December 2003: Following the opening of the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly (GA) on 16 September 2003 at UNHQ in New York, delegates engaged in general debate from 23 September to 3 October, and concluded the first part of its work on 23 December 2003 with the adoption of 281 resolutions on, inter alia, HIV/AIDS, financing for development, human rights, terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and GA revitalization. Presented in what was described as a “shorter-than-usual results-oriented format,” the 2004-2005 budget of $3.16 billion was adopted with the intention of achieving more efficient use of resources through structural reorganization, redeployment of funds, and streamlining. The GA also adopted a “landmark” revitalization programme, approving a broad suite of changes ranging from honing the focus of its decisions, to paring down its workload, and deepening cooperation between the Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. Stressing the need to take a hard look at fundamental policy issues, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced plans to create a high-level panel on threats, challenges and change. A panel of eminent personalities convened to address threats to peace and security, and examine other global challenges.
PLENARY: The General Assembly’s Plenary discussions focused on the Secretary-General’s call for system-wide UN reform, collective security, the future of multilateralism, and other issues such as creating conditions for lasting peace in Africa and strengthening UN peacekeeping missions. The Assembly also adopted the UN Convention against Corruption in response to concerns regarding the problems and threats that corruption poses to the stability and security of societies. This anti-graft Convention was opened for signature at the High-level Political Signing Conference held in Merida, Mexico from 9-11 December. This GA session also played host to several high-level events and special meetings, including a ministerial-level meeting on HIV/AIDS and a High-Level Dialogue for the implementation of the outcome of the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development.
On environmental issues, the GA adopted resolutions on sustainable fisheries, and Oceans and the Law of the Sea. The latter resolution, inter alia, contains provisions on: capacity building; safety of navigation and flag State implementation; capacity building for the production of nautical charts; marine environment, and marine resources and the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems. The resolution sets out dates for the fifth meeting of the open-ended consultative process on oceans and the Law of the Sea (7-11 June 2004 in New York) and recommends that the meeting organize its discussions around new sustainable uses of the oceans, including the conservation and management of the biological diversity of the seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The resolution also requests the Secretary-General to take several steps relating to the establishment of a regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, and accepts Iceland’s offer to host an intergovernmental meeting in 2004 to finalize and formally establish the regular process.
SECOND COMMITTEE: Focusing on financing for development, delegates in the Second Committee underscored the need to expand trade, increase overseas development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI), relieve external debt, reduce agricultural subsidies, and reform the international financial system. Many speakers remarked on how globalization has failed to benefit most developing countries, and stressed the need for improved South-South cooperation. The Committee also held six development-related panel discussions on topics such as international taxation, partnerships, microcredit, globalization, corporate responsibility, and trade. Drafts relating to financing for development forwarded to and adopted by the GA decide to, inter alia, set up a Committee on Financing for Development and convene the next High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development in 2005 at the ministerial level. A draft on follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development underlines the importance of increased investment in basic economic and social infrastructure, social services and protection, and urges governments to strengthen their efforts to achieve a transparent, stable and predictable investment climate.
In deliberations on environment and sustainable development, speakers underscored the need to implement international conventions addressing disaster reduction, human settlements, desertification, biodiversity, and climate change. A draft on the Convention on Biological Diversity was forwarded to and adopted by the GA, urging parties to facilitate biosafety capacity-building in developing and transition countries. Developed countries were encouraged to contribute to the relevant trust funds of the Convention, and State parties were urged to facilitate the technology transfer for effectively implementing the Convention. The text also underlined the need for increased financial and technical resources for developing and transition countries to implement the Convention and Protocol.
Speakers also welcomed the offer by the Government of Mauritius to host the International Meeting on the 10-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to be held in August-September 2004, and were urged to contribute generously toward the success of this review. Following recommendations from the second committee, the GA decided that the international meeting would seek renewed international political commitment and focus on practical actions to further implement the BPoA, and that two days of information consultation would be held prior to the international meeting in Mauritius from 28-29 August 2004, if deemed necessary by the preparatory committee.
[http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/ga10226.doc.htm] [Resolutions adopted by the GA during its 58th session: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/r58.htm]