Sixth Committee (Legal) — 71st session
Observer status for the Pacific Islands Development Forum in the General Assembly (Agenda item 172)
- Item proposed by Fiji (A/71/231)
Summary of work
Background (source: A/71/251)
In a letter dated 31 August 2016 (A/71/231), the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations requested the inclusion of this item in the agenda of the seventy-first session.
Consideration at the seventy-first session
The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 12th and 31st meetings, on 11 October and 4 November 2016 (see A/C.6/71/SR.12 and 31). For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the above-mentioned letter dated 31 August 2016 from the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/71/231).
Statements were made by the representatives of Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Turkey.
Delegations expressed their support for the granting of observer status to the Forum.
Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At the 12th meeting, on 11 October, the representative of Fiji, on behalf of Belgium, Cuba, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Observer status for the Pacific Islands Development Forum in the General Assembly” (A/C.6/71/L.8). Subsequently, Germany, Qatar and Tajikistan joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.
At its 31st meeting, on 4 November, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.6/71/L.8 without a vote.
Under this draft resolution, the General Assembly would decide to invite the Pacific Islands Development Forum to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly in the capacity of observer; and would request the Secretary-General to take the action necessary to implement the resolution.
Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
