de notificarlos y la prestación de asistencia a los niños víctimas.", "66. Estas dimensiones son vitales para que las escuelas puedan detectar los primeros signos de violencia, apoyar a los niños en situación especial de riesgo, y proporcionar apoyo de manera oportuna, eficaz y ética y adaptada a las necesidades del niño.", "67. A falta de la formación pedagógica debida para trabajar con niños y de conciencia, información u orientación sobre la violencia contra los niños, los maestros y demás personal docente podrían considerar natural o necesario recurrir a métodos violentos para hacer que se respeten las normas académicas o imponer disciplina. Los niños, a su vez, pueden interiorizar esos valores y ver en la violencia una estrategia válida para solucionar conflictos e imponer sus opiniones a sus compañeros. En cambio, quienes han recibido formación en materia de prevención de la violencia son más propensos a recurrir a formas alternativas positivas de imponer disciplina y abogar por la renuncia a la violencia en las escuelas.", "4. Consolidar los datos y las investigaciones sobre la violencia en las escuelas", "68. Si bien la información estadística sobre la violencia en las escuelas es escasa y fragmentada, los datos disponibles confirman la enorme magnitud de ese fenómeno y sus consecuencias duraderas tanto para los niños y sus familias como para el conjunto del sistema educativo. Los estudios realizados en varios países han confirmado ese patrón y, en algunos casos, han contribuido a denunciar nuevas formas de violencia, incluida una nueva forma de abuso sexual en las escuelas conocida como “sexo por notas”.", "69. Se necesitan con urgencia datos e investigaciones fiables en este ámbito. La falta de datos de ese tipo socava la elaboración de planes nacionales, entorpece la eficacia de la elaboración de políticas y la movilización de recursos y limita la capacidad de las intervenciones concretas para enfrentar y prevenir la violencia en las escuelas.", "70. La disponibilidad de datos e investigaciones es indispensable para revelar la cara oculta de la violencia y abordar sus causas fundamentales, comprender percepciones y actitudes en relación con ese fenómeno, en particular entre los niños y las niñas de edades y condición social diferentes, identificar a los niños en situación de mayor riesgo y prestarles un apoyo efectivo y evaluar el costo económico de la violencia y los beneficios sociales que podrían lograrse mediante un esfuerzo constante en materia de prevención. En todos estos ámbitos seguirá revistiendo una importancia fundamental consolidar alianzas y agilizar esfuerzos.", "5. Asegurar la protección jurídica de los niños contra la violencia en las escuelas", "71. Sin un marco jurídico adecuado, se reduce en medida considerable la eficacia de las medidas encaminadas a disuadir y eliminar la violencia en las escuelas. Como se indicó anteriormente, la existencia de leyes claras e inequívocas que prohíban toda forma de violencia y protejan a los niños contra ese fenómeno, incluso en las escuelas, es un componente clave de cualquier estrategia amplia sobre la violencia contra los niños.", "72. Además de los 29 países en los que se ha establecido una prohibición legislativa explícita de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños en todos los contextos, en varios países se han aprobado leyes específicamente dedicadas a combatir la violencia en las escuelas. En la mayoría de los países se considera inadmisible y se castiga con medidas disciplinarias la violencia en las escuelas, incluidos el maltrato y las palizas a niños. La comisión de actos de violencia más graves, como el acoso o el abuso sexuales, puede resultar en el despido y el enjuiciamiento de los responsables.", "73. En los últimos años, en algunos países se han producido importantes avances legislativos en ese ámbito, se han promulgado nuevas leyes para prevenir el acoso en las escuelas; por ejemplo, en el Perú en 2011. En otros, se han aprobado leyes contra la violencia en un sentido más amplio. Así, en 2009 se aprobó en la India una ley sobre el derecho de los niños a la educación gratuita y obligatoria por la que se prohíbe el castigo físico y el acoso mental de los niños. En la ley se prevé la aplicación de medidas disciplinarias en caso de violarse dicha prohibición y se reconoce la responsabilidad de la Comisión Nacional para la Protección de los Derechos del Niño en lo que respecta al seguimiento de la aplicación de la ley y la protección de los derechos de los niños afectados.", "74. A pesar de estos importantes avances en 80 países de todo el mundo, todavía no se prohíbe por ley la violencia contra los niños en las escuelas. Además, se sigue observando una brecha amplia y difícil de superar entre la legislación y la práctica imperante. Deberán, por tanto, proseguir los esfuerzos por acelerar los progresos en esa esfera.", "E. Realización de una encuesta mundial para evaluar los progresos realizados en la prevención y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños", "75. En 2011 se cumplen la primera mitad del mandato de la Representante Especial y cinco años del examen por la Asamblea General del estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños. Por tanto, existe una oportunidad estratégica de obtener una idea general de los progresos realizados, reflexionar sobre las prácticas idóneas y los factores de éxito y redoblar los esfuerzos encaminados a superar problemas persistentes e imprimir un nuevo impulso a la protección de los niños contra la violencia.", "76. Teniendo esto presente, la Representante Especial está llevando a cabo una encuesta mundial para clasificar y evaluar los avances registrados en la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio. Esta encuesta se llevará adelante en estrecha colaboración con los asociados, incluidos gobiernos, organismos de las Naciones Unidas, organizaciones e instituciones regionales y organizaciones de la sociedad civil y de niños. Los importantes exámenes analíticos realizados en varias regiones, en particular por la Liga de los Estados Árabes, la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y el MERCOSUR, serán un componente esencial de este proceso.", "77. La encuesta se basará, además, en las iniciativas y procesos pertinentes, incluidos el examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, el proceso de presentación de informes al Comité de los Derechos del Niño y otros órganos creados en virtud de tratados y el seguimiento de los Congresos Mundiales contra la explotación sexual de niños, niñas y adolescentes y la Hoja de ruta para lograr la eliminación de las peores formas de trabajo infantil para 2016, aprobada en la Conferencia mundial sobre trabajo infantil celebrada en La Haya en 2010.", "78. En cooperación con los asociados de la sociedad civil, se hará un esfuerzo especial por tener en cuenta las opiniones de los niños y jóvenes. La participación y los conocimientos de los niños desempeñaron un papel decisivo en la realización del estudio y han seguido siendo indispensables en su seguimiento, en particular mediante la celebración de foros regionales de la juventud y la representación oficial de niños en las estructuras de gobernanza regionales.", "79. La encuesta tiene por objeto evaluar los progresos logrados en la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio y ayudar a dar forma a un programa orientado al futuro. A ese propósito, en 2012 se presentará a la Asamblea General un informe analítico sobre los resultados de la encuesta, tras lo cual la Asamblea examinará el mandato de tres años y estudiará la posibilidad de hacer un seguimiento ulterior del estudio.", "III. Alianzas estratégicas e institucionalización de las estructuras de gobernanza regionales para acelerar el progreso[6]", "80. La Representante Especial mantiene su firme compromiso de seguir fortaleciendo las alianzas estratégicas para la protección de los niños contra todas las formas de violencia, dentro y fuera del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Se han establecido importantes mecanismos de colaboración institucional en apoyo del mandato de la Representante Especial, como el Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional sobre la violencia contra los niños, el Consejo Consultivo de las organizaciones no gubernamentales para el seguimiento del estudio sobre la violencia contra los niños y estructuras de gobernanza regionales de alto nivel para hacer un seguimiento del estudio.", "A. Cooperación con el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, incluidos los órganos y mecanismos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos", "81. La colaboración con los asociados de las Naciones Unidas ha sido fundamental para crear conciencia en torno a la protección de los niños contra la violencia y ampliar el apoyo mundial en ese ámbito, promover la incorporación de esa perspectiva en las actividades de las Naciones Unidas y propiciar el debate normativo por medio de la celebración de mesas redondas estratégicas con asociados clave en esferas de especial preocupación.", "82. Las reuniones periódicas del Grupo de Trabajo Interinstitucional constituyen un importante foro de consulta, formulación de políticas e incorporación de la cuestión de la violencia contra los niños en el programa de las Naciones Unidas. Esta cooperación estratégica ha dado lugar a iniciativas importantes, como el impulso a la campaña en favor de la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y la promoción de datos e investigaciones de mejor calidad para poner fin a la invisibilidad y la aceptación social de la violencia y apoyar la promoción estratégica, la elaboración de políticas y la movilización de recursos.", "83. En 2011, a fin de incorporar la cuestión de la protección de los niños contra la violencia en el programa de las Naciones Unidas, la Representante Especial ha promovido una serie de debates normativos de alto nivel. Esos debates se han llevado a cabo en el marco de las deliberaciones sostenidas en foros como el Consejo de Derechos Humanos en relación con los derechos de los niños de la calle y el establecimiento de mecanismos para hacer frente a la violencia que respondan a las necesidades de los niños; la Comisión de Desarrollo Social, en relación con la pobreza extrema y la violencia contra los niños; la Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer, en relación con las iniciativas para hacer frente a la violencia, incluida la violencia sexual, contra las niñas y con la educación de calidad y la discriminación de género, así como durante la preparación al debate en la Asamblea General, sobre los derechos de los niños con discapacidad. Además, se ha promovido la cooperación estratégica con los asociados de las Naciones Unidas para frenar la violencia en las comunidades y minimizar los efectos de las situaciones de conflicto armado y la violencia de bandas para los niños, en particular por medio de políticas que ayuden a reducir la disponibilidad de armas pequeñas y el acceso a las mismas.", "84. Por otro lado, la Representante Especial también ha procurado mantener una estrecha colaboración con órganos y mecanismos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos a fin de aprovechar las sinergias entre los mandatos y promover un programa de apoyo mutuo. El informe conjunto con la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía muestra las posibilidades de cooperación estratégica en ese sentido. Del mismo modo, se han hecho esfuerzos concertados en apoyo del nuevo Protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, por el que se establece un procedimiento de comunicación.", "85. Particularmente estratégica ha sido la colaboración con el Comité de los Derechos del Niño; por ejemplo, para impulsar la ratificación universal y la aplicación efectiva de los tratados internacionales sobre los derechos de los niños; promover la prevención y la eliminación de la violencia y la reforma legislativa en esa esfera y establecer mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación seguros y adaptados a las necesidades de los niños con que hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia. La aprobación por el Comité de una observación general sobre el derecho del niño a no ser objeto de ninguna forma de violencia[7] abre nuevas vías de cooperación estratégica.", "B. Cooperación con organizaciones e instituciones intergubernamentales y regionales", "86. La colaboración con los asociados regionales es una piedra angular de la estrategia de la Representante Especial para consolidar la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio en todos los países. A fin de impulsar ese proceso e institucionalizar alianzas clave, la Representante Especial participó en reuniones regionales estratégicas de alto nivel. Asimismo, respaldó importantes iniciativas en materia de promoción y de políticas y fortaleció las alianzas con instituciones y organizaciones regionales y con los mecanismos regionales establecidos para apoyar el seguimiento del estudio. En este ámbito se han logrado considerables progresos[8].", "87. En primer lugar, se han contraído importantes compromisos políticos regionales en relación con la violencia contra los niños, en particular en el contexto de la Declaración de El Cairo de 2009 aprobada por la Organización de Cooperación Islámica; la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños; la Declaración de Beijing sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur en favor de los derechos del niño en la región de Asia y el Pacífico; la Declaración de Marrakech, aprobada en la cuarta Conferencia árabe de alto nivel sobre los derechos del niño; la Hoja de ruta sobre la violencia contra los niños aprobada por los países de América del Sur; la Estrategia del Consejo de Europa para 2009-2011, titulada “Construir una Europa para y con los niños”, así como las Directrices de la Unión Europea para la promoción y protección de los derechos del menor, incluidos la estrategia sobre la violencia contra los niños y el Programa para los derechos del menor, recientemente aprobado.", "88. En segundo lugar, se ha producido una creciente institucionalización de las estructuras de gobernanza y las iniciativas regionales en apoyo del seguimiento de las recomendaciones del estudio. Las principales instituciones regionales desempeñan un papel fundamental en la realización de este programa. Entre ellas cabe mencionar el Subcomité sobre la Violencia contra los Niños de la Liga de los Estados Árabes; el Consejo de Administración de la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños; la Plataforma del Consejo de Europa sobre los Derechos del Niño; la Comisión Permanente de la Iniciativa Niñ@Sur del MERCOSUR; el capítulo de América Latina y el Caribe del Movimiento Mundial en favor de la Infancia, el Departamento de Asuntos Sociales de la Unión Africana y el Comité africano de expertos sobre los derechos y el bienestar del niño.", "Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños", "89. En Asia Meridional se estableció una sólida colaboración con la Iniciativa de Asia Meridional para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños, creada en 2010 para guiar el proceso de aplicación nacional de las recomendaciones del estudio. El plan estratégico para 2010-2015 de la Iniciativa comprende metas con plazos definidos para facilitar el seguimiento de los progresos alcanzados y es revisado anualmente por un consejo de administración integrado por representantes de los gobiernos de Asia Meridional, la sociedad civil y organizaciones de niños.", "Región de Asia y el Pacífico", "90. En la región de Asia y el Pacífico, la Declaración de Beijing aprobada en la Reunión de alto nivel sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur en favor de los derechos del niño de la región de Asia y el Pacífico, celebrada en noviembre de 2010, se centró en la violencia contra los niños y en ella se exhorta a aplicar un enfoque sistemático a las preocupaciones relativas a la protección de los niños, sobre la base de leyes y políticas que protejan a los niños contra posibles daños y prohíban toda forma de violencia contra los niños.", "91. Asimismo, se estableció una importante plataforma de cooperación con la Comisión Intergubernamental de Derechos Humanos de la Asociación de Naciones de Asia Sudoriental (ASEAN) y con la recién creada Comisión de la ASEAN para la Promoción y Protección de los Derechos de las Mujeres y los Niños, que ha incluido la violencia contra los niños entre las prioridades de su programa.", "Liga de los Estados Árabes", "92. La Liga de los Estados Árabes ha asumido compromisos firmes y, a tal efecto, realizó un amplio estudio regional con el objetivo de reunir información sobre los avances nacionales hacia la prevención y eliminación de la violencia contra los niños e identificó esferas para el fortalecimiento del proceso de seguimiento de las recomendaciones del estudio. En la Declaración de Marrakech, aprobada en la cuarta Conferencia árabe de alto nivel sobre los derechos del niño, que se celebró en diciembre de 2010, se exhortó a los Estados miembros a emprender nuevos esfuerzos en colaboración con la Representante Especial, en particular con miras a elaborar estrategias nacionales para combatir la violencia contra los niños, establecer mecanismos nacionales de seguimiento y presentación de informes; promulgar leyes para proteger a los niños contra la violencia, el abandono, el maltrato y la explotación y prestar servicios de apoyo a las víctimas, así como adoptar medidas para combatir la impunidad.", "Unión Africana y Comité africano de expertos sobre los derechos y el bienestar del niño", "93. El año 2011 se ha caracterizado por el aumento de la colaboración con el Departamento de Asuntos Sociales y el Comité Africano de Expertos sobre los derechos y el bienestar del niño de la Unión Africana, gracias al marco de cooperación establecido con esas instituciones. La Representante Especial colaboró con la iniciativa de la Unión Africana para promover la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y otros tratados sobre los derechos del niño. Con la colaboración del Comité Africano de Expertos, se lograron avances importantes en el fortalecimiento de la protección de los niños contra la violencia, en particular mediante la consulta técnica de Burkina Faso sobre la reforma legislativa en África para prohibir la violencia contra los niños, incluidos los castigos corporales.", "94. En 2011, la Representante Especial también se sumó a la conmemoración del Día del Niño Africano, dedicado al tema “Unidos en la acción urgente en favor de los niños de la calle”. La reunión celebrada por el Comité Africano de Expertos constituyó un importante seguimiento del debate temático celebrado en 2011 en el Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre los derechos del niño y sirvió para poner de relieve las grandes dificultades que enfrentan los niños que viven y trabajan en la calle en la región africana. Durante la reunión se subrayó que los niños de la calle son particularmente vulnerables a formas extremas de violencia. Su vida está marcada por el estigma, el temor y la invisibilidad y corren un alto riesgo de ser víctimas del acoso, el maltrato y el abuso. Esos niños hacen frente a dificultades insuperables para notificar incidentes de violencia.", "95. El Día del Niño Africano fue una ocasión estratégica para sumarse a la exhortación del Comité Africano de Expertos a que se establecieran mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación bien conocidos, accesibles, seguros y adaptados a las necesidades de los niños; se realizaran inversiones nacionales en sistemas de protección de la infancia provistos de los recursos necesarios, incluida la promulgación de leyes para prohibir todas las formas de violencia contra los niños, y se abolieran los “delitos de condición” y, en particular, se despenalizaran comportamientos de supervivencia como la mendicidad, el absentismo escolar o la vagancia. Estas soluciones deben ser promovidas entre los propios niños de la calle, teniendo en cuenta sus opiniones, como una manera de invertir en su empoderamiento genuino y facultarles para tomar decisiones informadas en situaciones en las que pueda prevenirse efectivamente el riesgo de violencia.", "Mercado Común del Sur", "96. En las Américas, el seguimiento del estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños se ha llevado a cabo en el marco del Vigésimo Congreso Panamericano del Niño, la Niña y Adolescentes y de la estrecha colaboración institucional desarrollada con el Instituto Interamericano del Niño, la Niña y Adolescentes de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, la Relatoría sobre los Derechos de la Niñez de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, el capítulo de América Latina y el Caribe del Movimiento Mundial en favor de la Infancia y la Conferencia Iberoamericana de Ministras, Ministros y Altos Responsables de la Infancia y la Adolescencia.", "97. En abril de 2011, este proceso cobró un renovado impulso político con la organización de la primera reunión subregional de alto nivel para el seguimiento del estudio. La reunión de América del Sur fue organizada por el Gobierno del Paraguay, en su calidad de país presidente del MERCOSUR, y en el marco de la Comisión Permanente de la Iniciativa Niñ@Sur. La reunión fue organizada conjuntamente con la Representante Especial y el capítulo de América Latina y el Caribe del Movimiento Mundial en favor de la Infancia y contó con la participación de los Estados miembros y países asociados del MERCOSUR, así como representantes de la sociedad civil, incluidas organizaciones de niños, defensores de los derechos del niño y medios de comunicación.", "98. Los debates sostenidos en la reunión del Paraguay se apoyaron en el examen analítico de las medidas adoptadas en los países para impulsar la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio. El examen se basó en los informes nacionales presentados sobre la elaboración de una estrategia amplia para prevenir y combatir la violencia contra los niños, la protección jurídica de los niños contra la violencia y la consolidación de datos e investigaciones.", "99. La reunión arrojó resultados importantes: a) se aprobó un plan orientado al futuro para impulsar los progresos y subsanar lagunas y dificultades persistentes; b) se elaboraron estrategias nacionales sobre la violencia contra los niños para cada país en consonancia con la hoja de ruta regional, y c) en el marco del MERCOSUR, se incorporó la hoja de ruta regional en el programa de la Comisión Permanente de la Iniciativa Niñ@Sur, que tendrá a su cargo examinar cada año su aplicación a partir de los informes nacionales presentados por los gobiernos.", "100. Está previsto celebrar en un futuro próximo, en América Central y el Caribe, otras dos reuniones de alto nivel en apoyo del seguimiento del estudio en esas subregiones.", "Consejo de Europa", "101. La Representante Especial mantuvo una fructífera colaboración con el Consejo de Europa, sumándose a sus esfuerzos, conjuntamente con el UNICEF y la Unión Europea, para organizar la conferencia titulada “Combatir la violencia contra los niños: de las acciones aisladas a las estrategias integradas”, que se celebró en Kiev durante la presidencia por Ucrania del Consejo de Europa.", "102. En la conferencia se examinaron cuestiones vitales para la región de Europa Central y Oriental, como el fortalecimiento de la prevención de la violencia mediante la revisión de las normas y políticas nacionales de atención del niño; la prestación de servicios de prevención adaptados a las necesidades de las familias para prevenir la violencia y la separación de los niños de las familias como resultado de una conducta violenta; la promoción en las instituciones de acogida de niños de sistemas y mecanismos de asesoramiento, notificación, denuncia y remisión adaptados a las necesidades de los niños, y la elaboración de programas amplios de reintegración y rehabilitación de los niños víctimas, testigos y autores de actos de violencia.", "103. Los países participantes reafirmaron su firme compromiso con la aplicación de las Directrices del Consejo de Europa sobre las estrategias nacionales integradas para la protección de los niños contra la violencia, en particular por medio de planes de acción, políticas y programas nacionales en consonancia con las normas internacionales y regionales sobre los derechos de los niños. Se hizo un firme compromiso con la protección jurídica de los niños y la prohibición de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños; el establecimiento de un órgano de coordinación influyente y dotado de los recursos necesarios para adoptar todas las medidas pertinentes en ese ámbito y la creación de mecanismos ampliamente diseminados y accesibles de orientación, denuncia y notificación para hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia. El programa de Kiev se pondrá en práctica con el objetivo de consolidar el seguimiento de las recomendaciones del estudio.", "Unión Europea", "104. Con miras a impulsar la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños, en 2007 la Unión Europea aprobó las Directrices para la promoción y protección de los derechos del menor, que comprenden una estrategia para combatir la violencia contra los niños. Esas directrices proporcionan una base sólida para la colaboración con la Unión Europea y para la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio.", "105. En 2011, la Agenda de la Unión Europea en pro de los Derechos del Niño afirmó el compromiso de avanzar en la aplicación de las Directrices y subrayó que “el bienestar de los niños sólo puede lograrse en una sociedad en la que no existan la violencia, el abuso y la explotación infantil”[9]. Esos instrumentos fundamentales proporcionan una base sólida para consolidar el apoyo a la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio en los países de todas las regiones.", "C. Cooperación con la sociedad civil, incluidos los niños y los jóvenes", "106. Para impulsar la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio es fundamental colaborar con los agentes de la sociedad civil, mediante su asociación con los procesos regionales, su participación en debates de expertos sobre aspectos vitales del programa y su apoyo a la campaña mundial de ratificación universal; ampliar la reforma legislativa y promover la participación de los niños y la prevención de la violencia en las escuelas, las instituciones y el hogar. Esta colaboración se ha visto facilitada en gran medida por la creación del Consejo Consultivo de las organizaciones no gubernamentales y sus actividades de promoción y movilización social conjuntamente con los asociados internacionales, regionales y nacionales[10].", "107. Se fortaleció aún más la colaboración estratégica con el Grupo de organizaciones no gubernamentales para la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y su Grupo de Trabajo sobre los niños y la violencia, así como con Child Helpline International y su red. Presentes en más de 120 países, las líneas de ayuda a los niños desempeñan una función inestimable en la protección de los niños contra la violencia, que es la razón principal por la que niños de todo el mundo llaman a esas líneas de ayuda. Las líneas de ayuda son un punto de referencia fundamental para el desarrollo de mecanismos adaptados a las necesidades de los niños y una fuente indispensable de información sobre cuestiones relacionadas con la violencia.", "108. En los últimos meses también se ha fortalecido la colaboración con las organizaciones religiosas. La realización del estudio contó entre sus aliados más importantes a dirigentes religiosos, que han seguido siendo asociados clave en el proceso de seguimiento y en las actividades encaminadas a fomentar el diálogo, promover el cambio de prácticas que perpetúan la violencia contra los niños y alentar el uso de formas no violentas de disciplina. A fin de fortalecer estos esfuerzos, se ha establecido una alianza estratégica con el Día Mundial de oración y acción por la infancia, movimiento mundial de dirigentes religiosos y comunidades de todos los credos y organizaciones laicas comprometidos con la promoción de los derechos y el bienestar de los niños. El Día Mundial se celebra cada año en la semana del 20 de noviembre, aniversario de la aprobación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño. En colaboración con el UNICEF, la Conferencia Mundial de Religiones por la Paz, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y la Oficina de la Representante Especial, el Día Mundial de oración y acción por la infancia puso en marcha una iniciativa para dedicar los próximos tres años a la protección de los niños contra la violencia. En apoyo de este proceso, en junio de 2011, en la Sede de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York se celebró una mesa redonda con asociados clave bajo los auspicios de la Misión Permanente de Chile ante las Naciones Unidas.", "Cooperación con los jóvenes", "109. La participación de los niños sigue siendo una dimensión esencial del mandato de la Representante Especial. Se han celebrado reuniones periódicas con niños y jóvenes, inclusive en el marco de iniciativas regionales y misiones sobre el terreno.", "110. La violencia es una preocupación fundamental de los niños; en algunas regiones, este fenómeno se consideró la preocupación más importante de los niños. A pesar de estar expuestos a una violencia generalizada, los niños hacen gala de una extraordinaria resiliencia. A través de debates escolares y actividades en las comunidades, programas de radio y representaciones teatrales en la calle, dibujos animados, blogs y medios sociales, se sensibiliza a los niños y sus familias acerca de la violencia y sus efectos, se genera solidaridad y apoyo a los niños víctimas y se puede infundir confianza para notificar incidentes de violencia y reclamar soluciones rápidas y duraderas.", "111. Con el fin de maximizar la participación de los niños en el debate y la acción sobre la violencia, la Representante Especial promueve la participación de nuevos expertos en participación de los niños y ampliará el espacio dirigido a los niños en su página web.", "IV. Asegurar un apoyo firme", "112. Los esfuerzos por asegurar un apoyo adecuado y una financiación previsible han sido esenciales para la promoción de avances en este programa estratégico y el cumplimiento efectivo e independiente del mandato de la Representante Especial.", "113. El UNICEF presta apoyo administrativo al mandato y ha establecido una cuenta fiduciaria para recibir, mantener, administrar y desembolsar las contribuciones financieras proporcionadas para financiar el funcionamiento de la Oficina de la Representante Especial, en particular el pago de los gastos de personal.", "114. De conformidad con la resolución 62/141 de la Asamblea General, el mandato de la Representante Especial se financia con contribuciones voluntarias. A tal fin, la Asamblea General pidió a los Estados e instituciones interesados, organismos de las Naciones Unidas, organizaciones regionales y de la sociedad civil y el sector privado que proporcionaran la asistencia necesaria, incluidas contribuciones financieras. La Asamblea también prevé la evaluación del mandato tres años después de su creación, en 2012, incluida su financiación.", "115. Las contribuciones recibidas hasta julio de 2011 han sido cruciales para volver a poner en marcha e impulsar el proceso de seguimiento del estudio, promover y apoyar actividades de prevención de la violencia y protección del niño contra la violencia y asegurar apoyo de oficina. No obstante, la aportación de fondos adicionales sigue siendo esencial para que la Representante Especial pueda desempeñar eficazmente su función como defensora global independiente. Sigue siendo especialmente importante contar con un apoyo firme para lograr más progresos en las esferas prioritarias determinadas en su programa estratégico, la organización de consultas con expertos en los temas, la preparación de materiales y recursos de promoción y seguir consolidando la colaboración con las estructuras de gobernanza regionales para reforzar el seguimiento nacional del estudio.", "V. Perspectivas futuras", "116. Durante los dos primeros años del mandato se han registrado acontecimientos significativos. Entre ellos caben mencionar la adopción por los gobiernos de importantes medidas legislativas y normativas para proteger a los niños contra la violencia; las iniciativas estratégicas de organismos y mecanismos de las Naciones Unidas para incorporar en sus programas la cuestión de la violencia contra los niños y los importantísimos avances realizados por organizaciones y grupos regionales, así como por actores de la sociedad civil, en la institucionalización del proceso de aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio. La violencia contra los niños genera una preocupación y una respuesta cada vez mayores, en muchos casos con el apoyo de una movilización social amplia en la que los propios niños desempeñan un papel cada vez más importante.", "117. Al mismo tiempo, sin embargo, la violencia sigue poniendo en peligro los derechos de millones de niños. Oculta y socialmente aceptada, se responde a la violencia con pasividad e indiferencia. Habida cuenta de la escasa notificación y el carácter fragmentado y a corto plazo de las intervenciones, la cuestión de la violencia no suele ocupar un lugar destacado en el programa de políticas ni ser un tema prioritario en el debate público. Como resultado, muchos niños siguen viviendo una existencia marcada por los traumas, el miedo, la culpa, el aislamiento y la impotencia.", "118. No ha disminuido la urgencia de asegurar la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños y es imprescindible que se acelere el ritmo de los progresos. Con ese objetivo, en el marco general de las prioridades de su mandato, en el próximo período la Representante Especial pondrá especial atención a esferas que se describen a continuación.", "A. Promoción de la ratificación universal de los Protocolos facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño", "119. Animada por la amplia expresión de apoyo a la campaña mundial en favor de la ratificación universal, que tiene su origen en los importantes compromisos asumidos por la comunidad internacional, la Representante Especial continuará promoviendo activamente el logro de este objetivo.", "B. Consolidación del desarrollo de las estructuras de gobernanza regionales y de la promoción del intercambio interregional de experiencias con miras a asegurar la protección de los niños contra la violencia", "120. La Representante Especial proseguirá su labor de promoción en apoyo de la institucionalización de las estructuras de gobernanza y las iniciativas regionales encaminadas a acelerar el progreso en el seguimiento de las recomendaciones del estudio. A tal efecto, en los próximos meses la Representante Especial organizará una reunión de alto nivel con representantes de esos mecanismos regionales para ayudar a fortalecer las sinergias entre ellos, promover el intercambio interregional de experiencias y consolidar la erradicación de la violencia contra los niños.", "C. Organización de consultas de expertos y elaboración de informes temáticos", "121. La Representante Especial continuará su fructífera serie de consultas de expertos sobre determinadas esferas prioritarias relacionadas con la violencia. Como se señaló anteriormente, una de esas consultas se dedicará a la consolidación de los datos y las investigaciones sobre la violencia contra los niños, y otra se ocupará de la cuestión de la violencia y la administración de justicia.", "Mejores datos e investigaciones sobre la violencia contra los niños", "122. Los incidentes de violencia contra los niños raras veces se notifican y las estadísticas oficiales siguen siendo insuficientes para captar la verdadera magnitud y el alcance de este fenómeno. Como resultado, la información disponible es escasa y solo refleja la punta del iceberg. Este es un ámbito en el que es preciso emprender acciones urgentes y al que la Representante Especial seguirá prestando atención prioritaria. Teniendo presente ese objetivo, en 2012 la Representante Especial colaborará con el Gobierno de Suecia en la organización de una consulta de expertos sobre la cuestión.", "Violencia y administración de justicia", "123. La Representante Especial hace especial hincapié en la cuestión de la violencia en los entornos judiciales por medio de actividades de promoción, iniciativas de diálogo sobre políticas y misiones sobre el terreno. El establecimiento de un sistema judicial basado en el respeto de los derechos del niño es esencial para prevenir y combatir los incidentes de violencia contra los niños y salvaguardar los derechos de víctimas y testigos.", "124. En esta esfera se realiza una importante labor, como puede observarse en el informe temático de 2011 sobre justicia juvenil y derechos humanos en las Américas, publicado por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, con el apoyo de la Representante Especial. En el informe se destacan logros y buenas prácticas en materia de protección de los niños en el sistema de justicia juvenil y se formulan recomendaciones para la aplicación efectiva de las normas internacionales pertinentes.", "125. Para consolidar los progresos registrados, la Representante Especial aprovechará importantes experiencias acumuladas en diversas partes del mundo y fortalecerá las alianzas estratégicas con Estados Miembros, organismos de las Naciones Unidas, instituciones regionales, instituciones académicas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil. A tal efecto, colaborará con la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito y otros asociados en la organización de una consulta de expertos a principios de 2012.", "D. Realización de una encuesta mundial para evaluar los progresos en la prevención y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños", "126. Como se indicó anteriormente, la Representante Especial llevará a cabo una encuesta mundial para clasificar y evaluar los progresos registrados en la aplicación de las recomendaciones del estudio. Los resultados de la encuesta se presentarán a la Asamblea General en 2012 y se espera que contribuyan a imprimir un nuevo impulso a los esfuerzos por aplicar las recomendaciones del estudio y mantener el ritmo del trabajo ya en marcha.", "127. En los párrafos 119 a 126 se destacan esferas de preocupación fundamentales en las que la Representante Especial se ha comprometido a centrar su atención. La Representante Especial espera con interés seguir consolidando alianzas sólidas con los Estados Miembros y todas las partes interesadas pertinentes para avanzar en la aplicación efectiva de las recomendaciones del estudio y asegurar la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia contra los niños.", "[1] La Representante Especial tomó posesión de su cargo el 1 de septiembre de 2009. Para una explicación más detallada de su nombramiento y mandato, véase A/HRC/13/46.", "[2] A/HRC/16/54 y A/65/262, respectivamente.", "[3] Véase el Informe conjunto de la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía y la Representante Especial sobre la violencia contra los niños acerca de los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación adaptados a los niños, presentado al Consejo de Derechos Humanos (A/HRC/16/56); se presentarán en breve otros dos informes conjuntos sobre la reforma legislativa y la violencia en las escuelas.", "[4] Aprobado por la Asamblea General en su resolución 64/293; véase en particular el párrafo 4 del Plan Mundial de Acción.", "[5] World Report on Violence against Children, 2006, pág. 138.", "[6] Esta sección sirve de complemento a la información proporcionada en el documento A/HRC/16/54.", "[7] CRC/C/GC/13.", "[8] Véase también A/65/262, secc. C, y A/HRC/16/54, párrs. 41 a 57.", "[9] Véase el documento de la Comisión Europea COM (2011) 60, de 15 de febrero de 2011, párr. 2.2.", "[10] Para más detalles véase A/HRC/16/54." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children", "Summary", "This second annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children is submitted to the General Assembly in accordance with its resolution 65/197. It is guided by the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children (A/61/299) and builds upon the vision and the priority areas identified by the Special Representative in her initial report (A/65/292).", "The present report complements the annual report of the Special Representative to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/16/54) and reviews key developments and initiatives promoted to advance progress in the follow-up to the study at the global, regional and national levels, institutionalize regional governance structures and strengthen strategic alliances to speed up global progress towards a world free from violence.", "To further accelerate progress, the report identifies areas to which the Special Representative will devote special attention in the forthcoming period: (a) promoting the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; (b) further consolidating regional governance structures on violence against children; (c) continuing the series of expert consultations on violence-related topics; and (d) conducting a global survey to assess progress and inform further action in the area of preventing and responding to violence.", "Contents", "PageI.Mandate 3 and strategic \npriorities II. Consolidating 4 progress on the strategic agenda for the implementation of the United Nations \nstudy A.Moving 5 towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the \nChild B. Consolidating 6 the legal protection of children from all forms of \nviolence C. Promoting 9 the establishment of child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children, and ensuring their availability, accessibility and use by children with \ndisabilities D.Preventing 11 and addressing violence against children in \nschools E.Conducting 15 a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against \nchildren III. Strategic 16 partnerships and the institutionalization of regional governance structures to accelerate \nprogress A.Cooperation 17 with the United Nations system, including human rights treaty bodies and \nmechanisms B.Cooperation 18 with intergovernmental and regional organizations and \ninstitutions C.Cooperation 21 with civil society, including children and young \npeople IV.Ensuring 23 firm \nsupport V.Looking 23 \nahead A.Moving 24 towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the \nChild B. Consolidating 24 the development of regional governance structures and the promotion of the cross-regional exchange of experiences to ensure the protection of children from \nviolence C.Organizing 24 expert consultations and developing thematic \nreports D.Conducting 25 a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against \nchildren", "I. Mandate and strategic priorities", "1. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children[1] acts as a high-profile, global independent advocate of the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. Her mandate is guided by the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children and its strategic recommendations (A/61/299) and promotes the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, together with other international human rights instruments, provide a firm normative foundation for preventing and responding to violence. For this reason, the Special Representative promotes the universal ratification and effective implementation of core human rights treaties.", "2. The Special Representative acts as a bridge-builder and a catalyst of action in all regions and across sectors and settings in which violence against children may occur. She cooperates with a wide range of strategic partners within and beyond the United Nations system, and mobilizes action and political support to maintain momentum around this agenda, to generate renewed concern about the harmful effects of violence on children, to promote behavioural and social change, and to achieve steady progress along the way.", "3. The Special Representative makes use of mutually supportive strategies, including promoting advocacy of the protection of children from violence; contributing to strategic meetings at the international, regional and national levels to accelerate progress in this field, to identify good practices and to promote the exchange of experiences across regions, sectors and settings; organizing field missions; and developing thematic studies and reports.", "4. As detailed in previous reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council,[2] the Special Representative places a priority focus on:", "(a) Promoting a strategic agenda, building upon the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children (see section II below);", "(b) Strengthening key partnerships in order to achieve and sustain progress in the follow-up to the study (see section III below);", "(c) Ensuring firm support for her mandate, including sound funding, to promote progress in the prevention of violence and in the protection of children from all its forms (see section IV below).", "5. The overall thrust of the Special Representative’s mandate is to accelerate progress in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the study. In view of their particular urgency, three of those recommendations included time-bound targets. These are also the areas to which the Special Representative devotes priority attention, namely:", "(a) The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy for preventing and responding to all forms of violence;", "(b) The introduction of an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings;", "(c) The consolidation of a national system for data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children.", "6. Promising national progress has been achieved in these areas. The Special Representative has pursued these priority objectives through a process of regional engagement with intergovernmental organizations and political groupings, the convening of expert consultations on strategic dimensions of the agenda aimed at combating violence against children, and the development of thematic reports in support of advocacy, policy and legal reform,[3] as well as through 37 country missions in all regions.", "II. Consolidating progress on the strategic agenda for the implementation of the United Nations study", "7. During the first year of the Special Representative’s mandate, in order to consolidate change in the aforementioned priority areas, particular attention was given to the revitalization of networks involved in the development of the study, the promotion of new alliances and further consolidation of strategic partnerships and, in particular, the institutionalization of regional governance structures related to violence against children. Those efforts have been critical in promoting the mainstreaming of the issue of the freedom of children from violence into the policy agenda at the international, regional and national levels.", "8. The second year of the mandate was a key period in which to rally firm support for efforts to address persisting challenges and to accelerate global progress towards a world free from violence. In support of that process, the Special Representative organized, with key partners, three expert consultations on critical areas of concern, namely, child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence, law reform to ensure the protection of children, and strategies for preventing and addressing violence in schools. The main conclusions and recommendations resulting from those meetings are presented below.", "9. The Special Representative is also preparing the publication of thematic reports and advocacy tools on these subjects, to assist governments and other stakeholders in ensuring the protection of children from violence. Materials will be developed especially for children, including on child-sensitive mechanisms for responding to incidents of violence.", "10. As part of her advocacy and communication strategy, the Special Representative established a website (http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org) to disseminate information about significant developments related to the protection of children from violence. The website is also a platform for networking among key partners and includes social media tools and a Children’s Corner with child-friendly materials.", "11. In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:", "(a) Moving towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, in particular to ensure the protection of children from sale, prostitution and pornography;", "(b) Consolidating the legal protection of children from all forms of violence;", "(c) Promoting the establishment of safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children, including children with disabilities;", "(d) Widening awareness and advocacy in order to prevent and address violence against children in education, as well as in justice-related institutions;", "(e) Conducting a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children.", "A. Moving towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "12. The global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, launched in 2010 by the Secretary-General, provides a critical agenda for consolidating the institutional partnership with strategic allies within the United Nations system, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The campaign has also become a crucial reference for collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).", "13. In the light of her mandate, the Special Representative on Violence against Children places a special focus on achieving global adherence to the protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. She pursues that agenda through global advocacy, regional engagement and field missions.", "14. During the first year of the campaign, significant progress was made. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated into the United Nations policy agenda, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons[4] and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted on 11 May 2011 at the Hague Global Child Labour Conference (see section III below). Commitment to the ratification and implementation of the Protocol was also expressed by regional organizations and political groupings, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and States from the Asia-Pacific region. The Council of Europe launched a wide-scale information campaign about sexual violence against children, of which the ratification of the Protocol is a core component.", "15. Since the launching of the campaign, eight States have ratified the Protocol: Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Central African Republic has signed the instrument.", "16. In May 2011, in order to accelerate progress, the Special Representative, in collaboration with strategic partners, hosted a treaty event in New York on the occasion of the first anniversary of the launching of the campaign, and supported a regional event in Addis Ababa hosted by the African Union with the Economic Commission for Africa, UNICEF and OHCHR. At these and other high-level meetings, the campaign received strong support from Governments, United Nations agencies, parliamentarians, children’s advocates, faith-based organizations and civil society organizations.", "17. At least 18 States have made formal commitments to the ratification of the Protocol, including within the framework of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council and before the Committee on the Rights of the Child or human rights mandate-holders. Of those that are not yet parties, 40 per cent have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and 90 per cent have ratified ILO Convention No. 182, on the Worst Forms of Child Labour; these address similar areas of concern.", "B. Consolidating the legal protection of children from all forms of violence", "18. The adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children, in all settings, together with an appropriate legal framework for preventing and responding to violence, was a critical recommendation of the study and constitutes a priority of the Special Representative’s mandate. To advance progress in this crucial area, the Special Representative organized, together with OHCHR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the international non-governmental organization Advisory Council for the follow-up to the study on violence against children, an expert consultation on law reform held in Geneva in July 2011. The main findings of the consultation are presented below.", "19. As highlighted in previous reports, law reform on violence against children is an area that is gaining momentum. When the study was finalized, 16 countries had legislation prohibiting violence in all settings. To date, 29 have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban, in some cases incorporating it into their Constitutions. In some countries, courts have also been instrumental in guaranteeing the right of the child to respect for his or her physical integrity and to freedom from violence, including within the family. Across regions, there are significant initiatives under way to achieve the full legal prohibition of violence against children, and many countries have adopted legislation on specific forms of such violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking and harmful traditional practices.", "20. Over the past two years, regional organizations and political groupings have also embraced this goal as a priority, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, MERCOSUR and the Council of Europe. In addition, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have been active supporters.", "21. In spite of these important developments, vigorous efforts are still needed. First, efforts to introduce an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children need to be scaled up: globally, fewer than 5 per cent of children benefit from legal protection from all forms of violence in all settings.", "22. Second, in countries where legislation has been enacted, further measures are required to narrow the gap between law and practice. The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography indicate that, in more than half of the countries reviewed, the legislation on child prostitution needs to be amended, including to ensure the protection of boys. The concluding observations on the implementation of the Convention indicate that, in at least one third of countries, legislative provisions on other forms of sexual violence are inadequate, as they fail to criminalize rape or to provide an adequate definition of sexual abuse. Similarly, research conducted by the Child Rights Information Network indicates that in at least 40 countries, children are at risk of being sentenced to violent forms of punishment, including whipping, flogging, caning or amputation, and that in a number of countries the law still allows children to be sentenced to death.", "23. In short, although steps have been taken in many countries to prohibit violence against children in some forms and contexts, only a few have introduced comprehensive bans. Moreover, law enforcement has remained weak, with limited dissemination and understanding of the changes introduced. Efforts to monitor the impact of legal reform, to address emerging concerns and to ensure well-coordinated and well-resourced services and programmes to support victims in their healing and long-term reintegration have been scarce.", "24. The Geneva expert consultation on law reform provided a strategic platform for the review of initiatives and positive experiences in various countries of the world, the acknowledgement of progress, and reflection on critical factors facilitating or compromising the legal protection of children from violence in the five settings identified in the study. The meeting also included the identification of opportunities to accelerate progress and promote technical advice in this critical area.", "25. The meeting resulted in important conclusions and recommendations to ensure the freedom of children from violence in various forms and settings, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices, juvenile justice, labour-related violence and violence within the home. These will be addressed in greater detail in the thematic report to be issued by the Special Representative on this topic in the coming months.", "26. In anticipation of that report, the following four overarching conclusions deserve special attention in view of their crucial value for shaping legislative initiatives on violence against children.", "27. First, law reform on violence against children is an essential component of a robust national child protection system. For that reason, it needs to be supported by well-coordinated and well-resourced services and institutions, and pursued through a holistic approach. This involves addressing the root causes of violence; prohibiting and deterring incidents of violence; safeguarding the rights of all children, including those at greater risk; providing redress and reintegration; and fighting impunity. The establishment by law of accessible, child-sensitive and safe counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence is a crucial dimension of this process.", "28. Second, law reform is an ongoing process and cannot be reduced to isolated or fragmented actions. It requires consistent efforts to ensure harmonization with international standards and implement political commitments undertaken in this area; to fill gaps in implementation; and to address emerging concerns, such as those arising from the use of new technologies. Where deeply rooted social conventions condone the use of violence as a child-rearing practice or a necessary form of discipline, it is critical to promote a sustained process of advocacy, education, law enactment and enforcement, and evaluation.", "29. Third, legislation to protect children from violence is by nature complex and wide-ranging. It requires a comprehensive and explicit legal ban to convey an unequivocal message that children’s right to freedom from violence must be safeguarded everywhere and at all times. Through constitutional reform or the introduction of new provisions in family and criminal codes and in child protection and domestic violence legislation, this process is gaining ground in an increasing number of States.", "30. Legal prohibition must also be supported by detailed provisions in specific pieces of legislation, both to address distinct forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking or harmful traditional practices, and to tackle violence in specific settings, including schools, care and justice institutions and the home. It is critical that enabling laws and regulations be developed in relevant legal fields to give full meaning to the prohibition and deter incidents of violence, to protect the children concerned, to ensure appropriate support for the process of enforcement and to fight impunity.", "31. These two approaches, comprehensive and specific, are therefore needed and are indeed mutually supportive.", "32. Fourth, law reform initiatives have been particularly successful when promoted through an inclusive and participatory process, with the involvement of key stakeholders including governmental departments, parliamentarians, independent national institutions for children’s rights and key actors in civil society, including professional groups, local authorities and religious leaders, as well as young people themselves.", "33. Moreover, law enforcement has been more effective when such initiatives have been supported with social mobilization initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns (both for the public in general and for children and their families in particular) and supported by the development of ethical standards, capacity-building activities and concrete guidance for professionals and institutions working for and with children. For this reason, law reform initiatives should include a clear plan of implementation, with an estimation of costs and an anticipated allocation of resources to meet them.", "C. Promoting the establishment of child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children, and ensuring their availability, accessibility and use by children with disabilities", "34. At the request of the Human Rights Council, the Special Representative joined the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the preparation of a report on effective and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence, including sexual violence (A/HRC/16/56). The Council has urged States to ensure that such mechanisms are confidential, age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, disability-sensitive, safe, well publicized and accessible to all children. A similar recommendation was made in the United Nations study on violence against children.", "35. Counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms constitute critical remedies to address breaches of children’s rights, including violence. Their development is anchored in international human rights standards, and, in view of their urgency, the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in Rio de Janeiro in 2008, called for their establishment in all countries by 2013.", "36. Based on the findings of an expert consultation convened in 2010 with OHCHR, and on research conducted by and information received from national Governments and other stakeholders, the joint report provides an overview of existing counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms. It acknowledges efforts made in many countries by Governments, national human rights institutions, civil society and community-based organizations to promote counselling and to facilitate complaints and reporting of incidents of violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation. But it also recognizes that those initiatives remain piecemeal and are often inadequate to address children’s specific concerns. As a result, they are insufficient to ensure the protection of children from violence and are often not seen as core components of a robust child protection system.", "37. More often than not, children cannot easily gain access to counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms and lack trust in such services, fearing that they will be disregarded rather than believed, judged rather than listened to. Children fear that they will be subjected to public exposure, stigmatization, harassment and reprisals if they report incidents of violence. Often, children are unaware of available mechanisms and have no information about how to obtain advice and assistance.", "38. In the case of sexual exploitation and abuse, which are often committed by people whom children know and trust within institutions, in schools and in the home, parents feel tempted to conceal such incidents in order to protect their children and safeguard the image and unity of the family. Professionals may lack the training necessary to identify early signals and address incidents of violence in an ethical and gender- and child-sensitive manner, and may have no guidance as to whether and how they are expected to report such cases or how to refer them. When they are addressed, incidents of violence continue to be considered separately, by different professionals, and through the lens of disconnected disciplines, creating the risk of revictimization.", "39. Children with special vulnerabilities have particular difficulties in gaining access to counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms. In the light of the thematic debate in the General Assembly on the rights of children with disabilities, the Special Representative takes this opportunity to highlight the special challenges faced by these children.", "40. The lives of children with disabilities are fraught with stigma, discrimination, cultural prejudices, misperceptions and invisibility. Their capacity and their positive potential are often ignored. Their existence is often marked by neglect, violence, injury and exploitation. In spite of the limited amount of data and research in this area, available studies reveal an alarming level of risk for violence against children with disabilities, ranging from high vulnerability to physical and emotional violence when they are young to greater risks of sexual violence as they reach puberty.", "41. Disability is still perceived largely as a curse, a source of shame for the family and a misfortune for the community. At times, it is believed to be the result of witchcraft or possession by evil spirits; the child’s liberation is thought to be achieved through starvation, exposure to extreme heat or cold or to fire, or severe beatings.", "42. When used as beggars, children with disabilities are subject to violence to keep them on the streets, and often suffer physical abuse to attract attention and encourage charity. In schools that are often of low quality, they endure beatings, bullying, neglect and abuse by their peers and by ill-prepared teachers who fail to understand and attend to their special needs. For children placed in institutions with ill-trained, ill-paid and often frustrated staff, in an environment of stigmatizing attitudes in the community, there are increased risks of physical violence and of verbal and emotional abuse.", "43. For the families of children with disabilities, heavy demands and high stress, lack of support and services, and a deep sense of isolation aggravate the risk of violence within the household. Some families respond with neglect rather than with active violence. Others shield the child from contact with the outside world, including to protect him or her from abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in appalling conditions (such as windowless rooms or hot courtyards). Still others arrange for a “mercy killing” to put an end to the child’s perceived suffering, at times as a result of pressure from or upon the advice of other family members or influential actors in the community.", "44. Children with disabilities are less able than other children to escape the threat of violence or to report the abuses that they have endured. These difficulties become insurmountable when their only point of reference is the abuser, be it a family member, a neighbour or a professional worker on whom they depend. They may be unwilling to complain, fearing that if they do so they will lose the support of caregivers and the attention and affection of those on whom they have come to rely. Access to counselling, reporting and complaint services may be physically difficult to gain.", "45. Moreover, incidents reported by children with disabilities are largely dismissed; there is a prevailing perception that such children are easily confused and are unable to provide convincing and accurate testimony.", "46. In many cases, the justice system is not child-friendly or disability-sensitive; the challenges faced by a blind child in identifying a sexual offender amply illustrate this. However, in many countries additional barriers persist, including where the legal system fails to recognize the testimony of children with disabilities in court and prevents them from testifying under oath or signing legal documents. Under such circumstances, the conspiracy of silence becomes insurmountable.", "47. In the light of these concerns, the report to the Human Rights Council presents a set of guiding principles based on human rights standards, as well as practical recommendations to accelerate progress in making safe, child-sensitive and effective mechanisms available to all children. These mechanisms need to be established by law and to have well-defined mandates, guided by the best interests of the child and informed by children’s experiences and perspectives. They need to be well publicized and made accessible to all children, without discrimination of any kind, and must guarantee children’s safety, ensure confidentiality and allow for prompt and speedy response and follow-up.", "48. These critical requirements are essential in helping children to feel empowered, supported and reassured that they will be listened to in an ethical and safe manner, and that their testimony will not be disclosed or misused or place them at further risk.", "D. Preventing and addressing violence against children in schools", "49. In many countries, initiatives to prevent and address violence against children in schools are building momentum. Some key developments of this significant process of change include campaigns aimed at ensuring learning without fear and at addressing specific forms of violence, including bullying, cyberbullying and gender-based violence. School audits and participatory debates inform the promotion of ethical standards and encourage child-sensitive counselling, reporting, mediation and victim assistance. Data and research address root causes of violence and support children at risk. Law reform initiatives seek to prohibit all forms of violence in education.", "50. Education has a unique potential to create a positive environment in which attitudes condoning violence can be changed and non-violent behaviour can be learned. Schools are well placed to break patterns of violence and to provide skills that enable people to communicate, negotiate and support peaceful solutions to conflicts. This is possible at all stages of life, especially early childhood, when initiatives can decisively improve the development of talents and abilities, reduce marginalization and associated risks of violence, and promote access to school and educational achievement. An environment free of violence in all its forms is also instrumental to promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular to ensure universal primary education for all and to eliminate gender disparities in education.", "51. Unfortunately, this unique potential is in marked contrast to the daily reality of millions of children. Within and around educational settings, both girls and boys continue to be exposed to violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical aggression and, in some cases, sexual abuse. At times they are also victims of gang violence and assault.", "52. Violence has a negative and often long-term impact on child victims. Beyond those directly affected, however, it creates fear and insecurity among students, hampering their learning opportunities and well-being. This in turn gives rise to anxiety and concerns in the family, sometimes fuelling pressure to keep children, particularly girls, out of school or to encourage school abandonment as a means of avoiding further violence.", "53. Recognizing the crucial importance of education in safeguarding children’s rights and of violence-free schools as catalysts for non-violence in the communities that they serve, the Special Representative, in cooperation with the Government of Norway and the Council of Europe, organized an expert consultation on tackling violence in schools. The meeting was held in Oslo in June 2011, and brought together policymakers, education and children’s-rights experts, civil society organizations and academics from various regions of the world, as well as United Nations agencies.", "54. The consultation was guided by international and regional human rights standards and the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children. The study highlights the fact that the most effective approaches to countering violence in schools are tailored to the specific circumstances of each school. These approaches also have key elements in common, as “they are based on the recognition that all children have equal rights to education in settings that are free of violence, and that one of the functions of education is to produce adults imbued with the non-violent values and practises”.[5]", "55. The Oslo consultation recognized the importance of preventing and responding to violence in schools through a multidimensional strategy. In particular, it recommended that the following five priority dimensions be taken into account:", "(a) Promoting holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies;", "(b) Partnering with children;", "(c) Supporting teachers and staff with the necessary skills and resources;", "(d) Consolidating data and research in this field;", "(e) Ensuring the legal protection of children.", "1. Promoting holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies", "56. Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in the school mirrors social attitudes condoning violence and also reflects the environment surrounding the school, including social unrest, the availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. For this reason, efforts to bring an end to violence in school must not only invest in ensuring a safe and child-friendly environment in educational settings, but also seek to address the cultural acceptance of violence against children, and invest in violence prevention and positive discipline initiatives for families and the community at large.", "57. Schools succeed in their efforts to curb violence in particular when they break away from a strictly sectoral approach in favour of holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies. Such strategies help to involve families in school life and envisage children as crucial actors and agents of change, shaping decisions with their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, they help to overcome bureaucratic and administrative divisions and operate in a multifaceted way, through investments in teacher and school staff training, curriculum development, school administration, policy development, budgetary allocations and strong legislation to guarantee the protection of children from violence.", "58. This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:", "(a) A sincere and widely shared commitment to address this phenomenon, with the formal adoption and wide dissemination of anti-bullying rules, and their launching at an official school event;", "(b) The establishment of a governance system in which all stakeholders participate;", "(c) The development of a monitoring system, with the periodic review of incidents and issues of concern;", "(d) The dissemination of anti-bullying messages in the community at large.", "59. These important lessons learned from anti-bullying programmes provide a crucial reference for the prevention and elimination of other forms of violence against children in schools.", "2. Partnering with children", "60. School- and system-wide interventions deepen understanding and encourage change in attitudes and social norms that condone violence, including its use as a form of discipline. They also help to promote a culture of tolerance, respect and non-violence and, as a result, prevent violence, contribute to reductions in school absenteeism and abandonment, improve academic achievement and enhance children’s social skills and well-being.", "61. In order to consolidate this process, it is critical to partner with children. Joining hands with young people helps to counter the invisibility of violence, increase understanding of children’s perceptions of this phenomenon, and enhance the overall effectiveness of efforts to prevent and eliminate violence in its various forms.", "62. Children recognize the importance of clear and unambiguous rules based on the protection of their rights. In spite of the high levels of violence that many of them endure, they remain committed to promoting an inclusive and violence-free school environment. Across regions, they are becoming involved in school clubs, peer education and peer counselling programmes and mediation and conflict-solving efforts, and are participating in school councils and disciplinary proceedings in which incidents of violence are addressed.", "63. In order to support children in this process, it is critical to promote a child-friendly school environment and relevant curricula focusing on life skills and human rights education, and to nurture the values of social equality, tolerance towards diversity and non-violent means of resolving conflict. All these elements can provide children with alternative ways of understanding the world, even in situations where violence outside the school affects their communities and their lives.", "64. For vulnerable groups of children, including girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minority or indigenous groups, and children affected by HIV and AIDS, these efforts must be redoubled. Such children face particular challenges in gaining access to schooling and in remaining in school. They are more likely to be subjected to violence or to be disregarded when they seek advice about or report incidents of violence. As a result, they may end up choosing not to report violence for fear of drawing attention to themselves.", "3. Supporting teachers and other school staff with necessary skills and resources", "65. Teachers and other school staff are decisive actors in preventing and responding to violence. It is therefore essential to provide them with the necessary skills, support and resources. Raising awareness and providing information about violence against children is indispensable in this process. It helps to equip staff to use constructive-discipline techniques and methods in school, to partner with students in violence prevention, to serve as positive role models, to learn about peaceful conflict mediation and resolution, and to promote school-safety mechanisms such as codes of conduct and student-friendly reporting mechanisms. Equally important is the provision of clear guidance on addressing incidents of violence, mandatory reporting and providing assistance to child victims.", "66. Dimensions such as these are vital to enable schools to identify early warning signs of violence, to support children at special risk and to provide timely and effective support in an ethical and child-sensitive manner.", "67. In the absence of training in child-friendly pedagogy, and without awareness, information or guidance regarding violence against children, teachers and other school staff may believe that resorting to violent methods to maintain academic standards or impose discipline is a natural or needed response. Children in turn may internalize such values and regard violence as a valid strategy for resolving disputes and imposing their views on their peers. When violence prevention skills and training have been provided, however, there is greater openness to resorting to alternative, positive forms of discipline and advocating the abandonment of violence in school.", "4. Consolidating data and research on violence in schools", "68. Although statistical information on violence in schools is scarce and fragmented, available data confirm the serious magnitude of this phenomenon and its long-lasting consequences, both for children and their families and for the education system as a whole. Surveys conducted in a number of countries have confirmed this pattern and, in some cases, have assisted in the reporting of emerging forms of violence, including a new form of sexual abuse in schools, referred to as “sex for grades”.", "69. Sound data and research are urgently needed in this field. Without reliable data, national planning is undermined, effective policymaking and resource mobilization are hampered, and targeted interventions are limited in their ability to address and prevent violence in schools.", "70. Data and research are indispensable if we are to expose the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; understand perceptions and attitudes regarding this phenomenon, including among girls and boys of various ages and social backgrounds; identify children at greater risk and effectively support them; and assess the economic costs of violence and the social gains that can be achieved through steady investment in prevention. These are areas where consolidated partnerships and the acceleration of efforts will remain of the essence.", "5. Ensuring the legal protection of children from violence in schools", "71. The effectiveness of measures to deter and eliminate violence in schools is significantly curtailed without a supportive legal framework. As indicated above, clear, unambiguous legislation that prohibits all forms of violence and protects children from them, including within the school, is a key component of any comprehensive strategy on violence against children.", "72. In addition to the 29 countries that have introduced an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children in all contexts, several have adopted specific legislation to counter violence in schools. In the majority of countries, violence in schools, including the ill treatment and beating of children, is considered impermissible and is punished with disciplinary measures. When certain more serious forms of violence occur, such as sexual harassment or abuse, the outcome may be the dismissal and prosecution of those found responsible.", "73. In the recent past, there have been significant legislative developments in this area. In some countries, new laws have been enacted to prevent bullying, as was the case in 2011 in Peru. In others, legislation has been adopted that addresses incidents of violence more broadly. For example, in India the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 bans the physical punishment and mental harassment of children. The Act provides for disciplinary measures in the event of the violation of this ban and recognizes the responsibility of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in monitoring its implementation and safeguarding the rights of the children concerned.", "74. In spite of these important developments, the legal prohibition of violence against children in schools is not yet a reality in 80 countries around the world. Moreover, the overall gap between legislation and prevailing practice remains wide and challenging. For this reason, efforts to accelerate progress in this area will continue.", "E. Conducting a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children", "75. The year 2011 marks the midpoint of the Special Representative’s mandate and five years since the review by the General Assembly of the United Nations study on violence against children. Thus, it is a strategic opportunity to gain a perspective on the progress achieved, to reflect on good practices and success factors, and to boost efforts to overcome persistent challenges in and generate renewed momentum towards the protection of children from violence.", "76. With this in mind, the Special Representative is conducting a global survey to map and assess progress in the implementation of the study’s recommendations. The survey will be developed in close collaboration with partners, including Governments, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and institutions, and civil society and children’s organizations. The significant analytical reviews conducted in a number of regions, including by the League of Arab States, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and MERCOSUR, will be an essential component of this process.", "77. The survey will also build upon relevant initiatives and processes, including the universal periodic review process in the Human Rights Council, the process of reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other treaty bodies, and the follow-up to the World Congresses against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents and to the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted at the Hague Global Child Labour Conference in 2010.", "78. In cooperation with civil society partners, a special effort will be made to take into account the views of children and young people. The participation and expertise of children were critical in the development of the study and have remained indispensable in its follow-up, including through regional youth forums and the formal representation of children in regional governance structures.", "79. The survey is intended to assess progress achieved in the implementation of the recommendations of the study and to help shape a forward-looking agenda. In this connection, an analytical report detailing the outcomes of the survey will be submitted to the General Assembly in 2012, at which time the Assembly will review the three-year mandate and consider further follow-up to the study.", "III. Strategic partnerships and the institutionalization of regional governance structures to accelerate progress[6]", "80. The Special Representative remains firmly committed to further strengthening strategic alliances for the protection of children from all forms of violence, within and beyond the United Nations system. Important institutional collaboration mechanisms have been established in support of her mandate, including the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, the non-governmental organization Advisory Council for the follow-up to the study on violence against children, and regional high-level governance structures established for the follow-up to the study.", "A. Cooperation with the United Nations system, including human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms", "81. Collaboration with United Nations partners has been crucial in raising awareness of and broadening global support for the protection of children from violence, promoting the mainstreaming of this topic into United Nations activities, and generating policy debate through the holding of strategic panel discussions with key partners on areas of critical concern.", "82. The periodic meetings of the Inter-Agency Working Group are an important forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming within the United Nations agenda on violence against children. This strategic cooperation has led to significant initiatives, including the advancement of the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the promotion of better data and research in order to put an end to the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and to support strategic advocacy, policy development and resource mobilization.", "83. In 2011, in order to further mainstream into the United Nations agenda the protection of children from violence, the Special Representative has promoted a number of high-level policy discussions. These have taken place in such forums as the Human Rights Council, in discussions on the rights of street children and on child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence; the Commission for Social Development, in discussions on extreme poverty and violence against children; the Commission on the Status of Women, in discussions on tackling violence, including sexual violence, against girls and on quality education and gender discrimination; and in the lead-up to the General Assembly, in discussions on the rights of children with disabilities. In addition, strategic cooperation has been promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in communities and minimize the impacts of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms.", "84. Furthermore, the Special Representative has pursued close collaboration with human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms in order to capitalize on synergies across mandates and to promote a mutually supportive agenda. The joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography shows the potential of such strategic cooperation. Similarly, concerted efforts have been deployed in support of the new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing for a communication procedure.", "85. The partnership with the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been particularly strategic, including in encouraging the universal ratification and effective implementation of international children’s rights treaties, promoting advocacy and law reform on violence prevention and elimination, and establishing safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Committee’s adoption of a general comment on the right of the child to freedom from violence[7] opens new avenues for strategic cooperation.", "B. Cooperation with intergovernmental and regional organizations and institutions", "86. Collaboration with regional partners is a cornerstone of the Special Representative’s strategy for consolidating the implementation of the study’s recommendations within and across countries. In order to advance that process and institutionalize key alliances, the Special Representative participated in strategic, high-level regional meetings. She supported significant advocacy and policy initiatives and strengthened partnerships with regional institutions and organizations and with regional mechanisms established to support the follow-up to the study. This is an area where significant progress has been achieved.[8]", "87. First, important regional political commitments on violence against children have been undertaken, including in the context of the 2009 Cairo Declaration adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children; the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region; the Marrakesh Declaration adopted at the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child; the road map on violence against children adopted by South American countries; the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011, “Building a Europe for and with Children”; and the European Union Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, including the strategy on violence against children and the recently adopted Agenda for the Rights of the Child.", "88. Second, there has been a growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and regional initiatives in support of the follow-up to the study’s recommendations. Leading regional institutions are playing a pivotal role in moving this agenda forward. These include the Subcommittee on Violence against Children of the League of Arab States, the Governing Board of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Platform on Children’s Rights of the Council of Europe, the Permanent Commission of the Niñ@Sur Initiative of MERCOSUR, the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, the African Union Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.", "South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children", "89. In South Asia, solid collaboration was established with the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, created in 2010 to guide the process of the national implementation of the recommendations of the study. The Initiative’s strategic plan for 2010-2015 includes time-bound targets to monitor the progress achieved and is reviewed annually by a governing body composed of representatives of South Asian Governments, civil society and children’s organizations.", "Asia-Pacific region", "90. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Beijing Declaration adopted at the High-level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region, held in November 2010, focused strongly on violence against children, calling for a systematic approach to child protection concerns, based on laws and policies safeguarding children from potential harm and banning all forms of violence against children.", "91. A significant platform for cooperation was also developed with the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and with the recently established ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, which has identified violence against children as a priority for its agenda.", "League of Arab States", "92. Firm commitments have been made by the League of Arab States, which carried out a comprehensive regional study to collect information about national developments towards the prevention and elimination of violence against children and identified areas for strengthening the process of follow-up to the recommendations of the study. The Marrakesh Declaration adopted at the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, held in December 2010, called on member States to pursue further efforts in collaboration with the Special Representative, including with a view to the development of national strategies to combat violence against children; the establishment of national follow-up and reporting mechanisms; the enactment of legislation to protect children from violence, neglect, ill treatment and exploitation; and the provision of services to support victims, as well as to undertake measures to combat impunity.", "African Union and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child", "93. The year 2011 has been marked by enhanced collaboration with the African Union Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, building upon the framework of cooperation developed with those institutions. The Special Representative partnered with the African Union initiative to promote the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other child rights treaties. With the African Committee of Experts, important strides were made in strengthening the protection of children from violence, not least through the Burkina Faso technical consultation on legislative reform in Africa to prohibit violence against children, including corporal punishment.", "94. The Special Representative also joined in the commemoration of the 2011 Day of the African Child, devoted to the theme “All together for urgent actions in favour of street children”. The meeting held by the African Committee of Experts was an important follow-up to the 2011 thematic debate in the Human Rights Council on child rights and highlighted the significant challenges faced by children living and working in the streets in the African region. The meeting underlined the fact that street children are particularly vulnerable to extreme forms of violence. Their lives are fraught with stigma, fear and invisibility, and they are at high risk for harassment, ill treatment and abuse. For these children, the challenges of reporting incidents of violence are insurmountable.", "95. The Day of the African Child was a strategic opportunity to join with the African Committee of Experts in calling for the establishment of widely publicized, accessible, safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms; national investment in well-resourced child protection systems, including legislation banning all forms of violence against children; and the abolishment of status offences, including the decriminalization of survival behaviour such as begging, truancy and vagrancy. These solutions need to be promoted among street children themselves, with an understanding of their perspectives, thus investing in their genuine empowerment and enabling them to make informed choices in situations where the risk of violence may be effectively prevented.", "Common Market of the South", "96. In the Americas, follow-up to the United Nations study on violence against children has been carried out within the framework of the Twentieth Pan American Child Congress and the strong institutional cooperation developed with the Inter-American Children’s Institute of the Organization of the American States, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and the Ibero-American Conference of Ministers Responsible for Children and Adolescents.", "97. In April 2011, this process gained renewed political impetus through the holding of the first subregional high-level meeting to follow up on the study. The South American meeting was hosted by the Government of Paraguay, in the context of its chairmanship of MERCOSUR and of the Permanent Commission of the Niñ@Sur Initiative. The meeting was co-organized with the Special Representative and the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and had the participation of MERCOSUR member and associated States, as well as representatives of civil society, including children’s organizations, children’s advocates and the media.", "98. The discussions in Paraguay were informed by an analytical review of national measures adopted to advance the implementation of the study’s recommendations. The review was based on national reports submitted on the development of a comprehensive strategy for preventing and addressing violence against children, the legal protection of children from violence, and the consolidation of data and research.", "99. The meeting led to significant outcomes: (a) the adoption of a forward-looking road map to advance progress and address gaps and persisting challenges; (b) the development of national strategies on violence against children by individual countries aligned with the regional road map; and (c) within MERCOSUR, the incorporation of the regional road map into the agenda of the Permanent Commission of the Niñ@Sur Initiative, which will review its implementation on an annual basis in the light of national reports submitted by Governments.", "100. Two other high-level meetings, in Central America and in the Caribbean, are expected to be held in the near future in support of the follow-up to the study in those subregions.", "Council of Europe", "101. The Special Representative pursued fruitful collaboration with the Council of Europe, with which she joined hands, together with UNICEF and the European Union, in the organization of the conference entitled “Combating violence against children: from isolated actions to integrated strategies”, held in Kiev during the Ukrainian chairmanship of the Council.", "102. The conference addressed critical issues for the Central and Eastern European region, including strengthening violence prevention through the revision of national childcare standards and policies; providing family-friendly services to prevent violence and the separation of children from their families as a result of violent behaviour; promoting child-friendly counselling, reporting, complaint and referral systems and mechanisms within institutions hosting children; and developing comprehensive reintegration and rehabilitation programmes for child victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violence.", "103. Participating countries reaffirmed their strong commitment to implementing the Council of Europe Policy Guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children from violence, including through national action plans, policies and programmes in line with international and regional children’s-rights standards. Strong commitments were made to the legal protection of children and the prohibition of all forms of violence against them; the establishment of an influential and well-resourced coordinating body to articulate all relevant actions in this area; and the development of widely available and accessible counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Kiev agenda will be pursued to consolidate the follow-up to the recommendations of the study.", "European Union", "104. In 2007, with a view to advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, the European Union adopted its Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, which include a strategy for combating violence against children. The Guidelines provide a strong basis for collaboration with the European Union and for the implementation of the study’s recommendations.", "105. In 2011, the European Union Agenda for the Rights of the Child reaffirmed the commitment to advancing the implementation of the Guidelines, stressing that “the well-being of children can only be achieved in a society which is free of violence, abuse and exploitation of children”.[9] These key instruments provide a sound basis for consolidating support for the implementation of the study’s recommendations in countries across regions.", "C. Cooperation with civil society, including children and young people", "106. Collaboration with civil society actors is critical for advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the study, through their association with regional processes, their involvement in expert discussions on critical dimensions of the agenda, and their support for the global universal ratification campaign, the scaling-up of legal reform, the participation of children and the prevention of violence in schools, institutions and the home. Collaboration has been greatly facilitated by the establishment of the non-governmental organization Advisory Council and its advocacy and social mobilization efforts with partners at the international, regional and national levels.[10]", "107. Strategic collaboration was further strengthened with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Working Group on Children and Violence, as well as with Child Helpline International and its network. Present in more than 120 countries, child helplines play an invaluable role in the protection of children from violence, which is the main reason why children around the world call helplines. Helplines constitute a crucial reference for the development of child-sensitive mechanisms and an indispensable source of information on violence-related issues.", "108. Recent months have also seen strengthened collaboration with faith-based organizations. Religious leaders were important allies in the development of the study and have remained key partners in the process of follow-up, fostering dialogue, promoting change in practices that perpetuate violence against children, and encouraging the use of non-violent forms of discipline. In order to strengthen these efforts, a strategic partnership was developed with the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, a global movement of religious leaders and communities of all faiths and secular organizations committed to the promotion of children’s rights and well-being. The World Day is celebrated every year during the week of 20 November, the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In collaboration with UNICEF, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, civil society organizations and the Office of the Special Representative, the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children launched an initiative to devote the next three years to the protection of children from violence. In support of this process, a panel discussion with key partners was held at the United Nations in New York in June 2011 under the auspices of the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations.", "Cooperation with young people", "109. Child participation continues to be a core dimension of the Special Representative’s mandate. Regular meetings have been held with children and young people, including within the framework of regional initiatives and field missions.", "110. Violence is a key concern of children; in some regions, the phenomenon was identified as their most critical concern. Despite the fact that they are exposed to widespread violence, children show a remarkable resilience. Through school debates and community events, radio programmes and street theatre, cartoons, blogs and social media, they help to raise awareness among other children and their families about violence and its impact, create solidarity and support for child victims, and can instil the confidence to report incidents of violence and press for speedy and lasting solutions.", "111. In order to maximize the involvement of children in discussions and action on violence, the Special Representative is engaging additional experts on child participation and will further develop the child-friendly space on her website.", "IV. Ensuring firm support", "112. Ensuring sound support and predictable funding has been essential for promoting progress on this strategic agenda and for the effective and independent fulfilment of the Special Representative’s mandate.", "113. UNICEF provides administrative support for the mandate and has established a trust account in order to receive, hold, administer and disburse financial contributions provided to fund the operation of the Office of the Special Representative, including payment for personnel costs.", "114. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 62/141, the mandate of the Special Representative is funded from voluntary contributions. In this connection, the Assembly called upon States and institutions concerned, United Nations agencies, regional and civil society organizations and the private sector to provide the necessary support, including financial contributions. The Assembly also anticipated the evaluation of the mandate three years after its establishment, in 2012, including with regard to its funding.", "115. Contributions received by July 2011 have been crucial in relaunching and promoting the process of follow-up to the study, advocating and supporting developments for violence prevention and the protection of children from violence, and ensuring office support. However, additional funding remains essential if the Special Representative is to be able to effectively play her role as a global independent advocate. Firm support remains particularly important for the advancement of progress in the priority areas identified in her strategic agenda, the organization of thematic expert consultations, the development of advocacy materials and resources, and the continued consolidation of collaboration with regional governance structures to strengthen national follow-up to the study.", "V. Looking ahead", "116. The first two years of the mandate have seen significant developments. These include important legislative and policy measures undertaken by Governments to protect children from violence; strategic initiatives by United Nations agencies and mechanisms to mainstream the issue of violence against children into their agendas; and critical strides by regional organizations and groupings, as well as civil society actors, in institutionalizing the process of implementing the study’s recommendations. Violence against children is giving rise to increasing concern and action, in many cases supported by wide social mobilization in which children themselves are playing a growing role.", "117. At the same time, however, violence continues to compromise the rights of millions of children. Hidden and socially accepted, violence is met with passivity and indifference. Owing to weak reporting and to fragmented and short-term interventions, it is seldom high on the policy agenda or a priority topic of public debate. As a result, many children continue to live with trauma and in fear, self-blame, isolation and helplessness.", "118. The urgency of ensuring children’s freedom from violence has not diminished, and it is imperative that the current pace of progress be accelerated. With this aim, and within the overall framework of the priorities of her mandate, the Special Representative will, in the forthcoming period, devote particular attention to the areas set out below.", "A. Moving towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "119. Encouraged by the wide expression of support for the global campaign for universal ratification, which is rooted in significant commitments undertaken by the international community, the Special Representative will continue to actively promote the achievement of this goal.", "B. Consolidating the development of regional governance structures and the promotion of the cross-regional exchange of experiences to ensure the protection of children from violence", "120. The Special Representative will continue her advocacy in support of the institutionalization of regional governance structures and initiatives to accelerate progress in the follow-up to the study’s recommendations. In this regard, the Special Representative will, in the coming months, host a high-level meeting with representatives of these regional mechanisms to help strengthen synergies among them, to promote a cross-regional exchange of experiences and to consolidate children’s freedom from violence.", "C. Organizing expert consultations and developing thematic reports", "121. The Special Representative will continue her fruitful series of expert consultations on selected violence-related priority areas. As noted above, one of these will be devoted to the consolidation of data and research on violence against children; a second will address violence and the administration of justice.", "Better data and research on violence against children", "122. Violence against children is seldom reported, and official statistics remain limited in their ability to capture the true scale and extent of this phenomenon. As a result, available information is scarce and reflects only the tip of the iceberg. This is an area where urgent action is required and one to which the Special Representative will continue to devote priority attention. With that in mind, in 2012 she will join the Government of Sweden in the organization of an expert consultation on this issue.", "Violence and the administration of justice", "123. The Special Representative places special emphasis on violence in justice-related settings, through advocacy, policy dialogue initiatives and field missions. A justice system based on respect for the rights of the child is critical for preventing and addressing incidents of violence against children, as well as safeguarding the rights of victims and witnesses.", "124. This is an area where significant work is being done, as illustrated in the 2011 thematic report on juvenile justice and human rights in the Americas issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with the support of the Special Representative. The report identifies developments and good practices for the protection of children in the juvenile justice system and provides recommendations for the effective implementation of relevant international standards.", "125. With a view to consolidating progress, the Special Representative will capitalize on significant experiences in various parts of the world, and will strengthen strategic partnerships with Member States, United Nations agencies, regional institutions, academia and civil society organizations. In this connection, she will join the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other partners in the organization of an expert consultation early in 2012.", "D. Conducting a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children", "126. As indicated above, the Special Representative will conduct a global survey to map and assess progress in the implementation of the study’s recommendations. The survey outcomes will be presented to the General Assembly in 2012 and are expected to inform the further acceleration of efforts in the implementation of the recommendations, and to sustain the momentum of work already under way.", "127. Paragraphs 119 to 126 above highlight crucial areas of concern on which the Special Representative is committed to focusing. She looks forward to continuing to consolidate strong partnerships with Member States and all other relevant stakeholders to advance the effective implementation of the study’s recommendations and to ensure the freedom of children from violence in all its forms.", "[1] The Special Representative assumed her position on 1 September 2009. A fuller explanation of her appointment and mandate can be found in A/HRC/13/46.", "[2] A/HRC/16/54 and A/65/262, respectively.", "[3] See the joint report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Representative on Violence against Children on child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms, submitted to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/16/56); two other joint reports, on law reform and violence in schools, are forthcoming.", "[4] Adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/293; see in particular paragraph 4 of the Global Plan of Action.", "[5] World Report on Violence against Children, 2006, p. 138.", "[6] This section complements the information provided in A/HRC/16/54.", "[7] CRC/C/GC/13.", "[8] See also A/65/262, sect. C, and A/HRC/16/54, paras. 41-57.", "[9] See European Commission document COM(2011) 60 of 15 February 2011, para. 2.2.", "[10] For further details, see A/HRC/16/54." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children", "Summary", "The second annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children is submitted to the General Assembly in accordance with its resolution 65/197. The report of the Special Representative is guided by the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children (A/61/299) and is based on the vision and priority areas defined by the Special Representative in her initial report (A/65/292).", "The present report complements the annual report of the Special Representative to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/16/54) and reviews the main developments and initiatives proposed with the objective of moving forward in the follow-up to the global, regional and national study, institutionalizing regional governance structures and strengthening strategic partnerships to accelerate overall progress towards a world free of violence.", "In order to give greater impetus to such progress, the report identifies the priority objectives to which the Special Representative will give special attention in the next period, namely: (a) to promote universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; (b) to further consolidate regional governance structures on violence against children; (c) to continue the series of expert consultations on issues related to violence; and (d) to undertake a global survey to prevent further progress.", "Contents", "PageI.Mandato 3 and strategic priorities II. Consolidation 4 of progress made in the implementation of the strategic programme for the implementation of the United Nations study A. Towards 5 universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child B. Consolidation 6 of the legal protection of children against all forms of violence C. Promotion 9 of child-friendly guidance, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children and to ensure their availability, accessibility and use by children with disabilities D.Prevention 12 and confrontation of violence against children in schools E. Operational 17 of a global survey to assess progress in preventing and eliminating all forms of violence against children III. Promotion 26 of universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child B. Consolidation 26 of the development of regional governance structures and the promotion of interregional exchange of experiences with a view to ensuring the protection of children against violence C.Organization 26 of expert consultations and the development of thematic reports D.Realization 27 of a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children", "I. Strategic mandate and priorities", "1. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children[1] is a prominent global advocate independent of the prevention and eradication of all forms of violence against children. Its mandate is guided by the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children and its strategic recommendations (A/61/299) and promotes the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, together with other international human rights instruments, constitute a sound normative basis for preventing and addressing violence. For this reason, the Special Representative promotes universal ratification and effective implementation of core human rights treaties.", "2. The Special Representative provides bridges and serves as a catalyst for measures in all regions and all sectors and areas where violence against children can occur. It cooperates with a wide range of strategic partners within and outside the United Nations system and mobilizes actions and political support to maintain momentum in relation to its programme, to rekindle concerns about the harmful effects of violence on children, to promote social and behavioural changes and, in the meantime, to achieve sustained progress.", "3. The Special Representative uses mutually supportive strategies, including through the promotion of the protection of children from violence; the contribution to strategic meetings held at the international, regional and national levels to accelerate progress in this area, identify best practices and promote the sharing of experiences in all regions, sectors and contexts; the organization of field missions and the preparation of thematic studies and reports.", "4. As noted in its previous reports to the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council,[2] the Special Representative attaches priority importance to the following:", "(a) Promoting a strategic programme based on the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children (see section II);", "(b) Strengthening major partnerships for sustained progress in the follow-up to the study (see section III);", "(c) Ensuring strong support for its mandate, including through adequate funding to promote progress in the prevention of violence and the protection of children against all forms of violence (see section IV).", "5. The overall objective of the mandate of the Special Representative is to accelerate progress in implementing the recommendations of the study. In view of its particular urgency, three of these recommendations include time-bound targets in areas to which the Special Representative devotes priority attention:", "(a) The development by each State of a comprehensive national strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence;", "(b) The establishment of an explicit legislative ban on all forms of violence against children in all contexts;", "(c) The consolidation of a national data collection, analysis and dissemination system and a research programme on violence against children.", "6. Promising results have been achieved in these areas. The Special Representative has pursued these priority objectives through a process of regional collaboration with intergovernmental organizations and political groupings, the holding of expert consultations on strategic aspects of the programme to combat violence against children and the development of thematic reports in support of advocacy and policy and legal reforms[3], as well as through the conduct of 37 country missions in all regions.", "II. Consolidation of progress in the implementation of the strategic programme for the implementation of the United Nations study", "7. During the first year of the Special Representative ' s mandate, in order to consolidate the changes in the above-mentioned priority areas, particular attention was paid to the revitalization of networks involved in the development of the study, the promotion of new partnerships and the further strengthening of strategic partnerships, and in particular the institutionalization of regional governance structures dealing with violence against children. These efforts have been instrumental in promoting the mainstreaming of the issue of the eradication of all forms of violence against children in policy programmes at the international, regional and national levels.", "8. The second year of the mandate was a key period to mobilize strong support for efforts to address persistent problems and accelerate overall progress towards a world free of violence. In support of this process, the Special Representative organized, with important partners, three expert consultations in critical areas of concern, namely, the creation of mechanisms that respond to the needs of children to address incidents of violence, the implementation of legislative reforms to ensure the protection of children and the implementation of strategies to prevent and combat violence in schools. The main conclusions and recommendations of those meetings are presented below.", "9. The Special Representative is also working on the presentation of thematic reports and advocacy tools on these topics in order to assist Governments and other stakeholders in ensuring the protection of children from violence. Specially targeted materials will be developed for children, including on mechanisms that respond to children ' s needs to address incidents of violence.", "10. As part of its advocacy and communication strategy, the Special Representative established a website (http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org) to disseminate information on new developments in child protection against violence. This website is also a platform for networking among key partners and includes social media tools, as well as a “Children’s Ride” with materials that are suitable for children.", "11. In 2011, within the overall framework of its priority programme, the Special Representative has placed special emphasis on achieving the following objectives:", "(a) To move towards universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, in particular to ensure the protection of children from sale, prostitution and pornography;", "(b) To strengthen the legal protection of children against all forms of violence;", "(c) Promote the establishment of child-friendly counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children, including children with disabilities;", "(d) Intensify awareness-raising and advocacy to prevent and combat violence against children in schools, as well as in institutions of the judicial system;", "(e) Conduct a global survey to assess progress in preventing and eliminating all forms of violence against children.", "A. Towards universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "12. The global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, launched in 2010 by the Secretary-General, provides a fundamental programme to consolidate institutional collaboration with strategic allies within the United Nations system, such as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the sale of children The campaign has also become a key benchmark for collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).", "13. In the light of its mandate, the Special Representative on Violence against Children places special emphasis on the achievement of comprehensive adherence to the Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. To implement this programme, it undertakes global advocacy, promotes regional participation and conducts field missions.", "14. Significant progress was made during the first year of the campaign. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated into the United Nations policy agenda, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons[4] and the Roadmap for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour for 2016, adopted on 11 May 2011 at the World Conference on Child Labour in The Hague (see section III). The commitment to ratification and implementation of the Protocol also echoed regional organizations and political groups, such as the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children and Asian and Pacific States. The Council of Europe launched a comprehensive information campaign on sexual violence against children, one of whose key components is the ratification of the Protocol.", "15. Since the launch of the campaign, eight States have ratified the Protocol: Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria and Pakistan. The Central African Republic has signed the instrument.", "16. In order to accelerate the implementation of this objective, in May 2011, the Special Representative, in collaboration with strategic partners, organized a workshop on the Protocol in New York on the occasion of the first anniversary of the start of the campaign, and supported the convening in Addis Ababa of a regional meeting sponsored by the African Union, with the participation of the Economic Commission for Africa, UNICEF and OHCHR. At that and other high-level meetings, the campaign received strong support from Governments, United Nations agencies, parliamentarians, children ' s rights defenders, religious organizations and civil society organizations.", "17. At least 18 States have formally committed themselves to ratifying the Protocol, particularly in the context of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council and the Committee on the Rights of the Child or human rights mandate holders. Of those States that are not yet parties, 40 per cent have ratified the Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and 90 per cent have ratified Convention No. ILO 182 concerning the worst forms of child labour, both instruments dealing with similar areas of concern.", "B. Strengthening legal protection of children against all forms of violence", "18. The main recommendations of the study included the adoption of new legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children in all areas, together with the creation of an appropriate legal framework to prevent and respond to violence, which is also a priority for the mandate of the Special Representative. In order to achieve progress in that important area, the Special Representative jointly organized, with OHCHR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Consultative Council of NGOs to follow up on the study on violence against children, an expert consultation on legislative reform, held in Geneva in July 2011. Its main conclusions are presented below.", "19. As highlighted in previous reports, legislative reform on violence against children is an issue that is gaining momentum. At the end of the study, in 16 countries there were laws prohibiting violence in all areas. At present, 29 countries have established a comprehensive legislative ban, which in some cases has been incorporated into their Constitution. In some countries, courts have also played a crucial role in protecting the right of the child to respect his or her physical integrity and not to suffer violence, including at home. Significant initiatives have been undertaken in all regions with a view to achieving the total legislative ban on violence against children and laws against particular forms of violence against children have been enacted in many countries, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking and harmful traditional practices.", "20. In the past two years they have also endorsed this objective, as a matter of priority, regional organizations and political groups such as the Islamic Cooperation Organization, the League of Arab States, the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, MERCOSUR and the Council of Europe. In addition, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have provided strong support.", "21. Despite these important advances, there is a need to continue to make enormous efforts. First, efforts should be made to ensure that all forms of violence against children are explicitly prohibited by law; at the global level, less than 5 per cent of children benefit from legal protection against all forms of violence in all areas.", "22. Secondly, in countries where legislation has been enacted, further steps are needed to narrow the gap between legislation and practice. The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography indicate that more than half of the countries under review require amendments to legislation on child prostitution, including ensuring the protection of boys. For its part, the concluding observations on the implementation of the Convention indicate that at least one third of countries are inadequate legislative provisions on other forms of sexual violence, as they do not criminalize rape or provide an adequate definition of sexual abuse. Similarly, research conducted by the Child Rights Information Network indicates that in at least 40 countries children are at risk of being sentenced to violent punishment, such as lashes, flogging, cane or amputation, and in several countries laws still allow children to be sentenced to death.", "23. In summary, while measures have been taken in many countries to eradicate violence against children in some of its forms and in some contexts, only a total ban has been established in a few. On the other hand, enforcement of laws remains limited and there is little dissemination and understanding of the changes introduced. Very few activities have been undertaken to monitor the impact of legislative reform, address emerging challenges and ensure the delivery of well-coordinated and adequately resourced programmes to support victims in their long-term recovery and reintegration.", "24. The expert consultation on legislative reform held in Geneva provided a strategic platform for reviewing positive initiatives and experiences from different countries around the world, recognizing progress and reflecting on critical factors that either facilitate or threaten the legal protection of children against violence in the five environments identified by the study. The meeting also identified opportunities to accelerate progress and promote technical advice in this critical area.", "25. The meeting led to important conclusions and recommendations on how to safeguard the protection of children from violence in their various forms and areas, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices, juvenile justice, labour-related violence and domestic violence. These issues will be addressed in greater detail in the thematic report to be submitted by the Special Representative in the coming months.", "26. In anticipation of this report, the following four general conclusions are deserving of special attention, taking into account their essential value in shaping legislative initiatives on violence against children.", "27. First, legislative reform on violence against children is an essential component of a strong national child protection system. For this reason, it must be supported by well-coordinated and resourced services and institutions and implemented with a comprehensive approach. This involves addressing the root causes of violence; prohibiting and deterring incidents of violence; safeguarding the rights of children, including children at higher risk; providing redress and reintegration and combating impunity. The establishment by law of accessible and child-friendly counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence is a vital aspect of this process.", "28. Secondly, legislative reform is a continuous process and cannot be reduced to isolated or fragmented measures. Such a process requires constant efforts to ensure their harmonization with international standards and to implement the political commitments made in this area; to address gaps in implementation and to address the emerging problems such as those arising from the use of new technologies. Where deeply entrenched social conventions accept the use of violence as a child-raising practice or necessary form of discipline, it is essential to promote a sustained process of promotion, education, enactment and implementation of new laws and evaluation.", "29. Thirdly, legislation to protect children from violence is in itself complex and powerful. It requires a comprehensive and explicit legislative ban that unequivocally conveys the obligation to safeguard the right of children not to be victims of violence, anywhere and at all times. Thanks to the constitutional reform or the introduction of new provisions in penal and family codes and laws relating to child protection and domestic violence, this process is gaining ground in an increasing number of States.", "30. The legislative prohibition should also be supported through the inclusion of detailed provisions in specific laws, both to address various forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking in persons or harmful traditional practices, and to address violence in particular settings, such as schools, health and justice institutions and the home. The development of laws or enabling provisions in the relevant legal fields is vital in order to give full meaning to the prohibition and deter incidents of violence, protect affected children, support due to law enforcement mechanisms and combat impunity.", "31. These two approaches, one broad and one specific, are therefore necessary and reciprocal.", "32. Fourthly, legislative reform initiatives have been successful primarily when promoted through an inclusive and participatory process, with the participation of key stakeholders, such as government agencies, parliamentarians, independent national institutions for children ' s rights and key actors in civil society, including professional groups, local authorities and religious leaders, as well as young people themselves.", "33. In addition, law enforcement has been more effective in supporting such measures with social mobilization initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns (both for the general public and for children and their families in particular) and with the development of ethical standards, capacity-building and specific guidance for professionals and institutions working with and for children. For this reason, legislative reform initiatives should include a clear implementation plan, with an estimate of costs and the anticipated allocation of resources to cover them.", "C. Promotion of child-friendly counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children and ensure their availability, accessibility and use by children with disabilities", "34. At the request of the Human Rights Council, the Special Representative joined the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in preparing a report on the establishment of effective and child-friendly counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence, including sexual violence (A/HRC/16/56). The Council has urged States to ensure that such mechanisms are confidential and appropriate for the age of children, take into account gender and disability issues and are safe, well known and accessible to all children. A similar recommendation was made in the United Nations study on violence against children.", "35. Guidance, reporting and reporting mechanisms provide fundamental resources to address violations of children ' s rights, including violence. Its development is based on international human rights standards and, given the urgency needed, the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2008, called upon all countries to establish such mechanisms by 2013.", "36. Based on the results of an expert consultation organized by OHCHR in 2010 and on research and information provided by national Governments and other stakeholders, the joint report presents an overview of existing guidance, reporting and reporting mechanisms. The report recognizes the efforts made in many countries by Governments, national human rights institutions and civil society and community organizations to promote guidance and facilitate reporting and reporting of incidents of violence, including cases of sexual abuse and exploitation. However, it is also recognized that these initiatives remain unsystematic and often inadequate to respond to the specific concerns of children. As a result, these initiatives are not sufficient to ensure the protection of children from violence and are often not considered essential components of a robust child protection system.", "37. In most cases, children do not have easy access to counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms and do not rely on such services, for fear of being dismissed instead of being believed, tried instead of being heard. Children are afraid to become the subject of public exposure, stigmatization, harassment and reprisals if they report incidents of violence. Children often do not know the existence of such mechanisms and lack information on how to obtain advice and assistance.", "38. As for sexual exploitation and abuse, often perpetrated by people who know and trust in institutions, school and home, parents are tempted to hide such incidents in order to protect their children and safeguard the image and unity of the family. Professionals sometimes lack the necessary training to detect first signs and deal with incidents of violence ethically, taking into account gender and children ' s issues, or lack guidance on when or how to notify or forward such cases. Even when they are addressed, incidents of violence continue to be examined separately by different professionals and from the perspective of disciplines dissociated with each other, which creates the risk that the same people will be victims of such acts again.", "39. Children with special vulnerabilities are particularly difficult to access counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms. In view of the thematic debate held in the General Assembly on the rights of children with disabilities, the Special Representative takes this opportunity to highlight the particular problems faced by these children.", "40. Children with disabilities live an existence marked by stigmatization, discrimination, cultural prejudices, misperceptions and invisibility. Their capacity and development possibilities are often ignored. Their existence is often marked by neglect, violence, injury and exploitation. Despite the scarcity of data and research in this area, available studies show that the risk of violence against children with disabilities reaches alarming levels, from their high vulnerability to physical and emotional violence at younger ages to increased risk of sexual violence once they reach puberty.", "41. Disability remains largely perceived as a curse, a motive of shame for the family and a disgrace to the community. Sometimes it is believed that it is caused by witchcraft or possession by evil spirits and that it is possible to release the child by making it hungry, by exposing it to extreme heat or cold or to the fire or by prosecuting strong beatings.", "42. Children with disabilities who are used as beggars are kept on the streets through violence and often suffer physical abuses aimed at attracting attention and encouraging charity. In schools, often of low quality, they are victims of beatings, acts of intimidation, neglect and abuse at the hands of their own classmates or poorly prepared teachers who fail to understand and meet their special needs. Children placed in institutions, caring for poorly trained, poorly paid and often frustrated officials, in an environment characterized by stigmatizing attitudes in the community, are at greater risk of physical violence and verbal and emotional abuse.", "43. In families of children with disabilities, faced with strong demands and high levels of stress, lack of support and services and a deep sense of isolation, the risk of domestic violence is compounded. Some families react to this situation with abandonment, rather than with active violence. Others keep the child away from contact with the outside world, among other reasons to protect the child against abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in terrible conditions (e.g., in rooms without windows or hot interior patios). They even have a “merciful death” to put an end to the alleged suffering of the child, sometimes under the pressure or advice of family members or influential people in the community.", "44. Children with disabilities are less likely than other children to overcome the threat of violence or to report the abuse they have suffered. These difficulties become insurmountable when their only point of reference is the aggressor himself, whether a relative, a neighbour or the professional worker they depend on. They may also be reluctant to file complaints for fear of losing the support of the caregivers or the care and affection of the dependants. Furthermore, access to counselling, reporting and reporting services can be physically difficult.", "45. On the other hand, in most cases, complaints of incidents of violence by children with disabilities are dismissed, as the perception that these children are easily confused and unable to testify in a compelling and accurate manner prevails.", "46. In many cases the justice system does not respond to children ' s needs or does not take into account disability issues; the difficulties faced by a blind child in identifying a sexual offender are much illustrated. However, additional barriers remain in many countries, such as when the legal system does not recognize the testimony given to the courts by children with disabilities and prevents them from declaring under oath or signing legal documents. In such circumstances, it is impossible to overcome the conspiracy of silence.", "47. Bearing these concerns in mind, the report to the Human Rights Council presents a set of guiding principles based on human rights standards and formulates practical recommendations to accelerate progress in establishing safe, effective and child-friendly mechanisms that are accessible to all. These mechanisms should be established by law and have a well-defined mandate, which is guided by the best interests of children and takes into account their experiences and perspectives. It should also ensure their wide dissemination among children, as well as their easy access without discrimination of any kind, and should ensure the safety of children, ensure confidentiality and facilitate urgent and prompt response and follow-up.", "48. These indispensable requirements are essential to help children feel empowered, supported and confident that they will be heard ethically and safely and that their testimony will not be unduly disclosed or used or exposed to new risks.", "D. Prevention and confrontation of violence against children in schools", "49. In many countries, efforts to prevent and combat violence against children in schools are under way. Key developments in this important change process include campaigns aimed at ensuring an environment for fearless learning and addressing specific forms of violence, such as intimidation, cyberbullying and gender-based violence. The conduct of audits and participatory discussions in schools serves as a basis for the promotion of ethical standards and promotes the provision of counselling, reporting, mediation and assistance to child-friendly victims. Data and research address the root causes of violence and support children at risk. Legislative reform initiatives aim to prohibit all forms of violence in education.", "50. Education has unique opportunities to create a positive environment in which to change attitudes that tolerate violence and inculcate non-violent behaviour. Schools are ideal places to break patterns of violence and build skills that enable people to communicate, negotiate and support the peaceful settlement of conflicts. This is possible at all stages of life, especially in early childhood, during which initiatives can decisively improve the development of skills and skills, reduce marginalization and concomitant risks of violence and promote access to school and educational success. An environment free from violence in all its forms is also an instrument for promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and, in particular, ensuring universal primary education and eliminating gender disparities in education.", "51. Unfortunately, there is a marked contrast between these unique possibilities and the daily reality of millions of children. In and around school settings, both girls and boys continue to face violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical assault and, in some cases, sexual abuse. They are sometimes also victims of gang violence and aggression.", "52. Violence has negative and often lasting effects on child victims. However, in addition to children directly affected, violence generates fear and insecurity among students, hindering their learning opportunities and well-being. This in turn increases the anxiety and concerns of families, which are under increasing pressure to keep their children, especially girls, out of school or encourages school dropout as a means of avoiding further violence.", "53. Aware of the crucial importance of education for the protection of the rights of the child and, on the other hand, schools free of violence for the communities they serve, the Special Representative, in collaboration with the Government of Norway and the Council of Europe, organized an expert consultation on how to combat violence in schools. The meeting, held in Oslo in June 2011, brought together political leaders, education and child rights experts, civil society organizations and academics from various regions of the world, as well as United Nations agencies.", "54. The consultation was guided by international and regional human rights standards and recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children. The study highlights that the most effective approaches to countering violence in schools are those that conform to the specific circumstances of each school. These approaches also have in common some key elements based on the recognition that all boys and girls have the same rights to education in environments free of violence and that one of the functions of education is to form adults imbued with non-violent values and practices[5].", "55. The Oslo consultation recognized the importance of preventing and addressing violence in schools through a multidimensional strategy. In particular, it was recommended to take into account the following five priority dimensions:", "(a) Promoting comprehensive, participatory and child-centred strategies;", "(b) Working with children;", "(c) Support teachers and teachers by providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources;", "(d) Consolidate data and research in this area;", "(e) Ensure the legal protection of children.", "1. Promoting comprehensive, participatory and child-centred strategies", "56. Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in schools reflects social attitudes that tolerate violence, as well as the environment surrounding schools, including social unrest, the availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. For this reason, the measures taken to end violence in schools should address not only the creation in educational establishments of a safe and favourable environment for children, but also the cultural acceptance of violence against children and the prevention of violence and the application of positive disciplinary techniques in the home and the community.", "57. Schools ' efforts to curb violence are crowned by success particularly when they move away from strictly sectoral approaches and favour the implementation of comprehensive, participatory and child-centred strategies. These strategies facilitate the participation of families in school life and conceive children as key actors and change agents that incorporate their perspectives and experiences in decision-making. In addition, they help to overcome bureaucratic and administrative divisions and to proceed in a multifaceted manner through the training of teachers and teachers, the development of curricula, the management of schools, the development of policies, budget allocations and the enactment of strong laws to ensure the protection of children from violence.", "58. This comprehensive approach to education led to the exchange of important experiences at the Oslo meeting, particularly with regard to promoting initiatives aimed at preventing bullying in schools. The success of these initiatives has been closely linked to the participation of teachers, teachers and students, as well as parents and other community members. It has also been possible to reduce the number of incidents of harassment with the maintenance of a firm commitment, the development of clearly defined plans and the strategic combination of measures, namely:", "(a) The sincere and widespread commitment to address this phenomenon, accompanied by formal approval and wide dissemination of anti-harassment and reporting standards in the context of formal school activity;", "(b) Establishing a governance system involving all stakeholders;", "(c) The establishment of a monitoring system for the periodic review of incidents and issues of concern;", "(d) Disseminating messages against harassment in the community at large.", "59. These important lessons learned from the implementation of anti-harassment programmes are a key reference point for the prevention and elimination of other forms of violence against children in schools.", "2. Collaborate with children", "60. Interventions in schools and throughout the system deepen understanding and encourage the change in social attitudes and norms that tolerate violence, particularly its application as a disciplinary measure. They also help to promote a culture of tolerance, respect and non-violence and thus to prevent violence, reduce school absenteeism and desertion, improve academic performance and increase social skills and the well-being of children.", "61. To consolidate this process, it is essential to collaborate with children. Joint work with young people helps to counter the invisibility of violence, better understand how children perceive this phenomenon and increase the overall effectiveness of efforts to prevent and eliminate violence in their different forms.", "62. Children recognize the importance of having clear and unequivocal norms that are based on the protection of their rights. Despite the high levels of violence that many of them suffer, children remain committed to promoting an inclusive and violence-free school environment. In all regions, children participate in school clubs, peer education and counselling programmes, mediation and conflict resolution activities, as well as in school councils and disciplinary procedures dealing with incidents of violence.", "63. To support children in this process, it is essential to promote the creation of a child-friendly school environment and relevant curricula focusing on the preparation of children for active life and their human rights education, and to promote the values of social equality, tolerance of diversity and conflict resolution through non-violent means. All these elements provide children with alternative ways of understanding the world, even in situations where violence outside the school environment affects their communities and their lives.", "64. These efforts should be intensified with regard to vulnerable groups of children, such as girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minority or indigenous groups and children affected by HIV and AIDS. These children face particular difficulties in accessing education and staying at school. They are more likely to be victims of violence or ignored when asking for advice on how to report incidents of violence or report them. As a result, they may end up opting not to notify the act of violence in question for fear of drawing attention.", "3. Support teachers and teachers by providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources", "65. Both teachers and other teachers play a crucial role in preventing and addressing violence. It is therefore essential to provide them with the necessary knowledge, support and resources. This process requires awareness-raising and information on violence against children. These activities help staff to use constructive disciplinary techniques and methods in schools, collaborate with students in the prevention of violence, serve as positive models of behaviour, learn about mediation and peaceful resolution of conflicts and promote the establishment of security mechanisms in schools, such as codes of conduct and notification mechanisms that are easy to use by students. It is equally important to provide clear guidance on how to address incidents of violence, the obligation to notify and the provision of assistance to child victims.", "66. These dimensions are vital for schools to detect the first signs of violence, support children at special risk, and provide timely, effective and ethical support tailored to the needs of the child.", "67. In the absence of appropriate pedagogical training to work with children and awareness, information or guidance on violence against children, teachers and other teaching staff may consider it natural or necessary to use violent methods to ensure that academic standards are respected or disciplined. Children, in turn, can internalize these values and see in violence a valid strategy to resolve conflicts and impose their views on their peers. However, those who have received training in the prevention of violence are more likely to resort to positive alternative forms of discipline and to advocate for the renunciation of violence in schools.", "4. Consolidate data and research on violence in schools", "68. While statistical information on violence in schools is scarce and fragmented, available data confirm the enormous magnitude of this phenomenon and its lasting consequences for both children and their families and for the whole educational system. Studies in several countries have confirmed this pattern and, in some cases, have contributed to reporting new forms of violence, including a new form of sexual abuse in schools known as “sex by notes”.", "69. Reliable data and research are urgently needed in this area. The lack of such data undermines the development of national plans, hampers the effectiveness of policy development and resource mobilization and limits the capacity of specific interventions to address and prevent violence in schools.", "70. The availability of data and research is essential to reveal the hidden face of violence and address its root causes, to understand perceptions and attitudes regarding this phenomenon, in particular among children of different ages and social status, to identify children at higher risk and to provide them with effective support and to assess the economic cost of violence and social benefits that could be achieved through sustained prevention efforts. In all these areas, there will continue to be a fundamental importance of building partnerships and expediting efforts.", "5. Ensuring legal protection of children against violence in schools", "71. Without an adequate legal framework, the effectiveness of measures to deter and eliminate violence in schools is significantly reduced. As noted above, the existence of clear and unequivocal laws prohibiting all forms of violence and protecting children from violence, including in schools, is a key component of any comprehensive strategy on violence against children.", "72. In addition to the 29 countries in which an explicit legislative ban on all forms of violence against children has been established in all contexts, legislation specifically dedicated to combating violence in schools has been adopted in several countries. Violence in schools, including ill-treatment and beating of children, is considered inadmissible in most countries. The commission of more serious acts of violence, such as sexual harassment or abuse, may result in the dismissal and prosecution of those responsible.", "73. In recent years, there have been significant legislative developments in some countries, new legislation has been enacted to prevent bullying in schools, for example in Peru in 2011. In others, anti-violence laws have been adopted in a wider sense. Thus, a law on the right of children to free and compulsory education was adopted in India in 2009, prohibiting physical punishment and mental harassment of children. The Act provides for the application of disciplinary measures in the event of a violation of this prohibition and recognizes the responsibility of the National Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child with regard to the monitoring of the implementation of the law and the protection of the rights of affected children.", "74. Despite these important developments in 80 countries around the world, violence against children in schools is not yet prohibited by law. Furthermore, a wide and difficult gap between existing legislation and practice continues to be observed. They should therefore continue efforts to accelerate progress in that area.", "E. Conduct of a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children", "75. The first half of the Special Representative ' s mandate and five years of the General Assembly ' s review of the United Nations study on violence against children were fulfilled in 2011. There is therefore a strategic opportunity to gain an overview of progress, to reflect on best practices and success factors, and to redouble efforts to overcome persistent problems and to give new impetus to the protection of children from violence.", "76. With this in mind, the Special Representative is conducting a global survey to classify and assess progress in implementing the recommendations of the study. This survey will be conducted in close collaboration with partners, including Governments, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and institutions, and civil society and children ' s organizations. The major analytical reviews conducted in several regions, in particular the League of Arab States, the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children and MERCOSUR, will be an essential component of this process.", "77. The survey will also be based on relevant initiatives and processes, including the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council, the reporting process to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other treaty bodies and the follow-up to the World Congresses against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents and the Roadmap for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted at the World Conference on Child Labour in The Hague in 2010.", "78. In cooperation with civil society partners, a special effort will be made to take into account the views of children and young people. The participation and knowledge of children played a crucial role in the conduct of the study and have remained indispensable in its follow-up, in particular through regional youth forums and the official representation of children in regional governance structures.", "79. The survey aims to assess progress in implementing the recommendations of the study and to help shape a forward-looking programme. To that end, an analytical report on the results of the survey will be submitted to the General Assembly in 2012, after which the Assembly will review the three-year mandate and consider further follow-up to the study.", "III. Strategic partnerships and institutionalization of regional governance structures to accelerate progress[6]", "80. The Special Representative remains committed to further strengthening strategic partnerships for the protection of children against all forms of violence, both within and outside the United Nations system. Important institutional collaboration mechanisms have been established in support of the mandate of the Special Representative, such as the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, the Consultative Council of NGOs to follow up on the study on violence against children and high-level regional governance structures to follow up on the study.", "A. Cooperation with the United Nations system, including human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms", "81. Collaboration with United Nations partners has been instrumental in raising awareness of the protection of children against violence and expanding global support in this area, promoting mainstreaming in United Nations activities and fostering policy discussions through strategic round tables with key partners in critical areas of concern.", "82. The regular meetings of the Inter-Agency Working Group constitute an important forum for consultation, policy-making and mainstreaming of violence against children into the United Nations agenda. This strategic cooperation has led to important initiatives, such as the impetus for the campaign for universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the promotion of better quality data and research to end the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and to support strategic advocacy, policy development and resource mobilization.", "83. In 2011, to mainstream the issue of child protection against violence into the United Nations agenda, the Special Representative has promoted a number of high-level policy discussions. These discussions have taken place within the framework of discussions in forums such as the Human Rights Council on the rights of street children and the establishment of mechanisms to address violence that respond to the needs of children; the Commission for Social Development, on extreme poverty and violence against children; the Commission on the Status of Women, on initiatives to address violence, including girls, In addition, strategic cooperation has been promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in communities and minimize the impact of situations of armed conflict and gang violence on children, including through policies to help reduce the availability of and access to small arms.", "84. On the other hand, the Special Representative has also sought to engage closely with human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms in order to build on synergies between mandates and to promote a programme of mutual support. The joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography showed possibilities for strategic cooperation in that regard. Similarly, concerted efforts have been made in support of the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, establishing a communication procedure.", "85. Particularly strategic has been collaboration with the Committee on the Rights of the Child; for example, to promote universal ratification and effective implementation of international treaties on the rights of children; to promote the prevention and elimination of violence and legislative reform in this area and to establish safe and child-friendly guidance, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Committee ' s adoption of a general comment on the right of the child not to be subjected to any form of violence[7] opens up new avenues for strategic cooperation.", "B. Cooperation with intergovernmental and regional organizations and institutions", "86. Collaboration with regional partners is a cornerstone of the Special Representative ' s strategy to consolidate the implementation of the recommendations of the study in all countries. In order to promote this process and institutionalize key partnerships, the Special Representative participated in high-level regional strategic meetings. It also supported important advocacy and policy initiatives and strengthened partnerships with regional institutions and organizations and with regional mechanisms established to support the follow-up to the study. Significant progress has been made in this area.[8]", "87. First, major regional political commitments have been made in relation to violence against children, in particular in the context of the 2009 Cairo Declaration adopted by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation; the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children; the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for the Rights of the Child in the Asia-Pacific Region; the Marrakech Declaration, adopted at the Fourth High-level Conference on Child Rights", "88. Second, there has been a growing institutionalization of governance structures and regional initiatives in support of follow-up to the recommendations of the study. The main regional institutions play a key role in the implementation of this programme. These include the Sub-Committee on Violence against Children of the League of Arab States; the Governing Council of the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children; the Council of Europe Platform on the Rights of the Child; the Standing Committee of the Niñ@South Initiative of MERCOSUR; the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the World Movement for Children, the African Union Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee on the Welfare of the Child.", "South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children", "89. A strong partnership with the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children was established in South Asia in 2010 to guide the national implementation process of the recommendations of the study. The strategic plan for 2010-2015 of the Initiative includes time-bound targets to facilitate follow-up on progress and is reviewed annually by an administrative council composed of representatives of South Asian Governments, civil society and children ' s organizations.", "Asia-Pacific Region", "90. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Beijing Declaration adopted at the High-level Meeting on South-South Cooperation for the Rights of the Child of the Asia-Pacific Region, held in November 2010, focused on violence against children and called for a systematic approach to child protection concerns, based on laws and policies that protect children from potential harm and prohibit all forms of violence against children.", "91. A major platform for cooperation was also established with the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the newly established ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, which has included violence against children among the priorities of its programme.", "League of Arab States", "92. The League of Arab States had made firm commitments and, to that end, had undertaken a comprehensive regional study aimed at gathering information on national progress towards the prevention and elimination of violence against children and identified areas for strengthening the process of monitoring the recommendations of the study. The Marrakesh Declaration, adopted at the fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, held in December 2010, called upon member States to undertake further efforts in collaboration with the Special Representative, in particular with a view to developing national strategies to combat violence against children, to establish national mechanisms for monitoring and reporting; to enact legislation to protect children from violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation, and to provide support services to victims, as well as impunity.", "African Union and African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child", "93. The year 2011 has been marked by increased collaboration with the Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child of the African Union, through the cooperation framework established with those institutions. The Special Representative collaborated with the African Union initiative to promote universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other treaties on the rights of the child. With the collaboration of the African Committee of Experts, significant progress was made in strengthening the protection of children from violence, including through the technical consultation of Burkina Faso on legislative reform in Africa to prohibit violence against children, including corporal punishment.", "94. In 2011, the Special Representative also joined the commemoration of the Day of the African Child on the theme “Joint in urgent action for street children”. The meeting of the African Committee of Experts was an important follow-up to the 2011 thematic debate in the Human Rights Council on the rights of the child and served to highlight the major challenges facing children living and working on the street in the African region. The meeting stressed that street children are particularly vulnerable to extreme forms of violence. Their lives are marked by stigma, fear and invisibility and are at high risk of being victims of harassment, abuse and abuse. These children face insurmountable difficulties in reporting incidents of violence.", "95. African Children ' s Day was a strategic opportunity to join the call of the African Committee of Experts to establish well-known, accessible, safe and child-friendly counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms; national investments in child protection systems provided with the necessary resources, including the enactment of laws to prohibit all forms of violence against children; and the abolishment of " offending " and " offending " behaviour and " . These solutions should be promoted among street children themselves, taking into account their views, as a way of investing in their genuine empowerment and empowering them to make informed decisions in situations where the risk of violence can be effectively prevented.", "Common Market of the South", "96. In the Americas, the follow-up to the United Nations study on violence against children has been carried out within the framework of the Twenty-first Pan American Congress on Children and Adolescents and the close institutional collaboration developed with the Inter-American Institute for Children, the Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the chapter of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Ibero-American Movement.", "97. In April 2011, this process gained renewed political momentum with the organization of the first high-level subregional meeting to follow up on the study. The meeting of South America was organized by the Government of Paraguay, in its capacity as president of MERCOSUR, and within the framework of the Standing Committee of the Niñ@South Initiative. The meeting was organized jointly with the Special Representative and the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the World Movement for Children, with the participation of member States and associated countries of MERCOSUR, as well as representatives of civil society, including children ' s organizations, child rights defenders and the media.", "98. The discussions held at the meeting in Paraguay were supported by the analytical review of country-level actions to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the study. The review was based on national reports on the development of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and combat violence against children, the legal protection of children against violence and the consolidation of data and research.", "99. The meeting yielded significant results: (a) a forward-looking plan was adopted to advance progress and address persistent gaps and difficulties; (b) national strategies on violence against children were developed for each country in line with the regional road map; and (c) within the framework of MERCOSUR, the regional road map was incorporated into the agenda of the Standing Committee of the Niñ@South Initiative, which will be in charge of considering each Government.", "100. Two other high-level meetings in support of the follow-up to the study in those subregions are scheduled to be held in the near future in Central America and the Caribbean.", "Council of Europe", "101. The Special Representative maintained a fruitful collaboration with the Council of Europe, joining its efforts, together with UNICEF and the European Union, to organize the conference entitled “Combating violence against children: isolated actions to integrated strategies”, which was held in Kiev during the presidency of Ukraine of the Council of Europe.", "102. The conference discussed vital issues for the Central and Eastern Europe region, such as the strengthening of the prevention of violence through the review of national child care policies and norms; the provision of prevention services tailored to the needs of families to prevent violence and the separation of children from families as a result of violent behaviour; the promotion of child-friendly systems and mechanisms for counselling, reporting, reporting and referral to child victims; and the promotion of child-friendly counselling, reporting and referral.", "103. The participating countries reaffirmed their strong commitment to the implementation of the Council of Europe Guidelines on Integrated National Strategies for the Protection of Children from Violence, including through national action plans, policies and programmes in line with international and regional child rights standards. A strong commitment was made to the legal protection of children and the prohibition of all forms of violence against children; the establishment of an influential coordinating body with the necessary resources to take all relevant measures in this area and the creation of widely disseminated and accessible counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Kiev programme will be implemented with the objective of consolidating follow-up to the recommendations of the study.", "European Union", "104. With a view to promoting the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, in 2007, the European Union adopted the Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, which include a strategy to combat violence against children. These guidelines provide a solid basis for collaboration with the European Union and for the implementation of the recommendations of the study.", "105. In 2011, the European Union ' s Agenda for the Rights of the Child affirmed the commitment to advance the implementation of the Guidelines and stressed that “the well-being of children can only be achieved in a society where there is no violence, abuse and exploitation of children”. These core instruments provide a solid basis for consolidating support for the implementation of the recommendations of the study in countries in all regions.", "C. Cooperation with civil society, including children and youth", "106. To promote the implementation of the recommendations of the study, it is essential to collaborate with civil society actors, through their partnership with regional processes, their participation in expert discussions on vital aspects of the programme and their support for the global campaign of universal ratification; to expand legislative reform and to promote the participation of children and the prevention of violence in schools, institutions and the home. This collaboration has been greatly facilitated by the establishment of the NGO Consultative Council and its advocacy and social mobilization activities in conjunction with international, regional and national partners[10].", "107. Strategic collaboration with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Working Group on Children and Violence, as well as with Child Helpline International and its network, was further strengthened. Present in more than 120 countries, child support lines play an invaluable role in the protection of children from violence, which is the main reason why children around the world call those help lines. Aid lines are a key benchmark for the development of child-friendly mechanisms and an indispensable source of information on issues related to violence.", "108. Collaboration with religious organizations has also been strengthened in recent months. The study was among its most important allies to religious leaders, who have continued to be key partners in the follow-up process and in efforts to foster dialogue, promote the change of practices that perpetuate violence against children and encourage the use of non-violent forms of discipline. In order to strengthen these efforts, a strategic partnership has been established with the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, the world movement of religious leaders and communities of all faiths and secular organizations committed to the promotion of the rights and well-being of children. The World Day is celebrated every year in the week of 20 November, an anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In collaboration with UNICEF, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, civil society organizations and the Office of the Special Representative, the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children launched an initiative to devote the next three years to the protection of children from violence. In support of this process, a panel discussion was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York in June 2011 with key partners under the auspices of the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations.", "Cooperation with youth", "109. The involvement of children remains an essential dimension of the mandate of the Special Representative. Regular meetings have been held with children and young people, including through regional initiatives and field missions.", "110. Violence is a fundamental concern of children; in some regions, this phenomenon was seen as the most important concern of children. Despite being exposed to widespread violence, children show extraordinary resilience. Through school debates and activities in communities, radio programmes and street theatrical representations, cartoons, blogs and social media, children and their families are sensitized about violence and its effects, solidarity and support for child victims are generated and confidence can be infused to report incidents of violence and to demand quick and lasting solutions.", "111. In order to maximize the participation of children in the discussion and action on violence, the Special Representative promotes the participation of new experts in children ' s participation and expands the space for children on her website.", "IV. Ensuring strong support", "112. Efforts to ensure adequate support and predictable funding have been essential for the promotion of progress in this strategic programme and effective and independent implementation of the mandate of the Special Representative.", "113. UNICEF provides administrative support to the mandate and has established a trust account to receive, maintain, manage and disburse the financial contributions provided to finance the operation of the Office of the Special Representative, in particular the payment of staff costs.", "114. In accordance with General Assembly resolution 62/141, the mandate of the Special Representative is funded by voluntary contributions. To that end, the General Assembly requested interested States and institutions, United Nations agencies, regional and civil society organizations and the private sector to provide the necessary assistance, including financial contributions. The Assembly also provides for the assessment of the mandate three years after its establishment in 2012, including its funding.", "115. Contributions received until July 2011 have been crucial to re-starting and advancing the process of monitoring the study, promoting and supporting violence prevention and child protection against violence and ensuring office support. However, the provision of additional funds remains essential to enable the Special Representative to effectively discharge her role as an independent global advocate. Strong support remains particularly important for further progress in the priority areas identified in its strategic agenda, the organization of consultations with thematic experts, the preparation of advocacy materials and resources and the further strengthening of collaboration with regional governance structures to strengthen national follow-up to the study.", "V. Future perspectives", "116. Significant developments have occurred during the first two years of the mandate. These include the adoption by Governments of important legislative and policy measures to protect children from violence; the strategic initiatives of United Nations agencies and mechanisms to incorporate into their programmes the issue of violence against children and the very important progress made by regional organizations and groups, as well as by civil society actors, in institutionalizing the process of implementation of the recommendations of the study. Violence against children generates growing concern and response, in many cases with the support of a broad social mobilization in which children themselves play an increasingly important role.", "117. At the same time, however, violence continues to endanger the rights of millions of children. Hidden and socially accepted, it responds to violence with passiveness and indifference. In view of the limited notification and fragmented and short-term nature of interventions, the issue of violence is often not prominent in the policy agenda or a priority theme in the public debate. As a result, many children continue to live a life marked by trauma, fear, guilt, isolation and impotence.", "118. The urgency of ensuring the elimination of all forms of violence against children had not diminished and the pace of progress must be accelerated. To that end, within the overall framework of the priorities of her mandate, the Special Representative will focus on areas described below in the next period.", "A. Promotion of universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "119. Encouraged by the broad expression of support for the global campaign for universal ratification, which stems from the important commitments made by the international community, the Special Representative will continue to actively promote the achievement of this goal.", "B. Strengthening the development of regional governance structures and promoting interregional exchange of experiences with a view to ensuring the protection of children from violence", "120. The Special Representative will continue her advocacy work in support of the institutionalization of governance structures and regional initiatives to accelerate progress in follow-up to the recommendations of the study. To that end, in the coming months the Special Representative will organize a high-level meeting with representatives of those regional mechanisms to help strengthen synergies among them, promote interregional exchange of experiences and consolidate the eradication of violence against children.", "C. Organization of expert consultations and development of thematic reports", "121. The Special Representative will continue her fruitful series of expert consultations on selected priority areas related to violence. As noted above, one such consultation will focus on the consolidation of data and research on violence against children, and another will address the issue of violence and the administration of justice.", "Improved data and research on violence against children", "122. Incidents of violence against children are rarely reported and official statistics remain insufficient to capture the true magnitude and extent of this phenomenon. As a result, the available information is scarce and only reflects the tip of the iceberg. This is an area where urgent action is needed and the Special Representative will continue to give priority attention. With that objective in mind, in 2012, the Special Representative will work with the Government of Sweden to organize an expert consultation on the issue.", "Violence and administration of justice", "123. The Special Representative places particular emphasis on the issue of violence in judicial settings through advocacy, policy dialogue initiatives and field missions. The establishment of a judicial system based on respect for the rights of the child is essential to prevent and combat incidents of violence against children and safeguard the rights of victims and witnesses.", "124. In this area, important work is being done, as can be seen in the 2011 thematic report on juvenile justice and human rights in the Americas, published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with the support of the Special Representative. The report highlights achievements and good practices in child protection in the juvenile justice system and makes recommendations for the effective implementation of relevant international standards.", "125. In order to consolidate the progress made, the Special Representative will draw on important experiences accumulated in various parts of the world and strengthen strategic partnerships with Member States, United Nations agencies, regional institutions, academic institutions and civil society organizations. To that end, it will work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other partners in organizing an expert consultation in early 2012.", "D. Conduct of a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children", "126. As indicated above, the Special Representative will conduct a global survey to classify and assess progress in implementing the recommendations of the study. The results of the survey will be presented to the General Assembly in 2012 and are expected to contribute to a new impetus to efforts to implement the recommendations of the study and to maintain the pace of work already under way.", "127. Paragraphs 119 to 126 highlighted key areas of concern in which the Special Representative was committed to focusing her attention. The Special Representative looks forward to further strengthening strong partnerships with Member States and all relevant stakeholders to advance the effective implementation of the recommendations of the study and ensure the elimination of all forms of violence against children.", "[1] The Special Representative took office on 1 September 2009. For a more detailed explanation of your appointment and mandate, see A/HRC/13/46.", "[2] A/HRC/16/54 and A/65/262, respectively.", "[3] See the Joint Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Representative on Violence against Children on child-sensitive counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms, submitted to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/16/56); two additional joint reports on legislative reform and violence in schools will be submitted shortly.", "[4] Adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/293; see in particular paragraph 4 of the Global Plan of Action.", "[5] World Report on Violence against Children, 2006, p. 138.", "[6] This section complements the information provided in document A/HRC/16/54.", "[7] CRC/C/GC/13.", "[8] See also A/65/262, sect. C, and A/HRC/16/54, paras. 41-57.", "[9] See European Commission document COM (2011) 60 of 15 February 2011, para. 2.2.", "[10] For further details see A/HRC/16/54." ]

[ "Asamblea General Consejo de Seguridad Sexagésimo quinto período desesiones Sexagésimo sexto año Tema 34 del programa \nLos conflictos prolongados en lazona del Grupo GUAM y susrepercusiones en la paz, laseguridad y el desarrollointernacionales", "Cartas idénticas de fecha 1 de agosto de 2011 dirigidas al Secretario General y al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Georgia ante las Naciones Unidas", "Tengo el honor de transmitir adjunta una declaración del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Georgia, de fecha 29 de julio de 2011, sobre el denominado acuerdo de cooperación y asistencia mutua en asuntos aduaneros entre la Federación de Rusia y Abjasia, presentado para su ratificación a la Duma estatal de Rusia (véase el anexo).", "Le agradecería que tuviera a bien hacer distribuir la presente carta y su anexo como documento de la Asamblea General, en relación con el tema 34 del programa, y del Consejo de Seguridad.", "(Firmado) Shalva Tsiskarashvili Encargado de Negocios interino", "Anexo de las cartas idénticas de fecha 1 de agosto de 2011 dirigidas al Secretario General y al Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Georgia ante las Naciones Unidas", "Declaración del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Georgia sobre el denominado acuerdo de cooperación y asistencia mutua en asuntos aduaneros entre la Federación de Rusia y Abjasia, presentado por el Presidente de Rusia para su ratificación a la Duma Estatal", "El 28 de julio de 2011, el Presidente de la Federación de Rusia, D. Medvedev, presentó a la Duma Estatal para su ratificación el denominado acuerdo de cooperación y asistencia mutua en asuntos aduaneros entre la Federación de Rusia y Abjasia.", "Es importante señalar que ni el presente acuerdo, ni cualquier otro de los denominados “acuerdos internacionales” concluidos entre la Federación de Rusia y las regiones ocupadas de Georgia han tenido efecto jurídico y son aplicables en las relaciones internacionales, ya que Abjasia y la región de Tskhinvali/Osetia del Sur representan partes integrales de Georgia y no tienen el estatuto de sujetos de derecho internacional. Por tanto, cualquier relación que establezcan las autoridades rusas con sus regímenes satélites en el control de estos territorios constituye una violación de las normas y los principios de derecho internacional universalmente reconocidos, así como de las obligaciones contraídas por Rusia en el ámbito internacional.", "Además, en unas circunstancias en las que la parte georgiana expresa su voluntad de resolver todas las cuestiones pendientes entre Georgia y Rusia y hace esfuerzos concretos en este sentido, la medida adoptada recientemente por el Presidente de la Federación de Rusia deja claro una vez más que Rusia no está dispuesta a mantener negociaciones constructivas con Georgia.", "Cabe subrayar que la parte rusa intenta continuamente establecer una “nueva realidad” creada por Rusia; sin embargo, ni Georgia ni la comunidad internacional darán legitimidad a esta realidad ni la tolerarán.", "Tbilisi, 29 de julio de 2011" ]

[ "General Assembly Security Council Sixty-fifth session Sixty-sixth year Agenda item 34 \nProtracted conflicts in the GUAMarea and their implications forinternational peace, securityand development", "Identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "I have the honour to transmit herewith a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia dated 29 July 2011, concerning the submission for ratification of the so-called agreement between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia on cooperation and mutual assistance in the area of customs to the State Duma of Russia (see annex).", "I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex issued as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 34, and of the Security Council.", "(Signed) Shalva Tsiskarashvili Chargé d’affaires a.i.", "Annex to the identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia concerning the submission for ratification by the Russian President of the so-called agreement between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia on cooperation and mutual assistance in the area of customs to the State Duma", "On 28 July 2011, the President of the Russian Federation, D. Medvedev, submitted for ratification the so-called agreement between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia on cooperation and mutual assistance in the area of customs to the State Duma.", "It is noteworthy that neither present nor any other so-called “international agreements” concluded between the Russian Federation and Georgia’s occupied regions have any legal effect or are applicable in international relations, as Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia represent integral parts of Georgia and do not have the status of subjects of international law. Hence, any relations which Russian authorities engage in with its proxy regimes in control of these territories are in violation of universally recognized norms and principles of international law as well as obligations of Russia undertaken in the international arena.", "Moreover, in circumstances when the Georgian side expresses its readiness to resolve all outstanding issues between Georgia and Russia and is undertaking concrete efforts in this direction, the recent step by the President of the Russian Federation once again makes it clear that the Russian side is not willing to proceed with negotiations with Georgia in a constructive manner.", "It should be underscored that the Russian side continuously tries to instil “new reality” created by Russia; however, neither Georgia nor the international community will legitimize or tolerate this reality.", "Tbilisi, 29 July 2011" ]

[ "General Assembly Security Council Sixty-fifth session Sixty-sixth year Item 34 Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for peace, security and international development", "Identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "I have the honour to transmit herewith a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia dated 29 July 2011 on the so-called mutual cooperation and assistance agreement on customs matters between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia, submitted for ratification to the State Duma of Russia (see annex).", "I should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 34, and of the Security Council.", "(Signed) Shalva Tsiskarashvili Chargé d ' affaires a.i.", "Annex to the identical letters dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council", "Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia on the so-called agreement on mutual cooperation and assistance in customs matters between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia, submitted by the President of Russia for ratification to the State Duma", "On 28 July 2011, the President of the Russian Federation, D. Medvedev, submitted to the State Duma for ratification the so-called mutual cooperation and assistance agreement on customs matters between the Russian Federation and Abkhazia.", "It is important to note that neither the present agreement nor any of the so-called “international agreements” concluded between the Russian Federation and the occupied regions of Georgia have had legal effect and are applicable in international relations, as Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali/South Ossetia region represent integral parts of Georgia and do not have the status of subjects of international law. Therefore, any relationship established by the Russian authorities with their satellite regimes in the control of these territories constitutes a violation of the universally recognized norms and principles of international law, as well as of Russia ' s international obligations.", "In addition, in circumstances where the Georgian side expresses its willingness to resolve all outstanding issues between Georgia and Russia and makes concrete efforts in this regard, the measure recently taken by the President of the Russian Federation makes it clear once again that Russia is not prepared to engage in constructive negotiations with Georgia.", "It should be stressed that the Russian side continually attempts to establish a “new reality” created by Russia; however, neither Georgia nor the international community will give legitimacy to this reality nor tolerate it.", "Tbilisi, 29 July 2011" ]

[ "Sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones", "Tema 97 y 98", "Desarme general y completo", "Examen y aplicación del Documento de Clausura del duodécimo período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General", "Carta de fecha 1 de agosto de 2011 dirigida al Secretario General por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Cuba ante las Naciones Unidas", "Tengo el honor de dirigirme a usted para informarle que la Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Asamblea General del Poder Popular de la República de Cuba adoptó el pasado 28 de julio una importante Declaración sobre Paz y Desarme Nuclear, copia de la cual se adjunta a la presente (véase el anexo).", "Le solicito que haga distribuir la presente carta y su anexo como documento de la Asamblea General en relación con los temas 97 y 98 del programa.", "(Firmado) Rodolfo Benítez Verson Embajador Encargado de Negocios interino", "Anexo de la carta de fecha 1 de agosto de 2011 dirigida al Secretario General por el Encargado de Negocios interino de la Misión Permanente de Cuba ante las Naciones Unidas", "Declaración sobre Paz y Desarme Nuclear de la Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular de la República de Cuba", "La Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular, consciente de que las armas nucleares, junto al cambio climático, constituyen los desafíos más importantes que enfrenta la humanidad, expresa su profunda preocupación ante la existencia de más de 22.600 ojivas nucleares, de las cuales la mitad se encuentra lista para ser empleada de inmediato.", "Condena la falta de voluntad política de las potencias nucleares que no han cumplido con el compromiso de acordar un tratado para eliminar las armas nucleares y continúan perfeccionando el armamento nuclear existente.", "Rechaza el alarmante incremento de los gastos militares, cuya cifra actual asciende a 1,5 millón de millones de dólares, varias veces superior a los recursos que se destinan para la ayuda internacional al desarrollo. Con los recursos que hoy se dedican a armamentos, se podría alimentar a los más de 1.020 millones de hambrientos que existen en el planeta, evitar la muerte de los 11 millones de niños que cada año fallecen por hambre y enfermedades prevenibles, combatir la pobreza extrema que padecen más de 1.400 millones de personas en el mundo, o alfabetizar a los 759 millones de adultos que aún no saben leer ni escribir.", "Reafirma la posición expresada por Cuba, de manera reiterada y al más alto nivel, sobre la necesidad de eliminar totalmente las armas nucleares y apoya la Declaración que sobre este tema fue adoptada en la XVI Conferencia Ministerial del Movimiento de Países No Alineados, en Bali (Indonesia) en mayo de 2011, que convoca a una conferencia Internacional de alto nivel para alcanzar un acuerdo sobre un programa para la eliminación total de las armas nucleares.", "Como ha alertado en varias ocasiones el Comandante en Jefe, Fidel Castro Ruz, la humanidad se encuentra en un momento trascendental de su historia; las amenazas a la supervivencia de nuestra especie cada vez son más graves y alarmantes, la única garantía de que las armas nucleares no puedan usarse por Estados ni por nadie será su eliminación y prohibición absoluta.", "La Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales hace un llamado a todos los parlamentos del mundo para que promuevan pasos concretos que conlleven a la eliminación total del arsenal nuclear, que permita garantizar a las generaciones futuras vivir en un mundo de paz y libre de armas nucleares." ]

[ "Sixty-fifth session", "Agenda items 97 and 98", "General and complete disarmament", "Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly", "Letter dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "I have the honour to inform you that on 28 July 2011 the Committee on International Relations of the National Assembly of the People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba adopted an important Statement on Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, a copy of which is attached hereto (see annex).", "I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the General Assembly under agenda items 97 and 98.", "(Signed) Rodolfo Benítez Versón Ambassador Chargé d’affaires a.i.", "Annex to the letter dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "Statement on Peace and Nuclear Disarmament issued by the Committee on International Relations of the National Assembly of the People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba", "The Committee on International Relations of the National Assembly of the People’s Power, aware that nuclear weapons, together with climate change, constitute the most significant challenge facing humanity, expresses its deep concern about the existence of more than 22,600 nuclear warheads, half of which are ready for immediate use.", "The Committee condemns the lack of political will on the part of the nuclear Powers, which have not fulfilled the commitment to conclude a treaty for the elimination of nuclear weapons and which continue to develop their existing nuclear arsenals.", "It rejects the alarming increase in military expenditure, which currently amounts to $1.5 trillion, or several times the amount of resources allocated to international development assistance. With the resources now devoted to weapons, it would be possible to feed the more than 1.02 billion hungry people in the world, prevent the deaths of the 11 million children who die each year of hunger and preventable diseases, combat the extreme poverty suffered by over 1.4 billion people worldwide or provide literacy training to the 759 million adults who cannot read or write.", "It reaffirms the position, which Cuba has expressed repeatedly and at the highest level, that nuclear weapons must be completely eliminated, and supports the declaration on that issue adopted at the sixteenth Ministerial Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2011, which calls for the convening of a high-level international conference for the purpose of reaching agreement on an agenda for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.", "As the Cuban Commander-in-Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, has warned on various occasions, humanity is now at a pivotal moment in history; threats to the survival of our species have grown increasingly serious and alarming, and the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons cannot be used by States or other actors is to eliminate and strictly prohibit them.", "The Committee on International Relations calls upon all of the world’s legislative bodies to promote practical steps towards the total elimination of nuclear arsenals, so as to ensure that future generations can live in a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons." ]

[ "Sixty-fifth session", "Item 97 and 98", "General and complete disarmament", "Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly", "Letter dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "I have the honour to inform you that the Commission on International Relations of the General Assembly of the People ' s Power of the Republic of Cuba adopted on 28 July an important Declaration on Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, a copy of which is attached to the present (see annex).", "I request that the present letter and its annex be circulated as a document of the General Assembly under agenda items 97 and 98.", "(Signed) Rodolfo Benítez Verson Ambassador Chargé d ' affaires a.i.", "Annex to the letter dated 1 August 2011 from the Chargé d ' affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General", "Declaration on Peace and Nuclear Disarmament of the Commission on International Relations of the National Assembly of the People ' s Power of the Republic of Cuba", "The Commission on International Relations of the National Assembly of People ' s Power, aware that nuclear weapons, together with climate change, constitute the most important challenges facing humanity, expresses its deep concern at the existence of more than 22,600 nuclear warheads, of which half are ready to be employed immediately.", "It condemns the lack of political will of the nuclear powers that have not complied with the commitment to agree on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons and continue to perfect the existing nuclear weapon.", "It rejects the alarming increase in military expenditures, which currently amount to $1.5 million, several times higher than the resources allocated for international development assistance. With the resources currently dedicated to armaments, more than 1,020 million hungry people on the planet could be fed, the death of the 11 million children who die every year for hunger and preventable diseases, the fight against extreme poverty that suffers more than 1.4 billion people in the world, or the literacy of the 759 million adults who are not yet able to read or write.", "It reaffirms the position expressed by Cuba repeatedly and at the highest level on the need for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and supports the Declaration adopted on this item at the sixteenth Ministerial Conference of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2011, which convenes a high-level international conference to reach agreement on a programme for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.", "As the Commander-in-Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, has warned on several occasions, humanity is at a momentous moment in its history; threats to the survival of our species are increasingly serious and alarming, the only guarantee that nuclear weapons cannot be used by States or by anyone will be their elimination and absolute prohibition.", "The Commission on International Relations calls upon all parliaments of the world to promote concrete steps leading to the total elimination of the nuclear arsenal, which will ensure that future generations live in a world of peace and free of nuclear weapons." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 65 a) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos del niño", "Establecimiento de sistemas nacionales de protección de la infancia integrales y basados en derechos, para la prevención y la lucha contra la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía", "Nota del Secretario General", "El Secretario General tiene el honor de transmitir a los miembros de la Asamblea General, de conformidad con la resolución 65/197, el informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, Najat Maalla M’jid.", "Informe de la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía", "Resumen", "Este informe se presenta en cumplimiento de la resolución 65/197 de la Asamblea General. En él se dan a conocer las actividades realizadas en el marco de su mandato por la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía desde su último informe a la Asamblea.", "El informe está destinado a servir como instrumento de orientación para la aplicación eficaz de las recomendaciones formuladas desde el comienzo del mandato, proporcionando principios rectores y componentes esenciales de un sistema de protección de la infancia integral y basado en derechos, destinado a la prevención y la lucha contra la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía.", "Índice", "PáginaI.Métodos 3 de trabajo y \nactividades A.Métodos 3 de \ntrabajo \nB.Actividades 3II.Establecimiento 4 de sistemas nacionales de protección de la infancia integrales y basados en derechos, para la prevención y la lucha contra la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la \npornografía \nA.Introducción 4B.Sistema 5 de protección de la infancia basada en derechos: principios \ngenerales C.Sistemas 7 de protección de la infancia basados en derechos: \ncomponentes III. Conclusiones: 28 proceso de \naplicación", "I. Métodos de trabajo y actividades", "A. Métodos de trabajo", "1. En su resolución 65/197, la Asamblea General pidió a la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía que siguiera presentando informes, tanto a la Asamblea General como al Consejo de Derechos Humanos, sobre las actividades realizadas en cumplimiento de su mandato. El presente informe contiene información sobre las actividades realizadas entre julio de 2010 y julio de 2011, y tiene el propósito de servir como instrumento de orientación para la aplicación eficaz de las recomendaciones formuladas desde el comienzo de su mandato.", "B. Actividades", "1. Consejo de Derechos Humanos", "2. El informe anual de la Relatora Especial presentado al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en su 16º período de sesiones (A/HRC/16/57 y Add.1 a 5 y Add.1/Corr.1) incluyó los informes de sus visitas a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos (12 a 18 de octubre de 2009), Senegal (21 a 30 de octubre de 2009), El Salvador (23 a 31 de agosto de 2010) y Estados Unidos de América (12 a 27 de octubre de 2010) y un resumen de sus comunicaciones a los Gobiernos y las respuestas recibidas entre el 16 de junio de 2009 y el 23 de enero de 2011. Conforme a lo solicitado por el Consejo en su resolución 13/20, la Relatora Especial también presentó al Consejo, en su 16º período de sesiones, conjuntamente con el Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños, un informe acerca de los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación asequibles y adaptados a los niños que permiten hacer frente a los incidentes de violencia, incluidas la violencia y la explotación sexuales (A/HRC/16/56). La Relatora Especial presentará su próximo informe anual al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en su 19º período de sesiones, que se celebrará en marzo de 2012.", "2. Visitas a los países", "3. Desde su último informe al Consejo de Derechos Humanos, la Relatora Especial visitó Mauricio (1 a 11 de mayo de 2011). Las observaciones preliminares de la Relatora Especial sobre esa visita figuran en una declaración de prensa[1]. La Relatora Especial realizará una visita oficial a Francia en noviembre de 2011.", "3. Conferencias, seminarios y comunicación con la sociedad civil", "4. Durante el período examinado, la Relatora Especial participó en numerosas conferencias y seminarios. En julio de 2010, asistió a una conferencia regional celebrada en Dakar sobre la movilidad de los niños en África occidental y central. En septiembre de 2010, participó en una reunión sobre un proyecto de directiva del Parlamento Europeo relativo a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía. En septiembre y octubre de 2010, la Relatora Especial organizó consultas en el marco de la preparación del informe conjunto sobre los mecanismos de orientación y denuncia adaptados a los niños. En octubre de 2010, participó en una conferencia celebrada en Barcelona (España) sobre la movilidad de los niños, organizada por el Movimiento Mundial en favor de la infancia, la Generalidad de Cataluña (el gobierno regional autónomo de Cataluña) y Save the Children del Reino Unido. En noviembre de 2010, la Relatora Especial asistió a una conferencia sobre la mejora de la aplicación y el seguimiento de las observaciones y opiniones de los órganos de tratados, las recomendaciones de los titulares de mandatos de procedimientos especiales y los resultados del examen periódico universal, organizada en Ginebra por la Open Society Justice Initiative, la Brookings Institution (en el contexto de su programa de política exterior) y UPR Watch. En enero de 2011, la Relatora Especial participó en consultas sobre planes de acción nacionales relativas al derecho al agua y el saneamiento, organizadas por la Relatora Especial sobre el derecho humano de acceso al agua potable y el saneamiento. En marzo de 2011, la Relatora Especial participó en un evento organizado en paralelo con el 16º período de sesiones del Council on children on the move in street situations. También en marzo, la Relatora Especial asistió a un seminario regional realizado en Bruselas sobre el seguimiento de los resultados del examen periódico universal y las recomendaciones de otros mecanismos de derechos humanos. En mayo de 2011, participó en un simposio titulado “Migración y juventud: aprovechamiento de las oportunidades para el desarrollo”, organizado en Nueva York por el Grupo Mundial sobre Migración. En junio de 2011, participó en consultas sobre proyectos de principios de orientación sobre la extrema pobreza y los derechos humanos, organizadas por la Experta independiente encargada de la cuestión de los derechos humanos y la extrema pobreza, y asistió a un seminario de expertos sobre la discriminación basada en el trabajo o el origen, organizado por la Experta independiente sobre cuestiones de las minorías. En julio de 2011, moderó un segmento de la reunión de expertos sobre el marco jurídico necesario para prohibir, prevenir y responder a todas las formas de violencia contra los niños, organizada conjuntamente por la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH), el Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños, la Unión Interparlamentaria y el Consejo consultivo internacional de ONG para el seguimiento del estudio del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños.", "II. Establecimiento de sistemas nacionales de protección de la infancia integrales y basados en derechos, para la prevención y la lucha contra la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía", "A. Introducción", "1. Contexto", "5. En su anterior informe, presentado a la Asamblea General en 2010, la Relatora Especial destacó algunos de los logros conseguidos en la lucha contra la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía (véase el documento A/65/221, sección C). Sin embargo, aún siguen existiendo muchos problemas con respecto a la estimación de todo el alcance de estos delitos, la prevención de su perpetración, la investigación y el enjuiciamiento de los delincuentes y la aportación de protección efectiva a los niños que son víctimas o testigos, o que corren riesgo de ser vendidos o de convertirse en víctimas de la prostitución y la pornografía.", "6. Siguen existiendo graves problemas, a pesar de todas las normas existentes en el plano internacional (por ejemplo, la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y su Protocolo Facultativo sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, el Convenio núm. 182 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo sobre la prohibición de las peores formas de trabajo infantil y la acción inmediata para su eliminación; y el Protocolo para prevenir, reprimir y sancionar la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños, que complementa la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Delincuencia Organizada Transnacional), y a nivel regional (por ejemplo, la Carta Africana sobre los Derechos y el Bienestar del Niño; la Convención Interamericana sobre el Tráfico Internacional de Menores; y la Convención del Consejo de Europa sobre la protección de los niños contra la explotación y el abuso sexuales), y los compromisos en el plano mundial (por ejemplo, la Declaración y el Programa de Acción de Estocolmo de 1996; los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio; el Compromiso Mundial de Yokohama de 2001; y la Declaración y Plan de Acción de Río de Janeiro para prevenir y poner fin a la explotación de los niños y los adolescentes, de 2008).", "7. Al interactuar con las partes interesadas pertinentes (los Estados, las instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos, la sociedad civil y los niños) a lo largo de su mandato, y en particular durante sus visitas a los países, la Relatora Especial ha observado la necesidad de una mayor orientación práctica sobre la aplicación eficaz de esos instrumentos, con inclusión de las disposiciones del Protocolo Facultativo y de las recomendaciones formuladas por la Relatora Especial en el contexto de las esferas temáticas.", "2. Objetivo del informe", "8. Al ofrecer una reseña detallada de la creación de sistemas integrales de protección de los niños, el presente informe se propone proporcionar un instrumento práctico de orientación que ayudará a todas las partes interesadas a mejorar la eficacia de las actividades de protección y promoción de los derechos del niño.", "9. El informe se basa en la labor llevada a cabo por la Relatora Especial y sus predecesores, incluso mediante visitas a los países, y en los informes y estudios de los mecanismos y organismos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones regionales e internacionales.", "B. Sistema de protección de la infancia basada en derechos: principios generales", "10. Desde que asumió sus funciones en 2008, la Relatora Especial ha prestado una especial atención a la necesidad de adoptar un enfoque integral y amplio que gire en torno al niño, a fin de proteger a todos los niños, sin discriminación, contra la venta y la explotación sexual.", "11. La venta de niños y su explotación sexual son impulsados por varios factores determinantes y relacionados entre sí, que son consecuencia del contexto local o nacional del país en que ellos viven y crecen (político, legislativo, cultural, ambiental, socioeconómico e institucional) y también del contexto mundial (el turismo, las tecnologías de la comunicación, la crisis financiera, la crisis alimentaria y el cambio climático). Esta dimensión multifacética y compleja justifica la necesidad de una respuesta que incluya un enfoque integrado con miras a la puesta en práctica, con la participación efectiva de los niños, de auténticos sistemas locales y nacionales de protección de la infancia.", "12. Con esa finalidad, se deben abandonar las respuestas de protección del niño fragmentadas que se adoptan frecuentemente y se debe preferir el desarrollo proactivo de sistemas de protección de la infancia integrales, sostenibles y que tengan en cuenta el contexto específico del niño. Se deben realizar esfuerzos concertados para establecer un conjunto coordinado de normas sociales, leyes, políticas, reglamentaciones y servicios, capacidades y actividades de vigilancia y supervisión en todos los sectores sociales —especialmente el bienestar social, la educación, la salud, la seguridad y la justicia— para prevenir y dar respuesta a las cuestiones y los riesgos relacionados con la protección de la infancia (véase el gráfico incluido a continuación)[2].", "Gráfico", "[]", "13. Para ser funcionales y eficaces, los sistemas de protección de la infancia deben:", "a) Centrarse en el niño y tener como consideración primordial la promoción del interés superior del niño;", "b) Regirse por leyes integrales que cumplan las normas internacionales, y por políticas y reglamentaciones nacionales (establecimiento de mandatos, responsabilidades, normas y sistemas de supervisión que aseguren el cumplimiento);", "c) Incluir mecanismos formales e informales (que se basen, por ejemplo, en una autoridad tradicional y basada en la costumbre, o en organizaciones de base comunitaria) y formalizar su mandato mediante leyes y reglamentos gubernamentales;", "d) Asegurar la accesibilidad de servicios adaptados a los niños en todos los niveles, y que esos servicios se rijan por normas de calidad (aplicadas por personal experimentado y bien formado, y que cuenten con recursos suficientes) y que sean asequibles para todos los niños, sin discriminación;", "e) Integrar las opiniones y experiencias de los niños por medio de su participación efectiva y de la inclusión;", "f) Velar por que todos los proveedores de servicios a los niños y sus familias (el sector público y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil) tengan que rendir cuentas mediante una reglamentación y una vigilancia eficaces en todos los niveles, respecto del cumplimiento de las normas de protección de la infancia.", "C. Sistemas de protección de la infancia basados en derechos: componentes", "1. Marco normativo y conceptual claro", "14. El punto de partida de toda respuesta adecuada a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía debe ser el establecimiento de definiciones claras de esos fenómenos en la legislación nacional. Esta claridad conceptual es una condición sine qua non para evitar vacíos legales, asegurar la correcta identificación de los niños víctimas y promover la aplicación eficaz de la legislación.", "15. La eficacia de las leyes de protección de la infancia a menudo se ve obstaculizada por disparidades y por la utilización de definiciones imprecisas, que pueden dar lugar a que algunos actos queden impunes, a actos de corrupción, a una aplicación selectiva o, en casos extremos, a una cultura general de impunidad.", "16. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y su Protocolo Facultativo son instrumentos fundamentales para fortalecer la protección de los niños y castigar a los delincuentes. Dichos instrumentos ofrecen definiciones sumamente útiles, permitiendo así que todas las partes interesadas compartan un entendimiento y una interpretación comunes de las siguientes expresiones:", "a) Por “niño” se entiende “todo ser humano menor de 18 años de edad, salvo que, en virtud de la ley que le sea aplicable, haya alcanzado antes la mayoría de edad”. La misma definición se aplica al Protocolo Facultativo. Algunos Estados definen al niño como toda persona de menos de 18 años de edad, mientras que otros toman en cuenta la edad de la responsabilidad penal o la edad del consentimiento para realizar actividades sexuales. Estas variaciones pueden crear incertidumbre en la aplicación de las leyes;", "b) Por “venta de niños” se entiende “todo acto o transacción en virtud del cual un niño es transferido por una persona o grupo de personas a otra a cambio de remuneración o de cualquier otra retribución”. La venta de niños se puede llevar a cabo con los propósitos siguientes: la explotación sexual, el trabajo forzado, el tráfico de órganos y la adopción ilegal;", "c) Por “prostitución infantil” se entiende “la utilización de un niño en actividades sexuales a cambio de remuneración o de cualquier otra retribución”. Esto incluye la oferta, posesión, adquisición o entrega de un niño con fines de prostitución. La expresión “o de cualquier otra retribución” significa que la prostitución infantil se lleva a cabo incluso cuando un niño es utilizado en actividades sexuales a cambio de bienes, servicios o favores, tales como alimentos, alojamiento o drogas, y no sólo a cambio de dinero;", "d) Por “utilización de niños en la pornografía” se entiende “toda representación, por cualquier medio, de un niño dedicado a actividades sexuales explícitas, reales o simuladas, o toda representación de las partes genitales de un niño con fines primordialmente sexuales”. Esta definición hace referencia a todas las actividades llevadas a cabo a los fines de la producción, distribución, divulgación, importación, exportación, oferta, venta o posesión de pornografía infantil. Los nuevos adelantos en la utilización de las tecnologías de las comunicaciones (blogs, telefonía móvil y redes sociales en línea) exigen la constante adaptación de los marcos conceptuales y normativos. El Consejo de Europa adoptó recientemente el Convenio para la protección de los niños contra la explotación y el abuso sexual, que ofrece las definiciones y normas detalladas más actualizadas a este respecto. Además de abordar la participación de los niños en el abuso sexual, la prostitución y la pornografía, el Convenio trata las cuestiones del “grooming” (la utilización de tecnologías en línea para captar niños con propósitos sexuales) y el turismo sexual.", "17. A pesar de que existen definiciones claras, la interpretación de los conceptos puede ser una tarea difícil y complicada, especialmente cuando las definiciones se superponen. Por ejemplo, hay varios vínculos entre la venta de niños, la trata de niños, el trabajo forzoso de niños y el reclutamiento de niños para su utilización en conflictos armados.", "18. La trata y la venta de niños son conceptos que se superponen, pero que no son idénticos. De conformidad con el artículo 35 de la Convención de los Derechos del Niño, los Estados partes están obligados a adoptar medidas para prevenir tanto la trata como la venta de niños.", "19. A menudo existe confusión entre la explotación sexual y el abuso sexual, especialmente cuando se producen en el seno de la familia. En el contexto del Protocolo Facultativo, la explotación sexual abarca la utilización, el reclutamiento o el ofrecimiento de un niño con fines de prostitución o de producción de material pornográfico y espectáculos pornográficos. El matrimonio forzado y el matrimonio precoz pueden considerarse como una forma de venta con fines de explotación sexual. Esto se manifiesta, entre otros casos, cuando se ofrecen niñas jóvenes en matrimonio a hombres —a menudo de mayor edad— a cambio de dinero.", "20. Los Estados partes en el Protocolo Facultativo están específicamente obligados a prohibir la venta de niños con el objeto de someterlos al trabajo forzoso. De conformidad con el Convenio núm. 182 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo, las “peores formas de trabajo infantil” incluyen el “reclutamiento forzoso u obligatorio de niños para utilizarlos en conflictos armados”.", "21. Sin embargo, no se trata de clasificar estos delitos, sino de determinar si las respuestas dadas a ellos en lo relativo a la protección de los niños y el castigo de los delincuentes, son adecuadas y cumplen las disposiciones establecidas en los diversos instrumentos internacionales en los que los Estados son partes.", "2. Información fiable y periódica sobre la prevalencia y el conocimiento acerca del fenómeno", "22. La evaluación del alcance exacto que tienen la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía es difícil porque los datos son escasos y a menudo poco fiables. La cultura del silencio que rodea a estos delitos debido al miedo, los tabúes culturales, la vergüenza y la falta de confianza en el sistema judicial, hace que la presentación de informes sobre estos temas sea muy insuficiente, lo que agrava las dificultades para reunir datos.", "23. El establecimiento de un sistema de información centralizado, normalizado y fiable es esencial para lograr una comprensión precisa del alcance que tienen estos fenómenos, y resulta fundamental para la elaboración y dotación de recursos de estrategias de prevención y de respuesta apropiadas y eficaces. La normalización permitiría analizar los datos y las tendencias emergentes y de largo plazo, y daría a las entidades competentes a nivel nacional la oportunidad de intercambiar información.", "24. Un sistema de información fiable debería basarse en los principios siguientes:", "a) Una comprensión común de los elementos conceptuales;", "b) Un método riguroso para la recopilación y tratamiento de cantidades suficientes de datos fiables, desglosados por edad, sexo, ubicación (zonas urbanas o rurales) y necesidad de una protección especial[3]. Los datos reunidos deben reflejar las diferentes formas de explotación, con inclusión de la venta y la trata de niños con fines de explotación sexual y otras formas de explotación, como el trabajo forzoso, el tráfico ilícito de órganos y las adopciones ilegales;", "c) El establecimiento de indicadores nacionales, especialmente cuando los datos se complementan con estudios de investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa. Los indicadores pueden ser instrumentos de evaluación esenciales para determinar los progresos, identificar los retos pendientes e informar la elaboración de nuevas medidas legislativas, normativas y programáticas[4];", "d) La sensibilización entre los niños, las familias y las comunidades para luchar contra los estereotipos y la resistencia cultural, que pueden contribuir a la escasez de presentación de informes y socavar la recopilación de los datos pertinentes;", "e) Las encuestas cualitativas y cuantitativas y las investigaciones acerca de la prevalencia de estos fenómenos y los conocimientos sobre los mismos;", "f) Medios eficaces para coordinar el intercambio intersectorial de información dentro de los ámbitos regional e internacional, y entre ellos;", "g) La oportunidad de que las opiniones de los niños sean escuchadas y tomadas en cuenta en los procesos de recopilación de datos y la realización de investigaciones, con la condición de que se adopten medidas de protección adecuadas.", "3. Marco jurídico de prohibición, prevención y respuesta a todas las formas de venta y de explotación sexual de los niños", "25. Varios instrumentos internacionales y regionales sobre los derechos del niño incluyen disposiciones y normas detalladas que prohíben, previenen y responden a todas las formas de venta y de explotación sexual de los niños:", "a) La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño promueve un sistema amplio para proteger a los niños de la violencia y de la explotación sexual y otras formas de explotación (los artículos 34 y 35 reconocen concretamente el derecho de los niños a ser protegidos contra todas las formas de explotación y abusos sexuales, para cualquier fin y en cualquier forma);", "b) El Protocolo Facultativo exige que los Estados partes prohíban la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía; adapten los procedimientos legales y de investigación a las necesidades especiales de los niños víctimas, incluidos los testigos; presten servicios de apoyo; informen a los niños acerca de sus derechos, su papel y el alcance, los plazos y los progresos de los procedimientos; eviten las demoras innecesarias; permitan que las opiniones, necesidades y preocupaciones de los niños se presenten y se tengan en cuenta; defiendan su derecho a la intimidad y los proteja contra la intimidación y las represalias. Además, el Protocolo Facultativo establece que el interés superior del niño debe ser la consideración primordial en el tratamiento de las víctimas en el sistema de justicia penal, y que las personas que trabajan con las víctimas deben recibir una formación adecuada;", "c) Otros instrumentos internacionales y regionales sobre los derechos del niño complementan la Convención y el Protocolo Facultativo y establecen normas útiles y detalladas con miras a prohibir, prevenir y responder a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, destacando así la indivisibilidad y la interdependencia de los derechos.", "Principios rectores", "26. Los marcos jurídicos nacionales (civiles y penales) deben ser armonizados con los instrumentos internacionales ratificados. Deben ir acompañados de medidas vinculantes y mecanismos incluidos en un marco jurídico global que forme parte de una estrategia general de protección de la infancia.", "27. Los marcos jurídicos globales, que incluyan tanto la legislación civil como la penal, y abarquen la prohibición, el enjuiciamiento, la protección, la atención, la asistencia y la prevención, deben incluir las disposiciones específicas establecidas en los párrafos 28 a 31 infra.", "28. En lo que respecta a la prohibición, los marcos jurídicos globales deben:", "a) Definir, prohibir y tipificar como delito, de conformidad con las normas internacionales vigentes sobre derechos humanos, todos los delitos contemplados en el Protocolo Facultativo (con inclusión de las nuevas formas de explotación sexual cometidas mediante la utilización de las tecnologías de la información y las redes sociales, entre otros medios), y establecer penas mínimas que reflejen la gravedad de los delitos;", "b) Establecer la edad límite de 18 años para definir a una persona como niño en relación con los delitos previstos en el Protocolo Facultativo, prevenir que se considere como delincuente a una persona que esté por debajo de ese límite de edad con respecto a delitos previstos en el Protocolo Facultativo, y reconocer que el consentimiento de un niño no debe tenerse en cuenta, incluso si el adulto desconoce la edad del niño;", "c) Establecer en 18 años la edad mínima para contraer matrimonio, tanto en el caso de las niñas como de los niños, y prohibir la adquisición, la oferta, la entrega o la coerción para contraer un matrimonio precoz;", "d) Establecer la jurisdicción extraterritorial, eliminar el requisito de la doble criminalidad para esos delitos y facilitar la asistencia jurídica recíproca, a fin de asegurar el enjuiciamiento efectivo de los culpables y la aplicación de sanciones apropiadas, estableciendo que todos los actos relacionados con la venta y la explotación sexual de niños sean delitos que pueden dar lugar a la extradición en los tratados de extradición vigentes o que se concluyan en el futuro;", "e) Incluir investigaciones penales y la iniciación de procedimientos (será necesario invocar diversas disposiciones para ayudar a la investigación de delitos y la formulación de acusaciones en los casos en que el niño víctima u otra persona en su nombre no presente un informe);", "f) Abordar la corrupción en las fuerzas de orden público y el poder judicial, así como en otras autoridades, con el fin de cuidar a los niños, reconociendo que la corrupción es un obstáculo importante para la aplicación efectiva de la ley y la protección de los niños.", "29. Con respecto a la presentación de informes, los marcos jurídicos globales deben:", "a) Asegurar que sea obligatorio para los profesionales que trabajan con niños informar sobre los casos en los que exista una sospecha o un riesgo de niños vendidos o explotados sexualmente. La obligación de presentar informes se debe incluir en los códigos de conducta y los reglamentos de las asociaciones profesionales y en todas las instituciones y organismos que trabajan regularmente con niños en situación de riesgo, con inclusión de las escuelas, los centros residenciales e institucionales, los servicios médicos y los órganos de seguridad;", "b) Garantizar que los proveedores de servicios de Internet, las empresas de telefonía móvil, los motores de búsqueda, los cibercafés y otras entidades tengan la obligación legal de informar a la policía sobre cualquier caso de pornografía infantil, bloquear el acceso a los sitios web en los que se cometan delitos y mantener registros, de conformidad con normas establecidas, a los fines de la investigación y el enjuiciamiento. Del mismo modo, las instituciones financieras deben tener la obligación legal de informar, bloquear e impedir el funcionamiento de los mecanismos financieros que hagan posible la existencia de sitios web de pornografía infantil;", "c) Establecer mecanismos de denuncia, asesoramiento y presentación de informes adaptados a los niños (véase más abajo).", "30. Con respecto a la protección, la atención y los procedimientos apropiados para la infancia, los marcos jurídicos globales deben:", "a) Habilitar a las autoridades competentes para intervenir en las situaciones de emergencia y retirar a los niños de esas situaciones, si fuera necesario;", "b) Proporcionar a los niños víctimas, los testigos y sus familias la atención, la asistencia y el apoyo psicológico adecuados (incluido el apoyo familiar, en caso necesario) para asegurar la plena recuperación y la reintegración social de los niños víctimas;", "c) Asegurar que los niños víctimas tengan acceso a información adaptada a la sensibilidad del niño con respecto a sus derechos y los procedimientos pertinentes, en particular para solicitar indemnización por daños y perjuicios, y que ellos ejerzan su derecho a ser oídos;", "d) Proteger la intimidad y el bienestar de los niños víctimas y testigos en todas las etapas del proceso de justicia penal (es decir, durante la identificación, la investigación, el enjuiciamiento, el castigo y el procedimiento de extradición), en particular asegurando que los niños no estén sujetos a multas, penas de prisión u otras medidas punitivas;", "e) Asegurar que los niños no sufran situaciones difíciles y la vuelta a la situación de víctima como resultado de su participación en procesos penales, limitando el número de entrevistas en que participen, utilizando grabaciones de vídeo y salas seguras, y proporcionándoles asistencia jurídica o un representante especial;", "f) Asegurar el acceso gratuito y fácil a los recursos legales;", "g) Asegurar respuestas prontas en el tratamiento de los casos;", "h) Conceder indemnizaciones a los niños víctimas y hacer cumplir el pago de esas indemnizaciones, en caso necesario.", "31. En lo que respecta a la prevención, los mecanismos jurídicos globales deben:", "a) Velar por la inscripción de los nacimientos de los niños. Un acta de nacimiento, dado que certifica la edad del niño, permite adoptar medidas jurídicas adecuadas para asegurar la protección del niño y el castigo de los delincuentes. Los niños cuyo nacimiento se ha inscrito tienen menos probabilidades de ser vendidos o adoptados ilegalmente, en parte porque tienen pruebas de quiénes son sus padres;", "b) Elaborar y aplicar leyes estrictas en materia de adopción internacional y nacional en las que se establezca: i) que la adopción será considerada como un último recurso; ii) la identificación de medidas adecuadas, que incluyan la colocación del niño con su familia biológica o su familia ampliada; iii) la preferencia por la adopción nacional con respecto a la adopción internacional; y iv) la obligación de llevar a cabo estudios de compatibilidad entre la familia adoptiva y el niño dado en adopción, teniendo en cuenta el interés superior del niño, con miras a evitar la venta de niños para su adopción ilegal;", "c) Asegurar que los niños vulnerables tengan un nivel de vida adecuado, acceso gratuito a la atención y servicios de salud, la educación y la seguridad social, y que sus padres reciban el apoyo necesario;", "d) Establecer mecanismos jurídicos y programas específicos para prevenir la reincidencia entre los delincuentes sexuales y prohibir que estos lleven a cabo actividades con niños, incluyendo la recopilación y el intercambio de buenas prácticas y la creación, en su caso, de registros de delincuentes sexuales.", "32. A fin de asegurar la aplicación eficaz y la implicación de todas las partes interesadas en este marco jurídico global, se deben adoptar las medidas siguientes, conjuntamente con la aplicación de la legislación:", "a) La participación de todas las partes interesadas, con inclusión de los niños y los jóvenes, en la elaboración del marco jurídico desde la primera etapa del proceso;", "b) La puesta en marcha de iniciativas de sensibilización y promoción entre las comunidades, los niños y los jóvenes, asegurando que las cuestiones pertinentes se incluyan en el debate público a través de los medios de comunicación, la sociedad civil y los responsables de la formulación de políticas;", "c) La amplia difusión, adecuada y fácil de usar, de la información relativa a la legislación y los procedimientos;", "d) La formación adecuada de los jueces, fiscales, abogados, funcionarios policiales, maestros, trabajadores sociales y otros profesionales con respecto a los derechos, las necesidades y el interés superior del niño;", "e) La provisión de recursos suficientes para aplicar todas las medidas, los programas y las políticas;", "f) El fomento de la cooperación transnacional a nivel regional e internacional, lo cual es necesario debido a la movilidad de los niños y de los delincuentes y al uso generalizado de las nuevas tecnologías.", "4. Detección precoz, protección, atención y seguimiento eficaces del niño", "33. A fin de asegurar la detección precoz, la atención, el cuidado y el seguimiento eficaces de los niños víctimas, se deben elaborar y aplicar protocolos precisos y adaptables, con la participación de todos los involucrados en la protección de la infancia. Esos protocolos deben aclarar las medidas que se deben adoptar (desde la detección precoz de los niños que han sido vendidos o han sido víctimas de la prostitución o la pornografía hasta la plena recuperación e integración social de esos niños) y también se deben aclarar las responsabilidades de todas las partes interesadas, haciendo así posible la mejora de la coordinación y del intercambio de información.", "Detección precoz", "34. Es fundamental que los casos de niños que han sido vendidos o han sido víctimas de la prostitución o la pornografía se detecten de forma precoz. Esa detección puede ser un medio eficaz para proteger a los niños víctimas y a los niños en situación de riesgo a fin de evitar que sean víctimas o que se conviertan nuevamente en víctimas, asegurando al mismo tiempo que no sean injustamente tratados como delincuentes.", "35. Además, la detección precoz puede desempeñar una función clave en la creación y aplicación de estrategias de prevención específicas y de medidas de respuesta para hacer frente a las lagunas de protección existentes.", "36. Los métodos utilizados para detectar a los niños víctimas deben hacer posible que los profesionales distingan si un niño que ha sido vendido fue hecho víctima con fines de explotación sexual, trabajo forzado, mendicidad, adopción ilegal o tráfico de órganos. Los profesionales también deben estar en condiciones de determinar si un niño ha sido víctima de prostitución, en particular en el contexto del turismo sexual, o si ha sido utilizado en la pornografía, incluida la pornografía en línea y la captación con fines sexuales por medio de las tecnologías de la información.", "37. Un componente esencial del proceso de detección es el establecimiento y la aplicación de procedimientos apropiados, en particular la presentación de informes y mecanismos de denuncia centrados en el niño y que tengan en cuenta sus intereses.", "38. Todos los procedimientos que hacen posible la detección de los niños víctimas se deben llevar a cabo dando cumplimiento a los principios expuestos anteriormente y de acuerdo con normas que exijan lo siguiente:", "a) El respeto por el derecho del niño a la dignidad y a que sus opiniones sean oídas y tenidas en cuenta en un contexto seguro y tranquilizador;", "b) El derecho del niño a ser informado rápidamente y con un lenguaje y formato accesible acerca de todas las opciones, procedimientos, medidas de protección y servicios disponibles para ellos;", "c) La prestación de apoyo profesional adecuado a los niños, incluso para hacer frente a las diversas consecuencias físicas, psicológicas y sociales que supone la presentación de una denuncia;", "d) El tratamiento confidencial de la información obtenida en todas las etapas, en defensa de los derechos del niño, con inclusión del derecho a la intimidad, y la prevención de la divulgación no apropiada de la información que pudiera dar lugar a la identificación de los niños víctimas;", "e) La garantía de la seguridad de los niños víctimas, sus familias y los testigos, protegiéndolos de cualquier riesgo de daño, intimidación, represalias o nueva victimización;", "f) La incorporación de procedimientos de evaluación de la edad que tengan en cuenta tanto la apariencia física como la madurez psicológica de la persona, y que se lleven a cabo de manera segura y adaptada a las necesidades del niño y a la perspectiva de género, por parte de profesionales capacitados y evitando todo riesgo de violación de la integridad física del niño;", "g) La inclusión de medidas que protejan contra el exceso de presentación de informes y de una nueva victimización;", "h) La garantía de que todos los procedimientos cuenten con recursos suficientes;", "i) La garantía de que todos los procedimientos sean objeto de una supervisión periódica y sistemática para determinar si se adaptan a las necesidades del niño; esa supervisión debe incluir consultas protegidas con los niños que han iniciado personalmente el procedimiento.", "Fácil acceso a mecanismos de denuncia y notificación adaptados a los niños", "39. También es imperativo que todos los niños tengan un acceso simple y facilitado a mecanismos de denuncia y notificación independientes, oportunos, eficaces y adaptados a los niños (véase también el documento A/HRC/16/56). Esos mecanismos deben cumplir los criterios siguientes:", "a) Ser establecidos por la legislación y estar en conformidad con los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos;", "b) Estar guiados por el interés superior del niño, teniendo en cuenta las experiencias y las perspectivas del niño;", "c) Mantener una estricta confidencialidad durante el procedimiento y los procesos conexos, y respetar el derecho del niño a la intimidad;", "d) Tener una divulgación amplia y activa entre los niños y los adultos, incluyendo a los que actúan en nombre de los niños;", "e) Ser accesibles a todos los niños sometidos a la jurisdicción del Estado, sin discriminación de ningún tipo, y al mismo tiempo ser apropiados para los niños y tener en cuenta la perspectiva de género, brindando una protección especial a los niños que están en situación de riesgo;", "f) Hacer posible que los niños muy pequeños y los grupos de niños marginados (niños no acompañados o separados, niños de la calle, niños que no hablan el idioma de la cultura dominante, niños con discapacidad, entre otros), que son más vulnerables, tengan las mismas oportunidades de comunicar violaciones reales o potenciales;", "g) Ser accesibles en todo el país por medio de una línea directa disponible las 24 horas del día, gratuita y con un número de tres dígitos fácil de recordar. Las líneas directas deben prestar ayuda y apoyo prácticos a los niños víctimas en todos los idiomas locales y en los idiomas de los países vecinos, y estar conectados y con capacidad de establecer contacto con las autoridades pertinentes cuando sea necesario;", "h) Garantizar la seguridad de los niños, incluso a través de medidas destinadas a evitar todo riesgo de daño, intimidación, represalias o nueva victimización;", "i) Adoptar y comunicar con rapidez y eficacia las decisiones necesarias para evitar consecuencias adversas a las personas afectadas, y proceder al seguimiento cuando se considere apropiado;", "j) Contar con recursos financieros, profesionales y técnicos suficientes;", "k) Estar sometidos a un seguimiento sistemático para determinar si están adaptados a los niños; ese seguimiento debe incluir consultas protegidas con los niños que han iniciado por sí mismos el procedimiento.", "Protección, cuidado y asistencia multidisciplinarios", "40. Cuando se ha identificado a un niño víctima, se deben adoptar inmediatamente medidas para ponerse en contacto con las fuerzas del orden competentes y/o las autoridades encargadas de los servicios sociales para iniciar el proceso de asegurar la atención y asistencia adecuadas para el bienestar del niño. Cuando sea posible, los niños víctimas deben ser apartados con urgencia de situaciones perjudiciales y colocados en un entorno seguro y de ayuda que les proporcionen el apoyo necesario en materia de educación, cuidado de la salud, recuperación y rehabilitación.", "41. Teniendo en cuenta las graves consecuencias físicas, psicológicas y emocionales de la delincuencia y la victimización para los niños que son víctimas y testigos de delitos, los niños (y sus familias) deben tener acceso a una asistencia y un apoyo profesionales y coordinados, con inclusión de ayuda financiera, asistencia jurídica gratuita, asesoramiento, atención médica y sanitaria y servicios de enseñanza, así como a servicios de recuperación psicosocial, rehabilitación y reintegración.", "42. Las respuestas más eficaces son las de carácter multidisciplinario y que tienen en cuenta los distintos tipos de cuidado y asistencia a corto, medio y largo plazo que los niños víctimas necesitan para su plena recuperación y reinserción. Para ser verdaderamente eficaces, las respuestas deben:", "a) Formar parte de un plan global de recuperación y rehabilitación;", "b) Ser asequibles para el niño y su familia;", "c) Estar adaptadas a los niños, teniendo en cuenta las diferencias culturales, el género, el origen étnico, la discapacidad y otros factores que pueden aumentar la vulnerabilidad de un niño;", "d) Estar equipadas para ofrecer protección y asistencia rápidas y especiales a los niños víctimas y testigos; esa asistencia debe adaptarse a la edad, el nivel de madurez y las necesidades específicas del niño, a fin de evitar más sufrimientos y traumas;", "e) Estar en condiciones de ofrecer alternativas seguras y adaptadas a los niños o atención en centros de acogida que tengan en cuenta las necesidades básicas de los niños víctimas, se rijan por normas y reglas de protección de la infancia y estén sometidos a una supervisión periódica. Con ese fin, es esencial que se establezcan normas mínimas para la atención alternativa o en centros residenciales. Todos los centros registrados deben tener la obligación de presentar informes mensuales sobre la llegada y la salida de niños, así como detalles relativos a su cuidado y traslado;", "f) Estar conectados a un sistema de remisión eficaz que incluya la obligación de investigar las situaciones que ponen a los niños en riesgo a fin de hacer posible que las autoridades competentes lleven a cabo intervenciones;", "g) Contar con profesionales bien formados, que apliquen un enfoque integrado y de colaboración, tengan los conocimientos y aptitudes necesarias y apliquen las normas sobre los derechos del niño y principios éticos en sus tareas de asesoramiento y apoyo (incluso en relación con los mecanismos de notificación y denuncia y los programas de recuperación y reinserción);", "h) Deben llevarse a cabo en un entorno que apoye la salud, la autoestima y la dignidad del niño y, en particular, promueva la recuperación física y psicológica y la reinserción social completas de todos los niños víctimas;", "i) Contar con recursos humanos, técnicos y financieros suficientes.", "Seguimiento regular de los niños", "43. A fin de asegurar que los niños víctimas reciban una asistencia adecuada para su plena reinserción social y recuperación física y psicológica, las medidas de seguimiento deben:", "a) Prestar servicios de salud mental apropiados para los niños, los adolescentes y los adultos;", "b) Preferir los entornos familiares o basados en la comunidad antes que la atención institucional o en centros de acogida para la vida a largo plazo de los niños víctimas, de conformidad con el interés superior del niño;", "c) Prestar apoyo familiar y asesoramiento a los niños que viven con arreglo a formas alternativas de cuidado, incluido el prestado por familias de acogida y otros cuidadores, a fin de apoyar plenamente a los niños en todas las etapas de su proceso de recuperación;", "d) Nombrar un tutor para los niños que han sido repatriados a su país de origen, a fin de velar por que reciban atención y protección a largo plazo;", "e) Asegurar que, en los casos en que las víctimas reclaman una indemnización por daños y perjuicios a las personas legalmente responsables de una violación de sus derechos, los mecanismos de reparación tengan en cuenta la reintegración a largo plazo y los problemas psicosociales y físicos a los que las víctimas pueden hacer frente;", "f) Proceder a un seguimiento regular hasta que se consiga la plena recuperación del niño.", "5. Medidas preventivas eficaces e integrales", "44. A pesar del amplio reconocimiento de que la inversión en la prevención es uno de los principales medios para proteger los derechos del niño y luchar contra todas las formas de violencia perpetradas contra ellos, incluida la explotación, las numerosas medidas preventivas adoptadas en la actualidad por las diversas partes interesadas son principalmente reactivas y carecen de la eficacia suficiente.", "45. Debido al carácter multifacético y a la complejidad de la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, la prevención de la victimización de los niños requiere la adopción de medidas preventivas eficaces que se elaboren en el marco de un sistema integral sobre los derechos del niño e incluya la participación de todos los interesados, con inclusión de los niños, las familias y las comunidades.", "Principios rectores", "46. Para ser eficaces, las medidas preventivas deben constituir el componente principal de los sistemas nacionales de protección de la infancia y deben basarse en las leyes y las políticas relativas a los derechos del niño.", "47. Las medidas preventivas se deben aplicar de forma más proactiva, mediante la adopción de un marco jurídico sólido en materia de prevención y prohibición (véanse los párrafos 25 a 32 del presente informe) y la incorporación de estrategias orientadas al crecimiento y también a la reducción de la pobreza, como los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, en marcos de políticas nacionales más amplios, con miras a reducir al mínimo el riesgo de que los niños sean vendidos y explotados sexualmente, y mediante la aplicación de un marco para evaluar los riesgos de vulnerabilidad que permita a los profesionales determinar cuándo un niño está en una situación que requiere intervención o apoyo, y qué tipo de acción es la más adecuada a las necesidades del niño.", "48. Las medidas preventivas deben abordar los factores socioeconómicos fundamentales, teniendo en cuenta lo siguiente:", "a) Asegurar que todos los niños sean inscritos inmediatamente al nacer y de forma gratuita, y que se preste una atención especial a los niños que aún no hayan sido inscritos, los niños en situación de riesgo y los que se encuentran en situaciones de marginación;", "b) Asegurar la disponibilidad y el acceso a los servicios socioeconómicos, a partir de una alimentación adecuada, vivienda, educación y atención de la salud para los niños en situación de riesgo y sus familias, que les permitan vivir con dignidad;", "c) Prestar apoyo a las madres solteras (especialmente las adolescentes) mediante sistemas de bienestar social que brinden una gama completa de servicios de cuidados alternativos y asistencia en el marco de sistemas de protección de la infancia;", "d) Velar por que todas las medidas preventivas sean conocidas y accesibles, y estén disponibles para los niños más vulnerables y marginados.", "49. Las medidas preventivas deben incluir las destinadas a promover la educación sostenible y la sensibilización, entre ellas las siguientes:", "a) Llevar a cabo campañas de sensibilización y educación en las escuelas y las comunidades (incluidas las rurales y remotas) y utilizar todos los medios de comunicación y las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, incluidas las redes sociales. Se deben desarrollar campañas eficaces, con la colaboración de profesionales de distintas disciplinas y otras personas que trabajan con los niños, y esas campañas deben contar con recursos suficientes;", "b) Hacer participar a los líderes comunitarios y religiosos con el objeto de lograr que su autoridad moral, su influencia social y su capacidad de liderazgo guíe a las comunidades en cuanto a la protección de los niños contra todas las formas de violencia, abuso y explotación;", "c) Informar a los niños, sus familias y otras personas que trabajan con niños acerca de la disponibilidad de mecanismos de denuncia, de notificación y de asesoramiento adaptados a los niños, con inclusión de líneas telefónicas directas, cuando un niño ha resultado víctima o está en situación de riesgo de serlo por cualquier motivo;", "d) Impartir en las escuelas programas de educación sexual que brinden información sobre el desarrollo sexual saludable, el sexo seguro y la reproducción, haciendo hincapié en la igualdad entre los géneros, la autoestima, el empoderamiento y el respeto a los demás. Si se carece de esos programas, la proliferación de imágenes y vídeos a través de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones puede modelar las primeras ideas del niño acerca de la sexualidad y la conducta sexual, aumentando el riesgo de que las reproduzcan cuando aún son jóvenes, o de que sean víctimas de conductas abusivas;", "e) Establecer asociaciones con los medios impresos y electrónicos y con el sector privado (especialmente en las esferas del turismo y de las tecnologías de la información) a fin de divulgar información y lanzar campañas destinadas a sensibilizar a la población acerca de los derechos del niño, las leyes que prohíben y tratan de combatir todas las formas de violaciones, el aumento de los riesgos a que hacen frente muchos niños, y determinadas conductas que pueden indicar actividades depredadoras, que se estén llevando a cabo en una comunidad o por vía de Internet. Las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, incluidas las redes sociales, se deben utilizar ampliamente para llegar al mayor número posible de niños.", "50. Las medidas preventivas deben incluir las destinadas a financiar y llevar a cabo investigaciones compartidas sobre la demanda nacional y transnacional de servicios que explotan a niños, y análisis del contexto específico en que se llevan a cabo actos perjudiciales y discriminatorios (prácticas, comportamientos y actitudes). Esas investigaciones y análisis se utilizarán para informar las leyes y las políticas.", "51. Las medidas preventivas deben alentar y facilitar la participación y el empoderamiento de los niños. Eso se puede lograr mediante el aliento y apoyo a iniciativas impulsadas por los niños respecto de todas las medidas preventivas y mediante el apoyo para que los niños adquieran un conocimiento más amplio de sus derechos y de las opciones de que disponen para hacer frente a los abusos, a fin de aumentar sus posibilidades y su capacidad de protegerse a sí mismos y de proteger a otros niños.", "6. Participación y empoderamiento de los niños", "Participación de los niños", "52. Los niños no sólo son víctimas o personas vulnerables: también pueden y deben participar activamente en la búsqueda de soluciones. La participación de los niños se basa en el derecho de cada uno de ellos de expresar sus opiniones y de que esas opiniones sean tenidas en cuenta en todos los asuntos que afectan directa o indirectamente a su vida, con el objetivo de influir en la adopción de decisiones y el logro de cambios.", "53. La participación de los niños también se refiere a una forma de trabajar que dé a los niños, incluidos los más marginados y los de diferentes edades y capacidades, la oportunidad de participar de manera informada y voluntaria.", "54. Por último, la participación de los niños es esencial para un enfoque de los derechos del niño. Como tal, se la debe aplicar en todas las esferas, programas, políticas y otras medidas pertinentes, en los hogares y los gobiernos, así como desde el nivel local hasta el internacional.", "55. La responsabilidad de asegurar la participación de los niños es ampliamente compartida por los gobiernos y las autoridades locales, las personas que trabajan directamente o en nombre de los niños, los parlamentos y las legislaturas, las organizaciones no gubernamentales y la sociedad civil, las instituciones nacionales independientes de derechos humanos, el sector privado y las empresas, los dirigentes religiosos, espirituales, culturales e indígenas, y las organizaciones y organismos multilaterales de ámbito regional e internacional. Los medios de comunicación también tienen un papel importante que desempeñar en la difusión del valor de la participación infantil para todos los niños, las familias y la sociedad en general.", "56. La adaptación de medidas prácticas que den a los niños cada vez más responsabilidades, conforme a su edad y grado de desarrollo, conocido como el principio del desarrollo evolutivo, está estrechamente relacionada con el derecho del niño a ser oído. Llevar plenamente a la práctica ese principio constituye una tarea difícil, debido a la dificultad que tienen muchos adultos para aceptar la capacidad de un niño de entender, comunicar y tomar decisiones informadas en importantes procesos de adopción de decisiones.", "Principios rectores", "57. Los mecanismos de participación infantil deben funcionar de acuerdo con las normas reconocidas internacionalmente y deben asegurar lo siguiente:", "a) La disponibilidad y el acceso a información ampliamente divulgada, en los idiomas locales y en diferentes formatos (por ejemplo, para los niños con discapacidad) que sea adecuada para los niños de diferentes edades, incluidos los muy jóvenes, y los que tienen diferentes grados de madurez;", "b) La participación voluntaria e informada de los representantes de los niños y los jóvenes;", "c) La institucionalización de mecanismos de participación, sin discriminación, de todos los niños, tales como los parlamentos de los niños, foros juveniles, y consejos y comités a nivel nacional, regional y municipal;", "d) La creación y el mantenimiento de un entorno favorable y adaptado a los niños, que asegure su protección y seguridad;", "e) La igualdad de oportunidades y la garantía de la participación de los niños de grupos vulnerables, marginados y en situación de riesgo, incluidos los niños con discapacidad y los que viven en situación de extrema pobreza, en las zonas rurales y remotas, en centros de cuidados alternativos, o que viven y/o trabajan en la calle, evitando que estén representados únicamente los niños que están en situación privilegiada;", "f) El establecimiento y la observancia de normas éticas y principios de los derechos del niño que incluyan la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas;", "g) La presencia de personal especializado y de apoyo eficaz, formado profesionalmente, calificado y de confianza;", "h) Una supervisión, periódica e independiente, de la calidad, la permanencia, la rendición de cuentas y las actividades de seguimiento de los mecanismos y las prácticas pertinentes.", "58. La participación de los niños debe ser sistemática en todas las actividades de vigilancia: los niños deben tener oportunidad de proporcionar información sobre los procedimientos y de formular sugerencias sobre posibles mejoras, asegurando así que sus opiniones sean tenidas en cuenta. Además, se debe facilitar a los niños información accesible y adaptada a sus necesidades, respecto de su participación, por medio de exposiciones claras e inmediatas sobre los efectos y el valor de sus contribuciones, las decisiones que se han adoptado y los pasos siguientes. Esto hace posible que los niños entiendan el resultado y la utilización de sus contribuciones.", "Empoderamiento de los niños", "59. Para que los niños sean parte de los esfuerzos encaminados a luchar eficazmente contra la venta de niños y todas las formas de explotación, con inclusión de la explotación sexual y el trabajo forzado, se debe empoderar a los niños para que puedan luchar en favor de su propia protección y la de sus compañeros. Existen actualmente un sinnúmero de organizaciones y redes dirigidas por niños en todo el mundo, que se ocupan de las principales cuestiones que suscitan preocupación, como la trata de seres humanos, la explotación sexual comercial, el trabajo forzado y los niños de la calle.", "Principios rectores", "60. Las organizaciones dirigidas por niños y las iniciativas entre pares deben cumplir los principios rectores y las normas relativas a la participación infantil antes mencionados. Los gobiernos deben alentar y apoyar las organizaciones y las iniciativas dirigidas por niños (iniciativas entre pares e investigaciones dirigidas por jóvenes) y a tal fin deben:", "a) Prestar apoyo técnico, material y logístico para que los niños puedan organizar y llevar a cabo sus actividades;", "b) Asegurar la mejora de la recuperación y el desarrollo de aptitudes de todo niño víctima, para que pueda participar en esas actividades;", "c) Elaborar estructuras y marcos de protección que permitan a los niños víctimas o en situación de riesgo llevar a cabo actividades en un entorno seguro y de apoyo;", "d) Hacer participar a los niños en los procesos de formulación de decisiones relacionados con todos los asuntos de interés para los niños y los jóvenes.", "7. Evaluación y supervisión regulares y específicas", "61. En todo el mundo se ha llevado a cabo una amplia serie de actividades nacionales, regionales e internacionales para prevenir y combatir las violaciones de los derechos del niño. Aunque estos esfuerzos representan un primer paso importante, las insuficiencias o la carencia de sistemas de información y mecanismos de supervisión centralizados hace que sea sumamente difícil evaluar y medir los cambios registrados en la situación de los niños y los efectos de toda medida aplicada, así como la adopción de medidas futuras basadas en datos.", "62. En la Declaración y Plan de Acción de Río de Janeiro para prevenir y poner fin a la explotación sexual de los niños y los adolescentes, los participantes en el Tercer Congreso Mundial contra la Explotación Sexual Comercial de los Niños y los Adolescentes, celebrado en Río de Janeiro (Brasil) del 25 al 28 de noviembre de 2008, se recomendó la creación, para 2013, de instituciones independientes encargadas de la promoción y protección de los derechos del niño, teniendo en cuenta la Observación general núm. 2 del Comité de los Derechos del Niño. El objetivo de esas instituciones independientes es velar por la protección de los niños, la restitución de sus derechos, la supervisión independiente de las estrategias y políticas aplicadas, la promoción del fortalecimiento de los marcos jurídicos y la disponibilidad de recursos jurídicos adecuados y accesibles, incluida la posibilidad de formular denuncias.", "Evaluación y seguimiento de las políticas, estrategias y programas nacionales de protección de la infancia", "63. El seguimiento es una de las medidas clave para la aplicación eficaz de los sistemas de protección, ya que permite examinar los progresos realizados e identificar los problemas existentes y las propuestas sobre posibles soluciones. Por consiguiente, la supervisión también puede desempeñar una función de prevención.", "64. La ampliación y el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos destinados a supervisar y evaluar las políticas y los programas se deben llevar a cabo de conformidad con los principios y las normas siguientes:", "a) El seguimiento debe incluir un examen de las medidas adoptadas, los progresos realizados y los posibles obstáculos a que se hace frente en la aplicación de los compromisos políticos que se han adoptado; se deben presentar informes periódicos a los parlamentos y al público en general;", "b) Se debe alentar la realización de esfuerzos multisectoriales y de colaboración entre los gobiernos, los parlamentos, la administración pública, las redes de protección de la infancia, la sociedad civil (con inclusión de los niños, las familias y el público en general), las organizaciones de base comunitaria, los medios de comunicación y el sector privado;", "c) Los procedimientos de supervisión deben ser uniformes y al mismo tiempo conservar la flexibilidad necesaria para que puedan adaptarse y aplicarse a contextos específicos;", "d) Se debe desarrollar y controlar la rendición de cuentas en las asignaciones presupuestarias y su utilización;", "e) Se debe prestar atención a la aplicación de las recomendaciones pertinentes adoptadas o emitidas por órganos y mecanismos internacionales y regionales (órganos de tratados, procedimientos especiales, titulares de mandatos, el examen periódico universal y las instituciones regionales y nacionales de derechos humanos);", "f) Cada contexto requiere un sistema nacional de recopilación de datos integral y fiable a fin de asegurar la disponibilidad de información exacta y facilitar la supervisión y evaluación de los sistemas, los servicios, los programas y los resultados, a fin de que se puedan elaborar respuestas apropiadas;", "g) Lo deseable es que la evaluación se base en indicadores reconocidos universalmente, adaptados al nivel local y basados en datos empíricos.", "Mecanismos de supervisión independientes", "65. Existen varios tipos de mecanismos de supervisión independientes, que incluyen los promotores independientes de los derechos de los niños, como los defensores de los niños o los coordinadores sobre los derechos del niño, que podrían formar parte de una institución de derechos humanos existentes o de la oficina de un ombudsman general.", "66. Con independencia de su estructura, cada institución de derechos humanos y mecanismo de supervisión se debe establecer de conformidad con los principios rectores y las normas reconocidos internacionalmente y deben:", "a) Ser independientes, sumamente competentes y tener un mandato amplio, claro y flexible para promover y proteger los derechos del niño de manera proactiva e innovadora;", "b) Tener un carácter consultivo, inclusivo, transparente y basado en una visión integral del niño y de sus relaciones con otras partes interesadas;", "c) Estar comprometidos con dar prioridad al interés superior del niño, incluso mediante la estricta observancia de los principios de confidencialidad y la promoción de un entorno favorable a los niños y basado en la confianza;", "d) Tener un carácter reactivo y proactivo y desempeñar un papel fundamental en la supervisión independiente de las medidas adoptadas para prevenir y proteger la venta o la explotación de los niños, con fines sexuales o de otra índole, lo que incluirá el restablecimiento de los derechos de las víctimas, la promoción de marcos jurídicos más sólidos y la misión de hacer aplicar y garantizar el acceso a recursos y medios de reparación eficaces, con inclusión de procedimientos independientes para la formulación de denuncias;", "e) Estar autorizados para llevar a cabo investigaciones e indagaciones sobre violaciones generales y específicas de los derechos del niño (por su propia iniciativa o en respuesta a denuncias formuladas);", "f) Estar capacitados para realizar visitas periódicas a diversos lugares, con inclusión de las instituciones de detención y atención, a fin de asegurar que cumplan las normas establecidas y para determinar en qué grado la institución escucha y pondera las opiniones de los niños;", "g) Disponer de recursos suficientes y de profesionales de diversas disciplinas, siempre que sea posible.", "67. Además, las instituciones de supervisión deben:", "a) Examinar la suficiencia, la eficacia y los efectos de las leyes y las prácticas sobre los derechos del niño, y promover su armonización con la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y sus Protocolos Facultativos y otros instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos;", "b) Analizar las actividades y los efectos de las iniciativas sobre la responsabilidad social de las empresas;", "c) Asegurar que los niños puedan ejercer su derecho a ser oídos en los asuntos que les conciernen y en la definición de las cuestiones relacionadas con sus derechos, y dar a conocer ampliamente la disponibilidad de recursos y medios de reparación eficaces, incluida la posibilidad de presentar individualmente denuncias por violaciones de los derechos del niño;", "d) Asegurar que los principios y las disposiciones de los instrumentos internacionales y regionales sobre los derechos del niño que han sido ratificados sean ampliamente conocidos y comprendidos, en particular por los gobiernos, los organismos públicos, la sociedad civil y el público en general, incluidos los niños;", "e) Examinar e informar sobre las actividades gubernamentales en materia de aplicación y de supervisión de la situación de los derechos del niño, en particular asegurando que las estadísticas y otros datos sean recopilados, desglosados adecuadamente, procesados, analizados y compartidos;", "f) Hacer contribuciones independientes al proceso de presentación de informes sobre los derechos del niño a los órganos creados en virtud de tratados internacionales;", "g) Realizar una supervisión independiente, rigurosa y periódica, para determinar los progresos alcanzados y los retos pendientes.", "8. Efectividad de la responsabilidad social de las empresas", "68. El compromiso y la implicación de las empresas ha aumentado considerablemente, y están en marcha un gran número de iniciativas sobre la responsabilidad social empresarial. Aunque algunos Estados han promulgado leyes sobre la responsabilidad y la rendición de cuentas de los proveedores de acceso a Internet, las empresas de telecomunicaciones y los bancos, la participación en la mayoría de las iniciativas de responsabilidad social empresarial sigue siendo voluntaria.", "69. Un número importante de empresas han adoptado códigos de conducta con el propósito de cumplir las normas jurídicas internacionales. Además, han apoyado, en asociación con gobiernos y organizaciones no gubernamentales, campañas de información y sensibilización y programas de protección de la infancia.", "70. Se han elaborado numerosos principios y directrices, entre ellos los siguientes:", "a) La Iniciativa del Pacto Mundial de las Naciones Unidas, que es un conjunto de políticas y prácticas mediante las cuales se procura el apoyo de empresas asociadas a fin de incorporar diez principios, centrados en los derechos humanos, los derechos laborales, la sostenibilidad ambiental y las medidas destinadas a luchar contra la corrupción;", "b) El Código de Conducta para la protección de los niños frente a la explotación sexual en el turismo y la industria de viajes[5], que tiene por objeto prevenir la explotación sexual de los niños en los destinos turísticos mediante los esfuerzos de los operadores turísticos y miembros de organizaciones coordinadoras (agentes de viajes, hoteles, aerolíneas, etc.) que apoyan el Código;", "c) Las directrices destinadas al sector de la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones, relativas a la protección de la infancia en línea[6], que establecen normas estrictas para proteger a los niños ante los abusos y defender sus derechos en el contexto del sector de la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones, las emisoras, los operadores de telefonía móvil y los proveedores de acceso a Internet;", "d) Las directrices y los principios sobre la información acerca de cuestiones que afectan a los niños[7], elaborados por la Federación Internacional de Periodistas, que alienta a las organizaciones de medios de comunicación a considerar como cuestiones importantes para la investigación y el debate público las violaciones de los derechos del niño y las cuestiones relacionadas con la seguridad, la intimidad, la protección, la educación, la salud y el bienestar social de los niños, así como toda forma de explotación.", "71. No obstante, aunque varias iniciativas excelentes brindan orientación a las empresas sobre la cuestión de la protección de los niños, no existe actualmente un conjunto general de principios que sirvan para poner en contexto esa orientación dentro de un marco general y coherente destinado a las empresas y las partes interesadas, a fin de que éstas sepan lo que tienen que hacer para respetar y apoyar los derechos del niño.", "72. Con ese fin, en junio de 2010, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, la Iniciativa del Pacto Mundial y Save the Children iniciaron un proceso para elaborar un conjunto de principios que describirían toda la gama de medidas que las empresas podrían adoptar para respetar y apoyar los derechos del niño, promover el compromiso de los gobiernos con las empresas en lo tocante a los derechos del niño, ofrecer un marco unificador para iniciativas actuales o futuras, promover la colaboración entre las empresas y entre estas y otras partes interesadas, y crear conciencia sobre los efectos positivos y negativos que las empresas tienen en los niños. Esos principios, que se ultimarán en noviembre de 2011, también serán un llamado a la acción en lo que respecta a la cuestión de las empresas y los niños.", "73. Con el fin de incorporar disposiciones relativas a la prevención de la venta de niños y la participación de niños en la prostitución y la pornografía, en las iniciativas existentes o futuras en materia de responsabilidad social de las empresas en los sectores del turismo, los viajes, el transporte, la agricultura, los servicios financieros, las comunicaciones, los medios de información, los servicios de Internet, los sectores de la publicidad y del espectáculo, entre otros, se deben adoptar medidas para:", "a) Alentar, ampliar, armonizar y compartir información sobre las iniciativas y las prácticas existentes;", "b) Adoptar instrumentos de responsabilidad social de las empresas en toda la cadena de suministro, y aumentar la concienciación de todas las personas (empleados y empleadores) e impartirles capacitación;", "c) Asegurar que las políticas de responsabilidad social de las empresas se apliquen adecuadamente y de que se lleven a cabo actividades y campañas generalizadas de sensibilización, dirigidas a los niños, los padres y las comunidades, incluso mediante la utilización de sus recursos humanos, financieros y de conocimientos especializados, redes, estructuras y poder de movilización;", "d) Respetar las normas internacionales del trabajo en empresas que prohíben el empleo de niños de manera que dé lugar a explotación, garantizar condiciones de trabajo dignas y prestar apoyo a las mujeres y los hombres que trabajan para que desempeñen sus funciones como padres o cuidadores, y cumplir las prácticas de funcionamiento éticas en lo tocante a la rendición de cuentas, la transparencia, el respeto por el estado de derecho y el pago de impuestos justos para generar ingresos que sirvan para el crecimiento económico y la reducción de la pobreza;", "e) Proteger a los niños contra la explotación sexual en línea, en particular mediante la restricción del acceso a contenidos nocivos o ilícitos, mediante programas de filtrado, bloqueo y vigilancia; la utilización de instrumentos que permitan que los padres y cuidadores controlen el contenido al que acceden los usuarios; brindar a los niños y a sus padres información e instrumentos fáciles de usar; poner fin a la utilización de Internet y de las nuevas tecnologías para la captación de niños y la posterior perpetración de abusos, en línea o de otra manera; la comunicación a la policía de contenidos ofensivos; el establecimiento de líneas directas accesibles, sea telefónicas o basadas en Internet; y la adopción de medidas para detectar y poner fin al flujo de transacciones financieras para la explotación de niños mediante los servicios de instituciones financieras;", "f) Proteger a los niños contra el turismo sexual mediante la adopción de políticas éticas en relación con la explotación sexual comercial de los niños; la capacitación del personal en los países de origen y los lugares de destino de los viajes; la comunicación de información a los viajeros en catálogos, folletos, películas y anuncios proyectados durante el viaje, sitios web, billetes de viaje, etc.; y la comunicación de información a personas clave en los lugares de destino;", "g) Fortalecer los esfuerzos de las comunidades y los gobiernos encaminados a respetar los derechos del niño mediante la prestación de apoyo a los servicios destinados a los niños víctimas o en situación de riesgo y sus familias, y las campañas educativas y de sensibilización dirigidas a los niños, los padres, los maestros, las organizaciones juveniles y otras entidades que trabajan con los niños o para ellos, en lo tocante a la vulnerabilidad de los niños ante la explotación, la utilización de Internet, los teléfonos móviles y otras nuevas tecnologías con fines de explotación sexual, y otras medidas de protección;", "h) Asegurar la supervisión eficaz de los mecanismos y actividades de responsabilidad social de las empresas e informar sobre ello a las partes interesadas.", "9. Cooperación internacional eficaz", "74. La venta y la explotación sexual de los niños se han convertido cada vez más en un fenómeno internacional debido al desarrollo de las tecnologías de la información, las redes de traficantes, el turismo y las migraciones. En consecuencia, es prácticamente imposible hacer frente a estos delitos de forma adecuada sin contar con redes sólidas, a nivel regional e internacional, destinadas a promover la coordinación y la cooperación. Esta cooperación debe facilitar el intercambio de información y de conocimientos especializados, el intercambio y la armonización de las prácticas y la prestación de apoyo técnico y financiero.", "75. Aunque se han adoptado numerosas medidas transnacionales, en particular la cooperación entre los servicios de policía, para facilitar el intercambio de información y de conocimientos especializados, así como el apoyo técnico y financiero a los países en desarrollo, la cooperación internacional, en particular la cooperación Norte-Sur sigue siendo escasa. Algunos métodos de investigación (por ejemplo, los análisis de imágenes de material pornográfico en línea que involucre a niños) requieren inversiones importantes en conocimientos técnicos y una tecnología informática sofisticada que los países en desarrollo no pueden permitirse. Por ese motivo, el apoyo humano, técnico y financiero es esencial para asegurar una respuesta mundial eficaz a estos problemas.", "76. Las diferencias entre las legislaciones, la falta de armonización de los procedimientos y sistemas de información y la carencia de voluntad política por parte de algunos Estados para cooperar en investigaciones y enjuiciamientos constituyen un problema importante que obstaculiza una cooperación eficaz, tanto en el ámbito regional como en el internacional.", "77. A fin de asegurar una cooperación internacional sostenible y eficaz destinada a prevenir y combatir efectivamente la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, es necesario adoptar las medidas siguientes:", "a) Examinar los progresos alcanzados y fortalecer las actividades de seguimiento sobre la aplicación de los acuerdos multilaterales, regionales y bilaterales existentes para la prevención, detección, investigación, enjuiciamiento y castigo de los delincuentes y para prestar ayuda a los niños víctimas a los fines de su recuperación física y psicológica, su reinserción social y, en su caso, su repatriación;", "b) Ampliar y fortalecer los acuerdos multilaterales, regionales y bilaterales mediante la clara definición de las obligaciones y las contribuciones de cada parte, objetivos con plazos definidos e indicadores de seguimiento;", "c) Apoyar y colaborar con la base de datos internacional de imágenes sobre abusos infantiles de la Organización Internacional de Policía Criminal (INTERPOL) y designar un coordinador nacional (una persona o una entidad) para recopilar y actualizar rápidamente los datos nacionales sobre la explotación sexual de niños y adolescentes. La información se debe compartir sistemáticamente con la INTERPOL a fin de alentar la adopción de medidas transfronterizas de aplicación de la ley, fortalecer la eficacia de esas medidas y adoptar acuerdos multilaterales, especialmente respecto de la labor de investigación llevada a cabo por las fuerzas de policía;", "d) Mejorar la cooperación Norte-Sur y Sur-Sur, en particular mediante el intercambio de información y de conocimientos especializados, el intercambio y la armonización de prácticas e instrumentos y la prestación de asistencia técnica y apoyo logístico y financiero a los programas destinados a los niños y gestionados por el sector público y las organizaciones no gubernamentales, así como a las iniciativas juveniles;", "e) Elaborar, cuando proceda y en cooperación con el sector privado, políticas y programas que promuevan y apoyen la responsabilidad social empresarial, con el apoyo de los organismos de las Naciones Unidas, organizaciones no gubernamentales, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y organizaciones de trabajadores y de empleadores;", "f) Establecer mecanismos de seguimiento a fin de evaluar la eficacia de la cooperación.", "III. Conclusiones: proceso de aplicación", "78. La aplicación eficaz de los sistemas de protección del niño basados en derechos requiere:", "a) La firme voluntad política de los gobiernos, respaldada mediante la asignación de recursos suficientes;", "b) El compromiso pleno de todos los actores con un enfoque de programación basado en los derechos del niño y los principios pertinentes;", "c) La cooperación concertada y eficaz a nivel nacional, regional e internacional, dadas las dimensiones multisectoriales e intersectoriales de la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía.", "Nivel nacional", "79. Con el fin de prevenir y combatir eficazmente la venta, la trata y la explotación de niños, incluida la explotación sexual, se deben elaborar sistemas de protección del niño integrales, debidamente estructurados y financiados, en el marco de un plan de acción global y coherente (o integrado en planes de desarrollo existentes); esos sistemas deben incluir leyes, políticas multisectoriales y programas específicos que identifiquen con claridad a los principales agentes, sus funciones y responsabilidades, las actividades de seguimiento y las de evaluación y supervisión periódicas. Los planes de acción nacionales deben estar descentralizados y desarrollados a nivel local.", "80. La aplicación de sistemas de protección del niño requieren estudios y evaluaciones integrales, de conformidad con los principios y componentes pertinentes, con el fin de identificar las principales cuestiones relativas a la protección del niño y examinar el alcance y la capacidad de las leyes, políticas, estrategias y programas de protección infantil existentes, con inclusión de los mecanismos de protección infantil informales (por ejemplo, los que se basan en la autoridad tradicional y en la costumbre o en las organizaciones de base comunitaria).", "81. El proceso de determinación de las prioridades debe contar con la participación de todos los actores clave en materia de protección infantil (los sectores público y privado, las instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos y las organizaciones no gubernamentales), incluidos los niños y las comunidades, con el fin de:", "a) Tener una visión global del carácter multidimensional de la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía;", "b) Revisar todo el marco jurídico (civil, penal y reglamentario) para asegurar su cumplimiento de las normas sobre los derechos del niño y poner de manifiesto sus puntos fuertes y sus deficiencias;", "c) Señalar los principales riesgos a que hacen frente los niños, particularmente los más vulnerables;", "d) Dar prioridad a las necesidades de datos para supervisar y evaluar la protección del niño en el país y determinar la necesidad de datos adicionales sobre los temas menos evidentes;", "e) Identificar claramente a los principales actores y sus funciones y obligaciones en lo tocante a los derechos del niño;", "f) Evaluar la capacidad de las estructuras clave, formales e informales (ministerios, organismos, asociados, comunidades, iniciativas dirigidas por niños, etc.) para desarrollar, administrar, aplicar eficazmente y supervisar sus responsabilidades en materia de protección de la infancia;", "g) Evaluar la disponibilidad, accesibilidad y calidad de los programas, servicios y mecanismos existentes, así como su cumplimiento de las reglas y normas;", "h) Basarse en las prácticas más promisorias, con el fin de aprovecharlas y aumentar sus efectos;", "i) Evaluar los logros y los retos en lo tocante a la participación y el empoderamiento de los niños y los jóvenes;", "j) Identificar los aspectos positivos y las lagunas de los mecanismos institucionales de coordinación, evaluación y supervisión;", "k) Evaluar los puntos fuertes y las deficiencias en los acuerdos bilaterales y multilaterales concertados entre los gobiernos, así como las asociaciones existentes con el sector privado, los medios de comunicación, la sociedad civil y las organizaciones comunitarias y dirigidas por niños;", "l) Facilitar información clara sobre los recursos financieros y humanos asignados;", "m) Evaluar la eficacia de los mecanismos destinados a promover la rendición de cuentas de todos los responsables de obligaciones relativas a los derechos del niño.", "82. La identificación de prioridades y la evaluación contribuirán a que todos los actores involucrados en la protección de la infancia, con inclusión de los niños y las comunidades, puedan esbozar una futura política nacional que se ajuste a los instrumentos y normas relativos a los derechos del niño, y con ese fin se debe:", "a) Identificar y dar prioridad a las medidas destinadas a crear sistemas eficaces de protección de la infancia, dando cumplimiento a los principios y componentes descritos anteriormente;", "b) Establecer mecanismos eficaces de coordinación y rendición de cuentas mediante la reglamentación y supervisión eficaces de las normas de protección del niño en todos los niveles;", "c) Establecer un sistema de información centralizado, normalizado y fiable, haciendo así posible un mejor análisis de los datos y de las tendencias nuevas o de largo plazo, así como el intercambio de información entre las entidades pertinentes a nivel nacional;", "d) Determinar los recursos técnicos, financieros y humanos necesarios para aplicar esos sistemas de protección de la infancia;", "e) Adoptar una estrategia para movilizar recursos, en el marco de asociaciones con la sociedad civil, el sector privado, los medios de comunicación y organizaciones internacionales.", "83. Para asegurar la aplicación eficaz y la implicación de todas las partes interesadas, se deben adoptar las medidas siguientes:", "a) La movilización y la participación de todos los interesados, incluidos los niños y los jóvenes, en la totalidad del proceso (determinación de prioridades y evaluación, elaboración, aplicación, seguimiento y supervisión);", "b) La sensibilización del público y de los sectores privados, los dirigentes comunitarios, los niños y las organizaciones no gubernamentales, y la inclusión de las cuestiones pertinentes en el debate público a través de los medios de comunicación.", "84. Aunque algunos Estados han demostrado un firme compromiso con la mejora de los sistemas de protección de la infancia, su capacidad para actuar en algunos casos se ve obstaculizada por la inestabilidad política y la escasez de recursos. En esos casos, es esencial prestarles un apoyo sostenible mediante la cooperación firme y coordinada a nivel regional e internacional.", "Nivel internacional", "85. La aplicación de sistemas eficaces de protección de la infancia requiere la plena participación de todas las partes interesadas a nivel regional e internacional, como los gobiernos, las entidades de las Naciones Unidas y otros asociados de la comunidad internacional, el sector privado (las empresas multinacionales), los medios de comunicación y las organizaciones internacionales.", "86. En la Declaración y Plan de Acción de Río de Janeiro para prevenir y poner fin a la explotación de los niños y los adolescentes se recomendó el establecimiento de un marco general para 2013, con el fin de armonizar y facilitar la coordinación y cooperación a nivel nacional, regional e internacional, entre todas las partes interesadas pertinentes, con inclusión de las organizaciones dirigidas por niños, a fin de facilitar y apoyar medidas concretas destinadas a prevenir y poner fin a la explotación sexual de los niños y los adolescentes.", "87. En caso necesario, podrían prestar asistencia técnica a los Estados los organismos de las Naciones Unidas y los mecanismos de derechos humanos de la Organización, con el fin de brindar apoyo para la elaboración y aplicación de sistemas de protección de la infancia basados en derechos.", "88. La ratificación universal de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y su Protocolo Facultativo sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, y de todos los instrumentos internacionales y regionales pertinentes, es un requisito esencial para la elaboración de un marco internacional eficaz de protección de la infancia.", "[1] Sólo está disponible en francés, en www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11007&LangID=F.", "[2] Véase Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment Toolkit; se puede consultar en www.unicef.org/protection/index_54229.html.", "[3] Véase la Observación general núm. 5 (2003) sobre las medidas generales de aplicación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño (artículos 4 y 42 y párrafo 6 del artículo 44).", "[4] Desde 2006, la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) ha colaborado con los Estados, las instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos, las organizaciones no gubernamentales, los organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas y otros interesados para elaborar indicadores y un marco conceptual y metodológico. Mediante estos esfuerzos, el ACNUDH ha elaborado una guía práctica para ayudar a difundir y aplicar el marco conceptual y metodológico para la utilización de los indicadores.", "[5] El Código es una iniciativa conjunta de ECPAT International, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia y la Organización Mundial del Turismo.", "[6] Se pueden consultar en www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/guidelines/index.html.", "[7] Se pueden consultar en www.ifj.org/en/articles/childrens-rights-and-media-guidelines-and-principles-for-reporting-on-issues-involving-children." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Building rights-based and comprehensive national child protection systems to prevent and combat the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "Note by the Secretary-General", "* A/66/150.", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the members of the General Assembly, in accordance with resolution 65/197, the report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Najat Maalla M’jid.", "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "Summary", "The present report is being submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/197. It describes the activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the discharge of her mandate since her last report to the Assembly.", "The report is intended to be used as a working tool for effectively implementing the recommendations formulated since the beginning of the mandate by providing the guiding principles and essential components of a comprehensive rights-based child protection systems aimed at preventing and combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.", "Contents", "PageI.Working 3 methods and \nactivities A.Working 3 \nmethods \nB.Activities 3II.Building 4 rights-based and comprehensive national child protection systems to prevent and combat the sale of children, child prostitution and child \npornography \nA.Introduction 4B.Rights-based 5 child protection systems: general \nprinciples C.Rights-based 7 child protection systems: \ncomponents III.Conclusions: 25 implementation \nprocess", "I. Working methods and activities", "A. Working methods", "1. In its resolution 65/197, the General Assembly requested the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography to continue to submit reports to the Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken in the discharge of her mandate. The present report contains information on the activities undertaken from July 2010 to July 2011 and aims to serve as a guiding tool for the effective implementation of the recommendations formulated since the beginning of the mandate.", "B. Activities", "1. Human Rights Council", "2. The annual report of the Special Rapporteur submitted to the Human Rights Council at its sixteenth session (A/HRC/16/57 and Adds. 1-5 and Add.1/Corr.1) included the reports on her visits to the United Arab Emirates (12-18 October 2009), Senegal (21-30 October 2009), El Salvador (23-31 August 2010) and the United States of America (12-27 October 2010) and a summary of her communications to Governments and the replies she received between 16 June 2009 and 23 January 2011. As requested by the Council in its resolution 13/20, she also reported, jointly with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, to the Council at its sixteenth session on the subject of accessible and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence, including sexual violence and exploitation (A/HRC/16/56). The Special Rapporteur will submit her next annual report to the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth session, in March 2012.", "2. Country visits", "3. Since her last report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur has visited Mauritius (1-11 May 2011). The Special Rapporteur’s preliminary observations on that visit are contained in a press statement.[1] The Special Rapporteur will make an official visit to France in November 2011.", "3. Conferences, seminars and engagement with civil society", "4. The Special Rapporteur participated in numerous conferences and seminars during the period under review. In July 2010, she attended a regional conference in Dakar on children’s mobility in West and Central Africa. In September 2010, she participated in a meeting on a draft directive of the European Parliament on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. In September and October 2010, she organized consultations in the framework of preparations for the joint report on child-sensitive counselling and complaint and reporting mechanisms. In October 2010, she participated in a conference in Barcelona, Spain, on child mobility organized by the Global Movement for Children, the Generalitat de Catalunya (the autonomous regional government of Catalonia) and Save the Children United Kingdom. In November 2010, she attended a conference on improving the implementation and follow-up of the observations and views of treaty bodies, the recommendations of special procedures mandate holders and the outcomes of the universal periodic review, organized in Geneva by the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Brookings Institution (in the context of its foreign policy programme) and UPR Watch. In January 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in consultations on national action plans on the right to water and sanitation organized by the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. In March 2011, she participated in an event organized in parallel to the sixteenth session of the Council on children on the move in street situations. Also in March, she attended a regional workshop held in Brussels on follow-up to the outcomes of the universal periodic review and the recommendations of other human rights mechanisms. In May 2011, she participated in a symposium entitled “Migration and youth: harnessing opportunities for development”, organized in New York by the Global Migration Group. In June 2011, she participated in consultations on draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights organized by the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty and attended an expert seminar on discrimination on the basis of work and descent hosted by the independent expert on minority issues. In July 2011, she moderated a segment of the expert meeting on the legal framework required to prohibit, prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children co-organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the International NGO Advisory Council for follow-up to the study on violence against children of the Secretary-General.", "II. Building rights-based and comprehensive national child protection systems to prevent and combat the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "A. Introduction", "1. Context", "5. In her previous report, submitted to the General Assembly in 2010, the Special Rapporteur highlighted some of the achievements gained in combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (see A/65/221, sect. C). Nevertheless, many challenges remain with respect to gauging the full scope of these offences, preventing their occurrence, investigating and prosecuting offenders and providing effective protection to children who are victims, witnesses and at risk of being sold or of becoming the victims of prostitution and pornography.", "6. Serious challenges persist in spite of all the standards that exist at the international level (e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; the Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (Convention No. 182), of the International Labour Organization; and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime) and at the regional level (e.g. the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; the Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors; and the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse), and global commitments (e.g. the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action of 1996; the Millennium Development Goals; the Yokohama Global Commitment of 2001; and the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents of 2008).", "7. While interacting with relevant stakeholders (States, national human rights institutions, civil society and children) throughout her mandate, and particularly during her country visits, the Special Rapporteur has noted the need for further practical guidance on the effective implementation of those instruments, including the provisions of the Optional Protocol and the recommendations formulated by the Special Rapporteur in the context of thematic focus areas.", "2. Objective of the report", "8. By providing a detailed outline for the creation of comprehensive child protection systems, the present report seeks to provide a practical guiding tool that will assist all stakeholders in enhancing the effectiveness of activities for the protection and promotion of children’s rights.", "9. The report is based on the work carried out by the Special Rapporteur and her predecessors, including through country visits, and on reports and studies of United Nations human rights mechanisms and agencies and other regional and international organizations.", "B. Rights-based child protection systems: general principles", "10. Since taking up her functions in 2008, the Special Rapporteur has focused on the need for a holistic and comprehensive approach that is child-centred, in order to protect all children, without discrimination, from being sold and sexually exploited.", "11. The sale and sexual exploitation of children are fuelled by a number of interdependent factors stemming not only from the local or national context in which the child lives and was raised (political, legislative, cultural, environmental, socio-economic and institutional) but also from the global context (tourism, communications technology, the financial crisis, the food crisis and climate change). This multifaceted and complex context necessitates a response that incorporates an integrated approach with a view to putting in place, with the effective participation of children, genuinely local and national child protection systems.", "12. To that end, there must be a shift away from the fragmented child protection responses we frequently see towards the proactive development of comprehensive, sustainable and context-specific child protection systems. Concerted efforts must be made to establish a coordinated set of social norms, laws, policies, regulations and services, capacities and monitoring and oversight activities across all social sectors — especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice — to prevent and respond to child protection-related issues and risks (see figure below).[2]", "Figure", "[]", "13. In order to be functional and effective, child protection systems should:", "(a) Focus on the child and have, as their primary consideration, the promotion of the child’s best interests;", "(b) Be governed by comprehensive laws that are compliant with international standards and by national policies and regulations (establishing mandates, responsibilities, standards and systems of supervision to ensure compliance);", "(c) Include both formal and informal mechanisms (that rely, for example on a traditional and custom-based authority or on community-based organizations) and formalize their mandate through the law and government regulations;", "(d) Ensure that child-sensitive services are available at all levels and that such services are regulated by quality standards (implemented by knowledgeable, well-trained staff and with adequate resources) and accessible to all children without discrimination;", "(e) Integrate children’s views and experiences through their effective participation and inclusion;", "(f) Ensure that all providers of services to children and families (the public sector, civil society organizations) are held accountable through the effective regulation and monitoring, at all levels, of child protection standards.", "C. Rights-based child protection systems: components", "1. Clear normative and conceptual framework", "14. The starting point for any adequate response to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography must be the establishment of clear definitions of those phenomena in national legislation. This conceptual clarity is a sine qua non condition for avoiding legal gaps, ensuring the proper identification of child victims and promoting the effective implementation of the legislation.", "15. The effectiveness of child protection laws is often hampered by disparities and the use of imprecise definitions, which can lead to certain acts remaining unpunished, corruption, selective enforcement or, in extreme cases, a general culture of impunity.", "16. The Convention of the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol are fundamental tools for strengthening the protection of children and punishing offenders. They provide extremely useful definitions, thus allowing all stakeholders to share a common understanding and interpretation of the following terms:", "(a) A “child” is defined as “every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”. The same definition applies to the Optional Protocol. Some States define a child as an individual under the age of 18, while others take into account the age of criminal responsibility or the age of consent to sexual activity. These variations can create uncertainty in law enforcement;", "(b) The “sale of children” is defined as “any act or transaction whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another for remuneration or any other consideration”. The sale of children can occur for the following purposes: sexual exploitation, forced labour, the transfer of organs and illegal adoption;", "(c) “Child prostitution” is defined as “the use of a child in sexual activities for remuneration or any other form of consideration”. This includes offering, obtaining, procuring or providing a child for child prostitution. The phrase “any other form of consideration” means that child prostitution is taking place even when a child is being used in sexual activities in exchange for goods, services or favours such as food, lodging or drugs, not only in exchange for money;", "(d) “Child pornography” is defined as “any representation, by whatever means, of a child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes”. This definition refers to all activities undertaken for the purpose of producing, distributing, disseminating, importing, exporting, offering, selling or possessing child pornography. New developments in the use of communications technologies (blogs, mobile telephony and online social networks) demand the constant adaptation of conceptual and normative frameworks. The Council of Europe recently adopted the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which provides the most updated definitions and detailed standards in that regard. In addition to addressing the involvement of children in sexual abuse, prostitution and pornography, the Convention addresses the issues of “grooming” (the use of online technologies to solicit children for sexual purposes) and sex tourism.", "17. Despite clear definitions, the interpretation of concepts can be a difficult and challenging process, especially when definitions overlap. There are, for instance, various links between the sale of children, the trafficking in children, the forcing of children into labour and the recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.", "18. The trafficking in and sale of children are overlapping concepts, but they are not identical. Pursuant to article 35 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, States parties are required to take measures to prevent both the traffic in and sale of children.", "19. There is often confusion between sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, particularly when they occur within the family. In the context of the Optional Protocol, sexual exploitation covers the use, recruitment or offer of a child for purposes of prostitution or pornographic material or performances. Forced and early marriage can be considered a form of sale for the purpose of sexual exploitation. One manifestation of this is the offering of young girls as wives to men — often older men — in exchange for money.", "20. States parties to the Optional Protocol are specifically required to prohibit the sale of children for the purpose of engagement in forced labour. Pursuant to Convention No. 182 of the International Labour Organization, “the worst forms of child labour” include the “forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict”.", "21. The question is not, however, how to categorize these offences, but whether the responses to them, in terms of protecting children and punishing offenders, are adequate and comply with the provisions set out in the various international instruments to which States are parties.", "2. Reliable and regular information on the prevalence of and knowledge about the phenomenon", "22. The full extent to which the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography occur is difficult to assess because data are scarce and often unreliable. The culture of silence that surrounds these crimes due to fear, cultural taboos, shame and a lack of confidence in the justice system results in high levels of underreporting, exacerbating difficulties in collecting data.", "23. The establishment of a centralized, standardized and reliable information system is essential to an accurate understanding of the scope of these phenomena and is key to the establishment and resourcing of appropriate and effective prevention and response strategies. Standardization would make it possible to analyse data and emerging and long-term trends, and would provide relevant entities at the national level the opportunity to share information.", "24. A reliable information system should be based on the following principles:", "(a) A common understanding of the conceptual elements;", "(b) A rigorous method for the collection and processing of sufficient quantities of reliable data disaggregated by age, sex, location (urban or rural areas) and need for special protection.[3] Data collected should reflect different forms of exploitation, including the sale of and traffic in children for sexual and other exploitative purposes, such as forced labour, illegal organ transfer and illegal adoption;", "(c) The establishment of national indicators, particularly when data are supplemented with qualitative and quantitative research studies. Indicators can be essential evaluative tools to assess progress, identify remaining challenges and inform the development of further legislative, policy and programmatic measures;[4]", "(d) Awareness-raising among children, families and communities to combat stereotypes and cultural resistance that can contribute to underreporting and undermine the collection of relevant data;", "(e) Qualitative and quantitative surveys and research regarding both the prevalence of and knowledge about these phenomena;", "(f) Effective means of coordinating the intersectoral exchange of information within and between the regional and international levels;", "(g) The opportunity for children to have their views heard and taken into consideration in the processes of data collection and conducting of research, provided that appropriate safeguards are in place.", "3. Legal framework prohibiting, preventing and responding to all forms of sale and sexual exploitation of children", "25. Several international and regional instruments on the rights of children contain provisions and detailed standards that prohibit, prevent and respond to all forms of sale and sexual exploitation of children:", "(a) The Convention on the Rights of the Child promotes a comprehensive system for protecting children from violence and from sexual and other forms of exploitation (articles 34 and 35 specifically recognize the right of children to be protected from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, for any purpose or in any form);", "(b) The Optional Protocol requires States parties to prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, adapt legal and investigative procedures to the special needs of child victims, including as witnesses, provide support services, inform children of their rights, their role and the scope, timing and progress of proceedings, avoid unnecessary delay, allow the views, needs and concerns of children to be presented and considered, uphold their right to privacy and protect them against intimidation and retaliation. In addition, the Optional Protocol provides for the best interests of the child to be a primary consideration in the treatment of victims in the criminal justice system and for the persons who work with victims to receive appropriate training;", "(c) Other international and regional child rights instruments complement the Convention and the Optional Protocol and outline useful and detailed standards with a view to prohibiting, preventing and responding to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, thus emphasizing the indivisibility and interdependence of rights.", "Guiding principles", "26. National legal frameworks (civil and penal) should be harmonized with ratified international instruments. They should be accompanied by binding measures and mechanisms inscribed into a comprehensive legal framework that forms part of a comprehensive child protection strategy.", "27. Comprehensive legal frameworks that embrace both civil and penal laws and cover prohibition, prosecution, protection, care, assistance and prevention should include the specific provisions set out in paragraphs 28 to 31 below.", "28. With regard to prohibition, comprehensive legal frameworks should:", "(a) Define, prohibit and criminalize, in accordance with existing international human rights standards, all the offences covered in the Optional Protocol (including the new forms of sexual exploitation committed through the use of information technology and social networks, among others) and set minimum penalties that reflect the gravity of the crimes;", "(b) Establish an age limit of 18 years for defining a person as a child in relation to offences covered in the Optional Protocol, prevent the criminalization of a person under this age limit for offences covered in the Optional Protocol and recognize that the consent of a child is not relevant, even in cases when the adult is unaware of the child’s age;", "(c) Establish 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys, with a prohibition on the procurement, offering, conducting of or forcing into an under-age marriage;", "(d) Establish extraterritorial jurisdiction, abolish the requirement of double criminality for these offences and facilitate mutual legal assistance in order to secure the effective prosecution of perpetrators and the implementation of appropriate sanctions while making all acts related to the sale and sexual exploitation of children extraditable offences in existing or newly established extradition treaties;", "(e) Introduce criminal investigations and the initiation of proceedings (a number of provisions would need to be invoked to assist in the investigation of offences and the pressing of charges in cases where the child victim or another person on her or his behalf does not file a report);", "(f) Address corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary, as well as other authorities, with a view to caring for children, recognizing that corruption is a major obstacle to the effective enforcement of the law and the protection of children.", "29. With regard to reporting, comprehensive legal frameworks should:", "(a) Ensure that it is mandatory for professionals working with children to report instances where there is a suspicion or a risk of children being sold or sexually exploited. The obligation to report should be included in the codes of conduct and regulations of professional associations and in all institutions and agencies that regularly work with children at risk, including schools, residential and institutional facilities, medical services and law enforcement bodies;", "(b) Ensure that Internet service providers, mobile telephone companies, search engines, Internet cafes and others are legally required to report any case of child pornography to the police, block access to offending websites and keep records, in accordance with established standards, for the purpose of investigation and prosecution. Similarly, financial institutions should be legally required to report, block and impede the functioning of financial mechanisms that make child pornography websites possible;", "(c) Establish child-sensitive complaint, counselling and reporting mechanisms (see below).", "30. With regard to protection, care and child-friendly procedures, comprehensive legal frameworks should:", "(a) Empower the authorities concerned to intervene in situations of emergency and remove children from such situations if necessary;", "(b) Provide child victims, witnesses and their families with adequate care, assistance and psychosocial support (including family support if needed) to ensure the full recovery and social reintegration of child victims;", "(c) Ensure that child victims have access to child-sensitive information about their rights and relevant procedures, including for seeking compensation for damages, and that they exercise their right to be heard and listened to;", "(d) Protect the privacy and well-being of child victims and witnesses at all stages of the criminal justice process (i.e. during identification, investigation, prosecution, punishment and extradition proceedings), including by ensuring that children are not subjected to fines, imprisonment or other punitive action;", "(e) Ensure that children do not suffer from hardship and revictimization as a result of participating in criminal proceedings by limiting the number of interviews they are involved in, using video recordings and secure rooms, and providing legal aid or a special representative;", "(f) Ensure free and easy access to legal remedies;", "(g) Ensure prompt responses in the treatment of cases;", "(h) Grant compensation to child victims and enforce the payment of such compensation, as necessary.", "31. With regard to prevention, comprehensive legal frameworks should:", "(a) Ensure children’s birth is registered. A birth record, because it certifies a child’s age, allows appropriate legal steps to be taken to ensure the protection of the child and the punishment of the offender. Children whose birth has been registered are less likely to be sold or illegally adopted, in part because they have proof of who their parents are;", "(b) Develop and implement strict international and national adoption laws foreseeing: (i) adoption as a last resort; (ii) the identification of suitable measures, which include the placement of children with their biological or extended family; (iii) preference for national adoption over international adoption; and (iv) the obligation to conduct compatibility studies between the adoptive family and a child given up for adoption, keeping in mind the best interests of the child, with a view to avoiding the sale of children for illegal adoption;", "(c) Ensure that vulnerable children have an adequate standard of living, free access to health care and services, education and social security, and that their parents receive the necessary support;", "(d) Establish specific legal mechanisms and programmes for preventing recidivism among sex offenders and forbidding sex offenders from carrying out activities with children, including the collection and sharing of good practices and the establishment, where appropriate, of registers of sex offenders.", "32. In order to ensure the effective implementation and ownership by all the stakeholders of this comprehensive legal framework, the following actions should be undertaken, in conjunction with the enforcement of legislation:", "(a) Involvement of all stakeholders, including children and youths, in the development of the legal framework from the earliest stage of the process;", "(b) Launch of awareness-raising and advocacy initiatives among communities, children and youths, ensuring that relevant issues are included in the public debate through the media, civil society and policymakers;", "(c) Widespread dissemination, in a way that is user-friendly and appropriate, of information regarding legislation and procedures;", "(d) Adequate training of judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, teachers, social workers and other professionals regarding the rights, needs and best interests of the child;", "(e) Provision of adequate resources to implement all measures, programmes and policies;", "(f) Fostering transnational cooperation at regional and international levels, which is necessary owing to the mobility of children and offenders and the widespread use of new technologies.", "4. Early identification, effective protection, care and follow-up of child victims", "33. To ensure the effective identification, care, assistance and follow-up of child victims, precise and adaptable protocols must be developed and implemented with the participation of all those involved in child protection. Such protocols should clarify the steps that need to be taken (from the early identification of children who have been sold or become victims of prostitution or pornography to the full recovery and social integration of such children) and the role and responsibilities of each actor, thereby allowing for better coordination and information-sharing.", "Early identification", "34. It is crucial that children who have been sold or become victims of prostitution or pornography be identified early. Identification can be an effective means of protecting child victims and children at risk of becoming victimized or revictimized, while also ensuring that they are not unjustly treated as offenders.", "35. Furthermore, identification can play a key role in the creation and implementation of targeted prevention strategies and response measures to address existing protection gaps.", "36. Methods used to identify child victims must enable professionals to distinguish whether a child who was sold was victimized for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labour, begging, illegal adoption or the transfer of organs. Professionals must also be able to determine whether a child was a victim of prostitution, including in the context of sex tourism, or of child pornography, including online pornography and grooming.", "37. An essential component of the identification process is the establishment and implementation of appropriate procedures, including child-focused or child-friendly reporting and complaints mechanisms.", "38. Any processes that enable the identification of child victims must be carried out in compliance with the principles outlined above and with standards that require the following:", "(a) Respect for children’s right to dignity and to having their views heard and taken into account in a safe and reassuring environment;", "(b) Ensuring children’s right to be informed quickly and in an accessible language or format about all the options, procedures, protective measures and services available to them;", "(c) Providing children with appropriate professional support, including to address the various physical, psychological and social consequences of submitting a complaint;", "(d) Treating the information obtained at all stages confidentially, upholding the rights of children, including the right to privacy, and preventing the inappropriate dissemination of information that could lead to the identification of child victims;", "(e) Guaranteeing the safety of child victims, their families and witnesses by protecting them from any risk of harm, intimidation, reprisal or revictimization;", "(f) Incorporating age assessment processes that consider both the physical appearance and psychological maturity of the individual and that are carried out in a safe, child- and gender-sensitive and fair manner by trained professionals, avoiding any risk of violation of the physical integrity of the child;", "(g) Incorporating measures that protect against overreporting and revictimization;", "(h) Ensuring that all processes are adequately resourced;", "(i) Ensuring that all processes are subject to regular and systematic monitoring to determine whether they are child-friendly; such monitoring should include safeguarded consultations with the children who have availed themselves of the processes.", "Easy access to child-sensitive complaints and reporting mechanisms", "39. It is equally imperative that all children have easy and facilitated access to independent, child-sensitive, timely and effective complaints and reporting mechanisms (see also A/HRC/16/56). Such mechanisms should meet the following criteria:", "(a) Be established by law and in conformity with international human rights instruments;", "(b) Be guided by the best interests of the child and informed by children’s experiences and perspectives;", "(c) Maintain strict confidentiality during proceedings and related processes and respect the right of the child to privacy;", "(d) Be actively and thoroughly publicized and made widely available to children and adults, including those acting on behalf of children;", "(e) Be accessible to all children under the jurisdiction of the State, without discrimination of any kind, while being age appropriate and gender-sensitive and granting special protection to children at risk;", "(f) Enable very young children and marginalized groups of children (unaccompanied or separated children, street children, children who do not speak the language of the dominant culture, children with disabilities etc.), who are more vulnerable, to have the same opportunities to communicate about actual or potential violations;", "(g) Be accessible throughout the country through an easy-to-remember three-digit, toll-free, 24-hour hotline. Hotlines should provide practical aid and support to child victims in all the local languages and the languages of neighbouring countries and be connected with and able to contact relevant authorities when necessary;", "(h) Guarantee the safety of children, including through measures to avoid any risk of harm, intimidation, reprisal or revictimization;", "(i) Promptly and efficiently take and communicate decisions to avoid adverse consequences to those concerned, and be followed-up as deemed appropriate;", "(j) Be adequately resourced financially, professionally and technically;", "(k) Regularly undergo systematic monitoring to determine whether they are child-friendly; such monitoring should include safeguarded consultations with children who have availed themselves of the processes.", "Multidisciplinary protection, care and assistance", "40. Once a child victim has been identified, steps must be taken immediately to contact the relevant law enforcement and/or social service authorities to begin the process of securing appropriate care and assistance for the well-being of the child. When possible, child victims must be urgently removed from harmful situations and placed in a secure and supportive environment that will provide the necessary educational, health-care, recovery and rehabilitative support.", "41. Bearing in mind the serious physical, psychological and emotional consequences of crime and victimization for victims and witnesses, children (and their families) must have access to professional and coordinated assistance and support, including financial aid, free legal assistance, counselling, health and medical care and educational services, as well as psychosocial recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration services.", "42. The most effective responses are multidisciplinary and take into account the various types of short-, mid- and long-term care and assistance that child victims require for their full recovery and reintegration. True efficacy requires that responses be:", "(a) Part of a comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan;", "(b) Available to the child and her or his family;", "(c) Child- and culturally-sensitive, taking into account gender, ethnicity and disability and other factors that may heighten a child’s vulnerability;", "(d) Equipped to provide special and prompt protection and assistance to child victims and witnesses; such assistance should be appropriate to the age, level of maturity and unique needs of the child in order to prevent further hardship and trauma;", "(e) Able to offer safe and child-friendly alternative or residential care that accommodates the basic needs of child victims, is governed by child protection norms and standards and is subject to regular monitoring. To that end, it is essential to establish minimum standards for alternative and residential care. All registered centres must be required to submit monthly reports on the arrival and departure of children and details related to their care and transfer;", "(f) Connected to an effective referral system that incorporates the obligation to investigate situations that place children at risk in order to enable the appropriate authorities to carry out interventions;", "(g) Staffed by professionals who are well trained, employ a collaborative and integrated approach, have the requisite knowledge and skills and are guided by child rights standards and ethical principles in counselling and support (including in relation to reporting and complaint mechanisms and to recovery and reintegration programmes);", "(h) Undertaken in an environment that supports the health, self-respect and dignity of the child and, in particular, promotes the complete physical and psychological recovery and social integration of all child victims;", "(i) Supported by adequate human, technical and financial resources.", "Regular follow-up of children", "43. To ensure that child victims receive appropriate assistance for their full social reintegration and physical and psychological recovery, follow-up measures must:", "(a) Provide appropriate mental health services for children, adolescents and adults;", "(b) Favour family- or community-based environments over institutional or residential care for the long-term living arrangements of child victims, in accordance with the best interests of the child;", "(c) Make available family support and counselling for children living in alternative forms of care, including those provided by foster families and other caregivers, to fully support children through all stages of their recovery process;", "(d) Appoint a guardian for children who have been repatriated to their country of origin to ensure they receive long-term care and protection;", "(e) Ensure that in cases where victims seek compensation for damages from those legally responsible for a violation, reparation mechanisms take into account the long-term reintegration, psychosocial and physical issues that victims might face;", "(f) Follow up regularly until the child’s full recovery is achieved.", "5. Effective and comprehensive preventive measures", "44. Despite widespread recognition that investing in prevention is one of the main ways to safeguard the rights of children and combat all forms of violence perpetrated against children, including exploitation, the many preventive measures currently taken by various stakeholders are mainly reactive and insufficiently effective.", "45. Because of the multifaceted nature and complexity of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, preventing the victimization of children requires the adoption of effective preventive measures that are developed in the framework of a comprehensive child rights system and involve all relevant stakeholders, including children, families and communities.", "Guiding principles", "46. To be effective, preventive measures should form the core component of national child protection systems and be anchored in child-rights laws and policies.", "47. Preventive measures should be implemented more proactively by adopting a strong preventive and prohibitive legal framework (see paras. 25-32 above) and mainstreaming strategies aimed at growth and poverty reduction, such as the Millennium Development Goals, into broader national policy frameworks with a view to minimizing the risk of children being sold and sexually exploited and implementing a vulnerability risk assessment framework that would enable professionals to determine when a child is in a situation requiring intervention and when he or she requires support, as well as to determine which type of action is most appropriate given the child’s needs.", "48. Preventive measures should address critical socio-economic factors by:", "(a) Ensuring that all children are immediately registered for free at birth and that special attention is paid to children who have not yet been registered, children at risk and children in marginalized situations;", "(b) Ensuring the availability of and access to socio-economic services, beginning with adequate food, housing, education and health care, for children at risk and their families, enabling them to live a life of dignity;", "(c) Providing single mothers (particularly adolescent girls) with support through social welfare systems that offer a full range of alternative care services and assistance within child protection systems;", "(d) Ensuring that all preventive measures are known, available and accessible to the most vulnerable and marginalized children.", "49. Preventive measures must include steps to promote sustainable education and awareness-raising, including by:", "(a) Conducting awareness-raising and educational campaigns in schools, communities, rural and remote communities and making use of all forms of media, information and communications technologies, including social networking tools. Effective campaigns should be developed collaboratively by professionals from different disciplines and others working with children and must be adequately resourced;", "(b) Involving community and religious leaders with a view to using their moral authority, social influence and leadership to guide communities in protecting children against all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation;", "(c) Informing children, their families and others working with children about the availability of complaints mechanisms and child-friendly complaint, reporting and counselling services, including hotlines, if a child has been or is at risk of being victimized in any way;", "(d) Making available in schools sex education programmes that provide information on healthy sexual development, safe sex and reproduction, and emphasize gender equality, self-respect, empowerment and respect for others. In the absence of such programmes, the proliferation of images and videos through information and communications technologies may shape children’s first ideas about sexuality and sexual behaviour, increasing the risk that they will reproduce while still young or become victims of abusive behaviour;", "(e) Undertaking partnerships with print and electronic media and the private sector (particularly in the areas of tourism and information technology) to disseminate information and launch campaigns designed to raise awareness about the rights of children, laws that prohibit and seek to combat all forms of violations, the increased risks faced by many children and certain behaviours that may indicate predatory activity taking place in a community or online. Information and communications technologies, including social networking tools, should be utilized fully to reach as many children as possible.", "50. Preventive measures should include steps to fund and conduct shared research on the national and transnational demand for services that exploit children and analyses of the specific context in which harmful and discriminatory social norms (practices, behaviours, attitudes) take place. Such research and analyses would be used to inform laws and policies.", "51. Preventive measures must encourage and facilitate child participation and empowerment. That can be done by encouraging and supporting child-led initiatives in all preventive measures and by supporting children in gaining broader knowledge about their rights and the options available to them to address abuse so that they are empowered and able to protect themselves and other children.", "6. Child participation and empowerment", "Child participation", "52. Children are not only victims or vulnerable: they can and should actively take part in finding solutions. Child participation is based on the right of each child to express her or his views and to have those views taken into consideration in all matters that directly or indirectly concern her or his life, with the objective of influencing decision-making and achieving change.", "53. Child participation also refers to a way of working that gives children, including those most marginalized and those of different ages and abilities, the opportunity to participate on an informed and willing basis.", "54. Finally, child participation is essential to a child-rights approach. As such, it must be implemented in all areas, programmes, policies and other relevant actions, from homes to Governments and from the local to the international level.", "55. Responsibility for ensuring the participation of children is broadly shared by local governments and authorities, people who work directly with or on behalf of children, parliaments and legislatures, non-governmental organizations and civil society, independent national human rights institutions, the private sector and corporate entities, religious, spiritual, cultural and indigenous leaders, and regional and international organizations and multilateral agencies. The mass media also has an important role to play in communicating the value of children’s participation for all children, families and wider society.", "56. Adapting practical measures that give children increasing responsibilities in accordance with their age and development, known as the principle of evolving capacities, is closely connected with the right of the child to be heard. Giving full effect to that principle is recognized as a challenging exercise owing to the difficulty that many adults have in accepting the capacities of a child to understand, communicate and make informed choices during important decision-making processes.", "Guiding principles", "57. Child participation mechanisms must operate in compliance with internationally recognized standards and ensure the following:", "(a) Availability of and access to well-publicized information in local languages and different formats (for children with disabilities) that is suitable for children of different ages, including the very young, and at different stages of maturity;", "(b) Voluntary and informed participation of child and youth representatives;", "(c) Institutionalization of mechanisms for the participation, without discrimination, of all children, such as children’s parliaments, youth forums, councils and committees at the national, regional and municipal levels;", "(d) Establishment and maintenance of a child-friendly and enabling environment that ensures the protection and safety of children;", "(e) Equality of opportunity and guaranteed participation of children from vulnerable and marginalized at-risk groups, including children with disabilities and those living in extreme poverty, in rural and remote areas, within alternative care settings or living and/or working on the streets, taking care to avoid the representation of only children from privileged backgrounds;", "(f) Establishment of and adherence to ethical standards and child rights principles that include transparency and accountability;", "(g) Presence of effective, professionally trained, qualified and confident staff and support personnel;", "(h) Incorporation of regular and independent monitoring of the quality, permanence, accountability and follow-up activities of the mechanisms and the practices they give rise to.", "58. Children’s participation must be systematized in all monitoring activities: children must have the opportunity to provide feedback on processes and make suggestions for possible improvements, thus ensuring that their views are taken into consideration. In addition, children must be provided with child-friendly and accessible feedback on their participation through immediate and clear statements on the impact and value of their contributions, the decisions they have taken and next steps. This enables children to understand the outcome and use of their contributions.", "Child empowerment", "59. To enable children to be part of efforts to effectively combat the sale of children and all forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation and forced labour, children must be empowered to fight for their own protection and that of their peers. There are currently countless child-led organizations and networks around the world dealing with major issues of concern such as human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour and street children.", "Guiding principles", "60. Child-led organizations and peer-to-peer initiatives must operate in compliance with the guiding principles and standards related to child participation set out above. Governments should encourage and support child-led organizations and initiatives (peer-to-peer initiatives and youth-led research) by:", "(a) Providing technical, material and logistical support to enable children to develop and carry out their activities;", "(b) Ensuring the enhanced recovery and skill-development of any child victim participating in such initiatives;", "(c) Developing structures and protective frameworks that enable victims and at-risk children to carry out activities in a secure and supportive environment;", "(d) Involving children in decision-making processes related to all matters of concern to children and youth.", "7. Regular and effective monitoring and assessment", "61. A wide variety of national, regional and international efforts have been made around the world to prevent and combat violations of the rights of the child. While such efforts represent an important first step, weak or absent centralized information systems and monitoring mechanisms make it extremely difficult to evaluate and measure changes in the situation of children and the impact of any action taken or to make evidence-based decisions for future action.", "62. In the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, the participants in the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 25 to 28 November 2008, recommended the establishment by 2013 of independent institutions for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, taking into account general comment No. 2 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The objective of such independent institutions is to ensure the protection of children, the restitution of their rights, independent monitoring of the strategies and policies being implemented, advocacy for strengthening legal frameworks and the availability of and accessibility to appropriate legal remedies, including the possibility of filing complaints.", "Assessment and monitoring of national child protection policies, strategies and programmes", "63. Monitoring is one of the key measures needed for the effective implementation of protection systems, making it possible to review progress made and identify existing challenges and proposals regarding remedial actions. Monitoring can therefore also serve a preventive function.", "64. The expansion and strengthening of mechanisms for monitoring and assessing policies and programmes must be done in accordance with the following principles and standards:", "(a) Monitoring should include a review of steps taken, progress achieved and possible impediments faced in the implementation of political commitments that have been undertaken; periodic reports should be made to parliament and the general public;", "(b) Multisectoral and collaborative efforts should be encouraged between the Government, the parliament, the public administration, child protection networks, civil society (including children, families and the general public), community-based organizations, the media and the private sector;", "(c) Monitoring processes should be standardized, yet remain flexible enough that they can be adapted and applied to specific contexts;", "(d) Accountability in budget allocation and use must be developed and monitored;", "(e) Attention should be paid to the implementation of relevant recommendations that have been adopted or issued by international and regional bodies and mechanisms (treaty bodies, special procedures mandate holders, the universal periodic review and regional and national human rights institutions);", "(f) Every context requires a comprehensive and reliable national data collection system to ensure that accurate information is available and to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of systems, services, programmes and outcomes so that appropriate responses can be developed;", "(g) Evaluation should ideally be based on universally recognized, locally adapted and evidence-based indicators.", "Independent monitoring mechanisms", "65. Several kinds of independent monitoring mechanisms are available, including independent children’s rights advocates such as children’s ombudspersons or focal points on children’s rights, which could be located within an existing human rights institution or the office of a general ombudsperson.", "66. Regardless of its structure, each human rights institution and monitoring mechanism should be established in accordance with internationally recognized guiding principles and standards and must be:", "(a) Independent, fully competent and broadly, clearly and flexibly mandated to promote and protect the rights of the child in a proactive and innovative manner;", "(b) Consultative, inclusive, transparent and based on a holistic vision of the child and her or his relationships with other actors;", "(c) Committed to prioritizing the best interests of the child, including by strictly observing principles of confidentiality and promoting a child-friendly environment founded on trust;", "(d) Reactive and proactive and playing a central role in the independent monitoring of actions taken to prevent and protect children from being sold or exploited, whether for sexual or other purposes, including by restoring the rights of victims, advocating for strengthened legal frameworks and enforcement and ensuring access to effective remedies and redress, including independent complaints procedures;", "(e) Authorized to undertake investigations and make inquiries into general and specific violations of the rights of the child (on its own initiative or in response to complaints filed);", "(f) Able to conduct regular visits to settings, including, in particular, to detention and care institutions, to ensure that they conform with established standards and to determine the extent to which the views of children are listened to and weighed by the institution;", "(g) Adequately resourced and staffed by professionals from a variety of disciplines wherever possible.", "67. Furthermore, monitoring institutions must:", "(a) Review the adequacy, effectiveness and impact of laws and practices on the rights of the child and promote their harmonization with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols and other international human rights instruments;", "(b) Review the activities and impact of corporate social responsibility initiatives;", "(c) Ensure that children are able to exercise their right to be heard on matters concerning them and in defining issues related to their rights, and to publicize widely the availability of effective remedies and redress, including the possibility of submitting individual complaints for violations of children’s rights;", "(d) Ensure that the principles and provisions of the international and regional children’s rights instruments that have been ratified are widely known and understood, including by Governments, public agencies, civil society and the general public, including children;", "(e) Review and report on Governments’ implementation and monitoring of the state of children’s rights, including by ensuring that statistics and other data are collected, appropriately disaggregated, processed, analysed and shared;", "(f) Make independent contributions to the process of reporting on children’s rights to the international treaty bodies;", "(g) Undertake rigorous and periodic independent monitoring to determine what progress has been achieved and what challenges remain.", "8. Effective corporate social responsibility", "68. The commitment and involvement of businesses has increased considerably and a large number of corporate social responsibility initiatives are currently under way. While some States have adopted legislation on the responsibility and accountability of Internet service providers, telecommunications companies and banks, participation in most corporate social responsibility initiatives remains voluntary.", "69. A significant number of businesses have adopted codes of conduct in an attempt to adhere to international legal standards. In addition, they have supported, in partnership with Governments and non-governmental organizations, information and awareness-raising campaigns, as well as prevention and child protection programmes.", "70. Numerous principles and guidelines have been developed, including the following:", "(a) The United Nations Global Compact, which is a collection of policies and practices through which support is sought from corporate partners to mainstream ten principles focusing on human rights, labour rights, environmental sustainability and actions aimed at combating corruption;", "(b) The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism,[5] which aims to prevent the sexual exploitation of children at tourism destinations through the efforts of tour operators and members of their umbrella organizations (travel agents, hotels, airlines etc.) that endorse the Code;", "(c) The guidelines aimed at the information and communications technology industry on child online protection,[6] which provide strong rules to protect children from abuse and defend the rights of children in the context of the information and communications technology industry, broadcasters, mobile telephone operators and Internet service providers;", "(d) The guidelines and principles for reporting on issues involving children[7] developed by the International Federation of Journalists, which encourage media organizations to regard violations of the rights of children and issues related to children’s safety, privacy, security, education, health and social welfare and all forms of exploitation as important questions for investigation and public debate.", "71. However, although several excellent initiatives provide guidance to businesses on the issue of the protection of children, a comprehensive set of principles does not currently exist to contextualize such guidance within an overarching and coherent framework for businesses and stakeholders on what to do to respect and support children’s rights.", "72. To that end, in June 2010 the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Global Compact and Save the Children launched a process to develop a set of principles that would outline the full range of actions that businesses could take to respect and support children’s rights, promote government engagement with businesses regarding children’s rights, offer a unifying framework for existing and future initiatives, promote collaboration among businesses and between businesses and other stakeholders, and raise awareness of the positive and negative impact that businesses have on children. The principles, to be finalized in November 2011, will also be a call to action with regard to the issue of business and children.", "73. With a view to incorporating provisions on preventing the sale of children and the involvement of children in prostitution and pornography into new or existing corporate social responsibility initiatives in the tourism, travel, transportation, agriculture, financial services, communications, media, Internet services, advertising and entertainment sectors, among others, steps should be taken to do the following:", "(a) Encourage, expand, harmonize and share information on existing initiatives and practices;", "(b) Adopt corporate social responsibility instruments throughout the supply chain and to raise awareness among and train all personnel (employees and employers);", "(c) Ensure that corporate social responsibility policies are appropriately implemented and that widespread public awareness activities and campaigns are undertaken targeting children, parents and communities, including by using their know-how, human and financial resources, networks, structures and leveraged power;", "(d) Respect international corporate labour standards that prohibit the employment of children in any manner that results in exploitation, secure decent working conditions and support women and men who work in their roles as parents or caregivers, and adhere to ethical operating practices in terms of accountability, transparency, respect for the rule of law and payment of fair taxation to generate revenues for economic growth and poverty reduction;", "(e) Protect children against online sexual exploitation, including by restricting access to harmful or illegal content through filtering, blocking and monitoring programmes; providing tools that allow parents and caregivers to control the content of the user; equipping children and their parents with information and user-friendly tools; ending the use of the Internet and new technologies for the grooming of children and the subsequent perpetration of abuse, whether committed online or not; reporting offending content to police; establishing accessible telephone or web-based hotlines; and taking actions to trace and stop the flow of financial transactions for the sexual exploitation of children through the services of financial institutions;", "(f) Protect children against child sex tourism by establishing an ethical policy regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children; training personnel on countries of origin and travel destinations; providing information to travellers in catalogues, brochures, in-flight films and advertisements, websites and on tickets etc.; and providing information to local key persons at destination;", "(g) Reinforce community and government efforts to respect children’s rights by providing support for services to child victims or children at risk and their families and educational and awareness-raising campaigns targeting children, parents, teachers, youth organizations and others working with and for children on children’s vulnerability to exploitation, on the use of the Internet, mobile telephones and other new technologies for the purpose of sexual exploitation and on protective measures;", "(h) Ensure the effective monitoring of corporate social responsibility mechanisms and activities and report back to stakeholders.", "9. Effective international cooperation", "74. The sale and sexual exploitation of children have increasingly become international phenomena owing to the development of information technologies, trafficking networks, tourism and migration. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to address these crimes adequately without solid networks at the regional and international levels aimed at promoting coordination and cooperation. This cooperation should facilitate the exchange of information and expertise, the sharing and harmonization of practices and the provision of technical and financial support.", "75. Although numerous transnational actions have been taken, including cooperation among police forces to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise and the provision of technical and financial support to developing countries, international cooperation and, in particular, North-South cooperation remains scarce. Some investigative methods (e.g. image analyses of online pornographic material involving children) require important investments in expertise and sophisticated computer technology that developing countries cannot afford. For that reason, human, technical and financial support is essential to ensuring an effective global response to these issues.", "76. Divergent legislation, non-harmonized procedures and information systems and a lack of political will on the part of some States to cooperate in investigations and prosecutions represent a significant challenge to efficient regional and international cooperation.", "77. In order to ensure sustainable and efficient international cooperation to effectively prevent and combat the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, it is necessary to do the following:", "(a) Review progress and strengthen follow-up activities on the implementation of existing multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements for the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders and for assisting child victims in their physical and psychological recovery, social reintegration and, as appropriate, repatriation;", "(b) Expand and strengthen multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements by defining clearly the obligations and contributions of each party, time-bound goals and monitoring indicators;", "(c) Support and contribute to the international child abuse images database of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and nominate a national focal point (person or unit) to collect and promptly update national data on the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. Information should be shared systematically with INTERPOL to encourage cross-border law enforcement action, strengthen the effectiveness of such action and adopt multilateral agreements, especially for investigative work carried out by police forces;", "(d) Enhance North-South and South-South cooperation, including through the exchange of information and expertise, the sharing and harmonization of practices and tools, and the provision of technical assistance and logistical and financial support to programmes for children run by the public sector, non-governmental organizations and youth initiatives;", "(e) Develop, where appropriate and in cooperation with the private sector, policies and programmes that promote and support corporate social responsibility with the support of United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations , civil society organizations and workers’ and employers’ organizations;", "(f) Establish monitoring mechanisms in order to assess the effectiveness of the cooperation.", "III. Conclusions: implementation process", "78. The effective implementation of rights-based child protection systems requires:", "(a) The strong political will of Governments, backed by the allocation of adequate resources;", "(b) Full engagement of all actors in a children’s rights-based programming approach and the principles involved;", "(c) Concerted and effective cooperation at the national, regional and international levels, in view of the multi- and intersectoral dimensions of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.", "National level", "79. In order to effectively prevent and combat the sale of, trafficking in and exploitation, including sexual exploitation, of children, comprehensive, appropriately structured and resourced child protection systems must be developed under a comprehensive and cohesive plan of action (or integrated into existing development plans); such systems should include targeted legislation, multisectoral policies and programmes that clearly identify the primary actors, their roles and responsibilities, follow-up activities and regular assessment and monitoring activities. National plans of action must be decentralized and developed at the local level.", "80. The implementation of child protection systems requires a global mapping and assessment to be carried out, in accordance with the relevant principles and components, with a view to identifying the main issues relating to child protection and examining the scope and capacity of existing child protection laws, policies, strategies and programmes, including informal child protection mechanisms (that rely, for example, on traditional and custom-based authority or community-based organizations).", "81. The mapping process must involve all the key players in child protection (public and private sectors, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations), including children and communities, with a view to:", "(a) Having a global overview of the multidimensional nature of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography;", "(b) Reviewing the whole legal framework (civil, penal, regulatory) to ensure its compliance with children’s rights standards and highlight strengths and gaps;", "(c) Identifying the key risks facing children, particularly the most vulnerable;", "(d) Prioritizing data requirements for monitoring and evaluating child protection in the country and identifying the need for additional data on less visible themes;", "(e) Clearly identifying the primary actors and their roles and responsibilities as children’s rights duty bearers;", "(f) Assessing the capacity of key formal and informal structures (ministries, agencies, partners, communities, child-led initiatives etc.) to develop, administer, effectively implement and monitor their child protection responsibilities;", "(g) Evaluating the availability, accessibility and quality of existing programmes, services and mechanisms and their compliance with standards and norms;", "(h) Drawing on promising practices, with a view to capitalizing on them and increasing their impact;", "(i) Assessing achievements and challenges relating to the participation and empowerment of children and youths;", "(j) Identifying the assets and breaches of institutional mechanisms for coordination, evaluation and monitoring;", "(k) Assessing the strengths of and gaps in existing bilateral and multilateral agreements between Governments, as well as existing partnerships with the private sector, the media, civil society and community- and child-led organizations;", "(l) Providing clear information on the financial and human resources allocated;", "(m) Evaluating the effectiveness of mechanisms aimed at promoting the accountability of all children’s rights duty bearers.", "82. The mapping and assessment will contribute to enabling all actors involved in child protection, including children and communities, to outline a future national policy that complies with children’s rights instruments and standards by doing the following:", "(a) Identifying and prioritizing actions to build effective child protection systems in compliance with the principles and components outlined above;", "(b) Establishing effective coordination and accountability mechanisms through the effective regulation and monitoring of child protection standards at all levels;", "(c) Establishing a centralized, standardized and reliable information system, thus enabling a better analysis of data and of emerging and long-term trends and information-sharing between relevant entities at the national level;", "(d) Defining the technical, financial and human resources required to implement such child protection systems;", "(e) Adopting a strategy to mobilize resources in the framework of partnerships with civil society, the private sector, the media and international organizations.", "83. To ensure effective implementation and ownership by all stakeholders, the following actions should be undertaken:", "(a) Mobilization and involvement of all stakeholders, including children and youth, in the whole process (mapping and assessment, elaboration, implementation, follow-up and monitoring);", "(b) Awareness-raising among the public and private sectors, community leaders, children and non-governmental organizations, and ensuring that relevant issues are included in the public debate through the media.", "84. While some States have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving child protection systems, their capacity to act is sometimes hampered by political instability and limited resources. In such cases, it is essential to provide sustainable support through strong and coordinated cooperation at the regional and international levels.", "International level", "85. The implementation of effective child protection systems requires the full participation of all stakeholders at the regional and international level, such as Governments, United Nations entities and other partners in the international community, the private sector (multinational companies), the media and international organizations.", "86. In the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents it was recommended that a comprehensive framework be established by 2013 to harmonize and facilitate coordination and cooperation at the national, regional and international levels among all relevant stakeholders, including child-led organizations, to enable and support concrete actions to prevent and stop the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.", "87. If necessary, technical assistance could be extended to States by United Nations agencies and United Nations human rights mechanisms, with a view to providing support for the elaboration and implementation of rights-based child protection systems.", "88. The universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and all relevant international and regional instruments is an essential prerequisite for the development of an effective international child protection framework.", "[1] Available in French only from www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx? NewsID=11007&LangID=F.", "[2] See United Nations Children’s Fund ,Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment Toolkit, available from www.unicef.org/protection/index_54229.html.", "[3] See general comment No. 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (arts. 4, 42 and 44, para. 6).", "[4] Since 2006, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has worked with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, specialized agencies of the United Nations and other stakeholders to develop a conceptual and methodological framework and indicators. From these efforts, OHCHR has developed a practical guide to help disseminate and implement the conceptual and methodological framework on the use of indicators.", "[5] The Code is a joint initiative of ECPAT International, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Tourism Organization.", "[6] Available from www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/guidelines/index.html.", "[7] Available from www.ifj.org/en/articles/childrens-rights-and-media-guidelines-and-principles-for-reporting-on-issues-involving-children." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Establishment of comprehensive and rights-based national child protection systems for the prevention and control of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "Note by the Secretary-General", "The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the members of the General Assembly, in accordance with resolution 65/197, the report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Najat Maalla M’jid.", "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "Summary", "The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/197. The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography since her last report to the Assembly was briefed.", "The report is intended to serve as a guiding tool for the effective implementation of the recommendations made since the beginning of the mandate, providing guiding principles and essential components of a comprehensive and rights-based child protection system aimed at preventing and combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.", "Contents", "PageI. Methods 3 of work and activities A. Methods 3 of work B.Activities 3II.Establishing 4 of national systems for the protection of integral and rights-based children, for the prevention and control of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography A.Introduction 4B.System 5 of rights-based child protection: general principles C.Systems 7 Conclusions: 28 implementation process", "I. Working methods and activities", "A. Methods of work", "1. In its resolution 65/197, the General Assembly requested the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography to continue to report to both the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the activities undertaken pursuant to her mandate. The present report contains information on activities undertaken between July 2010 and July 2011, and is intended to serve as a guiding tool for the effective implementation of the recommendations made since the beginning of its mandate.", "B. Activities", "1. Human Rights Council", "2. The annual report of the Special Rapporteur submitted to the Human Rights Council at its sixteenth session (A/HRC/16/57 and Add.1-5 and Add.1/Corr.1) included the reports of her visits to the United Arab Emirates (12-18 October 2009), Senegal (21-30 October 2009), El Salvador (23-31 August 2010) and the United States of America (12-27 October 2010) and a summary of her submissions to the Governments of 16 January and As requested by the Council in its resolution 13/20, the Special Rapporteur also submitted to the Council at its sixteenth session, in conjunction with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children, a report on child-friendly and affordable counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms that address incidents of violence, including sexual violence and exploitation (A/HRC/16/56). The Special Rapporteur will submit her next annual report to the Human Rights Council at its nineteenth session in March 2012.", "2. Country visits", "3. Since her last report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur visited Mauritius (1-11 May 2011). The Special Rapporteur ' s preliminary comments on that visit are contained in a press statement[1]. The Special Rapporteur will make an official visit to France in November 2011.", "3. Conferences, seminars and communication with civil society", "4. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur participated in numerous conferences and seminars. In July 2010, he attended a regional conference in Dakar on the mobility of children in West and Central Africa. In September 2010, he participated in a meeting on a draft directive of the European Parliament on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. In September and October 2010, the Special Rapporteur organized consultations in the context of the preparation of the joint report on child-friendly counselling and reporting mechanisms. In October 2010, he participated in a conference held in Barcelona, Spain, on the mobility of children, organized by the World Movement for Children, the Generality of Catalonia (the autonomous regional government of Catalonia) and Save the Children of the United Kingdom. In November 2010, the Special Rapporteur attended a conference on improving the implementation and follow-up of the observations and views of the treaty bodies, the recommendations of special procedures mandate holders and the outcomes of the universal periodic review, organized in Geneva by the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Brookings Institution (in the context of its foreign policy programme) and UPR Watch. In January 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in consultations on national action plans on the right to water and sanitation, organized by the Special Rapporteur on the human right to access to safe drinking water and sanitation. In March 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in an event organized in parallel with the sixteenth session of the Council on children on the move in street situations. Also in March, the Special Rapporteur attended a regional seminar in Brussels on follow-up to the outcomes of the universal periodic review and recommendations of other human rights mechanisms. In May 2011, he participated in a symposium entitled “Migration and youth: harnessing development opportunities”, organized in New York by the Global Migration Group. In June 2011, she participated in consultations on draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, organized by the independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty, and attended an expert seminar on discrimination based on work or origin, organized by the independent expert on minority issues. In July 2011, it moderated a segment of the expert meeting on the legal framework necessary to prohibit, prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children, jointly organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the International Advisory Council of NGOs to follow up on the Secretary-General ' s study on violence against children.", "II. Establishment of comprehensive and rights-based national child protection systems for the prevention and control of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography", "A. Introduction", "1. Context", "5. In her previous report, submitted to the General Assembly in 2010, the Special Rapporteur highlighted some of the achievements in combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (see A/65/221, section C). However, many challenges remain with regard to the estimation of the full scope of these crimes, the prevention of their perpetration, the investigation and prosecution of offenders and the provision of effective protection to children who are victims or witnesses, or who are at risk of being sold or become victims of prostitution and pornography.", "6. Serious challenges remain, despite all existing international standards (e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Convention No. 182 of the International Labour Organization on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour; and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and at the regional level (e.g., the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; the Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors; and the Convention on the Prevention of the Use of the World", "7. In interacting with relevant stakeholders (States, national human rights institutions, civil society and children) throughout her mandate, and in particular during her country visits, the Special Rapporteur has noted the need for more practical guidance on the effective implementation of those instruments, including the provisions of the Optional Protocol and the recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur in the context of the thematic areas.", "2. Objective of the report", "8. In providing a detailed overview of the establishment of comprehensive child protection systems, the present report intends to provide a practical guidance tool that will help all stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of child rights protection and promotion activities.", "9. The report is based on the work of the Special Rapporteur and her predecessors, including through country visits, and on reports and studies of United Nations human rights mechanisms and agencies and other regional and international organizations.", "B. Rights-based child protection system: general principles", "10. Since assuming her duties in 2008, the Special Rapporteur has paid special attention to the need to adopt a comprehensive and comprehensive approach that revolves around the child, in order to protect all children, without discrimination, from sale and sexual exploitation.", "11. The sale of children and their sexual exploitation are driven by several determining and interrelated factors, which are the result of the local or national context in which they live and grow (political, legislative, cultural, environmental, socio-economic and institutional) and also of the global context (tourism, communication technologies, the financial crisis, the food crisis and climate change). This multifaceted and complex dimension justifies the need for a response that includes an integrated approach to the effective involvement of children in real local and national child protection systems.", "12. To this end, fragmented child protection responses that are frequently adopted should be abandoned and the proactive development of comprehensive, sustainable and child protection systems should be preferred, taking into account the specific context of the child. Concerted efforts should be made to establish a coordinated set of social norms, laws, policies, regulations and services, capacities and monitoring and monitoring activities in all social sectors, including social welfare, education, health, security and justice, to prevent and respond to child protection issues and risks (see figure below)[2].", "Figure", "[]", "13. To be functional and effective, child protection systems should:", "(a) Focus on the child and have as a primary consideration the promotion of the best interests of the child;", "(b) Refer to comprehensive laws that comply with international standards and national policies and regulations (establishing mandates, responsibilities, standards and monitoring systems that ensure compliance);", "(c) Include formal and informal mechanisms (based, for example, on a traditional and custom-based authority or on community-based organizations) and formalize their mandate through government laws and regulations;", "(d) Ensure accessibility of child-friendly services at all levels, and that these services are governed by quality standards (implemented by experienced and well-trained staff, with sufficient resources) and affordable for all children, without discrimination;", "(e) Integrate the views and experiences of children through their effective participation and inclusion;", "(f) Ensure that all service providers to children and their families (the public sector and civil society organizations) are held accountable through effective regulation and monitoring at all levels with regard to compliance with child protection standards.", "C. Rights-based child protection systems: components", "1. Clear policy and conceptual framework", "14. The starting point for any appropriate response to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography should be the establishment of clear definitions of such phenomena in national legislation. This conceptual clarity is a sine qua non condition to avoid legal gaps, ensure the proper identification of child victims and promote the effective implementation of legislation.", "15. The effectiveness of child protection laws is often hampered by disparities and the use of imprecise definitions, which may result in some acts being unpunished, acts of corruption, selective application or, in extreme cases, a general culture of impunity.", "16. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol are fundamental instruments for strengthening the protection of children and punishing offenders. These instruments offer extremely useful definitions, thus allowing all interested parties to share a common understanding and interpretation of the following expressions:", "(a) “A child” means “every human being under the age of 18, unless, under the law applicable to him, he has attained the age of majority before”. The same definition applies to the Optional Protocol. Some States define the child as any person under 18 years of age, while others take into account the age of criminal responsibility or the age of consent for sexual activity. These variations can create uncertainty in the application of laws;", "(b) “Child sale” means “any act or transaction whereby a child is transferred by a person or group of persons to another person in exchange for remuneration or any other retribution”. The sale of children can be carried out for the following purposes: sexual exploitation, forced labour, trafficking of organs and illegal adoption;", "(c) “Child prostitution” means “the use of a child in sexual activities in exchange for remuneration or any other retribution”. This includes the provision, possession, acquisition or delivery of a child for the purpose of prostitution. The term “or any other retribution” means that child prostitution is carried out even when a child is used in sexual activities in exchange for goods, services or favours, such as food, shelter or drugs, and not just in exchange for money;", "(d) “Child pornography” means “all representation, by any means, of a child engaged in explicit, real or simulated sexual activities, or any representation of the genital parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes”. This definition refers to all activities carried out for the purpose of the production, distribution, dissemination, import, export, supply, sale or possession of child pornography. New developments in the use of communication technologies (blogs, mobile phones and online social networks) require the constant adaptation of conceptual and policy frameworks. The Council of Europe recently adopted the Convention for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which provides the most up-to-date definitions and detailed standards in this regard. In addition to addressing the involvement of children in sexual abuse, prostitution and pornography, the Convention addresses the issues of “grooming” (the use of online technologies to capture children for sexual purposes) and sex tourism.", "17. Although there are clear definitions, interpretation of concepts can be a difficult and complicated task, especially when definitions overlap. For example, there are several links between the sale of children, trafficking in children, forced labour of children and the recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.", "18. Trafficking and sale of children are concepts that overlap, but are not identical. In accordance with article 35 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, States parties are required to take measures to prevent both trafficking and the sale of children.", "19. There is often confusion between sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, especially when it occurs within the family. In the context of the Optional Protocol, sexual exploitation covers the use, recruitment or offer of a child for the purpose of prostitution or the production of pornographic material and pornographic performances. Forced marriage and early marriage can be regarded as a form of sale for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This is manifested, among other cases, when young girls are offered in marriage to men—often older—in exchange for money.", "20. States parties to the Optional Protocol are specifically obliged to prohibit the sale of children for forced labour. In accordance with Convention No. 182 of the International Labour Organization, “small forms of child labour” include “forced or compulsory recruitment of children to use them in armed conflict”.", "21. However, it is not a matter of classifying these crimes, but of determining whether the responses given to them regarding the protection of children and the punishment of offenders are adequate and comply with the provisions set out in the various international instruments to which States are parties.", "2. Reliable and regular information on prevalence and knowledge of the phenomenon", "22. The assessment of the exact scope of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography is difficult because data are scarce and often unreliable. The culture of silence surrounding these crimes due to fear, cultural taboos, shame and lack of confidence in the judicial system makes reporting on these issues very insufficient, which aggravates the difficulties of gathering data.", "23. The establishment of a centralized, standardized and reliable information system is essential for a precise understanding of the scope of these phenomena, and is critical to the development and allocation of resources for appropriate and effective prevention and response strategies. Standardization would allow the analysis of emerging and long-term data and trends, and would give relevant entities at the national level the opportunity to exchange information.", "24. A reliable information system should be based on the following principles:", "(a) A common understanding of conceptual elements;", "(b) A rigorous method for the collection and processing of sufficient quantities of reliable data, disaggregated by age, sex, location (urban or rural areas) and the need for special protection[3]. The collected data should reflect the different forms of exploitation, including the sale and trafficking of children for the purpose of sexual exploitation and other forms of exploitation, such as forced labour, illegal trafficking of organs and illegal adoptions;", "(c) The establishment of national indicators, especially when data are supplemented by qualitative and quantitative research studies. Indicators can be essential tools for assessing progress, identifying outstanding challenges and reporting on the development of new legislative, policy and programmatic measures[4];", "(d) Awareness-raising among children, families and communities to combat stereotypes and cultural resistance, which can contribute to the scarcity of reporting and undermine the collection of relevant data;", "(e) Qualitative and quantitative surveys and research on the prevalence and knowledge of these phenomena;", "f) Effective means of coordinating and inter-sectoral exchange of information at the regional and international levels;", "(g) The opportunity for children ' s views to be heard and taken into account in data collection and research processes, provided that appropriate protection measures are taken.", "3. Legal framework for the prohibition, prevention and response to all forms of sale and sexual exploitation of children", "25. Several international and regional instruments on the rights of the child include detailed provisions and regulations prohibiting, preventing and responding to all forms of sale and sexual exploitation of children:", "(a) The Convention on the Rights of the Child promotes a comprehensive system to protect children from violence and sexual exploitation and other forms of exploitation (articles 34 and 35 specifically recognize the right of children to be protected against all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, for any purpose and in any form);", "(b) The Optional Protocol requires States parties to prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; to adapt legal and investigative procedures to the special needs of child victims, including witnesses; to provide support services; to inform children about their rights, their role and scope, timeliness and progress of procedures; to avoid unnecessary delays; to ensure that the views, needs and concerns of children are presented; Furthermore, the Optional Protocol provides that the best interests of the child should be the primary consideration in the treatment of victims in the criminal justice system, and that persons working with victims should be adequately trained;", "(c) Other international and regional instruments on the rights of the child complement the Convention and the Optional Protocol and provide useful and detailed standards for the prohibition, prevention and response of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, thereby highlighting the indivisibility and interdependence of rights.", "Guiding principles", "26. National legal frameworks (civil and criminal) must be harmonized with ratified international instruments. They should be accompanied by binding measures and mechanisms included in a comprehensive legal framework that forms part of a comprehensive child protection strategy.", "27. Global legal frameworks, including both civil and criminal legislation, including prohibition, prosecution, protection, care, assistance and prevention, should include the specific provisions set out in paragraphs 28 to 31 below.", "28. With regard to prohibition, global legal frameworks should:", "(a) To define, prohibit and criminalize, in accordance with existing international human rights standards, all offences covered by the Optional Protocol (including new forms of sexual exploitation committed through the use of information and social media technologies, inter alia), and to establish minimum penalties that reflect the seriousness of crimes;", "(b) Establish the age limit of 18 years to define a person as a child in relation to the offences covered by the Optional Protocol, to prevent a person who is below that age from being considered as a offender with respect to offences under the Optional Protocol, and to recognize that the consent of a child should not be taken into account, even if the adult is not aware of the age of the child;", "(c) Establish in 18 years the minimum age for marriage, both for girls and boys, and prohibit the acquisition, supply, surrender or coercion to enter into early marriage;", "(d) Establish extraterritorial jurisdiction, eliminate the requirement of double criminality for such crimes and facilitate mutual legal assistance, in order to ensure the effective prosecution of perpetrators and the application of appropriate sanctions, by establishing that all acts related to the sale and sexual exploitation of children are offences that may result in extradition in existing or future extradition treaties;", "(e) Include criminal investigations and initiation of proceedings (there will be a need to invoke various provisions to assist in the investigation of crimes and the formulation of indictments in cases where the child victim or other person on his or her behalf does not submit a report);", "f) Addressing corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary, as well as in other authorities, in order to care for children, recognizing that corruption is an important obstacle to the effective implementation of the law and the protection of children.", "29. With regard to reporting, global legal frameworks should:", "(a) Ensure that it is mandatory for professionals working with children to report on cases where there is a suspicion or risk of children sold or sexually exploited. The reporting obligation should be included in the codes of conduct and regulations of professional associations and in all institutions and agencies working regularly with children at risk, including schools, residential and institutional centres, medical services and security bodies;", "(b) Ensure that Internet service providers, mobile phone companies, search engines, cybercafés and other entities have a legal obligation to inform the police of any case of child pornography, block access to websites where crimes are committed and keep records, in accordance with established standards, for the purposes of investigation and prosecution. Similarly, financial institutions must have a legal obligation to report, block and prevent the functioning of financial mechanisms that make the existence of child pornography websites possible;", "(c) Establish child-friendly reporting, advisory and reporting mechanisms (see below).", "30. With regard to child protection, care and appropriate procedures, global legal frameworks should:", "(a) Enable competent authorities to intervene in emergency situations and remove children from such situations, if necessary;", "(b) Provide child victims, witnesses and their families with adequate care, assistance and psychological support (including family support, if necessary) to ensure full recovery and social reintegration of child victims;", "(c) Ensure that child victims have access to information adapted to the child ' s sensitivity with respect to their rights and relevant procedures, in particular to seek compensation for damages, and that they exercise their right to be heard;", "(d) Protect the privacy and well-being of child victims and witnesses at all stages of the criminal justice process (i.e. during identification, investigation, prosecution, punishment and extradition proceedings), including by ensuring that children are not subject to fines, imprisonment or other punitive measures;", "(e) Ensure that children do not experience difficult situations and return to the victim situation as a result of their participation in criminal proceedings, limiting the number of interviews in which they participate, using video recordings and safe rooms, and providing them with legal assistance or a special representative;", "f) Ensure free and easy access to legal remedies;", "(g) Ensure prompt responses in the treatment of cases;", "(h) Grant compensation to child victims and enforce such compensation, if necessary.", "31. With regard to prevention, global legal mechanisms should:", "(a) Ensure the birth registration of children. A birth certificate, since it certifies the age of the child, allows for appropriate legal measures to ensure the protection of the child and the punishment of offenders. Children whose birth has been registered are less likely to be sold or illegally adopted, partly because they have proof of who their parents are;", "(b) Develop and implement strict laws on international and national adoption which provide: (i) that adoption shall be considered as a last resort; (ii) identification of appropriate measures, including placement of the child with his or her biological family or extended family; (iii) preference for national adoption with respect to international adoption; and (iv) obligation to undertake studies of compatibility between the adoptive family and the child in the best adoption, taking into account the sale of the child", "(c) Ensure that vulnerable children have an adequate standard of living, free access to health care and services, education and social security, and that their parents receive the necessary support;", "(d) Establish specific legal mechanisms and programmes to prevent recidivism among sexual offenders and prohibit them from engaging with children, including the collection and exchange of good practices and the establishment, where appropriate, of sexual offenders ' records.", "32. In order to ensure the effective implementation and involvement of all stakeholders in this global legal framework, the following measures should be taken, together with the implementation of the legislation:", "(a) Participation of all stakeholders, including children and youth, in the development of the legal framework from the first stage of the process;", "(b) The implementation of awareness-raising and advocacy initiatives among communities, children and youth, ensuring that relevant issues are included in the public debate through the media, civil society and policymakers;", "(c) The wide dissemination, appropriate and easy to use, of information relating to legislation and procedures;", "(d) Appropriate training of judges, prosecutors, lawyers, law enforcement officials, teachers, social workers and other professionals regarding the rights, needs and best interests of the child;", "(e) The provision of adequate resources to implement all measures, programmes and policies;", "f) Promoting transnational cooperation at the regional and international levels, which is necessary because of the mobility of children and offenders and the widespread use of new technologies.", "4. Effective early detection, child protection, care and monitoring", "33. In order to ensure the effective detection, care, care and monitoring of child victims, precise and adaptable protocols should be developed and implemented, with the participation of all those involved in child protection. Such protocols should clarify the measures to be taken (from the early detection of children who have been sold or have been victims of prostitution or pornography to the full recovery and social integration of such children) and the responsibilities of all stakeholders should also be clarified, thereby making it possible to improve coordination and information exchange.", "Early detection", "34. It is essential that cases of children who have been sold or have been victims of prostitution or pornography be detected early. Such detection can be an effective means of protecting child victims and children at risk in order to prevent them from becoming victims or to become victims again while ensuring that they are not unfairly treated as criminals.", "35. In addition, early detection can play a key role in the creation and implementation of specific prevention strategies and response measures to address existing protection gaps.", "36. The methods used to detect child victims should make it possible for professionals to distinguish whether a child who has been sold has been victimized for sexual exploitation, forced labour, begging, illegal adoption or organ trafficking. Professionals should also be in a position to determine whether a child has been a victim of prostitution, in particular in the context of sex tourism, or whether he has been used in pornography, including online pornography and sexual capture through information technologies.", "37. An essential component of the screening process is the establishment and implementation of appropriate procedures, including child-centred reporting and complaint mechanisms that take into account their interests.", "38. All procedures that make detection of child victims possible must be carried out in compliance with the above principles and in accordance with rules that require the following:", "(a) Respect for the right of the child to dignity and for his or her views to be heard and taken into account in a safe and reassuring context;", "(b) The right of the child to be informed promptly and with accessible language and format about all available options, procedures, protection measures and services;", "(c) Providing adequate professional support to children, including addressing the various physical, psychological and social consequences of reporting;", "(d) Confidential treatment of information obtained at all stages, in defence of the rights of the child, including the right to privacy, and prevention of the non-appropriate dissemination of information that might result in the identification of child victims;", "(e) Ensuring the safety of child victims, their families and witnesses, protecting them from any risk of harm, intimidation, reprisals or further victimization;", "f) The incorporation of age-assessment procedures that take into account both the physical appearance and the psychological maturity of the person, and that are carried out in a safe and adapted manner to the needs of the child and the gender perspective, by trained professionals and avoiding any risk of violation of the physical integrity of the child;", "(g) Inclusion of measures to protect against over-reporting and new victimization;", "(h) Ensure that all procedures are adequately resourced;", "(i) Ensure that all procedures are monitored on a regular and systematic basis to determine whether they are tailored to the needs of the child; such monitoring should include protected consultations with children who have personally initiated the procedure.", "Easy access to child-friendly reporting and reporting mechanisms", "39. It is also imperative that all children have simple and facilitated access to independent, timely, effective and child-friendly reporting and reporting mechanisms (see also A/HRC/16/56). These mechanisms must meet the following criteria:", "(a) To be established by law and in conformity with international human rights instruments;", "(b) Be guided by the best interests of the child, taking into account the experiences and perspectives of the child;", "(c) Maintain strict confidentiality during the procedure and related processes, and respect the right of the child to privacy;", "(d) Have a wide and active outreach to children and adults, including those acting on behalf of children;", "(e) To be accessible to all children under State jurisdiction, without discrimination of any kind, and at the same time to be appropriate for children and to take into account the gender perspective, providing special protection to children at risk;", "f) Make it possible for very young children and marginalized groups of children (non-accompanied or separated children, street children, children who do not speak the language of dominant culture, children with disabilities, among others), who are more vulnerable, to have the same opportunities to communicate actual or potential violations;", "(g) To be accessible throughout the country by means of a direct line available 24 hours a day, free and with a three-digit number easy to remember. Direct lines should provide practical assistance and support to child victims in all local languages and in the languages of neighbouring countries, and be connected and able to contact relevant authorities where necessary;", "(h) Ensuring the safety of children, including through measures aimed at avoiding any risk of harm, intimidation, reprisals or further victimization;", "(i) Adopt and communicate promptly and effectively the decisions necessary to avoid adverse consequences to affected persons, and follow up when deemed appropriate;", "(j) Provide adequate financial, professional and technical resources;", "(k) Be subject to systematic monitoring to determine whether they are adapted to children; such follow-up should include protected consultations with children who have initiated the procedure themselves.", "Protection, care and multidisciplinary assistance", "40. When a child victim has been identified, immediate action must be taken to contact the relevant law enforcement agencies and/or social service authorities to initiate the process of ensuring adequate care and assistance for the well-being of the child. Where possible, child victims must be urgently removed from harmful situations and placed in a safe and helpful environment that provides them with the necessary support in education, health care, recovery and rehabilitation.", "41. Taking into account the serious physical, psychological and emotional consequences of crime and victimization for child victims and witnesses of crime, children (and their families) must have access to professional and coordinated assistance and support, including financial assistance, free legal assistance, counselling, medical and health care and educational services, as well as psychosocial recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration services.", "42. The most effective responses are those of a multidisciplinary nature, taking into account the different types of short, medium and long-term care and assistance that child victims need for full recovery and reintegration. To be truly effective, the answers must:", "(a) Be part of a global recovery and rehabilitation plan;", "(b) To be affordable for the child and his/her family;", "(c) Be child-friendly, taking into account cultural differences, gender, ethnicity, disability and other factors that can increase the vulnerability of a child;", "(d) Being equipped to provide prompt and special protection and assistance to child victims and witnesses; such assistance should be adapted to the age, maturity and specific needs of the child, in order to avoid further suffering and trauma;", "(e) Be in a position to provide safe and child-friendly alternatives or care in shelters that take into account the basic needs of child victims, are governed by child protection standards and rules and are subject to regular monitoring. To that end, it is essential to establish minimum standards for alternative care or residential centres. All registered centres must be required to submit monthly reports on the arrival and departure of children, as well as details concerning their care and transfer;", "f) Being connected to an effective referral system that includes an obligation to investigate situations that put children at risk in order to enable the competent authorities to undertake interventions;", "(g) To have well-trained professionals, to implement an integrated and collaborative approach, to have the necessary knowledge and skills and to apply standards on children ' s rights and ethical principles in their advisory and support tasks (including with regard to notification and complaint mechanisms and recovery and reintegration programmes);", "(h) They must be carried out in an environment that supports the health, self-esteem and dignity of the child and, in particular, promotes the full physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of all child victims;", "(i) To have sufficient human, technical and financial resources.", "Regular monitoring of children", "43. In order to ensure that child victims receive adequate assistance for their full social reintegration and physical and psychological recovery, follow-up measures should:", "(a) Provide appropriate mental health services for children, adolescents and adults;", "(b) Prefer family or community-based environments rather than institutional care or long-term shelters for child victims, in accordance with the best interests of the child;", "(c) Providing family support and counselling to children living in alternative forms of care, including that provided by foster families and other caregivers, to fully support children at all stages of their recovery process;", "(d) To appoint a guardian for children who have been repatriated to their country of origin to ensure that they receive long-term care and protection;", "(e) Ensure that, in cases where victims claim compensation for damages to persons legally responsible for a violation of their rights, redress mechanisms take into account long-term reintegration and psychosocial and physical problems that victims may face;", "f) Conduct regular follow-up until full recovery of the child is achieved.", "5. Effective and comprehensive preventive measures", "44. Despite the widespread recognition that investment in prevention is one of the main means of protecting children ' s rights and combating all forms of violence perpetrated against them, including exploitation, the many preventive measures currently adopted by the various stakeholders are mainly reactive and lack sufficient effectiveness.", "45. Owing to the multifaceted nature and complexity of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the prevention of child victimization requires effective preventive measures to be developed within the framework of a comprehensive system on the rights of the child, including children, families and communities.", "Guiding principles", "46. In order to be effective, preventive measures should be the main component of national child protection systems and should be based on child rights laws and policies.", "47. Preventive measures should be implemented more proactively, through the adoption of a strong legal framework on prevention and prohibition (see paras. 25-32 of the present report) and the incorporation of growth-oriented strategies and poverty reduction, such as the Millennium Development Goals, in broader national policy frameworks, with a view to minimizing the risk of children being sold and exploited sexually, and by assessing the implementation of the most vulnerable situations of child-sensitive action.", "48. Preventive measures should address key socio-economic factors, taking into account the following:", "(a) Ensure that all children are registered immediately at birth and free of charge, and that special attention is paid to children who have not yet been registered, children at risk and those in situations of marginalization;", "(b) Ensure the availability and access to socio-economic services, from adequate food, housing, education and health care for children at risk and their families, to enable them to live with dignity;", "(c) Support single mothers (especially adolescents) through social welfare systems that provide a full range of alternative care services and assistance under child protection systems;", "(d) Ensure that all preventive measures are known and accessible and available to the most vulnerable and marginalized children.", "49. Preventive measures should include measures to promote sustainable education and awareness-raising, including:", "(a) Conduct awareness-raising and education campaigns in schools and communities (including rural and remote) and use all media and information and communication technologies, including social networks. Effective campaigns should be developed, with the collaboration of professionals from different disciplines and other people working with children, and such campaigns should have sufficient resources;", "(b) Engaging community and religious leaders in order to ensure that their moral authority, social influence and leadership can guide communities in protecting children against all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation;", "(c) To inform children, their families and others who work with children about the availability of child-friendly complaints, notification and counselling mechanisms, including direct telephone lines, where a child has been or is at risk of being child-friendly for any reason;", "(d) Providing sex education programmes in schools that provide information on healthy sexual development, safe sex and reproduction, with an emphasis on gender equality, self-esteem, empowerment and respect for others. If such programmes are lacking, the proliferation of images and videos through information and communication technologies can shape the child ' s first ideas about sexuality and sexual behaviour, increasing the risk of reproduction when they are still young, or of abuse of behaviour;", "(e) Establish partnerships with print and electronic media and the private sector (especially in the areas of tourism and information technology) to disseminate information and launch campaigns to raise awareness of children ' s rights, laws prohibiting and attempting to combat all forms of violations, increase the risks faced by many children, and certain behaviours that may indicate predatory activities, which are being carried out on the Internet or by a community. Information and communication technologies, including social networks, should be widely used to reach as many children as possible.", "50. Preventive measures should include those aimed at financing and conducting shared research on the national and transnational demand for services exploiting children, and analysis of the specific context in which harmful and discriminatory acts are carried out (practices, behaviours and attitudes). Such research and analysis will be used to inform laws and policies.", "51. Preventive measures should encourage and facilitate the participation and empowerment of children. This can be achieved by encouraging and supporting child-driven initiatives in all preventive measures and by supporting children ' s awareness of their rights and the options available to address abuse, in order to enhance their potential and ability to protect themselves and to protect other children.", "6. Participation and empowerment of children", "Participation of children", "52. Children are not only victims or vulnerable people: they can and should be actively involved in finding solutions. The participation of children is based on the right of each of them to express their views and to take into account in all matters directly or indirectly affecting their lives, with the objective of influencing decision-making and making changes.", "53. The participation of children also refers to a way of working that gives children, including the most marginalized and those of different ages and capacities, the opportunity to participate in an informed and voluntary manner.", "54. Finally, child participation is essential for a child rights approach. As such, it should be implemented in all areas, programmes, policies and other relevant measures, in households and Governments, as well as from local to international levels.", "55. The responsibility for ensuring the participation of children is widely shared by Governments and local authorities, persons working directly or on behalf of children, parliaments and legislatures, non-governmental organizations and civil society, independent national human rights institutions, the private sector and business, religious, spiritual, cultural and indigenous leaders, and regional and international multilateral organizations and agencies. The media also have an important role to play in disseminating the value of child participation for all children, families and society at large.", "56. The adaptation of practical measures that give children increasing responsibilities, according to their age and degree of development, known as the principle of evolutionary development, is closely related to the right of the child to be heard. To fully implement this principle is a difficult task, due to the difficulty that many adults have in accepting the ability of a child to understand, communicate and make informed decisions in important decision-making processes.", "Guiding principles", "57. Child participation mechanisms should operate in accordance with internationally recognized standards and should ensure that:", "(a) Availability and access to widely disseminated information, in local languages and in different formats (e.g. for children with disabilities) that is suitable for children of different ages, including very young, and those with varying degrees of maturity;", "(b) Voluntary and informed participation of representatives of children and youth;", "(c) Institutionalizing mechanisms for participation, without discrimination, of all children, such as the parliaments of children, youth forums, and councils and committees at the national, regional and municipal levels;", "(d) The creation and maintenance of a child-friendly environment that ensures their protection and safety;", "(e) Equal opportunities and ensuring the participation of children from vulnerable, marginalized and at-risk groups, including children with disabilities and those living in extreme poverty, in rural and remote areas, in alternative care centres, or living and/or working on the street, avoiding the representation of only children in a privileged situation;", "f) The establishment and observance of ethical standards and principles of children ' s rights that include transparency and accountability;", "(g) The presence of professionally trained, qualified and trusted specialized and support staff;", "(h) Regular and independent monitoring of quality, permanence, accountability and follow-up to relevant mechanisms and practices.", "58. The participation of children should be systematic in all monitoring activities: children should have the opportunity to provide information on the procedures and to make suggestions on possible improvements, ensuring that their views were taken into account. In addition, children should be provided with information that is accessible and tailored to their needs, with regard to their participation, through clear and immediate presentations on the impact and value of their contributions, decisions taken and the following steps. This makes it possible for children to understand the outcome and use of their contributions.", "Empowerment of children", "59. In order for children to be part of efforts to effectively combat the sale of children and all forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation and forced labour, children must be empowered to fight for their own protection and that of their peers. There are currently countless organizations and networks run by children around the world, dealing with the main issues of concern, such as trafficking in human beings, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour and street children.", "Guiding principles", "60. Children-led organizations and peer initiatives must comply with the above-mentioned guiding principles and child participation standards. Governments should encourage and support child-led organizations and initiatives (event-to-peer initiatives and youth-led research) and to that end should:", "(a) Provide technical, material and logistical support to enable children to organize and carry out their activities;", "(b) Ensuring improved recovery and skills development for all child victims so that they can participate in such activities;", "(c) Develop protection structures and frameworks that enable child victims or at risk to carry out activities in a safe and supportive environment;", "(d) Engaging children in decision-making processes related to all matters of concern to children and young people.", "7. Regular and specific evaluation and monitoring", "61. A wide range of national, regional and international efforts have been undertaken worldwide to prevent and combat child rights violations. While these efforts represent an important first step, the inadequacies or lack of centralized information systems and monitoring mechanisms make it extremely difficult to assess and measure changes in the situation of children and the impact of any measure applied, as well as future data-based measures.", "62. The Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Plan of Action to Prevent and End Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, participants in the Third World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 25 to 28 November 2008, recommended the establishment by 2013, of independent institutions responsible for the promotion and protection of children ' s rights, taking into account general comment No. 2 CRC. The objective of these independent institutions is to ensure the protection of children, the restitution of their rights, independent monitoring of applied strategies and policies, the promotion of the strengthening of legal frameworks and the availability of adequate and accessible legal remedies, including the possibility of making complaints.", "Evaluation and monitoring of national child protection policies, strategies and programmes", "63. Monitoring is one of the key measures for the effective implementation of protection systems, as it allows the review of progress and the identification of existing problems and proposals on possible solutions. Monitoring can therefore also play a preventive role.", "64. The expansion and strengthening of mechanisms to monitor and evaluate policies and programmes should be carried out in accordance with the following principles and standards:", "(a) Follow-up should include a review of measures taken, progress made and possible obstacles to the implementation of the political commitments that have been adopted; periodic reports should be submitted to parliaments and the general public;", "(b) Multisectoral and collaborative efforts should be encouraged among Governments, parliaments, public administration, child protection networks, civil society (including children, families and the general public), community-based organizations, the media and the private sector;", "(c) Monitoring procedures should be uniform and at the same time retain the necessary flexibility so that they can adapt and apply to specific contexts;", "(d) Accountability in budgetary allocations and their use should be developed and monitored;", "(e) Attention should be paid to the implementation of the relevant recommendations adopted or issued by international and regional bodies and mechanisms (treaties, special procedures, mandate-holders, the universal periodic review and regional and national human rights institutions);", "f) Each context requires a comprehensive and reliable national data collection system to ensure the availability of accurate information and to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of systems, services, programmes and results so that appropriate responses can be developed;", "(g) What is desirable is that the evaluation is based on universally recognized indicators, adapted to the local level and based on empirical data.", "Independent monitoring mechanisms", "65. There are several types of independent monitoring mechanisms, including independent promoters of children ' s rights, such as children ' s advocates or coordinators on children ' s rights, which could be part of an existing human rights institution or the office of a general ombudsman.", "66. Regardless of its structure, each human rights institution and monitoring mechanism should be established in accordance with internationally recognized guiding principles and standards and should:", "(a) To be independent, highly competent and to have a broad, clear and flexible mandate to promote and protect the rights of the child in a proactive and innovative manner;", "(b) Have a consultative, inclusive, transparent and based on a comprehensive vision of the child and its relations with other stakeholders;", "(c) To be committed to giving priority to the best interests of the child, including through strict observance of the principles of confidentiality and the promotion of a child-friendly and trust-based environment;", "(d) Have a reactive and proactive nature and play a key role in independent monitoring of measures taken to prevent and protect the sale or exploitation of children, for sexual or other purposes, including the restoration of victims ' rights, the promotion of stronger legal frameworks and the mission to enforce and ensure access to effective remedies and remedies, including independent complaints procedures;", "(e) Be authorized to conduct investigations and inquiries into general and specific violations of children ' s rights (on its own initiative or in response to complaints made);", "f) To be able to undertake regular visits to various places, including detention and care institutions, in order to ensure that they comply with established standards and to determine to what extent the institution hears and ponders the views of children;", "(g) To have sufficient resources and professionals from various disciplines, wherever possible.", "67. In addition, oversight institutions should:", "(a) Review the sufficiency, effectiveness and impact of laws and practices on the rights of the child, and promote their harmonization with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols and other international human rights instruments;", "(b) Analyse the activities and impact of initiatives on corporate social responsibility;", "(c) Ensure that children can exercise their right to be heard in matters concerning them and in the definition of issues related to their rights, and make widely known the availability of effective remedies and remedies, including the possibility of filing individual complaints for violations of the rights of the child;", "(d) Ensure that the principles and provisions of international and regional instruments on the rights of children that have been ratified are widely known and understood, including by Governments, public bodies, civil society and the general public, including children;", "(e) Review and report on government activities in the implementation and monitoring of the situation of children ' s rights, including by ensuring that statistics and other data are collected, adequately disaggregated, processed, analysed and shared;", "f) Make independent contributions to the child rights reporting process to the international treaty bodies;", "(g) Conduct independent, rigorous and regular monitoring to identify progress and challenges.", "8. Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility", "68. The commitment and ownership of enterprises has increased considerably, and a large number of initiatives on corporate social responsibility are under way. While some States have enacted laws on the responsibility and accountability of Internet access providers, telecommunications companies and banks, participation in most corporate social responsibility initiatives remains voluntary.", "69. An important number of companies have adopted codes of conduct in order to comply with international legal standards. They have also supported, in partnership with Governments and non-governmental organizations, information and awareness campaigns and child protection programmes.", "70. Numerous principles and guidelines have been developed, including:", "(a) The United Nations Global Compact Initiative, which is a set of policies and practices that seek the support of partner companies to incorporate ten principles, focusing on human rights, labour rights, environmental sustainability and anti-corruption measures;", "(b) The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Tourism and the Travel Industry[5], which aims to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in tourist destinations through the efforts of tourist operators and members of coordinating organizations (travel agents, hotels, airlines, etc.) that support the Code;", "(c) Guidelines for the information and communication technology sector, relating to the protection of children online[6], which establish strict standards to protect children from abuse and to defend their rights in the context of the information and communication technology sector, broadcasters, mobile phone operators and Internet access providers;", "(d) Guidelines and principles on information on issues affecting children[7], developed by the International Federation of Journalists, which encourages media organizations to consider violations of children ' s rights and issues related to the safety, privacy, protection, education, health and social well-being of children as important issues for research and public debate.", "71. However, while a number of excellent initiatives provide guidance to businesses on the issue of child protection, there is currently no general set of principles that will serve to put such guidance into context within a comprehensive and coherent framework for businesses and stakeholders so that they know what they need to do to respect and support the rights of the child.", "72. To that end, in June 2010, the United Nations Children ' s Fund, the Global Compact Initiative and Save the Children initiated a process to develop a set of principles that would describe the full range of measures that companies could take to respect and support children ' s rights, to promote government engagement with businesses in the area of children ' s rights, to provide a unifying framework for current or future initiatives, to promote collaboration between and among businesses. Those principles, to be finalized in November 2011, will also be a call for action on the issue of enterprises and children.", "73. In order to incorporate provisions on the prevention of the sale of children and the participation of children in prostitution and pornography, existing or future initiatives on corporate social responsibility in the areas of tourism, travel, transport, agriculture, financial services, communications, the media, Internet services, advertising and entertainment, among others, measures should be taken to:", "(a) Encourage, expand, harmonize and share information on existing initiatives and practices;", "(b) Adopting corporate social responsibility tools across the supply chain, and increasing the awareness of and training of all (employers and employers);", "(c) Ensure that corporate social responsibility policies are properly implemented and that widespread awareness-raising activities and campaigns are conducted for children, parents and communities, including through the use of their human, financial and expertise, networks, structures and mobilization power;", "(d) To respect international labour standards in enterprises that prohibit the employment of children in such a way as to result in exploitation, to ensure decent working conditions and to support women and men working to carry out their duties as parents or caregivers, and to comply with ethical operating practices in terms of accountability, transparency, respect for the rule of law and the payment of fair taxes to generate income that serves to reduce economic growth and", "(e) Protecting children from online sexual exploitation, in particular by restricting access to harmful or illicit content through filtering, blocking and monitoring programmes; using tools that allow parents and caregivers to control the content that users access; providing children and their parents with easy-to-use information and tools; putting an end to the use of the Internet and new technologies for the collection of children and the subsequent perpetration of the Internet", "f) Protecting children from sexual tourism through the adoption of ethical policies regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children; training of staff in countries of origin and duty stations of travel; communication of information to travellers in catalogues, brochures, films and advertisements projected during the journey, websites, travel tickets, etc.; and communication of information to key persons at duty stations;", "(g) Strengthen the efforts of communities and Governments to respect children ' s rights through the provision of support to services for child victims or at risk and their families, and educational and awareness-raising campaigns for children, parents, teachers, youth organizations and other entities working with or for children, regarding the vulnerability of children to exploitation, use of the Internet, mobile phones and other sexual technologies;", "(h) Ensure effective monitoring of corporate social responsibility mechanisms and activities and report to stakeholders.", "9. Effective international cooperation", "74. The sale and sexual exploitation of children has increasingly become an international phenomenon due to the development of information technologies, trafficking networks, tourism and migration. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to deal with these crimes in an appropriate manner without strong regional and international networks aimed at promoting coordination and cooperation. Such cooperation should facilitate the exchange of information and expertise, the exchange and harmonization of practices and the provision of technical and financial support.", "75. While numerous transnational measures have been taken, including cooperation among police services, to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise, as well as technical and financial support to developing countries, international cooperation, in particular North-South cooperation, remains low. Some research methods (e.g., analysis of images of online pornographic material involving children) require significant investments in technical knowledge and sophisticated computer technology that developing countries cannot afford. For this reason, human, technical and financial support is essential to ensuring an effective global response to these problems.", "76. The differences between legislation, the lack of harmonization of information procedures and systems and the lack of political will on the part of some States to cooperate in investigations and prosecutions constitute an important problem that hinders effective cooperation, both at the regional and international levels.", "77. In order to ensure sustainable and effective international cooperation aimed at effectively preventing and combating the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the following steps need to be taken:", "(a) Review the progress achieved and strengthen follow-up activities on the implementation of existing multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements for the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution and punishment of offenders and to assist child victims for the purpose of their physical and psychological recovery, their social reintegration and, where appropriate, their repatriation;", "(b) Expand and strengthen multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements through the clear definition of each party ' s obligations and contributions, time-bound targets and monitoring indicators;", "(c) Support and collaborate with the International Child Abuse Image Database of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and designate a national coordinator (one person or one entity) to quickly collect and update national data on the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. Information should be systematically shared with INTERPOL in order to encourage cross-border law enforcement measures, strengthen the effectiveness of such measures and adopt multilateral agreements, especially with regard to the research work carried out by police forces;", "(d) Improve North-South and South-South cooperation, including through the exchange of information and expertise, the exchange and harmonization of practices and tools and the provision of technical assistance and logistical and financial support to programmes for children and managed by the public sector and non-governmental organizations, as well as youth initiatives;", "(e) Develop, where appropriate and in cooperation with the private sector, policies and programmes that promote and support corporate social responsibility, with the support of United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and workers ' and employers ' organizations;", "f) Establish follow-up mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of cooperation.", "III. Conclusions: implementation process", "78. The effective implementation of rights-based child protection systems requires:", "(a) The strong political will of Governments, supported by the allocation of adequate resources;", "(b) The full commitment of all actors to a child rights-based programming approach and relevant principles;", "(c) Concerted and effective cooperation at the national, regional and international levels, given the multisectoral and intersectoral dimensions of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.", "National level", "79. In order to effectively prevent and combat the sale, trafficking and exploitation of children, including sexual exploitation, comprehensive, properly structured and funded child protection systems should be developed within the framework of a comprehensive and coherent action plan (or integrated into existing development plans); such systems should include specific laws, policies and programmes that clearly identify key actors, their roles and responsibilities, regular monitoring and monitoring activities. National action plans should be decentralized and developed at the local level.", "80. The implementation of child protection systems requires comprehensive studies and assessments, in accordance with the relevant principles and components, with a view to identifying the main issues relating to child protection and reviewing the scope and capacity of existing child protection laws, policies, strategies and programmes, including informal child protection mechanisms (e.g. those based on traditional authority and custom or community-based organizations).", "81. The priority-setting process should involve all key actors in child protection (public and private sectors, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations), including children and communities, in order to:", "(a) To have a comprehensive view of the multidimensional nature of the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography;", "(b) Review the entire legal framework (civil, criminal and regulatory) to ensure compliance with child rights standards and highlight their strengths and shortcomings;", "(c) Noting the main risks faced by children, particularly the most vulnerable;", "(d) Prioritize data requirements to monitor and evaluate child protection in the country and identify the need for additional data on the less obvious topics;", "(e) Clearly identify the main actors and their roles and obligations in relation to the rights of the child;", "f) To assess the capacity of key, formal and informal structures (ministers, agencies, partners, communities, child-led initiatives, etc.) to develop, manage, effectively implement and monitor their child protection responsibilities;", "(g) To assess the availability, accessibility and quality of existing programmes, services and mechanisms, as well as their compliance with rules and standards;", "(h) Based on the most promising practices, in order to take advantage of and enhance their impact;", "(i) Assess achievements and challenges in the participation and empowerment of children and youth;", "(j) Identify the positive aspects and gaps of institutional coordination, evaluation and monitoring mechanisms;", "(k) To assess the strengths and weaknesses in bilateral and multilateral agreements between Governments, as well as existing partnerships with the private sector, the media, civil society and community and children-led organizations;", "(l) Provide clear information on the financial and human resources allocated;", "(m) To assess the effectiveness of mechanisms to promote the accountability of all those responsible for child rights obligations.", "82. The identification of priorities and evaluation will help all actors involved in child protection, including children and communities, to outline a future national policy that is in line with child rights instruments and standards, and to that end should:", "(a) Identify and prioritize measures to create effective child protection systems, in compliance with the principles and components described above;", "(b) Establish effective coordination and accountability mechanisms through effective regulation and monitoring of child protection standards at all levels;", "(c) Establish a centralized, standardized and reliable information system, thereby enabling better analysis of data and new or long-term trends, as well as exchange of information among relevant entities at the national level;", "(d) Identify the technical, financial and human resources necessary to implement these child protection systems;", "(e) Adopt a strategy to mobilize resources, within the framework of partnerships with civil society, the private sector, the media and international organizations.", "83. To ensure the effective implementation and involvement of all stakeholders, the following actions should be taken:", "(a) The mobilization and participation of all stakeholders, including children and youth, in the entire process (determining priorities and evaluation, development, implementation, monitoring and monitoring);", "(b) The awareness of the public and private sectors, community leaders, children and non-governmental organizations, and the inclusion of relevant issues in the public debate through the media.", "84. While some States have demonstrated strong commitment to improving child protection systems, their ability to act in some cases is hampered by political instability and resource scarcity. In such cases, sustainable support is essential through strong and coordinated cooperation at the regional and international levels.", "International level", "85. The implementation of effective child protection systems requires the full participation of all stakeholders at the regional and international levels, such as Governments, United Nations entities and other partners of the international community, the private sector (multinational companies), the media and international organizations.", "86. The Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Plan of Action to Prevent and End the Exploitation of Children and Adolescents recommended the establishment of a comprehensive framework for 2013, in order to harmonize and facilitate coordination and cooperation at the national, regional and international levels, among all relevant stakeholders, including child-led organizations, in order to facilitate and support specific measures aimed at preventing and ending the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.", "87. Where necessary, technical assistance could be provided to States by United Nations agencies and the Organization ' s human rights mechanisms in order to support the development and implementation of rights-based child protection systems.", "88. Universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and of all relevant international and regional instruments, is an essential requirement for the development of an effective international framework for the protection of children.", "[1] It is only available in French, at www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11007 strangerLangID=F.", "[2] See United Nations Children ' s Fund, Child Protection System Mapping and Assessment Toolkit; available at www.unicef.org/protection/index_54229.html.", "[3] See General Comment No. 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (arts. 4 and 42 and 44 (6)).", "[4] Since 2006, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has collaborated with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, United Nations specialized agencies and other stakeholders to develop indicators and a conceptual and methodological framework. Through these efforts, OHCHR has developed a practical guide to help disseminate and implement the conceptual and methodological framework for the use of indicators.", "[5] The Code is a joint initiative of ECPAT International, the United Nations Children ' s Fund and the World Tourism Organization.", "[6] Available at www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/guidelines/index.html.", "[7] Available at www.ifj.org/en/articles/childrens-rights-and-media-guidelines-and-principles-for-reporting-on-issues-involving-children." ]

[ "Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "49º período de sesiones", "11 a 29 de julio de 2011", "Observaciones finales del Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "Costa Rica", "1. El Comité examinó los informes periódicos quinto y sexto combinados de Costa Rica (CEDAW/C/CRI/5-6) en sus sesiones 978ª y 979ª, celebradas el 11 de julio de 2011 (véanse CEDAW/C/SR.978 y 979). La lista de cuestiones y preguntas del Comité figura en el documento CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6, y las respuestas de Costa Rica en el documento CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6/Add.1.", "A. Introducción", "2. El Comité expresa su agradecimiento al Estado parte por sus informes periódicos quinto y sexto combinados, si bien su estructura no se ajusta a las directrices del Comité para la preparación de informes. El Comité lamenta que el informe se haya presentado con una larga demora y que contenga información no actualizada. El Comité expresa su agradecimiento al Estado parte por su presentación oral, por las respuestas escritas a la lista de cuestiones y preguntas planteadas por el Grupo de trabajo anterior al período de sesiones, y por las aclaraciones posteriores proporcionadas en respuesta a las preguntas orales planteadas por el Comité.", "3. El Comité encomia al Estado parte por el alto nivel de su delegación, encabezada por la Presidenta Ejecutiva del Instituto Nacional de la Mujer, que incluyó a representantes del Ministerio de Salud Pública y de la Corte Suprema de Justicia. El Comité aprecia el diálogo constructivo que tuvo lugar entre la delegación y los miembros del Comité.", "B. Aspectos positivos", "4. El Comité observa con satisfacción la aprobación de la Política Nacional para la Igualdad y la Equidad de Género para 2007-2017 y su plan de acción quinquenal para 2008-2012, que tienen por objeto mejorar la situación de la mujer y garantizar la igualdad de trato de las mujeres en aspectos como el empleo, la distribución de las responsabilidades familiares, el acceso a los servicios de salud y la educación.", "5. El Comité encomia al Estado parte por sus medidas para aumentar la participación de las mujeres en la vida política, incluida la reforma integral al Código Electoral de 2009. El Comité acoge con particular beneplácito el hecho de que, por primera vez, una mujer haya sido elegido Presidenta, una jueza haya sido nombrada Vicepresidenta de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, 9 de los 21 ministerios estén encabezados por mujeres y las mujeres representen el 38,6% de los miembros de la Asamblea Nacional.", "6. El Comité encomia al Estado parte por la aprobación de leyes encaminadas a proteger a las mujeres de la violencia, en particular, la Ley contra la Violencia Doméstica (núm. 7586), la Ley de Penalización de la Violencia contra las Mujeres (núm. 8589/2007) y su modificación (núm. 8929/2011), y la Ley de Protección a Víctimas y Testigos (núm. 8720/2009).", "7. El Comité observa con reconocimiento la aceptación por el Estado parte de la enmienda al párrafo 1 del artículo 20 de la Convención, relativa al tiempo asignado a las reuniones del Comité.", "C. Principales esferas de preocupación y recomendaciones", "8. El Comité recuerda la obligación del Estado parte de aplicar de manera sistemática y continua todas las disposiciones de la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer y considera que las preocupaciones y recomendaciones que se señalan en las presentes observaciones finales requieren la atención prioritaria del Estado parte desde el momento actual hasta la presentación del próximo informe periódico. En consecuencia, el Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que centre en esas esferas sus actividades de aplicación y a que, en su próximo informe periódico, indique las medidas adoptadas y los resultados conseguidos. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que transmita las presentes observaciones finales a todos los ministerios pertinentes, al Parlamento y a la judicatura, a fin de asegurar su plena aplicación.", "Asamblea Nacional", "9. El Comité, al tiempo que reafirma que incumbe al Gobierno la responsabilidad primordial de cumplir plenamente las obligaciones que el Estado parte ha contraído en virtud de la Convención y especialmente de rendir cuentas al respecto, destaca que la Convención es vinculante para todos los poderes públicos e invita al Estado parte a que aliente a su Asamblea Nacional a que, de conformidad con su reglamento y cuando proceda, adopte las medidas necesarias para dar aplicación a las presentes observaciones finales y al proceso relacionado con el próximo informe que debe presentar con arreglo a la Convención.", "Visibilidad de la Convención y del Protocolo Facultativo", "10. El Comité, si bien toma nota de la información proporcionada por el Estado parte con respecto a las medidas adoptadas para difundir la Convención y su Protocolo Facultativo entre los abogados, otros profesionales y la población en general, como la distribución de material y la organización de cursos de formación, teme que esas medidas no hayan dado suficiente visibilidad a ambos instrumentos. En particular, le preocupa que las propias mujeres no conozcan sus derechos con arreglo a la Convención o el procedimiento de denuncia en virtud del Protocolo Facultativo y, por tanto, carezcan de la capacidad necesaria para reivindicar la promoción, la protección y el cumplimiento plenos de sus derechos en pie de igualdad con los hombres.", "11. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que adopte medidas para dar a conocer y difundir debidamente la Convención, su Protocolo Facultativo y las recomendaciones generales del Comité entre todos los interesados, incluidos los ministerios, los parlamentarios, los jueces y los agentes del orden público, a fin de sensibilizarlos sobre los derechos humanos de las mujeres. El Comité insta también al Estado parte a que organice las campañas de sensibilización dirigidas a las mujeres para que conozcan mejor sus derechos humanos y puedan hacer uso de los procedimientos y recursos a su disposición cuando se vulneran sus derechos reconocidos en la Convención.", "Principio de igualdad", "12. El Comité, al tiempo que toma nota de la explicación proporcionada por la delegación, reitera su preocupación por el hecho de que, si bien en la Convención se hace referencia al concepto de igualdad, en el informe del Estado parte se emplean los términos “igualdad” y “equidad” en referencia a diferentes planes y programas.", "1. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que tome nota de que, la Convención tiene por objeto eliminar la discriminación contra la mujer y garantizar la igualdad de forma y de fondo entre mujeres y hombres. En consecuencia, el Comité recomienda al Estado parte que amplíe el diálogo entre las entidades públicas, las instituciones académicas y la sociedad civil con el fin de aclarar la definición de igualdad de conformidad con lo dispuesto en la Convención y en las recomendaciones generales del Comité 25 (2004), sobre el párrafo 1 del artículo 4 de la Convención relativo a las medidas especiales de carácter temporal, y 28 (2010) sobre las obligaciones básicas de los Estados partes en virtud del artículo 2 de la Convención.", "Mecanismos nacionales", "2. El Comité, si bien agradece la información facilitada por la delegación con respecto al presupuesto y los recursos humanos asignados a los mecanismos nacionales, lamenta que el Estado parte decidiera dejar de conferir el rango de ministra a la Presidenta Ejecutiva del Instituto Nacional de la Mujer. El Comité considera que esa decisión podría interpretarse como una falta de compromiso político para asegurar que el mecanismo nacional en materia de género cuente con plena autoridad y capacidad para promover el adelanto de la mujer y la igualdad entre los géneros y para incorporar de manera efectiva las cuestiones de género en todas las actividades de los departamentos gubernamentales a nivel nacional, provincial y cantonal.", "1. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que considere la posibilidad de volver a conferir el rango de ministra a la Presidenta Ejecutiva del Instituto Nacional de la Mujer con el fin de aumentar la visibilidad y eficacia del Instituto, mejorar su capacidad de influir en la formulación, la concepción y la aplicación de las políticas públicas y afianzar su función coordinadora a todos los niveles de gobierno, en particular, a nivel ministerial.", "Medidas especiales de carácter temporal", "2. Al tiempo que toma nota de la adopción de medidas especiales con respecto a la participación de la mujer en la vida política, el Comité observa con preocupación que las medidas especiales de carácter temporal adoptadas en otros ámbitos, de conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 4 de la Convención, son insuficientes.", "1. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que ponga en marcha nuevas iniciativas para contribuir a que se comprenda mejor el concepto de medidas especiales de carácter temporal y promover su aplicación, de conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 4 de la Convención y la recomendación general 25, como parte de una estrategia necesaria para lograr la igualdad sustantiva de la mujer, en particular en beneficio de los grupos desfavorecidos de mujeres, en ámbitos como la salud, la educación y el empleo.", "Estereotipos", "2. El Comité, si bien toma nota de las medidas adoptadas en las escuelas y en los medios de comunicación con el fin de eliminar los roles tradicionales de género en la familia y en la sociedad en general, en ámbitos como la participación política, el empleo, la educación, el acceso a los servicios de salud y el acceso a la justicia, observa con preocupación que en el Estado parte persisten actitudes tradicionales y discriminatorias y prevalece la influencia de creencias religiosas y patrones culturales que obstaculizan el avance de los derechos de la mujer y la plena aplicación de la Convención, en particular los derechos sexuales y reproductivos. Preocupa también al Comité que el contenido del artículo 75 de la Constitución pudiera influir en la persistencia de los roles tradicionales de género en el Estado parte.", "1. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que intensifique sus esfuerzos para poner en marcha campañas de sensibilización y educación pública dirigidas a la población en general y, en particular, a los líderes políticos y religiosos y a los funcionarios públicos, con miras a propiciar cambios en las actitudes tradicionales asociadas a los roles de género discriminatorios en la familia y en la sociedad en general, de conformidad con los artículos 2 f) y 5 a) de la Convención.", "Violencia contra la mujer", "2. El Comité, si bien reconoce que el Estado parte ha adoptado un marco legislativo destinado a proteger a las mujeres de la violencia doméstica y en 2008 estableció un sistema nacional para la atención y prevención de la violencia contra las mujeres y la violencia intrafamiliar, observa con preocupación los 52.103 casos de violencia doméstica denunciados ante tribunales especializados en 2009, que representan un incremento del 13,2% del número de casos de esa índole desde 2007. El Comité observa con preocupación también que, a pesar de que 4.969 de los presuntos agresores fueron condenados, no se proporciona información sobre el tipo de delitos que cometieron, las sanciones que les fueron impuestas, su relación con las víctimas y el tipo de resarcimiento, si lo hubiere, concedido a las víctimas. El Comité observa con preocupación además el reducido número de centros de acogida (tres) para las mujeres víctimas de la violencia doméstica y sus hijos que hay en el país.", "3. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Estudie los efectos y la eficacia de la respuesta del sistema nacional para la atención y prevención de la violencia contra las mujeres y la violencia intrafamiliar, con el fin de mejorar la coordinación entre todas las instituciones que prestan asistencia y apoyo en los casos de violencia doméstica;", "b) Se asegure de que haya suficientes centros de acogida financiados por el Estado a disposición de las víctimas de la violencia doméstica y sus hijos;", "c) Persevere en sus esfuerzos por mejorar su sistema de reunión periódica de datos estadísticos sobre la violencia doméstica contra la mujer, desglosados por sexo y tipo de violencia y por la relación del agresor con la víctima;", "d) Ponga en marcha programas de educación y sensibilización pública a través de los medios de comunicación para transmitir el mensaje de que todas las formas de violencia contra la mujer, incluida la violencia doméstica, son inaceptables, y, en ese sentido, tenga en cuenta la recomendación general 19 (1992) del Comité.", "Trata de mujeres y explotación de la prostitución", "4. El Comité, si bien toma nota de las iniciativas del Estado parte para hacer frente al problema de la trata de mujeres y niñas y a su naturaleza transnacional, incluidos el establecimiento de una Coalición Nacional contra el Tráfico Ilícito de Migrantes y la Trata de Personas y la modificación de la Ley de Migración (2010) para autorizar que se otorguen visados con carácter temporal a las víctimas de la trata de personas, observa con preocupación la falta de recursos humanos y financieros para combatir adecuadamente los fenómenos de la trata y la explotación de la prostitución y para ofrecer alojamiento y prestar servicios básicos a las víctimas. El Comité también observa con preocupación la falta de estadísticas sobre el número de mujeres y niñas que son víctimas de la trata con fines de explotación sexual comercial y el reducido número de casos investigados y de condenas por delitos de trata de personas.", "1. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Redoble sus esfuerzos en materia de iniciativas de lucha contra la trata de personas con el fin de hacer frente firme y exhaustivamente a los complejos aspectos de la trata de mujeres y niñas y la explotación de la prostitución;", "b) Considere la posibilidad de aprobar una ley relativa a la trata de personas que se ajuste plenamente al artículo 6 de la Convención;", "c) Logre que se vigile sistemáticamente y se evalúe periódicamente la trata y la explotación de las mujeres en la prostitución y, para ello, entre otras cosas, reúna y analice datos al respecto, e incluya esos datos en su próximo informe periódico;", "d) Amplíe sus actividades de cooperación internacional, regional y bilateral con los países de origen, tránsito y destino de la trata e intercambie información con ellos a fin de prevenir este fenómeno y armonizar los procedimientos jurídicos dirigidos a enjuiciar a los proxenetas.", "Participación en la vida política y pública", "2. El Comité observa con satisfacción la modificación del Código Electoral (2009), que cambió el sistema de cuotas para la participación de la mujer en la vida política a un sistema basado en la paridad entre los géneros (50% de mujeres y 50% de hombres). Sin embargo, preocupa al Comité que la enmienda solo se aplique a los cargos elegidos con arreglo al sistema de representación proporcional (puestos en la Asamblea Nacional) y no a los elegidos con arreglo al sistema de mayoría (cargos ejecutivos), utilizado para la mayor parte de los puestos importantes con facultades decisorias. El Comité también observa con preocupación que no se han adoptado medidas especiales de carácter temporal con el fin de garantizar la participación en la vida política y pública de los grupos desfavorecidos de mujeres, como las mujeres con discapacidad, las mujeres indígenas y las mujeres de ascendencia africana.", "3. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Considere la posibilidad de volver a modificar el Código Electoral con el fin de asegurar la aplicación de la paridad entre los géneros en los cargos elegidos con arreglo al sistema de representación mayoritaria, en consonancia con la resolución núm. 3671-E8-2010 del Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones;", "b) Aplique, cuando sea necesario, medidas especiales de carácter temporal, de conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 4 de la Convención y la recomendación general 25 (2004) del Comité, con el fin de acelerar la participación plena e igualitaria de las mujeres en la vida pública y política, en particular con respecto a los grupos desfavorecidos de mujeres, como las mujeres con discapacidad, las mujeres indígenas y las mujeres de ascendencia africana.", "Educación", "26. El Comité lamenta que la mayor parte de la información proporcionada en el informe en relación con las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para eliminar la discriminación contra la mujer en la esfera de la educación no esté actualizada y que algunos de los datos proporcionados sean contradictorios. El Comité también expresa su preocupación por los efectos que los estereotipos en materia de género puedan tener sobre las mujeres que optan por ocupaciones sociales tradicionales, como la industria de los alimentos, la artesanía y la industria textil, y sobre sus limitadas ventajas comparativas en el mercado laboral, a pesar de que permanecen más tiempo que los hombres en el sistema de educación y obtienen calificaciones más elevadas. También preocupa al Comité la falta de un programa de educación sobre los derechos sexuales y reproductivos, pese al hecho de que el embarazo entre las adolescentes es una de las causas de la deserción escolar entre las niñas.", "27. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Lleve a cabo una revisión de sus datos sobre educación y proporcione, en su próximo informe periódico, datos precisos e información actualizada sobre las medidas adoptadas para eliminar la discriminación contra la mujer en la esfera de la educación;", "b) Intensifique sus esfuerzos para proporcionar capacitación en materia de género a los maestros a todos los niveles del sistema de educación en el país, con miras a eliminar los prejuicios basados en el género de las actitudes y el comportamiento de los maestros, así como a erradicar los estereotipos de género de los planes de estudios académicos y no académicos;", "c) Introduzca un programa amplio de educación sexual tanto para las niñas como para los niños como parte ordinaria del plan de estudios en las escuelas.", "Empleo", "28. El Comité acoge con agrado las medidas orientadas a suprimir las diferencias por motivos de género en el mercado laboral, incluida la inspección de empresas para asegurar que las mujeres empleadas estén recibiendo el salario mínimo. Sin embargo, el Comité expresa su preocupación por las condiciones de trabajo desiguales de las mujeres, tanto en el sector estructurado como en el sector no estructurado de la economía, incluidas las trabajadoras domésticas, la persistencia de la segregación ocupacional y la concentración de mujeres en empleos poco remunerados, las diferencias salariales entre las mujeres y los hombres tanto en el sector público como en el sector privado, y la escasa disponibilidad de servicios de guardería infantil. Preocupa al Comité la situación de las mujeres migrantes y refugiadas en el mercado laboral. Lamenta la falta de información concreta relativa a las medidas adoptadas para analizar, prevenir y dar seguimiento a los posibles efectos negativos del Tratado de Libre Comercio de Centroamérica para las mujeres empleadas en el sector estructurado de la economía.", "29. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que adopte todas las medidas necesarias para asegurar una mejor aplicación de su legislación laboral, hacer frente a las diferencias salariales y alentar a las mujeres a trabajar en sectores no tradicionales. Alienta al Estado parte a que adopte medidas para proporcionar servicios de guardería asequibles y accesibles a fin de que las mujeres puedan equilibrar sus responsabilidades laborales y familiares. El Comité también insta al Estado parte a que redoble sus esfuerzos para asegurar la adecuada protección de las mujeres migrantes y refugiadas. El Comité reitera su petición al Estado parte para que, en su próximo informe periódico, incluya información sobre los resultados de las actividades orientadas a neutralizar los efectos negativos de los acuerdos de libre comercio sobre el empleo y la calidad de vida de las mujeres. El Comité también invita al Estado parte a que ratifique el Convenio de la OIT sobre el trabajo decente para los trabajadores y las trabajadoras domésticos (núm. 189).", "Hostigamiento sexual en el empleo", "30. Sin dejar de reconocer la enmienda de la Ley contra el Hostigamiento Sexual en el Empleo y la Docencia, que contiene disposiciones encaminadas a prevenir el hostigamiento sexual, el Comité expresa su preocupación por la información recibida que indica que un gran número de denuncias de hostigamiento sexual presentadas ante la Defensoría de los Habitantes o la Inspección de Trabajo del Ministerio de Trabajo fueron desestimadas, que otro número de casos no fueron procesados porque las presuntas víctimas de hostigamiento no quisieron dar curso a sus denuncias o porque las mujeres se niegan a presentar una denuncia.", "31. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte adopte medidas a fin de:", "a) Asegurar que las mujeres que presentan denuncias por hostigamiento sexual tengan el derecho legal a permanecer en sus puestos de trabajo, y que los culpables sean enjuiciados y castigados;", "b) Llevar a cabo campañas de sensibilización dirigidas en particular a las mujeres trabajadoras para echar abajo la cultura del silencio que rodea el hostigamiento sexual, y según lo recomendado por la Comisión de Expertos de la OIT en Aplicación de Convenios y Recomendaciones, proporcionar a las autoridades competentes la información específica para identificar y encarar los casos de hostigamiento sexual.", "Salud", "32. El Comité expresa su preocupación por el insuficiente reconocimiento y protección de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos en el Estado parte. Le preocupa que las mujeres no tengan acceso al aborto legal, debido a la falta de directrices médicas claras en que se esboce cuándo y cómo puede hacerse un aborto legal. El Comité también está preocupado por las dificultades de las mujeres para acceder a los métodos anticonceptivos más seguros y tecnológicamente más avanzados y por la disponibilidad de esos métodos, incluidos los métodos anticonceptivos de emergencia. Le preocupan además los limitados servicios de reproducción asistida disponibles para las mujeres, incluida la fecundación in vitro, que está prohibida en el Estado parte por haber sido declarada inconstitucional por la Corte Suprema de Justicia en el año 2000.", "33. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Dé prioridad a la adopción de las enmiendas a la Ley General de Salud, que prevé la introducción de un capítulo dedicado a los derechos sexuales y reproductivos, de conformidad con el artículo 12 de la Convención y la recomendación general 24 (1999) del Comité sobre el artículo 12 de la Convención (la mujer y la salud);", "b) Considere la posibilidad de levantar la prohibición de la fecundación in vitro y de adoptar medidas legislativas orientadas a facilitar y ampliar el derecho de las mujeres a decidir de manera libre y responsable el número de sus hijos, de conformidad con el apartado e) del artículo 16 de la Convención; y asegure el acceso a los servicios de reproducción asistida, incluyendo la fecundación in vitro, en consonancia con las recomendaciones de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (2010);", "c) Elabore directrices médicas sobre el acceso al aborto legal y las difunda ampliamente entre los profesionales de la salud y el público en general;", "d) Considere la posibilidad de revisar la ley relativa al aborto con miras a la identificación de otras circunstancias bajo las cuales podría permitirse el aborto, como los abortos en casos de embarazos resultantes de violación o incesto;", "e) Adopte medidas para facilitar el acceso de las mujeres a métodos anticonceptivos de tecnología avanzada y fomentar su disponibilidad.", "Las mujeres de las zonas rurales", "34. El Comité reitera su preocupación por la situación de desventaja de las mujeres en las zonas rurales y distantes, que son las más afectadas por la pobreza, las dificultades de acceso a servicios sanitarios y sociales y la falta de participación en los procesos de adopción de decisiones a nivel de la comunidad.", "35. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que adopte las medidas necesarias para aumentar y fortalecer la participación de las mujeres en el diseño y ejecución de planes de desarrollo local, y a que preste especial atención a las necesidades de las mujeres de las zonas rurales, en particular las mujeres cabeza de familia, asegurando que participen en los procesos de adopción de decisiones y tengan un mejor acceso a los servicios de salud, educación, agua potable y saneamiento, las tierras fértiles y los proyectos de generación de ingresos.", "Grupos desfavorecidos de mujeres", "36. El Comité toma nota de la aprobación de la Ley de Trabajo Doméstico Remunerado (2009) y también de las medidas adoptadas para hacer frente a la situación de las trabajadoras domésticas migrantes, en particular nicaragüenses, en el Estado parte. Sin embargo, lamenta la falta de información sobre el alcance de la protección que la Ley de Trabajo Doméstico Remunerado y otras leyes pertinentes proporcionan a las trabajadoras domésticas migrantes.", "37. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte haga una revisión de la protección jurídica de las trabajadoras domésticas migrantes en el marco de la Ley de Trabajo Doméstico Remunerado y otras leyes pertinentes y que incluya los resultados de esa revisión en su próximo informe periódico. Alienta al Estado parte a que establezca un mecanismo para vigilar la aplicación de la Ley de Trabajo Doméstico Remunerado. Además, recomienda que el Estado parte adopte medidas para proteger a las trabajadoras domésticas migrantes, prevenir las actividades de agencias ilegales de empleo, asegurar que las mujeres reciban información adecuada sobre la migración segura antes de salir del país, y firmar acuerdos bilaterales con los países receptores.", "38. Sin dejar de reconocer determinadas iniciativas, como la celebración del primer foro de mujeres indígenas (2007), encaminadas a mejorar la situación de las mujeres indígenas, el Comité observa con preocupación que las mujeres indígenas siguen teniendo pocas oportunidades y un acceso restringido a la educación de calidad, la atención de salud y los servicios de asistencia jurídica. Preocupa también al Comité la escasa información proporcionada por la delegación en relación con las medidas orientadas a mejorar la situación de las mujeres de ascendencia africana en el Estado parte.", "39. El Comité alienta al Estado parte a que adopte medidas concretas y específicas para acelerar el mejoramiento de las condiciones de las mujeres indígenas y de ascendencia africana en todos los ámbitos de la vida. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a asegurar que ambos grupos de mujeres tengan pleno acceso a la educación, los servicios de salud y las facilidades de crédito y puedan participar plenamente en los procesos de toma de decisiones. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que, en su próximo informe periódico, incluya información y datos sobre la situación de las mujeres indígenas y de ascendencia africana y sobre los efectos de las medidas adoptadas para superar las múltiples formas de discriminación contra ellas.", "40. El Comité toma nota de la creación de normas encaminadas a respetar la identidad de las mujeres transgénero en las tarjetas de identificación con foto emitidas por el Registro Civil. Sin embargo, expresa su preocupación por la discriminación en el acceso a los servicios de educación, empleo y salud contra las mujeres lesbianas, bisexuales, transgénero e intersexos en el Estado parte. También preocupa al Comité la información recibida de que algunas de estas mujeres son víctimas de abusos y maltratos por parte de los proveedores de servicios de salud y funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir las leyes.", "41. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que proporcione protección eficaz contra la violencia y la discriminación contra la mujer, en consonancia con la recomendación de examen periódico universal (A/HRC/13/15 y Add.1) aceptada por el Estado parte. En ese sentido, el Comité insta al Estado parte a que intensifique sus esfuerzos para combatir la discriminación contra las mujeres por su orientación sexual e identidad de género, incluso mediante el inicio de una campaña de sensibilización dirigida al público en general, así como la capacitación adecuada de los funcionarios encargados de la aplicación de la ley y los proveedores de servicios de salud, a fin de evitar abusos y maltratos a estas mujeres.", "Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing", "42. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que, en el cumplimiento de las obligaciones que le incumben en virtud de la Convención, aplique plenamente la Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, que refuerzan las disposiciones de la Convención, y solicita al Estado parte que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "43. El Comité subraya que la aplicación plena y efectiva de la Convención es indispensable para el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Hace un llamamiento en favor de la integración de una perspectiva de género y de que se reflejen explícitamente las disposiciones de la Convención en todas las actividades encaminadas a la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, y pide al Estado parte que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Difusión", "44. El Comité solicita que se difundan ampliamente en Costa Rica las presentes observaciones finales a fin de que la población, los funcionarios gubernamentales, los políticos, los parlamentarios y las organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos conozcan las medidas que se han adoptado para garantizar la igualdad de forma y de fondo de la mujer, así como las medidas adicionales que se requieren en ese sentido. El Comité recomienda que sus observaciones finales también se difundan a nivel de las comunidades locales. Se alienta al Estado parte a que organice una serie de reuniones para examinar los avances logrados en la aplicación de estas observaciones. El Comité pide al Estado parte que siga difundiendo ampliamente, en particular entre organizaciones de derechos humanos y de la mujer, las recomendaciones generales del Comité, la Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing y los resultados del vigésimo tercer período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General sobre el tema “La mujer en el año 2000: igualdad entre los géneros, desarrollo y paz para el siglo XXI”.", "Ratificación de otros tratados", "45. El Comité observa que la adhesión del Estado parte a los nueve principales instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos[1] mejoraría el goce de los derechos humanos de la mujer y sus libertades fundamentales en todos los aspectos de la vida. En consecuencia, el Comité alienta al Gobierno de Costa Rica a que ratifique los tratados en los que todavía no es parte, a saber, la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y sus familiares, y la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas.", "Seguimiento de las observaciones finales", "46. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que dentro de dos años le proporcione información por escrito sobre las medidas adoptadas para aplicar las recomendaciones que aparecen en los párrafos 15 y 33 supra.", "Preparación del próximo informe", "47. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que asegure la amplia participación de todos los ministerios y organismos públicos en la preparación de su próximo informe, y que consulte a una variedad de organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos durante esa etapa.", "48. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que responda a las preocupaciones expresadas en las presentes observaciones finales en su próximo informe periódico al Comité con arreglo al artículo 18 de la Convención. El Comité invita al Estado parte a presentar su octavo informe periódico en julio de 2015.", "49. El Comité invita al Estado parte a que siga las “Directrices armonizadas sobre la preparación de informes con arreglo a los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos, incluidas orientaciones relativas a la preparación de un documento básico común y de informes sobre tratados específicos” (HRI/MC/2006/3 y Corr.1), aprobadas en la quinta reunión de los comités que son órganos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos, celebrada en junio de 2006. Las orientaciones sobre la presentación de informes respecto de tratados específicos aprobadas por el Comité en su 40º período de sesiones, celebrado en enero de 2008, deberán aplicarse en conjunción con las directrices armonizadas sobre la preparación de informes en un documento básico común. En conjunto, constituyen las directrices armonizadas sobre la preparación de informes con arreglo a la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer. El documento sobre tratados específicos deberá limitarse a 40 páginas, mientras que la actualización del documento básico común no debe exceder de 80 páginas.", "[1] El Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales; el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos; la Convención Internacional para la Eliminación de Todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial; la Convención Internacional para la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer; la Convención contra la Tortura y Otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes; la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño; la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de todos los trabajadores migratorios y sus familiares; la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas, y la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of", "Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Costa Rica", "1. The Committee considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Costa Rica (CEDAW/C/CRI/5-6) at its 978th and 979th meetings, on 11 July 2011 (see CEDAW/C/SR.978 and 979). The Committee’s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6 and the responses are contained in CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6/Add.1.", "A. Introduction", "2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its combined fifth and sixth periodic report, although its structure did not follow the Committee’s guidelines for the preparation of reports. The Committee regrets the long delay in the submission of the report and the outdated information contained therein. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its oral presentation, the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by its pre-session working group and the further clarification provided in response to the questions posed orally by the Committee.", "3. The Committee commends the State party for its high-level delegation, headed by the Executive President of the National Institute for Women, which included representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Supreme Court of Justice. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue that took place between the delegation and the members of the Committee.", "B. Positive aspects", "4. The Committee notes with satisfaction the adoption of the National Gender Equality and Equity Policy for 2007-2017 and its five-year plan of action for 2008-2012 aiming to improve the status of women and to ensure equality of treatment for them in areas such as employment, family responsibilities, access to health services and education.", "5. The Committee commends the State party for its measures to increase the participation of women in political life, including a comprehensive reform to the Electoral Code in 2009. It particularly welcomes the fact that, for the first time, a woman has been elected President, that a woman judge has been appointed as Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Justice, that 9 out of the 21 ministries are headed by women and that women represent 38.6 per cent of National Assembly members.", "6. The Committee commends the State party for the adoption of laws aimed at protecting women from violence, in particular, the Domestic Violence Act (No. 7586), the Criminalization of Violence against Women Act (No. 8589/2007) and the amendment to it (Act No. 8929/2011), and the Witness and Victims Protection Act (Act No. 8720/2009).", "7. The Committee notes with appreciation that the State party has accepted the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention, relating to the meeting time of the Committee.", "C. Principle areas of concern and recommendations", "8. The Committee recalls the obligation of the State party to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations as requiring the priority attention of the State party between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on the actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. The Committee calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries, to the parliament and to the judiciary, so as to ensure their full implementation.", "National Assembly", "9. While reaffirming that the Government has the primary responsibility and is particularly accountable for the full implementation of the obligations of the State party under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all branches of Government and invites the State party to encourage its National Assembly, in line with its procedures and where appropriate, to take the necessary steps with regard to the implementation of the present concluding observations and the next reporting process under the Convention.", "Visibility of the Convention and the Optional Protocol", "10. While taking note of the information provided by the State party on measures in place, such as distribution of materials and training, to disseminate the Convention and its Optional Protocol among lawyers, other professionals and the population at large, the Committee is concerned that these measures have not given sufficient visibility to either instrument. It is particularly concerned that women themselves are not sufficiently aware of their rights under the Convention, or of the complaints procedure under the Optional Protocol, and thus lack the capacity to claim the full promotion, protection and fulfilment of their rights on an equal basis with men.", "11. The Committee urges the State party to implement measures to create awareness of and adequately disseminate the Convention, its Optional Protocol and the Committee’s general recommendations among all stakeholders, including Government ministries, parliamentarians, the judiciary and law enforcement officers, so as to create awareness of women’s human rights. The Committee further urges the State party to undertake awareness-raising campaigns targeted at women to enhance their awareness of their human rights and to ensure that they can avail themselves of procedures and remedies for violations of their rights under the Convention.", "Principle of equality", "12. While taking note of the explanation provided by the delegation, the Committee reiterates its concern over the fact that, while the Convention refers to the concept of equality, in the report of the State party the terms “equality” and “equity” are mentioned when referring to different plans and programmes.", "13. The Committee urges the State party to take note of the fact that the Convention is directed towards eliminating discrimination against women and ensuring formal and substantive equality between men and women. The Committee therefore recommends that the State party expand the dialogue between public entities and civil society in order to ensure that its plans and programmes are in line with the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendations No. 25 (2004) on article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention on temporary special measures and No. 28 (2010) on the core obligations of States parties under article 2 of the Convention.", "National machinery", "14. While the Committee appreciates the information provided by the delegation regarding the budget and human resources allocated to the national machinery, it regrets the decision of the State party to discontinue according ministerial rank to the Executive President of the National Institute for Women. The Committee believes that this decision could be interpreted as a lack of political commitment to ensuring that the national gender mechanism is provided with full authority and capacity to promote the advancement of women and gender equality and to effectively mainstream gender into all activities of governmental departments at the national, provincial and canton level.", "15. The Committee urges the State party to consider reassigning ministerial rank to the Executive President of the National Institute for Women with a view to making the Institute more visible and effective, enhancing its capacity to influence the formulation, design and implementation of public policies and strengthening its coordination role at all levels of government, in particular at the ministerial level.", "Temporary special measures", "16. While taking note of the use of special measures with respect to the participation of women in political life, the Committee notes with concern the insufficiency of temporary special measures in other areas, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention.", "17. The Committee recommends that the State party take further steps to expand the understanding of the concept of temporary special measures and the use of these measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and general recommendation No. 25, as part of a necessary strategy towards the achievement of women’s substantive equality, in particular for disadvantaged groups of women, in fields such as health, education and employment.", "Stereotypes", "18. While noting the measures in place at schools and in the media aimed at eliminating traditional gender roles in the family and in society at large, including in areas such as political participation, employment, education, access to health services and access to justice, the Committee is concerned at the persistence of discriminatory traditional attitudes and the prevailing negative influence of some religious beliefs and cultural patterns in the State party that hamper the advancement of women’s rights and the full implementation of the Convention, in particular sexual and reproductive rights. The Committee is also concerned that the content of article 75 of the Constitution may have an impact on the persistence of traditional gender roles in the State party.", "19. The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts in conducting awareness-raising and public educational campaigns addressing the population at large and in particular political and religious leaders and government officials, with a view to bringing about changes in traditional attitudes associated with discriminatory gender roles in the family and in society at large, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention.", "Violence against women", "20. While acknowledging that the State party has adopted a legislative framework to protect women from domestic violence and that in 2008 it also established a national response and prevention system on violence against women and violence within the family, the Committee is concerned at the 52,103 cases of domestic violence which were brought before specialized courts in 2009 and which represent a 13.2 per cent increase in such cases since 2007. It is also concerned that even though 4,969 of the alleged perpetrators were convicted, no information is provided in the report about the types of offences they committed, the sanctions imposed on them, their relationship with the victims or the type of reparations, if any, granted to the victims. The Committee is further concerned at the limited number of shelters (three) available for women victims of domestic violence and their children in the country.", "21. The Committee calls upon the State party to:", "(a) Study the impact and effectiveness of the national response and prevention system on violence against women and violence within the family, with the aim of enhancing coordination among all institutions providing assistance and support in cases of domestic violence;", "(b) Ensure that a sufficient number of State-funded shelters are available to women victims of domestic violence and their children;", "(c) Continue its efforts to improve its system for the regular collection of statistical data on violence against women, disaggregated by sex and type of violence and by the relationship of the perpetrators and victims;", "(d) Undertake educational and public awareness programmes through the media to convey the message that all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, are unacceptable, taking into account the Committee’s general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women.", "Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution", "22. While noting the initiatives of the State party to address the issue of trafficking in women and girls and its transnational nature, including by establishing the National Coalition against the Smuggling of Migrants and Human Trafficking and by amending the Immigration Act (2010) to authorize the provision of temporary visas to victims of human trafficking, the Committee is concerned at the lack of human and financial resources to adequately combat trafficking and the exploitation of prostitution and to offer shelter and basic services to victims. The Committee is further concerned at the lack of statistics on the number of women and girls who are victims of trafficking for sexual commercial exploitation and at the low numbers of cases investigated and prosecuted and the low rate of convictions.", "23. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Strengthen its efforts in anti-trafficking initiatives with a view to addressing fully and comprehensively the complexities of trafficking in women and girls and the exploitation of prostitution;", "(b) Consider adopting a law on trafficking which fully complies with article 6 of the Convention;", "(c) Ensure systematic monitoring and periodic evaluation, including the collection and analysis of data on trafficking and the exploitation of women in prostitution, and include such data in its next periodic report;", "(d) Increase its efforts in international, regional and bilateral cooperation with countries of origin, transit and destination of trafficking to prevent trafficking through information exchange and to harmonize legal procedures aiming at the prosecution and punishment of traffickers.", "Participation in political and public life", "24. The Committee notes with satisfaction the amendment of the Electoral Code (2009) which changed the system of quotas for women’s participation in political life to a system based on gender parity (50 per cent women and 50 per cent men). However, the Committee is concerned that the amendment only applies to posts elected under the system of proportional representation (National Assembly seats) and not to those elected under the majority system (executive posts), where most of the key decision-making posts are located. It is further concerned at the lack of temporary special measures in place aimed at ensuring the participation in political and public life of disadvantaged groups of women, such as women with disabilities, indigenous women and women of African descent.", "25. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Consider further amending the Electoral Code, in order to ensure the implementation of gender parity for posts elected under the majority representation system, in line with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal resolution No. 3671-E8-2010;", "(b) Adopt, wherever necessary, temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25 (2004), in order to accelerate women’s full and equal participation in public and political life, in particular with respect to disadvantaged groups of women, such as women with disabilities, indigenous women and women of African descent.", "Education", "26. The Committee regrets that most of the information provided in the report regarding the measures taken by the State party to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of education is outdated and that some of the data provided is contradictory. The Committee also expresses its concern that gender stereotypes may have an impact on women opting for traditional social occupations, such as working in the food industry and crafts and textiles, and on their limited comparative advantage in the labour market, despite their remaining longer than men in the educational system and obtaining higher qualifications. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of a sexual and reproductive health and rights education programme in the State party, despite the fact that teenage pregnancy is one of the causes of girls dropping out of school.", "27. The Committee calls upon the State party to:", "(a) Conduct a revision of its data on education and provide, in its next periodic report, accurate data and updated information on the measures taken to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of education;", "(b) Enhance its efforts to provide gender training to teachers at all levels of the educational system throughout the country, with a view to eliminating gender bias in the attitudes and behaviour of teachers, as well as eradicating gender stereotypes from the curricula used in both formal and informal education;", "(c) Introduce a comprehensive programme on sexual and reproductive health and rights education for both girls and boys as a regular part of the school curriculum.", "Employment", "28. The Committee welcomes the measures aimed at closing the gender gap in the labour market, including the inspection of companies to ensure that employed women are receiving the minimum wage. However, the Committee expresses its concern at the unequal working conditions of women in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy, including for domestic workers; the persistence of occupational segregation and the concentration of women in low-paid jobs; wage disparities between women and men in both the public and private sectors; and the limited availability of childcare services. The Committee is concerned that the new Immigration Act does not adequately cover the problems of migrant and refugee women in the labour market. It regrets the lack of concrete information regarding measures taken to analyse, prevent and follow up the possible negative impact of the Central American Free Trade Agreement for women employed in the formal sector.", "29. The Committee urges the State party to take all the necessary steps to ensure better implementation of its labour legislation, to address pay gaps and to encourage women to take up employment in non-traditional fields. It encourages the State party to take measures in order to provide affordable and accessible childcare services to enable women to balance their work and family responsibilities. The Committee also urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to ensure adequate protection of migrant and refugee women as regards work permits and work opportunities. The Committee reiterates its request to the State party to include in its next periodic report information on the results of activities aimed at neutralizing the negative effects of free-trade agreements on female employment and the quality of life of women. The Committee also invites the State party to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention (No. 189) concerning decent work for domestic workers.", "Sexual harassment in the workplace", "30. While acknowledging the amendment to the Act on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace and Schools which contains provisions aimed at preventing sexual harassment, the Committee is concerned about its insufficient implementation and limited impact and more especially about information received, which indicates that a large number of sexual harassment complaints filed before the Ombudsperson or the Labour Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour were dismissed and that a large number of cases failed because alleged women victims of harassment did not want to pursue their complaints.", "31. The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to:", "(a) Ensure that women who file complaints against sexual harassment have the legal right to remain in their jobs and that perpetrators are prosecuted and punished;", "(b) Conduct awareness-raising campaigns, targeting, in particular, working women, to break down the culture of silence surrounding sexual harassment and, as recommended by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, to provide the competent authorities with specific information to identify and address cases of sexual harassment.", "Health", "32. The Committee expresses its concern about the inadequate recognition and protection of sexual and reproductive rights in the State party. It is concerned that women do not have access to legal abortion because of the lack of clear medical guidelines outlining when and how a legal abortion can be conducted. The Committee is also concerned about women’s difficulties in access to and availability of the safest and most technologically advanced contraceptive methods, including emergency contraception. It is further concerned at the limited assisted reproductive services available for women, including in vitro fertilization, which is banned in the State party as it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Justice in 2000.", "33. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Prioritize the adoption of the amendment to the General Health Act, which envisages the introduction of a chapter devoted to sexual and reproductive rights, in accordance with article 12 of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 24 (1999) on article 12 of the Convention (women and health);", "(b) Consider lifting the ban on in vitro fertilization and adopting legislative measures aimed at facilitating and expanding women’s right to decide freely and responsibly on the number of their children in accordance with article 16 (e) of the Convention, and ensure access to assisted reproductive services, including in vitro fertilization, in line with the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2010;", "(c) Elaborate clear medical guidelines on access to legal abortion and disseminate them widely among health professionals and the public at large;", "(d) Consider reviewing the law relating to abortion, with a view to identifying other circumstances under which abortion could be permitted, such as abortions in cases of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest;", "(e) Take measures aimed at making accessible and available technologically advanced contraceptive methods to women.", "Rural women", "34. The Committee reiterates its concern at the disadvantaged position of women in rural and remote areas, which are the most affected by poverty, difficulties in obtaining access to health and social services and a lack of participation in decision-making processes at the community level.", "35. The Committee calls upon the State party to take the necessary measures to increase and strengthen the participation of women in designing and implementing local development plans and to pay special attention to the needs of rural women, in particular women heads of household, by ensuring that they participate in decision-making processes and have improved access to health, education, clean water and sanitation services, fertile land and income-generation projects.", "Disadvantaged groups of women", "36. The Committee takes note of the adoption of the Paid Domestic Work Act (2009) and also of measures taken to address the situation of women migrant domestic workers, in particular Nicaraguans, in the State party. However, it regrets the lack of information regarding the extent of protection provided by the act and other legislation relevant to women migrant domestic workers.", "37. The Committee recommends that the State party conduct a review of the legal protection afforded to women migrant domestic workers under the Paid Domestic Work Act and other relevant legislation and to include the results of the review in its next periodic report. It encourages the State party to establish a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the Paid Domestic Work Act. It further recommends that the State party take measures to protect women migrant domestic workers, prevent the activities of illegal employment agencies, ensure that women are provided with adequate information on safe migration before departure and conclude bilateral agreements with receiving countries.", "38. While acknowledging initiatives such as the celebration of the first forum of indigenous women in 2007 aimed at improving the status of indigenous women, the Committee notes with concern that indigenous women continue to have limited opportunities and restricted access to quality education, health care and legal aid services. The Committee is further concerned about the limited information provided by the delegation regarding measures to improve the status of women of African descent in the State party.", "39. The Committee encourages the State party to adopt concrete, targeted measures to accelerate the improvement of conditions of indigenous women and women of African descent in all spheres of life. It calls upon the State party to ensure that both groups of women have full access to education, health services and credit facilities and can fully participate in decision-making processes. It requests the State party to include in its next periodic report information and data on the situation of indigenous women and women of African descent and on the impact of measures taken to overcome multiple discrimination against them.", "40. The Committee takes note of the establishment of regulations aiming to respect the identity of transgender women in the identity photograph cards issued by the Civil Registry Office. However, it expresses its concern about discrimination in the State party against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women in access to education, employment and health-care services. The Committee is also concerned at information received indicating that some of these women are victims of abuse and mistreatment by health service providers and law enforcement officials.", "41. The Committee calls on the State party to provide effective protection against violence and discrimination against women, in line with the recommendation under the universal periodic review (A/HRC/13/15 and Add.1) accepted by the State party. In this regard, the Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to combat discrimination against women based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, including by launching a sensitization campaign aimed at the general public, as well as providing appropriate training to law enforcement officials and health service providers, in order to avoid abuse and mistreatment of these women.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "42. The Committee urges the State party, in the implementation of its obligations under the Convention, to fully utilize the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforce the provisions of the Convention and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "43. The Committee emphasizes that full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It calls for the integration of a gender perspective and explicit reflection of the provisions of the Convention in all efforts aimed at the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "44. The Committee requests the wide dissemination in Costa Rica of the present concluding observations in order to make the people, government officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women’s and human rights organizations, aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure formal and substantive equality of women, as well as the further steps that are required in that regard. The Committee recommends that its concluding observations should also be disseminated at the local community level. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to discuss progress achieved in the implementation of these observations. The Committee requests the State party to continue to disseminate widely, in particular to women’s and human rights organizations, the Committee’s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the theme “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”.", "Ratification of other treaties", "45. The Committee notes that the adherence of the State party to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. The Committee therefore encourages the Government of Costa Rica to consider ratifying the treaties to which it is not yet a party, namely the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "46. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within two years, written information on the steps undertaken to implement the recommendations contained in paragraphs 15 and 33 above.", "Preparation of next report", "47. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next report, and to consult a variety of women’s and human rights organizations during that phase.", "48. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its eighth periodic report in July 2015.", "49. The Committee invites the State party to follow the “Harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties, including guidelines on a common core document and treaty-specific documents” (HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1), approved at the fifth inter-committee meeting of the human rights treaty bodies, in June 2006. The treaty-specific reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session, in January 2008, must be applied in conjunction with the harmonized reporting guidelines on a common core document. Together, they constitute the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The treaty-specific document should be limited to 40 pages, while the updated common core document should not exceed 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of CEDAW", "Costa Rica", "1. The Committee considered the combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Costa Rica (CEDAW/C/CRI/5-6) at its 978th and 979th meetings, on 11 July 2011 (see CEDAW/C/SR.978 and 979). The Committee ' s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6, and the responses of Costa Rica in CEDAW/C/CRI/Q/5-6/Add.1.", "A. Introduction", "2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its combined fifth and sixth periodic reports, although its structure does not conform to the Committee ' s reporting guidelines. The Committee regrets that the report has been submitted with a long delay and that it contains undated information. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its oral presentation, for the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by the pre-session working group, and for the subsequent clarifications provided in response to the oral questions raised by the Committee.", "3. The Committee commends the State party for the high level of its delegation, headed by the Executive President of the National Institute for Women, which included representatives of the Ministry of Public Health and the Supreme Court of Justice. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue between the delegation and the members of the Committee.", "B. Positive aspects", "4. The Committee notes with satisfaction the adoption of the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity for 2007-2017 and its five-year plan of action for 2008-2012, aimed at improving the situation of women and ensuring equal treatment of women in such areas as employment, distribution of family responsibilities, access to health services and education.", "5. The Committee commends the State party for its measures to increase women ' s participation in political life, including comprehensive reform of the 2009 Electoral Code. The Committee particularly welcomes the fact that, for the first time, a woman has been elected President, a judge has been appointed Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Justice, 9 of the 21 ministries are headed by women and women represent 38.6% of the members of the National Assembly.", "6. The Committee commends the State party for the adoption of legislation to protect women from violence, in particular the Domestic Violence Act (No. 7586), the Law on the Criminalization of Violence against Women (No. 8589/2007) and its amendment (No. 8929/2011), and the Law on the Protection of Victims and Witnesses (No. 8720/2009).", "7. The Committee notes with appreciation the State party ' s acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention concerning the time allocated to the meetings of the Committee.", "C. Principal areas of concern and recommendations", "8. The Committee recalls the State party ' s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and considers that the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations require the State party ' s priority attention from the present time to the submission of the next periodic report. The Committee therefore calls upon the State party to focus its implementation activities on those areas and to indicate in its next periodic report the measures taken and the results achieved. The Committee urges the State party to transmit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries, the Parliament and the judiciary, in order to ensure their full implementation.", "National Assembly", "9. The Committee, while reaffirming that the Government bears the primary responsibility for the full implementation of and accountability of the State party ' s obligations under the Convention, stresses that the Convention is binding on all public authorities and invites the State party to encourage its National Assembly, in accordance with its rules of procedure and where appropriate, to take the necessary measures to implement the present concluding observations and the process relating to the next report to be submitted under the Convention.", "Visibility of the Convention and the Optional Protocol", "10. While noting the information provided by the State party regarding measures taken to disseminate the Convention and its Optional Protocol to lawyers, other professionals and the general population, such as the distribution of materials and the organization of training courses, the Committee is concerned that these measures have not given sufficient visibility to both instruments. In particular, it is concerned that women themselves do not know their rights under the Convention or the complaint procedure under the Optional Protocol and therefore lack the capacity to claim the full promotion, protection and fulfilment of their rights on an equal basis with men.", "11. The Committee urges the State party to take measures to properly publicize and disseminate the Convention, its Optional Protocol and the Committee ' s general recommendations to all stakeholders, including ministries, parliamentarians, judges and law enforcement officials, in order to raise awareness of the human rights of women. The Committee also urges the State party to organize awareness-raising campaigns targeting women to better understand their human rights and to make use of the procedures and remedies available to them when their rights under the Convention are violated.", "Principle of equality", "12. The Committee, while noting the explanation provided by the delegation, reiterates its concern that, while the Convention refers to the concept of equality, the State party ' s report uses the terms “equality” and “equity” in reference to different plans and programmes.", "1. The Committee urges the State party to note that the Convention aims at eliminating discrimination against women and ensuring equality in form and in substance between women and men. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that the State party expand the dialogue between public entities, academic institutions and civil society in order to clarify the definition of equality in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendations 25 (2004) on article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention on Temporary Special Measures, and 28 (2010) on the basic obligations of States parties under article 2 of the Convention.", "National mechanisms", "2. While appreciating the information provided by the delegation regarding the budget and human resources allocated to national mechanisms, the Committee regrets that the State party decided to stop conferring the Minister ' s rank to the Executive President of the National Institute for Women. The Committee is of the view that this decision could be interpreted as a lack of political commitment to ensure that the national gender mechanism has full authority and capacity to promote the advancement of women and gender equality and to effectively mainstream gender issues into all government departments ' activities at the national, provincial and cantonal levels.", "1. The Committee urges the State party to consider reconfering the Minister ' s rank to the Executive President of the National Institute for Women in order to increase the visibility and effectiveness of the Institute, enhance its ability to influence the formulation, design and implementation of public policies and strengthen its coordinating role at all levels of government, in particular at the ministerial level.", "Temporary special measures", "2. While noting the adoption of special measures regarding the participation of women in political life, the Committee notes with concern that temporary special measures taken in other areas, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, are insufficient.", "1. The Committee recommends that the State party initiate further initiatives to contribute to a better understanding of the concept of temporary special measures and to promote their implementation, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and general recommendation 25, as part of a strategy necessary to achieve substantive equality for women, in particular for the benefit of disadvantaged groups of women, in areas such as health, education and employment.", "Stereotypes", "2. While noting the measures taken in schools and the media to eliminate traditional gender roles in the family and in society at large, in areas such as political participation, employment, education, access to health services and access to justice, the Committee notes with concern that traditional and discriminatory attitudes persist in the State party and the influence of women ' s religious beliefs and cultural patterns that impede the advancement of the rights of women at large. The Committee is also concerned that the content of article 75 of the Constitution may influence the persistence of traditional gender roles in the State party.", "1. The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to launch awareness-raising and public education campaigns targeting the general population and, in particular, political and religious leaders and public officials, with a view to promoting changes in traditional attitudes associated with discriminatory gender roles in the family and in society at large, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention.", "Violence against women", "2. While acknowledging that the State party has adopted a legislative framework to protect women from domestic violence and in 2008 established a national system for the care and prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, the Committee notes with concern the 52,103 cases of domestic violence reported to specialized courts in 2009, which represent an increase of 13.2 per cent of the number of such cases since 2007. The Committee also notes with concern that, despite the fact that 4,969 of the alleged perpetrators were convicted, no information is provided on the type of offences committed, the penalties imposed on them, their relationship with the victims and the type of compensation, if any, granted to the victims. The Committee further notes with concern the small number of shelters (three) for women victims of domestic violence and their children in the country.", "3. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Consider the impact and effectiveness of the national system ' s response to the care and prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, with a view to improving coordination among all institutions providing assistance and support in cases of domestic violence;", "(b) Ensure that adequate State-funded shelters are available to victims of domestic violence and their children;", "(c) Persevere in its efforts to improve its system of regular collection of statistical data on domestic violence against women, disaggregated by sex and type of violence and the relationship of the perpetrator to the victim;", "(d) Launch education and public awareness programmes through the media to convey the message that all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, are unacceptable, and in that regard take into account the Committee ' s general recommendation 19 (1992).", "Trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution", "4. While noting the State party ' s efforts to address the problem of trafficking in women and girls and their transnational nature, including the establishment of a National Coalition against the Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons and the amendment to the Migration Act (2010) to authorize temporary visas to victims of trafficking, the Committee notes with concern the lack of basic human and financial resources to adequately combat trafficking in persons. The Committee also notes with concern the lack of statistics on the number of women and girls who are victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and the limited number of cases investigated and convictions for human trafficking offences.", "1. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Strengthen its efforts on anti-trafficking initiatives in order to firmly and thoroughly address the complex aspects of trafficking in women and girls and the exploitation of prostitution;", "(b) Consider adopting a law on trafficking in persons that is in full conformity with article 6 of the Convention;", "(c) To ensure systematic monitoring and regular evaluation of trafficking and exploitation of women in prostitution, including data collection and analysis, and to include such data in its next periodic report;", "(d) Expand its international, regional and bilateral cooperation activities with countries of origin, transit and destination of trafficking and exchange information with them in order to prevent this phenomenon and to harmonize legal procedures aimed at proxenets.", "Participation in political and public life", "2. The Committee notes with satisfaction the amendment of the Electoral Code (2009), which changed the quota system for women ' s participation in political life to a gender parity system (50 per cent of women and 50 per cent of men). However, the Committee is concerned that the amendment applies only to the posts elected under the proportional representation system (imposed in the National Assembly) and not to those elected under the majority system (executive charges), used for most important positions with decision-making powers. The Committee also notes with concern that no temporary special measures have been taken to ensure the participation in political and public life of disadvantaged groups of women, such as women with disabilities, indigenous women and women of African descent.", "3. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Consider re-examining the Electoral Code in order to ensure the application of gender parity in elected positions under the majority representation system, in line with resolution No. 3671-E8-2010 of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal;", "(b) Implement, where necessary, temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendation 25 (2004), to accelerate the full and equal participation of women in public and political life, in particular with regard to disadvantaged groups of women, such as women with disabilities, indigenous women and women of African descent.", "Education", "26. The Committee regrets that most of the information provided in the report on the measures taken by the State party to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of education is not updated and that some of the data provided are contradictory. The Committee is also concerned at the impact that gender stereotypes may have on women who opt for traditional social occupations, such as the food industry, crafts and textile industry, and their limited comparative advantages in the labour market, even though they remain longer than men in the education system and obtain higher qualifications. The Committee is also concerned at the lack of an education programme on sexual and reproductive rights, despite the fact that teenage pregnancy is one of the causes of dropout among girls.", "27. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Conduct a review of its education data and provide, in its next periodic report, accurate data and updated information on measures taken to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of education;", "(b) Intensify its efforts to provide gender training to teachers at all levels of the education system in the country, with a view to eliminating gender-based prejudices of teacher attitudes and behaviour, as well as to eradicating gender stereotypes from academic and non-formal curricula;", "(c) Enter a comprehensive sexual education programme for both girls and boys as an ordinary part of the school curriculum.", "Employment", "28. The Committee welcomes measures aimed at eliminating gender differences in the labour market, including corporate inspection to ensure that women employed are receiving the minimum wage. However, the Committee is concerned at the unequal working conditions of women, both in the formal and informal sector of the economy, including domestic workers, the persistence of occupational segregation and the concentration of women in unpaid jobs, the wage gap between women and men in both the public and private sectors, and the low availability of childcare services. The Committee is concerned about the situation of migrant and refugee women in the labour market. It regrets the lack of specific information on measures taken to analyse, prevent and follow up on the possible negative effects of the Central American Free Trade Agreement on women employed in the formal sector of the economy.", "29. The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to ensure better implementation of its labour legislation, address wage differences and encourage women to work in non-traditional sectors. It encourages the State party to take measures to provide affordable and accessible childcare services so that women can balance their work and family responsibilities. The Committee also urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to ensure the adequate protection of migrant and refugee women. The Committee reiterates its request to the State party to include in its next periodic report information on the results of activities aimed at neutralizing the negative impact of free trade agreements on the employment and quality of life of women. The Committee also invites the State party to ratify the ILO Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers (No. 189).", "Sexual harassment in employment", "30. While not failing to recognize the amendment to the Sexual Harassment in Employment and Teaching Act, which contains provisions aimed at preventing sexual harassment, the Committee expresses its concern at the information received that a large number of complaints of sexual harassment brought before the Office of the Ombudsman or the Labour Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour were dismissed, that another number of cases were not prosecuted because the alleged victims of harassment did not wish to file complaints.", "31. The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to:", "(a) Ensure that women who report sexual harassment have the legal right to remain in their jobs, and that perpetrators are prosecuted and punished;", "(b) Conduct awareness-raising campaigns targeting women workers in particular to undermine the culture of silence surrounding sexual harassment, and as recommended by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, provide the competent authorities with specific information to identify and address cases of sexual harassment.", "Health", "32. The Committee expresses its concern at the insufficient recognition and protection of sexual and reproductive rights in the State party. It is concerned that women do not have access to legal abortion, due to the lack of clear medical guidelines that outline when and how legal abortion can be done. The Committee is also concerned at the difficulties of women in accessing safer and technologically more advanced contraceptive methods and the availability of such methods, including emergency contraceptive methods. It is further concerned at the limited reproductive services available to women, including in vitro fertilization, which is prohibited in the State party for having been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Justice in 2000.", "33. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Prioritize the adoption of amendments to the General Health Act, which provides for the introduction of a chapter on sexual and reproductive rights, in accordance with article 12 of the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendation 24 (1999) on article 12 of the Convention (Women and health);", "(b) Consider lifting the ban on in vitro fertilization and adopting legislative measures aimed at facilitating and extending the right of women to decide freely and responsibly the number of their children, in accordance with article 16 (e) of the Convention; and ensure access to assisted reproductive services, including in vitro fertilization, in line with the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (2010);", "(c) Develop medical guidelines on access to legal abortion and disseminate them widely among health professionals and the general public;", "(d) Consider reviewing the abortion law with a view to identifying other circumstances under which abortion could be permitted, such as abortions in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest;", "(e) Take measures to facilitate women ' s access to advanced technology contraceptive methods and to promote their availability.", "Rural women", "34. The Committee reiterates its concern at the disadvantage of women in rural and remote areas, which are the most affected by poverty, the difficulties of access to health and social services and the lack of participation in community-level decision-making processes.", "35. The Committee calls upon the State party to take the necessary measures to increase and strengthen women ' s participation in the design and implementation of local development plans, and to pay special attention to the needs of rural women, in particular women heads of households, ensuring that they participate in decision-making processes and have improved access to health, education, safe drinking water and sanitation, fertile land and income-generating projects.", "Disadvantaged groups of women", "36. The Committee notes the adoption of the Remunerated Domestic Labour Act (2009) and also the measures taken to address the situation of migrant domestic workers, particularly Nicaraguans, in the State party. However, it regrets the lack of information on the extent of protection provided by the Law on Remunerated Domestic Labour and other relevant laws to migrant domestic workers.", "37. The Committee recommends that the State party review the legal protection of migrant domestic workers in the framework of the Remunerated Domestic Labour Act and other relevant laws and include the results of that review in its next periodic report. It encourages the State party to establish a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Remunerated Domestic Labour Act. It further recommends that the State party take measures to protect migrant domestic workers, prevent the activities of illegal employment agencies, ensure that women receive adequate information on safe migration before leaving the country, and sign bilateral agreements with recipient countries.", "38. While recognizing certain initiatives, such as the holding of the first forum of indigenous women (2007), aimed at improving the situation of indigenous women, the Committee notes with concern that indigenous women continue to have limited opportunities and restricted access to quality education, health care and legal aid services. The Committee is also concerned at the limited information provided by the delegation regarding measures aimed at improving the situation of women of African descent in the State party.", "39. The Committee encourages the State party to take concrete and specific measures to accelerate the improvement of the conditions of indigenous women and African descent in all areas of life. The Committee calls upon the State party to ensure that both women ' s groups have full access to education, health services and credit facilities and can participate fully in decision-making processes. The Committee requests the State party to include in its next periodic report information and data on the situation of indigenous women and African descent and on the impact of measures taken to overcome multiple forms of discrimination against them.", "40. The Committee notes the creation of standards to respect the identity of transgender women in photo identification cards issued by the Civil Registry. However, it expresses concern about discrimination in access to education, employment and health services against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women in the State party. The Committee is also concerned at reports that some of these women are victims of abuse and ill-treatment by health service providers and law enforcement officials.", "41. The Committee calls upon the State party to provide effective protection against violence and discrimination against women, consistent with the universal periodic review recommendation (A/HRC/13/15 and Add.1) accepted by the State party. In that regard, the Committee urges the State party to intensify its efforts to combat discrimination against women for their sexual orientation and gender identity, including through the launch of a public awareness campaign, as well as the appropriate training of law enforcement officials and health service providers, in order to prevent abuse and ill-treatment of women.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "42. The Committee urges the State party, in fulfilling its obligations under the Convention, to fully implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforce the provisions of the Convention, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "43. The Committee emphasizes that the full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It called for the integration of a gender perspective and for the explicit reflection of the provisions of the Convention in all activities aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and requested the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "44. The Committee requests that the present concluding observations be widely disseminated in Costa Rica so that the population, government officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women ' s and human rights organizations are aware of the measures that have been taken to ensure women ' s equality in form and in substance, as well as the additional measures required in this regard. The Committee recommends that its concluding observations also be disseminated at the local community level. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to review progress made in the implementation of these observations. The Committee requests the State party to continue to disseminate widely, in particular among human rights and women ' s organizations, the Committee ' s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the theme " Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century " .", "Ratification of other treaties", "45. The Committee notes that the State party ' s accession to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment of women ' s human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. The Committee therefore encourages the Government of Costa Rica to ratify the treaties to which it is not yet a party, namely, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "46. The Committee requests the State party to provide written information within two years on the measures taken to implement the recommendations contained in paragraphs 15 and 33 above.", "Preparation of the next report", "47. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next report, and to consult a variety of women ' s and human rights organizations during that stage.", "48. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report to the Committee under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its eighth periodic report in July 2015.", "49. The Committee invites the State party to follow the “ harmonized guidelines on reporting under international human rights treaties, including guidelines on the preparation of a common core document and treaty-specific reports” (HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1), adopted at the fifth inter-committee meeting of human rights treaty bodies in June 2006. The guidelines on reporting on specific treaties adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session in January 2008 should be implemented in conjunction with the harmonized guidelines on reporting in a common core document. Together, they constitute the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The treaty-specific document should be limited to 40 pages, while updating the common core document should not exceed 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International Convention on the Protection of Persons from Enforced" ]

[ "Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "49º período de sesiones", "11 a 29 de julio de 2011", "Observaciones finales del Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "Djibouti", "1. El Comité examinó el informe inicial y los informes periódicos segundo y tercero combinados de Djibouti (CEDAW/C/DJI/1-3) en sus sesiones 991ª y 992ª, el 21 de julio de 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.991 y 992). La lista de cuestiones y preguntas del Comité figura en el documento CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3 y las respuestas del Gobierno de Djibouti figuran en el documento CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3/Add.1.", "A. Introducción", "2. El Comité acoge con beneplácito la presentación por el Estado parte de su informe inicial y sus informes periódicos segundo y tercero combinados, que son detallados y siguen en general las directrices del Comité para la preparación de informes, aunque carecen de algunos datos específicos desglosados por sexo y se presentaron con atraso. El Comité toma nota con reconocimiento de que los informes combinados se prepararon mediante un proceso participativo coordinado por un comité interministerial y con la participación de diferentes ministerios, miembros de la Asamblea Nacional, la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos y organizaciones de la sociedad civil. El Comité expresa su agradecimiento al Estado parte por las exposiciones orales presentadas por el jefe de la delegación, las respuestas por escrito a la lista de cuestiones y preguntas planteadas por su grupo de trabajo anterior al período de sesiones, y las aclaraciones adicionales dadas en respuesta a la mayoría de las preguntas planteadas oralmente por el Comité.", "3. El Comité felicita al Estado parte por el alto nivel de su delegación, presidida por el Ministro para el Adelanto de la Mujer y la Planificación de la Familia de Djibouti, que incluía a representantes de varios departamentos del Gobierno y de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos. El Comité aprecia el diálogo constructivo que tuvo lugar entre la delegación y los miembros de Comité, y señala al mismo tiempo que algunas preguntas quedaron sin respuesta.", "4. El Comité acoge con beneplácito el compromiso del Estado parte de poner en práctica las disposiciones de la Convención a pesar de los muchos desafíos que enfrenta.", "B. Aspectos positivos", "5. El Comité celebra la ratificación, por el Estado parte, de los siguientes tratados internacionales de derechos humanos desde la entrada en vigor de la Convención para el Estado parte en 1998:", "a) El Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, en 2002;", "b) La Convención contra la Tortura y Otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes, en 2002;", "c) Los dos Protocolos Facultativos del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, en 2002;", "d) Los Protocolos Facultativos de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño relativos a la participación de los niños en conflictos armados y a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, en 2011;", "e) El Protocolo de la Carta Africana de Derechos Humanos y de los Pueblos relativo a los derechos de la mujer en África, en 2005.", "6. El Comité celebra la aprobación, desde la entrada en vigor de la Convención, de las siguientes medidas legislativas encaminadas a eliminar la discriminación contra la mujer:", "a) El Código de la Familia (2002), que establece los 18 años como la edad mínima para contraer matrimonio para las mujeres y los hombres, aunque con excepciones, y mejora la posición económica de la mujer en los matrimonios polígamos, elimina la práctica del repudio y penaliza la negativa de un marido divorciado a pagar alimentos (“abandono de la familia”);", "b) La enmienda de 2009 del artículo 333 del Código Penal (penalización de la mutilación genital femenina) para definir y penalizar la falta de denuncia de casos de mutilación genital femenina, y del artículo 7 del Código de Procedimiento Penal para relajar las condiciones que deben cumplir las organizaciones de derechos de la mujer para plantear ante los tribunales casos de mutilación genital femenina;", "c) La Ley sobre trata de seres humanos (2007), que penaliza la realización o facilitación de la trata de seres humanos y proporciona asistencia a la víctima;", "d) La Ley del sistema de educación (2000) que establece la educación obligatoria gratuita para niños y niñas de los 6 a los 16 años de edad;", "e) El Código del Trabajo (2006) que dispone, entre otras cosas, 14 semanas de licencia por maternidad pagadas y tres días de licencia por paternidad pagados.", "7. El Comité toma nota también con reconocimiento de la aprobación por el Estado parte de diversas medidas normativas e institucionales, entre ellas:", "a) El establecimiento en 2008 del Ministerio para el Adelanto de la Mujer, el Bienestar Familiar y los Asuntos Sociales, cuyo nombre se cambió posteriormente a Ministerio para el Adelanto de la Mujer y la Planificación de la Familia, encargado de las relaciones con el Parlamento (Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme et du Planning Familial, chargé des Relations avec le Parlement);", "b) El establecimiento, en 2008, de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos y de un comité interministerial para coordinar la presentación de informes a los órganos creados en virtud de tratados;", "c) La Estrategia nacional de integración de la mujer en el desarrollo (2003-2010) y su plan de acción para fortalecer la participación de la mujer en la vida política y económica, mejorar la salud de la madre y el niño, y aumentar el acceso de mujeres y niñas a la educación y el alfabetismo.", "C. Principales esferas de preocupación y recomendaciones", "8. El Comité recuerda la obligación del Estado parte de aplicar de manera sistemática y continua todas las disposiciones de la Convención, y considera que las preocupaciones y recomendaciones identificadas en las presentes observaciones finales requieren la atención prioritaria del Estado parte entre el momento actual y la presentación del próximo informe periódico. En consecuencia, el Comité insta al Estado parte a que, en sus actividades de aplicación, centre la atención en esas esferas, e informe sobre las medidas adoptadas y los resultados logrados en su próximo informe periódico. El Comité pide al Estado parte que transmita estas observaciones finales a todos los ministerios pertinentes en los planos nacional y regional, a la Asamblea Nacional y las asambleas regionales, así como a la judicatura, a fin de asegurar su plena aplicación. Recomienda también que el Estado parte integre las observaciones finales en todo su proceso de descentralización.", "Asamblea Nacional", "9. Al tiempo que reafirma que incumbe al Gobierno la responsabilidad primordial de cumplir plenamente las obligaciones que el Estado parte ha contraído en virtud de la Convención, el Comité destaca que la Convención es vinculante para todos los poderes públicos. Invita al Estado parte a que aliente a su Asamblea Nacional a que, de conformidad con su reglamento y cuando proceda, adopte las medidas necesarias para dar aplicación a las presentes observaciones finales y al proceso relacionado con el próximo informe que debe presentar el Estado parte con arreglo a la Convención.", "Visibilidad de la Convención y las recomendaciones generales del Comité", "10. Al señalar que los tratados internacionales ratificados por el Estado parte forman parte de su derecho nacional y tienen supremacía sobre las leyes nacionales (artículo 37 de la Constitución), el Comité se manifiesta preocupado por la percepción de que jueces, magistrados y oficiales de organismos encargados de hacer cumplir la ley no necesitan aplicar la Convención, ya que las leyes nacionales reflejan adecuadamente sus disposiciones. Observa con preocupación que la Convención no ha sido traducida y ampliamente difundida en los idiomas nacionales, es decir, el afar, el somalí y el árabe. También preocupa el hecho de que todas las ramas del Gobierno y la judicatura, en los planos tanto nacional como regional, tengan conocimientos insuficientes sobre los derechos de las mujeres en virtud de la Convención, su concepto de igualdad sustantiva entre los géneros y las recomendaciones generales del Comité. Si bien acoge con beneplácito la reciente aprobación de una ley sobre asistencia letrada que, aunque no está limitada a las mujeres, mitiga los efectos de los gastos jurídicos como un aspecto crítico que limita el acceso de las mujeres a la justicia, preocupa al Comité el hecho de que las mujeres, especialmente las de zonas rurales, no tengan conocimiento de sus derechos en virtud de la Convención, y que su capacidad para reclamar esos derechos se vea aun más limitada por la persistencia de los estereotipos culturales, los mecanismos de justicia tradicionales, el analfabetismo, la falta de acceso a la información y otras dificultades prácticas del acceso a los tribunales.", "11. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte:", "a) Traduzca y difunda ampliamente la Convención en todos los idiomas nacionales y que, a tal fin, solicite asistencia internacional, si corresponde;", "b) Adopte medidas para asegurar que la Convención y las recomendaciones generales del Comité se conozcan suficientemente y sean aplicadas por todas las ramas del Gobierno y la judicatura, en los planos nacional y regional, como un marco para todas las leyes, decisiones judiciales y políticas sobre la igualdad entre los géneros y el adelanto de la mujer;", "c) Asegure que la Convención forme parte integrante de la educación jurídica y la capacitación de jueces y magistrados, incluidos los de tribunales que tratan de la condición jurídica de la persona, abogados y fiscales, de modo que se establezca firmemente en el país una cultura jurídica de apoyo a la igualdad de las mujeres con los hombres, y la no discriminación sobre la base del sexo;", "d) Mejore los conocimientos de las mujeres sobre sus derechos y los medios para ejercerlos, entre otras cosas, mediante programas de alfabetización jurídica, y asegure que se proporcione información sobre la Convención a las mujeres en todo el Estado parte, utilizando para ello todos los medios apropiados, incluso los medios de información;", "e) Elimine los obstáculos que puedan encontrar las mujeres para tener acceso a la justicia, aplicando efectivamente la ley sobre asistencia letrada para que las mujeres pobres puedan denunciar violaciones de sus derechos en virtud de la Convención, y difundiendo conocimientos sobre la forma de utilizar los remedios jurídicos disponibles contra la discriminación.", "Armonización de las leyes", "12. El Comité celebra los esfuerzos realizados por el Estado parte para fortalecer los derechos de la mujer en lo que respecta al matrimonio y el divorcio en el Código de Familia, que se basa en el derecho consuetudinario, el derecho islámico y elementos de derecho modernos. No obstante, observa con preocupación la postura adoptada por el Estado parte al alegar que las disposiciones discriminatorias de dicho código, entre ellas las relativas a la función del marido como cabeza de familia y a los derechos de sucesión desfavorables para la mujer, no pueden cambiarse puesto que se basan en “valores socioculturales y religiosos superiores”. El Comité observa con preocupación que las disposiciones del Código de Familia que prevén la desigualdad de derechos entre la mujer y el hombre en lo que respecta al matrimonio y su disolución son incompatibles con la Convención, y a este respecto recuerda que el Estado parte ratificó la Convención sin reservas. Además, al Comité le preocupa el hecho de que las disputas sobre las violaciones de los derechos de la mujer, especialmente los casos de violencia sexual, suelan resolverse mediante mecanismos de justicia tradicionales, como el pago de una suma simbólica a la familia de la víctima sin consultar ni indemnizar a la propia víctima.", "13. El Comité recuerda su recomendación general núm. 21 (1994) relativa a la igualdad en el matrimonio y las relaciones de familia, y exhorta al Estado parte a que modifique las disposiciones discriminatorias del Código de Familia con miras a armonizarlas con la Convención. Se aconseja al Estado parte que, a la hora de introducir las correspondientes modificaciones, tenga en cuenta las experiencias positivas de otros Estados partes de la región que han revisado sus leyes sobre el estatuto personal y la familia basándose en interpretaciones progresistas del Corán con arreglo a la Convención. El Comité también recomienda al Estado parte que tome medidas para sensibilizar al público acerca de la importancia de hacer frente a las violaciones de los derechos de la mujer mediante mecanismos judiciales en lugar de mecanismos consuetudinarios, a fin de asegurar que las víctimas tengan acceso a recursos y reparación efectivos, y que proporcione capacitación a jueces, magistrados y autoridades policiales para que apliquen la legislación pertinente teniendo en cuenta la perspectiva de género de conformidad con la Convención.", "Mecanismos nacionales encargados del adelanto de la mujer", "14. El Comité celebra que se hayan establecido mecanismos nacionales para el adelanto de la mujer, que consisten en el Ministerio para el Adelanto de la Mujer, oficinas regionales de asuntos de género y coordinadores de las cuestiones de género en distintos departamentos de gobierno, pero observa con preocupación que no se han reforzado adecuadamente la capacidad y los recursos de los mecanismos nacionales, especialmente a nivel regional, para asegurar la coordinación y aplicación eficaces de la estrategia nacional de integración de la mujer en el desarrollo y la asignación de prioridad a los derechos de la mujer en las estrategias de desarrollo social y económico.", "15. El Comité, recordando su recomendación general núm. 6 (1988) y la orientación que ofrece la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, en particular en lo que respecta a las condiciones necesarias para el funcionamiento eficaz de los mecanismos nacionales, recomienda que el Estado parte:", "a) Fortalezca los mecanismos nacionales vigentes a todos los niveles dotándoles de suficientes recursos humanos, técnicos y financieros para aumentar su eficacia en lo que respecta a la formulación, aplicación, prestación de asesoramiento, coordinación y supervisión de la preparación y aplicación de leyes y medidas normativas en el ámbito de la igualdad de género y la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en todas las leyes y políticas;", "b) Proporcione capacitación en igualdad de género a las mujeres y los hombres que trabajan en el Ministerio para el Adelanto de la Mujer, incluidas sus oficinas regionales, así como a los que trabajan en otros departamentos gubernamentales a nivel nacional y regional;", "c) Preste atención prioritaria a los derechos de la mujer, la no discriminación y la igualdad entre los géneros, entre otras cosas tomando en cuenta las recomendaciones del Comité para la preparación y aplicación de la política nacional en materia de género;", "d) Incorpore en la política nacional en materia de género un enfoque orientado a los resultados que incluya indicadores y objetivos específicos;", "e) Fortalezca la capacidad, la independencia y los recursos de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, así como su mandato de trabajar en pro de los derechos de la mujer, de conformidad con los Principios relativos al estatuto de las instituciones nacionales (Principios de París) (resolución 48/134 de la Asamblea General, anexo).", "Estereotipos y prácticas perjudiciales", "16. El Comité observa las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para eliminar las actitudes culturales discriminatorias y penalizar ciertas prácticas perjudiciales, pero considera preocupante la persistencia de normas, prácticas y tradiciones culturales perjudiciales y de actitudes patriarcales y estereotipos profundamente arraigados sobre las funciones, las responsabilidades y la identidad de las mujeres y los hombres en todas las esferas de la vida. Al Comité también le preocupa el hecho de que esas costumbres y prácticas perpetúen la discriminación contra la mujer y se traduzcan en una situación de desventaja y desigualdad de la mujer en numerosos ámbitos, incluidos la vida pública y económica, los procesos de adopción de decisiones y las relaciones matrimoniales y de familia. El Comité observa que esos estereotipos también contribuyen a que persista la violencia contra la mujer y se mantengan varias prácticas nocivas, como la mutilación genital femenina, la poligamia y el matrimonio precoz; y expresa su preocupación por el hecho de que el Estado parte no haya tomado suficientes medidas sostenidas y sistemáticas para modificar o eliminar los estereotipos, los valores culturales discriminatorios y las prácticas perjudiciales.", "17. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Establezca una estrategia integral para eliminar las prácticas perjudiciales y los estereotipos que discriminan a la mujer, de conformidad con los artículos 2 f) y 5 a) de la Convención. Estas medidas deben incluir la adopción de iniciativas, en colaboración con la sociedad civil, para educar y concienciar sobre esta cuestión, dirigidas a las mujeres y los hombres de todos los sectores de la sociedad, incluidos los líderes tradicionales y religiosos;", "b) Combata las prácticas perjudiciales como la mutilación genital femenina, la poligamia y el matrimonio precoz estableciendo programas de educación pública y prohibiendo o haciendo cumplir eficazmente la prohibición de tales prácticas, en particular en las zonas rurales;", "c) Aplique medidas innovadoras para que se comprenda mejor la igualdad entre las mujeres y los hombres y para seguir colaborando con los medios de información a fin de promover imágenes positivas de la mujer que se alejen de los estereotipos;", "d) Realice una evaluación de las repercusiones de esas medidas a fin de detectar deficiencias y mejorar dichas medidas en consecuencia.", "Mutilación genital femenina", "18. El Comité celebra las numerosas medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para concienciar a la sociedad acerca de los efectos nocivos de la mutilación genital femenina, pero observa con preocupación que la incidencia de esta práctica sigue siendo muy elevada (93%), especialmente en las zonas rurales, y que los casos de mutilación genital femenina no suelen denunciarse, juzgarse ni castigarse. También observa con preocupación que la mutilación genital femenina a menudo provoca complicaciones obstétricas, cesáreas, sangramiento excesivo, partos prolongados y muerte materna, especialmente cuando se practica la infibulación, que es la forma más extrema de mutilación genital femenina y está muy extendida en el Estado parte.", "19. El Comité recuerda su recomendación general núm. 14 (1990) relativa a la circuncisión femenina y su recomendación general núm. 19 (1992) relativa a la violencia contra la mujer, así como las recomendaciones dirigidas al Estado parte durante el examen periódico universal de Djibouti (A/HRC/1/16, párrs. 67.18, 67.25, 68.3 y 68.8) y por el Comité de los Derechos del Niño (CRC/C/DJI/CO/2, párr. 56), e insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Aplique de forma efectiva el artículo 333 del Código Penal, relativo a la mutilación genital femenina, que establece una pena de cinco años de cárcel, enjuiciando y castigando debidamente a los autores de esos delitos así como a sus cómplices y a quienes no los denuncien, y proporcione información en su próximo informe periódico sobre el número de denuncias, juicios, condenas y penas impuestas a los autores de delitos de mutilación genital femenina;", "b) Intensifique sus campañas de concienciación e iniciativas de capacitación dirigidas a las familias, los profesionales, las comunidades, los líderes tradicionales y religiosos, los trabajadores de la salud y los jueces y magistrados, incluidos los que trabajan en tribunales del estatuto personal, los fiscales y los agentes de policía, con el apoyo de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, a fin de explicar que la mutilación genital femenina es una forma de discriminación y violencia basadas en el género y de erradicar esa práctica y las justificaciones culturales en que se basa;", "c) Eduque a las familias, las comunidades, los profesionales, los docentes y los trabajadores de la salud sobre los efectos nocivos de la mutilación genital femenina para la salud reproductiva de las mujeres y las niñas.", "Violencia contra la mujer", "20. El Comité observa que se han adoptado medidas para combatir la violencia contra la mujer, como la distribución por el Estado parte de guías para jueces y abogados y para la sociedad civil sobre las respuestas jurídicas y la asistencia a las víctimas, y el establecimiento por la Unión Nacional de Mujeres de Djibouti, la principal organización de defensa de los derechos de la mujer del Estado parte, de centros de información, orientación y asesoramiento, incluso en el campamento de refugiados de Ali-Adeh, en los que se presta asistencia a las víctimas de la violencia basada en el género. También toma nota de la intención del Estado parte de revisar su legislación relativa a la violencia contra la mujer. No obstante, le preocupa que las mujeres casi nunca denuncian los casos de violencia basada en el género, que normalmente se resuelven dentro de la familia, que la violación dentro del matrimonio no se considera un delito y que el aborto después de la violación es ilegal, y le preocupan también los informes de que en el campamento de Ali-Adeh se han producido casos de violencia sexual cuyas víctimas no han tenido acceso a la justicia.", "21. De conformidad con su recomendación general núm. 19 (1992) relativa a la violencia contra la mujer, el Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Enjuicie y castigue debidamente a los autores de todos los actos de violencia doméstica y sexual cometidos contra mujeres y niñas, tras una denuncia de la víctima o de oficio;", "b) Considere la posibilidad de modificar el Código Penal, con miras a penalizar la violación dentro del matrimonio y a despenalizar el aborto en los casos de violación;", "c) Proporcione capacitación obligatoria a jueces, fiscales y policías para la aplicación estricta de las disposiciones pertinentes del Código Penal;", "d) Aliente a las mujeres y niñas víctimas de actos de violencia a que denuncien esos incidentes a la policía, promoviendo una mayor conciencia acerca del carácter delictivo de esos actos, eliminando la estigmatización de las víctimas y enseñando a los agentes de la ley y al personal médico procedimientos estandarizados que tengan en cuenta la perspectiva de género para atender a las víctimas e investigar eficazmente las denuncias;", "e) Asegure que el proyecto de política nacional en materia de género que está preparando el Ministerio de Promoción de la Mujer otorgue prioridad a las medidas para afrontar la violencia contra las mujeres;", "f) Fortalezca la asistencia a las víctimas y su rehabilitación, proporcionando asistencia letrada gratuita y atención psicológica, abriendo albergues para mujeres maltratadas y prestando apoyo a organizaciones de defensa de los derechos de la mujer que asisten a las víctimas, entre ellas, aunque no exclusivamente, la Unión Nacional de Mujeres de Djibouti;", "g) Garantice la seguridad física de las mujeres y niñas refugiadas en el campamento de Ali-Adeh aumentando el número de agentes de policía en el campamento y prestando asistencia letrada gratuita a las víctimas de la violencia sexual y otros tipos de violencia;", "h) Recopile datos desglosados sobre el número de denuncias, juicios, condenas y penas impuestas a los autores de actos de violencia doméstica y sexual e incluya esos datos en su próximo informe periódico.", "Trata de mujeres y explotación de la prostitución", "22. El Comité reconoce lo difícil que resulta al Estado parte atender al gran número de refugiados y migrantes que entran en su territorio y transitan por él. Observa las medidas que ha adoptado el Estado parte para luchar contra la trata de personas, en particular de mujeres y niños, que a menudo sufren los abusos de los tratantes y son sometidos a trabajos forzosos y a explotación sexual en los países de destino, al concertar acuerdos de cooperación con otros países de la subregión, cooperar más estrechamente con la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones, que ha abierto hace poco un centro de respuesta a la migración en Obock, y penalizar la trata de personas. No obstante, el Comité observa con preocupación la limitada capacidad que tiene el Estado parte para hacer cumplir la Ley sobre la trata de personas y prestar asistencia a las víctimas, el escaso número de juicios y condenas de tratantes y la falta de protección disponible para las mujeres y los niños refugiados y migrantes que por su situación de vulnerabilidad corren el riesgo de convertirse en víctimas de la trata.", "23. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte:", "a) Agilice la aprobación de un plan nacional de acción contra la trata de personas, en particular de mujeres y niñas, incluidas las refugiadas y las migrantes;", "b) Haga cumplir efectivamente la Ley sobre la trata de personas enjuiciando y castigando debidamente a los tratantes y prestando asistencia a las víctimas de la trata;", "c) Siga concienciando y proporcionando capacitación a las autoridades policiales para que apliquen estrictamente las disposiciones pertinentes del derecho penal;", "d) Establezca mecanismos apropiados para la pronta identificación, remisión a los servicios apropiados y apoyo de las víctimas de la trata, incluidas las mujeres y niñas refugiadas y migrantes;", "e) Proporcione a las refugiadas y migrantes acceso a actividades que generen ingresos, mediante microcréditos y oportunidades de empleo por cuenta propia, para reducir el riesgo de que tengan que dedicarse a la prostitución para sobrevivir o de que se conviertan en víctimas de la trata de personas;", "f) Recopile datos desglosados sobre el número de juicios y condenas de tratantes y los incluya en su próximo informe periódico.", "Participación en la vida política y pública", "24. El Comité celebra que la aprobación de la ley de 2002 por la que se introdujo una cuota del 10% de representación para las mujeres en las listas de candidatos de los partidos políticos haya dado lugar a un aumento del número de mujeres en la Asamblea Nacional, donde ocuparon 9 de los 65 escaños en 2009, y en los consejos regionales y municipales. También observa que en 2008 se aprobó un decreto por el que se introdujo una cuota del 20% de representación para las mujeres en los puestos superiores de la administración pública, que actualmente hay tres ministras y que ha aumentado considerablemente el número de juezas, incluso en los tribunales del estatuto personal. No obstante, le preocupa al Comité que la participación de la mujer en la vida política y pública sigue siendo escasa, especialmente en los cargos decisorios y en la administración local, así como en el servicio diplomático.", "25. El Comité recuerda su recomendación general núm. 23 (1997) relativa a la mujer en la vida política y pública y su recomendación general núm. 25 (2004) relativa a medidas especiales de carácter temporal, y recomienda que el Estado parte:", "a) Aumente y haga cumplir efectivamente las cuotas vigentes, entre otras cosas mediante sanciones adecuadas, y apruebe cuotas adicionales para las mujeres que se apliquen en toda la administración pública a nivel nacional, regional y municipal, con miras a acelerar la paridad entre mujeres y hombres en los órganos políticos a que se accede por elección o nombramiento, en especial en los cargos decisorios y en la administración local;", "b) Asigne fondos suficientes a las mujeres candidatas, incluidas las candidatas de la oposición, cuando destine financiación pública a campañas electorales;", "c) Promueva la participación de la mujer en las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, los partidos políticos, los sindicatos y otras asociaciones, incluso en cargos directivos;", "d) Asegure que las mujeres, incluidas las mujeres con discapacidad, tengan oportunidades suficientes de participar y puedan ejercer el voto en lo que respecta a la planificación, aplicación, supervisión y evaluación de las políticas de desarrollo y los proyectos comunitarios;", "e) Tome medidas de acción afirmativa para aumentar el número de mujeres diplomáticas, en particular el número de embajadoras;", "f) Proporcione capacitación en igualdad de género a políticos, periodistas, docentes y líderes tradicionales y religiosos, especialmente hombres, para que comprendan mejor que la participación plena, igual, libre y democrática de las mujeres y los hombres en la vida política y pública es imprescindible para aplicar íntegramente la Convención.", "Educación", "26. Aunque acoge con satisfacción las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para aumentar el acceso de las niñas, en particular, a la educación primaria, como crear escuelas más cerca de las comunidades rurales, crear un nuevo ministerio para la educación preescolar, aumentar el número de casas cuna y guarderías, y otorgar becas y raciones de alimentos a las niñas e incentivos a los padres para que envíen a sus hijas a la escuela, especialmente en las zonas rurales, el Comité está preocupado por:", "a) El lento aumento en la matriculación de niñas en el nivel primario, en particular en las zonas rurales, a pesar de las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte;", "b) La baja tasa de matriculación de las niñas en el nivel secundario, especialmente en las zonas rurales, y la importante diferencia que existe entre las tasas de matriculación de las niñas y los niños en el nivel secundario;", "c) El acento que se pone en esferas tradicionalmente dominadas por las mujeres —como la costura, la cocina y la peluquería— en la formación profesional y la enseñanza técnica y profesional para las mujeres y las niñas, lo que potencialmente las confina en empleos de baja remuneración en sus futuras profesiones;", "d) La baja tasa de alfabetización de las mujeres, especialmente en las zonas rurales.", "27. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que siga adoptando medidas para asegurar el acceso equitativo de las niñas y las mujeres a todos los niveles de educación, como:", "a) Hacer frente a los obstáculos que entorpecen la educación de las mujeres y las niñas, como las actitudes culturales negativas, el matrimonio precoz, el exceso de tareas domésticas, el bajo número de mujeres docentes, la falta de seguridad, y los problemas de salud relacionados con la mutilación genital femenina;", "b) Fomentar la sensibilización de los padres, las comunidades, los maestros, los líderes tradicionales, y los funcionarios públicos, especialmente los hombres, respecto de la importancia de la educación de las mujeres y las niñas;", "c) Fomentar la acción afirmativa, como la capacitación y la contratación de maestras;", "d) Velar por la seguridad de las niñas y hacer frente a sus necesidades en materia de salud, incluyendo la apertura de más escuelas cercanas a las comunidades rurales y la construcción de letrinas separadas y en funcionamiento, en particular en las escuelas primarias;", "e) Otorgar becas públicas a las niñas e incentivos a los padres, incluidos subsidios, para que envíen a sus hijas a la escuela a fin de aliviar la carga de las niñas en relación con sus responsabilidades en el ámbito del trabajo doméstico;", "f) Crear oportunidades adecuadas para las niñas y los niños con discapacidad, incluso mediante su integración en la educación general;", "g) Proporcionar formación técnica y profesional para facilitar la reinserción laboral de las niñas que abandonaron la escuela y para orientarlas hacia carreras tradicionalmente dominadas por los hombres, por ejemplo, en los servicios, el comercio y la logística relacionada con el puerto de Djibouti;", "h) Crear programas de alfabetización de adultos, especialmente para las mujeres de las zonas rurales.", "Empleo", "28. Sin dejar de observar la protección que se otorga a las mujeres en el Código del Trabajo, así como los esfuerzos del Estado parte para crear oportunidades de generación de ingresos para las mujeres, el Comité sigue preocupado por la discriminación contra las mujeres en el mercado laboral, incluyendo:", "a) La elevadísima tasa de desempleo entre las mujeres;", "b) La concentración de mujeres en trabajos no remunerados y en empleos de baja remuneración en la economía no estructurada, sin acceso a la protección social;", "c) La aplicación poco rigurosa, según se informa, del artículo 137 del Código del Trabajo que consagra el principio de igual remuneración por trabajo de igual valor;", "d) El acceso limitado de las mujeres al crédito para iniciar pequeñas empresas;", "e) Las informaciones acerca de prácticas laborales discriminatorias, como los despidos de mujeres durante o después del embarazo, a pesar de las disposiciones jurídicas vigentes;", "f) La ausencia de una legislación que prohíba el acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo;", "g) La explotación de las niñas en las peores formas del trabajo infantil, incluido el trabajo doméstico.", "29. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Intensifique la formación técnica y profesional de las mujeres, incluso en las esferas dominadas tradicionalmente por los hombres y en el sector agrícola;", "b) Adopte y amplíe el Fondo Nacional de la Seguridad Social a los trabajadores del sector no estructurado, incluidas las mujeres, o encargue al Ministerio la tarea de estructurar el sector no estructurado a fin de elaborar un plan nacional de protección social separado para esos trabajadores;", "c) Aplique de manera efectiva el principio de igual remuneración por trabajo de igual valor, a través de actividades de sensibilización, sanciones adecuadas e inspecciones de trabajo, y considere la posibilidad de modificar el artículo 259 del Código del Trabajo para que esté en consonancia con el artículo 137;", "d) Amplíe el acceso de las mujeres a la microfinanciación y al microcrédito a bajos tipos de interés a través del Fondo de Desarrollo Social, el Organismo de Desarrollo Social, las cooperativas de crédito, y la Caisse Populaire d’Épargne et de Crédits para que las mujeres puedan participar en actividades que generen ingresos e iniciar sus propias empresas;", "e) Reúna datos desglosados sobre la situación de las mujeres y los hombres en los sectores privado y no estructurado para seguir de cerca y mejorar las condiciones de trabajo de las mujeres;", "f) Considere la posibilidad de enmendar el Código del Trabajo con miras a prohibir el acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo e introducir sanciones adecuadas para combatirlo, así como aumentar las sanciones por despido por embarazo;", "g) Proteja a las niñas y los niños de la explotación laboral infantil, mediante el aumento de las inspecciones y de las multas a los empleadores, de conformidad con el Convenio sobre la prohibición de las peores formas de trabajo infantil y la acción inmediata para su eliminación, Convenio núm. 182, 1999, de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), reglamente y supervise las condiciones laborales de las trabajadoras domésticas, en particular las niñas, y considere la posibilidad de ratificar el Convenio sobre los trabajadores domésticos (Convenio núm. 189, 2011, de la OIT).", "Salud", "30. El Comité toma conocimiento de las importantes medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para ampliar los servicios básicos de salud a las comunidades rurales, reducir la mortalidad materna y aumentar el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas a los servicios de planificación de la familia y salud reproductiva. También toma conocimiento de la intención del Estado parte de revisar su legislación sobre el aborto. Sin embargo, el Comité está preocupado por:", "a) La elevada tasa de mortalidad materna, incluidas las muertes maternas en los hospitales, debido a las complicaciones obstétricas, la mutilación genital femenina, el embarazo precoz, el aborto en condiciones de riesgo y otros factores;", "b) La falta de servicios obstétricos de emergencia y la atención posnatal, en particular en las zonas rurales;", "c) La baja tasa de uso de anticonceptivos (22,5%), lo que expone a las mujeres y las niñas al riesgo de contraer el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades de transmisión sexual, y al embarazo precoz;", "d) La falta de datos desglosados sobre los embarazos precoces y los abortos practicados en condiciones de riesgo;", "e) La alta prevalencia del VIH/SIDA entre las mujeres, la limitada eficacia de los esfuerzos orientados a prevenir la transmisión de madre a hijo, la estigmatización de las personas que viven con el VIH/SIDA, lo que dificulta su acceso a los servicios de apoyo, el asesoramiento y las pruebas de detección voluntarias, y la falta de conocimientos acerca de los métodos de prevención del VIH/SIDA entre las mujeres y las niñas.", "31. En consonancia con su recomendación general núm. 24 (1999) sobre el artículo 12 de la Convención (la mujer y la salud), el Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Siga descentralizando las estructuras de salud, capacitando a los trabajadores comunitarios de la salud y los equipos de salud móviles en relación con la remisión de las mujeres a servicios de salud materna, y haga frente a la falta de servicios obstétricos de emergencia en las zonas rurales;", "b) Reúna datos desglosados sobre la prevalencia del embarazo precoz y el aborto practicado en condiciones de riesgo y encare esos problemas, mediante la sensibilización, la despenalización del aborto en casos de violación y cuando la vida o la salud de la mujer o la niña embarazada estén en peligro, y la prestación de servicios de aborto sin riesgo y servicios posteriores al aborto;", "c) Fomente la toma de conciencia acerca de los métodos anticonceptivos disponibles, en particular mediante la integración de la educación sexual en los programas escolares, especialmente en el nivel secundario, y el uso de los condones masculinos como una opción segura y menos costosa;", "d) Proporcione tratamiento gratuito con antirretrovirales a las mujeres y los hombres que viven con el VIH/SIDA y siga sensibilizando a las madres y, en particular, a los padres que viven con el VIH/SIDA sobre la importancia de prevenir la transmisión de madre a hijo;", "e) Realice campañas de sensibilización para que se deje de estigmatizar a las personas que viven con o están afectadas por el VIH/SIDA y a los grupos de riesgo, incluidos los trabajadores sexuales, con el fin de facilitarles el acceso a los servicios de apoyo y el asesoramiento y la detección con carácter voluntario.", "Las mujeres de zonas rurales", "32. El Comité observa que el 80% de la población del Estado parte vive en zonas urbanas, y se manifiesta preocupado por el hecho de que las mujeres que viven en zonas rurales están particularmente expuestas a la pobreza, la inseguridad alimentaria, la falta de agua potable y condiciones climáticas adversas, como las sequías.", "33. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte continúe sus actividades para:", "a) Crear actividades generadoras de ingresos para mujeres de zonas rurales;", "b) Proporcionar medios de vida alternativos a las mujeres y los hombres pastores cuyos rebaños son diezmados por la sequía y la pobreza;", "c) Mejorar el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas al agua potable y a servicios sanitarios adecuados en las zonas rurales, construyendo nuevos pozos de agua e instalaciones sanitarias;", "d) Alentar a las comunidades agrícolas y pastorales a asentarse cerca de nuevas fuentes de agua para aumentar la seguridad alimentaria y el acceso al agua para consumo personal y riego.", "Grupos de mujeres desaventajadas", "34. Preocupa al Comité la falta de datos desglosados sobre la situación de las mujeres que normalmente hacen frente a múltiples formas de discriminación, como las mujeres de más edad, las niñas huérfanas y vulnerables, las mujeres con discapacidad y las mujeres refugiadas y migrantes.", "35. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte:", "a) Reúna datos desglosados sobre la situación de las mujeres que hacen frente a múltiples formas de discriminación, como las mujeres de más edad, las niñas huérfanas y vulnerables, las mujeres con discapacidades y las mujeres refugiadas y migrantes, e incluya esos datos en su próximo informe periódico;", "b) Adopte medidas, incluidas medidas especiales de carácter provisional de conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 4 de la Convención, para eliminar ese tipo de discriminación, incluso, si corresponde, en la vida política y pública y en las esferas de la educación, el empleo y la salud, y proteja a las mujeres desaventajadas contra la violencia, el abuso y la explotación, e incluya información sobre esas medidas en su próximo informe.", "Discriminación contra las mujeres en el matrimonio y las relaciones familiares", "36. El Comité observa con preocupación que en virtud del Código de la Familia de 2002:", "a) Las mujeres pueden contraer matrimonio solo con el consentimiento de un tutor (artículo 7) y no pueden casarse con un hombre que no sea musulmán, a menos que este último se convierta al islamismo (artículo 23);", "b) Se impone el requisito del pago a la novia de una dote (mahr) para que el matrimonio sea válido (artículos 7, 20 y 21);", "c) Se permite la derogación de la edad mínima para contraer matrimonio (18 años) con sujeción al consentimiento del tutor de la menor o a la autorización otorgada por un juez (artículo 14);", "d) Se mantiene la poligamia, pero sujeta a ciertas salvaguardias económicas para la primera esposa de un hombre polígamo (artículo 22);", "e) El marido es considerado cabeza de la familia, cuyas prerrogativas la esposa debe respetar (artículo 31);", "f) Solo el marido puede solicitar el divorcio sin proporcionar una justificación, mientras que la esposa debe probar que ha sufrido lesiones (párrafo 2 del artículo 39) o, por otro lado, renunciar a sus derechos como mujer divorciada, y puede estar sujeta al pago de daños y perjuicios al marido;", "g) La mujer hereda menos de la mitad que el hombre, y la herencia de la hija equivale a la mitad de lo que recibe un hijo varón (artículos 101 y siguientes).", "37. El Comité recuerda el artículo 16 de la Convención sobre la igualdad de las mujeres y los hombres en el matrimonio y las relaciones de familia, así como su recomendación general núm. 21 (1994) y pide al Estado parte que elimine la discriminación contra las mujeres y las niñas en todas las cuestiones relativas al matrimonio, las relaciones de familia y la sucesión, aboliendo o enmendando la disposición discriminatoria del Código de la Familia mencionada más arriba, a fin de que se conforme a la Convención, dentro de un marco temporal claro.", "Protocolo Facultativo", "38. El Comité toma nota de la declaración de la delegación de que el proceso de ratificación del Protocolo Facultativo de la Convención ya se ha iniciado, y pide al Estado parte que acelere sus actividades para ratificar el Protocolo Facultativo.", "Enmienda del párrafo 1 del artículo 20 de la Convención", "39. El Comité alienta al Estado parte a que acelere la aceptación de la enmienda del párrafo 1 del artículo 20 de la Convención, relativa a la duración del período de sesiones del Comité.", "Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing", "40. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que, en cumplimiento de sus obligaciones en virtud de la Convención, utilice plenamente la Declaración y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, que refuerza las disposiciones de la Convención, y pide al Estado parte que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "41. El Comité pone de relieve que la aplicación plena y efectiva de la Convención es indispensable para lograr los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Exhorta al Estado parte a que incorpore una perspectiva de género y se remita de forma explícita a las disposiciones de la Convención en todas las actividades destinadas a alcanzar dichos Objetivos, y pide al Estado parte que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Difusión", "42. El Comité pide la amplia difusión en Djibouti de las presentes observaciones finales, a fin de que la población, los funcionarios del Gobierno, los políticos, los parlamentarios y las mujeres y las organizaciones de derechos humanos tomen conocimiento de las medidas que se han adoptado para asegurar, de hecho y de derecho, la igualdad de las mujeres y de las medidas adicionales que se requieren a ese respecto. El Comité recomienda que estas actividades incluyan la difusión a nivel de comunidades locales. Se alienta al Estado parte a que organice una serie de reuniones para examinar los progresos logrados en la aplicación de las presentes observaciones finales. El Comité pide al Estado parte que difunda ampliamente, en particular entre las organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos, las recomendaciones generales del Comité, la Declaración y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing y los resultados del vigésimo tercer período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General sobre el tema “La mujer en el año 2000: igualdad entre los géneros, desarrollo y paz para el siglo XXI”.", "Ratificación de otros tratados", "43. El Comité observa que la adhesión del Estado parte a los nueve principales instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos[1] potenciaría el disfrute por la mujer de sus derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales en todos los aspectos de la vida. Por lo tanto, el Comité alienta al Estado parte a que ratifique los instrumentos en los que todavía no es parte, es decir, la Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial, la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familias, la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas.", "Seguimiento de las observaciones finales", "44. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que le proporcione por escrito, en un plazo de dos años, información sobre las medidas que ha adoptado en aplicación de las recomendaciones que figuran en los párrafos 19 y 21 supra.", "Asistencia técnica", "45. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte estudie la posibilidad de solicitar una mayor asistencia internacional y aprovechar la asistencia técnica para el desarrollo, y que ponga en práctica un programa general encaminado a la aplicación de las recomendaciones mencionadas más arriba y de la Convención en su conjunto. El Comité pide también al Estado parte que refuerce su cooperación con los organismos especializados y los programas del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, ONU-Mujeres, la División de Estadística de las Naciones Unidas, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, la OMS y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos.", "Preparación del próximo informe", "46. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que garantice una amplia participación de todos los ministerios y órganos públicos en la preparación de su próximo informe, y que, al mismo tiempo, consulte a diversas organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos.", "47. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que responda a las preocupaciones expresadas en las presentes observaciones finales en el próximo informe periódico que prepare con arreglo al artículo 18 de la Convención. El Comité invita al Estado parte a que presente su próximo informe periódico en julio de 2015.", "48. El Comité invita al Estado parte a que siga las directrices armonizadas sobre la preparación de los informes que se deben presentar con arreglo a los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos, incluidas las orientaciones relativas a la preparación de un documento básico común y de informes sobre tratados específicos, que se aprobaron en la quinta reunión entre comités de los órganos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos, celebrada en junio de 2006 (véase HRI/MC/2006/3 y Corr.1). Las directrices para la presentación de los informes que se refieren concretamente a la Convención, aprobadas por el Comité en su 40º período de sesiones, que tuvo lugar en enero de 2008 (véase A/63/38, primera parte, anexo I), deberán aplicarse conjuntamente con las directrices armonizadas para la preparación de un documento básico. En conjunto, constituyen las directrices armonizadas para la presentación de informes de conformidad con la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer. El documento específico de la Convención debe limitarse a 40 páginas, y el documento básico común actualizado no debe exceder de 80 páginas.", "[1] El Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales; el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos; la Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial; la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer; la Convención contra la Tortura y Otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes; la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño; la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares; la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas, y la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Djibouti", "1. The Committee considered the combined initial, second and third periodic reports of Djibouti (CEDAW/C/DJI/1-3) at its 991st and 992nd meetings, on 21 July 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.991 and 992). The Committee’s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3 and the responses of the Government of Djibouti are contained in CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3/Add.1.", "A. Introduction", "2. The Committee welcomes the submission by the State party of its combined initial, second and third periodic reports, which were detailed and generally followed the Committee’s guidelines for the preparation of reports, although they lacked some specific sex-disaggregated data and were overdue. The Committee notes with appreciation that the combined reports were prepared in a participatory process coordinated by an inter-ministerial committee and involving different ministries, members of the National Assembly, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for the oral statement presented by the head of the delegation, the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by its pre‑session working group, and the further clarifications to most of the questions posed orally by the Committee.", "3. The Committee commends the State party for its high-level delegation, headed by the Minister for the Advancement of Women and Family Planning of the Republic of Djibouti, which included representatives of several Government departments and of the National Human Rights Commission. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue that took place between the delegation and the members of the Committee, while noting that some questions were not answered.", "4. The Committee welcomes the commitment of the State party to implement the provisions of the Convention despite the many challenges it is facing.", "B. Positive aspects", "5. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party of the following international human rights treaties since the entry into force of the Convention for the State party in 1998:", "(a) The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in 2002;", "(b) The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in 2002;", "(c) The two Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in 2002;", "(d) The Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in 2011;", "(e) The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, in 2005.", "6. The Committee welcomes the adoption, since the entry into force of the Convention, of the following legislative measures aimed at eliminating discrimination against women:", "(a) The Family Code (2002), which sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 years for women and men, albeit with exceptions, and improves the economic position of women in polygamous marriages, abolishes the practice of repudiation and criminalizes the refusal of a divorced husband to pay alimony (“family abandonment”);", "(b) The amendment in 2009 of article 333 of the Criminal Code (criminalizing female genital mutilation) to define and criminalize failure to report female genital mutilation and of article 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code to relax the conditions to be met by women’s rights organizations for bringing female genital mutilation cases to court;", "(c) The Human Trafficking Act (2007) which criminalizes engaging in or facilitating human trafficking and provides for victim assistance;", "(d) The Education System Act (2000) introducing free compulsory education for girls and boys aged 6 to 16 years;", "(e) The Labour Code (2006) providing for, inter alia, 14 weeks of paid maternity leave and three days of paid parental leave for fathers.", "7. The Committee also notes with appreciation the adoption by the State party of various institutional and policy measures, including:", "(a) The establishment in 2008 of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs, which was renamed Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Family Planning, in charge of relations with Parliament (Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme et du Planning Familial, chargé des Relations avec le Parlement);", "(b) The establishment in 2008 of the National Human Rights Commission and of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate the submission of reports to treaty bodies;", "(c) The National Strategy for the Integration of Women in Development (2003-2010) and its action plan aiming at strengthening women’s participation in political and economic life, improving maternal and child health, and increasing women’s and girls’ access to education and literacy.", "C. Principal areas of concern and recommendations", "8. The Committee recalls the obligation of the State party to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations as requiring the priority attention of the State party between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. The Committee calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries at the national and regional levels, to the National Assembly and regional assemblies, as well as to the judiciary, so as to ensure their full implementation. It also recommends that the State party integrate the concluding observations throughout its decentralization process.", "National Assembly", "9. While reaffirming that the Government has the primary responsibility and is particularly accountable for the full implementation of the obligations of the State party under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all branches of government. It invites the State party to encourage the National Assembly, in line with its procedures, where appropriate, to take the necessary steps with regard to the implementation of the present concluding observations and the State party’s next reporting process under the Convention.", "Visibility of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendations", "10. While noting that international treaties ratified by the State party form part of its national law and have supremacy over national laws (article 37 of the Constitution), the Committee is concerned about the perception that judges, magistrates and law enforcement officials need not apply the Convention, as domestic law adequately reflects its provisions. It notes with concern that the Convention has not been translated and widely disseminated in the national languages, namely, Afar, Somali and Arabic. It is further concerned that there is inadequate knowledge of the rights of women under the Convention, its concept of substantive gender equality and of the Committee’s general recommendations among all branches of the Government and the judiciary, at both the national and regional levels. While welcoming the recent adoption of a law on legal aid which, although not limited to women, mitigates the impact of legal costs as a critical aspect that limits women’s access to justice, the Committee is concerned that women, especially in rural areas, are not aware of their rights under the Convention and that their ability to claim those rights is further limited by the persistence of cultural stereotypes, traditional justice mechanisms, illiteracy, lack of access to information and other practical difficulties in accessing courts.", "11. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Translate and widely disseminate the Convention in all national languages and to that end seek international assistance, if appropriate;", "(b) Take measures to ensure that the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendations are sufficiently known and applied by all branches of Government and the judiciary at the national and regional levels as a framework for all laws, court decisions and policies on gender equality and the advancement of women;", "(c) Ensure that the Convention be made an integral part of the legal education and training of judges and magistrates, including those in personal status courts, lawyers and prosecutors, so that a legal culture supportive of women’s equality with men and non-discrimination on the basis of sex is firmly established in the country;", "(d) Enhance women’s awareness of their rights and the means to enforce them through, inter alia, legal literacy programmes, and to ensure that information on the Convention is provided to women in all parts of the State party through the use of all appropriate means, including the media;", "(e) Remove barriers that women may face in gaining access to justice by effectively implementing the law on legal aid to enable poor women to claim violations of their rights under the Convention and by disseminating knowledge of ways to utilize available legal remedies against discrimination.", "Harmonization of laws", "12. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the State party to strengthen women’s rights in relation to marriage and divorce in the Family Code, which is based on customary law, Islamic law and modern elements of law. However, it notes with concern the State party’s position that discriminatory provisions of the Family Code, such as provisions concerning the husband’s role as the head of the family and women’s unequal inheritance share, cannot be changed as they are rooted in “higher socio-cultural and religious values”. The Committee notes with concern that provisions of the Family Code which provide for unequal rights of women and men during marriage and its dissolution are incompatible with the Convention, and in this regard recalls that the State party ratified the Convention without reservations. It is also concerned that disputes concerning violations of women’s rights, especially cases of sexual violence, are often settled through traditional justice mechanisms, such as payment of a symbolic amount to the victim’s family without consulting or compensating the victim.", "13. The Committee recalls its general recommendation No. 21 (1994) on equality in marriage and family relations, and calls upon the State party to amend discriminatory provisions of the Family Code, with a view to harmonizing them with the Convention. In doing so, the State party is advised to draw upon the successful experiences in other States parties in the region in reviewing personal status and family laws based on progressive interpretations of the Koran, in line with the Convention. The Committee also recommends that the State party take measures to sensitize the public on the importance of addressing violations of women’s rights through judicial rather than customary mechanisms so as to ensure that victims have access to effective remedies and reparation, and to train judges, magistrates and law enforcement officials to apply relevant laws in a gender-sensitive manner in conformity with the Convention.", "National machinery for the advancement of women", "14. While welcoming the establishment of a national machinery for the advancement of women, comprising the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, regional gender offices, and gender focal points in different government departments, the Committee is concerned that the capacity and resources of the national machinery have not been adequately strengthened, especially at the regional level, to ensure the effective coordination and implementation of the National Strategy for the Integration of Women in Development and the prioritization of women’s rights in social and economic development strategies.", "15. The Committee, recalling its general recommendation No. 6 (1988) and the guidance provided in the Beijing Platform for Action, in particular regarding the necessary conditions for the effective functioning of national mechanisms, recommends that the State party:", "(a) Strengthen the existing national machinery at all levels by providing it with adequate human, technical and financial resources to increase its effectiveness in formulating, implementing, providing advice on, coordinating and overseeing the preparation and implementation of laws and policy measures in the field of gender equality and in mainstreaming gender perspectives in all laws and policies;", "(b) Provide training on gender equality to women and men working in the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, including its regional offices, as well as to those working in other government departments at the national and regional levels;", "(c) Give priority attention to women’s rights, non-discrimination and gender equality, including by taking into account the Committee’s recommendations in the preparation and implementation of the National Gender Policy;", "(d) Incorporate a result-oriented approach, including specific indicators and targets, in the National Gender Policy;", "(e) Strengthen the capacity, independence and resources of the National Human Rights Commission, as well as its mandate to work on women’s rights, in line with the Principles relating to the status of national institutions (Paris Principles) (General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex).", "Stereotypes and harmful practices", "16. While noting the steps taken by the State party to eliminate discriminatory cultural attitudes and to criminalize certain harmful practices, the Committee is concerned about the persistence of adverse cultural norms, practices and traditions as well as patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in all spheres of life. The Committee is also concerned that such customs and practices perpetuate discrimination against women, and are reflected in women’s disadvantageous and unequal status in many areas, including in public and economic life and decision-making and in marriage and family relations. It notes that such stereotypes also contribute to the persistence of violence against women as well as harmful practices, including female genital mutilation, polygamy and early marriage; and expresses its concern that the State party has not taken sufficient sustained and systematic action to modify or eliminate stereotypes, discriminatory cultural values and harmful practices.", "17. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Put in place a comprehensive strategy to eliminate harmful practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women, in conformity with articles 2(f) and 5(a) of the Convention. Such measures should include efforts, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness about this subject, targeting women and men at all levels of society, including traditional and religious leaders;", "(b) Address harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, polygamy and early marriage by instituting public education programmes and prohibiting and/or effectively enforcing the prohibition of such practices, in particular in rural areas;", "(c) Use innovative measures to strengthen understanding of the equality of women and men and to continue working with the media to enhance a positive and non-stereotypical portrayal of women;", "(d) Undertake an assessment of the impact of those measures in order to identify shortcomings, and to improve them accordingly.", "Female genital mutilation", "18. While welcoming the numerous measures taken by the State party to raise awareness about the harmful effects of female genital mutilation, the Committee notes with concern that its prevalence is still very high (93 per cent), especially in rural areas, and that cases of female genital mutilation are generally not reported, prosecuted and punished. It also notes with concern that it often leads to obstetric complications, caesarean sections, excessive bleeding, prolonged labour and maternal death, especially in case of infibulations, the most extreme form of female genital mutilation, which is widely practised in the State party.", "19. The Committee recalls its general recommendations No. 14 (1990) on female circumcision and No. 19 (1992) on violence against women, as well as the recommendations addressed to the State party during the universal periodic review of Djibouti (A/HRC/11/16, paras. 67.18, 67.25, 68.3 and 68.8) and by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/DJI/CO/2, para. 56), and urges the State party to:", "(a) Effectively enforce article 333 of the Criminal Code on female genital mutilation, which provides for a penalty of five years’ imprisonment, by prosecuting and adequately punishing perpetrators as well as those complicit in or failing to report the crime, and to provide to the Committee information on the number of reports, prosecutions, convictions, and on the sentences imposed on perpetrators of female genital mutilation;", "(b) Intensify its awareness-raising campaigns and training efforts targeting families, practitioners, communities, traditional and religious leaders, health workers, judges and magistrates, including those in personal status courts, prosecutors and police officers, with the support of civil society organizations, in order to explain that female genital mutilation is a form of gender-based discrimination and violence and to eradicate it and its underlying cultural justifications;", "(c) Educate families, communities, practitioners, teachers, and health workers on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation on women’s and girls’ reproductive health.", "Violence against women", "20. The Committee notes that measures have been taken to address violence against women, such as the distribution by the State party of guides for judges and lawyers and for civil society on legal responses and victim assistance, and the establishment by the Union Nationale des Femmes Djiboutiennes (UNFD), the main women’s rights organization in the State party, of information, guidance and counselling centres (cellules d’écoute, d’information et d’orientation), including in the Ali-Adeh refugee camp, providing assistance to victims of gender-based violence. It also takes note of the State party’s intention to review its legislation on violence against women. However, it is concerned that women rarely report cases of gender-based violence, which are usually settled within the family, that marital rape is not criminalized, that abortion following rape is illegal. It is also concerned about reports of sexual violence in the Ali-Adeh camp without access to justice for victims.", "21. In accordance with its general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against women, the Committee calls on the State party to:", "(a) Prosecute all acts of domestic and sexual violence against women and girls, upon complaint by the victim or ex officio, and adequately punish perpetrators;", "(b) Consider amending the Criminal Code, with a view to criminalizing marital rape and decriminalizing abortion in cases of rape;", "(c) Provide mandatory training to judges, prosecutors and the police on the strict application of the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code;", "(d) Encourage women and girls who are victims of violence to report cases to the police, by raising awareness about the criminal nature of such acts, destigmatizing victims and training law enforcement and medical personnel on standardized, gender-sensitive procedures for dealing with victims and effectively investigating complaints;", "(e) Ensure that the draft National Gender Policy under preparation by the Ministry for the Promotion of Women prioritizes combating violence against women;", "(f) Strengthen victim assistance and rehabilitation by providing free legal aid, psychological counselling, opening shelters for battered women and supporting women’s rights organizations assisting victims, including but not limited to UNFD;", "(g) Ensure the physical security of refugee women and girls in the Ali‑Adeh camp by increasing the number of law enforcement personnel in the camp and providing free legal assistance to victims of sexual and other forms of violence;", "(h) Collect sex-disaggregated data on the number of complaints, prosecutions and convictions, as well as on the sentences imposed on perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence, and provide such data to the Committee.", "Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution", "22. The Committee acknowledges the difficulties faced by the State party in responding to the high numbers of refugees and migrants coming to and transiting through its territory. It notes the measures that the State party has taken to combat trafficking in human beings, in particular women and children, who are often abused by traffickers and subjected to forced labour and sexual exploitation in the countries of destination, by concluding cooperation agreements with other countries in the subregion, further cooperating with the International Organization for Migration, which recently opened a migration response centre in Obock, and criminalizing human trafficking. However, the Committee notes with concern the limited capacity of the State party to enforce the Human Trafficking Act and provide assistance to victims, the low number of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers, and the lack of protection of refugee or migrant women and children vulnerable to become victims of trafficking.", "23. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Expedite the adoption of a national plan of action to combat trafficking in human beings, in particular women and girls, including refugees and migrants;", "(b) Effectively enforce the Human Trafficking Act by prosecuting and adequately punishing traffickers and by providing assistance to victims of trafficking;", "(c) Continue raising awareness and training law enforcement officials on the strict application of relevant criminal law provisions;", "(d) Establish appropriate mechanisms aimed at early identification, referral and support of victims of trafficking, including refugee and migrant women and girls;", "(e) Provide refugee and migrant women with access to income-generating activities, through microcredits and self-employment opportunities, to reduce their risk of having to engage in survival sex and of becoming the victims of human trafficking;", "(f) Collect sex-disaggregated data on the number of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers and include such data in its next periodic report.", "Participation in political and public life", "24. The Committee welcomes the fact that the 2002 law introducing a 10 per cent quota for women’s representation on candidate lists of political parties has resulted in an increase of the number of women in the National Assembly, where women were elected to 9 of the 65 seats in 2009, and in regional and municipal councils. It also notes that a 20 per cent quota for women in senior civil service posts was introduced in 2008 by decree, that there are currently three women ministers, and that the number of women judges, including those in personal status courts, has significantly increased. However, the Committee is concerned that women’s participation in political and public life remains weak, especially in decision-making positions and in the local administration, as well as in the diplomatic service.", "25. The Committee recalls its general recommendations No. 23 (1997) on women in political and public life and No. 25 (2004) on temporary special measures, and recommends that the State party:", "(a) Increase and effectively enforce, including through adequate sanctions, existing quotas and adopt additional quotas for women applying throughout the public service at national, regional and municipal levels, with a view to accelerating the equal representation of women and men in elected and appointed political bodies, especially in decision-making positions and in the local administration;", "(b) Allocate adequate funds for women candidates, including opposition candidates, in the public funding of election campaigns;", "(c) Promote women’s participation in civil society organizations, political parties, trade unions and other associations, including in leadership positions;", "(d) Ensure that women, including women with disabilities, have adequate opportunities to participate and that they have a vote in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies and community projects;", "(e) Take affirmative action to increase the number of women diplomats, in particular women ambassadors;", "(f) Provide training on gender equality to politicians, journalists, teachers, and traditional and religious leaders, especially men, to enhance the understanding that full, equal, free and democratic participation of women and men in political and public life is a requirement for the full implementation of the Convention.", "Education", "26. While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to increase girls’ access to, in particular, primary education, such as bringing schools closer to rural communities, creating a new ministry for preschool education, increasing the number of nurseries and daycares, and providing scholarships and food rations to girls and incentives for parents to send their daughters to school, especially in rural areas, the Committee is concerned about:", "(a) The slow increase in the enrolment of girls at the primary level, in particular in rural areas, despite the measures taken by the State party;", "(b) Girls’ low enrolment at the secondary level, especially in rural areas, and the significant gap between the enrolment rates for girls and boys at the secondary level;", "(c) The emphasis on traditionally female-dominated fields such as sewing, cooking and hairdressing in professional training and in technical and vocational education for women and girls, potentially confining them to low-paid jobs in their future professions;", "(d) The low female literacy rate, especially in rural areas.", "27. The Committee calls upon the State party to continue taking measures to ensure equal access of girls and women to all levels of education, such as:", "(a) Addressing barriers to women’s and girls’ education such as negative cultural attitudes, early marriage, excessive domestic duties, the low number of female teachers, lack of safety and health problems related to female genital mutilation;", "(b) Awareness-raising among parents, communities, teachers, traditional leaders and public officials, especially men, about the importance of women’s and girls’ education;", "(c) Affirmative action such as training and recruitment of female teachers;", "(d) Ensuring girls’ safety and addressing their health needs, including by opening more schools close to rural communities and by building separate and functioning latrines, in particular in primary schools;", "(e) Public scholarships for girls and incentives for parents to send their daughters to school, including subsidies, to relieve girls of their domestic work duties;", "(f) Adequate educational opportunities for girls and boys with disabilities, including by integrating them into mainstream education;", "(g) Technical and vocational training facilitating the professional reinsertion of girls who dropped out of school, also orienting them towards traditionally male-dominated careers, for example, in services, trade and logistics related to the port of Djibouti;", "(h) Adult literacy programmes, especially for women in rural areas.", "Employment", "28. While noting the protection afforded to women in the Labour Code, as well as the State party’s efforts to create income-generating opportunities for women, the Committee remains concerned about discrimination against women in the labour market, including:", "(a) The very high unemployment rate among women;", "(b) The concentration of women in unpaid work and in low-paid jobs in the informal economy without access to social protection;", "(c) The reportedly lax enforcement of article 137 of the Labour Code enshrining the principle of equal pay for work of equal value;", "(d) The limited access of women to credit for starting small-scale businesses;", "(e) Reports about discriminatory labour practices such as dismissals of women during or following pregnancy, despite the legal provisions in place;", "(f) The absence of legislation prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace;", "(g) Exploitation of girls in the worst forms of child labour, including domestic work.", "29. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Intensify technical and vocational training for women, including in traditionally male-dominated fields and in the agricultural sector;", "(b) Adopt and extend the National Social Security Fund to informal sector workers, including women, or task the Ministry for the formalization of the informal sector to develop a separate national social protection scheme for those workers;", "(c) Effectively enforce the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, through awareness-raising, adequate sanctions and labour inspections, and consider amending article 259 of the Labour Code to bring it into conformity with article 137;", "(d) Expand women’s access to microfinance and microcredit at low interest rates through the Social Development Fund, the Social Development Agency, credit unions, and the Caisse Populaire d’Épargne et de Crédits to enable women to engage in income-generating activities and to start their own businesses;", "(e) Collect disaggregated data on the situation of women and men in the private and informal sectors to monitor and improve women’s working conditions;", "(f) Consider amending the Labour Code, with a view to prohibiting and introducing adequate sanctions for sexual harassment in the workplace and increasing the penalties for termination of employment based on pregnancy;", "(g) Protect girls and boys from exploitative child labour, through increased inspections and fines for employers, in accordance with the Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (International Labour Organization (ILO Convention No. 182)), regulate and monitor the working conditions of domestic workers, in particular girls, and consider ratifying the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (ILO Convention No. 189).", "Health", "30. The Committee notes the important measures taken by the State party to extend basic health services to rural communities, reduce maternal mortality and increase women’s and girls’ access to family planning and reproductive health services. It also takes note of the State party’s intention to review its legislation on abortion. However, the Committee is concerned about:", "(a) The high maternal mortality rate, including intra-hospital maternal deaths, due to obstetric complications, female genital mutilation, early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and other factors;", "(b) The lack of emergency obstetric services and post-natal care, especially in rural areas;", "(c) The low rate of contraceptive use (22.5 per cent), exposing women and girls to risk of HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy;", "(d) The lack of disaggregated data on early pregnancies and unsafe abortions;", "(e) The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among women, the limited effectiveness of efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS impeding their access to support services, voluntary counselling and screening, and the lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention methods among women and girls.", "31. In line with its general recommendation No. 24 (1999) on article 12 of the Convention (women and health), the Committee calls on the State party to:", "(a) Further decentralize health structures, train community health workers and mobile health teams on referring women to maternal health services, and address the lack of emergency obstetric services in rural areas;", "(b) Collect disaggregated data on the prevalence of and address early pregnancy and unsafe abortion, through awareness-raising, decriminalization of abortion in cases of rape and where the life or health of the pregnant woman or girl is in danger, and provision of safe abortion and post-abortion services;", "(c) Raise awareness about available contraceptive methods, in particular by integrating sex education into school curricula, especially at the secondary level, and encourage the use of male condoms as a safe and less costly option;", "(d) Provide women and men living with HIV/AIDS with free antiretroviral treatment and continue sensitizing mothers and, in particular, fathers living with HIV/AIDS, on the importance of preventing mother-to-child transmission;", "(e) Conduct awareness-raising to destigmatize persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and risk groups, including sex workers, in order to enable them to access support services and voluntary counselling and screening.", "Rural women", "32. While noting that 80 per cent of the State party’s population lives in urban areas, the Committee is concerned that rural women are particularly affected by poverty, food insecurity, the lack of safe drinking water and adverse climatic conditions such as drought.", "33. The Committee recommends that the State party continue its efforts to:", "(a) Create income-generating activities for women in rural areas;", "(b) Provide pastoralist women and men whose herds are being decimated due to drought and poverty with alternative livelihoods;", "(c) Improve women’s and girls’ access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation in rural areas by building new wells, taps and sanitation facilities;", "(d) Encourage agro-pastoralist communities to settle near newly built water sources to increase food security and access to water for personal consumption and irrigation.", "Disadvantaged groups of women", "34. The Committee is concerned about the lack of disaggregated data on the situation of women who typically face multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, orphaned and vulnerable girls, women with disabilities and refugee and migrant women.", "35. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Collect disaggregated data on the situation of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, orphaned and vulnerable girls, women with disabilities and refugee and migrant women, and include such data in its next periodic report;", "(b) Adopt measures, including temporary special measures in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to eliminate any such discrimination, including, as applicable, in political and public life and in the areas of education, employment and health, and to protect disadvantaged women from violence, abuse and exploitation, and include information on such measures in its next report.", "Discrimination against women in marriage and family relations", "36. The Committee notes with concern that under the 2002 Family Code:", "(a) Women may enter into marriage only with the consent of a guardian (art. 7) and may not get married to a non-Muslim man unless the latter converts to Islam (art. 23);", "(b) The requirement of payment to the bride of a dowry (mahr) in order for the marriage to be valid (arts. 7, 20 and 21);", "(c) Derogations from the minimum marriage age (18 years) are permitted subject to the consent of the legal guardian of the minor or authorization by a judge (art. 14);", "(d) Polygamy is retained but subject to certain economic safeguards for the first wife of the polygamous man (art. 22);", "(e) The husband is the head of the family whose prerogatives the wife must respect (art. 31);", "(f) Only the husband may file divorce without providing justification, while the wife must provide proof of injuries suffered (art. 39, para. 2) or, alternatively, renounce her rights as a divorced woman, and may be ordered to pay damages to the husband;", "(g) A woman’s inheritance share is less than half that of a man and a daughter’s share is half that of a son (arts. 101 et seq.).", "37. The Committee recalls article 16 of the Convention on equality of women and men in marriage and family relations as well as its general recommendation No. 21 (1994) and calls upon the State party to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all matters relating to marriage, family relations and succession by repealing or amending the above discriminatory provisions of the Family Code, with a view to bringing them into conformity with the Convention, within a clear time frame.", "Optional Protocol", "38. The Committee takes note of the statement of the delegation that the process of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention has been initiated and calls on the State party to accelerate its efforts to ratify the Optional Protocol.", "Amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention", "39. The Committee encourages the State party to accelerate the acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention concerning the meeting time of the Committee.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "40. The Committee urges the State party, in the implementation of its obligations under the Convention, to fully utilize the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforce the provisions of the Convention, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "41. The Committee emphasizes that full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It calls for the integration of a gender perspective and explicit reflection of the provisions of the Convention in all efforts aimed at the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "42. The Committee requests the wide dissemination in Djibouti of the present concluding observations in order to make the people, Government officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women’s and human rights organizations aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure de jure and de facto equality of women and the further steps that are required in that regard. The Committee recommends that dissemination should include dissemination at the local community level. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to discuss the progress achieved in the implementation of the present concluding observations. The Committee requests the State party to disseminate widely, in particular to women’s and human rights organizations, the Committee’s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the theme “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”.", "Ratification of other treaties", "43. The Committee notes that the adherence of the State party to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. The Committee therefore encourages the State party to consider ratifying the treaties to which it is not yet a party, namely, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "44. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within two years, written information on the steps undertaken to implement the recommendations contained in paragraphs 19 and 21 above.", "Technical assistance", "45. The Committee recommends that the State party consider seeking increased international assistance and avail itself of technical assistance in the development and implementation of a comprehensive programme aimed at the implementation of the above recommendations and the Convention as a whole. The Committee also calls upon the State party to strengthen further its cooperation with specialized agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, including UN-Women, the United Nations Statistics Division, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, WHO, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "Preparation of the next report", "46. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next periodic report and, at the same time, to consult a variety of women’s and human rights organizations.", "47. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its next periodic report in July 2015.", "48. The Committee invites the State party to follow the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties, including guidelines on a common core document and treaty-specific documents that were approved at the fifth Inter-Committee Meeting of human rights treaty bodies, in June 2006 (HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1). The Convention-specific reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session, in January 2008 (see A/63/38, part one, annex I), must be applied in conjunction with the harmonized reporting guidelines on a common core document. Together, they constitute the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Convention-specific document should be limited to 40 pages, while the updated common core document should not exceed 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of CEDAW", "Djibouti", "1. The Committee considered the combined initial and third periodic report of Djibouti (CEDAW/C/DJI/1-3) at its 991st and 992nd meetings, on 21 July 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.991 and 992). The Committee ' s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3 and the replies of the Government of Djibouti are contained in CEDAW/C/DJI/Q/1-3/Add.1.", "A. Introduction", "2. The Committee welcomes the submission by the State party of its combined initial and third periodic reports, which are detailed and generally follow the Committee ' s guidelines for the preparation of reports, although they lack some specific sex-disaggregated data and were overdue. The Committee notes with appreciation that the combined reports were prepared through a participatory process coordinated by an inter-ministerial committee and with the participation of different ministries, members of the National Assembly, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for the oral presentations submitted by the head of the delegation, the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by its pre-session working group, and the additional clarifications given in response to most of the questions orally raised by the Committee.", "3. The Committee congratulates the State party on the high level of its delegation, chaired by the Minister for the Advancement of Women and Family Planning of Djibouti, which included representatives of various departments of the Government and the National Human Rights Commission. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue between the delegation and the members of the Committee, while noting that some questions were left unanswered.", "4. The Committee welcomes the State party ' s commitment to implementing the provisions of the Convention despite the many challenges it faces.", "B. Positive aspects", "5. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party of the following international human rights treaties since the entry into force of the Convention for the State party in 1998:", "(a) The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2002;", "(b) The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2002;", "(c) The two Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2002;", "(d) Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in 2011;", "(e) The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples ' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, in 2005.", "6. The Committee welcomes the adoption, since the entry into force of the Convention, of the following legislative measures aimed at eliminating discrimination against women:", "(a) The Family Code (2002), which establishes the age of 18 as the minimum age for marriage for women and men, although with exceptions, and improves the economic position of women in polygamous marriages, eliminates the practice of repudiation and criminalizes the refusal of a divorced husband to pay for food (“family bread”);", "(b) The 2009 amendment to article 333 of the Criminal Code (criminalization of female genital mutilation) to define and criminalize the lack of complaints of female genital mutilation, and article 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to relax the conditions to be met by women ' s rights organizations to raise cases of female genital mutilation before the courts;", "(c) The Human Trafficking Act (2007), which criminalizes the realization or facilitation of human trafficking and provides assistance to the victim;", "(d) The Education System Act (2000) which establishes free compulsory education for children from 6 to 16 years of age;", "(e) The Labour Code (2006) provides, inter alia, 14 weeks of paid maternity leave and three days of paid paternity leave.", "7. The Committee also notes with appreciation the State party ' s adoption of various normative and institutional measures, including:", "(a) The establishment in 2008 of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs, whose name was subsequently changed to the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Family Planning, responsible for relations with Parliament (Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme et du Planning Familial, chargé des Relations avec le Parlement);", "(b) The establishment in 2008 of the National Human Rights Commission and an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate reporting to the treaty bodies;", "(c) The National Strategy for the Integration of Women in Development (2003-2010) and its plan of action to strengthen women ' s participation in political and economic life, improve the health of mothers and children, and increase women and girls ' access to education and literacy.", "C. Principal areas of concern and recommendations", "8. The Committee recalls the State party ' s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention, and considers that the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations require the priority attention of the State party between the present time and the submission of the next periodic report. Accordingly, the Committee urges the State party to focus on these areas in its implementation activities, and to report on the measures taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. The Committee requests the State party to transmit these concluding observations to all relevant ministries at the national and regional levels, to the National Assembly and regional assemblies, as well as to the judiciary, in order to ensure their full implementation. It also recommends that the State party integrate the concluding observations throughout its decentralization process.", "National Assembly", "9. While reaffirming the Government ' s primary responsibility for fully fulfilling its obligations under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all public authorities. It invites the State party to encourage its National Assembly, in accordance with its rules of procedure and where appropriate, to take the necessary measures to implement the present concluding observations and the process related to the State party ' s next report under the Convention.", "Visibility of the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendations", "10. Noting that international treaties ratified by the State party are part of its national law and have supremacy over national laws (article 37 of the Constitution), the Committee is concerned that judges, magistrates and officers of law enforcement agencies do not need to apply the Convention, as national laws adequately reflect its provisions. It notes with concern that the Convention has not been translated and widely disseminated in national languages, i.e. afar, Somali and Arab. It is also concerned that all branches of the Government and the judiciary, at both the national and regional levels, have insufficient knowledge of women ' s rights under the Convention, its concept of substantive gender equality and the Committee ' s general recommendations. While welcoming the recent adoption of a law on legal aid that, while not limited to women, mitigates the effects of legal expenditures as a critical aspect that limits women ' s access to justice, the Committee is concerned that women, especially those in rural areas, do not have knowledge of their rights under the Convention, and that their ability to claim such rights is even more limited by the persistence of cultural stereotypes, lack of practical information, lack of access to other practices.", "11. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) To translate and widely disseminate the Convention in all national languages and to that end request international assistance, if appropriate;", "(b) Take measures to ensure that the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendations are sufficiently known and implemented by all branches of Government and the judiciary at the national and regional levels as a framework for all laws, judicial and policy decisions on gender equality and the advancement of women;", "(c) Ensure that the Convention is an integral part of legal education and the training of judges and judges, including those of courts dealing with the status of the individual, lawyers and prosecutors, so that a legal culture of support for women ' s equality with men and non-discrimination on the basis of sex is firmly established in the country;", "(d) Improve women ' s knowledge of their rights and means of exercising them, including through legal literacy programmes, and ensure that information on the Convention is provided to women throughout the State party, using all appropriate means, including the media;", "(e) Eliminate the obstacles women may encounter in accessing justice, effectively implementing the Law on Legal Aid to enable poor women to report violations of their rights under the Convention, and to disseminate knowledge on how to use available legal remedies against discrimination.", "Harmonization of laws", "12. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the State party to strengthen women ' s rights with regard to marriage and divorce in the Family Code, which is based on customary law, Islamic law and modern law elements. It notes with concern, however, the State party ' s position in alleging that the discriminatory provisions of the Code, including those relating to the role of the husband as the head of the family and the rights of unfavourable succession to women, cannot be changed since they are based on “superior sociocultural and religious values”. The Committee notes with concern that the provisions of the Family Code that provide for the unequal rights of women and men with regard to marriage and its dissolution are incompatible with the Convention, and in this regard it recalls that the State party ratified the Convention without reservation. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that disputes over violations of women ' s rights, especially cases of sexual violence, are resolved through traditional justice mechanisms, such as the payment of a symbolic sum to the victim ' s family without consulting or compensating the victim himself.", "13. The Committee recalls its general recommendation No. 21 (1994) concerning equality in marriage and family relations, and calls upon the State party to amend the discriminatory provisions of the Family Code with a view to harmonizing them with the Convention. The State party is advised to take into account the positive experiences of other States parties in the region that have reviewed their personal status and family laws based on progressive interpretations of the Quran under the Convention. The Committee also recommends that the State party take measures to raise public awareness of the importance of addressing violations of women ' s rights through judicial mechanisms rather than customary mechanisms, in order to ensure that victims have access to effective remedies and redress, and to provide training to judges, magistrates and police authorities to implement relevant legislation taking into account the gender perspective in accordance with the Convention.", "National machinery for the advancement of women", "14. The Committee welcomes the establishment of national mechanisms for the advancement of women, consisting of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, regional gender offices and gender focal points in different government departments, but notes with concern that the capacity and resources of national mechanisms, especially at the regional level, have not been adequately strengthened to ensure the effective coordination and implementation of the national strategy for the integration of women in development and priority allocation of social rights.", "15. The Committee, recalling its general recommendation No. 6 (1988) and the guidance provided by the Beijing Platform for Action, in particular with regard to the conditions necessary for the effective functioning of national mechanisms, recommends that the State party:", "(a) Strengthen existing national mechanisms at all levels by providing them with adequate human, technical and financial resources to enhance their effectiveness in the formulation, implementation, provision of advice, coordination and monitoring of the development and implementation of laws and policy measures in the field of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in all laws and policies;", "(b) Provide gender equality training for women and men working in the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, including their regional offices, as well as those working in other government departments at the national and regional levels;", "(c) Pay priority attention to women ' s rights, non-discrimination and gender equality, including taking into account the Committee ' s recommendations for the preparation and implementation of national gender policy;", "(d) Incorporate into national gender policy a results-oriented approach that includes specific indicators and targets;", "(e) Strengthen the capacity, independence and resources of the National Human Rights Commission, as well as its mandate to work for women ' s rights, in accordance with the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (Paris Principles) (General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex).", "Stereotypes and harmful practices", "16. The Committee notes the measures taken by the State party to eliminate discriminatory cultural attitudes and criminalize harmful practices, but is concerned at the persistence of harmful cultural norms, practices and traditions and patriarchal attitudes and deeply entrenched stereotypes about the roles, responsibilities and identity of women and men in all spheres of life. The Committee is also concerned that such customs and practices perpetuate discrimination against women and translate into a situation of disadvantage and inequality of women in many areas, including public and economic life, decision-making processes and marriage and family relations. The Committee notes that such stereotypes also contribute to the persistence of violence against women and the maintenance of several harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, polygamy and early marriage; and expresses concern that the State party has not taken sufficient sustained and systematic measures to modify or eliminate stereotypes, discriminatory cultural values and harmful practices.", "17. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Establish a comprehensive strategy to eliminate harmful practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. These measures should include initiatives, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness of this issue, targeting women and men in all sectors of society, including traditional and religious leaders;", "(b) Combat harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, polygamy and early marriage by establishing public education programmes and effectively prohibiting or enforcing the prohibition of such practices, in particular in rural areas;", "(c) Implement innovative measures to better understand equality between women and men and to continue working with the media in order to promote positive images of women who are away from stereotypes;", "(d) Undertake an assessment of the impact of such measures to identify gaps and improve such measures accordingly.", "Female genital mutilation", "18. The Committee welcomes the numerous measures taken by the State party to raise awareness of the harmful effects of female genital mutilation, but notes with concern that the incidence of this practice remains very high (93%), especially in rural areas, and that cases of female genital mutilation are often not reported, prosecuted or punished. It also notes with concern that female genital mutilation often causes obstetric, caesarean, excessive bleeding, prolonged childbirth and maternal death, especially when infibulation is practised, which is the most extreme form of female genital mutilation and is widespread in the State party.", "19. The Committee recalls its general recommendation No. 14 (1990) concerning female circumcision and general recommendation No. 19 (1992) concerning violence against women, as well as recommendations addressed to the State party during the universal periodic review of Djibouti (A/HRC/1/16, paras. 67.18, 67.25, 68.3 and 68.8) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/DJI/CO/2, para. 56), and urges the State party to:", "(a) Effectively implement article 333 of the Criminal Code on Female Genital Mutilation, which establishes a five-year prison sentence, with due prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of such crimes and their accomplices and those who do not report them, and provide information in its next periodic report on the number of complaints, prosecutions, convictions and penalties imposed on perpetrators of female genital mutilation offences;", "(b) Intensify its awareness-raising campaigns and training initiatives targeting families, professionals, communities, traditional and religious leaders, health workers and judges and magistrates, including those working in personal status courts, prosecutors and police officers, with the support of civil society organizations, to explain that female genital mutilation is a gender-based form of discrimination and violence and to eradicate this practice and cultural justifications on which it is based;", "(c) Educate families, communities, professionals, teachers and health workers on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation on the reproductive health of women and girls.", "Violence against women", "20. The Committee notes that measures have been taken to combat violence against women, such as the distribution by the State party of guides for judges and lawyers and civil society on legal responses and victim assistance, and the establishment by the Djibouti National Women ' s Union, the State party ' s main advocacy organization for women ' s rights, information centres, counselling and counselling, including in the Ali-Adeh refugee camp, where assistance is provided to victims. It also notes the State party ' s intention to review its legislation on violence against women. However, the Committee is concerned that women hardly ever report cases of gender-based violence, which are normally resolved within the family, that rape within marriage is not considered a crime and that abortion after rape is illegal, and is also concerned about reports that there have been cases of sexual violence in Ali-Adeh camp where victims have not had access to justice.", "21. In accordance with its general recommendation No. 19 (1992) concerning violence against women, the Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Properly prosecute and punish perpetrators of all acts of domestic and sexual violence against women and girls, following a complaint by the victim or ex officio;", "(b) Consider amending the Criminal Code with a view to criminalizing rape within marriage and decriminalizing abortion in cases of rape;", "(c) Provide mandatory training to judges, prosecutors and police for the strict application of the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code;", "(d) Encourage women and girls who are victims of violence to report such incidents to the police, promoting greater awareness of the criminal nature of such acts, eliminating the stigmatization of victims and teaching law enforcement and medical personnel standardized gender-sensitive procedures to address victims and to effectively investigate complaints;", "(e) Ensure that the draft national gender policy being prepared by the Ministry for the Advancement of Women prioritizes measures to address violence against women;", "(f) Strengthen victim assistance and rehabilitation, providing free legal aid and psychological care, opening shelters for abused women and supporting women ' s rights organizations that assist victims, including, but not exclusively, the Djibouti National Women ' s Union;", "(g) Ensure the physical security of refugee women and girls at Ali-Adeh camp by increasing the number of police officers at camp and providing free legal assistance to victims of sexual violence and other forms of violence;", "(h) Collect disaggregated data on the number of complaints, trials, convictions and penalties imposed on perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence and include such data in their next periodic report.", "Trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution", "22. The Committee acknowledges how difficult it is for the State party to deal with the large number of refugees and migrants who enter and transit through its territory. It notes the measures taken by the State party to combat trafficking in persons, in particular women and children, who often suffer from abuse of traffickers and are subjected to forced labour and sexual exploitation in the countries of destination, in concluding cooperation agreements with other countries of the subregion, to cooperate more closely with the International Organization for Migration, which has recently opened a centre for responding to migration in Obock, and to criminalize trafficking in persons. However, the Committee notes with concern the limited capacity of the State party to enforce the Trafficking in Persons Act and provide assistance to victims, the limited number of trials and convictions of traffickers and the lack of protection available to refugee and migrant women and children at risk of becoming victims of trafficking.", "23. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Expedite the adoption of a national plan of action against trafficking in persons, in particular women and girls, including refugees and migrants;", "(b) Effectively enforce the Trafficking in Persons Act by prosecuting and adequately punishing traffickers and assisting victims of trafficking;", "(c) Continue to raise awareness and provide training to police authorities to strictly implement the relevant provisions of criminal law;", "(d) Establish appropriate mechanisms for the early identification, referral to appropriate services and support of victims of trafficking, including refugee and migrant women and girls;", "(e) Provide refugees and migrants with access to income-generating activities, through microcredit and self-employment opportunities, to reduce their risk of prostitution in order to survive or become victims of human trafficking;", "f) Collect disaggregated data on the number of trials and convictions of traffickers and include them in their next periodic report.", "Participation in political and public life", "24. The Committee welcomes the fact that the adoption of the 2002 law introducing a 10 per cent representation quota for women on the lists of candidates for political parties has led to an increase in the number of women in the National Assembly, where they occupied 9 of the 65 seats in 2009, and in the regional and municipal councils. It also notes that a decree was adopted in 2008 introducing a 20 per cent representation quota for women in senior civil service posts, currently three female ministers and that the number of female judges, including in the personal status courts, has increased considerably. However, the Committee is concerned that women ' s participation in political and public life remains low, especially in decision-making positions and local administration, as well as in diplomatic service.", "25. The Committee recalls its general recommendation No. 23 (1997) concerning women in political and public life and general recommendation No. 25 (2004) concerning temporary special measures, and recommends that the State party:", "(a) Increase and effectively enforce existing quotas, including through appropriate sanctions, and approve additional quotas for women throughout the public administration at the national, regional and municipal levels, with a view to accelerating parity between women and men in the political bodies to which they are accessed by choice or appointment, especially in decision-making positions and local administration;", "(b) allocate sufficient funds to women candidates, including women candidates for the opposition, when public funding for electoral campaigns is discontinued;", "(c) Promotes women ' s participation in civil society organizations, political parties, trade unions and other associations, including in leadership positions;", "(d) Ensure that women, including women with disabilities, have sufficient opportunities to participate and vote on the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies and community projects;", "(e) Take affirmative action to increase the number of diplomatic women, including the number of ambassadors;", "f) Provide gender equality training for politicians, journalists, teachers and traditional and religious leaders, especially men, so that they understand better than the full, equal, free and democratic participation of women and men in political and public life is essential for the full implementation of the Convention.", "Education", "26. While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to increase girls ' access, in particular, to primary education, such as the creation of schools closer to rural communities, the creation of a new ministry for preschool education, the increase in the number of children ' s houses and nurseries, and the provision of scholarships and food rations to girls and incentives to parents to send their daughters to school, especially in rural areas, the Committee is concerned that:", "(a) The slow increase in the enrolment of girls at the primary level, particularly in rural areas, despite the measures taken by the State party;", "(b) The low enrolment rate for girls at the secondary level, especially in rural areas, and the significant difference between enrolment rates for girls and boys at the secondary level;", "(c) The emphasis placed in areas traditionally dominated by women—such as sewing, cooking and hairdressing—in vocational training and technical and vocational education for women and girls, potentially confining them in low-paid jobs in their future professions;", "(d) The low literacy rate for women, especially in rural areas.", "27. The Committee calls upon the State party to continue to take measures to ensure the equal access of girls and women to all levels of education, including:", "(a) Addressing obstacles to women ' s and girls ' education, such as negative cultural attitudes, early marriage, overwork, low numbers of women teachers, lack of security, and health problems related to female genital mutilation;", "(b) To promote awareness of parents, communities, teachers, traditional leaders, and public officials, especially men, regarding the importance of education for women and girls;", "(c) Encourage affirmative action, such as training and recruitment of teachers;", "(d) Ensure the safety of girls and meet their health needs, including the opening of more schools close to rural communities and the construction of separate and functioning latrines, in particular in primary schools;", "(e) Grant public scholarships to girls and incentives to parents, including allowances, to send their daughters to school to relieve the burden of girls on their responsibilities in the field of domestic work;", "f) Create appropriate opportunities for girls and boys with disabilities, including through their integration into general education;", "(g) Provide technical and vocational training to facilitate the reintegration of girls who left school and to guide them to careers traditionally dominated by men, for example, in services, trade and logistics related to the port of Djibouti;", "(h) Create adult literacy programmes, especially for rural women.", "Employment", "28. While noting the protection afforded to women in the Labour Code, as well as the State party ' s efforts to create income-generating opportunities for women, the Committee remains concerned about discrimination against women in the labour market, including:", "(a) The very high unemployment rate among women;", "(b) The concentration of women in unpaid work and in low-paid jobs in the informal economy, without access to social protection;", "(c) The unrestricted application, as reported, of article 137 of the Labour Code which enshrines the principle of equal pay for work of equal value;", "(d) Women ' s limited access to credit to start small businesses;", "(e) Information on discriminatory labour practices, such as dismissals of women during or after pregnancy, despite existing legal provisions;", "f) The absence of legislation prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace;", "(g) The exploitation of girls in the worst forms of child labour, including domestic work.", "29. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Intensify technical and vocational training for women, including in traditionally male-dominated areas and in the agricultural sector;", "(b) Adopt and expand the National Social Security Fund to informal sector workers, including women, or task the Ministry with structuring the informal sector to develop a separate national social protection plan for such workers;", "(c) Effectively implement the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, through sensitization, appropriate penalties and labour inspections, and consider amending article 259 of the Labour Code to bring it into line with article 137;", "(d) Expand women ' s access to microfinance and low-interest microcredit through the Social Development Fund, the Social Development Agency, credit cooperatives, and Caisse Populaire d 'Épargne et de Crédits so that women can participate in income-generating activities and start their own businesses;", "(e) It collects disaggregated data on the situation of women and men in the private and informal sectors to monitor and improve the working conditions of women;", "f) Consider amending the Labour Code with a view to prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace and introducing appropriate penalties to combat it, as well as increasing penalties for dismissal for pregnancy;", "(g) Protect girls and boys from child labour, through increased inspections and fines to employers, in accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, Convention No. 182, 1999, of the International Labour Organization (ILO), rule and monitor the working conditions of domestic workers, in particular girls, and consider ratifying the ILO Convention on Domestic Workers (No. 189, 2011,).", "Health", "30. The Committee notes the important steps taken by the State party to expand basic health services to rural communities, reduce maternal mortality and increase women ' s and girls ' access to family planning and reproductive health services. It also notes the State party ' s intention to review its legislation on abortion. However, the Committee is concerned at:", "(a) The high rate of maternal mortality, including maternal deaths in hospitals, due to obstetric complications, female genital mutilation, early pregnancy, safe abortion and other factors;", "(b) Lack of emergency obstetric services and postnatal care, particularly in rural areas;", "(c) The low rate of contraceptive use (22.5 per cent), which exposes women and girls to the risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and early pregnancy;", "(d) Lack of disaggregated data on early pregnancies and unsafe abortions;", "(e) The high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among women, the limited effectiveness of efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS, making it difficult for them to access support services, counselling and voluntary screening, and the lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS prevention methods among women and girls.", "31. In line with its general recommendation No. 24 (1999) on article 12 of the Convention (Women and health), the Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Continue to decentralize health structures, train community health workers and mobile health teams regarding women ' s referral to maternal health services, and address the lack of emergency obstetric services in rural areas;", "(b) It collects disaggregated data on the prevalence of early pregnancy and abortion practiced at risk and addresses such problems through awareness-raising, decriminalization of abortion in cases of rape and when the life or health of women or pregnant girls are at risk, and provision of safe abortion services and post-abortion services;", "(c) Encourage awareness of available contraceptive methods, including through the integration of sexual education into school curricula, especially at the secondary level, and the use of male condoms as a safe and less costly option;", "(d) Provide free antiretroviral treatment to women and men living with HIV/AIDS and continue to sensitize mothers and, in particular, parents living with HIV/AIDS on the importance of preventing mother-to-child transmission;", "(e) Conduct awareness-raising campaigns to stop stigmatizing people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and risk groups, including sex workers, in order to facilitate access to support services and voluntary counselling and detection.", "Rural women", "32. The Committee notes that 80 per cent of the population in the State party live in urban areas, and is concerned that women living in rural areas are particularly exposed to poverty, food insecurity, lack of safe drinking water and adverse weather conditions, such as drought.", "33. The Committee recommends that the State party continue its activities to:", "(a) Create income-generating activities for rural women;", "(b) Provide alternative livelihoods for women and pastoral men whose flocks are decimated by drought and poverty;", "(c) Improve women ' s and girls ' access to safe drinking water and adequate health services in rural areas, building new water wells and health facilities;", "(d) Encourage agricultural and pastoral communities to settle near new water sources to increase food security and access to water for personal consumption and irrigation.", "Disadvantaged groups of women", "34. The Committee is concerned at the lack of disaggregated data on the situation of women who normally face multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, orphaned and vulnerable girls, women with disabilities and refugee and migrant women.", "35. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Collect disaggregated data on the situation of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, orphaned and vulnerable girls, women with disabilities and refugee and migrant women, and include such data in their next periodic report;", "(b) Take measures, including temporary special measures in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to eliminate such discrimination, including, where appropriate, in political and public life and in the areas of education, employment and health, and to protect disadvantaged women from violence, abuse and exploitation, and include information on such measures in its next report.", "Discrimination against women in marriage and family relations", "36. The Committee notes with concern that under the Family Code of 2002:", "(a) Women may marry only with the consent of a guardian (art. 7) and cannot marry a non-Muslim man, unless the latter becomes Islam (art. 23);", "(b) The requirement of payment to the bride of a dowry (mahr) is imposed for the marriage to be valid (arts. 7, 20 and 21);", "(c) The derogation of the minimum age for marriage (18 years) is permitted subject to the consent of the guardian of the minor or the authorization granted by a judge (art. 14);", "(d) Polygamy is maintained, but subject to certain economic safeguards for the first wife of a polygamous man (art. 22);", "(e) The husband is considered the head of the family, whose prerogatives the wife must respect (art. 31);", "f) Only the husband may apply for divorce without providing a justification, while the wife must prove that she has suffered injury (art. 39, para. 2) or, on the other hand, waive her rights as a divorced wife, and may be subject to the payment of damages to the husband;", "(g) The woman inherits less than half the man, and the inheritance of the daughter equals half of what a male child receives (arts. 101 et seq.).", "37. The Committee recalls article 16 of the Convention on the Equality of Women and Men in Marriage and Family Relations and its general recommendation No. 21 (1994) and requests the State party to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all matters relating to marriage, family relations and succession, by abolishing or amending the discriminatory provision of the Family Code mentioned above, so that it conforms to the Convention within a clear time frame.", "Optional Protocol", "38. The Committee notes the delegation ' s statement that the process of ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention has already begun, and requests the State party to accelerate its efforts to ratify the Optional Protocol.", "Amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention", "39. The Committee encourages the State party to expedite the acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the duration of the session of the Committee.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "40. The Committee urges the State party, in compliance with its obligations under the Convention, to make full use of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforces the provisions of the Convention, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "41. The Committee emphasizes that the full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It calls upon the State party to incorporate a gender perspective and to explicitly refer to the provisions of the Convention in all activities aimed at achieving those Goals, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "42. The Committee calls for the wide dissemination in Djibouti of the present concluding observations, so that the population, government officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women and human rights organizations are aware of the measures that have been taken to ensure, in fact and law, the equality of women and the additional measures required in this regard. The Committee recommends that these activities include dissemination at the local community level. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to review progress in the implementation of the present concluding observations. The Committee requests the State party to disseminate widely, in particular among women ' s and human rights organizations, the Committee ' s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the theme " Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century " .", "Ratification of other treaties", "43. The Committee notes that the State party ' s accession to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. The Committee therefore encourages the State party to ratify the instruments to which it is not yet a party, i.e. the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "44. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within two years, written information on the measures it has taken in implementation of the recommendations contained in paragraphs 19 and 21 above.", "Technical assistance", "45. The Committee recommends that the State party consider seeking further international assistance and using technical assistance for development, and implement a comprehensive programme aimed at the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations and the Convention as a whole. The Committee also requests the State party to strengthen its cooperation with the specialized agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, UN-Women, the United Nations Statistics Division, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children ' s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, WHO and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "Preparation of the next report", "46. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next report, and to consult various women ' s and human rights organizations.", "47. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its next periodic report in July 2015.", "48. The Committee invites the State party to follow the harmonized guidelines on the preparation of reports to be submitted under international human rights treaties, including guidelines on the preparation of a common core document and treaty-specific reports, which were adopted at the fifth inter-committee meeting of the human rights treaty bodies in June 2006 (see HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1). The reporting guidelines for the Convention, adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session in January 2008 (see A/63/38, part one, annex I), should be implemented in conjunction with the harmonized guidelines for the preparation of a core document. Together, they constitute the harmonized guidelines for reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Convention-specific document should be limited to 40 pages, and the updated common core document should not exceed 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International Convention on Forced Persons with Disabilities." ]

[ "Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "49° período de sesiones", "11 a 29 de julio de 2011", "Observaciones finales del Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer", "Etiopía", "1. El Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer examinó los informes periódicos sexto y séptimo combinados de Etiopía (CEDAW/C/ETH/6-7) en sus sesiones 984ª y 985ª, celebradas el 15 de julio de 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.984 y 985). La lista de cuestiones y preguntas del Comité figura en el documento CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7 y las respuestas del Gobierno de Etiopía figuran en el documento CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7/Add.1.", "Introducción", "2. El Comité expresa su agradecimiento al Estado parte por sus informes periódicos sexto y séptimo combinados, que incluyeron información detallada y fueron elaborados en general conforme a las directrices del Comité para la preparación de los informes, pese a que carecían de referencias a las observaciones finales anteriores y las recomendaciones generales del Comité y de algunos datos desglosados específicos, y a que se presentaron con demora. El Comité observa con reconocimiento que los informes se prepararon mediante un proceso inclusivo con arreglo a un proyecto conjunto de presentación de informes sobre tratados con el apoyo de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, en el que participaron organismos gubernamentales, instituciones de derechos humanos de carácter nacional y organizaciones de la sociedad civil. El Comité expresa también su agradecimiento al Estado parte por la presentación oral de la jefa de la delegación, por las respuestas escritas a la lista de cuestiones y preguntas planteadas por el grupo de trabajo anterior al período de sesiones y por las posteriores aclaraciones a la mayor parte de las preguntas orales formuladas por el Comité.", "3. El Comité encomia al Estado parte por el alto nivel de su delegación, encabezada por la Ministra de Asuntos de la Mujer, la Niñez y la Juventud de Etiopía e integrada por representantes de varios departamentos gubernamentales. El Comité aprecia el diálogo constructivo que tuvo lugar entre la delegación y los miembros del Comité, si bien señala que algunas preguntas quedaron sin respuesta.", "Aspectos positivos", "4. El Comité acoge con beneplácito la ratificación por el Estado parte, el 7 de julio de 2010, de la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad.", "5. El Comité acoge con beneplácito la adopción del nuevo Código Penal (2005), que tipifica como delitos varias formas de violencia contra la mujer, en particular la violencia doméstica y la violación fuera del matrimonio, prácticas tradicionales dañinas como la mutilación genital femenina, el matrimonio a edad temprana, el matrimonio por rapto y la trata de mujeres y niños. También observa con aprecio el establecimiento de secciones atentas a la situación de las víctimas en los tribunales federales y de dependencias especializadas en investigar y enjuiciar delitos contra la mujer en las fiscalías de Addis Abeba y Dire Dawa y en algunos estados regionales, así como las medidas adoptadas hasta la fecha por el Estado parte para capacitar a los jueces, los fiscales y los agentes de policía en la aplicación del Código Penal y en los derechos de la mujer, incluidos los derechos que les asisten en virtud de la Convención.", "6. El Comité observa con aprecio las diversas políticas y estrategias adoptadas por el Estado parte para promover la igualdad entre los géneros y proteger los derechos de la mujer, en particular el Plan nacional de igualdad entre los géneros (2005-2010), el Plan de desarrollo acelerado y sostenible para erradicar la pobreza (2005-2010), que incluye como uno de sus ocho elementos estratégicos impulsar el potencial de la mujer etíope, el conjunto de medidas para la promoción y el adelanto de la mujer etiope que tiene como objetivo promover la participación económica y política de la mujer y erradicar las prácticas tradicionales dañinas, y los ejemplares programas conjuntos de las Naciones Unidas y el Gobierno de Etiopía sobre igualdad entre los géneros y salud materna.", "7. El Comité observa con satisfacción el aumento del número de mujeres que integran la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo, donde actualmente ocupan el 27,8% de los escaños como resultado de las elecciones nacionales celebradas en 2010.", "8. El Comité acoge con beneplácito las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para promover el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas a la educación, en particular en las zonas rurales y de pastoreo. Cabe destacar las siguientes:", "a) La introducción de programas de becas para niñas y el suministro a las niñas de materiales educativos y uniformes, con el apoyo de organizaciones no gubernamentales;", "b) La introducción de escuelas atentas a las necesidades de las niñas y la construcción de letrinas separadas para las niñas y los niños en las escuelas;", "c) El programa de incentivos en las zonas de pastoreo para los padres que envíen a sus hijas a la escuela;", "d) La oferta de formación y la adopción de medidas de discriminación positiva para elevar al 50% la tasa de mujeres profesoras en las escuelas de enseñanza primaria y secundaria y para aumentar el número de mujeres docentes en las universidades y otras instituciones de educación superior.", "9. El Comité observa con aprecio los esfuerzos desplegados por el Estado parte para mejorar el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas a los servicios de salud, en particular en lo relativo a la planificación familiar y la salud reproductiva, por conducto de su Programa de ampliación de los servicios de salud, mediante la capacitación impartida a agentes de divulgación sanitaria en materia de salud materna y atención obstétrica de emergencia y el aumento del número de dependencias de atención primaria, centros de salud y hospitales.", "Principales esferas de preocupación y recomendaciones", "10. El Comité recuerda la obligación del Estado parte de aplicar de manera sistemática y continua todas las disposiciones de la Convención y considera que las preocupaciones y recomendaciones que se señalan en las presentes observaciones finales requieren la atención prioritaria del Estado parte desde el momento actual hasta la presentación del próximo informe periódico. En consecuencia, el Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que centre en esas esferas sus actividades de aplicación y a que, en su próximo informe periódico, indique las medidas adoptadas y los resultados conseguidos. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que transmita las presentes observaciones finales a todos los ministerios pertinentes a nivel federal y regional, a la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo, a la Cámara de la Federación, a los consejos regionales y a la Administración de Justicia a fin de asegurar su plena aplicación.", "Las Cámaras Federales", "11. Al tiempo que reafirma que incumbe al Gobierno la responsabilidad primordial de cumplir plenamente las obligaciones que el Estado parte ha contraído en virtud de la Convención y especialmente de rendir cuentas al respecto, el Comité destaca que la Convención es vinculante para todos los poderes públicos e invita al Estado parte a que aliente a las dos Cámaras Federales a que, de conformidad con su reglamento y cuando proceda, adopten las medidas necesarias para dar aplicación a las presentes observaciones finales y emprender el proceso de elaboración del próximo informe que debe presentar el Estado parte con arreglo a la Convención.", "Visibilidad de la Convención, del Protocolo Facultativo y de las recomendaciones generales del Comité", "12. Si bien toma nota de que el artículo 9 de la Constitución Federal establece que los acuerdos internacionales ratificados por el Estado parte constituyen una parte integral de su legislación nacional y de que la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Etiopía ha traducido los principales tratados internacionales de derechos humanos, incluida la Convención, al amhárico, el oromo y el tigriño, el Comité observa con preocupación el hecho de que la Convención no se haya traducido oficialmente y publicado en la Federal Negarit Gazeta. También le preocupa el insuficiente conocimiento de los derechos de la mujer en virtud de la Convención, de la noción de igualdad sustantiva entre los géneros y de las recomendaciones generales del Comité que se observa en todas las instancias del Gobierno y en la Administración de Justicia tanto a nivel federal como regional. Asimismo, inquieta al Comité que las propias mujeres, especialmente las que viven en zona rurales y alejadas, no conozcan los derechos que les asisten en virtud de la Convención y, por lo tanto, no tengan la capacidad de reivindicarlos.", "13. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte traduzca oficialmente el texto completo de la Convención y lo publique en la Federal Negarit Gazeta a fin de ponerlo al alcance del público y permitir que los jueces lo apliquen directamente en condiciones de seguridad jurídica. También insta al Estado parte a que adopte las medidas apropiadas para asegurar que la Convención y las recomendaciones generales del Comité se conozcan suficientemente y se apliquen en todos los poderes públicos y la Administración de Justicia a nivel federal, regional y local como marco para todas las leyes, sentencias judiciales y políticas sobre la igualdad entre los géneros y el adelanto de la mujer. El Comité recomienda que se haga más hincapié en la Convención y las leyes nacionales conexas en la formación jurídica y la capacitación de los jueces, los abogados y los fiscales, en particular los que ejercen en los tribunales de la sharia, a fin de que se establezca firmemente en el Estado parte una cultura jurídica que promueva la igualdad entre el hombre y la mujer y la no discriminación por razones de género. Por último, el Comité recomienda que el Estado parte siga promoviendo la concienciación de la mujer respecto de sus derechos y los medios para ejercerlos mediante, por ejemplo, programas de conocimientos básicos de derecho, y asegure que la información sobre la Convención se transmita a las mujeres de todos los estados regionales por todos los medios apropiados, incluidos los medios de comunicación.", "Armonización de las leyes", "14. El Comité reitera su preocupación por que no todos los estados regionales hayan adoptado la legislación regional sobre la familia de conformidad con el Código Federal de la Familia (2000) y la Convención, que reconocen el derecho de contraer matrimonio libremente que asiste por igual al hombre y la mujer y la igualdad de derechos y responsabilidades de los cónyuges durante el matrimonio y su disolución, y establecen en 18 años la edad mínima para contraer matrimonio, y por que algunos estados regionales continúan aplicando las disposiciones discriminatorias de su legislación anterior sobre la familia. El Comité observa también que la Constitución Federal no excluye la solución de controversias relacionadas con el derecho de las personas y el derecho de familia con arreglo a las leyes religiosas y consuetudinarias (artículo 34 5)) y, a tal efecto, faculta a la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo y a los consejos regionales para que establezcan tribunales religiosos y consuetudinarios o los reconozcan oficialmente (artículo 78 5)).", "15. El Comité recuerda su recomendación anterior (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, párr. 244) e insta al Estado parte a que asegure que todos los estados regionales adopten la legislación sobre la familia con arreglo al Código Federal de la Familia y la Convención y a que emprenda iniciativas, como programas de concienciación y formación, para sensibilizar a la población y permitir a los funcionarios públicos aplicar eficazmente el Código de la Familia revisado, en particular el derecho de contraer matrimonio libremente que asiste por igual al hombre y la mujer, la igualdad de derechos y responsabilidades de los cónyuges durante el matrimonio y su disolución y la edad mínima de 18 años para contraer matrimonio. El Comité también insta al Estado parte a que se asegure de que las leyes federales, regionales, consuetudinarias y religiosas estén armonizadas con la Convención.", "Mecanismos nacionales encargados del adelanto de la mujer", "16. Si bien acoge con beneplácito el establecimiento de un mecanismo nacional amplio encargado del adelanto de la mujer, que incluye al Ministerio de Asuntos de la Mujer, la Niñez y la Juventud, los departamentos de asuntos de la mujer en todos los ministerios federales, las oficinas regionales de asuntos de la mujer y estructuras similares a nivel zonal, de woreda y de kebele, el Comité observa con preocupación que la capacidad, los recursos y la eficiencia del mecanismo nacional no se han fortalecido adecuadamente para asegurar la eficacia de la aplicación de las leyes y políticas pertinentes, el seguimiento, la reunión de datos, la incorporación sistemática de la perspectiva de género y la armonización y ordenación de los procesos, en particular la supervisión, la evaluación y el análisis de datos necesarios para una planificación estratégica basada en datos reales.", "17. El Comité, recordando sus observaciones finales anteriores (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, párr. 246), la recomendación general núm. 6 (1988) y las recomendaciones pertinentes formuladas al estado parte durante el examen periódico universal (A/HRC/13/17, párr. 97.32) y las formuladas por el Comité de los Derechos del Niño (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, párr. 11), así como las orientaciones proporcionadas por la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, en particular en relación con las condiciones necesarias para el funcionamiento eficaz de los mecanismos nacionales, recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Fortalezca el actual mecanismo nacional en todos los niveles proporcionándole recursos humanos, técnicos y financieros adecuados para mejorar su eficacia para formular y aplicar medidas legislativas y normativas en el ámbito de la igualdad entre los géneros, dar asesoramiento al respecto y coordinar y supervisar su preparación y aplicación, e incorporar la perspectiva de género a todas las leyes y políticas;", "b) Continúe impartiendo capacitación en derechos de la mujer, incluso a corto plazo, a las mujeres y los hombres que trabajan en el Ministerio de Asuntos de la Mujer, la Niñez y la Juventud, los departamentos de asuntos de la mujer de cada ministerio federal, las oficinas regionales de asuntos de la mujer y las oficinas de asuntos de la mujer a nivel zonal, de woreda y de kebele, y también a las personas que trabajan en otras oficinas gubernamentales a nivel federal y regional;", "c) Preste atención prioritaria a los derechos de la mujer, al principio de no discriminación y al goce de la igualdad entre los géneros en particular teniendo en cuenta las recomendaciones del Comité en la ejecución del Segundo Plan de desarrollo acelerado y sostenible para erradicar la pobreza (2010-2015);", "d) Siga fortaleciendo la capacidad y la independencia de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Etiopía, en especial de la Comisionada para los Derechos de la Mujer y el Niño y su departamento, de conformidad con los Principios de París (resolución 48/134 de la Asamblea General, anexo).", "Estereotipos y prácticas dañinas", "18. Si bien toma nota de las iniciativas emprendidas por el Estado parte para eliminar las actitudes discriminatorias y las prácticas dañinas que afectan a las mujeres, el Comité reitera su preocupación por la persistencia de normas, prácticas y tradiciones culturales adversas, además de actitudes patriarcales y estereotipos profundamente arraigados con respecto a las funciones, responsabilidades e identidades de las mujeres y los hombres en todas las esferas de la vida. Preocupa al Comité que esas costumbres y prácticas perpetúan la discriminación contra las mujeres y que dan lugar a una situación desfavorecida y de desigualdad para ellas en muchos ámbitos, como la vida pública y la adopción de decisiones, la economía, la salud sexual y reproductiva, el matrimonio y las relaciones familiares. Señala que esos estereotipos también contribuyen a que persistan la violencia contra la mujer, las prácticas dañinas como la mutilación genital femenina, el matrimonio a edad temprana, el rapto de las niñas y el levirato, y expresa su preocupación por que el estado parte no haya adoptado suficientes medidas sostenidas y sistemáticas para modificar o eliminar los estereotipos, los valores culturales negativos y las prácticas dañinas.", "19. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Establezca sin demora una estrategia amplia para eliminar las prácticas dañinas y los estereotipos que discriminan contra la mujer, de conformidad con los artículos 2 f) y 5 a) de la Convención. Estas medidas deberían incluir iniciativas más concertadas, en colaboración con la sociedad civil, para educar y crear conciencia sobre este tema, dirigidas a las mujeres y los hombres en todos los niveles de la sociedad, en especial los niveles de woreda y kebele, y deberían incluir a los dirigentes comunitarios y religiosos;", "b) Haga frente a prácticas dañinas como la mutilación genital femenina, el matrimonio a edad temprana, el matrimonio por rapto y el levirato mediante la ampliación de los programas de educación pública y el cumplimiento eficaz de la prohibición de esas prácticas en particular en las zonas rurales;", "c) Adopte medidas innovadoras encaminadas a fortalecer la comprensión respecto de la igualdad entre las mujeres y los hombres, en particular el derecho a participar en igualdad de condiciones en la vida pública y la adopción de decisiones, poseer tierra y ganado, decidir con independencia las opciones de salud sexual y reproductiva y elegir un cónyuge y contraer matrimonio libremente, y siga colaborando con los medios de comunicación para reforzar una imagen positiva y no estereotipada de la mujer;", "d) Evalúe los efectos de esas medidas al objeto de determinar las deficiencias y subsanarlas según proceda.", "Mutilación genital femenina y violencia contra la mujer", "20. El Comité observa las iniciativas emprendidas por el Estado parte para combatir la violencia contra la mujer, incluidas la mutilación genital femenina y la violencia sexual y doméstica, por ejemplo mediante la revisión de su Código Penal, el establecimiento de dependencias de investigación y fiscalías especializadas y tribunales atentos a la situación de las víctimas en el sistema de justicia federal, y la prestación de asistencia jurídica a las mujeres y las niñas víctimas de la violencia. Sin embargo, si bien toma nota de que la mutilación genital femenina se ha reducido entre las mujeres más jóvenes y en las zonas urbanas, el Comité observa con preocupación que esta práctica sigue siendo muy frecuente en las zonas rurales y de pastoreo (con las tasas de incidencia más altas en las regiones de Afar (91,6%) y Somali (79%)) y que las sanciones por mutilación genital femenina establecidas en los artículos 561 a 563, 567, 569 y 570 del Código Penal (2005) son demasiado leves. Preocupa también al Comité que la mutilación genital femenina, la violencia sexual y doméstica y otras formas de violencia contra la mujer muchas veces no se denuncian debido a los tabúes culturales y a la falta de confianza de las víctimas en el sistema judicial y que las disposiciones del derecho penal no se aplican sistemáticamente debido a la asignación insuficiente de fondos, la falta de coordinación entre los agentes competentes, el poco conocimiento que tienen los funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley sobre la legislación y las políticas vigentes, la falta de capacidad para aplicar la ley con una perspectiva de género y las actitudes discriminatorias de la sociedad. Asimismo, al Comité le preocupa que el Estado parte no tipifique como delito la violación en el matrimonio, la demora en adoptar una estrategia nacional para combatir la violencia contra la mujer, la falta de servicios de asistencia y rehabilitación para las víctimas y la ausencia de datos desglosados sobre las tasas de enjuiciamiento y condena en relación con la violencia contra la mujer.", "21. El Comité recuerda sus recomendaciones generales núm. 14 (1990) sobre la circuncisión femenina y núm. 19 (1992) sobre la violencia contra la mujer, sus anteriores recomendaciones (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, párrs. 252 y 256) y las recomendaciones del Comité contra la Tortura (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, párr. 32), el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7-16, párr. 16) el Comité de los Derechos del Niño (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, párr. 60) y la Comisión Africana de Derechos Humanos y de los Pueblos, e insta al estado parte a que:", "a) Modifique el Código Penal (2005) a objeto de agravar las sanciones impuestas a la mutilación genital femenina en los artículos 561 y 562, 567, 569 y 570; derogar el artículo 563; tipificar como delito la violación en el matrimonio; y excluir la aplicabilidad, en los casos de violencia doméstica, de las circunstancias atenuantes previstas en el artículo 557 1) b) (provocación grave, conmoción, sorpresa, emoción o pasión);", "b) Vele por el cumplimiento eficaz de las disposiciones del Código Penal (2005) que penalizan la mutilación genital femenina y la violencia sexual y doméstica, enjuicie cualquier acto de esta naturaleza tan pronto lo denuncie la víctima o de oficio e imponga a los responsables sanciones acordes con la gravedad del delito;", "c) Imparta capacitación obligatoria a los jueces, incluidos los jueces de los tribunales locales y los tribunales de la Sharia, los fiscales y la policía para la estricta aplicación de las disposiciones pertinentes del Código Penal;", "d) Aliente a las mujeres y las niñas a que denuncien los actos de violencia a las autoridades competentes, reforzando la concienciación sobre el carácter delictivo y los efectos dañinos de la mutilación genital femenina y otras formas de violencia en su salud, erradicando las justificaciones culturales que subyacen a esa violencia y esas prácticas, eliminando la estigmatización de las víctimas e instruyendo a los agentes del orden público y el personal médico sobre los procedimientos normalizados con perspectiva de género para tratar a las víctimas e investigar eficazmente sus denuncias;", "e) Mejore la prestación de servicios de asistencia y rehabilitación a las víctimas fortaleciendo los servicios de asistencia jurídica del Ministerio de Justicia ofreciendo asesoramiento psicológico, prestando apoyo a las organizaciones locales de defensa de los derechos de la mujer que ofrecen refugio y asistencia a las víctimas y estableciendo centros de apoyo a las víctimas en los estados regionales;", "f) Agilice la adopción y ejecución del proyecto de plan estratégico nacional para combatir la violencia contra las mujeres y los niños preparado por el Ministerio de Justicia;", "g) Reúna datos desglosados sobre el número de denuncias, procesos judiciales y condenas contra los autores de delitos de mutilación genital femenina y violencia sexual y doméstica y sobre las penas impuestas, y proporcione esos datos al Comité.", "22. El Comité toma nota de que el Estado parte niega que se hayan cometido los actos de violencia sexual contra mujeres y niñas, incluidas violaciones, que se atribuyen a los miembros de las Fuerzas de Defensa Nacional de Etiopía en el Estado Regional Nacional Somalí. Sin embargo, observa con preocupación las numerosas y sistemáticas denuncias de delitos cometidos contra las mujeres y las niñas, como violaciones, torturas, asesinatos extrajudiciales y desalojos forzosos, por miembros de las Fuerzas de Defensa Nacional de Etiopía y de milicias armadas privadas en el contexto del conflicto armado, en particular en la zona de Ogaden del Estado Regional Nacional Somalí, y la impunidad de que disfrutan los presuntos responsables de esos delitos.", "23. De conformidad con el artículo 2 de la Convención, y teniendo en cuenta las recomendaciones generales núm. 28 (2010), relativa a las obligaciones básicas de los Estados partes con arreglo al artículo 2, y núm. 19 (1992), relativa a la violencia contra la mujer, y las observaciones finales del Comité contra la Tortura (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, párr. 16), el Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Investigue, enjuicie y castigue de manera adecuada a los miembros de las Fuerzas de Defensa Nacional de Etiopía y de las milicias privadas responsables de violaciones y cualesquiera otros delitos cometidos contra las mujeres y las niñas, en particular en el contexto del conflicto armado, y adopte medidas eficaces para impedir que se sigan cometiendo estos delitos;", "b) Adopte de inmediato medidas para indemnizar adecuadamente a las víctimas de esos delitos y prestarles servicios de rehabilitación;", "c) Considere favorablemente la posibilidad de facilitar a las organizaciones internacionales y las organizaciones no gubernamentales el acceso humanitario a zonas en las que las mujeres y las niñas sufran los efectos del conflicto armado, a saber, en la región somalí.", "Trata de mujeres y explotación de la prostitución", "24. Si bien observa que el Estado parte ha adoptado medidas para luchar contra la trata de personas, en particular mujeres y niñas, tipificándola como delito, realizando actividades de concienciación, impartiendo capacitación a los funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley, creando una fiscalía especializada y concertando acuerdos con países vecinos, el Comité observa con preocupación la falta de datos y las bajas tasas de enjuiciamiento y condena, sobre todo en relación con la trata interna de mujeres y niños para fines de trabajo forzoso y explotación sexual, las escasas medidas adoptadas para enfrentar la pobreza como causa profunda de la trata de personas, la falta de asistencia a las víctimas y la falta de protección brindada a las mujeres y los niños refugiados y desplazados expuestos a convertirse en víctimas de la trata de personas.", "25. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Apruebe un plan de acción nacional para luchar contra la trata de personas, en particular mujeres y niñas, incluidos los refugiados y los desplazados internos;", "b) Siga fomentando la conciencia sobre la trata de personas e impartiendo capacitación a los funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley para que apliquen estrictamente las normas pertinentes del derecho penal;", "c) Haga frente a las causas profundas de la trata de personas mejorando las posibilidades económicas de las mujeres, en particular ampliando el Fondo Etíope para el Desarrollo de la Mujer para que abarque a un mayor número de estados regionales y beneficiarias y mejorando el acceso de la mujer a la tierra;", "d) Establezca mecanismos apropiados orientados a la pronta detección, remisión y prestación de asistencia y apoyo a las víctimas de la trata de personas, incluidas las mujeres y niñas refugiadas y desplazadas;", "e) Reúna datos desglosados sobre el número de denuncias, investigaciones, procesos judiciales y condenas en relación con la trata de personas y los incluya en su próximo informe periódico.", "Participación en la vida política y pública", "26. Si bien acoge con beneplácito el constante aumento de la participación de las mujeres en la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo, donde actualmente ocupan 152 de los 547 escaños (27,8%) y, en menor grado, en los consejos regionales, el Comité observa con preocupación que ninguna candidata de la oposición resultó elegida a la Cámara de Representantes del Pueblo en las elecciones nacionales de 2010 y que las mujeres siguen teniendo una representación insuficiente en los cargos superiores del Gobierno, la Administración de Justicia y el servicio diplomático. A este respecto, el Comité observa que solo 3 de los 23 ministros del actual Gobierno son mujeres. Observa también con inquietud que existen barreras sistemáticas, como actitudes culturales negativas, dudas acerca de la capacidad de liderazgo de las mujeres, insuficientes medidas de discriminación positiva a manera de cuotas para las mujeres y fomento de la capacidad de las posibles candidatas, escasos recursos financieros en interés limitado de las mujeres debido a la falta de apoyo logístico, que impiden la participación de la mujer en condiciones de igualdad en la vida política.", "27. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Adopte medidas especiales de carácter temporal, de conformidad con el artículo 4, párrafo 1, de la Convención y de la recomendación general núm. 25 (2004) del Comité, como el establecimiento de cuotas de género que se apliquen a toda la estructura de la Junta Electoral Nacional de Etiopía y a los nombramientos políticos, con el fin de acelerar la representación equitativa de las mujeres y los hombres en los órganos políticos por elección o nombramiento, especialmente en los cargos responsables de la adopción de decisiones;", "b) Asigne más fondos para las mujeres candidatas, incluidas las candidatas de la oposición, en la financiación pública de las campañas electorales;", "c) Adopte medidas de discriminación positiva para aumentar el porcentaje de mujeres jueces, funcionarias públicas y diplomáticas, en particular en los cargos superiores;", "d) Imparta capacitación en igualdad entre los géneros a los políticos, los periodistas y los responsables de la adopción de decisiones, en especial los hombres, con el fin de reforzar la noción de que la participación plena, equitativa, libre y democrática de las mujeres y los hombres en la vida pública es un requisito para la plena aplicación de la Convención.", "La sociedad civil y las organizaciones no gubernamentales", "28. No obstante las explicaciones que el Estado parte dio durante el diálogo respecto de la necesidad de evitar la influencia extranjera en la vida política de Etiopía y la dependencia de las organizaciones locales de la sociedad civil de los donantes extranjeros, preocupa seriamente al Comité que la Ley núm. 621/2009 sobre el registro de entidades benéficas y asociaciones, que prohíbe que las organizaciones no gubernamentales extranjeras y las organizaciones no gubernamentales de carácter local que reciben más del 10% de su financiación de fuentes foráneas se ocupen de cuestiones de derechos humanos e igualdad entre los géneros (artículo 14), haya mermado la capacidad de las organizaciones locales de derechos de la mujer para prestar asistencia jurídica y otros tipos de apoyo a las mujeres que han sufrido violaciones de sus derechos humanos. El Comité observa con preocupación que la decisión del Organismo de la Sociedad Civil de congelar el 90% de los activos de algunas organizaciones de derechos humanos de carácter local, como la Asociación de Abogadas de Etiopía, que era la principal organización local de derechos de la mujer en el país, no se pueda recurrir ante un tribunal de apelaciones y que esas organizaciones no gubernamentales se hayan visto obligadas a reducir su plantilla y el número de oficinas regionales y, en el caso de la Asociación de Abogadas de Etiopía, a suspender la asistencia jurídica y los servicios de escucha para las mujeres. Asimismo, preocupa al Comité que el Estado parte no haya podido remediar el desequilibrio creado por la suspensión de esos servicios.", "29. El Comité recuerda su declaración sobre la relación con las organizaciones no gubernamentales (2010) y las recomendaciones formuladas por el Comité contra la Tortura (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, párr. 34) y el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7, párr. 14), e insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Reconozca la función fundamental que desempeñan las organizaciones no gubernamentales al empoderar a la mujer etíope mediante la concienciación y la promoción, la prestación de servicios de asistencia y rehabilitación a las víctimas y la prestación de apoyo jurídico y de otro tipo con el fin de capacitar a las mujeres para que reclamen sus derechos;", "b) Considere la posibilidad de modificar la Ley de organizaciones de la sociedad civil a objeto de levantar las restricciones impuestas a la financiación de las organizaciones no gubernamentales de derechos humanos de carácter local, en particular las que se ocupan de los derechos de la mujer, y cualesquiera otras restricciones impuestas a las actividades de las organizaciones no gubernamentales, tanto locales como internacionales, que sean incompatibles con las normas internacionales de derechos humanos, como el derecho de los ciudadanos y no ciudadanos a la libertad de asociación;", "c) Descongele los activos de la Asociación de Abogadas de Etiopía y otras organizaciones no gubernamentales de derechos humanos de carácter local, asegure que las decisiones del Organismo de la Sociedad Civil estén sujetas a revisión judicial y garantice a los trabajadores de las organizaciones no gubernamentales protección contra el hostigamiento o la intimidación;", "d) Coopere con las organizaciones no gubernamentales de derechos de la mujer de carácter local y de otro tipo para permitirles desempeñar un papel significativo en la aplicación de la Convención en el Estado parte, ayudándole así a cumplir las obligaciones contraídas en virtud de la Convención;", "e) Entre tanto, diseñe estrategias para mitigar los efectos nocivos de la Ley de organizaciones de la sociedad civil en las organizaciones no gubernamentales de derechos humanos de carácter local, incluidas las que promueven los derechos de la mujer, y remedie el desequilibrio creado por la disminución de su capacidad para prestar servicios jurídicos y de otro tipo a las mujeres, en particular fuera de Addis Abeba, en consulta con los asociados internacionales.", "Educación", "30. El Comité acoge con beneplácito las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte para aumentar el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas a todos los niveles de educación, como la discriminación positiva, la concienciación, la prestación de apoyo a las niñas desfavorecidas y los incentivos para que los padres envíen a sus hijas a la escuela, en particular en las zonas rurales y de pastoreo. Sin embargo, reitera su preocupación por las siguientes situaciones:", "a) Las disparidades regionales y las bajas tasas de matriculación de las mujeres y las niñas en las instituciones de enseñanza primaria en las zonas rurales y de pastoreo y en las instituciones de enseñanza secundaria y superior, así como en los espacios de formación técnica y profesional tradicionalmente dominados por los hombres;", "b) La alta tasa de deserción escolar y los bajos índices de permanencia y finalización de estudios de las niñas, en particular en el ciclo de enseñanza primaria, que afectan severamente a la matriculación en el ciclo secundario;", "c) El acceso limitado a la enseñanza de las niñas pobres, las niñas de las zonas de pastoreo y las niñas con discapacidad, debido a barreras económicas y socioculturales como los gastos indirectos de la escolarización, las actitudes desfavorables de los estudiantes y profesores varones, el maltrato y hostigamiento verbal y físico y los largos trayectos que deben recorrer para asistir a la escuela;", "d) El bajo índice de alfabetización de la mujer (el 38% en 2004), especialmente en las zonas rurales.", "31. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que siga adoptando medidas para remediar las disparidades regionales y asegurar la igualdad de acceso de las niñas y las mujeres a todos los ciclos de enseñanza, como las medidas orientadas a:", "a) Asegurar la matriculación, la permanencia y la finalización de estudios de las mujeres y niñas en todos los ciclos de enseñanza, especialmente en las zonas rurales y de pastoreo, en particular impartiendo carácter obligatorio a la enseñanza primaria y adoptando medidas de discriminación positiva como una mayor capacitación y contratación de profesoras y el establecimiento de cuotas para estudiantes universitarias;", "b) Seguir creando conciencia en las comunidades, las familias, los estudiantes, los profesores y los funcionarios, en especial los hombres, sobre la importancia de la educación de las mujeres y las niñas;", "c) Mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza y volverla más atractiva y segura para las mujeres y las niñas, en particular aumentando el número de escuelas atentas a las necesidades de las niñas y de escuelas con letrinas separadas para los niños y las niñas, e investigando y castigando de manera apropiada cualquier maltrato al que otros estudiantes o los profesores sometan a las mujeres y las niñas;", "d) Fortalecer los servicios de apoyo, en particular las becas, el transporte y la enseñanza dirigida, prestados a las niñas desfavorecidas, como las niñas pobres, las niñas de zonas de pastoreo y las niñas con discapacidad, y reforzar los incentivos y subsidios para sus familias;", "e) Garantizar oportunidades de enseñanza adecuadas para las niñas y los niños con discapacidad, incluso integrándolos al sistema de educación general;", "f) Alentar a las mujeres y las niñas a elegir esferas de educación y carreras no tradicionales, como la formación técnica y vocacional y la capacitación en ámbitos tradicionalmente dominados por los hombres;", "g) Reforzar la alfabetización de adultos, la educación extraescolar para adultos y los programas alternativos de enseñanza básica, prestando atención especial a los nuevos estados regionales.", "Empleo", "32. Si bien observa con reconocimiento las leyes que protegen los derechos laborales de las mujeres y las iniciativas emprendidas por el Estado parte con miras a aumentar las oportunidades de generación de ingresos para las mujeres, el Comité reitera su preocupación por la discriminación que enfrentan las mujeres en el mercado laboral, en particular:", "a) La tasa de desempleo desproporcionadamente alta entre las mujeres;", "b) La gran cantidad de mujeres que realizan trabajo familiar no remunerado, especialmente en el sector agrícola, y que tienen empleos mal remunerados, debido a sus responsabilidades familiares, la falta de los recursos necesarios para adquirir conocimientos especializados, el acceso limitado a la tierra, el crédito y la información y las actitudes tradicionales;", "c) El alto porcentaje de mujeres que trabajan en el sector no estructurado, sin acceso a protección social;", "d) La desigualdad en materia de salarios y beneficios, las prácticas discriminatorias de contratación y ascensos y los despidos improcedentes en razón del género, el estado civil, las responsabilidades familiares o el embarazo;", "e) La ausencia de legislación que prohíba el acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo;", "f) La falta de protección ofrecida a las trabajadoras del servicio doméstico contra el abuso sexual por parte de sus empleadores o de familiares de sus empleadores;", "g) El alto número de niñas y niños, incluidos los que viven en la calle, que son explotados como mano de obra infantil y son vulnerables a la violencia sexual y el maltrato.", "33. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Amplíe las políticas orientadas a crear oportunidades de generación de ingresos para las mujeres y siga adoptando medidas de discriminación positiva, por ejemplo asignando prioridad a las mujeres en la contratación en el sector público;", "b) Amplíe sus programas de empoderamiento económico a fin de que beneficien a un mayor número de mujeres;", "c) Reúna datos desglosados por sexo sobre la situación de las mujeres y los hombres en el sector privado y el sector no estructurado y adopte medidas eficaces para supervisar y mejorar las condiciones laborales de las mujeres que trabajan en esos sectores;", "d) Realice esfuerzos concertados para diseñar, aprobar y poner en marcha un plan nacional de protección social que también abarque, entre otros, a los trabajadores del sector no estructurado, incluidas las mujeres;", "e) Aplique debidamente el principio de igual remuneración por trabajo de igual valor mediante programas de concienciación, sanciones más severas e inspecciones laborales más eficaces;", "f) Considere la posibilidad de modificar la Ley laboral núm. 377/2003, con miras a agravar las sanciones por despido del empleo en razón del género, el estado civil, las responsabilidades familiares o el embarazo, y a incluir la prohibición del acoso sexual en el trabajo con las correspondientes sanciones;", "g) Reglamente y vigile las condiciones laborales de los trabajadores del servicio doméstico, en particular las mujeres, y los proteja contra el abuso sexual por sus empleadores;", "h) Adopte medidas, de conformidad con el Convenio de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo núm. 182 (1999), sobre la prohibición de las peores formas de trabajo infantil, para proteger a las niñas y los niños de la explotación del trabajo infantil aumentando las inspecciones y las multas impuestas a los empleadores, amplíe las medidas existentes y adopte nuevas medidas para proteger a las niñas y los niños que viven en la calle, como programas de desarrollo integral de destrezas e iniciativas de reunificación familiar, y les preste a estos menores servicios básicos.", "Salud", "34. Si bien acoge con beneplácito las medidas adoptadas por el Estado parte con el fin de ampliar los servicios básicos de salud para que abarquen las zonas rurales y aumentar el acceso de las mujeres y las niñas a los servicios de planificación de la familia y de salud reproductiva, el Comité reitera su preocupación respecto de:", "a) La alta tasa de mortalidad materna (470 por cada 100.000 nacidos vivos) debido a complicaciones obstétricas como fístulas, embarazo precoz, abortos realizados en condiciones de riesgo, prácticas dañinas y otros factores;", "b) La baja tasa de parteras calificadas (18%) y la insuficiencia de servicios obstétricos de emergencia, especialmente en las zonas rurales;", "c) El bajo índice de uso de métodos anticonceptivos, que expone a las mujeres y las niñas, a menudo casadas con hombres mayores, al riesgo de embarazos precoces y el contagio por el VIH/SIDA y otras enfermedades de transmisión sexual;", "d) El alto número de abortos en condiciones de riesgo;", "e) El alto número de mujeres que viven con el VIH/SIDA, la falta de terapias profilácticas con antirretrovirales para evitar la transmisión de la madre al niño, la ausencia de programas especiales de prevención para grupos de alto riesgo como las jóvenes, los trabajadores sexuales y los desplazados y la falta de atención y apoyo a los huérfanos y niñas y niños vulnerables afectados por el VIH/SIDA.", "35. De conformidad con sus observaciones finales anteriores (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, párr. 258) y su recomendación general núm. 24 (1999), el Comité insta al Estado parte a que:", "a) Siga capacitando al personal de divulgación sanitaria respecto de la remisión de las mujeres a los servicios de salud materna, incluidos los servicios de aborto sin riesgo, y aumente el número de centros de salud que prestan servicios de aborto sin riesgo en las zonas rurales;", "b) Solucione la falta de personal médico en los centros de salud rurales y la insuficiencia de servicios obstétricos de emergencia en las zonas rurales;", "c) Prosiga las iniciativas de concienciación dirigidas a las familias, los dirigentes comunitarios y religiosos, los profesores, los trabajadores de la salud y los funcionarios públicos para advertir sobre los riesgos que plantean las prácticas nocivas para la salud de las mujeres, en particular el embarazo precoz, la muerte relacionada con la maternidad y la infección por el VIH/SIDA;", "d) Aplique debidamente el programa conjunto sobre salud materna y del recién nacido para subsanar la falta de atención médica especializada durante el embarazo, el parto y el puerperio, especialmente en las zonas rurales;", "e) Aplique eficazmente la Estrategia nacional de salud reproductiva para adolescentes y jóvenes (2007-2015), continúe los programas de concienciación sobre los métodos anticonceptivos disponibles y aliente el uso de preservativos masculinos como una opción segura y menos costosa;", "f) Aliente a un mayor número de organizaciones y comunidades religiosas a que incluyan en sus estatutos disposiciones sobre la orientación respecto del VIH antes del matrimonio y las pruebas para su detección;", "g) Proporcione tratamiento gratuito con antirretrovirales a las mujeres y los hombres que viven con el VIH/SIDA, incluidas las mujeres embarazadas, con el fin de prevenir la transmisión de la madre al niño;", "h) Imparta formación al personal técnico y administrativo para que aplique la estrategia multisectorial y el marco de acción nacionales de lucha contra el VIH/SIDA y ponga en marcha programas de prevención dirigidos a grupos de alto riesgo como las jóvenes, los trabajadores sexuales y los desplazados;", "i) Lleve a cabo actividades de concienciación para eliminar la estigmatización de los huérfanos y niños vulnerables afectados por el VIH/SIDA y fortalezca el apoyo material y psicológico que se les presta.", "Mujeres de zonas rurales", "36. El Comité observa que el derecho de la mujer a obtener y usar tierras rurales está protegido por la Ley federal, que el Plan de desarrollo acelerado y sostenible para erradicar la pobreza (2005-2010) y el Plan nacional de igualdad entre los géneros (2005-2010) tienen como objetivo mejorar el acceso de la mujer a recursos productivos como la tierra y el ganado, y que las instituciones y los proyectos de microfinanciación proporcionan crédito a las mujeres para que emprendan actividades generadoras de ingresos a pequeña escala. Sin embargo, observa con preocupación que la mayor parte de las mujeres de zonas rurales dependen económicamente de los hombres, que solo el 19% de las mujeres posee tierra y que el número de mujeres prestatarias de microfinanciación está disminuyendo. Preocupa también al Comité el arrendamiento de vastas superficies de tierra cultivable a empresas extranjeras, lo cual podría propiciar el desplazamiento de las comunidades locales y exacerbar la inseguridad alimentaria de las mujeres y la feminización de la pobreza, pero toma nota de la explicación del Estado parte de que los arrendamientos tienen lugar en zonas poco pobladas en las tierras bajas infestadas de malaria, ayudan al Estado parte a proveer alimentación para el pueblo, crean empleos y vienen acompañados de planes de reasentamiento e indemnización. El Comité también observa con preocupación que la mayor parte de la población rural no tiene acceso sostenible a agua potable y servicios de saneamiento adecuados, lo que fuerza a muchas mujeres y niñas a caminar largas distancias para recoger agua, aumenta su exposición al riesgo de sufrir violencia sexual e impide que las niñas asistan a la escuela.", "37. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Aplique debidamente el derecho de la mujer a la propiedad de la tierra en igualdad de condiciones, en particular mediante la adopción de medidas jurídicas que dispongan la inclusión sistemática de los nombres de las cónyuges en los títulos de propiedad;", "b) Facilite el acceso de las mujeres de zonas rurales a créditos y préstamos, ejerciendo control sobre las condiciones de amortización de la microfinanciación para evitar la imposición de períodos de amortización y tipos de interés injustos y ampliando los proyectos con perspectiva de género como el programa de Gestión de los recursos ambientales para lograr medios de subsistencia más sostenibles (programa MERET) y el sistema iqqub;", "c) Se asegure de que los contratos de arrendamiento de tierras con empresas extranjeras no entrañen desalojos forzosos y desplazamientos internos ni agudicen la inseguridad alimentaria y la pobreza de las poblaciones locales, incluidas las mujeres y las niñas, y de que esos contratos estipulen que la empresa en cuestión y/o el Estado parte deben proporcionar a las comunidades afectadas, incluidas las comunidades que se dedican al pastoreo, indemnizaciones y tierras alternativas adecuadas;", "d) Continúe mejorando el acceso al agua potable y a servicios de saneamiento adecuados en las zonas rurales mediante la construcción de nuevos pozos, grifos e instalaciones de saneamiento.", "Grupos de mujeres desfavorecidas", "38. El Comité observa con preocupación la falta de datos desglosados sobre la situación de las mujeres que estarían en los grupos más vulnerables y desatendidos en el Estado parte y suelen enfrentar múltiples formas de discriminación, en particular las mujeres mayores, las mujeres con discapacidad, las mujeres de las zonas de pastoreo y las refugiadas y desplazadas internas.", "39. El Comité recomienda al Estado parte que:", "a) Reúna datos desglosados sobre la situación de las mujeres que enfrentan múltiples formas de discriminación, como las mujeres mayores, las mujeres con discapacidad, las mujeres de las zonas de pastoreo, las refugiadas y las desplazadas internas, e incluya esa información en su próximo informe periódico;", "b) Adopte medidas, incluidas medidas especiales de carácter temporal en el sentido del artículo 4, párrafo 1, de la Convención, con el fin de eliminar ese tipo de discriminación, garantizar a esas mujeres la igualdad de derechos y oportunidades, en particular en la vida política, pública, social y económica y en los ámbitos de la educación, el empleo y la salud, según proceda, y protegerlas de la violencia, el maltrato y la explotación;", "c) Adopte políticas específicamente dirigidas a proteger a esas mujeres e integrarlas a la sociedad, como una política nacional sobre los desplazados internos y políticas para la integración local de los refugiados.", "Discriminación contra la mujer en el matrimonio y las relaciones familiares", "40. Preocupa al Comité la información recibida de que, en la práctica, los hijos varones heredan la tierra familiar porque se presume que las hijas terminarán mudándose al hogar de sus esposos; de que la familia de un esposo difunto a menudo reclama la tierra a su viuda; de que, en caso de divorcio, las mujeres a menudo pierden sus bienes en beneficio del esposo; y de que el Código Civil no prevé que el excónyuge proporcione apoyo financiero a la mujer ni mecanismos que permitan a las mujeres reclamar a sus exesposos pensión alimenticia para los hijos.", "41. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que asegure la igualdad entre las mujeres y los hombres en las relaciones familiares, de conformidad con el artículo 16 de la Convención, y a que proteja a las mujeres del despojo de bienes, incluido el despojo por parte del esposo y su familia; a que vele por que el hombre y la mujer puedan ejercer el respeto eficaz de la igualdad de su derecho a heredar bienes, incluidas tierras, en condiciones de igualdad y por que se divida equitativamente el patrimonio común en caso de divorcio; y a que considere la posibilidad de modificar su Código Civil revisado con miras a definir las obligaciones de los cónyuges en materia de apoyo financiero y establecer mecanismos que permitan a las mujeres reclamar la custodia de los hijos a sus excónyuges.", "42. Si bien toma nota de que el artículo 34 5) de la Constitución Federal exige el acuerdo de ambas partes para dirimir controversias relativas al derecho de las personas o el derecho de familia en los tribunales de la sharia, el Comité observa con preocupación que no existen suficientes salvaguardias para asegurar que el consentimiento de la mujer sea fundado y no obedezca a presiones indebidas de su cónyuge, sus familias o sus comunidades, y que los fallos de dichos tribunales no admiten recursos de apelación ante tribunales ordinarios, salvo por motivos de error de derecho.", "43. El Comité recuerda las observaciones finales del Comité contra la Tortura (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, parr. 23) e insta al Estado parte a que establezca salvaguardias eficaces para asegurar que el consentimiento de las mujeres a que sus casos se solucionen en los tribunales de la sharia sea libre y con conocimiento de causa y que todos los fallos de dichos tribunales admitan recursos de apelación ante tribunales ordinarios por errores de hecho o de derecho.", "Protocolo Facultativo", "44. El Comité exhorta al Estado parte a que revise su posición con respecto a la ratificación del Protocolo Facultativo de la Convención y a que considere favorablemente la posibilidad de ratificar el Protocolo Facultativo.", "Enmienda al artículo 20, párrafo 1, de la Convención", "45. El Comité alienta al Estado parte a que agilice la aceptación de la enmienda al artículo 20, párrafo 1, de la Convención, relativo al período de reunión del Comité.", "Declaración y Plataforma de Acción de Beijing", "46. El Comité insta al Estado parte a que, en el cumplimiento de las obligaciones contraídas en virtud de la Convención, aplique plenamente la Declaración y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing, que refuerzan las disposiciones de la Convención, y le pide que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "47. El Comité hace hincapié en que, para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, es indispensable la aplicación plena y efectiva de la Convención. Exhorta al Estado parte a que incorpore la perspectiva de género y se remita de forma explícita a las disposiciones de la Convención en todas las actividades destinadas a alcanzar dichos Objetivos, y le pide que incluya información al respecto en su próximo informe periódico.", "Difusión", "48. El Comité pide que se dé amplia difusión en Etiopía a las presentes observaciones finales a fin de que la población, incluidos los funcionarios públicos, los políticos, los parlamentarios y las organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos, conozcan las medidas que se han tomado para garantizar la igualdad de hecho y de derecho entre hombres y mujeres, así como las que todavía quedan por tomar a ese respecto. El Comité recomienda que las observaciones finales se difundan también en las comunidades locales. Se alienta al Estado parte a que organice una serie de reuniones para deliberar sobre los progresos alcanzados en la aplicación de las presentes observaciones finales. El Comité pide al Estado parte que siga difundiendo ampliamente, en particular entre las organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos, las recomendaciones generales del Comité, la Declaración y la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing y los resultados del vigésimo tercer período extraordinario de sesiones de la Asamblea General, titulado “La mujer en el año 2000: igualdad entre los géneros, desarrollo y paz para el siglo XXI”.", "Ratificación de otros tratados", "49. El Comité señala que la adhesión del Estado parte a los nueve principales instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos[1] potenciaría el disfrute por la mujer de sus derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales en todos los aspectos de la vida. Por lo tanto, alienta al Estado parte a que ratifique los instrumentos en los que todavía no es parte, a saber, la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares y la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas.", "Seguimiento de las observaciones finales", "50. El Comité pide al Estado parte que le proporcione por escrito, en un plazo de dos años, información detallada sobre el cumplimiento de las recomendaciones que figuran en los párrafos 21 y 37.", "Asistencia técnica", "51. El Comité recomienda que el Estado parte aproveche la asistencia técnica para la preparación y ejecución de un programa amplio dirigido a la aplicación de las recomendaciones que figuran en el presente documento y de la Convención en su conjunto. El Comité insta también al Estado parte a que siga fortaleciendo su cooperación con los organismos especializados y los programas de las Naciones Unidas, en particular la Entidad de las Naciones Unidas para la Igualdad entre los Géneros y el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres (ONU-Mujeres), la División de Estadística del Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas, la Organización Mundial de la Salud y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos.", "Preparación del próximo informe", "52. El Comité solicita al Estado parte que vele por la amplia participación de todos los ministerios y órganos públicos en la preparación de su próximo informe periódico y que, al mismo tiempo, consulte a diversas organizaciones de mujeres y de derechos humanos.", "53. El Comité pide al Estado parte que responda a las preocupaciones expresadas en las presentes observaciones finales en el próximo informe periódico que prepare con arreglo al artículo 18 de la Convención. El Comité invita al Estado parte a que presente su próximo informe periódico en julio de 2015.", "54. El Comité invita al Estado parte a que utilice las directrices armonizadas sobre la preparación de informes con arreglo a los tratados internacionales de derechos humanos, incluidas las directrices para la preparación de un documento básico común y de informes sobre tratados específicos, aprobadas en la quinta reunión entre comités de los órganos creados en virtud de tratados de derechos humanos, celebrada en junio de 2006 (HRI/MC/2006/3 y Corr.1). Las directrices para la presentación de los informes que se refieren concretamente a la Convención, adoptadas por el Comité en su 40º período de sesiones, que tuvo lugar en enero de 2008 (A/63/38, anexo I), deberán aplicarse junto con las directrices armonizadas para la preparación de un documento básico común. Conjuntamente constituyen las directrices armonizadas para la presentación de informes de conformidad con la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer. El documento específico debe limitarse a 40 páginas, mientras que el documento básico común debe tener una extensión máxima de 80 páginas.", "[1] El Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos, la Convención Internacional sobre la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación Racial, la Convención sobre la eliminación de todas las formas de discriminación contra la mujer, la Convención contra la Tortura y Otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes, la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares, la Convención Internacional para la protección de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas y la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Ethiopia", "1. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considered the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Ethiopia (CEDAW/C/ETH/6-7) at its 984th and 985th meetings, on 15 July 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.984 and 985). The Committee’s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7, and the responses of the Government of Ethiopia are contained in CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7/Add.1.", "Introduction", "2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its sixth and seventh combined periodic report, which was detailed and in general followed the Committee’s guidelines for the preparation of reports, although it lacked references to the Committee’s previous concluding observations and its general recommendations, as well as some specific disaggregated data, and was overdue. The Committee notes with appreciation that the report was prepared in a participatory process under a joint treaty reporting project, with support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, involving Government bodies, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for the oral statement presented by the head of delegation, the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by its pre-session working group and the further clarifications to most of the questions posed orally by the Committee.", "3. The Committee commends the State party for its high-level delegation, headed by the Minister of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs of Ethiopia, which included representatives of several Government departments. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue that took place between the delegation and the members of the Committee, while noting that some questions were not answered.", "Positive aspects", "4. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party on 7 July 2010 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.", "5. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the new Criminal Code (2005), which criminalizes various forms of violence against women, including domestic violence and extramarital rape, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage and marriage by abduction, and trafficking in women and children. It also appreciates the establishment of victim-friendly benches in federal courts and of special units to investigate and prosecute crimes against women in prosecutors’ offices in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa and in some regional states, as well as the steps taken so far by the State party to train judges, prosecutors and police officers on the application of the Criminal Code and on women’s rights, including their rights under the Convention.", "6. The Committee notes with appreciation the various policies and strategies adopted by the State party to promote gender equality and protect women’s rights, including the National Plan for Gender Equality (2005-2010), the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (2005-2010), which included “unleashing the potential of Ethiopian women” among its eight strategic elements, the Development and Change Package for Ethiopian Women, seeking to promote the economic and political participation of women and to eradicate harmful traditional practices, and the joint United Nations/Government of Ethiopia flagship programmes on gender equality and maternal health.", "7. The Committee notes with satisfaction the increase in the number of women in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, where women currently hold 27.8 per cent of seats as a result of the national elections held in 2010.", "8. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to promote women’s and girls’ access to education, in particular in rural and pastoralist areas, including:", "(a) The introduction of girls’ scholarship programmes and the supply to girls of educational materials and uniforms, with the support of non-governmental organizations;", "(b) The introduction of girl-friendly schools, as well as the construction of separate latrines for girls and boys in schools;", "(c) The provision of incentives to parents in pastoralist areas to send their daughters to school;", "(d) Training and the taking of affirmative action to raise the share of female teachers in primary and secondary schools to 50 per cent and to increase the number of female college and university instructors.", "9. The Committee notes with appreciation the efforts undertaken by the State party to improve women’s and girls’ access to health services, including family planning and reproductive health services, through its Health Extension Programme, by training health extension workers on maternal health and emergency obstetric care and by expanding the number of primary health-care units, health centres and hospitals.", "Principal areas of concern and recommendations", "10. The Committee recalls the obligation of the State party to systematically and continuously implement all of the provisions of the Convention and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations as requiring the priority attention of the State party between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. The Committee calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries at the federal and regional levels, to the House of Peoples’ Representatives, the House of Federation and regional councils, as well as to the judiciary, so as to ensure their full implementation.", "The Federal Houses", "11. While reaffirming that the Government has the primary responsibility and is particularly accountable for the full implementation of the obligations of the State party under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all branches of Government. It invites the State party to encourage both Federal Houses, in line with their procedures, where appropriate, to take the necessary steps with regard to the implementation of the present concluding observations and the State party’s next reporting process under the Convention.", "Visibility of the Convention, the Optional Protocol and the Committee’s general recommendations", "12. While noting that article 9 of the Federal Constitution provides that international agreements ratified by the State party form an integral part of its domestic law, and that the core international human rights treaties, including the Convention, have been translated into Amharic, Oromo and Tigrinya by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, the Committee is concerned that the Convention has not been officially translated and published in the Federal Negarit Gazeta. It is also concerned that there is inadequate knowledge of the rights of women under the Convention, of its concept of substantive gender equality and of the Committee’s general recommendations among all branches of the Government and the judiciary, at both federal and regional levels. The Committee is further concerned that women themselves, especially those in rural and remote areas, are not aware of their rights under the Convention and thus lack the capacity to claim them.", "13. The Committee recommends that the State party officially translate the full text of the Convention and publish it in the Federal Negarit Gazeta in order to make it accessible to the public and to enable judges to directly apply it under conditions of legal certainty. It also calls on the State party to take all appropriate measures to ensure that the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendations are sufficiently known and applied by all branches of Government and the judiciary at federal, regional and local levels as a framework for all laws, court decisions and policies on gender equality and the advancement of women. The Committee recommends that the Convention and related domestic legislation be given stronger emphasis in the legal education and training of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, including those working in sharia courts, so that a legal culture supportive of women’s equality with men and non-discrimination on the basis of sex is firmly established in the State party. Lastly, the Committee recommends that the State party further enhance women’s awareness of their rights and the means to enforce them through, inter alia, legal literacy programmes, and ensure that information on the Convention is provided to women in all regional states through the use of all appropriate means, including the media.", "Harmonization of laws", "14. The Committee reiterates its concern that not all regional states have adopted regional family laws in conformity with the Federal Family Code (2000) and the Convention, which recognize the equal right of women and men to freely enter into marriage, as well as equal rights and responsibilities of spouses during marriage and its dissolution, and set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years, and that some regional states continue to apply their previous discriminatory family laws. The Committee also notes that the Federal Constitution does not preclude the adjudication of disputes relating to personal and family laws in accordance with religious and customary laws (article 34(5)) and for that purpose authorizes the House of Peoples’ Representatives and regional councils to establish or give official recognition to religious and customary courts (article 78(5)).", "15. The Committee recalls its previous recommendation (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 244), and calls on the State party to ensure that all regional states adopt family laws in conformity with the Federal Family Code and the Convention and to take measures, including awareness-raising and training, to sensitize the population and to enable public officials to effectively enforce the revised Family Code, in particular the equal right of women and men to freely enter into marriage, the equal rights and responsibilities of spouses during marriage and its dissolution, and the minimum age of marriage of 18 years. The Committee also calls on the State party to ensure that federal, regional, customary and religious laws are harmonized in line with the Convention.", "National machinery for the advancement of women", "16. While welcoming the establishment of a comprehensive national machinery for the advancement of women, comprising the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs, women’s affairs departments in all federal ministries, regional women’s affairs bureaux, and similar structures at the zonal, woreda and kebele levels, the Committee notes with concern that the capacity, resources and efficiency of the national machinery have not been adequately strengthened to ensure the effective implementation of relevant laws and policies, follow-up, data collection, systematic gender-mainstreaming and harmonization and alignment of processes, including the monitoring and evaluation and data analysis necessary for evidence-based strategic planning.", "17. The Committee, recalling its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 246), general recommendation No. 6 (1988) and relevant recommendations addressed to the State party during the universal periodic review (A/HRC/13/17, para. 97.32) and by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, para. 11), as well as the guidance provided in the Beijing Platform for Action, in particular regarding the necessary conditions for the effective functioning of national mechanisms, recommends that the State party:", "(a) Strengthen the existing national machinery at all levels by providing it with adequate human, technical and financial resources to increase its effectiveness in formulating, implementing, providing advice on, coordinating and overseeing the preparation and implementation of legislation and policy measures in the field of gender equality and in mainstreaming gender perspectives in all laws and policies;", "(b) Provide further training on women’s rights, including on a short‑term basis, to women and men working in the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs, the women’s affairs departments in each federal ministry, regional women’s affairs bureaux, and zonal, woreda and kebele women’s affairs offices, as well as to those working in other Government offices at the federal and regional levels;", "(c) Give priority attention to women’s rights and non-discrimination and to the enjoyment of gender equality, including by taking into account the Committee’s recommendations in the implementation of the Second Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (2010-2015);", "(d) Further strengthen the capacity and independence of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, especially the Commissioner for Women’s and Children’s Rights and her department, in line with the Paris Principles (General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex).", "Stereotypes and harmful practices", "18. While noting the efforts made by the State party to eliminate discriminatory attitudes and harmful practices affecting women, the Committee reiterates its concern at the persistence of adverse cultural norms, practices and traditions as well as patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in all spheres of life. The Committee is concerned that such customs and practices perpetuate discrimination against women, and are reflected in women’s disadvantageous and unequal status in many areas, including in public life and decision-making, economic life, sexual and reproductive health, and in marriage and family relations. It notes that such stereotypes also contribute to the persistence of violence against women, as well as harmful practices including female genital mutilation, early marriage, the abduction of girls, and wife inheritance; and expresses its concern that the State party has not taken sufficient sustained and systematic action to modify or eliminate stereotypes and negative cultural values and harmful practices.", "19. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Put in place, without delay, a comprehensive strategy to eliminate harmful practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women, in conformity with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. Such measures should include more concerted efforts, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness about this subject, targeting women and men at all levels of society, especially at the woreda and kebele levels, and should involve community and religious leaders;", "(b) Address harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, marriage by abduction and wife inheritance by expanding public education programmes and by effectively enforcing the prohibition of such practices, in particular in rural areas;", "(c) Use innovative measures to strengthen understanding of the equality of women and men, including their equal rights to participate in public life and decision-making, own land and livestock, freely make sexual and reproductive health choices and freely choose a spouse and enter into marriage, and continue to work with the media to enhance a positive and non-stereotypical portrayal of women;", "(d) Undertake an assessment of the impact of those measures in order to identify shortcomings, and improve them accordingly.", "Female genital mutilation and violence against women", "20. The Committee notes the State party’s efforts to combat violence against women, including female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence, by, for example, revising its Criminal Code, establishing special investigation and prosecution units and victim-friendly benches in the federal court system, and providing some legal aid and assistance to women and children victims of violence. However, while noting that female genital mutilation is declining among younger women and in urban areas, the Committee notes with concern that it remains highly prevalent in rural and pastoralist areas (with the highest rates in the Afar (91.6 per cent) and Somali (79 per cent) regions) and that the penalties for female genital mutilation stipulated in articles 561-563, 567, 569 and 570 of the Criminal Code (2005) are too lenient. It is also concerned that female genital mutilation and sexual, domestic and other forms of violence against women are underreported owing to cultural taboos and victims’ lack of trust in the legal system, and that criminal law provisions are not consistently enforced because of insufficient allocation of funds, lack of coordination among the relevant actors, low awareness of existing laws and policies on the part of law enforcement officials, lack of capacity to apply the law in a gender-sensitive manner and discriminatory societal attitudes. The Committee is further concerned about the State party’s failure to criminalize marital rape, its delay in adopting a national strategy to combat violence against women, lack of victim assistance and rehabilitation services and the absence of disaggregated data on prosecution and conviction rates in relation to violence against women.", "21. The Committee recalls its general recommendations No. 14 (1990), on female circumcision, and No. 19 (1992), on violence against women, and its previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, paras. 252 and 256), as well as the recommendations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 32), the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7-16, para. 16), the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, para. 60) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and urges the State party to:", "(a) Amend the Criminal Code (2005), with a view to increasing the penalties for female genital mutilation in articles 561-562, 567, 569 and 570; repealing article 563; criminalizing marital rape; and excluding the applicability in domestic violence cases of the extenuating circumstances set out in article 557(1)(b) (gross provocation, shock, surprise, emotion or passion);", "(b) Effectively enforce the provisions of the Criminal Code (2005) criminalizing female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence, prosecute any such acts upon complaint by the victim or ex officio, and impose appropriate penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime on perpetrators;", "(c) Provide mandatory training to judges, including local and sharia court judges, prosecutors and the police on the strict application of relevant provisions of the Criminal Code;", "(d) Encourage women and girls to report acts of violence to the competent authorities, by continuing to raise awareness about the criminal nature and harmful effects of female genital mutilation and other forms of violence on their health, eradicating the underlying cultural justifications of such violence and practices, destigmatizing victims, and training law enforcement and medical personnel on standardized, gender-sensitive procedures for dealing with victims and effectively investigating their complaints;", "(e) Enhance victim assistance and rehabilitation, by strengthening the legal aid services of the Ministry of Justice, providing psychological counselling, supporting local women’s rights organizations which offer shelter and assistance to victims, and establishing victim support centres in the regional states;", "(f) Expedite the adoption and implementation of the draft national strategic plan to combat violence against women and children prepared by the Ministry of Justice;", "(g) Collect disaggregated data on the number of complaints against, prosecutions or convictions of, and sentences imposed on perpetrators of female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence, and provide such data to the Committee.", "22. The Committee takes note of the State party’s denial of any acts of sexual violence against women and girls, including rape, allegedly committed by members of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) in Somali Regional State. The Committee is nevertheless concerned at numerous and consistent reports about crimes against women and girls, including rape, torture, extrajudicial killings and forced evictions, by members of ENDF and of private militia groups in the context of armed conflict, in particular in the Ogaden area of the Somali Regional State, and about the impunity enjoyed by the alleged perpetrators of such crimes.", "23. In accordance with article 2 of the Convention, and taking into account general recommendations No. 28 (2010), on the core obligations of States parties under article 2, and No. 19 (1992), on violence against women, as well as the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 16), the Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Investigate, prosecute and adequately punish members of ENDF and of private militia groups responsible for rape and any other crimes committed against women and girls, particularly in the context of armed conflict, and take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of any such crimes;", "(b) Take immediate steps to adequately compensate and rehabilitate the victims of any such crimes;", "(c) Favourably consider facilitating humanitarian access for international organizations and non-governmental organizations to areas where women and girls are affected by armed conflict, namely in the Somali region.", "Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution", "24. While noting that the State party has taken measures to combat trafficking in human beings, in particular women and girls, by criminalizing it, raising awareness, training law enforcement officials, creating a special prosecution unit and concluding agreements with neighbouring countries, the Committee is concerned about the lack of data and the low prosecution and conviction rates in relation to, in particular, internal trafficking in women and children for forced labour and sexual exploitation, the limited measures to address poverty as the root cause of trafficking, the lack of victim assistance and the lack of protection of refugee and internally displaced women and children vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking.", "25. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Adopt a national plan of action to combat trafficking in human beings, in particular women and girls, including refugees and internally displaced persons;", "(b) Continue raising awareness about human trafficking and training law enforcement officials on the strict application of relevant criminal law provisions;", "(c) Address the root causes of trafficking by further enhancing the economic potential of women, including by expanding the Ethiopian Women’s Development Fund to cover more regional states and beneficiaries and by further enhancing women’s access to land;", "(d) Establish appropriate mechanisms aimed at early identification, referral, assistance and support for victims of trafficking, including refugee and internally displaced women and girls;", "(e) Collect disaggregated data on the number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions and sentences in relation to trafficking, and include such data in its next periodic report.", "Participation in political and public life", "26. While welcoming the steady increase in the representation of women in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, where they currently hold 152 of 547 seats (27.8 per cent), and, to a more limited extent, in regional councils, the Committee notes with concern that no woman opposition candidate was elected to the House of Peoples’ Representatives at the 2010 national elections and that women continue to be underrepresented in senior positions in the Government, the judiciary and the diplomatic service. In this regard, the Committee notes that only 3 of 23 Ministers in the current Government are women. It also notes with concern that systematic barriers, such as negative cultural attitudes, doubts about women’s leadership capabilities, insufficient affirmative action in the form of quotas for women and capacity-building for potential candidates, limited financial resources and women’s limited interest due to lack of logistical support, impede women’s equal participation in political life.", "27. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Adopt temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee’s general recommendation No. 25 (2004), such as gender quotas that apply throughout the structure of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia as well as to political appointments, with a view to accelerating the equal representation of women and men in elected and appointed political bodies, especially in decision-making positions;", "(b) Allocate greater funds for women candidates, including opposition candidates, in the public funding of election campaigns;", "(c) Take affirmative action to increase the percentage of female judges, civil servants and diplomats, in particular in high-level positions;", "(d) Provide training on gender equality to politicians, journalists and decision makers, especially men, to enhance the understanding that the full, equal, free and democratic participation of women and men in political and public life is a requirement for the full implementation of the Convention.", "Civil society and non-governmental organizations", "28. Notwithstanding the explanations provided by the State party during the dialogue as to the need to prevent foreign influence on the political life in Ethiopia and dependency of local civil society organizations on foreign donors, the Committee is seriously concerned that Proclamation No. 621/2009, on the registration of charities and societies, which bars foreign non-governmental organizations and local non-governmental organizations that receive more than 10 per cent of their funding from foreign sources from working on human rights and gender equality (article 14), has obstructed the capacity of local women’s rights organizations to provide legal aid and other support to women victims of human rights violations. It expresses concern that the decision of the Civil Society Agency to freeze 90 per cent of the assets of some local human rights organizations, including the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), previously the main local women’s rights organization in Ethiopia, cannot be appealed to a court and has forced those non-governmental organizations to downsize their staff and number of regional offices and, in the case of EWLA, to suspend legal aid and hotline services for women. It is also concerned that the State party has not been able to fill the gap resulting from the suspension of those services.", "29. The Committee recalls its statement on its relationship with non‑governmental organizations (2010), as well as the recommendations made by the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 34) and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7, para. 14), and calls on the State party to:", "(a) Recognize the crucial role of non-governmental organizations in empowering Ethiopian women through awareness-raising and advocacy, victim assistance and rehabilitation, as well as legal and other support enabling women to claim their rights;", "(b) Consider amending the law on civil society organizations with a view to lifting the funding restrictions on local human rights non-governmental organizations, including those working on women’s rights, and any other restrictions on activities of local and international non-governmental organizations which are incompatible with international human rights standards, such as the right of citizens and non-citizens to freedom of association;", "(c) Unblock the assets of EWLA and other local human rights non‑governmental organizations, ensure that decisions of the Civil Society Agency are subject to judicial review, and guarantee the freedom of non‑governmental organization workers from any form of harassment or intimidation;", "(d) Cooperate with local and other women’s rights non-governmental organizations to enable them to play a meaningful role in the implementation of the Convention in the State party, thereby assisting the State party to fulfil its obligations under the Convention;", "(e) In the interim, devise strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of the law on civil society organizations on the capacity of local human rights non‑governmental organizations, including women’s rights non-governmental organizations, and fill the gap resulting from their limited ability to provide legal and other services to women, including outside Addis Ababa, in consultation with international partners.", "Education", "30. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to increase women’s and girls’ access to all levels of education, such as affirmative action, awareness-raising, support to disadvantaged girls and incentives for parents to send their daughters to school, in particular in rural and pastoralist areas. However, it remains concerned about:", "(a) Regional disparities and low enrolment rates of women and/or girls in primary education in rural and pastoralist areas and in secondary and higher education, as well as in traditionally male dominated fields of technical and vocational education;", "(b) The high dropout rate and the low retention and completion rates of girls, in particular at the primary level, which seriously impact enrolment at the secondary level;", "(c) The limited access of poor girls, girls in pastoralist areas and girls with disabilities to education due to economic and sociocultural barriers, such as indirect costs of schooling, unfavourable attitudes by male students and teaching staff, verbal and physical abuse and harassment, and long distances to schools;", "(d) The low female literacy rate (38 per cent in 2004), especially in rural areas.", "31. The Committee calls on the State party to continue taking measures to address regional disparities and ensure equal access of girls and women to all levels of education, such as measures to:", "(a) Ensure enrolment, retention and completion by women and girls at all levels of education, especially in rural and pastoralist areas, including by making primary education compulsory and taking affirmative action, such as the further training and recruitment of female teachers and quotas for female university students;", "(b) Continue raising awareness among communities, families, students, teachers and officials, especially men, about the importance of women’s and girls’ education;", "(c) Improve the quality of education and make it more attractive and safer for women and girls, including by increasing the number of girl-friendly schools and schools with separate latrines for boys and girls and by investigating and adequately punishing any abuse of women and girls by other students or by teachers;", "(d) Strengthen support services, including scholarships, transport and tutorial support, for disadvantaged girls, such as poor girls, girls in pastoralist areas and girls with disabilities, as well as incentives and subsidies for their families;", "(e) Ensure adequate educational opportunities for girls and boys with disabilities, including by integrating them into mainstream education;", "(f) Encourage women and girls to choose non-traditional fields of education and careers, such as technical and vocational education and training in traditionally male dominated areas;", "(g) Reinforce its adult literacy, adult non-formal education and alternative basic education programmes, focusing in particular on the emerging regional states.", "Employment", "32. While acknowledging the legislation in place protecting women’s labour rights and the efforts made by the State party to enhance income-generating opportunities for women, the Committee remains concerned about the discrimination faced by women in the labour market, including:", "(a) The disproportionately high unemployment rate among women;", "(b) The high proportion of women engaged in unpaid family work, especially in the agricultural sector, and in low-paid jobs, owing to family responsibilities, lack of the resources necessary to acquire skills, limited access to land, credit and information, and traditional attitudes;", "(c) The high percentage of women working in the informal sector without access to social protection;", "(d) Unequal pay and benefits, discriminatory hiring and promotion practices and unfair dismissals based on gender, marital status, family responsibility or pregnancy;", "(e) The absence of legislation prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace;", "(f) The lack of protection for women domestic workers from sexual abuse by their employers or by family members of their employers;", "(g) The high number of girls and boys, including those living in the street, who are exploited in situations of child labour and are vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse.", "33. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Expand its policies aimed at creating income-generating opportunities for women and continue taking affirmative action, for example, by giving priority to women in public sector recruitment;", "(b) Extend its economic empowerment programmes to more women beneficiaries;", "(c) Collect sex-disaggregated data on the situation of women and men in the private and informal sectors and take effective measures to monitor and improve the working conditions of women in those sectors;", "(d) Undertake concerted efforts to devise, adopt and implement a national social protection scheme covering, among others, informal sector workers, including women;", "(e) Effectively enforce the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, through awareness-raising, increased sanctions and more effective labour inspections;", "(f) Consider amending Labour Proclamation No. 377/2003, with a view to increasing the penalties for termination of employment based on gender, marital status, family responsibility or pregnancy, and including a prohibition of, as well as adequate sanctions for, sexual harassment in the workplace;", "(g) Regulate and monitor the working conditions of domestic workers, in particular women, and protect them from sexual abuse by their employers;", "(h) In accordance with International Labour Organization Convention No. 182 (1999), on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, take effective measures to protect girls and boys from exploitative child labour through increased inspections and fines for employers, expand existing and adopt additional measures for girls and boys living in the street, such as comprehensive skills programmes and family reunification initiatives, and provide them with basic services.", "Health", "34. While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to extend basic health services to rural areas and increase women’s and girls’ access to family planning and reproductive health services, the Committee remains concerned about:", "(a) The high maternal mortality rate (470 per 100,000 live births) due to obstetric complications such as fistulae, early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, harmful practices and other factors;", "(b) The low rate of skilled birth attendance (18 per cent) and the shortage of emergency obstetric services, especially in rural areas;", "(c) Low contraceptive use, exposing women and girls who are often married to older men to risk of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;", "(d) The high number of unsafe abortions;", "(e) The high number of women living with HIV/AIDS, the lack of antiretroviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the absence of special prevention programmes for high-risk groups such as young women, sex workers and internally displaced persons, and the lack of care and support for orphans and vulnerable girls and boys affected by HIV/AIDS.", "35. In line with its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 258) and its general recommendation No. 24 (1999), the Committee calls on the State party to:", "(a) Continue training health extension workers on referring women to maternal health-care facilities, including safe abortion services, and further increase the number of health-care facilities providing safe abortion services in rural areas;", "(b) Address the lack of medical personnel in rural health-care facilities and the shortage of emergency obstetric services in rural areas;", "(c) Continue raising awareness among families, community and religious leaders, teachers, health-care workers and public officials about the health risks of harmful practices for women, including early pregnancy, maternal death and HIV/AIDS;", "(d) Effectively implement the joint flagship programme on maternal and newborn health to address the lack of skilled medical care during pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate postpartum period, especially in rural areas;", "(e) Effectively implement the National Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health Strategy (2007-2015), continue raising awareness about available contraceptive methods and encourage the use of male condoms as a safe and less costly option;", "(f) Encourage more religious organizations and communities to include provisions on premarital HIV counselling and testing in their by-laws;", "(g) Provide free antiretroviral treatment for women and men living with HIV/AIDS, including pregnant women, so as to prevent mother-to-child transmission;", "(h) Train technical and administrative staff to implement the national multisectoral strategy/action framework to combat HIV/AIDS and adopt prevention programmes targeting high-risk groups, such as young women, sex workers and internally displaced persons;", "(i) Conduct awareness-raising activities to destigmatize orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS and strengthen the material and psychological support provided to them.", "Rural women", "36. The Committee notes that women’s right to obtain and use rural land is protected by Federal Proclamation, that both PASDEP (2005-2010) and the National Plan for Gender Equality (2005-2010) are aimed at enhancing women’s access to productive resources such as land and livestock, and that microfinance institutions and projects provide credit to women to start small-scale income-generating activities. However, it is concerned that most rural women depend on men for economic support, that only 19 per cent of women own land and that the number of women borrowers from microfinance institutions is decreasing. The Committee is also concerned about the leasing of vast areas of arable land to foreign companies, which may result in the displacement of local communities and further contribute to women’s food insecurity and the feminization of poverty, but notes the State party’s explanation that such leases concern scarcely populated areas in the malaria-infested lowlands, help the State party to feed its people, create employment and are accompanied by resettlement and compensation schemes. The Committee also notes with concern that the majority of the rural population has no sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, forcing many women and girls to walk long distances to collect water, exposing them to an increased risk of sexual violence, and preventing girls from attending school.", "37. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Effectively enforce women’s equal right to land ownership, including by taking legal measures providing for the systematic inclusion of female spouses’ names in landholder certificates;", "(b) Facilitate rural women’s access to credit and loans, by controlling microfinance repayment terms to preclude unfair payment periods and interest rates and by expanding gender-sensitive projects such as the Managing Environmental Resources (MERET) Programme and Iqqub;", "(c) Ensure that land lease contracts with foreign companies do not result in the forced eviction and internal displacement, or the increased food insecurity and poverty, of local populations, including women and girls, and that such contracts stipulate that the company concerned and/or the State party must provide the affected communities, including pastoralist communities, with adequate compensation and alternative land;", "(d) Continue improving access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation in rural areas by building new wells, taps and sanitation facilities.", "Disadvantaged groups of women", "38. The Committee is concerned about the lack of disaggregated data on the situation of those women who are reportedly among the most vulnerable and neglected groups of women in the State party and typically face multiple forms of discrimination, including older women, women with disabilities, pastoralist women and refugee and internally displaced women.", "39. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Collect disaggregated data on the situation of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, women with disabilities, pastoralist women and refugee and internally displaced women, and include such information in its next periodic report;", "(b) Adopt measures, including temporary special measures within the meaning of article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to eliminate any such discrimination, ensure equal rights and opportunities for those women, including, as applicable, in political, public, social and economic life and in the areas of education, employment and health, and protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation;", "(c) Adopt targeted policies to protect and integrate those women into society, such as, for example, a national policy on internally displaced persons and policies for the local integration of refugees.", "Discrimination against women in marriage and family relations", "40. The Committee is concerned about reports that, in practice, sons inherit family land because it is assumed that daughters will eventually move to the homes of their husbands; that the family of a deceased husband often claims the land from his widow; that women frequently lose their property to their husbands upon divorce; and that the Civil Code does not provide for financial support for women from their former spouses, nor for remedies enabling them to claim child maintenance from their former husbands.", "41. The Committee calls on the State party to ensure equality between women and men in family relations in line with article 16 of the Convention and protect women from property-grabbing, including by the husband and his family; to effectively enforce the equal rights of women and men to inherit property, including land, and to equally divide joint property upon divorce; and to consider amending its revised Civil Code with a view to providing for financial support obligations of spouses, as well as for effective remedies enabling women to claim child custody from their former husbands.", "42. While noting that article 34 (5) of the Federal Constitution requires the consent of both parties to the adjudication of disputes relating to personal or family laws by sharia courts, the Committee is concerned that there are no sufficient safeguards to ensure that the consent of women to such adjudication is informed and free from undue pressure by their husbands, families or communities, and that decisions of sharia courts cannot be appealed to the regular courts, except on grounds of error of law.", "43. The Committee recalls the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 23), and calls on the State party to provide for effective safeguards to ensure the free and informed consent of women to have their cases adjudicated by sharia courts and that all decisions taken by sharia courts can be appealed to the regular courts, on grounds of law as well as of factual error.", "Optional Protocol", "44. The Committee calls on the State party to review its position concerning the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention and to favourably consider ratifying the Optional Protocol.", "Amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention", "45. The Committee encourages the State party to accelerate the acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention concerning the meeting time of the Committee.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "46. The Committee urges the State party, in the implementation of its obligations under the Convention, to fully utilize the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforce the provisions of the Convention, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "47. The Committee emphasizes that the full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It calls for the integration of a gender perspective and explicit reflection of the provisions of the Convention in all efforts aimed at the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "48. The Committee requests the wide dissemination in Ethiopia of the present concluding observations in order to make the people, Government officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women’s and human rights organizations aware of the steps that have been taken to ensure de jure and de facto equality of women and the further steps that are required in that regard. The Committee recommends that dissemination should include dissemination at the local community level. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to discuss the progress achieved in the implementation of the present concluding observations. The Committee requests the State party to continue to disseminate widely, in particular to women’s and human rights organizations, the Committee’s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly on the theme “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”.", "Ratification of other treaties", "49. The Committee notes that the adherence of the State party to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. The Committee therefore encourages the State party to consider ratifying the treaties to which it is not yet a party, namely, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "50. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within two years, written information on the steps undertaken to implement the recommendations contained in paragraphs 21 and 37 above.", "Technical assistance", "51. The Committee recommends that the State party avail itself of technical assistance in the development and implementation of a comprehensive programme aimed at the implementation of the above recommendations and the Convention as a whole. The Committee also calls upon the State party to strengthen further its cooperation with specialized agencies and programmes of the United Nations system, including the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "Preparation of the next report", "52. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next periodic report and, at the same time, to consult a variety of women’s and human rights organizations.", "53. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its next periodic report in July 2015.", "54. The Committee invites the State party to follow the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties, including guidelines on a common core document and treaty-specific documents that were approved at the fifth inter-committee meeting of the human rights treaty bodies, in June 2006 (HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1). The treaty-specific reporting guidelines adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session in January 2008 (A/63/38, annex I) must be applied in conjunction with the harmonized reporting guidelines on a common core document. Together, they constitute the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The treaty-specific document should be limited to 40 pages, while the updated common core document should not exceed 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities." ]

[ "Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women", "Forty-ninth session", "11-29 July 2011", "Concluding observations of CEDAW", "Ethiopia", "1. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considered the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of Ethiopia (CEDAW/C/ETH/6-7) at its 984th and 985th meetings, on 15 July 2011 (CEDAW/C/SR.984 and 985). The Committee ' s list of issues and questions is contained in CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7 and the responses of the Government of Ethiopia are contained in CEDAW/C/ETH/Q/6-7/Add.1.", "Introduction", "2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its combined sixth and seventh periodic reports, which included detailed information and were elaborated in general in accordance with the Committee ' s guidelines for the preparation of reports, despite the lack of references to previous concluding observations and the Committee ' s general recommendations and some specific disaggregated data, and to which they were submitted promptly. The Committee notes with appreciation that the reports were prepared through an inclusive process under a joint treaty reporting project with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which included government agencies, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the State party for the oral presentation of the head of the delegation, for the written replies to the list of issues and questions raised by the pre-session working group and for the subsequent clarifications to most of the oral questions raised by the Committee.", "3. The Committee commends the State party for the high level of its delegation, headed by the Minister for Women, Children and Youth of Ethiopia and composed of representatives of various government departments. The Committee appreciates the constructive dialogue between the delegation and the members of the Committee, while noting that some questions were left unanswered.", "Positive aspects", "4. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party on 7 July 2010 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.", "5. The Committee welcomes the adoption of the new Criminal Code (2005), which criminalizes various forms of violence against women, including domestic violence and rape outside marriage, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, rapture marriage and trafficking in women and children. It also notes with appreciation the establishment of sections that address the situation of victims in federal courts and specialized units in investigating and prosecuting crimes against women in the procuratorial offices of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa and in some regional states, as well as the measures taken to date by the State party to train judges, prosecutors and police officers in the implementation of the Criminal Code and the rights of women, including the rights provided for by the Convention.", "6. The Committee notes with appreciation the various policies and strategies adopted by the State party to promote gender equality and protect women ' s rights, in particular the National Plan for Gender Equality (2005-2010), the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (2005-2010), which includes as one of its eight strategic elements promoting the potential of Ethiopian women, the package of measures for the promotion and advancement of Ethiopian women as a political objective.", "7. The Committee notes with satisfaction the increase in the number of women in the House of People ' s Representatives, where they currently occupy 27.8 per cent of seats as a result of the 2010 national elections.", "8. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to promote women and girls ' access to education, in particular in rural and grazing areas. The following are noteworthy:", "(a) The introduction of scholarship programmes for girls and the provision to girls of educational and uniform materials, with the support of non-governmental organizations;", "(b) The introduction of schools attesting to the needs of girls and the construction of separate latrines for girls and boys in schools;", "(c) Incentives in grazing areas for parents who send their daughters to school;", "(d) The provision of training and affirmative action to increase the rate of female teachers in primary and secondary schools to 50 per cent and to increase the number of female teachers in universities and other higher education institutions.", "9. The Committee notes with appreciation the efforts made by the State party to improve women ' s and girls ' access to health services, in particular with regard to family planning and reproductive health, through its Programme for the Enlargement of Health Services, through training for maternal health outreach and emergency obstetric care and the increase in the number of primary care units, health centres and hospitals.", "Principal areas of concern and recommendations", "10. The Committee recalls the State party ' s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention and considers that the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding observations require the State party ' s priority attention from the present time to the submission of the next periodic report. The Committee therefore calls upon the State party to focus its implementation activities on those areas and to indicate in its next periodic report the measures taken and the results achieved. The Committee urges the State party to transmit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries at the federal and regional levels, to the House of People ' s Representatives, to the House of the Federation, to the regional councils and to the Administration of Justice in order to ensure their full implementation.", "Federal Chambers", "11. While reaffirming the Government ' s primary responsibility for the full implementation of and accountability of the State party ' s obligations under the Convention, the Committee stresses that the Convention is binding on all public authorities and invites the State party to encourage the two Federal Chambers, in accordance with its rules of procedure and where appropriate, to take the necessary steps to implement the present concluding observations and to undertake the process of drafting the next report to be submitted by the State party.", "Visibility of the Convention, the Optional Protocol and the Committee ' s general recommendations", "12. While noting that article 9 of the Federal Constitution provides that international agreements ratified by the State party constitute an integral part of its national legislation and that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has translated the main international human rights treaties, including the Convention, Amharic, Oromo and Tigriño, the Committee notes with concern that the Convention has not been formally translated and published in the Federal Negarit Gazeta. It is also concerned at the insufficient awareness of women ' s rights under the Convention, the notion of substantive gender equality and the Committee ' s general recommendations, which are observed at all levels of the Government and the Administration of Justice at both the federal and regional levels. The Committee is also concerned that women themselves, especially those living in rural and remote areas, do not know their rights under the Convention and therefore do not have the capacity to claim them.", "13. The Committee recommends that the State party formally translate the full text of the Convention and publish it in the Federal Negarit Gazeta in order to make it available to the public and to enable judges to apply it directly in legal security. It also urges the State party to take appropriate measures to ensure that the Convention and the Committee ' s general recommendations are sufficiently known and implemented in all public authorities and the Administration of Justice at the federal, regional and local levels as a framework for all laws, judicial decisions and policies on gender equality and the advancement of women. The Committee recommends that further emphasis be placed on the Convention and related national laws in the legal training and training of judges, lawyers and prosecutors, in particular those in the Sharia courts, so that a legal culture that promotes equality between men and women and non-discrimination on the basis of gender is firmly established in the State party. Finally, the Committee recommends that the State party continue to promote women ' s awareness of their rights and means of exercising them through, for example, basic knowledge programmes of law, and to ensure that information on the Convention is transmitted to women in all regional states by all appropriate means, including the media.", "Harmonization of laws", "14. The Committee reiterates its concern that not all regional states have adopted regional family legislation in accordance with the Federal Family Code (2000) and the Convention, which recognize the right to enter into marriage freely equal to men and women and the equal rights and responsibilities of spouses during marriage and dissolution, and establish the minimum age for marriage in 18 years, and that some regional states continue to apply the discriminatory provisions of their previous legislation. The Committee also notes that the Federal Constitution does not preclude the settlement of disputes relating to the law of individuals and family law in accordance with religious and customary laws (art. 345) and, to that end, empowers the House of People ' s Representatives and regional councils to establish or formally recognize religious and customary courts (art. 785).", "15. The Committee recalls its previous recommendation (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 244) and urges the State party to ensure that all regional states adopt family legislation in accordance with the Federal Family Code and the Convention and to undertake initiatives, such as awareness-raising and training programmes, to sensitize the population and to enable public officials to effectively implement the revised Family Code, in particular the right to marry freely as a woman. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that federal, regional, customary and religious laws are harmonized with the Convention.", "National machinery for the advancement of women", "16. While welcoming the establishment of a comprehensive national machinery for the advancement of women, which includes the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, the women ' s affairs departments in all federal ministries, regional women ' s affairs offices and similar structures at the area, woreda and kebele levels, the Committee notes with concern that the capacity, resources and efficiency of the national machinery have not been adequately strengthened to ensure the systematic monitoring of the implementation of", "17. The Committee, recalling its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 246), general recommendation No. 6 (1988) and the relevant recommendations made to the State party during the universal periodic review (A/HRC/13/17, para. 97.32) and those made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, para. 11), as well as the guidelines provided by the Beijing Platform for Action, in particular with regard to the conditions necessary for the effective functioning of national mechanisms, recommends that the State party:", "(a) Strengthen the current national machinery at all levels by providing adequate human, technical and financial resources to improve its effectiveness in formulating and implementing legislative and policy measures in the field of gender equality, providing advice and coordinating and monitoring their preparation and implementation, and mainstreaming gender into all laws and policies;", "(b) Continue to provide training on women ' s rights, including in the short term, to women and men working in the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, women ' s affairs departments of each federal ministry, regional women ' s affairs offices and women ' s affairs offices at the area, wearda and kebele levels, and also to persons working in other federal and regional government offices;", "(c) Pay priority attention to women ' s rights, the principle of non-discrimination and the enjoyment of gender equality in particular in the light of the Committee ' s recommendations in the implementation of the Second Plan of Accelerated and Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (2010-2015);", "(d) Continue to strengthen the capacity and independence of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, in particular the Commissioner for Women and Children ' s Rights and her department, in accordance with the Paris Principles (General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex).", "Stereotypes and harmful practices", "18. While noting the efforts undertaken by the State party to eliminate discriminatory attitudes and harmful practices affecting women, the Committee reiterates its concern at the persistence of adverse cultural norms, practices and traditions, as well as patriarchal attitudes and deeply entrenched stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in all spheres of life. The Committee is concerned that such customs and practices perpetuate discrimination against women and lead to a disadvantaged and unequal situation for women in many areas, such as public life and decision-making, the economy, sexual and reproductive health, marriage and family relations. She noted that such stereotypes also contributed to the persistence of violence against women, harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, abduction of girls and levirate, and expressed concern that the State party had not taken sufficient sustained and systematic measures to modify or eliminate stereotypes, negative cultural values and harmful practices.", "19. The Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Establish without delay a comprehensive strategy to eliminate harmful practices and stereotypes that discriminate against women, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. These measures should include more concerted initiatives, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness on this issue, targeting women and men at all levels of society, especially wearda and kebele levels, and should include community and religious leaders;", "(b) Address harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, early marriage, rapture marriage and levirate through the expansion of public education programmes and the effective implementation of the prohibition of such practices in particular in rural areas;", "(c) Take innovative measures to strengthen understanding of equality between women and men, including the right to equal participation in public life and decision-making, land and livestock, to decide independently on sexual and reproductive health choices and to choose a spouse and to enter into marriage freely, and to continue to work with the media to strengthen a positive and non-stereotyped image of women;", "(d) Evaluate the impact of these measures to identify gaps and address them as appropriate.", "Female Genital Mutilation and Violence against Women", "20. The Committee notes the State party ' s efforts to combat violence against women, including female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence, including through the revision of its Criminal Code, the establishment of specialized investigation and prosecution units and courts to monitor the situation of victims in the federal justice system, and the provision of legal assistance to women and girls victims of violence. However, while noting that female genital mutilation has been reduced among younger and urban women, the Committee notes with concern that this practice is still very common in rural and grazing areas (with the highest incidence rates in Afar regions (91.6 per cent) and Somali (79%)) and that the penalties for female genital mutilation set out in articles 561 to 563, 567, 569 and 570 of the Criminal Code (2005) are too mild. The Committee is also concerned that female genital mutilation, sexual and domestic violence and other forms of violence against women are often not denounced because of cultural taboos and the lack of confidence of victims in the judicial system and that the provisions of criminal law are not systematically applied due to insufficient allocation of funds, lack of coordination among relevant actors, lack of gender-sensitive awareness of law enforcement officials on existing legislation and policies, lack of gender mainstreaming. The Committee is also concerned that the State party does not criminalize marital rape, delays in adopting a national strategy to combat violence against women, lack of assistance and rehabilitation services for victims and the absence of disaggregated data on prosecution rates and convictions in relation to violence against women.", "21. The Committee recalls its general recommendations No. 14 (1990) on female circumcision and No. 19 (1992) on violence against women, its previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, paras. 252 and 256) and the recommendations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 32), the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7-16, para. 16), the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/ETH/CO/3, para.", "(a) Amend the Criminal Code (2005) to aggravate the penalties imposed on female genital mutilation in articles 561 and 562, 567, 569 and 570; repeal article 563; criminalize marital rape; and exclude the applicability, in cases of domestic violence, of the mitigating circumstances provided for in article 557 (1) (b) (serious advocacy, shock, surprise, emotion or passion);", "(b) Ensure effective compliance with the provisions of the Criminal Code (2005) that criminalize female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence, prosecute any act of this nature as soon as denounced by the victim or ex officio and impose sanctions on those responsible in accordance with the gravity of the offence;", "(c) Provides mandatory training to judges, including local court judges and the Shariah courts, prosecutors and police for the strict application of the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code;", "(d) Encourage women and girls to report acts of violence to the competent authorities, strengthening awareness of the criminal nature and harmful effects of female genital mutilation and other forms of violence on their health, eradicating cultural justifications that underlie such violence and such practices, eliminating the stigmatization of victims and instructing law enforcement officials and medical personnel effectively to deal with gender-based procedures;", "(e) Improve the provision of victim assistance and rehabilitation services by strengthening the legal aid services of the Ministry of Justice by providing psychological counselling, supporting local women ' s rights organizations that provide shelter and victim assistance and establishing victim support centres in the regional states;", "f) Expedite the adoption and implementation of the draft national strategic plan to combat violence against women and children prepared by the Ministry of Justice;", "(g) It collects disaggregated data on the number of complaints, prosecutions and convictions against perpetrators of feminine genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence and the penalties imposed, and provides such data to the Committee.", "22. The Committee notes that the State party denies that acts of sexual violence against women and girls, including rape, are attributed to members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces in the Somali National Regional State. However, it notes with concern the numerous and systematic allegations of crimes committed against women and girls, such as rape, torture, extrajudicial killings and forced evictions, by members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and private armed militias in the context of the armed conflict, in particular in the Ogaden area of the Somali National Regional State, and the impunity enjoyed by the alleged perpetrators of such crimes.", "23. In accordance with article 2 of the Convention, and taking into account general recommendations No. 28 (2010) on the basic obligations of States parties under article 2, and No. 19 (1992), concerning violence against women, and the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 16), the Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Investigate, prosecute and appropriately punish members of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and private militias responsible for violations and any other crimes against women and girls, in particular in the context of the armed conflict, and take effective measures to prevent the continuation of these crimes;", "(b) Take immediate steps to adequately compensate and provide rehabilitation services to victims of such crimes;", "(c) It welcomed the possibility of providing humanitarian access to areas where women and girls suffered from the effects of the armed conflict, namely in the Somali region.", "Trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution", "24. While noting that the State party has taken measures to combat trafficking in persons, in particular women and girls, by criminalizing it, conducting awareness-raising activities, training law enforcement officials, establishing a specialized prosecutor ' s office and concluding agreements with neighbouring countries, the Committee notes with concern the lack of data and low rates of prosecution and condemnation, particularly in relation to the internal trafficking of women and children for forced labour and sexual exploitation,", "25. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Adopt a national plan of action to combat trafficking in persons, including women and girls, including refugees and internally displaced persons;", "(b) Continue to raise awareness of trafficking in persons and provide training to law enforcement officials to strictly implement relevant criminal law standards;", "(c) Address the root causes of trafficking in persons by improving women ' s economic potential, including by expanding the Ethiopian Women ' s Development Fund to cover more regional and beneficiary states and improving women ' s access to land;", "(d) Establish appropriate mechanisms for the early detection, referral and provision of assistance and support to victims of trafficking in persons, including refugee and displaced women and girls;", "(e) It collects disaggregated data on the number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions and convictions in relation to human trafficking and includes them in its next periodic report.", "Participation in political and public life", "26. While welcoming the steady increase in women ' s participation in the House of People ' s Representatives, where they currently occupy 152 of the 547 seats (27.8 per cent) and, to a lesser extent, in the regional councils, the Committee notes with concern that no opposition candidate was elected to the House of People ' s Representatives in the 2010 national elections and that women continue to be underrepresented in the senior positions of the Government, the Administration of Justice and the diplomatic service. In this regard, the Committee notes that only 3 of the 23 ministers of the current Government are women. It also notes with concern that there are systematic barriers, such as negative cultural attitudes, doubts about women ' s leadership, insufficient measures of positive discrimination on the basis of quotas for women and capacity-building for potential female candidates, limited financial resources in the limited interest of women due to lack of logistical support, which impede women ' s equal participation in political life.", "27. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Take temporary special measures, in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and general recommendation No. 25 (2004), such as the establishment of gender quotas to be applied to the entire structure of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia and to political appointments, in order to accelerate the equal representation of women and men in political bodies by election or appointment, especially in the positions responsible for decision-making;", "(b) To allocate more funds to women candidates, including opposition candidates, in the public funding of electoral campaigns;", "(c) Take affirmative action to increase the percentage of women judges, civil servants and diplomats, particularly in senior positions;", "(d) Training on gender equality for politicians, journalists and decision makers, especially men, in order to strengthen the notion that the full, equitable, free and democratic participation of women and men in public life is a prerequisite for the full implementation of the Convention.", "Civil society and non-governmental organizations", "28. Despite the State party ' s explanations during the dialogue regarding the need to avoid foreign influence in Ethiopia ' s political life and the dependence of local civil society organizations on foreign donors, the Committee is seriously concerned that Law No. 621/2009 on the registration of charitable entities and associations, which prohibits foreign non-governmental organizations and local non-governmental organizations receiving more than 10 per cent of their funding from foreign sources from addressing human rights and gender equality issues (article 14), diminished the capacity of local women ' s rights organizations to provide legal assistance and other support to women who have suffered human rights violations. The Committee notes with concern that the decision of the Civil Society Agency to freeze 90 per cent of the assets of some local human rights organizations, such as the Ethiopian Lawyers ' Association, which was the main local women ' s rights organization in the country, cannot be appealed to an appeals court and that these non-governmental organizations have been forced to reduce their staffing table and the number of regional offices and, in the case of the Ethiopian Association of Lawyers. The Committee is also concerned that the State party has not been able to remedy the imbalance created by the suspension of such services.", "29. The Committee recalls its statement on the relationship with non-governmental organizations (2010) and the recommendations made by the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 34) and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD/C/ETH/CO/7, para. 14), and urges the State party to:", "(a) Recognize the key role played by non-governmental organizations in empowering Ethiopian women by raising awareness and advocacy, providing assistance and rehabilitation services to victims and providing legal and other support to empower women to claim their rights;", "(b) Consider amending the Civil Society Organizations Act to lift restrictions on the financing of local human rights non-governmental organizations, in particular those dealing with women ' s rights, and any other restrictions imposed on the activities of non-governmental organizations, both local and international, which are incompatible with international human rights standards, such as the right of citizens and non-citizens to freedom of association;", "(c) Disclose the assets of the Ethiopian Lawyers ' Association and other local human rights non-governmental organizations, ensure that the decisions of the Civil Society Agency are subject to judicial review and ensure that non-governmental organization workers are protected against harassment or intimidation;", "(d) Cooperate with local and other non-governmental women ' s rights organizations to enable them to play a significant role in the implementation of the Convention in the State party, thereby helping them to fulfil their obligations under the Convention;", "(e) In the meantime, design strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of the Civil Society Organizations Act on local human rights non-governmental organizations, including those promoting women ' s rights, and remedy the imbalance created by diminishing their capacity to provide legal and other services to women, in particular outside Addis Ababa, in consultation with international partners.", "Education", "30. The Committee welcomes the measures taken by the State party to increase women ' s and girls ' access to all levels of education, such as positive discrimination, awareness-raising, support for disadvantaged girls and incentives for parents to send their daughters to school, in particular in rural and grazing areas. However, it reiterates its concern at the following situations:", "(a) Regional disparities and low enrolment rates for women and girls in primary education institutions in rural and grazing areas and in secondary and higher education institutions, as well as in technical and vocational training spaces traditionally male-dominated;", "(b) The high dropout rate and the low permanence and completion rates of girls ' studies, particularly in the primary education cycle, which severely affect enrolment in the secondary school cycle;", "(c) Limited access to education for poor girls, grazing girls and girls with disabilities, owing to economic and sociocultural barriers such as indirect schooling costs, unfavourable attitudes of male students and teachers, verbal and physical abuse and harassment, and long journeys to attend school;", "(d) The low literacy rate for women (38 per cent in 2004), especially in rural areas.", "31. The Committee urges the State party to continue to take measures to remedy regional disparities and ensure equal access for girls and women to all education cycles, including measures to:", "(a) Ensuring the enrolment, retention and completion of women ' s and girls ' studies at all levels of education, especially in rural and grazing areas, in particular by providing compulsory primary education and adopting positive discrimination measures such as increased teacher training and recruitment and quotas for university students;", "(b) Continue to raise awareness among communities, families, students, teachers and officials, especially men, of the importance of education for women and girls;", "(c) Improve the quality of education and make it more attractive and safer for women and girls, in particular by increasing the number of schools attesting to the needs of girls and schools with separate latrines for boys and girls, and by investigating and appropriately punishing any ill-treatment to which other students or teachers subject women and girls;", "(d) Strengthen support services, including scholarships, transportation and targeted education, for disadvantaged girls, such as poor girls, grazing girls and girls with disabilities, and strengthen incentives and subsidies for their families;", "(e) Ensure adequate educational opportunities for girls and boys with disabilities, including by integrating them into the mainstream education system;", "f) Encourage women and girls to choose non-traditional areas of education and careers, such as technical and vocational training and training in traditionally male-dominated areas;", "(g) Strengthen adult literacy, extracurricular adult education and alternative basic education programmes, with special attention to new regional states.", "Employment", "32. While noting with appreciation the laws protecting women ' s labour rights and the initiatives undertaken by the State party with a view to increasing income-generating opportunities for women, the Committee reiterates its concern at the discrimination faced by women in the labour market, in particular:", "(a) The disproportionately high unemployment rate among women;", "(b) The large number of women who perform unpaid family work, especially in the agricultural sector, and who have poorly paid jobs, due to their family responsibilities, the lack of resources to acquire expertise, limited access to land, credit and information and traditional attitudes;", "(c) The high percentage of women working in the informal sector, without access to social protection;", "(d) Inequality in wages and benefits, discriminatory practices in recruitment and promotion, and improper dismissals due to gender, marital status, family responsibilities or pregnancy;", "(e) The absence of legislation prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace;", "f) The lack of protection afforded to domestic workers against sexual abuse by their employers or family members of their employers;", "(g) The high number of girls and boys, including those living on the street, who are exploited as child labour and vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse.", "33. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Expand policies aimed at creating income-generating opportunities for women and continue to take affirmative action, including by prioritizing women in recruitment in the public sector;", "(b) Expand their economic empowerment programmes to benefit more women;", "(c) Collect sex-disaggregated data on the situation of women and men in the private sector and the informal sector and take effective measures to monitor and improve the working conditions of women working in these sectors;", "(d) Make concerted efforts to design, approve and implement a national social protection plan, including informal sector workers, including women;", "(e) Apply appropriately the principle of equal pay for work of equal value through awareness programmes, more severe penalties and more effective labour inspections;", "f) Consider amending Labour Law No. 377/2003, with a view to aggravating penalties for dismissal of employment on the basis of gender, marital status, family responsibilities or pregnancy, and to including prohibition of sexual harassment at work with corresponding penalties;", "(g) Rule and monitor the working conditions of domestic workers, in particular women, and protect them from sexual abuse by their employers;", "(h) Take measures, in accordance with the International Labour Organization Convention No. 182 (1999), on the prohibition of the worst forms of child labour, to protect girls and boys from the exploitation of child labour by increasing inspections and fines imposed on employers, expand existing measures and take further measures to protect girls and boys living on the street, such as comprehensive development programmes and family reunification initiatives, and provide them with basic services.", "Health", "34. While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to expand basic health services to cover rural areas and increase women ' s and girls ' access to family planning and reproductive health services, the Committee reiterates its concern at:", "(a) The high maternal mortality rate (470 per 100,000 live births) due to obstetric complications such as fistulas, early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, harmful practices and other factors;", "(b) The low rate of skilled midwives (18 per cent) and the inadequacy of emergency obstetric services, especially in rural areas;", "(c) The low rate of contraceptive use, which exposes women and girls, often married to older men, to the risk of early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;", "(d) The high number of abortions at risk;", "(e) The high number of women living with HIV/AIDS, the lack of antiretroviral prophylactic therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the absence of special prevention programmes for high-risk groups such as youth, sex workers and displaced persons, and the lack of care and support for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS.", "35. In accordance with its previous concluding observations (CEDAW/C/ETH/CO/4-5, para. 258) and its general recommendation No. 24 (1999), the Committee urges the State party to:", "(a) Continue to train health outreach staff on women ' s referral to maternal health services, including safe abortion services, and increase the number of health centres providing safe abortion services in rural areas;", "(b) The lack of medical personnel in rural health centres and the inadequacy of emergency obstetric services in rural areas;", "(c) Continue awareness-raising initiatives for families, community and religious leaders, teachers, health workers and public officials to warn about the risks posed by harmful practices for women ' s health, including early pregnancy, maternal death and HIV/AIDS infection;", "(d) Apply the joint programme on maternal and newborn health to address the lack of specialized medical care during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium, especially in rural areas;", "(e) Effectively implement the National Strategy for Reproductive Health for Adolescents and Youth (2007-2015), continue awareness-raising programmes on available contraceptive methods and encourage the use of male condoms as a safe and less costly option;", "f) Encourage more religious organizations and communities to include in their statutes provisions on HIV guidance prior to marriage and testing for HIV;", "(g) Provide free antiretroviral treatment to women and men living with HIV/AIDS, including pregnant women, to prevent mother-to-child transmission;", "(h) Provide training for technical and administrative staff to implement the multisectoral strategy and the national HIV/AIDS action framework and implement prevention programmes for high-risk groups such as youth, sex workers and displaced persons;", "(i) Undertake awareness-raising activities to eliminate the stigmatization of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS and strengthen their material and psychological support.", "Rural women", "36. The Committee notes that women ' s right to obtain and use rural land is protected by the Federal Act, that the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (2005-2010) and the National Plan for Gender Equality (2005-2010) aim to improve women ' s access to productive resources such as land and livestock, and that microfinance institutions and projects provide credit to women for small-scale income-generating activities. However, it notes with concern that most rural women are economically dependent on men, that only 19 per cent of women have land and that the number of women borrowing microfinance is declining. The Committee is also concerned at the leasing of vast areas of cultivable land to foreign companies, which could lead to the displacement of local communities and exacerbate women ' s food insecurity and the feminization of poverty, but notes the State party ' s explanation that leases take place in unpopulated areas in the lowlands infested with malaria, help the State party to provide food for the people, create jobs and are accompanied by resettlement plans. The Committee also notes with concern that the majority of the rural population does not have sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, which forces many women and girls to walk long distances to collect water, increases their exposure to the risk of sexual violence and prevents girls from attending school.", "37. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Apply appropriately the right of women to land ownership on an equal basis, including through the adoption of legal measures that provide for the systematic inclusion of spouses ' names in property titles;", "(b) Facilitate rural women ' s access to credits and loans by exercising control over the conditions of microfinance amortization to prevent the imposition of periods of amortization and unfair interest rates and by expanding gender-sensitive projects such as the environmental resource management programme to achieve more sustainable livelihoods (MERET) and the iqqub system;", "(c) Ensure that land lease contracts with foreign companies do not involve forced evictions and internal displacement or exacerbate the food insecurity and poverty of local populations, including women and girls, and that such contracts stipulate that the enterprise in question and/or the State party should provide affected communities, including communities engaged in appropriate pastoral care, compensation and alternative land;", "(d) Continue to improve access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation in rural areas through the construction of new wells, taps and sanitation facilities.", "Groups of disadvantaged women", "38. The Committee notes with concern the lack of disaggregated data on the situation of women in the most vulnerable and neglected groups in the State party and tends to face multiple forms of discrimination, including older women, women with disabilities, women in grazing areas and refugees and internally displaced persons.", "39. The Committee recommends that the State party:", "(a) Collect disaggregated data on the situation of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, such as older women, women with disabilities, women in grazing areas, refugee and internally displaced persons, and include such information in its next periodic report;", "(b) Take measures, including temporary special measures within the meaning of article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to eliminate such discrimination, to ensure equal rights and opportunities for women, in particular in political, public, social and economic life and in the areas of education, employment and health, as appropriate, and to protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation;", "(c) It adopts policies specifically aimed at protecting and integrating these women into society, such as a national policy on internally displaced persons and policies for the local integration of refugees.", "Discrimination against women in marriage and family relations", "40. The Committee is concerned at the information received that, in practice, the sons of men inherit the family land because it is presumed that the daughters will eventually move into the home of their husbands; that the family of a deceased husband often claims the land to his widow; that, in the event of divorce, women often lose their property for the benefit of the husband; and that the Civil Code does not provide for the exconyuge to provide financial support to women.", "41. The Committee urges the State party to ensure equality between women and men in family relations, in accordance with article 16 of the Convention, and to protect women from the dispossession of property, including the dispossession by the husband and his family; to ensure that men and women are able to exercise effective respect for the equality of their right to inherit property, including land, on an equal basis and that the divorce of women is equally divided into a revised form;", "42. While noting that article 34 (5) of the Federal Constitution requires the agreement of both parties to settle disputes relating to the right of persons or the right of the family in the sharia courts, the Committee notes with concern that there are insufficient safeguards to ensure that the consent of the woman is founded and does not result in undue pressure from her spouse, her families or her communities, and that the judgements of those courts do not allow appeals to ordinary courts.", "43. The Committee recalls the concluding observations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/ETH/CO/1, para. 23) and urges the State party to establish effective safeguards to ensure that women ' s consent to the settlement of their cases in the Shariah courts is free and informed and that all judgements in those courts admit appeals to ordinary courts for errors of fact or law.", "Optional Protocol", "44. The Committee calls upon the State party to review its position with regard to the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention and to consider favourably ratifying the Optional Protocol.", "Amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention", "45. The Committee encourages the State party to expedite the acceptance of the amendment to article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention, concerning the meeting period of the Committee.", "Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action", "46. The Committee urges the State party, in fulfilling its obligations under the Convention, to fully implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which reinforce the provisions of the Convention, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Millennium Development Goals", "47. The Committee emphasizes that the full and effective implementation of the Convention is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It calls upon the State party to incorporate a gender perspective and to explicitly refer to the provisions of the Convention in all activities aimed at achieving the Goals, and requests the State party to include information thereon in its next periodic report.", "Dissemination", "48. The Committee requests that the present concluding observations be made widely available in Ethiopia so that the population, including public officials, politicians, parliamentarians and women ' s and human rights organizations, are aware of the measures that have been taken to ensure de facto and legal equality between men and women, as well as those that remain to be taken in this regard. The Committee recommends that the concluding observations also be disseminated in local communities. The State party is encouraged to organize a series of meetings to discuss progress in the implementation of the present concluding observations. The Committee requests the State party to continue to disseminate widely, in particular among women ' s and human rights organizations, the Committee ' s general recommendations, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled " Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century " .", "Ratification of other treaties", "49. The Committee notes that the State party ' s accession to the nine major international human rights instruments[1] would enhance the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in all aspects of life. It therefore encourages the State party to ratify the instruments to which it is not yet a party, namely, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.", "Follow-up to concluding observations", "50. The Committee requests the State party to provide in writing, within two years, detailed information on the implementation of the recommendations contained in paragraphs 21 and 37.", "Technical assistance", "51. The Committee recommends that the State party take advantage of technical assistance in the preparation and implementation of a comprehensive programme aimed at the implementation of the recommendations contained in the present document and the Convention as a whole. The Committee also urges the State party to continue to strengthen its cooperation with the specialized agencies and programmes of the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children ' s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization.", "Preparation of the next report", "52. The Committee requests the State party to ensure the wide participation of all ministries and public bodies in the preparation of its next periodic report and to consult various women ' s and human rights organizations.", "53. The Committee requests the State party to respond to the concerns expressed in the present concluding observations in its next periodic report under article 18 of the Convention. The Committee invites the State party to submit its next periodic report in July 2015.", "54. The Committee invites the State party to use the harmonized guidelines on reporting under international human rights treaties, including guidelines for the preparation of a common core document and treaty-specific reports, adopted at the fifth inter-committee meeting of the human rights treaty bodies, held in June 2006 (HRI/MC/2006/3 and Corr.1). The reporting guidelines for the Convention, adopted by the Committee at its fortieth session in January 2008 (A/63/38, annex I), should be implemented in conjunction with the harmonized guidelines for the preparation of a common core document. They jointly constitute the harmonized reporting guidelines under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The specific document should be limited to 40 pages, while the common core document should have a maximum of 80 pages.", "[1] The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the International Convention on Forced Persons with Disabilities." ]

[ "Comité encargado de las organizaciones no gubernamentales", "Período ordinario de sesiones de 2012", "30 de enero a 8 de febrero de 2012", "Informes cuadrienales sobre el período 2007-2010 recibidos de organizaciones no gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por el Consejo Económico y Social y presentados por conducto del Secretario General en cumplimiento de la resolución 1996/31 del Consejo", "Nota del Secretario General", "Índice", "Página1.Centro 3 Aldet – Santa \nLucía 2.Al-Hakim 5 \nFoundation 3.Bhagwan 7 Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti \nJaipur 4.Caritas 9 \nInternationalis 5.The 11 Center for Inter-Ethnic \nCooperation 6. Child 12 Development \nFoundation 7.Children 15 of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young \nPeople 8.Chinese 16 Association for International \nUnderstanding 9.Convention 18 of Independent Financial \nAdvisors 10. Coalición 20 de Ciudadanos para la Justicia \nEconómica 11. Community 21 Social Welfare \nFoundation 12.Compañía 23 de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de \n Paúl 13.Consejo 24 Consultivo de Organizaciones \nJudías 14.Dignity 26 \nInternational 15.Organización 28 Mundial de Personas con \nDiscapacidad", "1. Centro Aldet – Santa Lucía", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "El Centro ALDET es una organización internacional de derechos humanos que actúa en favor y en nombre de los pueblos indígenas y las comunidades locales en unos 61 países.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización coordina iniciativas relativas a:", "a) La preservación, la protección, el desarrollo y la promoción de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas y las comunidades locales;", "b) Actividades nacionales, subregionales e internacionales conexas;", "c) La participación en actividades conjuntas con organizaciones miembros del Grupo de Apoyo Interinstitucional sobre Cuestiones Indígenas de las Naciones Unidas.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "El Centro ALDET participó en la creación y la coordinación de las siguientes organizaciones:", "• Consejo de Administración de la Población Indígena (Bethechilokono) de Santa Lucía;", "• Foro y Diáspora de Poblaciones Indígenas del Caribe;", "• Estrategia de Mauricio de 2005 para los pequeños Estados insulares en desarrollo;", "• Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Santa Lucía;", "• Mecanismo Administrativo Autónomo de la Población Indígena (Bethechilokono) de Santa Lucía;", "• Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International y comités de coordinación para África, América, Asia, Europa y el Pacífico, con miembros en 61 países.", "El Centro ALDET es miembro de Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International; World Indigenous Nations Sport International; la Asociación Indígena Mundial; la Red de organizaciones no gubernamentales del Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (FMAM); la red de la sociedad civil del Banco Mundial; y la red de la sociedad civil del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA).", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "2007. Directrices para mejorar la participación de los grupos principales a nivel de gobernabilidad del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, agosto;", "Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos: Cuestionario sobre un enfoque del desarrollo basado en los derechos humanos en el contexto de las poblaciones indígenas.", "2008. Séptimo período de sesiones del Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas, Nueva York, abril y mayo;", "Novena reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes en el Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, Bonn (Alemania), mayo;", "Mecanismo de expertos sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas, Ginebra, octubre.", "2009. Presentación de una traducción al kwéyòl de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los pueblos indígenas a la secretaría del Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas para su publicación en el sitio web del Foro, junio de 2009.", "2010. Establecimiento de comités de coordinación nacionales en países de la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM) para la protección de los recursos genéticos, los conocimientos tradicionales y el folclore.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "2007. Consulta internacional de expertos indígenas sobre el acceso a los recursos biológicos y participación en los beneficios del Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, Montreal, septiembre de 2007;", "Foro del PNUMA para la Sociedad Civil de América Latina y el Caribe, Monterrey (México), octubre.", "2008. XVI Reunión del Foro de Ministros de Medio Ambiente de América Latina y el Caribe, Santo Domingo, enero y febrero;", "Comité Preparatorio de la Conferencia de Examen de la aplicación de la Declaración y Programa de Acción de Durban, Ginebra;", "Reunión del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Acceso a los Recursos Genéticos y Distribución Justa y Equitativa de los Beneficios Derivados de su Utilización, Quito, abril;", "Foro del PNUMA para la Sociedad Civil de América Latina y el Caribe, Buenos Aires, noviembre;", "Sesiones decimosegunda a decimoséptima del Comité Intergubernamental sobre Propiedad Intelectual y Recursos Genéticos, Conocimientos Tradicionales y Folclore de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI), Ginebra, 2008 a 2010.", "2009. Conferencia de Examen de Durban, Ginebra, abril;", "Consultas nacionales auspiciadas por la OMPI y la CARICOM en Belice, Dominica, Jamaica, San Vicente y las Granadinas, Santa Lucía, Suriname y Trinidad y Tabago sobre el establecimiento de un marco regional para la protección de los conocimientos tradicionales, el folclore y los recursos genéticos, entre marzo y octubre.", "2010. Reunión del Banco Mundial sobre los pueblos indígenas, Washington, D.C., abril;", "Noveno período de sesiones del Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas, Nueva York, abril;", "Consultas del Consejo del Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial con organizaciones de la sociedad civil y reunión del Consejo, Washington, D.C., junio y julio.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "a) Proyectos coordinados de desarrollo sostenible de producción de artesanías para la generación de ingresos que tengan en cuenta el derecho de propiedad intelectual para aproximadamente 15.000 indígenas en Santa Lucía;", "b) Promoción del uso sostenible y renovable de las materias primas indígenas;", "c) Celebración anual del Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas del Mundo, el Día Internacional de la Diversidad Biológica, el Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente, el Día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial, el Día Mundial de la Diversidad Cultural para el Diálogo y el Desarrollo, el Día Internacional del Migrante, el Día de los Derechos Humanos y el Día Mundial de la Alimentación.", "2. Al-Hakim Foundation", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "Al-Hakim Foundation es una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada al bienestar educativo y social establecida en el Iraq en 2003 para promover la excelencia intelectual, el diálogo religioso y el entendimiento cultural.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización se basa en la moderación y promueve el diálogo entre las religiones reveladas, las escuelas y doctrinas religiosas y la movilización de la sociedad contra la discriminación, el chovinismo y el enfrentamiento entre facciones.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "Desde 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation ha ampliado el número de sus afiliados al incorporar a las siguientes organizaciones: a) escuelas Al-Imam Ali: escuelas primarias y elementales en tres provincias del Iraq; b) Universidad Al-Shaikh Al‑Tusi; c) Organización de Mujeres Musulmanas; d) Escuela de Humanidades Dar Al-Hikma; e) Islamic Gathering for Iraqi Students; Al-Raya Students Gathering; f) Centro de documentación para víctimas enterradas en fosas comunes; g) Instituto Mahdi Al-Hakim para la capacitación de personal y líderes; h) Instituto para la mujer Al-Imam Mohsen Al-Hakim; i) Fundación para la Infancia Al-Rafidain. También colaboró con Imamia Medics International e International Relief and Development en actividades conjuntas en el Iraq.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización envió representantes en forma periódica a las reuniones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos y su examen periódico universal, el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial, el Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, la Comisión de Desarrollo Social, la Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer y la Conferencia de los Estados Partes en la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad. También envió representantes a la Conferencia internacional de seguimiento sobre la financiación para el desarrollo encargada de examinar la aplicación del Consenso de Monterrey, celebrada en Doha del 29 de noviembre al 2 de diciembre de 2008.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "En 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation fue organizadora y parte en una conferencia de dos días titulada “Iraq for all Iraqis” que se realizó en las Naciones Unidas. Ochenta participantes se sumaron al diálogo, incluido el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores del Iraq, así como el Representante Permanente y el Representante Permanente Adjunto del país ante las Naciones Unidas. El propósito fue crear asociaciones mundiales para reconstruir el consenso nacional en el Iraq.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "La organización patrocinó a 85.000 huérfanos mediante el “Orphan Sponsorship Programme”; proporcionó asistencia financiera, alimentaria y sanitaria a familias pobres; brindó apoyo a 52.638 familias de desplazados internos en el Iraq; apoyó el matrimonio de 4.767 huérfanos; y proporcionó subsidios de urgencia a 8.919 familias que habían perdido sus hogares como resultado de la violencia.", "La organización patrocinó instituciones educativas y asumió la dirección de 53 preescolares como parte de un proyecto denominado “Preescolares Ahbab Alsidiqa” en 14 ciudades iraquíes. El proyecto incluyó a 4.430 estudiantes. También se ocupó del funcionamiento de un grupo de escuelas Al-Imam Ali en tres provincias, incluidas ocho escuelas primarias y dos escuelas secundarias, con un total de 2.306 estudiantes.", "La organización promovió la igualdad entre los géneros y el empoderamiento de las mujeres mediante la creación de oportunidades de trabajo en sus escuelas, donde el 80% de la plantilla son mujeres, y abrió centros educativos dedicados especialmente a las mujeres que ofrecen clases de computación, enfermería, costura, primeros auxilios, corte y confección y artesanías.", "En 2007, estableció la Escuela de Humanidades y Estudios Culturales para Mujeres Dar Al-Hakma, que tiene 365 estudiantes y 40 profesores.", "Con la cooperación de Imamia Medics International, la organización implementó un proyecto para reunir 1.000 nebulizadores a fin de distribuirlos a niños con asma en los pueblos del Iraq.", "En diciembre de 2009, entregó 75 sillas de ruedas a niños con discapacidad en Basora, en cooperación con International Relief and Development.", "En febrero del mismo año, en colaboración con el Departamento de Salud, Al-Hakim Foundation llevó a cabo una campaña de educación para la salud en Numaniya sobre la importancia de vacunar a los niños. En noviembre de 2008, celebró un seminario en Babil sobre las causas de los brotes de cólera y los métodos de prevención. También en 2008, implementó un proyecto de “médico itinerante” en muchos pueblos del sur de Iraq, mediante el cual un grupo de médicas visitó a las familias pobres, realizó exámenes médicos a las mujeres, educó a las familias acerca de enfermedades comunes y distribuyó tests de embarazo y medicamentos necesarios. En febrero de 2007, organizó un seminario en Wasit sobre las causas, la prevención y el tratamiento de la poliomielitis. Entre 2007 y 2010, distribuyó 630 sillas de ruedas a niños con discapacidad.", "En agosto de 2010, la organización solicitó el establecimiento de relaciones operacionales con la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO).", "Información adicional", "Actualmente, Al-Hakim Foundation está activa en la mayoría de las zonas del Iraq, tras haber abierto nuevas oficinas en la parte occidental del país. También estableció tres oficinas internacionales en Beirut, Ginebra y Nueva York.", "3. Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur es una sociedad registrada en la India. Opera sobre todo en la India pero también tiene actividades en otras partes del mundo, incluida una empresa mixta en Colombia y centros asociados en el Pakistán y Filipinas. Realiza campañas de entrega de prótesis en otros países y capacita a técnicos de diversas partes del mundo en la tecnología de prótesis de Jaipur. Es una organización no gubernamental apolítica, no religiosa y dedicada al servicio.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización está dedicada a la rehabilitación de los discapacitados, en particular las personas sin recursos, en la India y en todo el mundo. Ello se logra mediante el suministro de prótesis, soportes ortopédicos, sillas de ruedas y otras ayudas y aparatos ortopédicos a los discapacitados. Sobre una base selectiva, se realizan esfuerzos para promover la rehabilitación económica de las personas con discapacidad.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "La organización aumentó su alcance, entre otras cosas mediante la celebración de campañas de entrega de prótesis en el Iraq, el Líbano, el Pakistán, el Senegal y Sri Lanka.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización realizó campañas de entrega de prótesis in situ en el Líbano, en abril de 2007 (90 prótesis/soportes ortopédicos) y en julio de 2008 (146 prótesis/soportes ortopédicos); en el Pakistán (Islamabad y Karachi), en agosto de 2007 (987 prótesis/ soportes ortopédicos); en el Iraq, en marzo y abril de 2010 (882 prótesis); en Sri Lanka, en marzo y abril de 2010 (1.210 prótesis); y en el Senegal, en julio de 2010 (607 prótesis).", "Esta labor humanitaria se ajusta a los objetivos del Consejo Económico y Social. En el Pakistán, el hecho de que una organización de la India realizara las campañas fue grandemente apreciado como un esfuerzo fraternal. La organización también ha ayudado a dos organizaciones locales a establecer centros ortopédicos permanentes. El centro ubicado en Karachi ya ha colocado más de 5.000 prótesis. Las campañas realizadas en el Iraq devastado por la guerra y en la zona tamil de Sri Lanka fueron muy bien recibidas. Cabe señalar que la campaña en el Líbano se llevó a cabo con el apoyo del contingente indio de la Fuerza Provisional de las Naciones Unidas en el Líbano.", "Cooperación con órganos de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización informó al Comité encargado de las organizaciones no gubernamentales sobre su disposición a realizar campañas de entrega de prótesis en Haití después del terremoto. Sin embargo, todavía está esperando una respuesta.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "Una de las metas principales de la organización es aumentar la cobertura de su programa de rehabilitación para que las personas con discapacidad logren movilidad y dignidad. Su alcance geográfico ha crecido enormemente; más de 1,2 millones de personas con discapacidad han recibido prótesis (más de 400.000), soportes ortopédicos (más de 300.000) y otras ayudas y aparatos ortopédicos (más de 500.000). Entre abril de 2007 y marzo de 2011, 258.000 personas con discapacidad se vieron beneficiadas solo en la India. En total, la organización ha proporcionado prótesis a 19.378 personas con miembros amputados en 25 países. Es la organización más grande del mundo para las personas con discapacidad solo teniendo en cuenta su alcance.", "Información adicional", "La organización proporciona asistencia gratuita y tiene la capacidad de realizar campañas de colocación de prótesis y soportes ortopédicos en cualquier parte del mundo. El costo promedio de una prótesis durante estas campañas varía entre los 200 y los 300 dólares, en comparación con los varios miles de dólares por prótesis de otras organizaciones. Con respecto a la investigación y el desarrollo, la organización tiene un memorando de entendimiento con la Universidad de Stanford, en los Estados Unidos de América, que condujo al desarrollo de una nueva articulación de la rodilla para personas amputadas por encima de la rodilla. Esta articulación fue calificada como una de los 50 mejores inventos del mundo en 2009; la organización ya la ha colocado a más de 2.600 personas. Se llevó a cabo una colaboración similar con otras organizaciones internacionales y de la India. Actualmente, la organización está colaborando con el Massachusetts Institute of Technology de los Estados Unidos para fabricar una silla de ruedas manual que sea resistente y pueda operar en terreno ondulado. Tiene un memorando de entendimiento con otra organización en los Estados Unidos para la fabricación de una “silla de ruedas de 360 grados”, que también es de accionamiento manual y útil sobre todo en terrenos difíciles. Estas sillas de ruedas son muy eficaces en función del costo y, una vez fabricadas a gran escala, podrían tener un mercado en otros países. Este es un buen ejemplo de cooperación técnica internacional que beneficia a la humanidad.", "4. Caritas Internationalis", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo general en 1999", "Introducción", "Caritas Internationalis es una confederación mundial de 165 organizaciones nacionales católicas de carácter humanitario, de desarrollo y dedicadas a los servicios sociales que funciona en más de 200 países y territorios en todo el mundo.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización tiene cuatro objetivos principales: a) responder a las emergencias: Caritas Internationalis está reconocida por su respuesta rápida, sus conocimientos técnicos y su coordinación eficaz en la programación de emergencia y la preparación para casos de desastre; b) el desarrollo humano integral: la confederación proporciona conocimientos técnicos y coordinación eficaces a las regiones y organizaciones miembros para empoderar a los pobres y convertirlos en los agentes de su propio desarrollo; c) construir una paz sostenible: Caritas Internationalis está coordinando procesos dirigidos a transformar las estructuras injustas y los conflictos de manera no violenta, promoviendo la consolidación de la paz mediante el diálogo interreligioso y construyendo una comunidad humana unida; d) adaptar las estructuras, los procesos y las finanzas de la confederación: Caritas Internationalis adaptará su gobernanza interna, sus estructuras operacionales y sus sistemas a fin de responder de manera dinámica a las necesidades contemporáneas y asegurar la efectividad de la gestión, la sostenibilidad financiera y la construcción de alianzas estratégicas en toda su red.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "Durante el período 2007-2010, los representantes de la organización participaron en sesiones de la Comisión de Desarrollo Social, la Comisión sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible y la Comisión sobre la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer y en reuniones sobre la financiación para el desarrollo y la situación de los pueblos indígenas. Su director de asuntos humanitarios es miembro del grupo de coordinadores de asuntos humanitarios de las Naciones Unidas y ha sido parte en forma periódica de los equipos entrevistadores para el grupo de coordinadores de asuntos humanitarios.", "Cooperación con órganos de las Naciones Unidas", "La confederación participó activamente en las reuniones semanales del Comité Permanente entre Organismos sobre las situaciones humanitarias prioritarias de la Oficina de Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios. Fue parte de los grupos de trabajo durante situaciones críticas de emergencia y oradora invitada sobre situaciones claves de ciertos países y cuestiones intersectoriales. Proporcionó a la Oficina datos oportunos sobre recursos y sobre las asociaciones relevantes entre la confederación y las iglesias desde el terreno, especialmente para apoyar a los equipos de preparación antes de las misiones ejecutivas. Trabajó con el Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz y el Departamento de Asuntos Políticos. Continuó manteniendo una estrecha colaboración con el Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA (ONUSIDA) sobre la base de un memorando de entendimiento relativo a un compromiso conjunto para promover la sensibilización sobre el VIH/SIDA, las actividades para mitigar los efectos de la epidemia y la promoción en el contexto de la Declaración de compromiso de 2001 del ONUSIDA. En abril de 2008, el Asesor Especial de la Confederación sobre el VIH/SIDA hizo una presentación, en una reunión sobre desarrollo de estrategias del grupo de trabajo de organizaciones religiosas del ONUSIDA, centrada en el fortalecimiento de la colaboración entre las comunidades religiosas y los organismos de las Naciones Unidas en la respuesta a la pandemia del VIH. Además, el ONUSIDA copatrocinó una conferencia de Caritas Internationalis sobre el VIH pediátrico y la coinfección por el VIH y la tuberculosis, celebrada en Roma en octubre de 2009; el Director Ejecutivo del ONUSIDA fue el orador principal de la conferencia. En enero de 2008, en colaboración con la Estrategia Alto a la Tuberculosis de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), la confederación organizó una misión conjunta a Swazilandia para promover una mayor colaboración entre el Gobierno de Swazilandia y las organizaciones religiosas que se ocupan de la lucha contra el VIH y la tuberculosis en el país. Caritas Internationalis apoyó la campaña de la OMS “Medicamentos a la medida de los niños” en 2008, 2009 y 2010, asistió a las reuniones de los asociados de la campaña y realizó aportaciones verbales en la sesión de 2010. En 2007, su delegación en Ginebra contribuyó a redactar el proyecto de las conclusiones de 2007 sobre los niños en situación de riesgo del Comité Ejecutivo de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR). Participó regularmente en las consultas anuales entre el ACNUR y las ONG: en 2008, con una actividad paralela sobre la protección de los menores no acompañados; en 2009, con una declaración y una actividad paralela sobre los refugiados olvidados y los desplazados internos en Colombia y una contribución sobre el desplazamiento en contextos urbanos; y en 2010, tomando la iniciativa en la sesión sobre las situaciones prolongadas de refugiados en campamentos. En abril de 2009, la confederación organizó una actividad paralela sobre los derechos humanos de los trabajadores domésticos migratorios con el Comité sobre los Trabajadores Migratorios.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "La confederación produjo un especial en su sitio web titulado “A mitad de período pero no a mitad de camino: ODM y VIH” (véase http://www.caritas.org/esactivities/hiv_aids/HalftimeNotHalfway.html), donde se detallan los efectos de la epidemia del VIH en los progresos hacia el logro de los Objetivos.", "5. The Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "The Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation se fundó en 1997 y tiene su sede en Moscú.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "El objetivo principal de la organización es apoyar el desarrollo de la sociedad civil, en particular la idea de la tolerancia en la sociedad de la Federación de Rusia. Para lograr este objetivo, organiza varias conferencias, programas de capacitación, seminarios y mesas redondas en las diferentes regiones del país. Estas actividades están dedicadas a los problemas interétnicos, el alto nivel de intolerancia entre los jóvenes de la Federación de Rusia, la promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros, etc. Sus principales integrantes son los directores de más de 400 organizaciones no gubernamentales de 30 regiones de la Federación de Rusia, representantes de las autoridades federales y locales, organismos de orden público, organizaciones de socorro, medios de comunicación y jóvenes. La organización creó el periódico en Internet “Inter-Ethnic” (véase www.interethnic.org) y una red de asociaciones étnicas en Internet, cuyos miembros incluyen a más de 160 asociaciones étnicas de 46 regiones de la Federación de Rusia. Sus proyectos han sido apoyados por la Unión Europea, el Consejo de Europa, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Asuntos del Commonwealth del Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte, el British Council y las Fundaciones MacArthur y Charles Stewart Mott, la Fundación Nacional para la Democracia y el International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) de los Estados Unidos, así como por las embajadas de Alemania, Suecia, Suiza, el Reino Unido y los Estados Unidos.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "La organización amplió el alcance de sus actividades durante el período 2007‑2010. La experiencia demostró que era imposible resolver los problemas de las minorías étnicas en la Federación de Rusia sin la participación activa de los jóvenes. El problema de la igualdad entre los géneros también apareció como uno de los retos más importantes. Sin una sociedad civil desarrollada, era imposible trabajar en estos temas. La organización, que anteriormente se había dedicado exclusivamente a resolver los problemas de las minorías étnicas, amplió sus actividades y comenzó a centrarse en el desarrollo de la sociedad civil con una amplia participación de los jóvenes. Lo que es más, la cooperación internacional se convirtió en un factor muy importante en su estrategia de desarrollo.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "Durante el período 2007-2010, la organización implementó los siguientes proyectos: a) con el apoyo de la Fundación Charles Stewart Mott: programas de capacitación para representantes de las asociaciones étnicas dirigidos a la protección de los derechos de la sociedad civil; b) con el apoyo de la Unión Europea: apoyo a las comunidades étnicas regionales en la Federación de Rusia; creación de capacidad y de redes para las mujeres inmigrantes y de minorías étnicas: un enfoque y proyecto integrados para combatir la discriminación étnica y de género en la Federación de Rusia; utilización de la red de asociaciones étnicas en Internet para la organización de campañas masivas en los medios de comunicación a fin de difundir la tolerancia cultural en los círculos de la juventud; c) con el apoyo de la Embajada de Alemania: prevención de los conflictos interétnicos en los distritos municipales de la Federación de Rusia; d) con el apoyo de la Embajada del Reino Unido: prevención de los conflictos interétnicos en la Federación de Rusia; cooperación en la prevención de conflictos interétnicos en el Cáucaso Septentrional; e) con el apoyo de la Embajada de los Estados Unidos: oposición al extremismo entre los jóvenes; talleres y sesiones de capacitación para jóvenes activistas y estudiantes; f) con el apoyo de la Agencia Sueca de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo: formación de jóvenes líderes en la promoción de la igualdad entre los géneros en la parte noroccidental de la Federación de Rusia.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "2008: La organización envió representantes a la 61^(a) Conferencia Anual del Departamento de Información Pública para las Organizaciones no Gubernamentales que se celebró en París en septiembre.", "2009: Representantes de la organización asistieron a la Conferencia de Examen de Durban que se celebró en abril en Ginebra. También participaron en los grupos de trabajo durante las reuniones preparatorias de la Conferencia de Examen de Durban en Ginebra.", "Cooperación con órganos de las Naciones Unidas", "Durante muchos años, la organización ha cooperado con éxito con el equipo de las Naciones Unidas en la Federación de Rusia. El Asesor Principal de Derechos Humanos de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) del equipo en el país y otros representantes del equipo asistieron a numerosas actividades organizadas por ella. Algunos de los representantes de la organización también han participado activamente en las iniciativas del equipo en el país.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "En siete regiones, se establecieron centros especiales denominados “Femina” para proporcionar apoyo psicológico, jurídico e informativo a las mujeres de minorías étnicas y migrantes.", "6. Child Development Foundation", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "La organización no gubernamental Child Development Foundation se creó en Jartum en 1999. Promueve los derechos del niño y la protección de los niños afectados por la guerra, los niños soldados, los niños de la calle, los desplazados internos y los niños refugiados, los niños trabajadores y los huérfanos. Opera en Gedaref, Kassala, Jartum, Darfur del Sur y Darfur del Oeste.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La promoción de los derechos y la protección del niño; la consolidación de la paz; la defensa de las niñas; la prestación de servicios a los niños vulnerables; el fomento de la capacidad de los interesados; y el alivio de la pobreza. La organización cumple sus objetivos a través de la ejecución de proyectos, la creación de capacidad y la promoción.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "La organización extendió su alcance geográfico para abordar los principales retos y las cuestiones emergentes en Darfur y el Sudán oriental y amplió sus operaciones para incluir nuevos ámbitos como el desarme, la desmovilización y la reintegración, la reforma jurídica y la justicia de menores.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "Entre 2007 y 2009, la organización realizó actividades de reintegración para los niños asociados con fuerzas y grupos armados en colaboración con el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF) y el programa de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración en Gedaref, Jartum y Darfur del Oeste. Se liberó a 271 niños de las fuerzas y grupos armados. Los beneficiarios indirectos incluyeron a 270 miembros de redes de protección, 2.250 niños y niñas vulnerables y 2.250 miembros de la comunidad.", "En 2010, la entidad prestó apoyo a niños y jóvenes afectados por la guerra en el estado de Darfur del Sur, en colaboración con el Fondo Humanitario Común para el Sudán. En total se beneficiaron 15.000 jóvenes y niños. La organización preparó un proyecto para suprimir el trabajo infantil en el Sudán Septentrional mediante la educación, en cooperación con los ministerios competentes y la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), que se inició en 2010 y continuará hasta 2012.", "La organización lideró una campaña de promoción para los niños que participaron en el ataque militar lanzado por el Movimiento por la Justicia y la Igualdad en Omdurman en mayo de 2008. Los niños fueron indultados y se hicieron arreglos para dejarlos en libertad.", "El Director General de la entidad asistió a la primera conferencia regional sobre el tráfico transfronterizo de niños organizada por el UNICEF en el Chad en 2008.", "La organización participó en la supervisión de las elecciones en el Sudán en febrero de 2010, en cooperación con la Comisión Electoral Nacional y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD).", "También contribuyó con el proceso preparatorio del referéndum del Sudán Meridional en enero de 2011.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización asistió a las siguientes reuniones:", "• Sesiones octava y novena del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, Ginebra, junio y septiembre de 2008 (presentó una declaración oral sobre el secuestro y el tráfico de niños sudaneses);", "• Consultas preparatorias del Comité Ejecutivo del ACNUR, Ginebra, junio de 2008, sobre el apoyo a los niños refugiados;", "• Conferencia y exposición “Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development”, celebrada en colaboración con el PNUD, 2008-2010;", "• Conferencia sobre mitigación del trauma, organizada en colaboración con la OMS en Alejandría (Egipto), 2007;", "• Conferencia sobre los niños soldados titulada “Libremos a los niños de la guerra”, París, febrero de 2007;", "• Conferencia del Departamento de Información Pública organizada en Francia, 2008;", "• Foro de la Sociedad Civil para el Desarrollo sobre la salud pública en el contexto de la crisis económica mundial, celebrado con el Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales Ginebra, julio de 2009;", "• Foro de la Sociedad Civil para el Desarrollo titulado “Los derechos humanos de las mujeres y el desarrollo: inclusión, participación e igualdad”, Nueva York, mayo de 2010;", "• Reunión sobre las recomendaciones de las organizaciones no gubernamentales al Comité de los Derechos del Niño relativas a la aplicación en el Sudán del Protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño relativo a la participación de niños en los conflictos armados.", "Cooperación con órganos de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización:", "a) Participó en las acciones del UNICEF por hacer suya la Ley Federal del Niño en 2010;", "b) Dentro del marco del mecanismo nacional patrocinado por el UNICEF (2007-2009), contribuyó a establecer unidades de protección del niño y la familia dentro de la policía en todo el Sudán;", "c) Llevó a cabo una campaña de sensibilización sobre los derechos de la infancia en el estado de Kassala en 2009 y 2010, en asociación con el UNICEF y el PNUD. Un total de 13.800 escolares se beneficiaron del proyecto.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "La organización realizó esfuerzos para lograr la educación primaria universal mediante un programa de aprendizaje acelerado dirigido a los niños en los estados orientales y en Darfur. Participó en el Día del Niño Africano en Nyala (Darfur del Sur), para detener el reclutamiento de niños, y en el Día Mundial contra el Trabajo Infantil celebrado en Jartum en 2010.", "7. Children of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young People", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "Esta organización no gubernamental se estableció para crear y promover un movimiento mundial de personas en pro de un estilo de vida saludable.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "• Unir a las personas de todo el mundo en un movimiento universal en pro de un estilo de vida saludable (“Juegos de los habitantes del planeta”);", "• Establecer un mecanismo para atraer a todos los habitantes del mundo hacia el movimiento;", "• Crear un banco de información mundial para procesar los datos de los participantes;", "• Capacitar en forma colectiva e individual a los jóvenes y los adultos sobre los principios básicos de un estilo de vida saludable;", "• Establecer un sitio web internacional;", "• Llevar a cabo cinco festivales de la salud y el deporte denominados “Juegos de los habitantes del planeta” entre el personal de las municipalidades;", "• Realizar cuatro festivales de la salud y el deporte denominados “competencias presidenciales” entre escolares.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "a) La organización propuso que las Naciones Unidas fortalecieran su participación en el desarrollo del movimiento mundial por un estilo de vida saludable y que la Asamblea General considerara el tema;", "b) La organización presentó el movimiento para alcanzar un buen estado físico denominado “Juegos de los habitantes del planeta” en la Sede de las Naciones Unidas, en Nueva York, el 19 de julio de 2007 (véase el número 2007/138 del Diario), en conjunto con la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Deporte para el Desarrollo y la Paz;", "c) La organización llevó a cabo negociaciones sobre cooperación con la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Deporte para el Desarrollo y la Paz en Nueva York en julio de 2007.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "Negociaciones con el UNICEF sobre actividades conjuntas, julio de 2007.", "Cooperación con órganos de las Naciones Unidas", "• Presentación conjunta sobre “Juegos de los habitantes del planeta”;", "• Aplicación conjunta del movimiento por la salud mundial con la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Deporte para el Desarrollo y la Paz.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "• Establecimiento de nuestra organización para promover el movimiento mundial por un estilo de vida saludable;", "• Puesta en marcha de un sistema de seguimiento internacional de los niveles de entrenamiento y salud;", "• Creación de un banco mundial de datos de los participantes en este movimiento recreativo (véase www.planetpg.org).", "Información adicional", "• Nuestra organización está buscando un contacto más estrecho con el Consejo Económico y Social para trabajar juntos en un movimiento mundial en pro de la salud de las personas de todo el mundo bajo los auspicios de las Naciones Unidas;", "• Nuestra organización está dispuesta a hacer una presentación en una reunión del Consejo sobre el tema “Organización del movimiento mundial ‘juegos de los habitantes del planeta’ para lograr un estilo de vida saludable para las personas de todo el mundo”.", "8. Chinese Association for International Understanding", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2003", "Introducción", "No ha habido cambios.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "a) Séptima y octava reuniones del Foro Popular Asia-Europa, que se celebraron en Beijing en octubre de 2008 y en Bruselas en octubre de 2010, respectivamente. La Asociación copatrocinó y presidió uno de los subforos del séptimo Foro, cuyo tema era “Los derechos sociales y económicos y la justicia ambiental”. Nuestros representantes concurrieron al octavo Foro y formularon sugerencias para el documento final;", "b) Séptima y novena reuniones del Foro Social Mundial, que se celebraron en Kenya en enero de 2007 y en Brasil en enero de 2009, respectivamente; la Asociación organizó talleres y exposiciones pertinentes sobre los Foros;", "c) Cumbre Mundial sobre la Mujer, que se celebró en Berlín en 2007, en Hanoi en 2008 y en Beijing en 2010; la Asociación hizo una presentación durante la Cumbre de 2010 sobre el tema “Liderar el cambio en la situación de la mujer a través de nuestras ciudades”;", "d) Foro de la Juventud del Noreste de Asia, reuniones cuarta, quinta y séptima, que se celebraron en Seúl en agosto de 2007, 2008 y 2010, respectivamente;", "e) Conferencia Mundial contra las Bombas Atómicas y de Hidrógeno, que se celebró todos los años en el Japón de 2007 a 2010;", "f) Foro para la Paz Mundial, que se celebró en la Gran Muralla China, Qinhuangdao, en julio de 2009; la Asociación copatrocinó el Foro con la ocasión del 60º aniversario de la fundación de la República Popular China y firmó su documento final, titulado “Declaración Pacífica de la Gran Muralla”.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La asociación:", "a) Participó en las conferencias anuales 60ª, 61ª, 62ª y 63ª del Departamento de Información Pública y las organizaciones no gubernamentales, que se celebraron en Nueva York, París, Ciudad de México y Melbourne (Australia), respectivamente;", "b) Copatrocinó la segunda y tercera Conferencia de la Red Regional Oficiosa de ONG de las Naciones Unidas/Asia-Pacífico, que se celebraron en Beijing en junio de 2007 y abril de 2008, respectivamente; habló en la segunda Conferencia sobre “La responsabilidad y función de las ONG en la reducción de la pobreza” e intervino en la tercera Conferencia sobre “El desarrollo sostenible y las Olimpíadas verdes”;", "c) Participó en el Foro de la Sociedad Civil para el Desarrollo de 2007 patrocinado por la Conferencia de las Organizaciones no Gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por las Naciones Unidas, y la serie de sesiones de alto nivel de 2007 del Consejo Económico y Social, que se celebró en Ginebra;", "d) Alentó la participación cívica para combatir los problemas sociales durante el taller organizado por la Asociación de Naciones de Asia Sudoriental (ASEAN) más 3, que se celebró en Yakarta en octubre de 2007;", "e) Participó en las Conferencias de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático, que se celebraron en Copenhague en diciembre de 2009 y en Cancún en noviembre de 2010, y colaboró con otras ONG chinas en la celebración de reuniones paralelas durante las Conferencias.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "a) Participó en los períodos de sesiones anuales 60º y 62º de la Asamblea Mundial de la Salud, que se celebraron en Ginebra en mayo de 2007 y 2009, respectivamente;", "b) Participó en el octavo Congreso Internacional sobre el SIDA en Asia y el Pacífico, que se celebró en Colombo en 2007.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "Primer Objetivo (Erradicar la pobreza extrema y el hambre). Actividades: recibió una donación de 100.000 dólares de la asociación civil Polish House, la Kazankai Foundation e Initiatives of Change-Japan para las víctimas del terremoto de Wenchuan, provincia de Sichuan, en 2008.", "Segundo Objetivo (Lograr la enseñanza primaria universal). Actividades: cooperó con el Rotary Club de Australia en Hebei, Shaanxi y Ningxia (China), en 2008 y 2009; levantó o renovó tres escuelas; donó 10.000 libros.", "Séptimo Objetivo (Garantizar la sostenibilidad del medio ambiente). Actividades: colaboró con el NGP Group of Japan para promover el desarrollo de la industria del reciclado de automóviles; firmó dos proyectos.", "Octavo Objetivo (Fomentar una alianza mundial para el desarrollo). Actividades: cooperó con el gobierno de la prefectura de Hiroshima para prestar capacitación profesional a los docentes japoneses en las regiones central y occidental de China y formó a cinco docentes. El Secretario General de la Asociación estuvo presente en la conmemoración del Día de las Naciones Unidas para la Cooperación Sur-Sur, que se celebró en Beijing en diciembre de 2008, y destacó, por un lado, el papel de las ONG en la reducción de la pobreza y, por otro, los últimos logros de China.", "Información adicional", "a) La ONG organizó 20 intercambios personales con otros países todos los años entre 2007 y 2010, a fin de aumentar el entendimiento mutuo y promover el diálogo entre las diferentes civilizaciones;", "b) De 2007 a 2010, copatrocinó todos los años el “Diálogo entre China y Alemania sobre seguridad integral” con la Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung sobre importantes cuestiones internacionales.", "9. Convention of Independent Financial Advisors", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "Convention of Independent Financial Advisors fue creada en 2001 a iniciativa de un grupo de asesores financieros; su objetivo es proteger y defender los intereses de los asesores financieros independientes y sus clientes en todo el mundo.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización ofrece una plataforma fundamental de debate sobre finanzas gracias a su condición única y el apoyo de más de 50 asociaciones colaboradoras o federaciones internacionales de todo el mundo y representa a más de 750.000 asesores financieros. A nivel internacional, representa a asesores financieros independientes de todo el mundo en cuestiones relacionadas con la gobernanza, las normas, las mejores prácticas y la ética. Defiende los derechos de los inversores que se ven afectados por riesgos financieros mal gestionados por los legisladores y reguladores. A tal efecto, la organización redactó la Carta de los Derechos de los Inversores en 2008, que define los derechos y principios fundamentales e inalienables de los inversores, para que puedan beneficiarse de un marco jurídico que preserve sus bienes muebles y propiedad intelectual. La Carta respeta las leyes, tradiciones y costumbres de todos los países que la ratifican, así como los derechos humanos fundamentales consagrados en la Carta de las Naciones Unidas. Para cumplir sus objetivos, la Convención organiza un foro internacional de alto nivel todos los años. Durante el período que abarca el informe, se celebraron foros en Ginebra (2007), Praga (2008), París (2009), Madrid (2010) y Montecarlo (2011). Las crisis financieras que comenzaron en 2008 motivaron a la Asociación a perseguir sus objetivos de forma más agresiva.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "El sexto foro internacional de la Convención se celebró en Praga en abril de 2008, con el tema “La libertad del inversor o la protección del consumidor”. Se señaló que, en tanto que es uno de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, el desarrollo sostenible exigía un sistema financiero coherente basado en normas y comprometido con la implantación de la buena gobernanza.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "a) Serie de sesiones de alto nivel del Consejo Económico y Social de 2008; b) Comité Preparatorio para el 12º período de sesiones de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD): sesión con la sociedad civil y el sector privado, Ginebra, marzo de 2008; c) reunión de la UNCTAD sobre la crisis financiera y sus repercusiones en el sistema internacional de presentación de informes financieros y la estabilidad financiera, Ginebra, julio de 2009; d) debate general sobre la crisis económica y financiera mundial y sus repercusiones en el desarrollo, Nueva York, 2009; e) períodos de sesiones 24º a 27º del Grupo Intergubernamental de Trabajo de Expertos en Normas Internacionales de Contabilidad y Presentación de Informes de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo sobre las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "La organización ha estado acreditada ante la UNCTAD desde enero de 2008 y ha colaborado con el Instituto de las Naciones Unidas para Formación Profesional e Investigaciones (UNITAR) desde marzo de 2011. UNITAR y la organización crearon una alianza innovadora para capacitación sobre ética y finanzas con la idea de “moralizar” el sector financiero y proteger los intereses de los inversores después del estallido de la crisis financiera internacional.", "Información adicional", "La organización aprobó la Carta de los Derechos de los Inversores, en la que se definen los derechos fundamentales e inalienables del inversor.", "10. Coalición de Ciudadanos para la Justicia Económica", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 1999", "Introducción", "La Coalición de Ciudadanos para la Justicia Económica se formó como reacción a la actual estructura de vida económica extremadamente injusta de la República de Corea. El rápido desarrollo económico de los últimos 30 años ha beneficiado a los grandes grupos empresariales elegidos por el Gobierno para que reciban un trato preferente y ha elevado el producto nacional bruto (PNB) per capita a más de 20.000 dólares. Sin embargo, en este proceso se dejó de lado la distribución equitativa, se perjudicó seriamente al medio ambiente y el desarrollo democrático fue relegado a un segundo plano. La prioridad dada a la industrialización y a la urbanización marginó a grandes grupos y zonas, y creó grandes vacíos estructurales, llegando a poner en peligro el sistema económico.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La Coalición fue fundada en 1989 por unas 500 personas representantes de todos los sectores de la sociedad, como profesores universitarios de ciencias económicas y otros especialistas, abogados, amas de casa, estudiantes, jóvenes y empresarios. Su lema, “Lograr la justicia económica empoderando a los ciudadanos”, reflejaba su convicción de que atajar las injusticias económicas muy arraigadas no dependía solamente de los gobiernos, sino que, en última instancia, estas deben combatirse por medio del poder organizado de los ciudadanos. Creían que la población general y no solo un pequeño grupo de “pudientes”, debía disfrutar de los frutos del desarrollo económico, y proponían una nueva metodología de reforma gradual, pero profunda, del sistema económico. La Coalición se fundó como un movimiento que a) estaría dirigido por ciudadanos ordinarios; b) utilizaría métodos legales y no violentos; c) buscaría alternativas factibles; d) representaría los intereses de todas las personas, independientemente de su posición económica; e) trabajaría para superar la avaricia y el egoísmo a fin de construir una sociedad solidaria.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "Desde que fue reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo del Consejo, la Coalición se ha mostrado muy activa en la esfera internacional. Trabaja para lograr la solidaridad internacional y establecer contactos, y actúa en cuestiones internacionales relacionadas con la distribución justa, la erradicación de la pobreza y el desarrollo sostenible.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La “Sociedad para la Reunificación de Corea” de la Coalición, que promueve el empoderamiento de los ciudadanos, la investigación de políticas, así como proyectos de intercambio civiles y otras actividades, con el propósito de construir una nación coreana reunificada, donde reine la justicia económica, se sumó a la celebración del Día Mundial de Acción sobre el Gasto Militar el 12 de abril de 2011, coincidiendo con la publicación de las últimas cifras anuales sobre gasto militar en el mundo que prepara el Instituto Internacional de Estocolmo para la Investigación de la Paz. Además de centrarse en una nación coreana reunificada, los programas de la Sociedad también se ocupan del “desarme sostenible para un desarrollo sostenible” en todo el mundo.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "La Coalición ha afrontado muchos tipos de crisis sociales en la República de Corea, como la pobreza, el hambre, la falta de educación y una atención sanitaria deficiente, y es consciente de que estos no son solamente problemas nacionales, sino también internacionales, a los que se debe hacer frente mediante movimientos globales. Por tanto, desde los años 90 ha intentado cooperar con los órganos de las Naciones Unidas en materia de desarrollo sostenible, derechos humanos, el cambio climático y la paz. Por ejemplo en 2009, puso en marcha una “campaña de pulseras blancas” contra la pobreza, con la colaboración de la Comisión Nacional Coreana de Cooperación con la UNESCO, y desde entonces ha seguido trabajando con ella en ese cometido.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "La Coalición puso en marcha la Red Coreana de ONG contra la Pobreza en el Mundo en 2005, que agrupa a 25 organizaciones de la sociedad civil afiliadas con el movimiento “Llamado Mundial a la Acción contra la Pobreza” y colabora con la Comisión Nacional Coreana de Cooperación con la UNESCO. Como grupo representante de la Red, la Coalición lucha por inculcar en las organizaciones de la sociedad civil la importancia de conseguir los Objetivos, así como por alentar fuertemente al Gobierno de la República de Corea a que asuma su papel como Estado rico con una influencia cada vez mayor en el mundo. Asimismo, trata de que el público conozca mejor las distintas actividades destinadas a poner fin a la pobreza y participe en ellas, y ha organizado muchas campañas de acción y actos en la República de Corea para expresar solidaridad con las ONG nacionales.", "11. Community Social Welfare Foundation", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 1999", "Introducción", "No ha habido cambios.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Cambios significativos ocurridos en la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "En la actualidad, la Fundación presta apoyo en las siguientes esferas:", "• Agua potable y centros de salud.", "• Renovación de escuelas y otras estructuras públicas en ruinas.", "• Aumento de la sensibilización sobre enfermedades e infecciones, como el VIH/SIDA, la tuberculosis, la poliomielitis, la fiebre de Lassa, a fin de prevenir su propagación.", "• Organización de grupos comunitarios para poner en marcha iniciativas de desarrollo cooperativo.", "• Establecimiento y mantenimiento de centros de educación para adultos.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La Fundación participó en los períodos de sesiones 15º y 16º de la Comisión sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible que se celebraron en la Sede en Nueva York.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "No ha habido ninguna.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "• Organización de sociedades cooperativas para favorecer el acceso a fondos y bienes.", "• Creación de centros de educación primaria para adultos.", "• Renovación de estructuras en ruinas en escuelas primarias.", "• Apoyo a enfermeras y otros profesionales de la salud para la puesta en marcha de programas de salud materna en zonas rurales.", "• Recaudación de fondos para la perforación de pozos.", "• Organización de grupos voluntarios de saneamiento.", "Información adicional", "No hay información adicional.", "12. Compañía de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "La Compañía de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl es una organización religiosa internacional, que se fundó en París para aliviar el sufrimiento de las personas que viven en la pobreza. Actualmente está activa en 91 países, 70 de los cuales son países en desarrollo.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "La organización trata de responder a las realidades socioeconómicas, culturales y políticas de cada lugar y está comprometida con el desarrollo pleno e integral de las personas. Se ocupa especialmente de la gente obligada a vivir en situaciones de pobreza extrema, sobre todo las mujeres y los niños.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "Participación en la Conferencia de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales reconocidas como entidades consultivas por las Naciones Unidas (2007 a 2010), el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales por el Desarrollo Social, el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales sobre Migraciones, el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales para el Desarrollo Sostenible (2009 y 2010), el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales sobre VIH/SIDA, el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales sobre Financiación para el Desarrollo, y el Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales para el UNICEF: Grupo de trabajo sobre la situación de las jóvenes (2009 a 2011).", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "Participación en el Consejo Económico y Social (2007 a 2010):", "a) Comisión de Desarrollo Social (2007 a 2010)", "Intervenciones orales:", "• 47º período de sesiones, sobre el tema prioritario “Inclusión social”.", "• 49º período de sesiones, sobre el tema prioritario “Erradicación de la pobreza”.", "b) Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer (2007 a 2010). La organización copatrocinó actos paralelos y presentó declaraciones por escrito;", "c) Comisión sobre Desarrollo Sostenible (2007 a 2010). La organización copatrocinó dos actos paralelos durante el 18º período de sesiones sobre el estudio de las implicaciones de la civilización ecológica y el consumo y los derechos de la Madre Tierra;", "d) Reuniones relativas a la financiación para el desarrollo (2007 a 2010). La principal representante hizo una declaración oral durante el período de sesiones de estudio oficioso del Capítulo I del Consenso de Monterrey en febrero de 2008 y contribuyó a las recomendaciones clave de la sociedad civil para el borrador del documento final de Doha. Participó en las reuniones de alto nivel del Consejo con las instituciones de Bretton Woods, la Organización Mundial del Comercio y la UNCTAD en marzo de 2010;", "e) Consejo de Derechos Humanos. La organización se dirigió al Consejo de Derechos Humanos en 2008, participó en los períodos de sesiones 12º y 16º del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, así como en los períodos de sesiones sexto a 11º del Examen Periódico Universal;", "f) Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas. Los miembros participaron en este Foro todos los años (2007 a 2010).", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "La organización participó en la reunión de alto nivel de 2008 sobre el SIDA. Miembros de más de 30 países participaron en dos encuestas del Comité de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales para el Desarrollo Social en colaboración con el Servicio de Enlace con las Organizaciones no Gubernamentales tituladas “Integración Social en Acción: historias desde las bases” (2009) y “Promover la integración social: voces desde las bases” (2010). Los resultados de las encuestas fueron comunicados a los Estados Miembros y la sociedad civil antes de los períodos de sesiones 48º y 49º de la Comisión de Desarrollo Social.", "13. Consejo Consultivo de Organizaciones Judías", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 1947", "Introducción", "En 2009, la ONG reforzó su posición como principal organización educativa de derechos humanos en la comunidad judía. Forjó lazos con más organismos públicos que nunca antes y trabajó con un creciente número de asociados a favor de los derechos de las personas en situación de vulnerabilidad en el Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte y alrededor del mundo. Entre estos asociados se encuentran la Rothschild Foundation Europe, el Shoresh Charitable Trust, el Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust, el Leigh Trust, el Humanitarian Trust y Matrix Chambers.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "Actividades y campañas:", "a) Campaña para rebatir las políticas de detención de los solicitantes de asilo, incluida la detención indefinida y de personas vulnerables;", "b) Campaña de sensibilización sobre la discriminación generalizada por toda Europa contra los pueblos romaníes;", "c) Campaña para poner fin a la esclavitud, coincidiendo con la Pascua judía en 2011;", "d) Creación de un recurso “Hagadá” que posibilitará que los defensores participen y colaboren activamente en la campaña de la organización;", "e) Relaciones con parlamentarios y funcionarios en relación con los cuatro principales ámbitos de actuación de la organización para expresar una única opinión judía sobre cuestiones de derechos humanos;", "f) Organización de un programa de perfeccionamiento, de un año de duración, dirigido a los militantes, para convertir a jóvenes profesionales en defensores comprometidos e informados de los derechos humanos. El programa incluye visitas a Ginebra, La Haya y Estrasburgo (Francia), en las que los participantes tienen una oportunidad única para reunirse con figuras influyentes en materia de derechos humanos internacionales y asistir a las reuniones de varios órganos internacionales;", "g) Celebración de jornadas de formación y sabbats sobre derechos humanos, en los que participan distintos sectores de la comunidad judía y el público general, y se proporciona una capacitación y educación inestimables en cuestiones de derechos humanos;", "h) Desarrollo de proyectos para estudiantes encaminados a promover los valores de los derechos, el respeto y la responsabilidad, así como un enfoque integrado y holístico con respecto a los derechos humanos y la educación sobre justicia social en las escuelas judías. El proyecto se está desarrollando en cooperación con el UNICEF.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "La organización incrementó el número de sus iniciativas educativas e introdujo nuevos componentes a sus programas, como los “Premios a las escuelas respetuosas de los derechos” del UNICEF. Entre sus últimos logros, cabe mencionar los siguientes:", "a) Cofundación y colaboración con la red Detention Forum para abogar por el fin de la detención de niños en el Reino Unido;", "b) Aportación de información por parte de la comunidad judía al Gobierno del Reino Unido sobre las leyes propuestas en materia de derechos humanos. Las aportaciones de la ONG fueron bien recibidas por los parlamentarios y tuvieron una importante influencia en la campaña para que la Ley de derechos humanos de 1998 siguiera aplicándose;", "c) Elaboración del “manual sobre detenciones”, que empoderará a los activistas aspirantes proporcionándoles las herramientas necesarias para promover el trato justo de los solicitantes de asilo en el Reino Unido.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización prestó su voz a los debates sobre violaciones de los derechos humanos en el Sudán y se manifestó en contra del racismo, la discriminación y el genocidio en todos los lugares del mundo.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización intervino en numerosos períodos de sesiones, incluidos los del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, por ejemplo, el cuarto período extraordinario de sesiones sobre Darfur, que se celebró en diciembre de 2006, el cuarto período de sesiones, en 2007 y el séptimo período de sesiones, en 2008.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "La organización ha cooperado intensamente con el UNICEF.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "Las iniciativas de la organización en materia educativa están disponibles de forma gratuita y son coherentes con los Objetivos, en el sentido de que se centran en la universalidad de los derechos humanos, incluido el derecho a la educación universal y a la igualdad. Su campaña sobre los solicitantes de asilo se basó en los Objetivos relacionados con la salud maternoinfantil; el propósito de la campaña era poner fin a la detención de mujeres y niños en el Reino Unido, utilizando pruebas que demuestran las repercusiones negativas de esta práctica en su salud y bienestar. Su proyecto sobre los derechos, el respeto y la responsabilidad tenía por objeto que las escuelas participantes incorporaran la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño en sus acciones, apoyando de esta manera, los derechos humanos de los niños, que están estrechamente ligados a varios de los Objetivos.", "14. Dignity International", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 2007", "Introducción", "Dignity International aúna a las entidades de derechos humanos y de desarrollo y a las comunidades que luchan por salir adelante, que trabajan conjuntamente para producir un cambio social duradero.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "Producir un cambio social duradero reforzando la capacidad de los sectores marginalizados y vulnerables de la sociedad para sensibilizar sobre su derecho humano a llevar una vida digna y reivindicarlo.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "La organización consiguió ayudar a las personas a hacer valer sus derechos, especialmente los económicos, sociales y culturales, y a exigir al Estado que los respete. Los procesos participativos y democráticos derivados de las bases y que se asientan en las necesidades hacen posible que los verdaderos problemas se pongan sobre la mesa para que los gobiernos adopten mayores medidas por el bien común. Un ejemplo es la lucha por los derechos de la tierra en la India, donde el Ministro de Desarrollo Rural anunció la creación del Comité Nacional para la Reforma Agraria, que comenzará a implantar una política en la materia.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "La contribución de la organización a la labor de las Naciones Unidas es transversal, ya que garantiza una participación de base, democrática e inclusiva, en los mecanismos de las Naciones Unidas y aumenta el entendimiento de los principios de las Naciones Unidas y el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales en concreto. Esto se consigue principalmente por medio del programa global de vinculación y aprendizaje sobre desarrollo basado en los derechos humanos, que presta especial atención al Pacto. El programa se desarrolló en Malasia (diciembre de 2007), el Brasil (2008), los Países Bajos (2009) y Malasia (2010).", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, Ginebra, noviembre de 2008; Conferencia de examen de Durban, Ginebra, abril de 2009; octavo período de sesiones del Grupo de Trabajo intergubernamental sobre la aplicación efectiva de la Declaración y el Programa de Acción de Durban, Ginebra, octubre de 2010.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "En 2007, junto con sus asociados, el Hakijamii Trust y Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) de la India, la organización hizo una presentación conjunta durante las consultas con la sociedad civil de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) sobre el proyecto de ley internacional que hace hincapié en la lucha contra la pobreza extrema como obligación de todos los Estados.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "Dignity International integra los Objetivos por medio de varios programas anuales de capacitación de alcance mundial, regional y nacional. En el módulo titulado “Desarrollo basado en los derechos humanos: vinculaciones con las normas de derechos humanos” se incluye un componente integral sobre los Objetivos. Dado que los ocho Objetivos afectan directamente a todos los miembros de base de la organización, cada miembro se ocupa de integrar un Objetivo distinto, conforme a sus prioridades.", "Información adicional", "Además de su intervención y defensa activa ante las Naciones Unidas, la ONG participa en diversas redes regionales de derechos humanos a nivel de la sociedad civil y del Estado:", "a) ASEAN: participación activa en la formación de la Comisión Intergubernamental de Derechos Humanos;", "b) Foro de la sociedad civil de África Occidental: participación activa con sus miembros y afianzamiento de la solidaridad regional por los derechos humanos entre las organizaciones de la sociedad civil de África Occidental (2010);", "c) Asociación del Asia Meridional para la Cooperación Regional (SAARC): programa regional de vinculación y aprendizaje sobre desarrollo basado en los derechos humanos, abril y mayo de 2008;", "d) Unión Europea: participación activa de las redes colaboradoras de la organización con las autoridades de la Unión Europea en relación con la supresión de la pobreza en Europa (2007 y 2008);", "e) Foro Social Mundial: organización de varios debates sobre derechos humanos y desarrollo, así como sobre derechos económicos, sociales y culturales (Kenya, 2007; Brasil, 2009).", "15. Organización Mundial de Personas con Discapacidad", "Reconocida como entidad de carácter consultivo especial en 1983", "Introducción", "La Organización Mundial de Personas con Discapacidad es una red global de discapacidades múltiples con 134 organizaciones miembro.", "Objetivos y propósitos de la organización", "Como organización de base, la ONG cree que las personas con discapacidad deberían participar directamente en los procesos de diálogo y toma de decisiones que afectan a sus vidas.", "Cambios importantes operados en la organización", "No ha habido cambios.", "Contribución a la labor de las Naciones Unidas", "El principal foco de atención de la organización son los derechos humanos y la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad; el respeto por la diversidad; y la pobreza y los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio. Creó diversos instrumentos para supervisar la firma, ratificación y aplicación de la Convención, incluido un calendario de actividades principales, una guía para la organización de talleres sobre la Convención y un formulario de evaluación de necesidades. Contribuyó al aumento del reconocimiento global de las mujeres con discapacidad colaborando con el Centro de la Tribuna Internacional de la Mujer, que en dos de sus boletines informativos destacó sendas entrevistas con los representantes de la organización acerca de la Convención. Presentó un documento titulado “Sugerencias para el reglamento interno del Comité sobre la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad” ante el ACNUDH, que el Comité publicó en la Intranet de la ACNUDH. La organización se asoció con la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) y la Sociedad Internacional de Prótesis y Ortosis para publicar un libro titulado “Pautas para el suministro de sillas de ruedas manuales en entornos de menores recursos”. El Banco Mundial incluyó parte del material de la organización en la información sobre discapacidades que ofrece en su sitio web y está a disposición de los organismos de las Naciones Unidas y el público general. Su asociación con World Vision hizo que distintos gobiernos incluyeran a las personas con discapacidad en los informes que presentó al Consejo de Derechos Humanos, como parte del examen periódico universal.", "Participación en reuniones de las Naciones Unidas", "La organización participó en una iniciativa de cabildeo de grupo para que se diera más importancia al tema de la discapacidad sobre el terreno, durante el Comité Ejecutivo de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR), que fue organizado por World Vision y Handicap International. Como consecuencia, el ACNUR acordó tener en cuenta la cuestión de la discapacidad en su programación para 2011. La organización participó en los períodos de sesiones de la Conferencia de Estados Partes en la Convención, en la tercera sesión del Comité de los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y en el programa emblemático de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) de “Educación para Todos (EPT) para el Derecho a la Educación de Personas con Discapacidad: hacia la inclusión”.", "Cooperación con órganos y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas sobre el terreno o en las sedes", "En enero de 2010, la ONG prestó apoyo a la organización del seminario sobre la vigilancia del respeto por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, promovido por el ACNUDH e International Disability Alliance. En diciembre de 2007, ofreció un simposio en Filipinas al que acudieron más de 130 participantes en el que se examinó cómo la Convención puede reforzar los derechos humanos de los niños y los jóvenes con discapacidad. Al simposio asistieron participantes de las Naciones Unidas, el Banco Mundial, World Vision e institutos nacionales de derechos humanos. El Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas celebró una reunión de dos días con la organización para tratar cuestiones relativas a la salud sexual y reproductiva y preparar una hoja informativa sobre el tema. En su séptima asamblea mundial anual, la ONG organizó un acto paralelo especial en nombre del Fondo sobre el VIH/SIDA, la salud materna y el derecho de las personas con discapacidad a acceder a los servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva. Asimismo, firmó una carta de acuerdo con la Alianza Mundial en favor de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones y el desarrollo para garantizar la accesibilidad a esas tecnologías en todo el mundo.", "Iniciativas adoptadas por la organización en apoyo de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio", "Las organizaciones miembro de la ONG de todo el mundo celebraron el Día Internacional de las Personas con Discapacidad en 2010 bajo el lema “Mantener la promesa: incorporación de la discapacidad en los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio hacia 2015 y más allá”. Con ello se buscaba resaltar la importancia de incorporar los derechos de las personas con discapacidad en los Objetivos, una deficiencia que se había detectado en el Foro de la sociedad civil que se celebró durante la Tercera Conferencia de los Estados Parte en la Convención." ]

[ "Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations", "2012 regular session", "30 January-8 February 2012", "Quadrennial reports for the period 2007-2010 submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council through the Secretary-General pursuant to Council resolution 1996/31", "Note by the Secretary-General", "Contents", "Page1. ALDET 2 Centre (Saint \nLucia) 2.Al-Hakim 4 \nFoundation 3.Bhagwan 6 Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti \nJaipur 4.Caritas 7 \nInternationalis 5.Center 9 for Inter-Ethnic \nCooperation 6. Child 11 Development \nFoundation 7.Children 13 of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young \nPeople 8.Chinese 14 Association for International \nUnderstanding 9.Convention 16 of Independent Financial \nAdvisors 10. Citizens’ 17 Coalition for Economic \nJustice 11. Community 19 Social Welfare \nFoundation 12.Company 20 of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de \n Paul 13.Consultative 21 Council of Jewish \nOrganizations 14.Dignity 23 \nInternational 15.Disabled 25 Peoples \nInternational", "1. ALDET Centre (Saint Lucia)", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "ALDET Centre is an international human rights organization acting for and on behalf of indigenous peoples and local communities in approximately 61 countries.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The organization coordinates activities relating to:", "(a) Preservation, protection, development and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities;", "(b) Associated national, subregional, regional and international activities;", "(c) Participation with member organizations of the United Nations Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues.", "Significant changes in the organization", "ALDET Centre created and coordinated the following organizations:", "• Indigenous People (Bethechilokono) of Saint Lucia Governing Council", "• Caribbean Antilles Indigenous Peoples Caucus and the Diaspora", "• Small Island Developing States 2005 Mauritius Initiative", "• Saint Lucia Commission on Human Rights", "• Self-Governing Administrative Mechanism of the Indigenous People (Bethechilokono) of Saint Lucia", "• Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International and coordinating committees for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, with a membership in 61 countries.", "ALDET Centre is a member of Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International; World Indigenous Nations Sport International; Indigenous World Association; the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) NGO Network; the World Bank civil society network; and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) civil society network.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "2007. Guidelines for enhancing the participation of major groups in the United Nations Environment Programme at the governance level, August;", "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: Questionnaire on a human rights-based approach to development in the context of indigenous peoples.", "2008. Seventh session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, April-May;", "Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Bonn, Germany, May;", "Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, October.", "2009. Submitted a Kwéyòl translation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for publication on its website, June 2009.", "2010. Established national coordinating committees in countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "2007. International Indigenous Expert Consultation on Access and Benefit-Sharing of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, September 2007;", "UNEP Latin America and Caribbean Civil Society Forum, Monterrey, Mexico, October.", "2008. Sixteenth meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Santo Domingo, January-February;", "Preparatory Committee for the review conference on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Geneva;", "Meeting of the Working Group on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilization, Quito, April;", "UNEP Latin America and Caribbean Civil Society Forum, Buenos Aires, November;", "Twelfth to seventeenth sessions of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, 2008-2010.", "2009. Durban Review Conference, Geneva, April;", "National consultations sponsored by WIPO and CARICOM in Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago on the establishment of a regional framework for the protection of traditional knowledge, folklore and genetic resources between March and October.", "2010. World Bank meeting on indigenous peoples, Washington, D.C., April;", "Ninth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, April;", "Global Environment Facility Council consultations with civil society organizations and Council meeting, Washington, D.C., June-July.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "(a) Coordinated income-generating arts and crafts projects on sustainable development, taking into account intellectual property rights, for approximately 15,000 indigenous persons in Saint Lucia;", "(b) Encouraged sustainable and renewable use of indigenous raw materials;", "(c) Observed annually the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, International Day for Biological Diversity, World Environment Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, International Migrants Day, Human Rights Day and World Food Day.", "2. Al-Hakim Foundation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Al-Hakim Foundation is a non-profit educational and social welfare organization established in Iraq in 2003 to promote intellectual excellence, religious dialogue and cultural understanding.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The Foundation is based upon moderation and encourages dialogue among revealed religions, religious schools and doctrines, and the mobilization of society against discrimination, chauvinism and factionalism.", "Significant changes in the organization", "Since 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation has extended its affiliation with the following organizations: (a) Al-Imam Ali schools: primary and elementary schools in three Iraqi provinces; (b) Al-Shaikh Al-Tusi University; (c) Muslim Women’s Organization; (d) Dar Al-Hikma School for Humanitarian Sciences; (e) Islamic Gathering for Iraqi Students; Al-Raya Students Gathering; (f) Documentary centre for victims buried in mass graves; (g) Mahdi Al-Hakim Institute for training staff and leaders; (h) Al-Imam Mohsen Al-Hakim Institute for Women; (i) Al-Rafidain Children’s Foundation. It also collaborated with Imamia Medics International and International Relief and Development on joint activities in Iraq.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "Representatives of Al-Hakim Foundation regularly attended the meetings of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Commission for Social Development, Commission on the Status of Women and Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They also attended the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, held in Doha from 29 November to 2 December 2008.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "In 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation organized and participated in a two-day conference entitled “Iraq for all Iraqis” at the United Nations. Eighty participants gathered for the dialogue, including the Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Permanent and Deputy Permanent Representatives to the United Nations. The purpose was to forge global partnerships to rebuild Iraqi national consensus.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The Foundation sponsored 85,000 orphans through the “Orphan Sponsorship Programme”; provided financial, food and medical assistance to poor families; supported 52,638 internally displaced families in Iraq; supported the marriage of 4,767 orphans; and provided urgent grants for 8,919 families who had lost their homes as a result of violence.", "The Foundation sponsored educational institutes and ran 53 preschools as part of a project named “Ahbab Alsidiqa Preschools” in 14 Iraqi cities. The project included 4,430 students. The Foundation also operated a group of Al-Imam Ali schools in three provinces. This included eight elementary and two high schools; the number of students was 2,306.", "The Foundation promoted gender equality and empowered women by creating job opportunities in its schools, where 80 per cent of the staff are women. It opened educational centres especially for women that offer classes in computers, nursing, sewing, medical first aid, dressmaking and handicrafts.", "In 2007, it established the Dar Al-Hakma School for Humanitarian and Cultural Studies for Women, which has 365 students and 40 teachers.", "With the cooperation of Imamia Medics International, the Foundation implemented a project to collect 1,000 nebulisers for distribution to children with asthma in Iraqi villages.", "In December 2009, it distributed 75 wheelchairs to disabled children in Basra, in cooperation with International Relief and Development.", "In February of the same year, in cooperation with the Department of Health, it implemented an educational health campaign in Numaniya on the importance of vaccinating children. In November 2008, the Foundation held a seminar in Babil on the causes of cholera outbreaks and methods of prevention. Also in 2008, it implemented a “visiting doctor” project in many southern Iraqi villages, where female doctors visited poor families, performed medical examinations on women, educated families about common diseases and distributed pregnancy tests and necessary medications. In February 2007, the Foundation organized a seminar in Wasit on the causes, prevention and treatment of polio. Between 2007 and 2010, it distributed 630 wheelchairs to handicapped children.", "In August 2010, the Foundation applied for operational relations with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).", "Additional information", "The Foundation now operates in most areas of Iraq, having opened new branches in the western part of the country. It also established three international offices in Beirut, Geneva and New York.", "3. Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur is a registered society in India. It operates mainly in India but also has activities in other parts of the world, including a joint venture in Colombia and associate centres in Pakistan and the Philippines. It holds camps in other countries and trains technicians from various parts of the world in Jaipur limb technology. It is a non-political, non-religious NGO dedicated to service.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "Rehabilitation of the disabled, in particular persons without resources, in India and worldwide. This is achieved by providing artificial limbs, calipers, wheelchairs and other aids and appliances to the disabled. On a selective basis, efforts are made to promote the economic rehabilitation of the disabled.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization increased its coverage, including by holding camps in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Senegal and Sri Lanka.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization held on-the-spot camps to fit artificial limbs in Lebanon in April 2007 (90 limbs/calipers) and in July 2008 (146 limbs/calipers); in Pakistan (Islamabad and Karachi) in August 2007 (987 limbs/calipers); in Iraq in March and April 2010 (882 limbs); in Sri Lanka in March and April 2010 (1,210 limbs); and in Senegal in July 2010 (607 limbs).", "This humanitarian work is in line with the objectives of the Economic and Social Council. In Pakistan, the fact that an Indian organization was holding camps was greatly appreciated as a brotherly effort. The organization also helped two local organizations to set up permanent limb-fitting centres. The centre in Karachi has already fitted more than 5,000 limbs. The camp in war-torn Iraq and the camp in the Tamil area of Sri Lanka were greatly appreciated. It should be noted that the camp in Lebanon was set up with the support of the Indian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization informed the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations about its willingness to hold limb-fitting camps in Haiti after the earthquake. However, it is still awaiting a response.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "One of the organization’s major goals is to increase the coverage of its rehabilitation programme so that the disabled achieve mobility and dignity. Its geographical coverage has grown enormously; more than 1.2 million disabled persons have been given limbs (over 400,000), calipers (over 300,000) and other aids and appliances (over 500,000). From April 2007 to March 2011, 258,000 disabled benefited in India alone. Overall, the organization has provided limbs to 19,378 amputees in 25 countries. It is the world’s largest organization for the disabled in terms of sheer coverage.", "Additional information", "The organization provides assistance free of charge and has the capacity to hold on-the-spot limb/caliper-fitting camps anywhere in the world. The average cost of a limb in such camps varies between $200 and $300 compared to the several thousand dollars per limb incurred by other organizations. With respect to research and development, the organization has a memorandum of understanding with Stanford University, in the United States of America which led to the development of a new knee joint for above-knee amputees. This joint was rated as one of the 50 best inventions in the world in 2009; the organization has already fitted more than 2,600 persons. Similar collaboration was undertaken with other international and Indian organizations. The society is currently collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States on the development of a manually operated wheelchair that is rugged and can operate on undulated terrain. It has a memorandum of understanding with another organization in the United States to manufacture a “whirlwind wheelchair”, which also is manually operated and especially useful on rough terrain. Such wheelchairs are very cost-effective and, once manufactured on a large scale, would find a market in large countries. This is a good example of international technical cooperation that benefits humanity.", "4. Caritas Internationalis", "General, 1999", "Introduction", "Caritas Internationalis is a global confederation of 165 national Catholic humanitarian, social services and development organizations working in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The organization has four main objectives: (a) responding to emergencies: Caritas Internationalis is recognized for its rapid response, technical expertise and effective coordination in emergency programming and disaster preparedness; (b) integral human development: the confederation provides effective technical expertise and coordination to regions and member organizations to empower the poor to become the drivers of their own development; (c) building sustainable peace: Caritas Internationalis is coordinating processes aimed at transforming unjust structures and conflict non‐violently, promoting peacebuilding through interfaith dialogue and building one united human community; (d) adapting the structures, processes and finances of the confederation: Caritas Internationalis will adapt its internal governance, operational structures and systems in order to respond dynamically to contemporary needs and to ensure effective management, financial sustainability and the building of strategic alliances across its network.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "During the period 2007-2010, the organization’s representatives participated in sessions of the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Commission on the Status of Women and in meetings on financing for development and the status of indigenous peoples. Its Humanitarian Director is a member of the group of humanitarian coordinators of the United Nations and has regularly been part of interview panels for the humanitarian coordinator pool.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The confederation actively participated in weekly meetings of the inter-agency standing committee on priority humanitarian situations of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It served on task forces as critical emergencies unfolded and was an invited speaker on key country situations and cross-sector issues. It provided the Office with timely resource data from the field and from relevant partnerships between the confederation and churches on the ground, especially to support preparatory teams before executive missions. It worked with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Political Affairs. It continued to maintain close collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), on the basis of a memorandum of understanding on a joint commitment to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, activities to mitigate the impact of the epidemic and advocacy in the context of the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on UNAIDS. In April 2008, the confederation’s Special Adviser on HIV/AIDS gave a presentation at a UNAIDS Religion and Faith-Based Organization Working Group strategy development meeting, focusing on strengthening collaboration between faith communities and United Nations agencies on responding to the HIV pandemic. In addition, UNAIDS co-sponsored a Caritas Internationalis conference on paediatric HIV and HIV/Tuberculosis (TB) co‑infection, held in Rome in October 2009; the Executive Director of UNAIDS was the keynote speaker at the conference. In January 2008, the confederation organized, in collaboration with the Stop TB Department of the World Health Organization (WHO), a joint mission to Swaziland to promote greater collaboration between the Government of Swaziland and faith-based organizations responding to HIV and tuberculosis in the country. Caritas Internationalis endorsed the WHO “Make Medicines Child Size Campaign” in 2008, 2009 and 2010, attended the partners’ meetings for the Campaign and provided verbal input at the 2010 session. In 2007, its Geneva delegation contributed to the draft of the 2007 conclusions on children at risk of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It participated regularly in the UNHCR-NGO annual consultations, in 2008 with a side event on the protection of unaccompanied children; in 2009 with a statement and side event on the forgotten refugees from and internally displaced persons in Colombia and a contribution on displacement in urban settings; and in 2010 by taking the lead in the session on protracted refugee situations in camp settings. In April 2009, the confederation organized a side event on the human rights of migrant domestic workers with the Committee on Migrant Workers.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The confederation produced a special feature on its website, entitled “Halftime but not halfway: MDGs and HIV” (see http://www.caritas.org/activities/hiv_aids/ HalftimeNotHalfway.html), which detailed the impact of the HIV pandemic on progress towards achieving the Goals.", "5. Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation was founded in 1997 and is located in Moscow.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The main aim of the Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation is to support civil society development, in particular the idea of tolerance in Russian Federation society. To achieve this aim, it organizes various conferences, training programmes, seminars and round-table discussions in different regions of the country. These events are devoted to inter-ethnic problems, the high level of intolerance among Russian Federation youth, the promotion of gender inequality, etc. The heads of more than 400 NGOs from 30 regions of the Russian Federation, representatives of the federal and local authorities, law enforcement agencies, relief organizations and the mass media, and young people constitute the main participants. The Center created the Internet newspaper “Inter-Ethnic” (see www.interethnic.org) and the Internet Network of Ethnic Associations, whose members include more than 160 ethnic associations from 46 regions of the Russian Federation. The Center’s projects have been supported by the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Council and the United States Foundations MacArthur, Charles Stewart Mott, the National Endowment for Democracy and IREX, as well as the embassies of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The Center widened the scope of its activities during the period 2007-2010. Experience showed that it was impossible to solve the problems of ethnic minorities in the Russian Federation without the active participation of young people. The problem of gender equality also appeared to be one of the most important challenges. Without a developed civil society, it was impossible to work on these issues. The Center, which had previously focused solely on solving the problems of ethnic minorities, widened its activities and began to focus on civil society development with extensive involvement of young people. What is more, international cooperation became a very important factor in the Center’s development strategy.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "During the period 2007-2010, the Center implemented the following projects: (a) with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation: training programmes for ethnic association representatives aimed at civil society rights protection; (b) with the support of the European Union: support for regional ethnic communities in the Russian Federation; building capacities and networks for immigrant and ethnic minority women: an integrated approach and project to fight gender and ethnic discrimination in the Russian Federation; utilization of the Internet Network of Ethnic Associations for organizing mass campaigns in the media to propagate cultural tolerance in youth circles; (c) with the support of the Embassy of Germany: prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts in municipal districts of the Russian Federation; (d) with the support of the Embassy of the United Kingdom: prevention of inter-ethnic conflict in the Russian Federation; cooperation on the prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts in the North Caucasus; (e) with the support of the Embassy of the United States: opposing extremism among young people; workshops and training sessions for young activists and students; (f) with the support of the Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency: training for young leaders on the promotion of gender equality in the north-western part of the Russian Federation.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "2008: Representatives of the Center attended the sixty-first Annual Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information in Paris in September.", "2009: Representatives of the Center attended the Durban Review Conference in Geneva in April. They also took part in working groups during the preparatory meeting for the Durban Review Conference in Geneva.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The Center has successfully cooperated with the United Nations country team for the Russian Federation for many years. The Senior Human Rights Adviser of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to the country team and other representatives of the team attended many events organized by the Center. Representatives of the Center also actively participated in activities organized by the country team.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "In seven regions, special centres called “Femina” were established to provide psychological, judicial and informational support to women from ethnic minorities and migrants.", "6. Child Development Foundation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Child Development Foundation was established in Khartoum, in 1999. It promotes the rights of the child and the protection of war-affected children, child soldiers, street children, internally displaced persons and refugee children, child labourers and orphans. It operates in Gedaref state, Kassala, Khartoum, Southern Darfur and Western Darfur.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "Promoting child rights and protection; peacebuilding; advocating for girl children; rendering services to vulnerable children; capacity-building of stakeholders; and poverty alleviation. The Foundation achieves its aims through project implementation, capacity-building and advocacy.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The Foundation expanded its geographical range to address major challenges and emerging issues in Darfur and East Sudan and amplified its operations to include such new areas as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, legal reform and juvenile justice.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The Foundation conducted reintegration activities for children associated with armed forces and groups in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme in Gedaref, Khartoum and Western Darfur states between 2007 and 2009. A total of 271 beneficiaries were released from armed forces and groups. Indirect beneficiaries included 270 members of protection networks, 2,250 vulnerable children and 2,250 community members.", "In 2010, the Foundation supported children and young people affected by war in Southern Darfur state, in partnership with the common Humanitarian Fund for the Sudan. A total of 15,000 young people and children benefited. From 2010 and continuing to 2012, in cooperation with the relevant ministries and the International Labour Organization (ILO), it prepared a project on tackling child labour through education in Northern Sudan.", "The Foundation led an advocacy campaign for children who were involved in the military attack launched by the Justice and Equality Movement on Omdurman in May 2008. The children were pardoned and arrangements were made to set them free.", "The Director General of the Foundation attended the first regional conference on cross-border trafficking of children in Chad in 2008, organized by UNICEF.", "The Foundation participated in the monitoring of the elections in the Sudan in February 2010, in collaboration with the National Elections Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).", "It also contributed to the preparatory process for the Southern Sudan referendum in January 2011.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The Foundation attended the following meetings:", "• Eighth and ninth sessions of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, June and September 2008 (presented an oral statement on the abduction and trafficking of Sudanese children)", "• Preparatory consultations of the Executive Committee of UNHCR, Geneva, June 2008, on supporting refugee children", "• Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition, held in collaboration with UNDP, 2008-2010", "• Conference on trauma mitigation organized in collaboration with WHO in Alexandria, Egypt, 2007", "• “Free Children from War” conference on child soldiers, Paris, February 2007", "• Attended Department of Public Information conference organized in France, 2008", "• Civil Society Development Forum held with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on global public health in the context of the global economic crisis, Geneva, July 2009", "• Civil Society Development Forum on the theme “Women’s human rights and development: inclusion, participation, and equality”, New York, May 2010", "• Meeting concerning recommendations by NGOs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the implementation in the Sudan of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The Foundation:", "(a) Participated in efforts by UNICEF to endorse the Federal Child Act in 2010;", "(b) Contributed within the framework of the national mechanism sponsored by UNICEF (2007-2009) to establish child and family protection units within the police throughout the Sudan;", "(c) Conducted an awareness campaign on child rights in Kassala state in 2009 and 2010, in partnership with UNICEF and UNDP. A total of 13,800 schoolchildren benefited from the project.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The Foundation endeavoured to achieve universal primary education through an accelerated learning programme targeting children in the eastern states and Darfur. It participated in the Day of the African Child in Nyala, Southern Darfur, to stop the recruitment of children and in the World Day Against Child Labour in Khartoum in 2010.", "7. Children of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young People", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The Fund was established to create and promote a worldwide movement of people for a healthy lifestyle.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "• Bring the peoples of the world together in a universal movement for a healthy lifestyle (“Planet People’s Games”)", "• Create a mechanism to attract people worldwide to the movement", "• Create a global information bank to process data from participants", "• Collective and individual teaching for young people and adults about the basics of a healthy lifestyle", "• Establish an international website", "• Conduct five health and sports festivals called “Planet Peoples’ Games” among the staff of municipalities", "• Conduct four health and sports festivals called “presidential competitions” among schoolchildren", "Significant changes in the organization", "No changes.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "(a) The Fund proposed that the United Nations strengthen its role in the development of the global movement for a healthy lifestyle and that the General Assembly consider the topic;", "(b) The Fund presented the fitness movement “Planet Peoples’ Games” at Headquarters in New York on 19 July 2007 (see Journal No. 2007/138), jointly with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace;", "(c) The Fund conducted negotiations on cooperation with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, New York, July 2007.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "Negotiating with UNICEF on joint activities, July 2007.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "• Joint presentation on “Planet Peoples’ Games”", "• Joint implementation of the world health movement with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "• Establishment of our organization to promote a global movement for a healthy lifestyle", "• Establishment of international monitoring of fitness levels and health", "• Creation of a global databank of participants in this recreational movement (see www. planetpg.org)", "Additional information", "• Our organization is looking for closer contact with the Economic and Social Council to work together on a global health movement for people worldwide under the auspices of the United Nations", "• Our organization is willing to make a presentation at a meeting of the Council on the topic “Organization of the world movement ‘Planet Peoples’ Games’ for a healthy lifestyle for people worldwide”", "8. Chinese Association for International Understanding", "Special, 2003", "Introduction", "No changes", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "No changes", "Significant changes in the organization", "No changes", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "(a) Seventh and eighth Asia-Europe People’s Forum held in Beijing and Brussels in October 2008 and 2010 respectively. The Association co-sponsored and chaired one of the sub-forums of the seventh Forum on the theme “Social and economic rights and environmental justice”. Representatives attended the eighth Forum and made suggestions for the final outcome document;", "(b) Seventh and ninth World Social Forum in January 2007 and 2009 in Kenya and Brazil respectively; the Association organized relevant workshops and exhibitions on the Forums;", "(c) 2007, 2008 and 2010 Global Summit of Women in Berlin, Hanoi and Beijing; the Association gave a presentation at the 2010 Summit on the topic “Leading change for women through our cities”;", "(d) Fourth, fifth and seventh Northeast Asia Youth Forum in Seoul in August 2007, 2008 and 2010 respectively;", "(e) Annual World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Japan from 2007 to 2010;", "(f) World Peace Forum at the Great Wall of China, Qinhuangdao, July 2009; the Association co-sponsored the Forum on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and signed the outcome document of the Forum, “Peaceful Declaration of the Great Wall”.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The Association:", "(a) Attended the sixtieth, sixty-first, sixty-second and sixty-third annual Department of Public Information/NGO Conferences held in New York, Paris, Mexico City and Melbourne, Australia, respectively;", "(b) Co-sponsored the second and third Conferences of the United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network/Asia-Pacific in Beijing in June 2007 and April 2008; spoke at the second Conference on “The responsibility and role of NGOs in poverty alleviation” and addressed the third Conference on “Sustainable development and green Olympics”;", "(c) Attended the 2007 Civil Society Development Forum sponsored by the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations and the 2007 High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva;", "(d) Encouraged civic participation in tackling social problems at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus 3 workshop, held in Jakarta in October 2007;", "(e) Attended the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen and Cancun in December 2009 and November 2010 respectively and worked with other Chinese NGOs to host side meetings at the Conferences.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "(a) Attended the sixtieth and sixty-second annual sessions of the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2007 and 2009;", "(b) Attended the eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Colombo in 2007.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "Goal 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger). Actions: Received a donation of $100,000 from the civil association “Polish House”, the Kazankai Foundation and Initiatives of Change — Japan for quake victims in Wenchuan, Sichuan province, in 2008.", "Goal 2 (Achieve universal primary education). Actions: Cooperated with the Rotary Club of Australia in Hebei, Shaanxi and Ningxia, China, in 2008 and 2009; built or renovated three schools; donated 10,000 books.", "Goal 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability). Actions: Assisting the NGP Group of Japan in promoting the development of the automobile recycling industry; signed two projects.", "Goal 8 (Develop a global partnership for development). Actions: Cooperated with the Hiroshima prefectural government to provide professional training for Japanese teachers in central and western China and trained five teachers. The Secretary-General of the Association attended the commemoration of United Nations South-South Cooperation Day in Beijing in December 2008. He remarked on the role of NGOs in poverty alleviation and China’s recent achievements.", "Additional information", "(a) The Association organized 20 people-to-people exchanges with other countries every year from 2007 to 2010, to increase mutual understanding and promote dialogue among different civilizations;", "(b) From 2007 to 2010, it annually co-sponsored the “China-Germany comprehensive security dialogue” with the Friedrich Ebert Organization on important international issues.", "9. Convention of Independent Financial Advisors", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Convention of Independent Financial Advisors was created in 2001 at the initiative of a group of financial advisers; its aim is to protect and defend the interests of independent financial advisers and their clients worldwide.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The organization facilitates a crucial discussion platform on finance through its unique status and the support of over 50 partner associations or international federations worldwide, representing over 750,000 financial advisers. In its international capacity, it represents independent financial advisers worldwide with respect to governance, norms, best practices and ethics. It protects the rights of investors who are affected by financial risk that is inadequately handled by legislators and regulators. For that purpose, the organization created the Charter of Investors’ Rights in 2008. The Charter defines the fundamental and inalienable rights and principles of investors so that they may benefit from a legal framework that preserves their personal and intellectual property. It attempts to respect the legislation, traditions and customs of all the countries that ratify it. The Charter undertakes to respect the fundamental rights of mankind as defined in the Charter of the United Nations. To achieve its goals, the Convention organizes an annual high-level international forum. During the reporting period, forums were held in Geneva (2007), Prague (2008), Paris (2009), Madrid (2010) and Monte Carlo (2011). The financial crises that started in 2008 motivated the Association to pursue its goals more aggressively.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The sixth international forum of the Convention was held in Prague in April 2008 on the theme “The investor’s freedom or the consumer’s protection”. It was noted that, as one of the Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development required a coherent financial system that was rule-based and committed to implementing good governance.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "(a) Economic and Social Council 2008 High-level Segment; (b) Preparatory Committee for the twelfth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): hearing with civil society and the private sector, Geneva, March 2008; (c) UNCTAD meeting on the financial crisis and its implications for the international financial reporting architecture and financial stability, Geneva, July 2009; (d) General debate on the world financial and economic crisis and its impact on development, New York, 2009; (e) twenty-fourth to twenty-seventh sessions of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting concerning the International Financial Reporting Standards.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization has been accredited to UNCTAD since January 2008 and has collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) since March 2011. UNITAR and the organization launched an innovative training partnership on ethics and finance with a view to “moralizing” the finance sector and protecting the interests of investors in the wake of the international financial crisis.", "Additional information", "The organization adopted the Charter of Investors’ Rights defining the fundamental and inalienable rights of the investor.", "10. Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice", "Special, 1999", "Introduction", "Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice was formed in response to the extremely unjust structure of economic life in the Republic of Korea today. Rapid economic development over the past 30 years has brought wealth to giant business groups singled out by the Government for preferential treatment and has raised the per capita gross national product (GNP) to more than $20,000. In this process, however, equitable distribution was forgotten, the environment gravely damaged, and democratic development postponed. The priority on industrialization and urbanization alienated large groups and areas and created wide structural gaps, even risking a collapse of the economic system.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The Coalition was founded in 1989 by some 500 persons representing various walks of life, including economics professors and other specialists, lawyers, housewives, students, young adults and business people. Their slogan, “Achieve economic justice by empowering citizens” reflected their belief that deep-rooted economic injustices could not be cured by government alone, but ultimately must be solved through the organized power of citizens. They believed that the fruits of economic development should be shared by the general population, not just the small group of “haves”, and proposed a new methodology of gradual but thorough reform of the economic system. They founded the Coalition as a movement that would (a) be led by ordinary citizens; (b) use legal and non-violent methods; (c) seek workable alternatives; (d) represent the interests of all people, regardless of economic standing; (e) work to overcome greed and egoism in order to build a sharing society.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "Since obtaining consultative status with the Council, the Coalition has taken active steps in the international field. It works to achieve international solidarity and networking and acts on international issues relating to fair distribution, poverty eradication and sustainable development.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The Coalition’s “Society for the Reunification of Korea”, which promotes the empowerment of citizens, policy research, civilian exchange projects and other activities with the goal of constructing a reunified Korean nation where economic justice prevails, joined in the Global Day of Action on Military Spending on 12 April 2011 to coincide with the release of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s new annual figures on world military expenditures. The Society’s programmes focus not only on a reunified Korean nation but also on “sustainable disarmament for sustainable development” worldwide.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The Coalition has confronted many kinds of crises in society in the Republic of Korea, including poverty, hunger, lack of education and poor health care, and realizes that they are not just national problems but also international problems which should be addressed by global movements. It has therefore tried to cooperate with United Nations bodies on sustainable development, human rights, climate change and peace since the 1990s. For example, it organized a “white bands campaign” against poverty in 2009. During the campaign, it worked together with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and has continued to work with UNESCO to combat poverty since that time.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The Coalition launched the Korean Network of NGOs against Global Poverty in 2005; the Network is an alliance of 25 civil society organizations affiliated with the movement “Global Call to Action against Poverty” and works together with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. As a representative group of the Network, the Coalition strives to impress upon civil society organizations the importance of achieving the Goals and to strongly encourage the Government of the Republic of Korea to assume the role of a wealthy State with an increasing level of world influence. It also strives to increase public awareness of and participation in various activities to end poverty and has organized many action campaigns and events in the Republic of Korea, expressing solidarity with national NGOs.", "11. Community Social Welfare Foundation", "Special, 1999", "Introduction", "No changes", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "No changes", "Significant changes in the organization", "No changes", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The Foundation currently provides support in the following areas:", "• Safe water and health centres", "• Renovation of school buildings and other dilapidated public structures", "• Increased awareness of diseases and infections such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio and Lassa fever, with a view to preventing their spread", "• Organization of community groups for cooperative development efforts", "• Establishment and maintenance of adult education centres", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The Foundation participated in the fifteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development at Headquarters in New York.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "None", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "• Organized cooperative societies to boost access to funds and commodities", "• Set up primary education centres for adults", "• Renovated dilapidated structures in primary schools", "• Sponsored nurses and other health-care workers to implement maternal health-care programmes in rural areas", "• Raised funds for the provision of water boreholes", "• Organized voluntary sanitation groups", "Additional information", "None", "12. Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul is an international faith-based organization founded in Paris to alleviate the suffering of people living in poverty. It currently operates in 91 countries, 70 of which are developing countries.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "The organization strives to respond to the socio-economic, cultural and political realities of each location and is committed to the full, integral development of human beings. It is particularly concerned about persons who are forced to live in situations of extreme poverty, especially women and children.", "Significant changes in the organization", "None", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "Participation in the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (2007-2010), the NGO Committee on Social Development, the NGO Committee on Migration, the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development (2009 and 2010), the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS, the NGO Committee on Financing for Development and the NGO Committee on UNICEF: Working Group on Girls (2009-2011).", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "Participation in the Economic and Social Council (2007-2010):", "(a) Commission for Social Development (2007-2010)", "Oral interventions:", "• Forty-seventh session on the priority theme “Social inclusion”", "• Forty-ninth session on the priority theme “Eradication of poverty”", "(b) Commission on the Status of Women (2007-2010). The organization co‑sponsored side events and submitted written statements;", "(c) Commission on Sustainable Development (2007-2010). The organization co‑sponsored two side events at the eighteenth session on “Exploring the implications of the ecological civilization” and “Consumption and the rights of Mother Earth”;", "(d) Meetings relating to financing for development (2007-2010). The main representative made an oral statement at the informal review session of Chapter I of the Monterrey Consensus in February 2008 and contributed to civil society’s key recommendations for the Doha draft outcome document. She participated in the high-level meetings of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and UNCTAD in March 2010;", "(e) Human Rights Council. The organization addressed the Human Rights Council in 2008, attended the twelfth to sixteenth sessions of the Human Rights Council and the sixth to eleventh sessions of the Universal Periodic Review;", "(f) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Members attended the Forum each year (2007-2010).", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization participated in the 2008 high-level meeting on AIDS. Members from more than 30 countries participated in two surveys initiated by the NGO Committee on Social Development in collaboration with the Non-Governmental Liaison Service entitled “Social integration in action: stories from the grass roots” (2009) and “Promoting social integration: voices from the grass roots” (2010). Results of the surveys were made available to Member States and civil society prior to the forty-eighth and forty-ninth sessions of the Commission for Social Development.", "13. Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations", "Special, 1947", "Introduction", "In 2009, the organization strengthened its position as the leading educational human rights organization in the Jewish community. It forged links with more government agencies than ever before and worked with a growing number of partners for the rights of vulnerable people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and around the world. These include Rothschild Foundation Europe, the Shoresh Charitable Trust, the Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust, The Leigh Trust, Humanitarian Trust and Matrix Chambers.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "Advocacy and campaigns:", "(a) Campaign to challenge policies concerning the detention of asylum-seekers, including indefinite detention and the detention of vulnerable persons;", "(b) Campaign to draw awareness to widespread discrimination throughout Europe against the Roma people;", "(c) Campaign to end slavery, coinciding with Passover in 2011;", "(d) Produce a “Haggadah” resource which will empower supporters to actively engage in and assist the organization’s campaign;", "(e) Maintain relationships with parliamentarians and officials in the organization’s four core policy areas so that it can offer a Jewish voice on human rights issues;", "(f) Offer a year-long activist enrichment programme to develop young professionals into committed and knowledgeable human rights campaigners. The programme involves a trip to Geneva, The Hague and Strasbourg, France, during which participants are offered the unique opportunity to meet with influential figures who shape international human rights and to sit in on meetings of various international bodies;", "(g) Hold human rights training days and human rights Sabbaths, which engage different sections of the Jewish and general community and provide invaluable training and education on human rights issues;", "(h) Develop projects for students aimed at promoting the ethos of rights, respect and responsibility and an integrated, holistic approach to human rights and social justice education in Jewish schools. The project is being implemented in cooperation with UNICEF.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization increased its educational initiatives and introduced new components to its programmes, including the UNICEF “Rights Respecting Schools Award”. Recent achievements include:", "(a) Co-founding and working in collaboration with the Detention Forum to campaign for an end to child detention in the United Kingdom;", "(b) Providing input from the Jewish community to the Government of the United Kingdom on proposed human rights legislation. The organization’s input was well-received by parliamentarians and played an important role in the campaign to retain the Human Rights Act 1998;", "(c) Producing the “detention toolkit”, which will empower aspiring activists by providing the tools necessary to promote fair treatment of asylum-seekers in the United Kingdom.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization lent its voice to discussions on human rights violations in the Sudan and spoke out against racism, discrimination and genocide wherever they occurred.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The organization intervened in numerous sessions, including those of the Human Rights Council. Examples include the fourth special session on Darfur, in December 2006, the fourth session, in 2007, and the seventh session, in 2008.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization cooperated extensively with UNICEF.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The organization’s educational initiatives are freely available and are in line with the Goals in that they focus on the universality of human rights, including the right to universal education and equality. Its campaign for asylum-seekers drew on the Goals concerning maternal and child health; the purpose of the campaign was to end the detention of women and children in the United Kingdom, using evidence of the negative impact on their health and well-being. Its project on rights, respect and responsibility sought to incorporate the Convention on the Rights of the Child into the ethos of participating schools, thereby supporting the human rights of children, which are closely linked with several of the Goals.", "14. Dignity International", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Dignity International brings together human rights, development and struggling communities that are working together to bring about lasting social change.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "To bring about lasting social change by strengthening the capacity of marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society to become aware of and claim their human right to live life in dignity.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization succeeded in helping people to assert their rights, especially their economic, social and cultural rights, and to demand that the State respect them. Participatory and democratic processes that stem from the grass roots and are needs-based ensure that genuine concerns are put on the table for Governments to take further action for the common good. One example is the struggle for land rights in India, where the Minister for Rural Development announced the creation of the National Land Reform Committee, which will start implementing a land reform policy.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization’s contribution to the work of the United Nations cuts across the board since it ensures democratic and inclusive grass-roots participation in United Nations mechanisms and furthers understanding of the principles of the United Nations and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in particular. This is accomplished primarily through the organization’s global linking and learning programme on human rights-based development, which has a specific focus on the Covenant. The programme was implemented in Malaysia (December 2007), Brazil (2008), the Netherlands (2009) and Malaysia (2010).", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Geneva, November 2008; Durban Review Conference, Geneva, April 2009; eighth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Geneva, October 2010.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "In 2007, together with its partners Hakijamii Trust and Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) India, the organization made a joint submission at the OHCHR civil society consultations on the proposed international law emphasizing the fight against extreme poverty as an obligation for all States.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "Dignity International mainstreams the Goals through its various annual global, regional and national training programmes. A comprehensive component on the Goals is included in the module entitled “Human rights-based development: links to human rights standards”. Since all the organization’s grass-roots members are directly affected by the eight Goals, different members mainstream different Goals according to their respective priorities.", "Additional information", "In addition to its active intervention and advocacy at the United Nations, the organization engages with regional human rights networks at the civil society and State levels, including:", "(a) ASEAN: Active participation in the formation of the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights;", "(b) West African Civil Society Forum: Active engagement with its members and building regional solidarity for human rights among West African civil society organizations (2010);", "(c) South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): SAARC regional linking and learning programme on human rights-based development, April and May 2008;", "(d) European Union: Active engagement by the organization’s partner networks with European Union authorities regarding ending poverty in Europe (2007 and 2008);", "(e) World Social Forum: Organization of various discussions on human rights and development and on economic, social and cultural rights (Kenya, 2007; Brazil, 2009).", "15. Disabled Peoples International", "Special, 1983", "Introduction", "Disabled Peoples International is a global cross-disability network of 134 member organizations of persons with disabilities.", "Aims and purposes of the organization", "As a grass-roots organization, Disabled Peoples International believes that persons with disabilities should participate directly in dialogue and decision-making processes that affect their lives.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No changes", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization’s primary focus is on human rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; respect for diversity; and poverty and the Millennium Development Goals. It developed several tools for monitoring the signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention, including a timeline of major activities, a guide on organizing workshops on the Convention and a needs assessment form. It increased global recognition of women with disabilities by working with the International Women’s Tribune Centre, which highlighted interviews with the organization’s representatives on the Convention in two of its newsletters. It submitted a document entitled “Suggestions for the rules of procedure of the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” to OHCHR, which the Committee posted on the OHCHR Intranet site. The organization partnered with WHO, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics to publish a book entitled “Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings”. The World Bank included material from the organization in its web-based disability knowledge toolkit which is available to United Nations agencies and the public. Partnership with World Vision led a number of Governments to include people with disabilities in their reports to the Human Rights Council as part of their universal periodic review.", "Participation in meetings of the United Nations", "The organization participated in a group lobbying effort to raise the profile of disability in the field at the Executive Committee of UNHCR, which was organized by World Vision and Handicap International. As a result, UNHCR agreed to focus on disability issues in its programming for 2011. The organization participated in the sessions of the Conference of Sates Parties to the Convention, in the third session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in the UNESCO flagship “The Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion”.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "In January 2010, the organization helped to plan and supported a seminar on the monitoring of disability rights initiated by OHCHR and International Disability Alliance. In December 2007, it held a symposium in the Philippines with over 130 participants on ensuring that the human rights of children and young people with disabilities were reinforced by the Convention. The symposium was attended by participants from the United Nations, the World Bank, World Vision and national human rights institutes. The United Nations Population Fund held a two-day meeting with the organization to discuss sexual and reproductive health-care issues and develop a fact sheet on sexual and reproductive health. At its seventh annual world assembly, the organization held a special side event on behalf of the Fund on HIV/AIDS, maternal health and the right of persons with disabilities to sexual and reproductive health-care services. It also signed a letter of agreement with the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development to ensure the accessibility of information and communications technologies around the globe.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "Member organizations of Disabled Peoples International around the world celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2010 under the theme “Keeping the promise: mainstreaming disability in the MDGs towards 2015 and beyond”. The aim was to highlight the importance of incorporating the rights of persons with disabilities into the Goals, a deficit that had been identified at the civil society forum held during the Third Conference of States Parties to the Convention." ]

[ "NGO Committee", "2012 regular session", "30 January-8 February 2012", "Quadrennial reports for the period 2007-2010 received from non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and submitted through the Secretary-General pursuant to Council resolution 1996/31", "Note by the Secretary-General", "Contents", "Page1. Centro 3 Aldet – Saint Lucia 2.Al-Hakim 5 Foundation 3.Bhagwan 7 Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur 4.Charitas 9 Internationalis 5.The 11 Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation 6. Child 12 Development Foundation 7.Children 15 of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young People 8.Chinese 16 Association for International Understanding 9.Convention 18 of Independent Financial Advisors 10. Coalition 20 Citizens for Economic Justice 11. Community 21 Social Welfare Foundation 12.Compañía 23 de las Hijas de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl 13.Consejo 24 Asesor de Organizaciones Judías 14.Dignity 26 International 15.Organization 28 Mundial de Personas con Disabilities", "1. Centre Aldet - Saint Lucia", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The ALDET Centre is an international human rights organization that works for and on behalf of indigenous peoples and local communities in some 61 countries.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization coordinates initiatives on:", "(a) The preservation, protection, development and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities;", "(b) Related national, subregional and international activities;", "(c) Participation in joint activities with member organizations of the United Nations Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Issues.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The ALDET Centre participated in the creation and coordination of the following organizations:", "• Governing Council of the Indigenous Population (Bethechilokono) of Saint Lucia;", "• Caribbean Indigenous Populations Forum and Diaspora;", "Mauritius Strategy 2005 for Small Island Developing States;", "• Commission on Human Rights of Saint Lucia;", "• Autonomous Administrative Mechanism of the Indigenous Population (Bethechilokono) of Saint Lucia;", "• Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International and coordinating committees for Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, with members in 61 countries.", "The ALDET Centre is a member of Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore International; World Indigenous Nations Sport International; the World Indigenous Association; the Global Environment Facility (GEF) NGO Network; the World Bank civil society network; and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) civil society network.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "2007. Guidelines for improving the participation of major groups at the governance level of the United Nations Environment Programme, August;", "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: Questionnaire on a human rights-based approach to development in the context of indigenous peoples.", "2008. Seventh session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, April and May;", "Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Bonn, Germany, May;", "Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Geneva, October.", "2009. Presentation of a translation into the kwéyòl of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for publication on the Forum website, June 2009.", "2010. Establishment of national coordinating committees in Caribbean Community countries (CARICOM) for the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "2007. International consultation of indigenous experts on access to biological resources and participation in the benefits of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, September 2007;", "UNEP Forum for Civil Society of Latin America and the Caribbean, Monterrey, Mexico, October.", "2008. XVI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, Santo Domingo, January and February;", "Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Geneva;", "Meeting of the Working Group on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Distribution of Derivative Benefits of Their Use, Quito, April;", "UNEP Forum for Civil Society of Latin America and the Caribbean, Buenos Aires, November;", "Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore sessions of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, 2008-2010.", "2009. Durban Review Conference, Geneva, April;", "National consultations sponsored by WIPO and CARICOM in Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago on the establishment of a regional framework for the protection of traditional knowledge, folklore and genetic resources, between March and October.", "2010. World Bank Meeting on Indigenous Peoples, Washington, D.C., April;", "Ninth session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, April;", "Consultations of the Council of the Global Environment Facility with civil society organizations and Council meeting, Washington, D.C., June and July.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "(a) Coordinated projects for sustainable development of handicraft production for income generation that take into account intellectual property rights for approximately 15,000 indigenous people in Saint Lucia;", "(b) Promotion of the sustainable and renewable use of indigenous raw materials;", "(c) Annual celebration of the International Day of the World ' s Indigenous People, the International Day of Biodiversity, World Environment Day, International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, International Day of Migrants, Human Rights Day and World Food Day.", "2. Al-Hakim Foundation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Al-Hakim Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to educational and social well-being established in Iraq in 2003 to promote intellectual excellence, religious dialogue and cultural understanding.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization is based on moderation and promotes dialogue among revealed religions, schools and religious doctrines and the mobilization of society against discrimination, chauvinism and confrontation between factions.", "Significant changes in the organization", "Since 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation has expanded its membership by incorporating the following organizations: (a) Al-Imam Ali schools: primary and elementary schools in three Iraqi provinces; (b) Al-Shaikh Al-Tusi University; (c) Muslim Women ' s Organization; (d) Dar Al-Hikma Humanities School; (e) Islamic Gathering for Iraqi Students; Al-Raya Students Gathering; He also collaborated with Imamia Medics International and International Relief and Development on joint activities in Iraq.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization sent representatives on a regular basis to the meetings of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It also sent representatives to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, held in Doha from 29 November to 2 December 2008.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "In 2007, Al-Hakim Foundation was an organizer and part of a two-day conference entitled “Iraq for all Iraqis” held at the United Nations. Eighty participants joined the dialogue, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq, as well as the Permanent Representative and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the country to the United Nations. The purpose was to create global partnerships to rebuild national consensus in Iraq.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The organization sponsored 85,000 orphans through the “Orphan Sponsorship Programme”; provided financial, food and health assistance to poor families; supported 52,638 families of internally displaced persons in Iraq; supported the marriage of 4,767 orphans; and provided emergency grants to 8,919 families who had lost their homes as a result of violence.", "The organization sponsored educational institutions and took over 53 preschools as part of a project called “Ahbab Alsidiqa Prisoners” in 14 Iraqi cities. The project included 4,430 students. It also worked on the functioning of an Al-Imam Ali school group in three provinces, including eight primary schools and two secondary schools, with a total of 2,306 students.", "The organization promoted gender equality and women ' s empowerment through the creation of job opportunities in their schools, where 80 per cent of the staff are women, and opened educational centres dedicated especially to women who offer computer, nursing, sewing, first aid, cutting and crafts.", "In 2007, he established the School of Humanities and Cultural Studies for Women Dar Al-Hakma, which has 365 students and 40 teachers.", "With the cooperation of Imamia Medics International, the organization implemented a project to bring together 1,000 nebulizers to distribute them to children with asthma in the peoples of Iraq.", "In December 2009, it delivered 75 wheelchairs to children with disabilities in Basra, in cooperation with International Relief and Development.", "In February of the same year, in collaboration with the Department of Health, Al-Hakim Foundation conducted a health education campaign in Numaniya on the importance of immunizing children. In November 2008, he held a seminar in Babil on the causes of cholera outbreaks and prevention methods. Also in 2008, he implemented a “itinerant physician” project in many villages in southern Iraq, through which a group of doctors visited poor families, conducted medical examinations to women, educated families about common diseases and distributed pregnancy tests and necessary medicines. In February 2007, he organized a seminar in Wasit on the causes, prevention and treatment of polio. Between 2007 and 2010, it distributed 630 wheelchairs to children with disabilities.", "In August 2010, the organization requested the establishment of operational relations with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).", "Additional information", "At present, Al-Hakim Foundation is active in most areas of Iraq, having opened new offices in the western part of the country. It also established three international offices in Beirut, Geneva and New York.", "3. Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Jaipur is a society registered in India. It operates mainly in India but also has activities in other parts of the world, including a joint venture in Colombia and associated centres in Pakistan and the Philippines. Conducts prosthesis delivery campaigns in other countries and trains technicians from various parts of the world in Jaipur prosthesis technology. It is an apolitical, non-religious, non-governmental organization dedicated to service.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization is dedicated to the rehabilitation of the disabled, particularly those without resources, in India and around the world. This is achieved through the provision of prosthesis, orthopaedic supports, wheelchairs and other aids and orthopaedic devices to the disabled. On a selective basis, efforts are being made to promote the economic rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization increased its scope, including through the holding of prosthesis campaigns in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Senegal and Sri Lanka.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "The organization conducted on-site prosthesis campaigns in Lebanon in April 2007 (90 orthopaedic prostheses/sports) and in July 2008 (146 orthopaedic prostheses/sports); in Pakistan (Islamabad and Karachi), in August 2007 (987 prostheses/orthopaedic supports); in Iraq, in March and April 2010 (8;", "This humanitarian work is in line with the objectives of the Economic and Social Council. In Pakistan, the fact that an Indian organization carried out the campaigns was greatly appreciated as a fraternal effort. The organization has also helped two local organizations establish permanent orthopaedic centres. The centre located in Karachi has already placed more than 5,000 prostheses. The campaigns carried out in Iraq devastated by the war and in the Tamil area of Sri Lanka were very well received. It should be noted that the campaign in Lebanon was conducted with the support of the Indian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization informed the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of its readiness to conduct prosthesis campaigns in Haiti after the earthquake. However, he is still waiting for an answer.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "One of the main goals of the organization is to increase the coverage of its rehabilitation programme for persons with disabilities to achieve mobility and dignity. Its geographical reach has grown enormously; more than 1.2 million people with disabilities have received prosthesis (more than 400,000), orthopaedic supports (more than 300,000) and other orthopaedic aids and devices (more than 500,000). Between April 2007 and March 2011, 258,000 persons with disabilities benefited only in India. In total, the organization has provided prosthesis to 19,378 persons with amputated members in 25 countries. It is the largest organization in the world for persons with disabilities only taking into account their scope.", "Additional information", "The organization provides free assistance and has the ability to carry out prosthesis and orthopaedic support campaigns anywhere in the world. The average cost of a prosthesis during these campaigns varies between $200 and $300, compared to the various thousands of dollars per prosthesis of other organizations. With regard to research and development, the organization has a memorandum of understanding with Stanford University in the United States of America, which led to the development of a new knee joint for amputees above the knee. This articulation was rated as one of the 50 best inventions in the world in 2009; the organization has already placed more than 2,600 people. A similar collaboration was carried out with other international organizations and India. Currently, the organization is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of the United States to manufacture a manual wheelchair that is resistant and can operate in corrugated terrain. It has a memorandum of understanding with another organization in the United States for the manufacture of a 360-degree wheelchair, which is also manually and useful especially in difficult terrain. These wheelchairs are very cost-effective and, once manufactured on a large scale, they could have a market in other countries. This is a good example of international technical cooperation that benefits humanity.", "4. Caritas Internationalis", "General, 1999", "Introduction", "Caritas Internationalis is a world confederation of 165 national humanitarian, development and social services organizations operating in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization has four main objectives: (a) to respond to emergencies: Caritas Internationalis is recognized for its rapid response, technical knowledge and effective coordination in emergency programming and disaster preparedness; (b) integral human development: the confederation provides effective technical knowledge and coordination to the regions and member organizations to empower the poor and make them the agents of their own development; (c) to build sustainable peace: Caritas Internationalis is coordinating", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "During the period 2007-2010, the representatives of the organization participated in meetings of the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Commission on the Status of Women and in meetings on financing for the development and situation of indigenous peoples. Its humanitarian affairs director is a member of the United Nations humanitarian coordinator group and has been a regular part of the interview teams for the humanitarian coordinator group.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The Confederation actively participated in the weekly meetings of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on the priority humanitarian situations of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She was part of the working groups during critical emergency situations and a guest speaker on key situations in certain countries and cross-cutting issues. It provided the Office with timely data on resources and relevant partnerships between the confederation and churches from the field, especially to support the preparation teams prior to the executive missions. He worked with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Political Affairs. It continued to work closely with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the basis of a memorandum of understanding on a joint commitment to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, efforts to mitigate the impact of the epidemic and advocacy in the context of the 2001 UNAIDS Declaration of Commitment. In April 2008, the Confederation ' s Special Adviser on HIV/AIDS presented at a meeting on the development of strategies of the UNAIDS Religious Organizations Working Group, focusing on strengthening collaboration between religious communities and United Nations agencies in responding to the HIV pandemic. In addition, UNAIDS co-sponsored a Caritas Internationalis conference on pediatric HIV and HIV and TB co-infection, held in Rome in October 2009; the Executive Director of UNAIDS was the keynote speaker at the conference. In January 2008, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) High Tuberculosis Strategy, the Confederation organized a joint mission to Swaziland to promote greater collaboration between the Government of Swaziland and the religious organizations involved in the fight against HIV and tuberculosis in the country. Caritas Internationalis supported the WHO campaign “Medicaments to the Action of Children” in 2008, 2009 and 2010, attended the meetings of campaign partners and made oral contributions at the 2010 session. In 2007, his delegation in Geneva contributed to the drafting of the 2007 draft conclusions on children at risk of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It participated regularly in the annual consultations between UNHCR and NGOs: in 2008, with a side event on the protection of unaccompanied minors; in 2009, with a declaration and a side event on forgotten refugees and internally displaced persons in Colombia and a contribution on displacement in urban contexts; and in 2010, taking the lead in the session on protracted refugee situations in camps. In April 2009, the Confederation organized a side event on the human rights of migrant domestic workers with the Committee on Migrant Workers.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The confederation produced a special event on its website entitled " Half-term but not halfway: MDGs and HIV " (see http://www.caritas.org/esactivities/hiv_aids/HalftimeNotHalfway.html), detailing the impact of the HIV epidemic on progress towards achieving the Goals.", "5. The Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The Center for Inter-Ethnic Cooperation was founded in 1997 and is based in Moscow.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The main objective of the organization is to support the development of civil society, in particular the idea of tolerance in Russian society. To achieve this objective, it organizes several conferences, training programmes, seminars and round tables in the different regions of the country. These activities are dedicated to inter-ethnic problems, the high level of intolerance among young people in the Russian Federation, the promotion of gender equality, etc. Its main members are the directors of more than 400 non-governmental organizations from 30 regions of the Russian Federation, representatives of federal and local authorities, law enforcement agencies, relief organizations, the media and youth. The organization created the Internet newspaper “Inter-Ethnic” (see www.interethnic.org) and a network of ethnic associations on the Internet, whose members include more than 160 ethnic associations from 46 regions of the Russian Federation. Its projects have been supported by the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Council and the MacArthur Foundations and Charles Stewart Mott, the National Foundation for Democracy and the United States International Research and Exchange Board (IREX), as well as the embassies of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization expanded the scope of its activities during the period 2007-2010. Experience showed that it was impossible to solve the problems of ethnic minorities in the Russian Federation without the active participation of young people. The problem of gender equality also appeared as one of the most important challenges. Without a developed civil society, it was impossible to work on these issues. The organization, which had previously focused exclusively on solving the problems of ethnic minorities, expanded its activities and began focusing on the development of civil society with a broad participation of young people. What is more, international cooperation became a very important factor in its development strategy.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "In the period 2007-2010, the organization implemented the following projects: (a) with the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation: training programmes for representatives of ethnic associations for the protection of the rights of civil society; (b) with the support of the European Union: support for regional ethnic communities in the Russian Federation; capacity-building and networks for immigrant women and ethnic minorities: an integrated approach and project to combat ethnic discrimination", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "2008: The organization sent representatives to 61^(a) Annual Conference of the Department of Public Information for Non-Governmental Organizations held in Paris in September.", "2009: Representatives of the organization attended the Durban Review Conference in April in Geneva. They also participated in the working groups during the preparatory meetings for the Durban Review Conference in Geneva.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "For many years, the organization has successfully cooperated with the United Nations country team in the Russian Federation. The Senior Human Rights Adviser of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the country team and other team representatives attended numerous activities organized by the team. Some of the organization ' s representatives have also been actively involved in the country team ' s initiatives.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "In seven regions, special centres called “Femina” were established to provide psychological, legal and informative support to ethnic minority and migrant women.", "6. Child Development Foundation", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The non-governmental organization Child Development Foundation was established in Khartoum in 1999. It promotes the rights of the child and the protection of war-affected children, child soldiers, street children, internally displaced persons and refugee children, child workers and orphans. It operates in Gedaref, Kassala, Khartoum, South Darfur and West Darfur.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "Promotion of children ' s rights and protection; peacebuilding; advocacy for girls; provision of services to vulnerable children; capacity-building for stakeholders; and poverty alleviation. The organization fulfils its objectives through project implementation, capacity-building and advocacy.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization extended its geographical scope to address key challenges and emerging issues in Darfur and eastern Sudan and expanded its operations to include new areas such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, legal reform and juvenile justice.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "Between 2007 and 2009, the organization carried out reintegration activities for children associated with armed forces and groups in collaboration with the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme in Gedaref, Khartoum and West Darfur. 271 children were released from armed forces and groups. Indirect beneficiaries included 270 protection networks, 2,250 vulnerable children and 2,250 community members.", "In 2010, the entity provided support to war-affected children and youth in Southern Darfur, in collaboration with the Common Humanitarian Fund for the Sudan. A total of 15,000 young people and children benefited. The organization prepared a project to eliminate child labour in Northern Sudan through education, in cooperation with the relevant ministries and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which began in 2010 and will continue until 2012.", "The organization led a advocacy campaign for children who participated in the military attack launched by the Justice and Equality Movement in Omdurman in May 2008. The children were pardoned and arrangements were made to release them.", "The Director-General attended the first regional conference on cross-border trafficking in children organized by UNICEF in Chad in 2008.", "The organization participated in the monitoring of elections in the Sudan in February 2010, in cooperation with the National Electoral Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).", "It also contributed to the preparatory process for the Southern Sudan referendum in January 2011.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The organization attended the following meetings:", "• Eighth and ninth sessions of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, June and September 2008 (presented an oral statement on the abduction and trafficking of Sudanese children);", "• Preparatory consultations of the Executive Committee of UNHCR, Geneva, June 2008, on support for refugee children;", "• Conference and exhibition “Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development”, held in collaboration with UNDP, 2008-2010;", "• trauma mitigation conference, organized in collaboration with WHO in Alexandria, Egypt, 2007;", "• Conference on Child Soldiers entitled “We Will Bring the Children of War”, Paris, February 2007;", "• Conference of the Department of Public Information organized in France, 2008;", "• Civil Society for Development Forum on Public Health in the context of the global economic crisis, held with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Geneva, July 2009;", "• Civil Society for Development Forum entitled " Human rights of women and development: inclusion, participation and equality " , New York, May 2010;", "• Meeting on the recommendations of non-governmental organizations to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation in the Sudan of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "The organization:", "(a) Participated in UNICEF actions for endorsing the Federal Child Act in 2010;", "(b) Within the framework of the UNICEF-sponsored national mechanism (2007-2009), it contributed to the establishment of child and family protection units within the police throughout the Sudan;", "(c) It conducted an awareness-raising campaign on children ' s rights in Kassala State in 2009 and 2010, in partnership with UNICEF and UNDP. A total of 13,800 schoolchildren benefited from the project.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The organization made efforts to achieve universal primary education through an accelerated learning programme for children in the Eastern states and Darfur. He participated in the African Child Day in Nyala, South Darfur, to stop the recruitment of children, and on the World Day against Child Labour in Khartoum in 2010.", "7. Children of the World: Regional Public Charitable Fund of Assistance to Cultural and Sports Development of Children and Young People", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "This non-governmental organization was established to create and promote a global movement of people for a healthy lifestyle.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "• Join people around the world in a universal movement for a healthy lifestyle (“Players of the Planet”);", "• Establish a mechanism to attract all the inhabitants of the world to the movement;", "• Create a global information bank to process participant data;", "• Train youth and adults collectively and individually on the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle;", "• Establish an international website;", "• Carry out five health and sport festivals called “Games of the World’s People” among municipal staff;", "• Conduct four health and sport festivals called “presidential competitions” among schoolchildren.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No change.", "Contribution of the organization to the work of the United Nations", "(a) The organization proposed that the United Nations strengthen its participation in the development of the global movement for a healthy lifestyle and that the General Assembly consider the subject;", "(b) The organization presented the movement to achieve a good physical state called the “Games of the World’s People” at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 19 July 2007 (see issue 2007/138 of the Journal), in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace;", "(c) The organization conducted negotiations on cooperation with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace in New York in July 2007.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "Negotiations with UNICEF on joint activities, July 2007.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies", "• Joint presentation on “Games of the World’s People”;", "• Joint implementation of the global health movement with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "• Establishment of our organization to promote the global movement for a healthy lifestyle;", "• Implementing an international monitoring system for training and health levels;", "• Creation of a global database of participants in this recreational movement (see www.planetpg.org).", "Additional information", "• Our organization is seeking closer contact with the Economic and Social Council to work together in a global movement for the health of people around the world under the auspices of the United Nations;", "• Our organization is ready to make a presentation at a Council meeting on the theme “Organization of the World Movement ‘Games of the World’ to achieve a healthy lifestyle for people around the world.”", "8. Chinese Association for International Understanding", "Special, 2003", "Introduction", "No change.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "No change.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No change.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "(a) Seventh and eighth meetings of the Asia-Europe People ' s Forum, held in Beijing in October 2008 and Brussels in October 2010, respectively. The Association co-sponsored and chaired one of the sub-forums of the seventh Forum, whose theme was “Social and economic rights and environmental justice”. Our representatives attended the eighth Forum and made suggestions for the outcome document;", "(b) Seventh and ninth meetings of the World Social Forum, held in Kenya in January 2007 and Brazil in January 2009, respectively; the Association organized relevant workshops and presentations on the Forums;", "(c) World Summit on Women, held in Berlin in 2007, in Hanoi in 2008 and Beijing in 2010; the Association made a presentation at the 2010 Summit on the theme " Leading change in the situation of women through our cities " ;", "(d) Northeast Asia Youth Forum, fourth, fifth and seventh meetings, held in Seoul in August 2007, 2008 and 2010, respectively;", "(e) World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, held annually in Japan from 2007 to 2010;", "f) World Peace Forum, which was held at the Great Wall of China, Qinhuangdao, in July 2009; the Association co-sponsored the Forum on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People ' s Republic of China and signed its final document entitled “Pacific Declaration of the Great Wall”.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The association:", "(a) Participated in the 60th, 61st, 62nd and 63rd annual conferences of the Department of Public Information and non-governmental organizations, held in New York, Paris, Mexico City and Melbourne, Australia, respectively;", "(b) Co-sponsored the second and third Conference of the United Nations/Asia-Pacific Informal Regional Network, held in Beijing in June 2007 and April 2008, respectively; spoke at the second Conference on " Responsibility and Role of NGOs in Poverty Reduction " and spoke at the third Conference on " Sustainable Development and Green Olympics " ;", "(c) Participated in the 2007 Civil Society for Development Forum sponsored by the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, and the 2007 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council, held in Geneva;", "(d) Encouraged civic participation in combating social problems during the workshop organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus 3, held in Jakarta in October 2007;", "(e) He participated in the United Nations Conferences on Climate Change, held in Copenhagen in December 2009 and in Cancun in November 2010, and collaborated with other Chinese NGOs in holding parallel meetings during the Conferences.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "(a) Participated in the 60th and 62nd annual sessions of the World Health Assembly, held in Geneva in May 2007 and 2009, respectively;", "(b) Participated in the eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held in Colombo in 2007.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Activities: received a donation of $100,000 from the Polish House civil association, the Kazankai Foundation and Initiatives of Change-Japan for victims of the Wenchuan earthquake, Sichuan province, in 2008.", "Goal 2 (To achieve universal primary education). Activities: cooperated with the Australian Rotary Club in Hebei, Shaanxi and Ningxia, China, in 2008 and 2009; raised or renewed three schools; donated 10,000 books.", "Goal 7. Activities: collaborated with the NGP Group of Japan to promote the development of the auto recycling industry; signed two projects.", "Goal 8 (Encouraging a global partnership for development). Activities: cooperated with the Hiroshima Prefecture Government to provide professional training to Japanese teachers in central and western China and trained five teachers. The Secretary-General of the Association was present at the commemoration of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, held in Beijing in December 2008, and highlighted, on the one hand, the role of NGOs in poverty reduction and, on the other, the latest achievements of China.", "Additional information", "(a) The NGO organized 20 personal exchanges with other countries every year between 2007 and 2010, in order to increase mutual understanding and promote dialogue among different civilizations;", "(b) From 2007 to 2010, he co-sponsored the “Dialogue between China and Germany on Integral Security” with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung on important international issues.", "9. Convention of Independent Financial Advisors", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Convention of Independent Financial Advisors was created in 2001 at the initiative of a group of financial advisers; its objective is to protect and defend the interests of independent financial advisers and their clients worldwide.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization offers a key platform for discussion on finance through its unique status and the support of over 50 international partnerships or federations around the world and represents more than 750,000 financial advisers. At the international level, it represents independent financial advisers worldwide on governance, standards, best practices and ethics issues. It defends the rights of investors who are affected by poor financial risks managed by legislators and regulators. To that end, the organization drafted the Charter on the Rights of Investors in 2008, which defines the fundamental and inalienable rights and principles of investors, so that they can benefit from a legal framework that preserves their movable property and intellectual property. The Charter respects the laws, traditions and customs of all countries that ratify it, as well as the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. To meet its objectives, the Convention organizes a high-level international forum every year. During the reporting period, forums were held in Geneva (2007), Prague (2008), Paris (2009), Madrid (2010) and Monte Carlo (2011). The financial crises that began in 2008 prompted the Association to pursue its objectives more aggressively.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "The sixth international forum of the Convention was held in Prague in April 2008, with the theme “The freedom of the investor or the protection of the consumer”. It was noted that, as one of the Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development required a coherent financial system based on standards and committed to the implementation of good governance.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "(a) International segment of the Economic and Social Council for 2008; (b) Preparatory Committee for the Twelfth Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): meeting with civil society and the private sector, Geneva, March 2008; (c) meeting of UNCTAD on the financial crisis and its impact on the international financial reporting system and financial stability, Geneva, July 2009; (d) general debate on the global economic and financial crisis", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "The organization has been accredited to UNCTAD since January 2008 and has collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) since March 2011. UNITAR and the organization created an innovative partnership for training on ethics and finance with the idea of “moralizing” the financial sector and protecting the interests of investors after the outbreak of the international financial crisis.", "Additional information", "The organization adopted the Charter of the Rights of Investors, which defines the fundamental and inalienable rights of the investor.", "10. Coalition of Citizens for Economic Justice", "Special, 1999", "Introduction", "The Citizens ' Coalition for Economic Justice was formed as a reaction to the current extremely unfair economic life structure of the Republic of Korea. The rapid economic development of the past 30 years has benefited the large business groups elected by the Government to receive preferential treatment and has raised the gross national product (GNP) per capita to more than $20,000. In this process, however, equitable distribution was ignored, the environment was seriously prejudiced and democratic development was relegated to a background. The priority given to industrialization and urbanization marginalized large groups and areas, and created large structural gaps, threatening the economic system.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The Coalition was founded in 1989 by some 500 people representing all sectors of society, such as university professors of economic science and other specialists, lawyers, housewives, students, youth and entrepreneurs. His motto, “Reaching economic justice by empowering citizens,” reflected his conviction that addressing the deep-rooted economic injustices did not depend only on governments, but ultimately they must be fought through the organized power of citizens. They believed that the general population and not just a small group of “people”, should enjoy the fruits of economic development, and proposed a new methodology of gradual but profound reform of the economic system. The Coalition was founded as a movement that (a) would be led by ordinary citizens; (b) would use legal and non-violent methods; (c) would seek feasible alternatives; (d) would represent the interests of all people, regardless of their economic position; (e) work to overcome greed and selfishness in order to build a solidarity society.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "Since its consultative status with the Council, the Coalition has been very active in the international sphere. It works to achieve international solidarity and establish contacts, and acts on international issues related to fair distribution, poverty eradication and sustainable development.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The Coalition’s “Society for the Reunification of Korea”, which promotes the empowerment of citizens, policy research, as well as civil exchange projects and other activities, with the aim of building a reunified Korean nation, where economic justice reigns, joined the World Day of Action on Military Expenditure on 12 April 2011, coinciding with the publication of the latest annual figures on military spending in the world in Stockholm. In addition to focusing on a reunified Korean nation, the Society’s programmes also address “sustainable disarmament for sustainable development” worldwide.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "The Coalition has faced many types of social crises in the Republic of Korea, such as poverty, hunger, lack of education and poor health care, and is aware that these are not only national, but also international, problems to be addressed through global movements. Since the 1990s, it has therefore sought to cooperate with United Nations bodies on sustainable development, human rights, climate change and peace. For example, in 2009, it launched a “white bracelet campaign” against poverty, with the collaboration of the Korean National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, and has since continued to work with it in that role.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The Coalition launched the Korean Network of NGOs against Poverty in the World in 2005, which brings together 25 civil society organizations affiliated with the “World Call for Action against Poverty” movement and collaborates with the Korean National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO. As a representative group of the Network, the Coalition strives to inculcate in civil society organizations the importance of achieving the Goals, as well as to strongly encourage the Government of the Republic of Korea to assume its role as a rich State with an increasing influence on the world. It also seeks to make the public better aware of the various activities aimed at ending and participating in poverty, and has organized many campaigns of action and actions in the Republic of Korea to express solidarity with national NGOs.", "11. Community Social Welfare Foundation", "Special, 1999", "Introduction", "No change.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "No change.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No change.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "The Foundation currently supports the following areas:", "• Drinking water and health centers.", "• Renovation of schools and other public structures in ruins.", "• Increased awareness of diseases and infections, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, Lassa fever, to prevent their spread.", "• Organization of community groups to launch cooperative development initiatives.", "• Establishment and maintenance of adult education centres.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The Foundation participated in the fifteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development held at Headquarters in New York.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "There hasn't been any.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "• Organization of cooperative societies to promote access to funds and assets.", "• Creation of primary education centres for adults.", "• Renewal of ruined structures in primary schools.", "• Support to nurses and other health professionals for the implementation of maternal health programmes in rural areas.", "• Collection of funds for borehole drilling.", "• Organization of voluntary sanitation groups.", "Additional information", "No additional information.", "12. Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "The Society of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul is an international religious organization, which was founded in Paris to alleviate the suffering of people living in poverty. It is currently active in 91 countries, 70 of which are developing countries.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "The organization seeks to respond to the socio-economic, cultural and political realities of each place and is committed to the full and integral development of people. It deals especially with people forced to live in situations of extreme poverty, especially women and children.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No change.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "Participation in the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Status with the United Nations (2007-2010), the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations for Social Development, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on Migration, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations for Sustainable Development (2009 and 2010), the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on HIV/AIDS, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on Financing for Development, 2011).", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "Participation in the Economic and Social Council (2007-2010):", "(a) Commission for Social Development (2007-2010)", "Oral interventions:", "• Forty-seventh session on the priority theme “Social inclusion”.", "• Forty-ninth session on the priority theme “Eradication of poverty”.", "(b) Commission on the Status of Women (2007-2010). The organization co-sponsored side events and submitted written statements;", "(c) Commission on Sustainable Development (2007-2010). The organization co-sponsored two side events during the eighteenth session on the study of the implications of ecological civilization and the consumption and rights of Mother Earth;", "(d) Meetings on financing for development (2007-2010). The main representative made an oral statement during the informal study session of Chapter I of the Monterrey Consensus in February 2008 and contributed to the key recommendations of civil society for the draft Doha outcome document. Participated in the high-level meetings of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and UNCTAD in March 2010;", "(e) Human Rights Council. The organization addressed the Human Rights Council in 2008, participated in the twelfth and sixteenth sessions of the Human Rights Council, as well as in the sixth to eleventh sessions of the Universal Periodic Review;", "(f) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Members participated in this Forum every year (2007-2010).", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "The organization participated in the 2008 high-level meeting on AIDS. Members from over 30 countries participated in two surveys of the NGO Committee for Social Development in collaboration with the NGO Liaison Service entitled “Social Integration in Action: Stories from the Bases” (2009) and “Promoting social integration: voices from the Bases” (2010). The results of the surveys were reported to Member States and civil society prior to the forty-eighth and forty-ninth sessions of the Commission for Social Development.", "13. Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations", "Special, 1947", "Introduction", "In 2009, the NGO strengthened its position as the main human rights education organization in the Jewish community. It formed links with more public agencies than ever before and worked with a growing number of partners for the rights of vulnerable people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and around the world. These partners include the Rothschild Foundation Europe, the Shoresh Charitable Trust, the Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust, the Leigh Trust, the Humanitarian Trust and Matrix Chambers.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "Activities and campaigns:", "(a) Campaign to remove the detention policies of asylum-seekers, including indefinite detention and vulnerable persons;", "(b) Awareness-raising campaign on widespread discrimination across Europe against Roma peoples;", "(c) Campaign to end slavery, coinciding with the Jewish Passover in 2011;", "(d) Creation of a “Hagadá” resource that will enable defenders to participate and actively collaborate in the organization’s campaign;", "(e) Relations with parliamentarians and officials in relation to the four main areas of action of the organization to express a single Jewish opinion on human rights issues;", "f) Organization of a one-year development programme for militants to convert young professionals into committed and informed human rights defenders. The programme includes visits to Geneva, The Hague and Strasbourg (France), where participants have a unique opportunity to meet with influential international human rights figures and to attend meetings of various international bodies;", "(g) Conduct of human rights training and sabbaths, involving various sectors of the Jewish community and the general public, and providing invaluable training and education on human rights issues;", "(h) Development of projects for students aimed at promoting the values of rights, respect and responsibility, as well as an integrated and holistic approach to human rights and social justice education in Jewish schools. The project is being developed in cooperation with UNICEF.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization increased the number of its educational initiatives and introduced new components to its programmes, such as the UNICEF ' s " Award to Respectful Schools of Rights " . Among its latest achievements, the following are:", "(a) Co-foundation and collaboration with the Detention Forum network to advocate for the end of detention of children in the United Kingdom;", "(b) Provision of information by the Jewish community to the Government of the United Kingdom on proposed human rights laws. The contributions of the NGO were well received by parliamentarians and had an important influence on the campaign so that the Human Rights Act 1998 would continue to apply;", "(c) Development of the “detention manual”, which will empower aspiring activists by providing them with the necessary tools to promote the fair treatment of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "The organization voiced its voice to the discussions on human rights violations in the Sudan and opposed racism, discrimination and genocide in all parts of the world.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The organization intervened at numerous sessions, including those of the Human Rights Council, for example, the fourth special session on Darfur, held in December 2006, the fourth session, in 2007 and the seventh session, in 2008.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "The organization has cooperated intensively with UNICEF.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "The organization ' s educational initiatives are available free of charge and are consistent with the Goals, with a focus on the universality of human rights, including the right to universal education and equality. His campaign on asylum-seekers was based on the Goals related to maternal and child health; the purpose of the campaign was to end the detention of women and children in the United Kingdom, using evidence to demonstrate the negative impact of this practice on their health and well-being. Its project on rights, respect and responsibility was aimed at ensuring that participating schools incorporated the Convention on the Rights of the Child into their actions, thereby supporting the human rights of children, which are closely linked to several of the Goals.", "14. Dignity International", "Special, 2007", "Introduction", "Dignity International brings together human rights and development entities and communities struggling to move forward, which work together to produce lasting social change.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "To produce lasting social change by strengthening the capacity of marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society to raise awareness of their human right to lead a decent life and to vindicate it.", "Significant changes in the organization", "The organization managed to help people assert their rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights, and to demand that the State respect them. Participatory and democratic processes derived from the bases and which are based on needs make it possible for real problems to be put on the table so that Governments can take greater action for the common good. One example is the struggle for land rights in India, where the Minister for Rural Development announced the creation of the National Committee for Agrarian Reform, which will begin to implement a policy on land rights.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "The organization ' s contribution to the work of the United Nations is cross-cutting, as it ensures grass-roots, democratic and inclusive participation in United Nations mechanisms and enhances understanding of the principles of the United Nations and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in particular. This is achieved mainly through the global human rights-based linkage and learning programme, which pays particular attention to the Covenant. The programme was developed in Malaysia (December 2007), Brazil (2008), the Netherlands (2009) and Malaysia (2010).", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Geneva, November 2008; Durban Review Conference, Geneva, April 2009; eighth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, Geneva, October 2010.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "In 2007, together with its partners, the Hakijamii Trust and Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) of India, the organization made a joint presentation during consultations with civil society of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the draft international law that emphasizes the fight against extreme poverty as an obligation of all States.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "Dignity International integrates the Goals through a number of annual global, regional and national training programmes. The module entitled “Human rights-based development: linkages with human rights standards” includes a comprehensive component on the Goals. Since the eight Goals directly affect all the core members of the organization, each member is responsible for integrating a different Goal, in line with their priorities.", "Additional information", "In addition to its active intervention and advocacy with the United Nations, NGOs participate in various regional human rights networks at the level of civil society and the State:", "(a) ASEAN: active participation in the formation of the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights;", "(b) West African Civil Society Forum: active participation with its members and strengthening regional solidarity for human rights among civil society organizations in West Africa (2010);", "(c) South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): a regional human rights-based linkage and learning programme, April and May 2008;", "(d) European Union: active participation of the organization ' s partner networks with the European Union authorities in relation to poverty eradication in Europe (2007 and 2008);", "(e) World Social Forum: organization of several discussions on human rights and development, as well as on economic, social and cultural rights (Kenya, 2007; Brazil, 2009).", "15. World Organization of Persons with Disabilities", "Special, 1983", "Introduction", "The World Organization for Persons with Disabilities is a global network of multiple disabilities with 134 member organizations.", "Objectives and purposes of the organization", "As a grassroots organization, the NGO believes that persons with disabilities should participate directly in dialogue and decision-making processes that affect their lives.", "Significant changes in the organization", "No change.", "Contribution to the work of the United Nations", "The main focus of the organization is human rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; respect for diversity; and poverty and the Millennium Development Goals. It created a number of tools to monitor the signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention, including a calendar of main activities, a guide to the organization of workshops on the Convention and a needs assessment form. It contributed to the increased global recognition of women with disabilities by collaborating with the International Women ' s Tribune Centre, which in two of its newsletters highlighted interviews with the organization ' s representatives on the Convention. It submitted a document entitled “Suggestions for the internal rules of procedure of the Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” to OHCHR, which was published by the Committee at the OHCHR Intranet. The organization partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthosis to publish a book entitled “Patients for the Provision of Manual Wheelchairs in Lower Resources”. The World Bank included part of the organization ' s material on disability information on its website and is available to United Nations agencies and the general public. Its partnership with World Vision made different Governments include persons with disabilities in their reports to the Human Rights Council as part of the universal periodic review.", "Participation in United Nations meetings", "The organization participated in a group lobbying initiative to increase the importance of disability in the field during the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which was organized by World Vision and Handicap International. As a result, UNHCR agreed to take into account the issue of disability in its 2011 programming. The organization participated in the sessions of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention, the third session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the flagship programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for “Education for All (EPT) for the Right to Education of Persons with Disabilities: towards inclusion”.", "Cooperation with United Nations bodies and specialized agencies in the field or headquarters", "In January 2010, the NGO supported the organization of the seminar on monitoring respect for the rights of persons with disabilities, promoted by OHCHR and the International Disability Alliance. In December 2007, it offered a symposium in the Philippines to which more than 130 participants attended which discussed how the Convention can strengthen the human rights of children and young people with disabilities. The symposium was attended by United Nations participants, the World Bank, World Vision and national human rights institutes. The United Nations Population Fund held a two-day meeting with the organization to address sexual and reproductive health issues and to prepare a fact sheet on the subject. At its seventh annual global assembly, the NGO organized a special side event on behalf of the Fund on HIV/AIDS, maternal health and the right of persons with disabilities to access sexual and reproductive health services. It also signed a letter of agreement with the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development to ensure accessibility to such technologies worldwide.", "Initiatives taken by the organization in support of the Millennium Development Goals", "NGOs from around the world celebrated International Day of People with Disabilities in 2010 under the theme “Keep the promise: mainstreaming disability into the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and beyond.” This sought to highlight the importance of mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities into the Goals, a gap that had been identified at the Civil Society Forum held during the Third Conference of States Parties to the Convention." ]

[ "Carta de fecha 2 de agosto de 2011 dirigida al Secretario General por el Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad", "En mi calidad de Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad, tengo el honor de remitirle una carta de fecha 22 de julio de 2011 del Presidente del Grupo de Trabajo del Consejo de Seguridad sobre los niños y los conflictos armados creado en virtud de la resolución 1612 (2005), basada en las conclusiones aprobadas el 22 de junio de 2011 por el Grupo de Trabajo (S/AC.51/2011/5) (véase el anexo).", "(Firmado) Hardeep Singh Puri Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad", "Anexo", "En su 30ª sesión, celebrada el 2 de mayo de 2011, el Grupo de Trabajo sobre los niños y los conflictos armados examinó el segundo informe del Secretario General sobre los niños y los conflictos armados en la República Centroafricana (S/2011/241), que abarcaba el período comprendido entre diciembre de 2008 y diciembre de 2010. En su 31ª sesión, celebrada el 22 de junio de 2011, el Grupo de Trabajo aprobó sus conclusiones sobre los niños y los conflictos armados en la República Centroafricana (S/AC.51/2011/5).", "En cumplimiento de las recomendaciones del Grupo de Trabajo, que fueron aprobadas por el Consejo de Seguridad, y de conformidad y en consonancia con el derecho internacional aplicable y las resoluciones pertinentes del Consejo de Seguridad, incluidas las resoluciones del Consejo 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) y 1998 (2011), se me ha encomendado, en mi calidad de Presidente del Grupo de Trabajo, solicitarle, por conducto de la Oficina Integrada de las Naciones Unidas para la Consolidación de la Paz en la República Centroafricana (BINUCA) y el equipo de las Naciones Unidas en el país, que refuerce el mecanismo de vigilancia y presentación de informes sobre las violaciones graves contra los niños mediante la celebración de reuniones periódicas del Equipo de Tareas de Supervisión y Presentación de Informes, y que promueva el fortalecimiento de las redes de información a fin de asegurar que se cumplan las obligaciones de informar al Consejo. En este contexto, quisiera subrayar que se necesita un mecanismo de supervisión y presentación de informes más robusto para garantizar un seguimiento adecuado de la aplicación de las recomendaciones del Secretario General y las conclusiones del Grupo de Trabajo sobre los niños y los conflictos armados en la República Centroafricana, de conformidad con las resoluciones 1612 (2005) y 1882 (2009). En consecuencia, el Grupo de Trabajo solicita también al Secretario General que inste al Equipo de Tareas de Supervisión y Presentación de Informes a reforzar las actividades de supervisión y presentación de informes y desplegar los recursos y garantizar la capacidad suficiente que sea necesaria para este fin.", "El Grupo de Trabajo desea señalar que la colaboración entre el Gobierno y la Misión de Consolidación de la Paz en la República Centroafricana (MICOPAX) para apoyar a las Fuerzas Armadas Centroafricanas en su intento de proteger a los civiles y recuperar el control de las zonas afectadas por el conflicto constituye un paso importante en la protección de los niños, y desea subrayar la necesidad consiguiente de que la comunidad internacional apoye al Gobierno en sus esfuerzos por profesionalizar y reforzar sus fuerzas de defensa y seguridad, incluidos sus mecanismos de supervisión. El Grupo de Trabajo quisiera alentar una mayor colaboración entre la MICOPAX, la BINUCA y los agentes encargados de la protección de los niños en lo que respecta a la capacitación y el fomento de la capacidad del personal de las fuerzas del orden y las fuerzas armadas en la República Centroafricana, en el marco de un enfoque integral de la reforma del sector de la seguridad impulsado a nivel nacional.", "El Grupo de Trabajo observa además la liberación de los niños que se encontraban en las filas del Ejército Popular para la Restauración de la República y la Democracia (APRD) y los intentos de este de concertar un plan de acción con las Naciones Unidas, y solicita que el equipo de las Naciones Unidas en el país redoble sus esfuerzos dirigidos a elaborar y poner en práctica un plan de acción con el APRD para impedir que se vuelva a reclutar y utilizar a niños, con miras a suprimir al APRD de las listas que figuran en el informe anual del Secretario General sobre los niños y los conflictos armados.", "El Grupo de Trabajo exhorta a los organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas a que apoyen al Gobierno de la República Centroafricana en la elaboración y ejecución de programas de reintegración a largo plazo para los niños que hayan estado vinculados con fuerzas y grupos armados, de conformidad con los Principios de París, que ha hecho suyos el citado Gobierno, a fin de asegurar que se mantenga la separación de los niños de los grupos armados en la República Centroafricana.", "Por último, el Grupo de Trabajo acoge con beneplácito la asignación específica para la reintegración de los niños de recursos del Fondo para la Consolidación de la Paz.", "(Firmado) Peter Wittig Presidente Grupo de Trabajo del Consejo de Seguridad sobre los niños y los conflictos armados" ]

[ "Letter dated 2 August 2011 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the Secretary-General", "In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I am forwarding to you a letter, dated 22 July 2011, from the Chair of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, based on the Working Group’s conclusions adopted on 22 June 2011 (S/AC.51/2011/5) (see annex).", "(Signed) Hardeep Singh Puri President of the Security Council", "Annex", "At its 30th meeting, on 2 May 2011, the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict examined the second report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic (S/2011/241), covering the period from December 2008 to December 2010. At its 31st meeting, on 22 June 2011, the Working Group adopted its conclusions on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic (S/AC.51/2011/5).", "In follow-up to the recommendations of the Working Group, approved by the Security Council, and subject to and consistent with applicable international law and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including Council resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011), I am entrusted, in my capacity as Chair of the Working Group, to request you, through the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA) and the United Nations country team, to strengthen the monitoring and reporting mechanism on violations and abuses against children through regular meetings of the Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting and to promote the strengthening of information networks in order to ensure the fulfilment of reporting obligations to the Council. In this context, I would like to emphasize that a strengthened monitoring and reporting mechanism is necessary to ensure adequate follow-up to the implementation of the Secretary-General’s recommendation that sufficient resources and capacity be dedicated to the mechanism and the conclusions of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in the Central African Republic, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009). The Working Group would therefore like to request that you urge the Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting to strengthen its monitoring and reporting activities and to deploy resources and ensure sufficient capacity for this purpose, as necessary.", "The Working Group wishes to note that the collaboration between the Government and the Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the Central African Republic (MICOPAX) in support of the effort of the Forces armées centrafricaines to protect civilians and regain control over conflict-affected areas is an important step towards protecting children and wishes to underline the concomitant need for the international community to support the Government in its efforts to professionalize and strengthen its defence and security forces, including its oversight mechanisms. The Working Group would like to encourage further collaboration between MICOPAX, BINUCA and relevant child protection actors on the training and capacity-building of Central African law enforcement and armed forces personnel, in the context of a holistic, nationally driven approach to security sector reform.", "The Working Group further notes the release of children from the ranks of the Armée populaire pour la restauration de la république de la démocratie (APRD), and the latter’s attempts to conclude an action plan with the United Nations, and requests that the United Nations country team renew its efforts to develop and implement an action plan with APRD to prevent the further recruitment and use of children with a view to de-listing APRD from the annexes to the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict.", "The Working Group wishes to call upon United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to support the Government of the Central African Republic in the development and implementation of long-term reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, taking into account the Paris Principles, which have been endorsed by the Government of the Central African Republic, in order to ensure that the separation of children from armed groups is maintained in the Central African Republic.", "Lastly, the Working Group wishes to welcome the specific allocation of funds from the Peacebuilding Fund for child reintegration.", "(Signed) Peter Wittig Chair Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict" ]

[ "Letter dated 2 August 2011 from the President of the Security Council to the Secretary-General", "In my capacity as President of the Security Council, I have the honour to transmit to you a letter dated 22 July 2011 from the Chairman of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict established pursuant to resolution 1612 (2005), based on the conclusions adopted on 22 June 2011 by the Working Group (S/AC.51/2011/5) (see annex).", "(Signed) Hardeep Singh Puri President of the Security Council", "Annex", "At its 30th meeting, on 2 May 2011, the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict considered the second report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic (S/2011/241), covering the period from December 2008 to December 2010. At its 31st meeting, on 22 June 2011, the Working Group adopted its conclusions on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic (S/AC.51/2011/5).", "In compliance with the recommendations of the Working Group, which were approved by the Security Council, and in accordance with applicable international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, including Council resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009) and 1998 (2011), I have been mandated, in my capacity as Chair of the Working Group, to request, through the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic, to ensure regular monitoring and monitoring of the United Nations country team In this context, I would like to emphasize the need for a more robust monitoring and reporting mechanism to ensure adequate follow-up to the implementation of the recommendations of the Secretary-General and the conclusions of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in the Central African Republic, in accordance with resolutions 1612 (2005) and 1882 (2009). Accordingly, the Working Group also requests the Secretary-General to urge the Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting to strengthen monitoring and reporting and to deploy resources and to ensure sufficient capacity to do so.", "The Working Group wishes to note that collaboration between the Government and the Peacebuilding Mission in the Central African Republic (MICOPAX) to support the Central African Armed Forces in their efforts to protect civilians and regain control over conflict-affected areas is an important step in the protection of children, and wishes to stress the consequent need for the international community to support the Government in its efforts to professionalize and strengthen its defence and security forces, including its monitoring mechanisms. The Working Group would like to encourage greater collaboration between MICOPAX, BINUCA and child protection actors in training and capacity-building for law enforcement and armed forces personnel in the Central African Republic, within the framework of a comprehensive approach to nationally driven security sector reform.", "The Working Group further notes the release of children in the ranks of the People ' s Army for the Restoration of the Republic and Democracy (APRD) and its efforts to conclude a plan of action with the United Nations, and requests that the United Nations country team redouble its efforts to develop and implement an action plan with the APRD to prevent the re-recruitment and elimination of the armed lists of the APRD.", "The Working Group calls upon United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to support the Government of the Central African Republic in the development and implementation of long-term reintegration programmes for children who have been associated with armed forces and groups, in accordance with the Paris Principles endorsed by the Government, in order to ensure the continued separation of children from armed groups in the Central African Republic.", "Finally, the Working Group welcomes the specific allocation for the reintegration of children from resources of the Peacebuilding Fund.", "(Signed) Peter Wittig Chairman Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict" ]

[ "Informe del Secretario General relativo a las credenciales del representante suplente de China en el Consejo de Seguridad", "En cumplimiento del artículo 15 del reglamento provisional del Consejo de Seguridad, el Secretario General desea comunicar que ha recibido del Representante Permanente de China ante las Naciones Unidas una carta de fecha 27 de enero de 2011 en que se indica que el Sr. Wu Wei, el Sr. Tian Lin y el Sr. Lu Haitian han sido nombrados representantes suplentes de China en el Consejo de Seguridad.", "A juicio del Secretario General, las mencionadas credenciales provisionales están en regla." ]

[ "Report of the Secretary-General concerning the credentials of the alternate representative of China on the Security Council", "Pursuant to rule 15 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council, the Secretary-General wishes to report that he has received a letter dated 27 January 2011 from the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations stating that Mr. Wu Wei, Mr. Tian Lin and Mr. Lu Haitian have been appointed alternate representatives of China on the Security Council.", "In the opinion of the Secretary-General, that letter constitutes adequate provisional credentials." ]

[ "Report of the Secretary-General concerning the credentials of the alternate representative of China on the Security Council", "Pursuant to rule 15 of the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council, the Secretary-General wishes to report that he has received a letter dated 27 January 2011 from the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations stating that Mr. Wu Wei, Mr. Tian Lin and Mr. Lu Haitian has been appointed alternate representatives of China on the Security Council.", "In the opinion of the Secretary-General, the above-mentioned provisional credentials are in order." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "Tema 24 b) del programa provisional*", "Actividades operacionales para el desarrollo: cooperación Sur-Sur para el desarrollo", "Estado de la cooperación Sur-Sur", "* A/66/150.", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "En el presente informe se destaca la naturaleza variable de las relaciones Sur-Sur y el efecto que han tenido estas en las oportunidades de desarrollo en todo el Hemisferio Sur. Se presenta en cumplimiento de la resolución 64/221 de la Asamblea General, en la que esta solicitó al Secretario General que, en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones, le presentara un informe exhaustivo sobre el estado de la cooperación Sur-Sur. En el informe, que abarca el período de 2009 a 2011 y es posterior a la crisis económica de 2008 y 2009, se ofrecen datos que muestran un Sur más resistente, que ha emprendido una integración más profunda y más institucionalizada, cuyo resultado han sido unas relaciones económicas, políticas y sociales más fuertes. Esas conexiones acrecentadas han fortalecido la demanda de apoyo multilateral en pro de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, tanto por parte de los países desarrollados como de los países en desarrollo, lo que requiere una mayor coordinación, así como unos recursos financieros más cuantiosos y con fines más específicos.", "I. Introducción", "1. En el presente informe, que se ha preparado en cumplimiento de la solicitud formulada por la Asamblea General en su resolución 64/221, se ofrece un panorama y un análisis de las tendencias y las novedades importantes que se han producido en la cooperación Sur-Sur en el período comprendido entre 2009 y mediados de 2011.", "2. Durante el período que se examina, países como el Brasil, China, la India y Sudáfrica se han convertido en los líderes de una nueva geografía del crecimiento, como lo demuestra su notable resistencia frente a la crisis económica de 2008 y 2009. Los economistas han señalado que esas economías emergentes no solo se han convertido en los pilotos del crecimiento y la recuperación económicos mundiales, sino que también han mejorado la fortuna económica de los países más pobres, debido, en gran parte, a la creciente demanda de bienes y servicios por parte de esos países, lo que explica el auge actual del comercio y la inversión Sur-Sur[1].", "3. En los últimos años ha habido una profundización marcada de las relaciones entre las diversas partes interesadas en el ámbito de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. Tanto en los planos mundial, interregional y nacional como regional, los gobiernos han intentado afianzar las bases jurídicas de la cooperación, mientras que los organismos multilaterales han seguido desempeñando una función de intermediación entre los países desarrollados y en desarrollo, incluidos los interesados locales.", "4. A pesar de los notables progresos de muchas economías emergentes, en los últimos decenios se han producido tanto una convergencia económica, a medida que las economías emergentes acortaban distancias con el mundo desarrollado, como una divergencia económica en el caso de los 1.000 millones de pobres que ocupan la última posición y que se están quedando rezagados. La mayoría de los pobres del mundo viven en los países de ingresos medianos del Sur, que se han visto muy afectados por la recesión económica de 2008, lo que, a su vez, ha aumentado su vulnerabilidad a la subida de los precios de los alimentos, al aumento del desempleo, a la falta de servicios de salud y a los efectos sociales y ambientales del cambio climático[2].", "5. Por otra parte, en los últimos años ha aparecido una preocupación por la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en la prestación de asistencia, a medida que las economías emergentes han asumido funciones más importantes de ayuda a otros países en desarrollo. Al mismo tiempo, el desarrollo desigual de los países del Sur ha puesto de relieve la necesidad de adoptar medidas para corregir las dinámicas asimétricas que afectan actualmente al comercio y a la inversión.", "6. A pesar de esas dificultades, se ha alcanzado un consenso mundial en materia de apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, que entraña un compromiso renovado, por parte de los Estados, los agentes no estatales y las organizaciones regionales e internacionales, de aprovechar las nuevas oportunidades de cumplir los objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente, sobre todo los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM). Se han forjado nuevas alianzas e implantado mecanismos innovadores de financiación y apoyo para tratar una serie de problemas económicos y sociales a nivel mundial, regional y local. Las Naciones Unidas y otras organizaciones multilaterales también han promovido unas alianzas y un diálogo más integradores, con el aumento de la participación de los países en desarrollo, y ya han articulado los principios rectores de la cooperación Sur-Sur.", "7. El presente informe se ha elaborado a partir de la información contenida en informes recientes de las Naciones Unidas y en informes de otras organizaciones multilaterales y no gubernamentales, de un examen reciente del apoyo de las Naciones Unidas a la cooperación Sur-Sur realizado por la Dependencia Común de Inspección[3] y de otras investigaciones y estudios, a fin de proporcionar una visión amplia de las cuestiones y las tendencias de las relaciones Sur-Sur. En él se ofrecen ejemplos más ilustrativos que exhaustivos de las relaciones Sur-Sur durante el período que se examina.", "II. Estado de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular", "A. Incremento de la resistencia económica", "8. Entre 2009 y 2011, las relaciones Sur-Sur se han caracterizado por un aumento del crecimiento económico y de los niveles del comercio y la inversión, junto con crecientes niveles de desigualdad e integración y un incremento de la demanda de iniciativas de cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. Las relaciones Sur-Sur están conduciendo a cambios profundos en la estructura de las relaciones internacionales y han empezado a arrojar resultados en materia de desarrollo, pues algunos países del Hemisferio Sur constituyen, en la actualidad, una fuerza poderosa en la economía mundial.", "9. En 2008, los países en desarrollo representaban alrededor del 37% del comercio mundial y casi las tres cuartas partes del crecimiento mundial, y las corrientes financieras del Sur representaban aproximadamente la mitad de ese total¹. Los economistas han pronosticado que, en el año 2030, la cooperación Sur-Sur será uno de los principales motores del crecimiento y representará el 57% del producto interno bruto (PIB) mundial. Como promedio, las tasas de crecimiento de los países en desarrollo aumentaron de aproximadamente un 1,2% en 2009 a un 5,2% en 2010. Se prevé que el PIB de los países en desarrollo aumente aún más, hasta un 5,8%, en 2011¹.", "10. Las relaciones económicas entre los países en desarrollo se han fortalecido a medida que han surgido nuevos centros de crecimiento. Entre 1990 y 2008, el comercio mundial se cuadruplicó, mientras que el comercio Sur-Sur se multiplicó por más de 20 veces su nivel inicial en el mismo período de tiempo. La India es actualmente un socio comercial importantísimo del África subsahariana, constituye una de las cinco fuentes principales de mercancías para un tercio, al menos, de los países africanos, pues importó mercancías y productos básicos por valor de 20.700 millones de dólares de los Estados Unidos y exportó mercancías y productos básicos por valor de 10.300 millones de dólares a África en 2010. El volumen de negocio anual del Brasil con África aumentó de 3.100 millones de dólares en 2000 a 26.000 millones de dólares en 2008¹. China se ha fijado como prioridad establecer vínculos estrechos con otros países en desarrollo mediante el aumento del comercio, las inversiones y los acuerdos de fabricación, lo que ha llevado a la Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) a comunicar, en 2010, que, según sus cálculos, habría un aumento de un punto porcentual de la tasa de crecimiento de China derivado de un incremento del 0,2 % de las tasas de crecimiento de los países de ingresos bajos¹.", "11. Durante el mismo período, las economías en desarrollo han atraído cada vez más la inversión y el capital privados: el valor neto de las corrientes de capital privado aumentó de 110.000 millones de dólares en 2008 a alrededor de 386.000 millones de dólares en 2009 y se estima que ese valor subió a 659.000 millones en 2010. Los niveles de asistencia oficial para el desarrollo (AOD) de los países en desarrollo también han aumentado considerablemente, pues pasaron de 9.500 millones de dólares a 12.100 millones en 2006 y de 12.000 millones de dólares a 13.900 millones en 2008[4].", "12. El período que se examina también se caracteriza por el aumento de las medidas de integración de los países del Hemisferio Sur; más precisamente, el aumento de los lazos políticos y económicos, prueba de lo cual es la creación y la oficialización de instituciones y estructuras de cooperación. Desde África hasta América Latina, pasando por Asia, los países del Sur muestran un renovado impulso por participar en la gestión de crisis y mancomunar recursos para el desarrollo, como ilustran los siguientes ejemplos: las actividades de la Comunidad Económica de los Estados de África Occidental (CEDEAO) y la Unión Africana en Côte d’Ivoire; la función que cumple el Consejo de Cooperación del Golfo del Yemen, y la creación del Banco del Sur, un fondo monetario y de concesión de préstamos al que están afiliados numerosos países y que fue fundado por la Argentina, Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de), el Ecuador, el Paraguay, el Uruguay y Venezuela (República Bolivariana de) en la Segunda Cumbre África-Sudamérica, celebrada en Caracas en 2009.", "13. Debido a una serie de factores, entre ellos la recesión económica, la probada resistencia de los países en desarrollo y el aumento del reconocimiento de las oportunidades que hay en el Sur, el incremento de la demanda de cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular también ha impulsado los esfuerzos cooperativos. En 2009, los miembros de la OCDE experimentaron un importante descenso del PIB total y una caída del 3,3 % de sus niveles de crecimiento, mientras que las donaciones a las Naciones Unidas de fondos destinados a fines específicos de asistencia de emergencia disminuyeron y el valor neto de las corrientes de capital dirigidas a los países en desarrollo descendió de forma apreciable, como lo hicieron los niveles de remesas mundiales, que pasaron de un 7,3% a un 10,1%³. Esos factores se han conjugado para hacer que en los debates sobre cooperación internacional para el desarrollo se traten algo más que los tradicionales programas de ayuda exterior y, por ejemplo, se estudien métodos complementarios de prestación de ayuda, como la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. De resultas de ello, el Grupo de los Ocho (G-8), la OCDE, la Unión Europea, las entidades de las Naciones Unidas y el Banco Mundial han adoptado medidas concretas para unirse a los países en desarrollo en alianzas Sur-Sur y triangulares y promover un diálogo profundo sobre políticas y la colaboración, a fin de aumentar la efectividad y la eficacia en función de los costos de las asignaciones de ayuda[5].", "14. Factores globales como el cambio climático, la seguridad alimentaria, la subida de los precios de la energía y las enfermedades también apuntan a la necesidad de incrementar los esfuerzos Sur-Sur y triangulares. Según las estimaciones actuales, en 2050, los recursos hídricos habrán disminuido entre un 10% y un 30% en las regiones secas, lo que representa una amenaza para el abastecimiento de agua y de alimentos. Esa previsión, junto con la disminución del suelo cultivable a escala mundial, ha dado lugar a polémicas transacciones de tierra entre los países en desarrollo, así como a un incremento de las negociaciones y las relaciones entre los países del Sur, en preparación de la próxima Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, que está previsto celebrar en el Brasil en junio de 2012. Los países en desarrollo tratan de proporcionar asistencia a otros países que tienen necesidades en esas esferas, sobre todo mediante la asistencia multilateral y mediante el Programa Especial para la Seguridad Alimentaria de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO).", "15. A pesar de que la mayoría de los países del Hemisferio Sur seguían empleando la cooperación Sur-Sur en el marco de la cooperación técnica, el incremento de la formalidad de las relaciones, por medio de la aplicación de estrategias que abarcan desde el ámbito nacional hasta el continental, y la clarificación de las estrategias de ayuda al desarrollo de algunos de los grandes países emergentes, como es el caso del Brasil, China y la India, se han visto impulsados por la demanda creciente de intercambios Sur-Sur en el período que se examina[6]. Las distinciones entre la asistencia Sur-Sur para el desarrollo y la AOD tradicional también se han vuelto más claras en el curso de dicho período. Una nueva y notable distinción es la de que los países del Hemisferio Sur proveedores de asistencia tienden a emplear una estrategia polivalente de desarrollo, en la que incorporan comercio, inversiones y ayuda y que suelen utilizar para proyectos de infraestructuras o para desarrollar la capacidad productiva. Esa forma de asistencia incluye préstamos en condiciones de favor, subvenciones, líneas de crédito y asistencia técnica, así como prestación de apoyo por conducto de instituciones multilaterales. Las distinciones entre la asistencia Sur-Sur y la asistencia tradicional también se clarificaron en el documento final de la Conferencia de Alto Nivel de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Cooperación Sur-Sur, celebrada en Nairobi[7], en la que se reconocieron y reafirmaron los principios rectores del respeto de la soberanía nacional, la implicación nacional y la independencia, la igualdad, la incondicionalidad, la no injerencia en los asuntos internos y el beneficio mutuo.", "B. Mayor profundización de la integración regional", "16. Los ámbitos de cooperación entre los países en desarrollo no solo se han ampliado, sino que también se han profundizado, sobre todo dentro de las regiones. Durante el período que se examina, numerosas organizaciones de cooperación regional han procurado ampliar los marcos y los espacios para el comercio, las inversiones y las finanzas dentro del Hemisferio Sur, lo que, a su vez, ha dado lugar a medidas dirigidas a mejorar las virtudes institucionales de las propias organizaciones. Aparte de mayor cooperación económica, ha habido mayor cooperación política, ejemplo de lo cual es el fortalecimiento de los mecanismos de seguridad colectiva y de los sistemas de información para adquirir conocimientos y compartir experiencias. También han aparecido en escena nuevos agentes, dado que los bancos regionales y los bancos de importación y exportación de las economías emergentes han asumido un papel más importante en la financiación de las iniciativas Sur-Sur.", "17. Las actividades destinadas a ampliar el espacio económico en África comprenden desde medidas para incrementar la integración monetaria, como ha sucedido en la CEDEAO y la Comunidad de África Oriental, hasta la creación de zonas de libre comercio que abarquen a los países del Mercado Común del África Meridional y Oriental, la Comunidad de África Oriental y la Comunidad de África Meridional para el Desarrollo, que representan una población combinada de cerca de 600 millones de personas, un PIB total de aproximadamente 1 billón de dólares y el 57% de la población de los Estados miembros de la Unión Africana.", "18. En los acuerdos concertados en Asia, se ha propuesto que se aumente y facilite el libre comercio, como se pone de manifiesto en las medidas adoptadas por la Asociación de Naciones de Asia Sudoriental (ASEAN) y la Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico para coordinar la reforma normativa, la conectividad, la política de competencia, la creación y el desarrollo de empresas pequeñas y medianas, la gestión de desastres y la seguridad alimentaria en la región. También se está avanzando en la profundización de la integración económica regional mediante la institución oficial de la zona de libre comercio de la ASEAN y China, ocurrida en enero de 2010, y mediante el proceso de establecimiento de una Comunidad Económica Asiática antes de que termine 2015, una zona de libre comercio de la ASEAN antes de que termine 2020 y una zona de libre comercio entre los siete miembros de la Iniciativa del Golfo de Bengala para la cooperación técnica y económica multisectorial[8].", "19. Las agrupaciones regionales también han estrechado sus vínculos políticos, como queda ejemplificado por la creación de un tribunal comunitario de justicia por parte de la CEDEAO y por las medidas dirigidas a fortalecer su mecanismo de seguridad por medio de sus fuerzas armadas aliadas. Otro ejemplo es la labor realizada por los miembros de la Comunidad de África Oriental para constituir una federación política en 2015, a más tardar. Además, durante el período comprendido entre 2009 y 2011, las organizaciones regionales también han intervenido cada vez más, tanto política como militarmente, en los conflictos internos de países como Bahrein, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, la Jamahiriya Árabe Libia, el Sudán, Sudán del Sur y el Yemen[9].", "20. El aumento de la demanda de iniciativas regionales ha alentado a las organizaciones a fortalecer sus acuerdos institucionales. Esa ha sido una de las principales prioridades de África sobre todo, donde la Nueva Alianza para el Desarrollo de África, a la que la Unión Africana le ha abierto camino, se ha convertido recientemente en un verdadero organismo que se ocupa de acelerar el fomento de la capacidad y el desarrollo sostenible mediante alianzas fundamentales a nivel regional y multilateral. En 2011, la Alianza puso en marcha la Plataforma africana para la eficacia del desarrollo, a fin de movilizar a los encargados de formular políticas, los profesionales y una amplia gama de interesados para lograr el desarrollo sostenible recurriendo al aprendizaje entre iguales y el intercambio de conocimientos y experiencias mediante las redes y los colectivos existentes y mediante la promoción del desarrollo de la capacidad, la eficacia de la ayuda y la cooperación Sur-Sur en la región[10]. De modo análogo, Sri Lanka, la India, Indonesia y el Centro de Gestión de las Actividades relacionadas con los Desastres de la Asociación del Asia Meridional para la Cooperación Regional (SAARC) han proporcionado asistencia técnica para adaptar metodologías aceptadas internacionalmente a las condiciones de Sri Lanka, tomando como base las experiencias de otros países asiáticos y por medio de “DesInventar”, un sistema de información sobre gestión de desastres. Este sistema se emplea para crear un archivo histórico de los desastres ocurridos en Sri Lanka en los últimos 30 años.", "21. Los mecanismos regionales también se han visto reforzados durante el período que se examina, por ejemplo los mecanismos de los países de la región de América Latina y el Caribe. La Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, que consta de 24 países de habla española y portuguesa de América Latina, el Caribe y Europa, ha intensificado su labor de promoción de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular entre sus Estados miembros por medio del Programa Iberoamericano de Cooperación Sur-Sur, que entró en vigor en enero de 2010. La finalidad del Programa es desarrollar y mejorar los sistemas de información, a fin de determinar las buenas prácticas y elaborar datos y análisis estadísticos para producir más información sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular y aumentar la rendición de cuentas al respecto en la región.", "22. El aumento de la participación de los bancos regionales de desarrollo también ha formado parte de la cooperación Sur-Sur en los últimos dos años, dentro de lo cual cabe destacar su apoyo a los esfuerzos regionales de creación de capacidad y de fortalecimiento de las alianzas entre los sectores público y privado en los planos interregional y regional. El Banco Asiático de Desarrollo, el Banco Europeo de Reconstrucción y Desarrollo y el Banco Islámico de Desarrollo han promovido alianzas y proyectos amplios en esferas como las de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, la rehabilitación en materia de salud y las instituciones educativas y profesionales en diversas regiones, como el África subsahariana y Asia central. Tanto el Banco Asiático de Desarrollo como el Banco Africano de Desarrollo han desempeñado un papel decisivo en la promoción del comercio en su respectivo continente, gracias a la aportación de 2.800 millones de dólares de financiación directa a empresas por parte del primero y de la prestación de apoyo a los bancos comerciales y las instituciones financieras por valor de 1.000 millones de dólares por parte del segundo. Además, el Banco Africano de Desarrollo ha financiado una serie de programas de infraestructuras en todo el continente africano durante el período que se examina.", "23. Aparte de los bancos regionales de desarrollo, los bancos de las economías emergentes también están desempeñando un papel cada vez mayor en el desarrollo Sur-Sur, tanto en el plano regional como en el interregional, como es el caso del Brasil, China y la India. El Banco de Exportación e Importación de China ha financiado la construcción de tres de las mayores presas hidroeléctricas del Ecuador. En 2011, la India concedió una línea de crédito de 5.000 millones de dólares a los países de África y también condonó deuda por valor de 24 millones de dólares en el marco de la Iniciativa en favor de los países pobres muy endeudados[11]. El Brasil, por medio de su Banco Nacional de Desarrollo Económico y Social, también ha financiado numerosos proyectos de infraestructuras en su territorio, sobre todo en las esferas de la extracción de combustibles fósiles, las infraestructuras de transporte y las presas hidroeléctricas. Además, en 2009, como ya se ha mencionado, siete países de América Latina firmaron un documento de importancia histórica, el acta fundacional del Banco del Sur, que se constituyó con las contribuciones iniciales de 4.000 millones de dólares procedentes de la Argentina, el Brasil y Venezuela (República Bolivariana de).", "24. En general, la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular se ha caracterizado por un aumento de la concentración y la profundización de las relaciones, debido especialmente a la intensificación de la institucionalización de las medidas de cooperación regional, todo lo cual ha permitido crear las condiciones necesarias para una cooperación bilateral, regional y mundial más fuerte y significativa.", "C. Relaciones más estrechas entre los países en desarrollo", "25. Durante el período que se examina, aparte de haberse intensificado el comercio y la inversión, como se ha indicado supra, también se ha intensificado la cooperación bilateral entre los países en desarrollo, en términos de financiación para el desarrollo, intercambio de conocimientos y experiencias, creación de redes, construcción institucional y formalización de acuerdos de cooperación.", "26. En cuanto a la financiación para el desarrollo, la velocidad a la cual ha aumentado la asistencia para el desarrollo Sur-Sur en los últimos años ha sido notable. Igualmente notable es el creciente papel de las organizaciones filantrópicas del Sur, como las fundaciones, los fondos fiduciarios y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil financiadas por fondos de dotación, así como por personas ricas y empresas. En 2010, el Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales de la Secretaría informó de que la asistencia para el desarrollo en el Hemisferio Sur, consistente en préstamos en condiciones de favor y subvenciones, se había incrementado rápidamente en los últimos años, pues había pasado de 8.600 millones en 2006 a 15.300 millones en 2008. En el informe se señaló que los principales proveedores de asistencia para el desarrollo eran la Arabia Saudita, China y Venezuela (República Bolivariana de), seguido por una serie de organizaciones árabes y la India, y que los tres proveedores principales habían representado el 75% de toda esa cooperación para el desarrollo en 2008[12].", "27. Al prestar asistencia financiera, se comprobó que las iniciativas de asistencia tendían a dirigirse a los vecinos regionales o subregionales para fortalecer los lazos políticos, el comercio y la inversión y que tendían a ser más cómodas en términos de gestión, dada la proximidad geográfica[13]. Un ejemplo de esa tendencia es el Fondo Conjunto de Cooperación Mexico-Chile. Cabe señalar que los mecanismos de financiación interregional también van en aumento. Por ejemplo, China y la India han elaborado programas de cooperación destinados a prestar ayuda a África; China, mediante el Foro de Cooperación China-África, y la India, mediante su Programa de Cooperación Técnica y Económica y el Programa del Commonwealth de Asistencia a África[14]. Además, el Banco del Sur, creado en noviembre de 2009, se ocupa de promover la financiación del desarrollo Sur-Sur, objetivo fijado por el Centro del Sur en 2000.", "28. Compartir conocimientos y experiencias sigue siendo una prioridad importante en los intercambios de cooperación técnica Sur-Sur. China y la India, por ejemplo, han intensificado los vínculos bilaterales con los países del África subsahariana a tal fin. China creó la Red de Cooperación Sur-Sur para facilitar el intercambio de información, la investigación conjunta, los intercambios técnicos y las alianzas entre los sectores público y privado en el ámbito de las tecnologías aplicadas a la generación de energía microhidráulica, biogás y energía solar junto con otros países en desarrollo. El proyecto de red electrónica panafricana de la India facilita la transmisión de información médica por medio de teleconferencias y teleconsultas entre la India y los países miembros de la Unión Africana. Los países en desarrollo, como el Brasil, Chile, China, Egipto, El Salvador, la India, Indonesia, Malasia, Singapur, Tailandia, Túnez y Turquía, también han brindado oportunidades de capacitación a los ciudadanos de otros países pertenecientes al Hemisferio Sur en una gran variedad de sectores. La India ha compartido activamente su experiencia en tecnología de programación informática impartiendo sesiones anuales de capacitación a unos 5.000 profesionales de otros países en desarrollo en esferas como la tecnología de la información y las comunicaciones, las telecomunicaciones, las empresas pequeñas y medianas, el desarrollo rural y las energías renovables. Qatar, que ha asumido un papel de liderazgo en la promoción de la cooperación Sur-Sur en los sectores del petróleo y gas, ha reunido a representantes de 42 países de África, Asia, el Oriente Medio y América Latina, así como de organizaciones internacionales, para compartir e intercambiar experiencias en el ámbito de la ordenación eficaz de los hidrocarburos.", "29. La construcción institucional se ha convertido en otro de los objetivos de las iniciativas Sur-Sur. El Brasil, la India y Turquía han hecho contribuciones notables a la construcción institucional en los países del Sur. El Organismo Brasileño de Cooperación ha coordinado actividades internacionales de desarrollo con una serie de instituciones nacionales, como la Empresa Brasileña de Investigación Agropecuaria, a fin de ejecutar proyectos de efecto estructural en las esferas de la agricultura y la seguridad alimentaria. El Brasil también ha prestado apoyo al proyecto “Algodón-4” en Malí, que tiene por objeto aumentar la producción y la calidad del algodón de este país, mientras que en el Senegal apoya al Instituto Senegalés de Investigación Agrícola en sus intentos de aumentar la calidad y la competitividad de la producción de arroz recurriendo a la experiencia técnica de la Empresa Brasileña de Investigación Agropecuaria. Por medio de la Cumbre del Foro India-África, la India ha prestado apoyo a la creación de los siguientes institutos: el Instituto de Comercio Exterior India-África en Uganda, el Instituto de Tecnología de la Información India-África en Ghana, el Instituto del Diamante India-África en Botswana y el Instituto de Educación, Planificación y Administración India-África en Burundi. El Organismo Turco de Desarrollo y Cooperación Internacionales ha aumentado el número de sus oficinas de coordinación de programas, que ha pasado a ser de 26 en 23 países en desarrollo de Asia central, el Cáucaso, los Balcanes, el Oriente Medio y, recientemente, en el África subsahariana, con miras a fomentar el desarrollo institucional, la creación de capacidad, el desarrollo de los recursos humanos, la educación, los sistemas de salud, los programas culturales, las economías impulsadas por la agricultura, la conservación del medio ambiente y la difusión de información.", "30. En los últimos cinco años, ha ido ganando terreno la tendencia a oficializar, cada vez más, los acuerdos entre los países en desarrollo. Ello se pone de manifiesto en el número de planes de integración regional y de foros entre un país y un continente o entre continentes en los que han participado China, Egipto, la India, Sudáfrica, Turquía y Venezuela (República Bolivariana de), junto con países africanos. En la Segunda Cumbre África-Sudamérica, celebrada en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela en 2009, las delegaciones de ambos continentes sentaron las bases de la cooperación económica y concertaron un acuerdo que incluía el compromiso de fortalecer la cooperación Sur-Sur en los sectores del comercio, la seguridad, la energía y la minería.", "31. Dado que los países del Hemisferio Sur han mejorado su posición para compartir su experiencia en sectores concretos del desarrollo con otros países en desarrollo mediante mecanismos institucionales profesionales y muy regularizados, el problema pendiente es el de fortalecer unas alianzas verdaderas y reducir las asimetrías en materia de poder de negociación que tienden a disminuir los beneficios de las partes más débiles en las relaciones Sur-Sur.", "D. Fortalecimiento de las alianzas triangulares", "32. En el período comprendido entre 2009 y 2011 se ha producido el establecimiento de mecanismos institucionales más sólidos para fomentar las alianzas, el intercambio de conocimientos y tecnologías y el aprendizaje entre iguales en todo el Sur. Cada vez más, diversas partes interesadas han adoptado modalidades de cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular para asegurar la inclusividad y la eficacia de la prestación de asistencia y para complementar la cooperación Norte-Sur.", "33. En reconocimiento de la importancia creciente del desarrollo Sur-Sur, los países desarrollados han prestado mayor apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. En 2010, por ejemplo, el Grupo de los Veinte (G-20) publicó su Plan de Acción plurianual sobre desarrollo, en el que resaltó que la cooperación Sur-Sur y la cooperación triangular eran instrumentos importantes e innovadores para el intercambio de información y la movilización de recursos internos para el desarrollo sostenible[15]. En junio de 2011, el G-20 publicó un plan de acción sobre la inestabilidad de los precios de los alimentos y la agricultura, en el que reconoció la decisión de la Unión Africana de crear un organismo de desarrollo, bajo los auspicios de la Nueva Alianza para el Desarrollo de África, para mejorar el acceso de los campesinos africanos a los insumos agrícolas y promover la concertación de acuerdos comerciales agropecuarios equitativos y mutuamente beneficiosos, así como potenciar la capacidad agrícola de los países africanos[16]. El Comité de Asistencia para el Desarrollo de la OCDE también ha adquirido gran interés en la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, como demuestra la labor de su Equipo de Tareas sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur y la organización por su parte, en marzo de 2010, de la Reunión de Alto Nivel sobre Cooperación Sur-Sur y Desarrollo de la Capacidad, celebrada en Bogotá en preparación del Cuarto Foro de Alto Nivel sobre Eficacia de la Ayuda, que tendría lugar en Busan (República de Corea), a finales de 2011.", "34. Habida cuenta del aumento del interés en las alianzas triangulares, y de la demanda de estas, por parte de los países en desarrollo y de los desarrollados, los organismos donantes tradicionales están adoptando, cada vez más, la modalidad de la cooperación triangular para aumentar el efecto de los proyectos de desarrollo por medio de innovadores programas de financiación conjunta. En un estudio llevado a cabo con el apoyo del Organismo Japonés de Cooperación Internacional y la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD), que incluye las opiniones de los donantes y las de los países clave y los países receptores, se ponen de manifiesto los beneficios e incentivos que impulsan la adopción de metodologías triangulares por parte de los organismos internacionales de desarrollo y las organizaciones multilaterales del Hemisferio Norte.", "35. En general, en el estudio se afirma que hay un mayor grado de responsabilidad y transparencia en las relaciones triangulares. Los países clave aprecian el apoyo de los donantes y las organizaciones internacionales en ámbitos como el del desarrollo de la capacidad técnica, el fortalecimiento de los marcos normativos e institucionales y la adquisición de conocimientos prácticos en materia de cooperación internacional, lo que acrecienta su credibilidad y reputación. Además, los países beneficiarios han señalado las ventajas de contar con un intermediario que facilite el intercambio de información y la colaboración con los países clave; el aumento de la credibilidad de la cooperación triangular que prestan los países clave, y la intensificación de esa cooperación, por ejemplo mediante la provisión de servicios, instalaciones y equipo por parte de los donantes. Los donantes y las organizaciones internacionales han señalado las ventajas de aprovechar la experiencia y los conocimientos prácticos de los propios países en desarrollo, así como de ampliar la asistencia a los países clave en los acuerdos triangulares. En el estudio también se han expuesto los problemas que entrañaban el aumento de los costos de las transacciones y las tensiones relativas a la coordinación de políticas, pero se ha puntualizado que la mayoría de los encuestados opinaban que las ventajas de la cooperación triangular superaban a los inconvenientes[17].", "36. Las esferas que reciben el mayor apoyo mediante las actividades de cooperación triangular son las siguientes: el desarrollo de la capacidad de gestión eficaz de la cooperación Sur-Sur; el intercambio de conocimiento e información, y la aplicación de programas Sur-Sur.", "37. Por lo que respecta al desarrollo de la capacidad, los esfuerzos se han centrado en prestar apoyo a los organismos de cooperación para el desarrollo del Sur en la determinación de buenas prácticas. En el informe de 2010 de la Secretaría General Iberoamericana sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur, se expuso un análisis de los datos de los proyectos de cooperación triangular de 2009 en América Latina, según el cual aproximadamente la mitad de los proyectos se centraron en actividades económicas (30%) y sociales (22%) y la otra mitad, en el fomento de la capacidad institucional de las instituciones públicas y de la sociedad civil y en el medio ambiente[18]. El fomento de la capacidad gubernamental es la base de un proyecto del PNUD en el Afganistán, patrocinado por los Estados Unidos y cuyo objeto es promover las políticas policiales democráticas. Dentro del proyecto, que está en curso, se ha impartido una sesión de formación a agentes de policía afganos, en la que estos se han relacionado con sus homólogos nepaleses y se han centrado en las actividades policiales de ámbito comunitario, sobre todo en la prevención de la violencia de género y la respuesta a esta. Los donantes tradicionales, como el Organismo Japonés de Cooperación Internacional, se han centrado en cuestiones como la del desarrollo de la capacidad en materia de seguridad alimentaria y protección social, en relación con la cual han colaborado con la Coalición para el Desarrollo del Arroz en África y prestado apoyo al proyecto de relaciones laborales de la ASEAN, la Organización Internacional del Trabajo y el Japón y a la creación de un centro regional para promover el empoderamiento de las personas con discapacidad mediante la colaboración Sur-Sur para intercambiar las mejores prácticas.", "38. La Agencia Alemana de Cooperación Internacional ha participado, de manera especial, en el intercambio de información para el desarrollo. Ha apoyado el proyecto de intercambio de las experiencias adquiridas en el ámbito de la ordenación ambiental y de residuos sólidos del Gobierno de México, que se ha utilizado para formar a trabajadores ecológicos en países como el Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala y la República Dominicana y ha llevado a crear un portal latinoamericano de residuos sólidos, la Red GIRESOL, para facilitar el intercambio de información y recursos sobre ordenación integrada de residuos dentro de la región¹⁸. La Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo también ha otorgado prioridad al intercambio de conocimientos en la labor que ha realizado en el ámbito de la cooperación triangular, como lo demuestra el que haya financiado y facilitado el diálogo entre los gobiernos y la cooperación entre los donantes, por ejemplo en la reunión sobre “La cooperación triangular de la Unión Europea en el contexto de la eficacia de la ayuda”, celebrada en Madrid, en marzo de 2010.", "39. La ejecución de los proyectos sigue siendo un tema de primer orden para los países donantes, ya sea mediante la creación de fondos de cooperación conjunta para la cooperación triangular, por ejemplo los que ha creado España con Chile y la Argentina o los que ha puesto en marcha Alemania con Chile, o ya sea mediante la ejecución de proyectos de asistencia técnica, por ejemplo los que han recibido el apoyo de socios como la Agencia Alemana de Cooperación Internacional y el Organismo Japonés de Cooperación Internacional. En su condición de líder en este ámbito, en 2010, el Organismo Japonés de Cooperación Internacional, por medio de sus 15 oficinas, tanto del Japón como del extranjero, prestó asistencia a unas 12.000 personas de todo el mundo que habían participado en unos 1.300 programas, que comprendían desde programas de apoyo a la prevención de desastres y de capacitación en la materia a programas de promoción del comercio y la inversión, pasando por programas de formación en asistencia sanitaria[19].", "E. Incremento del apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas", "40. Durante el período que se examina, los Estados Miembros han mostrado siempre su firme compromiso con las iniciativas Sur-Sur y proporcionado una clara orientación al sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, a fin de que este pueda realizar una labor catalizadora y de apoyo efectiva dentro de la cooperación Sur-Sur. En consonancia con las tendencias del bienio anterior y en respuesta a las directrices de los Estados Miembros, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo ha intensificado sus esfuerzos para mejorar y fortalecer la cooperación Sur-Sur incorporando esta, en mayor medida aún, en el marco de políticas de la Organización; creando alianzas estratégicas para ese tipo de cooperación; haciendo de ese tipo de cooperación una de las cuestiones prioritarias de los instrumentos de planificación a mediano y largo plazo; aplicando enfoques más coherentes y coordinados, por ejemplo el de la programación conjunta; estableciendo u oficializando centros de excelencia dirigidos por países del Hemisferio Sur, a fin de mejorar el intercambio de conocimientos y soluciones, y aplicando medidas innovadoras de movilización de recursos en pro de la cooperación Sur-Sur.", "41. Durante el mismo período, los Estados Miembros han reiterado su compromiso con la cooperación Sur-Sur y proporcionado una orientación más precisa a los procesos multilaterales por medio de los principales órganos intergubernamentales. Significativamente, el Grupo de los 77 (G-77) y China han seguido proporcionando orientación política en materia de cooperación Sur-Sur asumiendo el liderazgo del debate sobre esa cuestión en casi todas las grandes conferencias de las Naciones Unidas, así como en la Asamblea General y el Consejo Económico y Social, y destacando la importancia del apoyo que dicha cooperación necesita del sistema de las Naciones Unidas en su Plataforma de Desarrollo para el Sur, que entró en funcionamiento en 2008, y subrayando los principios generales de cooperación Sur-Sur en sus declaraciones ministeriales de 2009 y 2010. En 2010, el G-77 y China también demostraron un sólido liderazgo en lo que respecta al apoyo a la elaboración y aprobación del Plan de Acción plurianual sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur en materia de diversidad biológica para el desarrollo. Además, la conclusión de la tercera ronda de negociaciones del Acuerdo sobre el Sistema Global de Preferencias Comerciales entre Países en Desarrollo, celebrada en diciembre de 2010 en Sao Paulo (Brasil), bajo los auspicios de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), es otro ejemplo del firme compromiso del G-77 y China de promover el comercio entre sus miembros. El compromiso de los Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas con los enfoques Sur-Sur del desarrollo volvió a expresarse claramente, una vez más, cuando se reunieron en Nairobi, en diciembre de 2009, en la Conferencia de Alto Nivel de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Cooperación Sur-Sur. En el “documento final de Nairobi” elaborado en la Conferencia, que posteriormente fue refrendado el 21 de diciembre de 2009 por la Asamblea General en su resolución 64/222, se exponen un conjunto claro de principios y objetivos generales de cooperación Sur-Sur, así como las cuestiones prioritarias y las esferas que requieren apoyo de la comunidad internacional, sobre todo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo.", "42. En cuanto a la incorporación de la cooperación Sur-Sur en la actividad general mediante marcos de política e instrumentos de planificación, en la decisión adoptada en 2008 por el Comité de Política del Secretario General se exhortó a las entidades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo a que tomaran medidas concretas para potenciar su apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y se instó a los altos funcionarios a que pusieran de relieve, en los foros intergubernamentales, el fuerte compromiso que tenía la Organización con la cooperación Sur-Sur, como instrumento fundamental para el logro de los ODM y otros objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente. En su período de sesiones sustantivo de 2008, el Consejo Económico y Social organizó una reunión de secretarios ejecutivos de las comisiones regionales de la Organización en la que se subrayó la importancia que tenían estas como “pilar [esencial] de la cooperación Sur-Sur”. Además, en el documento final de Nairobi se instó a los fondos, programas y organismos especializados de las Naciones Unidas a que adoptaran medidas concretas para integrar el apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y a la cooperación triangular en su labor general y se pidió que se establecieran vínculos más estrechos entre las comisiones regionales, los centros de excelencia y las agrupaciones económicas regionales y subregionales[20].", "43. Como resultado de la adopción de esos marcos y directrices de política, más miembros del sistema de las Naciones Unidas han desarrollado instrumentos de planificación en los que se incorpora la cooperación Sur-Sur. Este fenómeno creciente se refleja en la inclusión de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular en 15 informes anuales y 17 planes de mediano plazo preparados recientemente por entidades del sistema³. En su Plan Estratégico para el período 2008-2012, el PNUD destaca la cooperación Sur-Sur como uno de sus enfoques principales para promover la eficacia en la aplicación de sus programas nacionales y regionales. Además, en un informe reciente de la Dependencia Común de Inspección³ se ha señalado que la mayoría de las organizaciones del régimen común tenían programas o proyectos que se consideraba que apoyaban la cooperación Sur-Sur, en el ámbito de la sede, de las regiones o de los países, entre ellas la FAO, la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), el Centro de Comercio Internacional (CCI), la UNCTAD, el PNUD, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO), el Fondo de Población de las Naciones Unidas (UNFPA), el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos (ONU-Hábitat), el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Industrial (ONUDI), la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito, el Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA) y la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). En otras organizaciones, la cooperación Sur-Sur se subsume dentro de los programas ordinarios de cooperación técnica, como es el caso del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica (OIEA), la Organización de Aviación Civil Internacional (OACI), la Organización Marítima Internacional (OMI), el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA), la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) y la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM)¹⁸.", "44. Aparte de los distintos organismos, fondos y programas que elaboran sus políticas y procedimientos propios de cooperación Sur-Sur, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, en su conjunto, procura fortalecer los enfoques integrados del desarrollo, a fin de incorporar enfoques Sur-Sur. Esto se pone de manifiesto en su reciente inclusión de la cooperación Sur-Sur en las directrices de la Organización dirigidas a sus equipos en los países, para que preparen las evaluaciones comunes de estos, y en el proceso de elaboración del Marco de Asistencia de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, con objeto de incorporar esa cooperación en los programas regionales y nacionales. A pesar de que solo se haga referencia explícita a ello en los marcos de asistencia actuales de 17 países, se están emprendiendo iniciativas interinstitucionales, impulsadas por la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur del PNUD, en relación con las directrices operacionales de apoyo del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a la cooperación Sur-Sur, atendiendo al mandato del Comité de alto nivel sobre la cooperación Sur-Sur.", "45. Durante el período que se examina, los organismos, fondos, programas y demás entidades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas han forjado un número mayor de alianzas estratégicas con los principales proveedores de cooperación Sur-Sur para el desarrollo y han instituido oficialmente centros de excelencia y redes dirigidos desde el Sur para facilitar el intercambio de conocimientos y la formulación de soluciones en materia de desarrollo en el ámbito Sur-Sur. El PNUD ha concertado alianzas estratégicas y acuerdos análogos con el Brasil, China y Turquía. La OIT ha defendido la promoción del trabajo digno y, con el apoyo del Gobierno del Brasil, participa en unas iniciativas dirigidas a compartir información y mejores prácticas relacionadas con el trabajo infantil, el empleo juvenil, la educación y la salud y la formación profesional en países de habla portuguesa de África, en los países del Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR) y en el Foro de diálogo de la India, el Brasil y Sudáfrica[21].", "46. En lo que respecta a la prestación de apoyo a los centros de excelencia dirigidos desde el Sur, el PNUMA ha puesto en marcha, a título experimental, un mecanismo de intercambio cooperativo Sur-Sur que permite documentar y difundir los estudios monográficos sobre proyectos e iniciativas Sur-Sur que hayan tenido éxito en el ámbito del medio ambiente y el desarrollo sostenible. Las siguientes organizaciones han emprendido iniciativas análogas: la UNESCO, que ha creado el Centro Internacional para la Cooperación Sur-Sur en materia de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación en Kuala Lumpur; la UNCTAD, que dirige la Red de Centros de Excelencia, la cual apoya la transferencia de tecnología y de conocimientos a África, mediante la formación de científicos y expertos en tecnología, y la ONUDI, que ha fundado el Centro de Cooperación Sur-Sur en Beijing[22]. El Centro Internacional de la UNESCO para la Cooperación Sur-Sur en materia de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación está creando actualmente un centro de intercambio de mejores prácticas, en coordinación con la Academia de Ciencias para el Mundo en Desarrollo[23]. También durante el período que se examina, la Red de Información para el Desarrollo de la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur, que es una plataforma de servicios web administrada por el PNUD, ha habilitado a 30 entidades adicionales, de dentro y de fuera del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, para que creen y administren sus listas de expertos. En 2011, hay un total de 69 listas activas en la plataforma.", "47. En el período comprendido entre 2009 y 2011, han mejorado considerablemente la coordinación y la colaboración interinstitucionales en el ámbito que se examina, como se pone de manifiesto en la creciente regularidad de los intercambios interinstitucionales de los coordinadores de la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur, conforme a la petición de los Estados Miembros. Dos de esos intercambios interinstitucionales se organizaron para examinar las intervenciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas destinadas a cumplir los objetivos previstos por los Estados Miembros en el documento final de Nairobi y a compartir las prácticas actuales de cooperación Sur-Sur. Por otra parte, la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur, gracias a su estructura multilateral triple, dirigida a apoyar esa cooperación y formada por la Academia Mundial para el Desarrollo Sur-Sur, la Exposición Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sur-Sur y el Sistema Mundial de Intercambio de Activos y Tecnología Sur-Sur, ha permitido a un mayor número de organismos, fondos y programas de las Naciones Unidas, incluidas las comisiones regionales, documentar, difundir y ampliar sus iniciativas Sur-Sur. La Academia Mundial para el Desarrollo Sur-Sur, por ejemplo, ha puesto a prueba una academia para el desarrollo Sur-Sur basada en los ciudadanos en la región de Asia y el Pacífico, durante el citado período. La Exposición Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sur-Sur, de periodicidad anual (que fue organizada en 2009 por el Banco Mundial y en 2010 por la OIT), ha reunido a más de 20 organismos y entidades de las Naciones Unidas, así como a más de otras 100 entidades asociadas, para mostrar e intercambiar fórmulas de desarrollo exitosas, además de proporcionar un espacio en el que los jefes de cooperación para el desarrollo de las entidades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas se reúnan y debatan cuestiones relativas a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. El Sistema Mundial de Intercambio de Activos y Tecnología Sur-Sur se ha constituido como una plataforma de transacciones, que incluye una lista de 1.710 proyectos, 283 emparejamientos de interesados y 79 transacciones comerciales en el ámbito de las empresas pequeñas y medianas. También se han consignado en una lista del Sistema las transacciones correspondientes a la esfera del medio ambiente y la energía y, en el período actual, se consignará también otra lista correspondiente a la salud mundial.", "48. Aparte de insistir en el intercambio de conocimientos, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas también ha insistido en la necesidad de mecanismos de financiación innovadores para administrar la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. Algunos ejemplos son el recién creado fondo fiduciario de la FAO, dotado con 30 millones de dólares, que prestará apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur, con la aportación de China, para ayudar a determinados países de África; el Servicio de la India, el Brasil y Sudáfrica para el Alivio de la Pobreza y el Hambre, y el Fondo de Cooperación Sur-Sur de la UNESCO, dirigido a apoyar su programa de cooperación Sur-Sur en materia de educación, que se centra en alcanzar el objetivo de la “educación para todos” y otros ODM por medio de intercambios de experiencias, conocimientos y buenas prácticas sobre una base Sur-Sur y triangular. Otro ejemplo es el acuerdo estratégico quinquenal de cooperación triangular entre la República de Corea y la Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, que se concertó para facilitar el intercambio de conocimientos en materia de educación, ciencia y tecnología, energías renovables y ordenación de recursos, fomento de la capacidad y desarrollo humano sostenible, con miras a la consecución de los ODM en la región de Asia y el Pacífico.", "III. Problemas pendientes, oportunidades y recomendaciones", "A. Problemas y oportunidades", "49. Ha habido un enorme progreso en los países en desarrollo en los tres decenios transcurridos desde que se aprobó el Plan de Acción de Buenos Aires para Promover y Realizar la Cooperación Técnica entre los Países en Desarrollo. Durante ese período se ha llegado a un fuerte consenso mundial en lo que respecta al apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, incluido el apoyo estratégico de los países en desarrollo y los países desarrollados y, sobre todo, el liderazgo del G-77 y China y el G-20. Sin embargo, a pesar de la fuerte aceleración del crecimiento económico en muchas partes del mundo, que se ha visto estimulada por las relaciones Sur-Sur, la desigualdad va en aumento tanto entre los países del Hemisferio Sur como dentro de ellos.", "50. Los desequilibrios que afectan a la industrialización y la capacidad productiva de todo el Hemisferio Sur repercuten en las actividades nacionales encaminadas a cumplir los ODM en el año 2015. Los datos actuales indican que un número considerable de países no van bien encaminados para cumplir esos objetivos, mientras que muchos que han logrado avances importantes siguen sumidos en la pobreza. Los países menos adelantados, los países en desarrollo sin litoral y los pequeños estados insulares en desarrollo siguen rezagados y solo tres países han salido de la categoría de país menos adelantado desde 1970. Este hecho subraya la necesidad de aplicar unas estrategias más ambiciosas de desarrollo de la capacidad productiva a los países menos adelantados, como se pidió en la Cuarta Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Países Menos Adelantados, celebrada en Estambul, en mayo de 2011[24]. Asimismo, cabe señalar, a ese respecto, las recomendaciones del informe de 2010 de la Oficina del Asesor Especial para África, titulado “Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development”, en las que se exhortó a los países africanos a que trazaran estrategias colectivas para reforzar su voz en las relaciones con las economías emergentes y garantizar, así, unos resultados beneficiosos para todas las partes¹¹.", "51. Dentro de los países del Sur, los niveles de desigualdad también presentan dificultades importantes para el desarrollo, sobre todo en las economías emergentes. Según unas investigaciones recientes, el 72% de los pobres del mundo, es decir, 960 millones de personas, viven en países de ingresos medianos, mientras que solo la cuarta parte, aproximadamente 370 millones de personas, viven en países de ingresos bajos². Las demandas de mayores libertades públicas, así como de igualdad en la distribución de los beneficios del crecimiento económico, alimentan el aumento de las protestas civiles, como ha sido el caso en la “primavera árabe”, la oleada de protestas que se han extendido rápidamente desde Túnez a finales de 2010 y han proseguido en 2011.", "52. Los intercambios Sur-Sur siguen aumentando, lo que anuncia una transformación considerable de las relaciones internacionales. El ascenso de las Potencias del Sur, tanto en el plano regional y como en el mundial, tiene importantes consecuencias para las negociaciones internacionales y la fijación de prioridades multilaterales y ha llevado aparejado un aumento de la gama de intervenciones Sur-Sur, que han pasado de los intercambios técnicos a la profundización en la integración económica y, cada vez más, a la integración política y la resolución de conflictos. Ese cambio global debería producir unos verdaderos beneficios en materia de desarrollo, respaldados por unos planes y unas medidas en los que las corrientes de ayuda, comercio e inversión procedentes del Norte se complementen con una labor equiparable de desarrollo por parte del Sur, a fin de reducir la pobreza de manera efectiva.", "53. La cooperación Sur-Sur cuenta ya con un historial que la acredita como un valioso complemento de las estrategias tradicionales de desarrollo y de la gestión de las oportunidades y los problemas transnacionales. Las modalidades de cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular han sido ampliamente adoptadas por toda una variedad de interesados de muchos sectores y se ha reconocido su eficacia, que se debe, sobre todo, a su inclusividad y efectividad. Dado que, por lo común, se centra en intervenciones de gran escala dirigidas a mejorar las capacidades de producción, la cooperación Sur-Sur ofrece la ventaja comparativa de funcionar conjuntamente con las formas tradicionales de ayuda al desarrollo, que, en los últimos años, han tendido a centrarse más en las intervenciones humanitarias y sociales. Esta complementariedad ofrece una oportunidad única para el diálogo sobre la nueva arquitectura del desarrollo, en concreto sobre la mejor manera de aprovechar las ventajas de las formas de asistencia tradicionales y Sur-Sur, aplicando lo que haya dado resultados sostenibles en materia de prestación de asistencia para el desarrollo por parte de los donantes tradicionales y los socios del Hemisferio Sur.", "54. El apoyo multilateral a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular ha crecido, como reacción al aumento de la demanda, aunque sigue habiendo problemas de coordinación entre los distintos agentes y de financiación. La tendencia de las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas a emprender iniciativas de largo plazo que incorporen estratégicamente enfoques Sur-Sur es un cambio satisfactorio con respecto a los proyectos ad hoc, pero, dada la multiplicidad de planes, proyectos y programas de todo el sistema, sería beneficioso contar con unas entidades y unos mecanismos de coordinación más fuertes para incrementar más la eficacia en función de los costos y evitar la duplicación de menos tareas. Además, el aumento de la utilización de la programación conjunta, la coordinación interinstitucional y los mecanismos de financiación multilateral podría permitir una mayor mancomunación de recursos para ayudar a potenciar las iniciativas exitosas y movilizar los recursos colectivos humanos, financieros y de otra índole del Sur, a fin de agilizar las medidas para lograr los objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente, incluidos los ODM. Sin embargo, hasta que no se satisfagan las necesidades financieras, tanto en lo que respecta a incrementar la financiación como a destinar asignaciones específicas a proyectos y programas en los que participen varios países, el apoyo multilateral no será suficiente para lograr los citados objetivos.", "B. Recomendaciones", "55. A fin de mantener el impulso actual y de potenciar los efectos y las contribuciones de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular a un desarrollo humano más inclusivo, equitativo y sostenible, la comunidad internacional para el desarrollo debe seguir tratando de encontrar fórmulas para convertir los problemas que afronta el Hemisferio Sur en oportunidades, con objeto de cumplir los ODM, en el año 2015, y otros objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente, en años sucesivos.", "56. En unos momentos en que el sistema multilateral trata de intensificar, aún más, su apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, el liderazgo de los Estados Miembros en la cooperación para el desarrollo, incluida la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, sigue siendo vital. Independientemente de su nivel de desarrollo o del tamaño de su economía, todo país en desarrollo tiene algo que ofrecer en el ámbito de los grandes principios y objetivos establecidos en el documento final de Nairobi. En conjunto, el Hemisferio Sur posee una gran cantidad de información y datos, sistemas efectivos de intercambio de conocimientos, fórmulas políticas de desarrollo de eficacia comprobada, fórmulas de construcción institucional de eficacia comprobada, así como tecnologías asequibles y apropiadas en esferas como las de la seguridad alimentaria, el cambio climático y la investigación sobre el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana y el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida (VIH/SIDA). Ese conocimiento puede compartirse, reproducirse y acrecentarse de manera más general en todo el Sur.", "57. A fin de atender mejor las necesidades y prioridades de desarrollo de los Estados Miembros, el sistema multilateral tiene que aclarar más las definiciones operativas y los indicadores de resultados significativos que le permitan medir tanto la magnitud como el efecto de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular en los planos bilateral, regional, interregional y mundial. Por otra parte, en el documento final de Nairobi se alienta a todos los organismos, entidades, fondos, programas y comisiones regionales de las Naciones Unidas a que ayuden a los países en desarrollo en la tarea de mejorar o establecer centros de excelencia en su respectivo ámbito de competencia y aprovechen los servicios de la Dependencia Especial del PNUD para la Cooperación Sur-Sur, incluida su estructura multilateral de apoyo Sur-Sur, compuesta por la Academia Mundial para el Desarrollo Sur-Sur, la Exposición Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sur-Sur y el Sistema Mundial de Intercambio de Activos y Tecnología Sur-Sur. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo tiene una ventaja comparativa en la labor de ayudar a los países en desarrollo a reunir, articular y analizar más sistemáticamente la información sobre las iniciativas de cooperación Sur-Sur de ámbito nacional, regional e interregional, y se ha comprometido a mejorar su funcionamiento en esta esfera.", "58. El sistema de las Naciones Unidas también debe continuar mejorando la coherencia y la coordinación general de su apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular. Ello lo debería realizar mediante el uso de programas conjuntos innovadores, iniciativas en las que participen múltiples países y mecanismos y entidades multilaterales de financiación y coordinación más fuertes. Los diversos miembros del sistema ya no pueden actuar independientemente en sus propias actividades de apoyo a la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, sino que deben cooperar, mejorar su coordinación y complementar las actividades de los demás.", "59. El apoyo financiero a la cooperación Sur-Sur sigue siendo una necesidad vital para el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, tanto para difundir las buenas prácticas y las fórmulas de desarrollo exitosas como para ampliar la escala de los programas exitosos, a fin de incrementar la eficacia general en pro de un desarrollo más inclusivo y sostenible. Aunque la cooperación Sur-Sur de carácter bilateral y regional seguirá siendo el foro y el canal principal de asistencia mutua y de intercambio de conocimientos, los problemas globales persistentes, como la inseguridad alimentaria y energética, el cambio climático y el VIH/SIDA, requieren más enfoques multilaterales, también por parte del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. A ese respecto, cabe recordar que la Asamblea General, en su resolución 60/212, designó al Fondo Fiduciario de las Naciones Unidas para la Cooperación Sur-Sur como el mecanismo principal de financiación multilateral para que los Estados Miembros aportaran sus contribuciones voluntarias en apoyo de tales iniciativas.", "60. Aparte de los agentes tradicionales de la cooperación Sur-Sur y triangular, los Estados Miembros y el sistema multilateral, los sectores privados y las sociedades civiles del Hemisferio Sur son también esenciales para aplicar unas estrategias de desarrollo sostenible e inclusivo. Por consiguiente, es necesario que tanto los Estados Miembros como el sistema multilateral den, a los sectores privado y civil de la sociedad, un papel en el desarrollo, que complemente las políticas públicas, a fin de garantizar que los puntos fuertes de cada uno de los sectores de la sociedad puedan aprovecharse para obtener unos éxitos más amplios en materia de desarrollo en el Sur.", "61. Para que el sector privado invierta de manera eficaz y sostenible, cree empleo y reduzca la pobreza, es sumamente importante que los gobiernos intensifiquen la cooperación Sur-Sur centrándose en la creación de entornos propicios, tanto nacionales como transfronterizos, mediante la provisión de diversos bienes públicos, como infraestructuras materiales, normativas y jurídicas. El aumento de la participación de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil también enriquecerá las relaciones Sur-Sur, gracias a su interés común en las necesidades sociales y ambientales, así como a su preocupación común por la paridad entre los géneros y las libertades civiles.", "[1] Véase Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, Perspectivas sobre el desarrollo mundial 2010: riqueza cambiante, junio de 2010.", "[2] Véase Ravi Kanbur y Andy Sumner, “Poor Countries or Poor People? Development Assistance and the New Geography of Global Poverty” (puede consultarse en la siguiente dirección: http://kanbur.dyson.cornell.edu/papers/KanburSumnerPoorCountriesOrPoorPeople.pdf).", "[3] Véase JIU/REP/2011/3 (http://www.unjiu.org).", "[4] Véase Unión Europea, Conferencia sobre la cooperación para el desarrollo en tiempos de crisis y sobre el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, celebrada en Madrid, los días 9 y 10 de junio de 2010.", "[5] Por ejemplo, en la conferencia de alto nivel celebrada en el Parlamento Europeo, en 2011, sobre cómo podrían, la implicación nacional inclusiva y la cooperación Sur-Sur, impulsar la ayuda para el desarrollo por parte de la Unión Europea, el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Costa Rica reconoció que la cooperación Sur-Sur podía ser más efectiva y eficaz para hallar y aplicar soluciones, incrementando la eficacia en función de los costos, fomentando la transferencia de tecnología apropiada y garantizando la implicación, el liderazgo y el desarrollo de la capacidad a nivel local.", "[6] El Libro blanco de la ayuda exterior de China puede consultarse en la siguiente dirección: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/21/c_13839683.htm; véase un análisis de la estrategia de la India en África en Naidu, Sanusha, “India’s Growing Africa Strategy,” Review of African Political Economy, vol. 35, núm. 115; se puede obtener más información sobre la política del Brasil en la dirección http://www.economist.com/node/16592455 y en el informe del Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales titulado Development Cooperation for the Millenium Development Goals: Maximizing Results (ST/ESA/326).", "[7] Resolución 64/222, anexo, párrs. 11 y 18.", "[8] Véase http://www.bimstec.org/about_bimstec.html.", "[9] Véanse la intervención de Bahrein (http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/14/141445.html); la intervención del Yemen (http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Protests-in-Yemen-Amid-Regional-Efforts-to-Mediate-119565559.html); la intervención de Côte d’Ivoire (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/25/c_13663784.htm), y la intervención de la Jamahiriya Árabe Libia (http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00012794.html).", "[10] Véase http://www.africa-platform.org.", "[11] Véase Oficina del Asesor Especial para África, Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development, Nueva York, 2010 (se puede consultar en la siguiente dirección: http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/reports/emerging_economies_2009.pdf.).", "[12] Véase un estudio más detenido de las últimas tendencias de la asistencia para el desarrollo Sur-Sur en Departamento de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales, Development Cooperation for the Millenium Development Goals: Maximizing Results, 2010 (ST/ESA/326), y Park, Kang-Ho, “New Development Partners and a Global Development Partnership” en Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid, Homi Khars, Kiji Makino y Woojin Jung eds., Brookings Institution Press, 2011, Washington, D.C.", "[13] Véase ST/ESA/326.", "[14] El Foro de Cooperación China-África ha constituido un Fondo de Desarrollo China-África para apoyar a las empresas chinas que invierten en África y ha ofrecido préstamos en condiciones de favor por valor de 3.000 millones de dólares y créditos comerciales por valor de 2.000 millones de dólares entre 2007 y 2009. En 2010, China financió proyectos de infraestructuras a cambio del acceso a recursos naturales y su comercio bilateral con África ascendió a 126.900 millones de dólares. La India ha prestado asistencia a 156 países en desarrollo, a los que ha proporcionado más de 2.000 millones de dólares en asistencia técnica desde 1964.", "[15] Declaración de la Cumbre de Seúl (se puede consultar en la siguiente dirección: http://www.g20.org/Documents2010/11/seoulsummit_annexes.pdf).", "[16] Véase http://www.nepad.org/ceo039s-office/news/2337/aunepad-declaration-about-g20-action-plan-food-price-volatility-and-agricul.", "[17] Véase Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, Dependencia Especial para la Cooperación Sur-Sur “Enhancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation: Study of the Current Situation and Existing Good Practices in Policy, Institutions and Operations of South-South and Triangular Cooperation”, 2009 (se puede consultar en la siguiente dirección: http://ssc.undp.org).", "[18] Véase Secretaría General Iberoamericana, Informe de la Cooperación Sur-Sur en Iberoamérica, 2010, noviembre de 2010 (se puede consultar en la siguiente dirección: www.segib.org).", "[19] Véase http://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/field/2011/20110426_01.html.", "[20] Resolución 64/222, anexo, párr. 21 a) y f).", "[21] Véase http://www.ibsa-trilateral.org.", "[22] Véanse http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=4915; y “An overlook of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation” (borrador), marzo de 2011.", "[23] Además de centrarse en el desarrollo de la capacidad y el intercambio de mejores prácticas, el Centro realiza investigaciones y aborda problemas específicos en materia de ciencia, tecnología e innovación en materia de formulación de políticas en los países en desarrollo (véase http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/science-technology/sti-policy/centre-for-south-south-cooperation/).", "[24] Véase A/66/134." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 24 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Operational activities for development: South-South cooperation for development", "The state of South-South cooperation", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report highlights the changing nature of South-South interactions and how they have impacted development opportunities across the global South. The report is submitted in response to the request of the General Assembly in its resolution 64/221, that the Secretary-General prepare a comprehensive report on the state of South-South cooperation for submission at its sixty-sixth session. Covering the period from 2009 to 2011, in the wake of the 2008-2009 economic crisis, the report presents data showing a more resilient South, which has embraced deeper and more institutionalized integration, resulting in more robust economic, political and social interactions. These increased connections have led to stronger demand for multilateral support to South-South and triangular cooperation, called for both by developed and developing countries, which require further coordination as well as deeper and more targeted financial resources.", "I. Introduction", "1. The present report, which was prepared in response to the request of the General Assembly in its resolution 64/221, provides an overview and analysis of the trends and significant developments in South-South cooperation during the period from 2009 to mid-2011.", "2. During the period under review, countries such as Brazil, China, India and South Africa have emerged as the leaders of a new geography of growth, as evidenced by their remarkable resilience in the face of the 2008-2009 economic crisis. Economists have noted that these emerging economies have not only become the lead drivers of global economic growth and recovery, they have also improved the economic fortunes of poorer countries owing, in large part, to the rising demand from those countries for goods and services, which accounts for the current surge in South-South trade and investment.[1]", "3. In recent years there has been a marked deepening of relations among various stakeholders in the area of South-South and triangular cooperation. Whether on a global, interregional, regional or national scale, Governments have sought to consolidate the legal foundations of cooperation while multilateral bodies have continued to play a brokering role between developing and developed countries, including local stakeholders.", "4. In spite of the remarkable progress of many emerging economies, the past several decades have witnessed both economic convergence, as emerging economies catch up with the developed world, and economic divergence in the case of the bottom billion, who are falling further behind. Worldwide, the majority of the poor are found within the middle-income countries of the South that have been hit hard by the 2008 economic recession, which has increased their vulnerability to rising food prices, growing unemployment, inadequate access to health care and the social and environmental effects of climate change.[2]", "5. In addition, concerns about transparency and accountability in the delivery of assistance have arisen in recent years as emerging economies have undertaken more significant roles in assisting other developing countries. At the same time, uneven development among countries of the South has highlighted the need for measures to correct ongoing asymmetric trade and investment patterns.", "6. Despite such challenges, a global consensus has emerged in support of South-South and triangular cooperation, with renewed commitments on the part of States, non-State actors and regional and international organizations to harness emerging opportunities to meet the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. New partnerships, innovative funding and support mechanisms have been established to address a range of social and economic challenges at the global, regional and local levels. The United Nations and other multilateral organizations have also spurred more inclusive partnerships and dialogue, with the increased participation of developing countries, and have now articulated principles to guide South-South cooperation.", "7. The report has been prepared based on information contained in recent United Nations reports, in the reports of other multilateral and non-governmental organizations, a recent review of United Nations support to South-South cooperation carried out by the Joint Inspection Unit[3] and other research and studies in order to provide a broad overview of South-South issues and trends. The report presents illustrative rather than exhaustive examples of South-South interactions during the period under review.", "II. The state of South-South and triangular cooperation", "A. Enhanced economic resilience", "8. Between 2009 and 2011, South-South relations were characterized by an increase in economic growth and in levels of trade and investment, along with growing levels of inequality and integration, and a rising demand for both South-South and triangular cooperation initiatives. South-South interactions are leading to deep changes in the fabric of international relations and have begun to yield a proven development impact, with countries of the South now constituting a powerful force in the global economy.", "9. As of 2008, developing countries accounted for around 37 per cent of global trade and nearly three quarters of global growth, with South-South flows making up about half of that total.¹ Economists have predicted that by 2030 South-South cooperation will be one of the main engines of growth, accounting for 57 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). On average, growth rates among developing countries rose from an estimated 1.2 per cent in 2009 to 5.2 per cent in 2010. The GDP of developing countries is expected to increase further, to 5.8 per cent, in 2011.¹", "10. Economic ties between developing countries have strengthened as new centres of growth have emerged. Between 1990 and 2008, world trade expanded fourfold, while South-South trade multiplied by more than 20 times its initial levels over the same period of time. India is now a key trading partner for sub-Saharan Africa, serving as one of the top five sources of goods for at least one third of African countries, importing $20.7 billion worth of goods and commodities and exporting $10.3 billion to Africa in 2010. Brazil’s yearly trade with Africa increased from $3.1 billion in 2000 to $26 billion in 2008.¹ China has made it a priority to establish close ties with other developing countries through increased trade, investment and manufacturing agreements, which led the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to report, in 2010, that a 1 percentage point increase in China’s growth rate is estimated to result in a 0.2 percentage increase in the growth rates of low-income countries.¹", "11. During the same time period, developing economies have increasingly attracted private investment and capital: net private capital flows increased from $110 billion in 2008 to about $386 billion in 2009, and such flows are estimated to have jumped to $659 billion in 2010. Official development assistance (ODA) levels among developing countries have also increased significantly, from $9.5 to 12.1 billion in 2006 to $12 to 13.9 billion in 2008.[4]", "12. The period under review has been characterized by increasing efforts towards integration among the countries of the global South, specifically through increased economic and political ties, as witnessed by the creation and formalization of institutions and cooperation structures. From Africa to Asia and to Latin America, there is a renewed impetus among the countries of the South to engage in crisis management and the pooling of resources for development, as illustrated by: the activities of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union in Côte d’Ivoire; the role played by the Gulf Cooperation Council in Yemen; and the creation of the Bank of the South (Banco del Sur), a multi-country monetary fund and lending organization founded by Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) at the Second Africa-South America Summit in Caracas in 2009.", "13. As a result of a number of factors, including the economic recession, the demonstrated resilience of developing countries and the increased recognition of the opportunities within the South, rising demand for South-South and triangular cooperation has also advanced cooperative efforts. In 2009, members of OECD experienced significant declines in total GDP and a 3.3 per cent drop in growth levels, while donations of earmarked funding for emergency assistance to the United Nations declined and net capital flows to developing countries dropped significantly, as did global remittance levels, lowering by 7.3 to 10.1 per cent.³ Those factors combined to drive the debate on international cooperation for development beyond traditional foreign aid programmes towards complementary methods of delivering assistance, including South-South and triangular cooperation. As a result, the Group of Eight (G8), OECD, the European Union, United Nations entities and the World Bank have all undertaken concrete steps to join developing countries in South-South and triangular partnerships and to promote in-depth policy dialogue and collaboration for the more efficient and cost-effective allocation of assistance.[5]", "14. Global factors such as climate change, food security, climbing energy prices and disease also pointed towards the need for increased South-South and triangular efforts. Current estimates show that by 2050 water resources will have diminished by 10 to 30 per cent in dry regions, posing a threat both to water and food supplies. This scenario, combined with diminishing viable farmland worldwide, has led to controversial land deals between developing countries as well as increased negotiations and interactions among the countries of the South in preparation for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which is to be held in Brazil in June 2012. Developing countries are seeking to provide assistance to countries in need in these areas, in particular through multilateral assistance, including through the Special Programme for Food Security and of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).", "15. Although the majority of countries of the global South continued to employ South-South cooperation in the framework of technical cooperation, the increasing formalization of interactions through country-to-continent strategies and the clarification of development assistance strategies of some of the larger emerging countries, including Brazil, China and India, were driven by the increasing demand for South-South exchanges during the period.[6] Distinctions between South-South development assistance and traditional ODA also became clearer over the course of the reporting period. One emerging notable distinction revealed that countries of the global South providing assistance tended to use a multi-pronged development strategy, incorporating trade, investment and aid, which was often used for infrastructure projects or for building productive capacities. Such assistance included concessional loans, grants, lines of credit and technical assistance, as well as support channelled through multilateral institutions. Distinctions between South-South and traditional assistance were also clarified in the Nairobi outcome document of the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation,[7] in which the guiding principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit were recognized and reaffirmed.", "B. Further deepening of regional integration", "16. While areas of cooperation among developing countries have broadened, they have also deepened, particularly within regions. During the period under review, numerous regional cooperation organizations have worked to expand frameworks and fields for trade, investment and finance within the global South, which, in turn, has led to efforts to enhance the institutional strength of the organizations themselves. Apart from economic cooperation, there has been closer political cooperation, including strengthened collective security arrangements and information systems for knowledge and experience sharing. New actors have also appeared on the scene, as regional banks and the import and export banks of emerging economies have assumed a bigger role in financing South-South initiatives.", "17. Efforts to expand economic space in Africa range from steps to create greater monetary integration, as seen in ECOWAS and the East African Community, to the establishment of free trade areas covering countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, which, together, represent a combined population of nearly 600 million people, a total GDP of approximately $1 trillion and 57 per cent of the total population of the States themselves of the African Union.", "18. In Asia, arrangements have advanced to expand and ease free trade, as evidenced by the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization to coordinate regulatory reform, connectivity, competitive policies, the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, disaster management and food security in the region. Work is also progressing on furthering regional economic integration through the formalization of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area in January 2010 and the establishment of an Asian economic community by 2015, an ASEAN Free Trade Area by 2020 and a free trade area among the seven members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi‑Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.[8]", "19. Regional groupings have also increased their political linkages, as illustrated by the establishment of a community court of justice by ECOWAS, including efforts to strengthen its security arm through its Allied Armed Forces. Another example is the effort of the members of the East African Community to achieve full political federation by 2015. In addition, over the period from 2009 to 2011, regional organizations have increasingly been intervening in domestic conflicts, either politically or militarily, in countries such as Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen.[9]", "20. The increasing demand for regional initiatives has encouraged regional cooperation organizations to strengthen their institutional arrangements. This has been a major priority in Africa in particular, where the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, spearheaded by the African Union, has recently become a full-fledged agency working to accelerate capacity-building and sustainable development through key partnerships at the regional and multilateral levels. In 2011, the Partnership launched the Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness to mobilize policymakers, practitioners and a wide range of stakeholders, with the aim of achieving sustainable development, using peer learning and sharing of knowledge and experience through existing networks and communities of practice, and promoting capacity development, aid effectiveness and South-South Cooperation in the region.[10] In a similar vein, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the Disaster Management Centre of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have provided technical assistance in order to adapt internationally accepted methodologies to the Sri Lankan context, based on the experiences of other Asian countries, through the use of “DesInventar”, a disaster information management system. The system is being used to maintain historical records of disaster occurrences in Sri Lanka over the past 30 years.", "21. Interregional mechanisms have also been strengthened during the period under review, including among the countries of the Latin America and Caribbean region. The Organization of Ibero-American States, which consists of 24 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, has stepped up efforts to promote South-South and triangular cooperation between its member States through its Ibero-American Programme to Strengthen South-South Cooperation, which became operational in January 2010. The focus of the programme is the development and enhancement of information systems in order to identify good practices and generate data and statistical records to generate greater information about and accountability in the area of South-South and triangular cooperation in the region.", "22. Increased involvement of the regional development banks has also been a part of South-South cooperation over the past two years, in particular in their support for regional capacity-building efforts and for the strengthening of public-private partnerships at the interregional and regional levels. The Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Islamic Development Bank have all promoted wide-ranging partnerships and projects in areas such as information and communications technology, health rehabilitation and educational and professional institutions in a number of regions, including sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. Both the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank were instrumental in promoting trade in their respective continents, through the provision of $2.8 billion in direct financing for firms by the Asian Development Bank, and through support to commercial banks and financial institutions on the scale of $1 billion by the African Development Bank. In addition, the African Development Bank has financed a number of infrastructure programmes throughout the continent during this period.", "23. Apart from the regional development banks, banks in emerging economies are also playing a greater role in South-South development, both regionally and interregionally, as in the case of Brazil, China and India. The Export-Import Bank of China has financed the construction of three of the biggest hydroelectric dams in Ecuador. In 2011, India extended a $5 billion credit line to countries in Africa while also writing off debt estimated at $24 million as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC).[11] Brazil, through its National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), has also funded numerous infrastructure projects in the country, particularly in the areas of fossil fuel extraction, transportation infrastructure and hydroelectric dams. In addition, in 2009, as noted above, seven Latin American countries signed the historic charter of the Bank of the South, with initial contributions of $4 billion from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).", "24. Overall, South-South and triangular cooperation has been characterized by a widening of focus and a deepening of interactions, particularly with the increased institutionalization of regional cooperation efforts, all of which serve to create the conditions for more robust and meaningful bilateral, regional and global cooperation.", "C. More robust interactions among developing countries", "25. During the reporting period, in addition to the increase in trade and investment noted above, there was also intensified bilateral cooperation among developing countries in terms of financing for development, knowledge and experience sharing, networking, institution building and the formalization of cooperative arrangements.", "26. In regard to financing for development, the speed at which South-South development assistance has been rising in recent years is significant. Equally notable is the growing role of philanthropic organizations in the South, including foundations, trust funds and civil society organizations funded by endowments, as well as by wealthy individuals and corporations. In 2010, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat reported that development assistance in the global South, in the form of concessional loans and grants had risen rapidly in recent years, from $8.6 billion in 2006 to $15.3 billion in 2008. The report noted that the largest providers of development assistance were China, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), followed by Arab agencies and India, with the top three providers accounting for 75 per cent of all such development cooperation in 2008.[12]", "27. In providing financial assistance, it was found that such assistance initiatives tend to target regional or subregional neighbours in order to strengthen political ties, trade and investment and that they are generally more convenient in terms of management, given the geographical proximity.[13] One example of this trend is the Mexico-Chile Joint Cooperation Fund to Finance South-South Cooperation. It should be noted that interregional funding arrangements are also on the rise. Both China and India, for example, have developed cooperation programmes focused on providing aid to Africa, China through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and India through its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme and the Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme.[14] In addition, the Bank of the South, set up in November 2009, is working to promote South-South development financing, a goal set by the South Centre in 2000.", "28. Knowledge and experience sharing continue to be a major priority in South-South technical cooperation exchanges. China and India, for example, have stepped up bilateral links with countries in sub-Saharan Africa for this purpose. The South-South Cooperation Network was established by China to facilitate the sharing of information, joint research, technical exchanges and public-private partnerships in the area of applied technologies in the development of microhydropower, biogas and solar energy with other developing countries. India’s Pan-Africa e-network project facilitates the transfer of medical information through teleconferences and teleconsultations between India and the countries members of the African Union. Developing countries, including Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia Singapore, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey, have also been involved in providing training opportunities for citizens of other members of the global South in a variety of sectors. India has been active in sharing its expertise in software technology by providing annual training sessions for about 5,000 professionals from other developing countries in areas such as: information and communications technology, telecommunications, small and medium-sized enterprises, rural development and renewable energy. Qatar, which has taken a leading role in promoting South-South cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, has brought together representatives of 42 countries from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, as well as from international organizations, to share and exchange experiences in the field of effective hydrocarbon management.", "29. Institution-building has become another focus of South-South initiatives. Brazil, India and Turkey have all made notable contributions to institution-building among the countries of the South. The Brazilian Cooperation Agency has been coordinating international development activities with a number of national institutions, including the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, in order to implement structural impact projects in the areas of agriculture and food security. Brazil has also supported the “cotton-4-project” in Mali, which aims to increase the production and raise the quality of the cotton produced in that country, while in Senegal, it is supporting the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute in its efforts to increase the quality and the competitiveness of rice production using the technical expertise of the Research Corporation. Through the India-Africa Forum Summit, India has supported the establishment of: the India-Africa Institute of Foreign Trade in Uganda; the India-Africa Institute of Information Technology in Ghana; the India-Africa Diamond Institute in Botswana; and the India-Africa Institute of Education, Planning and Administration in Burundi. The Turkish International Development and Cooperation Agency has increased the number of its programme coordination offices to 26 in 23 developing countries across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East and, recently, in sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to advance institutional development, capacity-building, the development of human resources, education, health systems, cultural programmes, agriculture-driven economies, preservation of the environment and dissemination of information.", "30. Within the past five years, the trend of increasingly formalized agreements among developing countries has been gaining ground. This is evident in the number of regional integration schemes and country-to-continent and continent-to-continent forums that China, Egypt, India, South Africa, Turkey and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) have engaged in with African countries. At the second Africa-South America Summit, held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2009, delegations from both continents established a basis for economic cooperation and issued an agreement that included commitments to the strengthening of South-South cooperation in the trade, security, energy and mining sectors.", "31. Since countries of the global South are now in an improved position to share their expertise in specific development sectors with other developing countries through professional, highly regularized institutional mechanisms, the remaining challenge is to strengthen genuine partnerships and reduce bargaining power asymmetries that tend to lower benefits for the weaker parties in South-South relations.", "D. Stronger triangular partnerships", "32. The period from 2009 to 2011 has seen the establishment of stronger institutional mechanisms for promoting partnerships, knowledge and technology sharing and peer-learning throughout the South. Increasingly, South-South and triangular modalities have been adopted by a variety of stakeholders to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness in the delivery of assistance and to complement North-South cooperation.", "33. In recognition of the increased relevance of South-South development, developed countries have marshalled greater support for South-South and triangular cooperation. In 2010, for example, the Group of Twenty (G20) issued its multi-year action plan on development, highlighting South-South and triangular cooperation as important and innovative tools for information sharing and domestic resource mobilization for sustainable development.[15] In June 2011 the G20 issued an action plan on food price volatility and agriculture, in which it recognized the decision of the African Union to set up a development agency under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development to improve access for African farmers to farming inputs and to promote equitable, mutually beneficial agricultural trade agreements, as well as to improve the farming capacities of African countries.[16] The OECD Development Assistance Committee has also taken keen interest in South-South and triangular cooperation, as seen in the work of its task team on South-South cooperation and its organization, in March 2010, of the High-level Event on South-South Cooperation and Capacity Development in Bogotá, held in preparation for the Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, in late 2011.", "34. With increasing interest in and demand for triangular partnerships originating from both developing and developed countries, traditional donor agencies are increasingly adopting the triangular cooperation modality to increase the impact of development projects through innovative joint-funding programmes. A study conducted with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which covers the views of donors and of pivotal and recipient countries, reveals the benefits and incentives driving the adoption of triangular methodologies by international development agencies and multilateral organizations of the global North.", "35. In general, the study revealed a greater degree of accountability and transparency within triangular interactions. Pivotal countries prized the support of donors and international organizations in fields such as technical capacity development, strengthening of policy and institutional frameworks and the acquisition of know-how in the arena of international cooperation, which enhances their credibility and reputation. In addition, beneficiary countries noted the advantage of having an intermediary to facilitate information sharing and partnering with pivotal countries; the increased credibility of the cooperation extended by pivotal countries; and the scaling-up of such cooperation, including the provision of facilities and equipment by donors. Donors and international organizations noted the advantages of using the experience and know-how of the developing countries themselves as well as the increase in assistance to pivotal countries within triangular arrangements. The study also highlighted the challenges of higher transaction costs and tensions over policy coordination, while noting that most parties surveyed felt that the benefits accrued from triangular cooperation outweighed the drawbacks.[17]", "36. The areas receiving the most support through triangular cooperation activities include: capacity development for the effective management of South-South cooperation; knowledge and information sharing; and the implementation of South-South programmes.", "37. In terms of capacity development, efforts have focused on providing support to development cooperation agencies of the South in the establishment of good practices. In the 2010 report of the Ibero-American General Secretariat on South-South cooperation, analysis of data from 2009 triangular cooperation projects in Latin America revealed that roughly half of all cooperation projects were focused on economic (30 per cent) and social activities (22 per cent) and the other half were concentrated in the area of institutional capacity-building for public institutions and civil society, and on the environment.[18] Government capacity-building is the basis of a UNDP project in Afghanistan sponsored by the United States of America, which seeks to promote democratic policing policies. The project, which is ongoing, has involved a training session for Afghan police officers through interactions with their counterparts in Nepal, focusing on community policing activities, dealing, in particular, with the prevention of and response to gender-based violence. Traditional donors, such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, have focused on issues such as capacity development in food security and social protection, collaborating with the Coalition for African Rice Development and providing support for the ASEAN/ILO-Japan industrial relations project and for the establishment of a regional centre promoting the empowerment of persons with disabilities through the use of South-South sharing to exchange best practices.", "38. The German Agency for International Cooperation has been particularly involved in information sharing for development. It has supported the project on the sharing of lessons learned in environmental management and solid waste practices by the Government of Mexico, which has been used to train environmental workers in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala, and has led to the creation of a Latin American solid waste portal, the GIRESOL Network, to facilitate the sharing of information and resources about integrated waste management in the region.¹⁸ The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation has also prioritized knowledge sharing in its efforts in the field of triangular cooperation as shown by its funding and facilitation of intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation among donors, including the meeting on “European Union triangular cooperation in the context of aid effectiveness”, held in Madrid in March 2010.", "39. Project implementation remains a primary focus for donor countries, whether through the creation of joint cooperation funds for triangular cooperation, such as those created by Spain, with Chile and Argentina, and Germany has initiated with Chile, or through the execution of technical assistance projects, such as those supported by partners such as the German Agency for International Cooperation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. As a leader in this field, in 2010, the Japan International Cooperation Agency through its 15 offices, both in Japan and abroad, assisted an estimated 12,000 participants worldwide through some 1,300 programmes, ranging from disaster prevention support and training to health-care training to trade and investment facilitation.[19]", "E. Enhanced support from the United Nations system", "40. During the period under review, Member States have consistently shown their firm commitment to South-South initiatives and provided clear direction to the United Nations development system for the effective catalysation and support for South-South cooperation. In keeping with the trends of the previous biennium, and in response to directives from Member States, the United Nations development system has scaled up its efforts to enhance and strengthen South-South cooperation by: further mainstreaming South-South cooperation in the Organization’s policy frameworks; creating strategic partnerships for such cooperation; making South-South cooperation a priority focus in long and medium-term planning instruments; undertaking more coherent and coordinated approaches, including joint programming; establishing or formalizing centres of excellence, led by countries of the global South, for better knowledge sharing and solutions exchange; and undertaking innovative resource mobilization efforts for South-South cooperation.", "41. Over the same time period, Member States have affirmed their commitment to South-South cooperation and provided increased direction to multilateral processes through major intergovernmental bodies. Significantly, the Group of 77 (G77) and China continued to provide political guidance for South-South cooperation by leading the debate on this subject at almost every major United Nations conference, as well as within the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, by stressing the importance of the support needed from the United Nations system for such cooperation in its Development Platform for the South, launched in 2008, and by underscoring the broad principles of South-South cooperation in its 2009 and 2010 ministerial declarations. In 2010, the G77 and China also demonstrated strong leadership in supporting the development and approval of the multi-year Plan of Action for South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development. In addition, the conclusion of the third round of negotiations on the Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries in December 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil, under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is another illustration of the firm commitment of the G77 and China to promote trade among its membership. The commitment of the States Members of the United Nations to South-South approaches to development was clearly expressed, once again, when they gathered in Nairobi in December 2009 at the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation. The “Nairobi outcome document” of the Conference, which was subsequently endorsed on 21 December 2009 by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/222, provides a clear set of principles and broad objectives for South-South cooperation, as well as priority issues and areas requiring the support of the international community, especially from the entities of the United Nations development system.", "42. In terms of mainstreaming South-South cooperation through policy frameworks and planning instruments, the 2008 decision of the Policy Committee of the Secretary-General called upon the entities of the United Nations development system to adopt concrete measures to enhance their support for South-South cooperation and urged senior officials to emphasize the strong commitment of the United Nation to South-South cooperation at intergovernmental forums as a critical tool for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals. At its 2008 substantive session, the Economic and Social Council convened a meeting with the Executive Secretaries of the United Nations regional commissions, stressing their importance as an essential “pillar for South-South cooperation”. In addition, the Nairobi outcome document called on the United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies to take concrete measures to mainstream support for South-South and triangular cooperation and encourage closer links between regional commissions, centres of excellence and regional and subregional economic groupings.[20]", "43. As a result of the adoption of the above policy frameworks and directives, more members of the United Nations system have developed planning instruments incorporating South-South cooperation. This growing phenomenon is reflected in the inclusion of South-South and triangular cooperation in 15 annual reports and 17 medium-term plans recently prepared by entities of the United Nations system.³ In its strategic plan 2008-2012, UNDP highlights South-South cooperation as one of its principle approaches for development effectiveness in the implementation of its country and regional programmes. In addition, a recent report of the Joint Inspection Unit³ noted that most organizations of the common system had programmes or projects identified as supporting South-South cooperation at the headquarters, regional and/or country levels, including FAO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), UNCTAD, UNDP, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) of the World Health Organization (WHO). In other organizations, South-South cooperation forms part of regular technical cooperation programmes, as seen at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).¹⁸", "44. Apart from individual agencies, funds and programmes developing their own policies and procedures on South-South cooperation, the United Nations system overall is working to strengthen integrated approaches to development in order to incorporate South-South approaches. This is evident in the inclusion of South-South cooperation in the United Nations guidelines for United Nations country teams on preparing common country assessments and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) process, which is aimed at incorporating South-South cooperation into regional and country-level programmes. Although only explicitly referred to in the current Assistance Frameworks of 17 countries, inter-agency efforts, spearheaded by the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, on operational guidelines for the support of the United Nations system to South-South cooperation are under way, as mandated by the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation.", "45. During the period under review, the agencies, funds, programmes and other entities of the United Nations system have established an increased number of strategic partnerships with major providers of South-South development cooperation and have formalized South-led centres of excellence and networks to facilitate South-South sharing of knowledge and development solutions. UNDP has formed strategic partnerships and similar arrangements with Brazil, China and Turkey. ILO has championed the promotion of decent work and, with the support of the Government of Brazil, is engaged in efforts to share information and best practices related to child labour, youth employment, education and health and vocational training in Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, in the countries members of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and within the India-Brazil-South Africa dialogue forum.[21]", "46. With regard to supporting South-led centres of excellence, UNEP has piloted a South-South cooperation exchange mechanism to enable systematic documentation and sharing of successful case studies on South-South projects and initiatives in the field of the environment and sustainable development. Similar efforts have been made by: UNESCO, which has set up the International Centre for South-South Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation, in Kuala Lumpur; UNCTAD, which operates the Network of Centres of Excellence, supporting technology and knowledge transfer to Africa through the training of scientists and technology experts; and UNIDO, which has established the South-South Cooperation Center in Beijing.[22] The UNESCO International Centre for South-South Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation is currently creating a clearinghouse of best practices, in coordination with the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.[23] During the period under review, the Web of Information for Development (WIDE), a web service platform operated by the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, has enabled an additional 30 entities within and outside the United Nations system to create and manage their rosters of experts. As of 2011, 69 rosters are actively listed on the site.", "47. During the period from 2009 to 2011 inter-agency coordination and collaboration in this field has improved considerably, as evidenced by the increased regularity of inter-agency exchanges of focal points by the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, as called for by Member States. Two such inter-agency exchanges were convened to review the actions of the United Nations system to carry out the aims set out by Member States in the Nairobi outcome document and to share current practices in South-South cooperation. In addition, the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, through its three-in-one multilateral South-South support architecture, made up of the Global South-South Development Academy, the Global South-South Development Expo and the South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange System, has enabled a larger number of United Nations organizations, funds and programmes, including the regional commissions, to document, disseminate and scale-up their South-South initiatives. The Global South-South Development Academy, for example, has piloted a citizenry-based South-South development academy in the Asia-Pacific region during this period. The annual Global South-South Development Expo (hosted in 2009 by the World Bank and in 2010 by ILO) has brought together more than 20 United Nations organizations and agencies, as well as more than 100 other partner entities to showcase and exchange successful development solutions, while also providing a setting for the chiefs of development cooperation entities of the United Nations system to come together and discuss issues of South-South and triangular cooperation. The South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange System has been established as a transaction platform, which includes a listing of 1,710 projects, 283 matches and 79 business transactions in the area of small and medium-sized enterprises. Transactions in the field of the environment and energy exchanges have also been listed on the system, and listings in the area of global health will be posted in the current period.", "48. In addition to an emphasis on knowledge-sharing, the United Nations system has also stressed the need for innovative funding mechanisms to manage South-South and triangular partnerships. Examples include the newly established $30 million FAO trust fund for South-South cooperation supported by China to assist selected African countries; the India-Brazil-South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation; and the UNESCO South-South Cooperation Fund to support its South-South cooperation programme for education, which is focused on meeting the goal of “education for all” and other Millennium Development Goals through exchanges of experience, knowledge and good practices on a South-South and triangular basis. Another example is the five-year strategic triangular cooperation arrangement between the Republic of Korea and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, which was established to facilitate South-South and triangular knowledge-sharing in education, science and technology, renewable energy and resource management, capacity-building and sustainable human development to meet the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific region.", "III. Remaining challenges, opportunities and recommendations", "A. Challenges and opportunities", "49. Tremendous progress has taken place among developing countries in the three decades since the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. During that time a strong global consensus has emerged in support of South-South and triangular cooperation, including the strategic support of both developing and developed countries, and in particular from the leadership of the Group of 77 and China and the G20. However, despite strong acceleration of economic growth across many parts of the globe that has been spurred by South-South interactions, inequality is on the rise both between and within the countries of the global South.", "50. The industrialization and productive capacity imbalances across the global South are affecting national efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Current data show that quite a number of countries are not on target to meet the Goals, while many that have made significant strides remain mired in poverty. The least developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and small island developing States continue to lag behind, with only three countries having graduated from least developed country status since 1970. This fact underscores the need for greater productive capacity development strategies for the least developed countries as called for at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Istanbul in May 2011.[24] Also noteworthy in this context are the recommendations of the 2010 report of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa on “Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development”, which urged African countries to develop collective strategies to bolster their voice in interactions with emerging economies to ensure a beneficial outcome for all parties.¹¹", "51. Within countries of the South, domestic inequality levels present significant challenges to development, particularly among the emerging economies. Recent research shows that 72 per cent of the world’s poor, or 960 million people, live in middle-income countries, while only one quarter, roughly 370 million, live in low-income countries.² Demands for greater civil liberties as well as the equal distribution of the benefits of economic growth are fuelling the rise in civilian protests, as seen in the “Arab spring”, the wave of protests that spread rapidly from Tunisia in late 2010 and into 2011.", "52. South-South exchanges continue to increase, heralding a significant transformation in international relations. The ascendancy of the powers of the South, both regionally and globally, has important implications for international negotiations and multilateral priority-setting and has led to an attendant increase in the range of South-South interventions from technical exchanges to deepening economic integration and, increasingly, towards political integration and conflict resolution. This global shift should lead to a real development dividend, underpinned by plans and actions whereby flows of aid, trade and investment from the North are complemented by similar development efforts led by the South to effectively reduce poverty.", "53. South-South cooperation has an established track record as a valuable complement to traditional development strategies and to the management of transnational opportunities and challenges. South-South and triangular modalities have been widely adopted by a variety of stakeholders in many sectors, and the efficiency of this type of development cooperation in particular its inclusivity and effectiveness, has been recognized. Since it generally focuses on large scale interventions for improving production capabilities, South-South cooperation offers the comparative advantage of working in concert with traditional forms of development aid, which, in recent years, have tended to focus more on humanitarian and social interventions. This complementarity presents a unique opportunity for dialogue on the emerging development architecture in terms of how best to leverage the advantages of both traditional and South-South forms of assistance, drawing on what has proven to work sustainably in the provision of development assistance by traditional donors and partners of the global South.", "54. Multilateral support to South-South and triangular cooperation has grown in reaction to increased demand, although challenges of coordination among various actors and financing remain. The trend among the organizations of the United Nations system towards longer term initiatives that strategically incorporate South-South approaches is a welcome change from ad hoc projects, but the multiplicity of plans, projects and programmes across the system could benefit from the use of stronger coordination entities and mechanisms to further ensure cost-effectiveness and prevent duplication. In addition, the increased use of joint programming, inter-agency coordination and multilateral funding mechanisms, could allow for a greater pooling of resources to help scale up successful initiatives and mobilize the collective human, financial and other resources of the South towards the acceleration of efforts to meet the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. However, until the financial needs are met, both in terms of increased funding and allocations targeting multi-country projects and programmes, multilateral support will not be sufficient to achieve the above objectives.", "B. Recommendations", "55. In order to sustain the current momentum and scale up the impact and contributions of South-South and triangular cooperation for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable human development, the international development community must continue to find ways to turn the challenges faced in the global South into opportunities, with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015 and other internationally agreed development goals beyond 2015.", "56. As the multilateral system seeks to further intensify its support for South-South and triangular cooperation, the leadership of Member States in development cooperation, including South-South and triangular cooperation, remains vital. Regardless of the development level or size of an economy, every developing country has something to offer under the broad principles and objectives set forth in the Nairobi outcome document. Together, the global South possesses a wealth of information and data, effective knowledge-sharing systems, proven development policy options, tested institutional capacity-building solutions and affordable and appropriate technologies in areas such as food security, climate change and HIV/AIDS research. This knowledge can be more broadly shared, replicated and scaled up across the South.", "57. To better serve the development needs and priorities of the Member States, the multilateral system needs further clarification of operational definitions and meaningful performance indicators that will enable it to measure both the scale and the impact of South-South and triangular cooperation at the bilateral, regional, interregional and global levels. In addition, in the Nairobi outcome document, all United Nations organizations, agencies, funds, programmes and regional commissions were encouraged to assist developing countries in enhancing or establishing centres of excellence in their respective area of competence and to leverage the services of the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, including through its multilateral South-South support architecture, consisting of the Global South-South Development Academy, the Global South-South Development Expo and the South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange System. The United Nations development system holds a comparative advantage in efforts to help developing countries to more systematically gather, consolidate and analyse information on national, regional and interregional South-South initiatives, and the United Nations system is committed to improving its work in this area.", "58. The United Nations system must also continue to improve the overarching coherence and coordination of its support for South-South and triangular cooperation. This should be accomplished through the use of innovative joint programmes, multi-country initiatives, stronger multilateral funding and coordination mechanisms and entities. The various members of the United Nations system can no longer act independently in their own South-South and triangular support activities, but must cooperate, enhance coordination and complement each others’ efforts.", "59. Financial support for South-South cooperation remains a vital need for the United Nations system, in order for it to expand both the dissemination of good practices and successful development solutions and to scale up successful programmes to increase overall effectiveness for more inclusive and sustainable development. While South-South cooperation carried out at bilateral and regional levels will remain the main forums and channels for mutual assistance and learning, persistent global challenges, including food and energy insecurity, climate change and HIV/AIDS, call for increased multilateral approaches, including through the United Nations system. In this regard, it should be recalled that the General Assembly, in its resolution 60/212, designated the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation as the main multilateral funding mechanism for Member States to pool voluntary contributions in support of such initiatives.", "60. Apart from the traditional actors in South-South and triangular cooperation, Member States and the multilateral system, the private sectors and civil societies of the global South are also critical to sustainable and inclusive development strategies. It is necessary, therefore, that both Member States and the multilateral system give both the private and the civil sectors of society a role in development that complements public policies, thus ensuring that the strengths of every sector of society can be harnessed for more comprehensive development successes across the South.", "61. In order for the private sector to effectively and sustainably invest, create jobs and reduce poverty, it is of critical importance that Governments step up South-South cooperation, focusing on the creation of enabling environments, both national and cross-border, through the provision of various public goods, including functioning physical regulatory and legal infrastructures. Greater involvement by civil society organizations would also enrich South-South interactions owing to their shared interest in social and environmental needs and their common concern for gender parity and civil liberties.", "[1] See Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Perspectives on Global Development, 2010: Shifting Wealth, June 2010.", "[2] See Ravi Kanbur and Andy Sumner, “Poor Countries or Poor People? Development Assistance and the New Geography of Global Poverty” (see http://kanbur.dyson.cornell.edu/papers/ KanburSumnerPoorCountriesOrPoorPeople.pdf).", "[3] See JIU/REP/2011/3 (http://www.unjiu.org).", "[4] See European Union, Conference on development cooperation in times of crisis and on achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Madrid, 9-10 June 2010.", "[5] For example, at the 2011 high-level conference in the European Parliament on how inclusive ownership and South-South cooperation could boost development aid provided by the European Union, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica acknowledged that South-South cooperation can be more efficient and effective in identifying and implementing solutions, increasing the cost-effectiveness, promoting the transfer of appropriate technologies and ensuring local ownership, leadership and capacity-building.", "[6] China’s white paper on foreign aid, is available from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/ china/2011-04/21/c_13839683.htm; for a discussion of India’s Africa strategy, see Naidu, Sanusha, “India’s Growing Africa Strategy”, Review of African Political Economy, vol. 35, No. 115; for more on Brazil’s policy see http://www.economist.com/node/16592455 and the report of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs, Development Cooperation for the Millennium Development Goals: Maximizing Results (ST/ESA/326).", "[7] Resolution 64/222, annex, paras. 11 and 18.", "[8] See http://www.bimstec.org/about_bimstec.html.", "[9] See Bahrain intervention (http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/14/141445.html); Yemen intervention (http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Protests-in-Yemen-Amid-Regional-Efforts-to-Mediate-119565559.html); Côte d’Ivoire intervention (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/25/c_13663784.htm); and Libyan Arab Jamahiriya intervention (http://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00012794.html).", "[10] http://www.africa-platform.org.", "[11] See Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development, New York, 2010 (see http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/reports/emerging_economies_2009.pdf).", "[12] For a more extended discussion of recent trends in South-South development assistance see: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Development Cooperation for the Millennium Development Goals: Maximizing Results, 2010 (ST/ESA/326); and Park, Kang-Ho, “New Development Partners and a Global Development Partnership” in Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid, Homi Kharas, Koji Makino and Woojin Jun eds., Brookings Institution Press, 2011, Washington, D.C.", "[13] See ST/ESA/326.", "[14] The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has formed a China-Africa Development Fund to support Chinese firms investing in Africa and provided preferential loans amounting to $3 billion and trade credits of $2 billion from 2007 to 2009. In 2010, China funded infrastructure projects in exchange for access to natural resources and its bilateral trade with Africa amounted to $126.9 billion. India has assisted 156 developing countries, providing over $2 billion in technical assistance since its inception in 1964.", "[15] Seoul Summit Declaration (see http://www.g20.org/Documents2010/11/seoulsummit_ annexes.pdf).", "[16] See http://www.nepad.org/ceo039s-office/news/2337/aunepad-declaration-about-g20-action-plan-food-price-volatility-and-agricul.", "[17] See United Nations Development Programme Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, “Enhancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation: Study of the Current Situation and Existing Good Practices in Policy, Institutions and Operations of South-South and Triangular Cooperation”, 2009 (see http://ssc.undp.org).", "[18] See Ibero-American General Secretariat, Report on South-South Cooperation in Ibero-America, 2010, November 2010 (see www.segib.org).", "[19] See http://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/field/2011/20110426_01.html.", "[20] Resolution 64/222, annex, paras. 21 (a) and (f).", "[21] See http://www.ibsa_trilateral.org.", "[22] See http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=4915; and “An overlook of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation” (draft), March 2011.", "[23] In addition to focusing on capacity-building and the exchange of best practices, the centre conducts research and tackles specific problems in science, technology and innovation policymaking in developing countries (see http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/science-technology/sti-policy/centre-for-south-south-cooperation/).", "[24] See A/66/134." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "Item 24 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Operational activities for development: South-South cooperation for development", "Status of South-South Cooperation", "* A/66/150.", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report highlights the varying nature of South-South relations and their impact on development opportunities throughout the South Hemisphere. It is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 64/221, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a comprehensive report on the status of South-South cooperation. The report, covering the period from 2009 to 2011 and post-economic crisis from 2008 and 2009, provides data showing a stronger South, which has undertaken deeper and more institutionalized integration, resulting in stronger economic, political and social relations. These increased connections have strengthened the demand for multilateral support for South-South and triangular cooperation by both developed and developing countries, which requires greater coordination, as well as more substantial and more specific financial resources.", "I. Introduction", "1. 1. The present report, which has been prepared pursuant to the request of the General Assembly in its resolution 64/221, provides an overview and analysis of major trends and developments in South-South cooperation between 2009 and mid-2011.", "2. During the period under review, countries such as Brazil, China, India and South Africa have become the leaders of a new geography of growth, as demonstrated by their remarkable resistance to the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009. Economists have pointed out that these emerging economies have not only become the drivers of global economic growth and recovery, but have also improved the economic fortunes of the poorest countries, largely because of the growing demand for goods and services by those countries, which explains the current boom in trade and South-South investment[1].", "3. In recent years there has been a marked deepening of relations between the various stakeholders in the area of South-South and triangular cooperation. At both the global, interregional and regional levels, Governments have sought to strengthen the legal bases of cooperation, while multilateral agencies have continued to play a brokering role between developed and developing countries, including local stakeholders.", "4. Despite the remarkable progress of many emerging economies, there has been so much economic convergence in recent decades, as emerging economies shorten distances with the developed world, such as an economic divergence in the case of the 1 billion poor who occupy the last position and are lagging behind. Most of the world ' s poor live in the middle-income countries of the South, which have been greatly affected by the 2008 economic recession, which in turn has increased their vulnerability to rising food prices, rising unemployment, lack of health services and the social and environmental effects of climate change.[2]", "5. On the other hand, in recent years there has been a concern about transparency and accountability in the provision of assistance, as emerging economies have assumed more important roles in assisting other developing countries. At the same time, the unequal development of the countries of the South has emphasized the need for action to address the asymmetric dynamics currently affecting trade and investment.", "6. Despite these difficulties, a global consensus has been reached in support of South-South and triangular cooperation, which entails a renewed commitment by States, non-State actors and regional and international organizations to take advantage of new opportunities to meet the internationally agreed development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). New partnerships and innovative financing and support mechanisms have been developed to address a range of global, regional and local economic and social challenges. The United Nations and other multilateral organizations have also promoted more inclusive partnerships and dialogue, with increased participation by developing countries, and have already articulated the guiding principles of South-South cooperation.", "7. The present report has been prepared from the information contained in recent United Nations reports and reports of other multilateral and non-governmental organizations, from a recent review of United Nations support for South-South cooperation by the Joint Inspection Unit[3] and other research and studies, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of South-South issues and trends. It provides more illustrative and comprehensive examples of South-South relations during the reporting period.", "II. Status of South-South and triangular cooperation", "A. Increase in economic resistance", "8. Between 2009 and 2011, South-South relations have been characterized by increased economic growth and levels of trade and investment, along with increasing levels of inequality and integration and increased demand for South-South and triangular cooperation initiatives. South-South relations are leading to profound changes in the structure of international relations and have begun to yield development results, as some countries of the South Hemisphere are now a powerful force in the world economy.", "9. In 2008, developing countries accounted for about 37 per cent of world trade and nearly three quarters of global growth, with South financial flows accounting for about half of that total.1 Economists have predicted that, in 2030, South-South cooperation will be one of the main engines of growth and will represent 57 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP). On average, growth rates in developing countries increased from approximately 1.2 per cent in 2009 to 5.2 per cent in 2010. GDP in developing countries is expected to increase further, to 5.8 per cent, in 2011.1", "10. Economic relations among developing countries have been strengthened as new growth centres have emerged. Between 1990 and 2008, world trade quadrupled, while South-South trade multiplied by more than 20 times its initial level over the same period of time. India is currently a very important trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, one of the five main sources of goods for at least one third of African countries, as it imported goods and commodities of $20.7 billion and exported commodities and commodities of $10.3 billion to Africa in 2010. Brazil ' s annual business volume with Africa increased from $3.1 billion in 2000 to $26 billion in 2008.1 China has set itself a priority to establish close links with other developing countries through increased trade, investment and manufacturing agreements, which has led the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to report, in 2010, that, according to its estimates, there would be an increase in China ' s growth rate by an increase of 0.2 per cent of the growth rates of low-income countries.1", "11. During the same period, developing economies have increasingly attracted investment and private capital: the net value of private capital flows increased from $110 billion in 2008 to around $38 billion in 2009 and is estimated to rise to $65 billion in 2010. Official development assistance (ODA) levels in developing countries have also increased significantly, from $9.5 billion to $1.2 billion in 2006 and $12 billion to $13.9 billion in 2008.[4]", "12. The period under review is also characterized by the increased integration measures of the countries of the South Hemisphere; more precisely, the increase in political and economic ties, proof of which is the creation and formalization of institutions and structures of cooperation. From Africa to Latin America, through Asia, the countries of the South show a renewed impetus for participating in crisis management and pooling resources for development, as illustrated by the following examples: the activities of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union in Côte d’Ivoire; the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council of Yemen; and the creation of the Bank of the South, a monetary and national summit founded on Venezuela,", "13. Owing to a number of factors, including economic recession, proven resistance by developing countries and increased recognition of the opportunities in the South, increased demand for South-South and triangular cooperation has also encouraged cooperative efforts. In 2009, OECD members experienced a significant decline in total GDP and a fall of 3.3 per cent of their growth levels, while donations to the United Nations of funds earmarked for emergency assistance decreased and the net value of capital flows to developing countries declined significantly, as did global remittance levels from 7.3 per cent to 10.1 per cent. These factors have been combined to make discussions on international development cooperation more relevant than traditional foreign aid programmes and, for example, consider complementary aid delivery methods, such as South-South and triangular cooperation. As a result, the Group of Eight (G-8), OECD, the European Union, United Nations entities and the World Bank have taken concrete steps to join developing countries in South-South and triangular partnerships and to promote a deep policy dialogue and collaboration in order to increase the cost-effectiveness and effectiveness of aid allocations[5].", "14. Global factors such as climate change, food security, rising energy and disease prices also point to the need to increase South-South and triangular efforts. According to current estimates, in 2050 water resources will have decreased by 10 to 30 per cent in dry regions, which poses a threat to water and food supply. This forecast, together with the decline in globally cultivable soil, has resulted in controversial land transactions among developing countries, as well as increased negotiations and relations among the countries of the South, in preparation for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Brazil in June 2012. Developing countries seek to provide assistance to other countries with needs in these areas, including through multilateral assistance and through the Food Security Special Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).", "15. Although most countries of the South Hemisphere continued to employ South-South cooperation in the framework of technical cooperation, the increase in the formality of relations, through the implementation of strategies that cover from the national to the continental level, and the clarification of development aid strategies of some of the major emerging countries, as is the case of Brazil, China and India, the increasing demand-sharing period is under review. The distinctions between South-South development assistance and traditional ODA have also become clearer during that period. A new and notable distinction is that the countries of the Southern Hemisphere are tending to employ a multi-purpose development strategy, incorporating trade, investment and aid, which are often used for infrastructure projects or for developing productive capacity. Such assistance includes concessional loans, grants, credit lines and technical assistance, as well as support through multilateral institutions. The distinctions between South-South assistance and traditional assistance were also clarified in the outcome document of the United Nations High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation, held in Nairobi,[7] which recognized and reaffirmed the guiding principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, unconditionality, non-interference in internal affairs and mutual benefit.", "B. Further deepening of regional integration", "16. The areas of cooperation among developing countries have not only expanded but also deepened, particularly within the regions. During the period under review, many regional cooperation organizations have sought to expand the frameworks and spaces for trade, investment and finance within the Southern Hemisphere, which in turn led to measures aimed at improving the institutional virtues of the organizations themselves. Apart from greater economic cooperation, there has been greater political cooperation, including strengthening collective security mechanisms and information systems to acquire knowledge and share experiences. New actors have also appeared on the scene, as regional banks and import and export banks of emerging economies have taken a more important role in financing South-South initiatives.", "17. Activities to expand economic space in Africa range from measures to increase monetary integration, as in ECOWAS and the East African Community, to the creation of free trade zones covering the Common Market of Southern and Eastern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, which represent a combined population of about 600 million people, a total GDP of approximately 1 billion dollars and 57% of the African States.", "18. In the Asia agreements, it has been proposed to increase and facilitate free trade, as illustrated by the measures taken by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to coordinate policy reform, connectivity, competition policy, the creation and development of small and medium-sized enterprises, disaster management and food security in the region. Progress is also being made in deepening regional economic integration through the formal institution of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Zone in January 2010, and through the process of establishing an Asian Economic Community before the end of 2015, an ASEAN Free Trade Zone before the end of 2020 and a free trade area among the seven members of the Bengal Gulf Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation[8].", "19. Regional groups have also strengthened their political ties, as illustrated by the establishment of a ECOWAS community court of justice and by measures aimed at strengthening their security mechanism through their allied armed forces. Another example is the work done by members of the East African Community to constitute a political federation by 2015, at the latest. In addition, during the period from 2009 to 2011, regional organizations have also increasingly intervened, both politically and militarily, in internal conflicts in countries such as Bahrain, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen.[9]", "20. Increased demand for regional initiatives has encouraged organizations to strengthen their institutional arrangements. This has been one of Africa ' s main priorities, particularly where the New Partnership for Africa ' s Development, which the African Union has embarked on, has recently become a real body to accelerate capacity-building and sustainable development through key regional and multilateral partnerships. In 2011, the Alliance launched the African Platform for Development Effectiveness, to mobilize policymakers, practitioners and a wide range of stakeholders to achieve sustainable development through peer learning and sharing of knowledge and experiences through existing networks and collectives and by promoting capacity development, aid effectiveness and South-South cooperation in the region.[10] Similarly, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (SAARC) have provided technical assistance to adapt internationally accepted methodologies to the conditions of Sri Lanka, based on the experiences of other Asian countries and through “DesInventar”, a disaster management information system. This system is used to create a historic archive of Sri Lanka's disasters over the past 30 years.", "21. Regional mechanisms have also been strengthened during the reporting period, for example the mechanisms of countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Organization of Ibero-American States, which consists of 24 Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, has intensified its efforts to promote South-South and triangular cooperation among its member States through the Ibero-American South-South Cooperation Programme, which entered into force in January 2010. The purpose of the Programme is to develop and improve information systems, to identify good practices and to develop statistical data and analysis to produce more information on South-South and triangular cooperation and to increase accountability in the region.", "22. The increased participation of regional development banks has also been part of South-South cooperation over the past two years, including its support for regional capacity-building and strengthening public-private partnerships at the interregional and regional levels. The Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Islamic Development Bank have promoted broad partnerships and projects in areas such as information and communication technologies, health rehabilitation and educational and professional institutions in various regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. Both the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Bank have played a crucial role in promoting trade in their respective continent, thanks to the provision of $2.8 billion of direct financing to companies by the former and the provision of support to commercial banks and financial institutions of $1 billion by the latter. In addition, the African Development Bank has funded a number of infrastructure programmes across the African continent during the reporting period.", "23. Apart from regional development banks, the banks of emerging economies are also playing an increasing role in South-South development, both at the regional and interregional levels, as is the case of Brazil, China and India. The Export and Import Bank of China has financed the construction of three of the largest hydroelectric dams in Ecuador. In 2011, India granted a $5 billion credit line to African countries and also paid $24 million in debt under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.[11] Brazil, through its National Economic and Social Development Bank, has also financed numerous infrastructure projects in its territory, particularly in the areas of fossil fuel extraction, transport infrastructure and hydroelectric dams. In addition, in 2009, as already mentioned, seven Latin American countries signed a document of historical importance, the foundational record of the Bank of the South, which was constituted by the initial contributions of $4 billion from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).", "24. In general, South-South and triangular cooperation has been characterized by an increase in the concentration and deepening of relations, especially due to the intensification of institutionalization of regional cooperation measures, which has enabled the creation of the necessary conditions for stronger and more meaningful bilateral, regional and global cooperation.", "C. Closer relations among developing countries", "25. During the period under review, in addition to increased trade and investment, as indicated above, bilateral cooperation among developing countries has also intensified in terms of development finance, knowledge-sharing and experience, networking, institutional construction and formalization of cooperation agreements.", "26. With regard to financing for development, the speed at which South-South development assistance has increased in recent years has been remarkable. Equally noteworthy is the growing role of South philanthropic organizations, such as foundations, trust funds and civil society organizations funded by endowment funds, as well as rich people and businesses. In 2010, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat reported that development assistance in the South Hemisphere, consisting of concessional loans and grants, had increased rapidly in recent years, from 8.6 billion in 2006 to 15.3 billion in 2008. The report noted that the main providers of development assistance were Saudi Arabia, China and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), followed by a number of Arab organizations and India, and that the three main providers had represented 75 per cent of all such development cooperation in 2008.[12]", "27. In providing financial assistance, it was found that assistance initiatives tended to target regional or subregional neighbours to strengthen political ties, trade and investment and tended to be more comfortable in management terms, given geographical proximity.[13] An example of this trend is the Joint Mexico-Chile Cooperation Fund. It should be noted that interregional financing mechanisms are also increasing. For example, China and India have developed cooperation programmes to assist Africa; China, through the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, and India, through its Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme and the Commonwealth Programme of Assistance to Africa[14]. In addition, the South Bank, established in November 2009, is working to promote South-South development financing, a target set by the South Centre in 2000.", "28. Sharing knowledge and experiences remains an important priority in South-South technical cooperation exchanges. China and India, for example, have intensified bilateral ties with sub-Saharan African countries to that end. China established the South-South Cooperation Network to facilitate information-sharing, joint research, technical exchanges and public-private partnerships in the field of technologies applied to microhydraulic, biogas and solar energy generation along with other developing countries. The Indian Pan-African electronic network project facilitates the transmission of medical information through teleconferences and teleconsultations between India and African Union member countries. Developing countries, such as Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey, have also provided training opportunities for citizens of other countries belonging to the South Hemisphere in a wide range of sectors. India has actively shared its experience in IT programming technology by providing annual training sessions to some 5,000 professionals from other developing countries in areas such as information and communication technology, telecommunications, small and medium-sized enterprises, rural development and renewable energy. Qatar, which has taken a leading role in promoting South-South cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, has brought together representatives from 42 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, as well as international organizations, to share and share experiences in the area of effective hydrocarbon management.", "29. Institutional construction has become another of the objectives of South-South initiatives. Brazil, India and Turkey have made significant contributions to institutional construction in the countries of the South. The Brazilian Cooperation Agency has coordinated international development activities with a number of national institutions, such as the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company, to implement structural impact projects in the areas of agriculture and food security. Brazil has also supported the project “ Algodon-4” in Mali, which aims to increase the production and quality of cotton in this country, while in Senegal it supports the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research in its efforts to increase the quality and competitiveness of rice production using the technical experience of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company. Through the India-Africa Forum Summit, India has supported the creation of the following institutes: the India-Africa Foreign Trade Institute in Uganda, the India-Africa Information Technology Institute in Ghana, the India-Africa Diamond Institute in Botswana and the Indian-Africa Education, Planning and Administration Institute in Burundi. The Turkish Agency for International Development and Cooperation has increased the number of its programme coordination offices, which has become 26 in 23 developing countries in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East and, recently, in sub-Saharan Africa, with a view to building institutional development, capacity-building, human resources development, education, health systems, cultural programmes, economies driven by agriculture, environment and environmental information.", "30. In the past five years, the tendency to formalize agreements among developing countries has been gaining ground. This is reflected in the number of regional integration plans and forums between a country and a continent or between continents in which China, Egypt, India, South Africa, Turkey and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) have participated, together with African countries. At the Second Africa-South Summit, held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2009, the delegations of both continents laid the foundation for economic cooperation and concluded an agreement that included the commitment to strengthen South-South cooperation in the trade, security, energy and mining sectors.", "31. Since the countries of the South Hemisphere have improved their position to share their experience in specific development sectors with other developing countries through professional and highly regularized institutional mechanisms, the remaining challenge is to strengthen genuine partnerships and reduce asymmetries in negotiating power that tend to reduce the benefits of the weakest parties in South-South relations.", "D. Strengthening triangular partnerships", "32. In the period from 2009 to 2011, there has been the establishment of stronger institutional mechanisms to promote partnerships, knowledge and technology sharing and peer learning across the South. Increasingly, various stakeholders have adopted modalities for South-South and triangular cooperation to ensure the inclusiveness and effectiveness of the provision of assistance and to complement North-South cooperation.", "33. In recognition of the growing importance of South-South development, developed countries have supported South-South and triangular cooperation. In 2010, for example, the Group of Twenty (G-20) published its multi-year plan of action on development, highlighting that South-South and triangular cooperation were important and innovative tools for information-sharing and domestic resource mobilization for sustainable development.[15] In June 2011, the G-20 published an action plan on food and agriculture price volatility, in which it recognized the African Union ' s decision to establish a development agency under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa ' s Development to improve African farmers ' access to agricultural inputs and to promote the conclusion of equitable and mutually beneficial agricultural trade agreements, as well as to enhance the agricultural capacity of African countries[16]. The OECD Development Assistance Committee has also gained considerable interest in South-South and triangular cooperation, as demonstrated by the work of its Task Force on South-South Cooperation and the organization, in March 2010, of the High-level Meeting on South-South Cooperation and Capacity Development, held in Bogotá in preparation for the Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, at the end of 2011.", "34. In view of the increased interest in and demand for triangular partnerships by developing and developed countries, traditional donor agencies are increasingly adopting the triangular cooperation modality to enhance the impact of development projects through innovative joint funding programmes. A study carried out with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, which includes the views of donors and those of key countries and recipient countries, demonstrates the benefits and incentives for the adoption of triangular methodologies by international development agencies and multilateral organizations in the Northern Hemisphere.", "35. In general, the study states that there is a greater degree of responsibility and transparency in triangular relations. Key countries appreciate donor and international organizations ' support in such areas as technical capacity development, strengthening policy and institutional frameworks and acquiring knowledge on international cooperation, which enhances their credibility and reputation. In addition, the beneficiary countries have noted the advantages of having an intermediary to facilitate the exchange of information and collaboration with key countries; the enhancement of the credibility of triangular cooperation provided by key countries; and the intensification of such cooperation, including through the provision of services, facilities and equipment by donors. Donors and international organizations have noted the advantages of harnessing the experience and expertise of developing countries themselves, as well as expanding assistance to key countries in triangular agreements. The study has also identified the challenges of increased transaction costs and policy coordination tensions, but it has been noted that most respondents believed that the benefits of triangular cooperation were beyond the drawbacks.[17]", "36. Areas that receive the greatest support through triangular cooperation activities are: the development of the effective management capacity of South-South cooperation; the exchange of knowledge and information; and the implementation of South-South programmes.", "37. With regard to capacity-building, efforts have focused on supporting South development cooperation agencies in identifying good practices. In the 2010 report of the Ibero-American General Secretariat on South-South cooperation, an analysis of the data of the 2009 triangular cooperation projects in Latin America was presented, according to which approximately half of the projects focused on economic activities (30%) and social activities (22%) and the other half, on building the institutional capacity of public institutions and civil society and the environment.[18] Government capacity-building is the basis for a United States-sponsored UNDP Afghanistan project aimed at promoting democratic policing policies. Within the project, which is underway, a training session has been given to Afghan police officers, in which they have related to their Nepalese counterparts and have focused on community policing activities, particularly in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence. Traditional donors, such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, have focused on issues such as capacity-building in food security and social protection, in which they have collaborated with the Coalition for the Development of Rice in Africa and supported the ASEAN Labour Relations Project, the International Labour Organization and Japan and the establishment of a regional centre to promote the empowerment of persons with disabilities through South-South collaboration to share best practices.", "38. The German Agency for International Cooperation has been particularly involved in the exchange of information for development. It has supported the project to exchange lessons learned in the field of environmental management and solid waste from the Government of Mexico, which has been used to train ecological workers in countries such as Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic and has led to the creation of a Latin American solid waste portal, the GIRESOL Network, to facilitate the exchange of information and resources on integrated waste management within the region18. The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation has also given priority to knowledge-sharing in its work in the area of triangular cooperation, as demonstrated by the fact that it has funded and facilitated dialogue among Governments and cooperation among donors, for example at the meeting on " European Union triangular cooperation in the context of aid effectiveness " , held in Madrid in March 2010.", "39. The implementation of the projects remains a first-hand theme for donor countries, either through the creation of joint cooperation funds for triangular cooperation, such as those created by Spain with Chile and Argentina or those launched by Germany with Chile, or through the implementation of technical assistance projects, such as those supported by partners such as the German Agency for International Cooperation and the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation. As a leader in this area, in 2010, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, through its 15 offices, both from Japan and abroad, assisted some 12,000 people around the world who had participated in some 1,300 programmes, ranging from disaster prevention and training programmes to trade and investment promotion programmes, through training programmes in health care.[19]", "E. Increase in United Nations system support", "40. During the period under review, Member States have always shown their strong commitment to South-South initiatives and provided clear guidance to the United Nations development system so that it can undertake catalytic and effective support work within South-South cooperation. In line with the trends of the previous biennium and in response to the guidelines of Member States, the United Nations development system has intensified its efforts to improve and strengthen South-South cooperation by incorporating this, to a greater extent, into the policy framework of the Organization; by building strategic partnerships for such cooperation; by making such cooperation one of the priority issues of medium- and long-term planning tools; by applying more coherent and coordinated approaches to South-South programming", "41. During the same period, Member States have reiterated their commitment to South-South cooperation and provided more precise guidance to multilateral processes through major intergovernmental bodies. Significantly, the Group of 77 (G-77) and China have continued to provide political guidance on South-South cooperation by taking the lead in the debate on this issue at almost all major United Nations conferences, as well as in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and stressing the importance of the support that such cooperation needs of the United Nations system in its Development Platform for the South, which became operational in 2008, and underlining the overall principles of ministerial cooperation in 2009. In 2010, G-77 and China also demonstrated strong leadership in supporting the development and adoption of the Multi-year Action Plan on South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development. Furthermore, the conclusion of the third round of negotiations of the Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries, held in December 2010 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is another example of the strong commitment of the G-77 and China to promote trade among its members. The commitment of United Nations Member States to South-South approaches to development was again clearly expressed once again when they met in Nairobi in December 2009 at the United Nations High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation. The " Nairobi outcome document " developed at the Conference, which was subsequently endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 64/222 on 21 December 2009, sets out a clear set of general principles and objectives of South-South cooperation, as well as priority issues and areas that require support from the international community, particularly the United Nations development system.", "42. With regard to the mainstreaming of South-South cooperation through policy frameworks and planning tools, the decision adopted in 2008 by the Secretary-General ' s Policy Committee called upon the entities of the United Nations development system to take concrete steps to enhance their support for South-South cooperation and urged senior officials to highlight, in the intergovernmental forums, the strong commitment of the Organization to the achievement of the MDGs, At its substantive session of 2008, the Economic and Social Council organized a meeting of executive secretaries of the Organization ' s regional commissions, highlighting the importance of these as “pilar [essential] of South-South cooperation”. In addition, the Nairobi outcome document urged United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies to take concrete measures to integrate support for South-South and triangular cooperation in their overall work and called for closer linkages between regional commissions, centres of excellence and regional and subregional economic groupings[20].", "43. As a result of the adoption of these policy frameworks and guidelines, more members of the United Nations system have developed planning tools incorporating South-South cooperation. This growing phenomenon is reflected in the inclusion of South-South and triangular cooperation in 15 annual reports and 17 medium-term plans recently prepared by system entities.3 In its Strategic Plan for the period 2008-2012, UNDP highlights South-South cooperation as one of its main approaches to promoting effectiveness in the implementation of its national and regional programmes. In addition, a recent report of the Joint Inspection Unit3 has indicated that most common system organizations had programmes or projects that were considered to support South-South cooperation, at headquarters, regions or countries, including FAO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), UNCTAD, UNDP, the United Nations Population Organization, In other organizations, South-South cooperation is subsumed within regular technical cooperation programmes, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).18", "44. Apart from the various agencies, funds and programmes that develop their own South-South cooperation policies and procedures, the United Nations system, as a whole, seeks to strengthen integrated approaches to development in order to incorporate South-South approaches. This is evidenced by its recent inclusion of South-South cooperation in the Organization ' s guidelines for its country teams, to prepare their common assessments, and in the process of developing the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, with a view to incorporating such cooperation into regional and national programmes. Despite the fact that only explicit reference is made in the current assistance frameworks of 17 countries, inter-agency initiatives are being undertaken, led by the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, in relation to the United Nations system operational guidelines for South-South cooperation, in line with the mandate of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation.", "45. During the period under review, the agencies, funds, programmes and other entities of the United Nations system have forged a greater number of strategic partnerships with major South-South development cooperation providers and have officially established centres of excellence and networks from the South to facilitate knowledge-sharing and development solutions at the South-South level. UNDP has developed strategic partnerships and similar agreements with Brazil, China and Turkey. ILO has advocated the promotion of decent work and, with the support of the Government of Brazil, participates in initiatives aimed at sharing information and best practices related to child labour, youth employment, education and health and vocational training in Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, in the countries of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and in the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum[21].", "46. With regard to the provision of support to South-led centres of excellence, UNEP has piloted a South-South cooperative exchange mechanism to document and disseminate case studies on successful South-South projects and initiatives in the field of environment and sustainable development. Similar initiatives have been undertaken by the following organizations: UNESCO, which has established the International Centre for South-South Cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation in Kuala Lumpur; UNCTAD, which runs the Centres of Excellence Network, which supports the transfer of technology and knowledge to Africa through the training of scientists and technology experts; and UNIDO, which has founded the Centre for South-South Cooperation in Beijing[22]. The UNESCO International Centre for South-South Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation is currently creating a best practices exchange centre, in coordination with the Academy of Sciences for the World in Development.[23] Also during the reporting period, the Development Information Network of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, which is a web service platform managed by UNDP, has enabled 30 additional entities, both within and outside the United Nations system, to create and manage their rosters of experts. In 2011, there are a total of 69 active lists on the platform.", "47. In the period from 2009 to 2011, inter-agency coordination and collaboration in the area under review have improved considerably, as evidenced by the growing regularity of inter-agency exchanges of the focal points of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, as requested by Member States. Two such inter-agency exchanges were organized to review United Nations system interventions aimed at meeting the objectives envisaged by Member States in the Nairobi outcome document and to share current South-South cooperation practices. On the other hand, the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, through its triple multilateral structure, aimed at supporting such cooperation and formed by the World Academy for South-South Development, the World Exhibition on South-South Development and the Global System for the Exchange of Assets and South-South Technology, has enabled more United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, including regional commissions, to document, disseminate and expand South-South initiatives. The World Academy for South-South Development, for example, has piloted an academy for South-South development based on citizens in the Asia-Pacific region during that period. The annual World South-South Development Expo (organized in 2009 by the World Bank and in 2010 by ILO), has brought together more than 20 United Nations agencies and entities, as well as more than 100 other partner entities, to show and exchange successful development formulas, in addition to providing space for the heads of development cooperation of United Nations system entities to meet and discuss South-South and triangular issues. The Global South-South Assets and Technology Exchange System has been constituted as a trading platform, which includes a list of 1,710 projects, 283 stakeholder matching and 79 business transactions in small and medium-sized enterprises. Transactions in the field of environment and energy have also been disclosed on a system list, and another global health list will also be included in the current period.", "48. Apart from insisting on knowledge-sharing, the United Nations system has also emphasized the need for innovative financing mechanisms to manage South-South and triangular cooperation. Examples include the newly established FAO Trust Fund, with $30 million, which will support South-South cooperation, with China ' s input, to assist selected African countries; the India, Brazil and South Africa Service for Poverty and Hunger Relief; and the UNESCO South-South Cooperation Fund, aimed at supporting its South-South cooperation programme in education, which focuses on achieving the triangular exchange of good practices. Another example is the five-year strategic triangular cooperation agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Special Unit for South-South and triangular cooperation, which was concluded to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on education, science and technology, renewable energy and resource management, capacity-building and sustainable human development, with a view to achieving the MDGs in the Asia-Pacific region.", "III. Challenges outstanding, opportunities and recommendations", "A. Challenges and opportunities", "49. There has been enormous progress in developing countries over the three decades since the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action to Promote and Implement Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries. During this period, strong global consensus has been reached on support for South-South and triangular cooperation, including strategic support from developing countries and developed countries, and above all the leadership of G-77 and China and G-20. However, despite the strong acceleration of economic growth in many parts of the world, which has been stimulated by South-South relations, inequality is increasing both among and within the countries of the South Hemisphere.", "50. The imbalances affecting industrialization and the productive capacity of the entire Southern Hemisphere have an impact on national efforts to achieve the MDGs by 2015. Current data indicate that a significant number of countries are not well aimed at meeting those goals, while many that have achieved significant progress remain in poverty. Least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States remain lagging and only three countries have emerged from the least developed country category since 1970. This underscores the need for more ambitious strategies for productive capacity development for the least developed countries, as called for at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in Istanbul in May 2011.[24] It should also be noted, in this regard, the recommendations of the 2010 report of the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, entitled “Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development”, which called on African countries to develop collective strategies to strengthen their voice in relations with emerging economies and to ensure, thus, beneficial outcomes for all parties.11", "51. Within the countries of the South, levels of inequality also present significant development challenges, particularly in emerging economies. According to recent research, 72 per cent of the world ' s poor, that is, 960 million people, live in middle-income countries, while only a quarter, approximately 370 million people, live in low-income countries.2 The demands for greater public liberties, as well as equal distribution of the benefits of economic growth, fuel the increase of civil protests, as has been the case in the “Arab Spring”, the wave of protests that have spread rapidly since Tunisia in late 2010 and have continued in 2011.", "52. South-South exchanges continue to increase, announcing a significant transformation of international relations. The rise of the South Powers, both at the regional and global levels, has significant implications for international negotiations and the establishment of multilateral priorities and has led to an increase in the range of South-South interventions, which have shifted from technical exchanges to deepening economic integration and, increasingly, to political integration and conflict resolution. Such a global change should produce real development benefits, supported by plans and measures in which aid, trade and investment flows from the North are complemented by comparable development efforts by the South, in order to effectively reduce poverty.", "53. South-South cooperation already has a history that credits it as a valuable complement to traditional development strategies and the management of transnational opportunities and problems. The modalities of South-South and triangular cooperation have been widely adopted by a wide range of stakeholders from many sectors and their effectiveness has been recognized, which is mainly due to their inclusiveness and effectiveness. As it is commonly focused on large-scale interventions aimed at improving production capacities, South-South cooperation offers the comparative advantage of working together with traditional forms of development aid, which in recent years have tended to focus more on humanitarian and social interventions. This complementarity offers a unique opportunity for dialogue on the new development architecture, specifically on how best to take advantage of traditional and South-South forms of assistance, applying what has yielded sustainable development assistance outcomes by traditional donors and partners in the South Hemisphere.", "54. Multilateral support for South-South and triangular cooperation has grown, as a reaction to increased demand, although there are still problems of coordination between different actors and funding. The tendency of United Nations system organizations to undertake long-term initiatives that strategically incorporate South-South approaches is a satisfactory change with respect to ad hoc projects, but given the multiplicity of system-wide plans, projects and programmes, it would be beneficial to have stronger entities and coordination mechanisms to increase cost effectiveness and avoid duplication of work. In addition, increased use of joint programming, inter-agency coordination and multilateral financing mechanisms could allow for increased pooling of resources to help enhance successful initiatives and mobilize South human, financial and other collective resources to expedite efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. However, until financial needs are not met, both in terms of increasing funding and earmarking for projects and programmes involving several countries, multilateral support will not be sufficient to achieve the above objectives.", "B. Recommendations", "55. In order to maintain the current momentum and to enhance the impact and contributions of South-South and triangular cooperation on more inclusive, equitable and sustainable human development, the international development community must continue to seek ways of turning the challenges facing the South Hemisphere into opportunities, in order to meet the MDGs in 2015, and other internationally agreed development goals in future years.", "56. At a time when the multilateral system seeks to further enhance its support for South-South and triangular cooperation, the leadership of Member States in development cooperation, including South-South and triangular cooperation, remains vital. Regardless of their level of development or the size of their economy, every developing country has something to offer in the scope of the great principles and objectives set out in the Nairobi outcome document. Overall, the Southern Hemisphere has a large amount of information and data, effective knowledge-sharing systems, proven effective political development formulas, proven institutional construction formulas, as well as affordable and appropriate technologies in areas such as food security, climate change and research on human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Such knowledge can be shared, reproduced and increased more generally throughout the South.", "57. In order to better meet the development needs and priorities of Member States, the multilateral system needs to further clarify the operational definitions and indicators of significant results that will enable it to measure both the magnitude and the impact of South-South and triangular cooperation at the bilateral, regional, interregional and global levels. Furthermore, the Nairobi outcome document encourages all United Nations agencies, entities, funds, programmes and regional commissions to assist developing countries in improving or establishing centres of excellence in their respective areas of competence and to build on the services of the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, including its multilateral South-South support structure, composed of the Global Academy for South-South Development, the World Expo on South-South and South-South Development. The United Nations development system has a comparative advantage in helping developing countries to collect, articulate and analyse more systematically information on national, regional and interregional South-South cooperation initiatives and is committed to improving their functioning in this area.", "58. The United Nations system should also continue to improve the overall coherence and coordination of its support for South-South and triangular cooperation. This should be done through the use of innovative joint programmes, multi-country initiatives and stronger multilateral financing and coordination mechanisms and entities. The various members of the system can no longer act independently in their own activities to support South-South and triangular cooperation, but must cooperate, improve their coordination and complement the activities of others.", "59. Financial support for South-South cooperation remains a vital need for the United Nations system, both to disseminate successful good practices and development formulas and to scale up successful programmes, in order to enhance overall effectiveness for more inclusive and sustainable development. While bilateral and regional South-South cooperation will remain the forum and main channel for mutual assistance and knowledge-sharing, persistent global challenges, such as food and energy insecurity, climate change and HIV/AIDS, require more multilateral approaches, also by the United Nations system. In that regard, it should be recalled that the General Assembly, in its resolution 60/212, designated the United Nations Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation as the main multilateral financing mechanism for Member States to make their voluntary contributions in support of such initiatives.", "60. Apart from the traditional actors of South-South and triangular cooperation, Member States and the multilateral system, the private sectors and civil societies of the South Hemisphere are also essential for implementing sustainable and inclusive development strategies. It is therefore necessary for both Member States and the multilateral system to give the private and civil sectors of society a role in development that complements public policies in order to ensure that the strengths of each of the sectors of society can be harnessed to achieve broader development successes in the South.", "61. In order for the private sector to invest effectively and sustainably, create employment and reduce poverty, it is extremely important for Governments to intensify South-South cooperation by focusing on creating enabling environments, both national and cross-border, through the provision of various public goods, such as material, policy and legal infrastructures. The increased participation of civil society organizations will also enrich South-South relations, thanks to their common interest in social and environmental needs, as well as their common concern for gender parity and civil liberties.", "[1] See Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Development Outlook 2010: Changing wealth, June 2010.", "[2] See Ravi Kanbur and Andy Sumner, “Poor Countries or Poor People? Development Assistance and the New Geography of Global Poverty (available at http://kanbur.dyson.cornell.edu/papers/KanburSumnerPoorCountriesOrPoorPeople.pdf).", "[3] See JIU/REP/2011/3 (http://www.unjiu.org).", "[4] See European Union, Conference on Cooperation for Development in Times of Crisis and on the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, held in Madrid on 9 and 10 June 2010.", "[5] For example, at the high-level conference held in the European Parliament in 2011, on how they could, inclusive national ownership and South-South cooperation, boost development aid by the European Union, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica recognized that South-South cooperation could be more effective and effective in finding and implementing solutions, increasing cost-effectiveness, fostering the transfer of appropriate technology and ensuring ownership, local development and leadership.", "[6] China ' s White Paper on Foreign Aid is available at http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/21/c_13839683.htm; see an analysis of India ' s African strategy in Naidu, Sanusha, “India’s Growing Africa Strategy,” Review of African Political Economy, vol. 35, No. 115; further information on Brazil ' s policy can be obtained at http://www.economist.com/node/16592455 and the report of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs entitled Development Cooperation for the Millenium Development Goals: Maximizing Results (ST/ESA/326).", "[7] Resolution 64/222, annex, paras. 11 and 18.", "[8] See http://www.bimstec.org/about_bimstec.html.", "[9] See the intervention of Bahrain (http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/141445.html); the intervention of Yemen (http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Protests-in-Yemen-Regional-Efforts-to-Mediate-119565559.html/", "[10] See http://www.africa-platform.org.", "[11] See Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, Africa’s Cooperation with New and Emerging Development Partners: Options for Africa’s Development, New York, 2010 (available at http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/reports/emerging_economies_2009.pdf).", "[12] See a further study of the latest trends in South-South development assistance in Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Development Cooperation for the Millenium Development Goals: Maximizing Results, 2010 (ST/ESA/326), and Park, Kang-Ho, “New Development Partners and a Global Development Partnership” in Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid, Homi Khars, Kijistitution Makino and Press Jung In D, Washington, Brooking 2011,", "[13] See ST/ESA/326.", "[14] The China-Africa Cooperation Forum has constituted a China-Africa Development Fund to support Chinese companies investing in Africa and has offered concessional loans of $3 billion and trade credits of $2 billion between 2007 and 2009. In 2010, China financed infrastructure projects in exchange for access to natural resources and its bilateral trade with Africa amounted to $126.9 billion. India has assisted 156 developing countries, which have been provided with more than $2 billion in technical assistance since 1964.", "[15] Seoul Summit Statement (available at http://www.g20.org/Documents2010/11/seoulsummit_annexes.pdf).", "[16] See http://www.nepad.org/ceo039s-office/news/2337/aunepad-declaration-about-g20-action-plan-food-price-volatility-and-agricul.", "[17] See United Nations Development Programme, Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, Enhancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation: Study of the Current Situation and Existing Good Practices in Policy, Institutions and Operations of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, 2009 (available at http://ssc.undp.org).", "[18] See Ibero-American General Secretariat, Report of South-South Cooperation in Ibero-America, 2010, November 2010 (see www.segib.org).", "[19] See http://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/field/2011/20110426_01.html.", "[20] Resolution 64/222, annex, para. 21 (a) and (f).", "[21] See http://www.ibsa-trilateral.org.", "[22] See http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=4915; and “An overlook of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation” (borator), March 2011.", "[23] In addition to focusing on capacity development and the exchange of best practices, the Centre undertakes research and addresses specific science, technology and innovation issues in developing countries (see http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/science-technology/sti-policy/centre-for-south-south-cooperation/).", "[24] See A/66/134." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 65 a) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos del niño", "Situación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "En su resolución 44/25, la Asamblea General aprobó la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño. Al 1 de julio de 2011, 193 Estados habían ratificado la Convención o se habían adherido a ella y 2 Estados la habían firmado. En su resolución 54/263, la Asamblea aprobó dos Protocolos facultativos de la Convención. Al 1 de julio de 2011, 142 Estados habían ratificado el Protocolo facultativo relativo a la participación de niños en los conflictos armados y 144 Estados habían ratificado el Protocolo facultativo relativo a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía.", "De conformidad con la resolución 65/197, en la sección IV del presente informe se presta especial atención a la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad, haciéndose hincapié en las cuestiones relativas a: la discriminación; la reunión de datos; los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y la discapacidad; el derecho de los niños con discapacidad a ser escuchados; los progresos realizados para hacer efectivos los derechos de los niños con discapacidad y la actual situación mundial; la educación; la salud; la pobreza y la protección social; la protección de la infancia; la desinstitucionalización; las emergencias y la acción humanitaria; y las perspectivas de futuro.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 3II. Situación 3 de la Convención sobre los Derechos del \n Niño III. Aplicación 3 de la Convención sobre los Derechos del \n Niño IV.Realización 4 de los derechos de los niños con \ndiscapacidad A.Derechos 4 humanos y niños con \ndiscapacidad B. Problemas 5 \ntransversales V.Perspectivas 17 de \nfuturo", "I. Introducción", "1. En su resolución 65/197, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones le presentase un informe sobre la situación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, prestando especial atención a la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad. El presente informe se ha elaborado en respuesta a esa solicitud.", "II. Situación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño", "2. Al 1 de julio de 2011, 193 Estados habían ratificado la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño[1] o se habían adherido a ella, y 2 Estados la habían firmado[2].", "3. Al 1 de julio de 2011, 142 Estados habían ratificado el Protocolo facultativo relativo a la participación de niños en los conflictos armados, y 144 Estados habían ratificado el Protocolo facultativo relativo a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía².", "III. Aplicación de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño", "4. Durante el período que abarca el presente informe, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño celebró sus períodos de sesiones 55°, 56º y 57° del 13 de septiembre al 1 de octubre de 2010, del 17 de enero al 4 de febrero de 2011 y del 30 de mayo al 17 de junio de 2011, en la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas en Ginebra.", "5. Al 1 de julio de 2011, el Comité había recibido los informes iniciales de todos los Estados partes salvo tres. El Comité ha examinado todos los informes iniciales salvo dos cuyo examen por el Comité está previsto para su 59° período de sesiones, que se celebrará en 2012. En total, el Comité recibió 504 informes de conformidad con el artículo 44 de la Convención.", "6. Además, el Comité recibió 86 informes y un segundo informe periódico en relación con el Protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño relativo a la participación de niños en los conflictos armados, y 71 informes y un segundo informe periódico en relación con el Protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño relativo a la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía[3].", "7. El 17 de junio de 2011, el Consejo de Derechos Humanos aprobó sin votación el proyecto de texto del tercer protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, redactado por el Grupo de Trabajo abierto sobre un protocolo facultativo de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño para establecer un procedimiento de comunicaciones. El Protocolo establece un nuevo procedimiento de comunicaciones individuales y de comunicaciones interestatales con respecto a las violaciones de los derechos establecidos en la Convención y en sus Protocolos facultativos, así como un procedimiento de investigación para las violaciones graves o sistemáticas. El texto del nuevo tratado se remitirá a la Asamblea General para su aprobación en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones.", "8. El Presidente del Comité presentará un informe oral a la Asamblea General en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones, en el que abordará las principales cuestiones relativas a la labor del Comité durante el año pasado.", "IV. Realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad", "A. Derechos humanos y niños con discapacidad", "9. Los niños con discapacidad son uno de los grupos de niños más marginados y excluidos, siendo víctimas de violaciones generalizadas de sus derechos. Esas violaciones de sus derechos los deshumanizan, ya que suponen una vulneración de su dignidad, de su individualidad, e incluso de su derecho a la vida.", "10. En los últimos 30 años se han adoptado importantes medidas para poner coto a esas violaciones. Sin embargo, no fue hasta que se aprobó la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño en 1989 que se introdujeron las primeras disposiciones expresas referentes a los derechos de los niños con discapacidad, incluida la prohibición de discriminar por impedimentos físicos (art. 2), y obligaciones de prestar servicios a los niños con discapacidad con el objeto de que estos logren la integración social en la máxima medida posible (art. 23).", "11. La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, aprobada en 2006, reforzó aun más los derechos de los niños con discapacidad. No incorpora derechos adicionales: los derechos humanos tienen carácter universal y se aplican a todos los seres humanos. Sin embargo, impone importantes obligaciones adicionales a los gobiernos, que han de adoptar medidas para suprimir los obstáculos que dificultan la realización de los derechos. También adopta el modelo social de discapacidad y se aplica a las personas “que tengan deficiencias físicas, mentales, intelectuales o sensoriales a largo plazo que, al interactuar con diversas barreras, puedan impedir su participación plena y efectiva en la sociedad, en igualdad de condiciones con las demás” (art. 1). La Convención incluye además un artículo dedicado a los niños y niñas (art. 7), en el que se reseña la obligación de los Estados de asegurar la realización de todos los derechos de los niños y las niñas con discapacidad en igualdad de condiciones con los demás niños y niñas, promover la protección del interés superior del niño, y velar por su derecho a ser escuchado y a que su opinión reciba la debida consideración. En el marco de sus principios generales (art. 3), la Convención incorpora el respeto a la evolución de las facultades de los niños y las niñas con discapacidad y de su derecho a preservar su identidad, así como la obligación general de celebrar consultas con los niños y las niñas (art. 4, párr. 3), a través de las organizaciones que los representan, al formular las leyes y políticas pertinentes.", "B. Problemas transversales", "Discriminación", "12. Con arreglo a lo dispuesto por la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño, los Estados partes deben asegurar y respetar la totalidad de los derechos que aquella consagra para todos los niños, sin discriminación por ningún motivo, incluido el de la discapacidad. La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad establece la no discriminación y la igualdad de oportunidades como principios generales (art. 3) e insta a los Estados a que prohíban toda discriminación por motivos de discapacidad y garanticen una protección legal efectiva para las personas con discapacidad, incluidos los niños con discapacidad (art. 5). Incorpora también el concepto de “ajuste razonable”, en virtud del cual los Estados deberán efectuar las modificaciones y adaptaciones necesarias y adecuadas que no impongan una carga desproporcionada o indebida, para garantizar a las personas con discapacidad el goce de derechos en igualdad de condiciones con los demás. Por “discriminación por motivos de discapacidad” se entenderá cualquier distinción, exclusión, restricción o denegación de ajustes razonables por motivos de discapacidad que tenga el propósito o el efecto de obstaculizar o dejar sin efecto el reconocimiento, goce o ejercicio, en igualdad de condiciones, de todos los derechos humanos y libertades fundamentales en los ámbitos político, económico, social, cultural, civil o de otro tipo (art. 2). El Comité de los Derechos del Niño ha resaltado el hecho de que la no discriminación no debe interpretarse en el sentido de que a todos los niños deba tratárselos de la misma manera, siempre que los criterios de diferenciación sean razonables y objetivos y la meta consista en alcanzar un propósito legítimo con arreglo a la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño[4]. La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad aporta respaldo jurídico a esa interpretación (art. 5, párr. 4).", "13. Sin embargo, tal como se indica en la observación general núm. 9 (2006) del Comité de los Derechos del Niño (véase CRC/C/GC/9 y Corr.1), los niños con discapacidad afrontan discriminación en todos los aspectos de sus vidas. Esta tiene su origen no en la naturaleza intrínseca de la discapacidad sino más bien en una arraigada exclusión social resultante del rechazo de las diferencias, la pobreza, el aislamiento social, el prejuicio, la ignorancia y la falta de servicios y de apoyo. En las culturas en que la discapacidad se considera una maldición o un castigo, un niño nacido con un impedimento se ve como la manifestación de un fracaso anterior, de una ineptitud, o de pecados cometidos.", "14. Debido a la falta de datos, resulta difícil cuantificar el alcance total de la discriminación contra los niños con discapacidad. Sin embargo, sus efectos pueden ser profundos, al denegárseles acceso a la educación y a la atención médica, oportunidades de recreación y cultura, vida en familia, protección contra la violencia, un nivel de vida adecuado y el derecho a ser escuchado. Puede corroer la autoestima y la confianza en sí mismo de los niños, ya que estos internalizan las actitudes negativas que experimentan en su diario vivir. En el caso de los menores que sufren múltiples formas de discriminación, como las niñas con discapacidad, los efectos negativos se agravan. El Comité de los Derechos del Niño, en su observación general núm. 9, pide a los Estados que presten especial atención a las niñas con discapacidad para garantizar que estén bien protegidas, tengan acceso a todos los servicios y estén plenamente incluidas en la sociedad.", "Reunión de datos", "15. Es preciso contar con una información coherente y veraz para dotar de mayor visibilidad a los niños con discapacidad, servir de base para la prestación de servicios y permitir un control más eficaz de los avances en pro de la realización de sus derechos. Con arreglo a lo dispuesto en la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, los Estados deben recopilar información desglosada adecuada que les permita formular políticas a fin de dar efecto a las disposiciones de la Convención (art. 31).", "16. Sin embargo, es muy limitada la disponibilidad de datos veraces acerca de los niños con discapacidad en todo el mundo, en particular en los países en desarrollo. La prevalencia de la discapacidad es producto de una relación compleja y dinámica entre condiciones de salud y factores contextuales, tanto a nivel personal como medioambiental[5]. Por ende, resulta sumamente difícil estimar a escala mundial la cantidad y la distribución de niños, adolescentes y jóvenes con discapacidad, habiéndose publicado diferentes estimaciones en los últimos años. Se han constatado importantes disparidades en las cifras de prevalencia de los diferentes países, lo que revela diferencias en las definiciones así como en la capacidad e instrumentos de evaluación. En algunos Estados, solo se identifica a las personas con discapacidades más graves.", "17. Numerosos factores dificultan la reunión efectiva de datos: la falta de definiciones, clasificación y umbrales comunes entre categorías de discapacidad, tanto dentro de los países como entre ellos; la renuencia de parte de los padres a declarar la discapacidad de sus hijos y el desconocimiento de lo que es la discapacidad; y las dificultades para identificar determinados impedimentos, así como el surgimiento de impedimentos en una etapa posterior de la vida del niño. A raíz de la discriminación y el estigma asociados con la discapacidad, a veces los administradores de encuestas y los participantes en ellas se muestran menos dispuestos a abordar las cuestiones conexas. Además, surgen dificultades al reunir datos que reflejan el modelo social de discapacidad.", "18. Se han tomado algunas medidas para paliar la escasez de información de que se dispone actualmente. La encuesta de indicadores múltiples, programa de encuestas de hogares elaborado por el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF) para ayudar a los países a remediar la carencia de datos a fin de hacer un seguimiento de la situación de los niños y las mujeres, incluye desde el año 2000 un módulo sobre discapacidad infantil, dirigido a cuidadores primarios. Dicha encuesta puede utilizarse, en su carácter de mecanismo único de detección, para reunir datos sobre discapacidad en un amplio grupo de países[6]. En una gran mayoría de los países con datos disponibles, según la información presentada por los cuidadores primarios el porcentaje de niños con discapacidad oscilaba entre el 14% y el 35%. Sin embargo, puesto que se trató de encuestas a hogares, cabe señalar que no figura en esos datos información sobre los niños con discapacidad que viven en la calle o que viven en residencias asistenciales. La Asamblea General, en sus resoluciones 63/150, 64/131 y 65/186, ha subrayado la importancia de mejorar los datos y estadísticas sobre discapacidad a fin de elaborar indicadores internacionalmente comparables, así como aumentar la disponibilidad de datos fidedignos a escala nacional y mundial a los efectos de formular, planificar y evaluar políticas desde la perspectiva de la discapacidad. Sin embargo, sigue siendo necesaria una inversión sustancialmente mayor en la reunión de datos para comenzar a ofrecer un panorama más veraz de la realidad de la vida de los niños con discapacidad.", "Los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y la discapacidad", "19. Todos los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio son importantes para las personas con discapacidades, incluidos los niños con discapacidad. Por ende, debe reconocerse que para la consecución de dichos objetivos es fundamental abordar las cuestiones de interés para los niños con discapacidad. Aunque en algunos de los documentos de antecedentes se menciona expresamente a las personas con discapacidad, no se hace referencia a ellas ni en los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio ni en el material generado en el marco del proceso para alcanzarlos. Sin embargo, dichos objetivos no se lograrán si no se incluye la situación de las personas con discapacidad en las políticas, programas, seguimientos y evaluaciones conexos.", "20. Se ha reconocido la importancia de dotar de visibilidad a la cuestión de la discapacidad. La Asamblea General ha reiterado el compromiso de la comunidad internacional de promover la inclusión de la discapacidad en los procesos de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, así como en otros objetivos de desarrollo convenidos internacionalmente relativos a personas con discapacidad (resoluciones de la Asamblea General 60/131, 62/127 y 65/186). En el informe de 2010 sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio se señalan las limitadas oportunidades de que disfrutan los niños con discapacidad, así como el vínculo entre discapacidad y marginación en el ámbito de la educación. La Asamblea, en su resolución 64/131, hizo hincapié en la invisibilidad de las personas con discapacidad en las estadísticas oficiales. También concluyó la Reunión Plenaria de Alto Nivel de la Asamblea General sobre los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio en su sexagésimo quinto período de sesiones en septiembre de 2010 aprobando una resolución en la que se reconoció la importancia de centrarse en las cuestiones relativas a la discapacidad.", "21. Sin embargo, un examen reciente de 50 países llegó a la conclusión de que las personas con discapacidad a menudo se sitúan muy por debajo de los promedios nacionales de avances realizados en materia de Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, y que la denegación de los derechos humanos, la exclusión, la discriminación y la falta de rendición de cuentas constituyen obstáculos a la consecución del desarrollo humano y de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio[7]. Un enfoque basado en los derechos humanos que haga hincapié en la rendición de cuentas, en los principios de la no discriminación y la igualdad, y en los procesos participativos para la toma de decisiones, puede contribuir a superar esos obstáculos⁷. Todas las metas e indicadores de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio deben identificar, supervisar y evaluar los efectos de las políticas y programación conexas sobre la situación de las personas con discapacidad, incluidos los niños con discapacidad.", "El derecho de los niños con discapacidad a ser escuchados", "22. El artículo 12 de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño dispone que todos los niños que estén en condiciones de formarse un juicio propio tienen el derecho de expresar su opinión libremente en todos los asuntos que les afectan, incluso en todo procedimiento judicial o administrativo, y a que esa opinión se tenga debidamente en cuenta, en función de la edad y madurez del niño. No solo se trata de un derecho humano fundamental, sino que es necesario a fin de hacer efectivos otros derechos. Además, la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad incorpora la obligación expresa de prestar a los niños asistencia apropiada con arreglo a su discapacidad y edad para poder ejercer el derecho a ser escuchado (art. 7).", "23. Sin embargo, para los niños con discapacidad sigue siendo difícil lograr que se les escuche. Con iniciativas tales como los consejos escolares y los parlamentos de niños, los procesos de consultas para recabar las opiniones de los niños y los procedimientos judiciales, rara vez se logra garantizar la inclusión de los niños con discapacidad o reconocer sus capacidades para la participación. Por otra parte, las decisiones médicas y otras intervenciones suelen tomarse sin la participación o el consentimiento de los niños con discapacidad[8]. La excesiva protección a la que los someten sus padres a menudo limita su capacidad de ir forjando su propia independencia. En la práctica legislativa, normativa y profesional debe lograrse un justo equilibrio entre la importancia de respetar las legítimas responsabilidades de los padres en relación con la protección de sus hijos con discapacidad, en los casos en que estos carecen de capacidad para la toma de decisiones independiente, con la obligación de los padres de respetar la evolución de las facultades de sus hijos de ejercer sus propios derechos (artículo 5 de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y artículo 3 h) de la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad).", "24. El Comité de los Derechos del Niño, así como la Asamblea General en su resolución 64/146, han hecho hincapié en la necesidad de tomar medidas para facilitar la participación de niños con discapacidad, entre otras cosas mediante la prestación de servicios de transporte, información accesible, dispositivos de asistencia, herramientas para la comunicación e intérpretes. También es necesaria la capacitación y sensibilización de los padres y profesionales, para que sean más conscientes de su obligación de escuchar a los niños con discapacidad y para que la opinión de estos reciba la debida consideración.", "Progresos en la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad: actual situación mundial", "25. Dado que la mayoría de los países aún están en vías de ratificar la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y de elaborar sus informes iniciales dirigidos al Comité sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad, la comunidad internacional aún no tiene acceso a una base de referencia en relación a la cual medir los avances. Por lo tanto, conforme estén disponibles los informes y vaya evolucionando en los próximos años el proceso de presentación de informes en su conjunto, se hará posible evaluar de forma más amplia los avances alcanzados en la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad.", "Educación", "26. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño establece el derecho de todo niño a la educación en condiciones de igualdad de oportunidades (art. 28), y en una disposición dedicada a los niños con discapacidad impone a los Estados la obligación de velar por que aquellos tengan un acceso efectivo a la educación con el objeto de que logren la integración social y el desarrollo individual, incluido su desarrollo cultural y espiritual, en la máxima medida posible (art. 23). La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad también afirma ese principio y se explaya al respecto (art. 24).", "27. En realidad, los niños con discapacidad siguen afrontando graves dificultades para hacer efectivo su derecho a la educación. Según un informe reciente, en materia de educación los niños con discapacidad son uno de los grupos más marginados y excluidos[9]. En él se confirmó que, en términos generales, las iniciativas internacionales y de los gobiernos carecían de información suficiente y de estrategias sobre la cuestión de la discapacidad, pese a reconocer que se trata de un ámbito que reclama la adopción de medidas. Esas deficiencias y omisiones se consideraron como una amenaza al logro general de los objetivos en materia de educación.", "28. La educación temprana reviste particular importancia para los niños con discapacidad, muchos de los cuales necesitan apoyo adicional para superar los obstáculos que enfrentan a consecuencia de su impedimento. Sin embargo, a pesar de no contar con estadísticas mundiales sobre el acceso de los niños con discapacidad, se sabe que estos tienen muy baja probabilidad de ser incluidos en programas de este tipo. De los 100 millones de niños menores de 5 años con discapacidad en todo el mundo, el 80% vive en países en desarrollo, donde la provisión de educación pre-primaria y otros servicios básicos tiende a ser insuficiente[10]. Aunque ni la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño ni la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad hacen referencia expresa a la educación desde la primera infancia, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño, en su observación general núm. 7 (2005) (CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1), interpreta que el derecho a la educación comienza en el nacimiento y está estrechamente vinculado al derecho del niño al máximo desarrollo posible.", "29. Si bien no se dispone de datos precisos a escala mundial acerca de la exclusión de los niños con discapacidad en el ámbito de la enseñanza, existe un amplio consenso de que al menos una tercera parte de los 72 millones de niños del mundo que no asisten a la escuela tienen una discapacidad[11]. En algunos países, la brecha en los índices de asistencia a la escuela primaria entre los niños con discapacidades y los niños sin discapacidades es llamativamente amplia, por lo que la gran mayoría de los niños con discapacidad se ven excluidos del sistema educativo tradicional. Aun en los Estados que gozan de una situación económica relativamente buena y están próximos a cumplir el objetivo de la enseñanza primaria universal, las tasas de escolarización varían en función del tipo de impedimento: en general, los niños con impedimentos físicos exhiben mejores resultados que los niños con deficiencias intelectuales o sensoriales.", "30. Entre los niños con discapacidad que sí asisten a la escuela, el porcentaje de niños con discapacidad que terminan la enseñanza primaria es menor que el de los niños sin discapacidad, así como también es menor el número de años en que cursan estudios. Por ejemplo, según la Encuesta Mundial de Salud, aproximadamente el 50% de los varones con discapacidad terminaron la escuela primaria, en comparación con un poco más del 60% de los varones sin discapacidad; por su parte, menos del 42% de las niñas con discapacidad terminaron la escuela primaria, mientras que sí lo hicieron el 53% de las niñas sin discapacidad⁵.", "31. Existen graves obstáculos, entre los que cabe mencionar los siguientes: legislación discriminatoria, institucionalización, falta de capacitación de los docentes, prejuicio, estigma, y conocimiento insuficiente de la naturaleza de la discapacidad por parte de los docentes y los padres. La gran mayoría de las escuelas del mundo no son físicamente accesibles para los niños con discapacidad, no se dispone de un sistema de transporte económico y accesible, no existen sistemas para mejorar la comunicación, y con frecuencia no se comprende cabalmente el propio concepto de educación inclusiva. Algunos países mantienen leyes por las que se declara que ciertas categorías de niños “son incapaces de ser educados” o en virtud de las cuales se transfiere la responsabilidad de la educación de los niños con discapacidad a ministerios distintos del Ministerio de Educación, con lo que se termina segregando y marginando a dichos niños.", "32. El Comité de los Derechos del Niño, en el informe sobre su 16° período de sesiones (CRC/C/69, párr. 338), señaló la necesidad de adoptar medidas para poner fin a la segregación en la enseñanza y ha recomendado insistentemente en sus observaciones finales que se creen sistemas de educación inclusiva[12]. Además, recalcó que la educación inclusiva debía ser el objetivo de la educación de niños con discapacidad. Desde 2002, los asociados en la iniciativa Educación para Todos mantienen su compromiso de promover la meta de la inclusión, tal como se reseña en la iniciativa emblemática de la UNESCO conocida como “The right to education for persons with disabilities: towards inclusion” (El derecho a la educación de las personas con discapacidad: hacia la inclusión). Por último, la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad incorpora la obligación expresa de los gobiernos de asegurar el acceso a una educación inclusiva (art. 24, párr. 2 b)).", "33. Cada vez son más numerosas las pruebas de que la inclusión resulta eficaz. Según un estudio realizado, si bien los costos de la educación inclusiva y de las escuelas especiales son bastante similares, en las escuelas inclusivas el rendimiento académico es significativamente superior[13]. Sin embargo, colocar a los niños con discapacidad en un entorno académico tradicional no garantiza por sí mismo la inclusión. La inclusión conlleva el principio de que las escuelas acogen a todos los niños, independientemente de sus condiciones físicas, intelectuales, sociales, emocionales, lingüísticas o de otra índole, y también se adaptan para atender a sus necesidades[14]. Ello hace necesario la adopción de medidas en todo el sistema educativo, entre las que cabe mencionar: legislación; colaboración entre los ministerios; sistemas de financiación apropiados; capacitación de los docentes y prestación de apoyo a ellos; métodos didácticos inclusivos; promoción del respeto a la diversidad y a la no discriminación en las escuelas; exámenes y adaptación de los programas de estudios y de los recursos didácticos en salones de clase inclusivos; apoyo individualizado apropiado; y respeto al derecho de aprender en lenguaje de señas y por todos los medios de comunicación correspondientes.", "34. También es necesario suprimir los obstáculos físicos que dificultan el acceso a la escuela y al aprendizaje posterior. Se han aprendido importantes lecciones acerca del diseño, construcción y reforma de edificios para contribuir a la inclusión de niños con discapacidad. Por otra parte, estudios realizados por el Banco Mundial han demostrado que el costo de la accesibilidad representa por lo general menos del 1% de los costos de construcción totales. También se está aplicando cada vez más un diseño universal en las prácticas didácticas, los materiales y los entornos educativos, a fin de atender a la amplia gama de necesidades, estilos de aprendizaje y capacidades de los alumnos⁵.", "35. Sin embargo, a escala internacional es preciso hacer importantes inversiones adicionales, emplear tecnologías modernas y fomentar la cooperación internacional para crear el marco legislativo, administrativo y presupuestario necesario para cumplir los compromisos en materia educativa.", "Salud", "36. Todo niño tiene el derecho inherente a gozar del mejor nivel de salud posible, así como a tener acceso a una atención médica de calidad y asequible. Ambas convenciones afirman las obligaciones que incumben a los Estados de tomar todas las medidas apropiadas para asegurarse de que los niños con discapacidad puedan ejercer esos derechos. Numerosos países siguen considerando a la discapacidad como una dolencia crónica, para la cual las soluciones son la atención médica, la rehabilitación, la institucionalización o los apoyos sociales como la educación especial y las pensiones. Por lo tanto, es necesario realizar inversiones para reorientar los servicios hacia el reconocimiento de que los obstáculos existentes en la sociedad son una de las principales causas que explican los efectos incapacitantes que acarrean los impedimentos de los niños.", "37. Además, en muchas partes del mundo la discriminación, la inaccesibilidad y la falta de programas de salud con orientaciones específicas concebidos para atender las necesidades concretas de los niños con discapacidad siguen obstaculizando los progresos en la realización del derecho a la salud de dichos niños. Es necesario adoptar medidas dirigidas a prestar servicios a grupos destinatarios específicos, a fin de mitigar los efectos de los impedimentos y desarrollar servicios inclusivos, no discriminatorios y accesibles.", "38. Muchos niños con discapacidad necesitan servicios médicos y sociales específicos, concebidos para minimizar y prevenir nuevas discapacidades, así como servicios ortopédicos y de rehabilitación para promover la independencia y fomentar su integración social, tal como se expuso en la observación general núm. 5 (1994) del Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, y en los artículos 25 b) y 26 de la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad. Con frecuencia las discapacidades psicosociales e intelectuales no se diagnostican ni se tratan, y por lo general no se toma en cuenta su importancia. Faltan políticas, programas, leyes y recursos adecuados. En la mayoría de los países, la atención médica se sigue prestando principalmente en las instituciones. El paso de la atención institucional a la atención comunitaria es lento y desigual. Un reciente estudio sobre los sistemas de salud mental de 42 países de ingresos bajos y de ingresos medianos mostró que los recursos para la salud mental se concentran de forma abrumadora en los contextos urbanos[15]. El acceso de los niños con discapacidad psicosocial o intelectual a todos los tipos de atención médica se ve dificultado por el estigma y la discriminación que sufren.", "39. Un informe reciente del Secretario General (A/64/180) pone de manifiesto un patrón de deficiencias en cuanto a la identificación de niños con discapacidad y el establecimiento de mecanismos para su evaluación. Varios estudios muestran que si bien en algunas comunidades se ha incorporado a los niños con discapacidad en las actividades de atención médica, incluso en los países altamente desarrollados estos niños generalmente no reciben las vacunas habituales ni la atención preventiva básica. Los adolescentes con discapacidad enfrentan obstáculos especiales para acceder a los servicios e información confidenciales de salud sexual y reproductiva, incluidos los servicios de VIH/SIDA[16]. Sin embargo, su tasa de infección es igual o mayor que el de las demás personas, siendo uno de los principales motivos su importante vulnerabilidad al abuso sexual, según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, el Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA, y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos. Debido a la idea errónea muy generalizada de que las personas con discapacidad no tienen una vida sexual activa, los profesionales de la salud no suelen ofrecerles servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva⁵. Además, es necesario poner fin a las prácticas a raíz de las cuales los niños con discapacidad son sometidos a esterilización o aborto forzados, o en función de los intereses de la familia (Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, art. 23, párr. 1 c)). La atención médica proporcionada a los niños con discapacidad debe basarse en un consentimiento libre e informado, respetando al mismo tiempo la autonomía del niño.", "Pobreza y protección social", "40. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño impone obligaciones a los Estados de reconocer el derecho de todo niño a un nivel de vida adecuado para su óptimo desarrollo, apoyar a los padres para hacer efectivo ese derecho y tomar las medidas necesarias para lograr la plena realización del derecho de todo niño de beneficiarse de la seguridad social. Por su parte, la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad insta a los Estados a que adopten medidas para ayudar a los niños con discapacidad que viven en la comunidad, incluso mediante programas de protección social, así como el deber de hacer que todos los servicios esenciales sean inclusivos y accesibles para las personas con discapacidad (art. 28).", "41. Sin embargo, la extrema pobreza sigue siendo un fenómeno muy extendido entre los niños con discapacidad. En los países en desarrollo, unos 426 millones de personas con discapacidad viven por debajo del umbral de la pobreza y con frecuencia forman parte del grupo del 15% al 20% de los más pobres en dichos países. El Banco Mundial ha estimado que entre los más pobres del mundo, 1 de cada 5 personas tiene discapacidad[17].", "42. La Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social fue presentada como medida clave para contribuir a la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio[18]. Esta Iniciativa puede ampliarse para contribuir significativamente a abordar las cuestiones de la discapacidad[19]. Si bien en la resolución 65/1 de la Asamblea General se hizo hincapié en la necesidad de promover la inclusión de las cuestiones relativas a la discapacidad en los programas y políticas de reducción de la pobreza, hasta el momento se ha hecho muy poco para abordar esta cuestión.", "43. Muchos planes de seguro de salud discriminan contra las personas con discapacidad, fundamentándose en el gasto que conlleva su atención médica. Algunos programas de protección social no toman en cuenta los gastos adicionales que enfrentan las familias con un hijo con discapacidad, que a menudo tienen que gastar más que otras familias para acceder a los bienes y servicios[20]. Puesto que los planes suelen basarse en un ingreso mínimo o umbral de la pobreza, las prestaciones básicas por discapacidad son habitualmente insuficientes para cubrir tanto los gastos básicos de la familia como los gastos adicionales derivados de la discapacidad, dejando a las familias atrapadas en la pobreza[21]. Además, los planes de transferencia de dinero en efectivo y de protección social en el ámbito de la salud suelen supeditarse a condiciones que los niños con discapacidad quizás no puedan cumplir, por ejemplo cuando los planes están supeditados a que el niño asista regularmente a la escuela, cuando a este se le ha denegado el acceso a la misma.", "Protección de la infancia", "44. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño afirma que todos los niños tienen derecho a la protección contra todos los tipos de violencia, extremo que se ve reforzado por la Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad, que presenta medidas concretas en reconocimiento del hecho de que las mujeres y las niñas con discapacidad suelen estar expuestas a un riesgo mayor de violencia, lesiones o abuso, abandono o trato negligente, malos tratos o explotación, tal como se especifica en el preámbulo a dicha Convención. El Comité de los Derechos del Niño, en su observación general núm. 9, recomendó enérgicamente que se adoptaran medidas para hacer frente a la violencia contra los niños con discapacidad, lo que también se recoge en el informe del experto independiente para el estudio de la violencia contra los niños, de las Naciones Unidas (A/61/299). El Consejo de Derechos Humanos, en su resolución 7/29, también instó a todos los gobiernos a promover y hacer cumplir leyes que protejan a los niños con discapacidad contra todas las formas de discriminación, explotación, violencia y abusos.", "45. Cada vez son más numerosas las pruebas que ponen de manifiesto en qué medida los niños con discapacidad de todo el mundo se ven expuestos a un riesgo desproporcionado de violencia, abandono o malos tratos. Un estudio sobre la violencia contra los niños con discapacidad, en la que se señalan las conclusiones y recomendaciones formuladas en una reunión convocada por el UNICEF en julio de 2005, examinó la vulnerabilidad de los niños con discapacidad y llegó a la conclusión de que si bien la violencia contra los niños era un fenómeno muy extendido, los niños con discapacidad se veían expuestos a un riesgo mucho mayor[22]. En el Informe mundial sobre la violencia y la salud se indicó asimismo que se había “comprobado que los niños con discapacidades estaban expuestos a mayor riesgo de maltrato físico y descuido”[23].", "46. La información recabada de países de todo el mundo muestra una constante de violencia ejercida contra los niños con discapacidad. Por ejemplo, un análisis de los castigos corporales severos infligidos a niños con o sin discapacidad en 15 países, llegó a la conclusión de que era mucho más probable que los niños con impedimentos sufrieran castigos físicos severos en casi la mitad de los países estudiados⁶. Los niños con discapacidad suelen ser golpeados, apedreados, o escupidos cuando van o vuelven de la escuela²². También el acoso escolar es un fenómeno muy extendido en numerosos países.", "47. La violencia se ejerce en todos los ámbitos: la familia, las escuelas, la comunidad, el sistema de justicia, el lugar de trabajo y las residencias asistenciales. Para las familias que se encuentran en circunstancias socioeconómicas difíciles, o que reciben servicios básicos o protección social escasos o nulos, el nacimiento de un niño con discapacidad puede suponer una carga importante, generando rechazo y violencia. El problema puede verse agravado en el caso de niños que son físicamente dependientes de los demás para que los cuiden, o que tienen una limitada capacidad de reconocer los peligros o protegerse a sí mismos. La hostilidad y el miedo que generan los niños con discapacidad hace que a muchos de ellos se les esconda y se les deniegue el acceso a otros niños, a la familia extensa y a eventos de carácter público, aumentando su vulnerabilidad a la violencia y dando así a los agresores un alto grado de impunidad (véase A/61/299).", "48. Algunas formas de violencia se ejercen específicamente contra niños con discapacidad. Estos pueden ser sometidos a maltratos bajo la apariencia de modificación de conducta, entre los que cabe mencionar el tratamiento electroconvulsivo, la farmacoterapia y las descargas eléctricas. En su observación general núm. 9, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño expresó preocupación acerca de la práctica de la esterilización forzada de las niñas con discapacidad. Pueden también verse sometidos a experimentos médicos o científicos, ser abandonados o dejárseles morir, o ser víctimas de “muertes misericordiosas”, un delito respecto al cual por lo general se aplican penas más leves, lo que refleja el menor valor que se asigna a la vida de esos niños.", "49. Los sistemas de protección y los mecanismos de notificación rara vez se adaptan a las necesidades de los niños con discapacidad. En los casos en que se presentan denuncias, suelen toparse con obstáculos y no se les da crédito. El Representante Especial del Secretario General sobre la violencia contra los niños, en un informe conjunto con la Relatora Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía, referente a los mecanismos de orientación, denuncia y notificación, prestó especial atención a los retos específicos que enfrentan los niños con discapacidad para acceder a la protección y a la justicia, así como a los servicios de rehabilitación (A/HRC/16/56).", "Desinstitucionalización", "50. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño insta a los Estados partes a que presenten exámenes periódicos del tratamiento a que se esté sometiendo a los niños que hayan sido internados en un establecimiento por las autoridades para los fines de atención, protección o tratamiento de su salud (art. 25). Además, en su observación general núm. 9, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño expresa preocupación por el hecho de que se sigue recurriendo a los centros de tipo residencial para los niños con discapacidad, y afirma que estos reciben los mejores cuidados dentro de su propio entorno familiar. La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad señala claramente que la existencia de una discapacidad no justifica en ningún caso una privación de la libertad (art. 14). Reconoce el derecho de los niños con discapacidad de vivir en la comunidad, prestándoseles el apoyo y los servicios necesarios para ese fin. Insta a los Estados a que hagan todo lo posible, cuando la familia inmediata no pueda cuidar de un niño, por proporcionar atención alternativa dentro de la familia extensa y, de no ser esto posible, dentro de la comunidad en un entorno familiar (art. 23), tal como aparece detallado en las Directrices sobre las modalidades alternativas de cuidado de los niños (anexo de la resolución 64/142 de la Asamblea General).", "51. Las condiciones reinantes en las residencias asistenciales grandes con frecuencia pueden constituir un trato cruel, inhumano o degradante. Numerosos testimonios dan cuenta de niños amarrados de forma permanente a cunas y camas, de sufrimiento e incluso muerte resultante de la denegación intencional de tratamientos médicos, alimentos o calor, y de falta de amor o cariño[24]. En el Estudio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la violencia contra los niños se hizo hincapié en las graves preocupaciones relativas a la violencia; el abandono; los entornos peligrosos, entre los que cabe mencionar a niños a los que se les dejaba durante horas en colchones empapados de orina, o a los que se les sujetaba u obligaba a tomar medicamentos; y las residencias asistenciales con insuficiente dotación de personal y falta de supervisión o de control por parte de agentes independientes²². Una vez que los niños son colocados en residencias asistenciales, a menudo permanecen allí de por vida, sin derecho de apelación ni mecanismo de examen independiente y sin acceso a información, asesoramiento o promoción de sus intereses.", "52. Pese a la creciente sensibilización acerca de las citadas infracciones, el número de niños con discapacidad en las residencias asistenciales sigue siendo elevado. En la región de Europa Central y Oriental, el UNICEF estima que un niño con discapacidad tiene casi 17 veces más probabilidades de ser confiado a la tutela institucional que un niño sin discapacidad[25]. En numerosas regiones, se ha hecho escasa inversión para proteger su derecho a la vida en familia. Los prejuicios, la ignorancia y la discriminación, sumadas a la falta de apoyo comunitario o de seguridad social, limitan la capacidad de las familias de prestar un apoyo y protección apropiados a los niños con discapacidad. En muchas partes del mundo, los padres que desean mantener a sus hijos en el hogar reciben muy poca ayuda o apoyo, y a veces nada[26].", "53. Poner fin a la institucionalización es un asunto que reviste suma urgencia. Los trabajos de investigación realizados señalan claramente su efecto profundamente negativo sobre los niños; a este respecto, los niños de menos de 4 años de edad presentan un riesgo particularmente elevado de daños cognitivos y psicológicos. Los niños que viven en residencias asistenciales muestran resultados mucho peores desde el punto de vista social, educativo, médico y psicológico que los niños criados en entornos comunitarios donde se les brinda apoyo²².", "Emergencias y acción humanitaria", "54. La Convención sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidad insta a los Estados a que tomen medidas para proteger a las personas con discapacidad en situaciones de riesgo y emergencias, y reconoce la importancia de la cooperación internacional para mejorar las limitadas capacidades de algunos Estados de responder a las situaciones de riesgo y de crisis humanitarias (arts. 11 y 23).", "55. La vulnerabilidad de los niños con discapacidad suele verse exacerbada por la pérdida de familiares o cuidadores, la pérdida de dispositivos de asistencia, la falta de medicamentos o de atención médica, y la inaccesibilidad de los servicios de emergencia. Además, tras la ocurrencia de un desastre, los niños, y en particular las niñas con discapacidad, quedan vulnerables a la violencia, la explotación y los abusos sexuales[27]. Sin embargo, se carece de datos suficientes sobre en qué medida los niños con discapacidad se ven afectados por desastres naturales o conflictos armados y sus necesidades en esas situaciones, lo que ha dificultado la formulación de respuestas eficaces. A consecuencia de ello, no se da prioridad a los niños con discapacidad ni se les incluye o apoya adecuadamente en los programas de asistencia humanitaria y desarrollo.", "56. La Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados ha elaborado directrices para reforzar la protección de los niños con discapacidad, en las que se reconoce que estos afrontan mayores riesgos y se alienta a los Estados a prestar el apoyo apropiado[28]. También está elaborando una directriz operacional sobre el trabajo con las personas con discapacidad, incluso los desplazados, en la que se propugna la educación inclusiva, la habilitación de zonas aptas para la infancia y las intervenciones en la primera infancia, recalcándose la necesidad de que existan mecanismos de identificación y vigilancia.", "V. Perspectivas de futuro", "57. Es preciso adoptar medidas significativas, urgentes y coordinadas para lograr la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad. El alcance y la gravedad de las violaciones contra sus derechos, en todas las regiones del mundo, constituyen una emergencia oculta. Hace falta suprimir los obstáculos que dificultan la realización de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad, así como reconocer la importancia de la cooperación internacional para mejorar las condiciones de vida de los niños con discapacidad en todos los países, en particular en los países en desarrollo. Se insta a los Gobiernos a:", "a) Poner en marcha medidas para reforzar la recopilación de datos desglosados sobre los niños con discapacidad a fin de promover su visibilidad, mejorar su capacidad para la formulación de políticas y planificación efectivas, y hacer posible una supervisión más eficaz de sus derechos. Entre esas medidas cabe mencionar:", "i) La inversión en enfoques proactivos para superar los obstáculos que dificultan el registro de nacimientos y su inclusión en los datos del censo referentes a los niños con discapacidad;", "ii) La colaboración entre los gobiernos y con organizaciones de personas con discapacidad para elaborar un marco coherente y estable de definiciones de discapacidad, con arreglo a las normas internacionales de derechos humanos, como base sobre la cual recopilar datos;", "iii) El desglose de todos los datos pertinentes relativos a la vida de los niños en función de la discapacidad, incluidos, por ejemplo, datos sobre la educación, los resultados en materia de salud, o la protección de la infancia, y en los informes presentados por los Estados partes al Comité de los Derechos del Niño y al Comité sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad en relación con las convenciones pertinentes;", "b) Poner en práctica medidas para prevenir y eliminar todas las formas de discriminación contra los niños con discapacidad, incluidas las siguientes:", "i) Prohibir la discriminación por motivos de discapacidad en las disposiciones de índole constitucional y en leyes o disposiciones jurídicas antidiscriminatorias específicas; y adoptar todas las medidas apropiadas, incluida la legislación, para modificar las costumbres y prácticas que constituyen discriminación contra las personas con discapacidad;", "ii) Reconocer los efectos de la discriminación múltiple, en particular la discriminación sufrida por las niñas con discapacidad;", "iii) Incorporar recursos efectivos en caso de violaciones de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad, que sean fácilmente accesibles para los niños con discapacidad y sus padres y para las personas que cuidan al niño;", "iv) Fomentar la sensibilización y realizar campañas educativas dirigidas al público en general y a grupos específicos de profesionales, con el objeto de prevenir y eliminar la discriminación contra los niños con discapacidad;", "v) Incorporar principios de derechos humanos, entre ellos el de la no discriminación, en la formación impartida a los profesionales que trabajan con niños con discapacidad, antes y durante la prestación de sus servicios;", "c) Promover estrategias para lograr una educación inclusiva para los niños con discapacidad a todos los niveles, incluida la educación para la primera infancia, que incluyan:", "i) Reconocer expresamente en la ley la educación inclusiva y el rechazo de la segregación, así como promulgar leyes que establezcan el derecho a la educación inclusiva para todos los niños sobre la base de la igualdad de oportunidades y que formulen una definición clara de la inclusión, los objetivos específicos que procuran lograr y las estrategias concretas para alcanzarlos.", "ii) Asignar a los ministerios de educación la responsabilidad por la educación de los niños con discapacidad;", "iii) Incorporar sistemas de financiación que ofrezcan incentivos para un sistema unificado de educación y alienten la inversión en enfoques educativos que refuercen la capacidad y el compromiso en las escuelas;", "iv) Reconocer que los ajustes razonables para apoyar la inclusión deben basarse en las normas de derechos humanos, más que solamente en el uso eficiente de los recursos;", "v) Asegurar la puesta en marcha de planes de apoyo individualizado y respetar el derecho a la educación de los niños ciegos, sordos y sordomudos en los idiomas, modos y medios de comunicación más apropiados;", "vi) Elaborar un marco de políticas para la educación inclusiva a nivel central a fin de apoyar la práctica y la cultura de la inclusión a todos los niveles del sistema educativo;", "vii) Impartir capacitación y prestar apoyo a los docentes para que puedan trabajar en entornos inclusivos;", "d) Corregir las desigualdades en el acceso a la atención médica mediante medidas que incluyan:", "i) Poner en marcha medidas amplias para superar todos los obstáculos discriminatorios, incluida la instrucción impartida a los niños con discapacidad, sus familiares y pacientes y trabajadores de la salud acerca de los derechos de los niños con discapacidad y el derecho a la salud, y establecer cartas de derechos de los pacientes y procedimientos para la presentación de reclamaciones;", "ii) Establecer prioridades para ayudar a los niños con discapacidad y promover servicios de salud inclusivos y accesibles, entre ellos servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva para adolescentes, para que estos puedan hacer efectivo su derecho a la salud en igualdad de condiciones con los demás;", "iii) Establecer sistemas amplios de identificación y evaluación temprana;", "iv) Promulgar leyes y políticas que permitan a los niños y a los adolescentes participar en el cuidado de su propia salud, respetando así la evolución de sus facultades;", "e) Adoptar mecanismos para corregir la desproporcionada vulnerabilidad de los niños con discapacidad a la pobreza, entre los que cabe mencionar:", "i) Asegurarse de que los programas y políticas de protección social no discriminen y sean accesibles e inclusivos para las personas con discapacidad, incluidos los niños con discapacidad y sus familias;", "ii) Adoptar medidas dirigidas a eliminar toda discriminación directa e indirecta en la prestación de servicios sociales, incluso en los seguros médicos, así como las condiciones impuestas en el marco de las transferencias de dinero en efectivo;", "iii) Reforzar las medidas de protección social de modo de reflejar los costos adicionales vinculados con la discapacidad y prestar apoyo adecuado a las familias que tienen un hijo con discapacidad;", "f) Poner en práctica medidas para hacer frente a la violencia contra los niños con discapacidad, entre las que cabe mencionar:", "i) Reforzar las capacidades de los sistemas y servicios de protección de la infancia para que incluyan a los niños con discapacidad y respondan a sus necesidades, así como poner en marcha iniciativas de prevención de la violencia contra personas con discapacidad;", "ii) Dictar leyes que tengan en cuenta la cuestión de la discapacidad, en favor de los niños con discapacidad en todos los ámbitos, que garanticen la prevención y la identificación de la violencia, así como la protección contra ella, entre otras cosas mediante la aplicación de sanciones efectivas contra los infractores;", "iii) Poner en práctica medidas accesibles, seguras y que tengan en cuenta la situación de los niños para denunciar los casos de violencia y facilitar el acceso efectivo al sistema judicial para los niños con discapacidad;", "iv) Proporcionar a los niños con discapacidad que hayan sido víctimas de violencia el tratamiento y la rehabilitación adecuados;", "v) Tomar medidas para reducir el acoso y los malos tratos en las escuelas;", "vi) Tomar medidas para prevenir la trata de personas y la mutilación de menores para que ejerzan la mendicidad;", "g) Establecer un proceso para poner fin al uso excesivo de grandes residencias asistenciales para los niños con discapacidad, entre otras cosas mediante las siguientes medidas:", "i) Reconocer en la legislación que en ningún caso la discapacidad justifica la privación de libertad;", "ii) Fijar un plazo determinado para poner fin a la ubicación de niños con discapacidad en grandes residencias asistenciales, incluida la transferencia de los recursos para que aquellos reciban atención en sus comunidades y se ponga fin al uso excesivo de dichas residencias; y supresión de la práctica consistente en separar de forma innecesaria a los niños con discapacidad de sus familias y situarlos posteriormente en residencias asistenciales, proporcionando para ello apoyo suficiente a las familias que cuidan de sus hijos;", "iii) Invertir en captación, formación y apoyo a las familias de acogida, y establecer pequeños hogares colectivos en donde se pueda cuidar a los niños y estos puedan participar plenamente en el seno de la comunidad local, cuando sus propias familias no están en condiciones de cuidarlos;", "iv) Promulgar leyes que protejan debidamente los derechos de los niños que se benefician de una modalidad de acogimiento alternativa, en cumplimiento de las directrices sobre la atención alternativa de los niños, y que incluye un marco reglamentario referente a las normas nacionales relativas a las medidas disciplinarias y el control del comportamiento, seguridad, salud, dotación de personal, examen periódico y mecanismos de control independientes, así como observancia del derecho de los niños que reciben atención alternativa a que su tratamiento sea examinado de forma periódica;", "h) Promover políticas para asegurarse de que los niños puedan participar plenamente en la vida en familia y recibir cuidados de sus familiares, entre las que cabe mencionar:", "i) Crear sistemas amplios de identificación y evaluación temprana, según corresponda;", "ii) Aumentar la sensibilización y los conocimientos de los padres y los familiares acerca de los derechos y las necesidades de los niños con discapacidad;", "iii) Ofrecer servicios comunitarios amplios para prestar apoyo a padres de niños con discapacidad, desarrollados en colaboración con las familias y con los propios niños con discapacidad, como por ejemplo adaptaciones de la vivienda, incluidos los dispositivos de asistencia, el apoyo y los cuidados prestados a los familiares y a otros cuidadores no remunerados, el asesoramiento y la enseñanza del lenguaje de señas;", "i) Adoptar medidas para mejorar la protección de los niños con discapacidad en situaciones de riesgo y emergencias humanitarias, incluidas las siguientes:", "i) Tener en cuenta las necesidades de los niños con discapacidad en las estrategias de reducción del riesgo de desastres y de preparación para casos de desastre, a fin de asegurar una respuesta amplia, incluidas la prevención, la rehabilitación y la inclusión;", "ii) Alentar y permitir a los niños afectados por desastres y emergencias, en particular a los adolescentes, a que participen en el análisis de su situación y de sus perspectivas de futuro en los procesos de crisis, poscrisis y transición, asegurándose al mismo tiempo que esa participación sea acorde con su edad, madurez y evolución de sus facultades, así como con el interés superior del niño;", "iii) Tomar todos los cuidados debidos para evitar exponer a los niños a toda situación que les pueda resultar traumática o perjudicial; y velar por la protección de los niños con discapacidad en situaciones de riesgo, incluidas las situaciones de conflicto armado, emergencias humanitarias y desastres naturales.", "[1] Naciones Unidas, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, núm. 27531.", "[2] Puede consultarse en http://treaties.un.org.", "[3] Para consultar en qué períodos de sesiones se examinaron los informes, véase www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/sessions.htm.", "[4] Véase Marta Santos Pais, “Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño”, en el Manual de preparación de informes sobre los derechos humanos (publicación de las Naciones Unidas, número de venta: S.GV.97.0.16).", "[5] Véase Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y Banco Mundial, World Report on Disability, Ginebra, 2011; puede consultarse en: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf.", "[6] Véase Encuesta de indicadores múltiples del Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), que puede consultarse en www.childinfo.org/files/Monitoring_Child_Disability_in_Developing_Countries.pdf.", "[7] Véase “Every woman, every child: recommendations on human rights”, documento de antecedentes para la Estrategia Mundial de Salud de las Mujeres y los Niños, 8 de septiembre de 2010.", "[8] Véase Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos y OMS, “The Right to Health”, Ficha Descriptiva núm. 3, Ginebra, 2008.", "[9] Véase “Education: closing the gap”, informe sobre un debate electrónico organizado por el Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, en 2011, que puede consultarse en: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/pdf/ediscussion_report-26_apr_2011.pdf.", "[10] Véase “Inclusión de niños discapacitados: el imperativo de la primera infancia”, Nota núm. 46 de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) sobre la primera infancia, 2009.", "[11] Véase J. Balescut y K. Eklindh, “Historical perspective on education for persons with disabilities” (2006), citado en el Informe de Seguimiento de la Educación para Todos en el Mundo, de la UNESCO, 2007.", "[12] Véanse los capítulos sobre los artículos 2 y 23, Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Nueva York, 2002.", "[13] Jennifer Beecham y Martin Knapp, “Inclusive and special education: issues of cost-effectiveness”, en Inclusive Education at Work: Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools, Organización de Cooperación y Desarrollo Económicos, París, 1999.", "[14] UNESCO, “La Educación Inclusiva: el camino hacia el futuro”, documento preparado para la Conferencia Internacional de Educación, Ginebra, 2008.", "[15] OMS, Mental health systems in selected low- and middle-income countries: a World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems cross-national analysis, Ginebra, 2009.", "[16] Véase Jane Maxwell, Julia Watts Belser y Darlena David, A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities, Hesperian Foundation, Berkeley, California, Estados Unidos de América, 2007.", "[17] Ann Elwan, “Poverty and disability: a survey of the literature”, documento preparado para el Banco Mundial, 1999; puede consultarse en: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERTY/Resources/WDR/Background/elwan.pdf.", "[18] La Iniciativa sobre un nivel mínimo de protección social procura promover el acceso universal a las transferencias y servicios sociales esenciales y está gestionada por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo y la OMS, con el apoyo de todas las demás principales entidades de las Naciones Unidas.", "[19] Véase “Social security for social justice and a fair globalization”, informe VI de la Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo, Ginebra, 2011 (ILC.100/VI).", "[20] Véase Jeanine Braithwaite y Daniel Mont, “Disability and poverty: a survey of World Bank poverty assessments and implications”, Banco Mundial, Washington, D.C., febrero de 2008.", "[21] Kate Gooding y Anna Marriot, “Including persons with disabilities in social cash transfer programmes in developing countries”, Journal of International Development, vol. 21, 5, págs. 685 a 698 (julio de 2009).", "[22] Puede consultarse en www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/UNICEF_Violence_Against_Disabled_Children_Report_ Distributed_Version.pdf.", "[23] Etienne G. Krug y otros (eds), Informe mundial sobre la violencia y la salud, Organización Mundial de la Salud, Ginebra, 2002, pág. 73.", "[24] Véase www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_27185.html.", "[25] Progreso para la infancia: Un balance sobre la protección de la niñez (UNICEF, 2009).", "[26] Innocenti Digest núm. 13: “Promoting the rights of children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2007).", "[27] Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR), “Violencia sexual y por motivos de género contra refugiados, repatriados y personas internamente desplazadas: directrices para las actividades de prevención y respuesta”, mayo de 2003.", "[28] ACNUR, Conclusion No. 110 (LXI) on refugees with disabilities and other persons with disabilities protected and assisted by UNHCR, 2010; puede consultarse en: www.unhcr.org/4cbeb1a99.html." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The General Assembly, by its resolution 44/25, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As at 1 July 2011, the Convention had been ratified or acceded to by 193 States, and 2 States had signed the Convention. By its resolution 54/263, the Assembly adopted two Optional Protocols to the Convention. As at 1 July 2011, the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict had been ratified by 142 States, and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography had been ratified by 144 States.", "Pursuant to resolution 65/197, the implementation of the rights of children with disabilities is the focus of section IV of the present report, which highlights issues relating to discrimination; data collection; the Millennium Development Goals and disability; the right of children with disabilities to be heard; progress in realizing the rights of children with disabilities and the current global situation; education; health; poverty and social protection; child protection; de-institutionalization; emergencies and humanitarian action; and perspectives on ways forward.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 3II. Status 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the \nChild III. Implementation 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the \nChild IV.Implementing 4 the rights of children with \ndisabilities A. Human 4 rights and children with \ndisabilities B. Cross-cutting 4 \nchallenges V.Ways 15 \nforward", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 65/197, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its sixty-sixth session a report on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a focus on implementing the rights of children with disabilities. The present report is submitted in accordance with that request.", "II. Status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "2. As at 1 July 2011, the Convention on the Rights of the Child[1] had been ratified or acceded to by 193 States, and two States had signed the Convention.[2]", "3. As at 1 July 2011, the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict had been ratified by 142 States, and the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography had been ratified by 144 States.", "III. Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child", "4. During the reporting period, the Committee on the Rights of the Child held its fifty-fifth to fifty-seventh sessions at the United Nations Office at Geneva, from 13 September to 1 October 2010, from 17 January to 4 February 2011 and from 30 May to 17 June 2011.", "5. As at 1 July 2011, the Committee has received the initial reports of all but three State parties. All initial reports have been reviewed by the Committee, except two, which are scheduled for the Committee’s fifty-ninth session, to be held in 2012. In total, the Committee has received 504 reports pursuant to article 44 of the Convention.", "6. Additionally, it has received 86 reports and one second periodic report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and 71 reports and one second periodic report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.[3]", "7. On 17 June 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted, without a vote, the draft text of the third optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, drafted by the Open-ended Working Group established to elaborate a communications procedure. The Protocol establishes a new procedure of individual communications and inter-State communications regarding violations of rights set forth in the Convention and its Optional Protocols, as well as an enquiry procedure for grave or systematic violations. The text of the new treaty will be submitted to the General Assembly for approval at its sixty-sixth session.", "8. The Chair of the Committee will present his oral report to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, addressing major issues related to the work of the Committee during the past year.", "IV. Implementing the rights of children with disabilities", "A. Human rights and children with disabilities", "9. Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups of children, experiencing widespread violations of their rights. These violations dehumanize them, denying them respect for their dignity, their individuality, even their right to life itself.", "10. The past 30 years have witnessed significant action to address these violations. However, only with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, were the first explicit provisions relating to the rights of children with disabilities introduced, including a prohibition against discrimination on the grounds of disability (art. 2), and obligations to provide services for children with disabilities, in order to enable them to achieve the fullest possible social integration (art. 23).", "11. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, further strengthened the rights of children with disabilities. It does not introduce additional rights: human rights are universal and apply to every human being. However, it does impose significant additional obligations on Governments to take action to remove the barriers impeding the realization of rights. It also adopts the social model of disability, and addresses “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (art. 1). The Convention also includes a dedicated article on children (art. 7), outlining the obligation on States to ensure the realization of all rights for children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children, to promote their best interests, and to ensure their right to be heard and taken seriously. It incorporates, within its general principles (art. 3), respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and their right to preserve their identities, and introduces a general obligation (art. 4, para. 3) to consult with children, through their representative organizations, when developing relevant legislation and policies.", "B. Cross-cutting challenges", "Discrimination", "12. The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires of States parties that all the rights it embodies are ensured and respected without discrimination on any ground, including that of disability, for all children. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities establishes non-discrimination and equality of opportunity as general principles (art. 3), and requires that States prohibit all discrimination on the basis of disability and guarantee effective legal protection for persons, including children, with disabilities (art. 5). It also introduces the concept of “reasonable accommodation” requiring States to make necessary and appropriate adaptations to ensure that an individual with a disability can enjoy rights on an equal basis with others, as long as they do not impose a disproportionate or undue burden. Disability-based discrimination is defined as including any distinction, exclusion, restriction or denial of reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability, which has the purpose or effect of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal basis with others, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field (art. 2). The Committee on the Rights of the Child has stressed that non-discrimination should not be interpreted to mean that all children should be treated the same, as long as the criteria for any differentiation is reasonable and objective, and the aim is to achieve a purpose that is legitimate under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.[4] The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities lends legal force to this interpretation (art. 5, para. 4).", "13. However, as noted in general comment No. 9 (2006) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (see CRC/C/GC/9 and Corr.1) children with disabilities live with discrimination in every aspect of their lives. It arises not from the intrinsic nature of their disability, but rather from entrenched social exclusion resulting from rejection of difference, poverty, social isolation, prejudice, ignorance and lack of services and support. In cultures where disability is viewed as a curse or punishment, a child born with an impairment is blamed as the embodiment of past failure, inadequacy or sins.", "14. The full extent of discrimination against children with disabilities is difficult to quantify owing to lack of data. However, its impact can be profound, denying them access to education and health care, opportunities for play and culture, family life, protection from violence, an adequate standard of living and the right to be heard. It can corrode self-esteem and self-confidence as children internalize the negative attitudes they experience on a daily basis. The harmful impact is compounded for children experiencing multiple forms of discrimination, particularly girls with disabilities. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, requests States to pay particular attention to them to ensure their protection, access to all services and full inclusion in society.", "Data collection", "15. Consistent and accurate information is necessary to render children with disabilities visible, inform service delivery and enable more effective monitoring of progress towards the realization of their rights. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires States to collect appropriate disaggregated information to enable them to formulate policies to give effect to its provisions (art. 31).", "16. However, significant limitations exist on the availability of accurate data relating to children with disabilities worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Disability prevalence is the result of a complex and dynamic relationship between health conditions and contextual factors, both personal and environmental.[5] Estimating the global numbers and distribution of children, adolescents and youth with disabilities is therefore extremely difficult, and different estimates have been published in recent years. Wide variations in prevalence figures are recorded across different countries, revealing differences in definitions and in both capacity and tools for assessment. In some States, only the most severely disabled individuals are identified.", "17. Many challenges impede effective data collection: lack of common definitions, classification and thresholds between categories of disability, both within and between countries; reluctance on the part of parents to report their child as having a disability, and lack of understanding disability; and difficulties in identification of certain impairments, as well as acquisition of impairments later in the child’s life. Disability-based discrimination and stigma also sometimes inhibit the willingness of survey administrators and participants to address questions related to disability. In addition, difficulties arise in collecting data that reflects the social model of disability.", "18. Some steps have been taken to address the current paucity of information. A child disability module, addressed to primary caregivers, has been included, since 2000, in the multiple indicator cluster survey, a household survey programme developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to assist countries in filling data gaps for monitoring the situation of children and women. The multiple indicator cluster survey can be employed, as a single screening tool, to collect data on disability across a wide range of countries.[6] Data indicate that the percentage of children who screened positive on disability, as reported by primary caregivers, is between 14 per cent and 35 per cent in a large majority of the countries with available data. However, the focus on households does mean that, for example, children with disabilities who live on the streets or those in residential care institutions are not included in the data. The General Assembly, in its resolutions 63/150, 64/131 and 65/186, has stressed the importance of improving disability data and statistics in order to develop internationally comparable indicators and improve the availability of reliable data at the national and global levels for purposes of policy design, planning and evaluation from the disability perspective. However, significantly greater investment is still needed in data collection to begin to build a more effective picture of the reality of the lives of children with disabilities.", "Millennium Development Goals and disability", "19. All the Millennium Development Goals have relevance to persons, including children, with disabilities. Accordingly, addressing the issues that concern children with disabilities must be acknowledged as key to their attainment. Although some of the background documents explicitly mention people with disabilities, they are not referred to within the Millennium Development Goals, or in the material generated as part of the process to achieve them. However, the Goals will not be achieved if the situation of people with disabilities is not included in associated policies, programmes, monitoring and evaluations.", "20. The importance of rendering disability visible has been recognized. The General Assembly has reiterated the commitment of the international community to promote the inclusion of disability in the Millennium Development Goals processes, as well as in other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities (Assembly resolutions 60/131, 62/127, 63/150, 64/131 and 65/186). The limited opportunities facing children with disabilities, and the link between disability and marginalization in education are noted in The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010. The Assembly, in its resolution 64/131, highlighted the invisibility of persons with disabilities in official statistics. It also concluded the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals at its sixty-fifth session, in September 2010, by adopting a resolution in which the importance of a focus on disability issues was acknowledged.", "21. However, a recent review of 50 countries found that people with disabilities often lag well behind national averages of progress on Millennium Development Goals targets, and that the denial of human rights, exclusion, discrimination and a lack of accountability are barriers to the pursuit of human development and the Millennium Development Goals.[7] A human rights approach emphasizing accountability, principles of non-discrimination and equality and the principle of participatory decision-making processes can contribute to overcoming these barriers. All Millennium Development Goals targets and indicators should identify, monitor and evaluate the impact of related policies and programming on the situation of persons, including children, with disabilities.", "The right of children with disabilities to be heard", "22. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that all children capable of forming their own views have the right to express those views on all matters of concern to them, including in any judicial or administrative proceedings, and to have these views given due weight in accordance with the child’s age and maturity. Not only is it a fundamental human right, but it is necessary as a means of realizing other rights. In addition, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities introduces an explicit obligation to provide children with disability- and age-appropriate assistance to enable them to exercise the right to be heard (art. 7).", "23. However, it remains difficult for children with disabilities to have their voices heard. Initiatives such as school councils and children’s parliaments, consultative processes to elicit children’s views, as well as judicial proceedings, commonly fail to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities, or acknowledge their capacities for participation. Furthermore, decisions such as medical and other interventions are frequently made without the involvement or consent of children with disabilities.[8] Parental overprotection often limits their capacity for emerging independence. Legislation, policy and professional practice need to balance the importance of respecting parents’ legitimate protective responsibilities for children with disabilities, where they lack capacity for independent decision-making, with their obligation to respect children’s evolving capacities to exercise their own rights (see the Convention on the Rights of the Child, art. 5 and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, art. 3 (h)).", "24. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the General Assembly in its resolution 64/146, have emphasized the need for measures to facilitate the participation of children with disabilities, including through the provision of transport, accessible information, assistive devices, communication aids and interpreters. Training and sensitization are also needed among parents and professionals to strengthen their awareness of the obligation to listen to children with disabilities and take their voice seriously.", "Progress in realizing the rights of children with disabilities: current global situation", "25. As most countries are still in the process of ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and developing their initial reporting to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the international community does not yet have access to a baseline against which to measure progress. Therefore, as reporting becomes available and the entire reporting process develops in the coming years, it will become possible to more comprehensively assess progress in realizing the rights of children with disabilities.", "Education", "26. The Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts the right of every child to education on the basis of equality of opportunity (art. 28), and in a dedicated provision on children with disabilities, places obligations on States to ensure that they have effective access to and receive education in a manner conducive to their fullest possible social integration and individual development, including their cultural and spiritual development (art. 23). The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also affirms and elaborates this principle (art. 24).", "27. In reality, the challenges faced by children with disabilities in realizing their right to education remain profound. A recent report recognized children with disabilities as one of the most marginalized and excluded groups in respect of education.[9] It confirmed that, overall, international and Government initiatives lacked adequate information and strategies on the issue of disability, despite recognizing it as an area that requires policy attention. These gaps and omissions were perceived as a threat to the overall achievement of education goals.", "28. Early education is of particular significance for children with disabilities, many of whom need additional support to compensate for the barriers they face as a consequence of their impairment. However, although data regarding access for children with disabilities is lacking globally, they are least likely to be included in such programmes. Out of 100 million children with disabilities under 5 years of age worldwide, 80 per cent live in developing countries, where the provision of pre-primary education and other basic services tends to be insufficient.[10] Although neither the Convention on the Rights of the Child nor the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities make explicit reference to early childhood education, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 7 (2005) (CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1) interprets the right to education as beginning at birth, and closely linked to the child’s right to optimum development.", "29. While precise global data on the exclusion of children with disabilities from education do not exist, there is broad consensus that at least one third of the world’s 72 million children who are not in school have a disability.[11] In some countries, the gap in primary school attendance rates between disabled and non-disabled children is strikingly wide, excluding the great majority of children with disabilities from the mainstream educational system. Even in relatively well-off States that are closer to the goal of universal primary education, enrolment rates differ according to impairment type, with children with physical impairment generally faring better than those with intellectual or sensory impairments.", "30. Among those children with disabilities who do attend school, children with disabilities achieve lower rates of primary school completion and fewer years of education than those without disability. For example, the World Health Survey found that around 50 per cent of boys with disability completed primary school, compared with just over 60 per cent of boys without disability, while primary school completion rates for girls with disability are just under 42 per cent compared with 53 per cent of girls without disability.⁵", "31. The barriers are formidable and include discriminatory legislation, institutionalization, lack of training for teachers, prejudice, stigma and inadequate understanding as to the nature of disability on the part of teachers and parents. The overwhelming majority of schools throughout the world are physically inaccessible, affordable and accessible transport is not available, systems for enhancing communication are not in place, and inclusive education itself is frequently misunderstood. Some countries retain legislation declaring certain categories of children to be “uneducable”, or place responsibility for the education of children with disabilities with ministries other than education, thus serving to segregate and marginalize them.", "32. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in the report on its sixteenth session (CRC/C/69, para. 338), identified the need for action to bring an end to segregation in education, and has consistently recommended the development of inclusive education systems in its concluding observations.[12] It has further stressed that inclusive education must be the goal of educating children with disabilities. Since 2002, Education for All partners have committed to promoting a goal of inclusion, as outlined in a UNESCO flagship initiative on “The right to education for persons with disabilities: towards inclusion”. Finally, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities includes an explicit obligation on Governments to ensure access to inclusive education (art. 24, para. 2 (b)).", "33. A growing body of evidence is emerging as to the efficacy of inclusion. One study found that while the costs of inclusive education and special schools were largely comparable, academic achievement in inclusive schools was significantly higher.[13] However, placing children within a mainstream setting does not of itself achieve inclusion. Inclusion embodies a principle that schools both accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions, and also adapt to address their needs.[14] This requires action across the education system, including: legislation; cross-ministerial collaboration; appropriate systems of financing; training of and support for teachers; inclusive teaching methods; promoting respect for diversity and non-discrimination in schools; reviews and adaptation of curricula and resources for teaching in inclusive classrooms; appropriate individualized support; and respect for the right to learn in sign language and through all appropriate forms of communication.", "34. Efforts are also needed to remove the physical barriers impeding access to school and subsequent learning. Significant lessons have been learned on design, construction and modification of buildings to assist in the inclusion of children with disabilities. Furthermore, World Bank research has demonstrated that the cost of accessibility is generally less than 1 per cent of total construction costs. There is also an emerging application of universal design in instructional practices, materials and educational environments to meet the wide range of student needs, learning styles and capacities.⁵", "35. However, globally, significant additional investment and the use of modern technologies and international cooperation are needed to create the necessary legislative, administrative and budgetary framework to fulfil these educational commitments.", "Health", "36. Attainment of the highest possible standard of health and access to and affordability of quality health care are inherent rights of every child. Both Conventions affirm the obligations on States to take all appropriate measures to ensure the realization of such rights for children with disabilities. Many countries still conceptualize disability as a chronic medical condition, for which the solutions are health care, rehabilitation, institutionalization or social supports such as special education and pensions. Investment is therefore needed to re-orientate services towards recognition that the barriers across society are a primary cause of the disabling effects of impairments in children.", "37. In addition, discrimination, inaccessibility and a lack of targeted health programmes designed to address their specific needs continue to hamper progress in the realization of the right to health for children with disabilities, in many parts of the world. Measures are needed in order to provide targeted services to mitigate the impact of impairments and to develop inclusive, non-discriminatory and accessible services.", "38. Many children with disabilities require specific medical and social services, designed to minimize and prevent further disabilities, as well as orthopaedic and rehabilitation services, to promote independence and support their social integration, as discussed in general comment No. 5 (1994) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and in articles 25 (b) and 26 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are often neither diagnosed nor treated, and their significance is generally overlooked. Adequate policies, programmes, laws and resources are lacking. In most countries, care is still predominantly provided in institutions. The move from institutional to community care is slow and uneven. A recent study of mental health systems in 42 low-income and middle-income countries showed that resources for mental health are overwhelmingly concentrated in urban settings.[15] Access to all types of health care for children with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities is complicated by the stigma and discrimination they suffer.", "39. A recent report of the Secretary-General (A/64/180) testifies to a prevailing pattern of weak identification of and assessment mechanisms for children with disabilities. Several studies show that while some communities have included children with disabilities in outreach efforts, children with disabilities often do not receive standard immunizations and basic care, even in highly developed countries. Adolescents with disabilities face particular challenges in accessing confidential sexual and reproductive health services and information, including HIV/AIDS services.[16] Yet, infection levels among them are equal to or higher than the rest of the community, one of the main causes being their significant vulnerability to sexual abuse, according to data from the World Health Organization, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The common misconception that people with disabilities are not sexually active often leads health professionals to fail to offer them sexual and reproductive health services.⁵ In addition, action is needed to bring an end to practices whereby children with disabilities are subject to sterilization or abortion against their will or on the basis of family interests (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, art. 23, para. 1 (c)). Health care provided to children with disabilities should be based on free and informed consent, while respecting the autonomy of the child.", "Poverty and social protection", "40. The Convention on the Rights of the Child places obligations on States to recognize the right of every child to an adequate standard of living for their proper development, to support parents in realizing this right and to take necessary measures to achieve the full realization of every child’s right to benefit from social security. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities additionally requires States to adopt measures to support children with disabilities living in the community, including through social protection programmes, as well as a duty to make all essential services inclusive of and accessible for persons with disabilities (art. 28).", "41. Nevertheless, extreme poverty among children with disabilities remains widespread. Approximately 426 million people with disabilities in developing countries live below the poverty line and are often among the 15 to 20 per cent most vulnerable and marginalized poor in such countries. The World Bank has estimated that people with disabilities may account for as many as 1 in 5 of the world’s poorest people.[17]", "42. The Social Protection Floor Initiative was introduced as a key measure to contribute towards the Millennium Development Goals.[18] There is scope for this initiative to contribute significantly to addressing issues of disability.[19] While the need for efforts to promote inclusion of disability issues in poverty reduction programmes and policies has been highlighted in General Assembly resolution 65/1, too little has yet been done to address this issue.", "43. Many health insurance schemes discriminate against persons with disabilities, based on the cost of their health care. Some social protection schemes fail to take into account the extra costs faced by households with a disabled child, who often have to spend more than other families to access goods and services.[20] As schemes are often based on a minimum income or poverty line, the basic disability benefits are commonly insufficient to cover both basic household expenses and extra costs related to disability, leaving families trapped in poverty.[21] In addition, cash transfer and social health protection schemes are often linked to conditions that children with disabilities may not be able to fulfil, for example, when those schemes are conditional on regular attendance at school, from which a child may have been denied access.", "Child protection", "44. The Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms that all children are entitled to protection from all forms of violence and this is reinforced by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which introduces specific measures in recognition of the fact that women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, as specified in the Preamble to that Convention. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, made strong recommendations for action to tackle violence against children with disabilities, which were also reflected in the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children (A/61/299). The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 7/29, also pressed all Governments to enact and enforce legislation protecting children with disabilities against all forms of discrimination, exploitation, violence and abuse.", "45. A growing body of evidence highlights the extent to which children with disabilities, throughout the world, are disproportionately at risk of violence, neglect and abuse. A study on violence against disabled children, reporting the findings and recommendations of a meeting convened by UNICEF in July 2005, considered the vulnerability of children with disabilities, and concluded that while violence against children is widespread, disabled children are at significantly increased risk.[22] In the World Report on Violence and Health, it was also noted that children with disabilities “have been shown to be at increased risk for physical abuse and neglect”.[23]", "46. Evidence from countries throughout the world reveals a consistent pattern of violence against children with disabilities. For example, an analysis of severe corporal punishment of children with and without disabilities, in 15 countries, found that children with an impairment were significantly more likely to experience severe physical punishment, in nearly half of the countries studied.⁶ Children with disabilities are often beaten, stoned, or spat upon on their way to and from school.²² Bullying is also widespread in many countries.", "47. Violence takes place in all settings: the family, schools, the community, the justice system, the workplace and residential care. For families in difficult socio-economic circumstances, or with limited or no social protection or basic services available, the birth of a child with a disability can place the family under considerable pressure, leading to rejection and violence. The problem can be exacerbated for children who are physically dependent on others to provide care, or who have reduced ability to recognize danger or protect themselves. Hostility towards, and fear of, children with disabilities means that they are often hidden away and denied access to other children, to the wider family and to public events, rendering them more vulnerable to violence, and affording perpetrators a high degree of impunity (see A/61/299).", "48. Some forms of violence are specific to children with disabilities. They may be subject to abuse under the guise of behaviour modification, including electro-convulsive treatment, drug therapy and electric shocks. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, has expressed concern about the practice of forced sterilization of girls with disabilities. They can also be exposed to medical or scientific experimentation, abandoned and left to die, or subjected to “mercy killing”, a crime often attracting lower penalties, reflecting the lower value attached to their life.", "49. Protection systems and reporting mechanisms are rarely adapted to the needs of children with disabilities. Where they do report, they are often met with barriers and disbelief. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence against Children, in a joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, paid special attention to the particular challenges faced by children with disabilities in accessing protection and justice, as well as rehabilitation services (A/HRC/16/56).", "De-institutionalization", "50. The Convention on the Rights of the Child requires States parties to submit periodic reviews of the treatment of children placed by authorities for the purposes of care, protection or treatment of their health (art. 25). Furthermore, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, expresses concern about the continued use of residential care facilities for children with disabilities and affirms that they are best cared for within their own families. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly states that disability should never justify deprivation of liberty (art. 14). It recognizes the right of children with disabilities to live in the community, backed up with the necessary support and services to make that possible. It requires States to make every effort to ensure that when a family cannot care for a child, the alternative placement is either with the wider family or in a family setting in the community (art. 23), as further elaborated in the Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children (General Assembly resolution 64/142, annex).", "51. The conditions in large residential care institutions can often constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Widespread evidence testifies to examples of children permanently tied into cribs and beds, suffering or even death from intentional lack of medical treatment, food or warmth, and lack of love or care.[24] The UN Study on Violence against Children highlighted profound concerns relating to violence, neglect, dangerous environments, including children being left for hours on urine-soaked mattresses, or physically or medically restrained, or of residential care facilities being understaffed and a lack of monitoring or independent scrutiny.²² Once children are placed in a residential care facility, they often remain there for life with no right of appeal, no independent review mechanism, and no access to information, advice or advocacy.", "52. Despite growing awareness of these violations, the number of children with disabilities in residential care remains high. In the Central and Eastern Europe region, UNICEF estimates that a child with a disability is almost 17 times as likely to be institutionalized as one who is not disabled.[25] In many regions, little investment has been made to protect their right to family life. Prejudice, ignorance and discrimination, combined with a lack of community-based support or social security, undermine families’ capacities to provide appropriate care and protection for a child with a disability. In many parts of the world, parents who want to keep their children at home receive very limited help or support, or indeed, none at all.[26]", "53. Bringing an end to institutionalization is a matter of considerable urgency. Research consistently points to its profoundly negative impact on children, with children under the age of 4 at particularly high risk of cognitive and psychological damage. Children in residential care facilities do far worse socially, educationally, medically and psychologically than children raised in supportive community settings.²²", "Emergencies and humanitarian action", "54. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires States to undertake measures to protect people with disabilities in situations of risk and emergency, and recognizes the importance of international cooperation in addressing the limited capacities of some States to respond to situations of risk and humanitarian crises (arts. 11 and 23).", "55. The vulnerability of children with disabilities is often exacerbated by the loss of family members or carers, loss of assistive devices, lack of medication or health care and the inaccessibility of emergency services. Furthermore, in the aftermath of a disaster, children, and particularly girls with disabilities, are vulnerable to violence, exploitation and sexual abuse.[27] However, there is a lack of adequate data about both the extent to which children with disabilities are affected by natural disasters or armed conflict, and their needs in those situations, and this has hampered the development of effective responses. It results in children with disabilities not being prioritized or appropriately included and supported within humanitarian assistance and development programmes.", "56. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has developed guidelines to strengthen the protection of children with disabilities, which recognize the greater risks facing children with disabilities and encourage States to provide appropriate support.[28] It is also producing operational guidance on working with persons with disabilities, including those in displacement, that advocates for inclusive education, child-friendly spaces and early-childhood interventions, and stresses the need for identification and monitoring mechanisms.", "V. Ways forward", "57. Significant, urgent and coordinated action is needed to achieve the realization of the rights of children with disabilities. The scale and severity of violations against their rights, in all regions of the world, constitute a hidden emergency. It is necessary to remove barriers that impede the realization of the rights of children with disabilities, and recognize the importance of international cooperation for improving the living conditions of children with disabilities in every country, particularly in developing countries. Governments are urged to:", "(a) Introduce measures to strengthen the collection of disaggregated data on children with disabilities in order to promote their visibility, enhance capacity for effective policy and planning, and enable more effective monitoring of their rights, that include:", "(i) Investment in proactive approaches to overcoming the barriers impeding birth registration and inclusion in census data, in respect of children with disabilities;", "(ii) Collaboration across Government and with organizations of people with disabilities to achieve a coherent and consistent framework of definitions of disability, in accordance with international human rights standards, as a basis on which to collect data;", "(iii) Disaggregation of all relevant data relating to children’s lives on the basis of disability, including, for example, in data on education, health outcomes or child protection, and in the reports submitted by the States Parties to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with regard to the relevant Conventions;", "(b) Implement measures to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against children with disabilities, that include:", "(i) Prohibiting discrimination on grounds of disability in constitutional provisions and in specific anti-discrimination laws or legal provisions; and taking all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities;", "(ii) Recognizing the impact of multiple discrimination, in particular, discrimination experienced by girls with disabilities;", "(iii) Introducing effective remedies in case of violations of the rights of children with disabilities, which are easily accessible to children with disabilities and their parents and/or others caring for the child;", "(iv) Awareness-raising and educational campaigns targeting the public at large and specific groups of professionals, with a view to preventing and eliminating discrimination against children with disabilities;", "(v) Incorporating principles of human rights, including non-discrimination, in the pre- and in-service training of all professionals working with and for children with disabilities;", "(c) Promote strategies to achieve an inclusive education for children with disabilities at all levels, including early childhood education, that include:", "(i) Explicit recognition of inclusive education in legislation and rejection of segregation, and introducing legislation establishing the right to inclusive education for every child on the basis of equality of opportunity and embodying a clear definition of inclusion, the specific objectives it is seeking to achieve, and concrete strategies for its attainment;", "(ii) Incorporating responsibility for the education of children with disabilities within ministries of education;", "(iii) Introducing systems of financing that provide incentives towards a unified system of education and encourage investment in approaches in education that strengthen capacity and commitment among schools;", "(iv) Recognizing that reasonable accommodations to support inclusion need to be based on human rights standards rather than solely on the efficient use of resources;", "(v) Ensuring provision of individualized support plans, and respecting the rights of blind, deaf and deaf-blind children to education in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication;", "(vi) Developing a policy framework for inclusive education at the central level to support the practice and culture of inclusion across all levels of the education system;", "(vii) Providing training and support for teachers to enable them to work in inclusive environments;", "(d) Address inequality in access to health care, through measures that include:", "(i) Introducing comprehensive measures to overcome all discriminatory barriers, including educating children with disabilities, their families and patients and health workers on the rights of children with disabilities as patients, and the right to health, and establishing patient charters and complaints procedures;", "(ii) Prioritizing efforts to reach children with disabilities, and promoting inclusive and accessible health services, including sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents, in order to allow them realize their right to health on an equal basis with others;", "(iii) Developing comprehensive early assessment and identification systems;", "(iv) Introducing legislation and policies to enable children and adolescents with disabilities to be involved in their own health care, consistent with respect for their evolving capacities;", "(e) Adopt mechanisms to address the disproportionate vulnerability of children with disabilities to poverty, that include:", "(i) Ensuring that social protection programmes and policies are non‑discriminatory, accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities and their families;", "(ii) Adopting measures to remove all direct and indirect discrimination in the provision of social services, including in health insurance, and the conditionalities associated with policies relating to cash transfers;", "(iii) Strengthening social protection measures to reflect the additional costs associated with disability and provide adequate support for families with a child with a disability;", "(f) Implement measures to address violence against children with disabilities, that include:", "(i) Strengthening the capacities of child protection systems and services to be inclusive of children with disabilities and to respond to their needs, as well as to introduce disability-appropriate violence prevention initiatives;", "(ii) Introducing, for children with disabilities in all settings, disability-sensitive legislation that ensures the prevention and identification of, and their protection from, violence, including effective sanctions against abusers;", "(iii) Introducing accessible, safe and child-sensitive measures to report violence and to facilitate effective access to the judicial system for children with disabilities;", "(iv) Providing appropriate treatment for and rehabilitation of children with disabilities who have experienced violence;", "(v) Taking action to reduce bullying and abuse in schools;", "(vi) Taking action to prevent trafficking and maiming for begging;", "(g) Establish a process for bringing an end to the over-use of large residential care facilities for children with disabilities, including through:", "(i) Recognizing in legislation that in no case may disability be used to justify the deprivation of liberty;", "(ii) Introducing a time-bound commitment towards ending the placement of children with disabilities in large residential care facilities, including the transfer of the resources to community-based care and ending the over-use of such facilities; and ending the practice of unnecessary separation of children with disabilities from their families and subsequent placement in residential care, by providing adequate support to families to care for their children;", "(iii) Investing in recruiting, training and supporting foster families, and establishing small group homes where children can be cared for and participate fully within the local community when their own families are unable to care for them;", "(iv) Introducing legislation to provide appropriate protection for the rights of children living in any alternative care arrangement, consistent with the Guidelines on Alternative Care of Children, and including a regulatory framework addressing national standards on disciplinary measures and behaviour management, safety, health, staffing, regular review and independent monitoring, and respect for the right of children placed in alternative care to periodic review of their treatment;", "(h) Promote policies to ensure that children can fully participate in family life and be cared for by their families, that include:", "(i) Developing comprehensive early assessment and identification systems as appropriate;", "(ii) Increasing awareness and knowledge of parents and families about the rights and needs of children with disabilities;", "(iii) Developing comprehensive community-based services to provide support for parents of children with disabilities, developed in collaboration with families and children with disabilities themselves, in order to ensure access to support services, such as home adaptations, including assistive devices, support and care for family members or other unpaid caregivers, counselling or sign language teaching;", "(i) Adopt measures to enhance protection of children with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, that include:", "(i) Accounting for the needs of children with disabilities in disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness strategies before, during and after disasters, to ensure comprehensive responses, including prevention, rehabilitation and inclusion;", "(ii) Encouraging and enabling children affected by disasters and emergencies, in particular adolescents, to participate in analysing their situations and future prospects in crisis, post-crisis and transition processes, while ensuring that such participation is in accordance with their age, maturity and evolving capacities and is consistent with the best interests of the child;", "(iii) Ensuring that appropriate care is taken to protect children from exposure to situations that are likely to be traumatic or harmful; and ensuring the protection and safety of children with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.", "[1] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.", "[2] Available from http://treaties.un.org.", "[3] For the sessions at which the reports were considered, see www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/ sessions.htm.", "[4] See Marta Santos Pais, “The Convention on the Rights of the Child”, in the Manual on Human Rights Reporting, (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.GV.97.0.16).", "[5] See World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, World Report on Disability, Geneva, 2011, available from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf.", "[6] See United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) multiple indicator cluster survey, available from: www.childinfo.org/files/Monitoring_Child_Disability_in_Developing_Countries.pdf.", "[7] See “Every woman, every child: recommendations on human rights”, background paper for the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, 8 September 2010.", "[8] See the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and WHO, “The Right to Health”, Fact Sheet No. 31, Geneva, 2008.", "[9] See “Education: closing the gap”, report of an e-discussion hosted by the United Nations Development Group, in 2011, available from: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/pdf/ ediscussion_report-26_apr_2011.pdf.", "[10] See “Inclusion of children with disabilities: the early childhood imperative”, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) policy brief on early childhood, No. 46, 2009.", "[11] See J. Balescut and K. Eklindh, “Historical perspective on education for persons with disabilities” (2006), quoted in the UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2007.", "[12] See chapters on articles 2 and 23, UNICEF, Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, New York, 2002.", "[13] Jennifer Beecham and Martin Knapp, “Inclusive and special education: issues of cost-effectiveness”, in Inclusive Education at Work: Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, 1999.", "[14] UNESCO, “Inclusive education: the way of the future”, paper prepared for the International Conference on Education, Geneva, 2008.", "[15] WHO, Mental health systems in selected low- and middle-income countries: a World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems cross-national analysis, Geneva, 2009.", "[16] See Jane Maxwell, Julia Watts Belser and Darlena David, A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities, Hesperian Foundation, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 2007.", "[17] Ann Elwan, “Poverty and disability: a survey of the literature”, paper prepared for the World Bank, 1999, available from: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERTY/Resources/WDR/ Background/elwan.pdf.", "[18] The Social Protection Floor Initiative seeks to promote universal access to essential social transfers and services, and is managed by the International Labour Organization and WHO, with the support of all other major entities of the United Nations.", "[19] See “Social security for social justice and a fair globalization”, report VI of the International Labour Conference, Geneva, 2011 (ILC.100/VI).", "[20] See Jeanine Braithwaite and Daniel Mont, “Disability and poverty: a survey of World Bank poverty assessments and implications”, World Bank, Washington, D.C., February 2008.", "[21] Kate Gooding and Anna Marriot, “Including persons with disabilities in social cash transfer programmes in developing countries”, Journal of International Development, vol. 21, 5, pp. 685-698 (July 2009).", "[22] Available from: www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/UNICEF_Violence_Against_Disabled_ Children_Report_Distributed_Version.pdf", "[23] Etienne G. Krug and others (eds), World report on violence and health, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2002, p. 66.", "[24] See www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_27185.html.", "[25] Progress for Children: A Report Card on Child Protection (UNICEF, 2009).", "[26] Innocenti Digest No. 13: “Promoting the rights of children with disabilities”, (UNICEF, 2007).", "[27] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), “Sexual and gender-based violence against refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons: guidelines for prevention and response”, May 2003.", "[28] UNHCR, Conclusion No. 110 (LXI) on refugees with disabilities and other persons with disabilities protected and assisted by UNHCR, 2010, available from: www.unhcr.org/4cbeb1a99.html." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 65 (a) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", "Status of the Convention", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "In its resolution 44/25, the General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As at 1 July 2011, 193 States had ratified or acceded to the Convention and 2 States had signed it. In its resolution 54/263, the Assembly adopted two Optional Protocols to the Convention. As at 1 July 2011, 142 States had ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and 144 States had ratified the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.", "In accordance with resolution 65/197, section IV of the present report pays special attention to the realization of the rights of children with disabilities, with emphasis on issues relating to: discrimination; data collection; the Millennium Development Goals and disability; the right of children with disabilities to be heard; progress made towards the realization of the rights of children with disabilities and the current global situation; education; health; non-poverty and future protection", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 3II. Status 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementation 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child IV.Realization 4 of the rights of children with disabilities A. Rights 4 humans and children with disabilities B. 5 cross-sectional problems V. Future perspectives 17", "I. Introduction", "1. In its resolution 65/197, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session a report on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with special attention to the realization of the rights of children with disabilities. The present report has been prepared in response to that request.", "II. Status of the Convention", "2. As at 1 July 2011, 193 States had ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child[1] and 2 States had signed it[2].", "3. As at 1 July 2011, 142 States had ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and 144 States had ratified the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.2", "III. Implementation of the CRC", "4. During the reporting period, the Committee on the Rights of the Child held its fifty-fifth, fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh sessions from 13 September to 1 October 2010, from 17 January to 4 February 2011 and from 30 May to 17 June 2011, at the United Nations Office at Geneva.", "5. As at 1 July 2011, the Committee had received initial reports from all States parties except three. The Committee has considered all initial reports except two for consideration by the Committee at its fifty-ninth session in 2012. In total, the Committee received 504 reports under article 44 of the Convention.", "6. In addition, the Committee received 86 reports and a second periodic report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and 71 reports and a second periodic report under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.[3]", "7. On 17 June 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted without a vote the draft text of the third optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, drafted by the Open Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to establish a communications procedure. The Protocol establishes a new procedure for individual communications and inter-State communications with respect to violations of the rights set out in the Convention and its Optional Protocols, as well as a procedure for investigating serious or systematic violations. The text of the new treaty will be forwarded to the General Assembly for adoption at its sixty-sixth session.", "8. The Chairman of the Committee will present an oral report to the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, addressing the main issues of the Committee ' s work during the past year.", "IV. Realization of the rights of children with disabilities", "A. Human rights and children with disabilities", "9. Children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and excluded groups of children, who are victims of widespread violations of their rights. Such violations of their rights dehumanize them, as they constitute a violation of their dignity, of their individuality, and even of their right to life.", "10. Significant steps have been taken in the past 30 years to curb such violations. However, it was not until the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 that the first express provisions relating to the rights of children with disabilities were introduced, including the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of physical impediments (art. 2), and obligations to provide services to children with disabilities in order to achieve social integration to the maximum extent possible (art. 23).", "11. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, further strengthened the rights of children with disabilities. It does not incorporate additional rights: human rights are universal and apply to all human beings. However, it imposes significant additional obligations on Governments, which must take steps to remove obstacles to the realization of rights. It also adopts the social model of disability and applies to persons “who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory deficiencies that, when interacting with various barriers, may prevent their full and effective participation in society, on an equal basis with others” (art. 1). The Convention also includes an article on children (art. 7), which outlines the obligation of States to ensure the realization of all the rights of children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children, to promote the protection of the best interests of the child, and to ensure their right to be heard and that their views are given due consideration. In the framework of its general principles (art. 3), the Convention incorporates respect for the evolving powers of children with disabilities and their right to preserve their identity, as well as the general obligation to consult with children (art. 4, para. 3), through the organizations representing them, in formulating the relevant laws and policies.", "B. Cross-cutting issues", "Discrimination", "12. Under the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, States parties must ensure and respect all the rights enshrined therein for all children, without discrimination on any grounds, including that of disability. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities establishes non-discrimination and equal opportunities as general principles (art. 3) and urges States to prohibit all discrimination on the basis of disability and to ensure effective legal protection for persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities (art. 5). It also incorporates the concept of “reasonable adjustment”, whereby States must make necessary and appropriate modifications and adaptations that do not impose a disproportionate or undue burden, in order to guarantee persons with disabilities the equal enjoyment of rights with others. " Discrimination on the grounds of disability " means any distinction, exclusion, restriction or denial of reasonable accommodation on the grounds of disability which has the purpose or effect of impeding or rendering without effect the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal basis, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or other fields (art. 2). The Committee on the Rights of the Child has emphasized that non-discrimination should not be interpreted in the sense that all children should be treated in the same manner, provided that differentiation criteria are reasonable and objective and the goal is to achieve a legitimate purpose under the Convention on the Rights of the Child[4]. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides legal support for this interpretation (art. 5, para. 4).", "13. However, as indicated in general comment No. 9 (2006) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (see CRC/C/GC/9 and Corr.1), children with disabilities face discrimination in all aspects of their lives. This originates not in the intrinsic nature of disability but rather in a deep social exclusion resulting from the rejection of differences, poverty, social isolation, prejudice, ignorance and lack of services and support. In cultures where disability is regarded as a curse or a punishment, a child born with an impediment is seen as the manifestation of an earlier failure, of ineptitude, or of sins committed.", "14. Because of the lack of data, it is difficult to quantify the total extent of discrimination against children with disabilities. However, their effects can be profound, by denying them access to education and medical care, opportunities for recreation and culture, family life, protection against violence, an adequate standard of living and the right to be heard. It can corrode the self-esteem and self-confidence of children, as they internalize the negative attitudes they experience in their daily lives. In the case of minors suffering from multiple forms of discrimination, such as girls with disabilities, the negative effects are compounded. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, requests States to give special attention to girls with disabilities in order to ensure that they are well protected, have access to all services and are fully included in society.", "Data collection", "15. There is a need for consistent and credible information to provide greater visibility to children with disabilities, serve as a basis for service delivery and allow for more effective monitoring of progress towards the realization of their rights. Under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, States should collect appropriate disaggregated information to enable them to formulate policies to give effect to the provisions of the Convention (art. 31).", "16. However, the availability of accurate data on children with disabilities worldwide, particularly in developing countries, is very limited. The prevalence of disability is the product of a complex and dynamic relationship between health conditions and contextual factors, both at the personal and environmental levels.[5] It is therefore extremely difficult to estimate the number and distribution of children, adolescents and young people with disabilities worldwide, with different estimates published in recent years. Significant disparities have been found in the prevalence figures of different countries, revealing differences in definitions as well as in evaluation capacity and tools. In some States, only the most serious persons with disabilities are identified.", "17. Numerous factors make it difficult to collect data effectively: the lack of definitions, classification and common thresholds between categories of disability, both within and among countries; the reluctance of parents to declare their children ' s disability and the lack of knowledge of what disability is; and the difficulties in identifying certain impediments, as well as the emergence of impediments at a later stage in the life of the child. As a result of discrimination and stigma associated with disability, survey managers and participants are sometimes less willing to address related issues. In addition, difficulties arise in gathering data that reflect the social model of disability.", "18. Some measures have been taken to alleviate the current shortage of information. The United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) multi-indicator survey programme to assist countries in remedying data gaps in order to monitor the situation of children and women has included a module on child disability since 2000. Such a survey can be used as a single screening mechanism to collect disability data in a broad group of countries[6]. In a large majority of countries with available data, according to information provided by primary caregivers, the percentage of children with disabilities ranged from 14 to 35 per cent. However, since these were household surveys, it should be noted that information on children with disabilities living on the street or living in care homes is not included in these data. The General Assembly, in its resolutions 63/150, 64/131 and 65/186, has emphasized the importance of improving data and statistics on disability in order to develop internationally comparable indicators and to increase the availability of reliable data at the national and global levels for the purpose of formulating, planning and evaluating policies from a disability perspective. However, substantial increased investment in data collection remains necessary to begin to provide a more truthful picture of the reality of the lives of children with disabilities.", "The Millennium Development Goals and Disability", "19. All the Millennium Development Goals are important for persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities. It should therefore be recognized that addressing issues of concern to children with disabilities is essential for achieving those goals. Although some of the background documents expressly mention persons with disabilities, they are not referred to either the Millennium Development Goals or the material generated under the process to achieve them. However, these objectives will not be achieved if the situation of persons with disabilities is not included in related policies, programmes, monitoring and evaluations.", "20. The importance of providing visibility to the issue of disability has been recognized. The General Assembly has reiterated the commitment of the international community to promote the inclusion of disability in the Millennium Development Goals processes, as well as other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities (General Assembly resolutions 60/131, 62/127 and 65/186). The 2010 Millennium Development Goals report identifies the limited opportunities enjoyed by children with disabilities, as well as the link between disability and marginalization in education. The Assembly, in its resolution 64/131, emphasized the invisibility of persons with disabilities in official statistics. It also concluded the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals at its sixty-fifth session in September 2010 by adopting a resolution recognizing the importance of focusing on disability issues.", "21. However, a recent review of 50 countries concluded that persons with disabilities are often far below the national average of progress made on the Millennium Development Goals, and that denial of human rights, exclusion, discrimination and lack of accountability are obstacles to the achievement of human development and the Millennium Development Goals[7]. A human rights-based approach that emphasizes accountability, principles of non-discrimination and equality, and participatory decision-making processes, can help overcome such obstacles.7 All Millennium Development Goals targets and indicators should identify, monitor and assess the impact of related policies and programming on the situation of persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities.", "The right of children with disabilities to be heard", "22. Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child provides that all children who are in a position to form their own judgement have the right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them, including in any judicial or administrative proceeding, and to give due consideration to that opinion, depending on the age and maturity of the child. Not only is it a fundamental human right, but it is necessary to realize other rights. Furthermore, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities incorporates the express obligation to provide children with appropriate assistance in accordance with their disability and age to exercise the right to be heard (art. 7).", "23. However, it remains difficult for children with disabilities to be heard. With initiatives such as school councils and children ' s parliaments, consultation processes to seek children ' s views and judicial procedures, it is rarely possible to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities or to recognize their capacities for participation. On the other hand, medical decisions and other interventions are often made without the participation or consent of children with disabilities[8]. The excessive protection to which their parents submit them often limits their ability to forge their own independence. A fair balance must be achieved in legislative, normative and professional practice between the importance of respecting the legitimate responsibilities of parents in relation to the protection of their children with disabilities, where they lack the capacity to make independent decisions, with the obligation of parents to respect the evolving powers of their children to exercise their own rights (article 5 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 3 (h) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).", "24. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as the General Assembly in its resolution 64/146, have emphasized the need to take measures to facilitate the participation of children with disabilities, including by providing transport services, accessible information, assistance devices, communication tools and interpreters. Training and sensitization of parents and practitioners is also necessary to make them more aware of their obligation to listen to children with disabilities and to ensure that their views are given due consideration.", "Progress in the realization of the rights of children with disabilities: current global situation", "25. Since most countries are still in the process of ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and preparing their initial reports to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the international community still has no access to a baseline for measuring progress. Therefore, as the reports are available and the reporting process as a whole is evolving in the coming years, it will be possible to assess more comprehensively the progress made in the realization of the rights of children with disabilities.", "Education", "26. The Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes the right of every child to education on equal opportunities (art. 28), and in a provision dedicated to children with disabilities it imposes on States the obligation to ensure that those have effective access to education in order to achieve social integration and individual development, including their cultural and spiritual development, to the maximum extent possible (art. 23). The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also affirms that principle and extends in that regard (art. 24).", "27. In fact, children with disabilities continue to face serious difficulties in realizing their right to education. According to a recent report, children with disabilities are among the most marginalized and excluded groups[9]. It confirmed that, in general terms, international and government initiatives lacked sufficient information and strategies on the issue of disability, despite recognizing that this is an area that calls for action. These shortcomings and omissions were seen as a threat to the overall achievement of education objectives.", "28. Early education is particularly important for children with disabilities, many of whom need additional support to overcome the obstacles they face as a result of their impediment. However, despite the lack of global statistics on access for children with disabilities, they are known to be very low in the likelihood of being included in such programmes. Of the 100 million children under 5 years of age with disabilities worldwide, 80 per cent live in developing countries, where the provision of pre-primary education and other basic services tends to be insufficient.[10] Although neither the Convention on the Rights of the Child nor the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities make explicit reference to early childhood education, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 7 (2005) (CRC/C/GC/7/Rev.1), interprets that the right to education begins at birth and is closely linked to the right of the child to the maximum possible development.", "29. While there is no clear global data on the exclusion of children with disabilities from education, there is a broad consensus that at least one third of the 72 million children in the world who do not attend school have a disability.[11] In some countries, the gap in primary school attendance rates between children with disabilities and children without disabilities is strikingly wide, and the vast majority of children with disabilities are excluded from the traditional education system. Even in States that enjoy a relatively good economic situation and are close to meeting the goal of universal primary education, schooling rates vary depending on the type of impediment: in general, children with physical disabilities exhibit better results than children with intellectual or sensory deficiencies.", "30. Among children with disabilities who do attend school, the percentage of children with disabilities who finish primary education is lower than that of children without disabilities, as well as the number of years in which they study. For example, according to the World Health Survey, approximately 50 per cent of males with disabilities completed primary school, compared to a little over 60 per cent of males without disabilities; for their part, less than 42 per cent of girls with disabilities completed primary school, while 53% of girls without disabilities did so.5", "31. There are serious obstacles, including: discriminatory legislation, institutionalization, lack of teacher training, prejudice, stigma, and insufficient knowledge of the nature of disability by teachers and parents. The vast majority of the world ' s schools are not physically accessible to children with disabilities, there is no economic and accessible transport system, there are no systems to improve communication, and the concept of inclusive education is often not fully understood. Some countries maintain laws declaring that certain categories of children “are incapable of being educated” or under which responsibility for the education of children with disabilities is transferred to ministries other than the Ministry of Education, thus ending up segregating and marginalizing such children.", "32. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its report on its sixteenth session (CRC/C/69, para. 338), noted the need for measures to end segregation in education and has strongly recommended in its concluding observations that inclusive education systems be created.[12] He also stressed that inclusive education should be the goal of education for children with disabilities. Since 2002, Education for All partners have continued their commitment to promote the goal of inclusion, as outlined in the UNESCO flagship initiative known as “The right to education for persons with disabilities: towards inclusion” (The right to education for persons with disabilities: towards inclusion). Finally, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities incorporates the express obligation of Governments to ensure access to inclusive education (art. 24, para. 2 (b)).", "33. There is growing evidence that inclusion is effective. According to a study conducted, while the costs of inclusive education and special schools are quite similar, in inclusive schools academic performance is significantly higher.[13] However, placing children with disabilities in a traditional academic environment does not in itself guarantee inclusion. Inclusion entails the principle that schools accommodate all children, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions, and also adapt to their needs.[14] This requires action throughout the education system, including: legislation; collaboration among ministries; appropriate funding systems; training of teachers and supporting them; inclusive teaching methods; promotion of respect for diversity and non-discrimination in schools; examinations and adaptation of curricula and educational resources in inclusive classrooms; appropriate individualized support; and respect for the right to learn in all languages.", "34. There is also a need to remove physical obstacles that hinder access to school and subsequent learning. Important lessons have been learned on building design, construction and reform to contribute to the inclusion of children with disabilities. Furthermore, studies conducted by the World Bank have shown that the cost of accessibility generally represents less than 1 per cent of total construction costs. A universal design is also increasingly being applied in teaching practices, materials and educational environments in order to meet the wide range of needs, learning styles and abilities of students.5", "35. At the international level, however, there is a need for significant additional investment, the use of modern technologies and the promotion of international cooperation to create the necessary legislative, administrative and budgetary framework for implementing educational commitments.", "Health", "36. Every child has the inherent right to the best possible level of health, as well as access to quality and affordable health care. Both conventions affirm the obligations of States to take all appropriate measures to ensure that children with disabilities can exercise those rights. Many countries continue to consider disability as a chronic disease, for which solutions are medical care, rehabilitation, institutionalization or social support such as special education and pensions. There is therefore a need to make investments to reorient services to the recognition that the obstacles in society are one of the main causes that explain the incapacitating effects of children ' s impediments.", "37. In addition, discrimination, inaccessibility and lack of health programmes with specific guidance designed to address the specific needs of children with disabilities continue to impede progress in the realization of the right to health of such children. Measures are needed to provide services to specific target groups in order to mitigate the effects of impediments and develop inclusive, non-discriminatory and accessible services.", "38. Many children with disabilities need specific medical and social services, designed to minimize and prevent new disabilities, as well as orthopaedic and rehabilitation services to promote independence and promote their social integration, as outlined in general comment No. 5 (1994) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and articles 25 (b) and 26 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are often not diagnosed or treated, and their importance is generally not taken into account. Appropriate policies, programmes, laws and resources are lacking. In most countries, medical care continues to be provided mainly in institutions. The shift from institutional care to community care is slow and unequal. A recent study on mental health systems in 42 low- and middle-income countries showed that mental health resources are overwhelmingly concentrated in urban contexts.[15] Access to all types of medical care for children with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities is hampered by the stigma and discrimination they suffer.", "39. A recent report of the Secretary-General (A/64/180) shows a pattern of gaps in the identification of children with disabilities and the establishment of mechanisms for their evaluation. Several studies show that while children with disabilities have been incorporated into medical care activities in some communities, even in highly developed countries these children generally do not receive regular vaccines or basic preventive care. Adolescents with disabilities face special barriers to access confidential sexual and reproductive health services and information, including HIV/AIDS services.[16] However, their rate of infection is equal to or greater than that of others, one of the main reasons being their significant vulnerability to sexual abuse, according to World Health Organization data, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Because of the very widespread misconception that persons with disabilities do not have an active sex life, health professionals do not usually offer sexual and reproductive health services.5 In addition, it is necessary to put an end to practices whereby children with disabilities are subjected to forced sterilization or abortion, or according to the interests of the family (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, art. 23, para. 1 (c)). Health care provided to children with disabilities should be based on free and informed consent while respecting the autonomy of the child.", "Poverty and social protection", "40. The Convention on the Rights of the Child imposes obligations on States to recognize the right of every child to an adequate standard of living for its optimal development, to support parents to realize that right and to take the necessary measures to achieve the full realization of the right of every child to benefit from social security. For its part, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urges States to take measures to assist children with disabilities living in the community, including through social protection programmes, and the duty to make all essential services inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities (art. 28).", "41. However, extreme poverty remains a widespread phenomenon among children with disabilities. In developing countries, some 426 million people with disabilities live below the poverty line and are often part of the 15 to 20 per cent of the poorest in those countries. The World Bank has estimated that among the poorest in the world, 1 in 5 people have disabilities.[17]", "42. The Social Protection Minimum Level Initiative was presented as a key step in contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.[18] This initiative can be expanded to contribute significantly to addressing disability issues.[19] While General Assembly resolution 65/1 emphasized the need to promote the inclusion of disability issues in poverty reduction programmes and policies, so far little has been done to address this issue.", "43. Many health insurance schemes discriminate against persons with disabilities, based on the expense of their medical care. Some social protection programmes do not take into account the additional costs faced by families with a disabled child, who often have to spend more than other families to access goods and services.[20] Since the schemes tend to be based on a minimum income or poverty threshold, basic disability benefits are usually insufficient to cover both the basic expenses of the family and the additional expenses derived from disability, leaving families trapped in poverty.[21] In addition, plans for the transfer of cash and social protection in the field of health are often conditional on conditions that children with disabilities may not be able to meet, for example when the plans are conditional on the child to attend school regularly, when the child has been denied access to the school.", "Protection of children", "44. The Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms that all children have the right to protection against all types of violence, which is reinforced by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which presents concrete measures in recognition of the fact that women and girls with disabilities are often exposed to a greater risk of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or neglect, maltreatment or exploitation, as specified in the preamble to the Convention. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 9, strongly recommended that measures be taken to address violence against children with disabilities, which is also reflected in the report of the independent expert on the study of violence against children of the United Nations (A/61/299). The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 7/29, also urged all Governments to promote and enforce laws that protect children with disabilities from all forms of discrimination, exploitation, violence and abuse.", "45. Increasingly, evidence shows that children with disabilities around the world are exposed to a disproportionate risk of violence, neglect or ill-treatment. A study on violence against children with disabilities, which drew attention to the conclusions and recommendations made at a meeting convened by UNICEF in July 2005, reviewed the vulnerability of children with disabilities and concluded that while violence against children was a widespread phenomenon, children with disabilities were at a much higher risk.[22] The Global Report on Violence and Health also indicated that it had “approved that children with disabilities were exposed to increased risk of physical abuse and neglect”.[23]", "46. The information gathered from countries around the world shows a constant violence against children with disabilities. For example, an analysis of severe corporal punishment of children with or without disabilities in 15 countries concluded that it was much more likely for children with disabilities to suffer severe physical punishment in almost half of the countries studied.6 Children with disabilities are usually beaten, stoned, or spitted when they go or return from school22. School harassment is also a widespread phenomenon in many countries.", "47. Violence is exercised in all areas: the family, schools, the community, the justice system, the workplace and the care homes. For families in difficult socio-economic circumstances, or receiving basic services or poor or null social protection, the birth of a child with disabilities can be a major burden, generating rejection and violence. The problem may be aggravated in the case of children who are physically dependent on others to take care of them, or who have a limited capacity to recognize the dangers or to protect themselves. The hostility and fear of children with disabilities causes many of them to be hidden and denied access to other children, the extended family and public events, increasing their vulnerability to violence and thus giving the perpetrators a high degree of impunity (see A/61/299).", "48. Some forms of violence are specifically used against children with disabilities. These may be subjected to abuse under the guise of behavioural modification, including electroconvulsant treatment, pharmacotherapy and electrical discharges. In its general comment No. 9, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern about the practice of forced sterilization of girls with disabilities. They may also be subjected to medical or scientific experiments, abandoned or let them die, or be victims of “merciful deaths”, an offence to which lighter penalties are generally applied, reflecting the lower value assigned to the lives of such children.", "49. Protection systems and reporting mechanisms rarely meet the needs of children with disabilities. In cases where complaints are filed, they tend to face obstacles and are not credited. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children, in a joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, on counselling, reporting and reporting mechanisms, paid particular attention to the specific challenges facing children with disabilities in accessing protection and justice, as well as rehabilitation services (A/HRC/16/56).", "Uninstitutionalization", "50. The Convention on the Rights of the Child urges States parties to submit periodic reviews of treatment to children who have been placed in a facility by the authorities for the purpose of care, protection or treatment of their health (art. 25). Furthermore, in its general comment No. 9, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expresses concern that residential centres for children with disabilities continue to be used, and states that they receive the best care within their own family environment. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly states that the existence of a disability does not in any case justify deprivation of liberty (art. 14). It recognizes the right of children with disabilities to live in the community, providing them with the necessary support and services for that purpose. It urges States to make every effort, when the immediate family cannot take care of a child, to provide alternative care within the extended family and, if this is not possible, within the community in a family environment (art. 23), as detailed in the Guidelines on Alternative Child Care (annex to General Assembly resolution 64/142).", "51. The conditions prevailing in large care homes can often constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Numerous testimonies give notice of children permanently tied to cots and beds, suffering and even death resulting from intentional denial of medical treatment, food or heat, and lack of love or affection.[24] The United Nations Study on Violence against Children emphasized the serious concerns of violence; neglect; dangerous environments, including children who were left for hours in soaked urine mattresses, or who were subjected to or forced to take medication; and inadequate care homes and lack of supervision or control by independent actors.22 Once children are placed in care homes, they often remain there for life, without the right to appeal or independent review mechanism and without access to information, advice or promotion of their interests.", "52. Despite the growing awareness of the above-mentioned violations, the number of children with disabilities in care homes remains high. In the Central and Eastern Europe region, UNICEF estimates that a disabled child is almost 17 times more likely to be placed in institutional care than a disabled child.[25] In many regions, little investment has been made to protect their right to family life. Prejudice, ignorance and discrimination, coupled with lack of community or social security support, limit the ability of families to provide appropriate support and protection to children with disabilities. In many parts of the world, parents who wish to keep their children at home receive very little help or support, and sometimes nothing.[26]", "53. Ending institutionalization is a matter of utmost urgency. The research carried out clearly indicates its profoundly negative impact on children; in this regard, children under 4 years of age present a particularly high risk of cognitive and psychological damage. Children living in care homes show much worse results from a social, educational, medical and psychological point of view than children raised in community settings where support is provided22.", "Emergency and humanitarian action", "54. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urges States to take measures to protect persons with disabilities in situations of risk and emergencies, and recognizes the importance of international cooperation to improve the limited capacities of some States to respond to situations of risk and humanitarian crises (arts. 11 and 23).", "55. The vulnerability of children with disabilities is often exacerbated by the loss of family or caregivers, the loss of assistance devices, the lack of medicines or medical care, and the inaccessibility of emergency services. In addition, following the occurrence of a disaster, children, and in particular girls with disabilities, are vulnerable to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse.[27] However, there is insufficient data on the extent to which children with disabilities are affected by natural disasters or armed conflict and their needs in such situations, which has hampered the formulation of effective responses. As a result, children with disabilities are not given priority and are not adequately included or supported in humanitarian assistance and development programmes.", "56. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had developed guidelines for strengthening the protection of children with disabilities, which recognized that they faced greater risks and encouraged States to provide appropriate support.[28] It is also developing an operational guideline on work with persons with disabilities, including displaced persons, which advocates inclusive education, the empowerment of child-friendly areas and early childhood interventions, emphasizing the need for identification and monitoring mechanisms.", "V. Future perspectives", "57. Significant, urgent and coordinated action is needed to achieve the realization of the rights of children with disabilities. The extent and severity of violations against their rights in all regions of the world constitute a hidden emergency. The obstacles to the realization of the rights of children with disabilities need to be removed, as well as the importance of international cooperation to improve the living conditions of children with disabilities in all countries, particularly in developing countries. Governments are urged to:", "(a) Implement measures to strengthen the collection of disaggregated data on children with disabilities in order to promote their visibility, improve their capacity for effective policymaking and planning, and enable more effective monitoring of their rights. These include:", "(i) Investment in proactive approaches to overcome barriers to birth registration and inclusion in census data on children with disabilities;", "(ii) Collaboration between Governments and organizations of persons with disabilities to develop a coherent and stable framework for definitions of disability, in accordance with international human rights standards, as a basis on which to collect data;", "(iii) Disaggregation of all relevant data on children ' s lives on disability, including, for example, information on education, health outcomes, or child protection, and reports submitted by States parties to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under relevant conventions;", "(b) Implement measures to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against children with disabilities, including:", "(i) To prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in constitutional provisions and specific anti-discrimination laws or legal provisions; and to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify customs and practices that constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities;", "(ii) Recognize the effects of multiple discrimination, including discrimination suffered by girls with disabilities;", "(iii) Incorporate effective remedies in cases of violations of the rights of children with disabilities, which are easily accessible to children with disabilities and their parents and to persons caring for the child;", "(iv) To promote awareness and educational campaigns aimed at the general public and specific groups of professionals, in order to prevent and eliminate discrimination against children with disabilities;", "(v) Incorporate human rights principles, including non-discrimination, in training for professionals working with children with disabilities before and during the delivery of their services;", "(c) Promote strategies for inclusive education for children with disabilities at all levels, including early childhood education, including:", "(i) To expressly recognize in the law inclusive education and the rejection of segregation, as well as to enact legislation establishing the right to inclusive education for all children on the basis of equal opportunities and to formulate a clear definition of inclusion, specific objectives that they seek to achieve and specific strategies for achieving them.", "(ii) To assign the ministries of education responsibility for the education of children with disabilities;", "(iii) Incorporate funding systems that provide incentives for a unified education system and encourage investment in educational approaches that strengthen capacity and commitment in schools;", "(iv) Recognizing that reasonable adjustments to support inclusion should be based on human rights standards, rather than on the efficient use of resources;", "(v) Ensure the implementation of individualized support plans and respect the right to education of blind, deaf and deaf children in the most appropriate languages, modes and media;", "(vi) Develop a policy framework for inclusive education at the central level to support the practice and culture of inclusion at all levels of the education system;", "(vii) Provide training and support to teachers so that they can work in inclusive environments;", "(d) Correct inequalities in access to medical care through measures that include:", "(i) Undertake comprehensive measures to overcome all discriminatory obstacles, including instruction to children with disabilities, their family members, patients and health workers on the rights of children with disabilities and the right to health, and establish patient rights letters and claims procedures;", "(ii) Establish priorities to assist children with disabilities and promote inclusive and accessible health services, including sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents, to enable them to realize their right to health on an equal basis with others;", "(iii) Establish comprehensive identification and early assessment systems;", "(iv) Enact laws and policies that enable children and adolescents to participate in the care of their own health, thus respecting the evolution of their powers;", "(e) Adopt mechanisms to address the disproportionate vulnerability of children with disabilities to poverty, including:", "(i) Ensure that social protection programmes and policies do not discriminate and are accessible and inclusive to persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities and their families;", "(ii) Take measures to eliminate all direct and indirect discrimination in the provision of social services, including in medical insurance, as well as conditions imposed in the framework of cash transfers;", "(iii) Strengthen social protection measures to reflect additional costs associated with disability and provide adequate support to families with a disabled child;", "f) Implement measures to address violence against children with disabilities, including:", "(i) Strengthen the capacities of child protection systems and services to include and respond to children with disabilities, as well as to implement initiatives to prevent violence against persons with disabilities;", "(ii) To issue laws that take into account the issue of disability, in favour of children with disabilities in all areas, to ensure the prevention and identification of and protection against violence, including through the implementation of effective sanctions against offenders;", "(iii) Implement accessible, safe and child-sensitive measures to report cases of violence and facilitate effective access to the judicial system for children with disabilities;", "(iv) Provide appropriate treatment and rehabilitation for children with disabilities who have been victims of violence;", "(v) Take measures to reduce harassment and ill-treatment in schools;", "(vi) Take measures to prevent trafficking in persons and the mutilation of minors in order to exercise begging;", "(g) Establish a process to end the excessive use of large care homes for children with disabilities, including by:", "(i) Recognizing in legislation that in no case does disability justify deprivation of liberty;", "(ii) Establish a specified time limit to end the location of children with disabilities in large care homes, including the transfer of resources for those to receive care in their communities and to end the excessive use of such residences; and discontinue the practice of unnecessarily separating children with disabilities from their families and subsequently placing them in care homes, providing sufficient support for families caring for their children;", "(iii) Investing in the recruitment, training and support of foster families, and establishing small collective homes where children can be cared for and can participate fully within the local community, where their own families are not in a position to care for them;", "(iv) Enact legislation that adequately protects the rights of children benefiting from alternative care, in compliance with the guidelines on alternative care for children, and which includes a regulatory framework for national standards on disciplinary measures and behaviour control, safety, health, staffing, periodic review and independent control mechanisms, as well as observance of the right of children receiving alternative care to regular review;", "(h) Promote policies to ensure that children can participate fully in family life and receive care from their families, including:", "(i) Create comprehensive early identification and evaluation systems, as appropriate;", "(ii) Increase awareness and knowledge of parents and family members about the rights and needs of children with disabilities;", "(iii) Providing comprehensive community services to support parents of children with disabilities, developed in collaboration with families and with children with disabilities themselves, such as housing adaptations, including assistance devices, support and care provided to family members and other unpaid caregivers, counselling and teaching sign language;", "(i) Take measures to improve the protection of children with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, including:", "(i) Taking into account the needs of children with disabilities in disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness strategies to ensure a comprehensive response, including prevention, rehabilitation and inclusion;", "(ii) Encourage and enable children affected by disasters and emergencies, in particular adolescents, to participate in the analysis of their situation and prospects for the future in crisis, postcrisis and transition, while ensuring that such participation is consistent with their age, maturity and evolving capacities, as well as the best interests of the child;", "(iii) Take all appropriate care to avoid exposing children to situations that may be traumatic or harmful; and ensure the protection of children with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.", "[1] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.", "[2] Available at http://treaties.un.org.", "[3] For consultations at which sessions the reports were considered, see www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/sessions.htm.", "[4] See Marta Santos Pais, “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, in the Manual on Human Rights Reporting (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.GV.97.0.16).", "[5] See World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank, World Report on Disability, Geneva, 2011; see http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf.", "[6] See United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) Multiple Indicator Survey, available at www.childinfo.org/files/Monitoring_Child_Disability_in_Developing_Countries.pdf.", "[7] See “Every woman, every child: recommendations on human rights”, background document for the Global Strategy for Women and Children’s Health, September 8, 2010.", "[8] See Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and WHO, “The Right to Health”, Fact Sheet No. 3, Geneva, 2008.", "[9] See “Education: closing the gap”, report on an electronic debate organized by the United Nations Development Group in 2011, available at: www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/pdf/ediscussion_report-26_apr_2011.pdf.", "[10] See “Inclusion of disabled children: the imperative of early childhood”, Note No. 46 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on early childhood, 2009.", "[11] See J. Balescut and K. Eklindh, “Historical perspective on education for persons with disabilities” (2006), cited in the UNESCO World Education Monitoring Report 2007.", "[12] See chapters on articles 2 and 23, Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, New York, 2002.", "[13] Jennifer Beecham and Martin Knapp, “Inclusive and special education: issues of cost-effectiveness”, at Inclusive Education at Work: Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Schools, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, 1999.", "[14] UNESCO, “Inclusive Education: the Way To the Future”, paper prepared for the International Conference of Education, Geneva, 2008.", "[15] WHO, Mental health systems in selected low- and middle-income countries: a World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems cross-national analysis, Geneva, 2009.", "[16] See Jane Maxwell, Julia Watts Belser and Darlena David, A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities, Hesperian Foundation, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 2007.", "[17] Ann Elwan, “Poverty and disability: a survey of the literature”, a paper prepared for the World Bank, 1999; can be found at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERPTY/Resources/WDR/Background/elwan.pdf.", "[18] The Minimum Social Protection Initiative seeks to promote universal access to essential social transfers and services and is managed by the International Labour Organization and WHO, with the support of all other major United Nations entities.", "[19] See “Social security for social justice and a fair globalization”, report VI of the International Labour Conference, Geneva, 2011 (ILC.100/VI).", "[20] See Jeanine Braithwaite and Daniel Mont, “Disability and poverty: a survey of World Bank poverty assessments and implications”, World Bank, Washington, D.C., February 2008.", "[21] Kate Gooding and Anna Marriot, “Including persons with disabilities in social cash transfer programmes in developing countries”, Journal of International Development, vol. 21, 5, pp. 685-698 (July 2009).", "[22] Available at www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/UNICEF_Violence_Against_Disabled_Children_Report_ Distributed_Version.pdf.", "[23] Etienne G. Krug et al. (eds), World Report on Violence and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2002, p. 73.", "[24] See www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_27185.html.", "[25] Progress for children: A balance on child protection (UNICEF, 2009).", "[26] Innocenti Digest No. 13: “Promoting the rights of children with disabilities” (UNICEF, 2007).", "[27] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), “Sexual and gender-based violence against refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons: guidelines for prevention and response activities”, May 2003.", "[28] UNHCR, Conclusion No. 110 (LXI) on refugees with disabilities and other persons with disabilities protected and assisted by UNHCR, 2010; available at: www.unhcr.org/4cbeb1a99.html." ]

[ "Sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones", "* A/66/150.", "Tema 69 b) del programa provisional*", "Promoción y protección de los derechos humanos: cuestiones de derechos humanos, incluidos otros medios de mejorar el goce efectivo de los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales", "Protección de los migrantes", "Informe del Secretario General", "Resumen", "Este informe, que se presenta de conformidad con la resolución 65/212 de la Asamblea General, contiene un resumen de las comunicaciones recibidas por los gobiernos en respuesta a una nota verbal de fecha 7 de junio de 2011 emitida por la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) en nombre del Secretario General, en la que se pedía información sobre la aplicación de esa resolución. Además, el informe contiene un resumen de las comunicaciones recibidas de los gobiernos en respuesta a una nota verbal enviada el 8 de junio de 2010 por el ACNUDH en nombre del Secretario General, en la que se pedía información sobre la aplicación de la resolución 64/166. El informe también contiene datos sobre la situación de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares y sobre las actividades del Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares, el Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes, el mecanismo de examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos y el ACNUDH.", "Índice", "Página\nI.Introducción 3II.Información 3 recibida de los Gobiernos sobre la aplicación de la resolución 64/166 de la Asamblea \nGeneral \nQatar 3\nPortugal 4\nEspaña 5III.Información 6 recibida de los Gobiernos sobre la aplicación de la resolución 65/212 de la Asamblea \nGeneral \nAzerbaiyán 6\nChipre 7\nEcuador 7\nHonduras 8\nMauricio 8\nEslovaquia 9IV.Actividades 9 del Relator Especial del Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre los derechos humanos de los \nmigrantes V. Situación 11 de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus \nfamiliares VI. Comité 11 de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus \nFamiliares VII. Mecanismo 12 de examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos \nHumanos VIII.Actividades 13 de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos \nHumanos IX.Conclusiones 18 y \nrecomendaciones", "I. Introducción", "1. En el párrafo 10 de su resolución 65/212, la Asamblea General solicitó al Secretario General que, en su sexagésimo sexto período de sesiones, le presentara un informe sobre la aplicación de esa resolución que incluyera un análisis de los medios para promover los derechos humanos de los migrantes, en particular sobre la forma en que la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares había influido en las políticas y las prácticas para, cuando procediera, reforzar la protección de los migrantes, en el contexto del vigésimo aniversario de la Convención.", "2. En las partes II y III del presente informe se resumen las respuestas recibidas de Estados Miembros sobre la aplicación de las resoluciones 64/166 y 65/212, respectivamente, de la Asamblea General[1], y se proporciona información sobre las actividades del Relator Especial del Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes (parte IV), la situación de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares (parte V), las actividades del Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares (parte VI), el proceso de examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos (parte VII) y las actividades de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ACNUDH) (parte VIII). Las conclusiones y recomendaciones se presentan al final del informe (parte IX).", "II. Información recibida de los Gobiernos sobre la aplicación de la resolución 64/166 de la Asamblea General", "3. Al 26 de julio de 2011, además de las incluidas en el informe anterior (A/65/156), se habían recibido respuestas relativas a la aplicación de la resolución 64/166 de la Asamblea General de los Gobiernos de Qatar, Portugal y España. A continuación figuran los resúmenes de las respuestas. Los textos completos pueden solicitarse al ACNUDH.", "Qatar", "[Original: árabe] [15 de julio de 2010]", "El Gobierno informó que la protección de los migrantes en el Estado de Qatar es un principio consagrado en la Constitución, que estipula que la sociedad está basada en los valores de justicia y caridad, libertad, igualdad y moralidad (artículo 18); que todas las personas son iguales ante la ley sin distinción por motivos de raza, idioma o religión (artículo 35) y que toda persona que resida en el Estado goza de protección legal respecto de su persona y sus bienes, de conformidad con lo dispuesto por la ley (artículo 52).", "El Gobierno señaló además que la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos tiene el mandato de examinar las reclamaciones y quejas de los migrantes y puede remitirlas a las autoridades pertinentes. El Ministerio del Trabajo también puede examinar las controversias entre empleadores y empleados que son trabajadores migrantes. El método preferido de solución de controversias es la mediación. Cuando ésta no es posible, los casos se remiten a los tribunales.", "Portugal", "[Original: inglés] [5 de agosto de 2010]", "El Gobierno señaló que la Ley núm. 23/2007 sobre el ingreso, la permanencia, la salida y la expulsión de extranjeros del territorio nacional (Ley de extranjería) y la Ley núm. 147/99 sobre la promoción de los derechos y la protección de los niños y jóvenes en situación de riesgo constituyen el marco jurídico nacional relativo a los menores no acompañados y los menores separados de sus padres o tutores. La Ley núm. 147/99 establece un conjunto de medidas que tienen por objeto promover los derechos y la protección de los menores y jóvenes en situación de riesgo a fin de asegurar su bienestar y su desarrollo integral.", "De conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 15 de la Constitución de la República de Portugal, los extranjeros y los apátridas residentes en Portugal gozan de los mismos derechos y están sujetos a las mismas obligaciones que los ciudadanos portugueses.", "El derecho a la salud y el derecho a la educación están consagrados como derechos fundamentales en los artículos 64 y 73 de la Constitución portuguesa. Esas disposiciones tienen carácter universal y no se pueden excluir debido a una interpretación restrictiva, como se estipula en los párrafos 1 y 2 del artículo 16 de la Constitución.", "Los sistemas de salud y educación del Portugal son universales. Ello significa que toda persona o niño tiene derecho a acceso a los establecimientos y servicios de atención de la salud y educacionales y que los ciudadanos extranjeros tienen el mismo acceso que sus conciudadanos al sistema de salud y sus beneficios, como atención médica, seguridad social y servicios sociales. Además de eso, conforme a lo dispuesto en el Decreto Ley núm. 67/2004, no se puede denegar el acceso a la educación pública a los niños a causa de la situación irregular de sus padres. La inscripción de menores en situación irregular es de carácter confidencial.", "La orden normativa núm. 25 360 (2001) del Ministerio de Salud estipula que “Todos los ciudadanos tienen derecho a la salud y el deber de protegerla. Un inmigrante que vive en el territorio nacional y que se encuentra enfermo o necesita atención médica tiene, por consiguiente, el derecho a ser atendido en un centro de salud o en un hospital (en caso de urgencia), y esos servicios no se pueden negar a atenderlo a causa de su nacionalidad, la falta de medios económicos, su situación irregular o cualquier otro motivo”. En 2009 el Ministerio de Salud emitió la Circular núm. 12/DQS/DMD, que aclara una distinción que se ha hecho a partir de 2001, según la cual no se puede negar el acceso a los servicios públicos de salud a los inmigrantes en situación irregular que se encuentran en Portugal por más de 90 días, aunque en términos generales, posiblemente tengan que cargar con los costos reales. Pueden sin embargo, hacerse excepciones en aquellos casos en que se necesita atención urgente y vital, o cuando se trata de enfermedades transmisibles que amenazan o ponen en peligro la salud pública.", "El Gobierno informó que el Ministerio de Educación ha puesto en marcha un plan de acción para ayudar a prestar apoyo a los aproximadamente 80.000 alumnos no nativos matriculados en las escuelas portuguesas, teniendo en cuenta los profundos cambios habidos en la población escolar, y aplicando medidas adecuadas para la situación específica de esos alumnos, con el objeto de contribuir a su plena integración en el sistema educacional.", "España", "[Original: español] [15 de julio de 2010]", "El Gobierno informó sobre las enmiendas introducidas por la Ley Orgánica 2/2009 de 12 de diciembre de 2009, a la Ley de 2000 sobre los derechos y libertades de los extranjeros en España y su integración social. Dichas enmiendas tuvieron como fundamento dos decisiones del Tribunal Constitucional, las directivas de la Unión Europea y la experiencia de las nuevas migraciones a España. Aunque los migrantes, con independencia de su situación administrativa, gozaban ya del derecho a la asistencia sanitaria de urgencia, la salud maternoinfantil y la educación en el caso de los menores, otros derechos, como el de ser documentados, el derecho a la reunificación familiar, el derecho al trabajo y a la libertad deambulatoria, estaban reservados únicamente a los inmigrantes en situación regular. El Tribunal Constitucional extendió a los migrantes en situación irregular los derechos de sindicación y huelga, manifestación y asociación.", "El Gobierno informó asimismo que las nuevas enmiendas fortalecían el reconocimiento de derechos a todos los migrantes, con independencia de su situación administrativa. La nueva Ley reforzaba además el derecho a la protección judicial y ampliaba el derecho a la reunificación de la familia, incluida la protección a los cónyuges y a los que viven en unión de hecho, los hijos y descendientes con discapacidad, y en algunos casos los padres si se cumplen ciertas condiciones.", "La nueva Ley también ha introducido enmiendas al régimen de sanciones. Los principios que guían la aplicación de sanciones son la proporcionalidad (a condición de que las sanciones relacionadas con la condición de migrante sean de carácter administrativo y no penal), las garantías legales (reducción del margen de discrecionalidad para aplicar sanciones) y corresponsabilidad (consideración de la responsabilidad de nacionales españoles que favorezcan la inmigración ilegal). Algunas de las enmiendas introducidas a este respecto incluyen el establecimiento de nuevas infracciones administrativas, tanto para los migrantes como para los nacionales españoles que hayan promovido o participado en actividades fraudulentas respecto de los migrantes, la responsabilidad solidaria de las empresas subcontratantes y subcontratadas al emplear a inmigrantes en situación irregular y no guardar la diligencia debida en el cumplimiento de sus obligaciones contractuales, y el establecimiento de multas como sanción prima facie, lo que limita la discrecionalidad a la hora de acordar la expulsión, que debería ser excepcional. La nueva Ley prevé algunas garantías específicas con respecto a las expulsiones, como la necesidad de justificación explícita de tales medidas, la posibilidad de revocación en algunos casos, la previsión de algunas excepciones a la expulsión y la protección para las víctimas de trata de personas.", "La Ley incluye además algunas enmiendas relativas a los centros de internamiento de extranjeros, cuya función se considera de carácter preventivo y que no constituyen centros de carácter penitenciario. La ley prevé alternativas a la detención, establece un límite de 60 días para las detenciones y asegura a los detenidos acceso a organizaciones no gubernamentales y a los organismos nacionales e internacionales que se ocupan de proteger los derechos de los migrantes.", "El Gobierno destacó la protección que otorga la legislación española a los derechos de los menores migrantes no acompañados. Los principios que guían esa legislación son la supremacía del interés del menor, el mantenimiento de este en el medio familiar de origen y su integración familiar y social. A este respeto, el marco jurídico español considera varias posibilidades flexibles, teniendo en cuenta la necesidad de protección inmediata, la existencia de familiares u otras personas que puedan hacerse cargo del menor y la existencia de servicios de protección social en su país de origen.", "III. Información recibida de los Gobiernos sobre la aplicación de la resolución 65/212 de la Asamblea General", "4. Al 26 de julio de 2011, los Gobiernos de los siguientes Estados Miembros habían respondido a la nota verbal enviada el 7 de junio de 2011: Azerbaiyán, Chipre, Ecuador, Honduras, Mauricio y Eslovaquia. A continuación figuran los resúmenes de las respuestas. Los textos completos pueden solicitarse al ACNUDH.", "Azerbaiyán", "[Original: inglés] [14 de julio de 2011]", "El Gobierno informó que había ratificado varios instrumentos internacionales referentes a la migración, entre ellos la Convención de las Naciones Unidas contra la Delincuencia Organizada Transnacional y su Protocolo para prevenir, reprimir y sancionar la trata de personas, especialmente mujeres y niños, y su Protocolo contra el tráfico ilícito de migrantes por tierra, mar y aire.", "De conformidad con el párrafo 1 del artículo 69 de la Constitución de Azerbaiyán aprobada en 1995, los extranjeros y los apátridas gozan de iguales derechos que los ciudadanos. En la Ley sobre el estatuto jurídico de los extranjeros y los apátridas, que fue aprobada en 1996, se recogen los derechos relacionados específicamente con el movimiento y el trabajo. El Gobierno señaló asimismo que el Decreto Presidencial núm. 69, de fecha 4 de marzo de 2009, simplificaba los procedimientos para el registro de los extranjeros y los apátridas que llegaban al país con fines de residencia o trabajo.", "Un proyecto de código de migración, que ha sido elaborado con el propósito de proteger los derechos de los migrantes, se ha presentado al Gabinete de Ministros de Azerbaiyán. El Servicio de Migraciones de Azerbaiyán colabora con las autoridades de inmigración de otros países, así como con organizaciones internacionales, con el fin de proteger los derechos de los migrantes. El Servicio de Migraciones llevó a cabo además actividades de sensibilización por conducto de su Centro de Información sobre Migraciones.", "Chipre", "[Original: inglés] [18 de julio de 2011]", "El Gobierno señaló que si bien no había ratificado la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares, había adoptado medidas concretas para proteger los derechos de los migrantes.", "El primer plan de acción nacional 2010-2012 para la integración de los nacionales de terceros países que residen legalmente en Chipre, aprobado por el Consejo de Ministros el 13 de octubre de 2010, establece ocho pilares para la acción derivados de principios establecidos dentro de la Unión Europea. Esos pilares son: información, servicios y transparencia; empleo; educación, aprendizaje del idioma; salud; vivienda, mejora de la calidad de vida, protección social e interacción; aprendizaje de la cultura, participación cívica, conocimiento básico de la vida política y social de Chipre; participación; y evaluación.", "El Gobierno indicó además que la trata de personas se considera un fenómeno delictivo transfronterizo y que combatirlo constituye una de las principales prioridades del Ministerio del Interior y del Grupo multidisciplinario de coordinación contra la trata de personas. El 22 de abril de 2010, el Consejo de Ministros aprobó un nuevo plan de acción nacional contra la trata de personas. La aplicación del plan ya ha comenzado, incluso la publicación de materiales de información y un acto de concienciación sobre el plan celebrado el 18 de octubre de 2010.", "Ecuador", "[Original: español] [14 de julio de 2011]", "El Gobierno informó que el 18 de octubre de 2001 el Ecuador había ratificado la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares y que había presentado dos informes al Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares, en los que se detallaban las medidas adoptadas para cumplir las obligaciones que le correspondían en virtud de la Convención.", "El Gobierno señaló que se había otorgado rango de Ministerio a la Secretaría Nacional del Migrante a partir de marzo de 2007, y que había promulgado un plan nacional de desarrollo humano para los migrantes que tiene por objeto, entre otras cosas, proteger y promover sus derechos humanos.", "El Gobierno informó asimismo que el derecho a la salud y la educación estaban garantizados por la Constitución y que se extendían también a los extranjeros. Se garantiza el derecho a la educación a todos los niños migrantes, con independencia de su situación legal. Además, se han realizado importantes avances para asegurar que todos los niños nacidos en el Ecuador tengan una nacionalidad, con independencia de la situación legal de sus padres, Además, los padres de niños que son ciudadanos ecuatorianos pueden obtener una situación legal.", "Los artículos 61, 95 y 102 de la Constitución otorgan el derecho a la participación en los asuntos de interés público a los ecuatorianos que son trabajadores migrantes. Además, el artículo 63 otorga el derecho de voto a los extranjeros que han residido legalmente en el Ecuador durante cinco años a lo menos.", "Honduras", "[Original: español] [20 de julio de 2011]", "El 27 de febrero de 2008 el Gobierno informó en el Diario Oficial de Honduras que había asignado recursos para los migrantes mediante la creación del Fondo de Solidaridad con el Hondureño Migrante en Condiciones de Vulnerabilidad. El Fondo tiene una asignación presupuestada anual de 15 millones de lempiras, cantidad que debe aumentarse anualmente en un porcentaje equivalente al índice de inflación establecido por el Banco Central de Honduras para el año anterior. Esos fondos se pueden asignar a migrantes de escasos recursos económicos en situaciones como repatriación de fallecidos, grave estado de salud, amputaciones, enfermedades terminales, asistencia a víctimas de trata de personas o secuestros, repatriación de menores no acompañados, repatriación de hombres y mujeres en condiciones de vulnerabilidad, búsqueda de desaparecidos en el proceso migratorio y asistencia inmediata a migrantes deportados por vía aérea y terrestre. El Gobierno informó asimismo que los principales beneficiarios del fondo son los entre 800.000 y 1.000.000 de hondureños que residen en los Estados Unidos de América, de los cuales aproximadamente 73.000 se encuentran en situación de protección temporal.", "Honduras ha firmado y ratificado los siguientes importantes instrumentos internacionales: la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares y el Acuerdo de colaboración y asistencia internacional entre el Comisionado Nacional de los Derechos Humanos de Honduras y la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos de México.", "Mauricio", "[Original: inglés] [18 de julio de 2011]", "El Gobierno informó que en virtud de la legislación nacional los trabajadores migrantes gozan de las mismas condiciones de empleo que las estipuladas para los trabajadores locales. El artículo 16 de la Constitución dispone que ninguna ley contendrá disposiciones discriminatorias en sí mismas o por sus efectos. La Ley sobre el derecho de empleo de 2008 se aplica por igual a los trabajadores locales y expatriados y garantiza a estos últimos igual protección respecto de las condiciones de empleo y en el caso de rescisión del contrato por el empleador.", "El Gobierno señaló que la Ley sobre el derecho de empleo de 2008 también garantiza el derecho fundamental de los trabajadores migrantes a la libertad de asociación y protege su derecho a la organización y a la negociación colectiva.", "Eslovaquia", "[Original: inglés] [21 de julio de 2011]", "El Gobierno informó que apoya la igualdad de acceso al empleo de todos los extranjeros que residen legalmente en el país, y les asegura igualdad de trato en lo que respecta a la contratación, las condiciones de trabajo y la salud y seguridad ocupacionales.", "La Ley especial núm. 365/2004 Coll. sobre la igualdad de trato en ciertos ámbitos, incluida la protección contra la discriminación (Ley contra la discriminación), dispone que los empleadores tienen la obligación de tratar a todos los empleados de conformidad con el principio de igualdad de trato.", "El Gobierno señaló que con el fin de proteger los derechos de los migrantes, las oficinas del trabajo, de asuntos sociales y de la familia ofrecen servicios gratuitos de apoyo e información sobre oportunidades de trabajo y servicios sociales por conducto de la red de Servicios Europeos de Empleo (EURES) y sus departamentos. Varias organizaciones no gubernamentales proporcionan además asesoramiento social y jurídico.", "El Gobierno informó además sobre la existencia de procedimientos de asilo para brindar protección a las personas que necesiten protección internacional, entre ellas las personas que hayan ingresado ilegalmente al territorio de Eslovaquia. La Ley de Asilo prevé también la posibilidad de otorgar asilo por motivos humanitarios, a personas como los ancianos, los enfermos y las personas con discapacidad cuyo regreso a sus países de origen podría representar una grave amenaza para su vida.", "IV. Actividades del Relator Especial del Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes", "5. Las actividades del Relator Especial se llevan a cabo de conformidad con las resoluciones 8/10 y 17/12 del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, mediante las cuales el Consejo prorrogó el mandato del Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes por un período de tres años.", "6. Durante el período que abarca el informe, el Relator Especial continuó propugnando la aplicación de un enfoque basado en los derechos humanos a la migración y la protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes en todas las etapas del proceso migratorio. En cumplimiento de su mandato, el Relator Especial se reunió con numerosos representantes de organizaciones internacionales y regionales, así como de la sociedad civil, para discutir cuestiones relacionadas con su labor.", "7. El Relator Especial asistió a la consulta mundial sobre la salud de los migrantes, organizada en Madrid del 3 al 5 de marzo de 2010 por la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) y la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS). Los días 6 y 7 de octubre de 2010, participó en el Festival Viva América, organizado por la Casa de América, en Madrid (España). Entre el 4 y el 8 de octubre de 2010, conjuntamente con el Relator Especial sobre la venta de niños, la prostitución infantil y la utilización de niños en la pornografía y el Relator Especial sobre las formas contemporáneas de la esclavitud, participó en una conferencia titulada “Niños en movimiento”, organizada por el Global Movement for Children, Save the Children UK y la Fundació Privada Moviment Mundial a Favor de la Infància, que se celebró en Barcelona (España) del 4 al 8 de octubre de 2010.", "8. El 22 de octubre de 2010, el Relator Especial presentó su informe anual a la Asamblea General (A/65/222). El informe estaba centrado en la criminalización de la migración.", "9. Del 8 al 11 de noviembre de 2010, el Relator Especial participó en la Cuarta Reunión del Foro Mundial sobre Migración y Desarrollo, que se celebró en Puerto Vallarta y de la que fue anfitrión el Gobierno de México. El foro se centró en las asociaciones para la migración y el desarrollo humano.", "10. En el 17º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, se presentó al Consejo el informe temático anual y último del Relator Especial saliente sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes, Sr. Jorge Bustamante (A/HRC/17/33). En la primera parte del informe, el Relator Especial recapituló algunas de las principales cuestiones temáticas en las que se había centrado desde su nombramiento, concretamente la migración irregular y la criminalización de los migrantes, la protección de los niños en el proceso de migración y el derecho de los migrantes a la vivienda y a la salud. En la segunda parte, el Relator Especial propuso algunos temas que podrían merecer una mayor investigación en el marco del mandato. Los dos temas que el Relator consideraba importante seguir investigando y debatiendo son la migración en el contexto del cambio climático, y la participación política y los derechos civiles de los migrantes.", "11. El Relator Especial presentó además un informe sobre las comunicaciones enviadas a los Gobiernos y las respuestas recibidas (A/HRC/17/33/Add.1) e informes sobre sus misiones al Senegal (A/HRC/17/33/Add.2), el Japón (A/HRC/17/33/Add.3) y Sudáfrica (A/HRC/17/33/Add.4).", "12. En el 17º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, se nombró nuevo Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes al Sr. François Crépeau (Canadá).", "V. Situación de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares", "13. La Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares entró en vigor el 1 de julio de 2003. Al 1 de julio de 2009, 44 Estados la habían ratificado: Albania, Argelia, Argentina, Azerbaiyán, Belice, Bolivia (Estado Plurinacional de), Bosnia y Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egipto, El Salvador, Filipinas, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Jamahiriya Árabe Libia, Jamaica, Kirguistán, Lesotho, Malí, Marruecos, Mauritania, México, Nicaragua, Níger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Perú, República Árabe Siria, Rwanda, San Vicente y las Granadinas, Senegal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tayikistán, Timor-Leste, Turquía, Uganda y Uruguay. La entrada en vigor de la Convención contribuye a establecer un mecanismo de protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes, incluidos los que se hallan en situación irregular. Se insta a todos los Estados miembros que todavía no son partes en la Convención a que estudien la conveniencia de adherirse sin dilación a este instrumento.", "VI. Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares", "14. El Comité, integrado por 14 expertos independientes, supervisa la aplicación de la Convención por sus Estados partes. Desde su primer período de sesiones, celebrado en marzo de 2004, el Comité ha examinado los informes iniciales presentados por 15 Estados partes y dos informes periódicos.", "15. En su 13º período de sesiones, celebrado entre el 22 de noviembre y el 3 de diciembre de 2010, el Comité examinó los informes iniciales de Albania y el Senegal (CMW/C/ALB/1 y CMW/C/SEN/1) y el segundo informe periódico del Ecuador (CMW/C/ECU/2). En su 14º período de sesiones, celebrado entre el 4 y el 8 de abril de 2011, el Comité examinó el segundo informe periódico de México (CMW/C/MEX/2)[2]. Las cuestiones comunes planteadas por el Comité eran la necesidad de adoptar medidas para adaptar la legislación a las disposiciones de la Convención; la importancia de recopilar datos para contribuir a la formulación de políticas de migración sólidas; la necesidad de reforzar y ampliar los programas de formación para todos los funcionarios que trabajasen en la esfera de la migración en relación con los derechos consagrados en la Convención; la importancia de garantizar que, en la práctica, todos los trabajadores migrantes y sus familiares, incluidos los indocumentados, tuvieran acceso a un recurso eficaz en caso de violación de sus derechos; la necesidad de una protección eficaz de los migrantes, incluidos los en tránsito; la necesidad de establecer una coordinación eficaz entre los diferentes organismos que se ocupaban de las cuestiones migratorias; la necesidad de supervisar la actuación de los organismos de contratación; y la importancia de seguir adoptando medidas encaminadas a impedir el contrabando y la trata de personas y a luchar contra esos fenómenos.", "16. En su 13º período de sesiones, el Comité aprobó su Observación general núm. 1 sobre los trabajadores domésticos migratorios. La aprobación de la observación general se produjo tras un proceso exhaustivo de consultas, incluidas tres reuniones públicas y un día de debate general sobre los trabajadores domésticos migratorios, que tuvo lugar el 14 de octubre de 2009.", "17. En 2010 se conmemoró el vigésimo aniversario de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares. El Comité celebró la ocasión con una serie de debates en que se examinaron los logros de la Convención en materia de migración y desarrollo y migración y género y presentó sus perspectivas sobre una ratificación más amplia y más eficaz de la Convención.", "18. El Comité ha examinado los segundos informes periódicos de dos países: Ecuador (véase CMW/C/ECU/2) y México (véase CMW/C/MEX/2). En ambos casos, el Comité reconoció los esfuerzos desplegados y las medidas adoptadas por los Estados partes para cumplir las obligaciones que les impone la Convención. En el caso del Ecuador, el Comité acogió con satisfacción la eliminación del requisito de permiso de salida para los nacionales y extranjeros que deseen salir del Ecuador (de acuerdo a lo recomendado por el Comité en 2007) y también acogió con beneplácito la entrada en vigor del acuerdo ministerial núm. 337/2008 que garantiza el acceso a la educación preprimaria, primaria y media a los niños, niñas y adolescentes hijos de trabajadores migrantes independientemente de su situación migratoria (de conformidad con la recomendación previa del Comité). En el caso de México, siguiendo las recomendaciones formuladas por el Comité en 2006, el Estado parte reconoció la competencia del Comité para recibir y considerar comunicaciones individuales, conforme al artículo 77 de la Convención; aprobó la Ley para prevenir y sancionar la trata de personas y la Ley general de acceso de las mujeres a una vida libre de violencia; e incorporó el delito de trata de personas en el código penal federal.", "VII. Mecanismo de examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos", "19. En 2006, la Asamblea General, en su resolución 60/251, decidió que el Consejo de Derechos Humanos realizara un examen periódico universal del cumplimiento por cada Estado Miembro de las Naciones Unidas de sus obligaciones y compromisos en materia de derechos humanos. Durante los exámenes de 159 Estados realizados durante los 10 períodos de sesiones del Grupo de Trabajo del Consejo sobre el examen periódico universal en 2008, 2009, 2010 y 2011, se formularon recomendaciones a varios Estados en relación con la protección de los migrantes[3]. Las recomendaciones incluían: revisar la legislación y las políticas nacionales sobre los migrantes y asegurarse de que se ajustaban a las normas internacionales de derechos humanos[4]; adoptar medidas en función de los tratados, particularmente en relación con la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares[5]; cooperar con los procedimientos especiales, incluido el Relator Especial sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes[6]; y poner en práctica las recomendaciones de los mecanismos de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas[7]. Otras recomendaciones se referían a la no discriminación y a la igualdad, especialmente la igualdad de acceso a los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales, incluidos la educación y los servicios de salud[8], haciendo especial referencia a los niños y a las mujeres migrantes[9]; la eliminación de las sanciones penales contra los migrantes indocumentados[10]; la consideración de otras medidas como alternativa a la detención de los migrantes[11]; la facilitación del acceso a la justicia y a la asistencia letrada para los trabajadores migrantes[12] y la garantía de que los derechos de los migrantes se respetasen, particularmente por los funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley[13].", "VIII. Actividades de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos", "20. El ACNUDH sigue realizando actividades para reforzar la protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes y asegurar que la perspectiva de los derechos humanos de los migrantes se incluya en los debates sobre migración en los planos nacional, regional y mundial.", "21. El ACNUDH promueve la integración de las normas y los principios de derechos humanos en todos los aspectos de la política de migración. La Oficina procura asegurar a los migrantes el disfrute de los derechos humanos sin discriminación y colabora con los Estados y otros interesados en la aplicación de un enfoque basado en los derechos humanos a la migración, que sitúe a los migrantes en el centro de las políticas de migración y de la gestión de ésta y preste atención especial a la situación de los grupos de migrantes marginados y desfavorecidos. Varias esferas temáticas se centran en la labor del ACNUDH sobre la migración; la lucha contra la discriminación, el racismo y la xenofobia contra los migrantes; la promoción de los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales de los migrantes; la oposición a la criminalización de la migración irregular; la promoción del acceso a salvaguardias en el contexto de la detención de inmigrantes y de otras medidas como alternativa a la detención de los migrantes; y la protección de los derechos humanos en el contexto de las migraciones mixtas. En sus declaraciones públicas, la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos ha pedido sistemáticamente que se promuevan y protejan los derechos humanos de todos los migrantes, con independencia de su situación.", "22. En septiembre de 2010, el ACNUDH presentó un estudio, en el 15º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos, sobre las dificultades y las mejores prácticas en materia de aplicación del marco internacional para la protección de los derechos del niño en el contexto de la migración. El estudio fue acogido con satisfacción por los Estados Miembros[14].", "23. A través de su activa participación en el Grupo Mundial sobre Migración, el ACNUDH ha procurado promover e incorporar un enfoque de derechos humanos a la migración dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Desde julio hasta diciembre de 2010, la Alta Comisionada para los Derechos Humanos, en su calidad de Presidenta del Grupo Mundial sobre Migración, hizo de los derechos humanos de todos los migrantes el tema central de los debates del Grupo. En septiembre los máximos responsables del Grupo aprobaron una trascendental declaración conjunta, en la que pedían a la comunidad internacional que pusiera fin a la discriminación y a los abusos contra los migrantes en situación irregular. En la declaración se hacía la importante observación de que no debía privarse a los migrantes internacionales que se hallaban en esas circunstancias ni de su humanidad ni de sus derechos. Posteriormente, una reunión de expertos de un día de duración sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes irregulares, organizada por el ACNUDH en octubre, dio origen a recomendaciones de política sobre la cuestión de los derechos humanos y la migración irregular, a las que se dio gran difusión.", "24. Los días 17 y 18 de mayo de 2011, el UNICEF, en su calidad de Presidente del Grupo Mundial sobre Migración, convocó un simposio de profesionales sobre el tema “La migración y los jóvenes: aprovechamiento de las oportunidades para el desarrollo”. El simposio tenía por objeto reunir a una amplia variedad de expertos y profesionales para que presentaran las tendencias futuras, discutieran los conocimientos actuales, pusieran de relieve las deficiencias existentes e intercambiaran buenas prácticas sobre la forma de aumentar los efectos positivos y minimizar los efectos negativos de la migración en las perspectivas de desarrollo de los jóvenes. El ACNUDH tomó parte activa en el simposio en su calidad de miembro de la troika del Grupo, integrada por el ACNUDH, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF).", "25. El ACNUDH participó en un debate temático oficioso de un día de duración sobre el tema de la migración internacional y el desarrollo, que fue convocado por el Presidente de la Asamblea General el 19 de mayo de 2011. El objeto del debate era consolidar el diálogo en curso sobre la migración internacional y el desarrollo y contribuir al proceso que ha de culminar en el segundo Diálogo de alto nivel sobre la migración internacional y el desarrollo que se celebrará en la Sede de las Naciones Unidas en 2013. El Director Ejecutivo del UNICEF, Sr. Anthony Lake, participó en el debate temático oficioso en su calidad de Presidente del Grupo Mundial sobre Migración, y transmitió una declaración conjunta en nombre del Grupo en la que se destacaba la importancia de proteger los derechos humanos fundamentales de los migrantes.", "26. En su calidad de Presidenta del Grupo Mundial sobre Migración de julio a diciembre de 2010, la Alta Comisionada intervino en el cuarto Foro Mundial sobre la Migración y el Desarrollo, que tuvo lugar del 8 al 10 de noviembre de 2010 en Puerto Vallarta (México). En su declaración, la Alta Comisionada pidió que se pusiera fin a la criminalización de los migrantes irregulares e instó a todos los Estados a que ratificaran y aplicaran efectivamente los instrumentos básicos de derechos humanos que protegían sus derechos, en particular la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares. El 8 de noviembre, el ACNUDH organizó un acto paralelo en el Foro Mundial para conmemorar la aprobación de la Convención y pedir su ratificación.", "27. Los días 11 y 12 de mayo de 2011, el ACNUDH organizó, en asociación con la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados (ACNUR), una mesa redonda mundial de dos días de duración sobre alternativas a la detención de los migrantes, refugiados, solicitantes de asilo y apátridas. La mesa redonda congregó a representantes de Estados, el ACNUDH, el ACNUR y otras organizaciones internacionales, mecanismos de derechos humanos, órganos regionales de derechos humanos, instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos y organizaciones no gubernamentales internacionales. La mesa redonda fue organizada para aprovechar los resultados del debate en grupo sobre los migrantes en los centros de detención que se celebró durante el 12º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos.", "28. Se invitó al ACNUDH a que ofreciera una sesión de capacitación sobre el marco normativo relativo a los derechos humanos de los migrantes organizada por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) y celebrada en asociación con el Grupo Mundial sobre Migración. Actualmente el ACNUDH está terminando un conjunto de módulos de capacitación sobre la migración y los derechos humanos para su utilización por las oficinas del ACNUDH sobre el terreno y los equipos de las Naciones Unidas en los países, así como por otros interesados, entre ellos los gobiernos, las instituciones nacionales de derechos humanos y las organizaciones no gubernamentales.", "29. El ACNUDH presta apoyo a las actividades de promoción de la ratificación de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares, particularmente a través del Comité Directivo Internacional de la Campaña Mundial para la Ratificación de la Convención sobre los derechos de los migrantes, cuya labor coordina. El Comité Directivo es una red en que participan organizaciones de la sociedad civil internacionales y regionales y la OIM, la OIT y la UNESCO. En el 13º período de sesiones del Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares celebrado en noviembre de 2010, el Comité y el Comité Directivo organizaron en forma conjunta un evento en conmemoración del vigésimo aniversario de la Convención. El tema elegido para el evento de un día de duración fue “Proteger los derechos, aumentar la cooperación”. Los Estados y otros asociados hicieron declaraciones y dieron a conocer sus experiencias y puntos de vista sobre la forma en que la Convención había marcado una diferencia en las políticas y prácticas de migración.", "30. El 21 de marzo, la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas envió una carta a cada uno de los 15 signatarios que aun no habían ratificado la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares, instándoles a tomar medidas inmediatas para ratificarla y aplicarla.", "31. Con ocasión del vigésimo aniversario, el Comité Directivo inició una campaña mundial para pedir a los gobiernos que ratificaran la Convención. En el contexto de la campaña, se enviaron cartas en nombre de los miembros del Comité Directivo a nueve Estados (Armenia, Bélgica, Camerún, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, España, Indonesia, Kenya y Sudáfrica) alentándolos a ratificar la Convención.", "32. En su 13º período de sesiones, el Comité de las Naciones Unidas de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares aprobó la Observación general núm. 1 sobre los trabajadores domésticos migratorios, en la que reconocía la vulnerabilidad particular de los trabajadores migratorios empleados en hogares privados. En la observación general se describe la vulnerabilidad de los trabajadores migratorios domésticos y se recomienda una variedad de medidas de orden social y jurídico para promover y proteger sus derechos humanos, entre ellas la reglamentación de los agentes de contratación, el suministro de servicios de seguridad social y salud, la protección de los derechos de trabajo y el acceso a la justicia y a recursos en caso de violación de esos derechos. Con ocasión de la Conferencia Internacional del Trabajo celebrada en junio de 2011, la Alta Comisionada, en una declaración dirigida al Grupo de Empleadores, instó a la adopción de normas de trabajo enérgicas para proteger a los trabajadores migratorios y asegurar que los derechos de los migrantes sean tratados efectivamente dentro de tales normas. El 16 de junio, la OIT aprobó el Convenio sobre las trabajadoras y los trabajadores domésticos, complementado con una recomendación.", "33. En 2011, el ACNUDH asumió la presidencia rotatoria del Grupo Interinstitucional de cooperación contra la trata de personas, y en el marco de ese cargo organizó un acto paralelo durante el 17º período de sesiones del Consejo de Derechos Humanos con objeto de poner de relieve las funciones que cumplen respectivamente las distintas entidades de las Naciones Unidas en la protección de las víctimas de la trata de personas.", "34. La primera presentación a nivel regional del comentario elaborado por el ACNUDH de los Principios y Directrices recomendados sobre los derechos humanos y la trata de personas tuvo lugar en Bangkok en diciembre de 2010. En 2010 y 2011, el ACNUDH participó en varias actividades de fomento de la capacidad orientadas a promover la aplicación de un enfoque basado en los derechos humanos a la búsqueda de una solución al problema de la trata de personas. Ellas consistieron en una consulta en la región del Golfo, celebrada en Abu Dhabi, una consulta sobre la iniciativa árabe de lucha contra la trata, celebrada en Qatar, y un curso de capacitación impartido en el Centro Internacional de Capacitación sobre migración y lucha contra la trata de personas de Minsk. El ACNUDH está preparando una “Ficha descriptiva de los derechos humanos y la trata de personas”, como complemento de los instrumentos ya elaborados en este ámbito.", "35. Cada vez con más frecuencia el ACNUDH, por conducto de sus oficinas sobre el terreno, se ha dedicado a actividades sobre derechos humanos relacionadas con la migración, como la promoción de la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares y otros instrumentos pertinentes, y la realización de actividades de capacitación, promoción, asesoramiento técnico y otras iniciativas, entre ellas las siguientes:", "a) La oficina del ACNUDH en Colombia prestó asistencia al Gobierno en la preparación de su segundo informe al Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares sobre el cumplimiento de las obligaciones que le impone la Convención;", "b) El Asesor de Derechos Humanos de la oficina del Coordinador Residente de las Naciones Unidas en la República de Moldova intervino en un caso trascendental relativo al derecho a la vida de familia de los migrantes que viven con el VIH, mediante el suministro de una variedad de materiales jurídicos a la Corte Suprema de Justicia. El 22 de diciembre de 2010, la Corte se pronunció a favor del demandante;", "c) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en América Central, conjuntamente con el grupo técnico regional para América Latina y el Caribe del Grupo de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, organizó una sesión regional de capacitación de instructores sobre movilidad humana en Panamá del 29 de noviembre al 3 de diciembre de 2010. La sesión tenía por objeto reforzar la capacidad del personal de diferentes organismos que operan en América Latina con el fin de ayudar a los gobiernos regionales a formular políticas sobre corrientes migratorias mixtas que estén basadas en las normas y los principios de derechos humanos. En 2011, la oficina regional del ACNUDH continuó promoviendo un enfoque de la migración basado en los derechos humanos mediante foros regionales como el seminario sobre los derechos humanos de las poblaciones migrantes, organizado por la Reunión Regional sobre la Migración en Tegucigalpa, del 9 al 11 de febrero de 2011;", "d) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en el Oriente Medio se sumó al equipo de las Naciones Unidas en el Líbano en la adopción de un código de conducta voluntario para los funcionarios de las Naciones Unidas que emplean trabajadores domésticos. El código solicita al personal de las Naciones Unidas que cumpla 21 normas específicas con respecto al empleo de personas que atienden a familias y hogares;", "e) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en Asia sudoriental colaboró con Estados miembros de la Asociación de Naciones del Asia Sudoriental (ASEAN), organismos de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil en varios programas y actividades relacionados con la protección de los migrantes. El 13 de diciembre de 2010 en cooperación con el grupo de trabajo temático regional sobre la migración internacional, la oficina regional organizó un acto en celebración del vigésimo aniversario de la Convención. El 16 de diciembre de 2010, en cooperación con la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos de Tailandia, el Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Seguridad Humana, la Policía Real de Tailandia y la Red de lucha contra la trata de personas, la oficina regional organizó un evento titulado “Unidos en la lucha contra la trata de personas”. El comentario de los Principios y Directrices recomendados sobre los derechos humanos y la trata de personas fue presentado durante el evento. En junio de 2011, la oficina regional organizó una mesa redonda sobre el contrabando de personas en colaboración con la Alianza Mundial contra la Trata de Mujeres;", "f) La oficina del ACNUDH en Europa, en cooperación con el ACNUR y el UNICEF y con el apoyo de la Alianza Internacional Save the Children, el Consejo Europeo sobre Refugiados y Exiliados, y el Tribunal Supremo de Cataluña (España), organizó un coloquio judicial sobre la aplicación en Europa del artículo 3 (el interés superior del niño) de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño con respecto a la situación de los niños migrantes, en particular los niños no acompañados y los menores separados de sus padres o sus tutores. El coloquio, que tuvo lugar el 8 de julio de 2011, reunió a jueces de tribunales regionales y nacionales de Europa para discutir experiencias y buenas prácticas sobre la determinación del interés superior del niño en los procedimientos relativos a niños migrantes. El 22 de junio, la oficina regional presentó un estudio sobre la Convención y otros acontecimientos conexos en materia de legislación y políticas sobre migración en Europa. Con ocasión de la presentación del estudio, la oficina regional organizó una conferencia de prensa en el Parlamento Europeo;", "g) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en Asia Central participó activamente en una conferencia regional sobre la protección de los refugiados y la migración internacional en Asia Central, que fue organizada por el ACNUDH en Almaty (Kazajstán) en marzo de 2011;", "h) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en África occidental es miembro fundador del grupo regional sobre la protección de los refugiados y la migración mixta, conjuntamente con las oficinas regionales de la OIM y el ACNUR. En el marco del grupo, se han llevado a cabo varias actividades en los últimos 12 meses para promover la ratificación y aplicación de la Convención, entre ellas la organización de un evento, dirigido a los representantes de los gobiernos, la sociedad civil, los asociados de las Naciones Unidas y las organizaciones sobre migrantes, para celebrar el vigésimo aniversario de la Convención. Además, la oficina regional ha facilitado exposiciones sobre la Convención en sesiones de capacitación sobre cuestiones de migración organizadas por la OIM y el ACNUR, incluso, en una ocasión, una contribución a una publicación conjunta de la OIM y el ACNUR sobre la protección de las personas en movimiento;", "i) La oficina regional del ACNUDH en África Central, conjuntamente con el componente de derechos humanos de la oficina de las Naciones Unidas en la República Centroafricana, la OIM y la Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Central, organizó, del 6 al 8 de diciembre de 2010 en Yaundé, el primer diálogo subregional sobre la migración y los derechos humanos, que congregó a representantes de los gobiernos y la sociedad civil del Gabón, Guinea Ecuatorial, el Chad, el Congo, la República Centroafricana y el Camerún.", "IX. Conclusiones y recomendaciones", "36. El Secretario General:", "a) Acoge favorablemente la información recibida de los Estados Miembros sobre las leyes, los reglamentos y las políticas destinados a reforzar la protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes;", "b) Alienta a los Estados a que incluyan en sus informes nacionales destinados al mecanismo de examen periódico universal del Consejo de Derechos Humanos información sobre las medidas adoptadas para proteger los derechos humanos de los migrantes;", "c) Alienta al Relator Especial del Consejo de Derechos Humanos sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes a que siga promoviendo la protección de los derechos humanos de los migrantes mediante el diálogo con los Estados Miembros;", "d) Alienta a los Estados a ratificar todos los instrumentos internacionales pertinentes de derechos humanos y, en particular, a ratificar y aplicar efectivamente la Convención Internacional sobre la protección de los derechos de todos los trabajadores migratorios y de sus familiares. Además, el Secretario General alienta a los Estados partes a formular declaraciones con arreglo a los artículos 76 y 77 de la Convención reconociendo la competencia del Comité de Protección de los Derechos de Todos los Trabajadores Migratorios y de sus Familiares para recibir y examinar denuncias entre Estados y de particulares;", "e) Subraya que los Estados están obligados, de conformidad con los instrumentos internacionales fundamentales de derechos humanos, a proteger los derechos humanos de todas las personas que se encuentren bajo su jurisdicción, independientemente de su nacionalidad o de su situación jurídica, incluidos los migrantes en situación irregular;", "f) Insta a todos los Estados a proteger los derechos humanos fundamentales de todos los migrantes en el contexto de la detención administrativa y alienta a los Estados a estudiar alternativas a esa detención;", "g) Subraya la vulnerabilidad de muchos migrantes que trabajan en el servicio doméstico, y pide a los Estados que velen por que haya mecanismos adecuados establecidos para la protección de sus derechos humanos.", "[1] En la parte II se incluyen las respuestas relativas a la resolución 64/166 que no aparecieron en el informe anterior sobre la protección de los migrantes (A/65/156) debido a que no se habían presentado a tiempo.", "[2] Véanse las observaciones finales del Comité que figuran en los documentos CMW/C/ALB/CO/1, CMW/C/SEN/CO/1, CMW/C/ECU/CO/1 y CMW/C/MEX/CO/2.", "[3] En la documentación básica de los exámenes también se presentaba información sobre los derechos humanos de los migrantes, incluida la preparada en distintas formas por el Estado de que se tratara, entre ellas un informe nacional, y dos informes preparados por el ACNUDH: una compilación de información de las Naciones Unidas y un resumen de las aportaciones de los interesados. Toda la documentación relativa al examen periódico universal puede consultarse en: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPRPages/Documentation.aspx.", "[4] Véase, por ejemplo, A/HRC/16/11, párrs. 92.64 y 82.", "[5] Véanse los documentos A/HRC/15/6, párrs. 86.1-12; A/HRC/15/11, párrs. 97.2, 4-10; A/HRC/16/9, párr. 80.2, A/HRC/16/11, párrs. 92.1, 15 y 29-31; y A/HRC/17/8, párrs. 94.1-9.", "[6] Véase A/HRC/15/6, párr. 84.6.", "[7] Véanse A/HRC/17/8, párr. 92.88; y A/HRC/17/10, párr. 86.38.", "[8] Véanse A/HRC/15/6, párrs. 84.53, 85.20, y 86.33; A/HRC/15/11, párr. 96.44; A/HRC/16/11, párr. 92.211; y A/HRC/17/8, párrs. 92.25, 40, y 91.", "[9] Véanse A/HRC/15/11, párrs. 95.75 y 96.46; A/HRC/16/11, párr. 92.81; A/HRC/17/7, párr. 89.72; y A/HRC/17/8, párr. 93.26.", "[10] Véase A/HRC/17/10, párr. 86.126.", "[11] Véase A/HRC/15/11, párr. 96.39 y A/HRC/17/10, párrs. 86.131 y 132.", "[12] Véanse A/HRC/16/15, párr. 96.22; y A/HRC/16/11, párrs. 92.185 y 213.", "[13] Véase A/HRC/16/11, párrs. 92.104, 105, 144 y 209.", "[14] En su resolución 65/212, la Asamblea General tomó nota “con aprecio del estudio de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos sobre los problemas y las mejores prácticas en relación con la aplicación del marco internacional para la protección de los derechos del niño en el contexto de la migración” e invitó “a los Estados a tener en cuenta las conclusiones y recomendaciones de dicho estudio en la formulación y aplicación de sus políticas sobre migración”." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "Protection of migrants", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "The present report, submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/212, contains a summary of communications received from Governments in response to a note verbale dated 7 June 2011 from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on behalf of the Secretary-General, requesting information on the implementation of that resolution. The report also contains a summary of communications received from Governments in response to a note verbale sent on 8 June 2010 by OHCHR on behalf of the Secretary-General requesting information on the implementation of resolution 64/166. The report also provides information on the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and on the activities of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the universal periodic review process of the Human Rights Council and OHCHR.", "Contents", "Page\nI.Introduction 3II.Information 3 from Governments with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution \n64/166 \nQatar 3\nPortugal 4\nSpain 5III.Information 6 from Governments with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution \n65/212 \nAzerbaijan 6\nCyprus 6\nEcuador 7\nHonduras 7\nMauritius 8\nSlovakia 8IV. Activities 9 of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of \nmigrants V.Status 10 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their \nFamilies VI. Committee 10 on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their \nFamilies VII. Universal 11 periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights \nCouncil VIII. Activities 12 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human \nRights IX.Conclusions 17 and \nrecommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. In paragraph 10 of its resolution 65/212, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of that resolution to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session and to include in the report an analysis of the ways and means to promote the human rights of migrants, in particular how the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families had influenced policy and practice, where applicable, to strengthen the protection of migrants, in the context of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention.", "2. The report summarizes responses received from Member States concerning the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 64/166 (sect. II) and 65/212 (sect. III),[1] and provides information on the activities of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants (sect. IV), the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (sect. V), the activities of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (sect. VI), the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council (sect. VII) and the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (sect. VIII). Conclusions and recommendations are presented at the end of the report (sect. IX).", "II. Information from Governments with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/166", "3. As at 26 July 2011, replies concerning the implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/166, in addition to those included in the previous report (A/65/156), had been received from: Qatar, Portugal and Spain. Summaries of the responses are provided below. The full texts of the responses are available from OHCHR, upon request.", "Qatar", "[Original: Arabic] [15 July 2010]", "The Government reported that the protection of migrants in the State of Qatar is a principle enshrined in the Constitution through the following principles: the society is based on the values of justice and charity, freedom, equality and morals (article 18); all people are equal before the law without discrimination on the basis of race, language or religion (article 35); and every person residing in the State has legal protection for his or her person and property, in accordance with the provisions of the law (article 52).", "The Government further noted that the National Commission for Human Rights is mandated to consider grievances and complaints from migrants and can refer them to the concerned authorities. The Ministry of Labour can also consider disputes between employers and migrant worker employees. The preferred method of dispute resolution is mediation. When this is not possible, cases are referred to the courts.", "Portugal", "[Original: English] [5 August 2010]", "The Government noted that Law No. 23/2007 on the entry, permanence, exit and removal of foreigners into and out of national territory (Aliens Act) and Law No. 147/99 on the promotion of the rights and the protection of children and youngsters at risk constitute the national legal framework on unaccompanied and separated children. Law No. 147/99 includes a set of measures aimed at the promotion of rights and protection of children and youngsters at risk in order to ensure their well-being and integral development.", "The Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, in article 15, paragraph 1, extends to foreigners and stateless persons with residence in Portugal the enjoyment of the same rights, subject to the same duties, as Portuguese citizens.", "The right to health and education as fundamental rights are enshrined in articles 64 and 73 of the Portuguese Constitution. These provisions have a universal nature and cannot be excluded by any restrictive interpretation, as laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 16 of the Constitution.", "The Portuguese health and education systems are universal. This means that every person/child has the right to access health care and education facilities and services and that foreign citizens have the same access as their co-citizens to the health system and to its advantages, including medical care and social security and social services. In addition, according to Decree Law No. 67/2004, public schooling cannot be refused to children due to the irregular situation of their parents. The registry of irregular minors is confidential.", "The Ministry of Health Normative Order No. 25 360 (2001) states that: “All citizens have the right to health and the duty to protect it. An immigrant living in national territory who feels ill or needs medical assistance therefore has the right to be assisted in a health centre or hospital (in case of emergency), and these services cannot refuse to assist him/her because of nationality, lack of economic means, irregular situation or any other reason”. In 2009 the Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 12/DQS/DMD, which clarifies an instruction followed since 2001, according to which irregular immigrants who are in Portugal for over 90 days cannot be refused access to public health care, although, in general terms, they might have to bear the real costs. Exceptions may be made, however, in cases where urgent and vital care are needed, or in case of transmissible diseases that endanger or threaten public health.", "The Government reported that the Ministry of Education has put in place an action plan to help support the around 80,000 non-native students enrolled in Portuguese schools, taking into account the deep change in the school population, implementing measures adequate to the specific situation of those students, aiming at contributing to their full integration in the educational system.", "Spain", "[Original: Spanish] [15 July 2010]", "The Government reported the amendments introduced by Act LO 2/2009, adopted on 12 December 2009, to the previous Act on the Rights, Freedoms and Social Integration of Foreigners in Spain of 2000. Such amendments were motivated by two decisions of the Constitutional Court, European Union directives and the experience of new migrations to Spain. While migrants, regardless of their administrative situation, already enjoyed the rights to urgent health care, child and maternal health care and education in the case of children, some rights, such as the right to be documented, the right to family reunification, the right to work and to freedom of movement, were granted only to regular migrants. The Constitutional Court extended to irregular migrants the right to strike, and to form and join trade unions, demonstrations and associations.", "The Government further reported that the new amendments strengthened the recognition of rights to all migrants, irrespective of their administrative condition. The new act also reinforced the right to judicial protection and expanded the right to family reunification, including protection to legal or common law partners, children and descendants with disabilities, and in some cases to parents, under certain conditions.", "The new act has also introduced amendments regarding the application of sanctions. The principles that guide the application of sanctions are those of proportionality (provided that the sanctions related to the migratory condition are administrative and not criminal), legal guarantees (reduction of the margin of discretion to apply sanctions) and co-responsibility (consideration of the responsibility of Spanish nationals promoting irregular migration). Some of the amendments introduced in this regard include the provision of new administrative offences, both for migrants and for Spanish nationals that have promoted or participated in fraud regarding migrants, the joint liability of contracting and subcontracting enterprises when hiring irregular migrants and failing to comply with their contractual obligations and the establishment of fines as prima facie sanctions, thus limiting the discretion to effect expulsions, which should be exceptional. The new act includes some specific guarantees regarding expulsions: the need to provide explicit justification for such measures, the possibility of revocation in some cases, the provision of some exceptions to expulsion and protections for victims of human trafficking.", "The act also includes some amendments regarding immigration detention centres, which are not considered criminal but precautionary facilities. The legislation provides for alternatives to detention, sets a 60-day limit for such detention and ensures detainees access to non-governmental organizations and national and international bodies working to protect the rights of migrants.", "The Government highlighted the protection provided by the Spanish legislation to the rights of unaccompanied migrant children. The principles guiding such legislation are: the best interest of the child; the preservation of the contact with his/her family; and social and family integration. In this regard, the Spanish legal framework considers a number of flexible possibilities, taking into account the need for immediate protection, the existence of family members or other persons who could take charge of the child and the existence of social protection services in his/her country of origin.", "III. Information from Governments with regard to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 65/212", "4. As at 26 July 2011, the Governments of the following Member States had replied to the note verbale sent on 7 June 2011: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Ecuador, Honduras, Mauritius and Slovakia. Informal summaries of the responses are provided below. The full texts of the responses are available, upon request, from OHCHR.", "Azerbaijan", "[Original: English] [14 July 2011]", "The Government reported that it had ratified a number of international instruments relevant to migration, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, and its Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.", "According to article 69, paragraph 1, of the Constitution of Azerbaijan adopted in 1995, foreigners and stateless persons enjoy equal rights with citizens. Specific rights related to movement and work are reflected in the law on the “Legal status of foreigners and stateless persons” which was adopted in 1996. The Government further noted that Presidential Decree No. 69, dated 4 March 2009, simplifies the procedures for registration of foreigners and stateless persons arriving in the country for residence or work.", "A draft migration code, which has been elaborated for the purpose of protecting the rights of migrants, has been presented to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan. The Migration Service of Azerbaijan collaborates with the migration authorities of other countries, as well as with international organizations, in order to protect the rights of migrants. The Migration Service also carried out awareness- raising activities through its Migration Information Centre.", "Cyprus", "[Original: English] [18 July 2011]", "The Government noted that although it had not ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, it had taken specific measures to protect the rights of migrants.", "The first national action plan 2010-2012 for the integration of third country nationals legally residing in Cyprus, approved by the Council of Ministers on 13 October 2010, includes eight pillars for action derived from principles developed within the European Union. These pillars are: information, services and transparency; employment; education, learning the language; health; housing, improving quality of life, social protection and interaction; learning the culture, civic participation, basic knowledge of political and social life in Cyprus; participation; and evaluation.", "The Government further noted that trafficking in human beings is considered a cross-border criminal phenomenon and that combating this phenomenon is one of the top priorities of the Ministry of Interior and the Multidisciplinary Coordinating Group against Trafficking in Human Beings. On 22 April 2010, the Council of Ministers adopted a new national action plan against trafficking in human beings. The implementation of the action plan has already commenced, including the publication of information materials and an awareness-raising event on the plan held on 18 October 2010.", "Ecuador", "[Original: Spanish] [14 July 2011]", "The Government reported that Ecuador had ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on 18 October 2001 and had presented two reports to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, elaborating measures taken to fulfil its obligations under the Convention.", "The Government noted that the National Secretariat for Migrants had been elevated to the ministerial level in March 2007, and that it had enacted a national development plan for migrants, which aims, inter alia, to protect and promote their human rights.", "The Government further reported that the right to health and to education are guaranteed by the Constitution and that such rights are also extended to foreigners. All migrant children, irrespective of their legal status, are guaranteed the right to education. In addition, important advances have been made to ensure that all children born in Ecuador have nationality, regardless of the legal status of their parents. In addition, parents of children who are Ecuadorian citizens are able to obtain a legal status.", "Articles 61, 95 and 102 of the Constitution provide the right to participation in public affairs for Ecuadorians who are migrant workers. In addition, article 63 gives the right to vote to foreigners who have resided legally in Ecuador for at least five years.", "Honduras", "[Original: Spanish] [20 July 2011]", "On 27 February 2008, the Government reported in the Official Journal of Honduras that it had assigned resources for migrants through the creation of the “Solidarity Fund for Honduran Migrants in Vulnerable Situations”. The Fund contains an assigned annual budget of 15 million lempiras, which should be increased annually by a percentage equivalent to the inflation index established by the Central Bank of Honduras for the previous year. These funds can be allocated to migrants with scarce financial resources for: repatriation of the deceased; serious health conditions; amputations; terminal illnesses; assistance to victims of kidnappings; repatriation of non-accompanied minors; repatriation of men and women in vulnerable conditions; search of persons that went missing during the migration process; and immediate assistance to migrants deported by air or land. The Government further reported that the main beneficiaries of the fund are the 800,000 to 1,000,000 Hondurans who reside in the United States of America, approximately 73,000 of whom are in temporary protected status.", "Honduras has signed and ratified the following international conventions: International Convention for the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the agreement for collaboration and international assistance between the National Commission for Human Rights of Honduras and the National Commission for Human Rights of Mexico.", "Mauritius", "[Original: English] [18 July 2011]", "The Government reported that under national legislation migrant workers enjoy the same terms and conditions of employment as those laid down for local workers. Section 16 of the Constitution provides that no law shall contain any provision that is discriminatory either in and of itself or in its effect. The Employment Rights Act 2008 applies equally to local and expatriate workers, guaranteeing to the latter equal protection in terms and conditions of employment and in the event of termination of employment by their employer.", "The Government noted that the Employment Rights Act of 2008 also guarantees the fundamental right of migrant workers to freedom of association and protects their right to organize and engage in collective bargaining.", "Slovakia", "[Original: English] [21 July 2011]", "The Government reported that it supports equal access to employment for all foreigners who have legal residence in the country, ensuring them equal treatment in terms of recruitment, working conditions and occupational health and safety.", "Special law No. 365/2004 Coll. on equal treatment in certain areas, including protection against discrimination (anti-discrimination act), provides that employers are obliged to treat all employees in accordance with the principle of equal treatment.", "The Government noted that in order to protect the rights of migrants, free support services as well as information on work opportunities and social services are provided free of charge by the offices of labour, social affairs and family through the European Union job mobility portal (EURES) and its departments. Social and legal counselling are also provided by several non-governmental organizations.", "The Government also reported the existence of asylum procedures to provide protection to persons in need of international protection, including persons who have entered the territory of Slovakia illegally. The Asylum Act also contains the possibility of granting asylum on humanitarian grounds, including to elderly, ill or disabled people whose return to their country of origin could pose a serious threat to their lives.", "IV. Activities of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants", "5. The activities of the Special Rapporteur are carried out in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 8/10 and 17/12, by which the Council extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants for a period of three years.", "6. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur continued to advocate a human rights-based approach to migration and the protection of the human rights of migrants at all stages of the migratory process. In discharging his mandate, the Special Rapporteur met with numerous representatives of international and regional organizations, as well as of civil society, to discuss issues related to his work.", "7. The Special Rapporteur attended the Global Consultation on Migrant Health, organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Madrid from 3 to 5 March 2010. On 6 and 7 October 2010, he participated at the Festival Viva América, organized by Casa de América, in Madrid, Spain. From 4 to 8 October 2010, together with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, he participated in a conference entitled “Children on the Move”, organized by the Global Movement for Children, Save the Children UK and the Fundació Privada Moviment Mundial a Favor de la Infància, in Barcelona, Spain, from 4 to 8 October 2010.", "8. On 22 October 2010, the Special Rapporteur presented his annual report to the General Assembly (A/65/222). The report focused on the criminalization of migration.", "9. From 8 to 11 November 2010, the Special Representative participated in the Fourth Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, hosted by the Government of Mexico in Puerto Vallarta. The Forum focused on partnerships for migration and human development.", "10. At the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council, the annual thematic report, and the final to be submitted by the outgoing Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jorge Bustamante, was presented to the Council (A/HRC/17/33). In the first part of the report, the Special Representative recapitulated some of the main thematic issues he has focused on since his nomination, namely irregular migration and the criminalization of migrants, protection of children in the migration process and the right to housing and health of migrants. In the second part, he proposed a few possible themes which merit further research under the mandate. The two themes he considered important for further research and discussion are: migration in the context of climate change; and the political participation and civil rights of migrants.", "11. The Special Rapporteur also presented a report on the communications sent to Governments and the replies received (A/HRC/17/33/Add.1) and reports on his country missions to Senegal (A/HRC/17/33/Add.2), Japan (A/HRC/17/33/Add.3) and South Africa (A/HRC/17/33/Add.4).", "12. At the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council, François Crépeau (Canada) was appointed as the new Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.", "V. Status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families", "13. The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families entered into force on 1 July 2003. As at 1 July 2009, 44 States had ratified the Convention: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, the Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Uganda and Uruguay. The entry into force of the Convention assists in securing a protective mechanism for the human rights of migrants, including those in irregular situations. All Member States that have not yet become parties to the Convention are urged to consider acceding to it promptly.", "VI. Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families", "14. The Committee, which is composed of 14 independent experts, monitors the implementation of the Convention by its States parties. Since its first session, held in March 2004, the Committee has considered the initial reports submitted by 15 States parties and two periodic reports.", "15. At its thirteenth session, held from 22 November to 3 December 2010, the Committee considered the initial reports of Albania and Senegal (CMW/C/ALB/1 and CMW/C/SEN/1) and the second periodic report of Ecuador (CMW/C/ECU/2). At its fourteenth session, held from 4 to 8 April 2011, the Committee considered the second periodic report of Mexico (CMW/C/MEX/2).[2] The common issues raised by the Committee included: the need for measures to bring legislation into line with the provisions of the Convention; the importance of data collection to assist in the development of sound migration policies; the need to strengthen and expand training programmes for all officials working in the area of migration on the rights enshrined in the Convention; the importance of ensuring that in practice all migrant workers and members of their families, including those in an irregular situation, had access to an effective remedy for the violation of their rights; the need for effective protection of migrants, including those in transit; the need for effective coordination among the different agencies dealing with migration issues; the need to supervise recruitment agencies; and the importance of continuing measures aimed at preventing and combating smuggling and trafficking in human beings.", "16. At its thirteenth session, the Committee adopted its general comment No. 1 on Migrant Domestic Workers. The adoption of the general comment followed a thorough process of consultation, including three public meetings and a day of general discussion on migrant domestic workers, which was held on 14 October 2009.", "17. The twentieth anniversary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was commemorated in 2010. The Committee marked the occasion with a series of discussions examining the accomplishments of the Convention in the areas of migration and development and migration and gender and presented its perspective on the wider ratification and more effective implementation of the Convention.", "18. The Committee has examined the second periodic reports of two countries: Ecuador (see CMW/C/ECU/2) and Mexico (see CMW/C/MEX/2). In both cases, the Committee recognized the efforts made and the steps taken by the States parties to implement their obligations under the Convention. In the case of Ecuador, the Committee welcomed the abolition of the exit permit requirement for nationals and foreigners wishing to leave the country (as recommended by the Committee in 2007) and also noted the entry into force of Ministerial Decision No. 337/2008, which guarantees access to preschool, primary and secondary education for children, including adolescents, of migrant workers, regardless of their migratory status (in line with the Committee’s previous recommendation). In the case of Mexico, following the recommendations made by the Committee in 2006, the State party: recognized the Committee’s competence to receive and consider communications from individuals under article 77 of the Convention; adopted the Act to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons and the General Act on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence; and incorporated the offence of human trafficking into its federal criminal code.", "VII. Universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council", "19. In 2006, the General Assembly, in its resolution 60/251, decided that the Human Rights Council should undertake a universal periodic review of the fulfilment by each State Member of the United Nations of its human rights obligations and commitments. During the reviews of 159 States undertaken at the 10 sessions of the Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, recommendations were directed at a number of States", "concerning the protection of migrants.[3] Recommendations included to: review and ensure that national legislation and policies on migrants complied with international human rights law;[4] take treaty action, including with regard to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families;[5] cooperate with the special procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants;[6] and implement the recommendations of United Nations human rights mechanisms.[7] Other recommendations concerned non-discrimination and equality, especially in access to economic, social and cultural rights, including education and health services,[8] with particular reference to children and migrant women;[9] elimination of criminal sanctions against undocumented migrants;[10] consideration of alternative measures to the detention of migrants;[11] enabling access to justice and legal aid for migrant workers;[12] ensuring that the rights of migrants were respected, particularly by law enforcement officials.[13]", "VIII. Activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", "20. OHCHR continues its efforts to strengthen the protection of the human rights of migrants and to ensure that the perspective of the human rights of migrants is included in migration discussions at the national, regional and global levels.", "21. OHCHR promotes the integration of human rights norms and standards in all aspects of migration policy. The Office works to ensure that migrants enjoy human rights without discrimination and works with States and other stakeholders to apply a human rights-based approach to migration, placing the migrants at the centre of migration policies and management and paying particular attention to the situation of marginalized and disadvantaged groups of migrants. A number of thematic areas focus the work of OHCHR on migration; combating discrimination, racism and xenophobia against migrants; promoting the economic, social and cultural rights of migrants; opposing the criminalization of irregular migration; advocating access to safeguards in the context of immigration detention and to alternatives to the detention of migrants; and protecting human rights in the context of mixed migration. In her public statements, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has consistently called for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all migrants, regardless of their status.", "22. In September 2010, OHCHR presented a study at the fifteenth session of the Human Rights Council on challenges and best practices in the implementation of the international framework for the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration. The study was welcomed by Member States.[14]", "23. Through its active participation in the Global Migration Group, OHCHR has actively sought to promote and mainstream a human rights approach to migration within the United Nations system. From July to December 2010, as Chair of the Global Migration Group, the High Commissioner for Human Rights made the human rights of all migrants, particularly those in an irregular situation, the thematic focus of the Group’s discussions. A landmark joint statement, adopted by the principles of the Group in September, called on the international community to end discrimination and abuses against migrants in an irregular situation. The statement made the important point that international migrants in such circumstances should not be deprived either of their humanity or of their rights. Subsequently, a full-day meeting of experts on the human rights of irregular migrants, organized by OHCHR in October, generated policy recommendations on the issue of human rights and irregular migration which were widely disseminated.", "24. On 17 and 18 May 2011, UNICEF as Chair of the Global Migration Group, convened a practitioners’ symposium on the theme of “Migration and youth: harnessing opportunities for development”. The symposium aimed to bring together a wide range of experts and practitioners to present future trends, discuss current knowledge, highlight existing gaps and share good practices on how to increase the positive impacts and minimize the negative impacts of migration on the development prospects of youth. OHCHR participated in the symposium as a member of the Group’s troika, composed of OHCHR, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).", "25. OHCHR participated in a one-day informal thematic debate on international migration and development, which was convened by the President of the General Assembly on 19 May 2011. The debate was intended to build on the ongoing dialogue on international migration and development and to contribute to the process leading to the second High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, which is to be held at United Nations Headquarters in 2013. Mr. Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of UNICEF, addressed the informal thematic debate in his capacity as Chair of the Global Migration Group, and transmitted a joint statement on behalf of the Group stressing the importance of protecting the fundamental human rights of migrants.", "26. As Chair of the Global Migration Group from July to December 2010, the High Commissioner addressed the fourth Global Forum for Migration and Development, which was held in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, from 8 to 10 November 2010. In her statement, the High Commissioner called for an end to the criminalization of irregular migrants and urged all States to ratify and effectively implement the core international human rights instruments protecting their human rights in particular the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. On 8 November, OHCHR organized a side event at the Global Forum to commemorate the adoption of the Convention and to call for its ratification.", "27. On 11 and 12 May 2011, a two-day global round table on alternatives to the detention of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons was organized by OHCHR, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The round table brought together representatives from States, OHCHR, UNHCR and other international organizations, human rights mechanisms, regional human rights bodies, national human rights institutions and national and international non-governmental organizations. The round table was organized to build on the results of the panel discussion on migrants in detention centres held during the twelfth session of the Human Rights Council.", "28. OHCHR was invited to provide a training session on the normative framework related to the human rights of migrants organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), and held in partnership with the Global Migration Group. OHCHR is currently finalizing a set of training modules on migration and human rights for the use of OHCHR field offices and United Nations country teams, as well as other stakeholders, including Governments, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations.", "29. OHCHR supports efforts to promote the ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, including through the International Steering Committee of the Global Campaign for Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Migrants, the work of which it coordinates. The Steering Committee is a network of international and regional civil society organizations and IOM, ILO, OHCHR and UNESCO. At the thirteenth session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, in November 2010, an event was jointly organized by the Committee and the Steering Committee to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. The theme chosen for the one-day event was “Protecting rights, building cooperation”. States and other partners made statements and shared their experiences and views on how the Convention has made a difference in migration policies and practices.", "30. On 21 March, the United Nations High Commissioner sent a letter to each of the 15 signatories that have yet to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, urging them to take prompt action to ratify and implement it.", "31. On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary, the Steering Committee launched a global campaign also calling on Governments to ratify the Convention. In the context of the campaign, letters were sent on behalf of the members of the Steering Committee to nine States (Armenia, Belgium, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa and Spain) to encourage them to ratify the Convention.", "32. At its thirteenth session, the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families adopted general comment No. 1 on Migrant Domestic Workers, in which it recognized the particular vulnerability of migrant workers employed in private homes. The general comment describes the vulnerability of migrant domestic workers and recommends a range of social and legal actions to promote and protect their human rights, including regulation of recruiters, the provision of social security and health services, the protection of labour rights and access to justice and remedies in the event of violations. On the occasion of the International Labour Conference in June 2011, the High Commissioner, in a statement to the Employers’ Group, urged the adoption of robust labour standards to protect domestic workers and to ensure that the rights of migrants are effectively addressed within such standards. On 16 June, ILO adopted the Convention Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers, which is supplemented by a recommendation.", "33. In 2011, OHCHR took over the rotating Chair of the Inter-Agency Cooperation Group against Trafficking in Persons, and in this capacity the Office organized a side event during the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council to highlight the respective roles of different United Nations entities in protecting victims of trafficking.", "34. The first regional launch of OHCHR’s commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking took place in Bangkok in December 2010. In 2010 and 2011, OHCHR participated in several regional capacity-building events to promote a human rights-based approach to addressing trafficking in persons. These included a consultation in the Gulf region, held in Abu Dhabi, a consultation on the Arab initiative to combat trafficking held in Qatar, and a training held at the International Training Center on Migration and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Minsk. OHCHR is developing a “Fact sheet on human rights and trafficking”, to complement the tools already developed on this field.", "35. Increasingly, through its field offices, OHCHR has become engaged in migration-related human rights work including through the promotion of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and other relevant instruments, training activities, advocacy, technical advice and other initiatives, including:", "(a) The OHCHR office in Colombia assisted the Government in preparing its second report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on its obligations under the Convention;", "(b) The Human Rights Adviser to the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Moldova intervened in a landmark case regarding the right to family life of migrants living with HIV, through the provision of a range of legal materials to the Supreme Court of Justice. On 22 December 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the petitioner;", "(c) The OHCHR regional office in Central America, together with the United Nations Development Group’s Latin America and Caribbean regional technical group on human rights, organized a regional training-of-the-trainers session on human mobility in Panama from 29 November to 3 December 2010. The session was designed to build the capacity of staff from different agencies operating in Latin America in order to assist regional Governments in developing policies on mixed migration flows that were grounded in human rights norms and standards. In 2011, the OHCHR regional office continued to promote a human rights approach to migration through regional forums such as the seminar on the human rights of migrant populations, organized by the Regional Conference on Migration in Tegucigalpa from 9 to 11 February 2011;", "(d) The OHCHR regional office in the Middle East joined the United Nations country team in Lebanon in adopting a voluntary code of conduct for United Nations staff who employ domestic workers. The code requests United Nations staff to abide by 21 specific standards regarding the employment of people who care for families and households;", "(e) The OHCHR regional office in South-East Asia worked in partnership with member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), United Nations agencies and civil society organizations on several programmes and activities related to the protection of migrants. On 13 December 2010, in cooperation with the regional thematic working group on international migration, the regional office organized an event to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. On 16 December 2010, in cooperation with the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Police and the Anti-Human Trafficking Network, the regional office organized an event entitled “Join hands to combat human trafficking”. The commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking was launched during the event. In June 2011, the regional office organized a round table on human smuggling in collaboration with the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women;", "(f) The OHCHR regional office in Europe, in cooperation with UNHCR and UNICEF and with the support of Save the Children, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles and the Supreme Court of Catalonia, Spain, organized a judicial colloquium on the implementation in Europe of article 3 (best interest of the child) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child regarding the situation of migrant children, including unaccompanied and separated children. The colloquium, which was held on 8 July 2011, brought together judges from regional and national courts in Europe to discuss experiences and good practices in best interest determinations in procedures dealing with migrant children. On 22 June, the regional office launched a study on the Convention and related developments in legislation and policy on migration in Europe. On the occasion of the launch, the regional office organized a press conference at the European Parliament;", "(g) The OHCHR regional office in Central Asia participated actively in a regional conference on refugee protection and international migration in Central Asia, which was organized by UNHCR in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in March 2011;", "(h) The OHCHR regional office in West Africa is a founding member of the regional group on refugee protection and mixed migration, together with the IOM and UNHCR regional offices. Within the framework of the group, several activities have been carried out in the past 12 months to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention, including the organization of an event, aimed at Government representatives, civil society, United Nations partners and migrants’ organizations, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. The regional office has also facilitated presentations on the Convention at training sessions on migration issues organized by IOM and UNHCR, including, in one instance, a contribution to a joint IOM-UNHCR publication on the protection of people on the move;", "(i) The OHCHR regional office in Central Africa, together with the human rights component of the United Nations office in the Central African Republic, IOM and the Economic Community of Central African States, organized, from 6 to 8 December 2010 in Yaoundé, the first subregional dialogue on migration and human rights, gathering representatives of Governments and civil society organizations from Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, the Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon.", "IX. Conclusions and recommendations", "36. The Secretary-General:", "(a) Welcomes the information received from Member States concerning legislation, regulations and policies to strengthen the protection of the human rights of migrants;", "(b) Encourages States to include in their national reports to the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council information on measures to protect the human rights of migrants;", "(c) Encourages the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants to continue to promote the protection of the human rights of migrants through his dialogue with Member States;", "(d) Encourages States to ratify all relevant international human rights instruments and, in particular, to ratify and effectively implement the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The Secretary-General further encourages States parties to make declarations under articles 76 and 77 of the Convention recognizing the competence of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to receive and consider inter-State and individual complaints;", "(e) Underlines that States have an obligation under the core international human rights instruments to protect the human rights of all individuals under their jurisdiction, regardless of their nationality or legal status, including migrants who are in an irregular situation;", "(f) Urges States to protect the fundamental human rights of all migrants in the context of administrative detention and encourages States to explore alternatives to such detention;", "(g) Underlines the vulnerability of many migrant domestic workers, and calls on States to ensure that there are adequate protection mechanisms in place to protect their human rights.", "[1] Sect. II includes responses to resolution 64/166 that were not included in the previous report on the protection of migrants (A/65/156) owing to their late submission.", "[2] See the concluding observations of the Committee contained in documents CMW/C/ALB/CO/1, CMW/C/SEN/CO/1, CMW/C/ECU/CO/1 and CMW/C/MEX/CO/2.", "[3] The background documentation for the reviews also included information on the human rights of migrants, including information prepared by the State concerned, in a number of forms, including: a national report and two reports prepared by OHCHR; a compilation of United Nations information; and a summary of input from stakeholders. All documentation regarding the universal periodic review can be accessed at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/ Pages/Documentation.aspx.", "[4] See, for example, A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.64 and 82.", "[5] See A/HRC/15/6, paras. 86.1-12; A/HRC/15/11, paras. 97.2, 4-10; A/HRC/16/9, para. 80.2; A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.1, 15 and 29-31; and A/HRC/17/8, paras. 94.1-9.", "[6] See A/HRC/15/6, para. 84.6.", "[7] See A/HRC/17/8, para. 92.88; and A/HRC/17/10, para. 86.38.", "[8] See A/HRC/15/6, paras. 84.53, 85.20 and 86.33; A/HRC/15/11, para. 96.44; A/HRC/16/11, para. 92.211; and A/HRC/17/8, paras. 92.25, 40 and 91.", "[9] See A/HRC/15/11, para. 95.75 and 96.46; A/HRC/16/11, para. 92.81; A/HRC/17/7, para. 89.72; and A/HRC/17/8, para. 93.26.", "[10] See A/HRC/17/10, para. 86.126.", "[11] See A/HRC/15/11, para. 96.39; and A/HRC/17/10, paras. 86.131 and 132.", "[12] See A/HRC/16/15, para. 96.22; and A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.185 and 213.", "[13] See A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.104, 105, 144 and 209.", "[14] In its resolution 65/212 the General Assembly took note “with appreciation of the study of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on challenges and best practices in the implementation of the international framework for the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration”, and invited “States to take into account the conclusions and recommendations of the study when designing and implementing their migration policies”." ]

[ "Sixty-sixth session", "* A/66/150.", "Item 69 (b) of the provisional agenda*", "Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", "Protection of migrants", "Report of the Secretary-General", "Summary", "This report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/212, contains a summary of communications received by Governments in response to a note verbale dated 7 June 2011 issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on behalf of the Secretary-General, requesting information on the implementation of that resolution. In addition, the report contains a summary of communications received from Governments in response to a note verbale sent on 8 June 2010 by OHCHR on behalf of the Secretary-General, requesting information on the implementation of resolution 64/166. The report also contains data on the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and on the activities of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council and OHCHR.", "Contents", "Page I. Introduction 3II.Information 3 received from Governments on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/166 Qatar 3 Portugal 4 Spain 5III.Information 6 received from Governments on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 65/212 Azerbaijan 6 Cyprus 7 Ecuador 7 Honduras 8 Mauritius 8 Slovakia 9IV.Activities 9 of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants V. Situation 11 of the International Convention on the Protection of All Migrants Committee 11 on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families VII. Mechanism 12 universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council VIII.Activities 13 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights IX. Conclusions 18 and recommendations", "I. Introduction", "1. In paragraph 10 of its resolution 65/212, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session a report on the implementation of that resolution, including an analysis of ways and means to promote the human rights of migrants, in particular on how the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families had influenced policies and practices in order, where appropriate, to strengthen the protection of migrants,", "2. Parts II and III of the present report summarize the replies received from Member States on the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 64/166 and 65/212, respectively[1] and provide information on the activities of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants (part IV), the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (part V), the activities of the Committee on the Protection of the Family). The conclusions and recommendations are presented at the end of the report (part IX).", "II. Information received from Governments on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/166", "3. As at 26 July 2011, in addition to those included in the previous report (A/65/156), replies had been received regarding the implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/166 of the Governments of Qatar, Portugal and Spain. The summaries of the responses are listed below. The full texts can be requested from OHCHR.", "Qatar", "[Original: Arabic] [15 July 2010]", "The Government reported that the protection of migrants in the State of Qatar is a principle enshrined in the Constitution, which stipulates that society is based on the values of justice and charity, freedom, equality and morality (art. 18); that all persons are equal before the law without distinction as to race, language or religion (art. 35) and that any person residing in the State enjoys legal protection in respect of his or her person and property, in accordance with article 52).", "The Government further noted that the National Human Rights Commission has a mandate to review the complaints and complaints of migrants and may refer them to the relevant authorities. The Ministry of Labour can also examine disputes between employers and employees who are migrant workers. Mediation is the preferred method of dispute resolution. Where this is not possible, cases are referred to the courts.", "Portugal", "[Original: English] [5 August 2010]", "The Government noted that Law No. 23/2007 on the entry, stay, departure and expulsion of aliens from the national territory (the Aliens Act) and Law No. 147/99 on the promotion of the rights and protection of children and youth at risk constitute the national legal framework for unaccompanied minors and minors separated from their parents or guardians. Law No. 147/99 establishes a set of measures aimed at promoting the rights and protection of children and young people at risk in order to ensure their well-being and comprehensive development.", "In accordance with article 15, paragraph 1, of the Constitution of the Republic of Portugal, foreigners and stateless persons residing in Portugal enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same obligations as Portuguese citizens.", "The right to health and the right to education are enshrined as fundamental rights in articles 64 and 73 of the Portuguese Constitution. These provisions are universal and cannot be excluded due to restrictive interpretation, as stipulated in article 16, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Constitution.", "The health and education systems of Portugal are universal. This means that every person or child has the right to access health care and educational facilities and services and that foreign citizens have the same access as their fellow citizens to the health system and their benefits, such as medical care, social security and social services. In addition, pursuant to Decree-Law No. 67/2004, access to public education for children cannot be denied because of the irregular situation of their parents. The registration of children in an irregular situation is confidential.", "Regulation No. 25 360 (2001) of the Ministry of Health states that “All citizens have the right to health and the duty to protect it. An immigrant living in the national territory who is ill or in need of medical care has, therefore, the right to be treated in a health centre or in a hospital (in case of urgency), and such services cannot be refused to attend to him because of his nationality, lack of economic means, irregular situation or any other reason.” In 2009, the Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 12/DQS/DMD, which clarifies a distinction that has been made since 2001, according to which access to public health services cannot be denied to immigrants in an irregular situation in Portugal for more than 90 days, although in general, they may have to bear actual costs. However, exceptions may be made in cases where urgent and vital care is needed, or when it comes to communicable diseases that threaten or endanger public health.", "The Government reported that the Ministry of Education has put in place an action plan to help support the approximately 80,000 non-native pupils enrolled in Portuguese schools, taking into account the profound changes in the school population, and implementing appropriate measures for the specific situation of these pupils, in order to contribute to their full integration into the educational system.", "Spain", "[Original: Spanish] [15 July 2010]", "The Government reported on the amendments introduced by Organic Law 2/2009 of 12 December 2009 to the Law of 2000 on the Rights and Freedoms of Foreigners in Spain and their social integration. These amendments were based on two decisions of the Constitutional Court, the directives of the European Union and the experience of new migrations to Spain. Although migrants, regardless of their administrative status, already enjoyed the right to emergency health care, maternal and child health and education in the case of minors, other rights, such as to be documented, the right to family reunification, the right to work and freedom of ambulatory, were reserved only to immigrants on a regular basis. The Constitutional Court extended the rights of union and strike, demonstration and association to irregular migrants.", "The Government also reported that the new amendments strengthened the recognition of the rights of all migrants, regardless of their administrative situation. The new Act further strengthened the right to judicial protection and extended the right to family reunification, including protection for spouses and those living in de facto union, children and descendants with disabilities, and in some cases parents if certain conditions were met.", "The new Act has also amended the sanctions regime. The principles guiding the application of sanctions are proportionality (as long as sanctions related to migrant status are administrative and non-criminal), legal guarantees (reduction of the discretionary margin to apply sanctions) and co-responsibility (consideration of the responsibility of Spanish nationals who favor illegal immigration). Some of the amendments introduced in this regard include the establishment of new administrative offences, both for migrants and for Spanish nationals who have promoted or participated in fraudulent activities with respect to migrants, the solidarity responsibility of subcontractors and subcontracted companies when employing irregular immigrants and not keeping due diligence in fulfilling their contractual obligations, and the establishment of fines as a prima facie penalty, which limits the discretionary agreement to expulsion. The new Act provides for specific guarantees regarding expulsions, such as the need for explicit justification of such measures, the possibility of revocation in some cases, the provision of some exceptions to expulsion and protection for victims of trafficking in persons.", "The Act also includes some amendments relating to the detention centres of aliens, whose function is considered preventive and non-conditional. The Act provides for alternatives to detention, sets a 60-day limit for detentions and ensures that detainees have access to non-governmental organizations and national and international bodies working to protect the rights of migrants.", "The Government highlighted the protection afforded by Spanish legislation to the rights of unaccompanied migrant minors. The principles guiding such legislation are the supremacy of the child ' s interest, the maintenance of the child in the family environment of origin and their family and social integration. To this respect, the Spanish legal framework considers several flexible possibilities, taking into account the need for immediate protection, the existence of family members or other persons who can take care of the minor and the existence of social protection services in their country of origin.", "III. Information received from Governments on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 65/212", "4. As at 26 July 2011, the Governments of the following Member States had responded to the note verbale sent on 7 June 2011: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Ecuador, Honduras, Mauritius and Slovakia. The summaries of the responses are listed below. The full texts can be requested from OHCHR.", "Azerbaijan", "[Original: English] [14 July 2011]", "The Government reported that it had ratified several international instruments on migration, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and its Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.", "Pursuant to article 69, paragraph 1, of the Azerbaijani Constitution adopted in 1995, aliens and stateless persons enjoy equal rights as citizens. The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, which was adopted in 1996, contains rights specifically related to movement and work. The Government also noted that Presidential Decree No. 69, dated 4 March 2009, simplified procedures for the registration of aliens and stateless persons arriving in the country for the purpose of residence or work.", "A draft migration code, which has been developed to protect the rights of migrants, has been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan Migration Service collaborates with the immigration authorities of other countries, as well as international organizations, to protect the rights of migrants. The Migration Service also carried out awareness-raising activities through its Migration Information Centre.", "Cyprus", "[Original: English] [18 July 2011]", "The Government noted that while it had not ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, it had taken concrete measures to protect the rights of migrants.", "The first national action plan 2010-2012 for the integration of third-country nationals legally residing in Cyprus, approved by the Council of Ministers on 13 October 2010, establishes eight pillars for action derived from principles established within the European Union. These pillars are: information, services and transparency; employment; education, language learning; health; housing; improvement of the quality of life, social protection and interaction; learning of culture, civic participation, basic knowledge of the political and social life of Cyprus; participation; and evaluation.", "The Government further indicated that trafficking in persons is considered a cross-border criminal phenomenon and that combating it is one of the main priorities of the Ministry of the Interior and the Multidisciplinary Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons. On 22 April 2010, the Council of Ministers adopted a new national action plan against trafficking in persons. The implementation of the plan has already begun, including the publication of information materials and an awareness-raising event on the plan held on 18 October 2010.", "Ecuador", "[Original: Spanish] [14 July 2011]", "The Government reported that on 18 October 2001, Ecuador had ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and that it had submitted two reports to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, detailing the measures taken to fulfil its obligations under the Convention.", "The Government noted that the National Secretariat for Migrants had been granted ministerial status since March 2007, and that it had enacted a national human development plan for migrants aimed, inter alia, at protecting and promoting their human rights.", "The Government also reported that the right to health and education were guaranteed by the Constitution and also extended to foreigners. The right to education is guaranteed to all migrant children, regardless of their legal status. In addition, significant progress has been made to ensure that all children born in Ecuador have a nationality, regardless of the legal status of their parents, and parents of children who are Ecuadorian citizens can obtain a legal situation.", "Articles 61, 95 and 102 of the Constitution grant the right to participation in matters of public interest to Ecuadorians who are migrant workers. Furthermore, article 63 grants the right to vote to aliens who have resided legally in Ecuador for at least five years.", "Honduras", "[Original: Spanish] [20 July 2011]", "On 27 February 2008, the Government reported in the Official Journal of Honduras that it had allocated resources for migrants through the creation of the Migrant Honduran Solidarity Fund in Vulnerability Conditions. The Fund has an annual budgeted allocation of 15 million lempiras, which should be increased annually in a percentage equivalent to the inflation index established by the Central Bank of Honduras for the previous year. These funds can be allocated to low-income migrants in situations such as the repatriation of deceased persons, severe health status, amputations, terminal illnesses, assistance to victims of human trafficking or abduction, repatriation of unaccompanied minors, repatriation of vulnerable men and women, search for missing persons in the migration process and immediate assistance to deported migrants by air and land. The Government also reported that the main beneficiaries of the fund are between 800,000 and 1,000,000 Hondurans residing in the United States of America, of which approximately 73,000 are in temporary protection.", "Honduras has signed and ratified the following important international instruments: the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Agreement on Collaboration and International Assistance between the National Commissioner for Human Rights of Honduras and the National Human Rights Commission of Mexico.", "Mauritius", "[Original: English] [18 July 2011]", "The Government reported that under national legislation migrant workers enjoy the same conditions of employment as those provided for local workers. Article 16 of the Constitution provides that no law shall contain discriminatory provisions in itself or for its effects. The Employment Rights Act of 2008 applies equally to local and expatriate workers and guarantees the latter equal protection from employment conditions and in the case of termination of the contract by the employer.", "The Government noted that the Right to Employment Act 2008 also guarantees the fundamental right of migrant workers to freedom of association and protects their right to organization and collective bargaining.", "Slovakia", "[Original: English] [21 July 2011]", "The Government reported that it supports equal access to employment for all foreigners legally residing in the country and ensures them equal treatment with regard to recruitment, working conditions and occupational health and safety.", "Special Act No. 365/2004 Coll. on equal treatment in certain areas, including protection against discrimination (the Anti-Discrimination Act), provides that employers have an obligation to treat all employees in accordance with the principle of equal treatment.", "The Government noted that in order to protect the rights of migrants, labour, social and family offices provide free support and information services on employment opportunities and social services through the European Employment Services (EURES) network and their departments. A number of NGOs also provide social and legal advice.", "The Government further reported on the existence of asylum procedures to provide protection to persons in need of international protection, including persons who have entered Slovakia illegally. The Asylum Act also provides for the possibility of granting asylum on humanitarian grounds, to persons such as the elderly, the sick and persons with disabilities whose return to their home countries could pose a serious threat to their lives.", "IV. Activities of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants", "5. The activities of the Special Rapporteur are carried out in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 8/10 and 17/12, by which the Council extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants for a period of three years.", "6. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur continued to advocate the implementation of a human rights-based approach to migration and the protection of the human rights of migrants at all stages of the migration process. In pursuance of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur met with numerous representatives of international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, to discuss issues related to his work.", "7. The Special Rapporteur attended the global consultation on the health of migrants, organized in Madrid from 3 to 5 March 2010 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO). On 6 and 7 October 2010, he participated in the Viva América Festival, organized by Casa de América in Madrid, Spain. Between 4 and 8 October 2010, together with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, participated in a conference entitled “Children in Movement”, organized by the Global Movement for Children, Save the Children UK and the Fundació Privada Moviment Mundial a Favor de la Infància, held in Barcelona, Spain, from 4 to 8 October 2010.", "8. On 22 October 2010, the Special Rapporteur submitted his annual report to the General Assembly (A/65/222). The report focused on the criminalization of migration.", "9. From 8 to 11 November 2010, the Special Rapporteur participated in the Fourth World Forum Meeting on Migration and Development, held in Puerto Vallarta and hosted by the Government of Mexico. The forum focused on partnerships for migration and human development.", "10. At the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council, the annual and final thematic report of the outgoing Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Mr. Jorge Bustamante (A/HRC/17/33). In the first part of the report, the Special Rapporteur summarized some of the main thematic issues that had focused on since his appointment, namely irregular migration and the criminalization of migrants, the protection of children in the migration process and the right of migrants to housing and health. In the second part, the Special Rapporteur proposed some topics that might merit further investigation within the mandate. The two topics that the Rapporteur considered important to continue to investigate and discuss are migration in the context of climate change, and the political participation and civil rights of migrants.", "11. The Special Rapporteur also submitted a report on communications to Governments and replies received (A/HRC/17/33/Add.1) and reports on his missions to Senegal (A/HRC/17/33/Add.2), Japan (A/HRC/17/33/Add.3) and South Africa (A/HRC/17/33/Add.4).", "12. At the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council, a new Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants was appointed to Mr. François Crépeau (Canada).", "V. Status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families", "13. The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families entered into force on 1 July 2003. As at 1 July 2009, 44 States had ratified it: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia The entry into force of the Convention contributes to the establishment of a mechanism for the protection of the human rights of migrants, including those in an irregular situation. All member States that are not yet parties to the Convention are urged to consider adhering without delay to this instrument.", "VI. Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families", "14. The Committee, consisting of 14 independent experts, monitors the implementation of the Convention by its States parties. Since its first session, in March 2004, the Committee has considered the initial reports submitted by 15 States parties and two periodic reports.", "15. At its thirteenth session, held from 22 November to 3 December 2010, the Committee considered the initial reports of Albania and Senegal (CMW/C/ALB/1 and CMW/C/SEN/1) and the second periodic report of Ecuador (CMW/C/ECU/2). At its fourteenth session, held from 4 to 8 April 2011, the Committee considered the second periodic report of Mexico (CMW/C/MEX/2)[2]. The common issues raised by the Committee were the need to take measures to adapt the legislation to the provisions of the Convention; the importance of collecting data to contribute to the formulation of sound migration policies; the need to strengthen and expand training programmes for all staff working in the field of migration in relation to the rights enshrined in the Convention; the importance of ensuring that, in practice, all migrant workers and their families, including undocumented persons, were effectively involved in smuggling,", "16. At its thirteenth session, the Committee adopted its general comment No. 1 on migrant domestic workers. The adoption of the general comment was followed by a thorough consultation process, including three public meetings and a day of general discussion on migrant domestic workers, which took place on 14 October 2009.", "17. The twentieth anniversary of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was commemorated in 2010. The Committee welcomed the occasion with a series of discussions on the achievements of the Convention in the areas of migration and development and migration and gender and presented its perspectives on a wider and more effective ratification of the Convention.", "18. The Committee has considered the second periodic reports of two countries: Ecuador (see CMW/C/ECU/2) and Mexico (see CMW/C/MEX/2). In both cases, the Committee recognized the efforts made and measures taken by States parties to fulfil their obligations under the Convention. In the case of Ecuador, the Committee welcomed the elimination of the exit permit requirement for nationals and foreigners wishing to leave Ecuador (as recommended by the Committee in 2007) and also welcomed the entry into force of Ministerial Agreement No. 337/2008 guarantees access to pre-primary, primary and secondary education for children and adolescents children of migrant workers irrespective of their migration status (in accordance with the Committee ' s previous recommendation). In the case of Mexico, following the Committee ' s recommendations in 2006, the State party recognized the Committee ' s competence to receive and consider individual communications under article 77 of the Convention; adopted the Law on Preventing and Punishing Trafficking in Persons and the General Law on Women ' s Access to a Life Free from Violence; and incorporated the crime of trafficking in persons into the federal penal code.", "VII. Universal Periodic Review Mechanism of the Human Rights Council", "19. In 2006, the General Assembly, in its resolution 60/251, decided that the Human Rights Council should conduct a universal periodic review of the fulfilment by each State Member of the United Nations of its human rights obligations and commitments. During the reviews of 159 States during the 10 sessions of the Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, recommendations were made to several States regarding the protection of migrants.[3] The recommendations included: reviewing national legislation and policies on migrants and ensuring compliance with international human rights standards[4]; taking treaty-based measures, particularly with regard to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families[5]; cooperating with special procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants[6]; and implementing the recommendations of the United Nations human rights mechanisms. Other recommendations concerned non-discrimination and equality, especially equal access to economic, social and cultural rights, including education and health services[8], with particular reference to children and migrant women[9]; the elimination of criminal sanctions against undocumented migrants[10]; the consideration of other measures as an alternative to the detention of migrants[11]; the facilitation of access to justice and legal assistance for migrants[12]", "VIII. Activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights", "20. OHCHR continues to work to strengthen the protection of the human rights of migrants and to ensure that the human rights perspective of migrants is included in the discussions on migration at the national, regional and global levels.", "21. OHCHR promotes the integration of human rights norms and principles into all aspects of migration policy. The Office seeks to ensure the enjoyment of human rights without discrimination and collaborates with States and other stakeholders in the implementation of a human rights-based approach to migration, placing migrants at the centre of migration policies and managing migration and paying special attention to the situation of marginalized and disadvantaged groups of migrants. Several thematic areas focus on the work of OHCHR on migration; combating discrimination, racism and xenophobia against migrants; promoting the economic, social and cultural rights of migrants; opposition to the criminalization of irregular migration; promoting access to safeguards in the context of immigration detention and other measures as an alternative to the detention of migrants; and protecting human rights in the context of mixed migration. In her public statements, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has consistently called for the promotion and protection of the human rights of all migrants, regardless of their situation.", "22. In September 2010, OHCHR presented a study at the fifteenth session of the Human Rights Council on challenges and best practices in the implementation of the international framework for the protection of children ' s rights in the context of migration. The study was welcomed by Member States[14].", "23. Through its active participation in the Global Migration Group, OHCHR has sought to promote and incorporate a human rights approach to migration within the United Nations system. From July to December 2010, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her capacity as Chair of the Global Migration Group, made the human rights of all migrants the central theme of the Panel ' s discussions. In September, the Group ' s top officials adopted a landmark joint declaration, calling on the international community to end discrimination and abuse against irregular migrants. The declaration made the important observation that international migrants in these circumstances, their humanity and their rights should not be deprived of themselves. Subsequently, a one-day expert meeting on the human rights of irregular migrants, organized by OHCHR in October, gave rise to policy recommendations on the issue of human rights and irregular migration, which were widely disseminated.", "24. On 17 and 18 May 2011, UNICEF, in its capacity as Chair of the Global Migration Group, convened a professional symposium on the theme " Migration and youth: harnessing development opportunities " . The symposium aimed at bringing together a wide range of experts and practitioners to present future trends, discuss current knowledge, highlight existing gaps and exchange good practices on how to increase positive impacts and minimize the negative impact of migration on youth development prospects. OHCHR participated actively in the symposium as a member of the Group ' s troika, comprising OHCHR, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF).", "25. OHCHR participated in a one-day informal thematic debate on the subject of international migration and development, which was convened by the President of the General Assembly on 19 May 2011. The purpose of the discussion was to consolidate the ongoing dialogue on international migration and development and to contribute to the process to culminate in the second High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development to be held at United Nations Headquarters in 2013. The Executive Director of UNICEF, Mr. Anthony Lake, participated in the informal thematic debate as Chair of the Global Migration Group, and transmitted a joint statement on behalf of the Group highlighting the importance of protecting the fundamental human rights of migrants.", "26. As Chair of the Global Migration Group from July to December 2010, the High Commissioner spoke at the fourth Global Forum on Migration and Development, which took place from 8 to 10 November 2010 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. In her statement, the High Commissioner called for an end to the criminalization of irregular migrants and urged all States to ratify and effectively implement basic human rights instruments protecting their rights, in particular the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. On 8 November, OHCHR organized a side event at the Global Forum to commemorate the adoption of the Convention and request its ratification.", "27. On 11 and 12 May 2011, OHCHR organized, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a two-day global round table on alternatives to the detention of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons. The round table brought together representatives of States, OHCHR, UNHCR and other international organizations, human rights mechanisms, regional human rights bodies, national human rights institutions and international non-governmental organizations. The round table was organized to take advantage of the results of the panel discussion on migrants in detention centres held during the twelfth session of the Human Rights Council.", "28. OHCHR was invited to provide a training session on the normative framework on the human rights of migrants organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and held in partnership with the Global Migration Group. OHCHR is currently completing a set of training modules on migration and human rights for use by OHCHR field offices and United Nations country teams, as well as other stakeholders, including Governments, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations.", "29. OHCHR supports efforts to promote ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, particularly through the International Steering Committee of the Global Campaign for the Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Migrants, whose work is coordinated. The Steering Committee is a network involving international and regional civil society organizations and IOM, ILO and UNESCO. At the thirteenth session of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in November 2010, the Committee and the Steering Committee jointly organized an event commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. The theme chosen for the one-day event was “Protecting rights, increasing cooperation.” States and other partners made statements and shared their experiences and views on how the Convention had made a difference in migration policies and practices.", "30. On 21 March, the United Nations High Commissioner sent a letter to each of the 15 signatories that had not yet ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, urging them to take immediate steps to ratify and implement it.", "31. On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary, the Steering Committee launched a global campaign to ask Governments to ratify the Convention. In the context of the campaign, letters were sent on behalf of the members of the Steering Committee to nine States (Armenia, Belgium, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Spain, Indonesia, Kenya and South Africa) encouraging them to ratify the Convention.", "32. At its thirteenth session, the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families adopted general comment No. 1 on migrant domestic workers, recognizing the particular vulnerability of migrant workers employed in private homes. The general comment describes the vulnerability of domestic migrant workers and recommends a variety of social and legal measures to promote and protect their human rights, including the regulation of recruitment agents, the provision of social security and health services, the protection of labour rights and access to justice and remedies in cases of violations of those rights. On the occasion of the International Labour Conference held in June 2011, the High Commissioner, in a statement addressed to the Group of Employers, urged the adoption of strong labour standards to protect migrant workers and to ensure that the rights of migrants are effectively treated within such standards. On 16 June, ILO adopted the Convention on Domestic Workers, supplemented by a recommendation.", "33. In 2011, OHCHR assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Inter-Agency Cooperation Group against Trafficking in Persons, and within the framework of that office organized a side event during the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council to highlight the respective roles of different United Nations entities in the protection of victims of trafficking in persons.", "34. The first regional presentation of the OHCHR commentary on the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking was held in Bangkok in December 2010. In 2010 and 2011, OHCHR participated in several capacity-building activities aimed at promoting the implementation of a human rights-based approach to finding a solution to the problem of trafficking in persons. They attended a consultation in the Gulf region, held in Abu Dhabi, a consultation on the Arab Anti-Trafficking Initiative, held in Qatar, and a training course at the International Training Centre on Migration and Combating Trafficking in Persons in Minsk. OHCHR is preparing a “Descriptive Bill of Human Rights and Human Trafficking”, as a complement to the instruments already developed in this area.", "35. Increasingly, OHCHR, through its field offices, has engaged in human rights activities related to migration, such as the promotion of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and other relevant instruments, and the implementation of training, advocacy, technical advice and other initiatives, including:", "(a) OHCHR Colombia assisted the Government in preparing its second report to the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on the fulfilment of its obligations under the Convention;", "(b) The Human Rights Adviser of the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Moldova intervened in a momentous case concerning the right to family life of migrants living with HIV through the provision of a variety of legal materials to the Supreme Court of Justice. On 22 December 2010, the Court ruled in favour of the plaintiff;", "(c) The OHCHR regional office in Central America, together with the regional technical group for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Group, organized a regional training session for trainers on human mobility in Panama from 29 November to 3 December 2010. The session was aimed at strengthening the capacity of staff of different agencies operating in Latin America to help regional governments formulate policies on mixed migration flows that are based on human rights norms and principles. In 2011, the OHCHR regional office continued to promote a human rights-based approach to migration through regional forums such as the seminar on the human rights of migrant populations, organized by the Regional Meeting on Migration in Tegucigalpa, from 9 to 11 February 2011;", "(d) The OHCHR regional office in the Middle East joined the United Nations team in Lebanon in adopting a voluntary code of conduct for United Nations staff who employ domestic workers. The code requests United Nations staff to comply with 21 specific rules regarding the employment of persons serving families and households;", "(e) The OHCHR regional office in South-East Asia collaborated with member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), United Nations agencies and civil society organizations in various programmes and activities related to the protection of migrants. On 13 December 2010, in cooperation with the regional thematic working group on international migration, the regional office organized an event on the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. On 16 December 2010, in cooperation with the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Royal Thai Police and the Anti-Trafficking Network, the regional office organized an event entitled “Unidos en la lucha contra la trata de personas”. The commentary to the Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking was presented during the event. In June 2011, the regional office organized a panel discussion on human smuggling in collaboration with the Global Alliance against Trafficking in Women;", "f) The OHCHR office in Europe, in cooperation with UNHCR and UNICEF and with the support of the International Alliance Save the Children, the European Council on Refugees and exiles, and the Supreme Court of Catalonia (Spain), organized a judicial colloquium on the implementation in Europe of article 3 (the best interests of the child) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with regard to the situation of migrant children, in particular unaccompanied children and children separated from their parents. The colloquium, which took place on 8 July 2011, brought together judges from regional and national courts in Europe to discuss experiences and good practices on the determination of the best interests of the child in procedures relating to migrant children. On 22 June, the regional office presented a study on the Convention and related developments in migration legislation and policies in Europe. On the occasion of the presentation of the study, the regional office organized a press conference in the European Parliament;", "(g) The OHCHR regional office in Central Asia actively participated in a regional conference on refugee protection and international migration in Central Asia, which was organized by OHCHR in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in March 2011;", "(h) The OHCHR regional office in West Africa is a founding member of the regional group on refugee protection and mixed migration, together with IOM and UNHCR regional offices. Within the framework of the group, a number of activities have been carried out over the past 12 months to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention, including the organization of an event for representatives of Governments, civil society, United Nations partners and migrant organizations, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention. In addition, the regional office has provided presentations on the Convention at training sessions on migration issues organized by IOM and UNHCR, including, on one occasion, a contribution to a joint IOM/UNHCR publication on the protection of moving persons;", "(i) The OHCHR regional office in Central Africa, together with the human rights component of the United Nations Office in the Central African Republic, IOM and the Economic Community of Central African States, organized, from 6 to 8 December 2010 in Yaoundé, the first subregional dialogue on migration and human rights, which brought together representatives of Governments and civil society from Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, the Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon.", "IX. Conclusions and recommendations", "36. The Secretary-General:", "(a) Welcomes the information received from Member States on laws, regulations and policies aimed at strengthening the protection of the human rights of migrants;", "(b) Encourages States to include in their national reports for the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council information on measures taken to protect the human rights of migrants;", "(c) Encourages the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the human rights of migrants to continue to promote the protection of the human rights of migrants through dialogue with Member States;", "(d) It encourages States to ratify all relevant international human rights instruments and, in particular, to ratify and effectively implement the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Furthermore, the Secretary-General encourages States parties to make statements under articles 76 and 77 of the Convention recognizing the competence of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to receive and consider complaints between States and individuals;", "(e) Stresses that States are obliged, in accordance with the fundamental international human rights instruments, to protect the human rights of all persons under their jurisdiction, irrespective of their nationality or legal status, including irregular migrants;", "f) Urges all States to protect the fundamental human rights of all migrants in the context of administrative detention and encourages States to consider alternatives to such detention;", "(g) It underscores the vulnerability of many migrants working in domestic service, and calls upon States to ensure that adequate mechanisms are in place for the protection of their human rights.", "[1] Part II includes responses to resolution 64/166 that did not appear in the previous report on the protection of migrants (A/65/156) because they had not been submitted on time.", "[2] See the Committee ' s concluding observations contained in documents CMW/C/ALB/CO/1, CMW/C/SEN/CO/1, CMW/C/ECU/CO/1 and CMW/C/MEX/CO/2.", "[3] The core documentation of the reviews also provided information on the human rights of migrants, including information prepared in different ways by the State concerned, including a national report, and two reports prepared by OHCHR: a compilation of United Nations information and a summary of the inputs of stakeholders. All documentation relating to the universal periodic review is available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPRPages/Documentation.aspx.", "[4] See, for example, A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.64 and 82.", "[5] See documents A/HRC/15/6, paras. 86.1-12; A/HRC/15/11, paras. 97.2, 4-10; A/HRC/16/9, para. 80.2, A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.1, 15 and 29-31; and A/HRC/17/8, paras. 94.1-9.", "[6] See A/HRC/15/6, para. 84.6.", "[7] See A/HRC/17/8, para. 92.88; and A/HRC/17/10, para. 86.38.", "[8] See A/HRC/15/6, paras. 84.53, 85.20, and 86.33; A/HRC/15/11, para. 96.44; A/HRC/16/11, para. 92.211; and A/HRC/17/8, paras. 92.25, 40, and 91.", "[9] See A/HRC/15/11, paras. 95.75 and 96.46; A/HRC/16/11, para. 92.81; A/HRC/17/7, para. 89.72; and A/HRC/17/8, para. 93.26.", "[10] See A/HRC/17/10, para. 86.126.", "[11] See A/HRC/15/11, para. 96.39 and A/HRC/17/10, paras. 86.131 and 132.", "[12] See A/HRC/16/15, para. 96.22; and A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92,185 and 213.", "[13] See A/HRC/16/11, paras. 92.104, 105, 144 and 209.", "[14] In its resolution 65/212, the General Assembly took note “with appreciation of the study by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on problems and best practices regarding the implementation of the international framework for the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration”, and invited “States to take into account the conclusions and recommendations of the study in the formulation and implementation of their migration policies”." ]

[ "Presidente:\tSr. Hardeep Singh Puri\t(India) \nMiembros:\tAlemania\tSr. Berger\n Bosnia y Herzegovina Sr. Barbalić \n Brasil Sr. Fernandes \n China Sr. Wang Min \n Colombia Sr. Alzate \n Estados Unidos de América Sra. DiCarlo \n Federación de Rusia Sr. Churkin \n Francia Sr. Briens \n\tGabón\tSr. MoungaraMoussotsi\n Líbano Sra. Ziade \n Nigeria Sr. Amieyeofori \n Portugal Sr. Moraes Cabral \n\tReino Unido de Gran Bretaña eIrlanda del Norte\tSir Mark LyallGrant\n Sudáfrica Sr. Sangqu", "Orden del día", "La situación en el Oriente Medio", "Se abre la sesión a las 15.10 horas.", "Expresiones de agradecimiento al Presidente saliente", "El Presidente (habla en inglés): Dado que esta es la primera sesión que celebra el Consejo de Seguridad en el mes de agosto de 2011, desearía aprovechar la oportunidad para rendir homenaje en nombre del Consejo al Representante Permanente de Alemania, Excmo. Sr. Peter Wittig, por los servicios prestados como Presidente del Consejo de Seguridad durante el mes de julio de 2011. Estoy seguro de que hablo en nombre de todos los miembros del Consejo al expresar mi profundo reconocimiento al Embajador Wittig por las grandes dotes diplomáticas con que dirigió la labor del Consejo durante el mes pasado.", "Aprobación del orden del día", "Queda aprobado el orden del día.", "La situación en el Oriente Medio", "El Presidente (habla en inglés): El Consejo de Seguridad comenzará ahora el examen del tema que figura en el orden del día.", "Tras las consultas celebradas entre los miembros del Consejo, se me ha autorizado a formular la siguiente declaración en su nombre:", "“El Consejo de Seguridad expresa su grave preocupación por el deterioro de la situación en Siria, y expresa su profundo pesar por la muerte de cientos de personas.", "El Consejo de Seguridad condena las violaciones generalizadas de los derechos humanos y el uso de la fuerza contra civiles por las autoridades sirias.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide que se ponga inmediatamente fin a todo acto de violencia e insta a todas las partes a que actúen con la máxima moderación y se abstengan de tomar represalias, incluidos ataques contra instituciones estatales.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide a las autoridades sirias que respeten plenamente los derechos humanos y cumplan sus obligaciones con arreglo al derecho internacional aplicable. Los responsables de la violencia deben rendir cuentas de sus actos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad observa que las autoridades sirias han anunciado compromisos de reforma, y lamenta la falta de progresos en el cumplimiento, y pide al Gobierno de Siria que cumpla sus compromisos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad reafirma su firme respeto de la soberanía, la independencia y la integridad territorial de Siria. Hace hincapié en que la única solución a la crisis actual de Siria es poner en marcha un proceso político inclusivo y dirigido por Siria, con el objetivo de tener en cuenta eficazmente las legítimas aspiraciones y preocupaciones de la población, que permita el pleno ejercicio de las libertades fundamentales de toda su población, incluida la de expresión y reunión pacífica.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide a las autoridades sirias que alivien la situación humanitaria en las zonas de crisis poniendo fin al uso de la fuerza contra las ciudades afectadas, que permitan el acceso rápido y sin trabas de los organismos y trabajadores humanitarios internacionales, y que cooperen plenamente con la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide al Secretario General que lo informe sobre la situación en Siria en un plazo de siete días.”", "Esta declaración será publicada como documento del Consejo de Seguridad con la signatura S/PRST/2011/16.", "Doy ahora la palabra a los representantes que deseen formular una declaración.", "Sra. Ziade (Líbano) (habla en árabe): Permítaseme citar de la declaración formulada por el representante del Líbano en la sesión del Consejo de Seguridad celebrada el 27 de abril lo siguiente:", "“Lo que sucede en el Líbano afecta a Siria y lo que sucede en Siria afecta al Líbano. La historia lo ha demostrado de la manera más convincente ... Hoy, más que nunca, todos los ciudadanos libaneses están unidos en su sentir para apoyar la soberanía y la integridad territorial de Siria, su pueblo y la seguridad de sus hijos ... Quisiéramos expresar nuestro pesar por las víctimas mortales y transmitir nuestro pésame a sus familiares. Esperamos que Siria pueda disfrutar de la paz y el progreso.” (S/PV.6524, pág. 9)", "Puesto que el Líbano considera que la declaración de la Presidencia S/PRST/2011/16 aprobada hoy no contribuye a hacer frente a la actual situación en Siria, el Líbano no suscribe la declaración.", "El Presidente (habla en inglés): El Consejo de Seguridad ha concluido así la presente etapa del examen del tema que figura en el orden del día.", "Se levanta la sesión a las 15.15 horas." ]

[ "President:\tMr. Hardeep Singh Puri\t(India) \nMembers:\tBosnia and Herzegovina\tMr. Barbalić\n Brazil Mr. Fernandes \n China Mr. Wang Min \n Colombia Mr. Alzate \n France Mr. Briens \n\tGabon\tMr. MoungaraMoussotsi\n Germany Mr. Berger \n Lebanon Ms. Ziade \n Nigeria Mr. Amieyeofori \n Portugal Mr. Cabral \n Russian Federation Mr. Churkin \n South Africa Mr. Sangqu \n\tUnited Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland\tSir Mark LyallGrant\n United States of America Mrs. DiCarlo", "Agenda", "The situation in the Middle East", "The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m.", "Expression of thanks to the outgoing President", "The President: As this is the first meeting of the Council for the month of August 2011, I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Peter Wittig, Permanent Representative of Germany, for his services as President of the Security Council for the month of July 2011. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Wittig and his delegation for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council’s business last month.", "Adoption of the agenda", "The agenda was adopted.", "The situation in the Middle East", "The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda.", "After consultations among Council members, I have been authorized to make the following statement on their behalf:", "“The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria, and expresses profound regret at the death of many hundreds of people.", "“The Security Council condemns the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.", "“The Security Council calls for an immediate end to all violence and urges all sides to act with utmost restraint, and to refrain from reprisals, including attacks against State institutions.", "“The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law. Those responsible for the violence should be held accountable.", "“The Security Council notes the announced commitments by the Syrian authorities to reform, and regrets the lack of progress in implementation, and calls upon the Syrian Government to implement its commitments.", "“The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. It stresses that the only solution to the current crisis in Syria is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, with the aim of effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population which will allow the full exercise of fundamental freedoms for its entire population, including that of expression and peaceful assembly.", "“The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to alleviate the humanitarian situation in crisis areas by ceasing the use of force against affected towns, to allow expeditious and unhindered access for international humanitarian agencies and workers, and to cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to update the Security Council on the situation in Syria within seven days.”", "This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2011/16.", "I now give the floor to those representatives who wish to make a statement.", "Ms. Ziade (Lebanon) (spoke in Arabic): Allow me to quote from the statement made by the representative of Lebanon at the Security Council meeting of 27 April:", "“What takes place in Lebanon affects Syria, and what takes place in Syria affects Lebanon. History has demonstrated that fact most convincingly … Today, more than ever, the hearts and minds of all Lebanese people stand in support of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, its people and the safety and security of its children … We regret the deaths of the victims. We extend our condolences to their families and hope that Syria will enjoy peace and progress.” (S/PV.6524, p. 9)", "As Lebanon believes that presidential statement S/PRST/2011/16 adopted today does not help to address the current situation in Syria, Lebanon disassociates itself from the statement.", "The President: The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.", "The meeting rose at 3.15 p.m." ]

[ "Chairman: Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri (India) Members: Germany Mr. Berger Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Barbalić Brasil Sr. Fernandes China Sr. Wang Min Colombia Mr. Alzate United States of America Ms. DiCarlo Russian Federation Mr. Churkin France Mr. Briens Gabon Mr. MoungaraMoussotsi Lebanon Ms. Ziade Nigeria Mr. Amieyeofori Portugal Mr. Moraes Cabral United Kingdom of Great Britain Northern Ireland Sir Mark LyallGrant South Africa Mr. Sangqu", "Agenda", "The situation in the Middle East", "The meeting was called to order at 3.10 p.m.", "Expressions of thanks to the outgoing President", "The President: Since this is the first meeting of the Security Council in August 2011, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute on behalf of the Council to the Permanent Representative of Germany, His Excellency. Mr. Peter Wittig, for the services rendered as President of the Security Council during the month of July 2011. I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the members of the Council in expressing my deep appreciation to Ambassador Wittig for the great diplomatic skills with which he led the work of the Council over the past month.", "Adoption of the agenda", "The agenda was adopted.", "The situation in the Middle East", "The President: The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on the agenda.", "Following consultations among the members of the Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:", "“The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria, and expresses its deep regret at the death of hundreds of people.", "The Security Council condemns widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.", "" The Security Council calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence and calls upon all parties to exercise utmost restraint and to refrain from retaliation, including attacks on State institutions.", "The Security Council calls upon the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and fulfil their obligations under applicable international law. Those responsible for violence must be held accountable for their actions.", "" The Security Council notes that the Syrian authorities have announced reform commitments, and regrets the lack of progress in implementation, and requests the Syrian Government to fulfil its commitments.", "The Security Council reaffirms its firm respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. It emphasizes that the only solution to the current crisis in Syria is to launch an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, with the objective of effectively taking into account the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population, which will enable the full exercise of the fundamental freedoms of all its people, including the peaceful expression and assembly.", "" The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to alleviate the humanitarian situation in crisis areas by putting an end to the use of force against affected cities, to enable the rapid and unhindered access of international humanitarian agencies and workers, and to cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to report on the situation in Syria within seven days. ”", "This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council as document S/PRST/2011/16.", "I now give the floor to representatives wishing to make a statement.", "Mrs. Ziade (Lebanon) (spoke in Arabic): Let me quote from the statement made by the representative of Lebanon at the Security Council meeting held on 27 April the following:", "“What happens in Lebanon affects Syria and what happens in Syria affects Lebanon. History has shown it in the most convincing way... Today, more than ever, all Lebanese citizens are united in their feelings to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, its people and the safety of their children ... We would like to express our regret for the mortal victims and convey our condolences to their families. We hope that Syria can enjoy peace and progress.” (S/PV.6524, p. 9)", "Since Lebanon considers that today ' s presidential statement S/PRST/2011/16 does not contribute to the current situation in Syria, Lebanon does not subscribe to the statement.", "The President: The Security Council has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.", "The meeting rose at 3.15 p.m." ]

[ "Declaración de la Presidencia del Consejo de Seguridad", "En la 6598ª sesión del Consejo de Seguridad, celebrada el 3 de agosto de 2011, en relación con el examen del tema titulado “La situación en el Oriente Medio”, la Presidencia del Consejo de Seguridad formuló la siguiente declaración en nombre del Consejo:", "“El Consejo de Seguridad expresa su grave preocupación por el deterioro de la situación en Siria, y expresa su profundo pesar por la muerte de cientos de personas.", "El Consejo de Seguridad condena las violaciones generalizadas de los derechos humanos y el uso de la fuerza contra civiles por las autoridades sirias.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide que se ponga inmediatamente fin a todo acto de violencia e insta a todas las partes a que actúen con la máxima moderación y se abstengan de tomar represalias, incluidos ataques contra instituciones estatales.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide a las autoridades sirias que respeten plenamente los derechos humanos y cumplan sus obligaciones con arreglo al derecho internacional aplicable. Los responsables de la violencia deben rendir cuentas de sus actos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad observa que las autoridades sirias han anunciado compromisos de reforma, y lamenta la falta de progresos en el cumplimiento, y pide al Gobierno de Siria que cumpla sus compromisos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad reafirma su firme respeto de la soberanía, la independencia y la integridad territorial de Siria. Hace hincapié en que la única solución a la crisis actual de Siria es poner en marcha un proceso político inclusivo y dirigido por Siria, con el objetivo de tener en cuenta eficazmente las legítimas aspiraciones y preocupaciones de la población, que permita el pleno ejercicio de las libertades fundamentales de toda su población, incluida la de expresión y reunión pacífica.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide a las autoridades sirias que alivien la situación humanitaria en las zonas de crisis poniendo fin al uso de la fuerza contra las ciudades afectadas, que permitan el acceso rápido y sin trabas de los organismos y trabajadores humanitarios internacionales, y que cooperen plenamente con la Oficina del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos.", "El Consejo de Seguridad pide al Secretario General que lo informe sobre la situación en Siria en un plazo de siete días.”" ]

[ "Statement by the President of the Security Council", "At the 6598th meeting of the Security Council, held on 3 August 2011, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “The situation in the Middle East”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:", "“The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria, and expresses profound regret at the death of many hundreds of people.", "“The Security Council condemns the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.", "“The Security Council calls for an immediate end to all violence and urges all sides to act with utmost restraint, and to refrain from reprisals, including attacks against state institutions.", "“The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law. Those responsible for the violence should be held accountable.", "“The Security Council notes the announced commitments by the Syrian authorities to reform, and regrets the lack of progress in implementation, and calls upon the Syrian Government to implement its commitments.", "“The Security Council reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria. It stresses that the only solution to the current crisis in Syria is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, with the aim of effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population which will allow the full exercise of fundamental freedoms for its entire population, including that of expression and peaceful assembly.", "“The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to alleviate the humanitarian situation in crisis areas by ceasing the use of force against affected towns, to allow expeditious and unhindered access for international humanitarian agencies and workers, and cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to update the Security Council on the situation in Syria within 7 days.”" ]

[ "Statement by the President of the Security Council", "At the 6598th meeting of the Security Council, held on 3 August 2011, in connection with the consideration of the item entitled “The situation in the Middle East”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:", "“The Security Council expresses its grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria, and expresses its deep regret at the death of hundreds of people.", "The Security Council condemns widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.", "" The Security Council calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence and calls upon all parties to exercise utmost restraint and to refrain from retaliation, including attacks on State institutions.", "The Security Council calls upon the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and fulfil their obligations under applicable international law. Those responsible for violence must be held accountable for their actions.", "" The Security Council notes that the Syrian authorities have announced reform commitments, and regrets the lack of progress in implementation, and requests the Syrian Government to fulfil its commitments.", "The Security Council reaffirms its firm respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. It emphasizes that the only solution to the current crisis in Syria is to launch an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, with the objective of effectively taking into account the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the population, which will enable the full exercise of the fundamental freedoms of all its people, including the peaceful expression and assembly.", "" The Security Council calls on the Syrian authorities to alleviate the humanitarian situation in crisis areas by putting an end to the use of force against affected cities, to enable the rapid and unhindered access of international humanitarian agencies and workers, and to cooperate fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.", "The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to report on the situation in Syria within seven days. ”" ]