Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Third Committee

28^th Meeting (PM)

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES SIX DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT,

WOMEN’S ISSUES, DISABLED PERSONS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, CRIME PREVENTION

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) approved six draft resolutions this afternoon, covering issues related to social development, the advancement of women, disabled persons, indigenous peoples and crime prevention and criminal justice.

A draft approved on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly (document A/C.3/58/L.9/Rev.1) would have the General Assembly urge developed countries that had not done so to make concrete efforts towards achieving the target of providing 0.7 per cent of their gross national product as official development assistance to developing countries.

By that draft’s terms, the Assembly would also underline the responsibility of the private sector at the national and international levels, including small and large companies, regarding not only the economic and financial aspects, but also the developmental, social, gender and environmental implications of their activities.

In an attempt to increase the representation of women within the United Nations, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the improvement of the status of women in the United Nations (document A/C.3/58/L.19), which would have the General Assembly request the Secretary-General to continue to develop innovative recruitment strategies to identify and attract suitably qualified women candidates.  The Secretary-General would also be strongly encouraged to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys to pursue good offices on his behalf, especially in matters related to peacekeeping, economic and social development, as well as operational activities, in order to reach the target of 50/50 gender balance by 2015. 

In this connection, the Committee also approved a draft on the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/C.3/58/L.20), which would have the General Assembly express its disappointment that universal ratification of the Convention had not been achieved and urge all States that had not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so. 

In other action today, the Committee approved a draft on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (document A/C.3/58/L.27), which would have the General Assembly encourage governments to support the Decade by, in consultation with indigenous people, seeking means of giving indigenous people greater responsibility for their own affairs and an effective voice in the decisions on matters that affect them. 

A draft resolution approved on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons:  towards a society for all in the twenty-first century (document A/C.3/58/L.8) would have the General Assembly urge governments to, in collaboration with the United Nations system, give special attention to the rights, needs and well-being of children with disabilities and their families in the development of policies and programmes, including the implementation of the Standard Rules.

Another draft approved by the Committee on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/58/L.13) would have the General Assembly reiterate the need to strengthen further the capacity of the Institute and urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations. 

Under the item on crime prevention, the Committee also took note of reports of the Secretary-General on the preparation for the Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (document A/58/87); on preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfers of funds of illicit origin and returning such assets to the countries of origin (document A/58/125); and on promoting the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto (document A/58/165).

The Committee is expected to reconvene at 10 a.m., tomorrow, to continue its consideration of racism and racial discrimination, as well as issues related to self-determination.

Background

Today, the Third Committee is expected to take action on draft resolutions on issues related to the World Summit for Social Development, social development, crime prevention, the advancement of women, and indigenous issues.

The Committee is also expected to continue its general discussion on the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the rights of people to self-determination.

For background information about today’s general discussion, please see Press Release GA/SHC/3751 of 24 October.

Before the Committee there is a draft resolution on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly (document A/C.3/58/L.9/Rev.1), which would have the General Assembly stress the necessity of ensuring the effective involvement of developing countries in the international economic decision-making process through greater participation in international economic forums, thereby ensuring the transparency and accountability of international financial institutions in according a central position for social development in their policies and programmes.  The General Assembly would urge developed countries that had not done so to make concrete efforts towards achieving the target of providing 0.7 per cent of their gross national product as official development assistance to developing countries.  It would also underline the responsibility of the private sector at the national and international levels, including small and large companies, regarding not only the economic and financial aspects, but also the developmental, social, gender and environmental implications of their activities. 

A draft resolution on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons:  towards a society for all in the twenty-first century (document A/C.3/58/L.8) would have the General Assembly urge relevant bodies and organizations of the United Nations system, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to continue to work closely with the programme on disability of the Secretariat’s Division for Social Policy and Development in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, including activities at the field level, by sharing experiences, findings, and recommendations on persons with disabilities, and to incorporate the disability perspective in their activities.  The Assembly would also urge governments to cooperate with the Statistics Division of the Secretariat, in the continued development of global statistics and indicators on disability.  Governments would also be urged, in collaboration with the United Nations system, to give special attention the rights, needs and well-being of children with disabilities and their families in the development of policies and programmes, including the implementation of the Standard Rules. 

Also before the Committee is a resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/58/L.13), which would have the General Assembly commend the Institute for its efforts to promote and coordinate regional technical cooperation activities related to crime prevention and criminal justice in Africa.  The General Assembly would reiterate the need to strengthen further the capacity of the Institute and urge the States members of the Institute to make every possible effort to meet their obligations to the Institute.  The text would also have the General Assembly request the Secretary-General to intensify efforts to mobilize all relevant entities of the United Nations system to provide the necessary financial and technical support to the Institute to enable it to fulfil its mandate.  

There are three draft resolutions before the Committee on the advancement of women.  A draft on the improvement of the status of women in the United Nations (document A/C.3/58/L.19) would have the General Assembly request the Secretary-General, in order to achieve and maintain the goal of 50/50 gender distribution, to continue to develop innovative recruitment strategies to identify and attract suitably qualified women candidates; to continue to monitor closely the progress made by departments and offices in meeting the goal of gender balance; to ensure that the appointment and promotion of suitably qualified women constitutes at least 50 per cent of all appointments and promotions until the goal of 50/50 gender distribution is met; and to strengthen further the policy against harassment, including sexual harassment, by insuring the full implementation of the guidelines for its application at Headquarters and in the field.  Under the draft’s terms, the Assembly would strongly encourage the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to appoint more women as special representatives and envoys to pursue good offices on his behalf, especially in matters related to peacekeeping, peace-building, preventive diplomacy and economic and social development, as well as operational activities, in order to reach the target of 50/50 gender balance by 2015.  Member states would be strongly encouraged to support efforts of the United Nations to achieve the goal of 50/50 gender distribution, especially at senior and policy-making levels, by identifying and regularly submitting more women candidates for appointment to positions in the United Nations system.  They would also be encouraged to identify women candidates for assignment to peacekeeping missions and for appointment or election as judges or other senior officials in international courts and tribunals. 

Another draft resolution on the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/C.3/58/L.20) would have the General Assembly express disappointment that universal ratification of the Convention was not achieved by 2000, and urge all States that had not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so.  The text would also have the General Assembly recall the great number of overdue reports, in particular initial reports, and urge States parties to the Convention to make every possible effort to submit their reports on the implementation of the Convention in a timely manner.  The Assembly would express its appreciation for the efforts made so far by the Committee to improve the efficiency of its working methods, and encourage the Committee to continue its activities in this regard. 

A draft resolution on the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/C.3/58/L.21) would have the General Assembly invite States to create an enabling environment for improving the situation of rural women, including integrating a gender perspective in macroeconomic policies and developing appropriate social support systems; pursue the political and socio-economic empowerment of rural women by supporting their full and equal participation in decision-making at all levels through the provision of training and capacity-building programmes; and develop specific assistance programmes and advisory services to promote economic skills of rural women in banking, modern trading and financial procedures and providing microcredit and other financial and business services to a greater number of women in rural areas for their economic empowerment.  Under the text, States would also be invited to promote programmes to enable rural women and men to reconcile their work and family responsibilities and to encourage men to share equally with women household and childcare responsibilities.  States would also be invited to use the concluding comments and recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women when formulating policies and designing programmes focused on the improvement of the situation of rural women, including those to be developed and implemented in cooperation with relevant international organizations. 

A draft resolution on the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (document A/C.3/58/L.27) would have the General Assembly encourage governments, in consultation with indigenous people, to support the Decade by preparing relevant programmes, plans and reports in relation to the Decade; seeking means of giving indigenous people greater responsibility for their own affairs and an effective voice in the decisions on matters that affect them; and establishing national committees or other mechanisms involving indigenous people to ensure that the objectives and activities of the Decade are planned and implemented on the basis of full partnership with indigenous people. 

The text would also have the General Assembly invite the United Nations financial and development institutions, operational programmes and specialized agencies to give increased priority and resources to improving the conditions of indigenous people, with particular emphasis on the needs of those people in developing countries; to launch special projects, through appropriate channels and in cooperation with indigenous people, to strengthen their community-level initiatives; and to designate focal points for the coordination of activities related to the Decade with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Action on Draft Resolutions

The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly (Copenhagen + 5) (document A/C.3/58/L.9/Rev.1). 

The draft resolution was approved without a vote. 

After its approval, the representative of Morocco (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China) said the draft resolution was innovative and would contribute to the implementation of Copenhagen + 5.  He also thanked the Secretariat for its report that had contributed to the elaboration of the draft, as well as the representative of Brazil, who had presided over negotiations on the draft. 

The representative of Brazil thanked delegations for their spirit of cooperation. 

The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the Implementation of the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons:  towards a society for all in the twenty-first century (document A/C.3/58/L.8).

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally revised by the representative of the Philippines. 

Before the Committee, there was a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/58/L.13)

The draft resolution was approved without a vote.

After its adoption, the representative of the United States said it supported the Institute on crime prevention.  However, he said that most of its member States had not paid dues to the Institute, and it was hoped that steps would be taken to rectify that situation. 

The representative of Japan said, in principle, regional institutions should be funded by voluntary contributions or by member States of the institutions concerned.  The United Nations regular budget must not be used to meet its costs. 

The representative of Canada, also speaking on behalf of Australia, said the draft resolution covered efforts to promote and coordinate regional activities to prevent crime.  Should the staff or salary be increased, the cost must not be covered by the United Nations regular budget.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, the representative of Italy said the European Union recognized the importance of the Institute in preventing crime, as it played a key role in promoting greater collaboration in the region on crime prevention and criminal justice.  However, the financial difficulties of the Institute were a concern to the European Union.  Member States of the Institute were responsible for the cost of running the programme, she said, encouraging member States to pay their dues. 

Under this agenda item, the Committee also took note of reports by the Secretary-General on preparations for the Eleventh United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (document A/58/87); on preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfers of funds of illicit origin and returning such assets to the countries of origin (document A/58/125); and on promoting the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto (document A/58/165).

The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the Improvement of the Status of Women in the United Nations System (document A/C.3/58/L.19).

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally amended by the representative of the Canada.

The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/C.3/58/L.20).

Before action on the draft resolution, the representative of the United States said that the United States supported, in principle, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which aimed towards eradicating discrimination against women all over the world.  The United States’ commitment to women was clear from its support of activities to assist women in Afghanistan and Iraq and programmes providing training for leadership for women. 

With respect to the draft resolution, the ratification of the Convention was being considered by the United States, he said.  However, he was concerned about language in the draft that urged States to ratify the Convention, as opposed to urging States to consider ratifying the Convention. 

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally amended. 

After its adoption, the representative of Singapore explained Singapore’s position on operative paragraph 8 of the draft resolution.  This paragraph urged State Parties to “review their reservations regularly with a view to withdrawing them”.  The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties had drawn a distinction between permissible and impermissible reservations, based on their compatibility with the object and purpose of the relevant treaties.  Hence, she felt that it was inappropriate to insist that State Parties regularly review permissible reservations, with a view to withdrawing them. 

The purpose of reservations was to allow as many countries as possible to agree to international treaties at the earliest opportunity, while providing the flexibility to State Parties in their compliance with the obligations of the treaty or convention, as required by the particular circumstances of each State Party.  She said Singapore was concerned about the apparent trend to discourage reservations.  Such a counterproductive step would only make it more difficult for countries to come on board to international treaties. 

The Committee had before it a draft resolution on the Programme of Activities of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (document A/C.3/58/L.27).

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally revised by the representative of Finland. 

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