ASSEMBLY WOULD CALL ON GOVERNMENTS TO CRIMINALIZE TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN AND GIRLS, BY ONE OF FOUR TEXTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

30 October 1998

Press Release
GA/SHC/3490

ASSEMBLY WOULD CALL ON GOVERNMENTS TO CRIMINALIZE TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN AND GIRLS, BY ONE OF FOUR TEXTS APPROVED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

19981030 As Committee Concludes Discussion on Human Rights Instruments, Speakers Urge Help for Developing Countries Efforts To Report on Human Rights

The General Assembly would call on governments to criminalize trafficking in all its forms, by the terms of a draft resolution on trafficking in women and girls approved without a vote by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this morning.

By that draft -- one of four texts on the advancement of women approved, without vote, this morning -- the Assembly would call on Governments to condemn and penalize all offenders, including intermediaries, whether their offence was committed in their own or in a foreign country, while ensuring that victims are not penalized. Further, the Assembly would call on States to penalize persons in authority found guilty of sexually assaulting victims of trafficking in their custody.

By a draft resolution on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, the General Assembly would call on States to ratify relevant human rights treaties, and development and implementation of national legislation prohibiting such practices. States would be urged to promote awareness of women and girls' human rights and of how harmful practices violate those rights.

In other action, the Committee approved a draft resolution by which the Assembly would urge all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to do so as soon as possible, so that universal ratification of the Convention can be achieved by the year 2000. States would also be urged to limit the extent of any reservations they lodge to the Convention.

By a draft resolution on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, the Assembly would reaffirm the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000 in all categories of posts within the United Nations system, especially at the D-1 level and above, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution. The Secretary-General would be called

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upon to implement fully and monitor the strategic plan of action for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

Also this morning, the Committee concluded its consideration of implementation of human rights instruments. Several representatives of developing countries pointed out the difficulties they faced in meeting the reporting requirements of the bodies monitoring international human rights treaties.

The representative of Bhutan said the delay of many developing countries to submit reports did not reflect a lack of political will, but rather the daunting obstacles they faced in compiling their reports. Many developing countries could not fulfil reporting obligations in time, due to inadequate financial resources. Rather than imposing punitive measures, the challenge was to identify constructive, non-confrontational ways to meet the special needs of States.

The representative of the Philippines said to help developing countries meet reporting requirements, technical assistance and advisory services, particularly in capacity-building, would be valuable. She also welcomed the initiative to draw up a global plan of action to enhance the resources available to all treaty bodies.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Cape Verde, Senegal, Argentina, Lebanon, Rwanda, Ukraine, Australia and Mongolia. The representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea spoke in exercise of the right of reply.

The Third Committee will meet again at 10 a.m., Monday, 2 November, to begin a special discussion of comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to take action on four draft resolutions on issues related to advancement of women.

The Committee was also scheduled to conclude its consideration of implementation of human rights instruments. (For background on those documents before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3489 of 29 October.)

Drafts for Action

The Committee was to take action on the following draft resolutions: traffic in women and girls; traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

By the terms of a draft text on traffic in women and girls (document A/C.3/53/L.10), the Assembly would urge governments to continue their efforts to implement the provisions on trafficking in women and girls contained in the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights. Governments would also be called upon to take appropriate measures to address the root factors, including external factors, that encourage trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced marriages and forced labour, so as to eliminate trafficking in women, including by strengthening existing legislation with a view to providing better protection of the rights of women and girls and to punishing perpetrators, through both criminal and civil measures.

Also by the draft, all governments would be called upon to criminalize trafficking in women and girls in all its forms, to condemn and penalize all those offenders involved, including intermediaries, whether their offence was committed in their own or in a foreign country, while ensuring that the victims of those practices are not penalized, and to penalize persons in authority found guilty of sexually assaulting victims of trafficking in their custody. Concerned governments would be urged, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to support and allocate resources for programmes to strengthen preventive action, in particular, education and campaigns to increase public awareness of the issue at the national and grass-roots levels.

In addition, the Assembly would urge governments to strengthen national programmes to combat trafficking in women and girls through sustained bilateral, regional and international cooperation, taking into account innovative approaches and best practices. Governments and organizations, including the private sector, would be invited to undertake collaborative and joint research and studies on

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traffic in women and girls which can serve as a basis for policy formulation or change.

The Assembly would reiterate its call upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in addressing the obstacles to the realization of the human rights of women, in particular, through her contacts with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, to include the traffic in women and girls among her priority concerns.

In the preambular part of the draft, the Assembly would express deep concern with the unabated use of new information technologies, including the Internet, for purposes of prostitution, child pornography, paedophilia, trafficking in women as brides, and sex tourism.

The text is sponsored by Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay and Viet Nam.

By the terms of a draft text on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls (document A/C.3/53/L.11), the Assembly would welcome the report of the Secretary-General on that topic, which provides encouraging examples of national best practices and international cooperation. It would welcome the efforts undertaken by United Nations bodies, programmes and organizations, to address the issue of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, and encourages them to continue to coordinate their efforts.

The Assembly would emphasize the need for technical and financial assistance to developing countries working to achieve elimination of such practices from United Nations funds and programmes, international and regional financial institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as the need for assistance to NGOs and community-based groups.

States would be called upon to implement several measures, including the following: ratify relevant human rights treaties; develop and implement national legislation and policies prohibiting such practices; intensify efforts to raise awareness of and to mobilize international and national public opinion concerning the harmful effects of such practices; involve, among others, public opinion leaders, educators, religious leaders, chiefs, traditional leaders, medical practitioners, women's health and family planning organizations and the media

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in publicity campaigns, with a view to promoting a collective and individual awareness of the human rights of women and girls and of how harmful traditional or customary practices violate those rights.

In addition, the Commission on the Status of Women would be invited to address, at its next session, the subject of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, including female genital mutilation, during its review of the critical area of concern, "Women and health". Also, the Commission on Human Rights would be invited to address that subject at its next session, thus enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of those practices on women's human rights.

The Secretary-General would be requested to include information on the subject of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls in the compilation of updated statistics and indicators on the situation of women and girls around the world, which he is requested to provide by the end of 1999, by issuing, for example, a volume of The World's Women.

The draft is sponsored by Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/C.3/53/L.12/Rev.1), the Assembly, expressing concern at the great number of reports overdue and that continue to be overdue, in particular initial reports, which constitute an obstacle to the full implementation of the Convention, would urge all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so as soon as possible, so that universal ratification of the Convention can be achieved by the year 2000;

States would also be urged to limit the extent of any reservations they lodge to the Convention, to formulate any such reservations as precisely and as narrowly as possible, to ensure that no reservations are incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention or otherwise incompatible with international treaty law, to review their reservations regularly with a view

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to withdrawing them, and to withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or that are otherwise incompatible with international treaty law.

The need to ensure adequate financing and staff support for the effective functioning of the Committee, including for the dissemination of information, would be emphasized. It would be stressed that a comprehensive and integrated approach to the promotion and protection of the human rights of women, including the integration of the human rights of women into the mainstream of United Nations system-wide activities, requires systematic, increased and sustained attention to, and implementation of, the general recommendations of the Committee, at the request of the General Assembly, throughout the United Nations system.

The resolution is sponsored by the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malawi, Mongolia, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Zambia.

By the terms of a draft text on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (document A/C.3/53/L.13), the Assembly would reaffirm the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000 in all categories of posts within the United Nations system, especially at the D-1 level and above, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in conformity with Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, and also taking into account the continuing lack of representation or under-representation of women from certain countries, in particular from developing countries, as well as countries with economies in transition. The Secretary-General would be called upon to implement fully and monitor the strategic plan of action for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (1995-2000) in order to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000, especially at the D-1 level and above. He would be requested to ensure that heads of departments and offices develop gender action plans which establish concrete strategies for the achievement of gender balance in individual departments and offices, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, to ensure, as far as possible, that the appointment and promotion of women will be not less than 50 per cent until the goal of 50/50 gender distribution is met.

The Assembly would further request the Secretary-General to enable the Focal Point for Women in the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women to effectively monitor and facilitate progress in the implementation of the strategic plan, including by ensuring access to the information required to carry out that work. Member States would be strongly

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encouraged to support the efforts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution, especially at the D-1 level and above, by identifying and regularly submitting more women candidates for appointment to intergovernmental, judicial and expert bodies and encouraging more women to apply for positions within the Secretariat, the specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and the regional commissions, including in areas in which women are under-represented, such as peacekeeping, peace-building and other non-traditional areas.

The draft is sponsored by Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom and Viet Nam.

Statements on Human Rights Questions

JORGE HOMERO TOLENTINO ARAUJO (Cape Verde) said the phenomenon of migrations was as old and constant as the history of mankind. The causes were diverse and complex, and must be addressed in a constructive manner, in order to build up a future of mutual understanding and solidarity. Migrant workers, particularly those coming from Africa, were victims of growing manifestations of discrimination and xenophobia. The situation of women migrant workers was of particular concern. Women made up the majority of migrant workers and they were often victims of violence and trafficking.

The International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers was adopted by the General Assembly in 1990, and was a landmark in the development of human rights machinery, he said. However, almost eight years after its adoption and in spite of its undoubtable value, the Convention had still not entered into force. Only 11 States had expressed their readiness to be bound by it. His country was among that small group, and he called for a substantial increase in the pace of ratifications of the Convention.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said that, despite progress in the area of human rights in Africa, African heads of State had adopted a protocol on human rights and agreed to the establishment of a human rights court. That court would be based in Senegal.

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He said, while it was true that the right to development had been receiving more attention recently, it was not enough. In that regard, his Government welcomed the establishment of an open-ended working group on the right to development, as well as the agreement reached in March between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), dealing with the right of development.

The UNDP Human Development Report highlighted the issues of poverty, he said. The fight to be rid of poverty was a fight for all human rights, as poverty was the negation of all rights. Twenty years ago, Senegal had ratified the two main Covenants against torture and the Optional Protocol. It had also established a body to look into the implementation of national legislations on human rights protection. Local and national elections had been held, under independent electoral bodies, and Senegal had more than 20 newspapers. It would take measures to strengthen the representation of women in conventional bodies and to promote gender mainstreaming.

RICARDO LUIS BOCALANDRO (Argentina) said the discussion of the international covenants on human rights was crucial. In no other area of discussion in the international forum were so many States involved. He welcomed the large number of ratifications to the two major covenants on civil and political rights and economic and social rights, and said the international community must continue to encourage other States to become parties to those two important instruments. He also welcomed the preparations for the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and called for universal acceptance of its jurisdiction.

On the reporting requirements of international human rights conventions, he said a State that submitted its reports voluntarily invited the international community to inspect its human rights regime. That process strengthened human rights protection beyond national legislation and established it as a matter of universal interest. As a follow-up, governments must adopt measures to implement the recommendations of the treaty bodies. Argentina had, for example, taken into account the recommendations of the Committee against Torture, so that victims of torture in the country would be compensated. Complaints submitted to the Inter- American Human Rights Commission had lead to important changes in national legislation on the issue of women's rights.

HASSAN KASSEM NAJEM (Lebanon) said the realization of human rights was a lofty goal to achieve, which the international community was endeavouring to achieve. Lebanon was suffering two nightmares: the occupation of parts of its territory; and aggression. Those were violations of Lebanon's aspirations for peace and prosperity. The Israeli occupation was a direct violation of human rights and of resolutions of the Security Council, among other resolutions. Arbitrary acts of violence were committed by Israelis on a daily basis. Citizens were seized and taken to camps, with no indictment, no trial, and total contempt for their human dignity. There were indiscriminate bombing of Lebanese villages.

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The lives of Lebanese citizens were being used as bargaining tools by the Israelis, he continued. The rights to life, to security, to self-determination, to work -- all those rights were not recognized by the Israelis. In the absence of human rights representation, there would be violence. Lebanon, thus, urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility and end that occupation and to call on Israel to respect the resolutions of the Security Council, which had called for unconditional withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

EMMANUEL UBALIJORO (Rwanda) said human rights principles were the battle horses of all societies that wanted to build a peaceful world. Recognizing that, Rwanda had ratified the majority of human rights instruments and invited all States that had not done so to ratify them without reservations. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which had been open for signature for nearly 50 years, had not yet been signed by many countries. It was high time that countries of conscience sign the Convention. As a country that had suffered the most grave genocide, Rwanda was the first country to have adopted a law on genocide.

He welcomed the efforts of the international community that had led to the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha. The 1948 Geneva Convention established that persons accused of genocide should appear before a competent tribunal. He appealed to all Member States to cooperate so that the alleged perpetrators of genocide still roaming the world with impunity should be arrested and brought to trial. The architects of genocide in Rwanda, in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and armed by the Government of Laurent Kabila, had attempted to complete the exercise they had begun in 1994. He called on the international community and the media to condemn that collaboration and other acts to incite genocide.

OKSANA V. BOYKO (Ukraine) said, until recently, the issue of human rights at the United Nations had been considered merely in regard to its humanitarian aspect. But a new concept of human rights had been established since the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. Since then, human rights had become an important factor in securing peace, stability and sustainable development. Over the years, the world community had elaborated extremely important international legal instruments and created a wide range of mechanisms for monitoring the effective implementation of those instruments, as well as means of investigating into human rights violations by States parties.

The treaty bodies should continue their important work, with some rationalization of their methods of working for greater efficiency, she said. It was essential that countries deal with the recommendations of the treaty bodies. The absence of such monitoring machinery put in question the need of those bodies, she continued. Unfortunately, the work of a number of bodies, including the Commission on Human Rights, often reflected one of the most negative trends of those times: an extreme politicization of human rights issues. Issues were being raised with some political goals in mind. Such

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actions did not benefit anyone and should be abandoned.

ANDREW JOHN GOLEDZINOWSKI (Australia) said his country was committed to working in cooperation with the United Nations system and other countries to bring about further improvement in the system of human rights treaty bodies. He was encouraged by the valuable work of those bodies in the area of procedural reform, and highlighted the need for additional resources if the system was to function effectively. The continuous improvement of the treaty bodies' website was reaping dividends. Since its inauguration in December 1996, it had been accessed more than 3,000 times per week. Careful thought should be given to whether there were ways to decrease the volume of paper documentation, in light of the availability of that resource.

For its part, Australia would produce more focused and shorter periodic reports, he said. He hoped that would reduce the volume of documentation, while enhancing the dialogue between the relevant State parties and the treaty bodies. It was also important that the treaty bodies coordinate their work with each other and with other United Nations humanitarian and peacekeeping agencies.

TSOGT NYAMSUREN (Mongolia) said legal protection and promotion of international standards of human rights had been laid down by the Mongolian Constitution in 1992. Relevant legislations, administrative, legal machinery and guarantees had also been established. Those included most of the United Nations treaties and conventions on human rights and humanitarian issues. Mongolia was actively implementing them.

Like most developing countries, Mongolia had a weak economy, with enormous social development problems, she continued. During its transition, the living standard of a sizable portion of the population had fallen, and poverty and unemployment had increased. The worst affected were the vulnerable groups of society, such as women, children and people with disabilities. Judging from the data collected by law-enforcement agencies, the violence rate against women and domestic violence were increasing. There was a heavy consumption of alcohol and an increase in crime. To overcome all those problems, the Government was mobilizing all its internal resources. But, external assistance and support were crucial. Meanwhile, concerning human rights, Mongolia had established a national commission to foster the promotion and protection of human rights.

VIOLETA DAVID (Philippines) said international human rights instruments provided standards on which States should base their actions. National commitments must be translated into full compliance. Fulfilment of States reporting obligations was critical to that process. Many developing countries were faced with difficulties in meeting that requirement. Technical assistance and advisory services, particularly in capacity-building, were valuable. She welcomed the efforts of the treaty monitoring bodies to review

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their reporting requirements in order to help States parties prepare reports. She also welcomed the initiative to draw up a global plan of action to enhance the resources available to all treaty bodies.

The Philippines had seen the use of torture and other inhuman treatment against people whose only crime was to fight for their rights and fundamental freedoms, she said. Shortly after its "People Power" revolution in 1986, the Philippines had ratified the Convention Against Torture, signalling to the international community its resolve to prevent the use of torture, particularly by those in authority. She noted with disappointment the slow progress towards the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers.

DOMA TSHERING DORJEE (Bhutan) said Governments had become signatories of human rights instruments for a variety of reasons. The most obvious of those was that they were committed to promote, observe and defend the provisions of human rights instruments. The examination of human rights situations of States parties whose reports were seriously overdue had been prescribed as a means of contributing to the effective implementation of international instruments. That prescription might have been appropriate if the cause had been diagnosed as a lack of political will. In the case of countries confronted with daunting obstacles, however, she asked if such punitive measures were apt.

She asked what would be the legal basis for examining human rights situations in the absence of reports. What would be the criteria for admissibility of information? For myriad reasons, not all countries were equally endowed with resources. Many developing countries had particular difficulty in fulfilling reporting obligations in a timely manner due to inadequate financial resources. The Third Committee should concede that those factors were serious obstacles confronting developing countries, particularly the least developed countries. The challenge was to identify constructive, non-confrontational measures to meet the special needs of States facing those constraints. Those could include technical assistance, involvement from UNDP, consolidated and focused reporting, as well as special reporting guidelines.

Action on Drafts

Taking up the draft resolution on traffic in women and girls, the Committee Chairman, Ali Hachani (Tunisia), informed the Committee the following countries had joined as co-sponsors of the draft: the Bahamas, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Eritrea, Equitorial Guinea, Gambia, Hungary, India, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia.

The draft was approved without a vote.

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As the Committee next took up the draft on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, the representative of the Netherlands amended operative paragraph 3 (c) of the draft as follows: in the third line, before the words "through appropriate measures...", the words "inter alia" should be inserted. That line would then read "...mutilation, inter alia through appropriate measures against...".

The following countries joined as co-sponsors of the draft: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Guyana, India, Latvia, Madagascar, Poland, Swaziland, Thailand, and Uruguay.

The draft was approved without a vote.

The Committee next took up the draft text on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The representative of Norway read out the following amendment: in the second and third lines of operative paragraph 10, the words "invites the Committee to continue its efforts to improve its internal methods or work", should be deleted and replaced by "notes the efforts of the Committee to continue improving its internal methods of work".

The following countries were added to the list as co-sponsors: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bhutan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Republic of Moldova, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and United Kingdom.

The draft was approved without a vote.

Finally, the Committee took up the draft on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

The following countries were added to the list of co-sponsors: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Fiji, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, India, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Myanmar, Poland, Samoa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, United States, Yemen and Zambia.

The draft was approved without a vote.

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Right of Reply

Responding to comments made yesterday by the representative of Austria, on behalf of the European Union, the representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea said his country had withdrawn from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights not because of a problem with the Covenant, nor because it was ignorant of the provisions for withdrawal. Rather, his Government had taken that action last year because hostile forces had abused the Covenant and acted against his Government. That had demonstrated a selectivity of human rights. If such injustices went unchecked, it was clear others could be similarly targeted. Thus, as a matter of principle, his Government had withdrawn its membership to the Covenant. As long as the situation remained unchanged, his Government would not change its position. It would serve notice to those same hostile forces to take seriously the negative consequences that such actions could have on the international community.

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