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2 October 1998

Today is the last day of the general debate at the fifty-third session of the General Assembly. The speakers this morning are the President of Ecuador, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Comoros, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania, Chairman of the delegation of Trinidad and Tobago, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mali, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Equatorial Guinea, and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Madagascar and Eritrea.

During the closing meeting of the general debate this afternoon, the Assembly will hear statements by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, Haiti, Angola, and Georgia, as well as the Chairmen of the delegations of Uzbekistan and Sao Tome and Principe. At the conclusion of the general debate, the President of the fifty-third session will make a statement summarizing the debate. His statement will also be available as a press release in both English and Spanish.

Yesterday morning, the General Assembly adopted without a vote resolution 53/1 on assistance to Bangladesh in the wake of devastating floods. By terms of the text, introduced by the respresentative of Indonesia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, the Assembly appealed to all Member States, the United Nations system, as well as international financial institutions and NGOs to respond urgently and generously to Bangladesh in its relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts following the calamity.

The Assembly has postponed until Monday morning the consideration of draft resolution A/53/L.2 on Emergncy assistance to Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Also on Monday morning, the plenary will consider the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/53/1) and 15 speakers have been inscribed so far to address the Assembly on this item.

On Monday, the main Committees will also begin their work.

The Special Political and Decolonization Committee will begin on Monday afternoon its general debate on decolonization and related matters. The debate will continue until 13 October.

Also on Monday, the Second Committee will hold informal consultations on organizational matters during a meeting scheduled for the morning and will begin its general debate on Tuesday, 6 October.

On Monday, the Third Committee will begin consideration of item 100: Social development.

The Fifth Committee will also meet on Monday, to consider its programme of work, and also to take up agenda item 113 (Programme budget 1998-99 -- Development account); 143 (Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of UN peacekeeping operations: Support account and death and disability); 112 and 119 (Review of efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the UN and human resources management: Gratis personnel).

The First Committee will begin its substantive work on 12 October with the general debate which will continue until 21 October.