General Assembly Session 60 meeting 43

The President

I welcome you this morning. I know our friends of the Islamic faith are looking forward to this evening and I am particularly grateful for the cookies that were placed on the President's chair by the Syrian delegation.

Pursuant to General Assembly decision 42/450 of 17 December 1987 and upon the nomination by the Economic and Social Council, the Assembly elects the members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination.

The document before the Assembly contains the nominations by the Economic and Social Council to fill the vacancies in the Committee that will occur as a result of the expiration, on 31 December 2005, of the terms of office of Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Brazil, Canada, the Central African Republic, Cuba, Gabon, Germany, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Monaco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Republic of Moldova, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Those States are eligible for immediate re-election.

I should like to remind Members that, after 1 January 2006, the following States will still be members of the Committee: Algeria, the Bahamas, China, the Comoros, France, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United States of America and Zimbabwe. Therefore, those 14 States are not eligible to run in this election.

I should now like to inform Members that the following States have been nominated by the Economic and Social Council.

The four African States for four vacancies are: Benin, the Central African Republic, Senegal and South Africa. The four Asian States for four vacancies are: India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan. The three Eastern European States for three vacancies are: Armenia, Belarus and Bulgaria. The four Latin American and Caribbean States for four vacancies are: Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Uruguay. The three Western European and other States for five vacancies are: Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. The Council postponed the nomination of the two remaining States to a later date.

In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections should be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations. However, I should like 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, and I see no indication of such in the Hall, may I take it that the Assembly decides to proceed to the election on the basis of dispensing with the secret ballot?

The President

The number of States nominated from among the African States, the Asian States, the Eastern European States, the Latin American and Caribbean States and the Western European and other States is equal to or does not exceed the number of seats to be filled in each of those groups.

May I, therefore, take it that the Assembly wishes to declare those States nominated by the Council from among the African States, the Asian States, the Eastern European States, the Latin American and Caribbean States and the Western European and other States, namely: Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, the Central African Republic, Cuba, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, Switzerland and Uruguay, elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2006?

The President

I congratulate the 18 States that have been elected members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination. Regarding the two remaining vacancies from among the Western European and other States, the General Assembly will be in a position to act on them upon the nomination by the Economic and Social Council of two Member States from that region.

We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 112.

The President

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 and Assembly decision 43/406 of 24 October 1988, the Assembly will proceed to the election of 29 members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme to replace those members whose term of office expires on 31 December 2005.

The 29 outgoing members are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chad, China, the Congo, Cuba, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Sudan, Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United States of America, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Those States are eligible for immediate re-election.

I should like to remind members that, after 1 January 2006, the following States will still be members of the Governing Council: the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Hungary, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sweden, Turkey, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Therefore, those 29 States are not eligible in this election.

As members know, in accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, all elections shall be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations.

However, I should like 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 regional groups that for the eight seats from the Group of African States, the eight endorsed candidates are Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

For the six seats from the Group of Asian States, the six endorsed candidates are China, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

For the three seats from the Group of Eastern European States, the three endorsed candidates are the Czech Republic, Romania and the Russian Federation.

For the five seats from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, the five endorsed candidates are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Chile, Haiti and Uruguay.

For the seven seats from the Group of Western European and other States, the seven endorsed candidates are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany and the United States of America.

Since the number of candidates endorsed by the African States, the Asian States, the Eastern European States, the Latin American and Caribbean States and the Western European and other States corresponds to the number of seats to be filled in each region, may I take it that the General Assembly decides to elect those candidates as members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2006? I see no objection.

The President

The following 29 States have thus been elected members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2006: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Burundi, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, Haiti, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, the United States of America and Uruguay.

I congratulate the States which have been elected members of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme.

This concludes our consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 112.

The President

It is my understanding that there is no request to consider agenda item 115 at the current session.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to defer consideration of the item to the sixty-first session and to include it in the provisional agenda of the sixty-first session?

The President

This concludes our consideration of agenda item 115.

The President

As indicated in document A/60/106, since the terms of office of Bolivia, the Congo, France, India, Japan, the Russian Federation and Zambia will expire on 31 December 2005, it will be necessary for the President of the General Assembly to appoint, during the current session, seven members to fill the resulting vacancies. The members so appointed will serve for a period of three years, beginning on 1 January 2006.

After consultations with the Chairmen of the groups of African States, Asian States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States and Western European and other States, I have appointed Burundi, El Salvador, France, Lesotho, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Russian Federation as members of the Committee on Conferences for a period of three years, beginning on 1 January 2006.

May I take it that the Assembly takes note of these appointments?

The President

We have thus concluded our consideration of sub-item (f) of agenda item 113.

The President

As a fan of sports and a believer in sport as a unifying force in international relations, I am pleased that today the General Assembly is taking action on agenda item 48, entitled "Sport for peace and development", which includes sub-item (a), "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal", and sub-item (b), "International Year of Sport and Physical Education".

As overall guidance for today's debate, I call the attention of members to the outcome document (resolution 60/1) of the September world summit, which, in its paragraph 145, declares,

"We underline that sports can foster peace and development and can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding, and we encourage discussions in the General Assembly for proposals leading to a plan of action on sport and development".

Our deliberations should also be inspired by the report of the Secretary-General entitled "Sport for peace and development: International Year of Sport and Physical Education" (A/60/217).

Turning to the first sub-item, I wish to recall that the General Assembly has for more than a decade supported the revival of the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce. As we approach the XX Olympic Winter Games, to be held in Turin, Italy, in February 2006, we should once again remind ourselves of the purpose of the Olympic Truce: to encourage a peaceful environment during the Games, to ensure safe passage for athletes and others at the Games and to mobilize the world's young people around the cause of peace.

With regard to this topic, Italy has submitted a draft resolution (A/60/L.15) on building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal. I welcome the universal support it has received.

Concerning the other sub-item, I wish to salute all those around the world who have helped to make the International Year of Sport and Physical Education a success, including United Nations offices, agencies, funds and programmes, Governments, the Olympic movement, sports federations, sports teams, sports organizations and other non-governmental organizations, sports stars and the countless athletes and other individuals who have joined in activities marking the Year. Yesterday, I met the marathon gold-medal winner Tegla Loroupe and was inspired by her efforts and those of the Olympic Committee to advance sports as a uniting force in international relations.

As the report of the Secretary-General indicates, sport can play a significant role in accelerating progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The International Year of Sport and Physical Education has highlighted that contribution and adds strong impetus to efforts to better integrate sport into the development agenda.

Sport is essential for the well-being of young people in refugee camps, for example, not only to promote health and education, but also as a vehicle for alerting them to the risks of HIV/AIDS, for instilling self-respect and teamwork and for encouraging tolerance and peace. Peace is also recognized as a key in the promotion of equality and advancement for women and girls, especially when combined with education initiatives that give them the opportunity to build self-confidence and encouraging them to stay in school.

With regard to this sub-item, Tunisia has submitted a draft resolution (A/60/L.7) on sport as a means of promoting education, health, development and peace in order to follow up on the recommendations of the Secretary-General.

I now give the floor to the representative of Italy to introduce draft resolution A/60/L.15.

Mr. Mantovani (Italy)

At the outset, I want to apologize on behalf of our Deputy Foreign Minister, who was unable to come to New York owing to unforeseen circumstances.

This year, Italy, as host country of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, has the honour to present draft resolution on the Olympic Truce (A/60/L.15). I am proud to announce that, with the added sponsorship of Kiribati, this year's draft resolution has attracted a record number of sponsors: 191. There could be no clearer statement of universal support for the principles affirmed in the text.

The draft resolution on the Olympic Truce is an initiative that was first taken by the General Assembly in 1993, after an appeal by the International Olympic Committee had allowed athletes of war-torn Yugoslavia to participate in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Games. As we all know, the Olympic Truce is rooted in the traditions of the classical Olympic games. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Truce, or ekecheiria, provided for a cessation of hostilities to allow athletes, pilgrims and spectators to reach Olympia in order to participate in or watch the games and, upon their conclusion, return home in full security.

It is therefore a very fortunate coincidence -- which is not without symbolic significance -- that Italy, in presenting the draft resolution on the Olympic Truce, comes immediately after Greece, which in 2003 assumed a similar responsibility as host country of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. There is another happy coincidence in the fact that the General Assembly, by its resolution 58/5 of 3 November 2003, proclaimed 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, which leads us to trust in the heartfelt commitment of all Member States to the Olympic Truce and the relationship among sport, peace and development.

In that regard, I welcome and support the draft resolution to be introduced by Tunisia, entitled "Sport as a means to promote education, health, development and peace" (A/60/L.7*). The Italian Government is also particularly glad to welcome the joint initiative between the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin and UNICEF Italy to work together so that the Olympic Truce can benefit all children around the world.

I should now like to briefly illustrate the contents of the draft resolution that the Assembly is, I hope, about to adopt with the unanimous support of its members. The text, entitled "Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal", recalls previous General Assembly resolutions and refers to the Millennium Declaration adopted in 2000, which contains an appeal to observe the Olympic Truce. In addition, the draft resolution salutes the joint efforts of the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations in the areas of human development, poverty reduction, humanitarian assistance, health promotion, HIV/AIDS prevention, combating malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, basic education, equal opportunity and environmental protection.

The draft resolution recognizes the importance of the role of sports in pursuing the development goals agreed to at the international level, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and reaffirms the commitments assumed in that regard by the heads of State or Government at the High-level Plenary Meeting held in New York in September. Reaffirming the principles of mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and justice that underlie the Olympic ideal, the draft resolution requests United Nations Member States to observe the Olympic Truce on the occasion of the XX Winter Olympic Games, which will take place in Turin from 10 to 26 February 2006, and the subsequent Paralympic Games, which will take place also in Turin from 10 to 19 March 2006.

It also welcomes the decision of the International Olympic Committee to mobilize world sports organizations and national Olympics committees around the goal of taking concrete measures to promote a culture of peace at the local, national, regional and world level. The draft resolution, finally, requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations to promote observance of the Olympic truce among Member States and appeals to them to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations agencies and programmes involved, to use the Olympic truce as an occasion to promote peace during and after the period of the Games and to implement projects that highlight sports as an instrument of development.

Since ancient times, the idea of the Olympic Games has been closely associated with that of peace. The spirit of this draft resolution is true to that origin, although it has been updated to correspond to the more pressing needs of today's world, in view of maintaining peace, promoting development, fostering dialogue, cooperation and a better and deeper understanding among and between different cultures and civilizations.

The ancient tradition of the Olympic truce is the expression today of humanity's desire to build a world based on the rules of fair competition, humanity, reconciliation and tolerance. For my country, hosting the Olympics once again and appealing to the world to observe the Olympic Truce are both an honour and a responsibility. But the success of a global event such as the Olympics and the achievement of a global objective such as the Olympic Truce depend essentially on the heartfelt and harmonious support of the international community as a whole. Today, we all have the opportunity to give tangible expression to this support.

Mr. Hachani (Tunisia)

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