Sixth Committee (Legal) — 66th session

Observer Status for the Union of South American Nations in the General Assembly (Agenda item 168)

Summary of work

Background

The item was included in the agenda at the request of Guyana.

Consideration at the sixty-sixth session

The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 4th and 16th meetings, on 4 and 18 October 2011 (see A/C.6/66/SR.4 and 16).

Statements were made by the representatives of Guyana, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago.

Some delegations expressed their support for the granting of observer status to the Union of South American Nations in the General Assembly.

Action taken by the Sixth Committee

At the 4th meeting, on 4 October 2011, the representative of Guyana, on behalf of Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), introduced a draft resolution entitled “Observer status for the Union of South American Nations in the General Assembly” (A/C.6/66/L.3). Subsequently, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Slovenia, Spain and Uganda joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

At its 16th meeting, on 18 October 2011, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.6/66/L.3 without a vote.

Under this draft resolution, the General Assembly would decide to invite the Union of South American Nations to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly in the capacity of observer; and would request the Secretary-General to take the necessary action to implement the resolution.

Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly

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