A/RES/41/200 GA

150 General Assembly-Forty-first Session (el) To keep the situation in Chad under review and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-second session. 100th plenary meeting 8 December 1986 41/199. Special assistance to front-line States 60 The General Assembly, Deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in south- ern Africa, which has aggravated the economic problems confronting the front-line States and other bordering States, arising from the apartheid policies of the Pretoria régime, Conscious of the responsibility of the intemational com- munity to address the problems of the region, Commending the concerted and determined efforts of the countries ofthe region to cope with the prevailing ad- verse conditions by strengthening their economic co- operation and lessening their dependence on South Africa, particularly in the areas of transportation, communica- tions and related sectors, Reaffirming the importance of close co-operation be- tween the United Nations and the front-line States, Mindful of Security Council resolutions 568 (1985) of 21 June 1985, 571 (1985) of 20 September 1985 and 581 (1986) of 13 February 1986, by which the Council, in- ter alia, requested the intemational community to render assistance to the front-line States, 1. Strongly urges the international community to pro- vide in a timely and effective manner the financial, material and technical assistance necessary to enhance the individual and collective capacity of the front-line States and other bordering States to withstand the effects of eco- nomic measures taken by South Africa, or by the interna- tional community against South Africa, in accordance with their national and regional plans and strategies; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to mobilize organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system so that they may respond to such requests for assistance as might be forthcoming from individual States or the appro- priate subregional organization, and further urges ali States to respond favourably to such requests; 3. Appeals to ali States and appropriate intergovern- mental and non-governmental organizations to support the national and collective emergency programmes pre- pared by the front-line States and other bordering States to overcome the critical problems arising from the situation in southem Africa; 4. Notes with appreciation the assistance being ren- dered to the front-line States by donor countries and inter- governmental organizations; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-second session on the pro- gress made in the implementation of the present resolu- tion. 100th plenary meeting 8 December 1986 60 Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania. Zambia and Zimbabwe. 41/200. Assistance to Benin, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, Democratic Yemen, Djibouti, Equitorial Guinea, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haití, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 39/196 of 17 December 1984 on economic assistance to Haiti, as well as resolutions 40/215 on assistance to Democratic Yemen, 40/216 on assistance to Equatorial Guinea, 40/217 on assistance for the recon- struction, rehabilitation and development of the Central African Republic, 40/220 on assistance to Sierra Leone, 40/222 on special economic assistance to Benin, 40/223 on assistance to the Comoros, 40/224 on assistance to the Gambia, 40/225 on special economic assistance to Guinea-Bissau, 40/227 on assistance to Djibouti, 40/230 on assistance to Madagascar, 40/233 on economic assis- tance to Vanuatu, 40/234 on assistance to Nicaragua and 40/235 on special economic assistance to Guinea, ali of 17 December 1985, Having considered the relevant reports of the Secretary- General,61 Noting with satisfaction the financial, economic and technical support that Member States, the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system and regional, interregional and intergovemmental organizations have provided to those countries, Deeply concerned that those countries continue to face special economic and financia! difficulties owing to a var- iety of factors, Noting the efforts made by Democratic Yemen in its rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in response to the devastating consequences of the floods in 1982, Noting the particularly difficult problems faced by island developing countries in responding to negative and special economic circumstances, as referred to in General Assem- bly resolution 41/163 of 5 December 1986 on specific measures in favour of island developing countries, Noting with concern that Vanuatu is an island develop- ing country, that it is a geographically remate archipelago with a small but rapidly growing and unevenly distributed population, that it has a severe shortage of development capital and declining budgetary support from present do- nors, that its dependence on imports is overwhelming and that it has a scarcity of adequate transportation and com- munication links, ali of which pose special development problems, making the provision of services difficult and entailing very high overhead costs, Deeply concerned that Benin continues to experience serious economic and financia! difficulties, characterized by a marked balance-of-payments disequilibrium, the heavy burden of its externa! debt and a lack of resources necessary for the implementation of its planned economic and social development programme, Noting in particular that, despite the progress achieved recently in re-establishing economic stability, the situation in the Central African Republic remains precarious, as the Secretary-General emphasized in bis report,62 which notes that the results achieved by the Government of the Cen- tral African Republic in the context of the national action programme it has adopted are encouraging, and that more externa! assistance is required to finance the remainder of the projects as indicated in table 2 of the report, and ap- pealing to the international community, including interna- 61 A/41/395, A/41/522, A/41/5.18 and A/41/592. 62 A/41 /592, para. 20 V. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Second Committee 151 tional organizations, to participate at a high leve! of repre- sentation at the round table of the Central African Republic's development partners to be held at Bangui in December 1986, Deep/y concerned that the Comoros continues to face serious economic difficulties arising from its geographical isolation and scarcity of natural resources, compounded by the recent drought and frequent cyclones, Noting a/so that adverse climatic conditions that impede any meaningful agricultura! activities, the lingering effects of recurrent drought and the presence of large numbers of refugees have a devastating impact on the economic and social development of Djibouti, Noting that the instability of export markets for the prin- cipal exports of Equatorial Guinea--coffee, cocoa and wood-has affected its ability to finance its pressing needs and bearing in mind that country's continuing need for in- temational assistance to complement its own national de- velopment efforts, Noting further that, owing to the lack of externa! finan- cia! assistance, the Government of the Gambia has not been able to implement the six projects recommended by the Secretary-General in his report submitted to the Gen- eral Assembly at its thirty-ninth session,63 Noting that Guinea continues to face serious difficulties in the implementation of its interim programme of eco- nomic rehabilitation for the period 1985-1987, Noting in particular that, in spite of efforts of the Gov- emment ofGuinea-Bissau to rehabilitate its economy, the economic and financia] situation ofthe country, which has been worsened by drought and desertification, impedes the economic and social development process, Noting that the Govemment of Haiti urgently requires international assistance to finance its interim programme of development to enable it to reinforce the productive capacities of the country, reduce unemployment, promote education, reinforce health coverage and strengthen pub- lic administration, Noting that Madagascar's economic and social develop- ment efforts are being thwarted by the adverse effects of the cyclones and floods that afflict that country periodi- cally, particularly those of December 1983 and January and April 1984, and that the implementation of recon- struction and rehabilitation programmes requires the mobilization of sizeable resources exceeding the country's real possibilities, Noting a/so that, in recent years, the economy ofNicara- gua has been adversely affected by various events and natural disasters, such as drought, the intense rains and floods of 1982, a sequence of natural disasters repeated during June, July, October and November 1985, and the drought of May, June and July 1986, ali of which have worsened and impeded the normalization of its economic situation, Noting Jurther that the severe socio-economic problems experienced by Sierra Leone, manifested, in ter a/ia, in a continuous decline, since 1980, in real gross domestic product per capita and in investments, are intractable without urgent and generous intemational economic assis- tance, and that the Govemment of Sierra Leone recently introduced far-reaching stabilization and structural ad- justment measures, including floating the national cur- rency from June 1986, eliminating subsidies for petroleum products and rice, liberalizing the import licensing régime, 6.1 A/39/392, para. 226. and increasing producer prices of major agricultural com- modities as an incentive for greater production, Noting that Benin, the Central African Republic, the Comoros, Democratic Yemen, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haití, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu are classified as least developed coun- tries, Having heard the statements of Member States at the forty-first session of the General Assembly on the situa- tions currently prevailing in those countries, l. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the steps he has taken to mobilize resources for carry- ing out the special programmes of economic assistance for those countries; 2. A/so expresses its appreciation for the assistance pro- vided or pledged to those countries by Member States, the specialized agencies and other organizations ofthe United Nations system and regional, interregional and intergov- emmental organizations; 3. Further expresses its appreciation for the efforts made by the Governments of those countries to overcome their economic and financial difficulties; 4. Notes with concern that the assistance made avail- able to those countries has fallen short of their urgent re- quirements and that additional assistance is still needed; 5. Reaffirms the need for ali Govemments and inter- national organizations to honour the commitments under- taken within the framework of the Substantial New Pro- gramme of Action for the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries;64 6. Appeals to Member States, international financia! institutions, the specialized agencies and organizations and programmes ofthe United Nations system to respond generously and urgently to the needs of those countries as identified in the reports of the Secretary-Genera1;61 7. Invites the intemational community to con tribute to the special accounts established at United Nations Head- quarters by the Secretary-General for the purpose offacili- tating the channelling of contributions to the countries facing special difficulties; 8. Urgently appeals to ali international organizations, in particular the specialized agencies and other organiza- tions of the United Nations system, regional organiza- tions, humanitarian organizations and voluntary agencies to continue and increase, to the extent possible, their assis- tance in response to the reconstruction, economic recov- ery and development needs of those countries; 9. Requests the Secretary-General to take the neces- sary steps in collaboration with the programmes, organs and agencies of the United Nations system, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 41/192 of 8 December 1986 on special programmes of economic assistance, to provide assistance for ali disasters, natural or otherwise, striking those countries and to mobilize the necessary re- sources to enable them to meet their short-, medium- and long-term needs; 10. Further requests the Secretary-General to keep the question of assistance to those countries and their eco- nomic situation under review and to report to the General 64 Reporl of the United Nations Conference on the Least Deoeloped Cowrtries, París, 1-14 September 198/ (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.82.1.8), part one, sect. A. 152 General Assembly-Forty-first Session Assembly at its forty-second session on the implementa- tion of the present resolution. 100th p/enary meeting 8 December 1986 41/201. Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator The General Assembly, Recal/ing its resolution 2816 (XXVI) of 14 December 1971, by which it established the Office ofthe United Na- tions Disaster Relief Co-ordinator and, inter alia, recog- nized the need to ensure prompt, effective and efficient re- sponses, in times of natural disaster and other disaster situations, that would bring to bear the resources of the United Nations system, prospective donor countries and voluntary agencies, Recal/ing a/so its resolution 36/225 of 17 December 1981, by which it reaffirmed the mandate of the Office of the Co-ordinator, called for the strengthening and im- provement of the capacity and effectiveness of the Office, and stressed the need to ensure prompt delivery of con- certed relief through an efficient and effective co- ordination system of humanitarian and disaster relief as- sistance, Recalling further its resolution 37 /144 of 17 December 1982 and other relevant resolutions and decisions, includ- ing Economic and Social Council resolutions 1983/47 of 28 July 1983 and 1984/60 of 26 July 1984, in which the Assembly and the Council, in ter alia, stressed the need to strengthen and improve the capacity and effectiveness of the Office of the Co-ordinator in order to attain an effec- tive co-ordination system ofhumanitarian and disaster re- lief assistance, and recognizing that, as a result of those resolutions and decisions, there is now in place a workable system to promote, facilitate and co-ordinate, on a world- wide basis, relief activities carried out by the United Na- tions system, in co-operation with Governments and voluntary agencies, including the collection and dissemi- nation of information on disaster assessment, priority needs and donar assistance, Convinced that there is a clear distinction between im- mediate humanitarian emergency response and longer- term development assistance and that there is a need to re- sp~md to these i!1 a co-ordinated manner, and noting in th1s regard the d1fferent nature and functions of the Office ofthe Co-ordinator and the United Nations Development Programme, Noting that the number of disasters to which the United Nations system was called upon to respond has increased from twelve in 1980 to fifty-three in 1985, Recognizing, in this connection, the importance of the contribution of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Socie- ties and other competent voluntary and non-governmental organizations, Recognizing a/so that the primary responsibility for ad- ministration, relief operations and disaster preparedness lies with the Governments of affected countries and that the major part of the material assistance and human effort in disaster relief comes from the Governments of those countries, Deeply concerned about the additional economic burden placed upon the developing countries by devastating natu- ral disasters and other disaster situations, as well as the disruption of the development process in those countries, Appreciating the contributions made by donors to sup- port international relief operations, including those made to the Trust Fund of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, Recognizing that shortage of resources has been one of the major constraints on an effective response of the United Nations to disaster situations and continues to hamper the full achievement of the aim of a rapid and ef- fective response to the needs of countries affected by disas- ters and that, if the shortage is to be overcome, efforts will be required by the intemational community to provide both funds and assistance in kind, Recalling, in this regard, its resolution 35/107 of 5 December 1980, in which it reaffirmed the necessity of ensuring a continued sound financia) basis for the Office of the Co-ordinator, Noting with appreciation that the agreements between the Office of the Co-ordinator and other organizations of the United Nations system, including the United Nations Development Programme, which define areas and means of co-operation, have helped to strengthen the collective response of the United Nations system to disasters, l. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Sec- retary-General on the activities of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator58 and of the state- ment made by the Co-ordinator before the Second Com- mittee on 21 October 1986;65 2. Reaffirms the sovereignty of individual Member States, recognizes the primary role of each State in caring for the victims of disasters occurring in its territory and stresses that all relief operations should be carried out and co-ordinated in a manner consistent with the priorities and needs of the countries concerned, and that the material and other assistance provided by the interna- tional community should be appropriate to the particular needs of the populations of the disaster-affected areas; 3. Recognizes the importance of disaster preparedness and prevention activities, and calls upon the Office of the Co-ordinator, Governments and organizations concerned to ensure that due priority attention is given to them; 4. Reaffirms the mandate of the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co-ordinator, established by the General Assembly in resolution 2816 (XXVI) as the focal point in the United Nations system for disaster relief co- ordination, and calls for the reinforcement and improve- ment of the capacity and effectiveness of the Office, with- out prejudice to any decision taken by the General Assembly in the context of the review of the efficiency of the administrative and financia) functioning ofthe United Nations;66 5. Affirms that the Office of the Co-ordinator plays an active role in executing United Nations Development Pro- gramme-assisted projects in the field of disaster prepared- ness; 6. Reitera tes its cal/ to all Governments and competent organs and organizations to co-operate with the Office of the Co-ordinator in arder to improve, in particular, the flow of information to Governments and organizations concerned, so that a more complete picture of relief activi- ties, assistance received and further requirements may he provided to ali concerned; 7. Calls upan those contributing assistance in kind to provide, when appropriate, special grants to cover the 65 Official Record., of the General Assembly. Forty-jir'1 Session, Second Commillee. 18th meeting, paras. 28-32. 66 I/,id, Forty-jirn Sessio11, S11ppleme11t No. 49(A/41 /49).

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