A/51/PV.58 General Assembly

On behalf of all the members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), I have the pleasure of introducing, under agenda item 31, draft resolution A/51/L.17, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference”. The report of the Secretary-General on this item (A/51/381) is especially helpful in that it recalls the need to continue cooperation in their common search for solutions to global problems relating to international peace and security, disarmament, self-determination, decolonization, fundamental human rights, social and economic development and technical cooperation. In this regard, allow me to hail all the initiatives which have given rise to consultations between representatives of the secretariats of the organizations of the United Nations system and of the OIC, and also the review of proposals aimed at strengthening mechanisms for cooperation between United Nations agencies and the OIC and its specialized bodies. Among the 185 Member States of the United Nations, 53 are also members of the OIC. This attests to the need to strengthen cooperation between these organizations, as set forth in the preambular part of the draft resolution, the text of which is similar to that of resolution 50/17. In its operative part, the General Assembly notes with satisfaction the active participation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in the work of the United Nations towards the realization of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. In that spirit, the General Assembly welcomes the proposals of the general meeting of the two organizations to strengthen cooperation between them in various areas and to review the ways and means for enhancing the mechanisms for such cooperation. It welcomes further the periodic high-level meetings between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, between senior secretariat officials of the two organizations. Likewise, the General Assembly urges the organizations of the United Nations, especially the lead agencies, to provide increased technical and other forms of assistance to the Organization of the Islamic Conference and its specialized institutions to enhance To conclude, allow me to invite this Assembly to adopt draft resolution A/51/L.17 without a vote. The Acting Chairman: In accordance with General Assembly resolution 3369 (XXX) of 10 October 1975, I now call on the observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

A review of the status of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has now become a regular feature of the deliberations at the annual sessions of this body. I welcome the opportunity and consider it a privilege to address the General Assembly this morning on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, His Excellency Mr. Hamid Al-Ghabid, on agenda item 31, which covers this important subject. Before I go into substance, I would like to take this opportunity, at the outset, to congratulate the President of the Assembly and, through him, his colleagues on the Bureau, on their elections to their high offices. I know that in Ambassador Razali’s capable hands the work of the Assembly will be very ably directed. I also join other delegations in paying tribute to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral, and his colleagues on the previous Bureau for steering the work of the Assembly with remarkable success during the course of the fiftieth session. The report of the Secretary-General, which is before the Assembly in document A/51/381, once again offers an informative panoramic view of the cooperation between our two organizations and their respective subsidiary and specialized organs, agencies and institutions in areas of common concern in 1996. It clearly portrays the endeavours of the United Nations system in implementing General Assembly resolution 50/17 of 20 November 1995, which requested the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to continue to cooperate in their common search for solutions to global problems relating to I would, therefore, like to extend to the President, and, through him, to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and to the Executive Heads of the various United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies, our most sincere thanks, for their and their respective staffs’ efforts, which have contributed greatly to the success of our common endeavours throughout the preceding year. When I addressed the General Assembly last year on this agenda item, I spoke of the serious impetus that needed to be given to that aspect of resolution 49/15 which called for strengthening cooperation between our two organizations in the political field, besides of course continuing to expand our ongoing cooperation in several economic, social and humanitarian sectors. This was timely and both proactive and reactive with respect to some of the priority concerns of our common member States, all of which are represented here in this Assembly. As the Secretary-General’s report illustrates, this aspect figured prominently in the last meeting between the Secretaries-General of our two organizations, which took place here at United Nations Headquarters on 3 October 1995, and in the two high-level meetings of officials of the two organizations held here on 5 October 1995 and on 4 October 1996. Also, during the last general meeting between the secretariats of our two organizations, held in Geneva from 26 to 28 June 1996, a special segment was devoted to the political dimension at which we mutually identified modalities for information exchange and for consultation and coordination in the areas of interest to our common member States, that is, the issues of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Palestine, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Somalia, Jammu and Kashmir, and so on. Two examples of our cooperation at the practical level were the collective monitoring of the recent elections in Palestine and the activities of our respective missions in Afghanistan, which are maintaining complementarity and close contacts in helping the various Afghan political factions find an agreeable solution to their present predicament. I can speak of both from experience, as I have had the privilege of personally participating in each of them. We now look forward to I now turn briefly to our cooperation in the social, economic and cultural spheres during the period under review and refer to the nine priority areas in which cooperation is under way between our two organizations: the development of science and technology; trade and development; technical cooperation among Islamic countries; assistance to refugees; food security and agriculture; education and eradication of illiteracy; investment mechanisms and joint ventures; human resource development; and the environment. Paragraph 13 of the report of the Secretary-General details the eight recommendations of the meeting of United Nations and OIC focal points, held at Geneva in June 1995, which were endorsed by the general meeting between the secretariats of the two organizations, held at Geneva in June 1996. I hope that these recommendations will be favourably considered by the Assembly, as they are based upon practical considerations and have emerged from several years of experience in support of the developmental efforts of our member States. The adoption of new, cost-effective modalities that would accelerate the programme and project identification, and the approval and implementation processes has been an important consideration of our joint endeavours. l would cite briefly two recent examples of these endeavours. First, the OIC and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Special Unit for Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries are providing technical assistance to the Foundation for Social Peace, a respected African non- governmental organization, based in Niamey, Niger, in implementing its Rural Education and Agricultural Extension facility for the nomads of the Sahel and Sahara regions, with some catalytic financial support from the Perez Guerrero Trust Fund. Secondly, technical assistance is being extended by the OIC and by UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People to Birzeit University in Jerusalem in the strengthening of its Web reporting resources through the use of modern technology and the Internet. In both instances, speedy project identification and approval processes, reflecting effective coordination among the two organizations at the working level, are now accelerating delivery and implementation to the advantage of the beneficiaries. I should now like to refer briefly to the annual coordination meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of The representative of Guinea, representing the Chairperson of the Islamic Group, has graciously introduced the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC, which is before the Assembly in document A/51/L.17 of 11 November 1996. I take the liberty of drawing the attention of representatives to three of the 14 operative paragraphs because of their significance. First, operative paragraph 5, in its latter part, welcomes the proposal of the general meeting of the United Nations and the OIC to review the ways and means for enhancing the actual mechanisms for cooperation between the two organizations in areas of common concern. The two examples of cooperation I cited a moment ago demonstrate what can be achieved by resorting to new and innovative methods. A greater scope of opportunity lies ahead to be explored and tapped for the benefit of our member States. Secondly, operative paragraph 8, among other things, encourages the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to negotiate cooperation agreements with their OIC counterparts for cooperation in priority areas of interest to the two organizations. Two memoranda of understanding signed in New York last month by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have paved the way for ISESCO’s systematic consultation and effective cooperation with these two organizations, adding to several such memoranda similarly concluded with other United Nations organizations in the past. We hope that this process will continue and expand among the relevant agencies and institutions of our two organizations. Thirdly, I should like to refer to operative paragraph 11, which expresses appreciation to the Secretary-General for his initiative to convene a high-level meeting of regional and other inter-governmental organizations on 15 February 1996, and encourages similar meetings in the As in the resolution of the preceding year, none of the operative paragraphs contained in this resolution has any additional financial implications. I am therefore confident that it will attract the Assembly’s unanimous approval. In conclusion, I should like to remind the Assembly that the OIC derives its inspiration from Islam, the religion of peace, which advocates justice, tolerance and cooperation among all segments of mankind. Our cooperation with the United Nations will continue to be guided by these noble considerations as we maintain our collective march, shoulder to shoulder, towards universal peace and progress in the time ahead.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/51/L.17. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/51/L.17?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude agenda item 31?

I now call on the representative of South Africa to introduce draft resolution A/51/L.16.

It is an honour for South Africa to introduce the draft resolution, entitled “Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic”, on behalf of the member States of the zone. South Africa does not only endorse but will also endeavour to give practical effect to the draft resolution’s call upon all Member States to cooperate in the promotion of the objectives established in the declaration of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic and to refrain from any action inconsistent The South African Government supports the objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic, which include the enhancement of peace and security, the promotion of regional cooperation for social and economic development, the promotion of the environment and the conservation of resources. Since the end of the cold war, the major focus of the zone has moved increasingly to economic, social, environmental and cultural issues. As the zone developed, member States expanded their vision and adopted a policy to increase political, economic and cultural links between eastern South America and the west coast of Africa. It is that dimension and the concept of building bridges across the South Atlantic which today unites us and provides the basis for future cooperation between zone members. The agenda for the zone fits neatly into the wider framework of South-South cooperation. Our zone must be another important building block to effectively achieve our wider vision of South-South cooperation for the mutual benefit of all our countries. The zone constitutes an important forum for members of the South to manifest their solidarity and collectively and meaningfully bargain with others within the relevant international economic institutions. In that respect, the future linkage between member States of the zone of the Indian Ocean rim countries, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Southern Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR) and others should be developed and reinforced. For our fourth ministerial meeting in South Africa, on 1 and 2 April 1996, we thought it appropriate to focus on the theme of bridging the South Atlantic. We identified practical possibilities for regional cooperation so as to enable our vision for the zone to become a reality. We share one immense commonality: the rich and vast South Atlantic Ocean. South Africa accepts the obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment, as set out in the various conventions adopted internationally for that purpose over the past decade and more. We also look forward to pursuing those principles within the zone. Decisions to develop practical measures for the protection of the South Atlantic marine environment and on illegal fishing activities were adopted at the fourth ministerial meeting. Concerns about the question of the safe and secure transportation through the Also at the fourth ministerial meeting, South Africa and the member States emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation among member States of the zone, in law enforcement agencies and within the international and regional organizations in the fight against the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. As we Governments should set out to create an environment friendly to international trade, trade among ourselves and investment, it is for business groups then to grasp the opportunities we create and, through their enterprises, increase the job opportunities and the wealth of the countries of our zone. In similar fashion, we believe that there is an opportunity within the zone to explore ways to achieve capital market development and liberalization: cooperation in the development of infrastructure, cooperation in science and technology, mining and minerals and the general facilitation of trade and tourism throughout the region. Regarding development, South Africa is convinced that the zone provides a very important mechanism and framework to promote the common interests and aspirations of those African and South American States that share the South Atlantic Ocean. The initiative could also be a very important instrument for providing impetus and substance to South-South dialogue and cooperation in general. In order to bridge the Atlantic Ocean, we should encourage and facilitate more business initiatives through modern communications, thus ensuring closer links among all the members. That should in turn facilitate the expansion of economic and commercial links between all the member States across our common Ocean. South Africa is honoured to have assumed the chairmanship of the zone. We thank the past Chairman, Brazil, and the Steering Committee for having set the timetable. We should cooperate with all members of the zone to further our common objectives and hope that our joint efforts will serve to ensure that our vision for the future becomes a reality for all our peoples in the near future. The goals of the zone are noble ones. No one will question that the enhancement of peace and security, the

I would like to reiterate the strong commitment of Brazil to the purposes and objectives of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic and, therefore, to draft resolution A/51/L.16, which was introduced by the Ambassador of South Africa on behalf of the States members of the zone. Together with other members of the Zone, Brazil participated in the fourth meeting of the States members in Somerset West, South Africa, on 1 and 2 April 1996. The approval of this draft resolution by the General Assembly will be an expression of the support of the international community to cooperation among members of the zone and among these and other States towards economic and social development in conditions of peace and freedom, as expressed in the Final Declaration of the fourth meeting, contained in document A/51/183. The zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic represents a valuable asset for the South Atlantic countries of Africa and Latin America. The Brazilian Government has pledged its support for its revitalization and underlines in this regard recent initiatives in the areas of denuclearization, protection of the marine environment and cooperation against drug trafficking. Brazil, together with the other members of the zone, supports the strengthening of the Treaties of Tlatelolco and Pelindaba, which establish nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as in Africa. We recall, in this context, growing links of cooperation with the other nuclear-weapon-free zones of the Southern Hemisphere and adjacent areas established by the Treaties of Rarotonga and Bangkok. In the area of the environment, the commitment of all the members of the zone to the protection of the marine environment has prompted the consideration of proposals for adopting a specific convention on the issue within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The new convention would set up mechanisms for cooperation for the protection of the marine environment, for the conservation of marine living resources, for preventing and containing environmental Brazil is also strongly committed to cooperating with the other members of the zone in the fight against the scourge of drug trafficking. Also of particular significance is the support given by the international community through this draft resolution, in operative paragraphs 7 to 12, to the process of national reconciliation in Angola, most particularly, and Liberia, as well as the call for increased humanitarian assistance for those two countries. The Brazilian Government is committed to continued cooperation with the members of the zone and looks forward to the fifth ministerial meeting, which will be held in Argentina. The contacts among West African and South American countries bordering the South Atlantic, in the context of the zone of peace and cooperation, aim at promoting cooperation, understanding, stability and prosperity among all the participants. They deserve the support of the international community as a whole. We are confident that, as in previous years, this draft resolution will command general support.

This session marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic. The zone was envisaged as an instrument for promoting understanding and cooperation among the South Atlantic countries. It was also established to further explore and enhance the prospect and potentials of South-South cooperation and to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. My delegation is pleased to note that, so far, the zone can justifiably affirm that it has continued, in spite of its many teething problems, to focus on the purposes and objectives of its establishment. The member States of the zone have held four high- level meetings during which they have explored further areas where cooperation is possible at this initial stage and have adopted forward-looking decisions. At the fourth high- level meeting in Somerset West, South Africa in April 1996, member States decided, inter alia, to adopt practical measures for the protection of the South Atlantic marine environment and against illegal fishing. These will be major items on the agenda of the fifth high-level meeting, soon to be held in Argentina. They also adopted an anti-drug initiative for cooperation in the control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, which will be developed and implemented within the framework of zonal cooperation. In The zone in many ways contributes to the maintenance of international peace and security. This is done, for instance, through the declared intention of member States to maintain the South Atlantic as a denuclearized region, a situation that has been made possible by the progress made towards the full entry into force of the Treaty of Tlatelolco in Latin America and the signing of the Treaty of Pelindaba in Africa. A nuclear- free South Atlantic would bring closer the achievement of a nuclear-free Southern Hemisphere and, ultimately, a nuclear-free world. With regard to the settlement of military conflicts in the region of the zone, members of the zone have been urged to contribute to United Nations peacekeeping operations taking place in different parts of other regions and have declared their support for efforts aimed at finding negotiated solutions to all the conflicts. In Angola, the member States of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic continue to encourage the United Nations and the Government of Angola to pursue the peace process. In Liberia, they follow the efforts of ECOWAS towards the restoration of peace in that country, including the decision by the Committee of Nine on Liberia following their summit meeting in Accra in May 1996, and the summit meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on 17 August 1996 to extend the validity of the Abuja Agreement until 15 June 1997. In the light of the foregoing, member States of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic have in this year’s resolution requested the support of the international community for the endeavours of Mrs. Ruth Perry, the new Chairperson of the Council of States of the Liberian National Transitional Government. More importantly at this stage of the peace process in Liberia, they have called on the international community to provide necessary assistance to the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to enable it to carry out its mandate. This mandate includes the monitoring and verification of ceasefire arrangements, disarmament and the encampment of the warring factions, guarantees for the safety and security of lives and property throughout Liberia and the maintenance of an atmosphere of peace and civility for We reiterate our appeal that all assistance to ECOMOG from the international community be unfettered and given directly to ECOMOG in a nondiscriminatory manner in order to ensure its continued cohesiveness as a unified peacekeeping force. Reading through the report of the Secretary-General contained in document A/51/458 of 7 October 1996, my delegation has noted the activities of the organizations and bodies of the United Nations system in response to paragraph 11 of resolution 50/18 of 27 November 1995 and other relevant paragraphs. We wish to express appreciation to those United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations which have continued to provide humanitarian assistance to Liberia during the past six years, and to Angola in support of the 1994 Lusaka Protocol. We thank the United Nations Department of Public Information for its radio productions on questions relating to the purposes and objectives of the zone, which it made in four languages for distribution to 800 broadcasting stations worldwide, and for other pertinent productions. The gesture by the Economic Commission for Europe to share its experiences with Member States of the zone on matters concerning the transport of dangerous goods is a fine example of North-South cooperation which should be encouraged to mutual advantage. The offer by the International Maritime Organization to assist in addressing the degradation of marine environments through the preparation of project proposals for funding by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is fully appreciated, while the programmes of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the field of marine sciences and services cannot but be relevant to the objectives of the zone. These offers would be subject to further consideration during the next high-level meeting of the zone.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/51/L.16. We shall now begin the voting process. A recorded vote has been requested. [Subsequently, the delegations of Estonia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Liberia, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger and Tajikistan advised the Secretariat that they had intended to vote in favour.]

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 32?

I first invite members to turn their attention to the report of the Fifth Committee on sub-item (a) of agenda item 18, entitled “Appointment of members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions” (A/51/671). The Fifth Committee recommends in paragraph 6 of its report that the General Assembly should appoint the following persons as members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for a three- year term of office beginning on 1 January 1997: Mr. Ammar Amari, Ms. Denise Almao; Mr. Leonid E. Bidny, Mr. Gérard Biraud and Mrs. Norma Goicochea Estenoz. May I take it that the Assembly appoints those persons?

We come now to the report of the Fifth Committee on sub-item (b) of agenda item 18, entitled “Appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions” (A/51/672). In paragraph 8 of that report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly should appoint the following persons as members of the Committee on Contributions for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 1997: Mr. Iqbal Akhund, Mr. Evgueni N. Deineko, Mr. Alvaro Gurgel de Alencar, Mr. Ju Kuilin, Ms. Isabelle Klais and Mr. Ugo Sessi. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint those persons?

I now invite members to turn their attention to the report of the Fifth Committee on sub-item (c) of agenda item 18, entitled “Appointment of a member of the Board of Auditors” (A/51/666). May I take it that the Assembly wishes to appoint this person?

I now invite members to turn their attention to the report of the Fifth Committee on sub- item (d) of agenda item 18, entitled “Confirmation of the appointment of members of the Investments Committee” (A/51/667). The Fifth Committee, in paragraph 4 of its report, recommends that the General Assembly should confirm the appointment of the following persons as members of the Investments Committee for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 1997: Ms. Francine Bovich, Mr. Peter Stormonth Darling and Mr. Takeshi Ohta. In the same paragraph, the Fifth Committee also recommends that the General Assembly should confirm the appointment of Mr. Fernando G. Chico Pardo to fill the remainder of a three-year term of office expiring on 31 December 1997. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to confirm the appointment of those persons?

We now come to the report of the Fifth Committee dealing with the appointment of members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal under sub-item (e) of agenda item 18 (A/51/668). In paragraph 4 of that report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly should appoint the following persons as members of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal for a three-year term of office beginning on 1 January 1997: Mr. Julio Barboza and Mr. Mayer Gabay. May I consider that the Assembly appoints those persons?

We now turn to the report of the Fifth Committee on sub-item (f) of agenda item 18, In paragraph 4 of that report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly should appoint the following persons as members of the International Civil Service Commission for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 1997: Ms. Corazon Alma de Leon, Mr. Alexander V. Chepourin, Mr. Humayun Kabir, Mr. Ernest Rusita and Mr. El Hassane Zahid. May I take it that the General Assembly appoints those persons?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-items (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of agenda item 18?

I should like to inform members that on Tuesday, 26 November, in the morning, the Assembly will take up agenda item 11, entitled “Report of the Security Council”. Next, I should like to recall, for the attention of delegations, General Assembly resolution 50/167 of 22 December 1995 entitled “Traffic in women and girls”, by which the General Assembly decided, in connection with the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, to devote one meeting of the fifty-first session of the General Assembly to the discussion of the problem of trafficking in human persons, especially women and children. I should like to propose that the Assembly hold a plenary meeting on Friday, 6 December 1996, in the morning, devoted to the discussion of this issue. If there is no objection, may I take it that the Assembly agrees to devote one plenary meeting on Friday, 6 December 1996, in the morning, to the discussion of the problems of trafficking in human persons, especially women and children.

The lists of speakers for agenda item 11 and for the plenary meeting to be held on 6 December 1996 are now open.