General Assembly Session 62 meeting 121

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 report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) that is before the Assembly today.

The President

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendation of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth 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 also 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 recommendation contained in the report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take a decision in the same manner as was done in the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), unless notified otherwise in advance.

The General Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) in paragraph 7 of its report. The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) adopted the draft resolution without a vote. 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 agenda item 34?

The President

The Assembly has thus concluded consideration of all the reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee).

The President

I now invite the attention of the General Assembly to document A/62/L.41/Rev.1, circulated under agenda item 56, "Globalization and interdependence".

Members will recall that the General Assembly concluded consideration of agenda item 56 at its 78th plenary meeting, on 19 December 2007. In order to enable the Assembly to consider draft resolution A/62/L.41/Rev.1, it will be necessary to reopen consideration of agenda item 56.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to reopen consideration of agenda item 56?

The President

Members will recall that at its 3rd plenary meeting, on 21 September 2007, the General Assembly decided to allocate agenda item 56 to the Second Committee. In order for the General Assembly to proceed expeditiously with the consideration of the draft resolution issued as document A/62/L.41/Rev.1, under that item, may I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to consider agenda item 56 directly in plenary meeting under heading B, "Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and recent United Nations conferences"?

The President

May I further take it that the Assembly agrees to proceed immediately to the consideration of agenda item 56?

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Azerbaijan to introduce draft resolution A/62/L.41/Rev.1.

Mr. Mehdiyev (Azerbaijan)

I have the honour to introduce, on behalf of the sponsors, including Sweden, which has joined that group very recently, draft resolution A/62/L.41/Rev.1. The text before us is the result of an extensive process of informal consultations reflecting our willingness to attain broad support for the draft resolution.

The draft resolution primarily focuses on the issues of transparency and accountability in industries, recognizing the important role of the international community, Government and the private sector in that regard. It also takes note of relevant voluntary initiatives implemented in this field, in particular the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which seeks to further strengthen transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.

Launched in 2003, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a voluntary initiative open to all countries looking for better standards of transparency and accountability in the extractive sector to the benefit of their peoples. Bringing together Government, the private sector and civil society, the EITI enables more transparent and accountable governance in the extractive sector, while aligning the interests of all stakeholders.

We believe that the adoption of this draft resolution will be another important step for countries to further promote transparency and accountability. We also believe that this kind of recognition should facilitate the exchange of lessons learned and the sharing of knowledge and best practices through South-South and North-South cooperation, which will be important in developing the transparency agenda.

We believe that the United Nations system, through its global reach, country presence and areas of work, will be an important partner for increasing knowledge about transparency and for assisting those countries that want to develop capacities in developing initiatives such as the EITI. Therefore, we invite all member States to adopt the draft resolution by consensus.

In conclusion, I wish to thank all the sponsors of the draft resolution for their contribution and support, and also to thank those delegations that participated in the harmonization of the text.

The President

We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/62/L.41/Rev.1. I call first on the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on a point of order.