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25 October 1999

As we meet, I believe that the General Assembly has concluded action on the six items before it this morning.

The Assembly first approved the report of its Credentials Committee (A/54/475). That report stated that credentials had been received from 133 Member States, including Afghanistan, the Secretariat having received two sets of communications from two different delegations to represent that country. The Committee had decided to take the same position as last year concerning Afghanistan, namely, to accept the credentials of the existing delegation. (The nine members of the Credentials Committee are: Austria, Bolivia, China, Philippines, Russian Federation, South Africa, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.)

The Assembly next took note of a document entitled "Notification by the Secretary-General under Article 12, paragraph 2, of the Charter of the United Nations" (A/54/398). In that document, the Secretary-General notified the Assembly of the 35 issues relating to the maintenance of international peace and security that are being dealt with by the Security Council. It also listed the issues with which the Council had ceased to deal in the past five years.

In the election of 29 members of the 58-member Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a four-year term, the Assembly dispensed with the secret ballot because the number of candidates corresponded to the number of seats to be filled. Elected were: Benin, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Libya, Senegal and Uganda to eight seats from the African States; India, Iran, the Marshall Islands, Pakistan, Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Thailand to seven seats from the Asian States; Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Slovakia to three seats from the Eastern European States; the Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Suriname to five seats from the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Turkey and the United Kingdom to six seats from the Western European and other States. The complete list of the membership of the Governing Council is available in room 378.

The Assembly took note, also, of the President's appointment of seven members of the 21-member Committee on Conferences for a three-year term. Appointed were: Chile, Equatorial Guinea, France, Japan, Namibia, the Philippines and the Russian Federation. Of the seven, all but Equatorial Guinea and the Philippines were reappointed. The related document is A/54/107. The complete list of the membership of the Committee on Conferences is available in room 378.

On cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Assembly adopted, by consensus, a resolution, introduced by Burkina Faso (A/54/L.12), which welcomed with appreciation the continuing cooperation in the field of peacemaking and preventive diplomacy, as well as in the search for a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. The related report of the Secretary-General is A/54/308.

Concerning cooperation between the United Nations and the Latin American Economic System (SELA) the Assembly adopted, also by consensus, a resolution, introduced by Peru (A/54/L.13), which urged the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to continue deepening its coordination and mutual support activities with SELA, and urged the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to renew its financial and technical cooperation with that organization. The related report of the Secretary-General is A/53/420.

This morning, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is continuing its thematic discussion on specific disarmament topic. On Friday, Hungary introduced a draft resolution on the Biological Weapons Convention (A/C.1/54/L.19). The Committee is expected to take action on some 55 draft resolutions starting on l November.

Under agenda item 100, on environment and sustainable development, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), this morning, is taking up four sub-items: the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (A/54/428); protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind; and implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa. In connection with the implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, there is a heavily bracketed "Group of 77" and Mexico draft resolution on the Caribbean Sea (A/C.2/54/4). This text was transmitted from the Special Session on the Sustainable Developme nt of Small Island Developing States to the Assembly at its current session for further consideration by the Second Committee.

Before continuing with the general discussion this afternoon, the Committee will hear the introduction of three draft resolutions: a five-Power text on conservation and sustainable development of Central African forest ecosystems (A/C.2/54/L.7), a G-77 and China text on economic and technical cooperation among developing countries (A/C.2/54/L.5); and a SADC text on cooperation between the United Nations and the Southern African Development Corporation (A/C.2/54/L.6).

This afternoon, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) will hear the introduction of a draft resolution on implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons: towards a society for all in the twenty-first century (A/C.3/54/L.9/Rev.1). The Committee will then conclude its discussion of items on the elimination of racism and racial discrimination and the right of peoples to self-determination.

All week long, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) will be discussing international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. The related documents are: the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (A/54/20), which reflects its activities as well as those of its subsidiary bodies - the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and the Legal Subcommittee; and the report on the outcome of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (A/CONF.184/6).

This morning, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up the following administrative and budgetary items: financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors; review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations; report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS); and administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations. Several OIOS reports are among the documents being considered under these items. Fred just quoted to you from the statement made by Under-Secretary-General Karl Paschke.

Today through 5 November, the Sixth Committee (Legal) will discuss the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fifty-first session (A/54/10). The Commission recommended to the Assembly the adoption, in the form of a declaration, of 26 draft articles on nationality of natural persons in relation to the succession of States. The Commission also reported on the progress made in drafting articles relating to State responsibility; guidelines on reservations to treaties; jurisdictional immunities of States and their property; unilateral acts of States; and under the topic of international liability for injurious consequences arising out of acts not prohibited by international law, first dealing with the issue of prevention under the subtitle of prevention of transboundary damages from hazardous activities.

Copies of the Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab's appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet. This morning, he met with Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. He then addressed a meeting to pay tribute to the memory of the first President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Julius K. Nyerere. Copies of that tribute will be made available in room 378, shortly after the briefing.

This afternoon, the President will address the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the ECOSOC Chamber; participate in the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine; attend a reception hosted by South Africa for the departing Permanent Representative of Nigeria; and attend a dinner hosted by the Secretary-General in honour of the new Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. His statement to the IPU will be made available later this afternoon.

Yesterday, the President participated in, and addressed, the UN Day World Peace Walk. Last Friday evening, the President addressed concert-goers at the UN Day Concert, calling this universal Organization the pride of humankind. He declared that "The UN Charter, complemented by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is the Magna Carta of the twentieth century". Copies of that statement were made available in room 378 after the concert.

Question: You mentioned the Human Rights Declaration. The Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, have commented on the situation in Chechnya. Has the President of the General Assembly said anything about it, and will he?

Answer: The President has not commented on Chechnya, but I will make sure to convey your question to him.