General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

5 December 1996

ORIGINAL:
SPANISH

General Assembly
Fifty-first session
Agenda item 96


        SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION

                  Report of the Second Committee (Part IX) *

(*  The report of the Committee on this agenda item will be issued in
several parts, under the symbol A/51/604 and addenda.)


          Rapporteur:  Ms. Silvia Cristina CORADO-CUEVAS (Guatemala)


                               I.  INTRODUCTION

1.   The Second Committee held a substantive debate on agenda item 96
(see A/51/604, para. 2).  Action on questions not related to specific
sub-items was taken at the 34th and 37th meetings, on 12 November and
2 December 1996.  An account of the Committee's consideration of the
item is contained in the relevant summary records (A/C.2/51/SR.34 and
37).


        II.  CONSIDERATION OF DRAFT RESOLUTIONS A/C.2/51/L.23 AND L.45

2.   At the 34th meeting, on 12 November, the representative of Costa
Rica, on behalf of the States Members that are members of the Group of
77 and China, introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/51/L.23) entitled
"Communication for development programmes in the United Nations
system", which read:

         "The General Assembly,

         "Noting the report of the Secretary-General on communication
     for development programmes in the United Nations system, 1/ as
     well as the report prepared by the United Nations Educational,
     Scientific and Cultural Organization on the sixth Inter-Agency
     Round Table on Communication for Development, held in Harare from
     2 to 5 September 1996,

         "Recalling its resolution 50/130 of 20 December 1995 on
     communication for development programmes in the United Nations
     system,

         "1.   Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the
     Secretary-General;1

         "2.   Considers that informal round tables, such as the sixth
     Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development
     organized in Harare by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
     and Cultural Organization, constitute an effective mechanism of
     inter-agency cooperation and coordination for promoting and
     advancing communication for development due to, inter alia, their
     grass-roots participation, their openness to partners outside the
     United Nations system and the outreach of their outcomes;

         "3.   Recognizes the importance of strengthening the
     intergovernmental process within the United Nations system in the
     field of communication and development;

         "4.   Takes note of the recommendations contained in the report
     of the sixth Round Table, and invites all actors in development at
     the country level, including the agencies, organizations, funds
     and programmes of the United Nations system, to take the
     observations contained in the report into consideration when
     planning and implementing projects and programmes, with the
     cooperation of the resident coordinator;

         "5.   Stresses the need to support participatory communication
     for development as an important process for increasing people's
     participation, encouraging dialogue and the ownership of
     development efforts by their beneficiaries, and contributing to
     the empowerment of people for development;

         "6.   Recognizes the relevance for policy makers and decision
     makers at all levels to give increased priority to communication
     for development, and hence to include it as an integral component
     in every development project or programme;

         "7.   Recommends that the next informal round table be held in
     the Latin American and Caribbean region to build upon the meetings
     held in Asia and Africa so as to be close to the reality and needs
     of the developing countries, without losing sight of global
     perspectives, and invites Member States to cooperate with the
     relevant agencies, organizations, funds and programmes of the
     United Nations system in the regular convening of informal round
     tables on communication for development, with the full
     participation of the international financial institutions at the
     country level;

         "8.   Reaffirms the paramount importance of financial
     cooperation and the transfer of technology in the context of
     communication for development programmes and projects, and calls
     upon the international community and the organizations of the
     United Nations system to assist Governments in introducing
     technologies and innovative methods for enhancing communication
     for development;

         "9.   Stresses that resources mobilization remains an important
     objective for capacity-building in the area of communication for
     development;

         "10. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the
     Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
     Cultural Organization, the agency with the principal mandate in
     the field of communication in the United Nations system, to report
     to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session on the
     implementation of the present resolution, in accordance with the
     periodicity that was agreed upon in Assembly resolution 50/130."

3.   At the 37th meeting, on 2 December, the Vice-Chairman of the
Committee, Mr. Mohammad Reza Hadji Karim Djabbary (Islamic Republic of
Iran), introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/51/L.45), submitted on the
basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution
A/C.2/51/L.23.

4.   At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution
A/C.2/51/L.45 (see para. 6).

5.   In the light of the adoption of draft resolution A/C.2/51/L.45,
draft resolution A/C.2/51/L.23 was withdrawn by its sponsors.


                 III.  RECOMMENDATION OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE

6.   The Second Committee recommends to the General Assembly the
adoption of the following draft resolution:


                Communication for development programmes in the
                             United Nations system

     The General Assembly,

     Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on
communication for development programmes in the United Nations
system, 2/ as well as the report prepared by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the sixth Inter-
Agency Round Table on Communication for Development, held at Harare
from 2 to 5 September 1996, and the report of the Joint Inspection
Unit entitled "Communication for development programmes in the United
Nations system" 3/ and the comments of the Administrative Committee
on Coordination thereon, 4/

     1.  Recalls its resolution 50/130 of 20 December 1995 on
communication for development programmes in the United Nations system;

     2.  Considers that informal round tables, such as the sixth
Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development, organized
at Harare by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, can constitute a notable mechanism of inter-agency
cooperation and coordination for promoting and advancing communication
for development, owing, inter alia, to their openness to partners
outside the United Nations system and the outreach of their outcomes;

     3.  Recognizes the importance of addressing the issue of
communication for development within the intergovernmental processes
of the United Nations system, according to the respective mandates of
the agencies concerned;

     4.  Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on
communication for development programmes in the United Nations system,2
and invites the agencies, organizations, funds and programmes of the
United Nations system to take the recommendations contained in the
report into consideration when planning and implementing relevant
projects and programmes, with the cooperation of the resident
coordinator;

     5.  Recognizes the relevance for concerned actors in development
at the country level, including policy makers and decision makers at
all levels, to attribute increased importance to communication for
development, and encourages them to include it, in an appropriate
manner, as an integral component in the development of projects and
programmes;

     6.  Stresses the need to support two-way communication systems
that enable dialogue and that allow communities to speak out, express
their aspirations and concerns and participate in the decisions that
relate to their development;

     7.  Acknowledges the interest in holding the next informal round
table in the Latin American and Caribbean region, to build upon the
meetings held in Asia and Africa, and invites interested States to
cooperate with the relevant agencies, organizations, funds and
programmes of the United Nations system in the convening of these
informal round tables on communication for development, with the
participation of the international financial institutions and the
regional banks, at the country level;

     8.  Reaffirms the importance of resource mobilization, including
financial cooperation, the transfer of technology and capacity-
building for communication in development programmes and projects, and
calls upon the international community and organizations of the United
Nations system to assist developing countries in introducing
technologies and innovative methods for enhancing communication for
development;

     9.  Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the
Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, in accordance with the agency's mandate, to
inform the General Assembly officially, at its fifty-third session,
under an appropriate agenda item, on the implementation of the present
resolution, in accordance with the periodicity that was agreed upon in
Assembly resolution 50/130.


                                     -----


                                     Notes

1/   A/51/314.

2/   A/51/314.

3/   A/50/126-E/1995/20, annex.

4/   A/50/126/Add.1-E/1995/20/Add.1, annex.