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Allocation of items

1. The agenda items to be allocated by the General Assembly to the Third Committee will be listed in the letter from the President of the Assembly to the Chairman of the Third Committee (A/C.3/52/1). Background information on those items may be found in the annotations to the agenda (A/52/100 and Add.1).

Programme of work

2. The draft of the proposed programme of work (see annex) has been prepared bearing in mind paragraph (b) of rule 99 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, the organizational arrangements agreed upon by the Assembly at the outset of its fifty-second session (A/52/250), relevant resolutions and decisions adopted by the Assembly on the rationalization of its work and that of the Third Committee, the schedule of related intergovernmental meetings and the availability of documentation, as well as past experience in the utilization of conference services.

List of documents

3. Attention is drawn to the status of preparation of documentation submitted under the various agenda items allocated to the Third Committee (A/C.3/52/L.1/Add.1). Because of the critical need for the timely issuance of documentation, that report will be revised to update the information contained therein.

Length of statements

4. In accordance with established practice, the Committee has decided to limit statements on all agenda items. The time limit for statements in the general discussion of the various agenda items is 7 minutes for delegations and 15 minutes for representatives of groups of delegations. Secretariat officials will also be limited to seven-minute statements, except when they deliver oral reports. In accordance with the decision of the General Assembly, delegations should exercise their right of reply at the end of the day whenever two meetings have been scheduled for that day and whenever such meetings are devoted to consideration of the same item. The first statement in exercise of the right of reply may be 5 minutes, and the second statement should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Conference facilities and meeting arrangements

5. Unless otherwise specified, meetings will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. In this connection, the General Assembly has reminded delegations that punctuality is of the utmost importance in the interest of ensuring an effective and orderly organization of work and achieving economies for the United Nations. As decided by the Assembly, the requirement of the presence of at least one quarter of the members of the Committee to declare a meeting open and permit the debate to proceed has been waived.

Control and limitation of documentation

6. The Committee's attention is drawn to General Assembly resolution 50/206 C of 23 December 1995 on the control and limitation of documentation. The Secretariat wishes to emphasize, in particular, paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 therein, in which the Assembly requested, inter alia, restraint on the part of members of all intergovernmental bodies in making proposals containing requests for new reports.

Report of the Economic and Social Council

7. The Committee is reminded that, in accordance with decisions of the General Assembly, chapters of the report of the Economic and Social Council (A/52/3) are to be considered in conjunction with documentation under other agenda items, as well as under item 12.

Conclusion of the work of the Committee

8. Bearing in mind the allocation of the number of meetings available to the Third Committee and previous decisions of the General Assembly, it is proposed that the Committee set a target date of 28 November for the conclusion of its work.

Programme	Documentation
Tuesday, 16 September
Consecutive meetings of the Main Committees to elect the Chairpersons (Plenary of the General Assembly)
Friday, 19 September
Election of the Bureau and organization of work
Week of 13-17 October
Monday, 13 October
3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 104 - Social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family	Relevant section of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Secretary-General on the International Year of the Family (A/52/57-E/1997/4) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond (A/52/60-E/1997/6) Report of the Secretary-General and of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: progress report on the implementation process of the education for all objectives (A/52/183-E/1997/74) Report of the Secretary-General on the review and appraisal of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons Report of the Secretary-General on the progress of efforts to ensure the equalization of opportunities and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the various bodies of the United Nations system Report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the International Year of Older Persons Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and of the Long-term Strategy to Implement the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and Beyond
	Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the final report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission for Social Development on monitoring the implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (A/52/56)
6 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on item 104
Tuesday, 14 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Item 104 - General discussion (continued)
Wednesday, 15 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Item 104 - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on item 104
Thursday, 16 October
No meetings*
Friday, 17 October
No meetings*
Week of 20-24 October
Monday, 20 October
3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 107 - Advancement of womena	Relevant section of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (A/52/38, parts I and II) Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
________________________ * The Committee would suspend its work on the understanding that item 46 (Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development) would be discussed in plenary.
	Report of the Secretary-General on the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of women in rural areas Report of the Secretary-General on violence against women migrant workers Report of the Secretary-General on traffic in women and girls Report of the Secretary-General on the status of women in the Secretariat Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report on the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (A/52/300)
Item 108 - Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Womena	Report of the Secretary-General on implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (A/52/281)
6 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on items 107 and 108
Tuesday, 21 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 107 and 108 - General discussion (continued)
Wednesday, 22 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 107 and 108 - General discussion (continued)
Thursday, 23 October
10 a.m.:
Items 107 and 108 - General discussion (concluded)
1 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on items 107 and 108
Thursday, 23 October (continued)
3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 105 - Crime prevention and criminal justiceb	Relevant section of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, particularly its technical cooperation capacity (A/52/295) Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders
Item 106 - International drug controlb	Relevant section of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Global Programme of Action (A/52/296)
6 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on items 105 and 106
Friday, 24 October
10 a.m.
Items 105 and 106 - General discussion (continued)
Week of 27-31 October
Monday, 27 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 105 and 106 - General discussion (continued)
Tuesday, 28 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 105 and 106 - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on items 105 and 106
Wednesday, 29 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 110 - Promotion and protection of the rights of children	Report of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (A/52/41) Report of the Secretary-General on the rights of the child Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Representative on the situation of children affected by armed conflict Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
1 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on item 110
Thursday, 30 October
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Item 110 - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on item 110
Friday, 31 October
No meetings
Week of 3-7 November
Monday, 3 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 109 - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions	Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (A/52/12) Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors (A/52/273) Report of the Secretary-General on follow up to the Regional Conference to Address the Problems of Refugees, Displaced Persons, Other Forms of Involuntary Displacement and Returnees in the Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Relevant Neighbouring States (A/52/274) Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Africa
1 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on item 109
Tuesday, 4 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Item 109 - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on item 109
Wednesday, 5 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 112 - Elimination of racism and racial discriminationc	Relevant section of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (A/52/18)
	Report of the Secretary-General on the financial situation of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
	Report of the Secretary-General on the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination
	Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur on measures to combat contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
Item 113 - Right of peoples to self-determinationc	Report of the Secretary-General on the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination
	Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the use of mercenaries to undermine the right of peoples to self-determination
1 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on items 112 and 113
Thursday, 6 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Item 112 and 113 - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m. Deadline for submission of draft proposals on items 112 and 113
Friday, 7 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 114 (a) - Human rights questions: Implementation of human rights instrumentsd	Relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3) Report of the Human Rights Committee (A/52/40) Report of the Committee against Torture Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families Report of the Secretary-General on effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations under international instruments on human rights Report of the Secretary-General on the question of ensuring financing and adequate staff and information resources for the operation of the human rights treaty bodies Report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the realization of the rights set forth in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the eighth meeting of persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies
1 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on item 114 (a)
Week of 10-14 November
Monday, 10 November
3 p.m.:
Item 114 (a) - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on item 114 (a)
Tuesday, 11 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 111 - Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People	Report of the Administrative Committee on Coordination on the activities of the United Nations system in relation to the Decade
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on item 111
Wednesday, 12 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Introductory statements and general discussion of:
Item 114 (b) - Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedomsd	Report of the Secretary-General on the culture of peace (A/52/292) Report of the Secretary-General on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and mass exoduses Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the role of the United Nations in enhancing the effectiveness of the principle of periodic and genuine elections and the promotion of democratization Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and terrorism Report of the Secretary-General on effective promotion of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of the rule of law Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Cambodia Report of the Secretary-General on the right to development Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and unilateral coercive measures Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education and public information activities in the field of human rights Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of United Nations and other personnel carrying out activities in fulfilment of the mandate of a United Nations operation who are imprisoned, missing or held in a country against their will
	Report of the Secretary-General on the programmatic, institutional, administrative, financial and managerial efforts instituted to enhance the capacity of the United Nations to avert new flows of refugees and to tackle the root causes of such outflows Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance
Item 114 (c) - Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representativesd	Report of the Secretary-General on a programme of technical cooperation prepared by the Centre for Human Rights aimed at strengthening institutional capacity in Haiti Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Kosovo Report of the Secretary-General on rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in southern Lebanon and West Bekaa Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Representative on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human Rights in Nigeria Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Representative on human rights in Haiti Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cuba Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the activities of the Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Rwanda
	Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the periodic reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Secretary-General to Myanmar Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on human rights in Rwanda Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi
Item 114 (d) - Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Actiond	Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights
Item 114 (e) - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rightsd	Report of the High Commissioner (A/52/36)
1 p.m.: Closure of list of speakers on items 114 (b) to (e)
Thursday, 13 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 114 (b) to (e) - General discussion (continued)
Friday, 14 November
10 a.m.:
Items 114 (b) to (e) - General discussion (continued)
Week of 17-21 November
Monday, 17 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 114 (b) to (e) - General discussion (continued)
Tuesday, 18 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 114 (b) to (e) - General discussion (continued)
Wednesday, 19 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Items 114 (b) to (e) - General discussion (concluded)
6 p.m.: Deadline for submission of draft proposals on items 114 (b), (c), (d) and (e)
Thursday, 20 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Action on outstanding draft proposals
Friday, 21 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Action on outstanding draft proposals
Week of 24-28 November
Monday, 24 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Action on outstanding draft proposals
Tuesday, 25 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Action on outstanding draft proposals
Wednesday, 26 November
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.:
Item 12 - Report of the Economic and Social Council	Report of the Economic and Social Council for 1997 (A/52/3)
Action on outstanding draft proposals
Thursday, 27 November
Thanksgiving Holiday
Friday, 28 November (if necessary)
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.: Action on all outstanding draft proposals
CONCLUSION OF THE WORK OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE

a It is proposed to discuss items 107 and 108 jointly. Delegations may make two separate statements, i.e., one on each item, if they so wish.

b It is proposed to discuss items 105 and 106 jointly. Delegations may make two separate statements, i.e., one on each item, if they so wish.

c See General Assembly decision 50/465. Items 112 and 113 are to be discussed jointly. Delegations may make two separate statements, i.e., one on each item, if they so wish.

d See General Assembly decision 50/465. Sub-item (a) is to be discussed separately; sub-items (b), (c), (d) and (e) are to be discussed jointly. Delegations may make one statement under sub-item (a) and two statements under sub-items (b), (c), (d) and (e), but should not make two statements on any one sub-item.