Fourth Committee Approves Programme of Work in Organizational Meeting for Sixty-Ninth General Assembly Session

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), in a brief organizational meeting today, approved its work programme for the new session, which contains more than a dozen topics for consideration, including questions relating to peacekeeping, information, outer space, the effects of atomic radiation and the granting of independence to Non-Self-Governing Territories and peoples.

Committee Chair Durga Prasad Bhattarai (Nepal) welcomed Vice-Chairs Inese Freimane-Deksne (Latvia) and Mordehai Amihai Bivas (Israel), and George Patten (Liberia) following his nomination by the Group of African States and election by acclamation.  Gabriel Orellana Zabalza (Guatemala) would serve as Rapporteur.

According to its work programme (documents A/C.4/69/1 and A/C.4/69/L.1), the Committee would first consider items relating to decolonization, during a general debate to be held from 7 to 14 October.

The Chair informed the Committee that he had received an aide-memoire containing 83 requests for hearings on the questions of French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Guam, New Caledonia and Western Sahara, which had been circulated to delegations by e-mail.  The Chief Minister of Gibraltar and President of New Caledonia would be addressing the Committee under the agenda item relating to Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, he added.

From 15 to 17 October, the Committee would devote three meetings to international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.  The Committee also agreed, as in previous years, to establish a working group on outer space to be chaired by the delegation of Algeria.

From 21 to 23 October, the Committee would hold three meetings on questions relating to information, and convene discussions on the effects of atomic radiation, on 24 October.

For four days beginning on 28 October, the Committee would conduct a comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.  On 3 November it would review special political missions.

Moving on to topics relating to the Middle East, the Committee would consider aspects of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on 4 and 5 November.  On 6, 7 and 10 November, it would take up the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories.  Work was expected to conclude by 13 November.

The Fourth Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on 7 October to begin its consideration of issues relating to decolonization.