ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL SUSPENDS 1998 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION AT CONCLUSION OF FOUR-WEEK MEETING AT HEADQUARTERS, 6-31 JULY

4 August 1998

Press Release
ECOSOC/5798

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL SUSPENDS 1998 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION AT CONCLUSION OF FOUR-WEEK MEETING AT HEADQUARTERS, 6-31 JULY

19980804 Adopts 'Ministerial Communique on Market Access'; President Cites Humanitarian Segment Among Many 'Firsts' in Council Work

The work of the Economic and Social Cuncil during the past year had been marked by a number of "firsts", Council President Juan Somavia (Chile) told the Council as it suspended its 1998 substantive session, having reached agreement on the major part of its work Friday, 31 July.

At the conclusion of the four-week session, the President told Council members that there was room for satisfaction, but not complacency, since the Council's working methods needed further streamlining. Reviewing innovations, he said the Council, for the first time, had convened a special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, and met with heads of various functional commissions to exchange experiences, give opinions regarding working methods, and discuss cooperation with the Council.

Also, the Council for the first time devoted a segment to humanitarian affairs. During the new two-day segment, the Council considered progress towards strengthening the Organization's humanitarian assistance capacity, as well as disaster relief operations and special economic assistance.

The substantive session, which began on 6 July, opened with a three-day high-level segment focusing on the theme of "Market access: developments since the Uruguay Round, implications, opportunities and challenges, in particular for the developing countries and the least developed among them, in the context of globalization and liberalization". A policy dialogue was also held in this segment on important needs of multilateral financial and trade institutions of the United Nations system. At the conclusion of this segment, the Council adopted a "Ministerial Communique on Market Access" for exports from the least developed countries. (For information, see page 2 of this press release.)

A high-level meeting addressing operational activities focused on the advancement of women and the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. The Council's coordination segment focused on implementation of the Vienna Declaration and

- 2 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

Programme of Action, adopted at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. The Council also held its general segment to consider the work of its subsidiary bodies.

The Council planned to meet this week to further discuss the application of the terms of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations to the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the independence of judges and lawyers.

High-Level Segment: Policy Dialogue, Market Access

At the opening meeting of the policy dialogue on 6 July, Secretary- General Kofi Annan said that while present global conditions offered unprecedented prospects for peace and security, the international community seemed ill-equipped to fully harness that tremendous potential. Although economies and markets were now global, politics remained local and Governments must show that global imperatives could coexist with local needs.

During the one-day discussion, the Managing Director of the International Monitary Fund (IMF) told the Council that countries which pursued strong, progressive trade liberalization, in the context of general economic reforms and market-oriented policies, achieved growth and increased trade performance. The Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said positive economic development included prudent trade management, the gradual and careful opening up of markets and the maximization of the benefits of globalization. The President of the World Bank and the Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) also participated in the dialouge.

During the debate on developments relating to market access since the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), held on 7 and 8 July, UNCTAD and WTO reported that despite significant improvements in the conditions and security of market access, tariffs and other traditional barriers remained an issue in a wide range of sectors, many of which were of particular export interest to developing countries.

Many representatives noted that while agreements made during the Uruguay Round had eased many trade barriers, the interests of the least developed countries had been largely bypassed. Tariffs still remained in major markets on the few important exportable items for many least developed countries, such as textiles, clothing and leather products. Both developing and developed nations recognized the need for additional efforts to support market access for developing countries, with substantially increased financial resources and technical assistance called for.

By the Ministerial Communique on Market Access, adopted without a vote, the Council pledged to further enhance market access for the exports of the

- 3 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

least developed countries. Calling on WTO members to take into account the specific interests of developing countries, the Council emphasized the importance of assisting those countries in capacity-building and in service infrastructure development. The UNCTAD, WTO and other relevant organizations were invited to provide enhanced technical assistance to help strengthen the supply capacity of the least developed countries.

In adopting the communique, the Council said that future trade negotiations should address the degrees of market access in order to secure broad-based trade liberalization for the benefit of all countries. The Council cited the need for improved measures to address the negative effects of volatile capital flows on the international trading system and the development prospects of developing countries.

Operational Activities: International Development Cooperation

The Council opened its operational segment with a high-level discussion on the role of United Nations operational activities related to the advancement of women, including efforts to implement the Beijing Platform for Action.

During the debate, which focused on promoting capacity-building and resource mobilization for enhancing the participation of women in development, representatives proposed innovations such as the establishment of a system to track resources allocated with a gender perspective and the development of gender-oriented budgets that indicated whether the project, policy or programme had fully integrated gender equality.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said that to fulfil pledges made in Beijing, UNIFEM would foster accountability to achieve a world free from poverty, violence and inequality. In addressing the advancement of women in the United Nations system, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women reported that gender mainstreaming was not yet compulsory throughout the Organization. The expertise and collaboration of planning and budgeting heads within the Organization's agencies was vital to its success.

The Council, to support the implimentation of the Beijing Platform for Action:

-- Called on Governments to implement specific programmes for the eradiction of poverty and illiteracy, ensuring women's equal rights and access to social services;

-- Recognized the need of the United Nations system to adopt a coordinated policy on gender mainstreaming, reaffirming that responsibility

- 4 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

for translating gender mainstreaming into practice rested at the highest level;

-- Requested United Nations bodies to establish internal funding targets for gender mainstreaming; and

-- Reaffirmed the need for adequate resources to implement the action plan, as well as new and additional resources to developing countries.

While considering follow-up to General Assembly recommendations on operational activities for development, delegations noted that a tragic shortfall between the demands on the United Nations system for operational activities and the diminishing level of available resources was the central dilemma facing the entire development cooperation process. Representatives noted that without increased resources, the goals and objectives of the United Nations development programmes might have to be drastically reduced.

To gain first-hand information, the Council met with field personnel serving in Guatemala and Mozambique who had participated in the polit phase of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The UNDAF is a mechanism to achieve collaboration, programmatic coherence and mutual reinforcement among the funds and programmes in order to assist Governments in the implementation of the outcomes of United Nations conferences and summits. Representatives of United Nations bodies, including UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and the World Bank, noted that increased coordination between agencies and government entities were factors in strengthening programmatic and mutually reinforing approaches.

In its recommendations, the Council requested the Secretary-General in preparing his next report to the Assembly, to take into account the following: relevant aspects of conclusions and decisions made during the current Council session; funding strategy decisions being made by the Executive Boards of United Nations funds and programmes; and the implications of steps adopted by the United Nations system to implement reform initiatives on operational activities.

As part of the discussion, the Council considered the reports of the Executive Boards of United Nations funds and programmes. In presenting those reports, representatives of the Boards discussed efforts to reform those organizations and to enhance cooperation between them. Agency directors highlighted areas of primary concern, which included programme-related issues; the resident coordinator system; administrative, financial and human resources issues; and resources. Cooperation in humanitarian, normative and operational activities was discussed, with a focus on improving effectiveness at the field level. The Council, in related action, requested the Executive Boards to identify specific problems, opportunities and areas in which it could provide cross-sectoral coordination and overall guidance.

- 5 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

Humanitarian Affairs Segment

During its segment on humanitarian affairs, the Council discussed ways of improving the Organization's ability to provide emergency humanitarian assistance, including the idea of the Council providing policy directives and oversee coordination of the system-wide response to complex humanitarian emergencies, large-scale humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Many representatives discussed ways to build on progress already achieved in reinforcing and improving mechanisms for the coordination of humanitarian assistance programmes, both at Headquarters and in the field. However, several noted the serious gap between humanitarian needs and the funding provided by donors.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs told the Council that during the past year he had visited four regions where the United Nations was actively involved in humanitarian assistance programmes. It was clear, he said, that new efforts were required to strengthen national response mechanisms and capacities for humanitarian delivery. The United Nations must lead the effort to ensure that humanitarian assistance reached those who were most in need. In addition, more should be done to protect humanitarian workers from injury, abduction and death.

During a discussion on natural disaster relief, the Council met with the resident/humanitarian coordinators for Afghanistan, Indonesia and Peru, and considered efforts to ease humanitarian hardships caused by earthquakes in Afghanistan, extensive forest fires in Indonesia and El Niño in Peru. During its consideration of humanitarian response to complex emergencies, United Nations humanitarian coordinators for Angola, Sierra Leone and Georgia reported that for humanitarian agencies to operate in the midst of military conflict and insecurity, cooperation with the Government was vital. Also, the international community must strike a balance between political and humanitarian activities when operating in such difficult field situations.

At the close of the segement, by adopting without a vote its agreed conclusions on special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assitance, the Council reiterated the need for coordinated humanitarian assistance and adequate financial resources to ensure an effective response by the United Nations system. An effective response would include immediate relief, as well as efforts which supported the smooth transition between relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and long-term development. The Council called on all Governments and parties in complex humanitarian emergencies to ensure the safety and access of humanitarian personnel in order to allow them to assist the affected civilian population.

The Council expressed full support for the leadership role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator in coordinating humanitarian assistance activities and prioritization of programmes within the United Nations

- 6 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

consolidated appeals. The Council also called on the Secretary-General to develop emergency rules and procedures to ensure a rapid response to humanitarian crises. It would stress that disaster preparedness and early warning must be further strengthened at the country and regional levels.

Coordination Segment

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, told the Council that mainstreaming of human rights into United Nations programmes and activities had moved human rights out of the offices and into the field. Addressing the Council as it began its coordination segment -- focusing on follow-up to the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights -- she said a comprehensive approach to implementing the Vienna Declaration adopted at the Conference was essential. Democracy, sustainable development and human rights had to be integrated through steamlining, rational placement of resources and coordination of efforts within a system-wide approach. She called on members of the Council to focus on devising a concerted system-wide approach to human rights.

In adopting agreed conclusion on follow-up to the Vienna Conference, the Council reaffirmed the need for increased coordination in support of human rights and fundamental freedoms within the United Nations system. To that end, all United Nations organs, bodies and specialized agencies whose activities deal with human rights were called on to cooperate in order to strengthen, rationalize and streamline their activities, while avoiding duplication. The Council called for consistent affirmation throughout the United Nations system of the interrelationship between democracy, dvelopment and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Council also called on all relevant components of the United Nations system to strengthen their contribution to the efforts to eradicate racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. It stressed the importance of efforts by the United Nations to promote and protect the rights of the child. In addition, the Council urged governments to incorporate in their domestic legislation standards contained in international human rights instruments and to strengthen national structures, institutions and organs of society which supported and protect human rights.

General Segment

During the general segment, the Council discussed and took action on a variety of matters, including follow-up to international conferences, coordination and programme questions, regional cooperation, United Nations reform, economic and environmental questions, and social and humanitarian issues.

- 7 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

In support of integrated and coordinated folow-up of major United Nations conferences and summits, the Council stressed the role of the specialized agencies in follow-up to conferences. It called for further interaction between the Council and the specialized agencies, encouraging more active and high-level particpation. The Council called on countries to continue to assess progress in implementing conference goals and reaffirmed the important role played by resident coordinators in assisting Governments and in enhancing United Nations system-wide coordination. The Council also agreed to consider conducting in the year 2000, as a possible contribution to the Millennium Assembly, a Council review on progress within the United Nations system to promote coordinated follow-up to summits and conferences.

In follow-up relating to mainstreaming the gender perspective into the United Nations system, the Council requested all entities of the United Nations, in particular the funds and programmes in their operational activities, to adopt a comprehensive, integrated and multisectoral approach to implementing the Beiging Platform for Action. As part of an effort to develop basic indicators, the Council decided, to hold an informal meeting with experts immediately after the Council's resumed 1999 organizational session, of one to two days duration, to consider work on basic indicators to measure implementation of conference goals -- as a first step towards identifying overapping duplication and gaps.

On coordination and programme questions, the Council discussed issues related to malarial and diarrhoeal diseases. In that regar,d it stressed the importance of adopting and implementing national plans of action in countries where malaria is endemic in conformity with the WHO Global Malaria Control Strategy, and called on the international community, particularly donors, to expand fund-raising channels and to provide adequate financial resources and medical and technical assistance to affected developing countries.

It also addressed international cooperation in the field of informatics by calling for urgent measures to ensure that permanent missons and Member States of the United Nations have easy, economic, uncomplicated and unhindered access to the growing number of computerized services of the United Nations. It decided that the programme to harmonize and improve the Organization's informatics systems should continue within existing resources. Emphasizing the need for global cooperation to ensure a timely and effective response to the year 2000 challenge, the Council adopted suggested guidelines for the United Nations and Member States to address the year 2000 problem.

Also, the Council recommended that the Assembly, at its fifty-third session, proclaim the year 2002 as the international year of mountains. Recalling the decision of the Assembly to proclaim the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace, the Council requested that the Assembly adopt a programme of action for the year 2000. It recognized that

- 8 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

the promotion of a culture of peace should be a high-profile theme in the several mobilizing events and evaluations being planned for the year 2000.

The Council also recommended for adoption by the General Assembly, resolutions proclaiming the year 2005 as the international year of microcredit, and the period 2001-2010 as the international decade for a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world.

On implementation of Assembly mandates on revitalizing and reforming the Organization, the Assembly decided that the Commission on Science and Technology for Development shall remain a functional commission of the Council and shall continue to meet biennially for two weeks. However, its membership is reduced from 53 to 33 with the following geographical distribution: eight members from African States; seven members from Asian States; six from Latin American and the Caribbean States; four from Eastern European States; and eight from Western European and other States.

The Council also decided that the Committee for Development Planning would be renamed the Committee for Development Policy and will remain a subsidiary body of the Council. It will be comprised of 24 independent experts. It will continue the triennial review of the status of least developed countries and will meet on that issue once every three years.

In addition, the Council merged the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development into a single expert body to be named the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development. Serving as a subsidiary body of the Council, it will be made up of two sub-groups of 12 experts -- one dealing with energy, the other with water resources. The Committee will meet biennially for two weeks.

By that decision, it is estimated that there will be a reduction in requirements of $152,900 (including $60,000 under section 11A, Trade and development, and $92,900 under section 7A, Economic and social affairs) during the 1998-1999 biennium.

In a related action, the Council decided to terminate, as of 31 December 1998, the current membership of the Commitssion on Science and Technology for Development, the Committee for Development Planning, the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and the Committee on Energy for Development. Elections to the reconstituted bodies will be held at its resumed 1998 substantive session.

In relation to implementing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, by a vote of 24 in favour to none against, with 19 abstentions, the Council recommended that all States

- 9 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

intensify their efforts in the specialized agencies and other United Nations organizations to ensure the implementation of the Declaration.

During its review of coordination of regional commissions, the heads of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), and Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), discussed the effects of the Asian economic crisis on economies in their regions, again highlighting the global nature of today's system. In related action, the Council recommended that the ECA, United Nations agencies and other organizations in Africa cooperate to support existing coordination mechanisms at the regional level; endorsed ECA's revised medium-term plan, 1998-2001; stressed that the core functions of the ECE were the development and harmonization of legal instruments, norms and standards in its areas of expertise, while providing statistics and analyses in those areas; urged all ESCAP members to intensify efforts to fulfil regional targets for the disabled; and endorsed ECLAC decision to hold its twenty-eighth session in Mexico in the year 2000.

During its consideration of non-governmental organizations, the Council decided not to pursue the question of the enlargement of the Committee on Non- Governmental Organizations until the year 2000; granted general consultative status to groups of non-governmental organizations; and approved the participation of four organizations of indigenous people not in consultative status with the Council in the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights.

In connection with aspects of the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian Territory, the Council, by a recorded vote of 40 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 2 abstentions (Colombia and Iceland), demanded that Israel, as the occupying Power, comply fully with provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regulations annexed to the 1907 Hague Convention and the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families.

In another action, the Council called upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to cease its measures against the Palestinian people, in particular the closure of the occupied Palestinian territory, the enforced isolation of Palestinian towns, the destruction of homes and the isolation of Jerusalem. By a recorded vote of 44 in favour to 1 against (United States), and with no abstention, the Council stressed the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to guarantee freedom of movement of persons and goods in the territory.

As part of its general segment, the Council considered economic and environmental questions, including: sustainable development, natural

- 10 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

resources, energy, international cooperation in tax matters, public administration and finance, cartography and population and development.

In action related to that question, the Council, without votes, accepted recommendations of the Commission on Sustainable Development by which it:

-- invited governments to undertake national consultations with appropriate stakeholder groups on guidelines for sustainable consumption;

-- approved the Commission's request to hold the third session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests at Geneva from 3 to 14 May 1999;

-- took note of the report of the Commission on its sixth session and approved the provisional agenda for that body's seventh session; and

-- authorized the Commission to convene an organizational meeting in 1998 for the sole purpose of holding elections to fill the two remaining posts of Vice-Chairmen of the bureau of its seventh session.

Accepting recommendations of the Commission on Population and Development, also without votes, the Council:

-- invited Governments to give priority to the planning and undertaking of the next population and housing census, and called on the United Nations system, donor governments, and non-governmental organizations to provide support to countries in need in that undertaking;

-- decided that the duration of the thirty-second session of the Commission should be extended to seven working days in March 1999; and

-- took note of the Commission's report on its thirty-first session and approved the agenda for its thirty-second session;

It also decided:

-- the Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographic Names should be convened for eight working days in the second half of the year 2002;

-- the twentieth session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names should be convened during the fourth quarter of 1999;

-- the Secretary-General should take measures to implement the recommendations of the Conference, especially with regard to the work of the Group of Experts;

- 11 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

-- the fifteenth meeting of the experts in public administration and finance should take place during the first quarter of the year 2000; and

-- that the ninth meeting of the ad hoc group of experts on international cooperation in tax matters should take place in the first half of 1999, as envisaged in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1998- 1999.

The Council addressed integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to those conferences and summits by considering major cross-cutting themes emerging from global conferences. Following that consideration, the Council, acting without votes, took actions, including:

In consensus action related to Social and human rights questions, the Council took note of the reports of the Commission on the Status of Women; Commission for Social Development; Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; Commission on Narcotic Drugs; and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

The Council, in accepting recommendations of the Commissions on the Status of Women, all without votes, the Council:

-- condemned the continuing violations of the human rights of women and girls in all areas of Afghanistan, and st rongly urged all Afghan factions to end discriminatory policies, and to recognize, protect and promote the equal rights and dignity of women and men;

-- stressed the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective into the formulation and implementation of operational activities of the United Nations system and urged Member States to fully integrate a gender policy into considerations of the triennial policy review; and stressed

-- Conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women on critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action, namely, violence against women, women in armed conflict, human rights of women, and the girl child.

Accepting recommendations of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Council, among other things: -- decided that Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders should be held from 10 to 17 April 2000 in Austria, with pre-Congress consultations to take place on 9 April;

-- decided to establish an open-ended ad hoc committee on for the purpose of elaborating a comprehensive international convention against transnational organized crime;

- 12 - Press Release ECOSOC/5798 4 August 1998

-- requested the Secretary-General to elaborate, in consultation with Member States, model legislation on the subject to enhance effective cooperation between States in criminal matters;

-- decided to convene an open-ended meeting of governmental experts to ensure that an appropriate international strategy against corruption is formulated in consultations with other concerned intergovernmental organizations;

-- decided that a study should be initiated on illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in explosives by criminals and on their abuse and misuse for criminal purposes, as part of consideration of regulation of explosives for the purpose of crime prevention and public health and safety;

-- decided that the proposed ad hoc committee on the elaboration of an international convention against transnational organized crime should discuss the elaboration an international instrument to combat illicit manufacturing of, and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition, including effective methods of identifying and tracing firearms.

-- decided that discussions on the elaboration of an international instrument against illegal trafficking in and transporting of migrants, including by sea, should be carried out by the proposed ad hoc committee on the elaboration of a comprehensive international convention against transnational organized crime.

-- decided that the proposed ad hoc committee should also look at possible elaboration of an international instrument addressing trafficking in women and children; and -- recommended that the relevant national authorities promote the use and application of United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice. Officers, Membership

The President of the Economic and Social Council is Juan Somavia (Chile). The Vice-Presidents are Anwarul Karim Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Alyaksandr Sychou (Belarus), Roble Olhaye (Djibouti), and Francesco Paolo Fulci (Italy). The 54 members of the Council for 1998 are: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Guyana, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam and Zambia.

* *** *