ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL APPROVES AGENDA FOR JULY SESSION, DECIDES ON 18 APRIL MEETING WITH BRETTON WOODS INSTITUTIONS

Press Release
ECOSOC/5883

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL APPROVES AGENDA FOR JULY SESSION, DECIDES ON 18 APRIL MEETING WITH BRETTON WOODS INSTITUTIONS

The Economic and Social Council this afternoon, continuing its organizational session for 2000, decided to hold its high-level meeting with representatives of the Bretton Woods institutions –- the third such event in the United Nations history -- on 18 April and approved its provisional agenda for its July substantive session and the proposed programme of work for 2000 and 2001.

On working arrangements for the substantive session, the Council decided to hold its high-level segment on 5 to 7 July; the operational activities segment on 10 to13 July; the coordination segment on 14 to 18 July; the humanitarian affairs segment on 19 to 21 July; and the general segment on 21 to 28 July. The Council will finalize all outstanding matters and documents on 31 July and devote 1 August to the adoption of proposals and the conclusion of its work. Should the need arise, 31 July could also be devoted to the general segment.

The Council also decided that the theme for the item on regional cooperation for the year 2000 would be: “Follow-up to Major United Nations Conferences and Summits: Exchange of Regional Experiences”.

Following informal consultations, the Council also decided that the humanitarian affairs segment of its substantive session would be devoted to “Strengthening the Coordination of Humanitarian Response and the Role of Technology in Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disasters and Other Humanitarian Emergencies, Including Conflicts, with Particular Reference to the Displacement of Persons Arising Therefrom”. The segment will be preceded by two panels relating to the main theme.

The decisions, all of which were adopted without a vote, were introduced by Acting President Bernd Niehaus (Costa Rica). The Council also took note of the list of questions for inclusion in the programme of work for 2001.

In other action this afternoon, the Council elected the following additional members to the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): Chile; Côte d’Ivoire; and Republic of Korea.

Economic and Social Council - 1a - Press Release ECOSOC/5883 3rd Meeting (PM) 4 February 2000

The Council also took note of the letter of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 29 April 1999 concerning immunity from legal process of a Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, and decided to continue to be seized with the matter.

In response to the letter from the President of the Security Council to the President of the Economic and Social Council regarding the Security Council’s open session in January on the impact of HIV/AIDS on peace and security in Africa, the Council decided to convene a partnership meeting, with the participation of United Nations agencies and civil society, to discuss ways of building partnerships for dealing with the scourge of the pandemic, particularly in Africa. The meeting would be held in cooperation with the Security Council.

Also at today’s meeting, the Council decided to accept the offer of the Government of Malaysia to host the Fifteenth Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur from 10 to 14 April.

Vladimir Sotirov (Bulgaria), Vice-President of the Council, informed the Council about the outcome of the informal consultations on the theme for the humanitarian segment. Statements were also made by the representatives of Portugal (on behalf of the European Union), United States, India, Algeria, the Sudan, Malaysia, China, Republic of Korea and Nigeria.

The organizational session of the Council will resume its work on 3 and 4 May.

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Economic and Social Council - 3 - Press Release ECOSOC/5883 3rd Meeting (PM) 4 February 2000

Council Work Programme

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to continue its organizational session and consider its programme of work for the coming year. The Council had before it a provisional agenda for its organizational session (document E/2000/2) and a proposed basic programme of work for 2000 and 2001 (document E/2000/1). The work programme contains the proposed provisional agenda for the 2000 substantive session, as well as a list of questions for inclusion in the programme of work for 2001.

The Council was expected to act on eight draft decisions contained in document E/2000/L.1. By draft decisions I and II, it would approve the provisional agenda for its substantive session and take note of the list of questions for inclusion in the programme of work for 2001.

On working arrangements for the substantive session of 2000 –- draft decision III -- the Council would decide to hold its high-level segment on 5 to 7 July; the operational activities segment on 10 to 13 July; the humanitarian affairs segment on 14 to 18 July; the coordination segment on 18 to 21 July; the general segment on 21 to 28 July; and finalization of all outstanding matters and documents on 31 July. The Council would devote 1 August to the adoption of proposals and the conclusion of its work.

By draft decision IV, the high-level meeting of the Council with representatives of the Bretton Woods institutions would take place on 18 April, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The theme for the humanitarian affairs segment was yet to be decided, under the terms of draft decision V.

By draft decision VI, the theme for the item on regional cooperation for the year 2000 would be “Follow-up to Major United Nations Conferences and Summits: Exchange of Regional Experiences”.

The Council would elect the following additional members to the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – Chile, Côte d’Ivoire and Republic of Korea -- by the terms of draft decision VII.

By draft decision VIII, the Council would take note of the letter of the Secretary-General (E/1999/124) on the implementation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 29 April 1999, on the difference relating to immunity from legal process of a Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, and continue to be seized with the matter.

The letter, dated 15 December 1999, refers to the legal proceedings against Dato' Param Cumaraswamy -- the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers -- in the Malaysian courts. The Secretary General states that, as he was acting in the course of the performance of his mission, the United Nations is obliged to indemnify him for any costs, expenses or damages arising out of the four civil lawsuits against him. The United Nations has also maintained that the Government of Malaysia is ultimately responsible for those costs. Further, according to the letter, in its advisory opinion of 29 April 1999, the International Court of Justice upheld the Special Rapporteur's immunity from legal process and found, in commenting on the obligations of Malaysia, that he must be held financially harmless from any costs imposed by the Malaysian courts. The United Nations has, therefore, submitted a claim for reimbursement to the Government of Malaysia for the legal expenses it has paid on behalf of the Special Rapporteur in connection with the proceedings. These expenses have been accumulating since January 1997 and currently amount to $110,886.91.

The Council also had before it two other letters. The first (document E/2000/4), dated 31 January 2000, is addressed to the President of the Economic and Social Council from the President of the Security Council. It informs the Council President of the 10 January open meeting of the Security Council on the impact of HIV/AIDS on peace and security in Africa and expresses the Security Council’s desire to explore the possibility of further cooperative action with the Economic and Social Council on that matter.

The second letter, from the Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the President of the Council (document E/2000/5), contains an offer from the Government of Malaysia to host the Fifteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific, from 10 to 14 April 2000, in Kuala Lumpur.

Action

First, the Council adopted, without a vote, decision I, by which it approved its programme of work for 2000 and 2001 and its provisional agenda for its substantive session of 2000.

Then it adopted, also without a vote, decision II, by the terms of which it took note of the list of questions for inclusion in the programme of work for 2001.

Turning to draft decision III, on working arrangements of the 2000 substantive session, the Acting President of the Council, BERND NIEHAUS (Costa Rica), said that based on yesterday’s informal discussion, the Bureau was suggesting that the humanitarian segment would last two-and-a-half days, and that the general segment be increased by half a day, with the understanding that 31 July could also be devoted to the general segment, should the need arise.

CATULINA SOARES GUERREIRO (Portugal), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that her delegation was pleased with the proposal. She proposed to switch the humanitarian segment with the coordination segment, in order not to split the humanitarian segment by the weekend. She had consulted with other delegations on the matter, and they supported her suggestion.

Mr. GALLAGHER (United States) said that he understood what his colleague was suggesting: to have three days of the humanitarian segment, followed by a coordination segment on Friday.

Ms. GUERREIRO (Portugal) said that she was not proposing to increase the number of meetings devoted to the humanitarian segment, but to change the sequence. She thought such a switch would be helpful.

ATUL KHARE (India) said that the proposal needed consensus. The coordination segment would, thus, begin on Friday and continue on Monday and Tuesday.

Acting without a vote, the Council decided -– as amended by the representative of Portugal -- to hold its high-level segment on 5 to 7 July; the operational activities segment on 10 to 13 July; the humanitarian affairs segment on 19 to 21 July; the coordination segment on 14 to 18 July; the general segment on 21 to 28 July; and finalization of all outstanding matters and documents on 31 July. The Council would devote 1 August to the adoption of proposals and the conclusion of its work.

Draft decision IV, on the date of the high-level meeting of the Council with representatives of the Bretton Woods institutions, was adopted without a vote.

Turning to draft decision V, on the theme for the humanitarian affairs segment, VLADIMIR SOTIROV (Bulgaria), Vice-President of the Council, said that informal-informal consultations had continued today to explore the wording of the theme of the humanitarian segment. He expressed gratitude to all the delegations that had taken part in the discussions. It was decided that the theme of the humanitarian segment would be: “Strengthening the Coordination of Humanitarian Response and the Role of Technology in Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disasters and Other Humanitarian Emergencies, Including Conflicts, with Particular Reference to the Displacement of Persons Arising Therefrom”.

The agreement was reached with the understanding that two panels would be organized in preparation for the segment, he continued. The first one should be devoted to the problems of natural disasters, and the second to other emergencies, including internally displaced persons.

The Council then adopted the decision without a vote.

On the theme for the item on regional cooperation of the substantive session of the Council for 2000, the Council adopted decision VI without a vote.

Decision VII, on the elections to the Executive Committee of the Programme of the UNHCR, was adopted without a vote.

On draft decision VIII, on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, Ms. GUERREIRO(Portugal) asked if the agenda item had been postponed to a later stage.

The Council SECRETARY responded that the draft decision on the matter only stated that the Council would take note of the letter and continue to be seized of the matter. Such a decision had been reached in the informal consultations.

The Council then decided, without a vote, to take note of the letter of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 29 April 1999, on the difference relating to immunity from legal process of a Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights, and to continue to be seized with the matter.

HIV/AIDS

Mr. NIEHAUS (Costa Rica), Acting President, next drew the attention of the Council members to the letter (document E/2000/4), dated 31 January 2000, from the President of the Security Council concerning the 10 January open meeting of the Security Council on the impact of HIV/AIDS on peace and security in Africa.

The Acting President then said that, in a discussion of the matter, the Bureau recognized, along with the importance of addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS and its impact, especially in Africa, that the Security Council had discussed the question in the context of the “Africa month”. The Bureau agreed to recommend that, as an immediate step, the Council might decide to convene a meeting this month to be briefed by the President of the Security Council and others concerned on the main developmental issues that emerged during the “Africa month” and examine ways in which the Economic and Social Council could pursue such issues and undertake further cooperative action with the Security Council on this issue.

When the Council turned to discuss the issue of a convening a joint partnership meeting with the Security Council on the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa, several representatives said that they would need more time to consider the proposal.

Ms. GUERREIRO (Portugal) said that, while her delegation had nothing against taking a decision on this issue, there was a follow-up letter dated 21 January, from the Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to the Security Council, which she felt might be very helpful as Council members attempted to make a decision on that important issue.

ABDERRAHMANE MEROUANE (Algeria) said that AIDS was a very important issue that the Bureau had been discussing for quite some time. He wondered if a full description of the proposal couldn’t be distributed, so that his delegation could study it more carefully and make a decision at a later time.

SARBULAND KAHN, Director of the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, said, as a point of clarification, that the proposal the Acting President had described was included in the “Notes for the Vice-President”. He would make sure that the statement would be distributed to all the members of the Council.

MUBARAK HUSSEIN RAHMTALLA (Sudan) also asked that the President’s statement be distributed so that his delegation could study it more carefully.

The ACTING PRESIDENT, reiterating the response of Mr. Kahn, said that he would postpone taking a decision on this issue for the time being and make every effort to see that the statement was distributed to all the members of the Council.

Before he closed the session, the Acting President informed the Council that his statement had been distributed. He then asked if the members would like to return to the issue.

Mr. MEROUANE (Algeria) said that having read the decision more closely, his delegation would have no problem in reaching a decision. He added that it would be useful in the future if the Council members could receive such documents well in advance of meetings, so that they might be considered more closely.

The ACTING PRESIDENT took note of Algeria’s comments, and the Council decided to convene, in cooperation with the Security Council, a partnership meeting at which UNAIDS, other relevant United Nations organizations, pharmaceutical partnerships and civil society would discuss ways and means of building effective partnerships for dealing with the scourge of HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa.

Regional Cartographic Conference

The ACTING PRESIDENT said that the Government of Malaysia had offered to host the Fifteenth Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur from 10 to 14 April.

The Council then decided to accept the offer.

SHUKRI IBRAHIM (Malaysia) said that his country was honoured to host the Conference.

ZHANG WENYING (China) addressed the question of the spelling change of Macao, China. She requested that the Council change the original spelling of “Macau” to the formal English spelling “Macao”. The change involved an amendment of the terms of reference of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Thus, she requested the Council to amend the ESCAP terms of reference for the spelling change.

The Council approved the proposal by China.

Ms. GUERREIRO (Portugal), speaking in her national capacity, said that it was a question for the cartographic meeting. As a report of that body was not available, she wanted to put on record that she needed to consult the relevant documents.

SUH DAE-WON (Republic of Korea) expressed gratitude to the members of the Economic and Social Council for electing his country to the Executive Committee of the Programme of the UNHCR. His country supported the UNHCR and its valuable initiatives. It was looking forward to joint work with other members of the Executive Committee.

AUSTIN PETER ETANOMARE OSIO (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that his delegation appreciated the transparency of the deliberations in the Council. He thanked all the delegations which had taken part in the negotiations and consultations. He was glad that the outcome had been a “beacon of hope” for solidarity in future negotiations.

Mr. GALLAGHER (United States) thanked the Bureau of the Council and highlighted the results of the negotiations over the theme of the humanitarian segment. Under the approved theme, the Economic and Social Council would lend its expertise to dealing with important issues.

Ms. GUERREIRO (Portugal) said that she also appreciated the outcome of the informals and was looking forward to future productive work. She hoped that constructive dialogue would continue.

The ACTING PRESIDENT said that he would inform the Security Council about today’s decision regarding HIV/AIDS meeting.

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