Back to Home Page

Back to General Assembly

27 October 1999

The General Assembly this morning commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the operations of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Opening the meeting, Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab said the focus of population challenges had shifted from controversy to consensus in the span of UNFPA’s 30 years. The Fund’s practical contribution was visible in many parts of the world. It was helping to build integrated reproductive health programmes, enlarge partnerships and promote full recognition of women’s rights and contribution to development. Working closely with Governments, Parliaments and non-governmental organizations, UNFPA had developed a workable relationship of trust and mutual cooperation, and population management had become widely accepted as an element in development planning. He called on the international community to demonstrate leadership in tackling the social issues on UNFPA’s agenda. Copies of that statement are available in room 378.

Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of UNFPA, delivered a statement on behalf of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in which he said that 30 years of success of the Fund’s operations had been built on three pillars: good information, good programmes and good understanding. The Secretary-General cited the breakthrough at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, on the global need for slower population growth, on the national right to sovereign decision-making and on the individual right to reproductive health. He said that States, at the special session in June, demonstrated their commitment to implementing the Cairo Programme of Action, and called on them to build on this political will. Copies of the statement are available in the Spokesman’s office.

Speaking on behalf of the regional groups were: Burkina Faso, for the African States; Uzbekistan, for the Asian States; Bulgaria, for the Eastern European States; Peru, for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Italy, for the Western European and other States. The United States spoke in its capacity as host country.

The Assembly then adopted a resolution (A/54/L.18), introduced by Guyana on behalf of the "Group of 77" countries and China. In it, the Assembly noted with appreciation the positive contributions the Fund and its dedicated staff had made during its 30 years in promoting better understanding and awareness of population and development issues, in improving the quality of human life and in extending systematic and sustained assistance to developing countries, and countries with economies in transition, in undertaking appropriate national programmes to address their population and development needs.

This afternoon, the Assembly is expected to adopt a resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (A/54/L.9), to be introduced by India. By that text, the Assembly would welcome the support provided to the United Nations by national parliaments through their world organization, and would express the wish that the cooperation between the two organizations would be further strengthened and enhanced in the third millennium. Twenty-two speakers are inscribed.

This morning, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) is continuing its thematic discussion on specific disarmament topic and the introduction of draft resolutions. Yesterday, seven more texts were introduced, including one on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (A/C.1/54/L.23). The Committee will begin taking action on some 55 texts next week.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial), this afternoon, will hear the introduction of two draft resolutions, on developing human resources for development (A/C.2/54/L.10) and on renewal of the dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership (A/C.2/54/L.9). The Committee will then conclude its discussion of globalization and interdependence.

To initiate its discussion of agenda item 112, on promoting and protecting the rights of children, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) is holding a dialogue this morning with Mr. Mr. Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Ms. Ofelia Calcetos-Santos, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization; Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

This afternoon, the Committee will hear the introduction of five draft resolutions before continuing the general discussion on the rights of children. One text (A/C.3/54/L.20), with 93 sponsors, on international cooperation against the world drug problem, contains an Action Plan for the Implementation for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction. By another text, on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (A/C.3/54/L.19), the Assembly would regret that the goal of 50/50 gender distribution in the Secretariat would not be met by the year 2000, and would urge the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to realize significant progress towards this goal by the end of 2000. The other drafts pertain to the African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (A/C.3/54/L.22); violence against migrant women workers (A/C.3/54/L.18); and universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination (A/C.3/54/L.25).

Tomorrow, at 6:15 p.m. in Conference Room 1, youth delegates in the Third Committee will hold a discussion on "The United Nations’ future in the eyes of youth". This discussion, by and for young people involved with the United Nations, is being organized by the delegations of Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) meets this afternoon to continue its discussion on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. At two meetings today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) is continuing its review of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fifty-first session (A/54/10).

This afternoon, as Fred just told you, the Secretary-General will address the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) as it begins consideration of his proposed programme budget for 2000-2001 (A/54/6). The Secretary-General is proposing a budget totalling $2,535 million before recosting. The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) states, in the related report (A/54/7), that it has no basis to change the overall level of resources proposed by the Secretary-General.

Copies of the Assembly President’s appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet. He met, this morning, with the Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Somavia. He will host the second working luncheon for the Chairmen of the Main Committees, as well as a dinner in honour of Dr. Mose Tjitendero, Speaker of the Namibian Parliament.