Fifty-sixth General Assembly

Plenary

90^th Meeting (AM)

ACTING ON SECOND COMMITTEE REPORTS, ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 38 TEXTS

Resolutions on Palestinian Natural Resources, Coercive Economic

Measures Adopted by Recorded Vote; Action on Multilingualism Draft Deferred

Acting on the recommendations of its Second Committee (Economic and Financial), the General Assembly this morning adopted 38 resolutions -– two by recorded vote –- and 11 decisions.

The Assembly called on Israel not to exploit, to cause loss or depletion of or to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.  It took that action by a vote of 148 in favour to four against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, United States) with four abstentions (Cameroon, Fiji, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea).  (See voting Annex II for details.)

Also, by a vote of 100 in favour to one against (United States) with

46 abstentions, the Assembly urged the international community to adopt urgent and effective steps to eliminate the use of unilateral economic measures not authorized by relevant organs of the United Nations or inconsistent with the principles of international law as set forth in the Charter and in contravention of the basic principles of the multilateral trading system (Annex I).

With regard to upcoming international meetings, the Assembly took decisions related to the format and provisional rules of procedure of the International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, from

18-22 March 2002.

In addition, the Assembly welcomed the resolution adopted by the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), endorsing the proposal to hold the World Summit on the Information Society at the highest possible level in two phases, the first in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 and the second in Tunis in 2005.

The Assembly also welcomed the decision by the Trade and Development Board to conduct the mid-term review of the outcome of the tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Bangkok from 29 April to 3 May 2002, and expressed deep appreciation to Thailand for offering to host that meeting.

By another resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to convene in 2003 an International Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked and Transit

Developing Countries and Donor Countries and Representatives of International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation.  It would decide to consider the precise timing and venue of that meeting at its next session, taking into account Kazakhstan's offer to host the meeting.

To strengthen the mandate and status of the Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), the Assembly decided to transform those two entities, with effect from 1 January 2002, into the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to be known as UN-Habitat.  It also took a number of decisions regarding the status, composition, objectives, functions and responsibilities of its governing body and secretariat.

By a resolution on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to clarify the reason why the Institute does not benefit from rental rates and maintenance costs similar to those enjoyed by other United Nations affiliated organizations.  It also requested him to submit proposals on how to waive or reduce these rates and costs charged to the Institute to alleviate its financial difficulties, which are aggravated by the current practice of charging commercial rates.

The Assembly also adopted texts on external debt; science and technology; business and development; preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of funds of illicit origin; and returning such funds to the countries of origin, and a strengthened and stable international financial architecture.  In addition, it adopted six texts related to sustainable development and international economic cooperation, as well as a text on globalization and interdependence.

Among the 11 texts adopted on environment and sustainable development was a resolution calling on the Secretary-General and the relevant United Nations organs, funds and programmes to adopt the necessary measures to support the establishment of the international centre for the study of the El Niño phenomenon at Guayaquil, Ecuador.

In addition, the Assembly underlined the need for sufficient financial resources on a stable and predictable basis to ensure the full implementation of the mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  It also requested the Secretary-General to keep the resource needs of UNEP and the United Nations Office at Nairobi under continuous review, and to make proposals as needed in the context of the United Nations regular budget to strengthen both bodies. 

The Assembly also adopted a resolution on triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, as well as texts on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries, cooperation between the United  Nations and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), international migration and development, and implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), including the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund for poverty eradication.

As part of its consideration of the report of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Assembly adopted texts on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations

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conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, on a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and on public administration and development.

The Assembly also adopted a text on the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) as well as the draft biennial programme of work for the Second Committee for 2002-2003.

Action on the draft resolutions on the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), as well as the draft decision on the Office of the President of the Economic and Social Council, were postponed to allow time for the review of their programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee.

The representative of Iran, on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, spoke in explanation of vote.

In other matters this morning, the Assembly took up multilingualism.  The representative of France introduced a draft resolution on the issue, but action on it was deferred as many speakers objected to it.  They voiced concerns that the draft resolution, particularly operative paragraphs 4 and 5, would discriminate in recruitment and promotion of personnel against Member States, particularly developing countries whose nationals did not speak one of the six official languages of the United Nations as their mother tongue.  Many speakers emphasised that the draft should only have been introduced after consensus had been reached, and should have been considered in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) first.

Speakers in the debate on multilingualism were the representatives of India, Japan, United States, Papua New Guinea, Spain, Singapore, Egypt, Libya, Kuwait, Russian Federation, Gabon, Germany, South Africa, Philippines, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Nepal.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. to take up consideration of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; financing of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the Middle East; cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and various other items.

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to consider the reports of its Second Committee (Economic and Financial).  It was then expected to take up the question of multilingualism and a draft resolution on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Reports of Second Committee

Macroeconomic Policy Questions

The Committee's report on "macroeconomic policy questions" (document A/56/558) is submitted in five parts.

Part II of the report (document A/56/558/Add.1) contains three draft resolutions.

Approved on 7 December without a vote, draft resolution I, on international trade and development, would have the Assembly welcome the decision by the Trade and Development Board to conduct the mid-term review of the outcome of the tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at Bangkok from 29 April to 3 May 2002, and express deep appreciation to the Government of Thailand for offering to host the meeting.

Draft resolution II, on unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries, was approved by a vote of

74 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 47 abstentions, on 4 December.  It would have the Assembly urge the international community to adopt urgent and effective steps to eliminate the use of such unilateral measures not authorized by relevant organs of the United Nations or inconsistent with the principles of international law as set forth in the Charter and in contravention of the basic principles of the multilateral trading system. 

Also, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue to monitor the imposition of measures of this nature and to study the impact of such measures on the affected countries, including the impact on trade and development.

Draft resolution III, approved on 12 December without a vote, is on specific action related to the particular needs and problems of landlocked developing countries.  It would have the Assembly invite donor countries, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and multilateral financial and development institutions to provide landlocked and transit developing countries with appropriate financial and technical assistance in the form of grant or concessional loans for the construction, maintenance and improvement of their transport, storage and other transit-related facilities. 

Also, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to convene in 2003 an International Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries and Representatives of International Financial and Development Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation, within existing resources of the budget for the biennium 2002-2003 and by voluntary contribution, to review the current situation of transit transport systems, including the 1995 Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation.

Further, the Assembly would decide to consider the precise timing and venue of the international ministerial meeting at its next session, taking into consideration the generous offer made by Kazakhstan to host the meeting.  In addition, the Secretary-General would be requested to convene in 2003 prior to the international ministerial meeting, within existing resources for the biennium 2002-2003, the Sixth Meeting of Governmental Experts from Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Representatives of Donor Countries and Financial and Development Institutions, and decide that this meeting shall serve as a preparatory committee for the international ministerial meeting.

Part III of the report (document A/56/558/Add.2) contains one draft resolution.

Approved on 4 December, without a vote, the draft resolution, entitled towards a strengthened and stable international financial architecture responsive to the priorities of growth and development, especially in developing countries, and to the promotion of economic and social equity, would have the Assembly decide to include in the provisional agenda of its next session the sub-item -- international financial system and development -- under the item entitled "Macroeconomic policy questions".  It would also request the Secretary-General to submit to it at its next session a report on the international financial system and development, bearing in mind, among other things, the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, in March 2002.

Part IV of the report (document A/56/558/Add.3) contains two draft resolutions.

Approved on 12 December without a vote, draft resolution I, on science and technology for development, would have the Assembly call on the Secretary-General to continue to ensure that the Commission on Science and Technology and its secretariat within UNCTAD be provided with the necessary resources to enable it to better carry out its mandate.  It would also call on the United Nations system and the international community to strengthen South-South cooperation initiatives, as well as subregional and regional cooperation, in the field of science and technology.

In addition, the Assembly would invite the Economic and Social Council to consider, no later than its substantive session of 2002, ways and means to strengthen the Commission by such steps as increasing the frequency of their meetings, including their annualization, and through the implementation of the recommendations set out in the report of the Secretary-General, while taking its mandate and budgetary constraints into consideration.

The Assembly would also invite the Council to consider favourably the request of the Commission to establish a working group, to meet during the regular sessions of the Commission for the purpose of evaluating the work of the Commission, to strengthen the Commission's role in the United Nations system, and increase its effectiveness.

Draft resolution II, approved on 11 December without a vote, is on the World Summit on the Information Society.  It would have the Assembly welcome the resolution adopted by the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at its 2001 session, in which it endorsed the proposal of the Secretary-General of the ITU to hold the Summit at the highest possible level in two phases, the first in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003, and the second in Tunis in 2005. 

Also, the Assembly would invite the ITU to assume the leading managerial role in the Executive Secretariat of the Summit and its preparatory process; it would invite governments to participate actively in the preparatory process of the Summit and to be represented in the Summit at the highest possible level; and would invite the international community to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund established by the ITU to support the preparations for and the holding of the Summit.

Part V of the report (document A/56/558/Add.4) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, approved on 4 December without a vote, is on enhancing international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problems of developing countries.  It would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to report to it at its next session on the external debt crisis and development, bearing in mind, among other things, the outcome of the Financing for Development Conference. 

Sectoral Policy Questions

The report of the Committee on "sectoral policy questions" (document A/56/559) contains three draft resolutions, all of which were approved without a vote on 12 December.

Draft resolution I, on business and development, would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the relevant United Nations organizations, to submit to it at its fifty-seventh session a follow-up report on the continuing implementation of resolution 54/204.

Draft resolution II, on preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of funds of illicit origin and returning such funds to the countries of origin, would have the Assembly call, while recognizing the importance of national measures, for increased international cooperation in support of efforts by governments to prevent and address the transfer of funds of illicit origin, as well as to return such funds to the countries of origin. 

Also, the Assembly would invite the Economic and Social Council to finalize its consideration of the draft terms of reference for a negotiation of the United Nations convention against corruption, which requests the ad hoc committee to consider the elements of prevention and combating the transfer of funds of illicit origin derived from acts of corruption, including the laundering and returning of such funds, expeditiously.

By draft resolution III, on the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1993-2002), the Assembly would call on the international community to support Africa in strengthening its private sector, in particular, through the promotion of investment and exports, the promotion of small- and medium-sized enterprise, productivity, quality assurance and standardization, and financing.  Further, it would call on the international community to support Africa’s efforts to enhance the development of its human resources.

Sustainable Development and International Economic Cooperation

The Committee's report on "sustainable development and international economic cooperation" (document A/56/560) is submitted in six parts.

Part II of the report (document A/56/560/Add.1) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution on women and development, approved without a vote on

11 December, would have the Assembly call on governments to encourage the financial sector to mainstream a gender perspective in its policies and programmes.  The Assembly would also call on governments and entrepreneurial associations to facilitate the access of women, including young women and women entrepreneurs, to education and training in business, administration and information and communication technologies.

In addition, the Assembly would call on governments to promote, through legislation, family-friendly and gender-sensitive work environments and also to promote the facilitation of breastfeeding for working mothers, as well as the provision of the necessary care for working women’s children and other dependants.  It would call on the international community to make efforts to mitigate the effects of excess volatility and economic disruption, which have a disproportionately negative impact on women, and to enhance trade opportunities for developing countries to improve the economic condition of women. 

Further, the Assembly would urge governments to develop and to promote methodologies for mainstreaming a gender perspective in all aspects of policy-making, including economic policy-making.  The Assembly would also urge governments to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in regard to their access to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit, giving special attention to poor, uneducated women, and to support women’s access to legal assistance.

Part III of the report (document A/56/560/Add.2) contains one draft resolution.

      Approved on 12 December without a vote, the draft resolution, on human resources development, would have the Assembly call on the United Nations system to harmonize further its collective human resources development efforts, in accordance with national policies and priorities.  It would also call on developed countries and the United Nations system to increase support to programmes and activities in developing countries for advancing human resources development and capacity-building, particularly those geared towards harnessing information and communication technologies. 

Further, the Assembly would invite international organizations, including international financial institutions, to continue to give priority to supporting the objective of human resources development and to integrating them into their policies, projects and operations.

Part IV of the report (document A/56/560/Add.3) contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

The draft resolution, on high-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership, was approved without a vote on 10 December.  It would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General, in close consultation with governments, all relevant parts of the United Nations system and other relevant stakeholders, to propose the modalities, the nature and the timing of such constructive dialogue and genuine partnership for the promotion of international economic cooperation for development for consideration by the Assembly at its next session.

By the draft decision, on Summary by the President of the General Assembly of the high-level dialogue on the theme "Responding to globalization: facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy in the twenty-first century", the Assembly would take note of the President's summary.

Part V of the report (document A/56/560/Add.4) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, on implementation of 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, was approved on 11 December without a vote.  By its terms, the Assembly would decide to consider the issue of the further development of a new international development strategy during its fifty-seventh session, based on the outcomes of a number of meetings and keeping in mind the outcome of the review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. 

[Those meetings included the special session of the General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, the special session of the Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Assembly’s special session on children, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.]

Also, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to provide it at its next session with an overview of the challenges and constraints, as well as progress made towards achieving the major development goals and objectives adopted by the United Nations during the past decade.

Part VI of the report (document A/56/560/Add.5) contains one draft decision.

The draft decision, entitled "Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 51/172", would have the Assembly take note of the note by the Secretary-General, entitled "Communication for development programmes in the United Nations system", transmitting the report of UNESCO on the implementation of Assembly resolution 51/172, including the recommendations of the seventh Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development.

Environment and Sustainable Development

The Committee's report on "environment and sustainable development" (document A/56/561) is submitted in nine parts.

Part II of the report (document A/56/561/Add.1) contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

Approved on 12 December without a vote, the draft resolution, on the World Summit on Sustainable Development, would have the Assembly decide that the Summit shall be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002, with the participation of heads of State and government during the period

2-4 September.  It would also decide that the Summit would be open to all Member States and States members of the specialized agencies, with the participation of observers in accordance with the established practice of the Assembly and its conferences and with the rules of procedure of the Summit.

The Assembly would request the Commission on Sustainable Development, acting as the preparatory committee, to decide on all remaining issues related to the organization of work of the Summit.  It would also request the Secretary-General to launch a public information campaign to raise global awareness of the Summit, including through reprioritization of the budget of the Department of Public Information (DPI) and voluntary contributions.

By the draft decision, on documents relating to the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Assembly would decide to take note of the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development acting as the preparatory committee for the Summit on its organizational session.

Part III of the report (document A/56/561/Add.2) contains two draft resolutions.

Draft resolution I, approved without a vote on 4 December, is on international cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.  It would have the Assembly call on the Secretary-General and the relevant United Nations organs, funds and programmes, in particular those taking part in the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and encourage the international community to adopt the necessary measures to support the establishment of the international centre for the study of the El Niño phenomenon at Guayaquil, Ecuador.  The Assembly would also invite the international community to provide scientific, technical and financial assistance and cooperation for this purpose, as well as to strengthen other centres devoted to studying the El Niño phenomenon.

Draft resolution II, on international strategy for disaster reduction,

was approved on 11 December without a vote.  It would have the Assembly decide that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction should be modified to provide for the increased participation and continued membership of regional intergovernmental organizations and key United Nations agencies.  The Assembly would also decide to maintain the annual observance of the International Day of Natural Disaster Reduction on the second Wednesday of October, as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

Also, among other things, the Assembly would call on governments to establish national platforms or focal points for disaster reduction, urge the United Nations system to provide appropriate support for those mechanisms, and invite the Secretary-General to strengthen the regional outreach of the secretariat for the Strategy to ensure such support.  It would also call on governments and United Nations agencies to collaborate more closely in the sharing of disaster response and mitigation information, to take full advantage of the United Nations emergency information services such as ReliefWeb, as well as the Internet, and to consider other methods for the sharing of information.

Part IV of the report (document A/56/561/Add.3) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, on implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, was approved without a vote on

12 December.  It would have the Assembly decide to include in the calendar of conferences and meetings for the biennium 2002-2003 the sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its subsidiary bodies, including the sixth ordinary session of the COP and the meetings of its subsidiary bodies.  It would also approve the continuation of the current institutional linkage and related administrative arrangements between the Secretariat and the Convention secretariat for a further five-year period, to be reviewed by the Assembly and the COP not later than 31 December 2006.

      Also, the Assembly would invite all parties to pay promptly and in full the contributions required for the core budget of the Convention for the biennium 2002-2003.  It would urge all parties that have not yet paid their contributions for the year 1999 and/or the biennium 2000-2001 to do so as soon as possible to ensure continuity in the cash flow required to finance the ongoing work of the COP, the secretariat and the Global Mechanism.

Part V of the report (document A/56/561/Add.4) contains one draft resolution.

Approved on 10 December without a vote, the draft resolution, on the Convention on Biological Diversity, would have the Assembly call on parties to the Convention to settle urgently any arrears and to pay their contributions in full and in a timely manner so as to ensure continuity in the cash flows required to finance the ongoing work of the COP, the subsidiary bodies and the Convention secretariat.  The Assembly would also call on parties to the Convention to become parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as soon as possible.

Part VI of the report (document A/56/561/Add.5) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, on further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), was approved without a vote on 7 December.  It would have the Assembly urge all relevant organizations to finalize, as a matter of urgency, the work on the development of a vulnerability index, taking into account the special circumstances and needs of small island developing States.  It would also call on the Secretary-General to consider further cost-effective ways and means of increasing and improving the United Nations system-wide coordination and dissemination of information on activities in support of SIDS and the Programme of Action, through the SIDS Unit, including concrete measures for improving coordination within the United Nations system.

Further, the Assembly would welcome the strengthened Unit and request the Secretary-General to consider ways to strengthen the Unit further by, among other things, establishing the SIDS Information Network within the Unit and by assisting those States with project implementation advice and assistance in the identification of short- and long-term capacity needs through coordination with regional and international institutions, and to make proposals in that regard.

Part VII of the report (document A/56/561/Add.6) contains one draft resolution.

Approved on 12 December without a vote, the draft resolution, on protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind, would have the Assembly call on all States parties to continue to take effective steps to implement their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.  

In addition, the Assembly would approve the continuation of the institutional linkage of the secretariat of the Convention to the United Nations, and related administrative arrangements, for a further five-year period.  Also, it would request the Secretary-General to review the functioning of that linkage not later than 31 December 2006, in consultation with the COP to the Convention, with a view to making such modifications as may be considered desirable by both parties, and to report to the Assembly.

Part VIII of the report (document A/56/561/Add.7) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, on promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, was approved without a vote on 10 December.  It would have the Assembly reiterate its call on all relevant funding institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as regional funding institutions and non-governmental organizations, to support the efforts being made for the development of the renewable energy sector in developing countries on the basis of environmentally friendly renewable sources of energy of demonstrated viability, while taking into account the development structure of energy-based economies of developing countries, and to assist in the attainment of the levels of investment necessary to expand energy supplies beyond urban areas. 

Also, the Assembly would invite the international community to support, including by providing financial resources, the efforts of developing countries to move towards sustainable patterns of energy production and consumption.  Further, it would invite the Director-General of UNESCO to make effective the implementation of the Global Renewable Energy Education and Training Programme 1996-2005 in the various regions, and to strengthen the implementation of its African chapter.

Part IX of the report (document A/56/561/Add.8) contains two draft resolutions and one draft decision.

Approved without a vote on 4 December, draft resolution I, on status of preparations for the International Year of Freshwater, 2003, would have the Assembly encourage all Member States, the United Nations system and major groups to take advantage of the Year to raise awareness of the essential importance of freshwater resources for satisfying basic human needs, health and food production, and the preservation of ecosystems, as well as for economic and social development in general, and to promote action at the local, national, regional and international levels.  In that context, the Assembly would call for high priority to be given to the serious freshwater problems facing many regions, especially in the developing countries.  Also, it would encourage all States, relevant international organizations and major groups to support activities related to the Year, inter alia, through voluntary contributions.

Draft resolution II, on the report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council on its twenty-first session, was approved without a vote on 11 December.  It would have the Assembly underline the need for sufficient financial resources on a stable and predictable basis to ensure the full implementation of the mandate of UNEP.  The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to keep the resource needs of UNEP and the United Nations Office at Nairobi under continuous review and make proposals as needed in the context of the United Nations regular budget to strengthen both bodies. 

In addition, the Assembly would note the proposal of the Secretary-General to increase United Nations funding for the cost of servicing the UNEP secretariat and the Governing Council from the regular budget.

By the terms of the draft decision, on report of the Secretary-General on products harmful to health and the environment, the Assembly would take note of that report.

Operational Activities for Development

The report of the Committee on "operational activities for development" (document A/56/562) is submitted in three parts.

Part II of the report (document A/56/562/Add.1) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution, on triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, was approved on 12 December without a vote.  It would have the Assembly take action in the following 13 areas -- role of operational activities in response to global challenges; funding for operational activities; capacity-building; United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF); evaluation of operational activities; simplification and harmonization of rules and procedures; resident coordinator system; planning, programming and implementation; humanitarian assistance; gender; regional dimension of operational activities; South-South cooperation/technical cooperation among developing countries; and follow-up.

Among other things, the Assembly would decide that, with the agreement of the host country, the United Nations development system should assist national governments in creating an enabling environment in which the links among national governments, the United Nations development system, civil society, national non-governmental organizations and the private sector involved in the development process are strengthened, with a view to seeking new and innovative solutions to development problems in accordance with national policies and priorities.

Part III of the report (document A/56/562/Add.2) contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

Approved on 10 December without a vote, the draft resolution on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries would have the Assembly call on all relevant United Nations organizations and multilateral institutions to consider increasing allocations of human, technical and financial resources for South-South cooperation.

Also, the Assembly would request all organizations and agencies of the United Nations development system to make concerted and intensified efforts to effectively mainstream the use of South-South cooperation by way of giving such cooperation appropriate consideration in the design, formulation and implementation of their regular programmes.  Further, it would reiterate its request to the Administrator of the UNDP to ensure that the separate identity of the Special Unit for technical cooperation among developing countries is maintained, and that the Unit is supported so that it may fully implement its mandate and responsibilities as a focal point of the United Nations system for South-South cooperation. 

Approved on 12 December without a vote, the draft decision on cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community would have the Assembly decide to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-eighth session, under the item entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations", a sub-item entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community”, and request the Secretary-General to update the current report on this question and submit it to the Assembly at its next session.

International Migration and Development

The report of the Committee on "international migration and development, including the question of the convening of a United Nations conference on international migration and development to address migration issues" (document A/56/563) contains one draft resolution.

Approved on 21 November without a vote, the draft resolution, on international migration and development, would have the Assembly urge Member States and the United Nations system to strengthen international cooperation in the area of international migration and development to address the root causes of migration, especially those related to poverty, and to maximize the benefits of international migration to those concerned. 

In addition, the Assembly would invite governments, with the assistance of the international community, where appropriate, to seek to make the option of remaining in one’s country viable for all people, particularly through efforts to achieve sustainable development, leading to a better economic balance between developed and developing countries.

Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to solicit, one additional time, the views of Member States that have not responded to the survey on the feasibility of convening an international conference on migration and development, as well as those of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other relevant organizations, both within and outside the United Nations system.

Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources

The Committee's report on "permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources" (document A/56/564) contains one draft resolution.

By a vote of 131 in favour to 3 against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, United States), with 2 abstentions (Cameroon, Nicaragua), the draft resolution, on permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources, was approved on 4 December. 

The text would have the Assembly call on Israel not to exploit, to cause loss or depletion of or to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.  It would also recognize the right of the Palestinian people to claim restitution as a result of any exploitation, loss or depletion of or danger to their natural resources, and would express the hope that this issue will be dealt with in the framework of the final status negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

Implementation of Habitat Agenda

The report of the Committee, on "implementation of the Habitat Agenda and outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on this topic" (document A/56/565), contains two draft resolutions, both of which were approved without a vote on 12 December.

Draft resolution I is on the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II).  It would have the Assembly urge the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to further strengthen its regional programme activity centres to provide improved technical cooperation services to national governments to implement the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium at the national and local levels. 

Draft resolution II is on strengthening the mandate and status of the Commission on Human Settlements and Habitat.  By its terms, the Assembly would decide to transform the Commission and its secretariat, the Centre, including its Foundation, with effect from 1 January 2002, into the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to be known as UN-Habitat, which would have a governing body and a secretariat.  It would also take a number of decisions regarding the status, composition, objectives, functions and responsibilities of the governing body, as well as the secretariat.

In addition, the Assembly would decide that the resources for managing the Programme shall comprise the posts and budgetary resources of the Centre without prejudice to additional regular budget and extrabudgetary resources that may become available.

First United Nations Decade for Eradication of Poverty

The report of the Committee, on "implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)" (document A/56/566), contains one draft resolution.

Approved without a vote on 11 December, the draft resolution, on implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), including the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund for Poverty Eradication, would have the Assembly urge the strengthening of international assistance to developing countries in their efforts to alleviate poverty.  It would call for the full, speedy and effective implementation of the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, as well as call on the heavily indebted poor countries to take, as soon as possible, the policy measures necessary to become eligible for the Initiative and to reach the decision point.

Among other things, the Assembly would welcome favourably the proposal to establish a world solidarity fund for poverty eradication and the promotion of human and social development in developing countries, particularly among the poorest segments of their population.  It would request the Secretary-General, with a view to establishing the fund, to submit to it at its next session a report containing his recommendations on mechanisms, modalities, terms of reference, mandates and governance for the operationalization of the fund.

Training and Research

The Committee's report on "training and research" (document A/56/567) contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), approved without a vote on 12 December, would have the Assembly request the Board of Trustees of UNITAR to continue to ensure fair geographical distribution and transparency in the preparation of programmes and in the employment of experts.  It would stress that the courses of the Institute should focus primarily on development issues.

The Assembly would call upon developed countries, which are increasingly participating in the training programmes conducted in New York and Geneva, to make contributions or consider increasing their contributions to the General Fund.  It would also request the Secretary-General to continue to explore ways and means of systematically utilizing the Institute in the execution of training and capacity-building programmes for the economic and social development of developing countries.

The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to clarify the reason why the Institute does not benefit from rental rates and maintenance costs similar to those enjoyed by other United Nations affiliated organizations.  It would request him to submit proposals on how to waive or reduce these rates and costs charged to the Institute to alleviate its current financial difficulties, which are aggravated by the current practice of charging commercial rates.

Globalization and Interdependence

The report of the Committee on "globalization and interdependence" (document A/56/568) contains one draft resolution.

Approved without a vote on 4 December, the draft resolution, on the role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence, would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to report to it at its next session on globalization and interdependence, bearing in mind, inter alia, the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development.

Third UN Conference on Least Developed Countries

The Committee's report on the "Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries" (document A/56/569) contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

The draft resolution, on Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, approved without a vote on 12 December, would have the Assembly decide to establish the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, having the functions recommended by the Secretary-General.  It would also request the Secretary-General to take immediate measures to make the Office operational as soon as possible.

Further, the Assembly would call on the Secretary-General to enhance the operational capacity of UNCTAD, as well as that of other organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in their activities aimed at supporting recipient countries, especially developing countries, and in particular least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.

Also, the Assembly would decide that the provisions of this resolution will be implemented within the approved level of the biennium 2002-2003 budget and would request the Secretary-General to seek voluntary contributions for the Office of the High Representative.  The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to review the title and functions of its current Office of the Special Coordinator.

The draft decision, on documents relating to the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, would have the Assembly take note of the following reports:  note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD on the effectiveness of the functioning of the Unit for Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States; report of the Secretary-General on the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries; and the report of the Secretary-General on resources available to the Office of the Special Coordinator for Least Developed, Landlocked and Small Island Developing Countries for the biennium 2000-2001.

Financing for Development

The report of the Committee, on "high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development" (document A/56/570), contains one draft resolution and two draft decisions, approved without a vote on 4 December.

The draft resolution, on the International Conference on Financing for Development, would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to report to it at its fifty-seventh session on the outcome of the Conference.

Draft decision I would have the Assembly decide that the format of the Conference will be as set out in the annex to the present decision. 

By the terms of draft decision II, the Assembly would recommend for adoption by the Conference the provisional rules of procedure contained in the annex to the present decision.

Report of Economic and Social Council

The Committee's report on "the report of the Economic and Social Council" (document A/56/571) contains three draft resolutions and three draft decisions.

Approved on 4 December, draft resolution I, on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, would have the Assembly decide to examine how best to address reviews of the implementation of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits of the 1990s in the economic and social fields, including their format and periodicity.  Also, it would request the Secretary-General to make available to it the report requested by the Economic and Social Council for its substantive session of 2002 on the implementation of Council resolution 2001/21.

Draft resolution II, on a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, was approved without a vote on 21 November.  By its terms, the Assembly would take note with interest of the Code, adopted at the thirteenth session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization, which outlines principles to guide tourism development and to serve as a frame of reference for the different stakeholders in the tourism sector, with the objective of minimizing the negative impact of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage, while maximizing the benefits of tourism in promoting sustainable development and poverty alleviation, as well as understanding among nations.

Also, the Assembly would invite governments and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to consider introducing the Code in relevant laws, regulations and professional practices, and in this regard recognize with appreciation the efforts made and measures already undertaken by some States.  It would also encourage the World Tourism Organization to promote effective follow-up of the Code.

Approved on 7 December without a vote, draft resolution III, on public administration and development, would have the Assembly welcome the establishment of the United Nations Public Administration On-line Network as a powerful tool made available to Member States for the exchange of information and experience in public administration.  It would also recommend that the Network be expanded to strengthen the capacity of national ministries and institutions of public administration to access information, experience and practice in public administration, and to receive online training.

Also, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to study the possibility of periodically bringing together high-level policy makers responsible for public administration reform, under the auspices of the United Nations, to discuss issues of common interest and share valuable experience and practice, and to report the results of that study to the Assembly at its next session.

Draft decision I, approved on 21 November without a vote, is on the Office of the President of the Economic and Social Council.  It would have the Assembly decide that the Office 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 listed in Article 7, paragraph 1, of the Charter.

Draft decision II is on documents relating to the report of the Economic and Social Council.  It would have the Assembly take note of the following documents:  report of the Council; report of the Secretary-General on the five-year assessment of the progress made in the implementation of Assembly resolution 50/225 on public administration and development and related communications received from States; and the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on the United Nations Population Award.

Approved on 12 Decemberwithout a vote, draft decision III would have the Assembly approve the draft biennial programme of work for the Second Committee for 2002-2003.

Multilingualism

The Assembly has before it a report of the Secretary-General on multilingualism (document A/56/656).  The report establishes the framework for the question by distinguishing between official and working languages in various parts of the United Nations system.  All are some combination of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, which are both the official and working languages of the General Assembly and Security Council.  All six languages are the official languages of, for example, the Economic and Social Council, while its working languages are English, French and Spanish.  The report then describes the work of the Coordinator, who was appointed as of September 2000 to address weaknesses in the pattern of language use in the Organization.

The report notes that efforts to promote multilingualism are considered from a Secretariat-wide perspective for system-wide effectiveness.  Consultations had identified three sets of issues:  those relating to working languages of the Secretariat; those relating to the official languages used in documents and meetings; and those relating to public information.

Addressing those issues in detail, the report states that, with regard to the Secretariat working languages, the host city’s language was often influential when it was also a working language.  Thus, English largely prevailed at Headquarters and the United Nations Office at Nairobi.  French, Spanish or Arabic were widely used at offices in Geneva, Santiago and Beirut, respectively.  To promote multilingualism in vacancy announcements and recruitment, a Galaxy Project is being developed to automate the matching of applicants and needs, including language proficiency requirements.  The Project is expected to yield a higher number of French-speaking staff members by the second quarter of 2002.  It will also allow greater weight to be given to language skills in recruitment and promotion.  Language incentives such as allowances and salary increments are being enforced, while language training is being promoted.

In the area of issues relating to the use of official languages in documents and meetings, the report recalls the rule mandating that no language version of a document may be released until all required language versions are available.  While the Secretariat makes every effort to adhere to the rule, advance copies are often made available, and those are invariably in English.  The recommended action is for Member States to take a position on the pattern of ad hoc availability of courtesy and advance copies of documents.  On meetings, the recommendation is for the General Assembly to address the growing trend to hold informal calendar meetings without interpretation.  In addition, electronic versions of documents are expected to be available in all official languages by January 2002.

A section on issues related to public information details the large number of resources produced to promote global awareness of the United Nations.  The broad range of materials produced in all media, as well as in official, working and local languages, includes a Web site that registers 6 million “hits” a day.  It offers United Nations documents and other information materials.  While multilingualism is pursued, resource limitation and decentralization on the Web site are both limitations.  Assistance from the international community has been found for the Spanish and French Web sites.  In addition, the Committee on Information will consider the question of parity on the Web during a 2002 session.  Other public information issues in which multilingualism is promoted are related to publications and information materials, United Nations Radio and Television, guided tours, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, and the Security Division’s efforts to increase the language capacity of its staff.

The report concludes that a more balanced use of working languages in the Secretariat must be ensured, that attention must be paid to making public information materials available in official languages, and Member States must attend to the use of official languages in their intergovernmental meetings.  Effective actions to promote multilingualism would require policy guidance from the General Assembly, along with concerted efforts by the United Nations and Member States, along with adequate resources.

The draft resolution on multilingualism (document A/56/L.44) would have the Assembly welcome the appointment of a coordinator for multilingualism. 

The Assembly would also recall that the promotion of staff in the Professional and higher categories, subject to Charter Article 101 and in accordance with Assembly resolution 2480 B (XXIII) of 21 December 1968, should take into account adequate and confirmed knowledge of a second official language, and would urge the Secretariat and the executive heads of agencies of the United Nations system to ensure, in particular when promoting staff, respect for equality of the working languages.

The Assembly would urge the Secretariat, when recruiting staff, to take into account the knowledge of an official language, in addition to the language of general parlance within the country of the candidates or their mother tongue, whether or not the latter is an official language of the United Nations.  It would take note of the overhaul of the recruitment system in the context of Project Galaxy and ask the Secretariat to ensure that the system becomes operational in the second quarter of 2002 and that its potential for furthering multilingualism in the management of vacancy announcements is fully utilized.

By the same text, the Assembly would urge Member States and the Secretariat to plan working meetings so that they are held, except under exceptional circumstances, with interpretation and on the basis of documents translated in good time into the six official languages.  It would request the Secretariat to carry out a comprehensive review of the reasons for the trend of holding calendar meetings of General Assembly committees without interpretation and to propose such improvements as it deems fit.

The Assembly would also request the Secretariat to publish statistical information concerning the acquisition policy of the libraries and documentation centres of the various organs, according to linguistic criteria, and would request the Secretary-General to submit to it at its fifty-eighth session a comprehensive report on the implementation of resolution 50/11 and of the present resolution, including, in particular, any necessary statistical information on the development of the use of languages within the Secretariat.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cost Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen and Yugoslavia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The United Nations has been involved with the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 20 December 1995.  At that time, the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) monitored a ceasefire, while peace negotiations took place in Dayton, Ohio.  On 21 November 1995, the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina was initialled in Dayton.  On 14 December 1995, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and other parties signed the Peace Agreement in Paris.

The Agreement and its 11 annexes covered such issues as military aspects of the peace settlement, an Inter-entity Boundary Line between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, democratic elections, assistance to refugees and an International Police Task Force (IPTF).  The parties agreed to a ceasefire, the withdrawal of UNPROFOR and deployment of the NATO-led multinational Implementation Force (IFOR).  They pledged full cooperation with all entities of the plan, including the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia located at The Hague.

In 1996, the Security Council authorized Member States to set up a multinational stabilization Force (SFOR) to succeed IFOR.  The SFOR has remained in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Council decided to set up the United Nations IPTF and a United Nations civilian office, known jointly as the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), in December 1995.  The Mission exercises law enforcement and coordinates such activities as humanitarian relief and refugees, demining, human rights, elections, infrastructure rehabilitation and economic reconstruction.  The Council has renewed UNMIBH’s mandate several times, most recently on 7 June 2001 for 12 months.  It simultaneously authorized the NATO-led SFOR to continue operating in the country during the same period.

Since 7 June 2001, Jacques Paul Klein has continued as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and General Vincent Coeurderoy as the Commissioner of the Mission's IPTF.  The current strength of the IPTF is 1,673.

     The UNMIBH has continued to create the administrative and personnel structures of a professional police force.  The original tasks have been refined into 66 specific projects, of which 43 have been completed and 23 are ongoing.  Over the past few months, inter-entity and regional police cooperation has improved, and now focuses on anti-terrorism activities.  The State Border Service has reduced suspected illegal migration to Europe by two thirds, and the Police Commissioner project has been launched.

In a recent report, the Secretary-General noted that UNMIBH is expected to complete its core mandate by December 2002, but continued monitoring and assistance there will still be needed.  This could be carried out by a smaller police mission of about one quarter the present strength of UNMIBH, the report states.  Given the many commitments the United Nations is facing, regional actors should assume responsibility for such a mission.

The Assembly had before it a draft resolution on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (document A/56/L.65), sponsored by that country, by which it would call for the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be fully and quickly implemented.  It would also encourage the political leaders of the country to cooperate with the States of South-Eastern Europe in promoting and strengthening stability and confidence in the region.

Further to the draft, the Assembly would urge the Entity Parliaments and Canton Assemblies to implement the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the equality of all three constituent peoples throughout the territory. It would demand that all parties to the Peace Agreement fulfil their obligations to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and encourage local authorities to develop national courts to investigate and prosecute cases of war crimes.

The Assembly would also call on all sides to implement the property laws of 27 October 1999, particularly by evicting illegal occupants from the homes of returning refugees.  It would encourage all parties to provide information on all persons unaccounted for through the tracing mechanisms of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and cooperate fully with that body.

By further terms, the Assembly would stress the importance of strengthening and expanding a free and pluralistic media throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It would also emphasize the need to implement economic reforms, stressing the fact that a self-sustainable, market-oriented economy, expeditious and transparent privatization, improved banking and capital markets, reformed financial systems, adequate social protection and a law on pension reform were crucial for lasting stability.

Action on Second Committee Reports

JANA SIMONOVA (Czech Republic), Rapporteur of the Second Committee, introduced the reports of the Committee. 

The Assembly first took up the Committee's report on macroeconomic policy questions (document A/56/558, Adds.1-4), which contains seven draft resolutions.

The draft resolution, on international trade and development, was adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then turned to the draft resolution, on unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries.

By a vote of 100 in favour to 1 against (United States) with 46 abstentions, the text was adopted.  (See Annex I.)

Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution on specific action related to the particular needs and problems of landlocked developing countries. 

The draft resolution, entitled towards a strengthened and stable international financial architecture responsive to the priorities of growth and development, especially in developing countries, and to the promotion of economic and social equity, was adopted without a vote.

Following that, the Assembly turned to the draft resolutions on science and technology for development and World Summit on the Information Society, both of which were adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted the draft resolution on enhancing international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problems of developing countries without a vote.

The Assembly then took up the Committee's report on sectoral policy questions (document A/56/559), which contains three draft resolutions.

Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted draft resolution I, on business and development; draft resolution II, on preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of funds of illicit origin and returning such funds to the countries of origin; and draft resolution III, on the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1993-2002).

The Assembly proceeded to consider the Committee’s report on sustainable development and international economic cooperation (documents A/56/560, Adds.1-5), which contains four draft resolutions and two draft decisions.

The draft decision, entitled "Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 51/172", was adopted without a vote.

Also without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution on women in development, as it did the draft resolution on human resources development.

After that, the Assembly adopted, without a vote, the draft resolution on high-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership.

It also adopted the draft decision on Summary by the President of the General Assembly of the high-level dialogue on the theme "Responding to globalization:  facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy in the twenty-first century". 

The draft resolution, on implementation of 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, was also adopted without a vote.

Next, the Assembly took up the Committee's report on environment and sustainable development (documents A/56/561, Adds.1-8), which contains 10 draft resolutions and two draft decisions.

Draft resolution I, on status of preparations for the International Year of Freshwater, 2003, was adopted without a vote, as well as draft resolution II, on the report of the UNEP Governing Council on its twenty-first session, and the draft decision on report of the Secretary-General on products harmful to health and the environment.

Action on the draft resolution on the World Summit on Sustainable Development was postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

The Assembly proceeded to adopt, without a vote, the draft decision on documents relating to the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21.

Following that, it adopted, without a vote, draft resolution I, on international cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon, and draft resolution II, on international strategy for disaster reduction.

The draft resolutions, on implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, on the Convention on Biological Diversity, on further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, and on protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind, were adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then adopted, without a vote, the draft resolution on promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005.

Next, the Assembly took up the report of the Committee on operational activities for development (document A/56/562), which contains two draft resolutions and two draft decisions.

Without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft decision on the report on the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Next, the draft resolution, on triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, was adopted without a vote.

Also acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries and the draft decision on cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community.

Following that, the Assembly turned its attention to the Committee's report on international migration and development, including the question of the convening of a United Nations conference on international migration and development to address migration issues (document A/56/563), which contains one draft resolution.

The draft resolution on international migration and development was adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then took up the Committee's report on permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources (document A/56/564), which contains one draft resolution.

By a vote of 148 in favour to 4 against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, United States), with 4 abstentions (Cameroon, Fiji, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea), the draft resolution on permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources was adopted.  (Annex II)

Next, the Assembly turned to the report of the Committee on implementation of the Habitat Agenda and outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on this topic (document A/56/565), which contains two draft resolutions.

The Assembly adopted, without a vote, draft resolution I, on the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) as well as draft resolution II, on strengthening the mandate and status of the Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat).

Following that, the Assembly turned to the report of the Committee on implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) (document A/56/566), which contains one draft resolution.

Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution on implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), including the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund for Poverty Eradication.

Turning to the Committee's report on training and research (document A/56/567), the Assembly took up the draft resolution on the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).  That text was adopted without a vote.

In an explanation of vote, the representative of Iran, on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that in his report on the work of UNITAR, the Secretary-General said that the Institute must continue to pay commercial rates for maintenance costs and rental rates, even though other United Nations agencies were exempt from such costs.  Unless the status of UNITAR was reclassified by the General Assembly, that arrangement would remain in place.  As of yet, the Assembly had not undertaken such a reclassification of UNITAR. However, the financial situation of the Institute remained grave and such a measure would help it overcome its current financial crisis.

He said that a decision on reclassifying UNITAR should be made sooner rather than later.  In its resolution on the issue, the Assembly was asking the Secretary-General to clarify why UNITAR did not enjoy such privileges and to submit proposals on how to waive such costs.  Such information would enable the Assembly to reach a decision that would impact positively on the financial situation of UNITAR and enable it to continue its important work.

The Assembly then took up the report of the Committee on globalization and interdependence (document A/56/568), which also contains one draft resolution.

Acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted the draft resolution on the role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence.

Next, the Assembly turned to the Committee's report on the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (document A/56/569), which contains one draft resolution and one draft decision.

Action on the draft resolution, on the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, was postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee.

The draft decision on documents relating to the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries was adopted without a vote.

The Assembly then took up the report of the Committee on high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development (document A/56/570), which contains one draft resolution and two draft decisions.

The draft resolution on the International Conference on Financing for Development, as well as draft decision I on the format of the Conference, and draft decision II on the provisional rules of procedure were adopted without a vote.

After that, the Assembly turned to the Committee's report on the report of the Economic and Social Council (document A/56/571), which contains three draft resolutions and three draft decisions.

Action on draft decision I, on the Office of the President of the Economic and Social Council, was postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee.

The Assembly adopted the draft resolutions on integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields, on a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and on public administration and development without a vote.

It also adopted, without a vote, draft decision II on documents relating to the report of the Economic and Social Council, and draft decision III on the draft biennial programme of work for the Second Committee for 2002-2003.

Multilingualism

The Assembly then took up the report of the Secretary-General (document A/56/656) on Multilingualism and a related draft resolution (A/56/L.44/Rev.1).

JEAN-DAVID LEVITTE (France) said that the diversity of languages was a major asset for mankind.  Language was the first asset that was passed on through education, and linguistic diversity was a source of enrichment that must be safeguarded at all costs.  France was convinced that consensus must be reached on draft resolution L.44 Rev.1 because language must be a unifying factor.  Adoption of the draft should, therefore, be postponed until next year because consensus could not be attained.

One first problem in reaching consensus was about recruitment in the United Nations system, he said, and here there were three groups of countries that faced different problems.  The first group was represented by countries such as Japan, Germany, Thailand and the Republic of Korea, which expressed themselves in languages that were not considered official.  The United Nations must appreciate the problems faced by those countries when their young people could not use their mother tongue in the United Nations family.  The second group was made up of countries such as India, which had countless languages, although English was used.  The third category would include countries such as Bolivia, whose mother tongue was Spanish.  That group also included Latin American and countries of the French-speaking world.

Another problem with the draft resolution had to do with post-recruitment promotions.  The only criteria governing promotion were competence, proficiency, professional skills and equitable geographic distribution.  To work within the spirit of the United Nations Charter, staff members should be willing to learn another language in addition to the one they spoke when recruited.  There were a number of issues of growing concern to many delegations -– the issue of interpretation in various meetings, the time factor in translating documents.  The Secretariat should be better organized so that those services were implemented more efficiently.  He once again suggested postponing adoption of the draft resolution until next year, when consensus could be reached.

RAMESH CHANDRA (India) said multilingualism was a challenge everybody in his country grew up with.  He understood the virtues and the uses of multilingualism, but also knew that it could be used to sidestep a dialogue. At the United Nations, language was politics.  Human beings spoke languages, not States, but it was the interplay of State politics that had determined the official languages of the United Nations.  More people spoke Hindi than French or some other official languages, but Hindi was not an official language of the Organization.

The United Nations could not have a vast number of official languages, but what it should not do was confuse multilingualism with the promotion only of the six languages it had dubbed official.  Class distinctions had crept in among them; one had become more equal than others.  The draft proposed changes in administrative policy that should not be smuggled in through a resolution on multilingualism.  Those issues should be considered in the Fifth Committee.

He said nationals of the major donor countries dominated the Secretariat because most of the posts were allocated on the basis of contributions.  The two working languages of the Secretariat were European languages.  It was, therefore, not surprising that most developing countries felt that the Secretariat promoted a Western agenda.  What the Secretariat promoted as universal norms were usually the latest Western fads.  He regretted that the draft strayed into areas of administrative policy that would warp the structure of the Secretariat, promote linguistic chauvinism, and create problems for nationals.

YUKIO SATOH (Japan) said he had serious concerns that operative paragraph 4 of the draft would have an adverse impact on nationals whose mother tongue was not one of the official languages.  That was of particular concern to nationals of developing countries.  There could be no justification for discrimination by the United Nations against such nationals.  Placing them at a disadvantage on the basis of their mother tongue was equally unjustified.

He was also concerned that operative paragraph 5 would result in recruitment discrimination against nationals who had no other mother tongue than one of the six official languages.  The draft would still have a greater negative impact on the United Nations system than resolution 50/11 of 1995, because it expanded the scope of application to include the funds and programmes of the United Nations.  It was also important to study the implications of other parts of the draft more carefully.

He wondered whether the draft would serve the purpose of multilingualism.  It could, despite the intention of the proposer, inadvertently work against that goal.  He proposed deferring consideration of the draft to next year.  If not, he would request a vote on the resolution.  He also agreed with India’s proposal to refer the draft to the Fifth Committee.

PATRICK F. KENNEDY (United States) said his delegation was concerned about several provisions in draft resolution L.44/Rev.1.  For example, one paragraph urged the Secretary-General to ensure respect for the equality of the working languages of the Secretariat and their use.  How would the Secretary-General “ensure” respect for the equality of French and English?  Would that mean using a quota system?  Would such a provision be implemented at the expense of competing staff members whose mother tongue was not French or English and override other considerations, including competency and experience?

He said his delegation could not support operative paragraph 7, which would hinder the negotiating process not only in the General Assembly and its committees, but also in the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies. Implementing provisions urging Member Sates to plan working meetings so that they could be held on the basis of documents which had been translated in good time would place undue burdens on the Secretariat and Member States, and have a profoundly negative impact on the decision-making process.  As everyone knew, delegations must often conduct negotiations under severe time constraints, including on questions of peace and security and humanitarian relief.  Such important work should not and could not be hindered by implementing that paragraph.

Concerning operative paragraph 9, he continued, his delegation would like to ask the sponsors to explain the meaning of “to publish statistical information on the acquisition policies of the libraries and documentation centres of the various organs, according to linguistic criteria”.  Did that mean publishing statistics on the number of books and electronic resources acquired by the libraries and documentation centres of the various organs in the six official languages? Acquisition decisions could not be based solely on linguistic criteria. One could not divide a budget into six equal parts and make acquisition decisions accordingly. Not all books and databases were available in the six languages.

PETER DONIGI (Papua New Guinea) said a draft resolution on multilingualism and geographical distribution within the United Nations system should not attempt to amend Article 101 of the Charter, which states explicitly that the paramount consideration for employment of staff should be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity.  That Article also provided that due regard should be given to recruit staff on as wide a geographical base as possible. 

Since it was clear the geographical distribution criterion had not worked in favour of small countries, why should they now be required to overcome an additional impediment for employment or promotion within the system?  A resolution that ran counter to Article 101 -- which further called for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction to language, as well as race, sex or religion -- should not be entertained.  Such a draft would presume that without working knowledge of a second official language of the United Nations, there was no need to apply for a position within the Organization, regardless of the applicant's efficiency, competence and integrity.  Such a notion would also preclude the promotion of individuals already working within the system, and generally amounted to discrimination against anyone lacking knowledge of a second official language of the Organization.

He went on to say that, as a country desperately trying to preserve some  800 traditional languages, Papua New Guinea believed that a resolution on multilingualism should promote and preserve languages, in line with the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights.  Article V of the Declaration emphasized the equality and independence of rights for all language communities, and terms such as "regional or minority languages" did not appear in that text because such modifiers were "frequently used to restrict the rights of language communities".  Again, a draft resolution on the matter should not effectively legislate the subjugation of an individual's right to freedom of employment because of his or her language.  The Assembly must not legitimize the restriction of rights and freedoms based on language choice. 

Given Papua New Guinea's geographical location, for 99 per cent of the population English or another European language -- which had practically no relevance in the everyday lives of people in the region -- would be the third of forth language of choice.  Given a choice, the people would prefer Bahsa Indonesia, spoken by the country's close neighbour, or Japanese, a major trading partner.  Given the choice of a European language, for trade reasons his country might prefer German.  In any event, none of those languages was listed as one of the Organization's official languages.  He added that the Organization must be served by the best technical and professional expertise Member States had to offer, and such candidates must not be denied opportunities for employment or promotion based on ability to master a new language.

INOCENCIO ARIAS (Spain) said the six official working languages of the United Nations did not constitute a discriminatory regime but a pragmatic one.  It would have been impossible for the Charter to endorse all the languages of the world –- the official languages of the Organization continued to be those spoken by the majority of the people in the world.  Diversity, universality and multilingualism were part of the foundation of the United Nations and a testament to its global spirit.  Therefore, it was not possible to consider the official languages as discriminatory or restrictive.  Indeed, the use of only one language would be more discriminatory.

He was concerned, therefore, with the growing twenty-first century trend of using only one working language in the United Nations.  This was particularly disturbing in light of the fact that use of languages such as Spanish –- which estimates showed would be spoken by nearly 550 million people by 2050 –- was steadily increasing.  A glaring example of the current trend of single-language usage was the United Nations public information Web site, which displayed an overwhelming amount –- some 80 per cent -- of content in English.  Yet only one tenth of the world's population spoke that language.  The Organization should do more to ensure that information was distributed in a fair manner, portraying the diversity of the nations it represented.

Multilingualism could not exist if the United Nations officials were monolingual, he continued.  An organization of global scope must connect with all people and all civil societies.  To that end, Spain appreciated the steps taken by the Secretary-General to increase and encourage learning and teaching of languages among United Nations officials.  At the same time, he expressed concern that there was no legal requirement for United Nations personnel to speak at least one of the official languages along with one working language.  Indeed, that had been the wish of the fiftieth session of the Assembly.  The time had come to make that criterion a reality.  Spain believed that people did not have to learn an exclusive language used by the United Nations or any other institution –- on the contrary, the institutions should learn the languages of the peoples of the world.

VANESSA CHAN (Singapore) said she had serious reservations about the draft and would have voted against it if it were presented for action.  The Fifth Committee would have been a more appropriate forum for introduction of the draft. Several operative paragraphs, particularly number 4, would have significant long-term human resource, organizational and budgetary implications for the United Nations system.

She was concerned that the resolution would inadvertently promote discrimination among Member States.  It was obvious that United Nations personnel would speak at least one of the working languages.  But many Member States did not have any of the six languages as national languages.  The negative implications for employees from such States were obvious.  If the draft were adopted, citizens of such countries would suffer an additional handicap in their careers in the United Nations, unless their countries found the resources to train them in two official languages.

She appreciated the fact that co-sponsors had not asked for action at this time.  To have forced a vote on the issue would have been unnecessarily divisive, and in the long term unhelpful to the entirely worthy cause that the resolution sought to promote, she said.

HAZEM FAHMY (Egypt) said that introduction of the Arab language as an official United Nations language in 1964 was a landmark achievement, which drew the attention of the Arab community to the various events of the United Nations system.  But multilingualism concerned all official languages, which should be treated on an equal footing.  That meant the translation of documents for meetings and conferences or interpretation for meetings of United Nations bodies.  He looked forward to the day when the General Assembly would decide to achieve language equity on its Web site.

Egypt felt that respect for multilingualism reflected the basic principles of the United Nations, and would bring about fruitful cooperation among Member States.  The General Assembly should reiterate the principle of equality for all official languages.  He endorsed adopting the draft resolution, because it could truly lead to a dialogue among civilizations.

GUMA AMER (Libya) said he was delighted to note that the Secretary-General had drawn attention to shortcomings in the field of multilingualism.  He hoped the Web site would reflect statements in all languages, including the deliberations of the Security Council.  The report contained information on activities to enhance usage of the six languages, as well as incentives for employees to learn the languages.  He supported more resources for realizing cultural diversity.

The Assembly resolution had decided that all resolutions should be distributed in all languages at the same time.  He recognized improvements, but hoped that the appointed coordinator would deal with the distribution of documents in all languages at the same time.  He insisted on interpretation in all six languages in all meetings, including regional groupings meetings.  The principle of equal treatment of all languages in all organs required that the Assembly affirm that position.  He had, therefore, co-sponsored the draft.

BADER MOHAMMAD AL-AWDI (Kuwait) said that tolerance and respect made it imperative that all languages be considered important.  All had their beauty and were worthy of admiration.  Multilingualism was one of the most important issues under consideration by the General Assembly, and was complemented by agenda items on the Dialogue among Civilizations, Multiculturalism and Cultural Heritage.

He attached special importance to use of the Arabic language as one of the official languages at the United Nations.  He stressed the need for support of Arabic interpretation and translation services in the Secretariat.  The meetings of some regional groups were held without Arabic interpretation, which went against General Assembly resolution 50/11 and deprived Arab States of an important service.  He hoped all countries would abide by General Assembly resolutions and refuse to hold meetings if interpretation was not available in all official languages.

He noted positive developments in the field of language training.  The Secretariat must continue to work in that area, particularly for the Arabic language.  He encouraged the Secretariat to ensure that material provided on the Internet appeared in all official languages.  The Arab department of the International School suffered from a severe lack of resources, while other languages enjoyed sponsorship from other nations.  Teaching children their language was a right that could not be denied.  It was a pillar of their cultural identity.

GENNADY M. GATILOV (Russian Federation) said the existence of official and working languages reflected the universal nature of the Organization, and the use of several languages enriched the Organization itself. Member States had confirmed the need to guarantee equality between the official languages.  There was nowadays a harmonious integration of new States in the practical activities of the Organization.

The principle of equality between official and working languages had to be regularly confirmed by the Assembly.  All Member States should be accorded equality.  That, however, had not been achieved fully.  Based on Assembly decisions, the Russian delegation had become a co-sponsor of the draft.  He was, however, interested in a consensus decision and hoped it would be achieved in future consultations.

DENIS DANGUE RÉWAKA (Gabon) said it was indeed a pity that, despite countless resolutions on the issue, the use of the six official languages at the United Nations had only now become a virtual reality.  Often, the use of those languages came only at the last stage of considering an issue, such as in publishing texts.  Due to lack of time, those texts failed to reflect the high calibre of the exchange of views that had taken place.  Year after year, they lost in theoretical richness and in depth.

That low quality was a loss for the Organization, impoverishing its assets, he said, as far as international cooperation was concerned.  Languages were vehicles for expressing thoughts, sources of enrichment and tools for education. Gabon felt that broad consultation should take place on the draft resolution in order to reach consensus and find effective solutions to its real problems.  That meant scrupulous compliance with United Nations language obligations.

HANNS HEINRICH SCHUMACHER (Germany) said he had supported the draft which would require not only the broadest support, but a consensus.  Those delegations who had objected to the draft, in particular to paragraphs on recruitment of staff, had made very valid points.  Human resources issues were highly sensitive. He supported the constructive approach of the French delegate to continue to work towards consensus.

HENRI STEPHAN RAUBENHEIMER (South Africa) was concerned about multilingualism as raised in the draft.  He was pleased that the sponsors had amended the original draft, but the amended draft was still not acceptable.  The issue should have been discussed more thoroughly.  He looked forward to future consultations.  The issue should have been dealt with outside the Assembly. Otherwise, one could not avoid the impression that the sponsors were trying to micromanage the work of the Secretariat.

ENRIQUE A. MANALO (Philippines) reaffirmed his country’s firm commitment to all six official languages of the United Nations.  Some paragraphs in draft resolution L.44/Rev.1 supported the equality of those languages, including those for interpretation and documentation needs.

However, he was concerned about operative paragraph 4, on personnel in the United Nations.  Many of the technical matters covered there should be taken up in the Fifth Committee and not the General Assembly plenary.  The paragraph in question suggested that knowledge of two official languages was on a par with competence and experience in a particular field.  It also extended the second language requirement to other parts of the United Nations systems, including funds and programmes.

Recruitment should be based on competence and education, he said. Many staff members had a mother tongue other than the six official languages.  Requiring them to have two official languages would affect promotion and place those who had not learned a second language at a clear disadvantage.  It would hinder other goals, such as gender balance.  His delegation supported the proposal by the co-sponsors of the draft to defer action on the resolution, which would allow time to work towards consensus.

AIZAZ AHMAD CHAUDHRY (Pakistan) said General Assembly resolutions should promote multilingualism and not discrimination on the basis of language.  It was clear that the draft resolution as it stood did not enjoy consensus and needed further deliberation.  The draft suggested many changes to existing criteria for recruitment and promotion.  Operative paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 needed to be referred to the Fifth Committee as part of its agenda on human resources management.

Many developing countries spent precious resources training their diplomats in one of the official languages, he continued, and would face difficulties if requirements for a second were imposed.  Multilingualism should promote cooperation, not conflict.  Language could become a source of conflict, as had happened in his own neighbourhood.  He supported waiting for consensus on draft resolution L.44/Rev.1.

LIM JAE-HONG (Republic of Korea) appreciated the spirit of compromise in favour of postponing action on the draft.  The sponsors were mindful of the concerns of States whose nationals did not speak one of the official languages.  He was convinced that the draft should not be adopted in a hasty manner and, more importantly, not adopted by a vote.  He was happy to see that action was deferred.

The promotion of multilingualism should be based on respect for cultural diversity and indigenous languages, he said.  Multilingualism could be a tool for harmony among people, and should be in no way a reason for pitting one group against another.  He did not believe that the draft would promote multilingualism in the genuine sense of the word.  It was more about promoting a second official language.  Advancement of United Nations staff should be handled in accordance with Article 101 of the Charter.  He believed the present draft went against the letter and spirit of that Article.  The concept of knowledge of a second language as a criterion for recruitment and promotion was biased against nationals who did not speak one of the official languages as their mother tongue.

He had reservations regarding operative paragraph 4, which defeated its own goal by discriminating against those whose mother tongue was not one of the official languages.  While appreciating the efforts made for consensus, he regretted that the draft did not reflect concerns raised by many delegations.  It went beyond resolution 50/11 by extending its scope to other organizations of the United Nations system.  He would have voted against the draft.

ZAINUDDIN YAHYA (Malaysia) associated himself with earlier speakers regarding concerns on the draft.  He was not opposed to promotion of multilingualism in the United Nations.  His delegation had abstained from voting on resolution 50/11 along with many other countries.  A number of countries had voted against it.  The thrust of operative paragraphs 4 and 5 of the draft went beyond resolution 50/ll, and penalized countries whose mother tongue was not one of the official languages.  Recruitment and promotion should be based on

Article 101 of the Charter.  The draft would also affect other organizations within the system and should be considered in the Fifth Committee.

Diversity was one of the characteristics of the Organization, he said.  It was regrettable that the sponsors had failed to take delegations’ objections into account during the Year of Dialogue between Civilizations.  He was glad that more time was allowed to achieve a consensus text.

HIRA B. THAPA (Nepal) said draft resolution L.44/Rev.1 emphasized knowledge of a second official language, and would discriminate against many of the Member States of the United Nations.  His delegation was pleased that the co-sponsors had agreed to postpone action on it and allow more time to draw up a consensus text.

(annexes follow)

ANNEX I

Vote on Unilateral Economic Measures as a Means of Political and Economic Coercion against Developing Countries

The draft resolution on political and economic coercion (document A/56/558/Add.1) was adopted by a recorded vote of 100 in favour to 1 against, with 46 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia.

Against:  United States.

Abstaining:  Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Absent:  Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea, Honduras, Kiribati, Lesotho, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nauru, Pakistan, Palau, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Suriname, Tonga, Tuvalu, Zimbabwe.

(END OF ANNEX I)

ANNEX II

Vote on the Permanent Sovereignty of the Palestinian People in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources

The draft resolution on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people (document A/56/564) was adopted by a recorded vote of 148 in favour to 4 against, with 4 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, United States.

Abstaining:  Cameroon, Fiji, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea.

Absent:  Afghanistan, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Guinea, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Nauru, Palau, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Suriname, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

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