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15 October 1999

Tomorrow, 16 October, is World Food Day. In a message issued for its observance, the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab, said the Day aimed to heighten public awareness of the unacceptable world food situation and to strengthen solidarity in the struggle against the scourges of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. This year's theme, "Youth against Hunger", underscored both the role of young people in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, and provided a strategic opportunity for involving them in the campaign to achieve food security for all and protect the dignity of family life.

In any undertaking to eliminate hunger and malnutrition, it was essential to involve young people, the President said. Their energy and creativity must be mobilized and further harnessed through special programmes that provided young people with the tools they need to work for food security. To do this, youth and children must be spared the devastation and agony of wars and armed conflicts. Human and financial resources should not be used for death, destruction and darkness, but for reconciliation, reconstruction and development. In this way, "Youth against Hunger" could be transformed from a slogan into a weapon against the pernicious effects of hunger and malnutrition on the world’s youth and our future. Copies of that statement are available in room 378.

There is no plenary meeting today. As many of you know, yesterday, the General Assembly elected five non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms starting on 1 January 2000. They are: Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mali, Tunisia and Ukraine. Apart from the five permanent members, the Council will also include, in 2000, Argentina, Canada, Malaysia, Namibia and the Netherlands.

The Credentials Committee is holding its first, closed, meeting, at 3:30 p.m. today.

At two meetings today, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is hearing a further 21 speakers in its general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) began its discussion of United Nations operational activities for development as well as economic and technical cooperation among developing countries. There are two meetings today. Among the documents is a report of the Secretary-General entitled "State of South-South cooperation". It underscores the importance of such cooperation in a globalization era and offers some suggestions for improving it. The report says a review makes it clear that South-South cooperation is a powerful instrument for expanding the global economy in an equitable manner; that it facilitates the inclusion of all countries in a prosperous, integrated world; and points out that while the globalization process has expanded the opportunities for developing countries, it has also presented challenges requiring multilateral action to counter them successfully.

This morning, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began discussing crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control. Addressing the Committee, Pino Arlacchi, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, said there was great optimism in international drug control. Alternative projects to illicit crops would, he said, enable whole communities to lift themselves to a better quality of life. Illicit cultivation in Thailand, Turkey and Viet Nam was practically non-existent, and there had been remarkable results in cocaine reduction in Latin America. While Afghanistan continued to produce 75 per cent of the world’s opium, the international community must work to contain that problem. Mr. Arlacchi warned that transnational criminal groups were proliferating, and that the combination of corruption, organized crime and money laundering was destabilizing many countries. He called for the abolition of bank secrecy.

On the two agenda items, the Committee has before it draft resolutions, recommended by the Economic and Social Council on: the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Vienna, 10-17 April 2000) (A/C.3/54/L.3); a "Draft United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the draft protocols thereto" (A/C.3/54/L.4); activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (A/C.3/54/L.5); on action against corruption (A/C.3/54/L.6); and a draft resolution containing an "Action Plan for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction (A/C.3/54/L.7). The Action Plan sets out 16 objectives to guide Member States in implementing the Declaration.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is scheduled, this afternoon, to take action on four draft resolutions. In the various texts, the Assembly would endorse the recommendations of the Board of Auditors on peacekeeping operations (A/C.5/54/L.9); would invite the Joint Inspection Unit to give priority to the reports requested by the participating organizations (A/C.5/54/L.5); and would express concern over the lack of a consistent policy for implementing audit recommendations on cases of fraud and financial abuse in the United Nations Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM) and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) (A/C.5/54/L.10). Another draft deals with reformed procedures for determining reimbursement to Member States for contingent-owned equipment (A/C.5/54/L.6). A draft text on establishing a special multi-year account for supplementary development activities (A/C.5/54/L.7) will be introduced.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) is this morning concluding its consideration of the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization (A/54/33), and of a related report of the Secretary-General on implementing Charter provisions dealing with assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions (A/54/383).

Looking ahead to next week: on Wednesdat, 20 October, the plenary will discuss the report of the Security Council (A/54/2). Following discussion of the report last year -- there were 35 speakers -- the Assembly usually takes note of the Council report. The report, which covers the period from 16 June 1998 to 15 June 1999, is intended as a guide to the activities of the Council during the period covered.

The Second Committee will continue discussing United Nations operational activities for development, as well as economic and technical cooperation among developing countries. Next Tuesday through Thursday, it will discuss sustainable development and international economic cooperation.

Immediately following the adjournment of the Second Committee’s morning meeting on Tuesday, 19 October, there will be an observance of World Food Day. Making statements will be the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab; the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Louise Frechette; the President of the Economic and Social Council, Mr. Francesco Paolo Fulci; and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Mr. Jacques Diouf. The keynote speaker will be Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

In other Committee action, the Third Committee will continue discussing crime prevention and criminal justice, as well as international drug control, through Wednesday. The Committee will then begin its consideration of the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, as well as the right of peoples to self-determination. The Fourth Committee will conduct a comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects for much of next week.

On Monday, 18 October, the Fifth Committee will discuss the pattern of conferences and the scale of assessments of the United Nations budget. It will then discuss the Joint Inspection Unit.

For its part, the Sixth Committee will discuss the United Nations Decade of International Law on 18 and 19 October, and, from 20 to 22 October, it will consider the item on the establishment of an international criminal court.

Copies of the Assembly President’s appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet. He is being interviewed right now by 18 broadcasters and journalists from developing countries who are participating in the 1999 DPI Training Programme.