SUPPORT EXPRESSED IN ASSEMBLY DISCUSSION FOR PROPOSAL TO MAKE ERADICATION OF POVERTY MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY THEME
Press Release
GA/9516
SUPPORT EXPRESSED IN ASSEMBLY DISCUSSION FOR PROPOSAL TO MAKE ERADICATION OF POVERTY MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY THEME
19981125 Assembly Continues Consideration of United Nations Reform, Discusses Environment and Human Settlements, Concept of Trusteeship, 'Sunset' ProvisionsIt was necessary to ensure that the intergovernmental discussions on financing for development and the Millennium Assembly were not just occasions for further unmet promises and commitments, but for a renewed and urgent call to stem the current tide of human suffering, the representative of Guyana told the General Assembly this afternoon, as it continued its consideration of United Nations reform.
Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), she said that the proposal to make eradication of poverty the theme of the Millennium Assembly deserved support. The foremost obstacle to peace was poverty, which, when it could be borne no longer, exploded into conflict.
The representative of Brazil said that in defining the agenda and possible themes for the Millennium Assembly and its Millennium Summit, consideration should be given to an over-arching theme, capable of encompassing a broad perception of the Organization's role and of inspiring what would be an enriching and forward-looking debate. The overall subject for the Millennium Summit could be "new challenges to the multilateral system posed by globalization", from which specific themes could be derived, with particular attention given to the areas of development, poverty eradication and disarmament.
On the subject of environment and human settlements, several speakers believed that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Centre in Nairobi should be kept as the international centre for dealing with environmental issues. The representative of Egypt said that, bearing in mind the specificities of its activities, the independence of the Nairobi Centre had to be maintained. The proposal to decentralize the Centre could lead to a decline in available resources for its activities.
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Referring to the proposal on a new concept of trusteeship, the representative of Mexico said that the international community had the necessary regimes to deal with the environment and shared zones. While those regimes could be improved, they were functioning with reasonable effectiveness and the necessary adjustments could come directly from them. Therefore, it was not necessary to make new efforts at constitutional reform in that regard.
Regarding the question of "sunset" provisions, many speakers stated that further consultations were necessary, and that the question must be studied in all its aspects so the Assembly could take a rational decision.
Several speakers expressed disappointment at not being able to draw a balance sheet to see to what extent reform efforts had met with success, because the report on the status of implementation of actions had not been prepared and circulated on time.
The President of the Assembly, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), suggested that the Assembly meet once again informally, possibly next week, to focus exclusively on possible contributions for the Millennium Assembly. Noting that some delegations had said that they had not had sufficient time to examine the report on the status of implementation of actions, the Assembly would probably have to have a further debate on the issue in order to satisfy those delegations.
Statements were also made by the representatives of the Russian Federation, Philippines, Australia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Viet Nam, Cuba, Tunisia, Fiji, Cameroon, and by the observer for Switzerland.
The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 30 November, to consider the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to take up the reports of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).
Assembly Work Programme
The Assembly met this afternoon to continue to discuss United Nations reform measures and proposals. Under its agenda item on United Nations reform, the Assembly had before it the Secretary-General's report on environment and human settlements (document A/53/463), which was prepared in response to action 12 of the Secretary-General's report entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform" (A/51/950). In that report, it was provided that the Secretary-General, in consultation with governments, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) would develop new measures for strengthening and restructuring the two organizations and make recommendations to the Assembly.
In order to initiate the process of preparing those recommendations, the Secretary-General established the Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements, under the chairmanship of the Executive Director of UNEP. Its terms of reference included: a review of current structures and arrangements through which the Organization carries out its environmental activities; an evaluation of the efficacy of those arrangements; and recommendations for the changes and improvements required to optimize the Organization's and UNEP's environmental work and their effectiveness. (For details, see Press Release GA/9511.)
The Assembly also had before it the report on the status of implementation of actions described in the report of the Secretary-General entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform" (document A/53/676). The report was prepared by the Secretary-General after considering the views and comments expressed by Member States in implementing the various reform initiatives. While actions on many areas have already produced positive results within the Secretariat and in its relations with the programmes and funds, the consideration of several other questions will continue to be dealt with by the Assembly at its current session. (For details, see Press Release GA/9511.)
By decisions taken during its fifty-second session, the Assembly deferred consideration of three proposals of the Secretary-General to the fifty-third session. Before the Assembly was the Secretary-General's note on a new concept of trusteeship (document A/52/849). In his report (A/51/950), the Secretary-General proposed that the Trusteeship Council be reconstituted as the forum through which Member States exercise their collective trusteeship for the integrity of the global environment and common areas, such as the oceans, atmosphere and outer space. He also proposed that the Council served to link the Organization and civil society in addressing those areas of global concern which required the active contribution of public, private and voluntary sectors. The note indicates that the Task Force on the environmental and human settlement areas would have the opportunity to elaborate further on the proposal for a new concept of trusteeship.
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The Secretary-General's note on a Millennium Assembly, the United Nations System (Special Commission) and a Millennium Forum (document A/52/850) contains his elaborations concerning the General Assembly session in the year 2000. He recommends that the Assembly's fifty-fifth session be designated the Millennium Assembly, and that a high-level segment, called the Millennium Summit, be devoted to in-depth consideration of the theme "the United Nations in the twenty-first century". The integration of the Summit into the Assembly's regular session would facilitate the participation of heads of State and government, while maximizing continuity in the Assembly's normal programme of work. (For details see Press Release GA/9511 issued today.)
Also before the Assembly is the Secretary-General's note on time limits of new initiatives ("sunset" provisions) (document A/52/851 and Corr.1 and Add.1). The idea of specific time limits, or "sunset" provisions, is intended to provide a specific time horizon for mandates, whereupon their continuation would require explicit renewal by the Assembly. The purpose of sunset provisions is to strengthen the role and capacity of the Organization, by focusing its efforts only on activities that have continuing relevance, usefulness and effectiveness. (For details see Press Release GA/9511 issued today.)
NIKOLAI TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) said his delegation welcomed the establishment of an environment management group, but it was important to ensure that it did not duplicate the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development. Strengthening interaction among environmental conventions and their support by UNEP was a positive recommendation, as was the integration and rationalization of administrative services in the Nairobi-based organizations. The time had come for closer programme correlation between UNEP and Habitat while ensuring the preservation of their autonomy. His country had no objection to strengthening their relations with non-governmental organizations, business and civil society, but the idea of status for representatives of local authorities under the Commission on Human Settlement required a cautious approach.
The proposal to hold yearly sessions of the UNEP Governing Council at the ministerial level was interesting, he said, but a question arose concerning the relationship of the new forum with the High-Level Segment of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Any reform of the environmental sector should prevent undermining the role of the Commission on Sustainable Development and jeopardizing its work. Turning to other matters, he said aspects of reconstituting the Trusteeship Council appeared rather arguable, as it implied elimination of one of the Organization's principal bodies and the establishment of a new one. Charter provisions could not simply be slightly adjusted. He added that given the global nature of issues falling under a new body, its functions would be difficult to list from a legal point of view. That in turn would inevitably lead to a duplication and substitution of functions and diminishing authority. Furthermore, conceiving such a forum as
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a high-level council seemed to imply the subordination of intergovernmental organizations.
FELIPE MABILANGAN (Philippines), said his delegation associated itself with the statements made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. Greater and increasing demands were being made of the United Nations to deal with multifarious issues. If the Organization was to remain a relevant instrument for addressing international challenges, its capacity to meet those challenges must be enhanced. His delegation was pleased to note that the General Assembly had endorsed several reform proposals made by the Secretary-General, aimed at enhancing the capacity of the United Nations for meeting the changing needs of Member States.
He said further reform efforts should be designed, to strengthen the role of the United Nations in promoting international cooperation for development. Given that the majority of Member States were developing countries, it was important to restore development issues to the centre of the United Nations agenda. His delegation reiterated its support for United Nations programmes on the environment and human settlements, and reaffirmed the great importance it attached to the achievement of the goal of sustainable development.
The Secretary-General's proposal that the Trusteeship Council be reconstituted to serve as a forum through which States could exercise collective trusteeship over the global environment, should be thoroughly considered, he added. Member States should use the Millennium Assembly to renew their commitment to the goals and objectives of the Charter.
PENNY WENSLEY (Australia) said that the direction of the report of the Secretary-General on United Nations activities in the environmental area was encouraging. In particular, Australia supported the report's general theme of integrating activities to increase efficiency. There was scope for better linkages between the Conventions to achieve synergies and promote coherence of policies and actions on the environment throughout the United Nations. The report also advocated an increased focus for UNEP in environmental policy, rather than on administrative issues. The UNEP should increasingly play a valuable role in stimulating cooperative action by engaging governments in the development of environmental policy. His delegation would have preferred a greater coverage of financial issues, and further work was needed to focus UNEP priorities and streamline its work agenda. Internal reform of UNEP should also remain a priority, to complement the broader reforms of the programme.
Australia supported the idea of having a group designed to improve coordination within the United Nations Secretariat on environmental issues -- the environment management group -- but it would be helpful to receive further information on how it would improve on the existing inter-agency environment
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coordination group. Her country supported strengthening UNEP meetings as high-level forums in which ministers discussed key policy. As it would be hard for the ministers to attend an additional meeting every year, they should be biennial. Those meetings should not interfere with the programme of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Her delegation believed that universal membership in the UNEP Governing Council would not only imply considerable financial cost, but could also make the Council unwieldy and less efficient, he said. She supported the facilitation and encouragement of non-governmental organization involvement in UNEP and Habitat. At the same time, involvement of non-governmental organizations, including business and industry, as the Task Force suggested, "to the standards of the Commission on Sustainable Development", would be a major change for UNEP and, in the nature of all changes, required careful handling.
GUSTAVO ALBIN (Mexico) said adaptation, renewal and reform had become essential qualities to meet challenges in an efficient way. Mexico supported the reform efforts of the Secretary-General and appreciated his foresight in the process of renewal and strengthening of the United Nations. The overall balance sheet of progress achieved was satisfactory and the work had to be continued. His country was committed to the strengthening and efficient functioning of UNEP. It appreciated and supported the recommendations of the Task Force and looked forward to making specific comments, especially on measures to be implemented. Unfortunately, the report only dealt in a superficial way with the decentralization of UNEP's activities and the strengthening of its regional offices. The recommendations did not reflect the progress and inputs of the processes of dialogue and political commitment. Mexico attached priority to strengthening UNEP as the cornerstone for analysis and action. The work of the Task Force was moving in the right direction.
The Secretary-General's report on the implementation of reform actions had only been circulated two days ago, and hence it had not been possible for him to take a stand on its contents, he said. Referring to the Secretary- General's proposal to reorganize the Trusteeship Council, Mexico believed that the international community had the necessary regimes to deal with the environment and shared zones. While those regimes could be improved, they were functioning with reasonable effectiveness. The necessary adjustments could come directly from them. The sufficient legal heritage and institutional machinery to deal with those issues already existed, and it was not necessary to take new efforts at constitutional reform in that context. Mexico was ready to work in consultations on setting time limits for new initiatives. While it favoured the initiative, clear and effective parameters needed to be established.
VOLODYMYR YEL'CHENKO (Ukraine) said that his delegation, in general, endorsed the recommendations of the Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements under the chairmanship of the Executive Director of UNEP. The
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activities of such a Task Force should be of a universal nature, and it was regrettable that the Eastern European Group had not been given an opportunity to take part in its work. Some of the proposals required further consideration by the relevant intergovernmental bodies. The recommendation on the global economic forum was quite interesting, but it was necessary to clearly identify the mandate of such a forum to avoid overlapping with the work of other bodies, like the high-level segment of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
His delegation welcomed the ongoing process of reforms in social and economic sectors of the United Nations, he continued. However, there was a need to further strengthen interactions between the Economic and Social Council and the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). Although it was premature to make any definite judgements about the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, Ukraine was looking forward to the first outcome of pilot projects launched in 18 countries. His country was also encouraged by the recent decision of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Board on funding strategies.
He went on to note that the Secretary-General's proposal for transfer of funds to the Development Account represented an explicit deviation from the original concept of its formation. General Assembly resolution 52/12 B on that issue had envisaged that all funds transferred to the Development Account should be accumulated as a result of efficiency measures in the Organization. His delegation could therefore not accept the new proposal by the Secretary-General regarding Development Account sustainability based on making appropriations among the Member States under the regular budget.
M. AKRAM ZAKI (Pakistan) said the debate today should have provided an opportunity to look back at a year of reform process to which Member States had devoted energetic efforts and made it a top priority to achieve success. "We have been somewhat disappointed by the fact that the opportunity has been denied to us. We will be unable, today, to draw a balance sheet and see how far the efforts of the Member States as well as the Secretariat have met with success, because the Secretariat did not produce its report on the status of implementation of actions on time". His delegation would, therefore, for the present, not comment on the content of the report and would resume its discussion at an appropriate time to "consider this most important issue for the future of our organization".
He said the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was the most appropriate forum to consider the report on environment and human settlements. Pakistan would like to support the recommendations of the Task Force for the establishment of an environmental management group under the chairmanship of UNEP. That group should make every effort to attain what the Secretary-General had called "sustainable equilibrium between economic growth, poverty eradication, social equity and the protection of the earth's
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resources, common and life support systems. His delegation also attached great importance to time limits for new initiatives and to the Millennium Assembly.
ALISON E. DRAYTON (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the root causes of most conflicts lay in economic insecurity. To fulfil its primary mandate, the United Nations should concentrate, as a matter of priority, on the promotion of the economic stability of countries. So far, all endeavours to address the serious imbalance between the economies of the industrialized nations and those of the developing countries had produced meagre results. The dialogue between North and South on development issues had not led to any meaningful negotiations for more balanced economic relations or for the reduction of poverty and conflict in the South. That was mainly due to the confrontational nature of past exchanges.
Regarding the proposal for "sunset" provisions, she said, "we await with interest the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions' (ACABQ's) evaluation of this proposal. We consider, however, that every effort should be made to ensure that the mandates of the United Nations are respected and fulfilled". The CARICOM was especially concerned that the Organization should have the necessary resources to enable it to fully implement those mandates.
She said CARICOM supported the suggestion to make eradication of poverty the theme of the Millennium Assembly. The foremost obstacle to peace was poverty, which, when it could be borne no longer, exploded into conflict. It was imperative therefore that the problem of poverty be squarely addressed by the United Nations. Reversing the decline in official development assistance (ODA) and increasing new and innovative sources of financing would help the international community reach the target of halving the incidence of poverty by the year 2015.
Reaching that target would require concerted action by both developed and developing countries, she said. The CARICOM believed that the Organization was unique in its ability to assist governments in identifying the types of development policy approaches best suited to their needs. If all humanity was to enter the next millennium captive to a global economic system that continued to widen between rich and poor, then all would be lost. It must be ensured that intergovernmental discussions in financing for development and the Millennium Assembly were not only occasions for further unmet promises and commitments, but also a renewed and urgent call to stem the current tide of human suffering.
NGO QUANG XUAN (Viet Nam) said that last year the Secretary-General had launched what he believed to be the most extensive and far-reaching reforms in the Organization's 52-year history. Those measures and proposals had been considered extensively during the last session, known as the Reform Assembly.
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Globalization's challenges might jeopardize its achievements if the international community did not forge ahead with determination and effective strategies, he said, noting that a hurricane in Central America or a financial crisis in East Asia could set back progress for a decade or so.
Poverty, transboundary crimes, environmental degradation and conflicts, required urgent solutions, he said. In that context, the less developed countries had always been more vulnerable and were threatened with being further marginalized. The United Nations must adapt effectively to that reality. Reform was a must. The Millennium Assembly would provide an opportunity to decide on strategies and actions for the new era. Adequate intergovernmental preparation was needed. The Assembly, while it continued considering outstanding issues, should also look at the impact of the measures that had been approved. There had been initial encouraging reform results in efficiency and cohesion.
He welcomed the fact that development had been given greater attention which now topped the Organization's agenda. He supported the establishment of the post of Deputy Secretary-General to elevate the Organization's profile in economic and social spheres. The joint dialogue organized earlier this year between the Economic and Social Council and the international financial institutions on issues of common concern, was of great importance. Proposals such as specific time limits on new initiatives, results-based budgeting and utilization of the Development Account, needed to be thoroughly reviewed, taking into account all implications and bearing in mind the Organization's rules and procedures.
BRUNO RODRIGUEZ PARRILLA (Cuba) said reform of the United Nations was a continuing and dynamic process. The Organization's staff constituted its main resource, which should be used to achieve the full implementation of the mandates of the Organization. His delegation attached special importance to the reform of human resources management, because the reform of the United Nations could only be successful within the framework of strengthening the mechanisms of accountability of programme administrators and internal justice for staff, which would improve morale. It would be useful if the Secretary- General presented an operational plan for that purpose, and the Secretariat provided estimates of needed resources.
The proposal to create a "Dividend for Development" was considered one of the main parts of the reform package, he continued. His delegation had looked forward to further proposals concerning the modalities of that account, but they had not yet been presented. It would be regrettable if the account was used to cover budget deficits or for further personnel cuts. He hoped that at the current session, modalities would be adopted for the use of the Dividend for Development, and the decision should be made on the funds approved for the present biennium.
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His delegation considered that revitalization of UNEP and the Habitat centre were among the main priorities of the Organization, he said. The recommendations on that issue were an important starting point to achieve greater coordination and coherence among different bodies. There was a need to study the entire report in the Assembly. In addition to the institutional action, it was also necessary to provide sufficient financing for those organs, as the lack of financial resources constituted the main obstacle to the activities of UNEP and Habitat in their respective spheres of competency.
He said that Cuba believed that the process of preparing the Millennium Assembly and negotiating its agenda should be a transparent exercise, taking into account conclusions of intergovernmental negotiations and regional consultations. His delegation associated itself with delegations recommending the establishment of a preparatory committee for the Millennium Assembly.
ABDERRAZAK AZAIEZ (Tunisia) said his country was aware of the objectives pursued by the United Nations reform process. The work undertaken by the Secretariat over the last year in that respect seemed vast. On the environment and human settlements, he called for the implementation of some of the measures outlined in the Secretary-General's report on those issues. If pursued, they would represent a first step towards better policy correlations. He said the request of the African States to turn the Organization's Nairobi, Kenya, operations into a United Nations Office was endorsed by Tunisia.
The Millennium Assembly proposals also required a review. His delegation supported the high-level debate on the role of the United Nations in the 21st century. The report on the Millennium Assembly was being released in the summer of the year 2000. Six months earlier than that would be better, so as to give Member States the opportunity to examine the contents and draw their conclusions before the Millennium Summit.
HENRIQUE VALLE (Brazil) said that initial discussion on the various proposals for actions and recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report on environment and human settlements should benefit from a frank exchange of views, preferably in informal consultations of the plenary. He said preparatory work to ensure success of the Millennium Assembly had to be set in motion now. It was important to have a clear picture of the entire process of preparations by the end of the year. Brazil agreed that the Secretary-General's report on "The United Nations in the Twenty-First Century" could be prepared following broad consultations involving Member States and other relevant actors. That process, both within and outside the Organization, should be carried out during 1999 so as to ensure that the report was available for consideration by Member States early in the year 2000.
In defining the agenda and possible themes for the Millennium Assembly and its Millennium Summit, he said, it would be preferable to avoid a listing of issues that would inevitably lead to a fragmentation of the discussions.
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Consideration should be given to an over-arching theme, capable of encompassing a broad perception of the role of the Organization and of inspiring what would be an enriching and forward-looking debate. The overall subject for the Millennium Summit could be "new challenges to the multilateral system posed by globalization", and from that could be derived specific themes, with particular attention to the areas of development, poverty eradication and disarmament.
MAGED A. ABDELAZIZ (Egypt) said his country welcomed the report of the Secretary-General and the Task Force. Egypt believed that, bearing in mind the specificities of its activities, the independence of the UNEP Centre in Nairobi had to be maintained. The proposal to decentralize the UNEP Centre could lead to a decline in available resources for its activities. Nairobi had to be maintained as the international centre for dealing with environmental issues.
As the international community stood at the threshold of a new millennium, it had to reaffirm the importance of assessing the achievements of the Organization at the present time, he said. Egypt not only supported the proposal that the fifty-fifth session be designated as the Millennium Assembly, but also that it adopt a declaration reaffirming the principles and objectives of the United Nations in the twenty-first century, and addressing how the Organization could meet future challenges.
The Millennium Assembly must not confine itself to festivities, he said. Also, good preparation was a prerequisite for consensus on a global scale. Egypt, having examined the Secretary-General's note on that issue, reaffirmed that it was ready to work to ensure the success of the Millennium Assembly. Regarding the proposal on "sunset clauses", the Assembly during its last session had shown that further consultations were necessary. His country supported the position of the Non-Aligned Movement that the question be studied in all its aspects, so that the Assembly could adopt a rational decision.
POSECI W. BUNE (Fiji) said the year 2000 would be an opportunity for Member States to affirm a new vision for the Organization. The collective action taken to implement the changes agreed to in the report before the Assembly did not go far enough to address the international realities of the decade or the new millennium. The Organization needed remodelling to adapt to those changes. The Assembly should consider more fundamental changes than those encompassed in the Secretary-General's report.
Such changes might start with the present system of regional groups, which was an anachronism in today's world, he said. It limited the participation of Member States and, in many cases, confined them to playing a sideline role. Quoting a colleague from New Zealand, he said, "the present regional system was put in place some 35 years ago. The system is sadly out of date; it reflects the political geography of the 1960s, including cold war
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East-West confrontation and the immediate post-colonial period. Since 1963, the membership of the Organization has almost doubled".
Many countries, he continued, would like to serve in all organs of the United Nations, but were prevented from doing so by the present configuration of regional groups. His delegation would like to see an increase in the number of electoral groups by geographical location, which could be done by increasing the number of subgroups or by creating new electoral groups. An increase from the current five to nine regional groups would create a more equitable and geographic representation. His Government believed there should be an established rotation rule among Member States. No country should be allowed to serve a second consecutive term if other members of the group had not served. A few Member States were de facto permanent members of bodies while others had never served. Such a system was undemocratic.
TOMMO MONTHE (Cameroon) associated himself with the position of the Non- Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China and said that after a comprehensive review of the package of reform proposals, some of the measures had been implemented. However, it was premature to affirm that everything had been achieved, and the Secretary-General should redouble his efforts to take into account the views expressed by Member States. As for the questions concerning human resources management, the revolving credit fund, the Dividend for Development, the results of programme planning and balanced budgeting, they had been submitted for consideration to the Fifth Committee along with comments of the ACABQ and the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC). At this stage, it was important to give the Fifth Committee time to prepare solid proposals on those issues. Any new measures should avoid fragmentation of the Secretariat, reduction of programmes and weakening of staff morale, he added.
Turning to the new concept of trusteeship, he agreed with the Secretary-General regarding the fact that with growing interdependence of nations, common interests expanded, and therefore common trusteeship through establishment of appropriate structures was in order. Legal and political implications and possible overlap with other existing bodies should be taken into consideration. His country also supported reform proposals on the environment and human settlements. Regarding the Millennium Assembly, he said that for the passage into the twenty-first century it would be appropriate to define a strategic vision for that century and to outline fundamental directions and actions to be taken. All countries should be able to fully participate in that endeavour.
JENO C.A. STAEHELIN, observer for Switzerland, said his delegation fully shared the Task Force's analysis that a more coherent and effective approach in the Organization's work on environment and sustainable development was needed. The international community must halt the institutional fragmentation witnessed over the last few years and begin to shape the institutions capable of meeting today's challenges. Quoting from the report before the Assembly,
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he said, "coordination at the international level should begin at home". Reformed structures and new methods to optimize the Organization's effectiveness would only be fruitful if governments themselves gave coordinated and coherent guidance to the different organs and agencies. In that regard, most governments had some homework to do.
Switzerland for many years had pursued well balanced coordination in the Organization's environment field, he said. It fully supported UNEP's central role as coordinator in the United Nations system with a view to strengthening links between environmental and related conventions. Regarding the recommendation on convening an annual ministerial global forum, the distinctive roles of UNEP and the Commission on Sustainable Development should be defined. The Commission should bridge and relate environmental, developmental and socio-economic elements, while UNEP should focus on environmental aspects.
He said Switzerland was concerned by the operational inefficiencies and costs arising from the geographical dispersal of convention secretariats. The co-location of new conventions with others in the same functional cluster was a good way to ensure synergies and economies of scale. However, the complex nature of the global environmental conventions must be taken into account. In decisions about future co-location, convention secretariats should not only be regrouped in the same functional cluster, they should also be located in one of the important centres of international cooperation.
Before adjourning the meeting the President, DIDIER OPERTTI (Uruguay) said it was the wish of the Assembly to prepare for the Millennium Assembly by contributing to its content and format. However, before taking any decisions on that issue, it might be opportune to have a forum in the form of a broad and open exchange of ideas. He suggested that the Assembly meet once again in an informal way to focus exclusively on possible contributions for the Millennium Assembly. That could possibly be held next week, on a day and time to be arranged. The President said he would convene that meeting in the near future if the suggestion were acceptable.
In addition, he noted that some delegations said that they had not had sufficient time to examine the report of the Secretary-General on the status of implementation of actions described in the report entitled Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform. He said the Assembly would probably have to seek some other opportunity to have another debate on the issue, in order to satisfy those delegations.
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