General Assembly Session 61 meeting 81

The President

The General Assembly will consider the reports of the Third Committee on agenda items 41, 60, 61, 63 to 68, 98, 99, 110 and 118.

I request Ms. Elena Molaroni of San Marino, Rapporteur of the Third Committee, to introduce, in one intervention, the reports of the Third Committee.

Ms. Molaroni (San Marino)

I have the great honour to present for consideration the following reports of the Third Committee on the agenda items allocated to it by the General Assembly.

Under agenda item 41, entitled "Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions", the Third Committee recommends in paragraph 21 of its report (A/61/436) the adoption of four draft resolutions.

Under agenda item 60, entitled "Social development", including sub-items (a) to (d), the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 22 of document A/61/437, the adoption of three draft resolutions. I should like to make two small corrections to that document. In paragraph 6, Monaco should be listed among the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/61/L.4, entitled "United Nations Literacy Decade: education for all"; and, in paragraph 18, Slovenia should be A/C.3/61/L.6, entitled "Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing".

Under agenda item 61, entitled "Advancement of women", including sub-items (a) and (b), the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 27 of document A/61/438, the adoption of three draft resolutions. In paragraph 28 of the same document, the Third Committee recommends the adoption a draft decision. I would like to draw the attention of the Assembly to a correction to paragraph 3 of that report. Document A/C.3/61/4, which contains a letter dated 11 October 2006 from the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan addressed to the Secretary-General, should have been included in the list of documents for consideration under agenda item 61.

Under agenda item 63, entitled "Promotion and protection of the rights of children", including sub-items (a) and (b), the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 20 of document A/61/439, the adoption of one draft resolution. In paragraph 21 of the same document, the Third Committee recommends the adoption a draft decision.

Under agenda item 64, entitled "Indigenous issues", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 7 of document A/61/440, the adoption of one draft decision. I would like to draw the attention of the Assembly to a correction to paragraph 3 (a) of that report. In that regard, paragraph 3 (a) should read as follows: "Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the status of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations (A/61/376)".

Under agenda item 65, entitled "Elimination of racism and racial discrimination", including sub-items (a) and (b), the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 23 of document A/61/441, the adoption of three draft resolutions.

Under agenda item 66, entitled "Right of peoples to self-determination", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 21 of document A/61/442, the adoption of three draft resolutions. In paragraph 22 of the same document, the Third Committee recommends the adoption of one draft decision.

Under agenda item 67, entitled "Promotion and protection of human rights", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 5 of document A/61/443, the adoption of one draft decision.

Under sub-item (a) of agenda item 67, entitled "Implementation of human rights instruments", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 10 of document A/61/443/Add.1, the adoption of one draft resolution.

Under sub-item (b) of agenda item 67, entitled "Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 123 of document A/61/443/Add.2, the adoption of 20 draft resolutions. I would like to make two corrections to that document. In paragraph 25, which deals with draft resolution A/C.3/61/L.19, entitled "Missing persons", Liechtenstein should be added to the list of sponsors. In paragraph 74, which deals with draft resolution A/C.3/61/L.29/Rev.1, entitled "Protection of migrants", Tajikistan and Uruguay should be added to the list of sponsors.

Under sub-item (c) of agenda item 67, entitled "Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 70 of document A/61/443/Add.3, the adoption of four draft resolutions. With regard to draft resolution A/C.3/61/L.41, Bulgaria should be listed as a sponsor.

No proposals were submitted in connection with sub-item (d) of agenda item 67, entitled "Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action".

Under agenda item 68, entitled "Report of the Human Rights Council", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 28 of document A/61/448, the adoption of two draft resolutions. In paragraph 29 of the same document, the Committee recommends, the adoption of one draft decision. In addition, two corrigenda have been issued in connection with document A/61/448: corrigendum 1, which has been issued only in Arabic, and corrigendum 2, which has been issued in connection with the English text.

Under agenda item 98, entitled "Crime prevention and criminal justice", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 25 of document A/61/444, the adoption of four draft resolutions. In paragraph 26 of the same document, the Committee recommends the adoption of one draft decision. I would like to draw the attention of the Assembly to a correction to be made to paragraph 3 of that report. Document A/61/368, which contains a letter dated 18 September 2006 from the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, should have been included in the list of documents for consideration under agenda item 98.

Under agenda item 99, entitled "International drug control", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 12 of document A/61/445, the adoption of one draft resolution.

Under agenda item 110, entitled "Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 5 of document A/61/446, the adoption of one draft decision.

Finally, under agenda item 118, entitled "Programme planning", the Third Committee recommends, in paragraph 6 of document A/61/447, the adoption of one draft decision.

Before I conclude, I should like to thank my fellow members of the Bureau of the Third Committee for their support and help in ensuring the successful completion of the work of the Committee. Having said that, I respectfully commend the reports of the Third Committee to the General Assembly for its consideration.

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 Third Committee that are before the Assembly today.

The President

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Third 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, i.e., 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 Third 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 Third Committee, unless the Secretariat is notified otherwise in advance. That means that, where separate or recorded votes were taken, we will do the same. I should also hope that we may proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Third Committee.

I remind the Assembly that we will shortly be taking action on draft resolutions recommended for adoption by the Third Committee. As such, those draft resolutions can no longer be additionally sponsored in plenary meeting by Member States. Any corrections that delegations may have concerning the reports of the Third Committee, including the listing of sponsors of draft resolutions contained in the Committee's reports, should be submitted to the Secretary of the Third Committee for the issuance of corrigenda.

Before we proceed further, I would like to draw the attention of members to a note distributed desk to desk by the secretariat. That note will serve as a reference guide for action on draft resolutions and decisions recommended by the Third Committee in its reports. In that connection, members will find, in column 3 of the note, the numbers of the draft resolutions or decisions on which action is to be taken in plenary meeting, with the corresponding Third Committee document numbers of the draft resolutions or decisions in column 4.

The President

The Assembly has before it four draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 21 of its report. We will now take a decision on draft resolutions I to IV.

Draft resolution I is entitled "Enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The President

Draft resolution II is entitled "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

Draft resolution III is entitled "New international humanitarian order". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The President

Draft resolution IV is entitled "Assistance for refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, who wishes to speak in explanation of position following the adoption of the draft resolutions.

Mr. Cabello Guerra (Venezuela)

With regard to the adoption of resolution 61/137, entitled "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees", the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela would like to reaffirm its commitment to the protection of refugees in accordance with the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees to the Convention on that subject, of which we have been a party since 2 July 1986. The Government of Venezuela would also like to reaffirm its political will to continue to implement concrete measures to provide ongoing and immediate attention to asylum seekers without any discrimination, as well as to prevent social exclusion and facilitate the integration and participation of refugees in community life, given the massive flows of individuals who have come to Venezuela in the past four years.

Our country is pleased at the return of more than 6 million refugees to their homes since 2002. We are also pleased at the impressive decrease in the number of asylum applications worldwide, as noted in the report (A/61/12) of the High Commissioner.

We also share the concern at the spread of the problem of sexual and gender-based exploitation and violence, as well as the alarming phenomenon of the forcible recruitment of children. In that regard, we commend the Office of the High Commissioner for the efforts made to address those problems, especially its awareness-raising campaigns involving all stakeholders concerned and its work with other organizations and programmes with relevant mandates, such as the World Food Programme and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, among others. Our country also agrees with some of the conclusions of the Executive Committee.

Our country would also like to express its great concern about the fact that -- although the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has acknowledged that repatriation and voluntary return constitute the lasting solution with the most positive impact upon refugees and internally displaced persons throughout the years -- the resolution and its predecessors have weakened the obligations and responsibilities of States to address the underlying causes of the phenomenon of refugees and internally displaced persons. That has been made even worse this year by the elimination, in paragraph 6, of reference to the need for political will on the part of Governments so that, in cooperation with UNHCR, the problem of internally displaced persons and refugees could be addressed more effectively. The same applies to paragraph 8. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela would like to recall that, in accordance with article 2 of the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, it is the obligation of States parties to cooperate with UNHCR in the exercise of its functions. As established in paragraph 23 of part I of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, such cooperation requires the development of strategies to address the root causes and effects of movements of refugees and other displaced persons.

We would also like to point out that clear violations of human rights -- especially those committed in the course of armed conflict -- are one of the manifold complex factors that lead to the displacement of people. Given that repatriation and voluntary return provide for the most beneficial and lasting solution, it is difficult for the Office to achieve its objectives without the commitment of States and Governments to address the root causes of the phenomenon so that, once refugees have returned home, they can enjoy a life of dignity free from the dangers that led to their displacement in the first place. The reference in paragraph 9 of the resolution to the catalytic role of UNHCR to mobilize assistance from the international community to address the root causes of the refugee phenomenon has thus been diluted, for it is not balanced by obligations on the part of States concerned and places an undue burden on the international community.

Furthermore, with regard to the phenomenon of mixed migratory flows, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela wishes to express its concern at the confused language in paragraph 21 of draft resolution II, concerning mixed migratory flows. The mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is very clearly established in the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and in the corresponding 1967 Protocol, so it is surprising that there should continue to be doubts in that regard.

Once again, our country urges that the problem of the forcible displacement of persons be addressed from a perspective that enables us to find the lasting solutions we seek -- solutions that will give displaced persons a real chance to return to their homes in safety and dignity. That is why we must eradicate the causes of this phenomenon, which produce so much suffering and endanger so many human beings throughout the world.

The President

We have heard the only speaker in explanation of position.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 41?

The President

The Assembly has before it three draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 22 of its report. We will now take a decision on draft resolutions I, II and II.

Draft resolution I is entitled "United Nations Literacy Decade: education for all". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

Draft resolution II is entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

Draft resolution III is entitled "Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. 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 agenda item 60?

The President

The Assembly has before it three draft resolutions recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 27 of its report and one draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 28 of the same report. We will now take a decision on draft resolutions I, II and III and on the draft decision.

We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled "Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

Draft resolution II is entitled "Trafficking in women and girls". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The President

Draft resolution III is entitled "Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly". The Third Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?

The President

We now turn to the draft decision, entitled "Documents considered by the General Assembly in connection with the question of the advancement of women". May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt the draft decision recommended by the Third Committee?

The President

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda 61?

The President

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Third Committee in paragraph 20 of its report and a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 21 of the same report.

We will now take a decision on the draft resolution entitled "Rights of the child".

I call on the representative of Uruguay, who wishes to speak on a point of order.