A/RES/63/211 GA

United Nations A/RES/63/211 General Assembly Distr.: General 10 February 2009 Sixty-third session Agenda item 49 08-48345 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2008 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/63/414 and Corr.1)] 63/211. Oil slick on Lebanese shores The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 61/194 of 20 December 2006 and 62/188 of 19 December 2007 on the oil slick on Lebanese shores, Reaffirming the outcome of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, especially principle 7 of the Declaration of the Conference,0F1 in which States were requested to take all possible steps to prevent pollution of the seas, Emphasizing the need to protect and preserve the marine environment in accordance with international law, Taking into account the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1F2 especially principle 16, in which it was stipulated that the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, and taking into account also chapter 17 of Agenda 21, 2F3 Noting again with great concern the environmental disaster caused by the destruction by the Israeli Air Force on 15 July 2006 of the oil storage tanks in the direct vicinity of El-Jiyeh electric power plant in Lebanon, resulting in an oil slick that covered the entirety of the Lebanese coastline and extended to the Syrian coastline, Noting again with appreciation the assistance offered by donor countries and international organizations for the early recovery and reconstruction of Lebanon through bilateral and multilateral channels, including the Athens Coordination Meeting on the response to the marine pollution incident in the Eastern Mediterranean, held on 17 August 2006, as well as the Stockholm Conference for Lebanon’s Early Recovery, held on 31 August 2006, _______________ 1 See Report of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 5–16 June 1972 (A/CONF.48/14/Rev.1), part one, chap. I. 2 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex I. 3 Ibid., annex II. A/RES/63/211 2 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 62/188 on the oil slick on Lebanese shores; 3F4 2. Reiterates the expression of its deep concern about the adverse implications of the destruction by the Israeli Air Force of the oil storage tanks in the direct vicinity of the Lebanese El-Jiyeh electric power plant for the achievement of sustainable development in Lebanon; 3. Considers that the oil slick has heavily polluted the shores of Lebanon and partially polluted Syrian shores and consequently has had serious implications for livelihoods and the economy of Lebanon, owing to the adverse implications for natural resources, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism, and for human health, in the country; 4. Requests the Government of Israel to assume responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon and other countries directly affected by the oil slick, such as the Syrian Arab Republic whose shores have been partially polluted, for the costs of repairing the environmental damage caused by the destruction, including the restoration of the marine environment; 5. Expresses its appreciation for the efforts of the Government of Lebanon and those of the Member States, regional and international organizations, regional and international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector in the initiation of clean-up and rehabilitation operations on the polluted shores, and encourages the Member States and above-mentioned entities to continue their financial and technical support to the Government of Lebanon towards achieving the completion of clean-up and rehabilitation operations, with the aim of preserving the ecosystem of Lebanon and that of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin; 6. Decides to establish an Eastern Mediterranean Oil Spill Restoration Trust Fund, based on voluntary contributions, to provide assistance and support to the States directly adversely affected in their integrated environmentally sound management, from clean-up to safe disposal of oily waste, of this environmental disaster resulting from the destruction of the oil storage tanks at El-Jiyeh electric power plant, and requests the Secretary-General to implement this decision before the end of the sixty-third session of the General Assembly; 7. Invites States, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to make voluntary financial contributions to the Trust Fund, and, in this regard, requests the Secretary-General to mobilize international technical and financial assistance in order to ensure that the Trust Fund has sufficient and adequate resources; 8. Recognizes the multidimensionality of the adverse impact of the oil slick, and requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty- fourth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution under the item entitled “Sustainable development”. 72nd plenary meeting 19 December 2008 _______________ 4 A/63/225.

UN Project. “A/RES/63/211.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/A-RES-63-211/. Accessed .

Copy citation