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ROUNDUP 99 JANUARY 2003
Fifty-Seventh Session of the General Assembly
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UN reform was perhaps one of the most consistent themes running throughout the 57th Session of the General Assembly. Whether it was revitalizing the General Assembly (GA), reforming the Security Council, restructuring the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), modernizing the Secretariat, or implementing the Millennium Declaration and other conference outcomes, the GA saw the need for change.
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The most concrete example of the emphasis on reform came through the agenda item Strengthening
of the United Nations system, which took up issues on rationalization of the work of the
UN and its information services,
streamlining management and clarification of the roles and responsibilities in technical assistance.
Negotiations were led by GA President Jan Kavan (Czech Republic) and involved several meetings with Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, who listened to concerns of Member States in response to the proposals put forward by the Secretary-General.
In his report, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan referred to the September 2000 Millennium Declaration and its precise,
time-bound development goals as a common policy framework for the entire UN system (see
Go Between 92). It was in the spirit
of the Organization evolving with the times and adapting its internal structures and culture to new expectations that people
should view reform, and not as a budget-cutting exercise, he said.
Some of the wide-ranging actions taken by the General Assembly in this resolution (57/300) include:
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Another agenda item of significance for the GA was follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium
Summit. In presenting his first report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, which
examined both the measurable development goals as well as broader objectives like human rights and democracy, the
Secretary-General said the international community is falling short in implementing the Declaration. “If we carry on the way
we are, most of the pledges made in the Declaration are not going to be fulfilled,” he said (see
NGLS Roundup 98).
Mr. Annan said that progress in implementing the Declaration and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
hinged on creating mutually reinforcing successes in individual areas. His report drew the connections amongst conflict
prevention, the spread of infectious disease, poverty rates and creating sustainable prosperity, and it stressed that the
right mix of national and international policies was critical in this respect. Through resolution 57/144, the GA recognized the uneven progress made so far in achieving the objectives agreed upon in the Millennium Declaration and invited the organizations and agencies of the UN system, the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and encouraged other interested parties, including civil society and the private sector, to continue to vigorously pursue the achievement of the MDGs. The Assembly also invited the UN system, in cooperation wth Member States, to increase public awareness of the Declaration. The GA agreed that the review process of the implementation of the MDGs would be considered within the framework of the integrated and coordinated follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences. The GA also decided that it would consider holding a high-level plenary meeting on the comprehensive review of the Millennium Declaration during the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, five years after adoption of the Declaration.
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| Conference Follow-up | ||
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Following a year in which the UN held high-level meetings on financing for development;
sustainable development; children; and food, and started preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society, the GA
took up the task of exploring “Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major
United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields.”
One of the main goals of exploring this item was to identify how best to move forward on implementation of existing programmes and plans of action and the specific roles to be played by the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the functional commissions in this regard. It was critical to ensure that they had mutually reinforcing functions, which allowed for communication on crosscutting issues. Integrating the follow-up to the Millennium Summit with the follow-up to conferences and summits was also seen as vital. Through resolution A/C.2/57/L.70, the GA established an open-ended ad hoc working group on Integrated Conference
Follow-up that will commence its work in January 2003 and deliver its report in June 2003. The working group, to be chaired
by the GA President, will produce concrete recommendations including how best to address the review of the implementation
of outcomes of major UN conferences and summits.
It will also consider the work of the GA and its Second (Economic and Financial) and Third (Social, Humanitarian and
Cultural) Committees relevant to the integrated and coordinated implementation.
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| Financing for Development | ||
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Since the March 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development held in Monterrey
(Mexico, see NGLS Roundup 91), the General Assembly has sought to move forward in a number of areas. Three
resolutions—reporting on implementation and follow-up to commitments and agreements (57/272); the High-Level Dialogue (HLD)
on Financing for Development and the involvement of civil society in its preparations and proceedings (57/250); and the
establishment of the FFD secretariat (57/273)—were passed and should serve to intensify FFD follow-up activities.
FFD Follow-up Reporting The initial draft text—which indicated that the report should focus on progress achieved in areas such as steps taken to encourage good corporate governance, steps taken by the international community towards finding innovative sources of financing for development, and measures taken to devise mechanisms to comprehensively address debt problems of developing countries—was rejected outright by other Member States to the point that one country threatened to reconsider its commitment to the Monterrey Consensus. After much deliberation, delegates were able to agree on a text that was composed from several other substantive Second Committee resolutions such as that on debt and financial architecture. In the text, the GA underscored its firm commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and called for the integrated consideration of trade, finance, investment, technology transfer and development issues. As confirmed by the GA, the intergovernmental focal point for FFD follow-up will be the High-Level Dialogue, hosted by the General Assembly biennially at the ministerial level. The first dialogue, working under the theme “The Monterrey Consensus: status of implementation and tasks ahead,” is scheduled for the end of October 2003. Participants will include the UN Secretary-General, heads of the World Bank, IMF, WTO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The dialogue will be held over two days with civil society and business sector participation in interactive roundtables and a policy dialogue. Prior to the HLD there will be one day of informal hearings held with civil society and the business sector. Presenting this item, the Ambassador of Venezuela, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China, emphasized that FFD follow-up, while coordinated with the follow-up of other conferences' outcomes, should not be “distracted” and should remain focused on FFD itself. He expressed concerns over competing views on the role for the dialogue and whether or not it should serve to review other processes as well. During the debate in the Second Committee on this item, delegations put forward a number of recommendations dealing with the two principal arenas for follow-up, namely the annual “High-Level dialogue between the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs),” scheduled for April 2003 and the General Assembly HLD. While delegates agreed on the importance of the two meetings and follow-up in general, some suggested that the GA High-Level Dialogue should focus on implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and related issues, whereas the ECOSOC and the ECOSOC-BWI meeting should address coherence, coordination and cooperation. Some offered substantive proposals suggesting that the dialogue could serve to oversee implementation of specific initiatives in areas like official development assistance (ODA), tax cooperation and declining terms of trade and instability of commodity prices. FFD Secretariat The FFD secretariat will also be responsible for closely following issues and policies
related to international economic, financial and development cooperation and will help prepare the substantive inputs to
the High-Level Dialogue and the ECOSOC/BWI/WTO meeting. |
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| World Summit on Sustainable Development | ||
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Through resolution 57/253 on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the GA
officially endorsed the Johannesburg Declaration and the Plan of Implementation (see
NGLS Roundup 96), and decided to adopt
sustainable development as a key element of the overarching framework for UN activities, in particular for achieving the
internationally agreed development goals.
The resolution lays out the next steps to be taken by the UN system that will contribute to implementing WSSD outcomes. Along procedural lines, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) held an organizational meeting on 27 January 2003 and elected Valli Moosa (South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism) as its Bureau Chair. Its eleventh session (CSD-11), scheduled for 28 April - 9 May, will focus on WSSD follow-up and related activities. The Secretary-General has been requested to prepare a report containing proposals on the modalities of the future work of the CSD. Furthermore, the GA encourages the implementation of the partnership initiatives and calls for further discussion within the CSD.
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| Small Island Developing States | ||
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Recognizing the specific challenges of development faced by small island developing States
(SIDS), and taking into account the emphasis given to SIDS in the WSSD's Plan of Implementation, the GA adopted a
resolution (57/262) calling for an international meeting in 2004 on SIDS. This meeting, which will include a high-level
segment, will undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Plan of Action that was adopted at the Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States ten years ago in Barbados. The meeting, which
Mauritius has offered to host, will be preceded by regional preparatory meetings held in the African, Caribbean, and
Pacific regions. CSD-11 will consider its role in the preparatory process for the SIDS review.
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| Macro-economic Issues | ||
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Despite questions over how the plethora of economic and financial agenda items like debt, trade and financial architecture that are already contained in FFD follow-up should be handled, the GA negotiated its traditional set of resolutions on “macro-economic policy questions.”
Trade Paying special attention to the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the WTO’s 4th Ministerial Meeting in Doha, the GA
recognized that trade rules and issues in the post-Doha framework should have a clear development content and expressed
particular concern over the issues of anti-dumping, subsidies and countervailing measures. Other areas of concern included
ensuring that the interpretation and implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPs) was undertaken in a manner supportive of public health, as well as making further progress in the implementation of the
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.
The Assembly also called upon the Secretary-General of UNCTAD to designate independent eminent persons to examine and report
on commodity issues (57/236), including the volatility in commodity prices and declining terms of trade and the impact these
have on the development efforts of commodity-dependent developing countries. The Trade and Development Board will consider this
report at its executive session in 2003, as will the next session of the General Assembly. The Secretary-General of
UNCTAD has
also been requested to report to the General Assembly at its 59th Session in 2004 on world commodity trends and prospects.
Debt Regarding the much debated international debt-work-out mechanism, the GA welcomed its consideration by all relevant
stakeholders, saying its adoption should not preclude emergency financing in times of crisis and should promote fair
burden-sharing, minimize moral hazard and engage debtors and creditors to come together to restructure unsustainable debts
in a timely and efficient manner.
International Financial System and Development
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| Disarmament and International Security | ||
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Stalled global disarmament efforts and the potential use of weapons of mass destruction
(WMDs) by terrorists formed the backdrop for the GA's discussion of disarmament and arms control measures as well as
developments in international security.
Debate in the GA's First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) focused on nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation agreements, as well as multilateral agreements banning the development of other WMDs such as chemical and
biological agents. The creation and consolidation of nuclear-weapon-free zones in several regions of the world was also
considered, as were efforts to limit the use of conventional weapons, particularly the illicit trade in small arms and
light weapons, and anti-personnel landmines. To complement the First Committee's debate, the Department for Disarmament
Affairs (DDA) convened a series of roundtable discussions in October, offering a comprehensive look at such issues as
disarmament and conflict prevention, and the impact of terrorism on disarmament efforts (see
Go-Between 94).
“Despite calls by many countries for strengthening the international disarmament regime in the wake of the terrorist
attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala
observed, “global military spending increased sharply this year, with some 30,000 nuclear weapons still in existence and
nuclear deterrence remaining deeply rooted in the security strategies of a number of States.”
Mr. Dhanapala emphasized that treaty regimes are based on the premise that the world is better off getting rid of all
WMDs, and expressed deep concern about the continued gambling on management techniques to limit their effects or contain
their geographic spread. “It now appears,” he said, “that a crusading zeal against terrorism has been converted into a
fresh rationale not only for the retention of nuclear weapons, but also of new uses for them and the need for research and
development on new types of such weapons.”
Enny Onobu (Nigeria) observed that it was “simply unconscionable” that annual
global military spending was at a staggering US$850 billion in a world where hundreds of millions of people earned less
than US$1 a day. Along with other delegates from the Africa region, Mr. Onobu emphasized the threats posed by the increase
and improvement in WMDs and their delivery systems, as well as the excessive accumulation of conventional arms—particularly
the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the massive deployment of landmines in conflict areas, and international
terrorism.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU), Erling Harild Nielsen (Denmark) stressed the challenges to global
security and stability posed by the growing proliferation of ballistic missiles capable of carrying WMDs. Bruno Stagno
(Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, reaffirmed its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
and announced that the Rio Group (composed of countries from Latin and Central America and some Caribbean countries) had
decided to reduce its spending on defense and focus on education, health, social programmes and the fight against poverty.
A resolution on the new strategic framework (57/68) affirmed that new global challenges and threats required the
building of a qualitatively new foundation for strategic relations between the United States and Russia, and welcomed their
commitment to strategic nuclear warhead reductions in the 2002 Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions. A second
resolution (57/58) called on the two States to initiate negotiations on a verifiable agreement on “significant reductions”
of non-strategic nuclear weapons, reiterating the responsibility of the nuclear weapon States for transparent, verifiable
and irreversible reductions in nuclear weapons leading to nuclear disarmament. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 120
in favour, 3 opposed, and 42 abstaining (120-3-42).
The New Agenda Coalition (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden) submitted a wide-ranging
resolution (57/59) on a nuclear-weapon-free-world. The resolution expressed deep concern that the total number of nuclear
weapons deployed and stockpiled still amounted to thousands, and that there was a continuing possibility that nuclear
weapons could be used. It called for “urgent action” to achieve concrete agreed measures to reduce the operational status
of such weapons systems. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 125-6-35. Those opposed were France, India, Israel,
Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the US. Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, Mary Whelan (Ireland) stressed the need for a
multilateral approach, emphasizing that the fact that terrorists could possess WMDs highlighted the need for their total
elimination.
A series of traditional First Committee texts also stressed the risk of acquisition of nuclear and other WMDs by
terrorists. Among them, a resolution (57/83) sponsored by the United States on compliance with disarmament and arms control
treaties recognized that, in light of the threat of international terrorism, it was especially important that States
Parties comply with arms limitation and disarmament and non-proliferation obligations and commitments.
A resolution on the “path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons” (57/78) called upon States to strengthen their
policies against the transfer of equipment, materials or technology that could contribute to the proliferation of WMDs. The
resolution urged States to maintain the highest standards of security, safe custody, effective control and physical
protection of all materials that could contribute to the proliferation of nuclear and other WMDs, in order to prevent those
materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. It also stressed the importance of further development of verification
capabilities that would be required to provide assurance of compliance with nuclear disarmament agreements.
In addition, the resolution called for: the establishment of an ad hoc committee in the Conference on Disarmament, as
early as possible in 2003, to negotiate a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons; deep
reductions by Russia and the US in their strategic offensive arsenals; and an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon
States, as agreed in the 2000 NPT Review Conference, to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading
to nuclear disarmament.
The resolution also called for further efforts by all the nuclear weapon States to diminish the role of nuclear weapons
in their security policies to minimize the risk that those weapons would ever be used, and to facilitate their total
elimination. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 156-2-13, with India and the US opposed.
On matters specific to international security, the GA's Sixth Committee (Legal) strongly condemned terrorism as criminal
and unjustifiable by a resolution (57/27) that urged its ad hoc committee to urgently continue elaborating a draft
convention on international terrorism at its next meeting in March and April 2003. The resolution also urged the ad hoc
committee to resolve outstanding issues impeding conclusion of an international treaty on nuclear terrorism.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) negotiated a resolution (57/219) on the protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, reiterating the Assembly's position that all the acts, methods
and practices of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever and by whomever they
are committed. The resolution affirms, however, that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies
with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.
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| Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Matters | ||
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The Third Committee adopted 71 resolutions, including
six on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan (57/234), Cambodia (57/225), the Democratic Republic of Congo (57/233), Iraq
(57/232), Myanmar (57/231) and Sudan (57/230), respectively, and nine specific to women's rights and gender issues. Resolutions
on human rights questions included the responsibility of individuals, groups and organs of society to promote and protect human
rights (57/209), regional arrangements for the promotion of human rights (57/210), promotion of a democratic and equitable
international order (57/213), and the right of peoples to self-determination (57/197). Human Rights and Poverty Globalization and Human Rights In an explanation of its members' votes against the resolution, the EU said that it was not convinced that globalization had an impact on all human rights, such as the freedom from torture and the freedom of speech. The EU also cited its disappointment that the resolution did not reflect any of the positive aspects or the complex causal links of globalization. Right to Food “Anyone dying from hunger is dying from murder,” said Jean Zeigler, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, as he addressed the Third Committee. “Hunger is not a question of fate, it is the result of human action or inaction.” He noted that the international community had not, as planned, reduced by half those who went hungry, and stressed that access to land must be recognized as a fundamental element of the right to food and that it must be taken seriously as a policy instrument to reduce hunger and poverty. Mr. Zeigler went on to distinguish “food security,” which he said was a political goal, from the “right to food,” which he termed a universal and indivisible human right that allowed every individual to invoke certain measures to achieve and attain access to adequate nutrition. Human Rights of Migrants A second resolution on the protection of migrants (57/218) was also adopted, which reiterated the need for all States Parties of relevant international conventions to fully protect the universally recognized human rights of migrants, especially women and children, regardless of their legal status, and to treat them humanely, in particular with regard to assistance and protection. Indigenous Peoples The GA adopted resolution (57/191) on the Permanent Forum, which states that following a review of activities and functions to be carried out to implement the Forum's programme of work, the secretariat unit to be established should include six posts—four at the professional level and two at the general service level. The resolution proposes a phased approach for the establishment of the secretariat at an initial cost of US$382,000, as well as a pre-sessional meeting of the Forum in 2003 at a cost of US$30,800. A second resolution (57/193) invites the Secretary-General to establish the post of Special Adviser within the secretariat of the Permanent Forum, in order to provide independent advice and substantive assistance to the secretariat. A third resolution (57/192) concerned the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, requesting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to address the dissemination of information on the situation, cultures, languages, rights and aspirations of indigenous people, and to consider organizing projects, special events, exhibitions and other activities addressed to the public, in particular to young people. During the debate, governments expressed the critical necessity of completing a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people before the end of the Decade in 2004. The Working Group on the Declaration has yet to reach consensus on any articles in the draft, with delegates struggling to find language that supports the legitimate demands of indigenous people and safeguards the interests of countries within which indigenous people live. Racism and Follow-up to the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) The resolution emphasized that poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, and economic disparities are closely associated with racism, racial discrimination and related intolerance, and contribute to the persistence of racist attitudes and practices, which in turn generate more poverty. The text condemns the misuse of print, audio-visual and electronic media or new communication technologies to incite violence motivated by racial hatred and condemns political platforms based on xenophobia or doctrines of racial superiority. During debate on the resolution, several delegations expressed serious concerns about references to the outcome of the Durban World Conference against Racism and its outcome, the Durban Declaration. While they reaffirmed support for the fight against racism and related intolerance, some felt the negotiations at Durban in September 2001 had been “inexcusably marred” by negative references to the Middle East, in particular to Israel. Other delegations believed the Durban Declaration constituted a solid foundation for the fight against racism, and provided a new and balanced blueprint for action. They said that the controversies emerging from the Non-Governmental Forum and the demonstrations outside the Conference must not be used to detract from the international community's focus on the fight against racism. In his address to the Third Committee, Doudou Diene, Special Rapporteur on Measures to Combat Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, said that in addition to his mandate of contributing to the implementation and promotion of all international instruments adopted against racism and xenophobia, he also intended to add another dimension, that of developing an intellectual strategy to get at the deep-rooted causes and motives behind racism and prejudice. “I want to dig deeper,” he said, observing that everyone knew that the international instruments, while thorough, were not enough to change values and attitudes that bred racism and discrimination. He noted that stereotypes and cultural assumptions had unfortunately become entrenched throughout many societies and said that they needed to be discussed openly and combated with vigour. Such a comprehensive approach was necessary, he said, particularly in light of the Durban conference, which he said had examined racism in a holistic way, addressing its historical dimensions—such as slavery—as well as the mental and psychological dimensions of racism. Elimination of All Forms of Religious Intolerance
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| African Development | ||
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The Assembly adopted two resolutions related to the final review and appraisal of the
implementation of the UN New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (NADAF). Resolution 57/2 adopted the UN
Declaration on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Resolution 57/7 endorsed the NEPAD as the policy framework
around which the international community should concentrate its efforts for African development (see
Go Between 94).
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| Transport | ||
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The GA decided (57/242) to convene the International
Ministerial Conference on Transit Transport Cooperation at Almaty (Kazakhstan) from 28-29 August 2003. The Preparatory Committee
will hold two sessions—the first in New York from 23-27 June 2003 and the second at Almaty from 25-27 August 2003.
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| Global Biotechnology Forum | ||
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Chile, through the G-77/China, proposed hosting a
Global Biotechnology Forum in December 2003. The Forum would explore recent technological innovations in the areas of agriculture,
livestock and aquaculture, human health and the environment. The GA took note of this (57/237) and the proposed
multi-stakeholder discussions are to be held under the auspices of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO). The Assembly encouraged Member States to work with UNIDO through regional preparatory meetings and discussions with
the Secretariat on its objectives and outcomes.
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| Human Development Report | ||
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In response to challenges by some developing
countries over the methodologies used in compiling indices for this flagship report, a resolution (57/264) was negotiated and
adopted, which seeks to have the Human Development Report (HDR) more accountable to governments, through greater consultation
during its preparation, while not jeopardizing its independent nature. Through the resolution, the GA recognizes that the HDR
does not reflect the views of the UN nor its Members, and reaffirms that it should be the result of an independent intellectual
exercise and that the policies governing the operational activities for development of the UN system will continue to be set by
Member States.
Member States argued over whether or not the report itself would be brought before the General Assembly. However, it was finally agreed that the new accountability mechanism would be via a report of the Secretary-General through ECOSOC to the GA.
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| IPU Granted Observer Status at the GA | ||
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In November 2002, the GA adopted a resolution on
cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) which granted the IPU observer status and the
exceptional right to circulate its official documents.
President of the IPU Council, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, expressed IPU’s gratitude to the UN and its Member States. “This resolution represents an important milestone in the evolving relationship between the world organization of national parliaments and the United Nations,” he said. “As parliamentarians, we are particularly apt at helping to solve problems by using our personal and parliamentary skills. We are often able to open up channels of communication and build bridges of international understanding when official diplomacy is unable or unwilling to do so. The fundamental notion underlying the exercise of democracy is the respect of the other. Democratic life entails both the right to differ and the acceptance of such difference by all. Parliamentary practice takes those differences and uses them to build majorities and forge agreements; we parliamentarians can therefore help to assemble the national consensus that is necessary for international action,” added Mr. Páez. Contact: IPU Permanent Observer to the UN, Room 3102, 220 East 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/557 5880, fax +1-212/557 3954, e-mail <ny-office@mail.ipu.org>, website (www.ipu.org).
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