E/CN.4/1503 page 59
ital
of
vith
ses.
is a
:ees
'iew
ini-
hoc
ead
or
si-
in
ng"
/or
ith
of
alt
lis
unt
ped
in
ach
awn
sal
er.
130. These conclusions lead on to discussion of what might be
feasible in terms of prognosis and prescription, prevention and
cure.
131. In order to give birth to an "early-warning system",
it would be necessary to gather, on an ongoing basis, impartial
information from proven sources such as governments, the United
Nations presence in the countries concerned (whether the UNDP
Resident Representative, Specialized Agencies, UNIC or other)
and further informed parties in order to gain an understanding
of the background and all the facets of a situation, including
the ethnic, economic, political and social aspects. necessity, there would be visits to the field. After assessing
all available data, an appreciation to include a number of
possible scenarios for the future development of the situation
would be given to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
and to the competent intergovernmental organs.
Of
132. A "trigger mechanism" would be provided by the Secretary-
General deciding, after due study of the material and using his executive authority, what action would be required on the
part of the United Nations. The Secretary-General might call
for further study of the situation, including discussion
with the government or governments most closely concerned and/or with the appropriate regional body (Arab League, Council of Europe, Organization of African Unity, Organization of American States) to try to determine how regional containment of the problem cold be achieved, to save it becoming inter-
nationalized (that is to say requiring involvement of large- scale United Nations operations).