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7 October 1999

The General Assembly is continuing debate this morning on the annual Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/54/1). Over 30 speakers are inscribed on the list. Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab is presiding.

It was evident from the statements yesterday that the issue of humanitarian intervention, first raised by the Secretary-General in his address to the Assembly on 20 September, and referred to by many delegations in the general debate, continues to be the dominant theme. As then, there were those who supported the concept outright, others who welcomed it but wanted further discussions, and still others who rejected the idea as a violation of the principle of State sovereignty and of non-interference in the internal affairs of States. Speakers agreed with the Secretary-General on the essential need to shift from a culture of reaction to one of prevention, but positions differed on how to achieve that objective.

In that debate, speakers called, variously, for redoubled efforts to halt social degradation, eradicate poverty and improve employment opportunities, for globalization with a human face, fairer terms of trade for developing countries, the reversal of declining official development assistance (ODA) and for strengthening the financial and economic architecture. They also stressed the importance of youth, family, education for all and the need to empower women, among many concerns.

Yesterday afternoon, the Assembly adopted, without a vote, a resolution containing the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. That instrument will enable victims of sex discrimination to submit complaints to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women against States parties to the Protocol.

In Committee action today, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) is continuing its general debate on major economic issues. Yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, gave a sobering assessment of the world economic situation as it affects development in developing countries. He called for a global economy that included more equitable trade liberalization. Speakers then debated such issues as the positive and negative aspects of globalization; the need for all countries to participate in the world trade system to avoid marginalization; restructuring of the international financial and monetary architecture; the need for debt reduction and for increased ODA; the need to eradicate poverty for sustainable development. There were also appeals for differential treatment for developing countries; for integrating the least developed countries into the world trading system; and for greater access by developing countries to markets in developed nations.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) is continuing its general discussion on social development issues. Its debate yesterday mirrored what was being said in the plenary, where the item is also being discussed. A wide-ranging discussion touched on all aspects of social development -- youth, ageing, disability, family, debt cancellation to alleviate or eradicate poverty, the challenges posed by globalization, cooperatives and education for all, among others.

At its meeting this afternoon, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) will continue its debate on all decolonization items.

The Assembly President announced yesterday that the General Committee will meet at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow, 8 October, to consider three items: A request by the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries for observer status in the General Assembly (A/54/232); a request by South Africa to be relocated from group (b) to group (c) - as a developing country -- in the scheme for apportioning the costs of United Nations peacekeeping operations (A/54/233); and a letter from the Chairman of the Second Committee, requesting that the item on follow-up to the World Summit for Children be considered directly in plenary rather than in the Committee.

At its plenary meeting tomorrow morning, the Assembly will elect 20 members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination - 4 from African States, 4 from Asian States, 3 from Eastern European States, 4 from Latin America and Caribbean States and 5 from Western European and other States. The note of the Secretary-General on the election is contained in document A/54/400.

The Assembly will then take action on three draft resolutions, relating to observer status, in the General Assembly, for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (A/54/L.7); cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (A/54/L.5); and on granting observer status, in the General Assembly, for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (A/54/L.8).

Copies of the Assembly President’s appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet. This morning, he met with a member of the International Court of Justice, Judge Raymond Ranjeva from Madagascar. Judge Ranjeva is a candidate for re-election to the Court when elections to fill five vacancies are held on 3 November.

This evening, the President will attend a dinner in his honour, hosted by the Permanent Representative of Finland, Marjatta Rasi, in her capacity as President of the European Union.