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29 OCTOBER 1999

The General Assembly is holding elections for 18 members of the 54-member Economic and Social Council, for a three-year term starting 1 January 2000. The election is by secret ballot and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting is required. At the time of the briefing, the ballots from the first round of voting were still being counted.

In the elections, for five African seats, there are an equal number of candidates: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Sudan. Likewise, for five Western European and other States seats, there are an equal number of candidates: Austria, France, Germany, Greece and Portugal, with France and Germany seeking re-election.

For three Asian seats, there are six candidates: Bahrain, Fiji, Japan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with Japan and Sri Lanka seeking re-election. For one Eastern European seat, there are three candidates: Croatia, Hungary and Lithuania. And for four Latin American and Caribbean seats, there are six candidates: Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Suriname and Uruguay, with Cuba and Mexico seeking re-election. Copies of the list of candidates and ECOSOC members are available in room 378.

[Subsequently, when the ballots for the first round were counted, 13 States were elected: Angola, Austria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Portugal and Sudan.]

This afternoon, the Assembly will take action on eight reports of the Fifth Committee. The report on the programme budget for the biennium 1998-1999 (A/54/508) contains a draft resolution on establishing a special multi-year Development Account and its modalities, which Fred has just told you about. Three reports pertain to the financing of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (A/54/505), the United Nations Angola Verification Mission and the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (A/54/504) and the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (A/54/510). The other reports deal with the financing of United Nations peacekeeping operations (A/54/509); financial reports and audited financial statements, and reports of the Board of Auditors (A/54/506); review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations (A/54/511); and the Joint Inspection Unit (A/54/507).

In the work of the Main Committees, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) will, this afternoon, conclude its thematic discussion on specific disarmament topics as well as the introduction of the remaining draft resolutions. It starts taking action, on Monday, on 48 draft resolutions and four draft decisions.

At two meetings today, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) is discussing women in development. Documents include the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Globalization, Gender and Work (A/54/227). That report gives a detailed overview of employment and displacement effects of economic trends associated with globalization from a gender perspective. Draft resolutions on the implementation of Agenda 21 and the programme for its further implementation (A/C.2/54/L.14) and on the Convention on Biological Diversity (A/C.2/54/L.15) were introduced ahead of the discussion.

This morning, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its discussion on promoting and protecting the rights of children.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) is wrapping up its week-long discussion of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space this morning, and is expected to take action on two related draft resolutions: on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space (A/C.4/54/L.6), and on the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), held in July in Vienna (A/C.4/54/L.7). Neither of those texts was available at the time of the briefing.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), this morning, continued its consideration the item on the United Nations common system, hearing statements from staff representatives. It was then to take up the report on the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 (A/54/393), with Under-Secretary-General Karl Paschke introducing his report. In the preface, in which he comments on his five years at the helm of OIOS, he points out that the independence of the Office was never compromised under his tenure. He adds that OIOS as an independent and comprehensive internal oversight mechanism has become a catalyst for increased attention to and strengthening of similar functions throughout the United Nations system.

This afternoon, the Sixth Committee (Legal) concludes week one of its two-week discussion of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fifty-first session (A/54/10).

Looking ahead to next week: On Wednesday, 3 November, the Assembly will to hold elections, simultaneously with the Security Council, for five members of the International Court of Justice. The following day, it will discuss the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The First Committee begins taking action on draft resolutions before it, except those concerning the question of Antarctica.

On Monday, 1 November, the Second Committee takes up a much-anticipated item, that relating to financing for development. Under the heading of macroeconomic policy questions, it will consider two sub-items: high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development; and financing for development, including net transfer of resources between developing and developed countries. The Committee will discuss the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction on 2 November. There are two pledging conferences next week: for the World Food Programme on 2 November, and for development activities on 3 November. The Committee will discuss industrial development cooperation as well as business and development on 3 to 4 November, before turning its attention, on Friday, to training and research, and to the item entitled "Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights over their natural resources".

The Third Committee will begin its discussion of the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People on Monday, 1 November. The next two days, it will discuss the implementation of human rights instruments. Beginning on Thursday, 4 November, the Committee will hear introductory statements by the Special Rapporteurs and Special Representatives presenting reports under the item on human rights questions. That will be preceded by a series of dialogues with, among others, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson. Those dialogues will continue through 8 November.

From 2 through 4 November, the Fourth Committee will consider the item on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The Fifth Committee will discuss the 1998-1999 programme budget. It is expected, on 2 November, to take up the financing of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone. Starting on 3 November, the Committee will begin its section-by section consideration of the proposed 2000-2001 programme budget.

All week, the Sixth Committee will continue its discussion of the report of the International Law Commission, concluding on Friday.

Today, Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab is presiding over both meetings of the plenary.

Question: When will the Assembly take up the item on the Development Account?

Answer: Looking at the listing in today’s Journal, that item will be the fourth one considered this afternoon.