A/65/PV.86 General Assembly

I have the honour to introduce to the General Assembly the report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) submitted under agenda item 51, entitled “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”, as contained in document A/65/422/Add.1. During the main part of the Assembly’s sixty-fifth session, the Committee decided to defer its consideration of the report of the Secretary-General (A/65/705) on strengthening the management capacity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East until 2011. The Committee considered that report at its 25th meeting on 24 March. The draft resolution submitted under this agenda item is contained in paragraph 9 of the report of the Fourth Committee that is before the Assembly. The Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of that draft resolution.

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 report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) that is before the Assembly this morning.

We will now take a decision on the draft resolution recommended by the Fourth Committee in paragraph 9 of its report, which is entitled “Report of the Secretary-General on the strengthening of the management capacity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”. A recorded vote has been requested. A recorded vote was taken. In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe Against: Israel [Subsequently, the delegations of Armenia, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guyana, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Mauritania, Spain, Swaziland and the United States of America advised the Secretariat that they had intended to vote in favour.]

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 51?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 10.

On behalf of the African Group, I have the honour to introduce, under agenda item 12, the draft resolution entitled “Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015”, as contained in document A/65/L.70. The draft resolution seeks to acknowledge the progress we have made together in fighting malaria, which is one of the greatest health and economic challenges facing developing countries, particularly in Africa, which continues to carry the heaviest burden. The draft resolution seeks to consolidate those gains and to renew political support for significantly increasing global efforts to control and eventually to eliminate malaria by the original target date of 2015. The World Malaria Report 2010 of the World Health Organization (WHO) provides evidence that where there is political will, it is possible to contain, and to eventually eliminate, malaria. The report shows that funding for malaria in 2010 reached the unprecedented level of $1.8 billion. We welcome that development, although we appreciate that the target for that year was actually $6 billion. So, yes, we have made some progress, but we need consolidation and significant expansion. The increased funding was the key to improving access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets over the past three years. Between 2008 and 2010, approximately 289 million nets were delivered across sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 42 per cent of African households owning at least one net in 2010 and 35 per cent of children under five years of age sleeping under a net. That is progress, but our shared goal is universal coverage, so we still have a long way to go. We should also bear in mind that we must make provision for replacing those nets that are reaching the end of their effective lifespan, which is three years. The increased funding also made possible significant expansion in indoor residual spraying, with the number of people thus protected in sub-Saharan Africa increasing from 13 million in 2005 to 75 million in 2009. That too is progress, but it covers only 10 per cent of the population at risk. We have more work to do. As the incidence of malaria decreases, it becomes even more important to have the capability for rapid diagnosis to differentiate malaria from non-malaria fevers. Thanks to increased funding, the number of malaria cases confirmed by diagnostic test has risen from less than 5 per cent at the beginning of the past decade to 35 per cent in 2009. It is certainly progress, but we need to consolidate and expand that capacity as too many malaria cases are still not properly diagnosed. In 2005, only five countries could provide sufficient courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies to cover more than 50 per cent of patients treated in the public sector. Thanks to policy changes within countries and increased funding, 11 African countries were already providing coverage to 100 per cent of malaria cases seen in the public sector by the end of 2009, with a further eight African countries providing sufficient courses to treat between 50 and 100 per cent of cases. That is progress, but much more needs to be done before all cases can be covered. All such intervention has resulted in a significant reduction in the global malaria caseload and malaria- related deaths. In my own country, for instance, malaria has almost been eliminated in Zanzibar, which gives us the momentum to roll out the same effort throughout the entire United Republic of Tanzania. At least 11 African countries and 32 malaria-endemic countries outside Africa saw a decrease of more than 50 per cent of confirmed malaria cases between 2000 and 2009. Again, that is welcome progress, but we must bear in mind the goal established by the World Health Assembly in 2005 to reduce the number of malaria cases and deaths recorded in 2000 by 50 per cent, or more, in all countries by the end of 2010 and by 75 per cent, or more, by 2015. We should also bear in mind the importance of improving the health statistics of developing countries, and intensify efforts to improve the capacity for monitoring and surveillance to ensure that we respond promptly to the resurgence of malaria and resistance to anti-malaria medicines. This year’s draft resolution has been updated from last year’s resolution 64/79. While the draft resolution maintains last year’s language, it has been technically updated and new developments have been recognized. The new elements in the draft resolution are as follows. The year 2010 marked the end of the Decade to Roll Back Malaria. In that regard, we changed the title of the draft resolution. The draft resolution welcomes the leadership provided by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and their continued commitment to the 2015 targets. It also encourages them to continue to provide political leadership at the highest level in the fight against malaria in Africa. The draft resolution also welcomes the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, which aims to reduce maternal, newborn and under-five child mortality, including from malaria. The draft resolution acknowledges that, despite the increased global and national investments in malaria control having decreased the burden of malaria in some countries, with a few even moving towards the elimination of malaria, many countries continue to have unacceptably high burdens of malaria, most of them in Africa. It also emphasizes the importance of strengthening health systems to effectively support malaria control and elimination. The draft resolution urges the international community, the United Nations and all other stakeholders to participate in the funding and implementation of the Global Malaria Action Plan. It calls for scaling up malaria prevention, control and treatment in order to meet internationally agreed malaria goals. Lastly, the draft resolution requests the Secretary- General, in close collaboration with the Director- General of the World Health Organization and in consultation with Member States, to report on the implementation of the present resolution at the sixty- sixth session of the General Assembly and on progress to achieve the 2015 Abuja Declaration targets and those of the Global Malaria Action Plan and Millennium Development Goal 6. The consultations on the draft resolution have been extremely open and transparent. We thank all the delegations that participated in the consultations for their constructive engagement, which made consensus possible. We especially thank all the delegations that sponsored the draft resolution, and we request others to join the sponsorship today. We thank the Secretariat, our partners at the WHO and the Roll Back Malaria project, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria and all others who provided valuable support. Before we take action on the draft resolution, I would like to propose the following revision to paragraph 9. In that connection, the word “supports” in the final clause of the paragraph should be deleted. The clause should therefore read as follows: “takes note of the work of the Leading Group on Innovative Financing for Development and its special Task Force on Innovative Financing for Health, which has been recently set up.” It is our expectation that, as in previous years, the draft resolution will be adopted by consensus.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/65/L.70, entitled “Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control and eliminate malaria in developing countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015”, as orally revised. We shall now proceed to take action on the draft resolution. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I should like to announce that, since the submission of draft resolution A/65/L.70, the following countries have also become sponsors of the draft: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/65/L.70, as orally revised?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 12?

It gives me great pleasure to introduce, on behalf of the African Union and the African Group, the draft resolution entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union”, which is contained in document A/65/L.68. At the outset, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all delegations and partners for their constructive contributions in formulating this draft resolution. Cooperation at different levels, whether subregional, regional or international, represents the key to unlocking opportunities for sustainable growth and development. The Constitutive Act of the African Union attaches great importance to the transformation of Africa into a stable and developed continent where the younger generation can confidently envisage a bright future. Although significant strides have been made in that direction, we still have a long way to go. Today’s draft resolution, which I have the honour to present, seeks to promote the spirit of cooperation between the African Union and the larger international community, represented by the United Nations, towards the further realization of this goal. Both the African Union and the United Nations have as their founding principles holistic development, and thus the two organizations are called upon to work concurrently and complementarily. We in Africa are happy to note that cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union has intensified in recent years, as demonstrated by the numerous collaborative efforts made in a whole range of areas. This strategic relationship between the two organizations needs to be enhanced so as to promote a more effective partnership that embodies the principle of mutual respect when addressing mutual concern and challenges. The challenges are many; I will list three of them. First is the issue of peace and security. Though much progress has been achieved in some parts of the continent, the issue of peace and security remains a challenge in certain other parts. Peace is a prerequisite for human, social and effective economic development, which are critical to the achievement by Africa of national, regional and international goals such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this regard, the draft resolution stresses the need for the two organizations to cooperate closely to address the problems posed by landmines, illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, terrorism and transnational organized crime. We welcome the launch in September 2010 of the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security of the United Nations and the African Union. This will act as an important framework for furthering the strategic partnership on peace and security between the United Nations Secretariat and the African Union Commission. Secondly, with respect to the issue of development, although Africa is rich in both human and natural resources, it has yet to realize its full potential. Many factors are responsible for underdevelopment, many of which are external. In this regard, the draft resolution calls upon the United Nations system to continue its support for the African Union and its member States in their efforts to implement the MDGs. It is also crucial for the international community, in order to promote the economic and social development of the continent, to ensure the effective, coordinated and integrated implementation of the Doha Development Agenda, the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2005 World Summit Outcome. Furthermore, we would like to underscore once again the urgent need for the successful and timely completion of the Doha round of trade negotiations, including negotiations aimed at substantial improvements in areas such as trade-related measures, including market access, to promote a sustained growth path in Africa. Thirdly, I should like to touch on the issue of institutional development. To achieve sustained growth in Africa, there is an urgent need for the promotion and strengthening of the institutional structure and framework for good governance and for the effective implementation of development initiatives. The continent welcomes the pivotal role that subregional groups are playing in institution-building to promote the socio-economic and political development of their respective regions. However, the lack of expertise and resources in many areas brings to the fore the need for greater cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in reinforcing institutions. We therefore appreciate the various initiatives taken by the United Nations and its agencies in that regard. Furthermore, the African Group commends the Secretary-General for undertaking the review of the 2006 declaration for the 10-year capacity-building programme for the African Union, and welcomes the recommendations regarding the acceleration of the implementation of the programme. We are also confident that the establishment and reinforcement of the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa would lead to more intense interaction and substantially improve coordination, in the context of more proactive engagement by the United Nations in existing and emerging areas of cooperation with the African Union. The draft resolution acknowledges the close cooperation between the two organizations and highlights the vital issues to which both the United Nations and the African Union should give priority and attention, namely, peace and security, in particular with regard to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking, post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding; support for the democratization process and good governance; and development and humanitarian issues. The draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union is presented for consideration by the General Assembly and it is our sincere hope that it will be adopted by consensus.

The Assembly will now proceed to take a decision on draft resolution A/65/L.68. I now give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I should like to announce that, since the submission of draft resolution A/65/L.68, the following countries have joined as sponsors: Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

May I take it that the General Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/65/L.68?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 122?