GOVERNING COUNCIL OF UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION COMMISSION APPROVES AWARDS OF $315 MILLION

GOVERNING COUNCIL OF UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION COMMISSION

APPROVES AWARDS OF $315 MILLION

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 18 September (UN Information Service) -- The Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission, under the Presidency of Ambassador Michael Steiner(Germany), has concluded its forty-ninth session today and approved awards of $315,113,082 for compensation.  Representatives of Kuwait, India, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lankaaddressed the 15-member Governing Council at its opening plenary meeting.

The Council approved seven reports and recommendations of the panels of Commissioners concerning claims from individuals in category “D”, and claims from corporations in category “E”:

-- Part one of the seventeenth instalment of category “D” claims (individual claims for losses over $100,000) involved 382 claims filed on behalf of individuals by 11 governments.  Of these, 349 claims filed by nine governments were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $111,894,433;

-- Part one of the eighteenth instalment of category “D” claims involved 380 claims filed on behalf of individuals by 18 governments and three international organizations.  Of these, 338 claims filed by 14 governments and three international organizations were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $83,823,301;

-- Part one of the ninth instalment of category “E1” claims (oil sector claims) involved 16 claims filed on behalf of corporations by seven governments.  Of these, nine claims filed by four governments were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $1,278,743;

-- Part two of the ninth instalment of category “E1” claims involved 15 claims, 14 of which were filed on behalf of corporations by five governments, and one directly submitted corporate claim.  Of these, 10 claims filed by three governments and the directly submitted corporate claims were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $17,352,684;

-- The fourteenth instalment of category “E2” claims (non-Kuwaiti claims, excluding oil sector, construction/engineering and export guarantee and insurance claims) involved 230 claims filed on behalf of corporations by 28 governments.  Of these, 82 claims filed by 18 governments were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $17,355,681;

-- The twenty-fifth instalment of category “E4” claims (Kuwaiti claims, excluding oil sector claims) involved 121 claims filed on behalf of corporations by the Government of Kuwait.  Of these, 113 claims were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $39,802,823.  An award of $243,607 for one overlapping claim, included in this report, and reviewed pursuant to decision 123, was also approved by the Council for compensation;

-- The twenty-sixth instalment of category “E4” claims involved 140 claims filed on behalf of corporations by the Government of Kuwait.  Of these, 132 claims were approved by the Council for compensation, with a total award value of $43,361,810;

The Governing Council also approved the “Second special report and recommendations made by the “E4” and “E4A” panels of Commissioners concerning overlapping claims”, prepared pursuant to its decision 123, involving adjustments to 13 claims.

The Council discussed a progress report of the Executive Secretary on the activities of the Commission.  The report addressed the processing of claims and the payment of approved awards.

The Council also discussed the report of the Executive Secretary on the distribution by governmentsand international organizationsof payments to successful claimants, the transparency of the distribution process, and the return of undistributed funds.  With respect to the distribution of future payments, the Council decided that governments should be required to provide audit certificates to accompany reports on the distribution of payments to successful claimants.

The Council also decided to allocate an amount not exceeding $5 million to continue funding the provision of technical assistance to Iraq in the review of “F4” environmental claims under the terms of its decision 124.

The Council decided to hold its next regular session from 16 to 18 December 2003.

To date, the Commission has awarded compensation of approximately $46.6billion, including the awards approved in the forty-ninth session; approximately $17.8billion of the amounts awarded has been made available to governments and international organizations for distribution to successful claimants in all categories of claims.

Further information about the Commission, including the text of Governing Council decisions and reports and recommendations of the panels of Commissioners, can be found on the United Nations Compensation Commission Web site located at www.uncc.ch.

* *** *