SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFTS ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ON-LINE NETWORK, REVIEW OF UNCTAD

Fifty-sixth General Assembly

Second Committee

37^th Meeting (PM)

SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFTS ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES,

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ON-LINE NETWORK, REVIEW OF UNCTAD

The General Assembly would 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, according to one of three draft resolutions approved this afternoon without a vote by the Second Committee.

Also, by the draft text on further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the Assembly would call on the Secretary-General to consider further cost-effective ways of increasing and improving the United Nations system-wide coordination and dissemination of information on activities in support of small island developing States (SIDS) and the Barbados Programme of Action, through the SIDS Unit within the Secretariat.

In addition, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to consider ways to further strengthen the Unit by establishing the Small Island Developing States Information Network within the Unit.

Another text approved this afternoon 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.  The Assembly 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.

In addition, 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.

By a draft resolution on international trade and development, the Assembly would 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.

Committee Secretary Margaret Kelly informed the Committee that should the Assembly adopt that text, no additional provisions were expected to be required in the biennial programme budget 2002-2003.

The representatives of Japan, Kuwait and Qatar also made statements.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Monday, 10 October to continue its consideration of draft resolutions.

Background

The Second Committee met this afternoon to take action on several draft resolutions.  The first, sponsored by Iran on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, is on public administration and development (document A/C.2/56/L.42).  It 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.

The draft resolution on international trade and development (A/C.2/56/L.49) is submitted by Committee Vice-Chairman Félix Mbayu (Cameroon), on the basis of informals held on A/C.2/56/L.35 and L.38.  By its terms, the Assembly would 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 at Bangkok from 29 April to 3 May 2002, and express deep appreciation to the Government of Thailand for offering to host the meeting.

In addition, the Assembly would decide to include in the provisional agenda of its next session, under the item entitled “Macroeconomic policy questions”, the sub-item entitled “International trade and development”.

Also before the Committee is a draft resolution on the World Summit on the Information Society (A/C.2/56/L.52), submitted by Mr. Mbayu on the basis of informals held on A/C.2/56/L.3.  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.  The Assembly would invite the ITU to act as the executive secretariat of the Summit and its preparatory process, invite governments to participate actively in the preparations for the Summit, and 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.

The Committee also has before it a draft resolution on further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (A/C.2/56/L.53), submitted by Mr. Mbayu on the basis of informals held on A/C.2/56/L.16/Rev.1.  By its terms, the Assembly would 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 of increasing and improving the United Nations system-wide coordination and dissemination of information on activities in support of small island developing States and the Programme of Action, through the Small Island Developing States 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 further strengthen the Unit by, among other things, establishing the Small Island Developing States Information Network within the Unit and by providing assistance to those States.  It would call upon donors, as well as all relevant organs and agencies of the United Nations and other regional international organizations, to support the interregional preparatory meeting of small island developing States to be held in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Introduction of draft resolutions

FELIX MBAYU (Cameroon), Committee Vice-Chairman, introduced the draft resolution on public administration and development.

The Committee adopted the draft without a vote.

The representative of Japan said she had supported the adoption of the resolution by consensus, with the understanding that it had no budget implications.  She added that the Secretariat should keep Member States well informed of developments in the area of public administration, pursuant to operative paragraph 5 of the resolutions.

Mr. MBAYU also introduced the draft on international trade and development.

Committee Chairman FRANCISCO SEIXAS DA COSTA (Portugal) said the draft resolution had no budget implications.  He would give the floor to the Secretariat to read a statement concerning the conference-servicing implications of the draft.

Committee Secretary Margaret Kelley read a statement by the Secretariat, indicating that, by the terms of the draft, the Trade and Development Board would hold a five-day special session from 29 April to 3 May 2002, in Bangkok.  The estimated conference-servicing costs of the conference were estimated at $287,200.

She added that provision had been made, however, under the programme budget for the biennium 2002-2003, not only for meetings programmed at the time of the budget preparation but also for meetings authorized subsequently, provided that the number and duration of meetings were consistent with the pattern of meetings of past years.  Consequently, should the General Assembly adopt the recommendations contained in the draft resolution, no additional appropriations would be required for conference services in the biennium 2002-2003.

Mr. MBAYU said he was not yet ready to introduce the draft on the World Summit on the Information Society, which was scheduled to be acted upon today.  A delegation had to check back with its capital on a technical matter.  That draft should be ready for adoption at the soonest possible time, however.

DHARMANSJAH DJUMALA (Indonesia), Committee Vice-Chairman, introduced the draft on further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

The draft was adopted without a vote.

Following action on the drafts, Mr. SEIXAS DA COSTA said Canada and the United States had joined the list of sponsors for draft resolution A/C.2/56/L.15, on the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

The representative of Kuwait said his delegation had not been present during voting on the draft decision on unilateral economic measures (A/C.2/56/L36).  If it had been present, he would have voted in favour of the text.

The representative of Qatar said his delegation also was not present at the time of the vote on L.36, and would have voted in favour of it.

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