A/48/PV.104 General Assembly
The meeting was called to order at 10.35 a.m.
8. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work Thirteenth report of the General Committee (A/48/250/Add.12)
The thirteenth report of the General Committee concerns a request by the Republic of Moldova for the inclusion in the agenda of the current session of an item entitled "Emergency assistance to the Republic of Moldova".
The General Committee decided to recommend to the General Assembly that the item should be included in the agenda. May I take it that the Assembly decides to include this additional item in its agenda?
It was so decided.
The General Committee further decided to recommend to the Assembly that the item should be considered directly in plenary meeting. May I take it that the Assembly adopts this recommendation?
It was so decided.
May I also take it that, as requested by the sponsor, the item will be given priority for consideration by the Assembly this morning because of its urgent character?
It was so decided.
I should like to inform members that the item on emergency assistance to the Republic of Moldova, which will be considered as the last item at this meeting, becomes item 181 of the agenda of the forty- eighth session of the General Assembly and that the documents reflecting its inclusion and allocation will be issued tomorrow.
I should also like to inform members that a draft resolution on emergency assistance to the Republic of Moldova will be available shortly in the General Assembly Hall as document A/48/L.64.
33. Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council (a) Report of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council (A/48/47) (b) Draft decision (A/48/47, para. 9)
Vote:
A/48/47
Consensus
I am pleased to inform members that the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council, established pursuant to resolution 48/26, successfully adopted by consensus on
In this connection, I would draw attention to the draft decision adopted by the Group, as contained in paragraph 9 of the report. The draft decision recommends that the Open-ended Working Group should continue its work and report to the General Assembly before the end of the forty- ninth session.
If I might here offer a personal evaluation of the process leading to the adoption of the report, I would say that the discussion thus far has proved to be both ample and constructive. Delegations cooperated fully to ensure that the mandate of resolution 48/26 was fully discharged, and this augurs well, I believe, for the future of our work.
As was agreed in the Group, the report is short and factual. While I appreciate and share the sentiments expressed by a number of delegations that the report could have been more substantive or substantial, it is unlikely that anything more elaborate could have been achieved at this stage of our deliberations. I believe, nevertheless, that enough ground has been covered on which eventual consensus can be built.
I wish here to sincerely thank my two Vice-Chairmen, Ambassador Breitenstein of Finland and Ambassador Chew of Singapore, and their staff, for the able manner in which they assisted me in the conduct of the deliberations of the Working Group during the past year. I should also like to thank the Secretariat, and more particularly the Secretary of the Working Group, Mr. Kanninen, for ensuring that the Group was well-serviced at all times.
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision contained in paragraph 9 of the report (A/48/47) of the Open-ended Working Group. As members will note, this is a purely procedural matter and therefore should not invite discussion. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt the draft decision?
The draft decision was adopted.
May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 33?
It was so decided.
If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the Assembly decides not to discuss the report of the First Committee which is before the Assembly today.
It was so decided.
Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote or position.
The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the First Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. May I remind members that under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the Assembly agreed that
"When the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, i.e., either in the Committee or in plenary meeting unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee."
May I remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Before we begin to take action on the recommendation contained in the report of the First Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we shall proceed to take the decision in the same manner as was done in the First Committee.
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision recommended by the First Committee in paragraph 7 of part II of its report (A/48/688/Add.1). The draft decision was adopted by the First Committee without a vote. May I consider that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The draft decision was adopted.
I should like to extend to the Chairman of the First Committee, Ambassador von Wagner - who I believe has left New York - and his
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 156?
It was so decided.
Reports of the Fifth Committee
The Assembly will now consider the reports of the Fifth Committee on agenda items 127 and 173.
If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Fifth Committee that are before it today.
It was so decided.
Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote or position.
The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Fifth Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. May I remind members that under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the Assembly agreed that
"When the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, i.e., either in the Committee or in plenary meeting unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee."
May I also remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Fifth Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Committee.
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 4 of part II of its report.
The Fifth Committee adopted the draft decision without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The draft decision was adopted.
We have thus concluded this stage of our consideration of agenda item 127.
173. Financing of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda: report of the Fifth Committee (Part III) (A/48/828/Add.2)
The Assembly will now take a decision on the draft decision recommended by the Fifth Committee in paragraph 6 of Part III of its report.
The draft decision was adopted by the Fifth Committee without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do the same?
The draft decision was adopted.
May I also take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 173?
It was so decided.
181. Emergency assistance to the Republic of Moldova: draft resolution (A/48/L.64)
In accordance with the decision taken earlier this morning, the Assembly will now consider agenda item 181. In this connection, the Assembly has before it a draft resolution contained in document A/48/L.64.
In view of the desire of the sponsors to dispose of this item expeditiously, I should like to consult the Assembly with a view to proceeding immediately to
Rule 78 reads as follows:
"As a general rule, no proposal shall be discussed or put to the vote at any meeting of the General Assembly unless copies of it have been circulated to all delegations not later than the day preceding the meeting."
Unless I hear any objections, I shall take it that the Assembly agrees to waive the relevant provision of rule 78.
It was so decided.
I now call on the representative of Croatia to introduce draft resolution A/48/L.64.
On behalf of the sponsors, I have the honour to introduce the draft resolution, entitled "Emergency assistance to the Republic of Moldova". I am also pleased to inform members that Estonia, Hungary, Mauritius and Mongolia have joined the sponsors listed in document A/48/L.64.
Under the draft resolution, the General Assembly would declare its solidarity with the Government and people of Moldova in their affliction, caused by the recent drought, hurricane and floods, which resulted in loss of life and destruction of property. Furthermore, the draft resolution would commend the efforts of the international community to supplement the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Moldova in relief operations and emergency assistance. The Assembly would also request all States to extend further support to the Republic of Moldova to alleviate the economic and financial burden borne by the Moldovan people. It would also call upon the Secretary- General, in cooperation with the relevant organs and organizations of the United Nations, to assist in the rehabilitation efforts of the Government of the Republic of Moldova.
On behalf of the sponsors, I call upon Member States to adopt the draft resolution without delay.
On behalf of the Government of Romania, I wish to express our deepest sympathy to the
Romania has been following with hope and an intense sense of solidarity the courageous efforts of the Republic of Moldova aimed at forging a democratic society and building a market economy. The recent calamities cannot but aggravate the sharp difficulties inherent in the transition process in that country. That is why Romania co-sponsored the draft resolution and joined the appeal addressed to the international community for support for the Republic of Moldova.
Romania reacted quickly to the needs of the Republic of Moldova, although it sustained almost identical calamities on the right side of the River Prut. Multiple channels to provide assistance have been established.
At the governmental level, aid amounting to 1 billion lei has already been allotted; it consists of construction materials, food and other basic necessities. At the local level, various districts in the immediate vicinity of the affected areas have delivered food and clothes to neighbouring districts in the Republic of Moldova. Some other assistance operations have been started at the departmental level following an initiative of the Ministry of Health, which supplied tons of medicine on an emergency basis. All these actions continue.
My delegation strongly supports the appeal for generosity in the draft resolution, which, hopefully, will enjoy unanimous support. We are convinced that the goodwill displayed by the Member States present here will be followed by concrete and immediate proof of solidarity in assisting the rehabilitation efforts of the Republic of Moldova.
I wish first to express our sincere sympathy to the people of the Republic of Moldova over the loss of life resulting from the natural disasters that recently afflicted that country: unprecedented drought, a hurricane and flooding. The Russian Federation also shares the concern of the Government of the Republic of Moldova over the enormous, unprecedented material damage suffered by that country’s economy.
Fully sharing the concern over the serious losses suffered by the economy of the Republic of Moldova, Russia was one of the first to become a sponsor of the draft resolution on emergency assistance. We call on all Member States to support this draft resolution. The delegation of Russia, the State now occupying the Chair of the Commonwealth of Independent States, expresses the hope that the international community and international organizations will make every effort to render the assistance needed by the Republic of Moldova to overcome the consequences of these natural disasters.
We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this agenda item.
Before the Assembly proceeds to take a decision on the draft resolution, I should also like to express to the Government and the people of the Republic of Moldova, on behalf of the Assembly, our very sincere sympathy and solidarity in connection with the serious consequences of the recent disaster.
We shall now take a decision on draft resolution A/48/L.64. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt it?
The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 48/266).
Allow me at the outset to express the gratitude of the people and the Government of the Republic of Moldova to Member States for their adoption of the draft resolution, which we hope and believe will make a significant contribution to the efforts to overcome the effects of the worst series of natural disasters in the recorded history of my country, consisting of drought, hurricane and floods. I should also like to express our very special gratitude to the countries which sponsored the draft resolution and submitted it for consideration during the session.
I wish to assure the Assembly that the kind words of sympathy and support which we have just heard in this Hall will be transmitted to the Government and the people of the Republic of Moldova.
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 181?
It was so decided.
Programme of work
I should like to make an announcement regarding the financing of operational activities for development.
Members will recall that by annex I to resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993, adopted under agenda item 56, entitled "Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields", the Assembly stated that there was a need for a substantial increase in resources for operational activities. The Assembly decided in this regard that the process for facilitating the development of a new funding system would include consultations to be held in New York and negotiations on prospective new modalities for financing in a resumed session of the General Assembly in 1994.
In view of that decision, agenda item 56 should have been retained for consideration. At our next meeting, to be held on Monday, 19 September, which should also be our last meeting of the session, I should like to report briefly to the Assembly on the consultations carried out in the implementation of resolution 48/162.
The meeting rose at 11.10 a.m.