UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FORTY-THIRD SESSION Official Records*

THIRD COMMITTEE
15th meeting
held on
Thursday, 20 October 1088
at 10 a.m.
New York

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 15th MEETING
Chairman: Mr. ABULHASAN (Kuwait)
CONTENTS
AGENDA ITEM 89: QUESTION OF AGING
AGENDA ITEM 90: POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES INVOLVING YOUTH
AGENDA ITEM 92: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME OF ACTION CONCERNING DISABLED PERSONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF DISABLED PERSONS
AGENDA ITEM 93: CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
AGENDA ITEM 107: FAMILIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
AGENDA ITEM 144: RESPONSIBILITY OF STATES TO BAN IN THEIR TERRITORY, AND TO REFRAIN FROM INSTIGATING OR SUPPORTING IN THE TERRITORY OF OTHER STATES, CHAUVINISTIC, RACIST AND OTHER MANIFESTATIONS THAT MAY CAUSE DISCORD BETWEEN PEOPLES AND INVOLVEMENT OF GOVERNMENTS AND THE MASS MEDIA IN COMBATING SUCH MANIFESTATIONS AND IN EDUCATING PEOPLES AND YOUTH IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACEFUL CO-OPERATION AND INTERNATIONAL ENTENTE; AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE PROMOTION AMONG YOUTH OF THE IDEALS OF PEACE, MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN PEOPLES
* AGENDA ITEM 96: IMPORTANCE OF THE UNIVERSAL REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND OF THE SPEEDY GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLONIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES FOR THE EFFECTIVE GUARANTEE AND OBSERVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS (continued)

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Distr. GENERAL A/C.3/43/SR.15 24 October 19B8
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

88-56408 0447S (E)

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The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m.
AGENDA ITEM 89: QUESTION OF AGING (A/43/583)
AGENDA ITEM 90i POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES INVOLVING YOUTH (A/43/601)
AGENDA ITEM 92: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME OF ACTION CONCERNING DISABLED PERSONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF DISABLED PERSONS (A/43/3, A/43/634)
AGENDA ITEM 93: CRIME PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE (A/43/3, A/43/354 and Corr.l, A/43/370, A/43/572)
AGENDA ITEM 107: FAMILIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (A/43/570)
AGENDA ITEM 144: RESPONSIBILITY OF STATES TO BAN IN THEIR TERRITORY, AND TO REFRAIN FROM INSTIGATING OR SUPPORTING IN THE TERRITORY OF OTHER STATES, CHAUVINISTIC, RACIST AND OTHER MANIFESTATIONS THAT MAY CAUSE DISCORD BETWEEN PEOPLES AND INVOLVEMENT OF GOVERNMENTS AND THE MASS MEDIA IN COMBATING SUCH MANIFESTATIONS AND IN EDUCATING PEOPLES AND YOUTH IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACEFUL CO-OPERATION AND INTERNATIONAL ENTENTE; AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE PROMOTION AMONG YOUTH OF THE IDEALS OF PEACE, MUTUAL RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN PEOPLES
General discussion
1. The CHAIRMAN invited the Committee to begin its consideration of the second cluster of its agenda, comprising items 89, 90, 92, 93, 107 and 144.
2. Miss ANSTEE (Director-General, United Nations Office at Vienna) said that, since the Secretary-General's decision to concentrate responsibility for social policy and social development within the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), that office had become the mandated focal point of the entire United Nations system in respect of narcotic drugs, developmental social welfare, women, youth, the aged, the disabled, and crime prevention and criminal justice. Within the United Nations Secretariat itself, it had become the nucleus for work on social policy in its comprehensive and strategic form. The concern of UNOV had been to find the means whereby an institution having such broad responsibilities might most effectively contribute to the overall task of the Organization.
3. In her view, the current global economic crisis was as much a social as an economic crisis. In its social manifestations it affected all areas of the planet. No region was exempt, although the developing countries were particularly affected. She therefore perceived the priority task of UNOV to be to re-establish social policy as a central component of global, regional and national strategies.
4. Analysis had shown clearly that one major cause of the current crisis was that substantial majorities of the populations in many countries did not contribute effectively to the national economy. They were not able to create a demand for

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commodities and services supplied by national economies, thus limiting the creation of capital and its productive investment and thereby impeding the construction of broadly based and balanced economies. Moreover, the situation prevented the efficient use of natural resources and created dangerous imbalances between the environment, population and society. The strong multiplier effects of that condition throughout the international system were readily traceable. It followed that a reversal of the function and conditions of marginally productive and unstable segments of populations could contribute to development and offer a way out of the crisis.
5. That goal could not be achieved by economic nor by social measures alone. Social policies, in equal partnership with economic and scientific, demographic and cultural action, must be fully involved. She perceived social policy as contributing expertise on social matters, and on the interaction between social, economic, demographic, cultural and political processes, to the strategic task of transforming the role of the disadvantaged and thus promoting greater economic efficiency, under conditions compatible with and supportive of social harmony and political stability. The contribution of UNOV would be to support such a social policy engagement by means of the energetic use of its own resources and through advocacy with key decision-making groups, capable of bringing vast resources to the task.
6. Notwithstanding tactical successes in social policy over the previous four decades, there have been failures in the realm of strategy. The United Nations had not succeeded in convincing central strategic decision-makers of the usefulness of social policy in the furtherance of their interests. Hitherto, social policy had been among the weakest in the policy chain and that weakness had been reflected in the inability of the entire strategy of development to succeed in its task. It was therefore essential to strengthen social policy and ensure its effective functioning as a component of development strategy.
7. It had become clear that insistence on draconian debt repayments had led to societal breakdowns for debtor and lender alike, while generous capital transfers had resulted in the creation of wealth and stability. Consequently, it appeared essential that the arguments in favour of the transformation should be delivered effectively within the international financial, monetary and scientific forums where central decisions were made. She had been encouraged by the recent movement on that front. Leading Governments had clearly signaled their awareness and intention to act. During the debate at the recent meeting of the Steering Committee of the UNDP/World Bank Project on the Social Dimensions of Adjustment, it had been difficult to distinguish the economists from the social advocates, and the representatives of ministries of finance from those of the social sector agencies, while the banking community was talking openly of new approaches to debt that could hardly have been whispered a year or two earlier.
8. The support of the Third Committee was essential. There was widespread public concern that economic problems could not be resolved at a time when there was growing appreciation of the work of the United Nations in peace-keeping and in some scientific and humanitarian areas. What was perhaps not so generally realized was

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the burgeoning international consensus on social matters, of which evidence was constantly reaching the United Nations Office in Vienna. She therefore felt that a contribution by the United Nations to a social approach to the resolution of the global crisis was likely to meet with widespread public understanding and support. The work of the Organisation for humanity's basic aspirations could be the best advocate for the continued existence of the United Nations.
0. A remarkable degree of consensus had been achieved at the series of successful conferences on sensitive social issues which had been held in recent years. At the Interregional Consultation on Developmental Social Welfare Policies and Programmes in 1987 broad issues of social policy had been examined at high political and substantive levels and a very encouraging degree of agreement had been reached by ministers and policy-making officials of diverse cultures and political systems. Above all, the participants had agreed on the imperative need to work constructively together in the social field. Support for the work of the United Nations in the social field was especially evident in developing countries where social progress came close to national survival. It also existed, in growing measure, in developed countries, which were confronted by serious societal dysfunctions, notably crime and drug abuse.
10. UNOV had set about translating its strategic approach into action in three ways: by intensifying work on the mandates for which it had long had responsibility and by striving to deal, in a more integrated way, with substantive programmes which had previously been handled as discrete activities; by developing an operational focus which would enable the integrated concept to be translated into supporting action at the country level) and by maximizing resources which were, by any standards, scant in comparison to the enormity of the task.
11. The work on the advancement of women was particularly germane to her central theme. In many parts of the world women were foremost among the poor and the disadvantaged. Their immense potential had not been tapped and they had not been integrated into the mainstream of development. The achievement of the fundamental social objective established by the international community, namely, equality between women and men by the year 2000, was not only one of the surest ways to development but also required simultaneous and integrated action on many fronts.
12. Over the next five years, UNOV would be investigating the participation of women in decision-making, starting with the next session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The participation of women in public life and in the public sector was essential. But the evidence of progress either by Governments or by the United Nations was not encouraging. She suspected that, if more women were involved in the process of setting development policy and of framing the next global development strategy, it would not be necessary to work quite so hard to advocate the inclusion of women. The advancement of women must be a major' and integral part of the next International Development Strategy instead of being relegated to the somewhat condescending position of a desirable, if abstract, objective.

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13. In the field of disability* invaluable support had been received, at no cost to Member States, as a result of the appointment of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the Promotion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, Encouraged by the General Assembly's appeal for assistance en a global information campaign to publicize the Decade, UNOV was actively considering practical modalities of launching such a campaign in the early 1990s. Resources to finance the preparatory phase remained a problem.
14. In April 1988 the Secretary-General had inaugurated the International Institute on Aging in Malta which was affiliated with the United Nations. She hoped that Member States would find it possible to extend their full support* including resource assistance* to the Malta Institute.
15. Two important United Nations meetings in the social area had just begun in Beijing, China* namely* the Interregional Consultative Meeting on Integrated Planning of Youth-Related Policies* Strategies and Programmes* and the International Seminar on the Prevention and Treatment of Juvenile delinquency and Community Participation. The pest year had witnessed visible progress in action-oriented ventures. Significant progress had been made in preparations for the Eighth Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, of which she was privileged to be the Secretary-General. At the current stage of preparations for the Congress an ever-stronger consensus was emerging on the interrelationships between the phenomenon of crime as a social problem and overall social conditions* including drug abuse* alcoholism and other pathologies of today.
16. The spiraling threat posed by drug abuse and illicit trafficking had reached most parts of the world and continued unabated. Those alarming trends had led to forceful demands for more effective international action. The role of the United Nations was crucial. A co-ordinated response by the United Nations system* spearheaded by Its specialized drug control units* was more important than ever. Intergovernmental bodies had stressed the high priority to be given to international drug control. While the necessary resources and anticipated strengthening had not yet been forthcoming* the drug control units had seen an expansion in their work. One key example was the preparation of the new Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances which would be considered by a Plenipotentiary Conference in Vienna later in 1988.
17. UNOV had tried increasingly to link work in the drug field with that in other areas with which it was clearly interrelated* namely* social policy* crime prevention and criminal justice* and youth programmes. One particular instance had been its support of WHO'S Global Programme on AIDS.
18. As regards the operational sphere, it was essential to concentrate resources rather than to disperse them. Policy activities with great potential for promoting self-sustaining momentum included: the adjustment of national planning to ensure effective partnership among all relevant policy areas, including social policy, in the solution of societal problems; a renewal of emphasis on integrated and comprehensive planning at the regional and subregional levels; and the promotion and strengthening of regional, as well as South-South, co-operation in social

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policy formulation and implementation. For that tack, effective field structures of the United Nations system vera already in place.
10. In her addrese to the UNDP Governing Council in June 1988, She had outlined certain pragmatic means whereby social concerns might be translated into operational programmes. During the past year much progress had been made to establish substantive operational links between UNDP and UNOV. UNDP had suggested that UNOV serve as the focal point for assembling and co-ordinating information and analysis on social issues relating to specific countries as background documentation for Donor Round Tables. Emphasis would be placed on pilot exercises with a number of Governments in order to build up experience; if successful, UNOV would move to participation in country programming exercises.
20. As a second step, UNOV, at the invitation of UNDP, had prepared an Interim Programme Advisory Note on Social Policy and Development for circulation to Resident Representatives. She had also proposed a global pilot project aimed at developing and testing a workable approach to national capacity-building for social policy formulation, planning, co-ordination and evaluation. Last, flexible support was being given to such important initiatives as the Special Programme of Economic Assistance to Central America and the United Nations Programme for African Economic Recovery and Development. Those initiatives would be complemented by appropriate activities in developed countries, which were by no meane free from the crisis.
21. Given the scarcity of human resources and the vastness of the task, an important vehicle for the widest possible dissemination of the knowledge accumulated throughout the world would be the preparation of new technical manuals. The first would be devoted to national social policy formulation and implementation, regional and sub-regional planning for the integration of social policy and development, and South-South co-operation in the social policy fields. In each policy area the greatest possible attention would be given to the strategic task of transforming low productivity sections of society into effective engagement in national transformation.
22. The mandates which UNOV must fulfil were wide and covered complex topics. The human resources of the Office must meet exacting requirements and must include an extensive range of abilities. No one was more conscious than she was of the need for the moat economical use of resources. Her resource strategy had therefore been fourfold! to use the opportunity provided by the consolidation of functions under the Director-General of UNOV to bring about economies of scale; to fill existing key vacancies through the staff reemployment mechanism; to defend the existing budget against further cuts; and to mobilise extrabudgetary resources.
23. On the issue of the budget, UNOV had a much thinner staffing base than other parte of the Secretariat. To make matters worse, the new consolidation and role conferred on UNOV in 1987 had not been accompanied by the transfer of the corresponding resources from New York Headquarters. The overall drive for economy had prevailed and UNOV programmes had been cut as much as, and in some cases, more than the rest of the Secretariat. The proper discharge of some mandated programmes was in considerable jeopardy. The only possible solution was the expansion of

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extrabudgetary resources for programmes which numerous Member States had singled out as meriting priority attention. Such support might take many different forms* including funding, provision of personnel and the loan of specialists. It might some from different sources, either directly to UNOV or through organisations such as UNDP, UNICBF and the Department of Technical Co-operation for Development.
24. Several Governments and non-governmental organisations had provided such extrabudgetary support. Nearly $2 million had been pledged or contributed directly to UNOV programmes since she had last addressed the Committee. At the 1987 Pledging Conference, commitments had been made by 20 countries to the Trust Fund for Aging, the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons and the Social Defence Trust Fund, while six other countries had made direct contributions to the funds for disabled persons and for youth. Nevertheless, those funds were declining. Substantial further support was needed at the forthcoming Pledging Conference.
25. She would like to mention a few key examples of such supports the particularly important contribution by the Swedish Government which had made it possible to strengthen staff resources in the disability area; generous contributions from Italy and Japan, as well as contributions or co-financing from the Arab Gulf Fund were being used to support several projects for disabled in developing countries and for the advancement of women; and, Costa Rica, Finland, Italy and Japan had each hosted and generously supported institutes dealing with social defence matters. She would like to express her gratitude to those whose generosity had made those developments possible and to call for further help of that kind.
26. Mr. SOKALSKI (Director, Social Development Division, Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs) said that the intention of the Social Development Division was to establish a strategic framework within which programmes in the social field would work towards a common goal in more realistic partnership with economic, demographic, scientific, cultural and environmental policies.
27. The report on the question of aging (A/43/583) referred to, intar alia. the question of further institutional development, which provided an essential mechanism for societal adjustments in response to the aging process, the broad goal of the International Plan of Action on Aging. The question of what those adjustments should be required continuous attention, in particular, through the quadrennial review and appraisal of the implementation of the Plan. The report outlined some preliminary trends from the second review and appraisal which was currently under way, and which the Commission for Social Development would consider in detail at its thirty-first session in 1989.
28. The year 1992, the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the International Plan of Action on Aging, was a time to focus on stimulating the further mobilization of energies, nationally and internationally. A series of activities must be planned for the 1990a that would benefit the current and future generations of the elderly - a population group that currently numbered 432 million, but would reach 1.2 billion by the year 2025 (of whom 71 per cent would be living in developing

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countries). Developing countries depended on the international programme on aging for resources and technology and that programme in turn depended on resources which were currently diminishing. For the past few years the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (CSDHA), as the global focal point on aging, had systematically built up networks through which Member States and the United Nations could work together to promote the implementation of the Plan of Action at the community level. It was strengthening ties of co-operation throughout the United Nations system. At the World Assembly on Aging in 1082, the Secretary-General had noted that the issue of aging was being faced by the international community at a relatively early stage; it was still not too late for action.
29. Under agenda item 90, the report of the Secretary-General (A/43/601) showed an encouraging degree of activity in implementing the Guidelines for Further Planning and Suitable Follow-up in the Field of Youth. There was growing evidence of global awareness of the special problems and needs of youth. The report also pointed to obstacles which had seriously affected the implementation process, including the contracting resource base at all levels and inadequate reflection of youth-related concerns and development plans and programmes. Specific recommendations were made to overcome those shortcomings and increase the scope of youth-related activities at all levels. Various policies, programmes and structures had been developed in order to establish an integrated national youth policy on a long-term basis. They included support for the establishment of national machineries on youth; the strengthening of the resources of the United Nations Youth Fund; greater and more systematic information exchange at all levels; and strengthening the involvement of non-governmental organisations.
30. With regard to the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, the report of the Secretary-General (A/43/634) presented a review of activities together with information which should provide a basis for planning global activities for the second half of the Decade. It summarized the 11 additional replies received from Governments in response to General Assembly resolution 42/58, and presented conclusions and specific recommendations for action at the national, regional and global levels. The proposed action for the next five years was based on all of the comments received from Member States and the United Nations system as well as on other information available to the Secretariat during and immediately after the mid-Decade review. The report was designed to facilitate the Committee's work in setting the global priorities which must guide efforts during the remainder of the Decade and also focused attention on activities to promote the Decade, including the recent appointment by the Secretary-General of a Special Representative, who was based at the United Nations Office at Vienna.
31. The report of the Secretary-General on crime prevention and criminal justice (A/43/572) described the activities which Member States had undertaken to implement the Milan Plan of Action and United Nations norms, guidelines and standards in crime prevention and criminal justice. It also detailed the activities of the Secretariat. He drew particular attention to the summary of the work of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control.

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(Mr. Sokalski)
32. The General Assembly had often stressed that the United Nations had a critical role to play in combating crime, particularly transnational crime, and in helping countries make their criminal justice, systems more effective, fair and humane. The economic and social costs which crime exacted had become much too high, particularly for developing countries. The United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme, through its quinquennial congresses, provided a powerful professional and technical forum within which it helped to formulate programmes for effective international action. Its network of interregional and regional institutes, national correspondents and non-governmental organisations offered a structure for efficient and csat-effective service to Governments. The problem, however, was how to make the structure fully operative and maximize its usefulness to Governments within current resource constraints. The Committee on Crime Prevention and Control had decided to appoint a sub-committee to assess the most efficient means of stimulating practical international action in support of Member States; it felt strongly that appropriate structures and resources must be provided to the United Nations in order to implement effective multilateral action in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
33. The report on the question of families in the development process (A/43/570) showed that the overwhelming majority of the 44 respondent Governments felt that the importance of family issues warranted some form of focused attention at the international level. Most of those Governments approved the holding of an international year under the suspires of the United Nations. A more extensive expression of governmental interest in the proper functioning of the family had been made at the Interregional Consultation on Developmental Social Welfare Policies and Programmes held at Vienna in September 1087. In view of the important role of ... governmental organizations as partners in carrying out the extensive mandates given to the United Nations in the social policy field, he recommended that the Committee should carefully consider their views on the possibility of holding an international year.
34. The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, at its twenty-fourth session, had approved in principle the desirability of proclaiming an international year of the family. If the General Assembly decided to proclaim such a year, or to recommend that the Secretary-General draw up a concrete set of proposals concerning specific activities that could be undertaken at the international, national and sub-national levels, the United Nations Office at Vienna would give the fullest attention to that question.
35. The entire positive record of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs had been accomplished by means of great effort on the part of the staff, but the staff was now strained to its limits. Programme implementation was being maintained, but inevitably at less than optimum level; there could be no expansion without an infusion of new resources. If social programmes were to become truly effective, they would need a new level of support from Member States. In the reports before the Committee, the Secretary-General had identified a number of areas which called for a new approach in terms of recourses. More effective action depended also on healthy voluntary trust funds in the fields of disability,

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the elderly, youth and social defence. It was to be hoped that the new international climate would mark a further positive change of attitude to social issues.
36. Only a small proportion of Governments had replied to the Division's requests for information. Although responses and questionnaires imposed a considerable burden on governmental agencies, such replies could be made into an exercise of value to the national agencies concerned. If the majority of Governments had difficulties in responding in time to requests which their own delegations had voted for, it might be better not to mandate the preparation of some reports.
37. Mr. TANASIE (Romania), introducing agenda item 144, said that extensive informal consultations had taken place before the opening of the current session of the General Assembly. As a result, the original title of the item had been modified to accommodate the views expressed by a number of Member States. On
30 September, in his statement before the plenary session of the General Assembly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania had introduced the main elements of item 144.
38. The objective of including item 144 on the agenda was to strengthen
co-operation among States in combating chauvinistic, racist and other
manifestations which might cause discord between peoples. In the contemporary
world there was an increasing concern for the peaceful settlement of disputes among
States. Resolute action was required by all States to educate the peoples, and in
particular the younger generation, in a spirit of mutual confidence, respect and
broader co-operation. Ho country could remain passive towards the promotion of
such a noble cause. It was encouraging that Member States had become increasingly
aware of the role of education in the rapprochement of peoples. Racism, chauvinism
and other such phenomena had harmful effects on relations among nations and should
bo a matter of general concern.
30. Despite the efforts of the international community, the principal objectives of the first Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination had not been attained; members of the Committee had focused on the need to attain the objectives of the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination and to implement the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The debates in United Nations bodies and in various international forums had highlighted the essential role of Governments, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations, the mass media and educational systems, in promoting the ideals of peace and understanding among nations and, above all, among youth. There was an increased recognition of the lasting importance of the principles and objectives of the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples (General Assembly resolution 2037 (XX)). That document had been rightly described as a charter for the humanistic education of the younger generation; the year 1990, its twenty-fifth anniversary, would be a good opportunity to evaluate the implementation of the Declaration, taking into account the current political environment, and the need to build relations among States and peoples that were free of violence, hatred, for or suspicion.

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(Mr. Tanastie Romania)
40. The General Assembly should invite all States to adopt effective measures, particularly in the field of teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating prejudices which led to racial discrimination, chauvinism and other phenomena, and to intensify their efforts to promote understanding, mutual respect and friendship among nations.
41. At its thirty-first session, the Commission for Social Development could further consider agenda item 144, and its conclusions could be incorporated in the report to be submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-fourth session.
42. Mr. ZAWACKI (Poland), referring to agenda item 93, said that the report of the Secretary-General (A/43/572) reflected a variety of new developments in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice. One of the more disturbing developments was the growing internationalization of criminality. Trafficking in drugs was but one aspect of a widespread phenomenon of illegal trafficking in people, arms, items of cultural heritage and even human transplants. Whether or not there was agreement as to the classification of those practices as "crimes", the international community should take steps to curb such harmful practices.
43. The detrimental effects of criminality on the quality of life and the relationship between crime and development, to which Poland could attest as a result of economic crises in the early 1980s, had been rightly stressed in the report.
44. Positive developments included the internationalization of concern over criminality and its prevention, as reflected at the interregional preparatory meetings for the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. Poland had made a substantive contribution. His country would continue to follow carefully the debates on the draft instruments which had been prepared.
45. Poland was carrying out a reform of its criminal law and in doing so was giving careful consideration to some of the ideas expressed at the interregional preparatory meetings and in the report of the Secretary-General, notably in regard to the death penalty. While each country was sovereign in deciding on the implementation of international instruments, the overriding principle of the humanization of criminal law provided guidance when studying proposals.
46. It was gratifying to note that the issue of the computerization of criminal justice, with all its human rights implications, had been successfully discussed at the European seminar organized by Poland and the Helsinki Institute for Crime Prevention and Control. He was pleased that the Secretariat had published its proceedings in its Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Newsletter.
47. His delegation looked forward with great interest to the forthcoming European regional preparatory meeting for the Eighth United Nations Congress, scheduled for 1989, and hoped that the Third Committee would be informed by the Secretary-General of the results of all regional meetings so as to narrow any differences of views before the holding of the Eighth Congress in 1990.

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48. Mr. LINDEN (Netherlands), speaking on agenda item 90, said that young people were a substantial high-risk group in a world marked by disintegration, alienation and marginalization. The situation of young people was characterized by unemployment, exclusion from political decision-making and isolation. Isolation led to alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency and even suicide.
49. Special attention should be given to specific groups of young people who were potential victims of the marginalization process: young migrants, refugees and members of ethnic minorities. They were discriminated against in areas such as employment and housing, were denied adequate cultural and educational opportunities, and should be allowed to play a full part in society, develop their cultural heritage and enjoy the same rights as other groups.
50. The importance of channels of communication between the United Nations system and youth and youth organisations had been stressed by General Assembly resolution 42/55. In conjunction with the guidelines for further planning and suitable follow-up in the field of youth, they provided a sound basis for the United Nations system to focus in a more rational manner on the problems of youth marginalization. The work of the Third Committee on youth issues should also be rationalized, and the United Nations Office at Vienna/Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (UNOV/CSDHA) should be encouraged to improve inter-agency co-operation. His delegation was satisfied that the report of the sixth session of the informal inter-agency working group at the technical level on youth had been submitted to the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination (ACC/1988/B6/6). It also appreciated the recommendation in paragraph 17 (i) of the report of the Secretary-General (A/43/601) that UNOV/CSDHA should establish a consultative forum of non-governmental organisations for regular discussion of their stronger involvement in programming further implementation of youth policies and programmes, which could be a first step towards more concrete dialogue between those organisations and the United Nations system. Existing structures within the United Nations system for co-operation with those organizations should also be examined. Concerted action should be taken by Member States, United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and youth organisations to remedy the causes and effects of the increasing exclusion of young people from the mainstream of society, and the outcome of the study by CSDHA on the situation and needs of marginal youth was awaited with interest.
51. The logical answer to the question of how to minimize the threat of marginalization was participation. An integrated policy adopted by the Netherlands Government could serve as an example. It was characterized by intersectoral co-operation in areas such as social aid, education, employment and justice, with emphasis on prevention as well as assistance to disadvantaged young people, including programmes for school dropouts, education for members of ethnic minorities and employment plans.
52. He regretted that the channels for communication between the United Nations system and youth and youth organizations had not resulted in the active participation of young people in the Organization. He questioned the sincerity of delegations on the question of including youth representatives in delegations to the General Assembly.

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(Mr. Linden. Netherlands)
53. Employment and housing were two areas in which the marginalization of young people was deeply rooted. In the industrialized countries, youth employment had not kept pace with economic recovery. The problem of young people's particular vulnerability to economic decline and their lack of working experience could not be solved by further education and training. In the developing countries, youth unemployment was an integral part of the wider problems of poverty and unemployment. Unemployed young migrants in urban areas should be given higher priority within the programmes of the governments and organisations concerned. The problems arising from youth unemployment should be a universal concern, and the International Labour Organisation, as the most appropriate United Nations agency for dealing with the issue, should again be alerted to the need for special emphasis to be placed on the management of youth unemployment, The ILO should co-ordinate programmes and advise governments, while the latter should be encouraged to develop and implement special youth employment policies.
54. The problem of suitable housing, greatly aggravated by the exodus from rural areas, was another area in which young people continued to be neglected. Conditions had to be created for young people to earn a living and build a future for themselves in their native rural areas. The United Nations Commission on Human Settlements should undertake concrete action programmes for the most urgent cases. The formulation of appropriate employment and housing policies would enable young people to gain their independence in society, as a first step towards social integration and participation based on the principle of equality.
AGENDA ITEM 96: IMPORTANCE OF THE UNIVERSAL REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND OF THE SPEEDY GRANTING OF INDEPENDENCE TO COLOFIAL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES FOR THE EFFECTIVE GUARANTEE AND OBSERVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS (continued) (A/C.3/43/L.5)
Draft resolution A/C.3/43/L.5
55. Mr. SHAUKAT (Pakistan), introducing the draft resolution on behalf of the sponsors, said that the submission of the draft resolution, the text of which was identical to General Assembly resolution 42/94, was prompted by the important implications for human rights and especially the right to self-determination of continued foreign military intervention and aggression affecting a number of peoples. He hoped that, like resolution 42/94, it would be adopted by consensus.
56. The CHAIRMAN said that action on the draft resolution would be taken at a later stage of the Committee's work.
The meeting rose at 12.05 p.m.