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16 DECEMBER 1999

The General Assembly is holding a day-long debate on Security Council reform. Seventy-two delegations are inscribed on the list of speakers on agenda item 38, entitled "Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters".

Opening the discussion, Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab said that by launching the process of reforming, restructuring and democratizing the United Nations in its totality, including specifically the reform and increase in the membership of the Security Council, Member States had accepted change. The UN community had much to be proud of that a vision for change and rebirth of the United Nations had been kept burning in spite of the vagaries of multilateral negotiations, as well as the vexing problems of policy. However, the President was of the view that Member States were not quite ready for concentrated negotiations and for a final package deal. Instead, he was expected, for now, to continue the consultations, bearing in mind the forthcoming meeting of the Open-ended Working Group which he would convene in the early part of 2000. He believed that this debate would be useful to everyone, as it would ensure progress and promote transparency in moving the process forward. Copies of the statement are available in room 378.

Before commencing the debate on Security Council reform, the Assembly concluded its consideration of the item on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopting a draft resolution on the subject (A/54/L.63/Rev.1, as orally corrected). In so doing, the Assembly welcomed the adoption of the New York Declaration of 15 November 1999, in which the Joint Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina agreed to important steps for moving forward the process of fully implementing the Peace Agreement, and demanded its full implementation. The Assembly insisted upon the need to surrender all indictees to the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for trial, and demanded that all the parties fulfil their obligations to hand over to the Tribunal all indicted persons in territories under their control and to cooperate with its work.

The Assembly has a heavy programme for tomorrow, 17 December. In the morning, it will consider 12 reports of the Third Committee dealing with social, human rights and refugee issues. In the afternoon, it will take action on draft resolutions on the following plenary items: the situation in Afghanistan; return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin; assistance in mine action; the question of East Timor; and observer status for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in the General Assembly. The Assembly will also consider two items: question of the Comorian island of Mayotte; and the situation of democracy and human rights in Haiti.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) will conclude its work this afternoon, after taking action on draft resolutions dealing with the high-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development (A/C.2/54/L.75) and the role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence (A/C.2/54/L.76), and after approving its draft biennial programme of work for 2000 and 2001.