GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS INCLUSION OF ITEM ON ‘OBSERVER STATUS FOR PARTNERS IN POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT’ ON AGENDA OF FIFTY-SIXTH ASSEMBLY SESSION

Fifty-fifth General Assembly

General Committee

8^th Meeting (AM)

GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS INCLUSION OF ITEM ON ‘OBSERVER STATUS FOR PARTNERS

IN POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT’ ON AGENDA OF FIFTY-SIXTH ASSEMBLY SESSION

The General Committee of the General Assembly this morning decided to recommend that a new item entitled "Observer status for Partners in Population and Development" be included on the agenda of the Assembly's fifty-sixth session.

That action was taken in response to a letter dated 24 April, in which the representatives of Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Egypt, Gambia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe asked for Partners in Population and Development to be granted observer status.

According to the letter, the entity for which observer status was requested is an intergovernmental body effectively engaged in promoting South-South cooperation in the area of population and development.  Following the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo (1994), Partners in Population and Development was established in the same year by 10 countries. Since then, it had made much progress in the transfer of knowledge, expertise and skills in population and reproductive health through South-South cooperation.  Today its membership stood at 16, covering half the global population.

The Member States transmitting the letter stated that it was their firm belief that the Partners' experience needed to be shared with other countries as it could bring positive results for them in the areas of population and development.  The organization's involvement with the United Nations would also enrich the latter's work in that area.

President of the Assembly Harri Holkeri (Finland) said the Assembly would consider the report of the General Committee on this morning’s decision taken at 10 a.m. tomorrow in the General Assembly Hall.

In other matters this morning, the President drew attention to a summary he had prepared on responses received to date to a letter written by him on 14 June. 

In that letter, Mr. Holkeri had asked for the views of members and suggestions on the work of their Committee.  He also invited the Chairpersons of each of the Assembly’s main committees to make observations and suggestions on the work of their respective committees in order to facilitate the incoming chairs in the work.  The President stated that the requests in the letter were being made to enable the General Committee to completely and effectively discharge the functions assigned to it.  Responses were requested by 15 July.  

According to the summary circulated today, only eight members of the Committee had responded to the letter to date.  Nevertheless, the President believed that given the substantive input of the responses received, there was sufficient ground to provide the Committee with the summary.  The overall sentiment of the responses received so far was that the Committee had a very important mandate, but that there was room for improvement in its working methods. The summary would therefore be forwarded for the consideration of the incoming General Committee.

Gabon’s representative said the President’s efforts to improve the work of the Committee would make it possible for that body to move forward with greater conviction.  He hoped that the General Assembly would work as a body of wisdom instead of one of cacophony, so that it served the interests of Member States.  Reinvigorating the Assembly was no easy job but a long-term task.  He hoped the incoming President would proceed along the same path as Mr. Holkeri.

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