GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS AGENDA ITEMS CONCERNING INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, CIVIL AVIATION DAY
Press Release
GA/9176
GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS AGENDA ITEMS CONCERNING INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, CIVIL AVIATION DAY
19961127 The General Committee this morning recommended the inclusion of the following two new items on the current agenda of the General Assembly: Cooperation between the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM); and Proclamation of 7 December as International Civil Aviation Day. The Committee also recommended that both items be considered directly in Plenary.The representative of Pakistan, reviewing the long history of cooperation between the United Nations and the IOM in efforts to assist migrants worldwide, said it would be in the interest of both bodies to consider ways of enhancing that collaboration.
The representative of Canada, recommending the inclusion of the item on International Civil Aviation Day, said it was fitting that the Assembly should give formal recognition to a day on which the benefits of international civil aviation could be highlighted and advanced.
The General Assembly will consider the recommendations of the General Committee on Friday, 29 November, in the afternoon.
Background
A letter dated 11 November from Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Pakistan and the Philippines addressed to the President of the Assembly (document A/51/232) transmits an explanatory memorandum in support of the request to include the item on cooperation between the United Nations and the IOM. The memorandum notes that the IOM has held observer status in the Assembly since 1992 and actively participates in efforts of the United Nations. It works closely with a number of United Nations partners, including the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A cooperation agreement between the United Nations and the organization was signed in June.
The memorandum also cites examples of increased cooperation between the organization and the United Nations in recent years, including: participation in recent United Nations conferences; the execution of a four-year research
project on migration dynamics in developing countries funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); the Regional Conference to Address the Problems of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Other Forms of Involuntary Displacement and Returnees in the Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, organized together with the UNHCR and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) at Geneva in May; joint operations with the UNHCR on the return and reintegration of refugees and displaced persons; and cooperation with the UNDP on migration issues in post-conflict situations.
The focus of the IOM over recent years has expanded to offer programmes that assist migrants and governments worldwide, the memorandum continues. The organization is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. It acts with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; to advance understanding of migration issues; to encourage social and economic development through migration; and to work towards effective respect of the human dignity and well-being of migrants. According to its constitution, individuals of concern to the IOM include economic migrants, displaced persons, refugees, nationals returning to their home country and other individuals in need of international migration assistance.
According to the memorandum, the organization groups its work into four broad categories of programme activity: humanitarian migration; migration for development; technical cooperation; and migration debate, research and information. Historically, the IOM has emphasized assistance to migrants resettling permanently in another country. In recent years, however, the organization's activities and functions have changed in order to meet the new and evolving needs and challenges faced by the international community.
The request for inclusion of the item on International Civil Aviation Day is contained in a letter dated 19 November from Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, India, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia addressed to the President of the Assembly (document A/51/233).
An explanatory memorandum annexed to the letter states that in 1992 the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) decided that as of 1994, International Civil Aviation Day would be commemorated annually on 7 December. In May, the ICAO Council requested its Secretary-General to urge the General Assembly to officially recognize the International Civil Aviation Day.
Consistent with the objectives stated in the preamble to the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the "Chicago Convention", international civil aviation has contributed significantly to the creation and preservation of friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world, the memorandum states.
* *** *