General Assembly Session 52 meeting 52

The President

This morning, I first draw the attention of representatives to the second report of the General Committee, which is contained in document A/52/250/Add.1, concerning a request by Guyana and Jamaica for the inclusion in the agenda of an additional item entitled "Admission of the International Seabed Authority to membership in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund".

In paragraph 2 of the report, the General Committee decided to recommend to the General Assembly that the item entitled "Admission of the International Seabed Authority to membership in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund" be included in the agenda of the current session.

May I take it that the General Assembly decides to include this additional item in the agenda of the current session?

The President

The General Committee further decided to recommend to the General Assembly that the additional item be allocated to the Fifth Committee.

May I take it that the General Assembly decides to allocate this item to the Fifth Committee?

The President

The Chairman of the Fifth Committee will be informed of the decision just taken.

The President

The General Assembly will now turn to the election of 19 members of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law to replace those members whose term of office expires on 31 May 1998.

The 19 outgoing members are Argentina, Austria, Chile, Ecuador, Hungary, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, the Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, the United States of America and Uruguay. Those members are eligible for immediate re-election.

I should like to remind members that, as of l June 1998, the following States will continue to be represented on the Commission: Algeria, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Singapore and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Therefore, those 17 States are not eligible for election, since they are members of the Commission.

In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, the election shall be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations.

However, I wish to recall paragraph 16 of General Assembly decision 34/401, whereby the practice of dispensing with the secret ballot for elections to subsidiary organs when the number of candidates corresponds to the number of seats to be filled should become standard, unless a delegation specifically requests a vote on a given election.

In the absence of such a request, may I take it that the Assembly decides to proceed to the election on that basis?

The President

Regarding candidatures, I have been informed by the Chairmen of the respective regional groups that, for the four vacant seats from among the African States, the four endorsed candidates are Burkina Faso, Kenya, the Sudan and Uganda.

From among the Asian States, the four endorsed candidates for four seats are Fiji, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Thailand.

From among the Eastern European States, there are four candidates for three seats. The candidates are the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania.

As for the four seats from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, the endorsed candidates are Colombia, Honduras and Paraguay. The group has also endorsed Argentina and Uruguay for the fourth seat on the understanding that Argentina and Uruguay will alternate representation on an annual basis, starting with Argentina. This arrangement is within the power of the General Assembly, which established the Commission and determined its composition by General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966.

For the four seats from among the Western European and other States, there are five candidates, namely, Austria, Greece, Italy, Spain and the United States of America.

Since the number of candidates endorsed by the African States, the Asian States and the Latin American and Caribbean States, with Argentina and Uruguay alternating on an annual basis, corresponds to the number of seats to be filled in each group, may I therefore declare those candidates elected for a six-year term beginning on l June 1998, bearing in mind that Argentina and Uruguay will alternate representation on an annual basis, starting with Argentina?

The President

With regard to the Eastern European States and the Western European and other States, the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacancies allocated to those regions. Therefore, the Assembly will proceed to a vote by secret ballot to elect three members from the Eastern European States and four members from the Western European and other States.

I should like to inform the Assembly that the number of candidates not exceeding the number of seats to be filled, receiving the greatest number of votes and not less than the majority required, will be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote for a remaining seat, there will be a restricted ballot limited to those candidates which have obtained an equal number of votes.

May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to that procedure?

The President

Ballot papers marked "C" and "E" will now be distributed. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers and to write on them the names of the three States from among the Eastern European States and the names of the four States from among the Western European and other States for which they want to vote.

A ballot paper containing more names from the relevant region than the number of seats assigned to it will be declared invalid. Names of Member States on a ballot paper which do not belong to that region shall not be counted.

The President

The result of the voting is as follows:

Group C -- Eastern European States

Number of ballot papers: 164 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 164 Abstentions: 2 Number of members voting: 162 Required majority: 82 Number of votes obtained: Lithuania 133 Hungary 111 Romania 110 Czech Republic 106 Ukraine 2 Slovakia 1

Group E -- Western European and other States

Number of ballot papers: 164 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 164 Abstentions: 1 Number of Members voting: 163 Required majority: 82 Number of votes obtained: Italy 140 Spain 138 Austria 136 United States 115 Greece 96

The President

The following 18 States are therefore elected members of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law for a six-year term beginning on 1 June 1998: Austria, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Fiji, Honduras, Hungary, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Paraguay, Romania, Spain, the Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and the United States of America.

Argentina and Uruguay were elected to alternate representation on an annual basis, starting with Argentina.

I congratulate the States which have been elected members of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and I thank the tellers for their assistance in this election. And I apologize for the long delay in counting the votes.

This concludes our consideration of sub-item (c) of agenda item 16.

The President

I call on the representative of Zimbabwe to introduce draft resolution A/52/L.8.

Mr. Mapuranga (Zimbabwe)

This morning I shall be wearing two caps as I address the General Assembly on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). In the first part of my statement, I shall be introducing the draft resolution on United Nations/OAU cooperation, and I shall do so on behalf of member States of the OAU. In the second part of my statement, I shall be speaking as Head of the delegation of Zimbabwe, and I shall signal to the Assembly when I make the transition.

It is my honour, as the representative of the current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, His Excellency Mr. Robert Gabriel Mugabe, to introduce draft resolution A/52/L.8 on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, a relationship which has spanned three decades. This cooperation has involved the United Nations Secretariat and the various specialized agencies of the United Nations system.

The establishment of an OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and the determination of the organization to become proactive, especially in the areas of preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution and post-conflict peace-building, has made that cooperation not only more important but more urgent in terms of achieving the desired objectives.

The manifested desire of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, to strengthen that cooperation has resulted in intensive and extensive consultations, exchange of information and periodic meetings between him and the Secretary-General of the OAU, Salim Ahmed Salim. They have for the first time agreed to institutionalize their meetings and to meet alternately in Africa, when the OAU summit convenes, and in New York during the annual session of the General Assembly.

This draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity is being submitted in the wake of two important events that took place, first in Harare, Zimbabwe, in June this year, and here at the United Nations on 25 September this year, when the Security Council met in a special meeting at the ministerial level. At each of those meetings, the Chairman of the OAU spoke on behalf of the people of Africa about the issues of democratization, peace and security and, most importantly, development.

The draft resolution before the Assembly outlines both the political and economic challenges facing Africa and the urgent need for the international community to respond in practical terms and in the spirit of the appeal the Secretary-General of the United Nations made before the special meeting of the Security Council, when he said:

"We -- and I speak not only of this Council but of the United Nations and the international community generally -- must respond promptly and effectively to Africa's call. We must do so with specific measures and clear proposals for action." [S/PV.3819, p. 5].

The draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity outlines specific measures and clear proposals that require urgent action on the part of the United Nations Secretariat in particular and the international community in general.

It would be remiss of the OAU not to express its appreciation for the generous support and assistance that it has so far received from a number of countries and international organizations.

I conclude with the words of the United Nations Secretary-General himself, when he said in relation to Africa during the ministerial meeting of the Security Council:

"We have dissected and debated Africa, and studied and summarized its challenges, for decades. Now is the time for action." [supra, p. 5]

I therefore have the honour to submit draft resolution A/52/L.8 for consideration and adoption by the General Assembly.

It is now my wish to make a few remarks on behalf of the delegation of Zimbabwe. Let me express my delegation's deepest appreciation to the Secretary-General for his report on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (A/52/374). My delegation welcomes this report, as it demonstrates the practical working relationship between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity in such areas as exchange of information, peace and security, and economic and social development.

This debate comes at an opportune time, when cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, a cooperation which was born 32 years ago,1 in 1965, has substantially expanded in scope. Not only has the OAU been actively involved in the work of strengthening cooperation and unity among African countries, it has also made considerable contributions to the work of the United Nations, particularly in the sphere of the maintenance of peace and security, in line with the provisions of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter on the role of regional organizations.

The past year has been eventful in Africa's social, economic and political spheres. Africa's political successes in the area of decolonization have been tarnished by the prevalence of insecurity and civil strife in some parts of the continent. Fighting has been going on in varying degrees in Sudan, in Somalia and in the Great Lakes region. Zimbabwe welcomes efforts to promote peace through regional organizations as well as through good-neighbourliness. The OAU mechanism for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict was created in 1993 to serve this purpose. We count on the continued support of the United Nations, particularly in technical, logistical and material terms, to ensure that these regional arrangements are strengthened and sustained. My delegation welcomes the initiative of the United Nations to train and familiarize staff from the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security and the OAU Conflict Prevention Division with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs.

It is our belief that cooperation between the two organizations should go beyond peace and security. The thirty-third session of the OAU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which my country hosted, convened the inaugural session of the African Economic Community. Cooperation between the United Nations and subregional economic groupings such as SADC, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) should be established, and, where they exist, should be strengthened. My delegation is of the hope that such efforts will continue to enjoy the tangible support of the international community and the United Nations system as a whole.

My delegation is convinced that the United Nations Special Initiative on Africa, if scrupulously implemented, could help create an enabling environment for the much needed economic growth and prosperity of the African continent. It should further strengthen ongoing efforts by the United Nations and the OAU towards eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

Finally, cooperation between the OAU and the United Nations should buttress the resolve of African countries to overcome the present obstacles and to launch the continent on the path of economic recovery and growth. The Africa of the mass media has been one of monumental human tragedy, but today we are witnessing an African renaissance which needs to be supported by the United Nations and by the entire international community.

Mr. Wolzfeld (Luxembourg)

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