General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

19 November 1981

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                A/RES/36/40
                                                19 November 1981
                                                64th plenary meeting
 
World Communications Year: Development of Communications Infrastructures
 
  The General Assembly,
 
  Recalling its resolution 32/160 of 19 December 1977 on the Transport and
Communications Decade in Africa, in which it requested the Secretary-General,
in consultation with the International Telecommunication Union and other
specialized agencies concerned, to propose for consideration, as appropriate,
one year during the Decade as a World Communications Year, in view of the
importance of transport and communications to other regions of the world,
 
  Recalling also its resolution 35/109 of 5 December 1980 on the World
Communications Year, by which it endorsed the arrangements made by the
Economic and Social Council concerning the Year,
 
  Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1981/60 of 23 July
1981, in which the Council proposed that the year 1983 should be proclaimed
World Communications Year: Development of Communications Infrastructures,
 
  Taking into account the guidelines for future international years adopted in
its decision 35/424 of 5 December 1980,
 
  Having examined the note by the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union concerning the mobilization of voluntary resources for
the World Communications Year,
 
  Recognizing the fundamental importance of communications infrastructures as
an essential element in the economic and social development of all countries,
 
  Convinced that the World Communications Year will provide the opportunity
for all countries to undertake an in-depth review and analysis of their
policies on communications development and stimulate the accelerated
development of communications infrastructures,
 
1. Endorses the proposal made by the Economic and Social Council in paragraph
1 of its resolution 1981/60 and proclaims the year 1983 World Communications
Year: Development of Communications Infrastructures, with the International
Telecommunication Union serving as the lead agency for the Year and having
responsibility for co-ordinating the interorganizational aspects of the
programmes and activities of other agencies;
 
2. Requests all States to participate actively in the attainment of the
objectives of the World Communications Year;
 
3. Invites the competent organizations and agencies of the United Nations
system to co-operate closely with the Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union, within their respective terms of reference, for the
implementation of the programme for the World Communications Year;
 
4. Invites non-governmental organizations and users of communications services
to participate actively in the World Communications Year and to secure the
fullest possible co-ordination of their programmes for the Year, particularly
at the national level;
 
5. Invites Governments and interested organizations to make voluntary
contributions to the World Communications Year through the Special Fund for
the World Communications Year co-ordinated by the International
Telecommunication Union, in order to ensure increased financing of projects at
the national, regional and global levels;
 
6. Appeals to governmental authorities and appropriate organizations to make
circuits available for reporting on the activities of the World Communications
Year through existing means of information, including radio and television
broadcasts, in collaboration with those authorities;
 
7. Requests the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union
to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session, through the
Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1982, on the
state of preparations for the World Communications Year.