General Assembly

Distr. GENERAL  

25 October 1988

ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH

                                                       A/RES/43/12
                                                       36th plenary meeting
                                                       25 October 1988
 
                   Co-operation between the United Nations and the
                        Organization of African Unity
 
     The General Assembly,
 
     Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on co-operation
between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity,
 
     Recalling its previous resolutions on the enhancement of co-operation
between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity and the
practical measures taken for their implementation,
 
     Recalling also its resolutions S-13/2 of 1 June 1986, the annex to which
contains the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery
and Development 1986-1990, and 42/163 of 8 December 1987 on the Programme,
 
     Taking note of the relevant resolutions, decisions and declarations
adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at
its forty-eighth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 19 to 23 May 1988,
and by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of that organization at
its twenty-fourth ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 25 to 28 May
1988,
 
     Considering the important statement made by the current Chairman of the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity
before the General Assembly on 4 October 1988,
 
     Mindful of the need for continued and closer co-operation between the
United Nations and the specialized agencies and the Organization of African
Unity,
 
     Gravely concerned at the deteriorating situation in southern Africa
arising from the continued domination and oppression of the peoples of South
Africa and Namibia by the minority racist regime of South Africa and conscious
of the need to provide increased assistance to the peoples of the region and
to their liberation movements in their struggle against colonialism, racial
discrimination and the policies of apartheid,
 
     Conscious of its responsibilities to provide economic, material and
humanitarian assistance to independent States in southern Africa to help them
cope with the situation resulting from the acts of aggression and
destabilization committed by the apartheid regime of South Africa,
 
     Deeply concerned at the gravity of the situation of the refugees in
Africa and the urgent need for increased international assistance to help
African countries of asylum,
 
     Recognizing the important role that the United Nations information system
could play in disseminating information to bring about a greater awareness of
the grave situation prevailing in southern Africa as well as the social and
economic problems and the needs of African States and their regional and
subregional institutions,
 
     1.   Takes notes of the report of the Secretary-General on co-operation
between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity and of his
efforts to strengthen such co-operation;
 
     2.   Notes with appreciation the increasing and continued participation
of the Organization of African Unity in the work of the United Nations and the
specialized agencies and its constructive contribution to that work;
 
     3.   Commends the continued efforts of the Organization of African Unity
to promote multilateral co-operation among African States and to find
solutions to African problems of vital importance to the international
community;
 
     4.   Reaffirms that the implementation of the United Nations Programme of
Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990 is the
responsibility of the international community as a whole and commends the
efforts undertaken by African countries in spite of the effects of the adverse
international economic environment;
 
     5.   Calls upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to continue
to ensure closer co-operation and co-ordination with the Secretary-General of
the Organization of African Unity in the implementation and monitoring of the
United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and
Development 1986-1990, as well as in the search for solutions to Africa's debt
and debt-servicing burden, taking into account Africa's common position on its
external debt, adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the
Organization of African Unity at its third extraordinary session, held at
Addis Ababa from 30 November to 1 December 1987, and within the terms of the
Medium-term Review of the Programme of Action, to consult the Organization of
African Unity with a view to establishing a group of experts to undertake an
in-depth assessment of the question of commodities of interest to Africa and
the scope for export diversification;
 
     6.   Reaffirms that all Member States and regional and international
organizations, in particular those of the United Nations system, should
continue to give their maximum support to Africa's Priority Programme for
Economic Recovery 1986-1990;
 
     7.   Requests all Member States, United Nations bodies, the specialized
agencies and all other relevant organs of the United Nations, as well as
non-governmental organizations, to activate and increase their programme of
assistance to African subregional organizations for drought and
desertification control such as the Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought
Control in the Sahel and the Intergovernmental Authority for Drought and
Development;
 
     8.   Reiterates its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his
efforts, on behalf of the international community, to organize and mobilize
special programmes of economic assistance for those African States facing
grave economic difficulties, the front-line States and other independent
States of southern Africa to help them to withstand the effects of the acts of
aggression and destabilization committed by the apartheid regime of South
Africa;
 
     9.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to keep the Organization
of African Unity informed periodically of the response of the international
community to those special programmes of economic assistance and to continue
to co-ordinate efforts with all similar programmes initiated by that
organization;
 
     10.  Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Development
Programme, the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, the
World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund,
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research for the assistance so far rendered
to the African States in dealing with the emergency situation as well as with
the critical economic problems that exist on the African continent;
 
     11.  Reiterates the determination of the United Nations, in co-operation
with the Organization of African Unity, to intensify its efforts to eliminate
colonialism, racial discrimination and apartheid in southern Africa;
 
     12.  Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to
strengthen co-operation at the political, economic, cultural and
administrative levels between the United Nations and the Organization of
African Unity in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General
Assembly, particularly with regard to the provision of assistance to the
victims of colonialism and apartheid in southern Africa;
 
     13.  Urges the international community to contribute generously to the
Assistance Fund for the Struggle against Colonialism and Apartheid established
by the Organization of African Unity and to the Action for Resisting Invasion,
Colonialism and Apartheid Fund, established by the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries;
 
     14.  Calls upon the competent organs of the United Nations and the
specialized agencies to continue to ensure the just and equitable
representation of Africa at all levels at their respective headquarters and in
their regional and field operations;
 
     15.  Urges all Member States and regional and international
organizations, in particular those of the United Nations system, as well as
non-governmental organizations to provide material and economic assistance to
African countries of asylum to enable them to withstand the heavy burden
imposed on their limited resources and weak infrastructure by the presence in
their countries of large numbers of refugees;
 
     16.  Calls upon the United Nations organs - in particular the Security
Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Special Committee on the
Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting
of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Special Committee
against Apartheid and the United Nations Council for Namibia - to continue to
associate closely the Organization of African Unity with all their activities
concerning Africa;
 
     17.  Congratulates the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the
Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity for reactivating the
machinery for co-operation of the two organizations and encourages them to
further strengthen the said machinery;
 
     18.  Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations to invite the
representative of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity
to participate in the meetings of the United Nations Steering Committee and
its Inter-Agency Task Force and working groups on the implementation of the
United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and
Development 1986-1990;
 
     19.  Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate
facilities continue to be made available to facilitate continued liaison and
consultations on matters of common interest as well as the provision of
technical assistance to the General Secretariat of the Organization of African
Unity, as required;
 
     20.  Further requests the Secretary-General to report to the General
Assembly at its forty-fourth session on the implementation of the present
resolution and on the development of co-operation between the Organization of
African Unity and the organizations within the United Nations system.