GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 166-ITEM AGENDA FOR FIFTY-THIRD SESSION
Press Release
GA/9436
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 166-ITEM AGENDA FOR FIFTY-THIRD SESSION
19980915 New Items Include Bethlehem 2000 Project, World Solar Programme; Item Calling for Review of China's UN Representation Not IncludedThe General Assembly this afternoon adopted an agenda of 166 items for its fifty-third session.
Ten new items will be considered this year by the Assembly. Among those are consideration of the Bethlehem 2000 Project to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ and the onset of the millennium, and the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, which involves the contribution of renewable energy sources to sustainable development. The causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa was also included as a new item.
In addition, the Assembly intends to address the global implications of the year 2000 date conversion of computers, as well as the issue of observer status in the Assembly for the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Financing of the United Nations missions in the Central African Republic and Sierra Leone will be considered, as will new items on the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and the election of judges to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. (For further background information on the new items, see Press Release GA/9434 issued 11 September.)
The agenda was adopted based on the recommendations of its General Committee. Seventy-one items will be considered directly in the plenary. All others have been referred to one of the Assembly's six Main Committees, which will report on the issues to the Assembly later in the session.
The Assembly deleted an item on Burundi, as the Assembly had concluded its consideration of the issue in its previous session. Items relating to the Malagasy islands and East Timor were deferred until the next session. The Assembly also decided to defer allocation of the agenda item dealing with the situation in Cyprus until later in the session.
The Assembly further decided to accept the recommendation of its General Committee not to include a proposed item that called for a review of General Assembly resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 25 October 1971, which recognized the Government of the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China in the United Nations. The General Committee had taken the decision not to recommend inclusion after it became apparent that there was a lack of consensus over the issue.
Speaking on that subject, the representative of Swaziland said the resolution should be revisited so that the United Nations could live up to the standards of the people who had helped establish it. As long as the 21.8 million people who lived on the Republic of China on Taiwan were ignored, Swaziland would continue to co-sponsor the proposal.
A proposed item on the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was included as a sub-item under consideration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Further, the Assembly changed the wording on the agenda item formerly listed as "Activities of foreign economic interests which impede the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in Territories under colonial domination". It now reads, "Economic and other activities which affect the interests of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories".
The recess date for the Assembly's current session was set for 11 December. According to other decisions taken, the general debate will begin on Monday, 21 September and end on Friday, 2 October. Immediately prior to the opening of the general debate, the Secretary-General will make a brief presentation of his annual report on the work of the Organization. So far, 182 participants have inscribed to speak. Also, the Assembly will review its decision taken last year establishing a fixed opening and closing date for General Assembly sessions.
Finally, the Assembly authorized the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Working Group on the Financing of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to meet during the main part of the Assembly's current session.
Also this afternoon, the President of the Assembly announced that Grenada had made the necessary payment to reduce its arrears below the amount specified in Article 19 of the Charter.
The President, reminding delegations to make a special effort to start meetings promptly, also said that a 10-minute delay for the start of every meeting at Headquarters would cost the United Nations $800,000 in a year.
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The General Assembly will meet again on Thursday, 17 September, for a high-level dialogue on the social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence.
Adopted Agenda
1. Opening of the session by the Chairman of the delegation of Ukraine.
2. Minute of silent prayer or meditation.
3. Credentials of representatives to the fifty-third session of the General Assembly;
(a) Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee;
(b) Report of the Credentials Committee.
4. Election of the President of the General Assembly.
5. Election of the officers of the Main Committees.
6. Election of the Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly.
7. Notification by the Secretary-General under Article 12, paragraph 2, of the Charter the United Nations.
8. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work: reports of the General Committee.
9. General debate.
10. Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization.
11. Report of the Security Council.
12. Report of the Economic and Social Council.
13. Report of the International Court of Justice.
14. Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
15. Elections to fill vacancies in principal organs:
(a) Election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council;
(b) Election of 18 members of the Economic and Social Council;
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16. Elections to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other elections:
(a) Election of seven members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination;
(b) Election of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
17. Appointments to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other appointments:
(a) Appointment of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;
(b) Appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions;
(c) Appointment of a member of the Board of Auditors;
(d) Confirmation of the appointment of members of the Investments Committee;
(e) Appointment of members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal;
(f) International Civil Service Commission;
(i) Appointment of members of the Commission;
(ii) Designation of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Commission;
(g) Appointment of members of the Committee on Conferences;
(h) Appointment of a member of the Joint Inspection Unit;
(i) Confirmation of the appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;
(j) Appointment of the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services.
18. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
19. Admission of new Members to the United Nations.
20. Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of United Nations, including special economic assistance:
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(a) Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations;
(b) Special economic assistance to individual countries or regions;
(c) Emergency international assistance for peace, normalcy and reconstruction of war-stricken Afghanistan;
(d) Assistance to the Palestinian people.
21. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
22. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee.
23. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community.
24. Implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, including measures and recommendations agreed upon at its mid-term review.
25. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Latin American Economic System.
26. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
27. Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States.
28. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
29. Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.
30. United Nations reform: measures and proposals.
31. Culture of peace.
32. Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic.
33. Support by the United Nations system of the efforts of governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies.
34. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization.
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35. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity.
36. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
37. Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.
38. Oceans and the law of the sea:
(a) Law of the sea;
(b) Large-scale pelagic drift-net fishing, unauthorized fishing in zones of national jurisdiction and on the high seas, fisheries by-catch and discards, and other developments.
39. Question of Palestine.
40. The situation in the Middle East.
41. The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
42. Assistance in mine clearance.
43. The situation of democracy and human rights in Haiti.
44. The situation in Central America: procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace and progress in fashioning a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development.
45. The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security.
46. Fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
(a) Fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
(b) Fiftieth anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
47. Election of the judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other Such
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Violations Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 January and 31 December 1994.
48. Report of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991.
49. Question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
50. Report of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 January and 31 December 1994.
51. Elimination of coercive economic measures as a means of political and economic compulsion.
52. Declaration of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity on the aerial and naval military attack against the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya by the present United States Administration in April 1986.
53. Armed Israeli aggression against the Iraqi nuclear installations and its grave consequences for the established international system concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and international peace and security.
54. Consequences of the Iraqi occupation of and aggression against Kuwait.
55. Implementation of the resolutions of the United Nations.
56. Launching of global negotiations on international economic cooperation for development.
57. Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte.
58. Strengthening of the United Nations system.
59. Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters.
60. Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.
61. Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields.
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62. Question of Cyprus.
63. Role of science and technology in the context of international security, disarmament and other related fields.
64. Maintenance of international security -- prevention of the violent disintegration of States.
65. Reduction of military budgets:
(a) Reduction of military budgets;
(b) Objective information on military matters, including transparency of military expenditures.
66. Role of science and technology in the context of international security and disarmament.
67. Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East.
68. Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia.
69. Conclusion of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
70. Prevention of an arms race in outer space.
71. General and complete disarmament:
(a) Notification of nuclear tests;
(b) Further measures in the field of disarmament for the prevention of an arms race on the seabed and the ocean floor and in the subsoil thereof: report of the Secretary-General;
(c) Measures to uphold the authority of the 1925 Geneva Protocol;
(d) Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and the Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction;
(e) Transparency in armaments;
(f) Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them;
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(g) Relationship between disarmament and development;
(h) Observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control; (i) Convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament;
(j) Consolidation of peace through practical disarmament measures;
(k) Contributions towards banning anti-personnel landmines;
(l) Prohibition of the dumping of radioactive wastes;
(m) Small arms;
(n) Nuclear disarmament;
(o) Nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere and adjacent areas;
(p) Follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons;
(q) Regional disarmament;
(r) Conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels;
(s) Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia;
(t) Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
72. Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly:
(a) United Nations Disarmament Information Programme;
(b) United Nations disarmament fellowship training and advisory services;
(c) United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific;
(d) Regional confidence-building measures: activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa;
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(e) Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons.
73. Review of the implementation of the recommendations and decisions adopted by the General Assembly at its tenth special session:
(a) Report of the Disarmament Commission;
(b) Report of the Conference on Disarmament;
(c) Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters;
(d) United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
74. The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
75. Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.
76. Strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region.
77. Consolidation of the regime established by the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco).
78. Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction.
79. Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
80. Rationalization of the work and reform of the agenda of the First Committee.
81. Effects of atomic radiation.
82. International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
83. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
84. Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.
85. Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.
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86. Questions relating to information.
87. Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations.
88. Economic and other activities which affect the interests of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories.
89. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations.
90. Offers by Member States of study and training facilities for inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
91. Macroeconomic policy questions:
(a) Trade and development;
(b) Financing of development, including net transfer of resources between developing and developed countries;
(c) Commodities;
(d) External debt crisis and development.
92. Sectoral policy questions:
(a) Business and development;
(b) Industrial development cooperation.
93. Sustainable development and international economic cooperation:
(a) Implementation of and follow-up to major consensus agreement on development:
(i) Implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of the Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries;
(ii) Implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade;
(b) Integration of the economies in transition into the world economy;
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(c) Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II);
(d) Renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership;
(e) Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s;
(f) Implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development;
(g) Cultural development.
94. Environment and sustainable development:
(a) Implementation of and follow-up to the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, including the outcome of the nineteenth special session of the General Assembly for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21;
(b) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind;
(c) Implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;
(d) Convention on Biological Diversity;
(e) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa.
95. Operational activities for development.
96. Training and research:
(a) United Nations University;
(b) United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
97. Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources.
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98. Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006).
99. Commemorative meeting of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.
100. Social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.
101. Crime prevention and criminal justice.
102. International drug control.
103. Advancement of women.
104. Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
105. Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: questions relating to refugees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions.
106. Promotion and protection of the rights of children.
107. Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.
108. Elimination of racism and racial discrimination.
109. Right of peoples to self-determination.
110. Human rights questions:
(a) Implementation of human rights instruments;
(b) Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
(c) Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives;
(d) Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;
(e) Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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111. Financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors:
(a)United Nations;
(b) United Nations Development Programme;
(c) United Nations Children's Fund;
(d) United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East;
(e) United Nations Institute for Training and Research;
(f) Voluntary funds administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;
(g) Fund of the United Nations Environment Programme;
(h) United Nations Population Fund;
(i) United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation;
(j) Fund of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme;
(k) United Nations Office for Project Services.
112. Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations.
113. Programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999.
114. Programme planning.
115. Improving the financial situation of the United Nations.
116. Administrative and budgetary coordination of the United Nations with the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
117. Pattern of conferences.
118. Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations.
119. Human resources management.
120. United Nations common system.
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121. United Nations pension system.
122. Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East:
(a) United Nations Disengagement Observer Force;
(b) United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
123. Financing of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola.
124. Financing of the activities arising from Security Council resolution 687 (1991):
(a) United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission;
(b) Other activities.
125. Financing of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
126. Financing and liquidation of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
127. Financing of the United Nations Protection Force, the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation in Croatia, the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force and the United Nations Peace Forces headquarters.
128. Financing of the United Nations Operation in Somalia II.
129. Financing of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique.
130. Financing of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
131. Financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia.
132. Financing of the United Nations Mission in Haiti.
133. Financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia.
134. Financing of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda.
135. Financing of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991.
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136. Financing of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan.
137. Financing of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 January and 31 December 1994.
138. Financing of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
139. Financing of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium and the Civilian Police Support Group.
140. Financing of the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force.
141. Financing of the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti, the United Nations Transition Mission in Haiti and the United Nations Civilian Police Mission in Haiti.
142. Financing of the Military Observer Group of the United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala.
143. Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations:
(a) Financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations;
(b) Relocation of Ukraine to the group of Member States set out in paragraph 3(c) of General Assembly resolution 43/232.
144. Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services.
145. Review of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 48/218.
146. Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts.
147. Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives.
148. Convention on jurisdictional immunities of States and their property.
149. United Nations Decade of International Law:
(a) United Nations Decade of International Law;
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(b) Progress in the action dedicated to the 1999 centennial of the first International Peace Conference and to the closing of the United Nations Decade of International Law;
(c) Draft guiding principles for international negotiations.
150. Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fiftieth session.
151. Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its thirty-first session.
152. Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country.
153. Establishment of an international criminal court.
154. Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization.
155. Measures to eliminate international terrorism.
156. Review of the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal of the United Nations.
157. Bethlehem 2000.
158. World Solar Programme 1996-2005.
159. Observer status for the Association of Caribbean States in the General Assembly.
160. Global implications of the year 2000 date conversion problem of computers.
161. Financing of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic.
162. Observer status for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in the General Assembly.
163. Financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone.
164. Causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.
165. Joint Inspection Unit (decision 52/467 C of 8 September 1998).
166. Election of Judges of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 (decision 52/501 of 8 September 1998).
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