FIVE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED IN ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/EF/2799

FIVE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED IN ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

The General Assembly would call upon all donors to give priority to the eradication of poverty and would invite the United Nations system to support developing countries, particularly African countries and the least developed countries, in eradicating poverty and ensuring basic social services, by the terms of one of five draft resolutions introduced this afternoon in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) by the United Republic of Tanzania on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China.

Also by the draft resolution, the Assembly would invite the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to extend projects under the rubric "poverty strategies initiative" to all developing countries and to strengthen assistance in the elaboration of national plans, programmes and strategies to eradicate poverty, particularly in African countries and the least developed countries.

By a draft resolution on the report of the Committee on Development Planning, additionally sponsored by Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the Assembly would have the Assembly decide to retain Vanuatu on the list of the least developed countries until further consideration by the Committee for Development Planning during its next review, in the year 2000.

Under the other three draft resolutions introduced this afternoon, the Assembly would:

-- Call on all governments, the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations to implement the programme of action adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests;

-- Call on the United Nations system to coordinate activities in support of human resources development and capacity-building and to strengthen the human resources development aspect of their development activities; and

-- Appeal to all governments and to private institutions to contribute financially or otherwise to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and urge those that suspended their voluntary contributions to resume them, in the light of the Institute's successful restructuring and revitalization.

The Committee will meet again at a date to be announced in the Journal.

Draft Resolutions Introduced

A draft resolution on the report of the Committee on Development Planning (document A/C.2/52/L.28) would have the Assembly decide to retain Vanuatu on the list of the least developed countries until further consideration by the Committee for Development Planning during its next review, in the year 2000. Stressing the need for the Committee for Development Planning to take fully into account the vulnerability index in evaluating the status of the least developed countries, the Assembly would welcome the convening of Working Group III of the Committee for Development Planning, at United Nations Headquarters from 17 to 19 December, to review the results of the technical work and the outcome of the expert group meeting, as requested by Assembly resolution 51/183.

By a draft resolution on the implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the Assembly's nineteenth special session on environment and development (document A/C.2/52/L.29) the Assembly would call on all governments, relevant United Nations actors, the international community, including non-governmental organizations, to implement the programme of action adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests. Stressing that concerted efforts by all governments would be required to achieve advance results by the next review of the implementation of Agenda 21 in the year 2002, and taking into account the priority areas adopted at the special session, the Assembly would call on the developed countries to fulfil their commitments with respect to financial resources and technology transfer.

The Assembly would invite the Commission on Sustainable Development to establish funding modalities to enable developing countries that were not members to participate in the work of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests, and urge Governments to contribute to the Trust Fund for that purpose. Governments would be invited to assist developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, to participate in the follow-up meetings envisaged for the next five years, and to make timely contributions to the Trust Fund to support the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The Assembly would also stress the urgent need to replenish the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to enable it to fulfil its mandate.

Another draft resolution, on the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (document A/C.2/52/L.30), would call upon all donors to give high priority to the eradication of poverty in their budgets and

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programmes. It would also invite the relevant funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations system to support developing countries, particularly African countries and the least developed countries, in their efforts to achieve the overall goal of eradicating poverty and ensuring basic social services.

By the draft resolution, the Assembly would invite the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to extend projects under the rubric "poverty strategies initiative" to all developing countries and to strengthen assistance in the elaboration of national plans, programmes and strategies to eradicate poverty, particularly in African countries and the least developed countries. It would decide that every year the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) should be marked by concentrating on the themes that the General Assembly chooses for that year.

The Assembly would also express concern that the debt and debt-servicing problems of developing countries continue to impede efforts to eradicate poverty. It would note that the initiative on the heavily indebted poor countries is valuable, but, even when fully operational, will leave untouched much of the debt of severely indebted low-income countries. It would call upon the international community, including multilateral financial institutions, to take further major initiatives on debt cancellation and/or alleviation and to implement all initiatives taken that will contribute to a durable solution of the debt problems of developing countries, in particular African countries and the least developed countries.

It would request the Secretary-General to report to it at its fifty- third session on progress made in the implementation of measures, themes, recommendations and activities related to the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, including recommendations for possible actions and initiatives for the rest of the Decade. It would decide to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third session an item entitled "Implementation of the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)".

By a draft text on developing human resources for development (document A/C.2/52/L.31) the Assembly would call on the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to coordinate activities in support of national and regional action in human resources development and capacity-building and to strengthen the human resources development aspect of their development activities. International financial institutions and other international organizations would be called on to support the objectives of human resources development and to integrate them into their policies, programmes and operations. Countries would be encouraged to ensure the development of their human resources, through education and training and by increasing receptivity to technological innovations, including those in the field of information and communication.

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The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to include in his report to the fifty-fourth session an assessment of the effectiveness of the contribution of operational activities to human resources development. It would further request that the report include a brief review of the experience of the United Nations system in addressing the issue of human resources development in order to identify possible new approaches to enhance the delivery capacity of the United Nations system.

A draft resolution on United Nations Institute for Training and Research (document A/C.2/52/L.32) would have the Assembly appeal to all governments and to private institutions to contribute financially or otherwise to the Institute. It would urge those that suspended their voluntary contributions to resume them, in light of the successful restructuring and revitalization of the Institute.

By the draft resolution, the Assembly would endorse the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit to entrust the Institute with, in addition to its current activities, clearing-house functions as regards the needs of personnel from States; request the United Nations University to continue its role as the lead entity dealing with research, including research into common training policies; and have the United Nations Staff College Project focus on the training of United Nations systems staff members.

It would invite the Institute to further strengthen its cooperation with other United Nations institutes and relevant national, regional and international institutes. It would call on the Secretary-General to provide additional facilities to the Institute for conducting programmes and training courses that are provided at no cost to States, and to their representatives accredited to United Nations offices in New York, Nairobi, Geneva and Vienna.

It would request the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Executive Director of the Institute, as well as with the heads of United Nations funds and programmes, to explore ways and modalities to systematically utilize the Institute in the execution of training and capacity-building programmes and to report to the Assembly at its fifty-third session.

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