General Assembly Session 52 meeting 73

The Acting President

I give the floor to the representative of Luxembourg to introduce draft resolutions A/52/L.45/Rev.1 and A/52/L.57/Rev.1.

Mr. Wolzfeld (Luxembourg)

I have the honour today to introduce two draft resolutions. The first, draft resolution A/52/L.45/Rev.1, deals with the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. In addition to the sponsors already listed on the draft resolution, India and the United States of America have expressed the wish to sponsor the draft.

The security of humanitarian personnel is an aspect of humanitarian assistance that, unfortunately, has moved increasingly to the forefront of current events. The draft resolution before us reflects the deep concern of the international community at the growing number of situations throughout the world in which the security of such personnel is called into question.

In the draft resolution before us, the General Assembly would reaffirm the need to respect the principles and norms of international humanitarian law and would strongly condemn any act or failure to act that obstructs humanitarian personnel or prevents them from discharging their humanitarian functions.

The General Assembly would call upon Governments and parties to conflicts, as well as those in other emergency situations, to ensure humanitarian personnel unhindered access to affected populations and to take all necessary measures so that humanitarian action can take place in a safe environment.

It would also call on States to hold responsible any person committing an act of violence against humanitarian personnel.

Finally, the Assembly would honour the memory of those who have given their lives to assist people in distress and pay tribute to humanitarian personnel for their courage in continuing to perform their functions often in high-risk situations.

The sponsors would like particularly to express their thanks to the Permanent Representative of Austria, Mr. Ernst Sucharipa, for the very effective way in which he conducted the consultations this year and to all the delegations that participated constructively in our informal negotiations on this draft resolution. We hope that the General Assembly will be able to adopt the draft resolution by consensus.

I have the honour to introduce a second draft resolution, A/52/L.57/Rev.1, on behalf of the sponsors listed in the document. India, Indonesia and Norway have also expressed the wish to be sponsors of the draft resolution.

The peace process is a fragile and vulnerable construct. Without economic assistance, the Palestinian people's level of poverty and political frustration would be much higher. The urgent need to give the Palestinian people substantial international assistance that takes into account their own priorities, is increasingly clear.

The sponsors of the draft resolution before us attach particular importance to assistance to the Palestinian people. Mindful of the serious economic difficulties and employment problems that they face, the draft underscores the importance of urgently improving the economic and social infrastructure of the occupied Territory and the living conditions of the Palestinian people.

The draft resolution expresses appreciation to the Secretary-General, to the Member States and to intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations for their activities and efforts to provide assistance to the Palestinian people. In this context, the sponsors stress the importance of the work done by the United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories, as well as the action taken by the Secretary-General to set up a coordinated mechanism for United Nations activities in that area.

The draft resolution, among other things, calls on relevant organizations and agencies of the United Nations system to intensify their assistance in response to the urgent needs of the Palestinian people in accordance with the priorities set forth by the Palestinian Authority, with emphasis on national execution and capacity-building. Member States, for their part, are urged to open their markets to exports from the West Bank and Gaza on the most favourable terms, consistent with appropriate trading rules.

Lastly, the sponsors call upon the donor community to expedite delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people to meet their urgent needs.

The sponsors would like to thank all the delegations that were good enough to participate constructively in the informal negotiations and we hope that the Assembly will be able to adopt the draft resolution by consensus.

The Acting President

(interpretation from Spanish: I call on the representative of Sweden to introduce draft resolution A/52/L.48/Rev.1.

Mr. Dahlgren (Sweden)

I have the honour to introduce the draft resolution entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations", contained in document A/52/L.48/Rev.1.

The short procedural draft resolution before the Assembly responds to the note by the Secretary-General of 8 October 1997, in which he outlined the context of his further reporting to the General Assembly regarding coordination of humanitarian assistance.

In his note the Secretary-General recalled Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/56 of 28 July 1995, in which the Council decided to undertake a review of the capacity of the United Nations to respond to humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.

The Secretary-General also noted the decision by the Economic and Social Council last summer requesting the Secretary-General to present a more comprehensive report on humanitarian assistance to the Council at one of its subsequent sessions.

The operative paragraph of the draft resolution requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, on the further progress by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, chaired by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, in the strengthening of the capacity of the United Nations in humanitarian assistance.

The draft resolution before the Assembly was approved in the informal consultations conducted by Ambassador Sucharipa of Austria, and I hope that it will be adopted by the General Assembly by consensus.

Due to the procedural nature of the draft resolution, no co-sponsorship has been a sought.

Before concluding, I would like to pay special tribute to Mr. Akashi, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and to his staff, as well as to the United Nations agencies involved, for their dedication and unfailing commitment in addressing human suffering caused by emergencies and natural disasters.

The Acting President

I call on the representative of Liberia to introduce draft resolutions A/52/L.14/Rev.2, A/52/L.16/Rev.2 and A/52/L.40/Rev.1, A/52/L.42/Rev.1 and A/52/L.60.

Mr. Bull (Liberia)

In my capacity as Chairman of the African Group for this month, I am pleased to introduce for the unanimous endorsement of the General Assembly five draft resolutions under agenda item 20 (b), on the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance to individual countries or regions.

In draft resolution A/52/L.14/Rev.2, entitled "Special assistance for the economic recovery and reconstruction of the Democratic Republic of the Congo", the Assembly would recognize that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is encountering severe economic and social problems which result from its weak infrastructure and years of mismanagement. It would note that, in spite of the genuine efforts made by the Government, the country still faces some difficulties in sustaining its reconstruction and development programmes. The Assembly would welcome the 4 December 1997 meeting of the "Friends of the Congo", chaired by the World Bank in Brussels, as an important step in establishing dialogue between the Government and the donor community. It would invite Member States, specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations, as well as international development and financial institutions, to assist the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in accordance with its national priorities.

Draft resolution A/52/L.16/Rev.2, entitled "Special assistance to Central African countries receiving refugees", expresses deep concern about the massive flow of refugees, returnees and other displaced persons in Central Africa and welcomes the prospects for the voluntary return, repatriation and reintegration of refugees in safety and dignity and the efforts made to find a durable solution to their plight. It notes that the flow of refugees in Central Africa has a negative social, economic, and ecological impact on the host countries, as well as on the refugees, and expresses gratitude to the host countries for their continued sacrifice in accommodating the refugees. The Assembly would express appreciation to all governmental and non-governmental organizations for the humanitarian, financial and technical assistance provided to refugees and the host countries and would call upon them to assist in restoring basic services destroyed in countries hosting refugees.

In draft resolution A/52/L.40/Rev.1, entitled "Assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Liberia", the Assembly would commend the concerted efforts of the Economic Community of West African States, the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations for helping to restore peace, security and stability in Liberia. It would take note of the presidential and legislative elections which culminated in the installation of a civilian Government on 2 August 1997. It would express gratitude to governmental and non-governmental organizations for their assistance and support for the peace process. The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to mobilize all possible assistance within the United Nations system to assist the Government of Liberia in its reconstruction and development efforts, as well as in organizing a donors' conference early next year for the reconstruction of the country.

Draft resolution A/52/L.42, entitled "Emergency assistance to the Sudan", reflects the developments relating to the implementation of Operation Lifeline Sudan as outlined in the Secretary-General's report contained in document A/52/525. It recognizes the need in emergency situations to address the continuum of relief, rehabilitation and development and stresses the need for Operation Lifeline Sudan to have a tripartite nature -- efficiency, transparency and effectiveness. It takes note of and is encouraged by the signing in April 1997 of the Peace Agreement between the Government of the Sudan and rebel factions for the achievement of peace in that country and encourages further consultation and negotiations between the Government and rebel factions so as to establish durable peace and stability in the Sudan and to facilitate the delivery of relief supplies. The draft resolution further calls on the international community to contribute generously to the emergency needs, recovery and development of the Sudan.

Draft resolution A/52/L.60, entitled "Assistance for humanitarian relief and the economic and social rehabilitation of Somalia", is sponsored by China, India, Kuwait, Lesotho, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The draft resolution is similar to that adopted on this subject during the fifty-first session of the General Assembly, except in those paragraphs dealing with the recent devastating floods that have worsened an already fragile humanitarian situation in some parts of Somalia.

In the draft resolution the General Assembly would appreciate the efforts of the international community in providing assistance to the Somali people and would call upon all Somali parties to seek peaceful means to resolve the ongoing political conflict. Noting with concern the absence of a central authority and the lack of effective civil institutions in the country, the General Assembly would emphasize that the Somali people, particularly at local levels, have primary responsibility for their own development and for the sustainability of rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes. Thus, the draft resolution urges the international community to assist the Somali people at local levels in all those areas where peace and security prevail. In addition, it appeals to the international community to provide emergency disaster relief assistance to those areas which are affected by the recent severe floods.

I commend these draft resolutions to the General Assembly and request their adoption by consensus. I wish also to congratulate the Permanent Representative of Austria, who coordinated the consultations and successful negotiation of the texts.

Finally, I wish to express the African Group's appreciation to all Member States which supported its draft resolution A/52/L.37 entitled "Emergency assistance for the economic recovery and reconstruction of Burundi", consideration of which has been deferred to the resumed session of this Assembly in order to await the outcome of the summit of member States of the Arusha Initiative, which is scheduled to be held in January 1998.

Similarly, I wish to convey the Group's appreciation to all Member States that have supported draft resolution A/52/L.41 entitled "International assistance for the economic rehabilitation of Angola". This draft resolution is still being discussed, and we request its deferral until the resumed session of the General Assembly, as consensus does not exist at this time.

The Acting President

I now give the floor to the representative of Mexico to introduce draft resolution A/52/L.34/Rev.1.