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Fifty-third session
Special Political and Decolonization Committee
(Fourth Committee)
 
 

1. The agenda items allocated by the General Assembly to the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) for consideration and report are listed in document A/C.4/53/1. Background information on those items, including references to related documentation, is set out in the annotated preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the fifty-third session (A/53/100).¹
 

2. Rule 99, paragraph (b), of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly calls on each Main Committee to adopt a programme of work indicating, if possible, a target date for the conclusion of its work, the approximate dates of consideration of items and the number of meetings to be allocated to each item.
 

3. To that end, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) may wish to consider adopting as a provisional guideline the approximate dates set out below for the consideration of the items on its agenda with the understanding that it may be revised periodically, as appropriate, according to the availability of related documents. The Committee will also combine consideration of specific items on its agenda in order to ensure full utilization of the allocated conference services. As indicated below, Conference Services has allocated 29 meetings to this Committee and it urges the Committee to make every effort to complete its work within the allotted time. Should the Committee wish to change the dates for consideration of items, it would still have to work within the dates and times indicated below. There will be little possibility of servicing informal consultations, working groups or meetings of regional or other groups of Member States. It is essential that available conference services be utilized to the fullest extent.
 

Agenda item	Dates for consideration
Organization of work	17 September - a.m.
Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (item 18)	5 October - p.m.  7 October - a.m. 9 October - a.m. 12 October - a.m. 13 October - p.m.
Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations (item 87)
Economic and other activities which affect the interests of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories (item 88)
Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (item 89)
Report of the Economic and Social Council (chapter VIII (section D)) (item 12)
Offers by Member States of study and training facilities for inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories (item 90)
Effects of atomic radiation (item 81)	14 October - p.m. 15 October - p.m. 19 October - p.m.
International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (item 82)	22 October - a.m. 23 October - a.m. 26 October - p.m. 27 October - a.m. 28 October - p.m.
Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects (item 85)	29 October - a.m. 2 November - a.m. 3 November - p.m. 4 November - p.m.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (item 83)	9 November - a.m. 10 November - a.m. 11 November - p.m. 12 November - p.m.
Questions relating to information (item 86)	13 November - p.m. 16 November - p.m. 17 November - p.m.
Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (item 84)	18 November - a.m. 19 November - a.m./p.m. 20 November - p.m.

 
 

4. In the preparation of the above timetable, the Chairman was guided by the following considerations:
 

(a) In accordance with established procedures and bearing in mind the availability of documentation, the Committee may wish to hold one general debate covering agenda items 18, 87, 88, 89 and 12 and 90 and individual debates on agenda items 81 to 86, on the understanding that draft resolutions and/or proposals will be considered separately;
 

(b) In accordance with established procedure, the General Assembly is expected to take up in plenary meetings the question of the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (item 18) as a whole following the completion of its consideration of other decolonization items allocated to it and after the Committee has completed that aspect of its work for the session;
 

(c) Representatives of Non-Self-Governing Territories and petitioners will be heard as early as possible during the Committee's consideration of the related items;
 

(d) Bodies and individuals having an interest in the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (item 49) will be heard in the Committee in conjunction with the consideration of the item in plenary meetings.
 

5. Subject to the above provisional programme of work being acceptable to the Committee and in order to facilitate its work, the Chairman wishes to suggest that the list of speakers in the general debate covering its agenda items 18, 87, 88, 89 and 12 and 90 be closed on 5 October at 6 p.m. The Committee will take further decisions relating to the general debates on the remaining items at the appropriate time.
 

6. The Committee wishes also to draw attention to the decisions of the General Assembly on the organization of its work contained in document A/53/250, sections II.B to II.N.
 

7. Members are also requested to bear in mind a General Assembly decision that morning and afternoon meetings should start at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. promptly both for all plenary meetings and for meetings of the Main Committees during the fifty-third session. It was also decided that, as a cost-saving measure, every effort should be made to ensure that plenary meetings and meetings of the Main Committees adjourn by 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, and that no meetings be held on weekends (A/53/250, para.12). Members' attention is also drawn to an Assembly decision to waive at this session the quorum required, under rule 108 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, for the Chairman to declare a meeting open and permit the debate to proceed (see A/53/250, para. 13).
 

8. In view of the limited number of meetings available to the Committee, it is suggested that the time limit for statements be set at 10 minutes, with the exception of statements made by the spokesmen of groups of delegations, which would be set at 15 minutes.
 

9. In order to allow the distribution of prepared texts of statements made in the Committee to delegations, specialized agencies, observers, interpreters and record-writers, 300 copies are required. A minimum of 30 copies should be given in advance of delivery of the statement, in order to help the Secretariat to provide the best possible service.
 
 

Notes
 

¹ For the final list of items adopted by the General Assembly, see document A/53/251.