E/1999/1
Distr.: General
11 January 1999
Original: English




Economic and Social Council
Organizational session for 1999
20 January, 2-5 February and
6 and 7 May 1999
Item 3 of the provisional agenda */

*/ E/1999/2.


Proposed basic programme of work of the Council for 1999 and 2000


Note by the Secretary-General


Contents

Page

I. Proposed provisional agenda for the substantive session of 1999 of the Council and list of documents for each agenda item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

II. Questions for inclusion in the programme of work of the Council for 2000 and list of documents for each agenda item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11


I. Proposed provisional agenda for the substantive session of 1999 of the Council and list of documents for each agenda item

1. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters

Documentation

Note by the Secretary-General on proposed themes for the high-level and coordination segments of the 2000 substantive session of the Council (General Assembly resolution 50/227, annex I)


High-level segment

2. The role of employment and work in poverty eradication: the empowerment and advancement of women

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (Council decision 1998/298) World Economic and Social Survey, 1999


Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation segment


3. Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation:

(a) Poverty eradication and capacity-building

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 62, and Council decision 1998/299)

(b) Follow-up to policy recommendations of the General Assembly

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and Assembly resolution 53/192)

Addendum to the above report on an appropriate management process of operational activities (Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 60)

Addendum to the above report on the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 63)

Addendum to the above report, taking into account the annual reports of the executive heads of the United Nations funds and programmes, on themes for future discussion (Council resolution 1998/27, para. 3)

Addendum to the above report including a concise consolidated list of issues that are central to the improved coordination of operational activities (Council resolution 1998/27, para. 4)

Addendum containing statistical information for 1997


(c) Reports of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Programme

Documentation

Report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund (General Assembly resolution 48/162, annex, and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (General Assembly resolution 48/162, annex, and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Report of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (General Assembly resolution 50/8 and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Annual report of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)


(d) Economic and technical cooperation among developing countries

Documentation

Report of the High-level Committee on the Review of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries 1/


Coordination segment

4. Coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies and other bodies of the United Nations system related to the following theme: Development of Africa: implementation and coordinated follow-up by the United Nations system of initiatives on African development


Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (Council decision 1998/298)


Humanitarian affairs segment

5. Special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, including progress made with regard to economic assistance to Djibouti and the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/1 J (Assembly resolutions 46/182, annex, and 53/88) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on follow-up to Council agreed conclusions 1998/1

Report of the Secretary-General on the progress made with the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis (General Assembly resolution 53/1 B) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the collaborative effort to assist Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama and on the progress made with the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the affected countries (General Assembly resolution 53/1 C) 1/

Oral report on assistance to the drought-stricken areas of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda (Council resolution 1983/46)



General segment

6. Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Council agreed conclusions 1998/2 on the coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (General Assembly resolution 45/264, annex)

Report of the Secretary-General on ways to enhance the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits (Council resolutions 1997/61 and 1998/44)

Report of the Secretary-General on possible modalities of a review by the Council in 2000 of progress made within the United Nations system on coordinated conference follow-up (Council resolution 1998/44, para. 17)

Note by the Secretariat transmitting the report of the Commission on the Status of Women acting as the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly to review and appraise progress in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (General Assembly resolutions 52/100 and 53/120)


7. Coordination, programme and other questions:

(a) Reports of coordination bodies

Documentation

Report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on its thirty-ninth session 1/

Annual overview report of the Administrative Committee on Coordination for 1998


(b) Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000 2001

Documentation

Relevant sections of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000 2001


Report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on its thirty-ninth session 1/


(c) Joint United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS)

Documentation

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Council resolution 1997/52)


(d) International cooperation in the field of informatics

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up action taken on Council resolution 1998/29, including the findings of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Informatics


(e) Calendar of conferences and meetings in the economic, social and related fields

Documentation

Draft calendar of conferences and meetings in the economic, social and related fields for the biennium 2000-2001


8. Implementation of General Assembly resolutions 50/227 and
52/12 B

Question to be addressed

Monitoring of steps taken by the functional commissions in response to Council recommendations on the harmonization of their work programmes (Council resolution 1998/46, annex II)


9. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people (Council resolution 2100 (LXIII) and General Assembly resolution 53/89) 1/

Report of the President of the Council on consultations held with the Chairman of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Council resolution 1998/38)

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Declaration by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (Council resolution 1998/38)


10. Regional cooperation

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on regional cooperation (Council decision 1979/1), including the report of the Secretary-General on a subject relating to interregional cooperation of common interest to all regions (Council resolution 1982/50 and decision 1982/174)

Note by the Secretary-General on a Europe-Africa permanent link through the Strait of Gibraltar (Council resolution 1997/48)

Summary of the economic survey of Europe, 1998

Summary of the survey of economic and social conditions in Africa, 1998

Summary of the survey of economic and social conditions in Asia and the Pacific, 1999

Summary of the economic survey of Latin America and the Caribbean, 1998

Summary of economic and social developments in the region of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, 1998


11. Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Council resolution 1998/32 and General Assembly resolution 53/196 1/


12. Non-governmental organizations

Documentation

Report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (Council resolutions 3 (II) and 1996/31 and decision 1995/304)


13. Economic and environmental questions

Documentation

Relevant sections of the document prepared by the Secretariat containing a consolidation of conclusions and recommendations of subsidiary bodies and examining linkages between the functional commissions (General Assembly resolution 50/227, annex I, para. 68, and Council resolution 1998/46, annex II, para. 32)

Question to be addressed

Implementation of the relevant recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/52/871 S/1998/318; see also E/1998/88) (Council decision 1998/283)


(a) Sustainable development

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its seventh session, including guidelines for sustainable development and recommendations on supportive measures and activities that will contribute to a successful International Year of Ecotourism (Council decisions 1993/207 and 1998/215, Council resolution 1998/40 and General Assembly resolution 53/200)

Report of the Committee for Development Policy on its thirty-third session, including the Committee's assessment of the usefulness of a vulnerability index as a criterion for designation of the least developed countries (Council resolutions 1079 (XXXIX), 1625 (LI), 1998/39 and 1998/46)


(b) Science and technology for development

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development on its fourth session (Council decisions 1992/218, 1997/305 and
1997/306)


(c) Statistics

Documentation

Report of the Statistical Commission on its thirtieth session (Council resolutions 8 (I), 8(II) and 1566 (L) and decision 1997/219)


(d) Human settlements

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Human Settlements on its seventeenth session (General Assembly resolutions 32/162, 43/181 and 52/190) 1/


(e) Environment

Documentation

Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twentieth session (General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII))
1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/185 entitled "International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Nin~o phenomenon" 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the measures taken within the United Nations system to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 (General Assembly resolution 53/188) 1/


(f) Women in development

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the effective mobilization and integration of women in development (General Assembly resolutions 42/178 and 52/195) 1/

World Survey on the Role of Women in Development (General Assembly resolutions 40/204 and 49/161) 1/


(g) Transport of dangerous goods

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the implementation of Council resolution 1997/3 (Council resolutions 724 C (XXVIII), 1488 (XLVIII) and 1983/7)


(h) International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (General Assembly resolution 44/236, annex) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on recommendations on how the United Nations can deal with natural disaster reduction after the conclusion of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (General Assembly resolution 53/185) 1/


(i) Population and development

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Population and Development on its thirty-second session (General Assembly resolution 49/128, para. 25, and Council decisions 1995/209 and 1998/222)


(j) International cooperation in tax matters

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the progress of the work of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters at its ninth meeting (Council resolutions 1273 (XLIII) and 1765 (LIV) and decision 1998/218)


(k) Energy and natural resources for development

Documentation

Report of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development on its first session (Council resolution 1998/46, annex I)


14. Social and human rights questions

Documentation

Relevant sections of the document prepared by the Secretariat containing a consolidation of conclusions and recommendations of subsidiary bodies and examining linkages between the functional commissions (General Assembly resolution 50/227, annex I, para. 68, and Council resolution 1998/46, annex II, para. 32)


(a) Advancement of women

Documentation

Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (article 21 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) 1/

Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-third session (Council resolutions 11 (II) and 1147 (XLI) and decision 1998/224)

Report of the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (Council resolution 1998 (LX))

Report of the Director of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (Council resolution 1998/48)

Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (General Assembly resolutions 50/203 and 53/120 and Council resolution 1998/43) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 52/93 on the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas 1/


(b) Social development

Documentation

Report of the Commission for Social Development on its thirty-seventh session (Council resolutions 10 (II) and 1996/7 and decision 1998/226)

Report of the Secretary-General on effective ways and means for achieving the goal of education for all (General Assembly resolution 52/84) 1/


(c) Crime prevention and criminal justice

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on its eighth session (Council resolution 1992/1 and decision 1998/227)

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 52/86 on crime prevention and criminal justice measures to eliminate violence against women 1/


(d) Narcotic drugs

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on its forty-second session (Council resolution 9 (I) and decision 1998/229)

Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (article 15 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961; article 18 of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971; and article 23 of the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances)


(e) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Documentation

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1/

Oral report on the situation of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa (General Assembly resolution 53/126)


(f) Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General (General Assembly resolutions 48/91 and 53/132)

Relevant chapter of the report of the Commission on Human Rights on its fifty-fifth session on a concrete proposal on the date and venue of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (General Assembly resolution 53/132 (II))


(g) Programme of activities for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

Question to be addressed

Mid-point review by the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly of the results of the activities for the Decade (Assembly resolution 50/157)


(h) Human rights

Documentation

Report of the Commission on Human Rights on its fifty-fifth session (Council resolutions 5 (I) and 9 (II))

Report of the Human Rights Committee (article 45 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) 1/

Report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Council resolutions 1988 (LX) and 1985/17 and Council decision 1998/293)

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 48/141) 1/


II. Questions for inclusion in the programme of work of the Council for 2000 and list of documents for each agenda item 2/

Substantive session of 2000


A. High-level segment


[Item/items to be selected] */

World Economic and Social Survey, 2000


B. Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation segment **/

Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation

[Theme/themes to be selected for consideration at the high-level meeting of the segment]

Follow-up to policy recommendations of the General Assembly

Report of the Secretary-General (Council resolution 1994/33 and General Assembly resolution 53/192)

Reports of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Programme

Report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund (General Assembly resolution 48/162, annex, and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (General Assembly resolution 48/162, annex, and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Report of the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (General Assembly resolution 50/8 and Council resolutions 1995/51 and 1998/27)

Annual report of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)

Annual report of the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (Council resolutions 1994/33 and 1998/27 and General Assembly resolution 53/192, para. 59)


C. Coordination segment


Coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies and other bodies of the United Nations system related to the following themes:

[Theme/themes to be selected] ***/


D. Humanitarian affairs segment


Special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance

Report of the Secretary-General on the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 46/182, annex) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/1 D on international assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Nicaragua: aftermath of the war and natural disasters 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 53/1 I on assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Liberia 1/

Oral report on assistance to the drought-stricken areas of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda (Council resolution 1983/46)



E. General segment


Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the 1999 agreed conclusions of the Council (General Assembly resolution 45/264, annex)

Report of the Secretary-General on ways to enhance the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits (Council resolution 1997/61)

Coordination, programme and other questions

Reports of coordination bodies

Report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on its fortieth session 1/

Annual overview report of the Administrative Committee on Coordination for 1999

Proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for the period 1998 2001

Relevant chapters of the proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001

Report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on its fortieth session

Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations

Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people (Council resolution 2100 (LXIII)) 1/

Regional cooperation

Report of the Secretary-General on regional cooperation (Council decision 1979/1), including the report of the Secretary-General on a subject relating to interregional cooperation of common interest to all regions (Council resolution 1982/50 and decision 1982/174)

Summaries of the surveys of economic conditions in the five regions prepared by the regional commissions (Council resolution 1724 (LIII))

Non-governmental organizations

Report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (Council resolutions 3 (II) and 1996/31 and decision 1995/304)

Question to be addressed

Enlargement of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (Council decision 1998/231)

Economic and environmental questions

Relevant sections of the document prepared by the Secretariat containing a consolidation of conclusions and recommendations of subsidiary bodies (Assembly resolution 50/227, annex I, para. 68)

Report of the Secretary-General on the measures taken within the United Nations system to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 (General Assembly resolution 53/188) 1/

Sustainable development

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its eighth session (Council decision 1993/207)

Report of the Committee for Development Policy on its thirty-fourth session (Council resolutions 1079 (XXXIX), 1625(LI) and 1998/46)


Food and agricultural development

Report on the review and analysis of agrarian reform and rural development (Council decision 1981/185)

Public administration and finance

Report of the Secretary-General on the Fifteenth Meeting of Experts on the United Nations Programme in Public Administration and Finance (Council resolution 1199 (XLII) and decision 1998/219)

Water supply and sanitation

Report of the Secretary-General containing an assessment of the water supply and sanitation situation in developing countries (General Assembly resolution 50/126) 1/

Cartography

Report of the Secretary-General on the Fifteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (Council decision 1997/221)

Report of the Secretary-General on the twentieth session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (Council decision 1998/221)

Population and development

Report of the Commission on Population and Development on its thirty-third session (General Assembly resolution 49/128, para. 25, and Council decision 1995/209)

Social and human rights questions

Relevant sections of the document prepared by the Secretariat containing a consolidation of conclusions and recommendations of subsidiary bodies (General Assembly resolution 50/227, annex I, para. 68)

Advancement of women

Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (article 21 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) 1/

Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-fourth session (Council resolutions 11 (II) and 1147 (XLI))

Report of the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (Council resolution 1998 (LX))

Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (General Assembly resolutions 50/203 and 52/100) 1/

Report of the Secretary-General on a new draft system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 2002-2005 (Council resolution 1996/34)

Social development

Report of the Commission for Social Development on its thirty-eighth session (Council resolutions 10 (II) and 1996/7)

Report of the Secretary-General on the world social situation (General Assembly resolution 44/56) 1/

Crime prevention and criminal justice

Report of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on its ninth session (Council resolution 1992/1)

Report of the Secretary-General on capital punishment (Council resolution 1745(LIV))

Report of the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (General Assembly resolution 53/110) 1/

Narcotic drugs

Report of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on its forty-third session (Council resolution 9 (I))

Report of the Secretary-General on the biennial update of the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Drug Abuse Control (General Assembly resolution 48/112, sect. IV, para. 10) 1/

Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (article 15 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961; article 18 of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971; and article 23 of the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1/

Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

Report of the Secretary-General (General Assembly resolution 48/91)

Human rights

Report of the Commission on Human Rights on its fifty-sixth session (Council resolutions 5 (I) and 9 (II))

Report of the Human Rights Committee (article 45 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) 1/

Report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Council resolutions 1988 (LX) and 1985/17)

Review of the composition, organization and administrative arrangements of the Committee (Council resolution 1985/17)

Report of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (General Assembly resolution 44/25, annex) 1/

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (General Assembly resolution 48/141) 1/


Notes

1/ Submitted to the General Assembly through the Council.

2/ It is expected that the following list of questions will be revised in the light of the Councilūs deliberations on the proposed programme of work for 1999.


*/ In its resolution 52/190, the General Assembly invited the Council to consider devoting one high-level segment before the year 2001 to human settlements and the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. In its resolution 52/86, the Assembly invited the Council to consider including the question of violence against women at the high-level segment of one of its forthcoming sessions, in the context of its discussion on the human rights of women.

**/In its resolution 53/192, the Assembly invited the Council to consider, inter alia, harmonization and simplification, including of programming, and resources, on the basis of progress reports by the
Secretary-General, including appropriate recommendations.

***/ In its resolution 53/180, the General Assembly invited the Council to devote its coordination segment in the year 2000 to human settlements issues and the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.
.