ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS TWO RESOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY COMMISSION ON NARCOTICS DRUGS

24 July 1996

Press Release
ECOSOC/5683

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS TWO RESOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY COMMISSION ON NARCOTICS DRUGS

19960724 Resolutions Urge States to Report on Suspicious Movements Of Precursors, Establish Authorities to Control Psychotropic Substances

The Economic and Social Council this afternoon urged States to report suspicious movements or thefts of precursor chemicals and take a series of measures to control them under the terms of one of two resolutions, adopted without a vote, recommended by the Commission on Narcotics Drugs, as it continued its general segment.

By the terms of that text, States were urged to take action against suppliers, deny export permits to brokers or intermediaries who facilitate illicit trade, require importers and distributors to provide evidence of legitimacy and reinforce international arrangements against chemical diversions. The United Nations International Drug Control Programme and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) were called upon to establish a limited international surveillance list of non-scheduled substances for which information exists regarding their use in illicit drugs trafficking.

Under the terms of the other text, the Council invited governments to establish authorities to control psychotropic substances and exercise vigilance over their import. Governments were called upon to make use of pre- export declarations and establish control measures over intermediaries, and were invited to reinforce bilateral contacts in that regard.

The Council also took note of a note of the Secretary-General transmitting a cooperation agreement between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration.

The representative of Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, introduced a draft resolution on regional cooperation in the economic and social and related fields.

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Statements were made by the representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, Russian Federation, Ghana, Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire. The representative of Israel spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

Sylvie Bryant, Chief, New York Office of the United Nations Office at Vienna and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, made a statement regarding the budget implications of the drafts recommended by the Commission on Narcotics Drugs. Sarbuland Khan, Chief of the Policy Coordination and Inter-agency Affairs Branch of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, and Alfatih Hamad, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), also spoke on coordination questions. In addition, a representative of the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations made a statement.

The Council will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 25 July, to consider the consultative relationships between non-governmental organizations and the United Nations.

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to continue its general segment. It was scheduled to hear the introduction of a draft resolution on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields. In addition, the Council would take action on two draft resolutions contained in the report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. (For background, see Press Release ECOSOC/5677, of 22 July.) Further, the Council would continue its consideration of coordination questions, as well as take up the issue of non- governmental organizations. (For background, see Press Releases ECOSOC/5652, of 1 July, and ECOSOC/5681, issued today.)

Introduction of Draft on Regional Cooperation

OSCAR ACUÑA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, introduced a draft resolution on regional cooperation in the economic and social and related fields (document E/1996/L.41). By that text, the Council would take note of the report of the Secretary-General on that topic, and of summaries of the economic and social surveys of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Asia.

The Council would recognize that the regional commissions provided an indispensable forum for strengthening regional cooperation, were essential for facilitating the Organization's central role of promoting development and international cooperation, and had important contributions to make to the Council. The Council would note with appreciation the role played by the regional commissions in the preparation of regional plans and programmes of action for the recent major United Nations conferences and in follow-up activities, and would decide to allocate the agenda item on regional cooperation at the beginning of the general segment of the Council.

Action on Drafts

The Council then moved to take action on draft resolutions contained in the report of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs on its thirty-ninth session (Vienna, 16-25 April).

It began with draft resolution III, which concerns action to strengthen international cooperation to control precursors and their substitutes used in the illicit manufacture of controlled substances.

The representative of the United States said that his Government was concerned over the budgetary implications of the draft resolutions.

The representative of the United Kingdom said that costs associated with the draft resolutions should be met from the 1996-1997 regular budget.

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SYLVIE BRYANT, Chief, New York Office of the United Nations Office at Vienna and of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, said additional resources would be required for new activities mentioned in the draft resolutions or the implementation of those resolutions would have to be postponed.

The representative of the United States said his Government had strongly supported draft resolutions III and IV, on measures to combat the diversion of psychotropic substances, at the 1996 meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. However, it found itself in the position of having to disassociate from the consensus position on those two draft resolutions due to its desire to ensure that the United Nations regular budget not be increased.

The Council then adopted draft resolution III without a vote.

It then took up draft resolution IV concerning measures to combat the diversion of psychotropic substances and to establish effective control over operations carried out by intermediaries in international trade of those substances.

The representative of Costa Rica said her delegation supported the draft resolution.

The representative of the United States said his comments made on draft resolution III applied to draft resolution IV as well.

The Council then adopted draft resolution IV without a vote.

Statement by Non-Governmental Organization

MARINA PONTI, of the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, said her organization had given high priority in its work to education and campaigning for human rights. It was on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the right to development had gained recognition as a fundamental human right.

Racist propaganda and incitement to ethnic and racial hatred was spreading, she said. It was shameful that the Centre for Human Rights had been starved of resources and actually prevented from implementing the Programme of Action of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. She stressed that a world conference to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other contemporary forms of racism should be realized without fail.

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Coordination Questions

The Council then took note of the note of the Secretary-General transmitting a cooperation agreement between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration, which was signed on 25 June.

In an introductory statement on coordination questions, SARBULAND KHAN, Chief of the Policy Coordination and Inter-agency Affairs Branch of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said that the Organization's reform effort had changed the working methods of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) and shortened its agenda.

Regarding coordinated follow-up to the global conferences, he said the ACC had responded to Council decisions calling for a thematic approach in the consideration of policy issues. Ad hoc task forces of the ACC had been set up on basic social services for all, employment and sustainable livelihoods, and an enabling environment. Those task forces, along with the inter-agency committee on women, were designed to identify common system-wide elements which could foster guidelines for country-level action.

He said that efforts had been made to focus on key areas with respect to African development so that organizations could come together and take synergistic action at the country level. The System-wide Special Initiative on Africa had been launched simultaneously around the world, including in Washington, D.C., where the Bretton Woods institutions were headquartered. The Secretary-General was committed to mobilizing resources for African development.

Speaking generally about operational activities, he said the ACC consultative committee on operational and programme questions had been following up on resolution 50/120 on the triennial policy review of operational activities for development.

VASILY ALEKCEEVICH NEBENZYA (Russian Federation) noted with regret that the timing and placement of the question of coordination on the Council's agenda today had not been appropriate. Today's discussion should have taken place in the context of the coordination segment. "Discussing coordination questions today -- two days before the end of the session -- would not be useful." He proposed postponing discussion of the issue to a later date, possibly during the resumed session of the Council, the need for which was becoming increasingly obvious.

JACK WILMOT (Ghana) said that Member States of the United Nations should impart to the system new policy directions adapted to new challenges such as the growing marginalization of many countries of the South, particularly in Africa. Support for the United Nations should be manifested by payment in full, without conditions and in good time, of assessed contributions in order

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to promote successful pursuit of the objectives of the Organization. Ghana welcomed the progressively greater level of involvement of civil society in United Nations decision-making, as seen at major international conferences.

His Government noted with satisfaction that the ACC was seized of the issue of African economic recovery and development, culminating in the launching by the Secretary-General of the System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. He had noted that the $25 billion fund would come mainly from a redirection of existing resources. He would like to know how much of the resources had been mobilized, and the extent of additional resources as distinct from redirected existing resources. Effective human resource management was essential to the United Nations system.

ALFATIH HAMAD, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that his organization attached high priority to the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa. The UNESCO would participate in the Initiative, especially in areas where its comparative advantages qualified it to play the lead role. It strongly advocated the full use of existing inter-agency mechanisms to follow up on the Initiative.

CONOR MURPHY (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the European Union agreed with the Russian Federation regarding deferral of consideration of the item. It was essential for the ACC to bring coordination issues to the attention of the Council together with related recommendations. The Union welcomed priority given by the ACC to African issues.

Regarding the role of the ACC in the follow-up to the recent major conferences, he said that its report lacked information on how it was addressing the follow-up to the Beijing Women's Conference. In particular, there had been no reference to the inter-agency committee concerning women. Regarding the inter-agency committee on sustainable development, the European Union would have appreciated a more forward-looking report on its role at the forthcoming special session of the General Assembly. There should be a method to enable inter-agency bodies, including the subsidiary bodies of the ACC, to take part in the deliberations of the Economic and Social Council.

Mr. KHAN, Chief, Policy Coordination and Inter-agency Affairs Branch of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said there had been a positive resonance among Member States on the priority issues that had been addressed by the ACC. The secretariat had endeavoured to have the Council consider coordination questions at a time proximate to its coordination segment.

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Concerning resource mobilization, he said the mobilization of new and additional resources was a major priority. Earlier this month, the Secretary- General had convened a meeting in Geneva at which the entire diplomatic community had been invited specifically for the purpose of mobilizing resources for the Special Initiative on Africa. The executive heads of the entire United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, were fully committed to that Initiative.

JEAN-MARIE KACOU GERVAIS (Côte d'Ivoire), Council President, said that, in view of the requests to leave the item on coordination questions open, he would do so. Concerning the draft texts on non-governmental organizations, he said more consultations were needed; he, thus, suspended the meeting for 30 minutes for that purpose.

When the meeting reconvened, the Council President announced that, since there was insufficient time remaining to complete discussions on non- governmental organizations, the issue would be dealt with tomorrow morning.

Right of Reply

ARIE TENNE (Israel), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said he wished to respond to the "instant conclusions" drawn by the representative of Lebanon this morning in response to a report of Amnesty International. His Government had conducted an investigation and emphatically rejected the conclusion that the United Nations compound or the civilians seeking refuge there had been deliberately targeted.

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