A/RES/73/330 GA

United Nations A/RES/73/330 General Assembly Distr.: General 1 August 2019 19-12816 (E) 050819 *1912816* Seventy-third session Agenda item 128 (i) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 July 2019 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/73/L.74 and A/73/L.74/Add.1)] 73/330. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 48/2 of 13 October 1993, by which it granted observer status to the Economic Cooperation Organization, Recalling also its previous resolutions on cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization, in which it invited various specialized agencies, as well as other organizations and programmes of the United Nations system and relevant financial institutions, to join in the efforts towards realizing its goals and the objectives of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Appreciating the efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization to strengthen its relations with the United Nations system and with relevant international and regional organizations for the development and implementation of projects and programmes in areas of common interest, Noting the efforts made by the United Nations system and the relevant international and regional organizations in extending technical and financial assistance to the Economic Cooperation Organization for the development and implementation of programmes and projects pertaining to socioeconomic progress, and encouraging them to continue their support, 1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 71/16 of 21 November 2016,1 and acknowledges the growing cooperation between the two organizations; 2. Takes note of the Economic Cooperation Organization Vision 2025 and the Islamabad Declaration, issued at the thirteenth summit meeting of Heads of State and/or Government of the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization, held in Islamabad on 1 March 2017; __________________ 1 See A/73/328-S/2018/592, sect. II. A/RES/73/330 Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization 19-12816 2/7 3. Also takes note of the Baku Declaration, issued at the twelfth summit meeting of Heads of State and/or Government of the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization, held in Baku on 16 October 2012; 2 4. Further takes note of the Dushanbe Communiqué, issued at the twenty- third meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization, held in Dushanbe on 17 April 2018; 5. Appreciates the continuing efforts to strengthen the existing cooperation between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Economic Cooperation Organization, especially in the field of trade capacity-building of member States, notes with satisfaction the completion of the implementation of the third phase of their joint programme in 2017, aimed at enhancing the capacity of member States to strengthen their standards, metrology, testing and quality infrastructure, and invites the relevant United Nations institutions and agencies to consider supporting the implementation of the fourth phase of the project; 6. Invites the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization and the International Trade Centre to develop strategies for the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization for trade liberalization and the promotion of foreign direct investment to facilitate the global and regional integration of their economies; 7. Notes the progress made on the trade facilitation programme of the Economic Cooperation Organization, and invites the World Trade Organization and relevant United Nations institutions and agencies, especially the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific, to support the Economic Cooperation Organization in developing a trade facilitation strategy and agreement, single windows in the member States, the TradeNet web portal and a unified visa system for facilitating the work of the region’s businesspeople and enhancing regional trade; 8. Appreciates the efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization to implement the Economic Cooperation Organization Trade Agreement 3 for the enhancement of intraregional trade, and invites the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Trade Centre to consider extending technical assistance to the Economic Cooperation Organization for the implementation of the Trade Agreement and the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to assist the States members of the Organization in the trade facilitation process, leading to the regional and global integration of their economies; 9. Welcomes the outcomes of the ninth meeting of Ministers of Transport of the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization, held in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, on 3 May 2018, which noted the improved performance of Economic Cooperation Organization regional transit transport and prioritized key projects for the near future while effectively implementing the Sustainable Development Goals on transport, including Goals 9 and 17, 4 and General Assembly resolution 72/212 of 20 December 2017, entitled “Strengthening the links between all modes of transport to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” in the region; 10. Notes the basic development needs of landlocked countries, including their need to overcome the limitations arising from their geographical positions, the lack of access to open seas and seaport facilities and other challenges hindering their __________________ 2 A/67/581, annex. 3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2562, No. 45696. 4 See resolution 70/1. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization A/RES/73/330 3/7 19-12816 promotion of transit transport cooperation, and invites the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and other relevant international and regional bodies to assist and cooperate with the Economic Cooperation Organization on the proposed study project of the Office and the Organization on the possibility of providing concessional services for landlocked countries in selected ports of transit countries of the region, including the establishment of effective logistics-based networking between the Organization’s major seaports and dry ports in landlocked countries; 11. Encourages all the relevant international financial and specialized institutions, taking into account the key role played by the railway and road networks of the region as land bridges between Asia and Europe, to consider participating in the implementation of the decision of the Ministers of Transport of the Economic Cooperation Organization at their ninth meeting to address investment gaps in the transport infrastructure networks and the need for mobilization of concessional financial resources for supporting regional transport corridors and connectivity in the Organization region, and invites the Economic Cooperation Organization Trade and Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Economic Commission for Europe to coordinate the establishment of a partnership/coordination platform of financial institutions; 12. Notes with satisfaction the conduct of the feasibility study on the customs provisions of the Transit Transport Framework Agreement and the modernization of border crossing points in the Economic Cooperation Organization region, and encourages the States members of the Organization to continue to take action at the national level on the implementation of a five-year plan of action for the modernization of customs border crossings of member States aimed at the upgrading/modernization of existing border crossing points services, improvement of customs-related infrastructure and institutional and legal strengthening in order to meet international standards; 13. Welcomes the reactivation of the membership of Afghanistan in the Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) 5 and the finalization of formalities for accession by Pakistan to the TIR Convention, encourages the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization that have not done so to accede to the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road 6 and those that have done so to accede also to the Additional Protocol thereto 7 and other relevant international instruments facilitating the movement of goods, and invites the relevant United Nations institutions and agencies and other international bodies to provide the necessary support to the States members of the Organization, in particular for capacity-building activities; 14. Encourages the finalization of the intergovernmental framework agreement on operationalizing and commercializing the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan- Islamic Republic of Iran railway route by developing a common corridor management mechanism to raise operational efficiency through greater interoperability of infrastructure and railway operations among en-route countries, and notes that, once operationalized, the common corridor management mechanism of the Economic and __________________ 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1079, No. 16510. 6 Ibid., vol. 399, No. 5742. 7 Ibid., vol. 2762, No. 5742. A/RES/73/330 Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization 19-12816 4/7 Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Islamic Development Bank and the Economic Cooperation Organization will apply for all other rail routes of the Organization; 15. Expresses satisfaction at the fulfilment of the mandate given by the Ministers of Information and Communications Technologies of the Economic Cooperation Organization at their first meeting, which has culminated in the conduct of two regional studies, a joint Economic Cooperation Organization-International Telecommunication Union study on information and communications technology needs of the States members of the Organization and a study on information society services in the Organization region, with technical assistance from the International Telecommunication Union, resulting in the draft 2025 Economic Cooperation Organization Regional Strategy for Information Society Development and its Action Plan, serving as a road map to promote integration and cooperation among member States in information and communications technologies, and invites the International Telecommunication Union to continue to extend its institutional guidance and assistance to the activities of the Organization in the action-oriented phase in implementation of the Action Plan; 16. Invites the Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to cooperate with the Economic Cooperation Organization for the facilitation of transit trade among the States members of the Organization and the modernization of their border crossing points; 17. Notes the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization to prepare a technical assistance project proposal on the implementation of the regional programmes for food security of the Economic Cooperation Organization under the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme administered by the World Bank, and invites the relevant United Nations institutions and agencies, especially the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, to consider providing technical and financial assistance to the Economic Cooperation Organization for preparing and implementing detailed project proposals under the programme components suitable to the needs of the member States; 18. Recognizes the growing importance of tourism in the sustainable development of the region and its potential in the promotion of a sustainable economy, and invites the relevant United Nations institutions and agencies and other organizations, especially the World Tourism Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, to consider extending financial and technical support to the Economic Cooperation Organization for the development of regional projects related to tourism promotion and to support its programmes; 19. Notes the ongoing endeavours of the Economic Cooperation Organization towards achieving more diverse and resilient energy architecture in the Organization region, supported by the mainstreaming of cleaner and sustainable energy sources, which are also in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainable Energy for All, and thus calls upon the United Nations agencies concerned to consider rendering financial and technical support for Economic Cooperation Organization regional projects in the fields of clean energy, renewables, energy efficiency and conservation and the energy-environment nexus; 20. Welcomes the recent cooperation between the Economic Cooperation Organization and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization towards the launching of the preparatory phase of the establishment of the Economic Cooperation Organization Clean Energy Centre, and calls upon the relevant United Nations agencies and international financial institutions and instruments, in particular Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization A/RES/73/330 5/7 19-12816 global environmental funds, the Islamic Development Bank and European Union- related sources, to extend their financial and technical support for the different stages of implementation of the project; 21. Highlights the importance of harmonization and alignment towards a regional power/electricity market within the Economic Cooperation Organization region, encourages the States members of the Organization to harness benefits from increasing regional electricity trade and integrating power systems through the implementation of the initiative on the establishment of the Economic Cooperation Organization Regional Electricity Market, and invites the relevant United Nations agencies and international organizations, in particular the Energy Charter secretariat, to extend their support to these efforts; 22. Recognizes the significance of mutual cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization in addressing the global challenges referred to in its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, and emphasizes the necessity of regular cooperation between the two organizations for achieving the goals envisaged in that resolution; 23. Welcomes the enhancement of cooperation between the Economic Cooperation Organization and the environment-related agencies, conventions and forums of the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Forum on Forests, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the secretariats of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa and the Convention on Biological Diversity; 24. Notes the finalization of the project development phase of the project on combating desertification with a special emphasis on dust haze and sand storms in the Economic Cooperation Organization region, and invites the relevant United Nations agencies, in particular the secretariats of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Forum on Forests, to extend the support necessary to mobilize financial resources for the project; 25. Notes with satisfaction the outcome of the Economic Cooperation Organization-United Nations Forum on Forests expert meeting on enhancing regional and subregional involvement in the work of the international arrangement on forests, held in Tehran from 26 to 28 September 2016, and the Economic Cooperation Organization side event held on 12 December 2016 in Cancun, Mexico, on the margins of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and urges the secretariat of the Convention and the Forum to consider rendering their support to fundraising for the relevant projects of the Organization in the fields of sustainable forest management and biodiversity; 26. Highlights the importance of enhanced cooperation between the Economic Cooperation Organization and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system concerning the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, and encourages the relevant United Nations entities, especially the United Nations Development Programme, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization, to consider extending technical and financial support to the Economic Cooperation Organization in this regard, as appropriate; A/RES/73/330 Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization 19-12816 6/7 27. Appreciates the efforts of the Economic Cooperation Organization to enhance cooperation in the field of health in the region in collaboration with international organizations and the specialized agencies, especially the World Health Organization, the International Society of Blood Transfusion, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Population Fund, and encourages their continued support for the activities of the Economic Cooperation Organization in the field of health; 28. Notes the vulnerability of the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization to natural disasters, and urges the relevant United Nations institutions and agencies, including the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Development Programme, to consider expanding their cooperation with the Economic Cooperation Organization in the area of natural and human-made disaster risk reduction and also to consider extending their technical and financial support for the activities of the Organization in the field of natural disaster risk reduction in the region, including the recent Economic Cooperation Organization Regional Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction fostering the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–20308 in the region, and invites relevant international organizations and financial institutions to assist the implementation of the Regional Framework; 29. Highlights the importance of high-quality statistics as a tool for the implementation of development goals and the importance of future cooperation and partnership between the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat in this regard, and encourages the Division to consider extending technical and financial support to the Organization in the field of statistics, as appropriate; 30. Appreciates the joint cooperation between the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in conducting a training workshop on the CountrySTAT system, in Tehran from 24 to 28 July 2016, as part of the second phase of the project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on support for the implementation and development of the CountrySTAT framework in the Economic Cooperation Organization region; 31. Also appreciates the efforts and activities of the Economic Cooperation Organization in compiling and disseminating drug-related data, and organizing workshops and training programmes aimed at enhancing the technical and professional expertise of the officials working in the relevant anti-narcotics forces and agencies of its member States, and encourages the United Nations agencies and the donor community, such as the European Commission and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to continue to provide technical and financial assistance to the Organization in its efforts against drug-related and other related crimes; 32. Acknowledges the ongoing efforts of the States members of the Economic Cooperation Organization to strengthen regional cooperation to combat drugs and organized crime, including the establishment of a police mechanism, a regional judicial and legal cooperation mechanism and the Economic Cooperation Organization regional centre for the cooperation of anti-corruption agencies and ombudsmen, and invites the relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to assist and support those efforts; __________________ 8 Resolution 69/283, annex II. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization A/RES/73/330 7/7 19-12816 33. Appreciates the contributions made by the Economic Cooperation Organization towards reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, commends its active participation in and constructive contributions to various regional and international initiatives on Afghanistan, especially appreciates its support for the high-level Core Group of Regional Forum Secretaries-General, established at the meeting of the regional bodies on 19 July 2010, the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan and the Istanbul Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan, 9 and invites relevant United Nations agencies and other international organizations to assist the Economic Cooperation Organization in implementing its Advocacy Programme for Afghanistan adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization at its twenty-third meeting, held in Dushanbe, with the aim of assisting Afghanistan in its efforts for stability, reconstruction, economic growth and sustainable development; 34. Notes with appreciation the activities of the Cultural Institute, the Science Foundation and the Educational Institute of the Economic Cooperation Organization as specialized agencies of the Organization to foster regional cooperation among its member States in the fields of culture, science and education, respectively, and encourages the relevant specialized agencies of the United Nations system, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to cooperate with these bodies, within the scope of their mandate and existing resources, in order to develop and implement appropriate projects for the promotion of science and education in the region; 35. Recognizes the importance of the role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Economic Cooperation Organization in strengthening multifaceted regional cooperation in the region; 36. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution; 37. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session, under the item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations”, the sub-item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization”. 101st plenary meeting 25 July 2019 __________________ 9 A/66/601-S/2011/767, annex.

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