Fifty-fifth General Assembly

Plenary

104^th Meeting (PM)

ASSEMBLY FINE-TUNES ARRANGEMENTS FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN,

DISAGREES OVER NGO PARTICIPATION IN AIDS ROUND TABLE

Meeting Is Adjourned following Procedural Discussion

Of Participation by Gay-Lesbian Group in Next Week's AIDS Special Session

The General Assembly this afternoon decided that its upcoming special session on children, scheduled for 19-21 September, will include three interactive round-table sessions.

The round tables will have as their overarching theme, “Renewal of Commitment and future action for children in the next decade”.

The Assembly took that action as it adopted without a vote a draft resolution on the organizational arrangements for the round tables for the special session.  The Preparatory Committee for that session, at the ninth meeting of its third session on 15 June, recommended the resolution for adoption by the Assembly.

By other terms of the text, the Assembly also decided to adopt the organizational arrangements set out in the annex to the resolution, and further decided that those arrangements should in no way create a precedent for other special sessions.

On a recommendation from the General Committee this morning, the Assembly decided to include in the agenda of its current session an additional item, entitled “Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations”, and to consider it directly in plenary meeting.

As it considered the special session on HIV/AIDS, scheduled for 25-27 June, the Assembly decided to approve the inclusion of two organizations on the complementary list of relevant civil society actors that did not hold consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, nor were members of the Programme Coordination Board on HIV/AIDS seeking accreditation to the special session.  They were World AIDS Conference 2002 Barcelona Secretariat and the BBC Educational Trust. 

As the Assembly took up a list of civil society actors for participation in the plenary debate and the four round tables, Canada’s representative proposed an oral amendment to that list –- the inclusion on the Human Rights Round Table of the representative of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. 

The Assembly had been informed that on June 21 the President of the Assembly, Harri Holkeri, had received a formal objection to the participation of that organization from 11 Member States.  Canada’s representative insisted that the name of Karen Kaplan of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission be included in the list of civil society participants in that round table.

After a number of interventions and objections from delegations on points of order and rules of procedure, Canada’s representative requested a recorded vote on the amendment, followed by a vote on the entire list of civil society participants.

Once it was found that the Assembly did not have the required quorum to take any decision, the meeting was adjourned.

Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Pakistan, Sweden (on behalf of the European Union and associated States) all made interventions.

The Assembly will meet again at a time and date to be announced in the Journal.

* *** *