General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

21 October 1995

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

Fiftieth session


REPORT OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS


1.  At  its 32nd meeting, on 21  October 1995, the Preparatory Committee for
the  Fiftieth   Anniversary  of  the   United  Nations   adopted  the  draft
declaration contained in document  A/AC.240/1995/CRP.11/Rev.1 and decided to
forward  it to  the General  Assembly  with the  recommendation that  it  be
adopted by  the General Assembly at its Special Commemorative Meeting as the
"Declaration  on the  Occasion of  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary of  the United
Nations".


RECOMMENDATION OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE

2.   The Preparatory Committee  for the  Fiftieth Anniversary of  the United
Nations  recommends to the  General Assembly  the adoption  of the following
draft resolution:


Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary
of the United Nations

  The General Assembly

  Adopts the following Declaration:


DECLARATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE UNITED NATIONS

  Fifty years ago the  United Nations was born out of the sufferings  caused
by the  Second World War.   The determination,  enshrined in  the Charter of
the United  Nations, "to  save succeeding  generations from  the scourge  of
war"  is as vital today  as it was  fifty years  ago.  In this,  as in other
respects, the Charter gives expression to  the common values and aspirations
of humankind.



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*9531929*

   The United Nations has been tested  by conflict, humanitarian crisis  and
turbulent  change, yet  it has  survived  and  played an  important role  in
preventing another  global conflict  and has  achieved much  for people  all
over the world. The  United Nations has  helped to shape the very  structure
of relations  between nations  in the modern  age.  Through  the process  of
decolonization and  the elimination  of apartheid,  hundreds of millions  of
human  beings have  been and  are  assured the  exercise of  the fundamental
right of self-determination.

  At  this time, following  the end of the  cold war, and as  the end of the
century   approaches,  we   must  create   new  opportunities   for   peace,
development, democracy and cooperation.   The speed and  extent of change in
today's  world point to a future  of great complexity and challenge and to a
sharp increase in the level of expectations of the United Nations.

  Our resolve on this  historic occasion is clear.  The commemoration of the
fiftieth anniversary of  the United Nations must be seized as an opportunity
to redirect it to greater service to humankind,  especially to those who are
suffering  and  are deeply  deprived.    This  is  the  practical and  moral
challenge of  our time.  Our obligation to this end is found in the Charter.
The need for it is manifest in the condition of humankind.

  On  the occasion of  the fiftieth  anniversary of the  United Nations, we,
the Member  States and  observers of  the United  Nations, representing  the
peoples of the world:

  -Solemnly  reaffirm the  Purposes and  Principles  of  the Charter  of the
United Nations and our commitments to them;

  -Express our  gratitude to  all men  and women  who have  made the  United
Nations possible,  done its work and  served its  ideals, particularly those
who have given their lives during service to the United Nations;

  -Are determined  that the  United  Nations of  the future  will work  with
renewed vigour and  effectiveness in promoting peace, development,  equality
and justice and understanding among the peoples of the world;

  -Will  give  to  the  twenty-first  century  a  United  Nations  equipped,
financed and structured  to serve effectively  the peoples in whose  name it
was established.

In  fulfilment of  these  commitments  we  will  be  guided  in  our  future
cooperation by the following,  with respect to peace, development, equality,
justice and the United Nations Organization:

PEACE

1.  To meet  these challenges, and while  recognizing that action  to secure
global  peace, security and stability will be futile unless the economic and
social needs of people are addressed, we will:

  -Promote methods  and means  for the  peaceful settlement  of disputes  in
accordance  with  the  Charter  of  the   United  Nations  and  enhance  the
capabilities  of  the United  Nations  in  conflict  prevention,  preventive
diplomacy, peace-keeping and peace-building;

  -Strongly support  United Nations, regional  and national  efforts on arms
control, limitation  and disarmament  and the  non-proliferation of  nuclear
weapons, in  all aspects, and other  weapons of  mass destruction, including
biological and  chemical weapons and other forms of particularly excessively
injurious or indiscriminate weapons, in pursuit  of our common commitment to
a world free of all these weapons;

  -Continue  to  reaffirm the  right of  self-determination of  all peoples,
taking into  account the particular situation  of peoples  under colonial or
other  forms of alien  domination or  foreign occupation,  and recognize the

right of peoples to  take legitimate action, in  accordance with the Charter
of  the  United  Nations,  to  realize  their  inalienable  right  of  self-
determination.   This shall not be  construed as  authorizing or encouraging
any  action  that  would dismember  or  impair,  totally  or  in  part,  the
territorial  integrity  or political  unity  of  sovereign  and  independent
States  conducting  themselves  in compliance  with the  principle  of equal
rights and self-determination of peoples and  thus possessed of a Government
representing  the   whole  people   belonging  to   the  territory   without
distinction of any kind;

  -Act  together  to  defeat  the threats  to  States  and people  posed  by
terrorism, in all its forms  and manifestations, and transnational organized
crime and  the illicit  trade in  arms and  the production,  consumption and
trafficking of illicit drugs;

  -Strengthen consultation and cooperation between regional arrangements  or
agencies and  the United Nations in  the maintenance  of international peace
and security.

DEVELOPMENT

2.    A  dynamic,  vigorous,  free  and   equitable  international  economic
environment   is  essential   to  the   well-being  of   humankind  and   to
international  peace,  security  and  stability.   This  objective  must  be
addressed, in  greater measure and more  effectively, by  the United Nations
system.

3.  The  United Nations has  played an important  role in  the promotion  of
economic and  social development  and has,  over the  years, provided  life-
saving assistance to  women, children and  men around  the world.   But  the
pledge recorded in the  Charter that all Members of the United Nations shall
take joint and separate action in cooperation with the Organization for  the
achievement of  higher standards  of living, full employment  and conditions
of economic  and social  progress and  development has  not been  adequately
implemented.

4.   It  must  be recognized  that  notwithstanding past  efforts,  the  gap
between the  developed and developing  countries remains unacceptably  wide.
The  specific  problems  of  countries  with  economies  in  transition with
respect to  their  twofold transition  to  democracy  and a  market  economy
should  also be  recognized.   In addition,  accelerating globalization  and
interdependence in  the world economy call  for policy  measures designed to
ensure the  maximization of the  benefits from and  the minimization of  the
negative effects of these trends for all countries.

5.  Of greatest concern is that one  fifth of the world's 5.7 billion people
live  in  extreme   poverty.    Extraordinary  measures  by  all  countries,
including  strengthened  international  cooperation, are  needed  to address
this and related problems.

6.   In response to  these facts and  circumstances, the  United Nations has
convened  a number of  specifically focused  global conferences  in the last
five  years.  From these  conferences, a consensus has  emerged, inter alia,
that  economic development, social development  and environmental protection
are  interdependent  and  mutually  reinforcing  components  of  sustainable
development, which  is the  framework  of our  efforts to  achieve a  higher
quality of  life for  all people.   At  the core  of this  consensus is  the
recognition that the human person is the central  subject of development and
that people must be at  the centre of our actions  towards and concerns  for
sustainable development.

7.   In this context,  we reaffirm  that democracy, development  and respect
for  human  rights   and  fundamental  freedoms,  including  the  right   to
development, are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

8.   In  order to  foster  sustained  economic growth,  social  development,

environmental  protection   and  social   justice  in   fulfilment  of   the
commitmentswe have madeon internationalcooperation fordevelopment, we will:

  -Promote  an  open   and  equitable,  rule-based,  predictable  and   non-
discriminatory multilateral trading  system and a framework for  investment,
transfers of  technology and knowledge, as  well as  enhanced cooperation in
the areas  of  development, finance  and  debt  as critical  conditions  for
development;

  -Give  particular  attention  to  national  and  international  action  to
enhance the  benefits of the process  of globalization for all countries and
to avoid the marginalization  from and promote the  integration of the least
developed countries and countries in Africa into the world economy;

  -Improve the  effectiveness and  efficiency of  the United Nations  system
for  development  and  strengthen  its  role   in  all  relevant  fields  of
international economic cooperation;

  -Invigorate  the dialogue  and partnership between all  countries in order
to secure the existence of a  favourable political and economic  environment
for the promotion of international cooperation  for development based on the
imperatives  of mutual  benefit and  interest and  genuine  interdependence,
while recognizing  that each country is  ultimately responsible  for its own
development but  reaffirming that the  international community must create a
supportive international environment for such development;

   -Promote social  development through decisive  national and international
action aimed at  the eradication of poverty as an ethical, social, political
and economic  imperative of humankind and  the promotion  of full employment
and social integration;

  -Recognize that  the empowerment and the  full and  equal participation of
women is central to all efforts to achieve development;

  -Reduce   and  eliminate   unsustainable   patterns  of   production   and
consumption and  promote appropriate demographic policies  in order to  meet
the needs of current generations without  compromising the ability of future
generations  to  meet  their  own  needs,  recognizing  that   environmental
sustainability constitutes an integral part of the development process;

  -Intensify   cooperation   on   natural  disaster   reduction   and  major
technological  and   man-made  disasters,   disaster  relief,  post-disaster
rehabilitation  and  humanitarian   assistance  in  order  to  enhance   the
capabilities of affected countries to cope with such situations.

EQUALITY

9.   We reiterate the affirmation by the Charter of the dignity and worth of
the human  person and the equal  rights of men and  women and reaffirm  that
all human rightsare universal, indivisible, interdependent andinterrelated.

10.   While the  significance of  national and  regional particularities and
various historical,  cultural and  religious backgrounds  must  be borne  in
mind, it is the duty of all States,  regardless of their political, economic
and  cultural  systems,  to  promote  and   protect  all  human  rights  and
fundamental freedoms, the universal  nature of which is beyond question.  It
is  also important for  all States  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 fundamental 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 cultural life  as equal partners and  the full realization of all
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all women;

  -  Promote and protect the rights of the child;

  -Ensure that the  rights of persons who  can be particularly vulnerable to
abuse  or neglect, including  youth, persons  with disabilities, the elderly
and migrant workers are protected;

  -  Promote and protect the rights of indigenous people;
    -Ensure the  protection  of the  rights  of  refugees and  of  displaced
persons;

  -Ensure  that the  rights of  persons  belonging  to national,  ethnic and
other minorities  are protected, and  that such persons  are able to  pursue
economic and  social development and live  in circumstances  of full respect
for their identity,  traditions, forms of  social organization  and cultural
and religious values.

JUSTICE

12.  The Charter of the United  Nations has provided a durable framework for
the  promotion  and  development  of  international  law.    The   continued
promotion and development of international law  must be pursued with  a view
to ensuring  that relations between  States are based  on the  principles of
justice,   sovereign   equality,  universally   recognized   principles   of
international law and respect for the  rule of law.  Such action should take
account of  developments under way in  such areas  as technology, transport,
information  and   resource-related  fields   and  international   financial
markets, as  well as  the  growing complexity  of  the  work of  the  United
Nations in the humanitarian and refugee assistance fields.

13.  We are determined to:

  -Build and  maintain  justice among  all  States  in accordance  with  the
principles of the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States;

  -Promote full respect for and implementation of international law;

  -  Settle international disputes by peaceful means;

  -Encourage the widest possible ratification of international treaties  and
to ensure compliance with the obligations arising from them;

  -Promote respect for and the implementation of international  humanitarian
law;

  -Promote the progressive development of international  law in the field of
development,  including  that   which  would  foster  economic  and   social
progress;

  -Promote respect for and implementation of  international law in the field
of human  rights and fundamental freedoms  and to  encourage ratification of
or accession to international human rights instruments;

  -Promote  the   further  codification  and   progressive  development   of
international law.

 UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION

14.  In order  to be able to  respond effectively to the  challenges of  the
future and  the expectations of  the United  Nations held by  peoples around
the world, it is  essential that the United  Nations itself be  reformed and
modernized.  The work  of the General  Assembly, the universal organ of  the
States Members of the  United Nations, should be revitalized.  The  Security
Council should,  inter alia, be expanded and its working methods continue to

be  reviewed  in  a  way  that  will  further strengthen  its  capacity  and
effectiveness, enhance its representative character and improve its  working
efficiency  and  transparency;  as  important  differences  on  key   issues
continue  to exist,  further  in-depth  consideration  of  these  issues  is
required.     The  role  of  the  Economic  and  Social  Council  should  be
strengthened to enable it to carry out effectively,  in the modern age,  the
tasks it has been  assigned with respect to  the well-being and standards of
life of  all people.   These and  other changes, within  the United  Nations
system, should be  made if we are to ensure  that the United Nations of  the
future serves well the people in whose name it was established.

15.   In order to carry  out its work  effectively, the  United Nations must
have adequate  resources.   Member States  must meet,  in full and  on time,
their obligation  to bear the expenses  of the  Organization, as apportioned
by the General  Assembly.  That apportionment  should be established on  the
basis of criteria agreed to and considered to be fair by Member States.

16.     The  secretariats  of  the   United  Nations   system  must  improve
significantly  their  efficiency  and  effectiveness  in  administering  and
managing the resources  allocated to them.   For their  part, Member  States
will pursue and take responsibility for reforming that system.

17.  We recognize that our  common work will be the more successful if it is
supported by  all concerned actors of the international community, including
non-governmental   organizations,   multilateral   financial   institutions,
regional organizations  and all actors  of civil society.   We will  welcome
and facilitate such support, as appropriate.


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