PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 SPECIAL ASSEMBLY SESSION ON CHILDREN TAKES ACTION ON THREE DRAFT DECISIONS

Press Release
HR/4478

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 SPECIAL ASSEMBLY SESSION ON CHILDREN TAKES ACTION ON THREE DRAFT DECISIONS

Acting without a vote this afternoon, the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly for Follow-up to the World Summit for Children in 2001 decided to propose to the General Assembly that two substantive sessions of the Preparatory Committee be convened in New York during 2001, one from 29 January to 2 February and one from 11 to 15 June (see document A/AC.256/L.3).

The Committee also adopted an orally amended draft decision on arrangements for accreditation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the special session (document A/AC.256/L.5/Rev.1). According to the terms of that text, which was also adopted without a vote, the following non-governmental organizations would be invited to participate in the special session:

-- The NGOs which enjoy consultative status in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 or are accredited to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF);

-- Other NGOs accredited to the preparatory process in accordance with relevant decisions of the Preparatory Committee.

The Committee also adopted, as orally amended, a draft decision on participation of associate members of regional commissions, which would invite associate members of regional commissions to participate in the special session, subject to rules of procedure of the General Assembly, in the same capacity of observers that applied to recent special sessions of the General Assembly (document A/AC.256/L.6).

The Committee decided to defer consideration of a draft decision on arrangements for the participation of NGOs in the special session (document A/AC.256/L.7).

The Committee also adopted a draft provisional agenda for the Second Substantive Session of the Preparatory Committee (document A/AC.256/CRP.3).

The representative of Jamaica proposed that young people be a part of the next session of the Preparatory Committee, and that the Bureau work out some arrangement to allow them to speak. That proposal was supported by the

Preparatory Committee - 1 - Press Release HR/4478 4th Meeting (PM) 1 June 2000

representatives of Portugal, El Salvador and Morocco. The representative of Pakistan did not support the proposal.

Algeria’s representative said that any participation of young children should be in close accordance with the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. She had no objection to young people participating as part of a non-governmental organization or a delegation. Otherwise, their participation should be in the format of a side-event.

Her view was shared by the representatives of Cuba, Libya, United States and Nigeria.

The representative of the Sudan suggested that the participation of young people be made through official delegations participating in the special session. In that regard, delegations would be urged to encourage children to start participating at the regional level, in preparation for the session.

The Committee decided that arrangements should be made in accordance with rules of procedure of the General Assembly and that they should be based on experiences of previous special sessions of the Assembly to include, where possible, the participation of children and young people in the preparatory process, and to ask the Bureau to consider ways in which young people could participate.

The Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee, Patricia Durrant (Jamaica), proposed that, based on an agreement reached in informal consultations, the Committee agree to authorize the Bureau, in cooperation with and with support of the substantive secretariat, to prepare a draft outcome document taking into account the views expressed during the first substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for consideration at its second substantive session. She further proposed that the document in its first draft would be made available to Member States in November. That proposal was approved without a vote.

Also this afternoon, the Committee approved a provisional programme of work for its second substantive session, which will be held from 29 January to 2 February 2001.

The Preparatory Committee will meet again tomorrow, 2 June, at 10 a.m.

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