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20 October 1999

Today, the General Assembly is considering the report of the Security Council (A/54/2), covering the period from 16 June 1998 to 15 July 1999. With 46 speakers inscribed, the debate is expected to extend over two days. Copies of the list of speakers are available in room 378.

Introducing the report was the Council President for the month of October, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation. He said that the Council held over 100 official meetings, and adopted 72 resolutions and 37 presidential statements. The issues had covered all the major aspects of the maintenance of international peace and security. Issues related to settling regional conflicts and to assuring stability in Africa had remained high on the agenda. The Council had also paid close attention to preventing and settling conflicts and stabilizing the situation in the Balkans region. In that connection, the adoption of resolution 1244, on Kosovo, had significantly strengthened the central role of the Council in maintaining international peace and security. Other issues which had figured prominently in the Council’s work included the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, East Timor, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Georgia. The Council, he added, had also adopted decisions on post-conflict peace building, on the protection of humanitarian assistance to refugees and other civilians during conflict and on children in armed conflict.

In case you missed my announcement yesterday, now available on the racks is the revised programme of work for the plenary for the period from 20 October to 7 December (A/INF/54/3/Add.2).

In Committee action, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is concluding, at this morning’s meeting, its general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items. It is hearing the final 15 speakers, including Mexico on the report of the Disarmament Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Tomorrow through 29 October, the Committee will hold a thematic discussion, which means delegations can speak on any disarmament topic. During this phase, draft resolutions will be introduced and discussed, but voting won’t commence until 1 November. The Committee completes its work on 12 November.

This afternoon, the Second Committee will conclude its discussion on sustainable development and international economic cooperation. Documents include reports on implementation of the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation and of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade (A/54/389); implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (A/54/8 and A/54/322); human resources development (A/54/408); international migration and development (A/54/207 and A/C.2/54/2)); and renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership (A/54/94-S/1999/518 and A/54/328). The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), this morning, is concluding its general discussion of crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control. Before doing so, three draft resolutions on the advancement of women will be introduced. The draft on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls (A/C.3/54/L.13), with 80 sponsors, would have the Assembly call on States to adopt and implement national legislation and policies which prohibit such practices and to prosecute the perpetrators, while also calling on them to intensify efforts to raise public awareness and to promote men’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities in promoting the elimination of such harmful practices. The draft on improving the situation of women in rural areas (A/C.3/54/L.15) would invite States to attach greater importance to doing so in their national and development global strategies. By a third draft (A/C.3/54/L.17), on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Assembly would urge all States that had not done so to ratify or accede to the Convention, so that universal ratification could be achieved by the year 2000.

When it meets this afternoon, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) will continue its comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects, now in its third day.

This afternoon, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) will conclude its discussion on three items: the scale of assessment for apportioning the expenses of the United Nations; the pattern of conferences; and the Joint Inspection Unit. It will take action on a 13-part draft resolution on procurement reform A/C.5/54/L.8), under which the Assembly would stress the need for the procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on competitive bidding and fully reflecting the international character of the Organization. The Committee will also have before it, for action, two texts on establishing a Development Account (A/C.5/54/L.7 and L.11), one of which will be withdrawn if the other is accepted. This evening, the Committee will hold formal consultations on the item on financing the United Nations Mission in East Timor.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) this morning took up the item on the establishment of an international criminal court. It has before it reports of the proceedings of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court at its first and second sessions in 1999 (PCNICC/1999/L.3/Rev.1 and L.4/Rev.1). The Commission was established, at the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (Rome, 15 June to 17 July 1998), to prepare for the establishment and coming into operation of the Court and to finalize several draft texts. At its first two sessions, the Preparatory Commission focused on two instruments necessary for the functioning of the Court, namely, the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and the Elements of Crimes. With regard to the latter, the Preparatory Commission concentrated on the elements of war crimes. It also held informal consultations with respect to the crime of aggression, and agreed to set up a working group on the subject at its next session (29 November to 17 December).