FOLLOW-UP TO SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN TO BE CONSIDERED IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY, ACCORDING TO DECISION APPROVED BY SECOND COMMITTEE

Fifty-seventh General Assembly
Second Committee
18 November 2002
37th Meeting (AM)



The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved an oral decision this morning by which the plenary of the General Assembly would consider the follow-up to the outcome of the special session on Children at its fifty-eighth session.

Also this morning, the representative of Venezuela, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced three draft resolutions, saying that the first, on public administration and development (document A/C.2/57/L.39), designated 23 June as United Nations Public Service Day. He also expressed appreciation to Morocco for its offer to host the upcoming Global Forum, to be held in Marrakech next month.

Introducing the second draft, on the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on its seventh special session (document A/C.2/57/L.40), he said it recognized that establishing universal membership of the Programme's Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum required thorough analysis by the United Nations system and reaffirmed UNEP's role as the principal environmental body within the Organization, which should consider the needs of developing countries in carrying out its mandate. The draft also included guidelines applying to UNEP’s work and important measures to be taken in pursuing environmental work in general.

He said that the third draft, on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (document A/C.2/57/L.38), noted that the international community had made new efforts at Johannesburg to implement Agenda 21, as it had planned to do after the Rio Summit in 1992. The text welcomed the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation, and urged governments to take concrete action in following up and implementing the Summit outcome within its time-bound targets.

The representative of Tajikistan introduced a fourth draft resolution, on activities undertaken in preparation for the International Year of Freshwater, 2003 (document A/C.2/57/L.41), by which all States, relevant international organizations and major groups are encouraged to support and expand activities in preparing for the Year. The text also encouraged concerned organizations to raise awareness of the importance of freshwater in satisfying basic human needs, and for general economic and social development.

In other business this morning, Jacques Fomerand, Director of the United Nations University Office in New York introduced the Secretary-General's report on that institution (document A/57/589), saying that it focused on the University’s contributions to global United Nations conferences; its participation in United Nations intergovernmental standing processes, particularly those of the Economic and Social Council and the Second Committee; sustainable governance; and interaction between the University and the United Nations system.

The Second Committee will meet again at a date and time to be announced in the United Nations Journal.




* *** *