SECRETARY-GENERAL WOULD BE ASKED TO CONSIDER LAUNCHING DECADE TO ERADICATE ILLITERACY, BY THIRD COMMITTEE TEXT

Press Release
GA/SHC/3438

SECRETARY-GENERAL WOULD BE ASKED TO CONSIDER LAUNCHING DECADE TO ERADICATE ILLITERACY, BY THIRD COMMITTEE TEXT

The General Assembly would ask the Secretary-General, to consider ways to achieve the goal of education for all, including the feasibility of launching a United Nations decade to eradicate illiteracy, by the terms of a draft resolution approved this afternoon by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

The text, one of seven approved this afternoon without a vote, would ask him to take that action in cooperation with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in consultation with Member States. The Assembly would also appeal again to governments and financial institutions to lend greater financial and material support to increase literacy and achieve education for all.

Also this afternoon, the Committee heard the introduction of draft resolutions on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the girl child and the rights of the child, and continued its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the rights of peoples to self-determination.

A draft resolution on follow-up to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime would have the Assembly decide to establish an intersessional open-ended intergovernmental group of experts to elaborate a preliminary draft of a comprehensive international convention against organized transnational crime.

Another draft approved today addressed measures to eliminate violence against women. By its terms, the Assembly would adopt the Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as a guideline for governments in addressing the various manifestations of such violence.

The Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to intensify technical assistance and provide advisory services to States, by another text approved today. Another would have the Assembly ask him to convene a meeting of an intergovernmental expert group to develop and promote mutual assistance in addressing crime.

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The Committee also approved a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, by which the Assembly would urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations to it. By another text, on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, the Assembly would call upon States and United Nations funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for the operational activities of the Programme.

Statements on the elimination of racism and on self-determination were made by the representatives of Iraq, Turkey, Albania, Pakistan and the Russian Federation. The representatives of the United States and Iraq spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Third Committee will meet again tomorrow, 7 November, to continue its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the right to self-determination. It is also expected to take action on draft resolutions concerning the advancement of women and international drug control.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to take action on draft resolutions on issues relating to the advancement of women, the rights of the child, social development and crime prevention and criminal justice.

The Committee will also hear the introduction of a number of related draft resolutions and continue its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the right of people to self-determination. (For a summary of related reports before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3437 of 6 November).

Specifically, the Committee is expected to take action on texts concerning the following subjects: education for all; follow-up to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime; crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women; international cooperation against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions and international cooperation in criminal matters; the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders; and strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme.

Texts To Be Introduced

The Committee is also to hear the introduction of a draft resolution on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) (document A/C.3/52/L.16/Rev.1), as well as on the girl child (document A/C.3/52/L.24) and on the rights of the child (document A/C.3/52/L.25).

By the 76-Power draft resolution on the girl child, the Assembly would stress the need for full and urgent implementation of the rights of the girl child as guaranteed under all human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Member States would be urged to take all necessary measures and to institute legal reforms to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by the girl child of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to take effective action against violations of those rights and freedoms.

The Assembly would urge all States to enact and enforce legislation protecting girls from all forms of violence, including female infanticide, prenatal sex selection, female genital mutilation, incest, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, child prostitution and child pornography. It would also urge them to develop age-appropriate, safe and confidential programmes, as well as medical, social and psychological support services to assist girls who are subjected to violence.

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By other terms of the text, the Assembly would call upon all States and international and non-governmental organizations, individually and collectively, to develop and implement gender-sensitive strategies to address the rights and needs of children. They would be called on to take account of the rights and particular needs of the girl child, especially in education, health and nutrition, and to eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against the girl child. They would also be called on to take measures to ensure the non-discrimination and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for the girl child with disabilities.

In addition, the Assembly would call on them to generate social support for the enforcement of laws on the minimum legal age for marriage, in particular by providing educational opportunities for girls, and to give attention to the rights and needs of adolescent girls -- which call for special action for their protection from sexual and economic exploitation and abuse, harmful traditional and cultural practices, teenage pregnancy and vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. They should also take measures to increase awareness of the potential of the girl child and to promote gender-sensitive socialization of boys and girls from early childhood.

Other terms of the draft would urge States to take the following step: to enact and strictly enforce laws to ensure that marriage is entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses, as well as laws concerning the minimum legal age of consent and the minimum age for marriage, and to raise the minimum age for marriage where necessary; to eliminate all barriers so as to enable girls, without exception, to develop their full potential and skills through equal access to education and training; and to take special measures for the protection of children, in particular to protect girls from rape and other forms of sexual abuse and gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict, paying special attention to refugee and displaced girls.

States parties would also be urged to fulfil the obligations they have undertaken under the child rights Convention and the women's anti- discrimination Convention to protect women and girls from all forms of violence, including domestic violence, sexual trafficking and child prostitution. The Secretary-General, as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), would be asked to ensure that all United Nations bodies take the rights and the particular needs of the girl child into account -- especially in education, health and nutrition -- and eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against the girl child in the implementation of the outcome of all recent global conferences.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,

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Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Actions To Be Taken

The Commmitee is expected to take action on one draft resolution on social development issues and six on issues relating to crime prevention and criminal justice.

By the terms of a 36-Power draft resolution on education for all (document A/C.3/52/L.11/Rev.1), the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in consultation with Member States, to consider effective ways to achieve the goal of education for all, including the desirability and feasibility of launching a United Nations decade to eradicate illiteracy.

The Assembly would appeal anew to governments and to national and international financial organizations and institutions to lend greater financial and material support to the efforts to increase literacy and achieve education for all. It would also appeal to them to step up efforts to eradicate illiteracy and to direct education towards the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In addition, the Assembly would appeal to them to redouble their efforts to achieve their education goals for all by setting firm targets and timetables where possible, including gender-specific education targets and programmes to combat the illiteracy of women and girls. Governments would be asked to work in active partnership with communities, associations, the media and development agencies to reach those targets.

States, United Nations bodies and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations would be invited to further intensify their efforts to effectively implement the World Declaration on Education for All, the Amman Affirmation, the Hamburg Declaration on Adult Learning, and the Agenda for the Future of Adult Learning adopted at the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education, as well as the relevant commitments and recommendations to promote literacy contained in the recent major United Nations-sponsored international conferences.

The Assembly would reaffirm that basic education for all was essential for achieving the goals of eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality,

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curbing population growth, achieving gender equality, and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Madagascar, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Russian Federation, San Marino, Spain, Sudan, Thailand and Turkey.

By a draft resolution on follow-up to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime (document A/C.3/52/L.4), the Assembly would decide to establish an intersessional, open-ended, intergovernmental group of experts to elaborate a preliminary draft of a comprehensive international convention against organized transnational crime, for presentation to the seventh session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Assembly would welcome the Government of Poland's offer to organize and host the meeting and would ask the Secretary-General to provide resources for the meeting.

In elaborating the preliminary draft of the convention, the expert group would be asked to take into account existing multilateral instruments, including the draft United Nations framework convention against organized crime, presented by Poland at the Assembly's fifty-first session. The expert group would also be asked to take into account recommendations, observations and proposals already existing and contained in annexes to the draft proposal, giving priority consideration to measures for judicial and police cooperation in such areas as mutual assistance, extradition, confiscation of illicit assets and various forms of technical assistance.

Other areas of priority concern would be the scope of application for such measures and provisions relating to offences, particularly in the areas of criminal associations, conspiracy and money-laundering. Special provisions concerning types of crimes subject to international instruments -- such as illegal trafficking or corruption -- would also be considered a priority.

Annexes to the draft resolution contain: recommendations of the senior experts group; points of methodology and categorization of data; the draft United Nations framework convention against organized crime; the Chairman's report of the Naples Declaration implementation working group; and the views of the United States on avoiding duplication in conventions. An appendix contains the senior experts group's recommendations for combating transnational organized crime by supplementing existing multilateral conventions or adopting new conventions.

By a draft resolution on measures to eliminate violence against women (document A/C.3/52/L.6), the Assembly would ask the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to publish Strategies for Confronting Domestic

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Violence: a Resource Manual in the other United Nations official languages besides English, in which it already appears. The Assembly would also adopt the Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice as a model of guidelines for governments in addressing the various manifestations of violence against women. The Commission, through the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division, would assist Member States in utilizing the Model Strategies and Practical Measures.

The Secretary-General would be asked to disseminate and promote use of the Model Strategies and Practical Measures and to transmit them to the relevant United Nations bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Commission on Human Rights -- including to the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities and to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women. It would invite those bodies to develop strategies and practical measures on eliminating violence against women. Annexed to the draft proposal is the text of the Model Strategies and Practical Measures.

By terms of a draft resolution on international cooperation against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions (document A/C.3/52/L.7), the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to intensify technical assistance in combating corruption and to provide related advisory services to Member States. It would urge Member States to provide the Secretariat with extrabudgetary funds for such technical assistance. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice would be asked to give attention to the question of bribery of public office holders of other States with respect to international commercial transactions, and to review action by States to implement the 1996 United Nations Declaration against Corruption and Bribery in International Commercial Transactions.

The Assembly would also urge Member States to implement declarations and ratify international instruments against corruption. Member States would also be urged to criminalize such bribery of public office holders of other States. The Secretary-General would be asked to invite Member States to report on provisions of the 1996 Declaration, including those on criminalization, sanctions, tax deductibility, accounting standards and practices, development of business codes, illicit enrichment, mutual legal assistance and bank secrecy provisions.

Member States would also be invited to report on national anti- corruption strategies and policies, for compilation and distribution by the Secretary-General, as well as for consideration by the Commission, which would examine further steps to be taken for full implementation of the Declaration.

A draft resolution on international cooperation in criminal matters (document A/C.3/52/L.8) would ask the Secretary-General to convene a meeting of an intergovernmental expert group to develop and promote mutual assistance

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in criminal matters. It would also ask him to elaborate model legislation to assist Member States in giving effect to the Model Treaty on Extradition in line with recommendations of the Intergovernmental Expert Group on Extradition.

The draft would urge States to: revise bilateral and multilateral law enforcement cooperation arrangements to combat constantly changing methods in organized transnational crimes; use the Model Treaty on Extradition as a basis for developing treaty relations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels; and continue acknowledging that protection of human rights should not be inconsistent with international cooperation in criminal matters, while recognizing the need for effective mechanisms for extraditing fugitives.

By other terms of the draft, the Secretary-General would be asked to provide advisory and technical services in developing, negotiating and implementing bilateral, subregional, regional or international treaties on extradition, as well as in drafting and applying national legislation. He would be asked to provide training on extradition law and related practices to personnel in the governmental agencies and central authorities of Member States. He would also be asked to submit the present text, along with a report on the Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on Extradition, to the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

By a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/52/L.22), sponsored by Kenya on behalf of the Group of African States, the Assembly would urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations to it. It would appeal to all Member States and non-governmental organizations to adopt practical measures to support the Institute in the development of the requisite capacity and in the elaboration and implementation of programmes and activities aimed at strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice systems in Africa.

The Secretary-General would be asked to intensify efforts to mobilize all relevant entities of the United Nations system to provide the necessary financial and technical support to the Institute to enable it to fulfil its mandate. He would be asked to enhance regional cooperation, coordination and collaboration in the fight against crime, especially in its transnational dimension. He would also be asked to make specific proposals to strengthen the Institute's programmes and activities.

By a 23-Power draft resolution on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, particularly its technical cooperation capacity (document A/C.3/52/L.23), the Assembly would call upon States and United Nations funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for the Programme's operational activities. States would be encouraged to make voluntary contributions for that purpose to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Trust Fund, also taking into

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account the activities required for implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan.

By other terms of the draft, the Secretary-General would be encouraged to recommend the inclusion of the re-establishment and reform of criminal justice systems in the mandate of peacekeeping operations, as a way of strengthening the rule of law. The Assembly would encourage such action while noting with appreciation the contributions of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme to peacekeeping and special missions, as well as its contributions to the follow-up to those missions through advisory services.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to further strengthen the Programme by providing it with the resources necessary for the full implementation of its mandates, including follow-up action to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan and to the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. The Assembly would welcome the Commission's efforts to improve the strategic management of the Programme and to exercise more vigorously its mobilization of resources.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Marshall Islands, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Tunisia.

A draft resolution on international cooperation in criminal matters (document A/C.3/52/L.8) would request the Secretary-General to convene a meeting of an intergovernmental expert group to develop and promote mutual assistance in criminal matters. It would also request the Secretary-General to elaborate model legislation to assist Member States in giving effect to the Model Treaty on Extradition in line with recommendations of the Intergovernmental Expert Group on Extradition.

The draft would urge States to: revise bilateral and multilateral law enforcement cooperation arrangements to combat constantly changing methods in organized transnational crimes; use the Model Treaty on Extradition as a basis for developing treaty relations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels; and continue acknowledging that protection of human rights should not be inconsistent with international cooperation in criminal matters, while recognizing the need for effective mechanisms for extraditing fugitives.

By other terms of the draft, the Secretary-General would be asked to provide advisory and technical services in developing, negotiating and implementing bilateral, subregional, regional or international treaties on extradition, as well as in drafting and applying national legislation. He would be asked to provide training on extradition law and related practices to personnel in the governmental agencies and central authorities of Member

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States. He would also be asked to submit the present text, along with a report on the Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on Extradition, to the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

By a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/52/L.22), sponsored by Kenya on behalf of the Group of African States, the Assembly would urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations to it. It would appeal to all Member States and non-governmental organizations to adopt practical measures to support the Institute in the development of the requisite capacity and in the elaboration and implementation of programmes and activities aimed at strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice systems in Africa.

The Secretary-General would be asked to intensify efforts to mobilize all relevant entities of the United Nations system to provide the necessary financial and technical support to the Institute to enable it to fulfil its mandate. He would be asked to enhance regional cooperation, coordination and collaboration in the fight against crime, especially in its transnational dimension. He would also be asked to make specific proposals to strengthen the Institute's programmes and activities.

By a 23-Power draft resolution on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, particularly its technical cooperation capacity (document A/C.3/52/L.23), the Assembly would call upon States and United Nations funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for the Programme's operational activities. States would be encouraged to make voluntary contributions for that purpose to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Trust Fund, also taking into account the activities required for implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan.

By other terms of the draft, the Secretary-General would be encouraged to recommend the inclusion of the re-establishment and reform of criminal justice systems in the mandate of peacekeeping operations, as a way of strengthening the rule of law. The Assembly would encourage such action while noting with appreciation the contributions of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme to peacekeeping and special missions, as well as its contributions to the follow-up to those missions through advisory services.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to further strengthen the Programme by providing it with the resources necessary for the full implementation of its mandates, including follow-up action to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan and to the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. The Assembly would welcome the Commission's efforts to improve the strategic

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management of the Programme and to exercise more vigorously its mobilization of resources.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Marshall Islands, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Tunisia.

By other terms of the draft text, the Secretary-General would be requested to provide advisory and technical services in developing, negotiating and implementing bilateral, subregional, regional or international treaties on extradition, as well as in drafting and applying national legislation, and to provide training on extradition law and related practices to personnel in governmental agencies and central authorities of Member States. Finally, it would ask the Secretary-General to submit the present resolution and a report on the Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on Extradition to the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

By a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/52/L.22), sponsored by Kenya on behalf of the Group of African States, the Assembly would urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations to it. It would appeal to all Member States and non-governmental organizations to adopt concrete practical measures to support the Institute in the development of the requisite capacity and in the elaboration and implementation of programmes and activities aimed at strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice systems in Africa.

The Secretary-General would be asked to intensify efforts to mobilize all relevant entities of the United Nations system to provide the necessary financial and technical support to the Institute to enable it to fulfil its mandate. He would also be requested to enhance regional cooperation, coordination and collaboration in the fight against crime, especially in its transnational dimension, which could not be adequately dealt with by national action alone. The Assembly would also request him to make concrete proposals to strengthen the programmes and activities of the Institute.

By the terms of a draft resolution on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, particularly its technical cooperation capacity (document A/C.3/52/L.23), the Assembly would call upon States and United Nations funding agencies to make significant financial contributions for the operational activities of the Programme. All States would be encouraged to make voluntary contributions for that purpose to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Trust Fund, also taking into account the activities required for the implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime.

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By other terms of the draft text, the Secretary-General would be encouraged to recommend the inclusion of the re-establishment and reform of criminal justice systems in peacekeeping operations, as a way of strengthening the rule of law. The Assembly would encourage such action while noting with appreciation the contributions of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme to peacekeeping and special missions, as well as its contributions to the follow-up to those missions, among other things, through advisory services.

While reaffirming the priority of the Programme, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to further strengthen the Programme by providing it with the resources necessary for the full implementation of its mandates, including follow-up action to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime and to the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. Furthermore, the Assembly would welcome the efforts undertaken by the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice to improve the strategic management of the Programme and to exercise more vigorously its mandated function of resources mobilization.

The draft text is sponsored by Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Marshall Islands, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Tunisia.

Introduction of Draft Texts

SUSAN ECKEY (Norway) introduced a draft resolution on UNIFEM (document A/C.3/52/L.16/Rev.1). By its terms, the Assembly would stress the Fund's role as a development tool in supporting activities relating to women's economic and social development in developing countries. It would emphasize the Fund's important work in women's empowerment and gender equality within the framework of implementing the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Beijing.

The Assembly would encourage the Fund to continue to contribute to mainstreaming the gender perspective in all development efforts of governments, United Nations bodies and civil society. The Fund would be encouraged to strengthen its work within the United Nations system at the national level through the resident coordinator system, focusing on strategic interventions and building upon its comparative advantages. It would do so in order to promote systematic change, particularly with respect to women's political and economic empowerment.

By other terms of the draft, the Assembly would encourage UNIFEM to continue to mobilize resources for its activities, from all available sources, including the private sector, in order to fulfil its mandates in a comprehensive manner. All Member States would be urged to contribute to the

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Fund and to consider increasing their contributions to it. The Assembly would welcome the fact that the Trust Fund in Support of Action to Eliminate Violence against Women had become operational and would ask UNIFEM to disseminate information on the best practices funded under that initiative which might wholly eradicate violence against women.

The draft resolution is co-sponsored by the Bahamas, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Uganda and the United States. It was subsequently announced that Chile, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Romania, Singapore and the United Republic of Tanzania had joined in sponsoring the text.

HAZEL DE WET (Namibia) introduced the draft resolution on the girl child, to what she proposed the following amendments:

To the end of the third preambular paragraph, the following words would be added: "including the need for better protection of child victims and witnesses". The sixth preambular paragraph would be amended to read as follows: "Stressing that discrimination, after neglect of the girl child, can initiate a lifelong downward spiral of deprivation and exclusion from the social mainstream,". The following words would be added at the end of operative paragraph 8: "and to take into account the special needs of the girl child in the delivery of humanitarian assistance".

She said that a new operative paragraph 16 would replace the existing paragraph, as follows:

"16. Requests all human rights treaty bodies, special procedures and other human rights mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights and the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to regularly and systematically adopt a gender perspective in the implementation of their mandates, and to include in their reports information and qualitative analysis on violations of human rights of women and girls, and encourage the strengthening of cooperation and coordination in this regard;".

She also announced that the following Member States had joined in sponsoring the draft: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Liberia, Mali, New Zealand, Niger, San Marino, Spain, Suriname, The former Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

DAVID FROST (United Kingdom) introduced the draft resolution on the rights of the child. The following co-sponsors were added: Algeria, Angola, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Guyana, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

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The 59-Power text on the rights of the child (document A/C.3/52/L.25) comprises eight parts. By Part I, on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Assembly would again urge all States that have not yet done so to become party to the Convention as a matter of priority, with a view to reaching the goal of universal adherence. States parties would be called on to implement the Convention fully, to cooperate closely with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and to comply in a timely manner with their reporting obligations under the Convention. They would also be called on to take appropriate measures so the Convention might be amended to increase the Committee's membership from 10 to 18 experts.

Part II of the draft resolution, on children with disabilities, would have the Assembly call upon all States to promote for children with disabilities a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance, and facilitate the child's active participation in the community. It would call upon States to make education accessible to children with special needs.

Part III of the draft concerns preventing and eradicating the sale of children and their sexual exploitation, including child prostitution and child pornography. By its terms, the Assembly call on all States to criminalize all forms of sexual exploitation of children, including commercial sexual exploitation, and to condemn and penalize all those offenders involved, whether local or foreign. In cases of sex tourism, it would urge States to strengthen and implement laws to criminalize the acts of nationals of the countries of origin when committed against children in the countries of destination. States would be asked to step up cooperation to dismantle national, regional and international networks trafficking in children.

By Part IV, on children affected by armed conflict, the Assembly would express grave concern at the damaging effects of armed conflicts on children. It would urge States and all other parties to armed conflict to adopt measures to end the use of children as soldiers and to ensure their demobilization and reintegration into society, including through adequate education and training. It would urgently ask that appropriate measures be taken by Member States and United Nations agencies to ensure humanitarian access to children affected by armed conflict. It would also recommend that whenever sanctions are imposed, their impact on children should be assessed and monitored and that humanitarian exceptions be child-focused.

Under Part V of the text, on refugee and internally displaced children, the Assembly would urge governments to pay particular attention to the situation of such children. It would call upon all States and United Nations bodies to ensure the early identification and registration of unaccompanied refugee and internally displaced children, to give priority to programmes for family tracing and reunification, and to continue monitoring the care arrangements for them. It would call for particular attention to be given to the special vulnerability of child-headed households.

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Part VI, on child labour, would have the Assembly urge States, as a matter of priority, to eliminate all extreme forms of child labour, such as forced labour, bonded labour and other forms of slavery. They would be called on to set specific target dates for eliminating all forms of child labour that are contrary to accepted international standards. They would also be called on to recognize the right to education by making primary education compulsory and ensuring that all children have access to free primary education as a key strategy to prevent child labour.

By Part VII of the draft text, on street children, the Assembly would express grave concern at the large number of children living and/or working on the streets, and at the worldwide increase in reports of such children being affected by crime, drug trafficking, abuse, violence and prostitution. It would call upon governments to seek comprehensive solutions by helping to alleviate the poverty of such children and their families, ensuring their reintegration into society, and providing them with adequate nutrition, shelter, health care and education -- taking into account that such children are particularly vulnerable to all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect. It would call on all governments to take urgent measures to prevent the killing of such children living and to combat torture and violence against them.

Part VIII of the text contains a draft decision by which the Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to submit a report on the rights of the child to the Assembly's next session. His Special Representative on children in situation of armed conflict would be asked to submit to the Assembly and to the Commission on Human Rights relevant information on that issue.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Venezuela.

Action on Draft Texts

ALESSANDRO BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the following countries had joined as co-sponsors of the draft resolution on education for all: Cuba, Denmark, India, Mauritania, Republic of Korea and Venezuela.

TSOGT NYAMSUREN (Mongolia) said the following countries had also joined as co-sponsors of the text: Colombia, Finland, Italy, Jamaica, Malta, Turkmenistan and the United States.

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The following Member States then indicated that they wished to be added to the list of co-sponsors: Barbados, Bolivia, Egypt, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Viet Nam.

The draft resolution on education for all was approved without a vote.

The Committee then took up the draft resolutions on the following subjects: follow-up to the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational Crime; crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women; international cooperation against corruption and bribery in international commercial transactions; and international cooperation in criminal matters.

Mr. BUSACCA (Italy), Committee Chairman, said the draft texts had no programme budget implications.

The draft resolutions were approved without a vote.

The Committee then took up the draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. The Chairman said the text had no programme budget implications.

ADAM ADAWA (Kenya), speaking on behalf of the co-sponsors, introduced an oral revision. Operative paragraphs 7 and 8 would be merged, to read as follows: "Further requests the Secretary-General to make concrete proposals to strengthen the programmes and activities of the Institute and to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution;".

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally revised.

The Committee then took up the draft resolution on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. The CHAIRMAN said the text had no programme budget implications.

He went on to say that the following States had joined as co-sponsors: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Republic of Moldova, San Marino and South Africa:

ADOLFO BARATTOLO (Italy) said the following countries had also been added as co-sponsors: Bahamas, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States, and Uzbekistan.

The draft resolution was approved without a vote.

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Statements on Racism, Self-Determination

MOHAMMED AL-HUMAIMIDI (Iraq) said no people should be deprived of its livelihood. Attempts to violate the principle of non-interference and the right of territoriality could not be justified by claiming international purposes. The intervention by countries, such as the United States, in the affairs of others for their own vested interests represented an attempt to impose their will.

Iraq had been suffering from United States policies since 1991, following a military intervention aimed at dismembering the country, he said. The imposition of a no-fly zone was a violation of Iraq's sovereignty. By mounting rocket attacks, the United States had attempted to interfere in Iraq's affairs in order to destabilize the country and change the regime. The right of the Iraqi people to make a livelihood was being violated.

AHMET ARDA (Turkey) said his country was established following a struggle against foreign occupation and alien domination. The right to self- determination was historically significant. Since more than 3 million Turkish citizens lived in other countries, to whose prosperity they contributed, xenophobia was a major concern.

The exploitation of new information technologies, particularly the Internet, in spreading racist and xenophobic propaganda, was also a matter of concern, he said. A seminar on the subject to be held in Geneva this December should cover all racial and related intolerance. Distinctions must be made between racial discrimination, racism, ethnic cleansing, ethno-nationalist terrorism, and all kinds of fundamentalism.

ADRIAN SPIROLLARI (Albania) said he wanted to bring serious attention to the situation in Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians constituted 90 per cent of the population in the area, and had faced continuous brutal oppression by the Serb authorities for years. Seven years ago, the Albanians of Kosovo had expressed their will in proclaiming Kosovo as an independent republic and creating their own institutions. Appropriate attention should be paid to the delicate solution there, to prevent a tragedy similar to what occurred in Bosnia.

AKRAM ZAKI (Pakistan) said that in order to safeguard fundamental freedoms, more precise definitions of racism and racial discrimination were needed. The dismantling of apartheid had brought an ugly manifestation of racial intolerance to an end in South Africa, which was making great strides in its nation-building process. However, in the post-apartheid period, other forms of racial discrimination haunted the world. The forms had changed, but the essence remained the same.

The slow progress in apprehending criminals indicted by the war crimes tribunals was a matter of concern, as were the massive violations of the rights of certain groups, he said. Particularly troubling was discrimination

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against Muslim countries and against the religion and culture of the Muslim people. In this era, the focus should not be on differences between people, but on their similarities. There were fascists in all nations, but Islam taught tolerance and peace. Those who used Islam to justify violence were misusing it.

ALEKSEI A. ROGOV (Russian Federation) said that the rapid pace of change in the current technological revolution triggered a desire in some to protect the self behind such simplistic ideas as racism. As a result, racism was mutating and was, at times, difficult to identify. Nevertheless, its essence remained the same regardless of its form: the erosion of human dignity. In all cases of racism, whether ethnocentricism or racial superiority, disregarding injustices had serious consequences.

He said his country supported the convening of the world conference on racism. Racism was a common enemy and required a cooperative response. No society was free of ethnic problems. At times of change, those problems got worse. Clear action must then be taken by the State.

The move to a multi-polar world required increased understanding, coupled with control of conflict situations, he said. The right to self-determination should not be interpreted to support actions which threatened the sovereignty of States. Destroying boundaries in the name of self-determination could undermine the principle itself.

Rights of Reply

SETH D. WINNICK (United States), speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said he had listened with astonishment to the statement by the representative of Iraq. Although he had repeatedly named the United States as having taken actions against Iraq, that was a mistake. It was not the United States, but the numerous resolutions of the United Nations to which he was referring.

Mr. AL-HUMAIMIDI (Iraq) said he had not referred to resolutions of the United Nations, but to actions taken by the United States unilaterally, without a mandate from the Security Council. The area of the no-fly zone, for example, was determined by the United States.

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