----- Original Message ----- From: Pennoyer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 1:15 PM Subject: UNICEF Stifles Negotiations at UN Meeting > Dear Colleague, > > The Child Summit process chugs along. At a meeting this week UNICEF has > not allowed governments to negotiate its draft document. They believe > they can produce a document that governments will simply agree to. Given > the controversial nature of the subject, it is highly unlikely this will > ever happen. And abortion for adolescents has reared its ugly head. > > Spread the word. > > Yours sincerely, > > Austin Ruse > President > ____________________________________________________________________________ _ > > FRIDAY FAX > > May 3,2001 > Volume 4, Number 20 > > UNICEF STIFLES DEBATE OVER NEW DOCUMENT FOR CHILD SUMMIT > > * UN governmental delegations are frustrated this week in New York. They > came to UN headquarters to negotiate a document and were told they > couldn't. This week's unscheduled "intersessional" is a meeting in the > process leading to a Special Session of the UN General Assembly which > will deal with children's issues. > > * The purpose of any UN conference process is the production of a > document, which is painstakingly negotiated over weeks, line-by-line and > word-by-word. The negotiating sessions are frequently rowdy affairs > lasting for days late into the night. It appears UNICEF is attempting to > avoid this messiness by producing a document that governments will not > be allowed to negotiate, only rubber-stamp. > > * UNICEF first produced a document for a week-long meeting last January. > The Member States essentially rejected the document so UNICEF produced > another one, which began circulating a month ago. The frustration of > governments was apparent this week when many of them produced > extensively amended versions of the UNICEF draft, none of which were > considered. UNICEF's expectations of a non-negotiated document will > likely be frustrated since chances are slim it can produce something > that all UN Members will simply agree to. > > * Part of the problem is the secretive way the document is being > drafted. It is being written by a group of UNICEF staffers, along with > members of the UN Secretariat and a group called the "Bureau," which is > five UN member states acting as an organizing committee for the > conference. Governments are allowed to advise the drafting group but in > the end the group can do what it likes. Some groups of states have more > power than others. A member of the UN Secretariat said the European > Union carries more weight than any other single entity. > > * Even though the document was not negotiated, the battle lines for the > next round of meetings were clearly drawn. One of the central issues is > how closely to tie the new document to the Convention on the Rights of > the Child. The Special Session on Children is intended to "review" > progress made in implementing the controversial Convention, but many > states do not want the new document to be tied to it. Going even > further, the European Union is pushing very hard for what is known as a > "rights based approach," which some believe is code for a whole range of > radical social policy. > > * A new grouping of "like-minded" states has gathered to counter EU > proposals. It consists of seventeen Muslim countries that are calling > for more rights for parents and a stronger hand for the family. The US > and the Holy See are also supporting the rights of parents and the > family. The Rio Group, made of the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin > America, has called for the document to include expansion of abortion > rights for adolescents. Given the wide range of opinion and the > volatility of the issues, a non-negotiated document is expected to be a > non-starter and member states worry that this meeting and the last have > been a waste of time. UNICEF and the Bureau will produce another > document next week and have called for another session the last week in > May. > > Copyright - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). > Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required. > > Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute > 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427 > New York, New York 10017 > Phone: (212) 754-5948 Fax: (212) 754-9291 > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: www.c-fam.org > ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Neither public email list, open for the public and general discussion. To unsubscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=unsubscribe To subscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject=subscribe For information on [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.neither.org/lists/public-list.htm For archives http://www.mail-archive.com/public-list@neither.org
