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22 DECEMBER 1999

The President of the General Assembly, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, will inform the Members that the date of recess is postponed to tomorrow, 23 December, to enable the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to conclude its work.

That Committee will hold an evening meeting, starting at 6 p.m., at which it is expected to, among other actions, vote on the programme budget for the biennium 2000-2001 and conclude this stage of its work. Under-Secretary-General Joseph Connor will tell you more.

At this morning’s meeting, the Assembly is taking action on 10 reports of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), as well as on three plenary items.

The 10 Second Committee reports (A/54/585-594 and Addenda) contain 39 draft resolutions and 11 draft decisions on macroeconomic policy questions; sectoral policy questions; sustainable development and international economic cooperation; environment and sustainable development; operational activities for development; training and research; the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources; globalization and interdependence; implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006); and the report of the Economic and Social Council.

Recorded votes were held on three draft texts: “Towards a stable and equitable international financial system, responsive to the challenges of development, especially in the developing countries” (A/54/585/Add.2) was adopted by a vote of 155 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions; “Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries” (A/54/585/Add.3) was adopted by a vote of 107 in favour to 3 against (Germany, Marshall Islands and United States), with 46 abstentions; and “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources” (A/54/591) was adopted by a vote of 145 in favour to 3 against (Israel, Marshall Islands, United States), with 6 abstentions. Action on the report on implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s is postponed pending a Fifth Committee report on the programme budget implications.

After considering Second Committee reports, the Assembly will take action on the three draft resolutions I elaborated upon yesterday. Guyana will introduce the draft on international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters from relief to development (A/54/L.74); Venezuela will introduce the text on assistance to Venezuela following the devastating floods and landslides (A/54/L.76); and Cameroon will introduce the draft on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/54/L.75).

In the text on international cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters from relief to development, the Assembly expresses deep concern at the increasing number and scale of natural disasters resulting in massive losses of life and property worldwide, particularly in vulnerable societies lacking adequate capacity to mitigate effectively long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences of natural disasters. The Assembly calls upon States to adopt, where required, and to continue to effectively implement necessary legislative and other appropriate measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters; and stresses the need to strengthen efforts at all levels to improve natural disasters awareness, prevention, preparedness and early warning systems.

On assistance to Venezuela, the Assembly expresses its solidarity, at this difficult time, with the Government and people of Venezuela in their efforts to cope with the serious humanitarian and material consequences of the disaster; appeals to all Member States, the United Nations system, international financing institutions and non-governmental organizations to respond urgently and provide generous assistance to Venezuela in its relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts and programmes following the unprecedented calamity it has suffered, while expressing its gratitude to all who, with such great generosity, are providing assistance to Venezuela in the initial immediate relief work. The Assembly expresses deep gratitude to the Secretary-General for the urgent steps he has taken to mobilize emergency humanitarian assistance, and requests him to make all necessary arrangements to continue mobilizing and coordinating humanitarian assistance throughout the UN system to support the efforts of the Venezuelan Government.

And on the item on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, the Assembly requests its President to put into effect the establishment of the open-ended ad hoc working group to monitor the implementation of the recommendations made by the Secretary-General in his report to the Assembly and Security Council on this subject, as well as those made by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1999. The President is also requested, at the current session, to establish the ad hoc working group, to serve as its ex officio chairman, to designate two vice-chairpersons and to convene an organizational meeting of the working group not later than March 2000 to decide on modalities and develop arrangements for its effective functioning.

Concerning draft resolution A/54/L.23, which contained a draft Code of Conduct for Member States, and the amendments thereto, in A/54/L.46, the President will announce that the co-sponsors of both texts have withdrawn their proposals. That draft resolution, you may recall, was submitted under agenda item 39, entitled “Support by the United Nations system of the efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate new or restored democracies”.

The Assembly is expected to take action on Fifth Committee reports tomorrow, and recess the main part of its fifty-fourth regular session.