ASSEMBLY’S GENERAL COMMITTEE DECIDES TO REFER ITEM ON COOPERATION WITH INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION TO LEGAL COMMITTEE

Fifty-sixth General Assembly

General Committee

6^th Meeting (AM)

ASSEMBLY’S GENERAL COMMITTEE DECIDES TO REFER ITEM ON COOPERATION

WITH INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION TO LEGAL COMMITTEE

The General Assembly's General Committee decided this morning to recommend that the Assembly refer the item "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)" to the Sixth Committee (Legal) for the sole purpose of considering the question of the granting of observer status to the IPU. It did so at the request of the representative of India, whose country currently holds the presidency of IPU.

In a letter addressed to the President of the General Assembly dated

7 November (document A/56/614), the Permanent Representative of India wrote that under item 21 (f) of its agenda, the Assembly would not only consider the Secretary-General's report on the cooperative work undertaken by the two entities over the last year (document A/56/449), but also a report (document A/55/996) containing the proposal to give the IPU observer status on a par with other international bodies having similar status in the Assembly.  Under decisions taken by the Assembly, granting such status has first to be examined in the Sixth Committee.

The General Committee will meet again at a date to be announced in the Journal.

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