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2 NOVEMBER 1999

The 1999 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities is under way, and will continue tomorrow morning. Among statements regarding pledges is a note by the Secretary-General (A/CONF.185/2). It shows the contributions pledged or paid at last year’s event, as at 30 June 1999, to 22 funds and programmes, as well as to 11 trust, voluntary or revolving funds.

The General Assembly meets tomorrow to elect, simultaneously with the Security Council, five members of the International Court of Justice. The related documents are A/54/305, 306/Rev.1 and 307.

At yesterday’s plenary meeting, Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab announced two additions to the programme of work: on Thursday, 4 November, at a morning meeting, the Assembly will take up agenda item 52, "Question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)" (A/54/23, Part II), and item 157 (Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country) to consider the remaining appointment from among the Asian States to that Committee. A letter from Uzbekistan informs the Secretariat that Malaysia has been nominated to fill that seat.

This morning, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued the third stage of its work, that of approving draft resolutions and draft decisions in clusters. Today, it is considering drafts texts in clusters 8, 9 and 10, dealing with other disarmament measures, related matters of disarmament and international security, and international security, respectively. Yesterday, the Committee approved 18 drafts. There were recorded votes on four texts: conclusion of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons (A/C.1/54/L.36); prevention of an arms race in outer space (A/C.1/54/L.22); conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels (A/C.1/54/L.37) and transparency in armaments (A/C.1/54/L.39). Ahead of this morning’s voting, there was a ceremony to present the 1999 United Nations Disarmament Fellowship certificates.

This afternoon, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) will take up the report of the Secretary-General on international institutional arrangements related to environment and development (A/54/468). That report highlights the growing recognition within the United Nations system of the linkages among the various environmental areas and the significant collaborative work undertaken in response to the need for continuing policy coherence in this field.

At its meeting this afternoon, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) will take up agenda item 116, on the implementation of human rights instruments. It was under this item that Finland circulated a draft resolution on the death penalty (A/C.3/54/L.8), calling for a moratorium on executions, with a view to completely eliminating the practice. The draft has not yet been introduced, but there are 14 proposed amendments to the text (A/C.3/54/L.30 to L.42 and L.44). Other documents under this item include the report of the Committee on Human Rights (A/54/40); the report of the Committee against Torture (A/54/44); the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (A/54/426); and reports of the Secretary-General on the status of international human rights Covenants and Conventions. Also before the Committee is a letter from Singapore (A/C.3/54/5), concerning the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Committee will take action on a draft resolution on improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (A/C.3/54/L.15), after it is orally revised concerning the right of women to inherit land. Three draft resolutions will be introduced: on strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, in particular its technical cooperation capacity (A/C.3/54/L.24); violence against women migrant workers (A/C.3/54/L.18/Rev.1); and the right of Palestinian people to self-determination (A/C.3/54/L.29).

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) will consider, this afternoon, the item on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Among documents on the item is the report of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Peter Hansen, for the period from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 (A/54/13 and Add.1). He writes that the period was a time of challenges and some setbacks but also many achievements for the refugee community and UNRWA staff. The Agency remained a source of stability and a symbol of continuity in a difficult regional environment. The delivery of effective and efficient services remained UNRWA’s top priority; by that measure, the Agency was successful during the reporting period, even though its financial difficulties seemed to overshadow its achievements.

Other reports include: the fifty-third report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (A/54/338) and reports of the Secretary-General on Palestine refugees’ properties and their revenues (A/54/345); offers by Member States of grants and scholarships for higher education, including vocational training for Palestine refugees (A/54/376); persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities (A/54/377); University of Jerusalem "Al Quds" for Palestine refugees (A/54/385); and report of the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA (A/54/477) .

At its morning meeting, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) is taking action on a draft decision (A/C.5/54/L.13), by which the Assembly would take note of the programme of work of the Joint Inspection Unit and the listing of potential reports for 2000 and beyond. The Committee will then conclude consideration of 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). This afternoon, the Committee will conclude its general discussion of the proposed programme budget for 2000-2001. Tomorrow, its section-by-section examination of the budget commences.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) is in its second week of discussion of the report of the International Law Commission. There are two meetings today.

Copies of the appointments of the Assembly President are available in room 378 and also on the Internet. He will attend a luncheon in his honour and that of the Regional Groups Chairmen, hosted by the Permanent Representative of Slovenia, in his capacity as President of the Security Council for November. This afternoon, he will visit the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Namibia to the United Nations.