ASSEMBLY TO OPEN NEXT REGULAR SESSION ON WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER BY RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENING OF UN SYSTEM

4 June 1998

Press Release
GA/9409

ASSEMBLY TO OPEN NEXT REGULAR SESSION ON WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER BY RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENING OF UN SYSTEM

19980604 Resolutions on Revitalization of Work Of Assembly and on Women's Conference also Adopted

The fifty-third session of the General Assembly will open on Wednesday, 9 September, following the closure of the fifty-second session a day earlier, the Assembly decided this afternoon. The Assembly decided also that the International Day of Peace shall continue to be observed on the opening day of the regular session.

It took that action without a vote, through its adoption of a resolution on strengthening of the United Nations system. Further by that text, the Assembly decided to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third session an item entitled "Strengthening of the United Nations system".

Also without a vote, it adopted texts on the revitalization of the work of the Assembly and on the Fourth World Conference on Women.

By its text on its method of work, the Assembly commended the efforts made by its Main Committees in streamlining their agenda and method of work. It decided to continue the consideration of the process of its revitalization at its fifty-third session on the basis of the work already accomplished in that field. The Assembly welcomed the views of the Assembly Presidents of its forty-ninth, fiftieth and fifty-first sessions and expressed its appreciation to them for imparting their experience to Assembly members.

By its resolution on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Assembly decided that the high-level plenary review to assess the progress achieved in implementing the outcome of that Conference should be held as a five-day special session of the Assembly, from 5 to 9 June 2000. It decided that the special session should reaffirm the commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and focus on obstacles encountered in implementation and further action and initiatives. Also by the text, the Assembly decided that the Commission on the Status of Women should carry out the preparatory work for the plenary review at its sessions in the years 1999 and 2000, which should be extended by five days each to complete the preparations.

The representative of Costa Rica said her Government was in full agreement with the changes on the opening and closing dates of the Assembly proposed in the resolution. Costa Rica expressed its appreciation that the Assembly would continue to celebrate the International Day of Peace on the day the Assembly begins its session.

Also this afternoon, the Assembly took note of two letters from the Chairman of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), Oscar de Rojas, on the results of his consultations with Member States on the first two-day high- level dialogue on the theme of the "social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications". By doing so, the Assembly thus decided that the high-level dialogue would be held on 17 and 18 September, immediately before the commencement of the general debate at the Assembly's fifty-third session.

In other business, the Assembly was informed that El Salvador and Yemen had made the necessary payments to reduce its arrears below the amount specified under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter. By that Article, a Member State which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organization, would have no vote in the Assembly if the amount involved equals or exceeds contributions due for the preceding two full years.

The Assembly will meet again at a date to be announced.

Texts Adopted

By the decision on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly (document A/52/L.76), submitted by Assembly President Hennadiy Udovenko, the Assembly commended the efforts made by the Main Committees in the streamlining of their agenda and method of work. It expressed its appreciation to the Presidents of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth, fiftieth and fifty-first sessions for imparting their experience to the Assembly. The Assembly also decided to continue the consideration of the process of revitalization of the Assembly at its fifty-third session.

By the resolution on strengthening of the United Nations system (document A/52/L.77), submitted by the Assembly President, the Assembly decided that its fifty-second session shall close on Tuesday, 8 September, and its fifty-third session shall open on Wednesday, 9 September. The Assembly decided that the International Day of Peace should continue to be observed on the opening day of the regular session. It further decided to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third session the item entitled "Strengthening of the United Nations system".

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9409 87th Meeting (PM) 4 June 1998

The resolution on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was recommended to the Assembly by the Economic and Social Council. By its terms, the Assembly decided that the high-level plenary review to appraise and assess the progress achieved in implementing the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action five years after its adoption and to consider further actions and initiatives should be held as a special session of the General Assembly for five days, from 5 to 9 June 2000. It decided that the special session should reaffirm the commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action and further focus on obstacles encountered in its implementation, as well as strategies to overcome those obstacles, with a view to implementing the Platform and to taking further action and initiatives.

Further by the text, the Assembly decided that the preparatory work for the high-level review would be carried out by the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-third and forty-fourth sessions in the years 1999 and 2000, respectively, and that those sessions be extended by five days each to complete the preparations.

The Secretary-General was called upon, in collaboration with the regional commissions, to develop a standardized questionnaire with a focused set of indicators on all critical areas of concern, to serve as a framework to assist national governments in their assessment of and reporting on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Secretary-General was also asked to submit to the Assembly at its special session a comparative report on how different categories of projects and programmes of United Nations organizations include women's interests and gender mainstreaming, as well as resources allocated in that regard. The Assembly also asked him to provide by the end of 1999 a compilation of updated statistics and indicators on the situation of women and girls in countries around the world by issuing, for example, a volume of The World's Women.

Governments were encouraged to submit their national plans of action to the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Secretariat by September 1998 for review during the forty-third session of the Commission. They were asked to submit in 1999 information on their implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, focusing particularly on positive actions, lessons learned, obstacles, key challenges remaining and a vision for gender equality in the next millennium.

The Assembly also called on States, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to undertake necessary measures to provide information to the public on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the process of preparations for the Assembly's special session.

General Assembly Plenary - 4 - Press Release GA/9409 87th Meeting (PM) 4 June 1998

Letters from Chairman of Second Committee

In a letter dated 13 March to the President of the General Assembly (document A/52/832), the Chairman of the Second Committee reports on the results of his consultations with Member States on the date, modalities and focus of the first two-day high-level dialogue on the theme of the social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications. He says delegations felt that the high-level dialogue should be held on 17 and 18 September, immediately prior to the general debate at the Assembly's fifty-third session.

Regarding the desired modalities, he says that Member States recommended that a combination of plenary meetings and ministerial round tables would be the best approach. They also stressed the importance of ensuring the widest possible range of inputs, and that contributions of non-State actors involved in and affected by globalization should be sought. Official intergovernmental dialogue could be complemented by informal panel meetings, with the participation of non-State actors.

In a letter dated 27 May (document A/52/919), the Second Committee Chairman states that delegations agreed that the topic for the first ministerial round table should be "the social and economic impact of globalization: national responses". For the second ministerial round table, the topic would be "the social and economic impact of globalization: international responses".

The first panel will consider the economic impact of globalization and have as its topic the sustainability of economic growth, he states. The second panel will consider the social impact of globalization and have as its topic poverty eradication. Annexed to the Chairman's letter is a list of suggested issues for discussion in each of the panels.

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