General Assembly Session 50 meeting 67

The Acting President

I call on the representative of Morocco to introduce draft resolution A/50/L.22.

Mr. Zahid (Morocco)

It is an honour and a privilege for Morocco, on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to introduce under item 32 of the agenda of the General Assembly at its fiftieth session, entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference", the draft resolution contained in document A/50/L.22.

May I first of all express my sincere congratulations to the Secretary-General for the excellent and instructive report (A/50/573) he has presented to us under this agenda item. The report, dated 17 October 1995, gives a detailed account of the state of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as requested by the General Assembly in resolution 49/15 of 25 November 1994.

Since the Secretary-General's last report, many activities have been undertaken in the context of this cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC. We can cite as examples the participation of the United Nations and the representative of the Secretary-General at the last Summit meeting, held in Casablanca.

Furthermore, in this context, a coordination meeting of the focal points of the lead agencies of the United Nations system and the OIC was held in Geneva from 19 to 21 June 1995. During that meeting the nine priority areas were studied and relevant agreements were concluded.

The draft resolution I have the honour to introduce today reflects all these developments and is aimed at strengthening this cooperation.

First of all, the draft resolution stresses once again the need to further strengthen the ties of cooperation between the two Organizations in the various areas of common interest. It takes note of the determination of the United Nations and the OIC to strengthen cooperation between them and welcomes the results of the coordination meeting held at Geneva from 19 to 21 June 1995.

In the operative part of the draft resolution, the Assembly notes with satisfaction the active participation of the OIC in the various activities of the United Nations and requests the two Organizations to continue their cooperation, particularly in the political sphere. The General Assembly also encourages the specialized agencies of the United Nations system to continue their cooperation with the OIC in the interests of peace, security and development.

The draft resolution also expresses the Assembly's gratitude to the Secretary-General for his efforts to strengthen this cooperation and recommends the holding of periodic coordination meetings between representatives of the secretariats of the United Nations system and the OIC and its specialized institutions to consider means to ensure the continuation and strengthening of cooperation.

Finally, the General Assembly asks the Secretary-General to report to it on the state of cooperation between the two Organizations at its fifty-first session.

We hope that this draft resolution will receive the support of all members of the Assembly. This will without any doubt contribute to the realization of new progress in the area of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

The Acting President

In accordance with resolution 3369 (XXX), adopted on 10 October 1975, I call on the Observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Mr. Ansay (Organization of the Islamic Conference)

I have the privilege of addressing the General Assembly in the middle of its fiftieth-anniversary session. This is a memorable experience, especially since this session coincides with the twenty-fifth-anniversary year of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the intergovernmental Organization of 51 Islamic States and four observer States which I have the honour to serve and represent here today.

On behalf of the general secretariat of the OIC, I wish to speak on agenda item 32, entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference".

At the outset, I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President and his colleagues in the Bureau on their election to their high offices. At the same time, I wish to join other delegations in paying a richly deserved tribute to His Excellency Mr. Amara Essy of Cote d'Ivoire, the President at the last session, and the other members of the outgoing Bureau for steering the work of the General Assembly so successfully throughout its forty-ninth session.

In our assessment, the report (A/50/573) of the Secretary-General which is before us provides a useful analysis of and informative perspective on the status of cooperation between our two Organizations and between our respective specialized agencies and institutions in many areas of common interest in the year 1995. It amply reflects the leadership of His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in directing the United Nations system in the implementation of resolution 49/15 of 25 November 1994, which called for continued cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in their common search for solutions to global problems relating to international peace and security, disarmament, self-determination, decolonization, fundamental human rights, economic development and technical cooperation. I should like to seize this opportunity to convey to the President of the General Assembly -- and, through him, to the Secretary-General and the executive heads of the various United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies -- the satisfaction and sincere thanks of the Secretary-General of the OIC, Mr. Hamid Algabid, and of the executive heads of our several specialized and affiliated institutions for their unstinting cooperation in pursuing this common endeavour with success throughout the past year.

It was particularly encouraging to note that besides continuing to expand our mutual cooperation in several economic, social and humanitarian sectors, which goes back about 20 years, serious impetus has been given to the aspect of the Assembly's resolution 49/15 which called for strengthening cooperation between our two Organizations in the political field. This is indeed timely, and it is responsive to some of the priority concerns of our member States, all of which, are also Members of the United Nations and are represented here today. In saying this, I have in mind the preoccupation of our two Organizations with some serious political issues being faced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Tajikistan, Cyprus, Somalia and other places that are enduring the effects of formidable human conflicts.

The report of the Secretary-General includes, among other things, the recommendations of the meeting of the focal points of the lead agencies of the United Nations system and of the OIC system, held in Geneva in June this year to review the progress in the implementation of our programmes of cooperation in nine ongoing mutually identified priority areas: the development of science and technology; trade and development; technical cooperation; assistance to refugees; food security and agriculture; education and eradication of illiteracy; investment mechanisms and joint ventures; human resources development; and environment. The eight recommendations flowing from that review, which are included in the report of the Secretary-General, are self-explanatory and merit our collective support. I shall, however, take the liberty of commenting upon two of them, as they appear to be central to the success of these cooperative endeavours.

I shall first comment on the recommendation made in paragraph 15(c) requiring our cooperation to be concentrated as much as possible in the implementation of those priority programmes and projects that have already been approved by the respective governing bodies, with the corresponding resources having been earmarked for the biennium. This is a prudent recommendation, for once the objectives and validity of the programmes have been determined and financing has been secured, the comparative advantage of joint United Nations/OIC activity in the formulation and implementation of the approved programmes, utilizing the inputs that can be mobilized from our member States would justify our cooperation. This would avoid uncertainty about the availability of additional resources and utilize the established programming framework, which would save time and effort and curtail the risks of duplicating the process. For these reasons we would wholeheartedly support this recommendation. The recommendation made in paragraph 15(e), which compliments the one I have just commented upon, also has our strong support.

At this stage in my statement I should like to refer to the annual coordination meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the OIC, held here on 3 October 1995 to discuss the agenda of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly -- especially those items that were of interest or concern to the OIC.

I should also like to report on the successful meeting of the Secretaries-General of our two Organizations, which took place here on 4 October 1995, the day following the annual coordination meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs, to exchange views on important issues of interest to both Organizations. This was followed by a senior officials meeting of the secretariats of the two Organizations in which the OIC delegation was led by its Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, while the United Nations Secretariat's delegation was headed by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. At that meeting the principles and modalities of cooperation between the two Organizations in fields of common interest were examined in detail and depth, including legislative and administrative aspects and, especially, the financial implications that those entailed. In the interest of fostering better understanding, and with a view to identifying and tackling unforeseen impediments to our cooperation in a timely manner, it was agreed that closer contacts and more regular meetings between the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and the Permanent Observer Mission of the OIC would henceforth be effected. I am happy to report and put on record that these meetings, the most recent of which was held here at Headquarters only this morning, are indeed proving to be very fruitful. The importance attributed by the OIC to cooperation with the United Nations was also reiterated in no uncertain terms by the OIC Secretary-General, when Mr. Algabid addressed the Special Commemorative Meeting of the General Assembly last month on the occasion of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of Morocco, acting in his capacity as representative of the Chairman of the Islamic Group, has eloquently introduced the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which is before the Assembly in document A/50/L.22, dated 16 November 1995. I would like to take the liberty of drawing representatives' attention briefly to three of the 16 operative paragraphs it contains, because of their significance.

First, I wish to refer to operative paragraph 6, concerning the strengthening of cooperation between our two Organizations in the political field, which I referred to a little while ago.

Secondly, I wish to refer to operative paragraph 9, which urges the organizations of the United Nations System, especially the lead agencies -- the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (DPCSD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) -- to provide increased technical and other assistance to the OIC and its specialized agencies in order to enhance cooperation. Such assistance has turned out to be mutually useful, and the experience now calls for an intensification of this exercise.

Thirdly, I wish to refer to operative paragraph 13, which, on the basis of past experience, makes a very pertinent and cost-effective recommendation. It calls for a change in the timetable of our meetings so that the coordination meetings of the focal points of the two Organizations are held concurrently with the general meeting of the two secretariats and not in alternate years, as is being done now.

Recognizing that none of the operative paragraphs contained in the draft resolution involves any additional financial implications, I am confident that it will have the unanimous approval of the membership of the General Assembly.

In my final words, I would like to reiterate what I stated before this Assembly at its forty-ninth session: the OIC derives its inspiration from the eternal and noble message of Islam, and its foundations are predicated on the principles of peace, harmony, tolerance, equality and justice for all. Our cooperation with the United Nations in the service of our common member States will be guided by these principles as we continue our collective journey to peace, prosperity and progress.

The Acting President

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/50/L.22.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/50/L.22 without a vote?

The Acting President

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 32?