THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFTS ON CRIME PREVENTION, ILLITERACY, CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REFUGEE MATTERS
Press Release
GA/SHC/3318
THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFTS ON CRIME PREVENTION, ILLITERACY, CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REFUGEE MATTERS
19951110 The General Assembly would urge all entities of the United Nations systems to become actively involved in implementation of the resolutions and recommendations of the Ninth Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, under the terms of one of three draft resolutions approved without a vote this afternoon in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).Also by that text, recommended by the Economic and Social Council, the Assembly would invite governments to be guided by the results of the Congress.
Following approval of the draft, the representative of Syria stated that during the Congress, his Government had condemned terrorism. Many countries deliberately confused terrorism with the right of people to resist foreign occupation, a right which the international community should support.
Under the terms of another draft, as orally revised, the Assembly would stress the importance of improving the operational activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, particularly in developing countries and those in transition. Also, it would call upon States and funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for operational activities for crime prevention and criminal justice.
The representative of the United States said her Government could not yet support the upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat into a division. Issues such as costs and future prospects of the Branch needed to be further explored.
Also this afternoon, the Committee approved without a vote an orally revised draft text on a mid-decade review against illiteracy by which the General Assembly would call upon the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to continue leading the follow-up to the International Literacy Year and the World Conference on Education for All. In addition, it would appeal anew to the international community to lend greater financial and material support towards literacy.
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The Committee also heard the introduction of a draft resolution under which the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to ensure that the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders was provided with adequate funds, within the overall appropriation of the programme budget and from the extraordinary budgetary resources.
Also this afternoon, the Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in New York, Soren Jessen-Petersen, thanked members of the Committee for their favourable comments on the work of Office of the High Commissioner. He also announced that the High Commissioner, Mrs. Sadako Ogata, would appear before the Committee on 20 November.
The Committee concluded this afternoon its consideration of refugee questions and related matters. The representative of Rwanda said the grave situation in his country was the result of powerfully orchestrated propaganda organized by the former government. He regretted that part of the international community had been taken in by that propaganda.
Statements on refugee questions and related matters were also made by the representatives of Sri Lanka, Jordan, Tunisia, the Organization of African Unity (OAO), Guatemala (on behalf of Central American States), Algeria and Vietnam.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 14 November, to continue its consideration of the Advancement of women and the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of refugees, returnees, displaced persons and humanitarian questions. (For background information on reports before the Committee, see Press Releases GA/SHC/3312 of 6 November, and GA/SHC/3315 of 9 November.)
The Committee was also expected to take action on two draft resolutions concerning social development questions: a mid-decade review against illiteracy (document A/C.3/L.11); and the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (document A/C.3/50/L.12/Rev.1). Furthermore, it was expected to take action on the following drafts on crime prevention and criminal justice: the Ninth Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/50/L.3); and on strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme particularly its technical cooperation capacity (document A/C.3/50/L.15).
In addition, the Committee was expected to hear the introduction of a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/50/L.16).
Draft Resolutions
Under the text on a mid-decade review against illiteracy, the Assembly would call upon the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to continue leading the follow-up to International Literacy Year and the World Conference on Education for All. Also, it would request the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, in 1997, through the Economic and Social Council, a progress report on the implementation process of the education for all objectives. In addition, it would appeal anew to the international community to lend greater financial and material support towards literacy.
That draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Greece, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Senegal, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
A text, recommended by the Economic and Social Council to the General Assembly, would have the Assembly endorse the resolutions adopted by the Ninth Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. Also under that draft, the Assembly would invite governments to be guided by the results of the Congress. In addition, it would urge all entities of the
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United Nations systems to become actively involved in implementation of the resolutions and recommendations of the Congress.
By the draft on strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme particularly its technical cooperation capacity, the Assembly would stress the importance of improving the operational activities of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, particularly in developing countries and those in transition. It would call upon States and funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for operational activities for crime prevention and criminal justice, and would encourage all States to make voluntary contributions for that purpose.
Also under that text, the Secretary-General would be requested to facilitate the creation of joint initiatives and the joint formulation and implementation of technical assistance projects, benefiting developing countries and countries in transition involving interested donor countries and funding agencies, particularly the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank. The Assembly would also request him to assist the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the principal policy- making body in the field of crime prevention.
The Assembly would call upon UNDP, the World Bank and other international, regional and national funding agencies to support technical cooperation activities devoted to crime prevention and criminal justice. The Secretary-General would be requested to provide improved services at its future sessions to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
That draft resolution is sponsored by Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, India, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdoms, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Statements
NIHAL RODRIGO (Sri Lanka) said that despite the vast scale and spread of humanitarian problems relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had accomplished much throughout the world. It had evolved a practical, workable approach to its mandate in cooperation with countries directly involved and had been most successful in cases where it had worked with consent and in association with such countries.
He said that the reintegration of Sri Lankans who were returning home following agreement between his Government and the Government of India had
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been greatly facilitated by practical assistance rendered by the UNHCR. That programme was continuing steadily.
He said that in his country, large numbers of Sri Lankans were being forcibly displaced by the actions of a secessionist group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam. That group had earlier this year unilaterally turned its back on the option of settling the country's ethnic issues through a process of peaceful negotiations, an option fully supported by all other political parties and groups in Sri Lanka and welcomed by the international community. Faced with the prospect of losing its grip over Jaffna and its people, the group had ordered what amounted to the city's forced evacuation. The Government had taken steps to ensure continuity and adequacy of food, medicine and other essential items to those affected.
THAMER ABDALLA ADWAN (Jordan) said that Jordan was the host country of the greatest number of Palestinian refugees. The large number of those refugees constituted a pressure on the infrastructure in the country, such as education and health services. The cause of the refugee situation was political but resulted in humanitarian tragedy. A solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees was one of the pillars for a comprehensive settlement in the region.
He commended the efforts of the UNHCR, particularly in the Great Lakes region of Africa and in the former Yugoslavia. Some of the host countries of refugees were among the poorest countries and as such, the refugee situation created pressures on those countries.
WAHID BEN AMOR (Tunisia) welcomed the positive outcomes of the refugee- related problems in Africa such as the return of almost all refugees to Mozambique. However, he was particularly concerned by the enormous number of people covered by the UNHCR. Furthermore, a non-discriminatory treatment of the vulnerable population -- such as children and women -- in refugee camps needed to be enforced.
In dealing with the refugee problem, prevention was of utmost importance, he continued. However, economic development was not sufficient. The enforcing of law and order was also necessary. Also, host countries were not always wealthy ones. Thus, many of them required assistance. In addition, in achieving a long-lasting solution to the problem of refugees, political action should be supplemented by economic action.
IBRAHIMA SY, Observer of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), said that the question of refugees, returnees and displaced persons had always figured prominently on the agenda of the OAU, not only because a third of the world's refugees were in Africa, but also because the organization was very
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much concerned by the immense suffering and misery endured by the millions of uprooted Africans, living a precarious life of uncertainty, dependency, fear and deprivation.
He said that the refugee crisis in Africa was not only a humanitarian one but also a source of insecurity and tension among member States. It was a serious obstacle to subregional and regional economic cooperation and development and engendered waste of important human, material and environmental resources.
To cope with the many conflicts in Africa, the OAU had set up a mechanism for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. That mechanism was already involved in efforts to find solutions to the major conflicts afflicting Africa, particularly in Burundi, Liberia and Somalia. In its efforts to find a lasting solution to the root causes of the refugee problems, the OAU had also devoted a lot of effort to the implementation of the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the OAU Convention on the Specific Aspects of the Refugee Problem in Africa and the Convention on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
He said that apart from political activities, the OAU was also involved in activities of assistance to refugees through its Commission of Twenty on Refugees and Bureau of Refugees. Those activities involved the awarding of scholarships to refugees for education and training and the funding of income generating projects to make refugees more self-supporting.
In order to find a lasting solution to the problem of refugees in Africa, he said the efforts of the UNHCR must be supported by adequate international assistance. It was necessary to preserve and re-strengthen international commitment to asylum countries. There was also the need to adequately assist those countries of asylum which used their modest resources to host a large number of refugees.
He also called for the strengthening of the United Nations operational capacity and the speedy operationalization of the International tribunals set up to prosecute perpetrators of grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law. "The OAU shares the view on the need to remove obstacles which inhibit access to asylum-seekers", he added.
FRANCISCO NOGUERA (Guatemala), also speaking on behalf of Central American States, said during the declaration of commitments towards peace, of June 1994 in Mexico, Central American Governments had pledged to continue with their peace efforts in the region, and had emphasized the need for emergency programmes for those in need. Also, the Alliance for Sustainable Development in Central America, was a regional instrument designed to reorder regional priorities.
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Central America was a region particularly affected by the problem of displaced persons, he continued. He urged the international community to continue with its cooperation in the region. The efforts made by governments in the region needed to be complemented by UNHCR efforts as well as those of other United Nations bodies -- such as UNDP. It was necessary to implement the necessary infrastructure to aid displaced persons in Central America. In addition, he regretted the recent trend of many developed countries in regard to granting asylum.
VENUSTE HABIYAREMYE (Rwanda) said that political manipulations were the causes of the crisis that had rocked Rwanda. The situation in Rwanda was the result of powerfully orchestrated propaganda organized by the former government of that country. It was regrettable that part of the international community had been taken in by that propaganda.
The international community should correct its picture of the problem of Rwandan refugees, he continued. The Rwandan Government was determined to do everything possible to facilitate the safe return of all refugees in the spirit of the Bujumbura agreements. No effort would be spared to guarantee to all Rwandans enjoyed the same rights of citizenship and privileges.
He noted that there had been the recommendations calling for the separation of Rwandan refugees from the perpetrators of the genocide in the country and from those who were intimidating the refugees in the camps. The failure to implement that recommendation was responsible for the continuing insecurity in Rwanda. The international community should require the complete disarmament of the former army in the countries currently hosting them. Such disarmament would help to stabilize the situation in Rwanda and in the region. The international community should also participate in rebuilding the Rwandan judiciary.
He added that the Security Council resolution which called for the arrest of the perpetrators of the genocide should be implemented. In addition, the host countries of Rwandan refugees should encourage them to return home voluntarily. The international community should also continue to provide assistance for the reintegration of the refugees and the rebuilding of Rwanda.
HOCINE SAHRAOUI (Algeria) said the refugee problem had assumed scary proportions. Hundreds of thousands of people had been affected. The "proliferation of the refugee population" was caused by rapid political, economic and social changes worldwide.
In the political arena, the emergence of nationalism had brought about the refugee problem, he continued. In the economic arena, macroeconomic factors that could not be controlled by countries in the southern hemisphere
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had further impoverished those countries. The latter had originated the movement of massive populations in quest of a better standard of living.
Political and economic solutions to the refugee problem were closely related, he continued. The international community needed to express its determination to support the improvement of the refugee problem. Only a multi-dimensional, sustainable development programme could be effective in solving the matter.
PHAM THI THANH VAN (Vietnam) said in June 1989, the International Conference on the Indo-Chinese Refugees held in Geneva had adopted a Comprehensive Plan of Action whereby countries of first asylum had the responsibility of screening the Vietnamese asylum-seekers to determine if they qualified for refugee status. Under the terms of the Plan, some governments had agreed to resettle those determined to be refugees. However, those who had been screened out -- that is, determined not to be refugees -- would have to return to their country. Since then, the Plan had been effectively implemented by her country, UNHCR and other concerned countries. As a result, clandestine departures from Viet Nam had stopped.
Her Government and that of the United States had met to discuss ways and means for the quick return of the remaining 40,000 refugees in camps scattered in southeast Asia.
Action on Draft Resolutions
The Committee took up the draft on a mid-decade review against illiteracy.
The representative of Mongolia made oral revisions to the text. She said that operative paragraph six of that text would read as follows: "Calls upon the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue assuming the role of lead organization in ensuring an effective follow-up to International Literacy Year and to pursue, in cooperation with other sponsors of the World Conference on Education for All, the implementation of the world declaration and education for all."
Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, Niger, Russian Federation, Iran and the Philippines joined in sponsoring that text.
Acting without a vote, the Committee approved the draft on a mid-decade review against illiteracy.
Next, the Committee deferred consideration of a draft resolution on the standard rules for Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities to a date to be announced.
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The Committee then took up the draft on the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders.
The draft on the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders was approved without a vote.
The representative of Syria, speaking after the approval of the draft resolution, said that the resolutions of the Ninth Congress on Crime were an additional step to mobilize international effort to combat crime. Syria had announced during the Congress that it rejected and condemned terrorism. Many countries deliberately confused terrorism with the right of people to resist foreign occupation, a right which the international community should support. Syria reaffirmed its position with regard to the need to draw a distinction between the two.
The Committee then took up the text on strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, particularly its technical cooperation capacity.
The representative of Italy made oral revisions to that text. Argentina, Australia, Cyprus, Guyana, Poland, Azerbaijan, Guinea, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Spain and the Philippines joined in sponsoring that text.
The representative of the United States said she hoped for greater emphasis on technical cooperation. Her Government could not yet support the upgrading of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat into a division. Issues such as costs and future prospects of the Branch needed to be further explored. The branch needed to do more to justify its upgrading. Her country would not participate in the vote in order not to alter the consensus on the draft.
The Committee approved, without a vote, the draft on Strengthening of the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme.
The representative of the United Kingdom, speaking after the approval of the draft resolution, said there were needs that should be satisfied before an upgrade of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the Secretariat into a division. Consideration should first be given to all relevant facts.
Introduction of Draft Resolution on United Nations African Institute for Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
The representative of South Africa introduced the draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (A/C.3/50/L.16).
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Under the draft resolution, the General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to ensure that the Institute was provided with adequate funds, within the overall appropriation of the programme budget and from the extrabudgetary resources, and to submit proposals for any necessary additional funding of the institute in accordance with General Assembly decision 49/480 of 6 April 1995.
The text would also have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to mobilize additional extrabudgetary resources for the implementation of the activities of the Institute. In addition, it would request the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to resume the Programme's assistance programme to the Institute, which was ended in October 1994, and to continue providing appropriate funds for the institutional strengthening and the implementation of the programme of work of the Institute, taking into account the difficult economic and financial situation faced by many countries in the African region.
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