ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS TEXTS ADDRESSING COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S RESOURCES, MALDIVES, LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, AMONG OTHERS

Economic and Social Council

Resumed 2001 Substantive Session

45^th Meeting (PM)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS TEXTS ADDRESSING COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S

RESOURCES, MALDIVES, LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, AMONG OTHERS

As it resumed its substantive session this afternoon, the Economic and Social Council took action on a number of pending issues, among them a decision on resources for the Office of the Council President and a resolution concerning the recommendation to graduate Maldives from the list of least developed countries. 

According to one of three decisions adopted by the Council, the General Assembly would decide that the Office of the Council President should be provided with the means to carry out its important functions, taking into account the different arrangements made for the principal organs of the United Nations (document E/2001/L.45/Rev.2).

The Council also adopted the programme budget implications of that decision (E/2001/L.47/Rev.1), which state that no direct financial implications would arise.  However, the action could lead to subsequent requirements for expenditure as and when the Assembly acts on the recommendation of the Council.

Council President Martin Belinga-Eboutou (Cameroon) noted that in the Millennium Declaration, Member States committed to strengthening the role of the Council and today’s decision was the first step in that important task.

By another decision, the Council took note of the annual overview report of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) and agreed to change the name of the ACC to the United Nations System’s Chief Executives Board for Coordination, without a change in its mandate (E/2001/L.50). 

Further, the ACC was requested to submit a comprehensive report on the reform of its machinery to the Council at its next session, bearing in mind the relevant reports of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC).

Also this morning, by a decision on the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010, the Council decided to consider, at a substantive session before 2005, devoting a high-level segment for the review and coordination of the implementation of the Programme of Action and to consider later in the decade further options for such review and coordination (E/2001/L.48).

Adopting a resolution on the report of the Committee for Development Policy (E/2001/L.49), the Council requested the Committee to continue re-examining its

recommendation to graduate the Maldives from the list of least developed countries  at its fourth and fifth sessions.  The Committee was also requested to submit a progress report to the next substantive session and final recommendations to the 2003 substantive session of the Council. 

In addition, the Council decided to extend the transition period of the Maldives until the next triennial review of the list of least developed countries in 2003, as recommended by the Committee.  Further, the Council called on the relevant development partners and multilateral organizations to make available to the Committee the relevant information on their likely response to a country’s graduation before the fourth session of the Committee in 2002. 

Following that action, Hussain Shihab (Maldives) said that the resolution just adopted was important for the Maldives, as well as all countries on the threshold of graduation, as it would lead to the smooth transition of graduating countries in the future.  No developing country should have its economic or trade system interrupted by graduation.  It should be a smooth and welcome transition process.

The Council also adopted resolution 18/1 contained in the report of the Commission on Human Settlements on its eighteenth session, held from 12 to 16 February, entitled, “Establishment of the Committee of Permanent Representatives as an inter-sessional subsidiary body of the Commission on Human Settlements”, as contained in document A/56/8.

The representatives of the United States, Belgium (on behalf of the European Union), Iran (on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China), Nigeria, Benin and Russian Federation made brief remarks on the texts.

The Council will meet again on a date to be announced.

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