GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDORSES OUTCOME OF UNCTAD IX, ADOPTS ANTI-CORRUPTION DECLARATION, STRESSES CHALLENGES OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRATION
Press Release
GA/9206
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDORSES OUTCOME OF UNCTAD IX, ADOPTS ANTI-CORRUPTION DECLARATION, STRESSES CHALLENGES OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRATION
19961216 Actions Taken as It Adopts 28 Proposals On Recommendation of Economic and Financial CommitteeThe General Assembly this afternoon endorsed the outcome of the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD IX) (Midrand, South Africa, May 1996), as it adopted 28 proposals recommended by its Second Committee (Economic and Financial).
In a three-part text, the Assembly welcomed the fact that UNCTAD has adopted far-reaching reforms encompassing its programme of work, its intergovernmental machinery and its secretariat, adapting itself to new economic and institutional situations created by the process of globalization, the conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the creation of the World Trade Organization. The role of UNCTAD as the focal point within the United Nations for the integrated treatment of development and interrelated issues in the areas of trade, finance, technology, investment and sustainable development was recognized.
Acting on the recommendation of the Economic and Social Council, the Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions, by which States pledged to deny the tax deductibility of bribes paid by any private or public corporation or individual of a Member State to any public official or elected representative of another country.
Also under the Declaration, States pledged to criminalize bribery of foreign public officials in an effective and coordinated manner. They also agreed that action taken by them to establish jurisdiction over acts of bribery of foreign public officials in international commercial transactions shall be consistent with the principles of international law regarding the extraterritorial application of a State's law.
In another resolution, the Assembly stressed that the phenomenon of global financial integration presents new challenges and opportunities for the international community and should constitute a very important element of the
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dialogue between the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods institutions. The Assembly noted that a number of developing countries, among them most of the least developed countries, especially those of Africa, have not benefited from the globalization of finance and continue to be in great need of official development assistance (ODA).
Acting on the external debt problem of developing countries, the Assembly welcomed the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative endorsed by the Interim Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Development Committee of the World Bank, designed to enable eligible heavily indebted poor countries to achieve a sustainable debt situation. It also stressed the importance of implementing the Initiative eligibility criteria flexibly in a transparent manner and with the full involvement of the debtor country.
By another text, the Assembly stressed the need to increase efforts to ensure the flow of substantial resources to developing countries, through an expansion of multilateral credits, the promotion of foreign direct investment and an increase in concessional and non-debt resources. It stressed that private capital flows are an important external source of financing for sustainable development and that attracting such investment requires sound fiscal and monetary policies, accountable governmental institutions, and transparent legal and regulatory regimes.
Acting on other matters referred to it by the Economic and Social Council, the Assembly, by a vote of 133 in favour to 3 against (Israel, United States, Vanuatu), with 21 abstentions, called upon Israel, the occupying Power, not to exploit, to cause loss and depletion of, or to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. (See Annex for details of the vote.)
By other resolutions recommended by the Council, the Assembly endorsed the Washington Declaration and Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, adopted by an intergovernmental conference held in Washington, D.C., last year.
In other trade-related actions, the Assembly:
-- Called upon the United Nations system to continue to study possible ways of promoting more effective cooperative arrangements between land-locked States in central Asia and their transit developing neighbours; and
-- Urged developed countries to continue to support the commodity diversification efforts of developing countries, especially African countries, in a spirit of common purpose and efficiency, including providing technical and financial assistance for the preparatory phase of their commodity diversification programmes.
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Acting on sectoral policy questions, the Assembly: -- Welcomed the major programme of reform and the restructuring process undertaken by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); and also -- Welcomed the outcome of the World Food Summit, held in Rome from 13 to 17 November, urging the international community, including financial institutions, to cooperate actively in a coordinated manner in the implementation of the Plan of Action adopted at the Summit.
In a series of resolutions adopted under the Second Committee's consideration of sustainable development and international economic cooperation questions, the Assembly stressed the need to: -- Support two-way communication systems that enable dialogue and allow communities to speak out, express their aspirations and concerns, and participate in the decisions that relate to their development; and -- Implement the commitments agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, to strengthen the implementation of the Declaration and the Strategy in the remaining years of the 1990s so as to ensure that the Decade will, indeed, be one of accelerated development. Under another resolution, the Assembly agreed to defer the holding of the high-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for a period of two days until its fifty-second session and also agreed that the theme of the dialogue would be the social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications. By a further text, the Assembly recognized the need for ensuring favourable conditions for market access of exports from countries with economies in transition and called upon the United Nations system to continue to provide policy advice and technical assistance to those economies on the social and political framework for economic and market reforms.
Acting on matters relating to major United Nations conferences, the Assembly: -- Decided to convene the special session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21 for a duration of one week, from 23 to 27 June 1997, at the highest political level of participation; -- Urged all countries to make additional contributions for the implementation of the Programme of Action adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), taking account of the economic constraints faced by developing countries, in particular the least developed countries;
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-- Endorsed the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda adopted by the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, June 1996), and decided that the Commission on Human Settlements, as a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council, should have a central role in monitoring within the United Nations system, the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;
-- Welcomed the fact that the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, would enter into force on 26 December 1996;
-- Invited the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity to provide the Assembly at its special session on Agenda 21 with information on experience gained under the Convention to date;
-- Urged the international community to support small island developing States in their efforts to adapt to the sea level rise that would be experienced as a result of the impact of greenhouse gases that had already been emitted into the atmosphere;
-- Noted with satisfaction that most States and one regional economic integration organization have ratified or acceded to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and invited States that are not parties to take appropriate action to that end;
-- Called upon all States and organizations to participate actively in the financial and technical support for the activities to ensure the implementation of the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction's International Framework of Action, in particular to translate the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction;
-- Invited governments to increase their budget allocations to basic social services for covering the special needs of children in order to facilitate achieving the goals set out in the 1990 World Summit for Children and decided to convene a special session of the Assembly in 2001 to review the achievement of those goals;
By other resolutions, the Assembly:
-- Decided that the theme for the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty shall be "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind"; and
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-- Encouraged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to pursue its ongoing task of promoting throughout the United Nations system a greater awareness of the crucial relationship between culture and development, taking into account the diversity of cultures.
Under texts concerning training and research issues, the Assembly took the following actions:
--- Requested that relevant measures be taken by the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Training and Research Institute with respect to the regularization of the post of Executive Director of the Institute; and
--- Requested the Rector of the United Nations University and its Council to continue intensifying their efforts to improve the University's interaction and communication with other bodies of the United Nations system, and to continue their efforts to avoid the duplication of work within the system.
Also this afternoon, by a plenary text, introduced by Romania and sponsored by 143 countries, the Assembly congratulated the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary and commended the Fund for the important contribution it has made in promoting the survival, development and protection of children, and as an advocate of children's rights.
In addition, as the debate on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded this afternoon, the representative of Egypt introduced a 23-operative paragraph draft resolution on the matter. He noted that the co-sponsors were introducing a revised version of the draft, and hoped that the Assembly would adopt it without a vote.
During the debate, the representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina regretted that despite their seemingly clear commitment to some of the most basic elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement, some of the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina refused to implement those basic commitments. Even after the latest reconfirmation of the requirement to fully cooperate with and comply with the orders of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, he said, some of the authorities of the Republika Srpska, within Bosnia and Herzegovina, openly refuted the necessity to comply.
Other speakers in the debate were the representatives of Croatia, Ukraine, Senegal, Turkey, Sudan, Albania, as well as the observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 17 December, to continue its deliberations.
Assembly Work Programme
The General Assembly met this afternoon to take action on reports of its Second Committee (Economic and Financial). It was also scheduled to take action on a draft resolution on the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the operations of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and to continue its debate on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Proposals recommended in the Second Committee reports address, among other issues, the following: macroeconomic policy questions, including the external debt problem of developing countries; global financial integration; and international trade and development. Several texts concern sustainable development and international economic cooperation, including drafts on the agenda for development and eradication of poverty.
Other reports are submitted under the Committee's consideration of environment and sustainable development and cover several issues related to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), including matters related to the special session of the Assembly to review implementation of Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted by the Conference. In addition, the Committee is also submitting for adoption recommendations of the Economic and Social Council, including a draft United Nations declaration against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions.
Second Committee Reports
The report of the Second Committee on macroeconomic policy questions (document A/51/602) contains six draft resolutions and one draft decision, all approved without a vote.
Draft resolution I, approved without a vote on 2 December, concerns international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problem of developing countries. It would have the Assembly welcome the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative endorsed by the Interim Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Development Committee of the World Bank, designed to enable eligible heavily indebted poor countries to achieve a sustainable debt situation through coordinated action by all creditors, on the basis of adjustment efforts by the debtor countries necessary to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development.
In addition, the Assembly would recognize that the implementation of the Initiative requires additional financial resources from both bilateral and multilateral creditors and, therefore, should not be pursued at the expense of development resources. It would stress the urgent need for the developed countries to give the Initiative the support it both needs and deserves, and to implement it flexibly to ensure that the performance already achieved is
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taken into account in determining the duration of adjustment required to reach, with the assistance of all creditors, an exit from debt rescheduling. Further stressed would be the importance of implementing the Initiative eligibility criteria flexibly in a transparent manner and with the full involvement of the debtor country.
Also by the draft, the efforts of indebted developing countries in regard to fulfilling their commitments on debt servicing despite the incurring of a high social cost would be recognized. In that regard, the Assembly would encourage private creditors and, in particular, commercial banks to continue their initiatives and efforts to address the commercial debt problems of middle-income developing countries. Creditor countries, private banks and multilateral financial institutions, within their prerogatives, would be invited to continue the initiatives and efforts to address the commercial debt problems of the least developed countries. The IMF would be invited to continue devising concrete measures and action to address the problems faced by indebted developing countries, including the provision of bilateral contributions, and if the need arises, to consider optimizing its reserves management in order to facilitate the financing of the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF).
Draft resolution II, on net flows and transfer of resources between developing and developed countries, also approved on 2 December, would have the Assembly stress the need to increase efforts to ensure the flow of substantial resources to developing countries, through, among other measures, an expansion of multilateral credits, the promotion of foreign direct investment and an increase in concessional and non-debt resources. It would also stress that private capital flows are an important external source of financing for sustainable development, and that attracting such investment requires sound fiscal and monetary policies, accountable governmental institutions, and transparent legal and regulatory regimes.
The Assembly would reaffirm the pressing need of developing countries for official development assistance (ODA), especially those in Africa and the least developed countries, and would urge countries to strive to fulfil, consistent with commitments in international agreements, the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of the gross national product (GNP) of developed countries for ODA to the developing countries, and the target, where agreed, of 0.15 per cent of the GNP of the developed countries for ODA to the least developed countries as soon as possible.
Draft resolution III, on global financial integration and strengthening collaboration between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, approved on 2 December, would have the Assembly recognize that technological advances have reduced the costs and increased the speed of international financial transactions and that, as policy liberalization has facilitated international capital flows, financial institutions have increasingly added
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foreign assets to their portfolios, paving the way towards the phenomenon of global financial integration. Global financial integration, it is stressed, presents new challenges and opportunities for the international community and should constitute a very important element of the dialogue between the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods institutions.
The Assembly would note that the globalization of financial markets can generate new risks of instability, including interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations and volatile short-term capital flows, which require all countries to pursue sound economic policies and to recognize the external economic impact of their domestic policies. Also stressed would be that sound domestic macroeconomic policies of each country in regard to promoting macroeconomic stability and growth are primary elements for determining private capital flows, and that the coordination of macroeconomic policies and a favourable international economic environment play an important role in reinforcing their effectiveness. Recognizing that a number of developing countries have been able to take advantage of the globalization of finance, the Assembly would note that a number of developing countries, among them most of the least developed countries, especially those of Africa, have not benefited from the globalization of finance and continue to be in great need of ODA.
The Assembly would consider that the strengthening of collaboration between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions requires an integrated approach, encompassing a closer policy dialogue at the intergovernmental level on relevant areas of international development policy issues, taking into account their respective competencies. It would underscore the need for encouragement of private flows to all countries, in particular, to developing countries, while reducing the risks of volatility.
The three-part draft resolution IV, on international trade and development, was also approved on 2 December.
Part I of the draft would have the Assembly endorse the outcome of the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD IX, Midrand, South Africa, May 1996). It would welcome the fact that UNCTAD, as part of the United Nations system and a contributor to its revitalization, has adopted far-reaching reforms, as embodied in the outcome of the ninth session -- "Midrand Declaration and a Partnership for Growth and Development" -- encompassing its programme of work, its intergovernmental machinery and the reform of its secretariat, including its complementarity with the World Trade Organization and its cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), thus, adapting itself to new economic and institutional modalities created by the process of globalization, the conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the creation of the World Trade Organization.
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The role of UNCTAD as the focal point within the United Nations for the integrated treatment of development and interrelated issues in the areas of trade, finance, technology, investment and sustainable development would be recognized. The Assembly would decide that UNCTAD should implement its programme of work with a focus on the issues of globalization and development, international trade in goods and services and commodity matters, investment, enterprise development and technology, services infrastructure for development and trade efficiency.
In part II of the draft, the Assembly would stress the urgent need to continue trade liberalization in developed and developing countries. It would also stress the need for the full integration of economies in transition, as well as other countries, in particular, through improved access to their exports in accordance with the multilateral trading system. It would recognize that the World Trade Organization provides the framework for an open, rule-based, equitable, secure, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable multilateral trading system, and stress that all members of the World Trade Organization should implement their commitments in respect of the Uruguay Round agreements in a full, timely, faithful and continuous manner. The Assembly would underscore that the international community's handling of "new issues" affecting the conduct of international trade relations should be carried out in a balanced manner, which takes into account the concerns of all countries, including developing countries.
In part III of the draft, the Assembly, recognizing the important progress made in understanding the relationship between trade and environment in the Committee on Trade and Environment of the World Trade Organization, as well as in UNCTAD, and in the Commission on Sustainable Development, would request the Conference to continue its work on trade, environment, and development, in cooperation with relevant international organizations, including the World Trade Organization. The role of UNCTAD in the context of the forthcoming special session of the Assembly for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21 would be stressed. In addition, the Conference would be requested, based on the outcome of UNCTAD IX, to identify and analyse the implications for development of issues relevant to investment, taking into account the interests of developing countries and bearing in mind the work undertaken by other organizations.
The need to give priority to the problems facing the least developed countries would be reaffirmed by the draft. The Assembly would invite preference-giving countries to continue to improve and renew their Generalized System of Preferences schemes in keeping with the post-Uruguay Round trading system and with the objective of integrating developing countries, especially least developed countries, into the international trading system. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to present a proposal on savings resulting from improved overall cost-effectiveness achieved pursuant to the ninth session of
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the Conference, including the restructuring of the intergovernmental machinery and reform of the Secretariat, and to submit a proposal on how to reallocate a part of the savings in the 1998-1999 budget cycle with a view to strengthening the Conference's capabilities in priority areas, including in technical cooperation.
Draft resolution V, on transit environment in the land-locked States in central Asia and their transit developing neighbours, approved by the Committee on 25 November, would have the Assembly call upon the United Nations system to continue to study possible ways of promoting more effective cooperative arrangements between those States and their neighbours. It would also encourage a more active supportive role by the donor community. In addition, donor countries and multilateral financial and development institutions would be invited to provide those States and their transit neighbours with appropriate financial and technical assistance to improve their transit environment.
Draft resolution VI, on commodities, which was approved on 2 December, would have the Assembly emphasize the urgent need for supportive international policies to improve the functioning of commodity markets through efficient and transparent price formation mechanisms, including commodity exchanges, and through the use of commodity price-risk management instruments. Developed countries would be urged to continue to support the commodity diversification efforts of developing countries, especially African countries, in a spirit of common purpose and efficiency, including providing technical and financial assistance for the preparatory phase of their commodity diversification programmes. The Assembly would stress, among others, that trade-distorting policies and practices, including tariff and non-tariff barriers, tariff escalation and obstacles to competition, have a negative effect on the ability of developing countries to diversify their exports and to undertake the requisite restructuring of their commodity sector; and that the expansion of South-South trade in commodities offers opportunities for intersectoral linkages within and among exporting countries. It would encourage the Common Fund for Commodities to direct its commodity development programmes more towards commodity-sector diversification projects and to promote commodity- market development in developing countries, with particular focus on the least developed countries.
By the draft decision, approved on 2 December, the Assembly would decide to take note of the following document: "report of the Secretary-General on global financial integration: challenges and opportunities"; and "report of the Secretary-General on strengthening international organization in the area of multilateral trade".
The Committee's report on sectoral policy questions (document A/51/603) contains two draft resolutions and one draft decision, which were approved without a vote on 2 December.
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Draft resolution I, on industrial development cooperation, would have the Assembly welcome the major programme of reform and the restructuring process undertaken by UNIDO. It would reiterate the importance of cooperation and coordination within the United Nations system in providing effective support to the industrial development of the developing countries, and call upon UNIDO to continue carrying out its central coordinating role in that regard. All governments would be urged to adopt and implement development policies that promote, within a framework of transparent and accountable industrialization policies, enterprise development, foreign direct investment, technological adaptation and innovation and expanded access to markets.
The international community and the relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in particular UNIDO, would be called upon to support the efforts of the developing countries to intensify and expand industrial cooperation among themselves with respect to, among others, trade in manufactured products, industrial investments and business partnerships, as well as industrial technology and scientific exchanges. The UNIDO would be requested to undertake, in the context of supporting South-South cooperation, an in-depth assessment and further analysis of best practices in the field of industrial policies and strategies. States and organizations would be invited to extend support to the successful implementation of the Alliance for Africa's Industrialization, launched on 23 October at Abidjan, which aims at accelerating the pace of Africa's industrialization through industrial capacity-building.
Draft resolution II, on food and sustainable agricultural development, would have the Assembly welcome the outcome of the World Food Summit, held in Rome from 13 to 17 November. It would urge the international community, including international and regional financial institutions, to cooperate actively in a coordinated manner in the implementation of the Plan of Action adopted at the Summit. It would recommend that, at its special session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21, the Assembly give due attention to the follow-up to the Plan of Action.
The Secretary-General would be invited to ensure that the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) decide on the inter-agency mechanism for the implementation of the Plan of Action and the incorporation of that mechanism into existing arrangements, and to report to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1997 on the matter. He would be further requested to ensure that a coordinated follow-up to the Summit at the field level would be undertaken in the context of the resident coordination system, taking into account the coordinated follow-up to United Nations major international conferences. The Assembly reiterate its invitation to the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to submit to its fifty-second session, through the Council, a report on the outcome of the Summit.
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By the draft decision, the Assembly would take note of the report of the Secretary-General on the use of freshwater resources for food and agricultural production, as well as the implications of the results of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations for food production, including agro-industrial products and on global food security in developing countries.
The report on sustainable development and international economic cooperation questions (document A/51/604) is submitted in nine parts.
Part IX of the report (document A/51/604/Add.8) contains one draft resolution approved on 2 December without a vote, which concerns communication for development programmes in the United Nations system. Under its provisions, the Assembly would recognize the importance of addressing the issue of communication for development within the intergovernmental processes of the United Nations system, according to the respective mandates of the agencies concerned. Further, it would invite agencies, organizations, funds and programmes of the United Nations system to take the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report into consideration when planning and implementing relevant projects and programmes, with the cooperation of the resident coordinator. The need to support two-way communication systems that enable dialogue and allow communities to speak out, express their aspirations and concerns, and participate in the decisions that relate to their development would be stressed. The Assembly would acknowledge interest in holding the next informal round table in the Latin American and Caribbean region, to build upon the meetings held in Asia and Africa. To that end, it would invite interested States to cooperate with relevant bodies of the United Nations system in the convening of informal round tables, with the participation of the international financial institutions and the regional banks, at the country level. Further, it would call upon the international community and organizations of the United Nations system to assist developing countries in introducing technologies and innovative methods for enhancing communication for development.
Part II of the report (document A/51/604/Add.1) contains one draft resolution on the implementation of the commitments agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 25 November.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would recognize the need to strengthen the implementation of the Declaration and the Strategy in the remaining years of the 1990s so as to ensure that the Decade will indeed be one of accelerated development, in particular, in the developing countries, and strengthened international economic cooperation. Member States would be called upon to identify and take follow-up actions on those commitments and agreements that are not fully implemented and on the constraints to their
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implementation. The need to provide particular support to least developed countries suffering from a deteriorating economic situation would be recognized. In addition, the Assembly would call for the review and appraisal of the Declaration and the Strategy to be coordinated with the follow-up work on major United Nations conferences and the ongoing discussion on the agenda for development.
In part III of the report (document A/51/604/Add.2), the Committee submits a draft resolution on renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership, and a draft decision, which were approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under the provisions of the draft resolution, the Assembly would agree to defer the holding of the high-level dialogue for a period of two days until its fifty-second session. The date, modalities and focus of the discussion would be decided by the President of the Assembly through consultation with Member States and taking into account the progress and results achieved in the work of the ad hoc open-ended working group on an agenda for development. The Assembly would agree that the theme of the dialogue would be the social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications. The Secretary-General would be requested to make initial preparations for such a dialogue in close cooperation with governments, the United Nations system, relevant organizations and other development actors.
By the draft decision, the Assembly would decide to take note of the note by the Secretary-General on the provisions of General Assembly resolution 50/227 -- on further measures for the restructuring of the Organization in the economic and social fields -- addressed to the ad hoc open-ended working group of the Assembly on an agenda for development.
Part IV of the report (A/51/604/Add.3) contains a draft resolution on integration of the economies in transition into the world economy, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would recognize the need for ensuring favourable conditions for market access of exports from countries with economies in transition. It would welcome measures undertaken by the United Nations system to implement Assembly resolution 49/106, on the integration of economies in transition into the world economy, and would call upon those organizations to continue to conduct analytical activities and to provide policy advice and technical assistance, within existing resources, to the economies in transition on the social and political framework for economic and market reforms, particularly with regard to the development of the necessary conditions for attracting foreign investments.
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Part V of the report (document A/51/604/Add.4) contains a draft resolution on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would urge all countries to make additional contributions for the implementation of the Programme of Action taking account of the economic constraints faced by developing countries, in particular, the least developed countries. It would call upon the international community to continue to provide, both bilaterally and multilaterally, adequate and substantial support and assistance for population and development activities, including through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), other organs and organizations of the United Nations system, and the specialized agencies that would be involved in the implementation of the Programme of Action. The Assembly would reiterate that South-South cooperation is important for the successful implementation of the Programme of Action, and would invite all governments, relevant organizations of the United Nations system, as well as the private sector and non-governmental organizations, to continue to support those activities in South-South cooperation being undertaken by the developing countries. The Economic and Social Council would be requested to give guidance on matters concerning harmonization, cooperation and coordination within the United Nations regarding the implementation of the Programme of Action. The Secretary-General would be invited to ensure that the Task Force on Basic Services for All of the ACC inform the Commission on Population and Development and the Council on the progress of its work, with emphasis on the improvement of the impact of programme delivery for the purpose of system-wide coordination. The Assembly would recommend that its special session on implementation of Agenda 21 give due attention to the issue of population in the context of sustainable development.
Part VI of the report (document A/51/604/Add.5) contains a draft resolution on implementation of the decisions adopted by the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, June 1996), which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would endorse the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda adopted by the Conference on 14 June. It would call upon all governments and organizations, including local authorities, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, the private sector, trade unions, academicians and other community groups, to implement fully and effectively the Habitat Agenda, and to give both the Habitat Agenda and the Istanbul Declaration the widest possible dissemination. Drawing attention to the "best practices" initiative, it would call upon all governments to establish or strengthen participatory mechanisms for the implementation and follow-up of the Habitat Agenda and national plans of action.
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It would be recommended that at its special session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of Agenda 21, the Assembly give due attention to the issue of human settlements in the context of sustainable development. The Secretary-General would be invited to undertake, in the light of the review of the mandate of the Commission on Human Settlements, a comprehensive assessment, from within existing resources, of the Centre for Human Settlements with a view to its revitalization to present terms of reference and a preliminary report on that assessment for the consideration of the Commission at its sixteenth session, and to make a final report to the Assembly's fifty-second session.
In addition, the Assembly would decide that the Commission on Human Settlements, as a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council, should have a central role in monitoring within the United Nations system the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and advising the Council thereon. The Council would be recommended, in the context of the overall review process of its subsidiary bodies, to review the periodicity of the meetings of the Commission on Human Settlements, taking into account the need for full and effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda.
Part VII of the report (document A/51/604/Add.6) contains a draft resolution on first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, approved on 2 December without a vote. Under its provisions, the Assembly would call for particular actions to provide appropriate social services to enable vulnerable people and people living in poverty to improve their lives, to exercise their rights and to participate fully in all social, economic and political activities and to contribute to social and economic development. It would decide that the theme for the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty shall be "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind", and also decide to adopt the logo for the Decade as proposed in the report of the Secretary-General.
The Assembly would recommend that, within the context of overall action for poverty eradication, special attention be given to the multidimensional nature of poverty and to the national and international framework conditions and policies that are conducive to its eradication. Those should aim at the social and economic integration of people living in poverty and the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including the right to development. It would also decide that the themes for 1997 and 1998 shall be "Poverty, environment and development" and "Poverty, human rights and development", respectively; the themes for the remaining years of the Decade will be decided every two years, commencing in 1998, at the fifty- third session of the Assembly. Further, it would be decided that the objective of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty would be to achieve the goal of eradicating absolute poverty, and reducing overall poverty substantially in the world, through decisive national actions and international cooperation in fully implementing recommendations of United
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Nations major conferences organized since 1990 as they relate to poverty eradication.
Part VIII of the report (A/51/604/Add.7) contains one draft resolution on the report of the World Commission on Culture and Development, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
By its provisions, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to cooperate with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to further stimulate international debate on culture and development. He would also be requested to cooperate with the UNESCO Director-General in compiling a report on culture and development for the Assembly's consideration at its fifty-third session taking into account the views, comments and proposals of States and the relevant intergovernmental organizations on the report of the World Commission on Culture and Development. The UNESCO General Conference would be encouraged to discuss the report further at its twenty-ninth session in 1997. Moreover, the Assembly would encourage UNESCO to pursue its ongoing task of promoting, throughout the United Nations system, a greater awareness of the crucial relationship between culture and development, taking into account the diversity of cultures.
The report of the Second Committee on environment and sustainable development is submitted in eight parts.
Part II of the report (document A/51/605/Add.1) contains one draft resolution, approved on 2 December without a vote, on the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa. It would have the Assembly welcome the fact that the Convention would enter into force on 26 December 1996 and would call upon more countries to take appropriate action for its ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. It would urge the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Elaboration of the Convention to aim at finalizing all the outstanding negotiating issues, including the negotiations of the two working groups and the plan for the preparatory work for the first session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention, at its tenth session, to be held in New York from 6 to 17 January 1997.
Further, the Assembly would decide that the first session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention shall be held from 29 September to 10 October 1997. It would accept the generous offer of the Government of Italy to host that session in Rome, at the headquarters of the FAO. It would also decide to include the first session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention and the meetings of its subsidiary bodies in the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1997-1998. Further, it would urge all States, the United Nations system and all other relevant organizations and actors to
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take concrete actions and measures for effective implementation of the provisions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee resolution 5/1 of 17 June 1994 on urgent action for Africa, as well as to promote actions for other affected developing countries and regions.
A report of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) on the above draft (document A/51/722) informs the Assembly that the implementation on the text would not require additional appropriations.
Part III of the report (document A/51/605/Add.2) contains one draft resolution approved without a vote on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would decide to convene the special session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21 for a duration of one week, from 23 to 27 June 1997, at the highest political level of participation. It would also decide that the Commission on Sustainable Development would devote the forthcoming meeting of its ad hoc open-ended intersessional working group, to be held from 24 February to 7 March 1997, to prepare for the special session, and that the Commission would devote its fifth session, to be held from 7 to 25 April 1997, as a negotiating meeting, to final preparations for the special session.
Further, the Assembly would stress that there should be no attempt to renegotiate Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development or other internationally recognized intergovernmental agreements in the field of environment and sustainable development. The Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) would be invited to include, in its report to the Assembly at its special session, information on ways to address in a forward-looking manner national, regional and international application of principles contained in the Rio Declaration and the implementation of Agenda 21 in the interrelated issues of environment and development. The Assembly would also invite all governments to promote widespread dissemination at all levels of the Rio Declaration and to make voluntary contributions to support the public outreach activities of the United Nations for the special session.
Part IV of the report (document A/51/605/Add.3) contains one draft resolution, approved without a vote on 2 December, on the Convention on Biological Diversity. Under that text, the Assembly would encourage those States that have not yet ratified the Convention to do so. It would invite the secretariat of the Convention to provide the Assembly, at its special session in 1997, information on experience gained under the Convention to date, and information on effective arrangements for the coordination of activities related to the objectives of the Convention. The Assembly would invite the Conference of Parties to the Convention to take into account the outcome of the 1997 special session at its fourth meeting when considering ways of promoting greater cooperation with the United Nations system and the
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international community in relation to activities relevant to the objectives of the Convention. It would invite the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to report to the Assembly's fifty-second session, and pending the outcome of the 1997 special session, to report to the Assembly on the results of future meetings of the Conference of Parties to the Convention.
Part V of the report (document A/51/605/Add.4) contains one draft resolution, approved by the Committee without a vote on 2 December.
That text, on the implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (Barbados, 1994), would have the Assembly stress the importance of maintaining the Small Island Developing States Unit within the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. It would request the Secretary-General to maintain the Unit at an appropriate level of staff and improve its structure and organization. The Assembly would call upon governments and organizations to continue to implement fully all the commitments made at the Barbados Conference, and to continue to take necessary actions for effective follow-up to the Programme of Action, including action to ensure the provision of the means of implementation under its chapter XV.
The Assembly would urge the international community to support small island developing States in their efforts to adapt to the sea level rise that would be experienced as a result of the impact of greenhouse gases that had already been emitted into the atmosphere. Further, it would call upon the international community to support the efforts of, and to provide assistance, to small island developing States with respect to improving and acquiring, through appropriate investment incentives and innovative measures, the means of maritime transport and development of infrastructure, such as airports, harbours, roads and telecommunications.
Part VI of the report (document A/51/605/Add.5) contains a draft resolution on global climate for the present and future generations of mankind, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would note with satisfaction that most States and one regional economic integration organization have ratified or acceded to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and would invite States that are not parties to take appropriate action to that end. It would call upon Member States that are parties to the Convention to contribute generously to the trust fund for participation in the Convention process envisaged in paragraph 15 of its financial procedures, and to the trust funds envisaged for supplementary activities under the Convention.
Further, it would call upon Member States that are parties to the Convention to pay in full and in a timely manner for each of the years 1996 and 1997, in accordance with the indicative scale adopted by consensus by the
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Conference of the Parties, the contributions required for the trust fund for the core budget of the Convention envisaged in paragraph 13 of its financial procedures, so as to ensure continuity in the cash flow required to finance the ongoing work of the Conference of the Parties, the subsidiary bodies and the Convention secretariat.
Part VII of the report (document A/51/605/Add.6) contains a draft resolution on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, which was approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Under its provisions, the Assembly would call upon all States, relevant intergovernmental bodies and all others involved in the Decade to participate actively in the financial and technical support for its activities to ensure the implementation of the Decade's International Framework of Action, in particular to translate the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction. It would call upon the secretariat of the Decade to continue to facilitate a concerted international approach to improvements in early warning capacities for natural disasters and, similarly, others with adverse impact on the environment in the process leading towards the closing events of the Decade. The Secretary- General would be invited to facilitate, within the existing International Framework of Action for the Decade, the development of a concrete proposal for an effective international mechanism on early warning.
The Assembly would recommend that adequate provision be given to the International Framework of Action for the Decade as part of the review of the implementation of Agenda 21. The Secretary-General would be requested to continue to appeal for additional voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Decade. He would also be requested to bring forward proposals regarding the format, substance and timing of the closing event of the Decade, in order to begin the preparatory process in 1998.
The report of the Second Committee on operational activities for development (document A/51/606) contains a draft resolution and a draft decision, approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
The draft resolution, on progress at mid-decade on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children, would have the Assembly invite governments to increase their budget allocations to basic social services for covering the special needs of children in order to facilitate achieving the goals set out in the Summit's World Declaration and Plan of Action. Developed countries would be urged to make increased efforts to mobilize additional resources for the fulfilment of the goals and objectives of the Summit and to ensure, in the context of their development assistance, that programmes to that end will have a priority when resources are allocated.
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The Assembly would stress the need for according priority to the special needs of children in regions of slow progress, particularly the least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa, and in other developing countries that have not yet reached the mid-decade goals. It would call on governments and their partners, taking into account lessons learned during the mid-decade reviews, to adjust, refine and prioritize, where necessary, their goals and strategies within the framework of the World Declaration and the Plan of Action and in conformity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to respond to local situations. It would urge full integration of the follow-up to the Summit goals into the work of the inter-agency task forces and other mechanisms established to ensure a coordinated and effective follow-up to major United Nations conferences. It would decide to convene a special session of the Assembly in 2001 to review the achievement of the goals of the World Summit for Children.
By the draft decision, the Assembly would take note of the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
The Committee's report on training and research (document A/51/607) contains two draft resolutions, approved by the Committee, without a vote, on 2 December.
Draft resolution I, on the United Nations University, would have the Assembly request the University Rector and the Council to continue intensifying their efforts to improve the University's interaction and communication with other bodies of the United Nations system, and to continue their efforts to avoid the duplication of work within the system. It would request the Council and the Rector to enhance further the coordination and complementarity between the University's programmes and its research and training centres.
Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue consideration of innovative measures to improve the interaction and communication between the University and other bodies of the United Nations system. It would invite the Secretary-General to continue to encourage the participation of the University in the activities of the ACC and its subsidiary machinery, as well as through other existing structures and modalities for communication, interaction and integration. The international community would be invited to make voluntary contributions to the University.
Draft resolution II, on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), would have the Assembly invite the Institute to strengthen its cooperation with other United Nations and relevant national, regional and international institutes. It would request that relevant measures be taken by the Board of Trustees of the Institute with respect to the regularization of
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the post of Executive Director of UNITAR. It would renew its appeal to all governments and to private institutions that have not yet contributed financially or otherwise to the Institute to give it their generous financial and other support, and urge the States that interrupted their voluntary contributions to consider resuming them in light of the progress that has been made in the restructuring and revitalization of the Institute.
The Second Committee's report on issues transmitted by the Economic and Social Council (document A/51/601) contains three draft resolutions and two draft decisions.
Draft resolution I, approved on 25 November without a vote, concerns institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land-based Activities. It would have the Assembly endorse the Washington Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by an intergovernmental conference held in Washington, D.C., last year. It would call upon bilateral donors and international financial institutions and mechanisms, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to ensure, among other measures, that their programmes give priority to the Global Programme's implementation. Non-governmental organizations would be invited to implement the Programme of Action.
The Assembly would call upon UNEP to establish the clearing-house mechanism referred to in the Global Programme, and submit proposals on, among others, the outline of a pilot project on the development of the clearing- house's source category component on sewage, to be implemented in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO). Further, States would be called upon to ensure that intergovernmental organizations and programmes take the lead in coordinating the development of the clearing-house mechanism with respect to several categories, including sewage, to be led by the WHO, and radioactive substances, to be led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It would decide to determine at its 1997 special session to review the implementation of Agenda 21, arrangements for integrating the outcomes of periodic intergovernmental reviews of the Global Programme of Action in work of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Approved by the Committee by a recorded vote of 123 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 17 abstentions, draft resolution II concern permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources. Under its provisions, the Assembly would call upon Israel, the occupying Power, not to exploit, to cause loss and depletion of, or to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. The right of the Palestinian people to claim restitution as a result of any exploitation, loss or depletion of, or danger to, their natural resources would be recognized. The Assembly would express the hope that that issue would
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be dealt with in the framework of the final status negotiation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. The Secretary-General would be requested to report to the Assembly's fifty-second session on implementation of the text.
Draft resolution III, approved on 2 December without a vote, recommends for adoption a United Nations declaration against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions, which is annexed to the text. By the draft resolution, the Assembly would invite other bodies of the United Nations system, including UNCTAD, to take action to promote the objectives of the draft resolution and the proposed declaration. The Secretary-General would be requested to inform States and organizations of the text's adoption, to encourage action towards making its provisions widely known and to promote its effective implementation.
Under the provisions of the proposed declaration, Member States, individually and through international and regional organizations, would commit themselves to take effective and concrete action to combat all forms of corruption, bribery and related illicit practices in international commercial transactions, particularly to pursue enforcement of existing laws prohibiting such bribery. They would call upon private and public corporations, including transnational corporations, and individuals within their jurisdiction engaged in international commercial transactions to promote the objectives of the declaration.
In addition, States would pledge to criminalize such bribery of foreign public officials in an effective and coordinated manner, but without, in any way, precluding, impeding or delaying international, regional or national actions to further the implementation of the declaration. Further, States would pledge to deny in countries that do not already do so the tax deductibility of bribes paid by any private or public corporation or individual of a Member State to any public official or elected representative of another country, and to that end to examine their respective modalities for doing so. They would also pledge to develop or to encourage the development of business codes, standards or best practices that prohibit corruption, bribery and related illicit practices in international commercial transactions; and to examine establishing illicit enrichment by public officials or elected representatives as an offence.
States would ensure that bank secrecy provisions do not impede or hinder criminal investigations or other legal proceedings relating to illicit practices in international commercial transactions. They would pledge that actions taken in furtherance of the declaration should respect fully the national sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction of Member States, as well as their rights and obligations under existing treaties and international law, and should be consistent with human rights and fundamental freedoms. They would also agree that actions taken by them to establish jurisdiction over acts of bribery of foreign public officials in international commercial
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transactions shall be consistent with the principles of international law regarding the extraterritorial application of a State's laws.
Draft decision I would have the Assembly take note of the following documents: relevant chapters of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1996; report of the Secretary-General on preventive action and intensification of the struggle against malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa; and a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Executive Director of the UNFPA on the United Nations Population award.
Draft decision II would have the Assembly approve the biennial programme of work of the Second Committee for 1997-1998.
Draft Resolution on UNICEF
Also before the Assembly is a draft resolution on the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the operations of UNICEF (document A/51/L.59), under which it would congratulate UNICEF on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. It would commend the Fund for the important contribution it has made during its first 50 years in promoting the survival, development and protection of children, and as an advocate of children's rights, and all who helped contribute to its substantial achievements, including its staff, the National Committees for the Fund and other partners.
The draft is sponsored by Albania, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.
Action on Second Committee Reports
SILVIA CRISTINA CORADO-CUEVAS (Guatemala), the Rapporteur of the Second Committee, introduced the reports.
The Assembly first took up the Committee's report on macroeconomic policy questions containing six draft resolutions and one draft decision.
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The draft resolution on enhancing international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problem of developing countries was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution on net flows and transfer of resources between developing and developed countries was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution on global financial integration and strengthening collaboration between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions was adopted without a vote.
The three-part draft resolution on international trade and development was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution on transit environment in the land-locked States in central Asia and their transit developing neighbours was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution on commodities was adopted without a vote.
After action on the report on macroeconomic policy questions, SERGIO FLORENCIO (Brazil) spoke on explanation of position on the resolution on international trade and development on behalf of Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Paraguay, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay and his own country.
He said the text expressed the political will and responsibility of the Member States on implementing commitments agreed at UNCTAD IX. It also welcomed the generous offer by Thailand to host UNCTAD X in the year 2000. It recognized the far-reaching reforms implemented pursuant to the Midrand Conference, which encompassed the organization's programme of work, its machinery, the reform of its secretariat and its cooperation with other organizations. The resolution sent a clear message that now UNCTAD should focus on implementing its substantive programme of work and that the savings generated as a result of UNCTAD IX should be reinvested in priority areas of UNCTAD's work.
Concerning the multilateral trading system, he said the resolution stressed the urgent need to continue trade liberalization in developed and developing countries and, therefore, to improve access for the exports of developing countries and emphasized the importance of the inaugural Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Singapore last week. The text also underscored the importance of the full, timely, continuous and faithful implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements and the need for a balanced approach to the built-in agenda, as well as for an integrated approach to environment, trade and development issues.
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He noted that it was the first time in United Nations history that a resolution on trade and development had been jointly co-sponsored by developed and developing countries, namely, the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, and Belarus, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Russian Federation and the United States. That broad co-sponsorship was a representation of the vitality and relevance of the global partnership for growth and development. He credited the result to the strengthened partnership which emerged at UNCTAD IX, and thanked South Africa, in its capacity as host country, and the President of UNCTAD IX for deploying all efforts to achieve that result and to keep the momentum generated by the Midrand consensus. The broad-based agreement achieved on the resolution set an example for the future work of the Second Committee, he added.
Next, the Assembly took up the Committee's report on sectoral policy questions containing two draft resolutions and one draft decision.
Draft resolution I, on industrial development cooperation, was adopted without a vote.
Draft resolution II, on food and sustainable agricultural development, was also adopted without a vote.
The draft decision, taking note of the Secretary-General's report on the use of freshwater resources for food and agricultural production, was also adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up the nine-part report of the Second Committee concerning sustainable development and international economic cooperation.
The draft resolution, on communication for development programmes in the United Nations system, was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution in part II of the report, on the implementation of the commitments agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, was adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up part III of the report, containing a draft resolution and a draft decision.
The draft resolution, on renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership, was adopted without a vote.
The draft decision, taking note of a Secretary-General's note, was also adopted without a vote.
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Next, the Assembly took up part IV of the report containing a draft resolution on integration of the economies in transition into the world economy, which was adopted without a vote.
Part V of the report, containing a draft resolution on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, was adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up part VI of the report containing a draft resolution on implementation of the decisions adopted by the Istanbul United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), which was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution on the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, contained in part VII of the report, was also adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution contained in part VIII, concerning the report of the World Commission on Culture and Development, was adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up an eight-part report of the Committee concerning environment and sustainable development.
It first took up part II of the report containing a draft resolution on the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa.
The Assembly PRESIDENT drew attention to a related report of the Fifth Committee on the above draft.
The draft resolution, on the elaboration of an international convention to combat desertification, was adopted without a vote.
The Assembly then took up part III of the report containing one draft resolution on its special session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21, which was adopted without a vote.
Next, it took up part IV of the report containing one draft resolution on the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was adopted without a vote.
The Assembly then took up part V of the report containing one draft resolution on the implementation of the outcome of the 1994 Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, which was adopted without a vote.
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Part VI of the report containing a draft resolution on global climate for the present and future generations of mankind was then taken up and adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up part VII of the report containing a draft resolution on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, which was also adopted without a vote.
Then, the Assembly took up the Second Committee's report on operational activities for development containing a draft resolution and a draft decision.
The draft resolution on progress at mid-decade on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children was adopted without a vote.
A draft decision, taking note of the Secretary-General's note transmitting the report of the Administrator of the UNDP on activities of UNIFEM, was also adopted without a vote.
Next, the Assembly took up the Second Committee's report on training and research issues containing two draft resolutions.
Draft resolution I, on the United Nations University, was adopted without a vote.
Draft resolution II, on UNITAR, was adopted without a vote.
The Second Committee report on issues transmitted by the Economic and Social Council containing three draft resolutions and two draft decision was taken up next.
The draft resolution, on institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, was adopted without a vote.
The draft resolution, on permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, was before the Assembly for action.
The draft was adopted by a vote of 133 in favour to 3 against (Israel, United States, Vanuatu), with 21 abstentions. (See Annex.)
The draft resolution, on the United Nations declaration against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions, was adopted without a vote.
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Draft decision I, taking note of reports, was adopted without a vote.
Draft decision II, approving the biennial programme of work of the Second Committee, was adopted without a vote.
After action on texts recommended by the Economic and Social Council, CONOR MURPHY (Ireland), on behalf of the European Union, spoke in explanation of position on the text entitled "United Nations Declaration against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions".
He said that criminalization of corruption was a complex issue which required thorough examination by legal experts. Various ways of addressing the problem must be considered, including negotiating appropriate international instruments. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice was the most appropriate forum in which to take further action.
He said the Union had had concerns about the Declaration, as expressed during negotiations. Legal definitions should not be included in a political declaration, especially when they were different from texts agreed upon in other forums. The text's current terms did not prejudice further negotiations in that context.
PREZELL ROBINSON (United States) said the Declaration's adoption was the achievement of efforts by his country and a broad coalition of co-sponsors. Corruption and bribery were among the new threats to international security in the current age of globalization. The text's approval by consensus was proof that the international community recognized the urgency of stamping out such corrosive practices.
Bribery hindered economic performance in both developed and developing countries, he said. It undermined democratic accountability, weakened governments and threatened emergent democracies. Bribery created a barrier to open competition and trade; it disadvantaged those companies that refused to participate in the practice. While bribery had been a standard business practice internationally, the tide was now turning.
He said his country had led the effort within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to eliminate bribery and corruption, resulting in that body's Recommendation on Bribery in International Business Transactions. The Recommendation had then prompted initiatives in other forums. The Organization of American States's Inter- American Convention against Corruption was a powerful political statement that the effects of corruption on free markets and democracy would no longer be tolerated by hemispheric leaders. International financial institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, had also joined the struggle.
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He noted with satisfaction that the Declaration had been initiated in the Economic and Social Council. That body could be revitalized by tackling important cross-sectoral issues such as the one at hand. He called on Member States to ensure the Declaration's speedy implementation and to support related action in other forums.
FERNANDO PETRELLA (Argentina) said the Declaration's adoption was the culmination of a process begun years ago. His Government had supported that process from its inception. The fight against corruption had been deliberated in several of the Organization's bodies. In each of those considerations, the conclusion had been reached that, in the final analysis, bribery weakened comprehensive development and corruption, therefore, injured fundamental human rights. His country had made efforts to eliminate the practice, by measures which included a Code of Ethics for Officials.
GONZALO VIVAS (Venezuela) said that, by adopting the Declaration, the international community had taken a significant step forward. Noting that the struggle against corruption must be comprehensive, he hoped the Declaration would, over time, lead to a universal convention against that scourge. The text's adoption would strengthen regional efforts towards combating bribery and corruption.
Action on UNICEF Draft
ION GORITA (Romania) introduced the draft resolution on the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the operations of UNICEF. He added the following sponsors: Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Congo, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.
The text was adopted without a vote.
Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
MARIO NOBILO (Croatia) said that, even though Bosnia and Herzegovina still faced various difficulties in implementing the peace agreement, there was strong hope that the present peace would be maintained. It was important, however, not to overlook the past, thereby risking future violence.
The Assembly could not condone or accept likely future attempts to change the definition of the origins and costly dimensions of the conflict and of its aggressor and victims, he said. Furthermore, it could not overlook the
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positive role played by Croatia, which ultimately secured the balance in Bosnia and set the stage for the present peace. Yet, Croatia intended to gradually disengage itself from a future active role.
His Government considered municipal elections to be the most important next step in the reintegration of the country. New popularly elected local authorities might be the only way to re-energize past attempts to return refugees and displaced persons to their homes. The lack of investigations and prosecution for war crimes committed against Croats in central Bosnia encouraged a dangerous collective guilt and discouraged reconciliation. Until those processes were reversed, Croats would not feel safe in returning to central Bosnia.
He said that the complete lack of working and living space for Croats in Sarajevo was another element that had slowed implementation of the Federation. The Assembly's support for his draft amendment urging assistance by international organizations for the infrastructural needs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in Sarajevo, was appreciated.
YURI BOHAYEVSKY (Ukraine) said that one year after the conclusion of the peace agreement, the final war of the cold war period in Central Europe was over. Yet, peace was far from restored in the Balkans, and a number of major causes of the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina had yet to be removed.
Consolidating the peace process was essential, he said. His country, therefore, supported the establishment of peace stabilization force (SFOR), and would emphasize its willingness to participate in that force, including the battalion currently serving with the implementation force (IFOR). It was considering offering various services of the Ukrainian armed forces, including engineering units, air transport, and railway construction troops.
Given the continuing deep ethnic discord in the Bosnian society which emerged in the election process, he went on, the convening of an all-Bosnian conference of peace-loving forces would be of utmost importance. Lasting peace could be sustained only if it was accompanied by justice. In that regard, the success of the International Tribunal was important. Effective action and international assistance were also needed for the early, safe and orderly return of refugees. Economic reconstruction would ultimately define the viability of the united Bosnia and Herzegovina.
IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said the war and its horrors had been one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the modern world. No wonder there was worldwide relief on 21 November 1995 when the Dayton Peace Agreement was concluded. Much had been done, even though a tremendous amount remained. He was pleased at the elections in September in which large numbers of people participated, giving ground for hope in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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In spite of all this, he went on, the situation remained fragile, since some parties had not demonstrated the necessary good faith. That lack of cooperation, especially in the arrest and indictment of the guilty, remained an alarming problem. He asked for vigilance so that the efforts to maintain Bosnia and Herzegovina within recognized international frontiers would not be in vain. Senegal stood behind the international community in its efforts to find peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was pleased at the outcome of the London conference this month, where the parties confirmed the readiness of the international community to provide the necessary resources to achieve the goals set out for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TULUY TANC (Turkey) said it was high time for the international community to speak loud and clear, and state its concern about non-compliance on crucial aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement. His Government regretted the continuing obstruction faced by the refugees and displaced persons wishing to return to their homes, and called on all parties, including the relevant international organizations and Member States, to contribute to the formation of conditions necessary to facilitate their return.
The Government of Turkey fully supported the efforts of the International Tribunal in prosecuting persons responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and believed that States and parties to the Peace Agreement must cooperate with the Tribunal. The urgency of providing the pledged financial and technical assistance to the reconstruction efforts could not be over-emphasized. Economic revitalization was essential for the process of reconciliation, for the improvement of living conditions and for the maintenance of durable peace, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region.
DUFA'ALLAH ELHAJ ALI OSMAN (Sudan) said that, although the Dayton Accords had paved the way to peace, the next stage of reconstruction and peace-building was a sensitive one, requiring the assistance of the international community. For peace to be complete, war criminals must be brought to justice, and the return of refugees and displaced persons must be facilitated through steps undertaken by the international community. His country would make every effort to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in becoming an important actor on the world stage, and, in that context, he supported the current draft resolution.
PELLUMB KULLA (Albania) said lack of confidence and hesitation to rigorously implement the Dayton Accords in the post war era remained a real threat to further development. Albania believed that the confidence-building measures, institutional stability and sustainable development, which would bring the ruined country and the desperate populations a normal existence, required the continued presence of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the year to come. His Government appealed to the United Nations and its Member States, as soon as possible, to put the Kosova question
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on their agenda in the spirit of Dayton. The peaceful contribution and the democratic means pursued by the Albanians in Kosova, and their leadership, should be considered through the international community's commitment to mediate in the talks between Prishtina and Belgrade for a just settlement of the political status of Kosova. There must be a continued effort towards a just solution of the Kosova question which would serve peace, stability and prosperity in the Balkan Peninsula.
MUHAMED SACIRBEY (Bosnia and Herzegovina) said the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina must continue the difficult, and at times frustrating, process of implementing the peace process and building common institutions with the involvement of all parties. His Government would keep its commitments, and it expected the sponsors of the Peace Agreement to maintain their resolve and to compel compliance. If one of the parties did not honour its promises under the agreement, the sponsors of the agreement must not be allowed to create false excuses and to paint all the signatories of the Peace Agreement as equally culpable, if political expediency so dictated.
He said the Peace Agreement had brought several different parties into the various governmental institutions, including the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite their seemingly clear commitment to some of the most basic elements of the Peace Agreement, some of the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina refused to implement those basic commitments.
Even after the latest reconfirmation of the requirement to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, some of the authorities of the Republic of Srpska, within Bosnia and Herzegovina, openly refuted the need to comply. That was because some of its leaders had been indicted and many others might be indicted and held criminally responsible for the crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their refusal to accept the Tribunal's jurisdiction was an attempt to avoid the criminal prosecution of leaders who continued to hold positions of power.
He said the reason why some of the sponsors of the Peace Agreement might not be comfortable with the references to the Tribunal was that there was still a lack of will to take necessary steps to compel compliance. Those sponsors had placed the greatest emphasis on the institutional and more superficial aspects of implementation of the Peace Agreement which depended on the Bosnian parties themselves. There had been less inclination to compel implementation of those elements that might be demanding upon the sponsors, including the arrest of indicted war criminals and the delivery of justice.
He said lasting peace must be built on real reconciliation which, in turn, must be founded upon justice. The Tribunal deserved full moral and intellectual support, and its cry for assistance must be amplified until the international community was obliged to provide it. The draft resolution now included a preambular paragraph that included a statement of the Judges of the
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Tribunal in which they expressed their growing frustration at what they perceived to be the marginalization of the Tribunal. It had been suggested that some capitals find that reference to the unanimous statement of the Judges as offensive and embarrassing, he went on. Therefore, it was his advice to delete the reference if that would help some delegations to support the draft. In order to maintain consistency to the new formal institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, his delegation would not co-sponsor the resolution without having received instructions from the new Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was not certain such instructions would be issued because some in the Presidency were the very ones who rejected certain elements of the Peace Agreement, particularly compliance with the Tribunal. That was exactly why it was so critical for the peace process that the Assembly act.
MAGED ABDELAZIZ (Egypt), introducing the draft resolution, said the co- sponsors felt it was of utmost importance that the General Assembly consider the subject every year, in order to evaluate the situation and adopt a resolution expressing its views. There had been some important developments in the past two months, one of them being the elections called for in the Dayton Peace Agreement. He also cited the signing of the Subregional Arms Control Agreements in Vienna in January and in Florence in June, 1996. Regrettably, he went on, those agreements had not been implemented in good faith and with full transparency. In addition, various press reports about the armaments in possession of the parties, in particular the Serbs, showed a lack of political will to implement an essential and integral part of the Peace Agreement.
He said there was also the problem of cooperation by the parties with the International Criminal Tribunal, and the continuing obstructions faced by refugees and displaced persons wishing to return to their homes or any other place of their choice in the region. The co-sponsors of the draft were firmly convinced that responsibility for consolidating peace lay primarily with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that the role of the international community remained essential. The co-sponsors also underlined the relationship between the fulfilment by the parties of their commitments under the Peace Agreement and the readiness of the international community to continue its efforts. At the same time, they stressed the need to apply that conditionality in a manner that differentiated between those who cooperated and those who did not. He noted that the co-sponsors were introducing a revised version of the draft, and hoped the Assembly would adopt it without a vote.
MOHAMMAD PEYROVI, Permanent Observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), recalled that last year the OIC had welcomed the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. It also welcomed the cease-fire and the elections held last September and had consistently emphasized the importance of ensuring the full, impartial and effective implementation of the agreement.
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He noted that, while the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina had fulfilled its obligations and openly demonstrated its desire to realize the total package of undertakings and commitments in the Peace Accords, many of the consequences of genocide and ethnic cleansing remained to be retracted. Seriously impeding the task of the reconstruction of the Bosnia and Herzegovina "nation-state" was the question of the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes, in honour and secure conditions.
Another problem was the delay in prosecution of those indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal. The arduous work of the Tribunal was being undermined by the lack of cooperation of some parties to the peace agreement, and the chronic shortage of funds and other necessary resources. The cooperation being shown by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the International War Crimes Tribunal in the discharge of its work needed to be emulated by others in the area, notably the Serbs, in lending credibility to the notions of accountability and justice that were crucial to the successful reconstruction of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural State of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He referred to essential elements of the resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted last week by the twenty-fourth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Jakarta. It fully supported the establishment of a democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural State. It urged the international community to take concrete measures for the arrest of all indicted war criminals, notably Karadzic and Mladic, and called on the Security Council to utilize the enforcement procedures under the Charter.
He said the OIC fully supported the draft resolution before the Assembly and gave its continued and unqualified resolve to work with the United Nations in supporting the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreements.
(annex follows)
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General Assembly Plenary Press Release GA/9206 86th Meeting (PM) 16 December 1996
ANNEX
Vote on Sovereignty in Occupied Palestinian Territory
Draft resolution II, on permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, contained in document A/51/601, was adopted by a recorded vote of 133 in favour to 3 against, with 21 abstentions, as follows:
In favour: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Israel, United States, Vanuatu.
Abstaining: Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Kenya, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, Ukraine, Uruguay.
Absent: Afghanistan, Angola, Cape Verde, Comoros, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Greece, Guatemala, Lesotho, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Zaire.
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