UNITED NATIONS
Distr.
GENERAL
A/49/1
2 September 1994
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Forty-ninth session
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE
WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION
September 1994
The present document is an advance version of the report of
the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, which will
be issued in final form as Official Records of the General
Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Supplement No.1 (A/49/1).
94-35043 (E) 220994/...
CONTENTS
Paragraphs
Page
I. Introduction 1 - 13 1
II. Coordinating a comprehensive strategy 14 - 122 3
A. Organs of the United Nations 14 - 100 3
B. Ensuring an adequate financial base 101 - 105 13
C. Preparing for the fiftieth anniversary 106 - 112 13
D. The United Nations University (UNU) 113 - 122 14
III. The foundations of peace: development, humanitarian action
and human rights. 123 - 396 17
A. Global development activities 127 - 187 17
B. Operational activities for development 188 - 258 25
C. Regional development activities 259 - 315 35
D. The humanitarian imperative 316 - 368 41
E. Protection and promotion of human rights 369 - 396 48
IV. Expanding preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution
397 - 787 53
A. Implementing An Agenda for Peace 397 - 410 53
B. Preventive diplomacy and peacemaking 411 - 416 54
C. Peace-keeping in a changing context 417 - 435 55
D. Current activities in preventive diplomacy, peacemaking
and peace-keeping 436 - 632 58
E. Major comprehensive efforts 633 - 727 80
F. Cooperation with regional organizations 728 - 739 92
G. Disarmament 740 - 752 93
H. Post-conflict peace-building 753 - 787 95
V. Conclusion: a continuing commitment 788 - 797 101
LIST OF FIGURES
1. Distribution of appropriations in the programme budget of the
United Nations for the biennium 1994-1995
2. General Assembly resolutions and agenda items, 1989-1994
3. Participation of heads of State and Government in the general
debate, 1989-1994
4. Security Council: number of formal meetings and consultations
of the whole, 1988-1994
5. Security Council: resolutions adopted and statements by the
President, 1988-1994
6. Status of contributions as at 15 August 1994
7. Voluntary contributions to various United Nations trust funds,
1991-1993
8. Voluntary contributions (core and non-core) to the United
Nations Development Programme and programmes administered by it,
1989-1993
9. Summary of the income of the United Nations Children's Fund,
1989-1993
10. Voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population Fund
(core and non-core), 1989-1993
11. Regional commissions: revised appropriations for the programme
budget for the biennium 1992-1993
12. Department of Humanitarian Affairs comparison of consolidated
appeals and responses
13. Number of deaths and damage caused by natural disasters in
1992-1993, as reported to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs,
Geneva.
14. Civilian and military personnel in peace-keeping operations as
at 30 June 1994
15. Internationally and locally recruited staff in peace-keeping
missions, 1988-1994
16. Total fatalities in peace-keeping operations, 1987-1994
17. Civilian fatalities in peace-keeping missions, 1989-1994
18. Requests by Member States to the United Nations system for
electoral assistance, 1989-1994
Map. Peace-keeping operations as at 31 July 1994
I. Introduction
In September 1992, nine months into my tenure as Secretary-General, I
submitted to the General Assembly my first annual report on the work of the
Organization, emphasizing the new opportunities before the United Nations in
the post-cold-war world. In my second annual report, in September 1993, I
stressed the host of new demands for peace-keeping being made upon the
Organization as a new dimension of conflict erupted in States around the
world. During the period, covered by this, my third annual report, I have
sought to correct the common misperception of the United Nations as an
organization dedicated primarily to peace-keeping. Economic and social
questions have long occupied the major part of United Nations efforts. Such
work has become all the more important today precisely as conflicts are
increasingly recognized to have economic and social origins. The present
report, which highlights the signal developments of the past 12 months, also
underscores how, in the midst of its efforts to contain and resolve immediate
conflicts, the United Nations is deepening its attention to the foundations of
peace, which lie in the realm of development.
1. In my 1992 report entitled An Agenda for Peace
(A/47/277-S/24111), I outlined suggestions for enabling the United Nations to
respond quickly and effectively to threats to international peace and security
in the post-cold-war world. In our peace operations and in our efforts to face
the new dimension of conflict, the United Nations continues to test An Agenda
for Peace in action every day.
2. Journeying into uncharted territory, the United Nations has encountered
vast challenges. Genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity of a
hideous nature have returned in new forms to haunt the world community.
Effective means for putting a permanent end to such atrocities remain to be
found. Yet, as this report will show, the world Organization continues to
learn how to resolve crises and alleviate suffering in new and desperate
situations. Each peace operation has taught us more about handling the range
of novel problems and opportunities that the post-cold-war era presents.
3. Increasing our responsive capacity to immediate crises clearly is not
enough. As ethnic violence plagues many States, corrosive economic and social
problems erode the authority and sovereign power of others and spread across
political borders. The United Nations must renew and strengthen its commitment
to work in the economic and social fields as an end in itself and as the
means of attending to the sources of conflicts. In the altered context of
today's world, the definition of security is no longer limited to questions of
land and weapons. It now includes economic well-being, environmental
sustainability and the protection of human rights; the relationship between
international peace and security and development has become undeniable. Yet,
while we have seen some progress towards peace and conflict management, we
have seen little concerted action towards development. In the midst of urgent
efforts to deal with outbreaks of violence and sudden disasters, it is the
task of the world community to redefine and bring to fulfilment the idea of
development as the long-term solution to the root causes of conflict.
4. As part of that effort, I recently presented the General Assembly with a
report entitled An Agenda for Development (A/48/935). The
report explores the multiple dimensions of development and the multiplicity of
actors engaged in the development task. Rather than proposing specific
solutions, the report seeks to provide a comprehensive framework for thinking
about the pursuit of development as a means of building foundations for
enduring human progress.
5. Peace, the economy, the environment, society and democracy are
interlinked dimensions of development. Peace provides the most secure context
for lasting development. A growing economy generates the resources for
progress. A protected environment makes development sustainable. Healthy
social conditions strengthen the social fabric, reinforcing peace and
development. Democracy fosters creativity, good governance and the stability
that can maintain progress towards development over time. All five development
dimensions function together in an interlocking and mutually reinforcing way.
This suggests that development will require vigorous action in line with a
comprehensive vision, a vision that incorporates, integrates and facilitates
progress all along the entire range of development issues.
6. Looking to the sources of conflict we see that the agenda presented to
the United Nations by today's world is greater in complexity and scale than at
any other time in the history of the Organization. The task is daunting and
may indeed seem overwhelming as we step into the future without history's
guide and in the presence of so much stress, misery and violence. This is not
cause for despair, however, but for the utmost dedication, determination and
lively commitment. The dimensions of development are in reality concepts that
express the highest aspirations of human life. In attending to the sources of
conflict through the pursuit of a comprehensive vision of development, we have
the opportunity to realize greater potential for all humanity than ever
before.
7. For the United Nations, this translates into an opportunity to bring
together, in a strongly coherent and unified fashion, the original aims of the
world Organization. Peace, justice, human rights and development the original
aims expressed in the Charter of the United Nations can all be pursued most
effectively within a comprehensive vision. The new international context and
the multidimensional nature of the challenge call for multilateral action and
an integrated approach. In both mission and mandate, the United Nations is
uniquely suited to the task, encompassing all dimensions of the development
challenge.
8. As a forum for discussion and awarenessraising, as a tool for cooperation
and decision-making, and as a vehicle for promoting multilateral action, the
United Nations can help forge the necessary global consensus. The world
Organization also has the capacity to set internationally agreed standards and
to undertake operations through its global network of field offices. In those
respects, there is no alternative to the United Nations as an active force for
development.
9. To that end, the World Summit for Social Development, to be held at
Copenhagen in 1995, and the upcoming fiftieth anniversary year of the founding
of the United Nations present historic opportunities that must be grasped.
10. The World Summit for Social Development affords the world community an
opportunity for enhanced international cooperation on the social dimension of
development. As globalization transforms our world in many positive ways,
social ills such as crime, disease, drugs, unchecked migration, poverty,
unemployment and social disintegration have emerged on a regional and
international scale. The magnitude of those challenges, coupled with the
reality that advanced communications and global commerce have blurred national
boundaries, render States and their Governments less and less able to face or
solve these problems alone. The United Nations, its Member States and other
actors in the world community must take the Summit as an opportunity to
construct an international consensus on social development and to commit
themselves to a practical plan for international action.
11. The fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the
Organization invites the United Nations, its Member States and the peoples of
the world to appreciate and strengthen the accomplishments of the past, to
recognize and meet the challenges of the present, and to design and implement
a plan for the United Nations of the future. Drawing from the lessons of the
past and the challenges of the present, we have the potential to create new
ways to use the original mechanisms provided by the Charter within the
emerging global context. Above all, the fiftieth anniversary year represents
an exhilarating challenge and an invaluable opportunity to forge a global
consensus behind development, in all of its dimensions, as the most lasting
foundation for international peace and security and as the greatest hope for
all humanity.
12. It is with this sense of profound opportunity, and in accordance with
Article 98 of the Charter, that I submit the present annual report as a
document for reflection at this critical time in the history of the world
Organization. The structure of the report has been designed to enable the
entities comprising the Organization and the Governments and peoples it serves
to assess intellectually, morally and institutionally the role of the United
Nations in the world-wide collaborative effort towards enduring human
progress.
II. Coordinating a comprehensive strategy
A. Organs of the United Nations
14. The expansion of United Nations activities is being translated into
increased responsibilities for most organs of the United Nations.
1. General Assembly
15. The General Assembly is playing an increasingly wide-ranging and
comprehensive role in world affairs.
16. As a result of the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution 47/233
of 17 August 1993, starting with the forty-eighth session, the Main Committees
of the General Assembly are: the Disarmament and International Security
Committee (First Committee), the Special Political and Decolonization
Committee (Fourth Committee), the Economic and Financial Committee (Second
Committee), the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee),
the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee) and the Legal
Committee (Sixth Committee).
17. While the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly closes the day
before commencement of the forty-ninth session, on 19 September 1994, the
statistics given in the present report cover the work of the Assembly only
until the end of July 1994. The number of meetings held by the Assembly, its
General Committee and Main Committees until the end of July 1994 totalled 394,
as compared with 426 during the forty-seventh session. The number of meetings
held by the working groups remained fairly constant: 72 during the
forty-eighth session, as compared with 78 during the forty-seventh. The number
of informal meetings held by the Main Committees decreased from 324 during the
forty-seventh session to 218 during the forty-eighth.
18. The number of items inscribed on the agenda of the forty-eighth session
showed an increase: the forty-seventh session concluded its work with 157
items on its agenda; the forty-eighth session has 180 items inscribed on its
agenda. This led to a corresponding increase in the number of resolutions
adopted by the General Assembly, from 306 during the forty-seventh session to
327 during the forty-eighth (see fig. 2). Confirming its trend to adopt more
and more resolutions without a vote, during its forty-eighth session, the
Assembly adopted 80 per cent of its resolutions without a vote or by
consensus, an increase of 5 per cent over the previous session.
19. The participation of Heads of State and Government in the general debate
of the General Assembly has doubled between the forty-fourth and forty-eighth
sessions (see fig. 3).
20. The General Assembly, recognizing the need for improving its working
methods, adopted a set of guidelines on the rationalization of its agenda
(resolution 48/264).
21. The establishment by the General Assembly of the Open-ended Working Group
on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership
of the Security Council (resolution 48/26) began intensive consultations on
the composition, size and working procedures of the Security Council and its
relation with the General Assembly. The discussions in the Working Group were
constructive but did not result in concrete recommendations, leaving the
matter open for further discussions.
22. At its forty-eighth session, the General Assembly approved, for the first
time in many years, the credentials of Israel without any challenge,
reflecting the changing situation in the Middle East. The Assembly also
adopted resolution 48/58 of 14 December 1993 expressing full support for the
continuation of the Middle East peace process.
23. Following the establishment of a democratic and united non-racial South
Africa, the credentials of South Africa were approved unchallenged. At the
95th plenary meeting of the General Assembly, on 23 June 1994, the South
African delegation resumed its participation in the work of the Assembly,
which, on that occasion, terminated the mandate of the Special Committee
against Apartheid and removed the question of apartheid from its agenda
(resolution 48/258).
24. During the period under review, the General Assembly mandated intensive
consultations on An Agenda for Development (A/48/935; see also para. 5), the
United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s and the
financing of operational activities for development, signalling the growing
importance and urgency of development issues. In June 1994, the President of
the Assembly, having received my report entitled An Agenda for Development ,
conducted hearings on development, in a new ground-breaking format, with a
view to contributing to the consideration of the question at the forty-ninth
session. I am confident that General Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20
December 1993 on restructuring and revitalizing the United Nations in the
economic, social and related fields will lead to a more efficient division of
labour between the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, particularly
as regards eliminating the duplication of work in reports to those United
Nations organs.
25. Further to its endorsement of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14
to 25 June 1993, the General Assembly created the post of High Commissioner
for Human Rights to promote and protect the effective enjoyment by all of all
civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. The Assembly approved
my appointment of Mr. Jose Ayala Lasso to the new post.
26. Culminating several years of negotiations began under my predecessor and
continued under my good offices, the General Assembly adopted on 28 July 1994
and opened for signature on 29 July, an Agreement relating to the
implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea of 10 December 1982 (resolution 48/263) (see also para. 77 below).
27. In order to assist the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal
oversight responsibilities regarding the resources and staff of the
Organization, the General Assembly established an Office of Internal Oversight
Services, headed by an Under-Secretary-General, and approved my appointment of
Mr. Karl Theodor Paschke to that post.
28. The General Assembly approved by consensus the programme budget for the
biennium 1994-1995 and an appropriation of $2,580,200,200. The extremely
severe financial situation of the United Nations left me no alternative but to
implement some restrictions on the work of servicing the Assembly, the
Security Council and their committees and subsidiary bodies. I informed Member
States that, except in emergencies, meetings could not be serviced in the
evenings, at night or during weekends. The flexibility and increased
responsiveness on the part of the Secretariat staff to those conditions of
great stringency have made it possible for the Council and the Assembly to
continue to meet as often as necessary in order to fulfil their heavy
responsibilities during the period. The work of the Assembly is reflected
throughout the present report, across the full range of issues involving the
world Organization.
2. Security Council
29. Given the complexity in the international situation and the deterioration
of peace and security in many parts of the world, the Security Council
continues to meet frequently in formal and informal meetings. The number of
formal meetings decreased from 247 to 144 and consultations of the whole
declined from 359 to 242 this year (see fig. 4). These figures do not reflect
a diminution in the Council's activities, but a somewhat different pattern of
work. For example, the Council has evolved the useful device of setting up
working groups of the whole, which meet at expert level, to finalize texts of
draft resolutions and presidential statements (see fig. 5). In effect, the
Council is required to meet on an almost continuous basis in order to respond
to rapidly evolving situations as well as to monitor the various peace-keeping
operations on the basis of my reports.
30. The vastly enhanced activities of the Security Council have generated a
justifiable interest in its work among the Member States of the United Nations
in particular and the international community in general. This was evident
from the increased participation in the consideration in the General Assembly
of the item relating to the annual report of the Security Council. In previous
years, the item attracted only limited attention. At the forty-eighth session,
however, numerous delegations made statements on it. One of the principal
demands of Member States is for more transparency in the working methods of
the Security Council. There is also a near universal demand for the expansion
in the membership of the Council. In addition, there is some concern at the
tendency in the Council to deal with issues, such as humanitarian questions
and human rights, that are regarded as falling outside its purview and should
be handled by other competent organs of the United Nations.
31. The Security Council has established a working group to consider
improvements in its working methods with a view, inter alia, to making them
more transparent. One of the decisions of the Council, following the
recommendations of the working group, is to publish the detailed agenda of its
meetings in the daily Journal.
32. There has been an increase in the number of subsidiary organs of the
Security Council, particularly by the establishment of sanctions committees.
There are currently five Security Council committees on sanctions, namely, the
Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) concerning the situation
between Iraq and Kuwait; the Committee established pursuant to resolution 724
(1991) concerning Yugoslavia; the Committee established pursuant to resolution
748 (1992) concerning the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; the Committee established
pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia; and the Committee
established pursuant to resolution 841 (1993) concerning Haiti. Some of these
committees have to handle large volumes of work. For example, the Committee on
Yugoslavia had to deal with more than 34,000 communications in 1993 and more
than 45,000 communications so far in 1994. The Secretariat does not have
adequate resources to process such huge volumes of communications
expeditiously, with the result that there is a serious backlog in many cases.
There have been many complaints from requesting Governments and international
organizations for the delays in responding to those requests. The committees
have decided to devolve a great deal of the work to their respective
secretariats under the no objection procedure. This has, however, resulted
in a further burden on the Secretariat.
33. Because of the increasing magnitude and the complexity of the agenda of
the Council, its members request more and more detailed information from the
Secretariat. There has been a noticeable tendency in the Council to focus in
greater detail on the conduct of peace-keeping operations. Members of the
Council cannot be expected to have either the time or the expertise to deal
with what are often marginal military and logistics matters. With a view to
assisting the Council in its deliberations by keeping it informed about the
latest developments, my Special Adviser, Under- Secretary-General Chinmaya
Gharekhan, serves as my personal representative to the Council and attends all
its meetings, representing me when I am unable to attend.
34. The work of the Security Council in maintaining or restoring
international peace and security is set forth in detail in chapter IV of the
present report.
3. Economic and Social Council
35. The Economic and Social Council has responsibility for coordination and
overall guidance of the activities of the United Nations in the economic and
social fields. The strengthened role of the Council in that sphere,
complemented by the creation of new, smaller executive boards for the
supervision of the activities of the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) has established the basis for more effective
intergovernmental guidance for the more coherent governance of operational
activities for development and the economic and social work of the system.
36. In 1994, the Council held four plenary sessions at Headquarters.
Following the election of the Bureau on 25 January, the organizational session
was held from 1 to 4 February. The resumed organizational session, for the
purpose of elections to the Council's subsidiary bodies, took place on 19 and
20 April. The substantive session of 1994 was held from 27 June to 29 July.
The Council also held a special session on 6 June for the purpose of
discussing a draft decision of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation
in Rwanda. Twelve subsidiary bodies of the Council held annual sessions during
the period from 1 September 1993 to 1 May 1994.
37. During its substantive session of 1994, the Council focused its
high-level segment on An Agenda for Development in the light of my report on
the subject (A/48/935). While there was no general support for the
establishment of a new intergovernmental mechanism, Member States called for
the present machinery to be employed more effectively than at present,
particularly at Headquarters, to meet the challenge of development. At the
field level, Member States recommended strengthening the resident coordinator
system. They also called for a stronger role for the United Nations in
development, including in the operational field. The comparative advantage of
the United Nations in building consensus for globally relevant development
decisions and in its strong presence in the field were also stressed. I will
draw upon these and other suggestions of the Council in my further report on
An Agenda for Development to be submitted to the General Assembly for its
consideration at the forty-ninth session.
38. The Economic and Social Council this year also addressed the themes of
science and technology for development and narcotic drugs, and developed
recommendations for the strengthening of inter-agency coordination in those
two areas. The Council has also undertaken a general review of current
arrangements for consultations with non-governmental organizations.
39. At its second session, from 16 to 27 May 1994, the Commission on
Sustainable Development discussed the progress in the implementation of Agenda
21, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in
June 1992. The Commission gave special consideration to the cross-sectoral
components of Agenda 21, the critical elements of sustainability and the
financial resources and mechanisms required for the implementation of Agenda
21.
40. Several States supported the preparatory process for the second session
of the Commission by hosting meetings on sectoral issues in accordance with
the Commission's multi-year thematic programme of work. Fifty Member States
submitted national reports and the non-governmental community continued its
active involvement in the work of the Commission. Commitments on financial
resources and transfers of technology to developing countries, however, are
not being fulfilled adequately. The Commission is thus endeavouring to
maintain the political momentum generated by the adoption of Agenda 21 and to
promote the implementation of commitments, particularly on resource and
technology transfers, not yet put into effect.
41. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
completed a full session in January. As a human rights treaty body, the
Committee addressed issues of equality in marriage and family relations, and
formulated recommendations on issues before the International Conference on
Population and Development, to be held at Cairo in September 1994.
42. The Commission on the Status of Women, acting as a preparatory body for
the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held at Beijing in September 1995,
continued work on the draft final document for the Conference. The document
will place special emphasis on poverty, education and health as critical areas
of concern. The Commission also examined measures to further the
implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against
Women.
4. Trusteeship Council
43. The Trusteeship Council, in accordance with Article 86 of the Charter, is
composed of five Member States, China, France, the Russian Federation, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of
America. Under the terms of Articles 83 and 87 of the Charter, the function of
the Trusteeship Council is to assist the Security Council or the General
Assembly in carrying out their responsibilities with respect to the
International Trusteeship System. Throughout its history, the Council has
fulfilled its responsibilities, reviewing the situation in and dispatching
regular visiting missions to Trust Territories. This year, Palau remains the
only entity under the Trusteeship Agreement of 1947.
44. On 9 November 1993, the Government of Palau held the eighth plebiscite on
the Compact of Free Association with the United States of America. The United
Nations visiting mission observed the plebiscite, which resulted in the
approval of the Compact, with 68 per cent of Palauans voting in favour.
45. During the closure of the sixtieth session of the Trusteeship Council, in
January 1994, the United States, as the Administering Authority for Palau,
informed the Council that its Government and the Government of Palau intended
to implement the Compact of Free Association as quickly as possible. Planning
for the smooth transition to Palau's new status is under way.
46. With the end of the Trusteeship Agreement on Palau, the amendment to the
rules of procedure of the Trusteeship Council contained in Council resolution
2200 (LXI) of 25 May 1994 will become operational and the Council will meet as
and where occasion may require. Nevertheless, I recommend that the General
Assembly proceed with steps to eliminate the organ, in accordance with Article
108 of the Charter.
5. International Court of Justice
47. In 1993-1994, the International Court of Justice had a record number of
13 cases before it, 12 of which were cases in contention involving States from
nearly every region in the world. One involved a request to the Court for an
advisory opinion. In the period under review, judgement was rendered in two
cases and an Order on requests for the indication of provisional measures has
been made in a third. Hearings have been held on the requests for the
indication of provisional measures and, in another case, on questions of
jurisdiction and admissibility. Written pleadings of great volume have been
filed within the prescribed timelimits in other cases.
48. In September 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) laid before the
Court a request for an advisory opinion on the legality of the use of nuclear
weapons by a State in armed conflict. The Court issued an Order setting the
time-limit within which written statements relating to the question might be
submitted by WHO and by those Member States entitled to appear before the
Court.
49. Also in September, the Court issued an Order in the case concerning the
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)), which
declined a second request made by Bosnia and Herzegovina for the indication of
provisional measures. The Order also declined a similar request made by
Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) for an injunction that would require Bosnia
to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of genocide
against Bosnian Serbs.
50. In its Order, the Court emphasized that in that case it had prima facie
jurisdiction to order interim measures only within the scope of the
jurisdiction conferred upon it by the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. As it was not entitled to deal with
broader claims, the Court declined Bosnian requests to interdict plans to
partition Bosnian territory, to declare annexation of Bosnian territory to be
illegal and to hold that Bosnia must have the means to prevent acts of
genocide and partition by obtaining military supplies.
51. The Court held that: the present perilous situation demands, not an
indication of provisional measures additional to those indicated by the
Court's Order of 8 April 1993, but immediate and effective implementation of
those measures .
52. The Court reminded the parties to the case of their obligation to take
the provisional measures seriously into account. In a further Order the
Vice-President of the Court set new time-limits for the subsequent written
procedure on the merits.
53. In September 1993, the Parties in the case concerning Certain Phosphate
Lands in Nauru (Nauru v. Australia) informed the Court that they had reached a
settlement. The Court issued an Order recording the discontinuance of the
proceedings and directing the removal of the case from the Court docket.
54. In December 1993, the United States of America filed preliminary
objections to the jurisdiction of the Court in the case concerning Oil
Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America). In January
1994, the President of the Court set a time-limit for the presentation of a
written statement by the Islamic Republic of Iran on those preliminary
objections.
55. On 3 February 1994, the Court delivered its Judgment in the case
concerning the Territorial Dispute (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya/Chad). The Court
found that the boundary between the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Chad was
defined and determined by the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighbourliness
concluded on 10 August 1955 by France and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
56. In its resolution 915 (1994) of 4 May 1994, the Security Council
established the United Nations Aouzou Strip Observer Group (UNASOG), to
observe the implementation of the Agreement, signed at Surt, the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya, on 4 April 1994, between the Republic of Chad and the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya, where the parties pledged themselves to abide by the Judgment of
the International Court of Justice. The Security Council's decision to
establish UNASOG is a good example of the United Nations helping parties to
implement a Judgment of the Court.
57. In a ceremony held at Aouzou Village on 30 May 1994, the Chief Military
Observer of UNASOG affixed his signature as a witness to the Joint Declaration
between the two Governments stating that withdrawal of the Libyan
administration and forces from the Aouzou Strip had been effected as at that
date. By its resolution 926 (1994) of 13 June 1994, the Security Council
terminated the mandate of UNASOG.
58. The Court held hearings on questions of jurisdiction and admissibility in
the case concerning Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between
Qatar and Bahrain in February and March. The Court is at present deliberating
the case.
59. On 29 March 1994, Cameroon instituted proceedings against Nigeria in a
dispute concerning the question of sovereignty over the peninsula of Bakassi.
Cameroon requested the Court to determine the course of the maritime frontier
between the two States.
60. In addition to the seven cases described above, the following cases were
on the docket of the International Court of Justice during the period under
review:
(a) Aerial Incident of 3 July 1988 (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United
States of America);
(b) East Timor (Portugal v. Australia);
(c) Maritime Delimitation between Guinea-Bissau and Senegal;
(d) Questions of Interpretation and Application of the 1971 Montreal
Convention arising from the Aerial Incident at Lockerbie (Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya v. United Kingdom);
(e) Questions of Interpretation and Application of the 1971 Montreal
Convention arising from the Aerial Incident at Lockerbie (Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya v. United States of America);
(f) Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Project (Hungary/ Slovakia). 61. On 10 February
1994, the Court elected Mr. Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria) as its President, and
Mr. Stephen M. Schwebel (United States) as its Vice-President. The other
Judges in the International Court of Justice are Mr. Shigeru Oda (Japan), Mr.
Roberto Ago (Italy), Sir Robert Yewdall Jennings (United Kingdom), Mr. Nikolai
Konstantinovich Tarassov (Russian Federation), Mr. Gilbert Guillaume (France),
Mr. Mohamed Shahabuddeen (Guyana), Mr. Andres Aguilar Mawdsley (Venezuela),
Mr. Christopher Gregory Weeramantry (Sri Lanka), Mr. Raymond Ranjeva
(Madagascar), Mr. Geza Herczegh (Hungary), Mr. Shi Jiuyong (China), Mr.
Carl-August Fleischhauer (Germany) and Mr. Abdul G. Koroma (Sierra Leone).
6. Secretariat
62. In order to improve the Secretariat's delivery of administrative and
support services to the Organization, a plan for the reorganization of the
Department of Administration and Management was submitted to the General
Assembly at its resumed forty-eighth session, in June 1994. The plan aims at
achieving a lean, streamlined department with clear lines of responsibility
and accountability. The goal is a better integrated department with the
creation of a consolidated front office comprising the Under-Secretary-General
and the three Assistant Secretaries-General with supporting staff. The
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management serves as the
manager for personnel administration, resource identification and planning,
and career management and development. The Assistant Secretary-General for
Conference and Support Services manages those services and in addition carries
out the functions of United Nations Security Coordinator. The Assistant
Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, the Controller,
exercises managerial responsibilities in those three interrelated finance
areas.
63. With the growing number of peace-keeping and related field missions, the
Organization now administers more staff in the field than at Headquarters.
This has in effect required adjustments to virtually all aspects of personnel
administration. In particular, the Secretariat has instituted new rules and
procedures for recruitment for limited durations, to facilitate the
administration of peace-keeping and other mission staff.
64. Whether assigned to field missions or to other mandated programmes, the
staff of the United Nations must be given the tools to make this an efficient
and modern Organization. A comprehensive programme of management training,
aimed at developing the leadership and managerial capacity within the
Secretariat, has been launched with a series of management seminars for all
director-level staff. The programme is being expanded to other management
levels.
65. Attracting talented and qualified candidates to join the Organization is
another means of ensuring that the staff will respond to today's challenges.
Since June 1994, the freeze on recruitment has been lifted, allowing the
Organization to launch targeted campaigns aimed at recruiting well qualified
candidates. The national competitive examinations have provided an excellent
tool for selecting the best talent available in a given country for Junior
Professional positions. The Secretariat expects to recruit 30 to 40 candidates
by the end of 1994.
66. The equitable representation of the membership in the staff of the
Secretariat continues to be a major concern. To meet that concern, the
Organization will place special emphasis on the recruitment of candidates from
States that are unrepresented or underrepresented in the Secretariat. As
regards the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, a programme
addressing all aspects of the question the recruitment, advancement and
conditions of service of women at all levels, particularly in senior and
policy-making positions is becoming a permanent feature of human resource
management in the United Nations. Finally, the question of the equitable
representation of developed and developing countries at all levels, especially
at senior levels, is continually borne in mind in the selection of staff.
67. The Secretariat has designed a new system for the evaluation of staff
performance. An experimental testing of the system has commenced. Under the
system, the Secretariat will complete performance evaluations on an annual
basis.
68. It is more than ever true that the Organization's human resources are its
most precious asset. The Organization must therefore be able not only to
attract the best staff to its service, but to retain them through the offer of
competitive conditions of service. The Administrative Committee on
Coordination has on a number of occasions expressed its concern at the growing
lack of competitiveness of the conditions of service of staff of the United
Nations system as compared with those of bilateral and other multilateral
financial and aid agencies, and has urged the International Civil Service
Commission to make proposals to the General Assembly with a view to
introducing changes in the system currently in place to determine remuneration
of staff so as to restore competitiveness.
69. Personal security is another important condition of service. Concomitant
with an increase in the global activities of the Organization has been an
increase in threats to the security of both United Nations personnel and
premises. The Secretariat has been developing and implementing measures and
standards for security at all duty stations to ensure the safety of those
working environments.
70. Work on the elaboration of an international convention dealing with the
safety and security of personnel participating in United Nations peace-keeping
and other operations is being actively conducted in the framework of an ad hoc
committee established by the General Assembly at its last session. Important
differences remain as regards the nature of the operations and the categories
of personnel that should come within the purview of the future convention.
There is, in particular, no agreement on whether operations conducted in whole
or in part under Chapter VII of the Charter should be covered, nor on the
categories of associated personnel (i.e. non-United Nations personnel
involved in an operation) to be included. A substantial measure of agreement,
however, seems to have been reached on the criminal law provisions (based on
the extradite or prosecute principle) and a generally acceptable balance
appears to be emerging between, on the one hand, coverage of the rights and
obligations of host and transit States and, on the other, recognition given to
the norms applicable to United Nations and associated personnel. I am of the
firm conviction that all United Nations personnel must be protected, not only
those operating under a particular Security Council mandate.
71. The Secretariat has given high priority to strengthening the
technological infrastructure at all major duty stations. Enhanced
technological infrastructure is required to support regular administrative and
economic and social activities of the Organization, as well as peace-keeping,
human rights and humanitarian efforts. The Secretariat submitted to the
General Assembly a project to establish a telecommunications network for
activities in areas where communications facilities are at present inadequate
or lacking. Another significant technological project undertaken by the
Secretariat is the Integrated Management Information System, the
implementation of which will help standardize and rationalize management and
administration across all duty stations.
72. The heightened role of the United Nations as a focus for multilateral
international dialogue has placed a heavy strain on the conference-servicing
resources of the Organization. At the same time, it has provided an impetus to
efforts to increase efficiency and productivity through new methods of work
and innovative applications of technology.
73. The Office of Legal Affairs, the legal arm of the Secretariat, headed by
Mr. Hans Corell, provided legal services in a wide-ranging area of activities
throughout the Organization. The Office is the Secretariat unit responsible
for the organization and agenda of the United Nations Congress on Public
International Law to be held within the framework of the United Nations Decade
of International Law. This event, the first of its kind, will bring together
lawyers from all regions of the world. The Congress will be held under the
general theme Towards the Twenty-First Century: International Law as a
Language for International Relations and will convene at Headquarters in
March 1995, thus coinciding with the mid-point of the United Nations Decade,
as well as the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization.
74. Through its International Trade Law Branch, the Office of Legal Affairs
assists the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in the
elaboration of modern and harmonized laws as well as non-legislative texts
aimed at facilitating international trade. Among the primary issues addressed
have been model legislation governing procurement of goods, construction and
services by public entities; draft legislation on independent bank guarantees
and stand-by letters of credit; draft legislation on electronic data exchange;
and draft guidelines to assist arbitrators and parties in their arbitral
proceedings.
75. The Office of Legal Affairs has advised and assisted operational
departments on the negotiation and drafting of appropriate legal arrangements
for peace-keeping operations, enforcement actions and good offices missions,
mainly through the negotiation and conclusion of status-of-forces agreements,
exchanges of letters and memoranda of understanding. It has also provided
advice in new areas such as the provision of military equipment and air
transport services in the context of field operations.
76. The upcoming entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea has generated a host of activities for the Office in preparation
for the event. The Office continues to service the Preparatory Commission in
the establishment of the institutions created by the Convention, namely, the
International Seabed Authority and the International Tribunal for the Law of
the Sea.
77. Facing the imminent entry into force of the Convention on 16 November
1994, the Secretary-General convened three rounds of informal consultations on
the outstanding issues related to the deep seabed mining provisions of the
Convention. As a result of intensive efforts, the Secretary-General was able
to conclude the consultations with the adoption on 28 July 1994 by the General
Assembly of an Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982. The
Agreement seeks to overcome difficulties that have been cited as the reason
for the reluctance of many States, particularly the developed countries, to
become parties to the Convention. The Agreement fulfils the wish of the
international community that the way be opened to universal participation in
the Convention.
78. The entry into force of the Convention has brought into sharper focus the
depository and other functions entrusted to the Secretary-General by it.
79. During 1994 two substantive sessions of the United Nations Conference on
Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks were convened by the
General Assembly as a follow-up to the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, with a mandate to identify and assess existing
problems related to the conservation and management of the stocks under study,
to consider means of improving fisheries cooperation among States and to make
appropriate recommendations. The fourth session of the Conference concluded on
26 August 1994, with the submission by the Chairman of a 48-article
negotiating text that could form the basis for a legally binding, global
instrument intended to ensure the long-term conservation and management of the
two types of fish stocks. The Conference recommended that the General Assembly
approve the convening of two further sessions in 1995 to conclude work on the
negotiating text.
80. With support from the Office of Legal Affairs, the International Law
Commission, the body entrusted with primary responsibility for the
codification and progressive development of international law, adopted at its
recently concluded forty-sixth session a draft statute for a permanent
international criminal court to be considered by the General Assembly at its
forty-ninth session. The establishment of such a court would be a major
contribution to the rule of law and would complete work begun by the United
Nations almost half a century ago. As envisioned in the draft adopted by the
International Law Commission, the international criminal court would be
established by treaty and would be a permanent institution that would act when
called upon to consider a case. The jurisdiction of the court would encompass
serious crimes of international concern, including genocide, aggression, war
crimes, crimes against humanity, terrorism and illicit drug trafficking. State
acceptance is recognized as a precondition to the exercise of jurisdiction by
the court, with the notable exception of the crime of genocide with respect to
States parties to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime
of Genocide. The international criminal court would have discretion to decline
jurisdiction in cases that could be effectively handled by a national
court.
81. The Department of Public Information, headed by Mr. Samir Sanbar, has
established stronger links with diverse media around the world. With the
increasing involvement of the Organization in the world's trouble spots and in
the management of an array of global problems, the need to communicate
effectively has become imperative.
82. The media, researchers and the public now may access United Nations
material through INTERNET and other electronic networks. Today, United Nations
press releases and documents are available to 18 million such users. The Dag
Hammarskjold Library, now part of the Department of Public Information, is a
growing provider of electronic information.
83. The United Nations Radio Bulletin Board, established by the Department,
allows the media, the public and the diplomatic community to access United
Nations news via a computer-based audio news system and regular telephone
line.
84. The continuum of United Nations conferences in 1994 and 1995 and the
specific issues under discussion at these and other major meetings on economic
and social questions are highlighted in the Department's new series of
bulletins, Development Update.
85. The United Nations Office at Geneva, under Director-General Vladimir
Petrovsky, has been addressing questions related to human rights, humanitarian
operations, trade and development, as well as major environment, disarmament
and security-related matters.
86. As a focal point for United Nations activities in Europe, the United
Nations Office at Geneva has acted as a catalyst for regional cooperation
among Member States, non-governmental organizations and academic communities.
The Office continued to strengthen cooperation with European-based specialized
agencies, the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and Geneva-based United
Nations programmes, and has developed more fully its role as a centre for
conference-servicing and diplomacy.
87. During the period under review, the Geneva Conference Services Division,
without an increase in personnel, supported a growing number of meetings
involving increasing interpretation and translation requirements. From
September 1993 to July 1994, 2,832 meetings were serviced with interpretation
(including 95 outside Geneva) and 3,957 meetings without interpretation
(including 33 outside Geneva).
88. Apart from servicing the established bodies of the Office, the Palais des
Nations was host to important political and peace-keeping related meetings,
such as the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, the United
Nations Compensation Commission, the Indonesia-Portugal meeting on East Timor,
the meeting of the Georgia-Abkhazia and the Nagorny Karabakh parties and the
talks on Yemen. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
has acted as personal representative of the Secretary-General at high-level
consultations and meetings of a political, diplomatic, academic and economic
nature not only in Europe, but also in Africa and Asia, thus linking the
Office's activities and cooperation with those regions. This year, he has
undertaken 14 missions of that nature, acting on behalf of the
Secretary-General.
89. The United Nations Office at Geneva maintains close relations with and
provides financial, personnel, general administrative and conference services
to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
the High Commissioner and the Centre for Human Rights, the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Department of Humanitarian
Affairs, and ECE, as well as to different Secretariat bodies such as the
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the United Nations
Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and the United Nations
Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
90. The United Nations Office at Geneva has developed a close relationship
with a wide range of non-governmental organizations. About 500 such
organizations enjoying consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council have an office or an accredited permanent representative at the United
Nations Office at Geneva. The Office provides a range of services to them,
including arranging meetings between their representatives and relevant
sections of the Secretariat, facilitating representatives' attendance at
various United Nations meetings and providing advice and documentation on
questions submitted by the organizations. The United Nations Office at Geneva
also provides assistance to various United Nations departments and bodies,
permanent missions and other government representatives on all aspects of
cooperation with non-governmental organizations. The NGO Liaison Office
maintains a reference library of their publications.
91. The United Nations Office at Vienna, under Director-General Giorgio
Giacomelli, serves functions related to crime prevention and cooperation in
space activities and is an important meeting place and support centre for
peace-keeping operations in the region. Over the past year, 850 United Nations
meetings have taken place at Vienna, in addition to 1,250 conferences,
workshops and expert groups of the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other
United Nations system organizations serviced by the United Nations Conference
Services staff. The United Nations Office at Vienna has been asked to host
talks between Croatian and local Serb authorities, to arrange donor
conferences for the reconstruction of Sarajevo and to arrange management
workshops for civilian police station commanders in the former Yugoslavia.
92. The Office also serves as a site for regional and subregional issues such
as the UNDP/European Union Coordination Unit for the Environmental Programme
for the Danube River Basin. A joint United Nations Office at Vienna/UNDP
Programme for Reconstruction of War-torn Communities in Croatia and Bosnia is
under way. In 1994, Vienna was designated the European Regional Office for the
United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA). In addition, a unified conference
service has been agreed to with UNIDO and certain of its administrative
functions have been transferred to Vienna.
93. The United Nations Office at Vienna hosts the work of the Commission on
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the United Nations International
Drug Control Programme (see paras. 245-251 below). The Crime Prevention and
Criminal Justice Branch is oriented towards operational activities and
technical assistance to developing countries and countries in transition.
Efforts are focused on promoting criminal justice systems based upon the rule
of law and taking United Nations norms, standards and model treaties into
account. Assistance in the planning and formulation of national criminal
justice policies, training criminal justice personnel and establishing
information networks and databases are also priorities.
94. The Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch also contributes to
peace-keeping and peacemaking missions such as those in Cambodia, El Salvador,
Somalia and the former Yugoslavia by assisting in creating and strengthening
national capacities for crime prevention and criminal justice. In countries
where peace efforts are in progress, it is vital to provide the police,
prosecutors, judges, prison staff and the legal profession with international
experience and expert knowledge indispensable tools in building an effective
and fair criminal justice system, one of the pillars of democracy.
95. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as the body
responsible for policy guidance in this field, meets annually at Vienna. The
United Nations Office at Vienna is organizing a World Ministerial Conference
on Organized Transnational Crime, which will be held in November 1994, hosted
at Naples by the Government of Italy. This will be followed in April 1995 by
the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment
of Offenders, to be held for the first time in Africa, at Tunis, at the
invitation of the Government of Tunisia.
96. The Office for Outer Space Affairs relocated to the United Nations Office
at Vienna in October 1993. The Office has since successfully serviced meetings
of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its subsidiary
bodies. The Office continued to implement its multisectoral programme with
political, legal, scientific and technical assistance components, and, through
its Programme on Space Applications, organized and conducted workshops,
training courses and symposia on various aspects of space science and
technology and their applications for economic and social development.
97. The Office will establish regional centres for space science and
technology education in each United Nations economic region. These centres
will provide individuals from developing countries with education and training
in space-related disciplines and applications. The Office has completed, with
the assistance of donor countries and international organizations, a series of
evaluation missions to each region. The first operational centre, in Latin
America, should be established before the end of 1994.
98. A major focus of the work of the Office in the coming period will be
support for discussions in intergovernmental Committees on a possible third
United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space.
* * *
99. The Administrative Committee on Coordination has continued to play a
central role in providing a sense of unity and purpose for the United Nations
system as a whole. In the period under review, the Committee improved its
working methods and completed the reform of its subsidiary machinery. It
addressed a number of key policy issues relating to the division of labour
within the United Nations system; continued to monitor the follow-up to the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development; reviewed the
implications for the system of the World Conference on Human Rights and the
appointment of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and considered ways of
strengthening policy and programme coordination among United Nations
organizations in order to promote an effective continuum between emergency
assistance and long-term development.
100. By its resolution 48/218 B of 29 July 1994, the General Assembly
unanimously approved the creation of the Office of Internal Oversight
Services, under the authority of the Secretary-General. The Office will
provide a single, independent oversight authority to provide advice by
examining all activities carried out at United Nations Headquarters and in the
field. The head of Internal Oversight Services will report directly to the
Assembly.
B. Ensuring an adequate financial base
101. Although expansion of United Nations activities has brought increasing
confidence in its capacity to meet the needs of the international community,
the continued failure of some Member States to fulfil their legal obligation
to pay assessed contributions in full and on time places the Organization in a
difficult financial situation. As at 15 August 1994, Member States owed $835
million to the regular budget and $2.6 billion for peace-keeping operations,
including amounts unpaid in prior years (see fig. 6). In this context, the
announcement on 26 August 1994 by the United States of its intention to pay
$956.2 million in peace-keeping budget assessments by the end of 1994 will
help alleviate the financial crisis but will not solve it unless all arrears
are paid.
102. The cash flow situation remains critical for the entire Organization and
continues to be especially difficult for the peace-keeping operations. I
report with regret that outstanding payments to troop contributors, which at
the end of July amounted to approximately $450 million, had to be delayed.
Unless peace-keeping operations receive additional substantial contributions,
late payment to troop contributors will continue to be an obstacle to their
participation in ongoing or future peace-keeping missions.
103. The unpredictability and irregularity of contributions from Member States
make it extremely difficult to manage the Organization effectively. Without
sound management of resources, the Organization will be unable to pursue
successfully the phase of consolidation upon which we have embarked. Thus far,
I have taken action to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic layers and establish
more direct lines of responsibility. I have restructured departments to
improve efficiency and productivity so that they can respond quickly and
flexibly to new mandates. I have also endeavoured to strengthen, mainly
through redeployment of resources, Secretariat capacity to undertake expanded
responsibilities in the political, peace-keeping, humanitarian, human rights
and development areas. As demands on the Organization continue to grow, its
capacity to respond to them will require the necessary financial support and
political commitment from all Member States. 104. Proposals have been made to
the General Assembly for the adoption of specific measures to encourage Member
States to meet their legal obligations. Among others, the proposals include
charging interest on late payments and increasing the levels of the Working
Capital Fund and peace-keeping reserves. I incorporated the latest of these in
my report issued last year on the recommendations made by the Independent
Advisory Group on United Nations Financing (A/48/565 and Corr.1). I continue
to await the views and recommendations of the General Assembly on those
proposals.
105. I also have made proposals to improve the budgetary review and approval
process for peace-keeping operations. I have encouraged the membership to
grant longer periods of financial authorization in order to enable Member
States to anticipate, with a greater degree of accuracy, the financial burdens
they will be expected to bear when peace-keeping mandates are extended by the
Security Council.
C. Preparing for the fiftieth anniversary
106. During the past year, the Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the United Nations met six times. The Committee has focused its
work primarily on arranging a high-level commemorative meeting to be held in
1995.
107. The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat, headed by Ms. Gillian Martin
Sorensen, has made progress in key programme areas: educational activities,
publications, film and television programming, radio media campaigns,
conferences and seminars, scholarly initiatives, exhibits, concerts and other
public events, and commemorative gift items. A varied programme of over 40
globally oriented projects is already in place. The programme includes, inter
alia, a pictorial chronology of the history of the United Nations, a four-part
documentary examining work in the social and economic field, a conference
series under the working title Global Human Security , a world tour of the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in honour of the United Nations and a series of
educational videos about the Organization to be shown in schools and on
television.
108. The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat has secured executing partners,
whether governmental, non-governmental or private, for the majority of
projects in all programme areas. While a great number of those partners
represent developed countries, the Secretariat will place emphasis in the
remaining months of programme development on soliciting projects from
countries as yet unrepresented. Furthermore, the Secretariat will allocate
significant funds for translation and global distribution efforts. Regardless
of the origin of a proposal, the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat intends that
all commemorative activities under the auspices of the United Nations will be
global in scope.
109. During the period under review, the Secretariat has made progress in
securing private sector financial support for the fiftieth anniversary from
global sponsors as well as from project sponsors. Royalties from a limited
number of items bearing the anniversary emblem will provide additional
resources for programmes. The Secretariat has augmented programme development
with self-funded projects.
110. The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat continues its active collaboration
with partners in the United Nations system. Since September 1993, three
meetings have been held with the fiftieth anniversary focal points, the
designated representatives for the fiftieth anniversary from all specialized
agencies and organizations of the United Nations. Discussions have focused on
joint communication strategies and the development of collaborative projects,
as 1995 marks not only the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, but
also significant anniversaries of numerous participating agencies and
organizations.
111. In a presentation to the Administrative Committee on Coordination at its
session on 11 and 12 April 1994, the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat
emphasized the need to increase system-wide participation in the anniversary
year and to consolidate the messages that the Organization will direct during
the critical year 1995. The Committee noted that the commemoration should
consist of substantive activities aimed at educating the public about the
United Nations in order to build a more broad-based constituency for the
Organization. The Committee welcomed the recommendation to organize a special
forum during its spring 1995 session to discuss, in the context of the
anniversary year, the future of the United Nations system.
112. The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat has mobilized the World Federation
of United Nations Associations, non-governmental organizations and members of
the academic community, and continues to work closely with all United Nations
agencies, funds and departments to fulfil the potential of this historic
commemoration.
D. United Nations University (UNU)
113. The United Nations University (UNU), led by Rector Heitor Gurgulino de
Souza, is one of the smaller United Nations organizations, with a world-wide
staff of about 150 persons. Additionally, some 200 to 300 scholars and
scientists regularly participate in UNU academic activities. UNU, as a
voluntarily funded United Nations organization, continues to face a scarcity
of resources.
114. The Governing Council of UNU held its thirty-ninth and fortieth sessions
in Tokyo from 15 to 19 February and from 10 to 15 December 1993, respectively.
The February session coincided with the opening of the new headquarters
building of UNU, generously donated by the people and Government of Japan, in
the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the
Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), the Crown Prince of Japan and other dignitaries. At its
fortieth session, the Council adopted a budget of $66.57 million for the
biennium 1994-1995 and considered proposals for new academic initiatives,
including a network of universities in Canada and selected developing
countries dedicated to research and capacity-building in the areas of water,
environment and human health. During 1993, UNU received $14.9 million in
fulfilment of pledges to the endowment fund and in operating and specific
programme contributions from Governments and other benefactors.
115. The Council considered a proposal for a programme to promote leadership
training and called for increased efforts to integrate research, post-graduate
training and dissemination, and further to enhance interaction among the
different UNU research and training centres and programmes.
116. In December 1993, the UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa,
which had been located within UNESCO facilities at the United Nations complex
at Gigiri, Kenya, since 1991, moved to its new location within the University
of Ghana campus at Legon. The Institute, a UNU research and training centre,
focuses on building natural resource management capacity among African
universities and research institutes.
117. During the period from 1 September 1993 to 31 July 1994, 78 UNU academic
meetings were held world wide. As at 31 July 1994, 47 UNU post-graduate
trainees were enrolled in training programmes at cooperating institutions
around the world in food and nutrition, geothermal energy, remote sensing,
biotechnology and micro-informatics. More than 1,250 fellows from over 100
countries have been trained by UNU since 1976 and an additional 1,900 persons
have received training in UNU workshops and seminars. To date, over 350 books,
five scientific journals and numerous research papers have been produced from
UNU research.
118. The UNU Programme on Environmentally Sustainable Development the
University's Agenda 21 gives initial priority to post-graduate training,
policy reflection and policy formulation and management. UNU efforts are meant
to be implemented in close collaboration with UNDP and the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and are focused on building up endogenous
capacities for research, training and dissemination in developing
countries.
119. Another key area of concentration is global governance. A high-level
advisory team met in Tokyo in July 1994 to set out a long-term programme of
research and capacity-building in the area of peace and governance. The
programme will focus on preventive diplomacy, the criteria for intervention,
peace-keeping operations and regional organizations and arrangements. This
initiative is intended to contribute to the resolution of key issues raised by
An Agenda for Peace. The UNU will publish, jointly with the Academic Council
of the United Nations System, a journal entitled Global governance: A review
of multilateralism and international organizations. The first issue is
expected to appear in early 1995. Agreement was also reached with the
University of Paris (Rene Descartes) to use Le Trimestre du Monde, a
publication of the Observatoire des Relations Internationales, as an outlet
for the academic research of UNU. These journals are expected to reach
scholars, policy makers and United Nations experts.
120. As a contribution to the World Summit for Social Development, the UNU
World Institute for Development Economics Research organized a research
meeting at Helsinki in June 1994 on the topic The Politics and Economics of
Global Employment .
121. In dealing with such issues, the University continued to produce
scholarly publications, particularly for the use of policy makers. Some 26
titles were published over the past year, including The Global Greenhouse
Regime: Who Pays?; Environmental Change and International Law: New Challenges
and Dimensions; Peace and Security in the Asia Pacific Region: Post-Cold War
Problems and Prospects; East West Migration: The Alternatives; and Technology
and Innovation in the International Economy.
122. The University is preparing a set of activities and is mobilizing funding
for its Institute of Advanced Studies, which will be located adjacent to the
UNU headquarters building in Tokyo. Construction on the building that will
house the Institute will be completed in mid-1995 and research activities are
expected to commence soon thereafter.
III. The foundations of peace: development, humanitarian
action and human right
123. On 6 June 1994, I submitted to the General Assembly my report entitled
An Agenda for Development (A/48/935). In that report, I offered a framework
for addressing the dimensions of development and outlined the role of the
United Nations in providing the basis for a universal culture of
development.
124. The discussion of An Agenda for Development has been lively and
stimulating. At the World Hearings on Development, convened by the President
of the General Assembly from 6 to 10 June 1994, panels consisting of
representatives of States exchanged ideas with expert witnesses on how best to
promote a global partnership for development. In its debate on 24 and 25 June
1994, the Economic and Social Council also focused on the policy measures
necessary to bring a renewed vision of development to the forefront of the
international agenda. The ideas generated during the World Hearings and the
policy measures suggested during the second substantive session of the
Economic and Social Council will be fully taken into account in my further
report on the subject to be issued during the forty-ninth session of the
General Assembly.
125. During the Economic and Social Council's discussions on "An Agenda for
Development", Governments expressed their desire for improved effectiveness of
the United Nations machinery for development and reinforced system-wide
field-level cooperation. Of particular concern to me is the need to strengthen
the links between emergency assistance, rehabilitation and long-term
development. I have decided to entrust the Administrator of UNDP, Mr. James
Gustave Speth, with overall responsibility for assisting me in improving the
coordination of operational activities for development, including the
strengthening of the resident coordinator system. I have requested him to
assist me in ensuring policy coherence and enhancing coordination within the
United Nations, in particular among Headquarters departments, the regional
commissions and the funds and programmes of the Organization.
126. The conferences scheduled for 1994-1995 reflect the continued expansion
of United Nations activities in development. They include the Global
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
held in Barbados (25 April-6 May 1994), the World Conference on Natural
Disaster Reduction, held at Yokohama, Japan (23-27 May 1994), the
International Conference on Population and Development, to be held at Cairo
(5-13 September 1994), the World Summit for Social Development, to be held at
Copenhagen in 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held at
Beijing in September 1995, and the Second United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II), to be held in 1996 at Istanbul. Those conferences
(see also sect. I.A.1 below), coupled with restructuring efforts within the
political, humanitarian and sustainable development areas, should facilitate
the articulation and concerted implementation of a new and comprehensive
vision of development as it emerges from the discussions on An Agenda for
Development.
A. Global development activities
1. Secretariat departments at Headquarters
127. Consultative mechanisms have been strengthened within the economic and
social sector. I have revived the practice of periodic meetings, which I
chair, of senior officials in the economic and social field, including all the
heads of United Nations programmes and the Executive Secretaries of the
regional commissions. Not only have those mechanisms increased the
effectiveness of development work by the Secretariat, they have also paved the
way for more effective collaboration on development with the peace-keeping and
humanitarian affairs departments.
128. The Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development under
the direction of Mr. Nitin Desai, provides substantive support for the central
coordinating and policy-making functions vested in the various bodies of the
Organization. These include the Economic and Social Council, with its
high-level, coordination and operational activities segments, the Second and
Third Committees of the General Assembly, the Commission on Sustainable
Development, the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on the
Status of Women and the Secretary-General's high-level advisory boards, as
well as other expert bodies. The Department also provides substantive support
for negotiating processes launched by the General Assembly, such as the
intergovernmental negotiating committees on climate change and on combating
desertification. In addition, the Department assists the Secretary-General in
the provision of policy guidance to operational programmes and field
offices.
129. Placing the Division for the Advancement of Women within the Department
has enhanced the latter's capacity as a focal point for issues related to the
advancement of women. In that capacity, the Department works to ensure that
gender issues permeate all aspects of policy development.
130. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women include a thorough
scrutiny of trends in gender and development. During the year, the 1994 World
Survey on the Role of Women in Development has been prepared, emphasizing new
understanding of gender in issues of poverty, productive employment and women
in economic decision-making. Trends emerging from an analysis of recent gender
statistics suggest a growing feminization in employment and entrepreneurship.
Coupled with the need to see women's economic and political empowerment as an
instrument to eradicate poverty as well as to eliminate discrimination, those
changes are helping to shape the platform for action to be adopted at the
Beijing Conference.
131. The Department coordinates the preparation for, organization of and
follow-up to global conferences. All such activities are closely linked to
ongoing departmental efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation among the
United Nations, its Member States, non-governmental organizations and other
non-State actors.
132. The Department was responsible for the coordination of the International
Year of the Family. Throughout the world, a vast array of initiatives in
support of families has unfolded. Thirty-four bodies and organizations of the
United Nations system, including the regional commissions, have been involved
in the process. Four regional preparatory meetings have given further impetus
to national and regional preparations and consolidated a growing consensus on
the pivotal role of families in the development process and the need for
structured and concerted support for this basic unit of all societies. The
United Nations was also instrumental in the organization of a World Forum of
Non-Governmental Organizations on the Year of the Family, immediately prior to
the official launching of the Year by the General Assembly in December 1993.
The observance of the International Year of the Family is generally recognized
as the beginning of a long-term process. This is confirmed by the far-reaching
and comprehensive national plans of action unfolding in some 150 Member States
under the guidance of national coordinating bodies.
133. One of the processes established in Agenda 21 was the organization of the
Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States, held in Barbados from 25 April to 6 May 1994. The Conference and its
outcome constitute a major landmark in international cooperation for
development. The Conference, which I inaugurated, concluded with the adoption
of the Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action on Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States, and recommended to the General
Assembly, at its forty-ninth session, endorsement of those documents. The
Barbados Declaration contains a number of important principles and provisions
regarding the specific economic, social and environmental situation of small
island developing States. The Programme of Action presents a basis for action
in 14 agreed priority areas and defines a number of actions and policies
related to environmental and development planning that could be undertaken by
small island developing States with the cooperation and assistance of the
international community.
134. The Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development to
be held at Copenhagen met twice during 1994 in substantive sessions to work
towards elaboration of the outcomes of the Summit. The first substantive
session of the Preparatory Committee was held in New York from 31 January to
11 February 1994. The second substantive session was also held at
Headquarters, from 22 August to 2 September 1994. An ad hoc secretariat was
created in the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development
in order to assist in the preparatory process and the substantive work of the
Preparatory Committee.
135. Important contributions to the substantive elaboration of the core issues
for the Summit came from two meetings organized during the latter half of
1993, at The Hague on social integration and at Saltsjobaden, Sweden, on the
expansion of productive employment.
136. In 1993-1994, the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable
Development continued to be responsible for the coordination and the
development of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in
the 1990s. The Department provided reports for the General Assembly debate on
the implementation of the New Agenda, financial resource flows to Africa and
the establishment of the diversification fund for Africa's commodities.
137. The Tokyo International Conference on African Development, hosted by the
Government of Japan, took place on 5 and 6 October 1993. The Tokyo Conference
produced a consensus declaration, which renewed high-level political
commitment for African development and introduced ideas for a new partnership
between African countries and the international community.
138. Following preliminary review of the New Agenda by the General Assembly at
its forty-eighth session, revision of the System-wide Plan of Action for
African Economic Recovery and Development was undertaken in 1994 to ensure an
integrated approach to the efforts of different programmes, funds and
specialized agencies. In 1994, the Administrative Committee on Coordination
will also devote part of its autumn session to the consideration of a policy
paper on African economic recovery and development.
139. The Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis
headed by Mr. Jean-Claude Milleron, is the Secretariat centre for the
elaboration of economic and social data and the analysis of development
policies and trends. Since its inception in February 1993, the Department has
established itself as a valuable mechanism for fostering integration among
activities such as policy analysis, the collection of economic, demographic,
social and environmental data, and related advisory and training activities.
The Department also carries out technical cooperation projects in the areas of
statistics and population.
140. Recognizing the need for a more integrated approach to development
analysis, the Department has transformed the annual World Economic Survey into
the World Economic and Social Survey. In addition, the Department launched a
series of working papers to disseminate the results of its research on current
and emerging economic, social and related issues.
141. To improve the provision to Member States of timely, complete and
reliable data, the Department has created the United Nations Economic and
Social Information System, which aims to improve the collection, processing,
storage, analysis and dissemination of statistical data. The Department will
undertake the progressive implementation of the System in close cooperation
with the regional commissions and the Secretariat. By integrating various
existing databases and data systems into one coherent whole, the System will
enhance the overall effectiveness of Secretariat activities in the economic
and social sectors.
142. The Department's methodological contributions are reflected in the 1993
System of National Accounts. This milestone publication is the collaborative
work of the United Nations, the European Union (EU), the Bretton Woods
institutions and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). The System allows Member States to quantify and address such important
issues as sustainable development, poverty, women's employment and
remuneration, transition from centrally planned to market economies and
production in the informal sector. Within the general framework of national
accounts provided by the System, the Department has been developing
supplementary concepts, methods and classifications for measuring
environmental impacts and expenditures. As reflected in the handbook on
integrated environmental and economic accounting, this activity provides
critical support for the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development and to work on sustainable development throughout
the Organization.
143. The Department contributed to the dissemination of economic and social
data by issuing its thirty-eighth Statistical Yearbook on CD-ROM and its Guide
to International Computerized Statistical Databases on floppy disk, and by
expanding the Global Population Network (POPIN) and the Demographic and Social
Statistics Database (DSSD).
144. The Department collaborated with the UNFPA in preparatory work for the
International Conference on Population and Development, focusing on the
elaboration of substantive documents, in particular the review and appraisal
of the World Population Plan of Action and the draft programme of action of
the Conference. The Department continues to analyse population trends and
policies, including the completion of the 1994 revision of the estimates and
projections of the population at the global, regional and national levels.
145. Reflecting new economic thinking on development, the Department is
developing its capacity in the micro-economic policy area, concentrating its
policy analysis on ways in which increased reliance on market mechanisms can
contribute to the growth and development objectives of Member States. The
Department's work, endorsed by the General Assembly last year, focuses on the
role of markets and the private sector in increasing economic efficiency and
stimulating growth.
146. The Department for Development Support and Management Services, directed
by Mr. Chaozhu Ji, is the principal operational arm of the United Nations
Secretariat. It serves as the focal point at Headquarters for facilitating and
supporting technical cooperation to meet priority needs of developing country
Member States and those with economies in transition, for institution-building
and human resource development.
147. The Department has two substantive divisions, for economic policy and
social development, and for public administration and development management,
and builds its programmes of work upon its substantive capabilities in
development planning, natural resources and energy, public administration and
finance, along with the technical skills required to support project
implementation and management. The priorities of the Department respond to the
issues facing the United Nations, intergovernmental bodies and individual
developing countries in the fields of governance and public
administration.
148. The Department provides technical and managerial support and advisory
services to Member States in the areas of (a) development policies and
planning; (b) human resources and social development; (c) natural resources
and environmental planning and management; (d) energy planning and management;
(e) governance and public administration; (f) public finance and enterprise
management; and (g) national execution and capacity-building. It also provides
substantive services to expert groups and intergovernmental bodies in those
sectors, including the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on New
and Renewable Sources of Energy, and for expert groups and technical
workshops. Highlights of the analytical activities of the Department in
support of those groups and its technical cooperation activities are provided
below. The content of its technical cooperation programme is covered in the
section on operational activities for development.
149. The Department for Development Support and Management Services continues
to strengthen its institutional relationship with UNDP, whose Executive Board
maintains a general supervisory role over its technical cooperation work and
with the United Nations regional commissions.
150. The Department organizes and services the meetings of experts on the
United Nations programme in public administration and finance and the meetings
of national recruitment services and of national fellowship services. The
meeting of experts on the United Nations programme in public administration
and finance, held at Geneva in October 1993, emphasized the critical role that
the Programme should play in facilitating strategic improvements in the
governance system of developing and transitional economies. The meeting
recommended that the Programme should focus especially on strengthening
legislative, administrative and electoral processes, restoring civil
administration, improving and democratizing public administrativen processes,
and enhancing linkages with the private sector. In addition, the meeting
called for innovations in financial management and revenue mobilization, and
emphasized deregulation of government affairs.
151. At the biennial meeting of national recruitment services, held at Cairo
from 29 March to 2 April 1993, representatives from 64 countries and 18 United
Nations and other agencies stressed the important role of the United Nations
in developing local expertise. In line with the recommendations of the
meeting, the Department for Development Support and Management Services has
placed special emphasis on advisory services and training on the process
aspects of project administration and on management training.
152. In the period under review, the Department has engaged in numerous
efforts aimed at facilitating privatization and entrepreneurship. In 1993, for
example, the Department prepared and distributed widely to government
agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and
academic centres a publication entitled Methods and Practices of
Privatization. In April 1994, the Department, in cooperation with the Private
Sector Development Programme of UNDP, the World Assembly of Small and Medium
Enterprises and the Central Council of Cooperative Unions and Small and Medium
Enterprises of Viet Nam, organized an international workshop at Hanoi to
assist Governments and non-governmental organizations in designing and
implementing policies that promote indigenous entrepreneurship in developing
countries with economies in transition.
153. The Department has also undertaken a new aid management and
accountability initiative, financed by seven donors and guided by a working
group of donors and host countries. The initiative seeks to develop a general
framework to harmonize and simplify aid accountability requirements and to
design a generally acceptable model of accountability for possible adoption
by, among others, the Development Assistance Committee of OECD. The Department
is at present customizing the framework for individual national
programmes.
154. In 1993, the Department completed the development of a computerized
economic management information system, the Public Sector Planning and
Management Information System. The System facilitates econometric analysis,
planning and monitoring by government agencies of national budgets and
investment programmes. The System has been demonstrated in Angola, the Gambia,
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia and is now available and ready for installation upon
request.
155. Building upon its study of the civil service, particularly in Africa, the
Department is preparing guidelines on improvement of public personnel policy
and rationalization of civil service systems. In cooperation with the
Government of Morocco and the African Training and Research Centre in
Administration for Development, the Department convened a Pan-African
Conference of Ministers of Civil Service in June 1994. At that meeting, more
than 40 participants took stock of recent experiences in human resource
management systems and issued recommendations on the development and
management of the public sector in Africa.
156. The Department also helps to strengthen institutional, legal and
financial mechanisms for natural resources and energy development policy. For
example, for a project in northern China, the Department has developed a
computer-based system of interactive programmes to model hydrology, water
system operations and pertinent economic inputs and outputs. The system
facilitates decision-making on investment programmes for water resource
management in the context of other economic, social and environmental
objectives. Models deriving from the project were demonstrated at a training
workshop held in Beijing in November 1993.
157. In addition to these innovative programmes, other important new areas of
attention for the Department include the design of social welfare programmes
in countries emerging from conflict such as Croatia, and programmes for the
integration of ex-combatants in El Salvador, Liberia and Mozambique.
2. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
158. The work of UNCTAD, where the officer in charge is Mr. Carlos Fortin, has
been dominated during the past year by the mid-term review of the follow-up to
the eighth session of the Conference, held in Cartagena des Indias, Colombia,
in February 1991. The review, by the Trade and Development Board, confirmed
that decisions taken at the eighth session had been successfully translated
into more efficient ways of conducting business in UNCTAD. The participation
of high-level officials, representatives of international organizations and
experts from various fields made a valuable contribution to the technical and
policy content of UNCTAD discussions. The pragmatic approach that
characterized the meetings facilitated the search for areas of convergence.
The five new ad hoc working groups established by the Conference at its
seventh session all completed their work on schedule and submitted a
preliminary assessment of the implementation of their respective work
programmes to the Trade and Development Board. They identified issues
requiring further intergovernmental reflection as well as areas where
technical assistance should be strengthened.
159. As part of the restructuring of the United Nations Secretariat in the
economic and social fields, programmes of the former Centre on Transnational
Corporations and of the Centre on Science and Technology are now fully
integrated into the work of UNCTAD. Accordingly, UNCTAD is now responsible for
the substantive servicing of the Economic and Social Council Commission on
Transnational Corporations and the Commission on Science and Technology. The
Commission on Transnational Corporations recently recommended to the General
Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, that it should be
integrated into the institutional machinery of UNCTAD and be renamed the
UNCTAD Commission on International Investment and Transnational
Corporations.
160. During the period under review the Trade and Development Board adopted
conclusions on a number of issues, including interdependence, debt, trade and
environment, regional integration groupings, the Uruguay Round and the United
Nations Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries.
161. The Board's discussions on interdependence were based on the Trade and
Development Report 1993, which elicited a great deal of attention from
delegations as well as national and international media. Deliberations under
the item on trade and environment stressed the need for international
cooperation to coordinate policies so as to ensure their transparency and
mutual consistency. Board members stressed the need to avoid using trade
restrictions as a means of offsetting differences in costs that arise from
differences in environmental standards and regulations, as such restrictions
could distort trade and increase protectionism. Recognizing the special role
of UNCTAD in the trade and environment field, the Board reached a consensus on
the need for eco-labelling programmes to take into account the trade and
sustainable development interests of producing countries.
162. In relation to the Uruguay Round, the Trade and Development Board
concluded that UNCTAD had an important role to play in the analysis and
assessment of the outcome of the Round, and that it should prepare policy
analysis and provide a forum for intergovernmental deliberation and global
consensus-building on the new and emerging issues of the international trade
agenda, such as trade and environment and competition policy. The Board also
emphasized that there should be constructive and effective cooperation between
UNCTAD and the World Trade Organization (WTO) based on the complementary
functions of the two organizations.
163. Discussion on the United Nations Programme of Action for the Least
Developed Countries drew on The Least Developed Countries 1993-1994 Report
prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat. The Board invited donors to adjust upwards
the aid targets and commitments included in the Programme of Action. The Board
also requested UNCTAD to undertake an examination of the implications and
opportunities for the least developed countries of the Final Act of the
Uruguay Round and to suggest measures for removing any imbalances. The Board
recommended to the General Assembly that a high-level intergovernmental
meeting on the mid-term global review of the implementation of the Programme
be convened from 26 September to 6 October 1995.
164. The Standing Committee on Commodities held its second session at Geneva
in January and February 1994. The Committee reviewed a number of areas such as
the use of market-based risk management instruments; the analysis of national
experiences of diversification; the need for financial and technical
assistance to developing countries in order to perform such analysis; and the
promotion of sustainable development in the commodity field. 165. The Standing
Committee on Developing Services Sectors: Fostering Competitive Services
Sectors in Developing Countries, held its second session at Geneva in July
1994. The Committee requested the UNCTAD secretariat to establish, as soon as
possible, a computerized database on measures affecting trade in services to
support the efforts of developing countries to participate more effectively in
that trade. The Committee also invited the UNCTAD secretariat to pursue its
analysis of policy options for developing countries in strengthening their
service sectors; of the impact of subsidies on trade in services; and of the
issues raised by barriers to the temporary movement of natural persons as
service providers.
166. The Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation held its second session at
Geneva in July 1994. The Committee adopted a number of recommendations
addressed to the World Summit for Social Development covering the relationship
between international trade and poverty alleviation, debt and the effects of
poverty alleviation on structural adjustment programmes.
167. During the period under review, UNCTAD held a number of commodity-related
meetings under its auspices. The fourth session of the United Nations
Conference on Tropical Timber (January 1994) adopted the International
Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994. The Agreement, involving an economic as well
as ecological partnership, has been open for signature at UNCTAD headquarters
since 1 April 1994. The first session of the United Nations Conference on
Natural Rubber met under UNCTAD auspices in April 1994 and reached consensus
on a number of issues. The Conference decided to reconvene in October 1994 in
order to deal with the outstanding articles. On 22 February 1994, 27 countries
and EU, representing 87 per cent of world exports and 55 per cent of world
imports of cocoa, decided to put the International Cocoa Agreement of 1993
into effect. Other commodity-related meetings held under UNCTAD auspices at
Geneva from March to May 1994 dealt with iron ore, tungsten and bauxite.
168. The UNCTAD Special Committee on Preferences held its annual session at
Geneva from 16 to 20 May 1994. The Committee focused on the erosion of the
preferential margin for certain trade items owing to the reduction of tariffs
on a most favoured nation basis that had resulted from the Uruguay Round.
Trade within the generalized system of preferences increased to $77 billion in
1992. The Committee put forward a number of innovative and constructive
proposals towards a revitalization of the generalized system of preferences,
which will be considered during the policy review of the system scheduled for
1995.
169. The UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Restrictive Business
Practices held its twelfth session at Geneva from 18 to 22 October 1993. The
main document prepared by the secretariat dealt with competition policy and
economic reforms in developing and other countries. The session was devoted to
specific topics such as appropriate remedies for abuses of market power and
criteria for assessing fines for violations of competition laws.
170. In assessing the record of activities following the eighth session of
UNCTAD on the occasion of the mid-term review, the Trade and Development Board
highlighted in particular the valuable experience with the ad hoc working
group mechanism established by the Conference. At its eighth session, the
Conference had suspended several standing subsidiary bodies and in their place
had established five ad hoc groups, each with a two-year life-span. The Board
decided that as those groups had addressed all the elements in their terms of
reference, they could be replaced by new ad hoc bodies. Three such groups were
established, the first of which will examine the interlinkages between trade,
environment and development, paying particular attention to the special
circumstances of developing countries. The second group will analyse the
interrelationship between the development of domestic entrepreneurial capacity
and the development process, with a special focus on the development of
enterprises of small and medium size. The third new group will concentrate on
trading opportunities in the new international trading context. In particular,
the group will aim to identify new opportunities arising from the
implementation of the Uruguay Round in order to enhance the ability of
developing countries and countries in transition to take full advantage of
those opportunities.
171. In addition to the substantive support and documentation provided for the
meetings described above, the UNCTAD secretariat completed work on a number of
publications, including:
(a) Trade and Development Report 1994 (to be issued in September
1994);
(b) Least Developed Countries 1993-1994 Report;
(c) UNCTAD Commodity Yearbook 1993;
(d) World Investment Report 1994;
(e) Handbook of International Trade and Development Statistics 1994.
172. The budget of the UNCTAD technical cooperation programme approximates $20
million a year. UNDP remains the largest single source of funds, while
bilateral donors and other sources, including EU, provide increased amounts.
As part of the programme, UNCTAD continued to assist developing countries
participating in the Uruguay Round and implemented projects in areas ranging
from development of the service sector and utilization of the generalized
system of preferences to competition policies and the transfer of
technology.
173. The UNCTAD programme for the development of human resources for trade and
its programme of assistance to developing countries in the management of their
external debt liabilities were further improved during the period under
review, in cooperation with the World Bank. Technical cooperation activities
of UNCTAD also cover the insurance sector, selected international monetary and
commodity issues, the transit problems of land-locked countries in Africa, and
the shipping sector, including the development of shipping services, port
management, multi-modal transport and human resource development in the
maritime field. In its largest technical cooperation programme, UNCTAD
assisted over 50 countries to improve their management of customs under an
expanded programme on trade efficiency. This included setting up computerized
software for customs management and the establishment of trade points where
all government facilities to exporters are concentrated. Further progress in
promotion of trade efficiency is expected as a result of the symposium on
trade efficiency to be held in October 1994 at Columbus, Ohio, United States
of America.
3. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
174. UNEP, headed by Ms. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, is pursuing implementation of
the environmental dimensions of Agenda 21, as adopted by the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992. In the decisions of
its seventeenth session, held at Nairobi from 10 to 21 May 1994, the Governing
Council requested an overall programme review and reorientation of the
Programme.
175. In that connection, the Environment Programme launched its Corporate
Programme Framework 1994-1995. In implementing the decisions of the Governing
Council, the Programme will help reduce duplication in the United Nations
system by forging stronger partnerships with other concerned agencies and
programmes. The activities of the Programme will be significantly more
service-oriented and driven by the needs and aspirations of Governments and
other beneficiaries and partners. In a similar vein, the capabilities of the
Programme at the regional level will be enhanced, as called for in Agenda 21
and decision 17/28 of the Governing Council, while it continues to maintain
its global role and capability. This has been effected through an enhanced
institutional role for regional offices in the planning, development and
implementation of the programme for the biennium 1994-1995.
176. UNEP currently functions as the task manager for two areas among the
thematic clusters being considered by the Commission on Sustainable
Development in 1994, namely, the management of toxic chemicals and the
management of hazardous waste. In addition, the Programme is a cooperating
agency for all the other thematic clusters of the Commission. UNEP has already
initiated task manager's functions on desertification and biodiversity in
preparation for the 1995 session of the Commission. UNEP has been designated,
jointly with UNDP and the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
within the Office of Legal Affairs, as the lead agency for coastal
management.
177. UNEP continues to work in the field of chemical management in
collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and WHO through
the International Programme on Chemical Safety. Through that Programme, UNEP
played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Intergovernmental
Forum for Chemical Safety at the International Conference on Chemical Safety
in April 1994. UNEP has also proved instrumental in the reduction and
management of hazardous wastes through its Cleaner Production Programme.
178. UNEP provides the secretariats for five international conventions: the
Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to the Vienna Convention
for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna and the Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Furthermore, the Programme
continues to coordinate and support 13 regional sea programmes, 9 of which are
based upon regional conventions. Pursuant to its coordination mandate
envisaged in chapter 38 of Agenda 21 and relevant decisions of the Governing
Council, UNEP also convened the first coordination meeting of environmental
convention secretariats at Geneva from 20 to 23 March 1994. The Meeting
established general principles and an institutional framework of
cooperation.
179. UNEP, along with UNDP and the World Bank, serves as one of the three
implementing agencies for the Global Environment Facility. The Facility has
completed its pilot phase and will move into its fully operational phase when
the instrument for the establishment of the restructured global environment
facility is adopted by the governing bodies of all the implementing agencies.
UNEP continues to provide the secretariat to the Scientific and Technical
Advisory Panel, which serves as an independent advisory body to the
Facility.
180. Working with the International Computing Centre and various
non-governmental organizations, the Programme has established collaborative
mechanisms for promoting the world-wide use of the Business Charter for
Sustainable Development. UNEP has also been designated the United Nations
programme responsible for global mandates for freshwater.
181. Agenda 21 noted that for UNEP to discharge its additional functions it
would require greater expertise and additional financial resources. Despite
that recommendation and the reordering of priorities in the programme for
1994-1995 introduced by the Governing Council following the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (GC 17), resource constraints are
continuing to affect activities in a number of programme areas such as energy,
environmental health, atmosphere and environment assessment.
4. United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
182. The work of Habitat, headed by Mr. Wally N'Dow, is focused on the
improvement of the living conditions of people in their communities. An
essential prerequisite in that respect is access to adequate shelter,
infrastructure and services. The current global shelter and infrastructure
crisis, affecting hundreds of millions of families in both rural and urban
settlements, together with the social, economic and environmental impact of
rapid urbanization in developing regions, has imparted a new urgency to the
work of the Centre. So also has the widespread destruction and deterioration
of human settlements in many parts of the world as a result of wars, civil
strife and natural disasters.
183. In view of those challenges, the principal task of the Centre over the
past year has been threefold: to assist Member States in adopting and
implementing housing strategies capable of moving the international community
closer to the goal of adequate shelter for all; to help Governments formulate
and execute sustainable human settlement development policies in an urbanizing
world; and to strengthen the capacity of Governments and communities to
implement such housing and human settlement development policies. Throughout
the reporting period, Habitat has carried out that task through an integrated
programme consisting of policy advice, research and development, training,
dissemination of information and operational activities. Technical assistance
activities have been undertaken in a total of 95 countries covering five major
categories: city management; urban environment planning and management;
disaster mitigation and reconstruction; housing policy; and urban poverty
reduction. Among the significant programmes implemented are the Urban
Management Programme, in association with UNDP and the World Bank, which aims
at strengthening the contribution that towns and cities make towards human
development; the Urban Poverty Partnership (in association with ILO); and
several reconstruction projects.
184. Implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter for the Year 2000,
adopted by the General Assembly in December 1988 and incorporated in the human
settlement programme of Agenda 21, continues to be a central feature of the
substantive work of Habitat. In carrying out that work, the main policy
direction remains adherence to the enabling principles of the Strategy, which
encourage Governments to adopt policies that permit all actors in the public
and the private sectors (including non-governmental organizations, community
organizations and women's groups) to contribute to the process of improving
shelter and conditions in human settlements by means of adequate mechanisms to
monitor, through quantitative and policy indicators, progress in that
regard.
185. An important focus of Habitat attention has been the Africa region, which
besides being the most rapidly urbanizing continent, is presently experiencing
unprecedented mass movement of people escaping civil strife, wars, natural and
man-made disasters, and environmental and economic pressures. Habitat has
therefore intensified its technical and other assistance to African countries
and regional organizations and, in particular, is providing assistance with a
view to strengthening the capability of the Organization of African Unity
(OAU) in the field of human settlements. With the establishment of a
democratic, non-racial South Africa, Habitat launched a major initiative to
provide technical and other support for the implementation of the new
Government's priorities in the field of human settlements.
186. In addition to its regular programme of activities, Habitat will provide
the secretariat for the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) to be convened at Istanbul in June 1996. The first substantive
session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference took place at Geneva
on 11 to 21 April 1994. I delivered the welcoming address at that session,
stressing the importance of adopting a clear set of operational objectives for
the next City Summit . The Preparatory Committee approved such objectives,
both for the Conference and its preparatory process, as well as a framework
for preparatory activities to be undertaken at all levels between now and
1996. An important conclusion of the session was that the outcome of Habitat
II, following a decade of major United Nations conferences in the social,
economic and human rights fields, should assist the Organization in
translating the decisions and recommendations of those conferences into action
in support of sustainable development.
187. Resources remain the most important challenge facing the Centre in
preparing for Habitat II. New multisectoral programmes, focusing on the
improvement of urban governance, environmental management, the continuum from
relief to development and poverty reduction are being defined to conform
better to the present development priorities of the international community,
thereby improving prospects for new financial flows.
B. Operational activities for development
188. While more effective and coherent governance of operational activities is
essential if the United Nations is to succeed in promoting development, the
Organization cannot fulfil its mission without an adequate and stable level of
resources. On that score, the serious downturn in resources made available for
operational activities is a deeply disturbing trend (see fig. 7). The subject
of funding for operational activities was considered during the resumed
session of the General Assembly held from 20 to 24 June 1994. UNDP has
experienced a 15 per cent reduction in core resources. UNICEF faced a serious
reversal in contributions in 1993, bringing the level down by nearly $150
million from the peak in 1992 of $688 million (of which $262 million came from
supplementary funding). The drop in UNFPA contributions in 1993 was $18.4
million, from a level of $238 million in 1992. While resources made available
to the World Food Programme (WFP) have almost doubled over the past few years,
in 1993, some two thirds of resources were for relief assistance rather than
development activities.
189. Reforms to improve the effectiveness and coordination of operational
activities have been under discussion in the General Assembly and the Economic
and Social Council for several years, culminating in the adoption by the
Assembly of resolutions 47/199 of 22 December 1992 and 48/162. Pursuant to
those resolutions, over 40 countries are in the process of preparing country
strategy notes, which aim to provide a framework for programming system
support from the United Nations for the plans, priorities and strategies of
recipient countries. Also at the country level, significant progress has been
made in the application of the programme approach, the extension of national
execution with accountability, the increase of common premises and common
services, the evaluation and strengthening of the functions of the resident
coordinator and the widening of the recruitment pool for resident
coordinators.
190. The General Assembly in its resolution 48/209 of 21 December 1993 has
provided further guidance with regard to the operation of United Nations field
offices, which should facilitate efforts to establish a unified,
cost-effective United Nations presence that is both responsive to the special
needs of new recipient countries and congruent with the overall requirements
of the United Nations development system.
1. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
191. In the period under review, the global network of UNDP, which is headed
by Mr. James Gustave Speth, grew to 132 country offices, serving 175 countries
and territories. The services rendered range from coordination of the
operational activities of the United Nations development system as a whole to
humanitarian activities in emergency situations.
192. In providing such services, UNDP continues to adhere to the principles of
political neutrality and to respect the sovereignty of the programme
countries. Following those principles, UNDP is able to work effectively with
leaders of both Government and civil society.
193. In 1993, voluntary contributions by member countries to UNDP's core
resources amounted to $910 million. Contributions to non-core resources,
including UNDP-administered funds, trust funds, cost-sharing arrangements and
government cash counterpart contributions, raised the total funds administered
by UNDP to over $1.4 billion (see fig. 8). Most notable has been the continued
rise in funds received through cost-sharing arrangements. In 1973, cost
sharing amounted to only 0.28 per cent of total UNDP income. In 1983, it
formed 12 per cent of total income and in 1993 increased to 26 per cent. Total
programme expenditures for technical cooperation activities in 1993 amounted
to approximately $1 billion.
194. By its decision 90/34, the Governing Council urged UNDP to focus its
interventions in the following six areas: poverty alleviation, management
development, technical cooperation among developing countries, environment and
natural resource management, women in development and technology for
development. As a result, the Programme has directed the programmes for its
fifth cycle (1992-1996) towards building and strengthening national capacities
in these six areas. The Programme developed various tools and procedures to
enhance the use and integration of national and external development resources
towards those goals.
195. To facilitate national ownership and management of the development
process, and in accordance with General Assembly resolution 47/199, UNDP has
actively promoted the use of the modality of national execution for
UNDP-assisted programmes. In 1993, $411 million (about 40 per cent) of UNDP
programme expenditure was through national execution, a 23 per cent rise over
1992. The Programme has also encouraged the use of national expertise in the
development process: the ratio of international experts to national experts in
UNDP-assisted programmes changed from 8,417: 4,893 in 1987 to 8,165: 20,244 in
1993. This dramatic rise in the relative number of national experts testifies
to the efforts of UNDP in that regard.
196. UNDP has sought to broaden the sources of its support beyond traditional
partnership with central Governments to include non-governmental, private
sector and other organizations of civil society. In particular,
non-governmental organizations have benefited from and participated in such
UNDP-assisted programmes as the Partners-in-Development Programme, the Africa
2000 Network and the Global Environment Facility.
197. UNDP has also made a conscious effort to focus on development policy,
programme formulation and management. At these upstream levels, the Programme
will exploit its comparative advantages as regards objectivity,
multisectorality and access to global experience, while ensuring maximum
effectiveness of its relatively modest financial contribution.
198. UNDP strengthens national capacity to coordinate aid on a variety of
levels. At the national level, it assists Governments in the elaboration of
development plans and of sectoral priorities and plans. It also strengthens
the capacity of the government unit responsible for the coordination of
external assistance, utilizing such tools as national technical cooperation
assessment programmes, and assists Governments in the organization and holding
of round-table conferences with donor countries. Through the round-table
process, UNDP cooperates with 27 least developed countries and assists in the
mobilization of external resources and facilitation of the dialogue with major
donors. At the operational level, the use of UNDP resources as seed money and
the formulation and implementation of UNDP programmes have served to establish
frameworks for coordinated development interventions by multiple donors and
national agencies.
199. In response to General Assembly resolution 47/199, UNDP has taken a
number of steps to strengthen the resident coordinator system. The Programme
made several proposals to enhance country-level coordination in such areas as
staffing for the coordination function and the selection of the resident
coordinators from the best possible candidates. In accordance with the
provisions of resolution 47/199, the partners in the Joint Consultative Group
on Policies, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WFP and the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), agreed on procedures for selecting United
Nations resident coordinators and resident representatives from a wider pool
of qualified development professionals.
200. The efforts of UNDP towards greater concentration of assistance,
increased national execution, upstream interventions and the strengthening of
the programme approach and of country-level coordination require decentralized
decision-making processes. Accordingly, the Programme has delegated increased
authority over personnel, administrative issues and programme matters to its
resident representatives. The Programme has combined decentralization with
measures to strengthen reporting and accountability mechanisms.
201. Following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in
1992, UNDP launched Capacity 21 to help countries translate Agenda 21 into
national plans of action for environmentally sustainable development. With
current pledges at $40.5 million, Capacity 21 projects are operational in 18
countries, including Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, the Gambia,
Honduras, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon, the Philippines, the Sudan
and the Syrian Arab Republic. Projects are also operational through two
regional programmes encompassing the Pacific and Caribbean countries.
202. Responsibility for implementing Global Environment Facility activities is
shared by UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank, the three partner agencies jointly
responsible for the management of the Facility, as indicated in Agenda 21.
UNDP's primary role in the Facility is the development and management of
capacity-building programmes, pre-investment activities, technical assistance
and targeted research. UNDP currently manages a portfolio of 55 projects worth
$270 million (from the pilot phase). In May 1994, the Executive Board of UNDP
adopted the Global Environment Facility instrument as the basis for its
participation in the operational Facility.
203. In March 1994, Governments successfully concluded a two-year negotiation
process to restructure the Global Environment Facility and adopt the
instrument, which sets forth governance arrangements. During the same meeting,
Facility funds were replenished to over $2 billion for the three-year period
1994-1997. The restructuring was aimed at ensuring universality, transparency
and broader participation, following the principles stated in chapter 33 of
Agenda 21.
204. The restructured Global Environment Facility has a Participants' Assembly
constituted by all member States, which will meet once every three years. In
July 1994, at the first Council meeting of the restructured Facility, the new
32-member Council was established. It approved $3 million for the Small Grants
Programme, and $3 million for eight pre-investment feasibility studies, both
of which are managed by UNDP.
205. In August 1994, the Administrator of UNDP issued a detailed strategic
plan to guide UNDP/Global Environment Facility operations. The plan
establishes an action plan for UNDP in four main areas, strategic planning,
participation, training and rules and procedures.
206. UNDP is one of four implementing agencies for the Multilateral Fund of
the Montreal Protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone
Layer (see also para. 178 above). It assists 29 countries in phasing out
ozone-depleting substances through national country programme formulation,
technical training, demonstration projects, institutional strengthening and
technology transfer investment projects in the fields of aerosols, foams,
refrigeration, solvents and fire extinguishers. Approved projects total $38
million. Nine country programmes have been approved with UNDP as lead agency,
with the China programme at $2.4 billion serving as a model programme. Over 45
technical assistance and technical training activities have been completed in
15 countries. Five technology transfer investment projects have been completed
that have phased out 372 tons of ozone-depleting substances.
207. In 1993 UNDP launched a number of initiatives to strengthen national
capacity for action-oriented research on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. That research
includes studies on the extent and nature of the psychological, social and
economic causes and consequences of the epidemic. UNDP aims to link research
more actively to policy and programme development. Participating countries
include the Central African Republic, Kenya, Zambia and Senegal.
END OF PART 1 OF 4