98th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly: 50th Session

Acting this morning without a vote, the General Assembly adopted resolutions by which it decided to hold a special session in the year 2000 for an overall review of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development, at which heads of State or government pledged earlier this year to give highest priority to national, regional and international policies to promote social progress, justice and betterment of the human condition.

The Assembly also decided to establish an ad hoc committee to prepare the mid-term review in 1996 of the implementation of the New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. The committee will also propose measures for sustainable economic growth and development in Africa beyond the 1990s.

By other resolutions, the Assembly

-- Called upon the international community to continue its assistance with a view to eliminating the intolerable conditions in prisons in Rwanda, and encouraged that country's Government to continue efforts to expedite the processing of cases;

-- Requested Member States and international organizations to cooperate with the Government of Burundi and other governments of the region in the identification and dismantling of radio stations which incite hatred and encourage acts of genocide;

-- Invited the international community to continue to provide Burundi with assistance for economic recovery and reconstruction, and to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of refugees; and

-- Appealed to all parties concerned in the Sudan to pursue dialogue and negotiations, to terminate hostilities, to allow the re-establishment of peace, order and stability, and to facilitate relief efforts.

Also this morning, acting without a note, the Assembly adopted 11 decisions recommended by the Fifth Committee. By the terms of five of those decisions, on the financing of peace-keeping and related operations, the Assembly

-- Appropriated for the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) some $22.4 million gross ($20.4 million net) previously authorized and apportioned for the period 1 October 1995 to 31 January 1996;

-- Decided that the additional $842,300 gross ($763,000 net) needed for the United Nations Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL) for 1 December 1994 to 31 May 1995 would be funded from savings from prior mandate periods, pending the submission of the final performance report for the Mission in the first quarter of 1996;

-- Retained the unencumbered balances in the accounts of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) and the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) to maintain those operations; and

-- Decided not to appropriate an additional $218,067 gross ($229,867 net) at this time for the financing of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Other decisions recommended by the Fifth Committee and adopted by the Assembly endorsed the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ)'s recommendations on the mock-up budget for peace-keeping operations; authorized the Secretary-General to begin preparing the proposed medium-term plan for the period after 1997; took note of amendments to the 100 and 200 series of Staff Rules; and deferred consideration to the resumed Assembly session of the Secretary-General's reports on reforming the internal justice system in the Secretariat. The Assembly also adopted decisions to admit the World Tourism Organization to the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and took note of the four chapters of the report of the Economic and Social Council allocated to the Fifth Committee.

The Assembly will meet again at 4 p.m. today to continue its action on reports of the Fifth Committee as well as to take action on reports of the Third Committee.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
A/50/PV.98