S/39/PV.106 Security Council

I declare the thirty-ninth session of the General Assembly resumed in accord- ance with General Assembly decision 39/456 of 18 December 1984.

It is my sad duty to recall to the General Assembly the deaths of Mr. Konstantin Ustinovich Chemenko, President ofthe Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and of Mr. Tom Adams, Prime Minister of Barbados, which occurred since the suspension ofthe thirty-ninth session ofthe Assembly on 18 December 1984. 3. I invite representatives to stand and observe a minute of silence in tribute to their memory. The members ofthe Assembly observed a minute of silence.

I invite the attention of the General Assembly to document A/39/883, which contains a letter addressed to me by the Secretary- General informing the Assembly that 13 Member States are in arrears in the payment of their financial contributions to the United Nations within the terms of Article 19 of the Charter. 5. I should like to remind delegations that, under Article 19 of the Charter, "A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contribu- tions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears NEW YORK equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years." May I consider that the General Assembly duly takes note of that information? . It was so decided.

May I consider that the General Assembly takes note of the report of the Security Council [A/39/2]? It was so decided (decision 39/457).

Members will recall that in its decision 39/444, entitled "Consumer protection", the General Assembly decided to take note of the consensus reached, on an ad referendum basis, on a set of guidelines for consumer protection, and to consider the draft resolution annexed to'that decision for adoption at a resumed session in 1985. May I take it that the Assembly now wishes to adopt that draft resolution? The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 39/248). 8. The PRESIDENT: I call now on delegations wishing to explain their position. 9. Mr. KEYES (United States of America): The consensus agreement on the consumer guidelines marks the end of a long road. 'This is an agreement that many thought impossible when we first began the journey, and there were points along the way when there was indeed real cause to doubt that a consensus text was possible. But perseverance and good will have prevailed. 10. My Government still has reservations, however, about both the concept and the specifics of these consumer guidelines. This should come as no sur- prise to anyone. We made this quite clear in Decem- • R~umed from the 104th meeting. enti~ely fai~ t.o say t.hat the work of the United 19. '- 'Ms. ERIKSSON (Sweden): Sweden has always NatIons In ..hiS area IS now concluded. attached great importance to questions regarding 12. As we mentioned briefly last December, there consumer affairs. It was therefore with particular are a number of things in these guidelines which satisfaction that we joined other delegations in continue to cause us problems and which we believe adopting by consensus the draft resolution annexed detract from their quality and potential usefulness. I to decision 39/444. sho}lld .like to sp~ll out here those are~s where we 20. The consumer guidelines approved today are ~aIntam reservations,. t~o}lgh not suffiCient reserva- the result of many years of hard work by delegations, tlons to prevent our JOinIng the consensus. government experts and the Secretariat. At the 13. First, we would have very strongly preferred to beginning ofthe thirty-ninth session the outlook for a see the guidelines speak throughout about unreason- consensus so!ution still seemed bleak. It is a tribute able risks or hazards, and we interpret the risks or to the perseverance and the negotiating skills of the hazards mentioned in the guidelines to be only those dele~ations most immediately concerned-we are that are un.reasonable. We all regularly accept routine particularly grateful to the representatives of Paki- risk wherever we are, whether in our homes, at work stan and the United States-that we could reach a or travelling from one place to another. Consumer basic agreement on the guidelines in December. protection efforts cannot be expected to deal with Since then the internal process ofapproval within the every conceivable risk we face, but rather only with United States has been concluded and it has thus those that are unreasonable. We beli~ve this to be a been possible to reach the final step in approving the most important point. guidelines. 14. Secondly, we are.not happy to se~ refere~ces in 21. In my delegation's view, this re~olution should the document to speCific products or Industnes. To be seen as one of the major accomplIshments of the single out a few, even such important ones as those thirty-ninth session in the economi~field. As they are mentioned, is to distort the picture. ~any o~her followed up by action at national levels, the guide- product areas, too numerous to ment~on, might lines will in a very concrete way be of direct benefit logically have been included. It would have been to millions of consumers all over the world in their faire! and more bal~nced !o omit.mention of any everyday life. spec~fic products or 1I1;dus~nes, particularly when we 22. Mr. PASHKEVICH (Byelorussian Soviet So- con.slder that the relative Importance of any product cialist Republic) (interpretation from Russian): In the vanes f~om country ~o country... .. Second Committee, on 14 December last year, the 15. Thirdly, we belIeve .the gUld~IIn~s remaIn bl- delegations of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the ased towards ~overnment Intervention In the ~arket- Hungarian People's Republic, the German Demo- pla~e. We belIeve that self-regulatory mechamsIl1;s.by cratic Republic, the Mongolian People"s Republic, bUSIness and the forces of free and competlt!ve the Polish People's Republic, the Union of Soviet markets will gene.rally prove to be the most ~ffectl\:e Socialist Republics, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist means of protectIng consumers and advanCIng theIr Republic, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and interests. the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic made a 16. Fourthly, while the original language has been joint statement on takins note of the achievement of vastly improved, it is still possible that the guidelines consensus, on &il ad reJerendum basis, on the draft might be used to Justify protectionist measures or resolution on consumer protection. Now ~ur de~e.ga- discrimination agaInst foreign investors. This would tions consider it necessary to reaffirrtl theIr posItion be unfortunate and damaging to much-needed effOlts of principle on the question of consumer protection, to expand international trade. It is surely not what set forth. in particular in the replies of our countries the guidelines are designed to do. All countries to the questionnaire sent by the Secretary-General. should. take pains to en~ur€? that the guidelines are 23. We believe that the interrelationship between not misused for protectlomst purposes. consumers and manufacturers of goods and services 17. Finally, we remain dubious that the United is an internal matter for States and should be Nations has a truly useful role to play in this and resolved at the national level. This question becomes other similar efforts in the regulatory area. To join in international in character only when it comes to the negotiations in the first place was a difficult matters of international trade in the context of --

I should like to draw the attention of the General Assembly to part I of the report of the Fifth Committee on agenda item 12, concerning the report of the Economic and Social Council; part I of the repOlt of the Committee on item 12 deals also with item 92, concerning the International Research and Training Institute for the Advam:ement of Women. It is contained in docu- ment N39/613. In paragraph 4 of that report, the Fifth Committee recommends to the General Assem- bly the adoption of a draft resolution entitled "Stat- ute of the Internatiomll Research and Training Institute for the Advancement ofWomen". The Fifth Committee adopted it without objection. May I take it that the Assembly also wishes to adopt that draft resolution? The draft resolution was adopted (resolution 39/249).

I should now like to invite the attention ofthe Assembly to document A/39/881, dealing with a vacancy in the Joint InspecHon Unit. 27. Even though the Assembly has already consid- ered agenda item 17 (C), may I take it that the Assembly has no objection to reopening it in order to

Next, the Assembly will turn to agenda item 38. I suggest to the Assembly that this item be considered at our next plenary meeting this week. If there is no objection, it will be so decided. It was so decided.

The Assembly will turn next to agenda item 81 (j). The Assembly, by its decision 39/456 of 18 December 1984, decided to consider this item at its resumed session. In this connection, the Assembly has before it the report of the Second Committee [A/39/791]. The recommendation of the Second Committee appears in paragraph 30 as draft decision IV entitled "Liquidation of the United Nations Emergency Fund and allocation of the remaining balance".o May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to adopt that draft decision? The draft decision was adopted (decision 39/458). *Resumed from the lOlst meeting. (b) Preparations for the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women

Finally, I should like to draw the attention ofthe Assembly to document Al39/884, which contains a request addressed to me by the representatives of Argentina, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Kenya to seek the approval ofthe Assembly at its resumed thirty-ninth session to reopen agenda item 93 (b), entitled "Preparations for the World Confer- ence to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women". May I take it that the General Assembly has no objection to reopening agenda item 93 (b) as requested? It was so decided. 35. The PRESIDENT: There is no formal proposal at this stage. As soon as one is submitted, and if it appears to have programme budget implications, may I consider that the Assembly agrees that it be referred directly to the Fifth Committee? It was so decided. 36. The PRESIDENT: The Assembly will take up this item again at a later stage this week. The meeting rose at 4 p.m.