Physical security of refugees remained a central concern during the reporting period.

The human rights situation remained of utmost concern.

However, there remained a number of areas of concern, which are discussed below.

100. Gender issues remained a cross cutting concern of all UNFPA supported programmes.

The nuclear programme of the Islamic Republic of Iran remained a source of concern.

Furthermore, Israel's threats and repeated aggression against Lebanon have remained a major source of concern.

The financial situation of the Office on Drugs and Crime remained a matter of concern.

The nuclear weapons programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea remained a grave concern.

Besides security considerations, water availability remained a major concern in identifying sites and developing refugee camps.

23. There remained, however, a number of causes for concern, which UNICEF would like to highlight.

Concern remained, however, about the degree of exposure to potential financial volatility.

The poor investigation of rape and sexual assault cases, particularly those involving children, remained a serious concern.

While some progress had been made in East Africa, the situation in Somalia remained a source of concern.

A total of 28 countries hosting 6.4 million persons of concern remained out of the Convention and the Protocol.

The issue remained a cause of concern, with rates significantly higher in rural areas and areas of temporary refugee settlement.

The Committee noted that the situation with respect to the construction and expansion of the settlements remained a serious concern.

The uncertainty concerning the fate of Chief M. K. O. Abiola, whose whereabouts remained unknown, was a cause of particular concern.

40. Poverty eradication has remained a major concern in the work of the United Nations since the establishment of the Organization.

However, it was a matter of concern that no pledges had been received in over a year and that the Trust Fund remained depleted.

Nevertheless, it was deplorable that the number of people of concern to UNHCR remained at 17.1 million.

Cancer remained the main concern among radiation induced health effects, although many factors entered into the disease.

ODA has remained far below the 0.7 per cent target, agreed 35 years ago, and ODA quality is also a matter of concern.

The presence of a large number of minefields in the UNIFIL area of operation, located mainly along the Blue Line, remained a matter of serious concern.

The continued presence of members of the former military, illegally exercising security functions in some areas of the country, remained a matter of concern.

However, it was a matter of concern that more than one quarter of the Organization's members remained without voting rights at the General Conference.

The state of health of another staff member detained by the Palestinian Authority and who suffered from kidney problems remained a matter of concern.

In addition, constraints on Agency field and headquarters operations arising from security related measures imposed by the Israeli authorities remained a matter of concern.

The state of health of another staff member detained by the Palestinian Authority and who suffered from kidney problems remained a matter of concern.

The financial position of completed missions remained a matter of concern since there was a shortfall of cash to cover liabilities for 8 of the 22 completed missions.

Despite a slight improvement, the humanitarian situation remained of particular concern in the areas affected by armed conflict, where there were over 4 million displaced persons.

The wide scale international assistance effort notwithstanding, the economic situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip remained a matter of great concern to the Committee.

The Advisory Committee was informed that, despite the receipt of contributions from several donors that had supported electoral assistance programmes, funding remained a concern a shortfall of 21.9 million is estimated.

4. In commenting on the pressures facing UNHCR, the outgoing Chairman highlighted the fact that a large number of persons, some 22 million, remained of concern to the Office.

The Council observed that despite the progress achieved by some African States the number and intensity of armed conflicts on the continent remained a matter of grave concern, requiring a comprehensive response.

Fiscal consolidation remained a priority

The mobilization of the necessary financial resources to help the programme countries to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and fund their overall development plans remained a source of concern.

Ms. MSUYA (United Republic of Tanzania) said that the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa remained a source of concern for the international community, particularly for her Government.

However, poverty remained a major challenge.

She remained quiet for a minute.

To address this concern, the Panel reviewed the types of evidence provided by claimants in this instalment who remained in or returned to Kuwait for a considerable period following its liberation.

316. The need to promote national ownership of the Special Initiative by African countries was stressed, and concern was expressed that a lot remained to be done to achieve that objective.

The state of the world environment remained a source of concern, with patterns of consumption and production changing too slowly, and insufficient attention being paid to the ecological factors in national strategies.

Although the grounds for concern had changed since the time that the Committee had been set up, the problems remained as pressing as in the past.

Women remained at least a step behind.

A number of problem areas remained, however.