NGLS Roundup, January 1998



FIFTY-SECOND SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

BACKGROUND

About the UN General Assembly 

The General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations meets annually

in regular sessions from September to December and thereafter as

required. The assembly, whose agenda includes the full range of

international issues covered by the UN Charter, is the highest

deliberative body for formulating and appraising UN policy. It

brings together the delegations of all 185 UN member states, many

of them led by foreign ministers or heads of government. While the

General Assembly s resolutions are not legally binding, they can

initiate actions affecting millions of people and carry the weight of

world opinion.

In addition to the plenary, the work of the assembly is delegated to

six main committees. The First Committee deals with disarmament

and international security; the Second Committee covers economic

and financial questions including environment, international debt,

development assistance, trade and investment. The Third Committee

addresses social, humanitarian and cultural affairs including human

rights, women and refugees. The Fourth Committee, known as the

 Committee on Special Political Questions and Decolonization, 

addresses peacekeeping, information questions, decolonization,

Palestinian refugee relief, Israeli practices in the occupied territories,

peaceful uses of outer space, and the effects of atomic radiation. The

Fifth Committee deals with administration and the UN budget,

including the scale of assessments; and the Sixth Committee

addresses international legal questions.

Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine) was elected President of the 52nd

General Assembly.



INTRODUCTION

The main session of the 52nd United Nations General Assembly

closed on 22 December 1997 with the adoption of 270 resolutions

and 77 decisions addressing world issues, ranging from deep seabed

mining to outer space, and from nuclear disarmament to child

prostitution. Events unfolding throughout the world pressed on the

minds of delegates as they wrestled with subtle shades of meaning

in proposed compromise language on contentious resolutions. As a

backdrop to the session, among other things:

n    financial markets battered the economies of several Asian

countries and sent stock and currency markets tumbling throughout

the world, which focused attention on the deepening financial and

economic interdependence of countries and the hazards of increasing

economic dependence on volatile flows of foreign capital;

n    a strong El Nino warmed the waters of the eastern Pacific,

which resulted in disrupted fisheries and caused destructive weather

patterns threatening food shortages in most regions of the world;

n    the Middle East peace process continued to languish, and the

General Assembly resumed its 10th Emergency Special Session on

the question of Israeli settlement activities in East Jerusalem:

n    tensions mounted as Iraq blocked UN weapons inspectors,

while growing evidence of suffering of Iraqi civilians led to

disagreements over the effectiveness and legitimacy of economic

sanctions;

n    TV network billionaire Ted Turner donated US$1 billion to

the United Nations for economic, environmental, social and

humanitarian causes; 

n    a declaration to ban the production, use, stockpiling and trade

in landmines was opened for signature in Ottawa (Canada) and

signed by 121 countries;

n    governments, NGOs and business representatives gathered in

Kyoto (Japan) for a landmark conference on cutting emissions of

greenhouse gases that cause global warming (see E&D File, Vol. III,

No. 16); and 

n    the UN Security Council met to address the question of

peace and security in Africa and its links to economic development.

UN Reform

The central preoccupation of the 52nd GA was United Nations

reform, which covers a number of areas including expansion of the

Security Council; the relations between the UN and a broad range of

specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations; the

potential future role of NGOs, the private sector, local authorities

and other actors of civil society in the UN; the financial crisis of the

organization; the role and activities of the various entities that

comprise the United Nations system; cooperation between UN

entities at the country level; and staffing structures and

administration.  

The GA plenary met in 16 informal negotiating sessions to address

overall reform of the UN and to examine recommendations and

actions contained in the July 1997 reform report of the UN

Secretary-General (see Go Between 65). On 12 November 1997 a

resolution was passed that approves a series of actions proposed by

the Secretary-General. On the closing day of the main session, the

General Assembly adopted resolution 52/12B, a ten-part text entitled

 Renewing the United Nations, a Programme for Reform.  Among

other measures, the resolution:

n    establishes a post of Deputy Secretary-General to assist the

Secretary-General in managing the operations of the UN Secretariat;

n    invites states to provide improved information to help the

United Nations prevent conflict and maintain peace and security;

n    creates a dividend for development through which savings in

administration and overheads can be channelled to development;

n    requests the Secretary-General to provide by the end of

March 1998 detailed proposals for the establishment, financing,

management and operation of a revolving credit fund for the

financing of the UN;

n    requests the Secretary-General to provide specific proposals

for the establishment of a new system of core resources for UN

development cooperation;

n    establishes a segment dealing with humanitarian affairs in the

Economic and Social Council; and

n    gives the UN Development Programme (UNDP)

responsibility for operational activities dealing with natural disasters.

The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC)

is asked to review its regional commissions and consider the SG s

recommendations on reform of its subsidiary bodies and its method

of work at its 1998 session, and to report to the GA before the

closing of its 52nd session in September 1998. 

The resolution also requests the Secretary-General to provide by the

end of March 1998 reports that elaborate his proposals for long-term

changes, which the General Assembly will consider in the future.

These include a new concept of trusteeship; a Millennium Assembly

and Millennium Forum; a special commission at the ministerial level

to examine the need for possible Charter amendments and

amendments to the treaties from which the specialized agencies

derive their mandates; and proposals on  sunset  provisions,

whereby initiatives that involve new mandates and institutional

machinery would be subject to specific time limits and

review/renewal by the General Assembly.

Reform of the Security Council

On 4 December 1997, over 70 governments spoke on the question of

equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the

Security Council. Expansion and reform of the Security Council has

been under intensive consideration in a GA working group for the

past four years, where proposals were made on expansion of the

permanent and non-permanent membership and on methods of work

of the council, particularly the veto (see Go Between 64).

Some states strongly favoured expansion of permanent membership

while others strongly opposed it. Many were concerned about the

method of selection of new permanent members, the effect of

expansion on regional representation on the council, and the

question of whether new permanent members would be granted veto

powers.

Two recommendations were put before the GA for action: a draft

sponsored by Canada, Egypt, Guatemala, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico,

Pakistan, Qatar, Syria and Turkey which emphasized that Security

Council reform was of such importance that it should not be rushed

and that time was needed to reach general agreement. Germany

proposed a text containing amendments to the draft, which

welcomed progress made so far but said council reform is a matter

of urgent attention.

No action was taken since debates in the plenary made it clear that

continuing deliberations would be needed. The working group will

resume its work in mid-January 1998.

For copies of government statements in the plenary on the question

of Security Council reform, contact NGLS in New York.

Financial Situation of the UN

The financial situation of the UN deteriorated further when the

United States Congress, which adjourned at the end of 1997, refused

to authorize money to pay a backlog of dues owed to the United

Nations. Joseph E. Connor, Under-Secretary-General for

Administration and Management, estimated that the UN would finish

1997 with a negative cash balance of US$200 million, up from

US$26 million in 1994. 

In response to the worsening situation Secretary-General Kofi Annan

requested the Working Group on the Financial Situation of the UN

to reconvene in November 1997 and asked UN member states for

guidance as to whether the UN should continue the practice of

borrowing from the peacekeeping budget to finance the regular

budget. Further complicating the practice of  crossborrowing  is the

fact that peacekeeping funding, which is declining, constitutes a far

smaller share of the combined budget than in the past.  This practice

is imprudent at best,  said Mr. Annan.  I cannot assure the prospect

of repayment to those Member States who have supplied troops and

provided material for peacekeeping missions, many of which are

developing countries,  he added. The working group will reconvene

during 1998 to consider further options to address the UN s chronic

shortfalls and indebtedness. 

NGO Participation

Also on the reform agenda is the question of participation of NGOs

and other actors of civil society in a reformed United Nations.

One-and-a-half years after the Economic and Social Council

recommended in decision 1996/297 that the General Assembly

should  examine at its 51st session the question of participation of

non-governmental organizations in all areas of the work of the

United Nations,  the GA unanimously agreed to begin the process

by requesting the Secretary-General to produce a report on the

existing UN/NGO relationship, both rules and practices, throughout

the UN system. The report is to be made available before the

conclusion of the 52nd GA in September 1998 for consideration and

action by the 53rd GA. The report will also review legal and

financial implications of modifications in the current arrangements

for participation, as well as the question of participation of NGOs

from all regions, particularly from developing countries.



PLENARY RESOLUTIONS

A number of issues were dealt with directly in the plenary without

being referred to one of the main committees. A small selection is

described below.

Emergency Relief

Humanitarian and disaster relief assistance was the subject of 18

resolutions by which the UN will provide support to states affected

by Security Council sanctions on the Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia; Central African countries receiving refugees; El

Salvador and other Central American countries that have formed an

alliance for sustainable development; and to Angola, Burundi,

Congo, Djibouti, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan,

Tajikistan, and the Palestinian people. Resolution 52/171 on the

participation of volunteers or  White Helmets  is designed to

promote cooperative actions between the UN system and civil

society through national volunteer corps, and to strengthen UN

capacities for early and effective response to humanitarian

emergencies. Resolution 52/167 on the safety and security of

humanitarian personnel urges all states to ensure the safe and

unhindered access of humanitarian personnel in order to allow them

to assist affected civilian populations including refugees and

internally displaced persons. It also urges states to ensure that any

threat or act of violence committed against humanitarian personnel

on their territory is investigated and prosecuted.

Oceans/Fish Stocks

The assembly adopted resolution 52/26 on oceans and law of the sea

by a vote of 138 in favour to one against (Turkey), with four

abstentions. The resolution calls on states to: harmonize their

national legislation with the Convention on the Law of the Sea, now

ratified by 122 states, to ensure consistent application of its

provisions; strengthen implementation of existing international and

regional agreements on marine pollution; and take individual and

collective action to improve the quality and quantity of scientific

data used to protect the marine environment. 

Resolution 52/28 on the implementation of the agreement on the

conservation and management of straddling and highly migratory

fish stocks calls on states and entities that have not done so to ratify

or accede to the agreement and consider applying it provisionally

(see E&D File, Vol. III, No. 10). A related text, resolution 52/29,

urges authorities to take greater enforcement responsibility and to

ensure greater compliance with GA resolution 46/215, which calls

for a moratorium on large-scale pelagic driftnet fishing on the high

seas. Resolution 52/29 urges authorities to impose appropriate

sanctions that are consistent with their obligations under

international law. It also calls on states to ensure that fishing vessels

entitled to fly their national flag do not fish in areas under the

jurisdiction of other states or on the high seas unless they are

properly authorized. The resolution welcomes initiatives taken by the

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to organize an expert

consultation on guidelines to help reduce incidental catches of sea

birds; an expert consultation on effective conservation and

management of sharks; and a technical consultation on the control

and management of the world s fishing capacity. The resolution also

urges states and fishery management organizations to take measures

to reduce waste in fisheries.

World Summit for Social Development

In the context of implementation of the outcome of the 1995 World

Summit for Social Development (WSSD), resolution 52/25 addresses

the critical importance of national action and international

cooperation for social development, the mobilization of financial

resources, the role of the UN system, and the involvement of civil

society. The resolution stresses the need for renewed and massive

political will at all levels to invest in people and their well-being in

order to achieve the objectives of social development, and for

linking such development with peace, freedom, stability and

security. It stresses the importance of putting full employment at the

centre of policy-making, in conjunction with other goals, and

reaffirms the need for effective partnership and cooperation between

governments and relevant actors of civil society. NGOs are

encouraged to participate in the work of the Commission for Social

Development. The assembly, which recalled its decision to hold a

special session in the year 2000 for review and appraisal of

implementation of the WSSD, established a preparatory committee

that will hold an organizational session from 19-22 May 1998. 

Palestine/Middle East

The plenary voted on and adopted four resolutions on the question

of Palestine and two on the situation in the Middle East. The issue

was also addressed in some of the main committees. Seven draft

resolutions were recommended by the Fourth Committee (Special

Political and Decolonization) relating to the report of the United

Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the

Near East, and 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. Resolution

52/66, which demands a halt to construction of a new settlement at

Jabal Abu Ghneim and of all Israeli settlement activities in the

occupied territories, was adopted by a vote of 149 in favour, two

against (Israel and the United States), and seven abstentions.

Throughout its discussion on the question of Palestine, the assembly

appealed for renewed momentum in the stalled peace process.

Resolution 52/52, one of a number of resolutions on the subject,

stresses the need for commitment to the  land for peace  principle

and the implementation of Security Council resolutions that form the

basis of the peace process. It also emphasizes  the need for

immediate, scrupulous implementation of the agreements reached

between the parties, including the redeployment of Israeli forces

from the West Bank and the commencement of the negotiations of

the final settlement.  

The resumed tenth Emergency Special Session of the assembly

adopted resolution A/ES10/4 by a vote of 139 in favour, three

against (Israel, Micronesia and the United States) and 13 abstentions.

The resolution reiterates the assembly s recommendation that the

High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to

the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War convene a

conference on measures to enforce the convention in the Occupied

Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. It also recommends that

Switzerland, in its capacity as depository of the convention, hold a

meeting of experts no later than end February 1998 in order to

follow up on the above-mentioned recommendation. 



FIRST COMMITTEE

The First Committee adopted 45 resolutions and decisions related to

disarmament and international security. Nuclear disarmament

dominated the debate as members sought to narrow differences over

the pace, form and ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament

negotiations. The central question was whether to proceed on a

multilateral or bilateral basis. Many, mostly developing countries,

pressed for multilateral negotiations in the 38-member Conference

on Disarmament with the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons

within a specific time frame. (The Geneva-based conference is the

sole multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament.) It was argued

that such negotiations could even be a precondition for specific

progress in other disarmament areas. However others, including the

United States and the Russian Federation, favoured a gradual,

bilateral approach; they said any attempts to prematurely

 multilateralize  the process would complicate and retard it. 

Nuclear Weapons

These differences were reflected in the 14 adopted texts dealing with

nuclear weapons, many of which were put to a vote. Resolution

52/38K on  Nuclear disarmament with a view to the ultimate

elimination of nuclear weapons  calls on the nuclear-weapon states

to undertake systematic and progressive efforts to reduce nuclear

weapons globally, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them. It was

adopted by a vote of 156 in favour, none against, with ten

abstentions (Algeria, Cuba, Democratic People s Republic of Korea,

India, Iran, Israel, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria and Pakistan). Most

of the countries that abstained voted in favour of Resolution 52/38L

entitled  Nuclear disarmament.  It envisions the  total elimination of

these weapons within a timebound framework  and calls for

establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament,

which could begin negotiations toward a convention for the

elimination of nuclear weapons. The resolution also urges states that

have nuclear weapons to stop immediately the qualitative

improvement, development, production and stockpiling of nuclear

warheads and their delivery systems. The resolution was adopted by

a vote of 109 in favour, 39 against and 18 abstentions. Resolution

52/38O relates to an advisory opinion rendered by the International

Court of Justice, which said that an obligation exists to pursue in

good faith negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament under strict

and effective international control. The resolution calls upon all

states to fulfil that obligation immediately by commencing

multilateral negotiations in 1998 leading to an early conclusion of a

nuclear weapons convention prohibiting the development,

production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of

nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination. One-hundred

and sixteen member states voted in favour of the resolution, 26

voted against and 24 abstained; Ireland, Malta, New Zealand and

Sweden voted with developing countries in favour of the resolution.

Disarmament

Resolution 52/38F on the  Fourth special session of the General

Assembly devoted to disarmament  authorizes convening of the

session  subject to the emergence of a consensus on its objectives

and agenda.  The United States along with Israel, which had

opposed a previous GA resolution calling for the session, were ready

to vote against this resolution until the words  general agreement 

were changed to  consensus.  This year the resolution was passed

without a vote.

Resolutions on antipersonnel landmines reflected division over the

recently concluded Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,

Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines, which

was opened for signature on 3 December 1997 (see Go Between 67).

Despite overwhelming support for the convention s humanitarian

intent, it was not signed by, among others, China, the Russian

Federation and United States. The committee, unable to reach

agreement on a single landmines text, recommended that the

assembly adopt three resolutions described as  complementary 

rather than  competing.  All resolutions dealing with the question of

landmines were voted on. 

The First Committee also discussed conventional weapons including

small arms. According to the report of the Panel of Governmental

Experts on Small Arms (A/52/298), these and light weapons have

been the primary or sole tools of violence in almost every recent

conflict dealt with by the United Nations. In its report the panel

recommended measures to reduce the excessive and destabilizing

accumulation and transfer of small arms and light weapons, and to

prevent their accumulation in the future. Resolution 52/38J calls

upon all member states to implement the panel s recommendations

in cooperation with appropriate international and regional

organizations, police, and intelligence, customs and border control

services. It also encourages carrying out these recommendations in

post-conflict situations, including demobilizing former combatants

and destroying weapons. The resolution was adopted by a vote of

158 in favour, none against and six abstentions (Bahrain, Israel,

Oman, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab

Emirates). Resolution 52/38C on assistance to states for curbing

illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them was approved

without a vote. It encourages setting up national commissions

against the proliferation of small arms in the Saharo-Sahelian

subregion.

Several resolutions addressed transparency in armaments production

and trade. Member states disagreed on how to expand the scope of

the UN Register of Conventional Arms and specifically whether to

include weapons of mass destruction. The register, established in

1992, is a voluntary annual record by member states of their

weapons transactions. Resolution 52/38B, which reaffirms the

interrelationship between transparency in the fields of conventional

weapons and weapons of mass destruction, was adopted by a vote of

98 in favour, 45 against and 13 abstentions, with most Northern

governments voting against the resolution and Southern ones voting

in favour. Resolution 52/38R entitled  Transparency in armaments 

calls upon member states to  provide additional information on

procurement from national production and military holdings.  The

resolution was adopted by a vote of 155 for, none against and 11

abstentions (Algeria, Cuba, Democratic People s Republic of Korea,

Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and

Syria).

Resolution 52/32, entitled  Objective information on military matters

including transparency of military expenditures,  was approved

without a vote. It calls on all member states to report their military

expenditures to the Secretary-General every year and to give their

views on how to broaden participation in standardized reporting of

such expenditures.

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the First Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press release GA/9377, which is available on

Internet at (http://www.un.org/News/Press/).



SECOND COMMITTEE

Most resolutions of the Second Committee are usually passed by

consensus. However at the 52nd session several resolutions came to

a vote due to disagreement over the concept of sustainable

development. In the committee s next to last meeting, the United

States requested a recorded vote on six resolutions on industrial

development, human resources development, women in development,

financing for development, external debt, and global financial flows

and their impact on developing countries. The US said it could not

accept equating  sustained economic growth  with  sustainable

development.  After extensive consultations the resolutions were

adopted by consensus with amendments so that the phrase  sustained

economic growth and sustainable development  was followed by  in

accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions and recent

United Nations conferences.  

The turmoil in financial markets, which provided the backdrop for

the work of the Second Committee in 1997, coloured debate about

globalization s impact on people s social and economic well-being

and on countries  prospects for economic and sustainable

development. Also central to the committee s deliberations was the

economic plight of countries that are not integrated in international

markets and that receive little if any foreign investment, while the

overall decline in development assistance continues.

These and related questions were also addressed in a number of

special events organized by the Chair of the Second Committee,

Ambassador Oscar de Rojas (Venezuela) and the Second Committee

Bureau. The events, which enlivened and enriched the committee s

deliberations, included three panels of outside experts, two keynote

addresses by noted academics, 13 executive briefings by high-level

UN officials, and a video conference with Geneva-based meetings of

the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Several of the 32 resolutions and decisions adopted by the plenary

on recommendation of the Second Committee are summarized

below. 

Development Funding

The committee negotiated a major resolution on financing for

development, which establishes a process that will result in a

summit, conference or GA special session on the topic by the year

2001. The idea of convening an international conference on

financing for development has been on the Second Committee

agenda since the early 1990s, but achieving agreement to move

forward has proven difficult. Resolution 52/179 calls for the Second

Committee to convene a two-day resumed session during the 52nd

GA to solicit views of governments on key elements of  high-level

international intergovernmental consideration  of the issue, and to

identify inputs needed from actors both within and outside the

United Nations system. An ad hoc open-ended working group will

meet during the 53rd session of the General Assembly to prepare

recommendations to submit to the 54th UN General Assembly in

1999 on the form, scope and agenda of the final event. 

Resolution 52/186 calls for a two-day high-level dialogue on  The

social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence

and their policy implications.  It asks the GA President to consult

with governments on the modalities, focus and timing for the

dialogue, and the Secretary-General to initiate preparations in

cooperation with governments, the UN system and  other

development actors.  

Global Financial Flows

Resolution 52/180 on global financial flows addresses the

globalization of money and finance, its impact on developing

countries, and the relationship between the United Nations and the

Bretton Woods institutions, particularly the International Monetary

Fund (IMF). The resolution invites the IMF to exercise fully its

surveillance over the macroeconomic policies of its member

countries,  in particular those countries whose economies are

capable of affecting the stability of the international monetary and

financial system.  It requests the Secretary-General to analyze

current trends in global financial flows, make recommendations on

ways and means to address their volatility, and suggest measures to

help countries become more resilient in the face of currency

fluctuations.

Debt

In resolution 52/185 the General Assembly expresses concern that

despite debt relief measures taken so far effective, equitable,

development-oriented and durable solutions to the debt problems of

a large number of developing countries have not been achieved. The

resolution recognizes the importance of creating a favourable

environment for attracting foreign investment and the need for action

by the international community that will result in improved market

access for debtor countries  products, stabilization of exchange rates,

effective stewardship of international interest rates, and increased

resource flows. It welcomes the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries

Initiative and calls for it to be swiftly implemented. The resolution

also addresses commercial debt and stresses the urgent need to

provide social safety nets to protect vulnerable groups. 

Microcredit

Resolution 52/194, which addresses the role of microcredit in the

eradication of poverty, encourages all involved in poverty

eradication programmes, including  non-governmental organizations,

other actors of civil society and the private sector  to incorporate

microcredit and related services in their programmes. It also

encourages the adoption of policies that support the development of

microcredit institutions.

Unilateral Economic Measures

Resolution 52/181, one of the few Second Committee resolutions

voted on in the GA Plenary, addresses the question of unilateral

economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion

against developing countries. The vote, with 109 in favour to one

against (United States) and 50 abstentions, split almost entirely

along North-South lines with Southern governments voting in favour

of the resolution and Northern ones abstaining. The resolution urges

the international community to eliminate the use of unilateral

coercive economic measures that are not authorized by the United

Nations or that are inconsistent with the UN Charter. 

International Trade and Development

Resolution 52/182 on international trade and development asks the

UN Conference on Trade and Development to continue facilitating

the integration of developing and transition economy countries into

the international trading system. The four-part resolution, which

requests UNCTAD to identify investment-related issues and analyze

their implications for development, stresses the importance of

improved market access for the exports of developing countries. It

says elimination of discriminatory and protectionist practices would

enhance the competitiveness of domestic industries in developing

countries and facilitate structural adjustment in developed ones. 

International Migration

Resolution 52/189 on international migration and development sets

out the goal of making the option of remaining in one s country

viable for all people by ensuring a better economic balance between

developed and developing countries. In 1999 the 54th session of the

General Assembly will consider convening a United Nations

conference on international migration and development.

Cultural Development

Resolution 52/197 on cultural development invites all member states,

intergovernmental organizations and NGOs to integrate cultural

factors into their development programmes and projects in order to

 ensure sustainable development that fully respects cultural diversity,

taking into account their cultural values and identity.  An

intergovernmental conference on cultural policies, organized by the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO), will be convened in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1998.

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the Second Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press release GA/9387, which is available on

Internet at (http://www.un.org/News/Press/).



THIRD COMMITTEE

Issues addressed in the 78 resolutions and decisions adopted by the

General Assembly, 16 by vote, on the recommendation of the Third

Committee include the rights of children, advancement of women,

crime prevention and criminal justice, international drug control,

rights of indigenous people, social development, the right of peoples

to self determination, humanitarian assistance and refugees, and the

elimination of racism and racial discrimination. Thirty resolutions

approved by the assembly dealt with human rights, an issue that

dominated debate. Eleven of the resolutions were specific to human

rights situations based on the reports of special rapporteurs and

representatives in Afghanistan, Cuba, Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Republic

of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, Rwanda and

Sudan. The assembly also took special note of the

Secretary-General s report on rape and abuse of women in armed

conflict areas in the former Yugoslavia. 

Human Rights

The emphasis on human rights took on added significance as the

committee stressed the importance of the forthcoming

commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights, and the first five-year review of the Vienna

Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the 1993 World

Conference on Human Rights. Resolution 52/148 encourages

regional and national human rights institutions, as well as NGOs, to

present their perspectives at the review.

Other human rights resolutions adopted related to, among other

issues, alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment

of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including

noninterference in a state s electoral process; family reunification;

rejection of unilateral coercive measures as tools for political or

economic pressure against any country, in particular against

developing countries, because of their negative effects; and

elimination of all forms of religious intolerance. Resolutions were

also adopted on human rights in the administration of justice;

strengthening the rule of law; protection of UN personnel; the UN

Decade for Human Rights Education; national institutions for the

promotion and protection of human rights; strengthening the role of

the UN with regard to the convening of elections and the promotion

of democratization; human rights and terrorism; and human rights

and mass exodus. Resolutions also called upon states to sign, ratify,

accede or become parties to various human rights instruments.

Right to Development

The importance of the right to development as an integral part of

fundamental human rights was reaffirmed in resolution 52/136 by a

vote of 129 in favour, 12 against the resolution and 32 abstentions.

Southern countries voted mainly in favour and Northern countries

voted against or abstained. The GA recognized that the Declaration

on the Right to Development was an integral link between the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration

and Programme of Action through its integration of economic, social

and cultural rights with civil and political rights. Mary Robinson,

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted this position

in her first address to the Third Committee. She said that it would

be farsighted for the international community to offer the same level

of protection to individuals in economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development, as it afforded them in the

political and civil sectors. 

Debate on the declaration revealed diverse positions of member

states in the discussions on human rights issues in general. For the

most part, developing countries called for respect for sovereignty

and for cultural and religious diversity around the world, and for an

end to what they described as the politicization of human rights

issues. On the other hand, several developed countries called for

common standards of human rights and stressed that economic and

social rights do not come before individual liberties. While some

Northern governments support the right to development as a basic

right, they were not prepared to accept paragraphs on issues such as

globalization, trade protectionism and the participation of developing

countries in decision-making processes at the global level on

macroeconomic policy issues in the context of human rights

discussions. Before adoption of resolution 52/136, the committee

rejected amendments proposed by the European Union, which would

have deleted seven paragraphs on:

n    the lack of participation of developing countries in

decision-making processes at the global level on macro-economic

policy issues; 

n    resources released by effective disarmament measures to be

used for comprehensive development, in particular that of

developing countries; 

n    new obstacles to the realization of the right to development,

including the negative effects of globalization; 

n    inclusion of the Declaration on the Right to Development in

the International Bill of Human Rights; and 

n    human rights as an instrument of trade protectionism.

Concerns relating to the rights of children were reflected in two

resolutions and one decision adopted by the General Assembly.

Resolution 52/106 stresses the need for full and urgent

implementation of the rights of the girl child. Resolution 52/107

urges the universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of

the Child, emphasizes the rights of children with disabilities and

street children, and underscores the problem of child labour. Olara

Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Study

the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, said that on the eve of

the millennium it is an abomination that children are being abused

in situations of armed conflict and forced to brutalize others. Ofelia

Calcetas Santos, Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child

Prostitution and Child Pornography, addressed the combined role of

the media and education as powerful tools that can either cure or

inflict irreversible harm on children.

Advancement of Women

Related resolutions in the context of the advancement of women

were adopted on traffic in women and girls (resolution 52/98), and

on traditional and customary practices affecting the health of women

and girls (resolution 52/99). Also adopted were resolutions on

improving the situation of women in rural areas; violence against

women migrant workers; the work of the UN Development Fund for

Women (UNIFEM) and the International Training and Research

Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW); and

improving the status of women in the UN Secretariat. In resolution

52/100 the GA decided to convene a high-level plenary review in

the year 2000 to appraise and assess progress achieved in

implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the

Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action. The

issue of mainstreaming a gender perspective in every aspect of

social, humanitarian, human rights and cultural issues was reinforced

throughout the committee s debates and in numerous resolutions.

The issue of violence against women, which has received increased

attention in the past year, was also addressed by the committee in

the context of crime prevention and criminal justice. Resolution

52/86 adopts guidelines, known as the Model Strategies and

Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence Against Women

in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, for

governments to address the various manifestations of violence

against women. Other resolutions relate to international cooperation

in combating crime, including resolution 52/85 on the establishment

of an intergovernmental group of experts to elaborate a

comprehensive international convention against organized

transnational crime.

International Drug Control

Governments demonstrated strong interest in the issue of

international drug control. Resolution 52/92 covers issues such as

increased international cooperation to combat drug abuse and illicit

trafficking, principles for demand reduction, and the decline in

resources for international drug control. Under-Secretary-General

Pino Arlacchi, Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna

(Austria) and Executive Director of the UN International Drug

Control Programme (UNDCP), held a dialogue with the committee

and called on states to reassert their commitment to drug control as

a priority at national and international levels in the political

declaration to be adopted at a special session of the GA to be held

in New York from 8-10 June 1998.

Racism and Racial Discrimination

With regard to eliminating racism and racial discrimination,

resolution 52/109 includes measures to combat contemporary forms

of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Maurice Glele Ahanhanzo, special rapporteur on the subject, told the

committee that the problem of racism, racial discrimination and

xenophobia remains around the world, and he emphasized the need

to combat use of the Internet for spreading racist propaganda. After

debate related mainly to costs, resolution 52/111 was adopted to

convene a world conference on racism no later than the year 2001. 

Right of Peoples to Self Determination 

Three resolutions on the right of peoples to self determination were

also adopted: resolution 52/113 reaffirms that the universal

realization of the right is a fundamental condition for the effective

guarantee and observance of human rights; resolution 52/114

expresses hope that Palestinian people will soon exercise their right

to self determination in the current peace process; and resolution

52/112 calls on states to sign or ratify the International Convention

Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of

Mercenaries. Before debate on these issues Enrique Bernales

Ballesteros, Special Rapporteur on the Use of Mercenaries to

Undermine the Right of Peoples to Self Determination, told the

committee that Africa has been hit hardest by mercenary activities.

He also highlighted the increase in mercenary activity by companies

selling  protection services.  

Humanitarian Questions and Refugees

The assembly adopted five resolutions related to humanitarian

questions and refugees, returnees and displaced persons. Resolution

52/104 calls for continuation of the Office of the UN High

Commissioner for Refugees for another five years. Sadako Ogata,

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told the committee that it is

urgent for states to reaffirm their commitment to upholding

humanitarian principles and manifest more clearly their resolve to

address the political dimensions of humanitarian crises. Resolution

52/101 relates to assistance for refugees, returnees and displaced

persons in Africa. It calls for the UN, the international community

and NGOs to strengthen the emergency response capacity of the UN

system on the basis of experience of the emergency in the Great

Lakes region of Africa. Resolution 52/102 addresses follow-up to

the 1996 regional conference on refugees and displaced persons in

countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Resolution

52/103 calls on  states of refuge  to take all necessary measures to

ensure that the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee camps

and settlements is maintained, and to abstain from any activity likely

to undermine that character. And resolution 52/105 focuses on

assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors including condemnation

of their use as soldiers or human shields in armed conflict.

Social Development Issues

The assembly adopted five resolutions on social development issues:

resolution 52/81 on follow-up to the International Year of the

Family; resolution 52/82 on the World Programme of Action

concerning Disabled Persons; resolution 52/83 on policies and

programmes involving youth; resolution 52/84 on education for all;

and resolution 52/80, which calls on the UN Secretary-General to

launch the International Year of Older Persons in 1998 with the

theme  Towards a Society for All Ages.  

Indigenous People 

Resolution 52/108, regarding the rights of indigenous people,

appoints the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as

Coordinator for the International Decade of the World s Indigenous

People to promote its objectives and to consider organizing a

workshop for research and higher education institutions.

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the Third Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press release GA/9380, which is available on

Internet at (http://www.un.org/News/Press/).



FOURTH COMMITTEE

A range of issues was considered by the GA at the recommendation

of the Fourth (Special Political and Decolonization) Committee.

They concerned implementation of the Declaration on the Granting

of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, information

questions, peacekeeping, the peaceful uses of outer space, and the

effects of atomic radiation. On decolonization matters, the GA

adopted resolutions on the activities of foreign and other interests,

the role of the UN specialized agencies, information provided by

administering powers, and offers by member states of study facilities

for inhabitants of the territories.

Non-Self-Governing Territories

The assembly adopted omnibus resolution 52/77 on specific and

general conditions in 12 non-self-governing territories (American

Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,

Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Tokelau, Turks and

Caicos Islands, and the US Virgin Islands). The assembly, which

also addressed the questions of Gibraltar, New Caledonia and

Western Sahara, expressed satisfaction regarding agreements reached

between Morocco and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia

el Hamra and Rio de Oro (POLISARIO) for implementation of the

settlement plan in the Western Sahara reached during talks

facilitated by James Baker III, the Secretary-General s Personal

Envoy.

A text submitted directly to the assembly by the special committee

on decolonization called on the administering powers to eliminate

remaining military bases in the non-self-governing territories and

urged them not to involve those territories in any offensive acts or

interference against other states. Resolution 52/78 was adopted by a

vote of 139 in favour, two opposed (United Kingdom and United

States) and 23 abstentions. 

Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

With respect to the peaceful uses of outer space, the assembly

agreed that the Third UN Conference on the Exploration of Peaceful

Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) will be convened at the

United Nations Office in Vienna from 19-30 July 1998 as a special

session of the Outer Space Committee. Member states, UN bodies,

NGOs and space-related industries are encouraged to contribute

actively to achieving the objectives of the conference.

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the Fourth Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press release GA/9379, which is available on

Internet at (http://www.un.org/News/Press/).



FIFTH COMMITTEE

The Fifth Committee s agenda regularly includes the UN budget,

approval of the UN calendar, financing of peacekeeping operations,

as well as the financial implications of resolutions and decisions

taken during the concurrent General Assembly. Midnight meetings

toward the end of the session are common, and the 52nd GA was no

exception. Negotiations continued up to the very last day of the

session on 22 December about the scale of assessments (or

apportionment of each member s share of the UN budget) and the

budget for the 1998-1999 biennium, which included financial

implications of reform measures proposed by the Secretary-General. 

Scale of Assessments

One of eight proposals for a new scale of assessments was a United

States proposal to lower its share of the UN budget from a current

ceiling of 25% to one of 20%. (Currently member states cannot be

assessed more than a 25% share of the UN budget.) Resolution

52/215 reaffirms the principle that the organization s expenses

should be broadly apportioned among member states according to

their capacity to pay. The resolution maintains the current ceiling

rate, although it lowers the floor rate from 0.01% to 0.001%. In

1998, 30 member states will be paying the floor rate compared to 95

countries under the previous scale. However resolution 52/215 did

not entirely rule out future consideration of the US proposal; the

assembly decided  to consider reviewing the scale for the years

1999 and 2000 during its resumed fifty-second session, in light of

all relevant factors, including the periodic reports of the

Secretary-General on the status of contributions, and to make

determinations in this respect.  

The US representative, who welcomed the compromise, described it

as  an open door to permit a revisiting of the scale for the years

1999-2000.  However the representative of Luxembourg, on behalf

of the European Union, said that the EU will not consider the

possibility of reopening discussions on the scale of assessments until

the United States adopts legislation enabling it to fully pay its

arrears and fulfil its financial obligations under the UN Charter. The

representative emphasized that a possible update of the scale cannot

in any case take effect until the money due has actually been paid. 

Under the scale of assessments adopted by the assembly for

1998-2000, ten countries will be responsible for 80% of the United

Nations budget, which has been set at US$2.53 billion for the next

two years. The countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,

the Netherlands, Russian Federation, Spain, United Kingdom and the

United States.

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the Fifth Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press releases GA/9389 and GA/9390, which are

available on Internet at (http://www.un.org/News/Press/).



SIXTH COMMITTEE

The GA adopted 16 resolutions recommended by the Sixth (Legal)

Committee.

A 24-article International Convention for the Suppression of

Terrorist Bombings was adopted in resolution 52/164 to identify,

define and punish specific terrorist acts as international crimes. The

convention defines a terrorist bomber as a person who  unlawfully

and intentionally delivers, places, discharges or detonates an

explosive, or other lethal device in, into or against a place of public

use, a State or government facility, a public transportation system or

an infrastructure facility....with the intent to cause death or serious

bodily injury  or the destruction of such a place resulting in major

economic loss. The convention specifies crimes for which persons

can be extradited under treaties that states Parties sign between

themselves. A major point of debate on the issue was whether or not

the convention should exempt acts of those struggling against

foreign occupation, and whether some acts of state military forces

can be considered as terrorism. The convention, which makes no

distinction between terrorist acts and the activities of national

liberation movements, does not govern the military activities of

states in armed conflict or in exercise of their official duties. It will

open for signature on 12 January 1998 and will enter into force 30

days after ratification by the 22nd state Party. 

International Criminal Court

Among other significant texts approved by the assembly, resolution

52/160 calls for convening of a diplomatic conference to finalize and

adopt a convention establishing the world s first permanent

International Criminal Court (ICC). The conference, which will take

place from 15 June to 17 July 1998 in Rome (Italy), will be

preceded by a final session of its preparatory committee in March.

The ICC will be charged with investigating and bringing to justice

individuals who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Effects of Sanctions on Third States

Assembly debate about the effects of sanctions on third states

centred on whether the UN has a legal obligation under Article 50

of its Charter to assist these states, which are not a direct party to a

conflict. Article 50 specifies that any state facing special economic

problems due to measures taken by the Security Council against

another state has the right to seek a solution to its problems from

the council. Under the terms of resolution 52/162 adopted on the

matter, the Security Council was requested to consider establishing

further mechanisms or procedures to resolve the special economic

problems of third states affected as a consequence of sanctions, and

to increase the effectiveness and transparency of the committees

monitoring implementation of sanctions. The resolution reaffirms the

role of the assembly, ECOSOC and the Committee on Programme

and Coordination in mobilizing and monitoring economic assistance

efforts for third states by the international community and the UN

system.

International Peace Conference

In the context of action to be taken on the 1999 centennial of the

first International Peace Conference and the closing of the UN

Decade of International Law, the GA welcomed by means of

resolution 52/154 the programme of action presented by the

Netherlands and the Russian Federation, which includes a centennial

peace conference planned for 17-19 May 1999 in The Hague

(Netherlands).

For summaries of all resolutions adopted by the General Assembly

upon recommendation of the Sixth Committee, including voting

records, see DPI press release GA/9382, available on Internet at

(http:www//un.org/News/Press/).





UPCOMING EVENTS

n    Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural and Media Policies

for Development, 3 March-2 April 1998, Stockholm

n    Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to the

Fight Against the Illicit Production, Sale, Demand, Traffic and

Distribution of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and

Related Activities, 8-10 June 1998, New York

n    UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of

an International Criminal Court, 15 June-17 July 1998, Rome 

n    Third UN Conference on the Exploration of the Peaceful

Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), 19-30 July 1998, Vienna

n    Review of the progress made in the implementation of the

Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights, to

be held during the 53rd General Assembly (September-December

1998), New York 

n    Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of

the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, 1998 

n    Centennial Peace Conference, 17-19 May 1999, The Hague

n    A special session of the General Assembly to review and

appraise the implementation of the Programme of Action of the

International Conference on Population and Development, 30 June-2

July 1999, New York

n    Special Session of the General Assembly in the year 2000 for

an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the

outcome of the World Summit for Social Development, New York

n    High-level plenary review to appraise and assess the progress

achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking

Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform

for Action five years after its adoption, to be held in the year 2000,

venue and dates to be determined

n    Third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to

be held in the year 2001, venue and dates to be determined

n    A special session of the General Assembly in the year 2001

for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the

outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements

(HABITAT II), venue and dates to be determined

n    An event of the GA on the topic of financing for

development, to be held by the year 2001, dates to be determined,

New York

n    A world conference on racism, to be held no later than the

year 2001, venue and dates to be determined