ASSEMBLY INCLUDES ITEM ON FINANCING OF UNITED NATIONS IN KOSOVO IN AGENDA OF FIFTY-THIRD SESSION; FIFTH COMMITTEE TO TAKE UP NEW ITEM

12 July 1999

Press Release
GA/9578

ASSEMBLY INCLUDES ITEM ON FINANCING OF UNITED NATIONS IN KOSOVO IN AGENDA OF FIFTY-THIRD SESSION; FIFTH COMMITTEE TO TAKE UP NEW ITEM

19990712 Assembly Also Authorizes Preparatory Committee for Special Session on Outcome of Social Summit to Hold Resumed Half-Day Session This Week

The General Assembly this afternoon decided to include an additional item in the agenda of its current fifty-third session entitled "Financing of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo".

Owing to the nature of the request by the Secretary-General, the Assembly also agreed to allocate the item to its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

In his note requesting the addition of the new item on the Assembly's agenda (document A/53/238/Add.1), the Secretary-General, also requested the Assembly to grant him the authority to enter into commitments with assessment, in an amount not exceeding $200 million, inclusive of the amount of $50 million already authorized by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), to meet the most immediate requirements for carrying out the initial phase of the implementation plan of UNMIK.

In another action, the Assembly authorized the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives to hold a resumed half-day session during the week beginning 12 July to enable it to formalize the consensus agreements that had been reached, and to finish its work on time.

The request for consideration of the reopening of agenda item 37 (Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development) was made in a letter from the Deputy Permanent Representative of Chile (document A/53/1015), in his capacity as Chairman of the Preparatory Committee. According to the letter, the half-day session would give the Committee an opportunity to conclude important negotiations without further deferring

General Assembly Plenary - 2 - Press Release GA/9578 104th Meeting (PM) 12 July 1999

recommendations on action, which are essential to its final session in the year 2000. The Preparatory Committee held its first substantive session from 17 to 28 May; it has a second session scheduled for 3 to 14 April 2000.

At the outset of the meeting, the Acting President of the General Assembly, Win Mra (Myanmar), drew attention to document A/53/1020 containing a letter from the Secretary-General addressed to the Assembly President informing that 31 Member States are in arrears in the payment of their financial contributions to the Organization within the terms of Article 19 of the United Nations Charter. Under its provisions, "a Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years".

The Assembly took note of the information.

The General Assembly will meet again at a date to be announced.

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