Sixth Committee (Legal) — 68th session
Observer Status for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in the General Assembly (Agenda item 168)
- Authority: Decision 67/526
Documentation
- A/66/198 — Letter dated 10 August 2011 from the Permanent Representatives of Cambodia, Japan, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
Summary of work
Background (source: A/68/100)
By a letter dated 10 August 2011 (A/66/198), the Permanent Representatives of Cambodia, Japan, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam to the United Nations requested the inclusion of this item in the agenda of the sixty-sixth session.
At its sixty-sixth session, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee, decided to defer a decision on the request for observer status for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in the Assembly to its sixty-seventh session (decision 66/530).
At its sixty-seventh session, the General Assembly similarly decided to defer a decision on the request for observer status for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in the Assembly to its sixty-eighth session (decision 67/526).
Consideration at the sixty-eighth session
The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 11th and 29th meetings, on 16 October and on 15 November 2013 (see A/C.6/68/SR.11 and 29).
Statements were made by the representatives of the Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Argentina, Azerbaijan, the Republic of Korea, Cuba, the Russian Federation and China.
At the 11th meeting, on 16 October, the representative of Cambodia, on behalf of Cambodia, Japan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, introduced the draft resolution entitled “Observer status for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in the General Assembly” (A/C.6/68/L.3). Under this draft resolution, the General Assembly would decide to invite the International Conference of Asian Political Parties to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly in the capacity of observer; and request the Secretary-General to take the necessary action to implement the resolution.
Some delegations expressed their support for the granting of observer status to the International Conference of Asian Political Parties in the General Assembly. They referred to the conclusion of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between ICAPP and various Governments as support for ICAPP’s intergovernmental nature.
Some other delegations reiterated their reservations about the ability of ICAPP to meet the criteria for the granting of observer status in the General Assembly established in Assembly decision 49/426 of 9 December 1994. The point was made that non-governmental organizations should apply for consultative status in ECOSOC. It was noted that the consideration of this item had been deferred for three years, and that nothing had changed during that period. Therefore, this item should be removed from the agenda of the Committee.
The sponsoring delegations proposed further consultations on this issue with interested delegations. Support was expressed for this proposal.
Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At the 29th meeting, on 15 November, the Chair of the Committee announced that the sponsors of the draft resolution A/C.6/68/L.3 had decided not to pursue the request for observer status in the General Assembly for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties at the current session, while reserving the right to present it at a future session.
At the same meeting, the Committee concluded its consideration of agenda item 168 without taking action.
Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
- Report of the Sixth Committee: A/68/476
- GA decision: 68/529 [for the text of the decision, see the Sixth Committee's report to the General Assembly]
