General Assembly

Fifty-second session
Agenda item 22

52/2. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Agency
for Cultural and Technical Cooperation

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 33/18 of 10 November 1978, by which it granted observer status to the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation,

Recalling also its resolution 50/3 of 16 October 1995, by which it noted the complementarity of the activities of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation and the United Nations and invited the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in consultation with the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, to promote cooperation between the two organizations,

Recalling further the Articles of the Charter of the United Nations which encourage the promotion of the purposes and principles of the United Nations through regional cooperation,

Noting the desire of the two organizations to consolidate, develop and tighten the ties that exist between them in the political, economic, social and cultural fields,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, 1/

Noting with satisfaction the encouraging progress achieved in cooperation between the United Nations, its specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies and programmes and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation,

Convinced that strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation is consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations,

Considering that the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation brings together a considerable number of States Members of the United Nations, among which it promotes multilateral cooperation in areas of interest to the United Nations,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation; 1/

2. Commends the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation for its continuing efforts to encourage multilateral cooperation among countries that use French as a common language, particularly in the areas of conflict prevention, strengthening of the rule of law, economic, social and cultural development and promotion of new information technologies, and requests United Nations bodies to give it their support;

3. Welcomes the involvement of the countries that use French as a common language, through the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, in United Nations activities, including the preparation for, conduct of and follow-up to world conferences organized under United Nations auspices;

4. Notes with satisfaction that the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation is participating more frequently in the work of the United Nations, to which it makes a valuable contribution;

5. Welcomes in particular the five cooperation agreements concluded in 1995 and 1996 between the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the one hand and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation on the other;

6. Welcomes also the high-level meetings held periodically between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation and between senior secretariat officials of both organizations, and encourages their participation in major meetings of both organizations;

7. Notes with satisfaction the outcome of the meeting held in Paris on 29 September 1997 between those responsible for electoral assistance at the United Nations and at the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, and encourages cooperation between the two organizations in this area;

8. Recommends to the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation that they intensify their consultations with a view to ensuring greater coordination in the area of conflict prevention, support for the rule of law and democracy and promotion of human rights;

9. Invites the Secretary-General to include the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation in the periodic meetings he holds with the heads of regional organizations, taking into account the role played by the Agency in the area of conflict prevention and support for democracy and the rule of law;

10. Requests the Secretary-General, acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, to encourage the holding of periodic meetings between representatives of the United Nations Secretariat and representatives of the secretariat of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation in order to promote the exchange of information and the identification of new areas of cooperation;

11. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation for their sustained efforts to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, thereby serving the mutual interests of the two organizations in the political, economic, social and cultural fields;

12. Invites the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps, in consultation with the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, to continue to promote cooperation between the two organizations;

13. Invites the specialized agencies and other programmes and organizations of the United Nations system, particularly the United Nations Development Programme, to collaborate to this end with the Secretary-General of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation by undertaking new joint initiatives in the areas of poverty elimination, micro-financing, energy, sustainable development, education, training and the development of new information technologies;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session a report on the implementation of

15. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty- fourth session the item entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation".

Note

1/ A/52/299 and Add.1 and 2.