Cooperation between UN and LAS – GA resolution

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/54/L.14 and Add.1)]

54/9. Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States

The General Assembly,

Recalling its previous resolutions on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States,¹

Recalling article III of the Charter of the League of Arab States, which confers upon the Council of the League the task of deciding upon the means by which the League is to cooperate with the international bodies to be created in the future in order to guarantee security and peace and regulate economic and social relations,

Noting the desire of both organizations to consolidate, develop and enhance further the ties existing between them in the political, economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, technical and administrative fields,

Taking into account the report of the Secretary-General entitled “An Agenda for Peace”,² in particular section VII, concerning cooperation with regional arrangements and organizations, and the “Supplement to An Agenda for Peace”,³

Convinced of the need for more efficient and coordinated utilization of available economic and financial resources to promote common objectives of the two organizations,

Acknowledging the need for closer cooperation between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations in realizing the goals and objectives of the two organizations,

Welcoming the third meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, held on 28 and 29 July 1998, and the follow-up meeting held on 10 and 11 December 1998,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General;¹

2. Commends the continued efforts of the League of Arab States to promote multilateral cooperation among Arab States, and requests the United Nations system to continue to lend its support;

3. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the follow-up action taken by him to implement the proposals adopted at the meetings between the representatives of the secretariats of the United Nations and other organizations of the United Nations system and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, including the latest general meeting, held in Vienna in 1999;

4. Requests the Secretariat of the United Nations and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, within their respective fields of competence, to intensify further their cooperation with a view to the realization of the purposes and principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the strengthening of international peace and security, economic and social development, disarmament, decolonization, self-determination and the eradication of all forms of racism and racial discrimination;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and other organizations and agencies of the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations in order to enhance their capacity to serve the mutual interests and objectives of the two organizations in the political, economic, social, humanitarian, cultural and administrative fields;

6. Calls upon the specialized agencies and other organizations and programmes of the United Nations system:

(a) To continue to cooperate with the Secretary-General and among themselves, as well as with the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, in the follow-up of multilateral proposals aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation in all fields between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations;

(b) To maintain and increase contacts and improve the mechanism of consultation with the counterpart programmes, organizations and agencies concerned regarding projects and programmes, in order to facilitate their implementation;

(c) To associate whenever possible with organizations and institutions of the League of Arab States in the execution and implementation of development projects in the Arab region;

(d) To inform the Secretary-General, not later than 14 July 2000, of the progress of their cooperation with the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, in particular the follow-up action taken on the multilateral and bilateral proposals adopted at the previous meetings between the two organizations;

7. Also calls upon the specialized agencies and other organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to intensify cooperation with the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations in the priority sectors of energy, rural development, desertification and green belts, training and vocational training, technology, environment and information and documentation;

8. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in cooperation with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, to encourage periodic consultation between representatives of the Secretariat of the United Nations and of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to review and strengthen coordination mechanisms with a view to accelerating implementation of, and follow-up action on, multilateral projects, proposals and recommendations adopted at the meetings between the two organizations;

9. Recommends that the United Nations and other organizations of the United Nations system should utilize, insofar as possible, Arab institutions and technical expertise in projects undertaken in the Arab region;

10. Reaffirms that, in order to enhance cooperation and for the purpose of review and appraisal of progress, a general meeting between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States should take place once every two years, and inter-agency sectoral meetings should also be organized once every two years on areas of priority and wide importance in the development of the Arab States, on the basis of agreement between the counterpart programmes of the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations;

11. Emphasizes the importance of holding the next general meeting on cooperation between the representatives of the secretariats of organizations of the United Nations system and of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations during 2001;

12. Recommends that a sectoral meeting entitled “Youth and Employment” should be held between the United Nations and the League of Arab States and their specialized organizations at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in Beirut from 22 to 26 May 2000;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution;

14. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fifth session the item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States”.

39th plenary meeting

26 October 1999

Notes

¹ A/54/180.

²A/47/277–S/24111; see Official Records of the Security Council, Forty-seventh Year, Supplement for April, May and June 1992, document S/24111.

³A/50/60–S/1995/1; see Official Records of the Security Council, Fiftieth Year, Supplement for January, February and March 1995, document S/1995/1.