SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES SIX DRAFT TEXTS ON DEVELOPMENT

Press Release
GA/EF/2902

SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES SIX DRAFT TEXTS ON DEVELOPMENT

Issues Include Environment and Sustainable Development, Habitat II, Sustainable Development and International Economic Cooperation

The General Assembly would request the Secretary-General to submit a draft text on an international development strategy for the first decade of the new millennium, according to one of six draft texts approved this afternoon by the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

Approved without a vote, the text on the implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, would give further impetus to international cooperation for development and to monitoring long-term trends in the global economy.

Also approved without a vote were recommendations contained in resolution 17/1 of the Commission on Human Settlements, on the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). That resolution, part of the Commission’s report on the work of its seventeenth session (5-14 May), would have the Assembly call on all the relevant United Nations organizations to take initiatives and continue with their specific actions towards the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

The Assembly would also call on all Member States to initiate preparations for reporting on in-country implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with a view to contributing to the preparatory process for the Assembly’s special session to be held in the year 2001. That special session would entail the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, including the strengthening and activation of national coordination mechanisms.

On sectoral policy questions, the Committee approved, without a vote, a draft text on the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa. By its terms, the Assembly would call on the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to strengthen its close working relationship with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant multilateral institutions for the provision of technical assistance to African countries, in order to enhance their capacity to overcome technical barriers to trade in industrial and other products and to promote industrial competitiveness.

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2902 46th Meeting (PM) 3 December 1999

The Assembly would invite the international community, the African Development Bank and other relevant regional institutions to support the implementation of the programme for the Decade and the Plan of Action of the Alliance for Africa’s Industrialization, including the outcome of the Conference on Industrial Partnerships and Investment in Africa.

In the context of environment and sustainable development, the Committee approved without a vote, as orally revised, a text on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa. By that text, the Assembly would decide to include in the calendar of conferences and meetings for the biennium 2000-2001 the sessions of the Conference of Parties and its subsidiary bodies, including the fourth and fifth ordinary sessions of the Conference of the Parties.

In addition, the Assembly would call on the international community, particularly the developed countries and the United Nations system, and invite the multilateral financial institutions, the private sector and all other interested actors, to support the efforts of affected developing countries in elaborating and implementing action programmes to combat desertification. It would also invite affected developing countries to accelerate the process of elaboration and adoption of their action programmes, with a view to finalizing them no later than the end of 2000.

Also without a vote, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which would have the Assembly call on all countries to ensure the provision of sufficient, stable and predictable financial resources for the successful implementation of the work programme for the biennium 2000-2001. Also, it would request the Secretary- General to provide the necessary resources from the regular budget to the UNEP for the biennium 2000-2001, and to consider ways to further support the revitalization of the UNEP.

In other action, the Committee approved a draft decision which would have the Assembly take note of the report of the Secretary-General on the Assembly’s special session for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda (A/54/322).

The Committee will meet again on a date to be announced in the Journal.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee met this afternoon to take action on draft resolutions related to environment and sustainable development; sustainable development and international development cooperation; and implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat 11).

Environment and sustainable development

It had before it a draft resolution submitted by Committee Chairman Roble Olhaye (Djibouti), on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.8, on implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (document A/C.2/54/L.62). By the terms of the text, the Assembly would decide to include in the calendar of conferences and meetings for the biennium 2000-2001 the sessions of the Conference of Parties and its subsidiary bodies, including the fourth and fifth ordinary sessions of the Conference of the Parties.

The Assembly would call on governments, multilateral financial institutions, regional development banks, regional economic integration organizations and all other interested organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to contribute generously to the General Fund, the Supplementary Fund and the Special Fund, in accordance with the relevant paragraphs of the financial rules of the Conference of the Parties. It would also call on the international community, particularly the developed countries and the United Nations system, and invite the multilateral financial institutions, the private sector and all other interested actors, to support the efforts of affected developing countries in the processes of elaborating and implementing action programmes to combat desertification, including, interregional programmes and platforms of cooperation, by providing them with financial resources and other forms of assistance.

In addition, the Assembly would call on the Convention Secretariat and Global Mechanism to cooperate fully in carrying out their activities as provided for in their respective mandates. It would call on all States and other actors to contribute effectively to the successful outcome of the third session of the Conference of the Parties in Recife. Further, it would call on all remaining countries that are not yet parties to the Convention to ratify or accede to the Convention as soon as possible.

By the same text, the Assembly would invite all other relevant organizations and programmes, particularly the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and other members of the Facilitation Committee of the Global Mechanism, to make contributions to enable the Global Mechanism to support implementation of the Convention. It would also invite affected developing countries that have not yet adopted their national action programmes, as well as regional and subregional bodies, to accelerate the process of elaboration and adoption of their action programmes with a view to finalizing them no later than the end of 2000.

Further, the Assembly would request the Global Mechanism, in conformity with the provisions of the Convention and the relevant decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties, to carry out its mandate of assisting affected developing country parties in the implementation of the Convention.

The Committee also had before it a draft resolution submitted by Vice- Chairman Daul Matute (Peru), on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.17, on the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (document A/C.2/54/L.67). The text would have the Assembly call on all countries to ensure the provision of sufficient, stable and predictable financial resources for the successful implementation of the work programme for the biennium 2000-2001. Also, it would request the Secretary-General to provide the necessary resources from the regular budget to UNEP for the biennium 2000-2001 to consider ways to further support the revitalization of the UNEP.

In addition, the Assembly would encourage UNEP’s supporting role in developing countries, particularly in Africa, through the development of policy support and capacity-building for international environmental negotiation, through such steps as the revitalization of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment. Furthermore, the Assembly would support the proposals for enhancing the linkages and coordination within and among environmental and environment- related conventions, including by the UNEP.

Sustainable development and international economic cooperation

Also before the Committee was a draft resolution submitted by Vice-Chairman Alexandru Niculescu (Romania), on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.20, on implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade (document A/C.2/54/L.63).

By the terms of the text, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in consultation with all concerned organs and organizations of the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, to submit to the Assembly for consideration at its fifty-fifth session an update of the report of the Secretary- General.

The Assembly would further request the Secretary-General, in collaboration with all concerned United Nations system organizations, in particular the Committee on Development Policy, to submit to the Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, a draft text of an international development strategy for the first decade of the new millennium, with the aim of giving further impetus to international cooperation for development and of monitoring long-term trends in the global economy, as well as the attainment of internationally agreed targets. Those are: a) building on the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summit meetings held during the 1990s, the Agenda for Development and any other relevant ongoing processes related to international cooperation for development; b) taking into account the dynamic changes to the world economy resulting from, such phenomena as, globalization, interdependence and liberalization and the rapid advances in science and technology.

In addition, the Assembly would request the President of the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session to initiate consultations with all Member States, with a view to establishing the modalities for consideration and conclusion of the proposal of the Secretary-General called for in paragraph 4 in the present resolution at the Assembly’s fifty-fifth session.

The Committee was expected to take action on resolution 17/1 on “follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)”. This resolution is part of the report of the Commission on Human Settlements on the work of its seventeenth session (5-14 May 1999) (document A/54/8). By the terms of that resolution, the Commission on Human Settlements recommended that the Assembly call on all the relevant United Nations organizations and specialized agencies to continue with their specific actions towards implementation of the Habitat Agenda. It also recommended that the Assembly call on relevant United Nations organizations and specialized agencies that have not yet done so to identify initiatives and actions to be undertaken in preparation for the Assembly's special session for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

By the same text, the Commission would recommend that the Assembly call on all Member States to initiate preparations for reporting on in-country implementation of the Habitat Agenda, in line with the recommendations by the Commission in its resolution 17/1 of 14 May 1999, with a view to contributing fully to the preparatory process for the special session of the General Assembly to be held in the year 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. Those efforts would include strengthening and activation of national coordination mechanisms, inclusive of local authorities and civil society partners, along the models pioneered at Habitat II.

Further, the Commission would have the Assembly invite the United Nations coordinator system to strengthen its support to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, through such means as assistance to the implementation of national local plans of action based on the full involvement of local authorities and partners from civil society. It would also have the Assembly invite all Member States to provide financial resources for the preparatory process for the special session, in particular to enable least developed countries and their national civil-society be fully involved in the preparatory process and the special session itself.

Sectoral policy questions

Before the Committee was another draft text submitted by Mr. Niculescu, on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.27, on the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (document A/C.2/54/L.64). It would have the Assembly call on the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to strengthen its close working relationship with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant multilateral institutions, with the participation of their secretariats and of Member States and Observer States of the United Nations, for the provision of technical assistance to African countries, particularly the least developed among them. Such assistance would be aimed at enhancing the capacity of such countries to overcome technical barriers to trade in industrial and other products, including improving quality standards to alleviate supply-side constraints, and to promote industrial competitiveness in order to enable them to fully integrate into the world economy.

By the terms of the text, the Assembly would invite the international community, the African Development Bank and other relevant regional institutions to support the implementation of the programme for the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa and the Plan of Action of the Alliance for Africa’s Industrialization, including the outcome of the Conference on Industrial Partnerships and Investment in Africa.

The Assembly would appeal to the international community, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and United Nations funds and programmes to support the efforts of African countries to intensify and expand industrial cooperation among themselves. Further, it would request UNIDO and the European Commission for Africa, in coordination with the United Nations system, to support African countries in the implementation of the relevant recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General.

Action on drafts: industrial development cooperation

Vice-Chairman Alexandru Niculescu (Romania) introduced draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.64 entitled the “Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa”. The text was based on informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.27.

Draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.64 was approved without a vote, and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.27 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

Sustainable development and international economic cooperation

Mr. Niculescu then introduced, on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.20, the draft text entitled “implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade” (document A/C.2/54/L.63).

The text was approved without a vote and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.20 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

The Committee then turned to resolution 17/1 entitled “follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)”. That resolution was part of the report of the Commission on Human Settlements on the work of its seventeenth session (5-14 May 1999), (document A/54/8).

Without a vote, the Committee approved the Commission’s recommendations to the General Assembly.

Committee Vice-Chairman Daul Matute (Peru) then introduced the following draft decision: “The General Assembly takes note of the report of the Secretary- General on the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda” (document A/54/322). The draft decision was approved without a vote.

The representative of Côte d’Ivoire said he had asked to have paragraph 3 of resolution 17/1 deleted, but noted that that paragraph was still in the text.

Mr. Niculescu said that the draft had been discussed in informal consultations. There it had been agreed to leave the resolution unchanged. However, paragraph 3 went beyond the text sent by the Commission. It had no significance, and would be deleted.

Environment and sustainable development

Mr. Matute introduced the draft resolution entitled “report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme” (document A/C.2/54/L.67), based on informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.17.

The text was adopted without a vote and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.17 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

On draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.62, the Secretary of the Committee noted that the draft calendar of conferences and meetings for the biennium 2000-2001 had been endorsed by the Committee on Conferences and was currently under review by the Fifth Committee. Provision had been made not only for meetings programmed at the time of budget preparation but also for meetings authorized subsequently. Thus, no additional appropriations under section 2 would be required in the 2000-2001 programme budget.

Mr. Matute, on behalf of Committee Chairman Roble Olhaye (Djibouti), then introduced that draft text entitled “implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa” (document A/C.2/54/L.62), on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.8.

The representative of Guinea-Bissau said that operative paragraphs 5 and 22 were repetitive. He proposed to delete paragraph 5.

Mr. Niculescu said that paragraph 5 would be deleted, and the following paragraphs renumbered. Paragraph 22 would therefore become paragraph 21.

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally revised, and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.8 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

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