GENERAL ASSEMBLY OPENS FIFTY-THIRD SESSION
Press Release
GA/9432
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OPENS FIFTY-THIRD SESSION
19980909 Newly Elected President, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), Cites Special Challenges to UN, Urges Member States to Fulfil CommitmentsNoting that the United Nations faced such special challenges as serious disruptions in the financial markets, a dramatic resurgence of terrorism, and conflicts that took the form of attacks on the security of individuals and the stability of institutions, the newly elected President of the General Assembly, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), said this afternoon that creating a favourable climate for consideration of those issues would be a main goal of his presidency.
Speaking as the Assembly opened its fifty-third session, Mr. Opertti said very little could be done on such issues if Member States did not fulfil their commitments to the Organization. Certain challenges could only be met if the tools to respond were upgraded at both the political and the Secretariat level.
Concerning reform, Mr. Opertti said the United Nations should continue "without haste but steadily" along the path of modernization and fine tuning of the Organization. "This should not be just a diplomatic or legal exercise; this should be a natural political response on the part of States and is, therefore, an unpostponable exercise," he said.
In addition to electing its new President, the Assembly elected its 21 Vice-Presidents and appointed nine members of the Credentials Committee. The Assembly's six Main Committees held brief consecutive meetings to elect their Chairmen.
The 21 Vice-Presidents of the Assembly are Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, China, France, Georgia, Germany, Lesotho, Liberia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, San Marino, Senegal, Suriname, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States and Yemen.
The nine Members appointed to the Credentials Committee are China, Fiji, Jamaica, Mali, New Zealand, Russian Federation, United States, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Also this afternoon, the Assembly's Main Committees held meetings to elect their Chairmen. The following were elected by acclamation: Andre Mernier (Belgium), First Committee (Disarmament and International Security); Bagher Asadi (Iran), Second Committee (Economic and Financial); Ali Hachani (Tunisia), Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural); Pablo Macedo
(Mexico), Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization); Movses Abelian (Armenia), Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary); and Jargalsaikhany Enkhsaikhan (Mongolia), Sixth Committee (Legal).
The Assembly was informed that the following 19 Member States were in arrears in the payment of their contributions to the Organization under Article 19 of the United Nations Charter: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Comoros, Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Liberia, Republic of Moldova, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tajikistan, Togo, Vanuatu and Yugoslavia. [By Article 19, a Member State in arrears in the amount equal to, or exceeding, contributions due for the preceding two years shall have no vote in the General Assembly.]
Further, the Assembly adopted the recommendation of the Committee on Conferences that the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund and the Committee on Relations with the Host Country be allowed to meet during the main part of the fifty-third session. At the beginning of the session, the Assembly observed the traditional minute of silent prayer or meditation which also served as an observance of International Day of Peace. The day was proclaimed by the Assembly in 1981 to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. The first meeting of the Assembly's General Committee will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, 11 September.
Statement by Assembly President
Following his election as President of the fifty-third session of the Assembly, DIDIER OPERTTI (Uruguay), said that conducting the business of that body in the current international situation was an activity that could only be carried out if the goodwill and commitment of all could be counted on. It must be borne in mind at all times that the Organization gave rise to many high expectations among the governments and peoples of its Member States. Those expectations must be met decisively and in a spirit of tolerance. He said the following were the special challenges that the United Nations faced and in most cases had already assumed: the serious disruptions of financial markets and their adverse effects on national economies in an inescapable global context; the resurgence of terrorism; the influence of drugs on those who took them; the increase in international crime; the protection of underprivileged individuals and peoples; protection of the environment; human rights; and the achievement of social peace. He reminded all present that they should not forget development assistance, cooperation in the field of education, science and technology, the fight against disease, and the codification and development of international law.
He said that affirming that the United Nations was a composite of the world would perhaps be a reductionist and inaccurate simplification. However,
Fifty-third General Assembly - 3 - Press Release GA/9432 1st and 2nd Plenary Meetings (PM) 9 September 1998 and 1st Main Committees Meetings (PM)
it would be difficult to imagine a world without the Organization or without a body to carry out similar tasks. Concerning reform, he said the United Nations should continue "without haste but steadily" along the path of modernization and fine tuning of the Organization. It should not be just a diplomatic or legal exercise, but should be a natural political response on the part of States and was, therefore, an "unpostponable" exercise. He said it was perhaps appropriate to recall that the problems the Organization faced today were of a different nature to those it encountered earlier. He noted that in the past ten years, only half a dozen of the more than 100 conflicts that had breached international peace and security had been territorial conflicts. However, those conflicts had, in some cases, become attacks on the security of individuals and the stability of institutions, as well as, on some occasions, breaches of peace in entire regions of the world. Creating a favourable climate for consideration of those issues and promoting an "animus societatis" among all Member States, was perhaps the main goal of the United Nations, he said. He would pursue that goal during his Presidency without excluding any States, and in accordance with the Charter and the rules of procedure. He said the list of challenges before the United Nations was not confined to the systematic and orderly cataloguing of the agenda. As they unfolded, international events made the Organization a sounding board and focus of attention for peoples and Governments, non-governmental organizations, analysts and observers, communicators, and above all those who were endeavouring to transform their individual problems into a common cause. The United Nations had not been and would not be able to solve all problems and settle all conflicts. Consequently, there would always be a high level of dissatisfaction and criticism. However, nothing could be more dangerous than, under the sway of those criticisms, to disregard the very important achievements of the United Nations in a very wide range of fields. He urged all present to take care of the Organization, and said that "even as we acknowledge and draw attention to its shortcomings, let us not allow scepticism to spread and make us lose heart". There was a need to renew the original commitment to peace and progress as essential values. He also urged Member States to view with the greatest lucidity and realism possible, the critical points that could jeopardize the Organization. "Let us not confuse the substantive and the procedural," he said. "Let us not confuse what is of key importance and what is of secondary importance." He said very little could be done if States did not fulfil their commitments to the Organization. In substantive terms, such challenges as the fight against terrorism, nuclear disarmament, human rights, the protection of women, children, minorities and displaced persons, trials of those guilty of the most serious crimes against humanity, and the fight against disease, marginalization and poverty, were the sort of challenges that could only be met if the tools for responding to them were upgraded both at the political and the Secretariat level.
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