General Assembly

Distr. LIMITED

24 April 1994

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

REPORT OF THE PRE-CONFERENCE CONSULTATIONS 
HELD AT THE SHERBOURNE CENTRE 
 
1.In conformity with the practice followed at United Nations  
special conferences and with General Assembly resolution 48/193  
of 21 December 1993, informal pre-Conference consultations were  
held on 24 April 1994 at the Sherbourne Centre, Bridgetown,  
Barbados. Participation in the consultations was open to  
representatives of all States invited to participate in the  
Conference. 
 
A. Opening of the pre-Conference consultations 
 
2.The meeting was opened by Mr. Rafeeuddin Ahmed, Special  
Representative of the Secretary-General. 
 
  B. Election of the Presiding Officer of the 
  pre-Conference consultations 
 
3.Upon the proposal of the Special Representative of the  
Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Besley Maycock, the  
Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, was  
elected, by acclamation, Chairman of the pre-Conference  
consultations. 
 
4.The other matters considered and the recommendations agreed  
upon in the course of the consultations are set out below. 
 
C. Adoption of the rules of procedure 
 
5.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, it was recommended that the  
Conference adopt the provisional rules of procedure as contained  
in document A/CONF.167/2. 
 
D. Adoption of the agenda 
 
6.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, it was recommended that the  
Conference adopt the provisional agenda as contained in document  
A/CONF.167/1. 
 
B94-012 (E)/... 
   E. Election of the President and other officers 
  of the Conference 
 
7.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, on the proposal of the  
representative of Costa Rica, on behalf of the Latin American and  
Caribbean States, it was recommended that the Conference elect,  
by acclamation, His Excellency Mr. L. Erskine Sandiford, Prime  
Minister of Barbados, President of the Conference. 
 
8.At the same meeting, also on the proposal of the representative  
of Costa Rica, it was recommended that the Conference elect, by  
acclamation, His Excellency Mr. Branford M. Taitt, Minister for  
Foreign Affairs of Barbados, ex officio Vice-President of the  
Conference. 
 
9.At the same meeting, it was recommended that the following  
Western European and other States be elected, by acclamation,  
Vice-Presidents of the Conference: Germany and New Zealand. 
 
10.Also at the same meeting, on the proposal of the Western  
European and other States, it was recommended that Her Excellency  
Ms. Penelope Wensley (Australia) be elected, by acclamation,  
Chairman of the Main Committee. 
 
11.It was also recommended that the following Asian States be  
elected, by acclamation, Vice-Presidents of the Conference: China  
and Samoa. 
 
 F. Organization of work, including the establishment 
  of the Main Committee of the Conference 
 
12.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, it was recommended that the  
Conference approve the organization of work and the allocation of  
items as contained in document A/CONF.167/3. 
 
13.At the same meeting, it was also recommended that the  
Conference endorse the proposals contained in document  
A/CONF.167/3 regarding the general debate and the composition of  
the Bureau of the Main Committee. 
 
14.It was also recommended that the General Committee of the  
Conference would have the following geographical distribution:  
two representatives from African States, two from Asian States,  
two from Eastern European States, one from Latin American and  
Caribbean States and two from Western European and other States  
plus an ex officio Vice-President from the host country. 
 
15.It was further recommended that the Conference approve the  
proposed timetable of work for the Conference and the  
organization of meetings, as contained in document A/CONF.167/3,  
with the proviso that the organization of work of the Main  
Committee would be adjusted as required. 
 
  G. Credentials of representatives of the Conference: 
  appointment of the members of the Credentials 
  Committee 
 
16.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, on the proposal of the  
Chairman, it was recommended that a Credentials Committee of nine  
members be appointed at the beginning of the Conference, its  
composition to be based on that of the Credentials Committee of  
the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. It was also  
recommended that the members of the Credentials Committee be  
Austria, Bahamas, China, C<244>te d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Mauritius, the  
Russian Federation, Thailand and the United States of America, on  
the understanding that, if one of those States did not  
participate in the Conference, it would be replaced by another  
State from the same regional group. It was the understanding of  
the consultations that Ecuador would not be participating in the  
Conference and that another State from the Latin American and  
Caribbean Group would replace it on the Credentials Committee. 
 
H. Report of the Conference 
 
17.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, it was recommended that the  
Conference take note of the recommendations regarding the report  
of the Conference contained in paragraph 18 of document  
A/CONF.167/3. 
 
18.It was also recommended that the Conference take note of the  
recommendation contained in paragraph 19 of document A/CONF.167/3  
regarding the designation of two persons from each regional group  
to serve as friends of the Rapporteur-General and two persons  
from each regional group to serve as friends of the rapporteur of  
the Main Committee, to assist those officials in preparing the  
draft report of the Conference. 
 
I. Concluding events (high-level segment of the Conference) 
 
19.At the 1st meeting, on 24 April, the Chairman informed the  
meeting that there was agreement on the following: 
 
(a)The high-level segment would be open to participation at the  
head of State or Government or ministerial level, and would last  
from the morning of Thursday, 5 May, through the morning of  
Friday, 6 May. Thursday would be devoted to a debate on the theme  
"Forging partnerships for sustainable development". Each speaker  
would be asked to observe a time-limit of seven minutes; 
 
(b)The host country would organize a round table for participants  
in the high-level segment on the morning of Friday, 6 May. The  
President of the Conference would report to the Conference on the  
results of the high-level segment in the form of a presidential  
summary prepared under his own authority. 
 
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