| Date | 21 December 2001 |
|---|---|
| Started | 10:00 |
| Ended | 13:15 |
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Reports of the Second Committee
The President
The General Assembly will consider the reports of the Second Committee on agenda items 95 to 107 and 12. I request the Rapporteur of the Second Committee, Ms. Jana Simonová of the Czech Republic, to introduce the reports of the Second Committee in one intervention.
Ms. Simonová (Czech Republic)
I have the honour to present for the Assembly's consideration the following reports of the Second Committee on the agenda items allocated to it by the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session.
Under agenda item 12, entitled "Report of the Economic and Social Council", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 23 of document A/56/571, the adoption of three draft resolutions and, in paragraph 24, the adoption of three draft decisions.
Agenda item 95 is entitled "Macroeconomic policy questions". Under sub-item (a), "Trade and development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 18 of document A/56/558/Add.1, the adoption of three draft resolutions.
Under sub-item (b), entitled "International financial system and development", the Second Committee, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/558/Add.2, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (c), entitled "Science and technology for development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 12 of document A/56/558/Add.3, the adoption of two draft resolutions.
Under sub-item (d), entitled "External debt crisis and development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/558/Add.4, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 96, entitled "Sectoral policy questions", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 16 of document A/56/559, the adoption of three draft resolutions.
Agenda item 97 is entitled "Sustainable development and international economic cooperation". Under sub-item (a), entitled "Women in development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/560/Add.1, the adoption of one draft resolution. Members should note that the report refers to "women and development", whereas it should read "women in development".
Under sub-item (b), entitled "Human resources development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/560/Add.2, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (c), entitled "High-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 7 of document A/56/560/Add.3, the adoption of one draft resolution and, in paragraph 8, the adoption of one draft decision.
Under sub-item (d), entitled "Implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 5 of document A/56/560/Add.4, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 97, entitled "Sustainable development and international economic cooperation", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 3 of document A/56/560/Add.5, the adoption of one draft decision.
Agenda item 98 is entitled "Environment and sustainable development". Under sub-item (a), entitled "Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 10 of document A/56/561/Add.1, the adoption of one draft resolution and, in paragraph 11, the adoption of one draft decision. With regard to this document, I would like to point out that the United States made a statement before the adoption of the draft resolution and that the text of paragraph 7 of the report should therefore be corrected by inserting the name of the United States of America before that of Belgium.
Under sub-item (b), entitled "International strategy for disaster reduction", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 10 of document A/56/561/Add.2, the adoption of two draft resolutions.
Under sub-item (c), entitled "Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 9 of document A/56/561/Add.3, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (d), entitled "Convention on Biological Diversity", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/561/Add.4, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (e), entitled "Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/561/Add.5, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (f), entitled "Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 9 of document A/56/561/Add.6, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (g), entitled "Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/561/Add.7, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 98, entitled "Environment and sustainable development, the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 12 of document A/56/561/Add.8, the adoption of two draft resolutions and, in paragraph 13, the adoption of one draft decision.
Agenda item 99 is entitled "Operational activities for development". Under sub-item (a), entitled "Triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/56/562/Add.1, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under sub-item (b), entitled "Economic and technical cooperation among developing countries", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 11 of document A/56/562/Add.2, the adoption of one draft resolution and, in paragraph 12, the adoption of one draft decision.
Under agenda item 100, entitled "International migration and development, including the question of the convening of a United Nations conference on international migration and development to address migration issues", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 9 of document A/56/563, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 101, entitled "Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 10 of document A/56/564, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 102, entitled "Implementation of the Habitat Agenda and outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on this topic", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 16 of document A/56/565, the adoption of two draft resolutions.
Under agenda item 103, entitled "Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 10 of document A/56/566, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 104, entitled "Training and research", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 11 of document A/56/567, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 105, entitled "Globalization and interdependence", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 9 of document A/56/568, the adoption of one draft resolution.
Under agenda item 106, entitled "Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 12 of document A/56/569, the adoption of one draft resolution and, in paragraph 13, the adoption of one draft decision.
Under agenda item 107, entitled "High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development", the Second Committee recommends, in paragraph 14 of document A/56/570, the adoption of one draft resolution and, in paragraph 15, the adoption of two draft decisions.
Before I conclude, may I take this opportunity to thank most sincerely our Chairman, Mr. Francisco Seixas da Costa, Permanent Representative of Portugal, for his excellent leadership, as well as the Vice Chairman, Mr. Garfield Barnwell of Guyana; Mr. Dharmansjah Djumala of Indonesia; and Mr. Felix Mbayu of Cameroon for their extraordinary collaboration and partnership during this most successful Second Committee.
On behalf of the Bureau, let me express our high appreciation to all facilitators and delegations who actively participated in negotiations and contributed to the efficient and timely completion of the work of the Second Committee.
Finally, may I also thank the Secretariat, particularly Ms. Peggy Kelley and her team, but also all others who provided their outstanding assistance to me and all other members of the Bureau.
The President
If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Second Committee which are before the Assembly today.
The President
Statements will therefore be limited to explanation of vote.
The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Second Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records.
May I remind members that under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that
"When the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation's vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee."
May I remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Second Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Second Committee. This means that where recorded votes were taken, we will do the same, unless the Secretariat has been notified otherwise in advance.
I should also hope that we may proceed to adopt without a vote the recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Second Committee.
The President
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to take note of the report of the Second Committee contained in document A/56/558?
The President
The Assembly will take a decision on the three draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 18 of its report.
The Assembly will turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "International trade and development".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
Draft resolution II is entitled "Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries".
| favour |
| against |
| abstain |
| absent |
Draft resolution II was adopted by 100 votes to 1, with 46 abstentions (resolution 56/179).
favour=100 against=1 abstain=46 absent=43
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
The President
Draft resolution III is entitled "Specific actions related to the particular needs and problems of landlocked developing countries".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution III. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 95?
(b) International financial system and development
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/558/Add.2)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The draft resolution is entitled, "Towards a strengthened and stable international financial architecture responsive to the priorities of growth and development, especially in developing countries, and to the promotion of economic and social equity".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 95?
(c) Science and technology for development
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/558/Add.3)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 12 of its report.
The Assembly will turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "Science and technology for development".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
Draft resolution II is entitled "World Summit on the Information Society".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (c) of agenda item 95?
(d) External debt crisis and development
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/558/Add.4)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The draft resolution is entitled "Enhancing international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problems of developing countries".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (d) of agenda item 95?
The President
The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 95 as a whole.
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the three draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 16 of its report.
We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "Business and development".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
Draft resolution II is entitled "Preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of funds of illicit origin and returning such funds to the countries of origin".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
Draft resolution III is entitled "Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa, (1993-2002)".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution III. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 96.
Agenda item 97
Sustainable development and international economic cooperation
Reports of the Second Committee (A/56/560 and Add.5)
The President
We turn first to the report of the Second Committee contained in document A/56/560.
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to take note of the report of the Second Committee contained in document A/56/560?
The President
We now turn to the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 3 of its report contained in document A/56/560/Add.5.
The draft decision is entitled "Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 51/172".
May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 97.
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 97?
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 97?
(c) High-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/560/Add.3)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 7 of its report, and on the draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of the same report.
We turn first to the draft resolution, entitled "High-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership". The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
We now turn to the draft decision, entitled "Summary by the President of the General Assembly of the high-level dialogue on the theme 'Responding to globalization: facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy in the twenty-first century'".
May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the decision?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (c) of agenda item 97?
(d) Implementation of the commitments and policies agreed upon in the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade
Report of the Second Committee (A/54/560/Add.4)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 5 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution, entitled "Implementation of the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, and implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade". May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (d) of agenda item 97?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 97 as a whole.
Agenda item 98
Environment and sustainable development
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561 and Add.8)
The President
We turn first to the report of the Second Committee contained in document A/56/561.
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to take note of the report of the Second Committee contained in document A/56/561?
The President
We now turn to the two draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 12 of its report contained in document A/56/561/Add.8, and to the draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 13 of the same report.
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I, entitled "Status of preparations for the International Year of Freshwater, 2003". May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II, entitled "Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-first session". May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
We next turn to the draft decision, entitled "Report of the Secretary-General on products harmful to health and the environment".
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 98.
Agenda item 98 (continued)
(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.1)
The President
The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 10 of its report and a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 11 of the same report.
I should like to inform members that action on the draft resolution is postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will take action on the draft resolution as soon as the report of the Fifth Committee on its programme budget implications is available.
We now turn to the draft decision, entitled "Documents relating to the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21".
May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 98.
(b) International strategy for disaster reduction
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.2)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 10 of its report.
We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II, entitled "International Strategy for Disaster Reduction". May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 98?
(c) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa
Report of the Second Committee (A/54/561/Add.3)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 9 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (c) of agenda item 98?
(d) Convention on Biological Diversity
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.4)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (d) of agenda item 98?
(e) Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.5)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The draft resolution is entitled "Further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (e) of agenda item 98?
(f) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.6)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 9 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (f) of agenda item 98?
(g) Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/561/Add.7)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (g) of agenda item 98?
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The draft decision is entitled "Report on the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women". May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 99.
(a) Triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/562/Add.1)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 6 of its report.
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 99?
(b) Economic and technical cooperation among developing countries
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/562/Add.2)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 11 of its report and on the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 12 of the same report.
We turn first to the draft resolution, entitled "Economic and technical cooperation among developing countries".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The President
We shall now turn to the draft decision entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community".
The Second Committee adopted the draft decision. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 99?
The President
The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 99 as a whole.
Agenda item 100
International migration and development, including the question of the convening of a United Nations conference on international migration and development to address migration issues
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/563)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 9 of its report.
The draft resolution is entitled "International migration and development".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take that it is the wish of the Assembly to do the same?
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 100?
Agenda item 101
Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/564)
The President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 10 of its report.
| favour |
| against |
| abstain |
| absent |
The draft resolution was adopted by 148 votes to 4, with 4 abstentions (resolution 56/204).
favour=148 against=4 abstain=4 absent=34
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
The President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 101?
Agenda item 102
Implementation of the Habitat Agenda and outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on this topic
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/565)
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 16 of its report.
We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "Special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
Draft resolution II is entitled "Strengthening the mandate and status of the Commission on Human Settlements and the status, role and functions of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 102.
Agenda item 103
Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/566)
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 10 of its report.
The draft resolution is entitled "Implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), including the proposal to establish a world solidarity fund for poverty eradication".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 103?
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 11 of its report. The draft resolution is entitled "United Nations Institute for Training and Research".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The Acting President
I call on the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on behalf of the Group of 77, to make an explanation of position on the resolution just adopted.
Mr. Tootoonchian (Iran)
On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I wish to make a few pertinent comments on agenda item 104 as it relates to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the resolution just adopted.
We wish to recall that, in his report in document A/56/615, the Secretary-General informed the General Assembly that he could not, as the Assembly had requested of him in resolution 55/208 of 20 December 2000, reclassify the rental rates and maintenance costs charged to UNITAR with a view to alleviating the Institute's financial difficulties, which are aggravated by the current practice of charging commercial rates, taking into account that other organizations affiliated with the United Nations enjoy such privileges. In effect, the Secretary-General advised that only the General Assembly has the authority to do such reclassification.
The General Assembly, in fact, has not done any such reclassification yet. The financial situation of UNITAR with respect to its General Fund remains very poor, considering the fact that the Institute receives no subsidy from the United Nations regular budget and that it provides its training programmes free of charge. Until such a desirable remedial measure is taken -- and my Group hopes that it will be sooner than later -- it is pertinent to observe that our Assembly this year is requesting the Secretary-General to clarify the reason why the Institute does not benefit from rental rates and maintenance costs similar to those enjoyed by other United Nations-affiliated organizations and to submit proposals on how to waive or reduce the rental rates and maintenance costs charged to the Institute. The resolution also calls on the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its next session, including details on the status of contributions to, and the financial situation of, the Institute, as well as on the use of its services by Member States.
The Group of 77 and China supported and joined in the consensus on this resolution. That was on the basis of our understanding that any demand that UNITAR meet its financial obligations on rent and maintenance costs at commercial rates would be made upon the completion of full consideration of the aforementioned details, to be made available by the next session, as requested, thus enabling the General Assembly to reach a decision that will impact positively on the financial situation of UNITAR and allow it to continue its good work.
The Acting President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 104?
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 9 of its report. The draft resolution is entitled "Role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 105?
Agenda item 106
Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/569)
The Acting President
The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 12 of its report and a draft decision recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 13 of the same report.
I should like to inform members that action on the draft resolution is postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will take action on the draft resolution as soon as the report of the Fifth Committee on its programme budget implications is available.
We turn to the draft decision, entitled "Documents relating to the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries".
May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Second Committee?
The Acting President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 106.
Agenda item 107
High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development
Report of the Second Committee (A/56/570)
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 14 of its report and on two draft decisions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 15 of the same report.
The Assembly will turn first to the draft resolution, entitled "International Conference on Financing for Development".
The Second Committee adopted the draft resolution. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
We turn now to the two draft decisions.
Draft decision I is entitled "Format of the International Conference on Financing for Development".
The Second Committee adopted draft decision I. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
Draft decision II is entitled "Provisional rules of procedure for the International Conference on Financing for Development".
The Second Committee adopted draft decision II. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision?
The Acting President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 107.
The Acting President
The Assembly will now take a decision on the three draft resolutions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 23 of its report and on the three draft decisions recommended by the Second Committee in paragraph 24 of the same report.
I should like to inform members that action on draft decision I is postponed to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will take action on draft decision I as soon as the report of the Fifth Committee on its programme budget implications is available.
The Assembly will turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "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".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution I. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
Draft resolution II is entitled "Global Code of Ethics for Tourism".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution II. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
Draft resolution III is entitled "Public administration and development".
The Second Committee adopted draft resolution III. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The Acting President
We next turn to the draft decisions.
As announced earlier, action on draft decision I is postponed.
Draft decision II is entitled "Documents relating to the report of the Economic and Social Council".
May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to adopt draft decision II?
The Acting President
The Second Committee adopted draft decision III, entitled "Biennial programme of work of the Second Committee for 2002-2003". May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to do likewise?
The Acting President
The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 12.
Agenda item 32
Multilingualism
Report of the Secretary-General (A/56/656)
Draft resolution (A/56/L.44/Rev.1)
The Acting President
I give the floor to the representative of France to introduce draft resolution A/56/L.44/Rev.1.
Mr. Levitte (France)
We are about to begin an important, even essential, debate regarding the life of the Organization.
This is the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, a dialogue of cultures. We had an impassioned debate on this subject that reflects what this house should be -- the family of all nations united. Naturally, the vehicle for this dialogue is language -- that is, our languages.
This is an issue that must bring us together. It would, indeed, be paradoxical and unfortunate if the dialogue among cultures were to be carried out in our respective languages while we remained divided with regard to those languages.
We are approaching this debate with a straightforward idea in mind: that the diversity of our cultures and languages is a great asset for humankind. Language is, for each individual, the most important asset, which is passed to him through education. For humankind, linguistic diversity is a source of enrichment that must be preserved. For the United Nations, cultural and linguistic diversity are benefits, and it is our duty to ensure that the rules of the game are duly respected.
We approached this debate and the elaboration of the draft resolution with the desire to better understand the problems that confront us all in a spirit of mutual respect. We are deeply convinced that on this particular issue we must maintain real consensus. Languages should bring us closer together, not divide us.
In this spirit, we have already made one request for the postponement of action on the draft resolution because, when discussing the issue with delegations, we gained the impression that we had not yet reached true consensus. Since we made that request, we have contacted all delegations concerned so as to listen to their comments and consider their problems.
The first problem arises with regard to recruitment here and in other institutions within the United Nations family. In this respect, there are basically three groups of countries that face very different problems. Each problem should be duly considered, and each group of countries should take note of the difficulties faced by others.
The first group of countries facing problems is represented here by, for example, Japan -- I would like to pay tribute Ambassador Yukio Satoh, and I thank him for his understanding -- as well as by Germany, Korea and Thailand, among others. These are great countries that speak languages that are not considered official languages of the United Nations. It is essential that we appreciate the specific problems faced by these countries, whose young people, full of enthusiasm and eager to serve the United Nations, cannot rely on their mother tongue in order to be recruited into the United Nations family. We should be mindful of their problems.
The second group is made up of all of those countries from the South that have a mother tongue and a language of communication. India is one such country -- and I should like to pay tribute to the representative of India, who is here in the Hall. It is a country that has many mother tongues, as well as a language of communication -- English. This situation also applies to Nigeria, South Africa and other countries. We should try to understand their problem, which is quite straightforward. Their universities do not have the financial means to teach -- over and above the mother tongue -- a language of communication other than English at that level. We should try to understand that.
The third category of countries facing problems is made up of those whose mother tongue is not one of the official languages of the United Nations and whose language of communication is not English, but one of the other official languages. Such difficulties would be faced, for example, by a young Bolivian national whose mother tongue was Quechua but whose language of communication was Spanish. This situation applies to a number of countries in Latin America, the Arab world and from French-speaking countries. Senegal, for example, has a mother tongue and a language of communication, which is French.
Given this very diverse background, we tried to draw up a paragraph in the draft resolution that could take into account the concerns of the various groups. I hope and believe that we managed to achieve this. I would like to read out the form of words that we came up with after lengthy consultations with the various groups.
Paragraph 5 of the draft resolution in A/56/L.44/Rev.1 reads as follows:
"Urges the Secretariat, when recruiting staff, to take into account the knowledge of an official language of the United Nations, in addition to the language of general parlance within the country of the candidates or their mother tongue, whether or not the latter is an official language of the United Nations".
The language of the paragraph might seem a little complicated, but it is designed is to meet the concerns of all the countries Members of the United Nations family, and I believe that it does so. Of course, this is an important issue, because when recruiting young generations into the Secretariat and United Nations agencies, it is important that the concerns of the 189 Member States be taken into account.
A second issue which deserved in-depth discussion concerned the promotion of staff members once they had been recruited by the Secretariat. Paragraph 4 of the draft resolution deals with that matter. It refers specifically to Article 101 of the Charter, and I believe that it is important to underscore that the only criteria governing promotion should be competence, efficiency and professional skills, with, as the Charter states in Article 101, due account being taken of equitable geographic distribution. At the same time, in order to work in accordance with the spirit of the Charter, I believe it is essential to encourage Secretariat staff to learn a language additional to the official United Nations language that they already speak when they are recruited. That is the spirit of paragraph 4 of the draft resolution.
There are also a number of issues that are of growing concern to many delegations in their daily lives: the problem of interpretation in conferences and meetings, and the problem of the time it takes to translate documents into the official languages. These problems are purely organizational in nature, and I believe that the General Assembly should encourage the Secretariat to organize itself better so that interpretation and translation services can be carried out more efficiently and translations produced more quickly.
One could argue that all this costs money. We have verified this with the Secretariat and it has said no, that this is a draft resolution without budgetary implications. The Secretariat stands ready to confirm this. The fact is that, whether it is done sooner or done later, translating a document always involves cost. We are simply asking the Secretariat to organize itself so that translations into the official languages are available more quickly.
We worked at length with the various delegations on the basis of the excellent report prepared by the Secretary-General on this important issue. The Secretary-General has appointed a new Coordinator for Multilingualism, namely, our friend Miles Stoby. We believe this is a very good starting point to making further progress. However, the 101 sponsors of the draft resolution -- France is the one-hundred and second sponsor -- realized that we had not yet achieved complete consensus on this subject.
Some have said that the budgetary implications of the draft resolution had to be reviewed. Fine, let us do so. Others have said that some of the wording had to be reviewed by their capitals. Let us take the time to do that. Therefore, in the spirit of patient dialogue to achieve a genuine consensus decision on the issue of language diversity -- a topic that should never divide us but, rather, should bring us closer together -- France, with the agreement of the 101 other sponsors, suggests that we not take a decision on the draft resolution today and that we put off its adoption to a date to be determined when the Assembly reconvenes next year, so that we can adopt it unanimously and with full understanding of the issue. We believe that, on this issue, we all have to be clear as to what we want to achieve, and then decide together to act in unison. We therefore suggest that there be a postponement on a decision on this draft resolution until we reconvene, at the beginning of next year, with a genuine consensus.
Mr. Chandra (India)
It is sad, but fitting, that we take up this agenda item on multilingualism on a day when we have learned of the death of President Léopold Senghor of Senegal, because no one understood better than he did what true multilingualism meant and the need to cultivate a knowledge of languages to bridge the apparent gaps between cultures and civilizations. He thought that African and Asian languages -- so different as to seem to be the voices of completely separate cultures -- had similarities that revealed an ancient common route. Believing, on the basis of his own scholarship, that there were linkages between the Dravidian languages of India and languages spoken in West Africa, President Senghor set up a chair in Dravidian studies at the University of Dakar to explore, celebrate and develop those links between Africa and India, and between our culture and languages. We pay tribute to his vision.
Multilingualism is a mixed blessing. It is a Babel that divides; it is only very rarely a Pentecostal gift of tongues. Of course, being monolingual promotes insularity rather than unity. Several countries, not just two, are divided by a common language. It is important therefore to know both the power and the limits of language. In our region a country created on the basis of religion broke up on the basis of language. Elsewhere nations that share a language have been torn apart by religion. The United Nations certainly needs to seriously discuss the challenges of multilingualism.
It is a challenge with which we grew up in India. Every Indian learns his mother tongue; and all Indians learn Hindi, which is our official language. Very large numbers of Indians live outside the Indian states where their mother tongues are spoken, and they learn the language of their adopted states. All Indian languages are complex. Almost none share a script, which means that all Indians, by the time they are in middle school, have learned two -- and quite often three -- languages with scripts as different as Russian and French, and sometimes as different as Spanish and Arabic, all of them with a rich and ancient literary heritage. Simultaneously they are taught English. So by the time they leave school most Indians speak two, or sometimes three, Indian languages and English. As was also noted by Ambassador Levitte in his statement, to be Indian therefore means to be multilingual.
We understand the words used and the uses of multilingualism. But we also know that it can be used to side-step a dialogue rather than to invite it. During our colonial interregnum, when Indian maharajas were forced to accept a British Resident at their darbars, one of them, knowing that most Englishmen in India were monoglots and, of any foreign language, were likely to have the most distaste for French, decreed that French would be the language of his court. For many years, through this ingenious embrace of multilingualism, he made sure that he did not have to exchange a word with successive British Residents.
That clever maharaja has been born again in many avatars at the United Nations. His voice is heard whenever representatives fortunate enough to have one of the official languages as their mother tongue insist that they would stop negotiating if they were forced to speak in a foreign language. They forget that most representatives have no choice. Indians, for instance, or Japanese, Nigerians or Brazilians never get to speak in their mother tongues at the United Nations. At a recent meeting, when interpretation stopped, the South African Chairman's proposal to continue in English provoked outrage from others who accused him of partiality, arguing that they would be put at a disadvantage if they could not speak in their mother tongues. "I agree with you", said the Chairman, and started to speak in Zulu. Multilingual protests quickly faded then into tongue-tied embarrassment.
At the United Nations now, as in that distant Indian court, language is politics. Human beings, not States, speak languages, but it is the interplay of State politics that has determined which would be the official languages of the United Nations. Hindi, for instance, is spoken by over 1 billion people in India and is understood or spoken by millions more in the rest of South Asia and in the Indian diaspora. More people speak Hindi than speak French or, for example, Russian or Arabic. But Hindi is not an official language of the United Nations.
Questions are asked about that in the Indian Parliament. Although we explain that each additional official language raises the cost of conference services exponentially, we are not sure that this entirely satisfies our parliamentarians, because they see the choice of the six official languages as arbitrary at best, giving those a status denied to others which have as good a claim or better to be considered world languages.
We know that the United Nations cannot have a vast number of official languages, but what the United Nations should not do is confuse multilingualism with the promotion of only the six languages it has dubbed official. These six languages are privileged over hundreds of others. However, class distinctions have crept in among them. One has become more equal than others, and the others resent this.
To put this in terms of feudal experience, the barons are up in arms against the king, but for the plebeians, this is not their fight. It promotes no interest of theirs.
We thank France for trying to accommodate all shades of concern. However, even as amended, the draft before us proposes changes in administrative policy that cannot and should not be smuggled in through a draft resolution on multilingualism. These are issues that should be considered in the Fifth Committee, in the light not just of present practice, but, even more importantly, of the principles of the Charter.
If implemented, the proposal made in this draft would place an enormous extra burden on those who do not have an official language as their mother tongue. It would ignore the fact that an Indian staff member, for instance, was already at least trilingual, but would expect him or her to have learned a second foreign language in addition to English. But not one Indian language is an official language. We would consider this the promotion not of multilingualism but of prejudice.
Nationals of the major contributors dominate the Secretariat, because most of the posts are allocated on the basis of contributions. The two working languages of the Secretariat are European languages. Four out of the six official languages are also European languages. It is not surprising, therefore, that most developing countries feel that the Secretariat -- either consciously or simply because of the way it is composed and functions -- promotes a Western agenda. Multilingualism has not made it multicultural or given it a truly international personality.
What the Secretariat promotes as universal norms are usually the latest Western fads. But rarely does the Secretariat betray a consciousness that it is supposed to be an institution that gathers together all cultures, different traditions of thought and a variety of points of view. Anything that makes it even more difficult for the Secretariat to recruit from developing countries or to promote their nationals within the system will strengthen the bias that already exists.
We in India cherish multilingualism, simply because we cannot get by without it. We welcome any initiative to promote true multilingualism, but we deeply regret the fact that the draft resolution before us strays into areas of administrative policy that would warp even more the structure of the Secretariat, promote linguistic chauvinism and create problems for our nationals.
Mr. Satoh (Japan)
At the outset, I should like to stress that Japan respects the status of the six official languages of the United Nations and that it is by no means our intention to challenge the principle of multilingualism as such.
However, looking at the issue in the context of this draft resolution, I have to point out, with all due respect to the French Ambassador, that the draft before us -- although some amendments have been made to it since last week -- is not yet acceptable to us, primarily for the following reasons.
First, there is serious concern that, should the draft resolution be adopted, paragraph 4 would have an adverse impact on nationals whose mother tongue is not one of the official languages of the United Nations, since it states that
"the promotion of staff...should take into account adequate and confirmed knowledge of a second official language".
This is a matter of particular concern with respect to nationals of developing countries where only one of the official United Nations languages is taught at school. There can be no justification for the United Nations to discriminate against such nationals or place them at a disadvantage on the basis of their mother tongue.
Secondly, we are concerned that this draft resolution, particularly its paragraph 5, would, if I am not mistaken, result in discrimination in the recruitment of nationals who have no other mother tongue than one of the six official languages. That paragraph requests the Secretary-General, when recruiting staff, to take into account the knowledge of an official language of the United Nations in addition to their own mother tongue. Here again there is no justification for bringing any element of discrimination into the system of recruitment.
Thirdly, the draft resolution, if adopted, would still have a greater negative impact on the United Nations system than the previous resolution -- 50/11 of 1995 -- because it expands the scope of application to include the funds and programmes of the United Nations. Resolution 50/11 applied only to the United Nations and not to the funds and programmes.
It is also important that we study the implications of the other parts of the draft resolution more carefully before we consider expanding its application.
Given all of these problems, we must question whether this draft resolution would serve the purpose of multilingualism in its true sense. We consider, rather, that it could, despite the intention of its proponent, inadvertently work against that purpose.
I must also point out that my delegation has learned that many countries want to have more time to study this draft resolution carefully. I see no reason why we have to consider this draft, which contains so many decisive elements, at the very end of the year and with little time to debate this issue. I should like to propose, therefore, that we defer consideration of the draft resolution to next year in order to allow us to discuss it thoroughly. In this context, I appreciate the understanding of the matter expressed by the French Ambassador.
Finally, I should like to add that we agree with the proposal just made by the Indian representative to refer this matter to the Fifth Committee.
Mr. Kennedy (United States)
As a multicultural country, the United States fully supports and appreciates multilingualism. Residents of the Borough of Queens, here in New York City, claim the greatest level of ethnic diversity of any county in the United States. Residents of Queens represent over 120 countries and speak more than 100 languages. In fact, New York City's foreign-born residents account for more than 35 per cent of its population. As Mayor Giuliani said in this Hall on 1 October, Americans are not a single ethnic group; Americans are not one race or one religion; Americans emerged from all nations.
While fully respecting the principles of multilingualism, my delegation must voice its strong concern regarding several of the provisions of the draft resolution in document A/56/L.44/Rev.1. For example, the second part of paragraph 4
"urges the Secretariat ... to ensure, in particular when promoting staff, respect for equality of the working languages of the Secretariat ... and of their use".
How would the Secretariat ensure respect for the equality of French and English in the Secretariat and of their use? Does this language imply the application of a quota system? Would such provisions be implemented at the expense of competing staff members whose mother tongue is not French or English and override other considerations, including competency and experience?
There is no legislative provision that specifies that working languages must be used equally. The principle of the equality of the working languages -- and, in fact, of all languages, be they official or non-official -- is not in dispute and, hopefully, is accepted by all delegations.
The question in the second part of paragraph 4 involves the utilization of the working languages in the everyday work of the Secretariat. Use is simply based on practical considerations, including, as stated in the Secretary-General's report under this item, the language of the host country.
Paragraph 5 of the draft resolution is, at best, meaningless, since it is subject to the requirements of Article 101 (3) of the Charter. It is, at worst, discriminatory, since it implies that further conditions should be placed on the requirements found in Articles 8 and 101 of the Charter. The United States cannot support such language, since its strict application would have the effect of penalizing applicants for United Nations positions whose mother tongue is not one of the official six languages. In effect, its strict application would require such applicants to be trilingual -- to speak not only their first language, but also English or French plus another official language.
Many prospective United Nations staff members who do not speak one of the official languages as their first language are from developing countries whose nationals are underrepresented in the Secretariat. This paragraph clearly detracts from the universal and multicultural character of the Organization. We urge all delegations not to support such discriminatory language. The hallmark of the United Nations should be inclusiveness, not discrimination.
Many provisions of the draft resolution before us go beyond current human resources legislation. The full implications of such personnel issues should be considered with care and deliberation in the Fifth Committee following full and constructive consultations with the sponsors.
My delegation also cannot support paragraph 7. Implementation of that paragraph would have the effect of hindering the negotiating process not only in the General Assembly and its Committees, but also in the Security Council and its sub-bodies. Implementation of provisions urging Member States to plan working meetings to allow them to be held, except under exceptional circumstances, on the basis of documents which have been translated in good time would place undue burdens on the Secretariat and Member States and have a profound negative impact on the decision-making process. As stated in the Secretary-General's report,
"There are no provisions requiring the Secretariat to provide translations in all the official languages of preliminary texts of draft resolutions". (A/56/656, para. 41)
As we all know, delegations must often conduct negotiations under severe time constraints, including on questions of peace, security and humanitarian relief. Such important work should not and cannot be hindered by implementation of this paragraph.
We also note that there have been no estimates of expenditures, as required by rule 153 of the General Assembly's rules of procedure. Thus, there will be no expenditure of any kind in implementing the provisions of this draft resolution and therefore all the activities required by this draft resolution can and will be accomplished within existing resources. If that is the case, and this work can be accomplished by the redeployment of resources, one must ask whether the paramount goals of this Organization will suffer from the redirection of effort. Also, it would have serious finan