A/RES/40/137 GA

284 General Assembly-Fortieth Session pressed by Member States at the fortieth session of the General Assembly. 121 st plenary meeting 18 December 1985 40/242. Issue of special postage stamps The General Assembly, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the analysis of the financial situation of the United Nations20 and the related report of the Advisory Commit­ tee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,21 Recalling its resolution 39/239 A of 18 December 1984, Recognizing that, pending a comprehensive settlement of the differences which have given rise to the financial emergency of the Organization, partial or interim steps could enhance the liquidity of the Organization and allevi­ ate its financial difficulties to some extent, Noting with satisfaction that the project on the issue of special postage stamps on the social and economic crisis in Africa is well under way, l. Decides, in accordance with its resolution 39/239 A, to place one half of the revenue earned therefrom at the disposal of the Secretary-General for the implementation of objectives as detailed in the Declaration on the Critical Economic Situation in Africa, 26 adopted by the General Assembly on 3 December 1984, and to place the remain­ ing half in a special account; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to take all necessary steps to economize on the operational expenses of the project on the issue of special postage stamps with a view to increasing the net revenue and to submit a financial report to the General Assembly at its forty-first session; 3. Also requests the Secretary-General to explore the possibility of having recourse to other feasible revenue­ producing activities that could be undertaken by the United Nations. 12 I st plenary meeting I 8 December I 985 40/243. Pattern of conferences The General Assembf.v, Recalling its resolutions 1202 (XII) of 13 December 1957, 1851 (XVII) of 19 December 1962, 1987 (XVIII) of 17 December 1963, 2116 (XX) of 21 December 1965, 2239 (XXI) of 20 December 1966, 2361 (XXII) of 19 December 1967, 2478 (XXIII) of 21 December 1968, 2609 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969, 2693 (XXV) of 11 December 1970, 2834 (XXVI) of 17 December 1971, 2960 (XXVII) of 13 December I 972, 3350 (XXIX) and 3351 (XXIX) of 18 December 1974, 3491 (XXX) of 15 December 1975, 31/140, section I, of 17 December 1976, 38/32 C of 25 November 1983 and 39/68 C of 13 Decem­ ber 1984, Having considered the report of the Committee on Con­ ferences, 27 l. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Committee on Conferences; 26 Resolution 39/"9. annex. 27 O/fictal Records of the General Assemblv, Fortieth Session. Supplement No. 3[(N40!32) 2. Approves the draft calendar of conferences and meetings of the United Nations for the biennium 1986- 1987 as submitted by the Committee on Conferences;28 3. Authorizes the Committee on Conferences to make any adjustments in the calendar of conferences and meet­ ings for the biennium 1986-198 7 that may become neces­ sary as a result of action and decisions taken by the Gen­ eral Assembly at its fortieth session; 4. Reaffirms the general principle that, in drawing up the schedule of conferences and meetings, United Nations bodies shall plan to meet at their respective established headquarters, with the following exceptions: (a) The regular sessions of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme shall be held alternately at United Nations Headquarters and at the United Nations Office at Geneva; (b) The sessions of the International Law Commission shall be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva; (c) The sessions of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law may be held, subject to the provi­ sion in General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI), section II, paragraph 6, of I 7 December 1966, alternately at United Nations Headquarters and at the United Nations Office at Vienna; (d) The second regular session of the Economic and Social Council may be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva provided that the closing date falls at least six weeks before the opening of the regular session of the Gen­ eral Assembly; (e) The functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council shall meet at their established headquarters unless the Council designates another place to achieve a more rational pattern of the work programme, taking into account any recommendation of the commission con­ cerned and in consultation with the Secretary-General; (j) The regular sessions of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Economic Com­ mission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Econo­ mic Commission for Africa and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, as well as meetings of their subsidiary bodies, may be held away from their head­ quarters when the commission concerned so decides, sub­ ject, in the case of regular sessions of the commissions, to the approval of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly; (g) The International Civil Service Commission shall hold its regular annual session at United Nations Head­ quarters and, if more than one session is required in any one year, may accept an invitation from one of its partici­ pating organizations to hold its other session or sessions at the headquarters of that particular organization; (h) The sessions of the Legal Sub-Committee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space shall be held alternately at United Nations Headquarters and the United Nations Office at Geneva; (1) The Conference on Disarmament shall meet at the United Nations Office at Geneva; 5. Decides that United Nations bodies may hold ses­ sions away from their established headquarters when a Government issuing an invitation for a session to be held within its territory has agreed to defray, after consultation with the Secretary-General as to their nature and possible extent, the actual additional costs directly or indirectly involved; 28 Ibid.. annex II. VIII. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Fifth Committee 285 6. Reaffirms its instruction to all its subsidiary organs to complete their reports for the following session of the General Assembly no later than I September and, where necessary, to report to the Assembly in addenda to the reports of the organs concerned any activity undertaken after the adoption of such reports; 7. Decides that no subsidiary organ of the General Assembly may meet at United Nations Headquarters during a regular session of the Assembly unless explicitly authorized by the Assembly; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to pro­ vide interpretation services for informal meetings on an ad hoc basis in accordance with established practice; 9. Authorizes the Secretary-General to apply maxi­ mum overprogramming of meetings whenever possible to achieve better utilization of conference resources; 10. Requests the Committee on Conferences and the Secretary-General to take account of the following princi­ ples in drawing up the draft calendar of conferences and meetings: (a) The biennial calendar of conferences and meetings approved by the General Assembly shall govern the meet­ ings programme during the period concerned; (b) All United Nations meetings shall be conducted within the resources allocated by the General Assembly for that purpose; (c) Between sessions of the General Assembly, depar­ tures from the calendar may, in special or unusual circum­ stances, be approved by the Committee on Conferences provided that changes affecting the subsequent year of the biennium shall be approved by the Assembly; (d) Subsidiary organs of the General Assembly shall not, without the approval of the Assembly, create new standing bodies or ad hoc sessional or inter-sessional bodies that require additional resources, and other princi­ pal organs of the United Nations should make similar decisions with regard to their respective subsidiary bodies, if they have not already done so; (e) An adequate interval of time, to be determined by the body concerned, shall be allowed between sessions of a body to permit Member States to derive maximum benefit from the activities and to provide sufficient time for the preparation of future activities; (I) United Nations bodies shall meet at their respective established headquarters, subject to the exceptions to this principle approved by the General Assembly; (g) The capacity of the documentation services of the Secretariat to process and issue in time the documentation required for the sessions of all scheduled organs should be taken into account; (h) No more than one special conference of the United Nations shall be convened at the same time; (1) In any given year, no more than five special confer­ ences should be convened, unless the General Assembly specifically decides otherwise; 11. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the most rational and effective use of all United Nations conference centres and facilities; 12. Requests the Committee on Conferences to con­ tinue its periodic examination of the rules governing con­ ference planning; 29 Ibid., Supplement No. 30 (A/40/30 and Corr. I). JO/bid., Supplement No. 7A (A/40/7/Add.l-18). document A/40/71 Add.12; A/40/653 and Add.I: AIC.5/40/26: AIC.5140141: AIC.5140144; Al C.5140145 and Corr. I II I. Urges all United Nations bodies to increase their efforts to ensure that their requests for conference-serv­ icing resources correspond accurately to their require­ ments; 2. Further urges those bodies to plan their work well in advance in order to make full use of the conference-serv­ icing resources allocated to them and so that any unused conference-servicing resources can be reassigned to ensure their most effective utilization; 3. Requests subsidiary organs of the General Assembly to include in their reports to the Assembly a statement on the progress made in response to the relevant provisions of Assembly resolution 39/68 B of 13 December 1984 on the rational and efficient utilization of conference-servicing resources; 4. Urges intergovernmental bodies reporting to the Second Committee of the General Assembly that have not yet adjusted their meeting cycles to conform to that Com­ mittee's biennial programme of work to do so as soon as possible; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to review the com­ position and frequency of planning missions for meetings and conferences held away from Headquarters, in particu­ lar those sent to cities where United Nations conference facilities already exist; 6. Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Conferences at its substantive session of 1986 on the results of that review concerning planning missions sent in 1985 and, as far as possible, in 1986; III I. Decides that the Committee on Conferences should review the question of the provision of summary records at its substantive session in 1986; 2. Also decides that the present experimental arrange­ ments for summary records, established by the General Assembly in its resolution 37/14 C of 16 November 1982, should remain in effect until the Assembly, upon the rec­ ommendation of the Committee on Conferences, takes further action. /21st plenary meeting 18 December 1985 40/244. United Nations common system: report of the International Civil Service Commission The General Assembly, Having considered the eleventh annual report of the International Civil Service Commission29 and other reports related thereto,30 Reaffirming the importance of maintaining and develop­ ing further a single unified international civil service through the application of common personnel standards, methods and arrangements, I. Takes note of the action taken by the International Civil Service Commission in response to General Assem­ bly resolutions 39/27 of 30 November 1984 and 39/69 of 13 December 1984;31 3 I /hid., Supplement No. 30 (A/40/30 and Corr. I), para. 7.

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