236 Chapter III Other political questions

236 Political and security questions

Chapter III

Other political questions

During 1995, the United Nations continued to ad-dress issues relating to the eradication of colonial-ism, information, international cooperation in thepeaceful uses of outer space and atomic radiationeffects.

In December, the General Assembly acted onthe recommendations of its Special Committee onthe Situation with regard to the Implementationof the Declaration on the Granting of Independenceto Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopting a se-ries of resolutions concerning decolonization issues.The Assembly also invited Member States to pro-vide their comments on the future of the Trustee-ship Council.

As recommended by its Committee on Informa-tion, the General Assembly adopted resolutions onthe promotion of the establishment of a more justand more effective world information and commu-nication order and on UN public information policiesand activities. It also endorsed recommendationsof the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of OuterSpace and the UN Programme on Space Appli-cations for 1996. The UN Scientific Committee onthe Effects of Atomic Radiation was asked to con-tinue reviewing problems in that field.

The year 1995 was marked by activities to com-memorate the fiftieth anniversary of the birth ofthe United Nations as well as of the end of the SecondWorld War. The General Assembly proclaimed aWorld Week of Peace in connection with the UNfiftieth anniversary and adopted a Declaration inCommemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of theEnd of the Second World War. In October, the As-sembly held a special commemorative meeting andadopted a Declaration on the Occasion of the Fif-tieth Anniversary of the United Nations. The Secu-rity Council held meetings to commemorate thefiftieth anniversary of the United Nations and ofthe end of the Second World War in Europe andin the Asia-Pacific region. The Council Presidentmade a statement on each occasion.

In December, the Assembly again recognized theimportant role of the United Nations in support-ing government efforts to achieve democratization.

Trusteeship and decolonization

In 1995, the United Nations continued its effortsto eliminate colonialism. The General Assembly's

Special Committee on the Situation with regardto the Implementation of the Declaration on theGranting of Independence to Colonial Countriesand Peoples (Special Committee on decolonization)held its annual session in New York in two parts,on 27 February and from 10 July to 16 August, witha total of 13 meetings.(1) The Committee consid-ered various aspects of the implementation of the1960 Declaration,(2) including decolonization issuesin general and the situation of individual Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs). It considered reportsof its Working Group(3) and of the Subcommitteeon Small Territories, Petitions, Information and As-sistance.(4)

As at 1 January 1995, the Committee was com-posed of 24 members (see APPENDIX III). On 20July, Bulgaria informed(5) the Chairman of its de-cision to withdraw from Committee membershipas of 1 August 1995. On 13 July, the Committeeacceded to Mexico's request for participation inits proceedings.

On 27 February, the Committee established anopen-ended working group on improving the ef-ficiency of its work, which held informal meetingsand consultations during the year. On 14 July, theCommittee opened its Working Group to allmembers.

Decade for the Eradicationof Colonialism

In accordance with a 1994 General Assemblyresolution,(6) the Special Committee on decoloni-zation carried out in 1995 a mid-term review ofthe 1991 plan of action(7) for the InternationalDecade for the Eradication of Colonialism (1990-2000), which had been declared by the Assemblyin 1988.(8)

The Committee organized a CaribbeanRegional Seminar on the Mid-term Review of thePlan of Action (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad andTobago, 3-5 July) to assess political, social and eco-nomic conditions in the small island NSGTs, par-ticularly with a view to evaluating their evolutiontowards self-determination. The Seminar, whichbrought together representatives of the peoples andthe administering Powers of NSGTs in the Carib-bean region, examined available options for self-determination, such as independence, free associ-ation or integration with an independent State,association with an organization of independent

Other political questions 237

States or economically sustainable autonomy, aswell as other possible options. A broad range ofeconomic and social questions and environmen-tal issues were considered, including the socio-economic advancement of NSGTs and its impacton self-determination; tourism development; drugtrafficking and money laundering; human re-sources development; the role of specialized agen-cies and international and regional organizationsin economic and social advancement; access to UNprogrammes and activities; implications of globalwarming, sealevel rise and other ecological haz-ards; disaster preparedness and relief; and ques-tions relating to the law of the sea. The Seminaralso discussed regional cooperation in the preser-vation and protection of marine and other natu-ral resources from over-exploitation; transport andcommunications; higher education; research anddevelopment; public health care; disaster mitiga-tion; and regional pooling arrangements for shar-ing special skills and expertise. On 5 July, theSeminar adopted a number of conclusions andrecommendations.(9) The guidelines and rules ofprocedure for the Seminar were contained in a sep-arate report.(10)

On 10 July, the Special Committee's WorkingGroup recommended(3) that the Committee inviteUN organs, agencies and institutions to apprisethe Secretary-General of actions taken to imple-ment the 1991 Assembly resolution(7) relating tothe plan of action, and report to the Assembly in1996. Noting that the action plan provided forseminars in the Caribbean and Pacific regions al-ternately, the Working Group recommended thatthe Committee organize in 1996 a seminar in thePacific for that region's NSGTs.

The Committee(1) approved those recommen-dations on 14 July. On 18 July, it noted the Carib-bean Seminar's report,(9) on the understandingthat reservations expressed by its members wouldbe reflected in that meeting's record.(11)

Implementation of the 1960 DeclarationOn 6 December, the General Assembly adopted

resolution 50/39.

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting

of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

The General Assembly,Having examined the report of the Special Committee

on the Situation with regard to the Implementation ofthe Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples,

Recalling its resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960,containing the Declaration on the Granting of Indepen-dence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and all its sub-sequent resolutions concerning the implementation ofthe Declaration, most recently resolution 49/89 of 16 De-cember 1994, as well as the relevant resolutions of theSecurity Council,

Recognizing that the eradication of colonialism is oneof the priorities of the Organization for the decade thatbegan in 1990,

Deeply conscious of the need to take, speedily, measuresto eliminate the last vestiges of colonialism by the year2000, as called for in its resolution 43/47 of 22 Novem-ber 1988,

Reiterating its conviction of the need for the eliminationof colonialism, as well as of the need for the total eradi-cation of racial discrimination and violations of basichuman rights,

Noting with satisfaction the achievements of the SpecialCommittee in contributing to the effective and completeimplementation of the Declaration and other relevantresolutions of the United Nations on decolonization,

Stressing the importance of the participation of the ad-ministering Powers in the work of the Special Com-mittee,

Also noting with satisfaction the cooperation and activeparticipation of some administering Powers in the workof the Special Committee, as well as their continuedreadiness to receive United Nations visiting missions inthe Territories under their administration,

Noting with concern the negative impact which the non-participation of certain administering Powers has hadon the work of the Special Committee, depriving it ofan important source of information on the Territoriesunder their administration,

Aware of the pressing need of newly independent andemerging States for assistance from the United Nationsand its system of organizations in the economic, socialand other fields,

Aware also of the pressing need of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, including particularly thesmall island Territories, for economic, social and otherassistance from the United Nations and the organiza-tions within its system,

Taking special note of the fact that, during its 1995 ses-sion, the Special Committee carried out a mid-term re-view of the Plan of Action for the International Decadefor the Eradication of Colonialism in the context of thecommemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the UnitedNations, in which further options for self-determinationwere explored,

1. Reaffirms its resolution 1514(XV) and all other reso-lutions on decolonization, including its resolution 43/47,in which it declared the decade that began in 1990 asthe International Decade for the Eradication of Colonial-ism, and calls upon the administering Powers, in accord-ance with those resolutions, to take all necessary stepsto enable the peoples of the Territories concerned to ex-ercise fully as soon as possible their right to self-determination, including independence;

2. Affirms once again that the continuation of colonial-ism in any form or manifestation—including economicexploitation—is incompatible with the Charter of theUnited Nations, the Universal Declaration of HumanRights and the Declaration on the Granting of Inde-pendence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3. Reaffirms its determination to continue to take all stepsnecessary to bring about the complete and speedy eradi-cation of colonialism and the faithful observance by allStates of the relevant provisions of the Charter, theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal Decla-ration of Human Rights;


4. Affirms once again its support for the aspirations ofthe peoples under colonial rule to exercise their rightto self-determination, including independence;

5. Approves the report of the Special Committee onthe Situation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples covering its work during1995, including the programme of work envisaged for1996;

6. Calls upon all States, in particular the administer-ing Powers, as well as the specialized agencies and otherorganizations of the United Nations system, to give ef-fect within their respective spheres of competence to therecommendations of the Special Committee for the im-plementation of the Declaration and other relevant reso-lutions of the United Nations;

7. Calls upon the administering Powers to ensure thatno activity of foreign economic and other interests inthe Non-Self-Governing Territories under their adminis-tration hinders the peoples of those Territories from ex-ercising their right to self-determination, including in-dependence;

8. Takes note of the decision of some of the administer-ing Powers to close or downsize some of the militarybases in the Non-Self-Governing Territories;

9. Calls upon the administering Powers to eliminatethe remaining military bases in the Non-Self-GoverningTerritories in compliance with the relevant resolutionsof the General Assembly, and urges them not to involvethose Territories in any offensive acts or interferenceagainst other States;

10. Urges all States, directly and through their ac-tion in the specialized agencies and other organizationsof the United Nations system, to provide moral and ma-terial assistance to the peoples of colonial Territories,and requests that the administering Powers, in consul-tation with the Governments of the Territories undertheir administration, take steps to enlist and make ef-fective use of all possible assistance, on both a bilateraland a multilateral basis, in the strengthening of the econ-omies of those Territories;

11. Requests the Special Committee to continue to seeksuitable means for the immediate and full implementa-tion of the Declaration and to carry out those actionsapproved by the General Assembly regarding the In-ternational Decade for the Eradication of Colonialismin all Territories that have not yet exercised their rightto self-determination, including independence, and inparticular:

(a) To formulate specific proposals for the elimina-tion of the remaining manifestations of colonialism andto report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session;

(b) To continue to examine the implementation byMember States of resolution 1514(XV) and other rele-vant resolutions on decolonization;

(c) To continue to pay special attention to the smallTerritories, in particular through the dispatch of regu-lar visiting missions, and to recommend to the GeneralAssembly the most suitable steps to be taken to enablethe populations of those Territories to exercise their rightto self-determination and independence;

(d) To take all necessary steps to enlist worldwidesupport among Governments, as well as national andinternational organizations, for the achievement of the

objectives of the Declaration and the implementationof the relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

12. Calls upon the administering Powers to continueto cooperate with the Special Committee in the dischargeof its mandate and to receive visiting missions to theTerritories to secure first-hand information and ascer-tain the wishes and aspirations of their inhabitants;

13. Also calls upon the administering Powers that havenot participated in the work of the Special Committeeto do so at its 1996 session;

14. Requests the Secretary-General, the specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Nationssystem to provide economic, social and other assistanceto the Non-Self-Governing Territories and to continueto do so, as appropriate, after they exercise their rightto self-determination, including independence;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Spe-cial Committee with the facilities and services requiredfor the implementation of the present resolution, as wellas of the other resolutions and decisions on decoloniza-tion adopted by the General Assembly and the SpecialCommittee.

General Assembly resolution 50/39

6 December 1995 Meeting 82 130-4-26 (recorded vote)

9-nation draft (A/50/L.45 & Add.1); agenda item 18.Sponsors: Algeria, Chile, Cuba, India, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Syrian

Arab Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe.Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: plenary 59, 82.

Recorded vote in Assembly as follows:

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo-tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cam-eroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, CostaRica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People'sDemocratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechten-stein, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Is-lands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique,Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman,Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone,Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suri-name, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidadand Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, United Republic ofTanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia,Zimbabwe.

Against: Israel, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States.Abstaining: Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Esto-

nia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Mol-dova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Implementation by international organizationsReport of the Secretary-General. As requested

by the General Assembly in 1994,(12) the Secretary-General submitted in June 1995 a report with a lateraddendum,(13) containing summaries of informa-tion provided by two specialized agencies and aninternational institution forming part of or associatedwith the United Nations on action taken to imple-ment the 1960 Declaration.(2)

Report of the President of the Economic andSocial Council. In accordance with 1994 resolu-tions of the Economic and Social Council(14) andthe General Assembly,(12) the Council President


reported(15) in June on ongoing consultations withthe Special Committee Chairman concerning im-plementation of the Declaration by internationalorganizations. During the period under review, theUN Development Programme (UNDP) remainedthe primary provider of assistance to NSGTs. In closecollaboration with other UN organizations and,where appropriate, the Caribbean Community,UNDP continued to fund projects covering primaryeconomic sectors such as tourism, agriculture, fish-eries industry, transportation, communication andpower generation, as well as the social and educa-tional sectors. Its recalculated indicative planningfigures for 1992-1996, including estimated cost shar-ing, were $983,000 for St. Helena, $838,000 forTokelau, $747,000 for Anguilla, $680,000 for theTurks and Caicos Islands, $543,000 for the Brit-ish Virgin Islands, $337,000 for Montserrat and$270,000 for the Cayman Islands.

In addition to executing projects funded byUNDP, a number of specialized agencies and or-ganizations extended assistance to NSGTs fromwithin their own budgetary resources. The reportdescribed programmes by the Food and Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations, the UNEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,the World Health Organization and the UN Con-ference on Trade and Development.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION

On 28 July, the Economic and Social Counciladopted resolution 1995/58.



by the specialized agencies and the international

institutions associated with the United Nations

The Economic and Social Council,Having examined the report of the Secretary-General

and the report of the President of the Economic andSocial Council on consultations held with the Chair-man of the Special Committee on the Situation withregard to the Implementation of the Declaration onthe Granting of Independence to Colonial Countriesand Peoples,

Having heard the statement by the Acting Chairmanof the Special Committee,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 1514(XV) of14 December 1960 and 1541(XV) of 15 December 1960and resolutions of the Special Committee, as well asother relevant resolutions and decisions, including inparticular its resolution 1994/37 of 29 July 1994,

Bearing in mind the relevant provisions of the final docu-ments of the successive Conferences of Heads of Stateor Government of Non-Aligned Countries and of theresolutions adopted by the Assembly of Heads of Stateand Government of the Organization of African Unity,the South Pacific Forum and the Caribbean Community,

Conscious of the need to facilitate the implementationof the Declaration on the Granting of Independence toColonial Countries and Peoples,

Noting that the large majority of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories are small island Territories,

Welcoming the assistance extended to Non-Self-Governing Territories by certain specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system, inparticular the United Nations Development Pro-gramme,

Stressing that, because the development options of smallisland Non-Self-Governing Territories are limited, thereare special challenges to planning for and implement-ing sustainable development and that those Territorieswill be constrained in meeting the challenges withoutthe continued cooperation and assistance of the special-ized agencies and other organizations of the United Na-tions system,

Stressing also the importance of securing necessaryresources for funding expanded assistance programmesfor the peoples concerned and the need to enlist the sup-port of all major funding institutions within the UnitedNations system in that regard,

Reaffirming the mandates of the specialized agenciesand other organizations of the United Nations systemto take all the appropriate measures, within their re-spective spheres of competence, to ensure the full im-plementation of resolution 1514(XV) and other relevantresolutions,

Expressing its appreciation to the Organization of Afri-can Unity, the South Pacific Forum and the CaribbeanCommunity, as well as other regional organizations,for the continued cooperation and assistance they haveextended to the specialized agencies and other organi-zations of the United Nations system in this regard,

Expressing its conviction that closer contacts and consul-tations between and among the specialized agenciesand other organizations of the United Nations systemand regional organizations help to facilitate the effec-tive formulation of assistance programmes for the peo-ples concerned,

Mindful of the imperative need to keep under con-tinuous review the activities of the specialized agenciesand other organizations of the United Nations systemin the implementation of the various United Nationsdecisions relating to decolonization,

Bearing in mind the extremely fragile economies of thesmall island Non-Self-Governing Territories and theirvulnerability to natural disasters, such as hurricanes,cyclones and sealevel rise, and recalling other relevantGeneral Assembly resolutions,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 49/41 of 9 De-cember 1994 on cooperation and coordination of thespecialized agencies and the international institutionsassociated with the United Nations in their assistanceto Non-Self-Governing Territories,

1. Takes note of the report of the President of theEconomic and Social Council on his consultationswith the Chairman of the Special Committee on theSituation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples, and endorses the obser-vations and suggestions arising therefrom;

2. Takes note also of the report of the Secretary-General;3. Recommends that all States intensify their efforts in

the specialized agencies and other organizations of theUnited Nations system to ensure implementation of the


Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples and other relevant resolu-tions of the United Nations;

4. Reaffirms that the specialized agencies and otherorganizations and institutions of the United Nations sys-tem should continue to be guided by the relevant reso-lutions of the United Nations in their efforts to contrib-ute to the implementation of the Declaration and allother relevant General Assembly resolutions;

5. Reaffirms also that the recognition by the GeneralAssembly, the Security Council and other United Na-tions organs of the legitimacy of the aspirations of thepeoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories to exercisetheir right to self-determination entails, as a corollary,the extension of all appropriate assistance to thosepeoples;

6. Expresses its appreciation to those specialized agen-cies and other organizations of the United Nationssystem that have continued to cooperate with theUnited Nations and the regional and subregional or-ganizations in the implementation of General Assem-bly resolution 1514(XV) and other relevant resolutionsof the United Nations, and requests all the specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Na-tions system to implement the relevant provisions ofthose resolutions;

7. Requests the specialized agencies and other organi-zations of the United Nations system, as well as inter-national and regional organizations, to examine andreview conditions in each Territory so as to take ap-propriate measures to accelerate progress in the eco-nomic and social sectors of the Territories;

8. Requests the specialized agencies and the interna-tional institutions associated with the United Nations,as well as regional organizations, to strengthen exist-ing measures of support and formulate appropriate pro-grammes of assistance to the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, within the framework of theirrespective mandates, in order to accelerate progress inthe economic and social sectors of those Territories;

9. Recommends that the executive heads of the special-ized agencies and other organizations of the United Na-tions system formulate, with the active cooperation ofthe regional organizations concerned, concrete proposalsfor the full implementation of the relevant resolutionsof the United Nations and submit the proposals to theirgoverning and legislative organs;

10. Also recommends that the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system con-tinue to review at the regular meetings of their govern-ing bodies the implementation of resolution 1514(XV)and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

11. Welcomes the continued initiative exercised by theUnited Nations Development Programme in maintain-ing close liaison among the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations and in provid-ing assistance to the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Ter-ritories;

12. Encourages Non-Self-Governing Territories to takesteps to establish and/or strengthen disaster prepared-ness and management institutions and policies;

13. Requests the administering Powers concerned tofacilitate the participation of appointed and electedrepresentatives of Non-Self-Governing Territories inthe relevant meetings and conferences of the agencies

and organizations so that the Territories may benefitfrom the related activities of the specialized agenciesand other organizations of the United Nations system;

14. Recommends that all Governments intensify theirefforts in the specialized agencies and other organiza-tions of the United Nations system of which they aremembers to ensure the full and effective implementa-tion of resolution 1514(XV) and other relevant resolu-tions of the United Nations and, in that connection,accord priority to the question of providing assistanceto the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories;

15. Draws the attention of the Special Committee onthe Situation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples to the present resolutionand to the discussion held on the subject at the sub-stantive session of 1995 of the Economic and SocialCouncil;

16. Requests the President of the Economic and So-cial Council to continue to maintain close contact onthese matters with the Chairman of the Special Com-mittee and to report thereon to the Council;

17. Requests the Secretary-General to follow the im-plementation of the present resolution, paying particu-lar attention to cooperation and integration arrange-ments for maximizing the efficiency of the assistanceactivities undertaken by various organizations of theUnited Nations system, and to report thereon to theCouncil at its substantive session of 1996;

18. Decides to keep these questions under continu-ous review.

Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/58

28 July 1995 Meeting 57 31-0-20 (roll-call vote)

12-nation draft (E/1995/L.53/Rev.1); agenda item 5 (c).Meeting numbers. ESC 51, 56, 57.

Roll-call vote in Council as follows:

In favour: Bahamas, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica,Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica,Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philip-pines, Russian Federation, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,Thailand, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

Against: None.

Abstaining: Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France,Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway,Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom,United States.

Speaking in explanation of vote, the UnitedStates said it abstained because the text had un-necessarily and inappropriately linked the workof the specialized agencies and other organiza-tions to the 1960 Declaration whereas the timefor such a link had long since passed. The Rus-sian Federation, which voted in favour, believednevertheless that such matters should be dealtwith in the General Assembly, and stated that itmight vote differently if a similar resolution wereintroduced in the Council in the future.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 6 December, the General Assembly adoptedresolution 50/34.




by the specialized agencies and the international

institutions associated with the United NationsThe General Assembly,

Having considered the item entitled "Implementation ofthe Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agen-cies and the international institutions associated withthe United Nations",

Having also considered the reports submitted on the itemby the Secretary-General and the Chairman of the Spe-cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,

Having examined the chapter of the report of the Spe-cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the item,

Recalling its resolutions 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960and 1541(XV) of 15 December 1960, and resolutions ofthe Special Committee, as well as other relevant reso-lutions and decisions of the United Nations,


Conscious of the need to facilitate the implementationof the Declaration on the Granting of Independence toColonial Countries and Peoples, contained in its reso-lution 1514(XV),

Noting that the large majority of the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories are small island Territories,

Welcoming the assistance extended to Non-Self-Governing Territories by certain specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system, inparticular the United Nations Development Pro-gramme,

Stressing that, because the development options of smallisland Non-Self-Governing Territories are limited, thereare special challenges to planning for and implement-ing sustainable development and that those Territorieswill be constrained in meeting the challenges withoutthe continuing cooperation and assistance of the spe-cialized agencies and other organizations of the UnitedNations system,

Stressing also the importance of securing necessaryresources for funding expanded assistance programmesfor the peoples concerned and the need to enlist the sup-port of all major funding institutions within the UnitedNations system in that regard,

Reaffirming the mandates of the specialized agenciesand other organizations of the United Nations systemto take all the appropriate measures, within their re-spective spheres of competence, to ensure the full im-plementation of resolution 1514(XV) and other relevantresolutions,

Expressing its appreciation to the Organization of Afri-can Unity, the South Pacific Forum and the CaribbeanCommunity, as well as other regional organizations, forthe continuing cooperation and assistance they have ex-tended to the specialized agencies and other organiza-tions of the United Nations system in this regard,

Expressing its conviction that closer contacts and consul-tations between and among the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system andregional organizations help to facilitate the effective for-mulation of assistance programmes for the peoples con-cerned,

Mindful of the imperative need to keep under continu-ous review the activities of the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system in theimplementation of the various United Nations decisionsrelating to decolonization,

Bearing in mind the extremely fragile economies of theNon-Self-Governing small island Territories and theirvulnerability to natural disasters, such as hurricanes,cyclones and sealevel rise, and recalling its relevant reso-lutions,

Recalling its resolution 49/41 of 9 December 1994 onthe implementation of the Declaration by the special-ized agencies and the international institutions as-sociated with the United Nations,

1. Takes note of the report of the Chairman of the Spe-cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples on hisconsultations with the President of the Economic andSocial Council and endorses the observations and sug-gestions arising therefrom;

2. Recommends that all States intensify their efforts inthe specialized agencies and other organizations of theUnited Nations system to ensure implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples and other relevant resolu-tions of the United Nations;

3. Reaffirms that the specialized agencies and otherorganizations and institutions of the United Nations sys-tem should continue to be guided by the relevant reso-lutions of the United Nations in their efforts to contrib-ute to the implementation of the Declaration and otherrelevant General Assembly resolutions;

4. Reaffirms also that the recognition by the GeneralAssembly and other United Nations organs of thelegitimacy of the aspiration of the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories to exercise their right to self-determination entails, as a corollary, the extension ofall appropriate assistance to those peoples;

5. Expresses its appreciation to those specialized agen-cies and other organizations of the United Nations sys-tem that have continued to cooperate with the UnitedNations and the regional and subregional organizationsin the implementation of resolution 1514(XV) and otherrelevant resolutions of the United Nations;

6. Requests the specialized agencies and the interna-tional institutions associated with the United Nations,as well as regional organizations, to examine and re-view conditions in each Territory so as to take appropri-ate measures to accelerate progress in the economic andsocial sectors of the Territories and strengthen existingmeasures of support, and, in that regard, to formulateappropriate programmes of assistance to the remain-ing Non-Self-Governing Territories, within the frame-work of their respective mandates;

7. Recommends that the executive heads of the special-ized agencies and other organizations of the United Na-tions system formulate, with the active cooperation ofthe regional organizations concerned, concrete proposalsfor the full implementation of the relevant resolutions


of the United Nations and submit the proposals to theirgoverning and legislative organs;

8. Also recommends that the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system con-tinue to review at the regular meetings of their govern-ing bodies the implementation of resolution 1514(XV)and other relevant resolutions of the United Nations;

9. Welcomes the continuing initiative exercised by theUnited Nations Development Programme in maintain-ing close liaison among the specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system andin providing assistance to the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories;

10. Encourages Non-Self-Governing Territories to takesteps to establish and/or strengthen disaster prepared-ness and management institutions and policies;

11. Requests the administering Powers concerned tofacilitate the participation of appointed and electedrepresentatives of Non-Self-Governing Territories in therelevant meetings and conferences of the specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Nationssystem so that the Territories may benefit from therelated activities of those agencies and other organi-zations;

12. Recommends that all Governments intensify theirefforts in the specialized agencies and other organiza-tions of the United Nations system of which they aremembers to ensure the full and effective implementa-tion of resolution 1514(XV) and other relevant resolu-tions of the United Nations and, in that connection, ac-cord priority to the question of providing assistance tothe peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to as-sist the specialized agencies and other organizations ofthe United Nations system in working out appropriatemeasures for implementing the relevant resolutions ofthe United Nations and to prepare for submission tothe relevant bodies, with the assistance of those agen-cies and organizations, a report on the action taken inimplementation of the relevant resolutions, includingthe present resolution, since the circulation of his pre-vious report;

14. Commends the Economic and Social Council forits debate and its resolution 1995/58 of 28 July 1995 onthis issue, and requests it to continue to consider, in con-sultation with the Special Committee, appropriate meas-ures for coordination of the policies and activities of thespecialized agencies and other organizations of theUnited Nations system in implementing the relevantresolutions of the General Assembly;

15. Requests the specialized agencies to report peri-odically to the Secretary-General on the implementa-tion of the present resolution;

16. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit thepresent resolution to the governing bodies of the ap-propriate specialized agencies and international insti-tutions associated with the United Nations so that thosebodies may take the necessary measures to implementthe resolution, and also requests the Secretary-Generalto report to the General Assembly at its fifty-first ses-sion on the implementation of the present resolution;

17. Requests the Special Committee to continue to ex-amine the question and to report thereon to the GeneralAssembly at its fifty-first session.

General Assembly resolution 50/346 December 1995 Meeting 82 107-0-50 (recorded vote)

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/611) by recorded vote (91-0-43), 3November (meeting 14); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23);agenda items 90 & 12.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 2, 5-7, 14; plenary 82.


In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Ba-hamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana,Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba,Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Ec-uador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea,Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica,Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Le-sotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives,Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mon-golia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar,Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone,Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu-nisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uru-guay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: None.Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,

Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakstan, Latvia,Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Nether-lands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, RussianFederation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Repub-lic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

Foreign interests impedingimplementation of the Declaration

The Special Committee on decolonization in1995 again considered foreign economic and otherinterests impeding implementation of the 1960Declaration. It had before it working papers bythe Secretariat describing economic conditions andforeign activities in Anguilla,(16) Bermuda,(17) theCayman Islands,(18) Montserrat,(19) the Turks andCaicos Islands(20) and the United States VirginIslands.(21)



Activities of foreign economic and other interests which

impede the implementation of the Declaration on the

Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and

Peoples in Territories under colonial domination

The General Assembly,Having considered the item entitled "Activities of for-

eign economic and other interests which impede theimplementation of the Declaration on the Granting ofIndependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples inTerritories under colonial domination",

Having examined the chapter of the report of the Spe-cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the item,

Recalling its resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960,as well as all its other relevant resolutions, including,in particular, resolution 46/181 of 19 December 1991, en-dorsing the plan of action for the International Decadefor the Eradication of Colonialism,


Reaffirming the solemn obligation of the administer-ing Powers under the Charter of the United Nations topromote the political, economic, social and educationaladvancement of the inhabitants of the Territories undertheir administration and to protect the human and nat-ural resources of those Territories against abuses,

Reaffirming also that any economic or other activity thatconstitutes an obstacle to the implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples and obstructs efforts aimedat the elimination of colonialism is a direct violation ofthe rights of the inhabitants and of the principles of theCharter and all relevant resolutions of the UnitedNations,

Reaffirming further that the natural resources are the her-itage of the indigenous populations of the colonial andNon-Self-Governing Territories,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographicallocation, size and economic conditions of each Territoryand bearing in mind the need to promote the stability,diversification and strengthening of the respective econ-omy of each Territory,

Conscious of the particular vulnerability of the smallTerritories to natural disasters and environmental degra-dation,

Conscious also that foreign economic investment, whendone in collaboration with the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories and in accordance with theirwishes, could make a valid contribution to the socio-economic development of the Territories and could alsomake a valid contribution to the exercise of their rightto self-determination,

Concerned about the activities of those foreign economic,financial and other interests which exploit the naturaland human resources of the Non-Self-Governing Terri-tories to the detriment of the interests of the inhabitantsof those Territories and deprive them of their right tocontrol the wealth of their countries,


1. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the peoples ofcolonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories to self-determination and independence and to the enjoymentof the natural resources of their Territories, as well astheir right to dispose of those resources in their best in-terests;

2. Affirms the value of foreign economic investmentundertaken in collaboration with the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories and in accordance with theirwishes in order to make a valid contribution to the socio-economic development of the Territories;

3. Reiterates that any administering Power thatdeprives the colonial peoples of Non-Self-Governing Ter-ritories of the exercise of their legitimate rights over theirnatural resources, or subordinates the rights and in-terests of those peoples to foreign economic and finan-cial interests, violates the solemn obligations it has as-sumed under the Charter of the United Nations;

4. Reaffirms its concern about the activities of those for-eign economic, financial and other interests which con-tinue to exploit the natural resources that are the heri-tage of the indigenous populations of the colonial and

Non-Self-Governing Territories in the Caribbean, thePacific and other regions, as well as their humanresources, to the detriment of their interests, thus depriv-ing them of their right to control the resources of theirTerritories and impeding the realization by those peo-ples of their legitimate aspirations for self-determinationand independence;

5. Reiterates its deep concern about those activities of for-eign economic and other interests in the colonial andNon-Self-Governing Territories which are impeding theimplementation of the Declaration on the Granting ofIndependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, con-tained in its resolution 1514(XV), and the efforts to elim-inate colonialism;

6. Calls once again upon all Governments that have notyet done so to take, in accordance with the relevant pro-visions of its resolution 2621(XXV) of 12 October 1970,legislative, administrative or other measures in respectof their nationals and the bodies corporate under theirjurisdiction, if any, that own and operate enterprises incolonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories that aredetrimental to the interests of the inhabitants of thoseTerritories, in order to put an end to such practices andto prevent new investments that run counter to the in-terests of the inhabitants of those Territories;

7. Reiterates that the damaging exploitation and plun-dering of the marine and other natural resources of co-lonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories by foreigneconomic interests, in violation of the relevant resolu-tions of the United Nations, is a threat to the integrityand prosperity of those Territories;

8. Invites all Governments and organizations of theUnited Nations system to ensure that the permanentsovereignty of the peoples of colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories over their natural resources is fullyrespected and safeguarded;

9. Urges the administering Powers concerned to con-tinue to take effective measures to safeguard and guar-antee the inalienable right of the peoples of the colonialand Non-Self-Governing Territories to their naturalresources and to establish and maintain control over thefuture development of those resources, and requests theadministering Powers to continue to take all necessarysteps to protect the property rights of the peoples of thoseTerritories;

10. Calls upon the administering Powers concernedto ensure that no discriminatory working conditions pre-vail in the Territories under their administration andto promote in each Territory a fair system of wages ap-plicable to all the inhabitants without any discrimi-nation;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to continue,through all means at his disposal, to inform world pub-lic opinion of those activities of foreign economic andother interests which impede the implementation of theDeclaration;

12. Appeals to the mass media, trade unions and non-governmental organizations, as well as individuals, tocontinue their efforts for the full implementation of theDeclaration;

13. Decides to continue to follow the situation in thecolonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories so as to en-sure that all economic activities in those Territories areaimed at strengthening and diversifying their economiesin the interest of the indigenous peoples and at promot-ing the economic and financial viability of those Terri-


tories, in order to facilitate and accelerate the exerciseby the peoples of those Territories of their right to self-determination and independence;

14. Requests the Special Committee on the Situationwith regard to the Implementation of the Declarationon the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countriesand Peoples to continue to examine this question andto report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session.



Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/610) by recorded vote (70-41-4), 3November (meeting 14); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23),amended by Spain for EU (A/C.4/50/L.7); agenda items 89 & 18.



In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bahrain,Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, BruneiDarussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile,China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Democratic People'sRepublic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon,Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lib-yan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Niger, Ni-geria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip-pines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sene-gal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidadand Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanu-atu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy,Japan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,Malta, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Por-tugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slove-nia, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey,Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen.*

Abstaining: Argentina, Marshall Islands, Micronesia.*Later advised the Secretariat it had intended to vote in favour.

Military activities andarrangements in colonial countries

The Special Committee on decolonization alsoconsidered military activities and arrangements bycolonial Powers in Territories under their adminis-tration which might impede implementation of the1960 Declaration. It had before it working papersby the Secretariat on military activities and ar-rangements in Bermuda/,(17) Guam(22) and theUnited States Virgin Islands.(21)


In December, the General Assembly adopteddecision 50/412.

Military activities and arrangements by colonial Powers

in Territories under their administration

At its 82nd plenary meeting, on 6 December 1995,the General Assembly, on the recommendation of theSpecial Political and Decolonization Committee (FourthCommittee), adopted the following text:

"1. The General Assembly, having considered thechapter of the report of the Special Committee on theSituation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples relating to an item onthe agenda of the Special Committee entitled 'Mili-

tary activities and arrangements by colonial Powersin Territories under their administration', and recall-ing its resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960 andall other relevant resolutions and decisions of theUnited Nations relating to military activities in co-lonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories, reaffirmsits strong conviction that military bases and installa-tions in the Territories concerned could constitute anobstacle to the exercise by the people of those Terri-tories of their right to self-determination, and reiter-ates its strong views that existing bases and installa-tions, which are impeding the implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples, should be withdrawn.

"2. Aware of the presence of such bases and in-stallations in some of those Territories, the GeneralAssembly urges the administering Powers concernedto continue to take all necessary measures not to in-volve those Territories in any offensive acts or inter-ference against other States.

"3. The General Assembly reiterates its concernthat military activities and arrangements by colonialPowers in Territories under their administration mightrun counter to the rights and interests of the colonialpeoples concerned, especially their right to self-determination and independence. The Assembly onceagain calls upon the administering Powers concernedto terminate such activities and to eliminate such mili-tary bases in compliance with its relevant resolutions.

"4. The General Assembly reiterates that the co-lonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories and areasadjacent thereto should not be used for nuclear test-ing, dumping of nuclear wastes or deployment of nu-clear and other weapons of mass destruction.

"5. The General Assembly deplores the contin-ued alienation of land in colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territories, particularly in the small islandTerritories of the Pacific and Caribbean regions, formilitary installations. The large-scale utilization of thelocal resources for this purpose could adversely affectthe economic development of the Territories con-cerned.

"6. The General Assembly takes note of the de-cision of some of the administering Powers to closeor downsize some of those military bases in the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

"7. The General Assembly requests theSecretary-General to continue to inform world pub-lic opinion of those military activities and arrange-ments in colonial and Non-Self-Governing Territorieswhich constitute an obstacle to the implementationof the Declaration on the Granting of Independenceto Colonial Countries and Peoples.

"8. The General Assembly requests the SpecialCommittee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting ofIndependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples tocontinue to examine this question and to reportthereon to the Assembly at its fifty-first session."

General Assembly decision 50/412

95-48-4 (recorded vote)

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/610) by recorded vote (76-40-3), 3November (meeting 14); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23);agenda items 89 & 18.




In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bahrain,Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussa-lam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China,Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon,Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Leb-anon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nica-ragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia,Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka,Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda,United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu,Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada,Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece,Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakstan, Latvia,Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands,New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania,Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, the formerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

Abstaining: Argentina, Belize, Marshall Islands, Micronesia.

Information disseminationIn 1995, the Subcommittee on Small Territories,

Petitions, Information and Assistance held consul-tations with representatives of the Secretariat'sDepartment of Public Information and Departmentof Political Affairs concerning dissemination of in-formation on decolonization. The representativesdescribed activities of their Departments in that re-spect, including regular contacts with intergovern-mental and non-governmental organizations(NGOs), academic circles and institutions of highereducation; replies to individual requests for infor-mation and distribution of relevant UN documents,as well as contacts with local media and commu-nities through the worldwide network of 68 UN in-formation centres and services; and coverage ofdecolonization issues in publications, television andradio programmes and press releases.

In a statement made on the occasion of the Weekof Solidarity with the Peoples of All Colonial Ter-ritories Fighting for Freedom, Independence andHuman Rights (22-26 May), the SubcommitteeChairman underscored that, despite the universallyrecognized success in the field of decolonization,the task in that area remained unfinished and re-quired further concerted and determined action.He appealed for strengthened and continued supportfrom the administering Powers to ensure the pro-gress of NSGTs towards self-determination.

In July, the Special Committee on decoloniza-tion approved the Subcommittee's report,(4) includ-ing its Chairman's statement and recommendationson dissemination of information.


On 6 December, the Assembly adopted resolu-

tion 50/40.

Dissemination of information on decolonization

The General Assembly,Having examined the chapter of the report of the Spe-

cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-

plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the dissemination of information on decolonizationand publicity for the work of the United Nations in thefield of decolonization,

Recalling its resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960,containing the Declaration on the Granting of Indepen-dence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and other reso-lutions and decisions of the United Nations concerningthe dissemination of information on decolonization, inparticular General Assembly resolution 49/90 of 16 De-cember 1994,

Recognizing the need for flexible, practical and innova-tive approaches towards reviewing the options of self-determination for the peoples of Non-Self-GoverningTerritories with a view to achieving complete decoloni-zation by the year 2000,

Reiterating the importance of dissemination of informationas an instrument for furthering the aims of the Decla-ration, and mindful of the role of world public opinionin effectively assisting the peoples of Non-Self-GoverningTerritories to achieve self-determination,

Aware of the role of non-governmental organizationsin the dissemination of information on decolonization,

1. Approves the chapter of the report of the Special Com-mittee on the Situation with regard to the Implementa-tion of the Declaration on the Granting of Independenceto Colonial Countries and Peoples relating to the dis-semination of information on decolonization and pub-licity for the work of the United Nations in the field ofdecolonization;

2. Considers it important to continue its efforts to en-sure the widest possible dissemination of information ondecolonization, with particular emphasis on the optionsof self-determination available for the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories;

3. Requests the Department of Political Affairs and theDepartment of Public Information of the Secretariat totake into account the suggestions of the Special Com-mittee to continue their efforts to take measures throughall the media available, including publications, radio andtelevision, as well as the Internet, to give publicity to thework of the United Nations in the field of decoloniza-tion and, inter alia:

(a) To continue to collect, prepare and disseminatebasic material on the issue of self-determination of thepeoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories;

(b) To seek the full cooperation of the administeringPowers in the discharge of the tasks referred to above;

(c) To maintain a working relationship with the ap-propriate regional and intergovernmental organizations,particularly in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, by hold-ing periodic consultations and exchanging information;

(d) To encourage involvement of non-governmentalorganizations in the dissemination of information ondecolonization;

(e) To report to the Special Committee on measurestaken in the implementation of the present resolution;

4. Requests all States, including the administeringPowers, to continue to extend their cooperation in thedissemination of information referred to in para-graph 2 above;

5. Requests the Special Committee to follow the im-plementation of the present resolution and to report thereonto the General Assembly at its fifty-first session.




Draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23); agenda item 18.Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: plenary 59, 82.


In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bar-bados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo-tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cam-eroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, CostaRica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea,Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethio-pia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-BissauGuyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, JamaicaJapan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic RepublicLebanon, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, MadagascarMalawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, MauritaniaMauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, NepalNew Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, PanamaPapua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of KoreaSaint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, SolomonIslands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden,Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tur-key, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania,Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: Israel, United Kingdom, United States.Abstaining: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Es-

tonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithua-nia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Mol-dova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, the former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia.

Puerto RicoIn July 1995, the Special Committee on decoloni-

zation postponed for another year, until 1996, con-sideration of its decision of 15 August 1991,(23) bywhich it deplored the fact that the United StatesCongress had not adopted a legal framework forholding a referendum to enable the people of PuertoRico to determine their political future. The Committeeagreed, on the basis of its usual practice, to givedue consideration to requests for hearings and heardsix representatives of Puerto Rican organizations.

Other general questions

ScholarshipsIn response to a 1994 General Assembly re-

quest,(24) the Secretary-General reported in Sep-tember 1995 on offers made by Member States ofstudy and training facilities for inhabitants ofNSGTs.(25) Three States informed him of scholar-ships between 1 October 1994 and 30 September1995. Austria regularly provided vocational trainingand capacity-building assistance in the infrastructureand education sectors, as well as the training of kin-dergarten teachers, for inhabitants of Western Sa-hara. New Zealand reported that 20 students fromNew Caledonia and 33 students from Tokelau werestudying in that country in 1995 on governmentscholarships. During the financial year 1994/95, theUnited Kingdom offered 55 scholarships to studentsfrom the British NSGTs.

Offers by Member States of study and training facilitiesfor inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 49/42 of 9 December 1994,Having examined the report of the Secretary-General on

offers by Member States of study and training facilitiesfor inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories, pre-pared pursuant to its resolution 845(IX) of 22 Novem-ber 1954,

Conscious of the importance of promoting the educa-tional advancement of the inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories,

Strongly convinced that the continuation and expansionof offers of scholarships is essential in order to meet theincreasing need of students from Non-Self-GoverningTerritories for educational and training assistance, andconsidering that students in those Territories should beencouraged to avail themselves of such offers,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;2. Expresses its appreciation to those Member States that

have made scholarships available to the inhabitants ofNon-Self-Governing Territories;

3. Invites all States to make or continue to makegenerous offers of study and training facilities to the in-habitants of those Territories that have not yet attainedself-government or independence and, wherever possi-ble, to provide travel funds to prospective students;

4. Urges the administering Powers to take effectivemeasures to ensure the widespread and continuous dis-semination in the Territories under their administrationof information relating to offers of study and trainingfacilities made by States and to provide all the neces-sary facilities to enable students to avail themselves ofsuch offers;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to report to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session on the im-plementation of the present resolution;

6. Draws the attention of the Special Committee on theSituation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples to the present resolution.


6 December 1995 Meeting 82 Adopted without vote

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/612) without vote, 3 November (meet-ing 14); 22-nation draft (A/C.4/50/L.4); agenda item 91.


Information to the United NationsStates responsible for the administration of

NSGTs continued to inform the Secretary-Generalof the economic, social and educational conditionsin the Territories, under the terms of Article 73 eof the UN Charter. In September, the Secretary-General reported(26) that he received informationwith respect to Tokelau (administered by NewZealand), and Anguilla, Bermuda and Gibraltar(administered by the United Kingdom).






Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories

transmitted under Article 73 e of the

Charter of the United Nations

The General Assembly,Having examined the chapter of the report of the Spe-

cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the information from Non-Self-Governing Territoriestransmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter of theUnited Nations and the action taken by the SpecialCommittee in respect of that information,

Having also examined the report of the Secretary-Generalon the item,

Recalling its resolution 1970(XVIII) of 16 December1963, in which it requested the Special Committee tostudy the information transmitted to the Secretary-General in accordance with Article 73 e of the Charterand to take such information fully into account in ex-amining the situation with regard to the implementa-tion of the Declaration on the Granting of Independenceto Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in its reso-lution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960,

Recalling also its resolution 49/39 of 9 December 1994,in which it requested the Special Committee to continueto discharge the functions entrusted to it under resolu-tion 1970(XVIII),

Stressing the importance of timely transmission by theadministering Powers of adequate information under Ar-ticle 73 e of the Charter, in particular in relation to thepreparation by the Secretariat of the working papers onthe Territories concerned,

1. Approves the chapter of the report of the SpecialCommittee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the information from Non-Self-Governing Territoriestransmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter of theUnited Nations;

2. Reaffirms that, in the absence of a decision by theGeneral Assembly itself that a Non-Self-Governing Ter-ritory has attained a full measure of self-government interms of Chapter XI of the Charter, the administeringPower concerned should continue to transmit informa-tion under Article 73 e of the Charter with respect tothat Territory;

3. Requests the administering Powers concerned totransmit or continue to transmit to the Secretary-General the information prescribed in Article 73 e ofthe Charter, as well as the fullest possible informationon political and constitutional developments in the Ter-ritories concerned, within a maximum period of sixmonths following the expiration of the administrativeyear in those Territories;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to en-sure that adequate information is drawn from all avail-able published sources in connection with the prepara-tion of the working papers relating to the Territoriesconcerned;

5. Requests the Special Committee to continue to dis-charge the functions entrusted to it under resolution1970(XVIII), in accordance with established procedures,and to report thereon to the General Assembly at itsfifty-first session.



Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/609) by recorded vote (121-0-3), 3November (meeting 14); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23);agenda item 88.



In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argen-tina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Ban-gladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia andHerzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China,Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ec-uador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon,Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana,Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel,Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, LaoPeople's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal-dives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, NewZealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore,Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the formerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tur-key, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanza-nia, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: None.Abstaining: France, Guinea-Bissau, United Kingdom, United States.

Visiting missionsThe Chairman of the Special Committee on

decolonization, as requested by the Committee in1994,(27) held consultations with representatives ofthe administering Powers on the question of send-ing visiting missions to NSGTs. In July 1995, hereported(28) that some NSGTs had expressed theirwillingness to receive UN missions and that he hadagain appealed to the administering Powers forcooperation in sending such missions, which wereessential for the successful implementation of the1991 plan of action(7) for the International Dec-ade for the Eradication of Colonialism (see above).

One administering Power said that those ter-ritorial Governments willing to receive visitingmissions should first consult with the administer-ing Power concerned. Two others declared them-selves open to any suggestions by local Govern-ments in the Territories regarding their readinessto receive such missions. Another administeringPower found it difficult to facilitate access to theTerritory concerned and hoped that the Secretary-General would succeed in his efforts to bring theparties together and make possible the dispatch ofa visiting mission. A number of the administer-ing Powers reiterated their willingness to continueproviding information on NSGTs under their ad-ministration (see above).

On 10 July, the Committee adopted a resolu-tion(29) stressing the need to dispatch periodicmissions to NSGTs to facilitate full implementationof the 1960 Declaration,(2) calling on the ad-ministering Powers to continue to cooperate byreceiving UN visiting missions in Territories under


their administration and requesting them to con-sider new approaches in the Committee's work.The Committee requested its Chairman to con-tinue consulting with those Powers and to reportas appropriate.

Other colonial Territories

East TimorThe Special Committee on decolonization con-

sidered a working paper(30) by the Secretariat onpolitical developments, the human rights situation,and economic, social and educational conditionsin East Timor. The paper also described UN con-sideration of the situation. The Committeeacceded to the request by Sao Tome and Principeto participate in the deliberations. It heard state-ments, among others, by Indonesia, Portugal and33 petitioners. On 13 July, the Committee decided,on the proposal of its Acting Chairman, to con-tinue consideration of the question in 1996, sub-ject to any directives by the General Assembly andon the understanding that Indonesia's objectionwould be reflected in that meeting's record.(31)

By a 5 June note verbale,(32) Portugal informedthe Secretary-General that it continued to beprevented from exercising its responsibilities forthe administration of East Timor and remainedunable to provide information concerning the Ter-ritory under Article 73 e of the Charter, owing toEast Timor's illegal occupation by a third coun-try which prevented its people from exercisingfreely their right to self-determination. Portugalfurther described the human rights situation in theTerritory, based on reports of the Special Rappor-teur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Ex-ecutions(33) of the Commission on HumanRights, international media, NGOs and officialUN documents; developments in the talks on thequestion of East Timor; and proceedings in thecase concerning East Timor, brought by Portugalagainst Australia before the International Courtof Justice (see PART FIVE, Chapter I).

On 10 July, Indonesia responded(34) that Por-tugal had relinquished its responsibility as the ad-ministering Power of East Timor when it aban-doned the Territory in 1975, which resulted in civilwar, and that the people of East Timor had exer-cised their right to self-determination by decidingin 1976 to be integrated with Indonesia. Portugal'snote, it said, contained invalid information basedon secondary and unreliable sources. Indonesiafurther described steps it had taken to improve thesituation in East Timor.

In September,(35) the Secretary-General up-dated his 1994 progress report(36) on efforts tofind a just, comprehensive and internationally ac-ceptable solution to the question of East Timor.At a fifth round of talks (Geneva, 9 January 1995)

under the Secretary-General's auspices, the For-eign Ministers of Indonesia and Portugal notedpositively his intention to facilitate and offer neces-sary arrangements for convening an all-inclusive,intra-East-Timorese dialogue to exchange viewsand explore practical ideas for improving the sit-uation. It was understood that the dialogue wouldnot address the Territory's political status andwould not constitute a parallel negotiating track.The Ministers further agreed to consider at sub-sequent rounds of talks possible avenues towardsa solution to the question and reaffirmed the needto improve the human rights situation in EastTimor, including access to the Territory and theearly release of the East Timorese imprisoned, andfull accounting for the persons dead or missing,as a result of the 1991 incident in Dili(37) (see alsoPART THREE, Chapter III).

At the first meeting of the All-inclusive Intra-East-Timorese Dialogue (Burg Schlaining, Aus-tria, 2-5 June), a declaration was adopted whichproposed holding further Dialogue meetings;called for measures to improve the human rightssituation and to promote peace, stability, justiceand social harmony; reaffirmed the necessity ofEast Timor's sociocultural development based onthe preservation of its cultural identity; and ex-pressed the need to involve all East Timorese inthe Territory's development.

At the sixth round of talks (Geneva, 8 July), theForeign Ministers welcomed the results of the firstDialogue meeting and the Secretary-General's in-tention to continue that process, and began dis-cussions of possible avenues for a comprehensivesolution, including an eventual framework forachieving such a solution, the preservation andpromotion of East Timor's cultural identity, andbilateral relations.

Falkland Islands (Malvinas)On 10 and 13 July, the Special Committee on

decolonization considered the question of the Falk-land Islands (Malvinas); the United Kingdom, theadministering Power, did not participate. TheCommittee acceded to Argentina's request for par-ticipation in the deliberations.

It had before it a working paper(38) by theSecretariat outlining political developments, ar-rangements for a mine-clearing operation and eco-nomic, social and educational conditions on theislands, and describing the Territory's Constitu-tion and Government, its participation in inter-national organizations and consideration of its fu-ture status by the UN and other intergovernmentalorganizations.

The Committee adopted a resolution(39) re-questing Argentina and the United Kingdom toconsolidate the current process of dialogue andcooperation through the resumption of negotia-


tions to find a peaceful solution to the sovereigntydispute relating to the islands, and reiterating itsfirm support for the mission of good offices of theSecretary-General in assisting the parties.


On 31 October, the General Assembly, by de-

cision 50/406, deferred consideration of the ques-tion of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and in-cluded it on the provisional agenda of its 1996session.

GibraltarThe Special Committee on decolonization con-

sidered the question of Gibraltar on 10 and 11 July.It had before it a working paper(40) describing po-litical developments and economic, social andeducational conditions in Gibraltar, as well as UNconsideration of the question and discussions ofthe Territory's future status. The Committeeacceded to Spain's request for participation in thedeliberations. It heard statements by Spain, theChief Minister of Gibraltar and one petitioner rep-resenting an NGO.

The Committee decided to continue its con-sideration of Gibraltar in 1996, and to transmitrelevant documentation to the Assembly to facili-tate consideration by the Fourth (Special Politicaland Decolonization) Committee.


In December, the General Assembly adopteddecision 50/415.

Question of Gibraltar

At its 82nd plenary meeting, on 6 December 1995,the General Assembly, on the recommendation of theSpecial Political and Decolonization Committee (FourthCommittee), adopted the following text as representingthe consensus of the members of the Assembly:

"The General Assembly, recalling its decision49/420 of 9 December 1994 and recalling at the sametime that the statement agreed to by the Governmentsof Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britainand Northern Ireland at Brussels on 27 November1984 stipulates, inter alia, the following:

'The establishment of a negotiating process aimedat overcoming all the differences between them overGibraltar and at promoting cooperation on a mutuallybeneficial basis on economic, cultural, touristic, avi-ation, military and environmental matters. Both sidesaccept that the issues of sovereignty will be discussedin that process. The British Government will fullymaintain its commitment to honour the wishes ofthe people of Gibraltar as set out in the preambleof the 1969 Constitution',

takes note of the fact that, as part of that process, theMinisters for Foreign Affairs of Spain and of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire-land hold annual meetings alternately in each capi-tal, the most recent of which took place in Londonon 20 December 1994, and urges both Governments

to continue their negotiations with the object of reach-ing a definitive solution to the problem of Gibraltarin the light of relevant resolutions of the General As-sembly and in the spirit of the Charter of the UnitedNations."

General Assembly decision 50/415

Adopted without vote

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/602) without vote, 3 November (meet-ing 15); draft by Chairman (A/C.4/50/L.3); agenda item 18.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 2-7, 9-11, 13-15; ple-nary 82.

New CaledoniaThe Special Committee on decolonization had

before it a working paper(41) on political and eco-nomic developments in New Caledonia and UNconsideration of the question. It heard one peti-tioner on the issue.

The paper described recent developmentswithin the framework of the 1988 Matignon Ac-cords,(42) which provided for a self-determinationreferendum to be held in 1998, following a 10-yearperiod of economic and social development aimedat: effecting a more equitable economic distribu-tion among New Caledonia's three provinces, andproviding education and training to enable the in-digenous Melanesians, known as Kanaks, to par-ticipate equally in the economy and Governmentof the Territory. It noted that the Committee toMonitor the Matignon Accords had held its sec-ond intermediate meeting (Noumea, New Caledo-nia, 15 September 1994), at which the partiesagreed that a comprehensive medium- and long-term development plan should be elaborated forcertain strategic sectors such as energy, telecom-munications, the nickel industry, air transport andtourism. A proposal was made to set up a plan-ning team to help the provinces and the Territoryseek investment and to follow up developmentprojects. That body—the Agency for the EconomicDevelopment of New Caledonia—was inauguratedin February 1995. The parties also reached con-sensus on making certain technical adjustmentsto the Referendum Act of 1988, so as to restorethe principles of decentralization enshrined in theMatignon Accords. The Referendum Act wasamended accordingly by the Organic Law of 20February 1995, approved by the parties andreceived favourably by the Territorial Congressand the Territorial Consultative Committee.

The sixth meeting of the Committee to Moni-tor the Matignon Accords, scheduled for Febru-ary 1995, was replaced by an informal tripartitemeeting of the parties to the Accords (Noumea,7-8 February). The parties reaffirmed their desirenot to break off the dialogue and to bring to frui-tion the process initiated in 1988. The Ministerfor Overseas Departments and Territories indi-cated that the State would play a full part infuture discussions and proposed to work out a


method leading to the establishment of a perma-nent operational organization.



Question of New Caledonia

The General Assembly,Having considered the question of New Caledonia,Having examined the chapter of the report of the Spe-

cial Committee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto New Caledonia,

Reaffirming the right of peoples to self-determinationas enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling its resolutions 1514(XV) and 1541(XV) of 14and 15 December 1960, respectively,

Noting the importance of the positive measures beingpursued in New Caledonia by the French authorities,in cooperation with all sectors of the population, to pro-mote political, economic and social development in theTerritory, including measures in the area of environmen-tal protection and action with respect to drug abuse andtrafficking, in order to provide a framework for its peace-ful progress to self-determination,

Noting also, in this context, the importance of equita-ble economic and social development, as well as con-tinued dialogue among the parties involved in NewCaledonia in the preparation of the act of self-determination of New Caledonia,

Welcoming the strengthening of the process of reviewof the Matignon Accords through the increased fre-quency of coordination meetings,

Noting with satisfaction the intensification of contacts be-tween New Caledonia and neighbouring countries of theSouth Pacific region,

1. Urges all the parties involved, in the interest of allthe people of New Caledonia and building on the posi-tive outcome of the mid-term review of the MatignonAccords, to maintain their dialogue in a spirit ofharmony;

2. Invites all the parties involved to continue promot-ing a framework for the peaceful progress of the Terri-tory towards an act of self-determination in which alloptions are open and which would safeguard the rightsof all New Caledonians according to the letter and thespirit of the Matignon Accords, which are based on theprinciple that it is for the populations of New Caledo-nia to choose how to control their destiny;

3. Welcomes measures that have been taken tostrengthen and diversify the New Caledonian economyin all fields, and encourages further such measures inaccordance with the spirit of the Matignon Accords;

4. Also welcomes the importance attached by the par-ties to the Matignon Accords to greater progress in hous-ing, employment, training, education and health carein New Caledonia;

5. Acknowledges the contribution of the MelanesianCultural Centre to the protection of the indigenous cul-ture of New Caledonia;

6. Notes the positive initiatives aimed at protectingNew Caledonia's natural environment, notably the"Zonéco" operation designed to map and evaluate ma-

rine resources within the economic zone of NewCaledonia;

7. Also acknowledges the close links between NewCaledonia and the peoples of the South Pacific and thepositive actions being taken by the French and provin-cial authorities to facilitate the further development ofthose links, including the development of closer relationswith the member countries of the South Pacific Forum;

8. Welcomes, in this regard, continuing high-level visitsto New Caledonia by delegations from countries of thePacific region and high-level visits by delegations fromNew Caledonia to member countries of the South Pa-cific Forum;

9. Requests the Special Committee on the Situationwith regard to the Implementation of the Declarationon the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countriesand Peoples to continue the examination of this ques-tion at its next session and to report thereon to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session.



Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/602) without vote, 3 November (meet-ing 15); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23); agenda item 18.


Western SaharaIn 1995, efforts continued towards organizing

a UN-supervised referendum for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara,in accordance with a settlement plan approved bythe Security Council in 1991.(43) The Secretary-General continued exercising his good offices, inclose cooperation with the Chairman of the Or-ganization of African Unity (OAU), to settle thedifferences between the two parties concerned—the Government of Morocco and the Frente Popu-lar para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y deRío de Oro (Frente POLISARIO). During the year,major focus was on establishing the electorate eligi-ble to participate in the referendum and remov-ing obstacles to completing the identification ofpotential voters, carried out by the IdentificationCommission. To accelerate the process, theSecretary-General proposed modifications to theidentification procedure and repeatedly called onboth parties to cooperate fully with the UN Mis-sion for the Referendum in Western Sahara(MINURSO). In September, the Security Councilextended the Mission's mandate until 31 January1996. In November, the Secretary-General an-nounced his intention to present the Council withalternative options, including the possibility ofMINURSO's withdrawal, should the identificationoperation fail to proceed with the necessary speed.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (January)

On 13 January 1995, the Security Council, hav-ing considered the Secretary-General's December1994 report(44) on the situation in Western Sa-hara, adopted resolution 973(1995).


The Security Council,Reaffirming its resolutions 621(1988) of 20 September

1988, 658(1990) of 27 June 1990, 690(1991) of 29 April1991, 725(1991) of 31 December 1991, 809(1993) of 2March 1993 and 907(1994) of 29 March 1994,

Recalling the statements by the President of the Secu-rity Council of 29 July 1994 and 15 November 1994,

Having considered the Secretary-General's report of 14December 1994,

Welcoming the efforts of the Secretary-General duringhis visit to the region from 25 to 29 November 1994,

Committed to reaching a just and lasting solution of thequestion of Western Sahara,

Urging the two parties to cooperate fully with theSecretary-General and the United Nations Mission forthe Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to en-sure prompt and full implementation of the SettlementPlan,

Noting the Secretary-General's judgement that the onlyway to complete identification and registration in areasonable time is through a major reinforcement of per-sonnel and other resources,

Concerned that the implementation of the SettlementPlan has been delayed and that in the circumstances themandate of MINURSO, like the other United Nationsoperations, should be subject to periodic considerationby the Council,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General onthe situation concerning Western Sahara of 14 Decem-ber 1994;

2. Reiterates its commitment to holding, without fur-ther delay, a free, fair and impartial referendum for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in ac-cordance with the Settlement Plan which has been ac-cepted by the two parties;

3. Calls upon the two parties to cooperate fully withthe Secretary-General and MINURSO in their effortsto implement the Settlement Plan in accordance withthe relevant Security Council resolutions and within thetime-scale outlined in paragraphs 21 and 22 of theSecretary-General's report;

4. Welcomes the fact that voter identification hasbegun and is continuing albeit at a slow pace, and com-mends MINURSO for the progress achieved thus far;

5. Approves the expansion of MINURSO as proposedin paragraphs 17 to 19 of the Secretary-General's re-port and expresses the hope that every effort will be madeto deploy the observers necessary to complete the iden-tification process in a timely fashion in accordance withthe Settlement Plan;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to report by 31March 1995 to confirm the arrangements with regardto the logistic, personnel and other resources requiredfor the deployment of MINURSO at full strength, on hisfinal plans for implementing all elements of the Settle-ment Plan and on the responses of the parties to hisproposals in order to fulfil the United Nations missionin Western Sahara;

7. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to de-ploy all possible efforts in order to create a propitiousatmosphere conducive to a speedy and effective im-plementation of the Settlement Plan;

8. Expects to be able, on the basis of the report re-quested in paragraph 6 above, to confirm 1 June 1995as the date for the start of the transitional period, with

a view to holding the referendum in October 1995 andto bringing the mission to a successful conclusion shortlythereafter, in accordance with the Settlement Plan;

9. Decides that the mandate of MINURSO shouldcontinue to 31 May 1995;

10. Also decides to consider the possible extension ofthe mandate of MINURSO after 31 May 1995 on thebasis of a further report from the Secretary-General andin the light of progress achieved towards the holding ofthe referendum and the implementation of the Settle-ment Plan;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Secu-rity Council fully informed of further developments inthe implementation of the Settlement Plan for WesternSahara during this period;

12. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Security Council resolution 973(1995)

13 January 1995 Meeting 3490 Adopted unanimously

Draft prepared in consultations among Council members (S/1995/24).

Report of the Secretary-General (March).Pursuant to the Council's January resolution, theSecretary-General on 30 March provided a re-port(45) updating the situation concerning West-ern Sahara. He noted that monitoring and verify-ing the cease-fire as well as the identification ofpotential voters, begun in 1994, remained core ac-tivities of MINURSO, with more than 21,300 per-sons identified by mid-March 1995. That total rep-resented 16.5 per cent of the known applicants inthe Territory and 27.3 per cent of those in thecamps in the Tindouf area in Algeria. In Febru-ary and March, two new identification centreswere opened and one was reopened, bringing thetotal number to seven. Also in February, theSecretary-General's Deputy Special Representa-tive Erik Jensen addressed to the parties a detailedproposal concerning the selection of tribal leaders(sheikhs) responsible for identifying applicants andestablishing whether they belonged to a particu-lar tribal group (subfraction). The parties, meet-ing on 23 February in Tindouf and on 25 Febru-ary in Laayoune, Western Sahara, discussedidentification arrangements and exchanged lists ofcandidates to be considered as replacements in theabsence of sheikhs.

The Secretary-General further reported on im-plementation of the settlement plan. The 1991cease-fire, he said, remained in place, andMorocco had reaffirmed its readiness to reduce itstroops in Western Sahara to no more than 65,000by the beginning of the transitional period lead-ing to the referendum. In accordance with theplan, the Secretary-General appointed EmmanuelRoucounas (Greece) as the independent jurist toensure the release of Saharan political prisonersand detainees and their participation in thereferendum. The Office of the UN High Commis-sioner for Refugees began preparations for the re-turn of refugees, other Western Saharans andmembers of the Frente POLISARIO entitled to vote;


its technical mission visited potential repatriationsites and the refugee camps from 2 to 15 Febru-ary. Efforts also continued to finalize the draft codeof conduct for the referendum campaign.

MINURSO's military component, headed byBrigadier-General André van Baelen (Belgium)and comprising 240 military observers and 48 mili-tary support personnel, conducted daily patrols inall parts of the Territory, undertaking a monthlyaverage of 600 ground and 140 aerial reconnais-sance patrols. In accordance with the SecurityCouncil's January authorization for an increasein the Mission's civilian police component from55 to 160, its strength rose to 78 personnel as at25 March. Civilian police observers provided tech-nical assistance to the Identification Commissionand ensured the security of identification centresand universal access to them for identification pur-poses. On 13 March, Colonel Wolf-Dieter Krampe(Germany) replaced Colonel Jürgen Friedrich Rei-man (Germany) as the Civilian Police Commis-sioner. MINURSO's authorized civilian personnellevel stood at 251.

The report reviewed arrangements for the Mis-sion's deployment at the full authorized militarystrength of 1,695 and outlined its personnel, equip-ment and financial requirements (see below, under"Financing of MINURSO"). In conclusion, theSecretary-General called for the Council's contin-ued support for MINURSO and noted that, shouldthe parties resolve expeditiously the remaining is-sues and make it possible to raise the identifica-tion rate to 25,000 persons per month, the transi-tional period could begin in August 1995, with thereferendum taking place in January 1996.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (April)

The Security Council met on 12 April to con-sider the situation concerning Western Sahara.The Council President made the following state-ment(46) on behalf of the Council:

The Security Council notes the report of theSecretary-General dated 30 March 1995. It welcomesprogress achieved so far in the identification and regis-tration process, in particular the acceleration in therate of identification, and emphasizes the need to con-tinue that acceleration. It endorses the Secretary-General's goal of achieving a rate of at least 25,000per month. However, the Council regrets that pro-gress was not sufficient to enable the Secretary-General to recommend 1 June 1995 as the date forthe commencement of the transitional period.

The Security Council also notes with concern thedelays resulting from the failure to ensure the con-tinuous presence at the identification centres of thenecessary subfraction representatives. It welcomes theagreement on a method for choosing alternative sub-fraction representatives when necessary and it ex-presses the hope that this will contribute to furtheracceleration of the process with a view to holding the

referendum in January 1996. The Council supportsthe Secretary-General's call upon both parties tocooperate fully with the Identification Commissionin the performance of its work, in particular by aban-doning their insistence on strict reciprocity in thenumber of centres and on the linkage of a centre onone side with a specific centre on the other.

The Security Council expresses its concern aboutthe slow progress on the other aspects which are rele-vant to the fulfilment of the Settlement Plan and mustbe implemented before the referendum can take place.It calls upon both parties to cooperate fully with theSecretary-General, with his Deputy Special Represen-tative and with the United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and tocoordinate such cooperation to ensure prompt and fullimplementation of all aspects of the Settlement Plan.

The Security Council hopes to see continuous andrapid progress by the time of the Secretary-General'snext report in May 1995, which would enable it toconsider favourably the possible extension ofMINURSO's mandate.

Meeting number. SC 3516.

Report of the Secretary-General (May). TheSecretary-General on 19 May reported(47) on fur-ther developments in Western Sahara. He notedthat, despite increased operational capabilities withthe opening of an eighth centre, the rate of iden-tification had been uneven. The operation hadbeen interrupted periodically when tribal leadersand party representatives were not available ontime, and because of weather conditions andlogistical difficulties. The identification process wasresumed on 2 May, following consultations by theDeputy Special Representative from 26 to 28 Aprilwith the Frente POLISARIO, community and triballeaders and Moroccan officials to resolve differ-ences regarding the selection of sheikhs.

As at 15 May, 35,851 persons were identified,representing 44.4 per cent of applicants in the Tin-douf camps and 28.1 per cent of those in the Ter-ritory. The report cited the parties' insistence thatif the identification process stopped at a centre onone side, it should also stop at a centre on the otherside, and the unnecessary delays caused by limit-ing the identification of a maximum of 150 per-sons a day at any given centre. At the same time,additional resources enabled MINURSO to identifyon occasion 800 to 900 persons in one day, mak-ing the target of 1,000 persons quite feasible. TheSecretary-General also noted that the operationwas observed by eight OAU representatives, withtwo more expected to arrive in May. He furtheroutlined planned activities to implement variouscomponents of the settlement plan and describedthe composition of MINURSO and its logistical andfinancial requirements. While the strength of theMission's military component had not changedsince March, its civilian police component had in-creased to 98 observers as at 5 May.


The Secretary-General proposed that certainbenchmarks be achieved before confirming the be-ginning date of the transitional period. These in-cluded: forwarding the code of conduct for thereferendum campaign to the parties in July; pro-gress in the release of political prisoners by Au-gust; and a ruling on the confinement of the FrentePOLISARIO troops and confirmation of arrange-ments for the reduction of Moroccan troops inWestern Sahara by September. He called on theparties to work with the Mission in a spirit of gen-uine cooperation and recommended extendingMINURSO's mandate for a further four months.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (May)

On 26 May, the Security Council adopted reso-lution 995(1995).


1988, 658(1990) of 27 June 1990, 690(1991) of 29 April1991, 725(1991) of 31 December 1991, 809(1993) of 2March 1993, 907(1994) of 29 March 1994 and 973(1995)of 13 January 1995,

Recalling the statement by the President of the Secu-rity Council of 12 April 1995,

Noting the Secretary-General's report of 19 May 1995,1. Reiterates its commitment to holding, without fur-

ther delay, a free, fair and impartial referendum for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in ac-cordance with the Settlement Plan which has been ac-cepted by the two parties;

2. Commends the progress in identifying potentialvoters since the beginning of the year;

3. Expresses concern, however, that certain practicesidentified in the Secretary-General's report are ham-pering further progress towards the implementation ofthe Settlement Plan and underlines the need for the par-ties to heed the Secretary-General's call on them to workwith the United Nations Mission for the Referendumin Western Sahara (MINURSO) in a spirit of genuinecooperation;

4. Decides in this context, and with a view to acceler-ating the implementation of the Settlement Plan, to senda mission of the Council to the region;

5. Decides, therefore, to extend at this stage the pres-ent mandate of the United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 30June 1995;

6. Decides to consider the further extension of themandate of MINURSO beyond 30 June 1995 in the lightof the Secretary-General's report of 19 May 1995 andthe report of the Security Council mission referred toin paragraph 4 above;



26 May 1995 Meeting 3540 Adopted unanimously


Report of the Security Council mission (June).

On 30 May, the Security Council President issueda note(48) in reference to the Council decision tosend a mission to Western Sahara. The note set out

the mission's duration, composition and terms ofreference as follows: to impress on the parties thenecessity of cooperating fully with MINURSO in theimplementation of the settlement plan and to un-derline that any further delay would put the wholefuture of the Mission at risk; to assess progress andidentify problems in the identification process; andto identify problems in other areas relevant to theimplementation of the settlement plan.

The Council mission, composed of Argentina,Botswana, France, Honduras, Oman and the UnitedStates, visited Morocco, Algeria and Mauritaniafrom 3 to 9 June. Its 21 June report(49) providedan account of meetings held with officials of theMoroccan, Algerian and Mauritanian Governments,representatives of the Frente POLISARIO and OAUobservers, as well as briefings by the Deputy Spe-cial Representative of the Secretary-General andby MINURSO officials. The mission was apprisedof the parties' position concerning the settlementplan and the holding of the referendum, guidelinesof the Identification Commission, the status of workand difficulties encountered in the identificationprocess and in the operation of MINURSO.

Noting continuing suspicion and lack of trust be-tween the two parties, the mission felt that therewas a risk that the identification process could beextended and the referendum not held in January1996. In that respect, it strongly recommended thatboth parties abandon their insistence on reciprocityin the number and operation of identification centreson each side and refrain from blaming the otherside for its lack of cooperation. The mission alsocalled on the parties to take steps to facilitate a freeand fair identification process and not to inhibitaccess to identification centres; suggested mobilizingadditional teams in temporary fixed centres; urgedlifting the limit on the number of persons to be iden-tified in one day; and recommended expediting thereview of undecided cases, while ensuring full con-fidentiality, and speeding up the compiling of prelimi-nary voter eligibility lists and the administrativedecision-making process regarding MINURSO'shuman and other resources. It called on Moroccoto conduct preliminary vetting of the 100,000applicants not residing in the Territory and re-commended commencing without delay theidentification operation for applicants living inMauritania. The Security Council was to be ap-prised biweekly of the progress made and immedi-ately of any interruption or slow-down in the iden-tification process.

Other recommendations dealt with the im-plementation of various components of the settle-ment plan, including the reduction and confine-ment of troops, the exchange of prisoners of warand release of political detainees, voluntaryrepatriation of refugees and maintenance of thecease-fire.


Communications (June). By a 23 June let-ter,(50) transmitted by Honduras, the FrentePOLISARIO informed the Security Council of itsdecision to suspend participation in the identifi-cation process and recall its observers, owing tothe sentencing by a Moroccan military court on21 June of eight Saharan civilians to prison termsof 15 to 20 years for having participated in a rallyfor Western Saharan independence, and toMorocco's announcement to the Security Coun-cil mission of its intention to have 100,000 Moroc-can settlers take part in the identification opera-tion. To restore credibility to the process, theFrente POLISARIO demanded the immediate re-lease of political prisoners arrested sinceMINURSO's deployment, particularly the eight re-cently sentenced civilians, as well as the haltingof retaliatory acts against Western Sahara's popu-lation and termination of the operation to moveforeigners into the Territory.

On 26 June, Morocco responded(51) that theother party could not decide on the identity of anapplicant, whether residing in or outside the Ter-ritory, before the Identification Commissionreached such a decision based on the establishedcriteria. It accused the other side of obstructionismand called on the Security Council to ensure theresumption of the process with a view to holdingthe referendum on schedule and with the partici-pation of the Saharans residing or sequestered inTindouf.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (June)

On 30 June, the Security Council adopted reso-lution 1002(1995).


1988, 658(1990) of 27 June 1990, 690(1991) of 29 April1991, 725(1991) of 31 December 1991, 809(1993) of 2March 1993, 907(1994) of 29 March 1994, 973(1995) of13 January 1995 and 995(1995) of 26 May 1995,

Recalling the Secretary-General's report of 19 May1995,

Welcoming the work of the mission of the Council un-dertaken from 3 to 9 June 1995 under the terms of refer-ence set out in the note of the President of the Councilof 30 May,

Having considered the report of 21 June 1995 of the mis-sion of the Security Council,

Committed to reaching a just and lasting solution of thequestion of Western Sahara,

Concerned that the parties' continuing suspicion andlack of trust have contributed to delays in the implemen-tation of the Settlement Plan,

Noting that, for progress to be achieved, the two par-ties must have a vision of the post-referendum period,

Taking note of the letter dated 23 June 1995 from theSecretary-General of the POLISARIO Front to the Pres-ident of the Security Council,

Taking note of the letter dated 26 June 1995 from thePrime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and

Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Pres-ident of the Security Council,

Urging the parties to cooperate fully with the Secretary-General and the United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to ensureprompt and full implementation of the Settlement Plan,

Noting that, in his report of 19 May 1995, theSecretary-General has outlined benchmarks for assess-ing progress on certain aspects of the Settlement Plan,including the code of conduct, the release of politicalprisoners, the confinement of POLISARIO troops andarrangements for the reduction of Moroccan troops inthe Territory in conformity with the Settlement Plan,

Noting also that the mission of the Council has providedrecommendations for moving forward on the identifi-cation process and other aspects of the Settlement Planand stressing the need for the identification process tobe carried out in accordance with the relevant provi-sions set out therein, in particular in paragraphs 72 and73 of the Settlement Plan, as well as in the relevant reso-lutions of the Security Council,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General onthe situation concerning Western Sahara of 19 May 1995and the report of the mission of the Security Councilto Western Sahara of 21 June 1995;

2. Reiterates its commitment to holding, without fur-ther delay, a free, fair and impartial referendum for theself-determination of the people of Western Sahara inaccordance with the Settlement Plan which has been ac-cepted by the two parties cited above;

3. Expresses its concern that, given the complexity ofthe tasks to be performed and the continuing interrup-tions caused by the two parties, implementation of theSettlement Plan has been further delayed;

4. Calls upon the two parties to work with theSecretary-General and MINURSO in a spirit of genu-ine cooperation to implement the Settlement Plan in ac-cordance with the relevant Council resolutions;

5. Stresses the need for the parties to refrain from anyactions that hinder the implementation of the SettlementPlan, calls upon them to reconsider recent relevant de-cisions with a view to establishing confidence, and inthis regard requests the Secretary-General to make everyeffort to persuade the two parties to resume their par-ticipation in the implementation of the Settlement Plan;

6. Endorses the Secretary-General's benchmarksdescribed in paragraph 38 of his report of 19 May 1995;

7. Endorses also the recommendations of the missionof the Council concerning the identification process andother aspects of the Settlement Plan, described in para-graphs 41 to 53 of its report of 21 June 1995;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to report by 10 Sep-tember 1995 on the progress achieved in accordance withparagraphs 5 and 6 above;

9. Expects to be able, on the basis of the report re-quested in paragraph 7 above, to confirm 15 November1995 as the start of the transitional period, to allow thereferendum to take place early in 1996;

10. Decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until30 September 1995 as recommended by the Secretary-General in his report of 19 May 1995;

11. Decides also to consider the possible extension ofthe mandate of MINURSO after 30 September 1995 onthe basis of the Secretary-General's report requested inparagraph 7 above and in the light of progress achievedin accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 above towards


the holding of the referendum and the implementationof the Settlement Plan;

12. Requests the Secretary-General, in addition to thereports called for in paragraph 48 of the report of theSecurity Council mission, to keep the Council fully in-formed of further developments in the implementationof the Settlement Plan for Western Sahara during thisperiod, in particular of any significant delays in the paceof the identification process or other developments thatwould call into question the Secretary-General's abil-ity to set the start of the transitional period on 15 Novem-ber 1995;



30 June 1995 Meeting 3550 Adopted unanimously

10-nation draft (S/1995/523).Sponsors: Argentina, Botswana, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Honduras,

Italy, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States.

Report of the Secretary-General (September).Pursuant to the Council's June resolution, theSecretary-General reported(52) on 8 September ondevelopments since his May report. He noted thatErik Jensen, confirmed as his Acting SpecialRepresentative, had held a series of meetings withMoroccan officials between 26 June and 15 Julyto discuss the identification procedure for appli-cants residing outside the Territory. Following a9 July Moroccan royal edict reducing the 21 Juneprison sentences of eight Saharan civilians to oneyear, the Frente POLISARIO on 12 July had agreedto resume its participation in the identificationprocess, but had also reiterated its view that the1974 Spanish census was the only basis for iden-tification recognized in the settlement plan. Itdeemed unacceptable what it called the participa-tion of a "substitute population, sought by the oc-cupying Power, whose most recent manoeuvre wasto attempt to include 100,000 of its nationals inthe voters list".

The identification operation recommenced inlate July and brought the number of identified per-sons to more than 53,000, representing over 40 percent of persons residing in the Territory and morethan 51 per cent of those in the camps near Tin-douf. The substantive review of specific cases wasproceeding steadily, and arrangements were dis-cussed for the beginning of the identification pro-cess in Mauritania. The number of OAU observersstood at 10 as at the end of June. Difficulties per-sisted, however, due to continued insistence onstrict reciprocity and differences of perception con-cerning the procedure for identification of certaintribal groupings. The report also described activi-ties to implement other components of the settle-ment plan.

MINURSO's military component totalled 285 asat 31 August, including 237 military observers and48 military support personnel, while the strengthof its civilian police component stood at 92 as at1 September. Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Walmann

(Norway) was serving as Acting Civilian PoliceCommissioner, Colonel Krampe having completedhis tour of duty on 20 August. The Mission re-ported two cease-fire violations during the periodunder review, both by the Frente POLISARIO,relating to an attempt to restrict MINURSO's free-dom of movement and to the conduct of live-fireexercises and movement of troops and equipment.During the same period, the Frente POLISARIO re-ported three overflights by Moroccan aircraft, inthe vicinity of international air corridors, whichthe Mission was unable to confirm.

MINURSO's personnel requirement for its fulldeployment in the transitional period had been re-vised upward to 1,780 all ranks, and the conceptof operations of its civilian police had also beenreviewed. The Secretary-General informed theCouncil of his decision to link the deployment ofinfantry and supporting personnel to the publica-tion of the final voter list. The benchmarks pro-posed in May had not been achieved, he added,as both parties maintained their positions concern-ing the confinement of the Frente POLISARIOtroops and objected to the terms of the proposedcode of conduct. Noting the parties' reluctance tocompromise, the Secretary-General appealed forevery effort to expeditiously implement the settle-ment plan. He then proposed the extension ofMINURSO's mandate until 31 January 1996, withalternative options to be presented to the SecurityCouncil should the conditions necessary for thestart of the transitional period not be in place bythat date.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (September)

On 22 September, the Security Council adoptedresolution 1017(1995).


1988, 658(1990) of 27 June 1990, 690(1991) of 29 April1991, 725(1991) of 31 December 1991, 809(1993) of 2March 1993, 907(1994) of 29 March 1994, 973(1995) of13 January 1995, 995(1995) of 26 May 1995 and1002(1995) of 30 June 1995,

Reaffirming in particular its resolutions 725(1991) and907(1994) relating to the criteria for voter eligibility andthe compromise proposal of the Secretary-General ontheir interpretation,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-Generalof 8 September 1995, and noting further the fact thatonly two out of the eight identification centres are cur-rently functioning,

Committed to reaching a just and lasting solution to thequestion of Western Sahara,

Reiterating the fact that, for progress to be achieved,the two parties must have a vision of the post-referendumperiod,

Expressing the hope for a rapid resolution of the prob-lems causing delays in the completion of the identifica-tion process,


Expressing its regret that the outcome of the preliminaryvetting by the Government of Morocco of the 100,000applicants not residing in the territory is contributingto the inability of MINURSO to maintain its timetablefor completing the identification process,

Expressing its regret also that the POLISARIO Front isrefusing to participate in the identification, even withinthe territory, of three groups within the disputed tribalgroupings, thus delaying completion of the identifica-tion process,

Taking note of paragraph 49 of the Secretary-General'sreport of 8 September 1995,

Stressing the need for progress to be made on all otheraspects of the Settlement Plan,

Reaffirming its endorsement in resolution 1002(1995)of the recommendations of the mission of the SecurityCouncil concerning the identification process and otheraspects of the Settlement Plan as described in paragraphs41 to 53 of the report of the mission of 21 June 1995,

1. Reiterates its commitment to the holding, withoutfurther delay, of a free, fair and impartial referendumfor the self-determination of the people of Western Sa-hara in accordance with the Settlement Plan, which hasbeen accepted by the two parties stated above;

2. Expresses its disappointment that, since the adoptionof resolution 1002(1995), the parties have made insuffi-cient progress towards the fulfilment of the SettlementPlan, including the identification process, the code ofconduct, the release of political prisoners, the confine-ment of POLISARIO troops and the arrangements forthe reduction of Moroccan troops in the territory;

3. Calls upon the two parties to work henceforth withthe Secretary-General and MINURSO in a spirit of gen-uine cooperation to implement the Settlement Plan inaccordance with the relevant resolutions, to abandontheir insistence on strict reciprocity in the operation ofthe identification centres and to cease all otherprocrastinating actions which could further delay theholding of the referendum;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in close consulta-tion with the parties, to produce specific and detailedproposals to resolve the problems hindering the com-pletion of the identification process in the frameworkof the relevant Security Council resolutions, in partic-ular resolution 907(1994) relating to the compromiseproposal of the Secretary-General, and resolution1002(1995) relating to the recommendations of the Secu-rity Council mission, and to report on the outcome ofhis efforts in this regard by 15 November 1995;

5. Decides to review the arrangements for the com-pletion of the identification process on the basis of thereport requested in paragraph 4 above, and to considerat that time any further necessary measures which mightneed to be taken to ensure the prompt completion ofthat process and of all the other aspects relevant to thefulfilment of the Settlement Plan;

6. Decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until31 January 1996 as recommended by the Secretary-General in his report of 8 September 1995 and takes noteof his intention, if, before then, he considers that theconditions necessary for the start of the transitionalperiod are not in place, to present the Security Councilwith alternative options for consideration, including thepossibility of the withdrawal of MINURSO;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to report by 15January 1996 on progress achieved towards the im-

plementation of the Settlement Plan, and to state in thatreport whether or not the transitional period will be ableto begin by 31 May 1996;

8. Stresses the need to accelerate the implementationof the Settlement Plan and urges the Secretary-Generalto examine ways of reducing the operational costs ofMINURSO;

9. Further stresses that the existing mechanism forthe financing of MINURSO remains unchanged, sup-ports the invitation by the General Assembly to Mem-ber States, in General Assembly resolution 49/247 of7 August 1995, to make voluntary contributions toMINURSO, and requests the Secretary-General, with-out prejudice to existing procedures, to consider the es-tablishment of a trust fund to receive such voluntarycontributions for certain specific purposes to be desig-nated by the Secretary-General;



22 September 1995 Meeting 3582 Adopted unanimously


Communications and reports of the Secretary-General (October/November). On 27 October,the Secretary-General informed(53) the SecurityCouncil of decisions he had taken to accelerate theidentification process. Under the modified proce-dure, identification in the case of the 85 subfrac-tions with established lists of sheikhs and alternateswas to continue, even in the absence of a partyrepresentative, tribal leader or OAU observer,provided that the identification schedule had beenduly communicated to the parties, the convoca-tion lists had been issued and hours of work hadbeen announced. As for the other three tribalgroupings and identification outside the Territoryand the Tindouf camps, an applicant's claim forinclusion in the electoral roll was to be evaluatedon the basis of a birth certificate showing him orher to be a child of a father born in the Territoryor as having other links with the Territory, and adocument issued by competent authorities withinWestern Sahara's internationally recognized fron-tiers before 1974 substantiating the father's birthin the Territory. A comprehensive effort was alsoto be launched to identify applicants residing inMauritania and Morocco. On 6 November, theCouncil President communicated(54) to theSecretary-General that the Council members fullysupported his efforts to accelerate the process.

In a 24 November report,(55) the Secretary-General noted that the issue of certain tribalgroups and persons not resident in Western Sa-hara remained the main obstacle to completing theprocess. The Government of Morocco had rejectedthe proposed change in the identification proce-dure, stating that the differing treatment of mem-bers of the 85 subfractions and other applicantsamounted to discrimination and was contrary tothe settlement plan, he said. The Secretary-General would submit a new proposal, under


which identification, in cases when no sheikh oralternate was available, was to be based on documen-tary evidence only. In November, both parties com-municated their objection to the new proposal:Morocco emphasized the "privileged" place of oraltestimony in identification, which would be excludedentirely under the proposed change; the FrentePOLISARIO considered it as a reversal of the earlierapproach, which would give Morocco the oppor-tunity to introduce 135,000 applicants with no tieswith Western Sahara.

The report further stated that all 233,487 appli-cations had been processed as of 18 November, in-cluding 176,533 in the Territory and on the Moroccanside, 42,468 in the camps and Tindouf area, and14,486 in Mauritania. Of those, 75,794 were con-voked, of which 58,947 were identified. With iden-tification allowed to proceed as proposed and withoutinterruption, 12 centres could complete the processwithin four months, at a rate of 36,000 applicantsper month.

The Secretary-General underscored that the pro-posed new approach was the only way to carry theprocess forward and hoped that both parties wouldbe persuaded to cooperate in that regard. Shouldthe operation fail to proceed with the necessary speed,he would present for Council consideration alter-native options, including the possibility ofMINURSO's withdrawal.

Pursuant to a 1994 General Assembly resolu-tion,(56) the Secretary-General, in a 4 October re-port,(57) provided an overview of MINURSO activitiesand developments in the situation in Western Sa-hara between 18 September 1994 and 30 Septem-ber 1995.

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION (December)

On 19 December, the Security Council adoptedresolution 1033(1995).

The Security Council,Reaffirming all its previous resolutions on the question

of Western Sahara,Recalling the letter of the Secretary-General of 27 Oc-

tober 1995 and the reply of the President of the Secu-rity Council of 6 November 1995,

Recalling the reports of the Secretary-General of 18 June1990, 19 April 1991, 19 December 1991 and 28 July 1993,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of24 November 1995,

Noting the response of the Government of Morocco tothe proposal of the Secretary-General, described in para-graph 10 of his report,

Noting also the response of the POLISARIO Front to theproposal of the Secretary-General, described in para-graph 11 of his report,

Noting further other communications received by theCouncil on this subject,

Stressing that the Identification Commission will be ableto carry out its work only if both parties place their trustin its judgement and integrity,

Stressing also the need for progress to be made on allother aspects of the Settlement Plan,

Committed to reaching a just and lasting solution to thequestion of Western Sahara,

Reiterating the fact that, for progress to be achieved,the two parties must have a vision of the post-referendumperiod,

1. Reiterates its commitment to the holding, withoutfurther delay, of a free, fair and impartial referendumfor the self-determination of the people of Western Sa-hara in accordance with the Settlement Plan, which hasbeen accepted by the two parties referred to above;

2. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General of 24November 1995 as a useful framework for his ongoingefforts aimed at accelerating and completing the iden-tification process;

3. Welcomes further the decision of the Secretary-General to intensify his consultations with the two par-ties in order to obtain their agreement to a plan to re-solve differences hindering the timely completion of theidentification process;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to theCouncil on the results of those consultations on an ur-gent basis and, in the event those consultations fail toreach agreement, to provide the Council with optionsfor its consideration, including a programme for the or-derly withdrawal of the United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO);

5. Calls upon the two parties to work with theSecretary-General and MINURSO in a spirit of genu-ine cooperation to implement all the other aspects ofthe Settlement Plan, in accordance with the relevantresolutions;



19 December 1995 Meeting 3610 Adopted unanimously


Consideration by the Special Committee on

decolonization. The Special Committee ondecolonization(1) considered the question of West-ern Sahara on 10 and 14 July. It granted a requestfor a hearing to a representative of the FrentePOLISARIO and considered a working paper(58) ondevelopments in Western Sahara, containing anoverview of General Assembly consideration of thequestion in 1994, of the Secretary-General's goodoffices, and of political and other developments be-tween September 1994 and June 1995.



Question of Western Sahara

The General Assembly,Having considered in depth the question of Western Sahara,Reaffirming the inalienable right of all peoples to self-

determination and independence, in accordance withthe principles set forth in the Charter of the United Na-tions and in General Assembly resolution 1514(XV) of14 December 1960, containing the Declaration on theGranting of Independence to Colonial Countries andPeoples,


Recalling its resolution 49/44 of 9 December 1994,Recalling also the agreement in principle given on 30

August 1988 by the Kingdom of Morocco and the FrentePopular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y deRío de Oro to the proposals of the Secretary-Generalof the United Nations and the current Chairman of theAssembly of Heads of State and Government of the Or-ganization of African Unity in the context of their jointmission of good offices,

Recalling further Security Council resolutions 621(1988)of 20 September 1988, 658(1990) of 27 June 1990,690(1991) of 29 April 1991, 725(1991) of 31 December1991, 809(1993) of 2 March 1993 and 907(1994) of 29March 1994 relating to the question of Western Sahara,

Recalling with satisfaction the entry into force of the cease-fire in Western Sahara on 6 September 1991, in accord-ance with the proposal of the Secretary-General acceptedby the two parties,

Noting the adoption by the Security Council of reso-lutions 973(1995) of 13 January 1995, 995(1995) of 26May 1995, 1002(1995) of 30 June 1995 and 1017(1995)of 22 September 1995,

Welcoming the mission of the Security Council, whichvisited Western Sahara and the countries of the regionfrom 3 to 9 June 1995,

Welcoming also the appointment of Mr. Erik Jensen asacting Special Representative of the Secretary-Generalfor Western Sahara,

Concerned that the parties' continuing suspicion andlack of trust have contributed to delays in the implemen-tation of the settlement plan,

Noting that, for progress to be achieved, the two par-ties must have a vision of the post-referendum period,

Expressing the hope for a rapid resolution of the prob-lems causing delays in the completion of the identifica-tion process, as well as the code of conduct, the releaseof political prisoners, the confinement of troops of theFrente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamray de Río de Oro and the arrangements for the reduc-tion of the Moroccan troops in the territory,

Stressing the importance and usefulness of the resump-tion of direct talks between the two parties mentionedabove in order to create a propitious atmosphere con-ducive to a speedy and effective implementation of thesettlement plan,

Having examined the relevant chapter of the report ofthe Special Committee on the Situation with regard tothe Implementation of the Declaration on the Grant-ing of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,

Having also examined the report of the Secretary-General,1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the

Secretary-General;2. Pays tribute to the Secretary-General and the per-

sonnel of the United Nations Mission for the Referen-dum in Western Sahara for their action with a view tosettling the question of Western Sahara by the im-plementation of the settlement plan;

3. Reiterates its support for further efforts of theSecretary-General for the organization and supervisionby the United Nations, in cooperation with the Organi-zation of African Unity, of a referendum for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, inconformity with Security Council resolutions 658(1990)and 690(1991), by which the Council adopted the set-tlement plan for Western Sahara;

4. Reaffirms that the goal on which all were agreedconsists of the holding of a free, fair and impartialreferendum for the people of Western Sahara, organ-ized and conducted by the United Nations in coopera-tion with the Organization of African Unity and with-out any military or administrative constraints, inconformity with the settlement plan;

5. Notes with concern the insufficient progress made to-wards the fulfilment of the settlement plan, includingthe identification process, the code of conduct, the re-lease of political prisoners, the confinement of troopsof the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y de Río de Oro and the arrangements for thereduction of the Moroccan troops in the territory;

6. Calls upon the Kingdom of Morocco and the FrentePopular para la Liberación de Saguia el-Hamra y deRío de Oro to work with the Secretary-General and theUnited Nations Mission for the Referendum in West-ern Sahara in a spirit of genuine cooperation to imple-ment the settlement plan in accordance with the rele-vant Security Council resolutions;

7. Takes note of the decision of the Security Councilto review the arrangements for the completion of theidentification process on the basis of the report of theSecretary-General requested by the Council in para-graph 4 of its resolution 1017(1995) and to consider atthat time any further necessary measures which mightneed to be taken to ensure the prompt completion ofthat process and of all the other aspects relevant to thefulfilment of the settlement plan;

8. Expresses the hope that direct talks between the twoparties will soon resume in order to create a propitiousatmosphere conducive to speedy and effective implemen-tation of the settlement plan;

9. Requests the Special Committee on the Situationwith regard to the Implementation of the Declarationon the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countriesand Peoples to continue to consider the situation in West-ern Sahara, bearing in mind the ongoing referendumprocess, and to report thereon to the General Assem-bly at its fifty-first session;

10. Invites the Secretary-General to submit to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session a report onthe implementation of the present resolution.



Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/602) without vote, 3 November (meet-ing 15); 59-nation draft (A/C.4/50/L.5/Rev.1), orally revised; agendaitem 18.


Financing of MINURSOReport of the Secretary-General (March). In

a 7 March report,(59) the Secretary-General, es-timating costs for MINURSO's operations from1 December 1994 to 30 June 1995 at $36,381,000gross ($33,473,300 net) and the monthly cost ofmaintaining the Mission after 30 June 1995 at$5,619,400 gross ($5,123,000 net), requested ap-propriation of those amounts by the General As-sembly. The totals reflected the requirements forMINURSO's expanded activities authorized by theSecurity Council in January, and included thephasing in of an additional 105 civilian police mon-


itors, 124 international staff, 35 local staff and 12OAU observers, as well as additional requirementsfor transportation, communications, data-processing and other equipment.

Mission expenditures from the operation's in-ception in 1991 to 31 January 1995 were estimatedat $154,270,350 gross ($148,129,550 net). As at 31January, outstanding assessed contributions duefrom Member States totalled $21,098,548, whilevoluntary contributions from 1 October 1994 to31 January 1995 were valued at $1,743,200. Thereport also noted that troop-contributing Stateshad been reimbursed in full for the period ending31 August 1994.

ACABQ recommendation (March). InMarch,(60) the Advisory Committee on Adminis-trative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), havingconsidered the Secretary-General's report, revisedthe requested amounts and recommended theirappropriation and assessment by the Assembly forthe period from 1 December 1994 to 31 May 1995,as well as commitment authorization for themonth of June and from 1 July to 31 December1995, subject to MINURSO's extension by theSecurity Council.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION (April and July)

In April, the General Assembly adopted deci-sion 49/466 B.

Financing of the United Nations Mission for

the Referendum in Western Sahara

At its 100th plenary meeting, on 6 April 1995, theGeneral Assembly, on the recommendation of the FifthCommittee and pending consideration of the report ofthe Secretary-General on the financing of the UnitedNations Mission for the Referendum in Western Saharaand the related report of the Advisory Committee onAdministrative and Budgetary Questions:

(a) Decided to authorize the Secretary-General toenter into commitments for the operation of the Mis-sion in an amount of 28,839,700 United States dollarsgross (26,556,300 dollars net) for the period from 1 De-cember 1994 to 31 May 1995, inclusive of the amountof 6.4 million dollars gross (5,937,400 dollars net) au-thorized by the General Assembly in its decision49/466 A of 23 December 1994 for the period from 1December 1994 to 31 January 1995 and the additionalcommitment authority of 17,290,100 dollars gross(16,130,300 dollars net) authorized by the Advisory Com-mittee for the period from 1 January to 31 March 1995;

(b) Also decided to authorize the Secretary-Generalto enter into commitments for the operation of the Mis-sion in an amount of 4,806,600 dollars gross (4,426,000dollars net) for the period from 1 to 30 June 1995, sub-ject to the extension of the mandate of the Mission bythe Security Council for the period after 31 May 1995.

General Assembly decision 49/466 B

Adopted without vote

Approved by Fifth Committee (A/49/808/Add.1) without vote, 31 March(meeting 52); draft by Chairman (A/C.5/49/L.47); agenda item 119.

On 20 July, the Assembly adopted resolution

49/247.

Financing of the United Nations Mission for

the Referendum in Western Sahara

The General Assembly,Having considered the report of the Secretary-General

on the financing of the United Nations Mission for theReferendum in Western Sahara and the related reportof the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Bud-getary Questions,

Recalling Security Council resolution 690(1991) of 29April 1991, by which the Council established the UnitedNations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara,and its subsequent resolutions, the latest of which wasresolution 1002(1995) of 30 June 1995,

Recalling also its resolution 45/266 of 17 May 1991 andits decisions 47/451 A, B and C of 22 December 1992,8 April and 14 September 1993, respectively, 48/467 of23 December 1993 and 49/466 A and B of 23 Decem-ber 1994 and 6 April 1995, respectively, on the financ-ing of the Mission,

Reaffirming that the costs of the Mission are expensesof the Organization to be borne by Member States inaccordance with Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Char-ter of the United Nations,

Recalling its previous decisions regarding the fact that,in order to meet the expenditures caused by the Mis-sion, a different procedure is required from the one ap-plied to meet expenditures of the regular budget of theUnited Nations,

Taking into account the fact that the economically moredeveloped countries are in a position to make relativelylarger contributions and that the economically less de-veloped countries have a relatively limited capacity tocontribute towards such an operation,

Bearing in mind the special responsibilities of the Statespermanent members of the Security Council, as indi-cated in General Assembly resolution 1874(S-IV) of 27June 1963, in the financing of such operations,

Mindful of the fact that it is essential to provide theMission with the necessary financial resources to en-able it to fulfil its responsibilities under the relevant reso-lutions of the Security Council,

1. Takes note of the status of contributions to theUnited Nations Mission for the Referendum in West-ern Sahara as at 7 July 1995, including the contribu-tions outstanding in the amount of 20,270,659 UnitedStates dollars, and urges all Member States concernedto make every possible effort to ensure the payment oftheir outstanding assessed contributions;

2. Expresses concern about the financial situation withregard to peace-keeping activities, particularly in regardto the reimbursement of troop- and equipment-contributing countries, resulting from overdue paymentsby Member States of their assessments, particularlyMember States in arrears;

3. Urges all Member States to make every possibleeffort to ensure payment of their assessed contributionsto the Mission promptly and in full;

4. Endorses the observations and recommendationscontained in the report of the Advisory Committee onAdministrative and Budgetary Questions;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to take all neces-sary action to ensure that the Mission is administeredwith a maximum of efficiency and economy;


6. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account forthe United Nations Mission for the Referendum inWestern Sahara the amount of 28,839,700 dollars gross(26,556,300 dollars net) for the operation of the Mis-sion for the period from 1 December 1994 to 31 May1995 authorized under the provisions of General Assem-bly decision 49/466 B of 6 April 1995;

7. Also decides, as an ad hoc arrangement, to appor-tion the amount of 28,839,700 dollars gross (26,556,300dollars net) for the period from 1 December 1994 to 31May 1995 among Member States in accordance withthe composition of groups set out in paragraphs 3 and4 of General Assembly resolution 43/232 of 1 March1989, as adjusted by the Assembly in its resolutions44/192 B of 21 December 1989, 45/269 of 27 August1991, 46/198 A of 20 December 1991 and 47/218 A of23 December 1992 and its decision 48/472 A of 23 De-cember 1993, the scale of assessments for the year 1994to be applied against a portion thereof, that is, 4,912,257dollars gross (4,523,326 dollars net), which is the amountpertaining on a pro rata basis to the period ending 31December 1994, and the scale of assessments for the year1995 to be applied against the balance, that is 23,927,443dollars gross (22,032,974 dollars net), for the period from1 January to 31 May 1995, inclusive;

8. Further decides that, in accordance with the provi-sions of its resolution 973(X) of 15 December 1955, thereshall be set off against the apportionment among Mem-ber States, as provided for in paragraph 7 above, theirrespective share in the Tax Equalization Fund of the es-timated staff assessment income of 2,283,400 dollars ap-proved for the period from 1 December 1994 to 31 May1995, inclusive;

9. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account theamount of 4,806,600 dollars gross (4,426,000 dollars net)for the operation of the Mission for the period from 1to 30 June 1995, authorized under the provisions of itsdecision 49/466 B;

10. Also decides, as an ad hoc arrangement, to appor-tion the amount of 4,806,600 dollars gross (4,426,000dollars net) among Member States for the period from1 to 30 June 1995 in accordance with the scheme setout in the present resolution;

11. Further decides that, in accordance with the provi-sions of resolution 973(X), there shall be set off againstthe apportionment among Member States, as providedfor in paragraph 10 above, their respective share in theTax Equalization Fund of the estimated staff assessmentincome of 380,600 dollars approved for the period from1 to 30 June 1995, inclusive;

12. Decides to appropriate to the Special Account theamount of 16,777,500 dollars gross (15,288,300 dollarsnet) for the operation of the Mission for the period from1 July to 30 September 1995;

13. Also decides, as an ad hoc arrangement, to appor-tion the amount of 16,777,500 dollars gross (15,288,300dollars net) among Member States for the period from1 July to 30 September 1995 in accordance with thescheme set out in the present resolution;

14. Further decides that, in accordance with the provi-sions of resolution 973(X), there shall be set off againstthe apportionment among Member States, as providedfor in paragraph 13 above, their respective share in theTax Equalization Fund of the estimated staff assessmentincome of 1,489,200 dollars approved for the period from1 July to 30 September 1995, inclusive;

15. Decides to authorize the Secretary-General toenter into commitments for the operation of the Mis-sion for the period after 30 September 1995 at a monthlyrate not to exceed 5,592,500 dollars gross (5,096,100 dol-lars net), this amount to be assessed on Member Statesin accordance with the scheme set out in the presentresolution, subject to extension of the mandate of theMission by the Security Council beyond 30 September1995;

16. Invites voluntary contributions to the Mission incash and in the form of services and supplies accept-able to the Secretary-General, to be administered, asappropriate, in accordance with the procedures estab-lished by the General Assembly in its resolutions 43/230of 21 December 1988 and 44/192 A of 21 December1989;

17. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of itsfiftieth session the item entitled "Financing of theUnited Nations Mission for the Referendum in West-ern Sahara".


20 July 1995 Meeting 106 Adopted without vote

Approved by Fifth Committee (A/49/808/Add.2) without vote, 14 July (meet-ing 66); draft by Chairman (A/C.5/49/L.61), based on informal consulta-tions; agenda item 119.

Meeting numbers. GA 49th session: 5th Committee 62, 66; plenary 106.

Report of the Secretary-General (October). In

a 19 October report,(61) the Secretary-General in-dicated that initial cost estimates for the Mission'soperation from 1 October 1994 to 30 June 1995amounted to $43,181,000 gross ($39,713,500 net),with $39,711,500 gross ($36,582,500 net) appor-tioned. Expenditures for that period totalled$37,092,900 gross ($34,364,700 net), leaving anunencumbered balance of $2,618,600 gross($2,217,800 net), mainly due to delays in the workof the Identification Commission and the result-ant lower number of international and local staffin the Mission area. However, the savings werepartially offset by additional requirements in theflying hours for the aircraft, the overlap time dur-ing the increased number of rotations of militaryobservers, spare parts for transport operations andcommercial freight and cartage. As at 22 Septem-ber, outstanding assessed contributions due fromMember States totalled $50,321,922.

The Secretary-General recommended that theGeneral Assembly credit the unencumbered bal-ance to Member States. In December,(62) ACABQagreed with that recommendation.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION (December)

On 22 December, the General Assembly, by de-cision 50/446 A, appropriated to the MINURSOSpecial Account $22,370,000 gross ($20,384,400 net)already authorized and apportioned in July (seeabove) for the period from 1 October 1995 to Janu-ary 1996, and set off against the future apportion-ment or outstanding financial obligations of Mem-ber States their respective share in the unen-


cumbered balance of $2,618,600 gross ($2,217,800net) for the period from 1 October 1994 to 30 June1995.

By decision 50/469 of 23 December, the As-sembly directed the Fifth (Administrative andBudgetary) Committee to continue its considera-tion of MINURSO financing at the resumed fifti-eth session in 1996.

Audit of MINURSO

Pursuant to a 1994 General Assembly resolu-tion,(63) the Secretary-General on 5 April trans-mitted a report(64) of the Office of Internal Over-sight Services (OIOS) on an investigation of allegedirregularities and mismanagement of MINURSO.The report noted that the former Deputy Chair-man of the Identification Commission in Decem-ber 1994 had submitted charges of fiscal irrespon-sibility, serious mismanagement and "anti-America-nism" as well as lack of accountability in the Mission.

The audit and investigation were conducted atMINURSO headquarters in Laayoune between 13and 18 February. The auditors were satisfied withexplanations concerning most allegations andnoted that remedial action with regard to certainirregularities had been taken as recommendedduring a previous internal audit in 1994. They did,however, make some further recommendationsdealing with the optimal utilization of staff at iden-tification centres, periodicity and comprehensive-ness of progress reports, and avoidance of retroac-tive extension of staff contracts. While there werealso several complaints against the Chief Adminis-trative Officer concerning the lack of adequate ad-ministrative support and "improper behaviour",including anti-American expressions and adversereferences to individual nationalities, the auditorsdid not sense any discrimination based on any par-ticular nationality in the course of the investiga-tion. On the other hand, the Chief Administra-tive Officer himself complained of lack ofcooperation in enforcing rules and regulations.

The auditors concluded that the allegations ap-peared to have been triggered primarily by theformer Deputy Chairman's frustration over non-extension of his contract and by personal animos-ity, and that the Deputy Special Representativeneeded better management and administrativesupport from, respectively, his Deputy in the Iden-tification Commission and the Chief Administra-tive Officer.

By a 5 July note,(65) the Secretary-Generaltransmitted a further report of OIOS, dealing withthe follow-up on recommendations made duringthe 1994 audit of MINURSO. The report stated thatthe Mission had generally implemented correctiveaction recommended in prior audits and that theinternal control system was adequate, althoughwith opportunities for improvement.

By decision 49/488 of 20 July, the General As-sembly took note of the two reports.

Island TerritoriesThe Special Committee on decolonization had

before it working papers by the Secretariat des-cribing constitutional and political developmentsand economic, social and educational conditionsin the following 12 island Territories: AmericanSamoa,(66) Anguilla,(16) Bermuda,(17) British Vir-gin Islands,(67) Cayman Islands,(18) Guam,(23)Montserrat,(19) Pitcairn,(68) St. Helena,(69)Tokelau,(70) Turks and Caicos Islands,(20) UnitedStates Virgin Islands.(21)

The Committee allocated the item to its Sub-committee on Small Territories, Petitions, Infor-mation and Assistance and considered its re-port(4) between 10 and 18 July. The UnitedKingdom and the United States did not partici-pate in Committee consideration of the Territo-ries under their administration. New Zealand, asthe administering Power, continued to participatein Committee work in relation to Tokelau. TheCommittee heard one petitioner on behalf of theUN Association of the Virgin Islands. On 18 July,it adopted a consolidated draft resolution, on theunderstanding that reservations expressed by itsmembers would be reflected in that meeting's rec-ord,(11) and recommended the text for action bythe General Assembly.


On 6 December, the General Assembly adoptedresolutions 50/38 A and B.

Questions of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda,

the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands,

Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Tokelau,

the Turks and Caicos Islands and the

United States Virgin Islands

AGeneral

The General Assembly,Having considered the questions of the Non-Self-

Governing Territories of American Samoa, Anguilla,Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Is-lands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Tokelau,the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States Vir-gin Islands, hereinafter "the Territories",

Having examined the relevant chapter of the report ofthe Special Committee on the Situation with regard tothe Implementation of the Declaration on the Grant-ing of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples,

Recognizing that 1995 is the fiftieth anniversary of theUnited Nations and that decolonization is one of theproudest achievements of the Organization,

Recalling its resolution 1514(XV) of 14 December 1960,containing the Declaration on the Granting of Indepen-dence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and all reso-lutions and decisions of the United Nations relating tothose Territories, including, in particular, the resolutions


adopted by the General Assembly at its forty-ninth ses-sion on the individual Territories covered by the pres-ent resolution,

Recognizing that the specific characteristics and the sen-timents of the people of the Territories require flexible,practical and innovative approaches to the options ofself-determination, without any prejudice to territorialsize, geographical location, size of population or natu-ral resources,

Recalling its resolution 1541(XV) of 15 December 1960,containing the principles that should guide MemberStates in determining whether or not an obligation ex-ists to transmit the information called for under Article73 e of the Charter of the United Nations,

Conscious of the need to ensure the full and speedy im-plementation of the Declaration in respect of the Terri-tories, in view of the target set by the United Nationsto eradicate colonialism by the year 2000,

Noting with appreciation the continuing exemplary coop-eration of New Zealand, as administering Power, in thework of the Special Committee, and welcoming its state-ment that it will abide by the wishes of the populationof Tokelau in determining their future political status,

Welcoming the stated position of the Government of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire-land that it continues to take seriously its obligationsunder the Charter of the United Nations to develop self-government in the dependent Territories and, in cooper-ation with the locally elected Governments, to ensurethat their constitutional frameworks continue to meetthe wishes of the people, and the emphasis that it is ul-timately for the peoples of the Territories to decide theirfuture status,

Aware of the special circumstances of the geographicallocation and economic conditions of each Territory, andbearing in mind the necessity of promoting economicstability and diversifying and strengthening further theeconomies of the respective Territories as a matter ofpriority,

Conscious of the particular vulnerability of the smallTerritories to natural disasters and environmental degra-dation,

Aware of the usefulness both to the Territories and tothe Special Committee of the participation of appointedand elected representatives of the Territories in the workof the Special Committee,

Expressing its conviction that referendums and other formsof popular consultation on the future status of the Non-Self-Governing Territories are an appropriate means ofascertaining the wishes of the peoples in those Territo-ries with regard to their future political status,

Mindful that United Nations visiting missions provideone effective means of ascertaining the situation in theTerritories, and considering that the possibility of send-ing further visiting missions to the Territories at an ap-propriate time and in consultation with the administer-ing Powers should be kept under review,

Mindful also that some Territories have not had any UnitedNations visiting mission for a long period of time,

Noting with appreciation the contribution to the devel-opment of some Territories by specialized agencies andother organizations of the United Nations system, inparticular the United Nations Development Pro-gramme, as well as regional institutions such as theCaribbean Development Bank,

1. Approves the chapter of the report of the SpecialCommittee on the Situation with regard to the Im-plementation of the Declaration on the Granting of In-dependence to Colonial Countries and Peoples relatingto the Non-Self-Governing Territories of AmericanSamoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands,the Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St.Helena, Tokelau, the Turks and Caicos Islands and theUnited States Virgin Islands, hereinafter "the Terri-tories";

2. Reaffirms the inalienable right of the people of theTerritories to self-determination, including indepen-dence, in conformity with the Charter of the UnitedNations and General Assembly resolution 1514(XV),containing the Declaration on the Granting of Indepen-dence to Colonial Countries and Peoples;

3. Reaffirms also that it is ultimately for the peopleof the Territories themselves to determine freely theirfuture political status in accordance with the relevantprovisions of the Charter, the Declaration and the rele-vant resolutions of the General Assembly, and in thatconnection calls upon the administering Powers, incooperation with the territorial Governments, to facili-tate programmes of political education in the Territo-ries in order to foster an awareness among the peopleof the possibilities open to them in the exercise of theirright to self-determination, in conformity with the legiti-mate political status options clearly defined in resolu-tion 1541(XV);

4. Requests the administering Powers to ascertain ex-peditiously, by means of popular consultations, thewishes and aspirations of the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories regarding their future political sta-tus so that the Special Committee can review the statusof the Territories in accordance with the expressed wishesof the peoples of the Territories;

5. Also requests the administering Powers to facilitatethe dispatch of the United Nations visiting missions tothe Non-Self-Governing Territories regarding their fu-ture political status so that the Special Committee canreview the status of the Territories in accordance withthe expressed wishes of the peoples of the Territory;

6. Reaffirms the responsibility of the administeringPowers under the Charter to promote the economic andsocial development and to preserve the cultural iden-tity of the Territories, and recommends that priority con-tinue to be given, in consultation with the territorialGovernments concerned, to the strengthening and diver-sification of their respective economies;

7. Further requests the administering Powers to takeall necessary measures to protect and conserve the en-vironment of the Territories under their administrationagainst any environmental degradation, and requeststhe specialized agencies concerned to continue to mon-itor environmental conditions in those Territories;

8. Calls upon the administering Powers, in coopera-tion with the respective territorial Governments, to con-tinue to take all necessary measures to counter prob-lems related to drug trafficking, money laundering andother offences;

9. Stresses that the achievement of the declared goalof eradication of colonialism by the year 2000 requiresfull and constructive cooperation by all parties con-cerned, and appeals to the administering Powers to con-tinue to give their full support to the Special Committee;


10. Urges Member States to contribute to the effortsof the United Nations to usher in the twenty-first cen-tury in a world free of colonialism, and calls upon themto continue to give their full support to the Special Com-mittee in its endeavours towards that noble goal;

11. Invites the specialized agencies and other organi-zations of the United Nations system to initiate or tocontinue to take all necessary measures to accelerate pro-gress in the social and economic life of the Territories;

12. Requests the Special Committee to continue theexamination of the question of the small Territories andto recommend to the General Assembly the most suit-able steps to be taken to enable the populations of thoseTerritories to exercise their right to self-determination,and to report thereon to the Assembly at its fifty-firstsession.

BIndividual Territories

I. American SamoaThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the fact that a large number of American Sa-

moans have emigrated to the United States of Americaand are residing there,

Noting also the constitutional developments in the Ter-ritory,

Noting further that the Territory, similar to isolated com-munities with limited funds, continues to experience lackof adequate medical facilities and other infrastructuralrequirements,

Recalling the dispatch in 1981 of a United Nations visit-ing mission to the Territory,

1. Requests the administering Power to carry out, atthe earliest possible date, a democratic exercise to ascer-tain the wishes of the people of American Samoa re-garding the future status of the Territory;

2. Calls upon the administering Power to continue toassist the territorial Government in the economic andsocial development of the Territory and the developmentof manpower resources.

II. AnguillaThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting that general elections were held in March 1994,Conscious of the commitment of both the Government

of Anguilla and the administering Power to a new andcloser policy of dialogue and partnership through theCountry Policy Plan for 1993-1997,

Aware that the exploitation of deep-sea resources wouldhelp reduce the risk of depleting the Territory's own fish-ing resources as a result of overfishing,

Noting also the need for continued cooperation betweenthe administering Power and the territorial Governmentin tackling the problems of drug trafficking and moneylaundering,


1. Requests the administering Power to carry out, atthe earliest possible date, an exercise to ascertain thewishes of the people of Anguilla regarding the futurestatus of the Territory;

2. Requests all countries, organizations and UnitedNations agencies with deep-sea fishing experience to as-

sist the Territory in improving its capacity in exploit-ing deep-sea fishing.

III. BermudaThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the results of the independence referendum held

on 16 August 1995,Conscious of the different viewpoints of the political par-

ties of the Territory on the future status of the Territory,Noting also the measures taken by the Government to

combat racism and the plan to set up a Commissionfor Unity and Racial Equality,

Noting further the closure of the Canadian base in 1994and the announced plans of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Northern Ireland and the UnitedStates of America to close their respective air and navalbases in Bermuda in 1995,

Calls upon the administering Power to continue its pro-grammes of socio-economic development.

IV. British Virgin IslandsThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the completion of the constitutional review in

the Territory and the coming into force of the amendedConstitution, and noting also the results of the generalelections held on 20 February 1995,

Noting also the results of the constitutional review of1993-1994, which made it clear that a prerequisite to in-dependence must be a constitutionally expressed wishby the people as a result of a referendum,

Taking note of the statement by the Chief Minister ofthe British Virgin Islands that the Territory was readyfor constitutional and political advancement towards fullinternal self-government and that the administeringPower should assist through gradual transfer of powerto elected territorial representatives,

Noting that the Territory is emerging as one of theworld's leading offshore financial centres,

Noting also the need for continued cooperation betweenthe administering Power and the territorial Governmentin countering drug trafficking and money laundering,

1. Requests the administering Power to continue theprocess for facilitating the expression of the will of thepeople regarding the future status of the Territory;

2. Also requests the administering Power, specializedagencies and other organizations of the United Nationssystem and all financial institutions to continue to pro-vide assistance to the Territory for socio-economic de-velopment and development of human resources, bear-ing in mind the vulnerability of the Territory to externalfactors.

V. Cayman IslandsThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the constitutional review of 1992-1993, accord-

ing to which the population expressed the sentiment thatthe existing relations with the United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland should be maintained andthat the current status of the Territory should not bealtered,

Noting also the actions taken by the territorial Govern-ment to implement its localization programme to pro-mote increased participation of the local population inthe decision-making process in the Cayman Islands,


Noting with concern the vulnerability of the Territory todrug trafficking and related activities, as well as themeasures taken by the authorities to deal with thoseproblems,

Noting further that the Territory has emerged as one ofthe world's leading offshore financial centres,


1. Requests the administering Power to continue toprovide the territorial Government with all required ex-pertise to enable it to achieve its socio-economic aims;

2. Also requests the administering Power, in consul-tation with the territorial Government, to continue tofacilitate the expansion of the current programme ofsecuring employment for the local population, in par-ticular at the decision-making level;

3. Requests the specialized agencies and other organi-zations of the United Nations system to continue andincrease their programmes of assistance to the Territorywith a view to strengthening, developing and diversify-ing its economy;

4. Calls upon the administering Power and the ter-ritorial Government to continue to cooperate to counterproblems related to money laundering, smuggling offunds and other related crimes, as well as drugtrafficking.

VI. GuamThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the results of the general elections held in

November 1994,Recalling that, in a referendum held in 1987, the peo-

ple of Guam endorsed a draft Guam CommonwealthAct that would establish a new framework for relationsbetween the Territory and the administering Power,providing internal self-government for Guam and recog-nition of the right of the people of Guam to self-determination for the Territory,

Aware of the continued negotiations between the ad-ministering Power and the territorial Government onthe draft Guam Commonwealth Act and on the futurestatus of the Territory, with particular emphasis on thequestion of the evolution of the relationship between theUnited States of America and Guam,

Recalling the statement by the Special Representativeof the United States of America for Guam Common-wealth Issues on 12 December 1993 that the Adminis-tration hoped to have comments on the CommonwealthBill before Congress by the end of 1994,

Cognizant that the administering Power continues toimplement its programme of transferring surplus fed-eral land to the Government of Guam,

Noting that the people of the Territory have called forreform in the programme of the administering Powerwith respect to the thorough and expeditious transferof land property to the people of Guam,

Conscious that immigration into Guam has resulted inthe indigenous Chamorros becoming a minority in theirhomeland,

Aware of the potential for diversifying and develop-ing the economy of Guam through commercial fishingand agriculture and other viable activities,


1. Calls upon the administering Power and the ter-ritorial Government to expedite the early conclusion ofthe negotiations on the draft Guam Commonwealth Actand on the future status of the Territory;

2. Requests the administering Power to continue toassist the elected territorial Government in achievingits political, economic and social goals;

3. Also requests the administering Power, in coopera-tion with the territorial Government, to continue thetransfer of land to the people of the Territory and to takethe necessary steps to safeguard their property rights;

4. Further requests the administering Power to continueto recognize and respect the political rights and the cul-tural and ethnic identity of the Chamorro people andto take all necessary measures to respond to the con-cerns of the territorial Government with regard to theimmigration issue;

5. Requests the administering Power to continue tosupport appropriate measures by the territorial Govern-ment aimed at promoting growth in commercial fish-ing and agriculture and other viable activities.

VII. MontserratThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting the functioning of a democratic process in

Montserrat,Taking note of the reported statement of the Chief Min-

ister that his preference was for independence withina political union with the Organization of Eastern Carib-bean States and that self-reliance was more of a prioritythan independence,


1. Requests the administering Power to conduct an ap-propriate exercise, at the earliest possible date, to ascer-tain the will of the people regarding the future statusof the Territory;

2. Requests the specialized agencies and other organi-zations of the United Nations system, as well as regionaland other multilateral financial institutions, to continuetheir assistance to the Territory in the strengthening,development and diversification of the economy ofMontserrat in accordance with its medium- and long-term development plans.

VIII. PitcairnThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Taking into account the unique nature of the Territory

in terms of population and area,Expressing its satisfaction with the continued economic

and social advancement of the Territory, as well as withthe improvement of its communications with the out-side world and its management plan to address conser-vation issues,

Requests the administering Power to continue its as-sistance for improvement of the economic, social, educa-tional and other conditions of the population of the Ter-ritory.

IX. St. HelenaThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Aware of the request by the Legislative Council of

St. Helena that the administering Power conduct a con-stitutional review in the Territory,


Taking into account the unique character of the Terri-tory, its population and its natural resources,

Aware of the efforts of the administering Power andthe territorial authorities to improve the socio-economicconditions of the population of St. Helena, in particu-lar in the sphere of food production,

1. Requests the administering Power to conduct theconstitutional review in the Territory, taking into accountthe wishes of its population;

2. Also requests the administering Power and relevantregional and international organizations to continue tosupport the efforts of the territorial Government to ad-dress the socio-economic development of the Territory.

X. TokelauThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Having heard the statements of the representative of

New Zealand, the administering Power, and the Spe-cial Representative of Tokelau, who conveyed a messagefrom the Council of Faipule (joint chairmen of theGeneral Fono (Council)) to the Special Committee onthe Situation with regard to the Implementation of theDeclaration on the Granting of Independence to Co-lonial Countries and Peoples,

Recalling the solemn declaration on the future statusof Tokelau delivered by the Ulu-o-Tokelau (highestauthority of Tokelau) on 30 July 1994, that an act ofself-determination in Tokelau is now under active con-sideration, together with the constitution of a self-governing Tokelau, and that the present preference ofTokelau is for a status of free association with NewZealand,

Noting the emphasis placed in the solemn declarationon the terms of Tokelau's intended free association rela-tionship with New Zealand, including the expectationthat the form of help Tokelau could continue to expectfrom New Zealand in promoting the well-being of itspeople, besides its external interests, would be clearlyestablished in the framework of that relationship,

Noting also the Territory's concentrated focus in 1995on strengthening its national institutions and creatinga structure of government to meet modern needs,preparatory to the exercise by the people of Tokelau oftheir right to self-determination,

Acknowledging the endeavours of Tokelau to be self-reliant to the greatest extent possible,

Noting with appreciation the continuing exemplarycooperation of the administering Power with regard tothe work of the Special Committee on the Situation withregard to the Implementation of the Declaration on theGranting of Independence to Colonial Countries andPeoples relating to Tokelau and its readiness to permitaccess by United Nations visiting missions to the Ter-ritory,

Recalling the dispatch in 1994 of a United Nations visit-ing mission to Tokelau,

1. Notes, on the basis of statements made by represen-tatives of the administering Power and Tokelau subse-quent to the 1994 United Nations visiting mission, thatTokelau is working towards an act of self-determinationthat would result in Tokelau assuming a status in ac-cordance with the options on future status for Non-Self-Governing Territories contained in Principle VI of theannex to General Assembly resolution 1541(XV) of 15December 1960;

2. Also notes the expressed wishes of the people of theTerritory indicating a strong preference for a status offree association with New Zealand;

3. Further notes the readiness of the people of Tokelauto assume full governmental responsibility and to con-duct their own affairs within the framework of a consti-tution, which is currently being developed;

4. Welcomes the assurances of the Government of NewZealand that it will meet its obligations to the UnitedNations with respect to Tokelau and abide by the freelyexpressed wishes of the people of Tokelau with regardto their future status;

5. Invites the administering Power and United Na-tions agencies to continue their assistance to the socialand economic development of Tokelau.

XI. Turks and Caicos IslandsThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting recent changes to the Constitution of the Ter-

ritory and the intention of the territorial Governmentto continue to campaign for further constitutionalchanges,

Noting also that general elections took place in the Ter-ritory on 31 January 1995,

Noting further the policy of the authorities of maintain-ing a balance between creating a more liberal invest-ment environment and preserving access by the popu-lation to economic benefits,

Noting the increase in aid, in particular financial as-sistance, granted to the territorial Government by theGovernment of the United Kingdom of Great Britainand Northern Ireland,

1. Requests the administering Power to conduct, at theearliest possible date, an appropriate exercise to ascer-tain the will of the people regarding the future statusof the Territory;

2. Calls upon the administering Power and the rele-vant regional and international organizations to con-tinue to support the efforts of the territorial Governmentto address the socio-economic development of the Ter-ritory.

XII. United States Virgin IslandsThe General Assembly,Referring to resolution A above,Noting that general elections were held in November

1994,Noting also that a majority of those who voted in the

referendum on the political status of the Territory on11 October 1993 supported the existing territorial sta-tus arrangement with the United States of America,

Noting further the continuing interest of the territorialGovernment in seeking associate membership in the Or-ganization of Eastern Caribbean States and observer sta-tus in the Caribbean Community,

Noting the necessity of further diversifying the Terri-tory's economy,

Noting also that the question of Water Island is stillunder consideration,

Noting further that in 1993 the territorial Governmentpurchased the assets of the West Indian Company, whichhad significant property and development interests inthe Charlotte Amalie Harbour,



1. Requests the administering Power to continue to as-sist the elected territorial Government in achieving itspolitical, economic and social goals;

2. Also requests the administering Power to facilitatethe participation of the Territory, as appropriate, in var-ious organizations, in particular the Organization ofEastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean Com-munity;

3. Welcomes the negotiations between the administer-ing Power and the territorial Government on the ques-tion of Water Island.

General Assembly resolutions 50/38 A and B6 December 1995 Meeting 82 146-4-3 (recorded vote)

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/602) by recorded vote (124-4-6), 3November (meeting 15); draft by Committee on decolonization (A/50/23),amended by United Kingdom and United States (A/C.4/50/L.6); agendaitem 18.



In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo-tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cam-eroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire,Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Esto-nia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya,Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lib-yan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar,Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal,Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pak-istan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rus-sian Federation, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone,Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, SriLanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thai-land, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad andTobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, UnitedRepublic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia,Zimbabwe.

Against: Georgia, Israel, United Kingdom, United States.Abstaining: Argentina, Belgium, France.

International Trusteeship SystemDuring 1995, discussion continued regarding

the future role of the Trusteeship Council, whichin 1994 had effectively completed its work with re-spect to the 11 Territories placed under the Inter-national Trusteeship System. As the last remain-ing entity of the Trust Territory of the PacificIslands, Palau completed the process of self-determination in November 1993, when it ap-proved the Compact of Free Association with theUnited States, which had been AdministeringAuthority for the Trust Territory. In December1994, Palau became the 185th Member State of theUnited Nations.

In 1994, the Trusteeship Council hadamended(71) its rules of procedure, establishingthat it would henceforth meet as and where occa-sion might require.

On 2 June 1995,(72) Malta requested that anitem on the review of the role of the TrusteeshipCouncil be included in the provisional agenda of

the General Assembly's fiftieth session in 1995. Inan explanatory memorandum accompanying itsrequest, Malta expressed the belief that the roleof the Council could be enhanced to that of trus-tee of the common heritage of humankind, mak-ing it the focal point for coordination of endeavourin different areas related to the safeguard of com-mon heritage and incorporated within various in-ternational conventions, thus warding the interestof current and future generations against disper-sal and fragmentation of effort.

In his report on the work of the Organiza-tion,(73) the Secretary-General reiterated his 1994recommendation(74) that the Trusteeship Councilbe abolished in accordance with Article 108 of theCharter.


On 11 December, the General Assemblyadopted resolution 50/55.

Review of the role of the Trusteeship Council

The General Assembly,Noting the proposal made by Malta on the review of

the role of the Trusteeship Council, other proposals madeand different views expressed by Member States at thefiftieth session of the General Assembly on decisionsrelative to the future of the Trusteeship Council and thereport of the Secretary-General on the work of the Or-ganization,

Noting also that the General Assembly's Open-endedHigh-level Working Group on the Strengthening of theUnited Nations System will be undertaking a thoroughreview of studies and reports of the relevant United Na-tions bodies and submissions of Member States and ob-servers, as well as studies and reports of independentcommissions, non-governmental organizations, institu-tions, scholars and other experts on subjects relating tothe revitalization, strengthening and reform of theUnited Nations system,

Noting further the role of the Special Committee on theCharter of the United Nations and on the Strengthen-ing of the Role of the Organization,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to invite MemberStates to submit, not later than 31 May 1996, writtencomments on the future of the Trusteeship Council;

2. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to theGeneral Assembly, as early as possible and before theend of its fiftieth session, for appropriate consideration,a report containing comments made by Member Stateson the subject.


11 December 1995 Meeting 87 Adopted by consensus

Approved by Sixth Committee (A/50/646) by consensus, 29 November(meeting 46); draft by Malta (A/C.6/50/L.6/Rev.1); agenda item 152.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 6th Committee 44-46; plenary 68, 87.

REFERENCES(1)A/50/23. (2)YUN 1960, p. 49, GA res. 1514(XV), 14 Dec.1960. (3)A/AC.109/L.1835. (4)A/AC.109/L.1829. (5)A/AC.109/2037.(6)YUN 1994, p. 182, GA res. 49/89, 16 Dec. 1994. (7)YUN1991, p. 777, GA res. 46/181, 19 Dec. 1991. (8)YUN 1988,p. 734, GA res. 43/47, 22 Nov. 1988. (9)A/AC.109/2030.(10)A/AC.109/2024. (11)A/AC.109/PV.1451. (12)YUN 1994, p. 186,


GA res. 49/41, 9 Dec. 1994. (13)A/50/212 & Add.1. (14)YUN1994, p. 184, ESC res. 1994/37, 29 July 1994. (15)E/1995/85.(16)A/AC.109/2016 & Add.1. (17)A/AC. 109/2020 & Add.1.(18)A/AC.109/2013 & Corr.1 & Add.1. (19)A/AC.109/2019 & Add.1.(20)A/AC.109/2015 & Add.1. (21)A/AC.109/2014. (22)A/AC.109/2018. (23)YUN 1991, p. 789. (24)YUN 1994, p. 192, GA res.49/42, 9 Dec. 1994. (25)A/50/481. (26)A/50/458. (27)YUN 1994,p. 194. (28)A/AC.109/L.1831. (29)A/AC.109/2031. (30)A/AC.109/2026. (31)A/AC.109/PV.1446. (32)A/50/214 & Corr.1. (33)YUN1994, p. 1022. (34)A/50/280. (35)A/50/436. (36)YUN 1994, p. 195.(37)YUN 1991, p. 798. (38)A/AC.109/2027 & Corr.1. (39)A/AC.109/2033. (40)A/AC.109/2025. (41)A/AC.109/2028. (42)YUN 1988,p. 742. (43)YUN 1991, p. 794, SC res. 690(1991), 29 Apr. 1991.(44)YUN 1994, p. 199. (45)S/1995/240 & Add.1. (46)S/PRST/1995/17. (47)S/1995/404. (48)S/1995/431. (49)S/1995/498. (50)S/1995/524. (51)S/1995/514. (52)S/1995/779. (53)S/1995/924. (54)S/1995/925. (55)S/1995/986. (56)YUN 1994, p. 200, GA res. 49/44, 9Dec. 1994. (57)A/50/504. (58)A/AC.109/2029 & Add.1. (59)A/49/559/Add.1 & Corr.1. (60)A/49/771/Add.1. (61)A/50/655 & Corr.1,2.(62)A/50/802. (63)YUN 1994, p. 1362, GA res. 48/218 B, 29 July1994. (64)A/49/884. (65)A/49/937. (66)A/AC.109/2023.(67)A/AC.109/2017 & Add.1. (68)A/AC.109/2012. (69)A/AC.109/2021. (70)A/AC.109/2022. (71)YUN 1994, p. 216, TC res.2200(LXI), 25 May 1994. (72)A/50/142. (73)A/50/1. (74)YUN1994, p. 8.

Information

UN public information activities continued tofocus on publicizing the Organization's work andgoals and enhancing the information and commu-nication capabilities of developing countries. Thoseactivities were carried out by the Department ofPublic Information (DPI) of the UN secretariat, theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization (UNESCO) and the Joint UnitedNations Information Committee.

The General Assembly's Committee on Infor-mation, at its seventeenth session (New York, 1-12May 1995), reviewed UN information policies andactivities.(1) The Committee had before it a reporton allocation of regular budget resources to the UNinformation centres (UNICs)(2) and a review of DPIpublications,(3) submitted by the Secretary-Generalin response to a 1994 Assembly resolution.(4)

Its recommendations were considered by theFourth Committee in November and the Assem-bly acted on them in December. On 6 December,the Assembly, by decision 50/411, increased themembership of the Committee on Information from88 to 89, appointing the Democratic People's Repub-lic of Korea as a new member (see APPENDIX III).

Communication issuesAt its 1995 session, the Committee discussed the

establishment of a more just and more effective worldinformation and communication order based onthe free circulation and balanced dissemination ofinformation; examined UN public information poli-cies and activities in the light of the evolution ofinternational relations; and evaluated efforts made

and progress achieved by the UN system in the fieldof information and communications.

UNESCO activities. In 1995, UNESCO contin-ued to pursue its strategy for the development ofcommunication and the free flow of informationthrough its International Programme for the De-velopment of Communication (IPDC) and otherprogrammes.

In preparation for the Fourth World Conferenceon Women (see PART FOUR, Chapter X), UNESCOconvened an international symposium on the theme"Women and the Media—Access to Expression andDecision-Making" (Toronto, Canada, 28 February-3March). It approved the Toronto Platform for Ac-tion on women and the media, which recommendedglobal and specific and immediate actions to in-crease women's participation in the media and topromote equality between men and women.

The General Conference of UNESCO, at itstwenty-eighth session (Paris, 25 October-16 Novem-ber 1995), adopted the Toronto Platform for Ac-tion and invited member States to implement itsrecommendations. In a resolution on communica-tion, information and informatics, the Conferenceinvited the UNESCO Director-General to: encouragewomen's access to expression and decision-makingin communication, as well as to promote a betterbalanced dissemination of information, foster thecultural and educational dimension in electronicmedia programmes and encourage internationaldebate on the issue of violence on the screen; studynew trends in information and communication tech-nologies and monitor new developments in the fieldof information; assist member States in formulat-ing national information policies and regional strate-gies; and strengthen IPDC activities and intensifyits interaction with the UN system and fundingsources. The Director-General was also invited to:foster the development of community media in ruraland disadvantaged areas and in large cities; increaseaudiovisual production capacities in developing coun-tries and explore ways of improving regional andinternational dissemination of their products; con-tribute to the training of communication and in-formation professionals, particularly women; supportthe establishment of an international network ofschools of information studies; develop common ap-proaches to training information specialists in theuse of modern technologies; encourage the mod-ernization of library and archival services and pro-mote public libraries as gateways to informationnetworks; strengthen regional informatics networksand their connection with international networks;and facilitate access to and promote the use oftelematics services in developing countries.

In a resolution on promotion of independent andpluralist media, the General Conference endorseddeclarations adopted by participants at a series ofregional seminars in 1991,(5) 1992(6) and 1994;(7) ex-


pressed its conviction that the next UNESCO/DPIregional seminar, to be held in Yemen in 1996,would contribute to the development of pluralistmedia in the Arab region; and invited theDirector-General to organize a similar regionalseminar in Europe in 1997. In two other resolu-tions, the Conference called for support to culturaland educational activities undertaken by publicservice broadcasting, media professionals andjournalists to reduce violence in the media, andinvited member States to intensify cooperation onmatters of information design as the basis for op-timized visual communication.

IPDC sponsored activities in various regions ofthe world. Efforts in Africa included: a project topromote photojournalism; a seminar for womenjournalists from West and Central Africa on cre-ation of newspapers, marketing and ethics; a data-bank for a Moroccan press agency; a computer-based documentation system in Tunisia; mobilevideo projection units in Zambia; assistance to awomen's magazine in Ethiopia; and strengthen-ing of a Ghanaian journalist association.

In Asia and the Pacific, projects included: ameeting of experts to discuss communications pri-orities in the region; publication of monographson media laws and regulations in Asia; develop-ment of a "Women in Media" network in Cen-tral Asia; establishment of a Bengali-languagenews agency in Bangladesh; information pro-grammes for Tajikistan independent television;and a fellowship programme on television pro-gramme production in the Republic of Korea.

For the Middle East, projects included a mis-sion to study the development of Palestinian tele-vision. For countries in transition to a marketeconomy, a seminar was held in Moscow on theethics of journalism. For Latin America and theCaribbean, a project was executed to develop in-formation and communications capabilities.

An international round table for broadcastersand programme managers on non-violence, toler-ance and television was held in New Delhi, India.Projects aimed at education and training of jour-nalists and other information specialists were car-ried out for the Arab region, Chad, China,Guatemala, Jordan, Kazakstan, the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania and Yemen. Assistance wasprovided to develop radio and television broadcast-ing in the Cook Islands, Dominica, Kyrgyzstan,Nepal, Niue, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe andSeychelles. Other projects dealt with rural infor-mation networks and broadcasting for rural de-velopment in Egypt, Grenada, Indonesia andTrinidad and Tobago.

In September, the IPDC IntergovernmentalCouncil Bureau examined 66 projects and selected47 of them for submission to the Council, total-ling some $7.5 million. The Council did not meet

in 1995, having deferred(7) its sixteenth session toJanuary 1996.


On 6 December, the General Assembly adoptedresolution 50/31 A.

Information in the service of humanity

The General Assembly,Taking note of the comprehensive and important report

of the Committee on Information,Also taking note of the report of the Secretary-General

on questions relating to information,Urges all countries, organizations of the United Na-

tions system as a whole and all others concerned, reaf-firming their commitment to the principles of the Char-ter of the United Nations and to the principles offreedom of the press and freedom of information, as wellas to those of the independence, pluralism and diver-sity of the media, deeply concerned by the disparitiesexisting between developed and developing countries andthe consequences of every kind arising from those dis-parities that affect the capability of the public, privateor other media and individuals in developing countriesto disseminate information and communicate their viewsand their cultural and ethical values through endogenouscultural production, as well as to ensure the diversityof sources and their free access to information, andrecognizing the call in this context for what in the UnitedNations and at various international forums has beentermed "a new world information and communicationorder, seen as an evolving and continuous process":

(a) To cooperate and interact with a view to reduc-ing existing disparities in information flows at all levelsby increasing assistance for the development of commu-nication infrastructures and capabilities in developingcountries, with due regard for their needs and the pri-orities attached to such areas by those countries, andin order to enable them and the public, private or othermedia in developing countries to develop their own in-formation and communication policies freely and in-dependently and increase the participation of media andindividuals in the communication process, and to en-sure a free flow of information at all levels;

(b) To ensure for journalists the free and effectiveperformance of their professional tasks and condemnresolutely all attacks against them;

(c) To provide support for the continuation andstrengthening of practical training programmes forbroadcasters and journalists from public, private andother media in developing countries;

(d) To enhance regional efforts and cooperationamong developing countries, as well as cooperation be-tween developed and developing countries, to strengthencommunication capacities and to improve the mediainfrastructure and communication technology in the de-veloping countries, especially in the areas of trainingand dissemination of information;

(e) To aim, in addition to bilateral cooperation, atproviding all possible support and assistance to the de-veloping countries and their media, public, private orother, with due regard to their interests and needs inthe field of information and to action already adoptedwithin the United Nations system, including:


(i) The development of the human and technicalresources that are indispensable for the improve-ment of information and communication systemsin developing countries and support for the con-tinuation and strengthening of practical trainingprogrammes, such as those already operatingunder both public and private auspices through-out the developing world;

(ii) The creation of conditions that will enable de-veloping countries and their media, public, pri-vate or other, to have, by using their national andregional resources, the communication technol-ogy suited to their national needs, as well as thenecessary programme material, especially forradio and television broadcasting;

(iii) Assistance in establishing and promotingtelecommunication links at the subregional,regional and interregional levels, especiallyamong developing countries;

(iv) The facilitation, as appropriate, of access by thedeveloping countries to advanced communicationtechnology available on the open market;

(f) To provide full support for the International Pro-gramme for the Development of Communication of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or-ganization, which should support both public and pri-vate media.

General Assembly resolution 50/31 A6 December 1995 Meeting 82 Adopted without vote

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/608) without vote, 27 October (meet-ing 11); draft by Committee on Information (A/50/21); agenda item 87.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 9-11; plenary 82.

By resolution 50/31 B, the Assembly invitedMember States that wished to do so to submit tothe Secretary-General by 15 March 1996 their ob-servations and suggestions on ways to further thedevelopment of communication infrastructuresand capabilities in developing countries. TheSecretary-General was asked to report on the sub-ject in 1996 to the Committee on Information.

UN public information

DPI activitiesIn September, the Secretary-General submitted

a report(8) on questions relating to information,focusing on activities of DPI, which he stated hadcontinued in 1995 to promote an informed under-standing of the work of the United Nations andto foster a positive image of the system as a whole.In an effort to strengthen and improve the publicinformation tasks of the Organization, DPI hadsought to reach public opinion within every stra-tum of global society, ensure a cohesive approachto the issues and their unified presentation withinthe UN system, and exploit the potential of elec-tronic communications. The Office of the Spokes-man for the Secretary-General organized dailybriefings and an increasingly large number of one-on-one contacts with the world's media, as wellas various interviews and background briefings

with senior UN officials. Contacts were alsostrengthened between the senior management ofthe Department and senior international mediaofficials.

Services were provided to 2,900 permanently ac-credited and 2,500 temporarily accredited mediarepresentatives at Headquarters; in addition, morethan 20,000 media representatives had been ac-credited since 1992 for UN conferences held awayfrom Headquarters. The production of press releasesin English and French was expanded. Radio pro-grammes were provided in 15 languages to morethan 1,800 broadcasting organizations. UN tele-vision programmes were distributed throughout theworld by major international broadcasting organi-zations. The Department established a digital trans-mission system for audio recordings, laid the ground-work for a future tapeless archival system, and wasintroducing a compact-disc system for electronicstorage, reproduction and dissemination of pho-tographs.

The Department provided information to six pub-licly accessible databases and disseminated electron-ically more than a million pages of documents andpublications during the first half of 1995. Its owndatabase, the largest in the UN system, was accesseddaily on the Internet by an average of 20,000 users;an additional 5,000 users on a daily basis accessedon the World Wide Web the UN Home Page, whichhad been launched during the year.

Thematically integrated information pro-grammes on priority issues were developed. TheDepartment conducted guided tours of UN Head-quarters, organized weekly briefings for some 200NGO representatives, and provided a wide rangeof information to some 1,500 NGOs worldwide.The forty-eighth annual conference of DPI forNGOs (New York, 18-20 September), centred onthe theme "The United Nations at the turn of thecentury: global issues; global actors; global respon-sibility", was attended by more than 1,300 NGOrepresentatives. The annual training programmefor journalists took place at Headquarters from 18September to 26 October.

The Department oversaw the comprehensiveUN publications programme and provided re-search services through the Dag HammarskjoldLibrary and its system of 347 depository librariesin 140 countries. An Integrated Library Manage-ment System for archival collection and biblio-graphic control of documents and publications wasbeing launched. A variety of databases, regularlyaccessed by 91 Governments and 86 permanentmissions, was made available in March both on-line and in compact-disc format. Additional stepswere taken to strengthen the marketing and salesof system-wide publications through a network ofagents, distributors and bookstores in more than65 countries.


In implementing specific information programmesmandated by the General Assembly in 1994,(4) DPIpursued three thematically integrated priority areas:sustainable economic and social development in theoverall context of "An Agenda for Development"(see PART FOUR, Chapter I); peacemaking, peace-keeping and peace-building (see below); and humanrights and humanitarian relief activities. Economicand social issues, particularly developments withregard to "An Agenda for Development", were cov-ered in the bimonthly Development Update newslet-ter, which provided an overview of UN activitiesand publications in the development sphere. Thequarterly periodical Africa Recovery focused on issuesof special concern to that continent and underscoredthe links between UN peace-keeping, humanita-rian and developmental activities in Africa. TheDepartment also provided information support tothe Commission on Sustainable Development re-garding follow-up to the 1994 Global Conferenceon the Sustainable Development of Small IslandDeveloping States, the results of the UN Confer-ence on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly MigratoryFish Stocks and UN conventions on biodiversity,climate change and desertification (see PART FOUR,Chapter VII).

As part of its 1995 programme for human rights,DPI was organizing seminars for internationaljournalists and prepared a series of in-depth arti-cles on key human rights issues, including judi-cial independence, the right to development, vio-lence against women, the sale of children and childprostitution, ethnic conflict and racial discrimina-tion. Activities relating to the situation in the Mid-dle East and the question of Palestine included aseminar on assistance to the Palestinian people inmedia development, a training programme forPalestinian journalists (New York, 8 October-22November) and the production of books, pamph-lets and audiovisual materials.

The Department continued to develop informa-tion campaigns for major UN conferences, in col-laboration with other entities of the system. Dur-ing the year, such campaigns were carried out topromote the World Summit for Social Develop-ment, the Ninth United Nations Congress on thePrevention of Crime and the Treatment ofOffenders (see PART FOUR, Chapter IX) and theFourth World Conference on Women (see PARTFOUR, Chapter X). The last-mentioned campaignincluded a series of feature articles, Focus on Women,and publication of the second edition of The World'sWomen: Trends and Statistics, including new sectionson women and the media and women in peace-keeping. Preparations were also under way for aninformation programme to promote the SecondUN Conference on Human Settlements (see PARTFOUR, Chapter VIII) and the International Yearfor the Eradication of Poverty, both in 1996.

The Department's contribution to the observ-ance of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary (seealso below, under "Other questions") included aspecial commemorative edition of the Yearbook ofthe United Nations; two special issues of the UNChronicle (Vol. XXII, Nos. 3 and 4); the 50th An-niversary UN Minutes television series broadcast bymore than 30 major television organizationsworldwide; 12 video compilations on the historyof the Organization; and a catalogue of historicaland thematic photographs. The Department alsoco-produced A Place to Stand—a video overview ofUN history and achievements.

DPI continued to ensure the timely productionand dissemination of its major publications, inparticular the Yearbook of the United Nations, the UNChronicle and Africa Recovery. In July, the Departmentand the World Bank agreed to co-produce thetwice-monthly publication Development Business ondevelopment bank and UN procurement. By Au-gust 1995, DPI had published seven volumes of theBlue Books Series, comprehensive subject-orientedreference works launched in 1994 and coveringmajor issues of concern to the international com-munity. A new edition of Basic Facts about the UnitedNations was produced and a new publication wasintroduced, entitled A Guide to Information at the UnitedNations. The UN Publications Board continued toguide publications activities on issues most rele-vant to the Organization.

The General Assembly, by resolution 50/31 B,encouraged the Secretary-General to explore waysof improving the access of UN radio to airwavesworldwide and requested him to increase effortsfor the early resumption of the publication Devel-opment Forum or an alternative system-wide publi-cation devoted to development issues.

Dissemination of informationrelated to peace-keeping

By resolution 49/233 B of 31 March 1995, theGeneral Assembly requested the Committee onInformation to review the Secretariat's policy ondissemination of information related to peace-keeping.

The Committee's Extended Bureau subse-quently submitted in May a paper on mediastrategies for peace-keeping and other field oper-ations. The document noted the need for a coor-dinated and unified public information strategyaimed at increasing public understanding and sup-port for the United Nations peacemaking role, andpointed out that the Secretary-General, in his"Supplement to an Agenda for Peace" (see PARTONE, Chapter I, and PART TWO, Chapter I), hadunderlined the vital role of an effective informa-tion capacity and the importance of establishingsuch a capacity at the early planning stages ofevery field mission.


Among measures suggested were: early consul-tations and coordination between DPI and theDepartments of Peace-keeping Operations, Human-itarian Affairs and Political Affairs; early involve-ment of DPI in planning field missions to avoid frag-mentation of resources and duplication of effortswith regard to public information activities; devel-opment of a joint information strategy in emergencysituations; creation of DPI personnel rosters for pub-lic information duties in field operations; elaborationof draft standards for planning mission informa-tion strategies and related Headquarters activities;and dividing an integrated information programmeinto an internal programme within the area of themission and an external programme for the inter-national community at large. In addition, the paperrecommended that an integrated strategy shouldtarget public opinion in countries providing sup-port to and those hosting peace-keeping operations,in order to build support for such missions amongcontributing States and establish a positive environ-ment for their functioning in countries of deployment.

The Committee on Information, at its seventeenthsession,(1) took note of the review and decided toexamine it further through its Extended Bureau.

In a September report,(8) the Secretary-Generalnoted the establishment of an interdepartmentalWorking Group on Media Strategies for Peace-keeping and Other Field Operations as a mecha-nism for regular consultations among the Depart-ments of Peace-keeping Operations, HumanitarianAffairs, Political Affairs and Public Information withregard to the information component of field oper-ations. Consultations focused on development ofinformation strategies and personnel rosters. DPIalso continued to refine a set of standards for mis-sion information components and to look into thedevelopment of a central UN broadcasting facil-ity for field operations. It provided comprehensiveinformation about UN peace-keeping and peace-making to the media, educational and research in-stitutions, government agencies, NGOs and thegeneral public. Other efforts resulted in the pub-lication of a biannual collection of in-depth reviewsof all current peace-keeping operations and a refer-ence paper series on peace-keeping missions, as wellas distribution of a one-hour documentary on peace-keeping, No Place to Hide. The third edition of TheBlue Helmets was being prepared in 1995.

The General Assembly, by resolution 50/31 B,requested the Secretary-General to ensure the in-volvement of DPI at the planning stage of futurepeace-keeping and other field operations throughinterdepartmental consultations and coordination.

UN information centresIn a March report(2) to the Committee on In-

formation, the Secretary-General noted intensifiedefforts by UNICs—a network of information centres

in 68 countries worldwide—to reach out to key au-diences, pool resources with other UN entities, adaptinformation material in local languages to regionalneeds, contribute to preparations for major inter-national conferences, strengthen relations with localmedia, and explore new communications technol-ogies for the exchange of information with Head-quarters, other field offices and the media. The workof UNICs was discussed in January in Geneva ata meeting of information professionals with theSecretary-General, during which he stressed theneed for an active approach towards the media, urgedUNIC directors to counter erroneous reporting inthe media, and emphasized that information effortsshould specifically focus on the younger generation.

The Secretary-General also described ongoingefforts to integrate UNICs with UNDP field offices,as requested by the General Assembly in 1994.(4)Integrated centres would continue to carry out DPI'smandate under the immediate supervision of UNDPresident representatives. Closer cooperation was es-tablished between the UNDP field offices and UNICsin the developing world. Discussions on further in-tegration continued on a case-by-case basis, in con-sultation with host Governments.

In September, the Secretary-General re-ported(8) further on UNIC activities, noting effortsto broaden public awareness of the issues beforethe United Nations and its major internationalconferences. Many UNICs had developed educa-tional and youth-oriented programmes and hadincreased the number of model UN programmesundertaken in cooperation with local high schoolsand universities. The Secretary-General noted that16 UNICs had been integrated with UNDP fieldoffices as at September 1995.

The General Assembly, by resolution 50/31 B,

invited the Secretary-General to continue the in-tegration exercise and to report on the subject tothe Committee on Information.

In his March report,(2) the Secretary-Generaldiscussed the ongoing efforts to strengthen UNICswithin available resources. He reported that DPIcontinued to computerize UNIC operations, up-grade and modernize their libraries and ensurecloser cooperation with field offices of other UNsystem entities.

In his September report,(8) he noted that UNIClibraries were fully equipped with UN biblio-graphic collections, including those in compact-disc format. During the year, DPI organized train-ing workshops on technological innovations andelectronic access to UN information.

Coordination in the UN systemThe Joint United Nations Information Com-

mittee (JUNIC), an inter-agency committee of UNofficials to coordinate information activities withinthe UN system, held its twenty-first session in 1995


(Paris, 5-7 July).(9) It discussed ongoing JUNICprojects, participation in international exhibitionsand special events and other issues.

The Committee endorsed the work programmeof the Non-Governmental Liaison Service andagreed to discuss at its ad hoc session in early 1996the future of the JUNIC information exchangebulletin and the feasibility of a new system-widepublication on development issues. It recom-mended that UNESCO be designated as the leadagency for UN participation in the Lisbon (Por-tugal) Exposition 1998: "The oceans, a heritagefor the future"; it also considered participation inthe Hannover (Germany) Exposition 2000: "Man-kind, nature, technology". JUNIC reviewedproposals for inter-agency information pro-grammes on follow-up to the 1995 World Summitfor Social Development (see PART FOUR, Chap-ter IX) and for major UN meetings on women,least developed countries, human settlements andfood. The observance of the United Nations fifti-eth anniversary was also discussed, as was the In-ternational Year for the Eradication of Poverty(1996).

Also reviewed were: inter-agency cooperation inaudiovisual productions; an electronic version ofa new system-wide film and video catalogue; thedevelopment of a photo compact-disc and pictureexchange system; and the use of computer tech-nology in the field of public information.

The Committee considered new areas of JUNICcooperation, including ways to facilitate UN tele-vision feeds to broadcasters from developing coun-tries. The next Development Information Work-shop was set for January/February 1996, at whichcommunications strategies for promoting develop-ment issues, new public information technologiesand possible joint projects would be discussed.

JUNIC decided to hold its twenty-second sessionin Nairobi, Kenya, in June/July 1996.


On 6 December, the General Assembly adoptedresolution 50/31 B.

United Nations public information

policies and activities

The General Assembly,Reaffirming its primary role in elaborating, coordinat-

ing and harmonizing United Nations policies and ac-tivities in the field of information,

Also reaffirming that the Secretary-General should en-sure that the activities of the Department of Public In-formation of the Secretariat, as the focal point for thepublic information tasks of the United Nations, arestrengthened and improved, keeping in view the pur-poses and principles of the Charter of the United Na-tions, the priority areas defined by the General Assem-bly and the recommendations of the Committee onInformation,

Taking note of all the reports of the Secretary-Generalsubmitted to the Committee at its seventeenth session,

1. Welcomes Belize, Croatia, the Czech Republic,Kazakstan, and South Africa following the establishmentof a united, non-racial and democratic Government inthat country, to membership in the Committee on In-formation;

2. Decides to consolidate the role of the Committeeas its main subsidiary body mandated to make recom-mendations relating to the work of the Department ofPublic Information of the Secretariat;

3. Calls upon the Secretary-General, in respect of thepublic information policies and activities of the UnitedNations, to implement fully the recommendations con-tained in paragraph 2 of its resolution 48/44 B of 10 De-cember 1993;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in order to put intopractice the need for an effective public information ca-pacity of the Department of Public Information for theformation and day-to-day functioning of the informa-tion components of peace-keeping and other field oper-ations of the United Nations, to ensure the involvementof the Department at the planning stage of such futureoperations through interdepartmental consultations andcoordination with the other substantive departments ofthe Secretariat;

5. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Generalregarding the continuous and major publications of theDepartment of Public Information and urges all effortsto ensure timely production and dissemination of itsmajor publications, in particular the UN Chronicle, theYearbook of the United Nations and Africa Recovery, maintain-ing consistent editorial independence and accuracy, andtaking the necessary measures to ensure that its outputcontains adequate, objective and equitable informationabout issues before the Organization, reflecting diver-gent opinions wherever they occur;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to increase his ef-forts for the early resumption of the publication Devel-opment Forum, or an alternative system-wide publicationthat meets the requirements set out for new publicationsby the Committee on Information;

7. Requests the management of the Department ofPublic Information to review its publications andproposals for publications to ensure that all publicationsfulfil an identifiable need, that they do not duplicateother publications inside or outside the United Nationssystem and that they are produced in a cost-effectivemanner, and to report thereon to the Committee at itseighteenth session;

8. Reaffirms the importance attached by MemberStates to the role of United Nations information centresin effectively and comprehensively disseminating infor-mation, particularly in developing countries and coun-tries in transition, about United Nations activities;

9. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-Generalon the results of the trial of integrating United Nationsinformation centres with field offices of the United Na-tions Development Programme, and invites the Secretary-General to continue the integration exercise wheneverfeasible, on a case-by-case basis, while taking into ac-count the views of the host country, and ensuring thatthe information functions and autonomy of the UnitedNations information centres are not adversely affected,and to report thereon to the Committee;


10. Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in re-lation to the opening of new United Nations informa-tion centres and invites the Secretary-General, as well,to make such recommendations as he may judge neces-sary regarding the establishment and location of thesecentres;

11. Also takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the allocation of resources to United Na-tions information centres in 1994 and calls upon himto continue to study ways and means to rationalize andeffect equitable disbursement of available resources toall United Nations information centres and to reportthereon to the Committee at its eighteenth session;

12. Welcomes the action by some Member States withregard to financial and material support to United Na-tions information centres in their respective capitals;

13. Welcomes also the successful conclusion of thenegotiations on the establishment of a United Nationsinformation component at Warsaw;

14. Notes the progress made by the Secretary-Generaland the German authorities towards establishing, withinexisting resources of the Department of Public Infor-mation, a United Nations information centre at Bonn;

15. Notes with appreciation the action taken, or beingtaken, by the Secretary-General regarding the reacti-vation and enhancement of the United Nations infor-mation centres at Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Dhakaand Tehran;

16. Welcomes further the continued enhanced cooper-ation between the Department of Public Informationand the University for Peace in Costa Rica as a focalpoint for promoting United Nations activities and dis-seminating United Nations information materials;

17. Takes note of the requests of Bulgaria, Gabon,Guinea, Haiti and Slovakia for information centres orinformation components;

18. Expresses its full support for the wide and promptcoverage of United Nations activities through a continu-ation of United Nations press releases in both workinglanguages of the Secretariat, namely, English andFrench, and welcomes the improvements in the qualityand speedy issue of those press releases in both work-ing languages;

19. Encourages the Secretary-General to explore waysand means to improve the access of United Nations radioto airwaves worldwide, bearing in mind that radio is oneof the most cost-effective and far-reaching media avail-able to the Department of Public Information and isan important instrument in United Nations activitieswith regard to development and peace-keeping;

20. Notes with appreciation the efforts of the Depart-ment of Public Information to take advantage of recentdevelopments in information technology in order to im-prove the dissemination of information on the UnitedNations, and encourages the Department to continueits efforts in this field;

21. Notes the important role the Department of PublicInformation will have to play in responding to the in-creased public interest resulting from the fiftieth anniver-sary of the United Nations, and requests the Depart-ment to ensure the greatest possible access to UnitedNations guided tours, as well as to ensure that displaysin public areas are kept as informative, up to date andrelevant as possible;

22. Invites Member States that wish to do so to sub-mit to the Secretary-General by 15 March 1996 their

observations and suggestions on ways and means of fur-thering the development of communication infra-structures and capabilities in developing countries, witha view to consolidating recent experience in the fieldof international cooperation aimed at enabling them todevelop their own information and communication ca-pacities freely and independently, and requests theSecretary-General to report thereon to the Committeeon Information at its eighteenth session;

23. Recommends, in order to continue to facilitate con-tact between the Department of Public Information andthe Committee on Information between sessions, thatthe Bureau of the Committee, together with represen-tatives of each regional group, the Group of 77 andChina, in close contact with the members of the Com-mittee, should meet on a regular basis and consult atperiodic intervals with representatives of theDepartment;

24. Takes note of the request of Belarus, the RussianFederation and Ukraine concerning information activi-ties for the tenth anniversary in 1996 of the Chernobyldisaster and calls upon the Department of Public In-formation to continue cooperation with the countriesconcerned, and with the relevant organizations and bod-ies of the United Nations system, with a view to estab-lishing and implementing such activities as appropri-ate, and within existing resources;

25. Requests the Secretary-General to report to theCommittee on Information at its eighteenth session andto the General Assembly at its fifty-first session on theactivities of the Department of Public Information andon the implementation of the recommendations con-tained in the present resolution;

26. Decides that the eighteenth session of the Com-mittee should last not more than ten working days, andinvites the Bureau of the Committee to explore ways andmeans of making optimum use of the Committee's time;

27. Requests the Committee to report to the GeneralAssembly at its fifty-first session;

28. Decides to include in the provisional agenda ofits fifty-first session the item entitled "Questions relat-ing to information".

General Assembly resolution 50/31 B


Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/608) without vote, 27 October (meet-ing 11); draft by Committee on Information (A/50/21); agenda item 87.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 9-11; plenary 82.

Peaceful uses of outer space

During 1995, the Committee on the PeacefulUses of Outer Space (Committee on outer space)and its Scientific and Technical and Legal Sub-committees again considered matters relating tointernational cooperation in the peaceful uses of

REFERENCES(1)A/50/21. (2)A/AC.198/1995/2. (3)A/AC.198/1995/3. (4)YUN1994, p. 237, GA res. 49/38 B, 9 Dec. 1994. (5)YUN 1991,p. 82. (6)YUN 1992, p. 124. (7)YUN 1994, p. 233.(8)A/50/462. (9)ACC/1995/15.


outer space, as requested by the General Assemblyin 1994.(1) At its thirty-eighth session (Vienna, 12-22 June),(2) the Committee reviewed the work of itsSubcommittees and discussed ways of maintainingouter space for peaceful purposes and spin-off benefitsof space technology. Permanent observer status wasgranted to the International Academy of Astronauticsand the International Astronomical Union, on theunderstanding that they would apply for consulta-tive status with the Economic and Social Council.

In December, the General Assembly endorsedCommittee recommendations and the 1996 UN Pro-gramme on Space Applications.

Space science and technologyThe Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of

the Committee on outer space, at its thirty-secondsession (Vienna, 6-16 February),(3) continued to re-view the UN Programme on Space Applications,coordination of space activities within the UN systemand implementation of the recommendations of theSecond (1982) UN Conference on the Explorationand Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE-82).(4)The Subcommittee also considered matters relat-ing to remote sensing of the Earth by satellites, in-cluding applications for developing countries; theuse of nuclear power sources in outer space; spacedebris; space transportation systems and their im-plications for future activities in space; the physi-cal nature and technical attributes of the geo-stationary orbit and its utilization for spacecommunications; life sciences, including space medi-cine; national and international space activitiesrelated to the Earth environment; and issues relatingto planetary exploration and astronomy.

During the session, the Committee on Space Re-search (COSPAR) of the International Council ofScientific Unions (ICSU) and the International As-tronautical Federation (IAF) organized a sympo-sium on the theme "Applications of space technologyfor education, with particular emphasis on its usein developing countries", which had been selectedby the Subcommittee for special attention. The sym-posium considered policy issues regarding spaceeducation and applications of space technology inspace education. Canada and the Russian Feder-ation made special presentations. Member Statesprovided specialists in space science and technol-ogy to present reports relating to Subcommitteeagenda items.(5)

In June,(2) the Committee on outer space con-sidered and acted on the Subcommittee's recom-mendations.

Implementation of therecommendations of UNISPACE-82

The Subcommittee reconvened its Working Groupof the Whole to Evaluate the Implementation of

the Recommendations of UNISPACE-82, which heldits ninth session (Vienna, 8-16 February). TheWorking Group's recommendations, annexed tothe Subcommittee report,(3) were subsequentlyendorsed by the Committee on outer space andby the General Assembly in resolution 50/27 (seebelow).

The Working Group reviewed internationalcooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, in-cluding activities of Member States(6) and workprogrammes of international organizations.(7) Itrecommended: the continued organization ofseminars and workshops on advanced applicationsof space science and technology and on new tech-nological developments so as to bring recent ad-vances in space technologies and applications fordevelopment to the attention of planners, adminis-trators and decision makers in developing coun-tries; periodic reporting on the resources and tech-nological capabilities of States in space activitiesand in the areas of education, training, researchand fellowship opportunities for the promotion ofcooperation in outer space uses; annual reportingby States and international organizations to theSecretary-General on space activities subject togreater international cooperation, with particularemphasis on the needs of developing countries;and provision of expert consultants to assist inpreparing integrated national plans of action forinitiating, strengthening or reorienting space ap-plication programmes, in conformity with othernational development programmes. The WorkingGroup requested Member States and internationalorganizations to support the training programmein space applications and technologies on an on-going basis. It also made recommendations for theconvening of a third UNISPACE (see below).

Four priority areas were identified to promotethe applications of space science and technologyfor development: the stimulation of the growth ofindigenous nuclei and an autonomous technolog-ical base in space technology in developing coun-tries; a greater exchange of experiences in spaceapplications; funding for the UN Programme onSpace Applications (see below); and voluntary con-tributions for activities to implement UNISPACE-82 recommendations. The Working Group reiter-ated the UNISPACE-82 recommendation on the freeexchange of scientific and technological informa-tion and transfer of technologies to promote theuse and development of space technology in de-veloping countries, as well as the recommendationthat countries should not place undue restrictionson the sale of components, subsystems or systemsrequired for peaceful space applications.

The Committee on outer space, in endorsingthe recommendations, noted the Working Group'sview that the Programme on Space Applicationsshould be given full support in order to implement


the UNISPACE-82 recommendations, and the dis-appointment expressed by developing countries atthe lack of financial resources to implement thoserecommendations fully.

The Committee noted that the UN Secretariatcontinued to strengthen regional mechanisms ofcooperation through regional workshops and train-ing courses, the establishment of regional centresfor space science and technology education, andtechnical assistance for regional activities in Africa,Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and theCaribbean.

The Committee also noted steps to augment theInternational Space Information Service by de-veloping a database capability and creating a"home page" on the Internet, preparation of afeasibility study on establishing a computer-basedinternational space information service, and con-tributions of other international organizations to-wards the implementation of UNISPACE-82 recom-mendations.

The Committee agreed that the Strategy forRegional Cooperation in Space Applications forSustainable Development in Asia and the Pacificand the related Action Plan, adopted by theMinisterial Conference on Space Applications forDevelopment in the Asia-Pacific Region in1994,(8) and the Santiago Declaration, adopted bythe Second Space Conference of the Americas in1993,(9) were important instruments in promotinginternational cooperation in outer space. It recog-nized the contribution of the First Conference onSpace Technology and Developing Countries(Tehran, Iran, May). The establishment of theAsia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council, toserve as a regional forum for information ex-changes and cooperation in satellite communica-tions and broadcasting, was also noted.

In response to a 1994 General Assembly re-quest,(1) the Secretary-General reported in August1995 on progress made in implementingUNISPACE-82 recommendations. The report(10)primarily reflected the work of the Committee onouter space and its subsidiary bodies in 1995. TheSecretariat, responding to 1994 requests of theWorking Group of the Whole, submitted to theScientific and Technical Subcommittee studies oncurrent projects and future perspectives for inter-national cooperation in microsatellites and smallsatellites(11) and on the use of remote-sensing tech-nologies for environmental applications.(12) It alsotransmitted reports of 11 Member States on theiractivities regarding international cooperation inthe peaceful uses of outer space.(13)

UN Programme on Space ApplicationsIn accordance with its 1982 mandate,(14) the

UN Programme on Space Applications focusedon: developing indigenous capabilities in space

science and technology; providing fellowships forin-depth training and technical advisory services;organizing regional and international trainingcourses, conferences and meetings; assisting in ac-quiring and disseminating space-related informa-tion; and promoting greater cooperation betweendeveloped and developing countries.

In December,(15) the UN Expert on Space Ap-plications reviewed Programme activities carriedout in 1995, and those scheduled for 1996 andproposed for 1997. The Expert stated that Pro-gramme efforts to assist developing countries inbuilding their indigenous capabilities had focusedon establishing regional centres for space scienceand technology education in remote sensing andgeographic information systems, meteorologicalsatellite applications, satellite communications andgeopositioning systems, and space and atmos-pheric sciences. Centre activities were aimed at de-veloping and enhancing knowledge and skills ofuniversity educators and research and applicationsscientists and ensuring the use of that knowledgein pilot projects. In 1995, Morocco and Nigeriawere selected to host centres for the countries ofFrench- and English-speaking Africa, respectively,while Brazil and Mexico reached agreement onestablishment of a centre for Latin America andthe Caribbean. On 1 November, the Centre forSpace Science and Technology Education in Asiaand the Pacific was inaugurated in New Delhi, andits Governing Board held its first meeting the nextday. Iran had offered to host a major node of thatregional centre. Negotiations were also in progresson the establishment of a regional centre in West-ern Asia. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greeceand Romania offered to host a regional centre inEurope; Italy had proposed the establishment ofa centre for Central and Eastern Europeancountries.

The Programme received 15 long-term fellow-ships for 1995-96: Brazil offered 10, for researchand applications in remote-sensing technology; theEuropean Space Agency (ESA) offered five, for thestudy of space antennas and propagation, commu-nications systems, remote-sensing instrumentationand remote-sensing information systems.

The Programme was expanding its technical ad-visory services due to increasing developmentalsupport needs and advances in Earth observationsystems technology, in communications technol-ogy and in related information systems. A feasi-bility study was completed on establishing a mul-tinational Andean enterprise to facilitate operationof the Cotopaxi ground receiving station in Ec-uador. An evaluation mission on user needs wasplanned for countries participating in the estab-lishment of a Cooperative Information NetworkLinking Scientists, Educators and Professionals inAfrica. The Programme and ESA continued their


joint technical assistance programme to strengthenthe capability of institutions in developing coun-tries of obtaining satellite, radar and optical datafor ongoing projects. Follow-up was made to a se-ries of workshops on basic space science, and coop-eration continued with the Asia-Pacific SatelliteCommunications Council, established in 1994, themembership of which grew to 40 in 1995, addingmembers in both Europe and North America.

A meeting of experts in Granada, Spain (27February-3 March) focused on developing modelcurricula for the regional centres for space scienceand technology education. Stockholm Universityand the Swedish Space Corporation hosted thefifth UN training course on remote sensing inStockholm and Kiruna (2 May-9 June).(16) AUN/ESA workshop on the applications of spacetechniques to prevent and combat natural disasterstook place in Harare, Zimbabwe (22-26 May).(17)

Training courses were conducted on the use ofdata from the European Remote Sensing Satel-lite (ERS-1) for the mapping and inventory of nat-ural resources in Africa (Libreville, Gabon, 15-19May);(18) on applications of ERS-1 data (Frascati,Italy, 13-24 November);(19) and on space technol-ogy for improving life on Earth (Graz, Austria,11-14 September).(20) reviewing use of satellitetechnology to enhance food security, communica-tions infrastructure, education, health and disasterearly-warning systems.

Workshops were held on space technology forhealth care and environmental monitoring in thedeveloping world (Oslo, Norway, 28 September-1 October)(21) and on the applications of optics inspace science and technology (Trieste, Italy, 20-24 November).(22) A Regional Conference onSpace Technology for Sustainable Developmentand Communications (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,30 October-3 November)(23) reviewed the role ofEarth observation satellites in the timely collectionand analysis of data for sustainable development,environmental monitoring and management andglobal change studies, as well as the role playedby communication satellites in enhancing the eco-nomic and social welfare of a country. As part ofactivities for disseminating space information, theseventh in a series of selected papers on remotesensing, satellite communications and spacescience was issued.

In 1995, the Scientific and Technical Subcom-mittee and the Committee on outer space had be-fore them a report(8) of the Expert on Space Ap-plications on the Programme's activities in 1994,as well as those scheduled for 1995 and 1996. Boththe Subcommittee and the Committee were con-cerned over the limited financial resources avail-able for the Programme and appealed for volun-tary contributions. In that regard, the Committeenoted with appreciation contributions from Aus-

tria, Spain, the United States and ESA, as well asfrom various organizations in and outside the UNsystem.

The General Assembly, in resolution 50/27, en-dorsed the Programme for 1996, as proposed bythe Expert on Space Applications.(8) By resolu-tion 50/215 A, the Assembly approved $4,705,500for outer space affairs under the UN regularbudget for 1996-1997, including an appropriationof $446,200 for implementing Programme ac-tivities.

Remote sensingThe Scientific and Technical Subcommittee con-

tinued consideration of matters relating to remotesensing of the Earth by satellites. It reviewed na-tional and cooperative programmes in developingand developed countries, as well as internationalprogrammes based on bilateral, regional and in-ternational cooperation, including technicalcooperation between developing countries and as-sistance by States with advanced capabilities to de-veloping countries.

The Subcommittee noted the continuing pro-grammes of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China,France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan,Morocco, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, theUnited States and ESA. It noted that the launch-ings of ERS-1 and the Japanese Earth ResourcesSatellite would provide valuable microwave datato complement multispectral data from other satel-lites, and that Argentina, Canada, China, India,Japan, the Russian Federation and ESA were de-veloping various remote-sensing systems for futurelaunch. The Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO) continued its remotesensing of renewable natural resources, includingland-cover mapping and geographic informationsystems, while the World Meteorological Organi-zation (WMO) operated in the areas of weatherforecasting and storm warning. The InternationalSociety for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensingcontinued to promote international cooperation inremote sensing and image processing.

The Subcommittee reiterated its view thatremote-sensing activities should take into accountthe need to provide appropriate and non-discriminatory assistance to developing countries,and emphasized the importance of makingremote-sensing data and analysed informationopenly available to all countries at a reasonablecost and in a timely manner, while data from oper-ational meteorological satellites should continueto be freely accessible.

The Subcommittee considered that interna-tional cooperation in the use of remote-sensingsatellites should be encouraged, through both coor-dination of the operations of ground stations andregular meetings between satellite operators and


users. It noted the need for continuity in the ac-quisition of data, as well as the importance of com-patibility and complementarity of existing and futureremote-sensing systems, sharing of experiences andtechnologies, cooperation through international andregional remote-sensing centres and joint work oncollaborative projects. The value of remote-sensingsystems for environmental monitoring was also noted;in that context, the international community shouldutilize fully remote-sensing data in implementingAgenda 21(25) recommendations adopted by the1992 UN Conference on Environment and Devel-opment (UNCED).

The Committee on outer space reiterated theimportance of ongoing international efforts to en-sure the continuity, compatibility and complemen-tarity of remote-sensing systems and to promotecooperation through regular meetings of satelliteand ground-station operators and users. The freedistribution of meteorological information, theCommittee recognized, served as an example ofinternational cooperation.

In December, the Secretariat submitted a studyon the use of remote-sensing technologies for en-vironmental applications, particularly in supportof UNCED recommendations.(12) The study exam-ined the contribution of space technology to im-plementing Agenda 21, reviewed remote-sensingactivities for sustainable development and consid-ered environmental challenges that could be ad-dressed through space technology. It recom-mended an increased use of satellite data inprojects funded by national aid agencies; improvedaccess to inexpensive remote-sensing data in astandardized format and to low-cost hardware andsoftware; establishment of an effective coordina-tion policy in developing countries for implement-ing remote-sensing components of national devel-opment plans; increased collaboration andexchange of information between research insti-tutions and space agencies at all levels, as well asother sectors from both developed and developingcountries; expansion of the network of groundreceiving stations, particularly in Africa and LatinAmerica; improved cooperation in the assessmentof user requirements in developing countries, ac-cessibility of affordable satellite data and informa-tion services, promotion of well-designed pilotprojects, increased on-site education and training,provision of infrastructures for satellite data ac-quisition and improved utilization of existing userinterfaces; and implementation of pilot projects byspace agencies to demonstrate to policy makers theusefulness of remote sensing.

Nuclear power sourcesThe Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in

1995 again considered the use of nuclear powersources in outer space. After discussing a possible

revision of the Principles Relevant to the Use ofNuclear Power Sources in Outer Space, adoptedby the General Assembly in 1992,(26) it agreedthat such revision was not warranted at the cur-rent time. Its Working Group on the Use of Nu-clear Power Sources in Outer Space, however,should continue to receive contributions relatedto improving the scope and application of the Prin-ciples. The Subcommittee reconvened the Work-ing Group on 13 February to enable it to resumeits work.

The International Atomic Energy Agency madea statement on recent developments in nuclearsafety, drawing particular attention to new inter-national basic safety standards for protectionagainst ionizing radiation and for the safety ofradiation sources as well as to a new document onemergency planning and preparedness for nuclear-powered satellite re-entry. Mindful of the differ-ences in the application of safety standards to spaceand terrestrial systems, the Subcommittee recom-mended further studies of those developments. Itnoted information provided by Member States andorganizations(27) on national and international re-search concerning the safety of nuclear-poweredsatellites and the collision of nuclear power sourceswith space debris, and recommended that such in-formation should continue to be provided on aregular basis and that further studies of the colli-sion problem be conducted.

The Committee on outer space endorsed theSubcommittee's recommendations and decided tocontinue discussing at future sessions a possiblerevision of the Principles. The Committee noteda report by the Russian Federation on forecastingan emergency re-entry of a spacecraft with a nu-clear power source.(28)

Legal aspects of the revision of the Principleswere considered by the Legal Subcommittee (seebelow).

Space debrisThe Scientific and Technical Subcommittee con-

tinued consideration of space debris as a priorityagenda item, focusing on the acquisition and un-derstanding of data on the space debris environ-ment. It noted programmes on data acquisitionand understanding and on measuring, modellingand mitigating the orbital debris environment con-ducted by Canada, Germany, Japan, the RussianFederation, the United States and ESA, as well asthe establishment by some national space agen-cies in 1993 of the Interagency Orbital DebrisCoordination Committee to exchange informationand review ongoing space debris activities, facili-tate cooperation in research and identify debrismitigation options.

The Subcommittee recommended that Mem-ber States pay more attention to the issue of space


debris and to the problem of collisions of spaceobjects, including those with nuclear power sourceson board (see above), with space debris. In thatregard, it noted an informal working paper by theUnited Kingdom and national reports on theissue.(27) The Subcommittee agreed that interna-tional cooperation was needed to expand appropri-ate and affordable strategies for minimizing thepotential impact of space debris on future spacemissions, and encouraged Member States and in-ternational organizations to provide informationon their practices in minimizing the creation ofspace debris. Information should be compiled onsteps taken by space agencies to reduce the growthor damage potential of space debris, and theircommon acceptance by the international commu-nity should be encouraged.

The Subcommittee adopted its work plan for1996-1998, focusing on measurements of space de-bris, understanding of data and effects of the de-bris environment on space systems; modelling ofthat environment and risk assessment; and spacedebris mitigation measures. It decided to concen-trate its deliberations on debris measurement tech-niques, mathematical modelling and characteri-zation of the debris environment, and riskmitigation, including spacecraft design measuresto protect against debris.

The Committee on outer space agreed with theSubcommittee's conclusions, endorsed its multi-year work plan and recognized the need for fur-ther research concerning space debris, data com-pilation and dissemination and the developmentof improved technology for debris monitoring. TheCommittee recommended that Member Statescontinue national research on the issue and makeits results available to all interested parties.

In November, the UN Secretariat reported tothe Subcommittee on steps taken by space agen-cies to reduce the growth or damage potential ofspace debris,(29) including debris mitigation tech-niques used in launch vehicles, prevention of ac-cidental debris creation, environmental protectionof the geostationary orbit and debris protection ofactive spacecraft. It noted the recommendation ofthe International Academy of Astronautics thatimmediate action be taken to: stop the deliberatebreakup of spacecraft producing debris in long-lived orbits; minimize mission-related debris; in-troduce venting procedures for rocket bodies andspacecraft remaining in orbit after completion oftheir mission; select transfer orbit parameters toensure the rapid decay of transfer stages; re-orbitgeostationary satellites at the end of their life; andinsert separated boost motors and upper stages ofgeostationary satellites into a disposal orbit at least300 kilometres above the geostationary orbit.

Also in November, the Secretariat transmittedinformation from four Member States regarding

national research on space debris, safety ofnuclear-powered satellites and the problem of col-lision of nuclear-powered sources with spacedebris.(30)

Space transportationThe Subcommittee continued to review national

and international cooperative programmes inspace transportation systems, including expend-able launchers, reusable space shuttles and spacestations. China, India, Japan, the Russian Feder-ation, Ukraine, the United States and ESA con-tinued to develop their programmes; the UnitedKingdom cooperated with the Russian Federationand Ukraine on a reusable interim system andwith ESA on its Future European Space Transpor-tation Investigation Programme; and the UnitedStates continued to develop the InternationalSpace Station in cooperation with Canada, Japan,the Russian Federation and ESA.

The Committee on outer space noted progressachieved in the various programmes in operationor planned, as well as of developments in low-costmicrosatellite technology and applications. Itstressed the importance of international coopera-tion in space transportation to provide all coun-tries with access to the benefits of space scienceand technology.

Technical aspects of the geostationary orbitIn its examination of the physical nature and

technical attributes of the geostationary orbit, theSubcommittee reviewed national and internationalcooperative programmes in satellite communica-tions, including technological progress to makesuch communications more accessible and afford-able and to increase the communications capac-ity of the geostationary orbit and the electromag-netic spectrum. It noted the growing use of satellitesystems for telecommunications, television broad-casting, data networks, environmental data relay,mobile communications, disaster warning and re-lief, telemedicine and other communicationsfunctions.

As in previous years, some delegations advo-cated avoiding saturation of the geostationary orbitand a special regime to ensure equitable access byall States, particularly developing countries, thatwould also take into account the characteristics ofequatorial countries. Others suggested that effortsshould be made to minimize the generation ofspace debris by moving satellites shortly before theend of their useful lives into disposal orbits beyondthe geostationary orbit. The view was also ex-pressed that questions relating to the geostationaryorbit were being addressed effectively by the In-ternational Telecommunication Union (ITU).Some delegations felt that the roles of ITU and of


the Committee on outer space with regard to thegeostationary orbit were complementary.

The Committee on outer space expressed ap-preciation to ITU for its thirty-fourth annual pro-gress report on telecommunication and the peace-ful uses of outer space.(31) Some delegationsstressed the important technical scope of ITUwork, while drawing attention to the Committee'scompetence in preparing policy decisions and thelegal status of the geostationary orbit.

Legal aspects of the geostationary orbit wereconsidered by the Legal Subcommittee (seebelow).

Space and Earth environmentThe Scientific and Technical Subcommittee con-

tinued consideration of national and internationalspace activities related to the Earth environment,in particular progress in the ICSU internationalgeosphere-biosphere (global change) programme(IGBP). It noted that joint international effortswere fundamentally important for examining thefuture habitability of the planet and for manag-ing the Earth's natural resources, emphasizing theneed to involve both developed and developingcountries in IGBP. The Subcommittee furthernoted the contributions of satellite remote sens-ing for environmental monitoring, sustainable-development planning, water-resource develop-ment, crop-conditions monitoring and droughtprediction and assessment; the contribution ofmeteorological and atmospheric research satellitesfor studying global climate change, the greenhouseeffect, the degradation of the ozone layer and otherglobal environmental processes; and the need forfurther space research relating to climate change,weather patterns, vegetation distribution, stormand flood risk and other environmental factors. Itrecommended that all States participate in inter-national cooperation activities concerning existingand planned satellite systems for environmentalmonitoring.

The Committee on outer space recognized itspotential for making an important contribution bypromoting international cooperation in the appli-cation of space technologies for environmentalmonitoring and sustainable development. In par-ticular, the UN Programme on Space Applicationscould play an important role in assisting develop-ing countries in strengthening their capabilities inrelated space technologies and applicationsthrough education, training and technical advisoryactivities.

Spin-off benefitsThe Committee on outer space again reviewed

spin-off benefits of space technology, which wereproviding new techniques for industrial measure-ment and control, image and data processing,

medical techniques, computer systems, robotics,power generation, special materials and chemicals,water treatment, public safety, consumer goods,manufacturing and refrigeration. The Committeenoted that the conversion of military industries toproductive civilian uses would facilitate the trans-fer and use of space technologies and their spin-off benefits, and agreed that developing countriescould make important contributions in that fieldand that they should identify those disciplines inwhich their most pressing needs could be ad-dressed by space technology. It recognized theneed to strengthen and enhance internationalcooperation by improving access of all States tospin-off benefits, particularly those addressing theneeds of developing countries, and agreed that low-cost microsatellite technologies were particularly,important in that regard.

The Committee was satisfied that the Pro-gramme on Space Applications, following a 1993Committee recommendation,(32) was planning for1996 a workshop on challenges and opportunitiesof spin-off benefits. It noted with interestUkraine's proposal to use the Evpatoria Centreof Deep Science Communication as the basis foran international centre for space research thatcould be used by the Programme for its activities.Some delegations reiterated the view that the UNcould contribute to the development of improvedprocedures for disseminating spin-off benefits,with an emphasis on providing them to develop-ing countries at a reasonable cost.

Coordination in the UN systemBoth the Scientific and Technical Subcommit-

tee and the Committee on outer space reiteratedthe necessity of continuous and effective consul-tations and coordination of outer space activitiesamong UN organizations and noted with satisfac-tion information on progress achieved in 1994 andon work programmes for 1995, 1996 and futureyears.(33)

The General Assembly, in resolution 50/27,reaffirmed its request to all UN organs, organi-zations and bodies, as well as other intergovern-mental organizations dealing with outer spacematters, to cooperate in implementing UNISPACE-82 recommendations.

Convening of a third UNISPACEIn response to a 1994 Assembly request,(1) the

Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and itsWorking Group of the Whole continued to discussthe possibility of holding a third UNISPACE, as wellas other means for achieving the goals set for sucha conference. The Working Group considered theSecretariat's 1994 suggestions for the organization,funding, logistical implications and a possibleagenda of a third UNISPACE.(33) It discussed the


need for such a conference and examined othermeans of achieving conference goals, including in-tensification of work in the Committee on outerspace. An indicative agenda for a third conferencewas submitted as a framework for future dis-cussions.

Both the Subcommittee and the Committee onouter space agreed that Working Group recom-mendations should be the basis for continued dis-cussions, with the goal of submitting the matterto the General Assembly. The Committee decidedto consider in 1996, within the framework to beproduced by the Subcommittee, all issues regard-ing the possible holding of the conference, includ-ing its technical and political objectives, a detailedand sharply focused agenda, funding, timing andorganizational aspects. It also decided to considerwhether the conference objectives could beachieved by other means, with a view to makinga final decision, and noted that the interaction be-tween space applications and the various usesof the "information superhighway" could bereflected in the justification and agenda items ofthe conference. The Committee further took noteof a working paper by India(34) and an informalpaper by the Secretariat(35) on matters related tothe convening of a third UNISPACE.

Other questionsThe Committee on outer space and its Scien-

tific and Technical Subcommittee continued con-sideration of other space-related questions, includ-ing life sciences, space medicine and mattersrelating to planetary exploration and astronomy.The Committee noted the variety of space activi-ties in those areas and encouraged further cooper-ation, particularly efforts to increase the partici-pation of developing countries.

In the area of life sciences, the Subcommitteenoted that studies of human and animal physiol-ogy under microgravity conditions had yielded im-portant medical knowledge in such areas as bloodcirculation, sensory perception, immunology andthe effects of cosmic radiation. Applications ofspace technology promised benefits for medicineand public health on Earth: satellite communica-tions provided expert medical advice to distantareas, and products of space biotechnology, suchas pharmaceutical and medical instruments, couldcontribute to improved health care. The Subcom-mittee encouraged further research and exchangeof information on those applications, emphasiz-ing that efforts should be made to promote inter-national cooperation to enable all countries to ben-efit from those advances.

As for planetary exploration and astronomy, theSubcommittee noted that several missions cur-rently under way had yielded new data, includ-ing a gravity field map of Venus and information

on its atmosphere, discovery of Jupiter's satelliteDactyl and high-resolution images of its asteroid,and investigation of solar polar regions. It tooknote of missions planned for future launch to in-vestigate Mars, Saturn and its moons and near-Earth asteroids. A special presentation was madeon adverse environmental effects on astronomy,emphasizing the severe impact of electromagneticpollution on radio astronomy and the effects ofspace debris on astronomical observations at op-tical wavelengths. The Subcommittee noted thatthe use of spacecraft for astronomical observationshad greatly advanced knowledge of the universeand that planned activities would open up furtherrealms of the universe to detailed observation. Theneed to further enhance international cooperationin planetary exploration and astronomy wasstressed, so that all countries could benefit fromthose activities.

The Subcommittee welcomed the annualreports of WMO,(36) ITU(37) and various organiza-tions outside the UN system.(38) It expressed ap-preciation to COSPAR and IAF for jointly publishedreports on progress in space science, technologyand applications, international cooperation andspace law in 1994.(39)

Space lawIn accordance with a 1994 General Assembly

request,(1) the Legal Subcommittee of the Com-mittee on outer space, at its thirty-fourth session(Vienna, 27 March-7 April),(40) again consideredthe question of an early review and possible revi-sion of the 1992 Principles Relevant to the Use ofNuclear Power Sources in Outer Space; mattersrelating to the definition and delimitation of outerspace and to the character and utilization of thegeostationary orbit; and legal aspects of the ap-plication of the principle that the exploration andutilization of outer space should be carried out forthe benefit and in the interest of all States.

The Committee on outer space(2) took notewith appreciation of the Subcommittee's report onits 1995 session.

Nuclear power sourcesThe Legal Subcommittee considered the ques-

tion of an early review and possible revision of the1992 Principles Relevant to the Use of NuclearPower Sources in Outer Space.(26) It shared theview of the Scientific and Technical Subcommit-tee at its 1995 session that revision of the Princi-ples was not warranted at the current time, andsuspended consideration of that item by its Work-ing Group in 1996 for one year, pending the resultsof work in the Scientific and Technical Subcom-mittee, unless sufficient progress was made in thatSubcommittee to warrant the reconvening of the


Working Group. The Legal Subcommittee, how-ever, retained the item on its agenda.

The Committee on outer space endorsed theSubcommittee's recommendations and agreedthat the Principles would remain valid until suchtime as they were amended, and that the Scien-tific and Technical Subcommittee should considerthe need for their revision in the light of changingtechnology, before the Legal Subcommittee or theCommittee undertook any actual revision.

Geostationary orbitand definition of outer space

The Legal Subcommittee, through a WorkingGroup, continued consideration of the definitionand delimitation of outer space and the characterand utilization of the geostationary orbit, on thebasis of working papers submitted at previoussessions.

The Working Group undertook a general dis-cussion of matters related to the geostationaryorbit and a paragraph-by-paragraph review of aworking paper introduced by Colombia in1993.(41) Some delegations expressed the view thatthe Committee on outer space and its Legal Sub-committee had been mandated by the General As-sembly to consider the use of the orbit with a viewto elaborating legal principles on the issue, andconsidered their work as complementary to ITUactivities. Others stated that the Subcommitteehad no mandate to develop a special legal regimeand that ITU had dealt successfully with variousaspects of the orbit's use, and advocated avoidingany possible conflict of activities between ITU andother international bodies. The view was expressedthat, as the geostationary orbit was an integral partof outer space, the legal regime established by the1966 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activi-ties of States in the Exploration and Use of OuterSpace, including the Moon and Other CelestialBodies,(42) adequately covered activities related tothe orbit. Other delegations were of the opinionthat specific characteristics and features of the orbitas a limited natural resource which could becomesaturated necessitated a special regime to ensureequitable access for all States, taking into accountthe needs of developing countries and theequatorial countries in particular, due to their spe-cial characteristics. At the close of the discussion,Colombia stated its intention to submit a revisedworking paper on the issue in 1996.

The Working Group also finalized the text ofa questionnaire to Member States on possible legalissues with regard to aerospace objects, for the pur-pose of seeking their preliminary views on vari-ous matters relating to such objects. It was hopedthat replies to the questionnaire would provide abasis for the Legal Subcommittee's decision onfurther consideration of the item.

The Committee on outer space invited its mem-bers to give their opinions on matters concerningaerospace objects, took note of Subcommitteedeliberations on the question of the geostationaryorbit, and recognized that space debris was a causefor concern in the geostationary and lower orbits.Some delegations suggested adding the subject ofspace debris to the Subcommittee's agenda.

Exploration of outer spaceThe Subcommittee, through its Working Group

on the item, continued to consider legal aspectsrelated to the application of the principle that theexploration and utilization of outer space shouldbe carried out for the benefit and in the interestsof all States, taking into particular account theneeds of developing countries. The WorkingGroup based its discussion on two working papers:one containing principles regarding internationalcooperation in the exploration and utilization ofouter space for peaceful purposes, submitted byBrazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Mexico, Ni-geria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Uruguay andVenezuela;(43) the other, introduced by Franceand Germany, containing a declaration on inter-national cooperation in the exploration and useof outer space for the benefit and in the interestsof all States, taking into particular account theneeds of developing countries.(44)

At the end of the session, the Chairmanproduced an informal working paper,(45) asamended, representing a merger based on the textsof the two working papers, with additional lan-guage from the Chairman, to facilitate debate onthe issue in 1996. Subsequently, Cuba became aco-sponsor of the working paper on principles ofinternational cooperation.(43)

The Committee on outer space noted the con-structive work by the Subcommittee and the Work-ing Group and the useful discussion of the work-ing papers. It recommended that the Subcommitteecontinue discussing the item in 1996.

Working methodsIn accordance with a 1994 General Assembly

recommendation,(1) the Chairman of the LegalSubcommittee conducted informal, open-endedconsultations on the Subcommittee's workingmethods and agenda. The Subcommittee adoptedmeasures concerning the utilization of conferenceservices and agreed to apply them with the utmostflexibility. It also decided to conduct open-endedinformal consultations in 1996 to identify subjectsthat could be considered for inclusion in itsagenda.

The Committee on outer space established aWorking Group of the Whole to examine the work-ing methods of the Committee and its subsidiary


bodies, based on Subcommittee recommendations.Following deliberations in the Working Group, theCommittee adopted a number of procedural meas-ures regarding organization of work, considera-tion of agenda items, general debate statements,its regulatory role with regard to the subsidiarybodies, technical presentations and developmentof a long-term work plan. It recommended thatagenda items be reviewed periodically to deter-mine the likelihood of reaching consensus and theadvisability of continued consideration, and thatthe Working Group of the Whole be reconvenedin 1996 to continue its discussions.



International cooperation in the

peaceful uses of outer space

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 49/34 of 9 December 1994,Deeply convinced of the common interest of mankind in

promoting the exploration and use of outer space forpeaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extendto all States the benefits derived therefrom, and also ofthe importance of international cooperation in this field,for which the United Nations should continue to pro-vide a focal point,

Reaffirming the importance of international coopera-tion in developing the rule of law, including the rele-vant norms of space law and their important role in in-ternational cooperation for the exploration and use ofouter space for peaceful purposes,

Concerned about the possibility of an arms race in outerspace,

Recognizing that all States, in particular those withmajor space capabilities, should contribute actively tothe goal of preventing an arms race in outer space asan essential condition for the promotion of internationalcooperation in the exploration and use of outer spacefor peaceful purposes,

Considering that space debris is an issue of concern toall nations,

Noting the progress achieved in the further develop-ment of peaceful space exploration and application aswell as in various national and cooperative spaceprojects, which contribute to international cooperation,and the importance of further international cooperationin this field,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General onthe implementation of the recommendations of the Sec-ond United Nations Conference on the Exploration andPeaceful Uses of Outer Space,

Having considered the report of the Committee on thePeaceful Uses of Outer Space on the work of its thirty-eighth session,

1. Endorses the report of the Committee on the Peace-ful Uses of Outer Space;

2. Invites States that have not yet become parties tothe international treaties governing the uses of outerspace to give consideration to ratifying or acceding tothose treaties;

3. Notes that, at its thirty-fourth session, the LegalSubcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Usesof Outer Space, in its working groups, continued its workas mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution49/34;

4. Endorses the recommendations of the Committeethat the Legal Subcommittee, at its thirty-fifth session,taking into account the concerns of all countries, par-ticularly those of developing countries, should:

(a) Continue its consideration of the question of re-view and possible revision of the Principles Relevant tothe Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space;

(b) Continue, through its working group, its con-sideration of matters relating to the definition anddelimitation of outer space and to the character and utili-zation of the geostationary orbit, including considera-tion of ways and means to ensure the rational andequitable use of the geostationary orbit without preju-dice to the role of the International TelecommunicationUnion;

(c) Continue, through its working group, its con-sideration of the legal aspects related to the applicationof the principle that the exploration and utilization ofouter space should be carried out for the benefit andin the interests of all States, taking into particular ac-count the needs of developing countries;

5. Also endorses the recommendation of the Commit-tee that the Legal Subcommittee, at its thirty-fifth ses-sion, should suspend consideration in its working groupof the Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear PowerSources in Outer Space pending the results of the workin the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, withoutprejudice to the possibility of reconvening its workinggroup on that item if in the opinion of the Legal Sub-committee sufficient progress was made in the Scien-tific and Technical Subcommittee at its session in 1996to warrant the reconvening of the working group;

6. Notes that deliberations on the question of the geo-stationary orbit have been undertaken by the Legal Sub-committee as reflected in its report, on the basis of re-cent proposals which might provide a new and enhancedbasis for future work;

7. Endorses the recommendations and agreementsconcerning the organization of work in the Legal Sub-committee;

8. Notes that, in accordance with its recommenda-tion, the Chairman of the Legal Subcommittee, at itsthirty-fourth session, conducted extensive, open-endedinformal consultations with all members of the Subcom-mittee on the working methods and agenda of the LegalSubcommittee, including the consideration of possibleadditional items for inclusion in the agenda as outlinedin the report of the Committee, and also notes that, inaccordance with the recommendation of the Commit-tee, a Working Group of the Whole was established atits thirty-eighth session to examine the working methodsof the Committee and its subsidiary bodies, which tookparticular account of the results of the informal consul-tations of the Chairman of the Legal Subcommittee;

9. Also endorses the recommendations of the Commit-tee as contained in the report of its thirty-eighth ses-sion with regard to its working methods and to the recon-vening of the Working Group of the Whole at thethirty-ninth session of the Committee;

10. Notes that, in accordance with the recommenda-tion contained in General Assembly resolutions


48/222 B of 23 December 1993 and 49/221 B of 23 De-cember 1994, the Committee reviewed its needs for writ-ten records;

11. Further endorses the recommendation of the Com-mittee that, beginning with its thirty-ninth session, theCommittee would be provided with unedited transcriptsof its session in lieu of verbatim records, as describedin the report of the Secretariat on this matter;

12. Requests the Legal Subcommittee to review, at itsthirty-fifth session, its requirement for summary recordswith a view to determining whether it may be possibleto utilize unedited transcripts at its subsequent sessionsand to consider under what circumstances there mightbe a need to revert to summary records should a deci-sion be taken to utilize unedited transcripts;

13. Notes that the Scientific and Technical Subcom-mittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of OuterSpace, at its thirty-second session, continued its workas mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution49/34;

14. Welcomes the decision of the Committee to con-sider the matter of space debris as a matter of priorityon the agenda of the Scientific and Technical Subcom-mittee;

15. Notes that under that item the Scientific and Tech-nical Subcommittee continued to consider scientific re-search relating to space debris, including relevant stud-ies, mathematical modelling and other analytical workon the characterization of the space debris environment;

16. Agrees with the endorsement by the Committeeof the multi-year plan for consideration of the agendaitem on space debris adopted by the Scientific and Tech-nical Subcommittee at its thirty-second session, and alsoagrees that the work plan should be implemented withflexibility;

17. Endorses the recommendations of the Committeethat the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at itsthirty-third session, taking into account the concerns ofall countries, particularly those of developing countries,should:

(a) Consider the following items on a priority basis:(i) United Nations Programme on Space Applica-

tions and the coordination of space activitieswithin the United Nations system;

(ii) Implementation of the recommendations of theSecond United Nations Conference on the Ex-ploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space;

(iii) Matters relating to remote sensing of the Earthby satellites, including, inter alia, applications fordeveloping countries;

(iv) Use of nuclear power sources in outer space;(v) Space debris;(b) Consider the following items:(i) Questions relating to space transportation sys-

tems and their implications for future activitiesin space;

(ii) Examination of the physical nature and techni-cal attributes of the geostationary orbit and of itsutilization and applications, including, inter alia,in the field of space communications, as well asother questions relating to space communicationsdevelopments, taking particular account of theneeds and interests of developing countries;

(iii) Matters relating to life sciences, including spacemedicine;

(iv) Progress in national and international space ac-tivities related to the Earth's environment, in par-ticular progress in the geosphere-biosphere(global change) programme;

(v) Matters relating to planetary exploration;(vi) Matters relating to astronomy;

(vii) The theme fixed for special attention at the 1996session of the Scientific and Technical Subcom-mittee: "Utilization of micro- and small satel-lites for the expansion of low-cost space activi-ties, taking into account the special needs ofdeveloping countries"; the Committee on SpaceResearch and the International AstronauticalFederation, in liaison with Member States,should be invited to arrange a symposium, withas wide a participation as possible, to be held dur-ing the first week of the Subcommittee's session,to complement discussions within the Subcom-mittee on the special theme;

18. Considers, in the context of paragraph 17 (a) (ii)above, that it is particularly urgent to implement thefollowing recommendations:

(a) All countries should have the opportunity to usethe techniques resulting from medical studies in space;

(b) Data banks at the national and regional levelsshould be strengthened and expanded and an interna-tional space information service should be establishedto function as a centre of coordination;

(c) The United Nations should support the creationof adequate training centres at the regional level, linked,whenever possible, to institutions implementing spaceprogrammes; necessary funding for the development ofsuch centres should be made available through finan-cial institutions;

(d) The United Nations should organize a fellowshipprogramme through which selected graduates or post-graduates from developing countries should get in-depth,long-term exposure to space technology or applications;it is also desirable to encourage the availability of op-portunities for such exposure on other bilateral or multi-lateral bases outside the United Nations system;

19. Endorses the recommendation of the Committeethat the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee shouldreconvene, at its thirty-third session, the Working Groupof the Whole to Evaluate the Implementation of theRecommendations of the Second United Nations Con-ference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of OuterSpace, to continue its work;

20. Also endorses the recommendations of the Work-ing Group of the Whole of the Scientific and TechnicalSubcommittee, as endorsed by the Committee and ascontained in the report of the Working Group of the Whole;

21. Decides that, during the thirty-third session of theScientific and Technical Subcommittee, the WorkingGroup on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in OuterSpace should be reconvened, and invites Member Statesto report to the Secretary-General on a regular basiswith regard to national and international research con-cerning the safety of nuclear-powered satellites;

22. Endorses the United Nations Programme onSpace Applications for 1996, as proposed to the Com-mittee by the Expert on Space Applications;

23. Emphasizes the urgency and importance of im-plementing fully the recommendations of the SecondUnited Nations Conference on the Exploration andPeaceful Uses of Outer Space;


24. Reaffirms its approval of the recommendation of theConference regarding the establishment and strength-ening of regional mechanisms of cooperation and theirpromotion and creation through the United Nationssystem;

25. Expresses its appreciation to all Governments thathave made, or expressed their intention to make, con-tributions towards carrying out the recommendationsof the Conference;

26. Invites all Governments to take effective actionfor the implementation of the recommendations of theConference;

27. Requests all organs, organizations and bodies ofthe United Nations system and other intergovernmen-tal organizations working in the field of outer space oron space-related matters to cooperate in the implemen-tation of the recommendations of the Conference;

28. Invites the Secretary-General to report to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session on the im-plementation of the recommendations of the Con-ference;

29. Notes with satisfaction that, in the context of para-graph 18 (c) above, significant progress has been achievedin establishing regional centres for space science andtechnology education in each region covered by theregional commissions;

30. Endorses the recommendation of the Committeethat these centres be established on the basis of affilia-tion to the United Nations as early as possible and thatsuch affiliation would provide the centres with the neces-sary recognition and would strengthen the possibilitiesof attracting donors and of establishing academic rela-tionships with national and international space-relatedinstitutions;

31. Notes that, pursuant to its request in paragraph27 of resolution 49/34, the Scientific and Technical Sub-committee, at its thirty-second session, continued its dis-cussions on the possibility of holding a third United Na-tions Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Usesof Outer Space and that the Committee continued thesediscussions at its thirty-eighth session with a view topromoting an early conclusion on the matter by theCommittee;

32. Agrees that a third United Nations Conferenceon the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Spacecould be convened before the turn of the present cen-tury, and that, prior to recommending a date for theconference, there should be a consensus recommenda-tion on the agenda, venue and funding of the conference;

33. Recommends that the Scientific and Technical Sub-committee, at its thirty-third session, continue the workit had conducted at its thirty-second session, taking intoparticular account the report of its Working Group ofthe Whole, with the aim being to complete the devel-opment and refinement of a framework that would allowan evaluation of proposals by the Committee at its thirty-ninth session, and that this framework should allow forthe consideration of all possibilities of achieving the finalobjectives of such a conference;

34. Also agrees that, on the basis of the work to beconducted at the thirty-third session of the Scientific andTechnical Subcommittee, the Committee, at its thirty-ninth session, should consider all issues related to thepossible convening of a third United Nations Confer-ence on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer

Space, including its technical and political objectives,a detailed and sharply focused agenda, funding, tim-ing and other organizational aspects as well as whetherthe objectives of the conference could be achieved byother means, with a view to making a final recommen-dation to the General Assembly at that session of theCommittee;

35. Notes with interest the plans of the Government ofUruguay to host the Third Space Conference of theAmericas at Punta del Este in 1996;

36. Recommends that more attention be paid to allaspects related to the protection and the preservationof the outer space environment, especially those poten-tially affecting the Earth's environment;

37. Considers that it is essential that Member Statespay more attention to the problem of collisions of spaceobjects, including nuclear power sources, with space de-bris, and other aspects of space debris, calls for the con-tinuation of national research on this question, for thedevelopment of improved technology for the monitor-ing of space debris and for the compilation and dissemi-nation of data on space debris, and also considers that,to the extent possible, information thereon should beprovided to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee;

38. Urges all States, in particular those with majorspace capabilities, to contribute actively to the goal ofpreventing an arms race in outer space as an essentialcondition for the promotion of international coopera-tion in the exploration and uses of outer space for peace-ful purposes;

39. Emphasizes the need to increase the benefits ofspace technology and its applications and to contributeto an orderly growth of space activities favourable to thesocio-economic advancement of humanity, in particu-lar that of the people of the developing countries;

40. Takes note of the views expressed during the thirty-eighth session of the Committee and during the fiftiethsession of the General Assembly concerning ways andmeans of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes;

41. Requests the Committee to continue to consider,as a matter of priority, ways and means of maintainingouter space for peaceful purposes and to report thereonto the General Assembly at its fifty-first session;

42. Also requests the Committee to continue to con-sider at its thirty-ninth session its agenda item entitled"Spin-off benefits of space technology: review of cur-rent status";

43. Requests the specialized agencies and other inter-national organizations to continue and, where appropri-ate, enhance their cooperation with the Committee andto provide it with progress reports on their work relat-ing to the peaceful uses of outer space;

44. Further requests the Committee to continue itswork, in accordance with the present resolution, to con-sider, as appropriate, new projects in outer space ac-tivities and to submit a report to the General Assemblyat its fifty-first session, including its views on which sub-jects should be studied in the future.

General Assembly resolution 50/276 December 1995 Meeting 82 Adopted without vote

Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/604) without vote, 9 November (meet-ing 18); draft by Austria, for Fourth Committee Working Group on Inter-national Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (A/C.4/50/L.9);agenda item 83.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 2, 16-18; plenary 82.


Spacecraft launchingsDuring 1995, nine countries (Canada, France,

India, Israel, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden,Ukraine, United States) and ESA provided infor-mation to the United Nations on the launchingof objects into orbit or beyond,(46) in accordancewith a 1961 General Assembly resolution(47) andarticle IV of the Convention on Registration ofObjects Launched into Outer Space,(48) whichentered into force in 1976.

By a note verbale of 3 November,(49) Ukrainetransmitted information on the launching of thefirst Ukrainian spacecraft on 31 August 1995.

Convention on registration of launchingsAs at 31 December 1995, 39 States were parties

to the Convention on registration. Norway accededto the Convention on 28 June. In 1979, ESA haddeclared its acceptance of the rights and obliga-tions of the Convention.

REFERENCES(1)YUN 1994, p. 228, GA res. 49/34, 9 Dec. 1994. (2)A/50/20.(3)A/AC.105/605. (4)YUN 1982, p. 162. (5)A/AC.105/606.(6)A/AC.105/592 & Add.1-4. (7)A/AC.105/601. (8)YUN 1994,p. 220. (9)YUN 1993, p. 183. (10)A/50/384. (11)A/AC.105/611.(12)A/AC.105/632. (13)A/AC.105/592/Add.5,6, A/AC.105/614 &Add.1. (14)YUN 1982, p. 163, GA res. 37/90, 10 Dec. 1982.(15)A/AC.105/625. (16)A/AC.105/617. (17)A/AC.105/610.(18)A/AC.105/613. (1 9)A/AC. 105/623. (20)A/AC.105/615.(21)A/AC.105/612. (22)A/AC.105/624. (23)A/AC.105/622.(24)A/AC.105/621. (25)YUN 1992, p. 672. (26)Ibid., p. 116, GAres. 47/68, 14 Dec. 1992. (27)A/AC.105/593 & Add.1-4.(28)A/AC.105/1995/CRP5. (29)A/AC.105/620. (30)A/AC.105/619.(31)A/AC.105/608. (32)YUN 1993, p. 187. (33)YUN 1994, p. 225.(34)A/AC.105/1995/CRP.9. (35)A/AC.105/1995/CRP.7.(36)A/AC.105/597. (37)A/AC.105/603. (38)A/AC.105/598-600, 604.(39)A/AC.105/583. (40)A/AC.105/607 & Corr.1. (41)YUN 1993,p. 190. (42)YUN 1966, p. 41, GA res. 2222(XXI), annex, 19Dec. 1966. (43)A/AC.105/C.2/L.182/Rev.2. (44)A/AC.105/C.2/L.197. (45)A/AC.105/C.2/1995/CRP.5. (46)ST/SG/SER.E/279-296,A/AC.105/INF/399. (47)YUN 1961, p. 35, GA res. 1721 B (XVI),20 Dec. 1961. (48)YUN 1974, p. 63, GA res. 3235(XXIX),annex, 12 Nov. 1974. (49)A/50/766.

Effects of atomic radiation

The UN Scientific Committee on the Effects ofAtomic Radiation held its forty-fourth session inVienna from 12 to 16 June 1995.(1) In accordancewith a 1994 General Assembly request,(2) theCommittee continued to review important prob-lems relating to radiation sources and effects.

It considered recent information on sources ofexposure, dose assessment for radionuclides, effectsof radiation on the environment, DNA repair andmutagenesis, hereditary effects of radiation,epidemiological evaluation of radiation-inducedcancer, combined effects of radiation and otheragents, and Chernobyl-related local doses and ef-fects. The Committee made suggestions for fur-

ther development of those topics and expressed itsintention to review critically all available informa-tion on the consequences of the 1986 nuclear powerplant accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in partic-ular to clarify the possible relationships of child-hood thyroid cancers to radiation exposures in Be-larus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. It alsodecided to continue collecting data on radiationexposures to determine representative values andranges of variations, and to review new informa-tion from radiobiological and epidemiologicalstudies.



Effects of atomic radiation

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 913(X) of 3 December 1955, by

which it established the United Nations Scientific Com-mittee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, and its sub-sequent resolutions on the subject, including resolution49/32 of 9 December 1994, in which, inter alia, it re-quested the Scientific Committee to continue its work,

Taking note with appreciation of the report of the UnitedNations Scientific Committee on the Effects of AtomicRadiation,

Reaffirming the desirability of the Scientific Commit-tee continuing its work,

Concerned about the potentially harmful effects on pres-ent and future generations resulting from the levels ofradiation to which mankind and the environment areexposed,

Conscious of the continuing need to examine and com-pile information about atomic and ionizing radiationand to analyse its effects on mankind and the en-vironment,

1. Commends the United Nations Scientific Commit-tee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation for the valuablecontribution it has been making in the course of the pastforty years, since its inception, to wider knowledge andunderstanding of the levels, effects and risks of atomicradiation and for fulfilling its original mandate withscientific authority and independence of judgement;

2. Requests the Scientific Committee to continue itswork, including its important activities to increase know-ledge of the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radia-tion from all sources;

3. Endorses the intentions and plans of the ScientificCommittee for its future activities of scientific reviewand assessment on behalf of the General Assembly;

4. Also requests the Scientific Committee to continueat its next session the review of the important problemsin the field of radiation and to report thereon to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session;

5. Requests the United Nations Environment Pro-gramme to continue providing support for the effectiveconduct of the work of the Scientific Committee and forthe dissemination of its findings to the General Assem-bly, the scientific community and the public;

6. Expresses its appreciation for the assistance renderedto the Scientific Committee by Member States, the spe-cialized agencies, the International Atomic Energy


Agency and non-governmental organizations, and in-vites them to increase their cooperation in this field;

7. Invites Member States, the organizations of theUnited Nations system and non-governmental organi-zations concerned to provide further relevant data aboutdoses, effects and risks from various sources of radia-tion, which would greatly help in the preparation of fu-ture reports of the Scientific Committee to the GeneralAssembly.



Approved by Fourth Committee (A/50/603) without vote, 18 October (meet-ing 8); 39-nation draft (A/C.4/50/L.2); agenda item 82.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: 4th Committee 7, 8; plenary 82.

REFERENCES(1)A/50/46. (2)YUN 1994, p. 238, GA res. 49/32, 9 Dec. 1994.

Other questions

UN fiftieth anniversaryThe Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth An-

niversary of the United Nations, established by theGeneral Assembly in 1992,(1) held 14 meetings in1995 to consider preparations for the Special Com-memorative Meeting of the General Assembly, whichtook place in New York from 22 to 24 October (seespecial section, pp. 141-72), as well as other prepa-rations for the observance of the anniversary andadministrative and financial issues. The Committeeconcluded its work on 5 December.

In response to a 1994 General Assembly re-quest,(2) the Preparatory Committee submitted inMay 1995 its recommendations(3) concerning a listof speakers for the Special Commemorative Meeting.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION (May and July)

On 24 May, the General Assembly adoptedresolution 49/12 B.

Organization of the list of speakers for the

Special Commemorative Meeting of the

General Assembly on the occasion of the

fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 48/215 B of 26 May 1994, in

which it decided to convene a special commemorativemeeting on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary ofthe entry into force of the Charter of the United Na-tions, to be held at United Nations Headquarters from22 to 24 October 1995,

Recalling also paragraph 8 of the report of the Prepara-tory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the UnitedNations, in which the modalities for inviting Palestineand, if they so request, other observers to attend the SpecialCommemorative Meeting were agreed upon,

1. Decides that the Special Commemorative Meetingshall consist of a total of six meetings, on the basis oftwo meetings a day;

2. Also decides that the list of speakers for the SpecialCommemorative Meeting shall be organized in accord-ance with the procedure set forth in the annex to thepresent resolution.

ANNEXOrganization of the list of speakers for the

Special Commemorative Meeting of theGeneral Assembly on the occasion of the

fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations

1. The list of speakers for the Special Commemora-tive Meeting will be established on the basis of six meet-ings, each meeting having 25 speaking slots, with theexception of the meeting on Tuesday, 24 October 1995,in the afternoon, which will have 60 speaking slots.

2. The first speaker in the Special CommemorativeMeeting will be the head of State of the host countryof the Organization.

3. The list of speakers for the Special Commemora-tive Meeting will be initially established as follows:

(a) The Secretary-General or his representative willdraw one name from a box containing the names of allMember States, observer States and Palestine, in its ca-pacity as observer, participating in the Special Com-memorative Meeting. This procedure will be repeateduntil all names have been drawn from the box, thus es-tablishing the order in which participants will be invitedto choose their meetings and select their speaking slots;

(b) Six boxes will be prepared, each one represent-ing a meeting and each one containing numbers corre-sponding to speaking slots at that meeting;

(c) Once the name of a Member State, observerState or Palestine, in its capacity as observer, has beendrawn by the Secretary-General or his representative,that Member State, observer State or Palestine, in itscapacity as observer, will be invited first to choose ameeting and then to draw from the appropriate box thenumber indicating the speaking slot in the meeting;

(d) A number of speaking slots at each meeting willbe reserved for observers participating in the SpecialCommemorative Meeting. They will be invited to par-ticipate in the initial establishment of the list of speakersin the same manner as Member States, observer Statesand Palestine, in its capacity as observer, but from adifferent set of six boxes.

4. The establishment of the initial list of speakersfor the Special Commemorative Meeting as outlined inparagraph 3 of the present annex will take place at ameeting of the Preparatory Committee for the FiftiethAnniversary of the United Nations to be held on 7 June1995.

5. Subsequently, the list of speakers for each meet-ing will be rearranged in accordance with the establishedpractice of the General Assembly when organizing eachcategory of speakers, following the order resulting fromthe selection process outlined in paragraph 3 of the pres-ent annex:

(a) Heads of State will thus be accorded first priority,followed by vice-presidents, crown princes/princesses,heads of Government, the highest-ranking official of theHoly See and Switzerland, as observer States, and Pales-tine, in its capacity as observer, ministers, permanentrepresentatives and other observers;

(b) In the event that the level at which a statementis to be made is subsequently changed, the speaker willbe moved to the next available speaking slot in the ap-propriate category at the same meeting;


(c) Participants may arrange to exchange their speak-ing slots in accordance with the established practice ofthe General Assembly;

(d) Speakers who are not present when their speak-ing turn comes will be automatically moved to the nextavailable speaking slot within their category.

6. In order to accommodate all speakers at the Spe-cial Commemorative Meeting, statements should belimited to five minutes, on the understanding that thiswill not preclude the circulation of more extensive texts.

7. The full text of all speeches provided to the Spe-cial Commemorative Meeting will be subsequently pub-lished in a bound book.

General Assembly resolution 49/12 B

24 May 1995 Meeting 103 Adopted without vote

Draft by Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the UN(A/49/48/Add.1); agenda item 44.

On 12 July, Costa Rica introduced to the As-sembly a draft resolution calling for a week-longcessation of hostilities in celebration of the UnitedNations fiftieth anniversary.

On the same date, the Assembly adopted reso-

lution 49/244.

World Week of Peace

The General Assembly,Cognizant of the fact that the promotion of peace and

the prevention of war are among the primary goals ofthe United Nations,

Recognizing that the Preamble to the Charter of theUnited Nations states that the peoples of the United Na-tions are determined to save succeeding generations fromthe scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime hasbrought untold sorrow to mankind,

Recalling that the United Nations was established toprevent war and seek peace through peaceful means andthrough negotiation, as well as to promote internationalcooperation,

Recalling also its resolution 47/120 A of 18 December1992, in which it welcomed the report of the Secretary-General entitled "An Agenda for Peace", stressing theimportance of preventive diplomacy and peace-keepingoperations,

Recalling that 1995 has been proclaimed the United Na-tions Year for Tolerance,

Recognizing the important role that DisarmamentWeek, which will be observed concurrently with theWorld Week of Peace, is playing in promoting interna-tional peace and security,

Recognizing also that the United Nations is universalin nature and is the only instrument for global inter-dependence and cooperation that has the moralauthority and the influence to promote and maintainworld peace,

Recognizing further the importance of promoting the cul-ture of peace,

Concerned that recent conflicts between States havebrought with them deplorable ethnic strife, destructionand displacement of individuals and communities,

Deeply concerned at the large proportion of civilians, es-pecially women and children, who have been injuredor killed during the armed conflicts that have increasedin recent years,

Recognizing that civil society organizations are nowplaying a more important role in promoting toleranceand understanding,

Convinced that a short period of peace resulting froma cease-fire or a truce can offer opportunities for build-ing a just and lasting peace,

Noting with satisfaction the valuable initiative taken bythe United Nations Children's Fund to facilitate "daysof tranquillity" and "corridors of peace", which havebeen used to provide humanitarian relief, such as im-munization, health care, food and clothing, to childrentrapped by armed conflicts,

1. Decides to proclaim the World Week of Peace, be-ginning on 24 October 1995, in solemn commemora-tion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations;

2. Approves the Proclamation of the World Week ofPeace, the text of which is annexed to the present reso-lution;

3. Invites all Member States to begin this task ofcooperation with their own citizens and with civil soci-ety organizations, so as to give maximum publicity andassistance to the launching of the proclamation of auniversal week of truce or cease-fire during the com-memoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the UnitedNations;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure thebroadest possible dissemination of this resolutionthrough the Department of Public Information of theSecretariat;

5. Also requests the Secretary-General to report on theimplementation of the present resolution to the GeneralAssembly at its fiftieth session.

ANNEXProclamation of the World Week of Peace

Whereas the General Assembly has decided unani-mously to proclaim the World Week of Peace in com-memoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the UnitedNations,

Whereas the promotion of peace and the preventionof war are among the primary goals of the UnitedNations,

Whereas, in welcoming "An Agenda for Peace", theUnited Nations has rededicated itself to the effort to es-tablish a universal peace according to the purposes andprinciples of the Charter of the United Nations, signedat San Francisco,

Whereas, in increasing the size and scope of its peace-keeping operations, the United Nations has demon-strated its commitment to the task of peace-keeping andpeacemaking,

Whereas the World Week of Peace offers a special op-portunity for Governments, civilian organizations, localcommunities and individuals to take part in new initia-tives for the commendable goal of conflict resolution,cease-fires and truces, and for a period of universal peacethat could be used for the humanitarian relief that hasbecome so critically necessary,

Accordingly,The General AssemblySolemnly proclaims the World Week of Peace, beginning

on 24 October 1995, to coincide with the commemora-tion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.


12 July 1995 Meeting 105 Adopted without vote

61-nation draft (A/49/L.66 & Corr.1 & Add.1); agenda item 44.


Report of the Preparatory Committee (De-cember). In a December report,(4) the Prepara-tory Committee summarized its activities since itsestablishment, as well as anniversary programmesundertaken by Member and observer States,global projects and activities within the UN sys-tem and of NGOs.

The Committee noted that, as at 10 November,152 Member or observer States had established na-tional committees that had organized numerousevents to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary. Theseincluded: school essay and art competitions; globalteach-in programmes and other symposia andseminars on the United Nations; production ofspecial publications, radio and television pro-grammes and newspaper and magazine featuresections; exhibitions, national galas and concertsand sport events honouring the Organization; spe-cial "Model United Nations" exercises with stu-dent participants; and the naming of public streets,plazas and parks in honour of the United Nations.The UN Postal Administration issued three spe-cial stamp series in 1995, and throughout the worldnational postal administrations produced com-memorative stamps depicting UN programmesand activities. More than 40 Member Statesminted legal tender coins, both gold and silver,honouring the anniversary, and base-metal coinsfor general circulation. In 1994, the General As-sembly(5) had decided that States participating inthe UN coin programme were to donate royaltieson each special proof or uncirculated coin sold tocollectors to the Trust Fund for the Fiftieth An-niversary Celebrations, to be used for educationand communications activities promoting the workof the United Nations.

Major events were held during the year to com-memorate the fiftieth anniversary: in San Fran-cisco, where the UN Charter had been signed in1945, at Headquarters in New York, and at theGeneva and Vienna Offices (see special section be-ginning on p. 141). A special "global citizen pass-port to the future" programme, initiated in con-nection with anniversary celebrations, involvedschoolchildren and community service activities.A world youth leadership training summit tookplace at UN Headquarters in August. A book en-titled A World In Our Hands was written, illustratedand edited by young people, in honour of the an-niversary. A multimedia exhibit was mounted atUN Headquarters, and fiftieth anniversary infor-mation sites were created on the Internet and otheron-line services. A variety of publications, includ-ing a pictorial history of the Organization entitledVisions—Fifty Years of the United Nations, were issued.

Within the UN system, a Forum on the Futureof the United Nations was convened in conjunc-tion with a session of the Administrative Commit-tee on Coordination (Vienna, February). Joint

projects were undertaken with UNESCO, FAO andthe regional commissions. NGOs actively sup-ported many celebratory events; a one-day NGOprogramme was held in November to examine therole of NGOs and the United Nations and its fu-ture in the twenty-first century.

The Trust Fund for the Fiftieth AnniversaryCelebrations supported both global projects andnational educational and communications initia-tives about the work of the Organization. It wasexpected to continue receiving revenues, in par-ticular from commemorative coins and publi-cations.

Security Council observances. On 27 Septem-ber,(6) the Foreign Ministers of the SecurityCouncil's five permanent members met with theUN Secretary-General to review the world situa-tion on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary ofthe end of the Second World War and the birthof the United Nations. The Ministers noted withsatisfaction what had been achieved and the factthat institutions of the United Nations had beencentral to the pursuit of peace and security for thepast 50 years in accordance with the UN Char-ter. They pointed out that serious challenges re-mained and that effective and efficient institutionswithin the UN system had an important role toplay in confronting them. Affirming their commit-ment to the United Nations, they stressed the pri-mary responsibility of the Security Council inmaintaining world peace and security, and under-scored the importance of reinforcing cooperationbetween the UN and regional organizations andarrangements in building stability and securityand in preventing and managing conflicts (see alsoPART ONE, Chapter I, and PART TWO, Chapter I).

The Ministers also stated their position concern-ing the situations in different regions, and in theareas of sanctions application, disarmament, sus-tainable development, and the UN financial situ-ation and restructuring. They pointed out that theOrganization's proper functioning depended onthe full and punctual payment by Member Statesof their contributions, which was crucial for thesuccess of UN peace-keeping operations. They em-phasized the importance of UN reform to makeit more transparent, accountable, efficient and ef-fective (see PART SIX, Chapter I).

Heads of State or Government of the non-aligned countries members of the Security Coun-cil, meeting on 23 October on the occasion of theUN fiftieth anniversary,(7) noted that theauthority and credibility of the Council had grownsubstantially in recent years as its members redis-covered a sense of common purpose in confront-ing dangers to peace and stability. In that regard,they pointed to the need for strengthening andrevitalizing the Council to adapt it to the new real-ities and challenges of the time, and expressed their


support for ongoing efforts to increase its mem-bership based on equitable geographic represen-tation. The heads of State or Government alsocalled for improving the peacemaking and peace-keeping capacity of the UN, as well as coopera-tion between the General Assembly and the Secu-rity Council (see also PART ONE, Chapter I).

Communications. During the year, theSecretary-General received a number of commu-nications from Member States on the occasion ofthe fiftieth anniversary, transmitting commemora-tive resolutions adopted by parliaments, nationalassemblies and other important bodies. A state-ment by 16 heads of State or Government in sup-port of global cooperation was issued in New Yorkon 23 October.(8)

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION

On 26 September, the President of the SecurityCouncil made the following statement(9) on behalfof the Council members:

The Security Council has met on 26 September1995, at the level of Foreign Ministers, to com-memorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Na-tions and to exchange views on the challenges whichthe Security Council faces.

Since its establishment the Security Council hasplayed a crucial role in the maintenance of interna-tional peace and security on which development andcooperation among nations are based. The past fewyears in particular have been ones of momentouschange, bringing fresh hope and new challenges.Operations mandated by the Council have assisted inthe restoration of peace and stability to countries long-plagued by war. Although such operations have largelybeen successful, there are areas where success has notbeen achieved. The Council must continue to spareno effort in working for the maintenance of interna-tional peace and security, and build upon its experi-ence of past and existing operations.

The Security Council recognizes that the challengesfacing the international community demand a reso-lute response, based on the principles and purposesof the Charter of the United Nations. The membersof the Security Council consider that the United Na-tions must be strengthened and revitalized to helpmeet these challenges. They take note of the conclu-sions of the Working Group of the General Assem-bly on the Question of Equitable Representation onand Increase in the Membership of the Security Coun-cil and Other Matters Related to the Security Coun-cil, inter alia, that the Council should be expanded, andthat its working methods should continue to be re-viewed, in a way that further strengthens its capacityand effectiveness, enhances its representative characterand improves its working efficiency and transparency;and that important differences on key issues continueto exist. The Council also believes that effective useshould be made of instruments for preventive action,and the Organization's capacity to conduct effectivepeace-keeping operations should continue to be im-proved. The Council will continue to attach utmost

importance to the safety and security of all who serveunder the United Nations flag in the field.

The members of the Security Council reaffirm theircommitment to the collective security system of theCharter. On the solemn occasion of the fiftieth an-niversary of the United Nations, the Council, alongwith other United Nations bodies, commemorateswhat has been achieved so far, but also commits it-self once again to the maintenance of internationalpeace and security for which it has primary responsi-bility, and to working to save succeeding generationsfrom the scourge of war.

Meeting number. SC 3583.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION (October and December)

The General Assembly, at six special plenarymeetings on 22, 23 and 24 October at UN Head-quarters in New York, held the Special Com-memorative Meeting on the occasion of the fifti-eth anniversary of the United Nations. (For details,see special section, pp. 141-72.)

On 24 October, the Assembly adopted resolu-tion 50/6.

Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth

Anniversary of the United Nations

The General AssemblyAdopts the following Declaration:

Declaration on the Occasion of the FiftiethAnniversary of the United Nations

Fifty years ago the United Nations was born out ofthe sufferings caused by the Second World War. Thedetermination, enshrined in the Charter of the UnitedNations, "to save succeeding generations from thescourge of war" is as vital today as it was fifty years ago.In this, as in other respects, the Charter gives expres-sion to the common values and aspirations of hu-mankind.

The United Nations has been tested by conflict, hu-manitarian crisis and turbulent change, yet it has sur-vived and played an important role in preventing an-other global conflict and has achieved much for peopleall over the world. The United Nations has helped toshape the very structure of relations between nationsin the modern age. Through the process of decoloniza-tion and the elimination of apartheid, hundreds of mil-lions of human beings have been and are assured theexercise of the fundamental right of self-determination.

At this time, following the end of the cold war, andas the end of the century approaches, we must createnew opportunities for peace, development, democracyand cooperation. The speed and extent of change in to-day's world point to a future of great complexity andchallenge and to a sharp increase in the level of expec-tations of the United Nations.

Our resolve on this historic occasion is clear. The com-memoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Na-tions must be seized as an opportunity to redirect it togreater service to humankind, especially to those whoare suffering and are deeply deprived. This is the prac-tical and moral challenge of our time. Our obligation


to this end is found in the Charter. The need for it ismanifest in the condition of humankind.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of theUnited Nations, we, the Member States and observersof the United Nations, representing the peoples of theworld:—Solemnly reaffirm the Purposes and Principles of

the Charter of the United Nations and our commit-ments to them;

—Express our gratitude to all men and women whohave made the United Nations possible, done itswork and served its ideals, particularly those whohave given their lives during service to the UnitedNations;

—Are determined that the United Nations of the fu-ture will work with renewed vigour and effectivenessin promoting peace, development, equality and jus-tice and understanding among the peoples of theworld;

—Will give to the twenty-first century a United Na-tions equipped, financed and structured to serve ef-fectively the peoples in whose name it was estab-lished.

In fulfilment of these commitments we will be guidedin our future cooperation by the following, with re-spect to peace, development, equality, justice and theUnited Nations Organization:

Peace1. To meet these challenges, and while recognizing

that action to secure global peace, security and stabil-ity will be futile unless the economic and social needsof people are addressed, we will:—Promote methods and means for the peaceful settle-

ment of disputes in accordance with the Charter ofthe United Nations and enhance the capabilities ofthe United Nations in conflict prevention, preven-tive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peace-building;

—Strongly support United Nations, regional and na-tional efforts on arms control, limitation and dis-armament and the non-proliferation of nuclearweapons, in all aspects, and other weapons of massdestruction, including biological and chemicalweapons and other forms of particularly excessivelyinjurious or indiscriminate weapons, in pursuit ofour common commitment to a world free of allthese weapons;

—Continue to reaffirm the right of self-determinationof all peoples, taking into account the particular sit-uation of peoples under colonial or other forms ofalien domination or foreign occupation, and recog-nize the right of peoples to take legitimate action inaccordance with the Charter of the United Nationsto realize their inalienable right of self-determina-tion. This shall not be construed as authorizing orencouraging any action that would dismember orimpair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity orpolitical unity of sovereign and independent Statesconducting themselves in compliance with the prin-ciple of equal rights and self-determination of peo-ples and thus possessed of a Government represent-ing the whole people belonging to the territorywithout distinction of any kind;

—Act together to defeat the threats to States and peo-ple posed by terrorism, in all its forms and manifesta-tions, and transnational organized crime and the il-

licit trade in arms and the production and con-sumption of and trafficking in illicit drugs;

—Strengthen consultation and cooperation betweenregional arrangements or agencies and the UnitedNations in the maintenance of international peaceand security.

Development2. A dynamic, vigorous, free and equitable inter-

national economic environment is essential to the well-being of humankind and to international peace, secu-rity and stability. This objective must be addressed, ingreater measure and more effectively, by the UnitedNations system.

3. The United Nations has played an importantrole in the promotion of economic and social develop-ment and has, over the years, provided life-saving as-sistance to women, children and men around theworld. But the pledge recorded in the Charter that allMembers of the United Nations shall take joint andseparate action in cooperation with the Organizationfor the achievement of higher standards of living, fullemployment and conditions of economic and socialprogress and development has not been adequatelyimplemented.

4. It must be recognized that notwithstanding pastefforts, the gap between the developed and developingcountries remains unacceptably wide. The specificproblems of countries with economies in transitionwith respect to their twofold transition to democracyand a market economy should also be recognized. Inaddition, accelerating globalization and interdepen-dence in the world economy call for policy measuresdesigned to ensure the maximization of the benefitsfrom and the minimization of the negative effects ofthese trends for all countries.

5. Of greatest concern is that one fifth of theworld's 5.7 billion people live in extreme poverty. Ex-traordinary measures by all countries, includingstrengthened international cooperation, are needed toaddress this and related problems.

6. In response to these facts and circumstances,the United Nations has convened a number of specifi-cally focused global conferences in the last five years.From these conferences, a consensus has emerged, interalia, that economic development, social developmentand environmental protection are interdependent andmutually reinforcing components of sustainable devel-opment, which is the framework of our efforts toachieve a higher quality of life for all people. At thecore of this consensus is the recognition that thehuman person is the central subject of developmentand that people must be at the centre of our actionstowards and concerns for sustainable development.

7. In this context, we reaffirm that democracy, de-velopment and respect for human rights and fun-damental freedoms, including the right to develop-ment, are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

8. In order to foster sustained economic growth, so-cial development, environmental protection and socialjustice in fulfilment of the commitments we have madeon international cooperation for development, we will:—Promote an open and equitable, rule-based, pre-

dictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trad-ing system and a framework for investment, trans-fers of technology and knowledge, as well as en-


hanced cooperation in the areas of development,finance and debt as critical conditions for devel-opment;

—Give particular attention to national and interna-tional action to enhance the benefits of the processof globalization for all countries and to avoid themarginalization from and promote the integrationof the least developed countries and countries inAfrica into the world economy;

—Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the UnitedNations system for development and strengthen itsrole in all relevant fields of international economiccooperation;

—Invigorate the dialogue and partnership between allcountries in order to secure the existence of a favour-able political and economic environment for the pro-motion of international cooperation for developmentbased on the imperatives of mutual benefit and in-terest and genuine interdependence, while recogniz-ing that each country is ultimately responsible for itsown development but reaffirming that the interna-tional community must create a supportive interna-tional environment for such development;

—Promote social development through decisive na-tional and international action aimed at the eradica-tion of poverty as an ethical, social, political andeconomic imperative of humankind and the promo-tion of full employment and social integration;

—Recognize that the empowerment and the full andequal participation of women is central to all effortsto achieve development;

—Reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns ofproduction and consumption and promote ap-propriate demographic policies in order to meet theneeds of current generations without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet their ownneeds, recognizing that environmental sustainabil-ity constitutes an integral part of the developmentprocess;

—Intensify cooperation on natural disaster reductionand major technological and man-made disasters,disaster relief, post-disaster rehabilitation and hu-manitarian assistance in order to enhance the capa-bilities of affected countries to cope with such situ-ations.

Equality9. We reiterate the affirmation by the Charter of the

dignity and worth of the human person and the equalrights of men and women and reaffirm that all humanrights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and in-terrelated.

10. While the significance of national and regionalparticularities and various historical, cultural and reli-gious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the dutyof all States, regardless of their political, economic andcultural systems, to promote and protect all humanrights and fundamental freedoms, the universal natureof which is beyond question. It is also important for allStates to ensure the universality, objectivity and non-selectivity of the consideration of human rights issues.

11. We will therefore:—Promote and protect all human rights and fundamen-

tal freedoms, which are inherent to all human beings;—Strengthen laws, policies and programmes that would

ensure the full and equal participation of women in

all spheres of political, civil, economic, social and cul-tural life as equal partners and the full realization ofall human rights and fundamental freedoms for allwomen;

—Promote and protect the rights of the child;—Ensure that the rights of persons who can be partic-

ularly vulnerable to abuse or neglect, includingyouth, persons with disabilities, the elderly and mi-grant workers, are protected;

—Promote and protect the rights of indigenouspeople;

—Ensure the protection of the rights of refugees andof displaced persons;

—Ensure that the rights of persons belonging to na-tional, ethnic and other minorities are protected,and that such persons are able to pursue economicand social development and live in circumstances offull respect for their identity, traditions, forms of so-cial organization and cultural and religious values.

Justice12. The Charter of the United Nations has pro-

vided a durable framework for the promotion and de-velopment of international law. The continued promo-tion and development of international law must bepursued with a view to ensuring that relations betweenStates are based on the principles of justice, sovereignequality, universally recognized principles of interna-tional law and respect for the rule of law. Such actionshould take account of developments under way insuch areas as technology, transport, information andresource-related fields and international financialmarkets, as well as the growing complexity of the workof the United Nations in the humanitarian and refu-gee assistance fields.

13. We are determined to:—Build and maintain justice among all States in ac-

cordance with the principles of the sovereign equal-ity and territorial integrity of States;

—Promote full respect for and implementation of in-ternational law;

—Settle international disputes by peaceful means;—Encourage the widest possible ratification of inter-

national treaties and ensure compliance with theobligations arising from them;

—Promote respect for and the implementation of in-ternational humanitarian law;

—Promote the progressive development of interna-tional law in the field of development, including thatwhich would foster economic and social progress;

—Promote respect for and implementation of interna-tional law in the field of human rights and fun-damental freedoms and encourage ratification ofor accession to international human rights in-struments;

—Promote the further codification and progressivedevelopment of international law.

United Nations Organization14. In order to be able to respond effectively to the

challenges of the future and the expectations of theUnited Nations held by peoples around the world, it isessential that the United Nations itself be reformed andmodernized. The work of the General Assembly, theuniversal organ of the States Members of the United


Nations, should be revitalized. The Security Councilshould, inter alia, be expanded and its working methodscontinue to be reviewed in a way that will furtherstrengthen its capacity and effectiveness, enhance itsrepresentative character and improve its working effi-ciency and transparency; as important differences onkey issues continue to exist, further in-depth consider-ation of these issues is required. The role of the Eco-nomic and Social Council should be strengthened toenable it to carry out effectively, in the modern age, thetasks it has been assigned with respect to the well-beingand standards of life of all people. These and otherchanges, within the United Nations system, should bemade if we are to ensure that the United Nations of thefuture serves well the peoples in whose name it was es-tablished.

15. In order to carry out its work effectively, theUnited Nations must have adequate resources. Mem-ber States must meet, in full and on time, their obliga-tion to bear the expenses of the Organization, asapportioned by the General Assembly. That apportion-ment should be established on the basis of criteria agreedto and considered to be fair by Member States.

16. The secretariats of the United Nations systemmust improve significantly their efficiency and effective-ness in administering and managing the resources allo-cated to them. For their part, Member States will pur-sue and take responsibility for reforming that system.

17. We recognize that our common work will be themore successful if it is supported by all concerned ac-tors of the international community, including non-governmental organizations, multilateral financial in-stitutions, regional organizations and all actors of civilsociety. We will welcome and facilitate such support, asappropriate.

General Assembly resolution 50/624 October 1995 Meeting 40 Adopted by acclamation

Draft by Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the UN(A/50/48); agenda item 29.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: plenary 35-40

On 12 December, the Assembly adopted reso-

lution 50/59.

Work of the Preparatory Committee for the

Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations

The General Assembly,Having considered the report of the Preparatory Com-

mittee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the UnitedNations,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the national committeesand to the innumerable non-governmental and other or-ganizations around the world that have supported thegoals of the anniversary;

2. Also expresses its appreciation to the secretariat of thefiftieth anniversary of the United Nations for the seriesof commemorative programmes and projects it has un-dertaken and coordinated and for its efforts to involvenational committees, non-governmental organizationsand the United Nations system and staff in the globalcommemoration of the anniversary;

3. Further expresses its appreciation to those MemberStates, corporations and individuals that have con-tributed to the Trust Fund for the Fiftieth Anniversary;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that thefunds remaining in and which will be paid into the TrustFund are applied to the purposes for which they werecommitted, and to report thereon to the General As-sembly before the end of the fiftieth session;

5. Expresses its deep appreciation to the host country forthe arrangements it made in support of the conduct ofthe Special Commemorative Meeting of the General As-sembly;

6. Approves the report of the Preparatory Commit-tee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nationsand takes note with deep appreciation of the successfulconclusion of its work.

General Assembly resolution 50/5912 December 1995 Meeting 89 Adopted without vote

Draft by Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the UN(A/50/48/Rev.1); agenda item 29.

Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: plenary 35-37, 89.

End of the Second World War anniversaryIn accordance with a 1994 General Assembly

appeal(10) to all States and peoples to com-memorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of theSecond World War and its proclamation of theyear 1995 as World Year of Peoples' Commemo-ration of the Victims of the Second World War,several countries transmitted to the UN in 1995statements made on the occasion of that anniver-sary. Communications addressed to the Secretary-General included a joint message by the headsof States of the members of the Commonwealthof Independent States,(11) a statement by theGovernment of the Federal Republic of Yugosla-via (Serbia and Montenegro),(12) a memorandumby the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Demo-cratic People's Republic of Korea(13) and a formalappeal by the President of Romania for historicalreconciliation between Hungary and Romania,launched in Bucharest on 30 August.(14) On 15August, Japan communicated to the President ofthe Security Council a statement made by itsPrime Minister.(15)

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION

The Security Council on 9 May met in connec-tion with the commemoration of the end of theSecond World War in Europe. In a statementmade on behalf of the Council, its President said,inter alia, that the United Nations was createdprimarily to preserve future generations from thescourge of war and that its Charter had entrustedthe Security Council with the principal responsi-bility for maintaining international peace andsecurity. For that reason, it seemed appropriate forthe Council to pay tribute, on the fiftieth anniver-sary of the end of the Second World War in Eu-rope, to all the victims of that war and to recallthe Council's firm desire to make every effort tohelp mitigate human suffering resulting from war.At the invitation of the President, the Council


members observed a minute of silence in mem-ory of the combatants and victims of the SecondWorld War.

The Council also met on 15 August to com-memorate the end of the Second World War in theAsia-Pacific region. Its President made the follow-ing statement on behalf of the Council members:

"It was fifty years ago that the Asia-Pacific re-gion saw the end of the Second World War, adevastating war that shattered the lives of tens ofmillions of people in this region. On this solemnoccasion, we pay tribute to those who laid downtheir lives and the other victims of the war.

"Having survived the catastrophe of the Sec-ond World War, mankind sought to embrace newmeans to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy.To this end, the United Nations was established,with primary responsibility for the maintenanceof international peace and security conferred onthe Security Council by the Charter.

"Unity and harmony among nations would bethe most honourable and noble way to pay trib-ute to those who sacrificed their lives for peace dur-ing the Second World War. For this reason, it isappropriate for the Security Council to pay hom-age on this anniversary to all the victims of theSecond World War in the Asia-Pacific region."

The Council members then observed a minuteof silence in memory of the victims of the SecondWorld War.Meeting numbers. SC 3532, 3565.


In accordance with a 1994 resolution,(10) theGeneral Assembly held a solemn meeting on 18October 1995 in commemoration of victims of theSecond World War. On the same date, the Assem-bly adopted resolution 50/5.

Commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of

the end of the Second World War

The General Assembly,Recalling its resolution 49/25 of 2 December 1994,Having considered item 36 of the agenda of its fiftieth

session entitled "Commemoration of the fiftieth anniver-sary of the end of the Second World War",

Approves the Declaration in Commemoration of the Fif-tieth Anniversary of the End of the Second World War,the text of which is annexed to the present resolution.

ANNEXDeclaration in Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary

of the End of the Second World War

1. We, the representatives of the States Members ofthe United Nations, have gathered at a solemn meet-ing of the fiftieth anniversary session of the United Na-tions General Assembly to commemorate the fiftieth an-niversary of the end of the Second World War, whichbrought untold suffering and ravages to humankind.

2. In this World Year of Peoples' Commemorationof the Victims of the Second World War, we bow ourheads before the tens of millions who perished in theirtowns and villages or on the battlefields, or became vic-

tims of genocide in the death camps, and remember withgratitude those who fought against dictatorship, oppres-sion, racism and aggression.

3. We note that one of the most remarkable resultsof the end of the Second World War was the establish-ment of a community based on new principles—theUnited Nations, whose task is to save succeeding gener-ations from the scourge of war. We reaffirm the resolveof our States to adhere strictly to the purposes and prin-ciples of the Charter of the United Nations and of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.

4. We note with satisfaction that today, now thatmany ideological barriers have fallen and the "cold war"has ended, new opportunities are emerging for build-ing a non-violent world and a system of genuine globalsecurity with the United Nations as the central element.

5. We recall the tragedy of the Second World Warand the unprecedented suffering it inflicted upon vari-ous peoples and upon all of humanity. We are fully awareof the vital necessity of making all possible efforts to putan end to existing armed conflicts, to avert such con-flicts in the future and to overcome the remaining lega-cies of the Second World War as well as the manifesta-tions of political, economic and social inequality, andwe call upon the States of the world:

(a) To reaffirm the commitment to refrain from theuse or threat of use of force against the territorial in-tegrity or political independence of any State or in anyother manner inconsistent with the principles and pur-poses of the Charter of the United Nations;

(b) To redouble their efforts to put an end to all con-flicts and to save future generations from the scourgeof new wars, inter alia, by drawing the lessons that emergefrom the history of past conflicts;

(c) To promote democracy and human rights and tosupport universal access to culture;

(d) To focus their efforts on the objective of creatingconditions for the general progress of humankind inlarger freedom.

6. The fulfilment of these commitments will be thebest way to pay tribute to those who fought for peace,freedom, democracy and human dignity and to honourthe memory of the victims of the Second World War.Only in this way can we prevent new tragedies and en-sure that all nations become a single community livingin peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity.


18 October 1995 Meeting 33 Adopted without vote

52-nation draft (A/50/L.3 & Corr.1 & Add.1); agenda item 36.

Speaking in explanation of its position, Israelstated that it could not become a sponsor of theresolution because it did not mention the Holo-caust, which the State of Israel, as the Jewish Na-tional Home, had an obligation to remember;however, it had decided not to request that a votebe taken.

Support for democraciesIn response to a 1994 General Assembly re-

quest,(16) the Secretary-General in August 1995reported(17) on ways and mechanisms in which theUN system could support the efforts of Govern-


merits to promote and consolidate new or restoreddemocracies. He reviewed the experience gainedin promoting a participatory culture and an opensociety through: establishment of political partiesand movements, free and independent media andcivic education; electoral assistance, including or-ganization and conduct of elections, supervision,verification, coordination and support for interna-tional observers, support for national election ob-servers, technical assistance and observation; andbuilding institutions for democracy by creating andstrengthening democratic structures of government,enhancing the rule of law, reforming the civil serviceand improving accountability, transparency andquality in public sector management.

The Secretary-General noted that the numberof requests for electoral assistance had increasedfrom 7 to 89 between 1992 and June 1995, 77 ofwhich had been accepted. Elections, albeit neces-sary, he said, were not sufficient to ensure the dura-bility of a democratization process; the United Na-tions had therefore broadened its activities to focuson the creation of independent judicial systems, es-tablishment of armed forces respectful of the ruleof law, training of police forces to safeguard pub-lic freedoms and the setting up of human rights in-stitutions. As the breadth of democratization, govern-ance and institution-building made it difficult forany UN entity to support the entire spectrum ofprogrammes in that area, the Secretary-Generalrecommended an expanding network for policy de-velopment and programme cooperation, involvingUN agencies, bilateral donors and interested profes-sional organizations. He further suggested that differ-ent components of the UN system should pay par-ticular attention to such key areas as: strengtheningof leadership skills and political institutions; link-ages between government and civil society, includingNGOs, the media, local authorities and professionalassociations; support for effective judiciaries guaran-teeing the rule of law and protection of human rights;and participation in decentralization efforts. In con-clusion, the Secretary-General underscored that theUN system and Governments, while remaining theprincipal actors in the democratization process,should work actively with a multiplicity of partners,including regional organizations, NGOs, parliamen-tarians, business leaders, professional associations,the academic community and ordinary citizens.



Support by the United Nations system of the

efforts of Governments to promote and

consolidate new or restored democracies

The General Assembly,Bearing in mind the indissoluble links between the

principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights and the foundations of any democraticsociety,

Recalling the Manila Declaration adopted in June 1988by the First International Conference of New or Re-stored Democracies,

Considering the major changes taking place on the in-ternational scene and the aspirations of all the peoplesfor an international order based on the principles en-shrined in the Charter of the United Nations, includ-ing the promotion and encouragement of respect for humanrights and fundamental freedoms for all and other im-portant principles, such as respect for the equal rightsand self-determination of peoples, peace, democracy, justice,equality, the rule of law, pluralism, development, betterstandards of living and solidarity,

Recalling also its resolution 49/30 of 7 December 1994,in which it recognized the importance of the ManaguaDeclaration and the Plan of Action adopted by the Sec-ond International Conference of New or Restored Democra-cies in July 1994,

Recallng further the view expressed in the Managua Decla-ration that the international community must pay closerattention to the obstacles facing the new or restoreddemocracies,

Taking note of the views of Member States expressed inthe debate on this item at its forty-ninth and fiftieth sessions,

Bearing in mind that such activities of the United Na-tions carried out in support of the efforts of Governmentsare undertaken in accordance with the Charter of theUnited Nations and only at the specific request of theMember States concerned,

Bearing in mind also that democracy, development andrespect for human rights and fundamental freedoms areinterdependent and mutually reinforcing and thatdemocracy is based on the freely expressed will of thepeople to determine their own political, economic, so-cial and cultural systems and on their full participationin all aspects of their lives,

Noting that a considerable number of societies haverecently undertaken considerable efforts to achieve theirsocial, political and economic goals through democrati-zation and the reform of their economies, pursuits thatare deserving of the support and recognition of the in-ternational community,

Noting with satisfaction that a Third International Con-ference on New or Restored Democracies will take placeat Bucharest,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-Generalon assistance provided in the past by the United Na-tions, at the request of Member States, as well as im-portant concepts and considerations that are pertinentto this question,

1. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General;2. Commends the Secretary-General and through him

the United Nations system for the activities undertakenat the request of Governments to support the efforts toconsolidate democracy, as reflected in his report;

3. Recognizes that the Organization has an importantrole to play in providing timely, appropriate and coher-ent support to the efforts of Governments to achievedemocratization within the context of their developmentefforts;

4. Stresses that activities undertaken by the Organi-zation must be in accordance with the Charter of theUnited Nations;


5. Encourages the Secretary-General to continue toimprove the capacity of the Organization to respond ef-fectively to the requests of Member States through co-herent, adequate support of their efforts to achieve thegoal of democratization;

6. Encourages Member States to promote democrati-zation and to make additional efforts to identify possi-ble steps to support the efforts of Governments to pro-mote and consolidate new or restored democracies;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to theGeneral Assembly at its fifty-first session a report onthe implementation of the present resolution, includ-ing innovative ways and means, as well as new reflec-tions, to enable the Organization to respond effectivelyand in an integrated manner to requests of MemberStates for assistance in this field;

8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of itsfifty-first session the item entitled "Support by the

United Nations system of the efforts of Governmentsto promote and consolidate new or restoreddemocracies".



59-nation draft (A/50/L.19/Rev.1 & Rev.1/Add.1); agenda item 41.Meeting numbers. GA 50th session: plenary 55, 56, 96.

REFERENCES(1)YUN 1992, p. 142, GA dec. 46/472, 13 Apr. 1992. (2)YUN1994, p. 249, GA res. 49/12 A, 9 Nov. 1994. (3)A/49/48/Add.1.(4)A/50/48/Rev.1 & Corr.1. (5)YUN 1994, p. 1412, GA res. 49/11,9 Nov. 1994. (6)S/1995/827. (7)A/50/702-S/1995/900. (8)A/50/679.(9)S/PRST/1995/48. (10)YUN 1994, p. 250, GA res. 49/25, 2Dec. 1994. (11)A/50/167. (12)A/50/174. (13)A/50/376. (14)A/50/406.(15)S/1995/702. (16)YUN 1994, p. 251, GA res. 49/30, 7 Dec.1994. (17)A/50/332 & Corr.1.

236 Chapter III Other political questions

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