UN Human Rights Treaties

General Assembly
FORTH-SIXTH SESSION
Official Records

THIRD COMMITTEE 45th mooting hold on Wednesday, 20 November 1991
at 10 a.m. Now York

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 45th MEETING
Chairman: Mr. AL-SIIAALI (United Arab Emirates)
CONTENTS AGENDA ITEM 98: HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS (continued)
(b) HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS, INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR
IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
(c) HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATIONS AND REPORTS OF SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS AND
REPRESENTATIVES
AGENDA ITEM 92: ELIMINATION OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (continued)
AGENDA ITEM 94: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (continued)
(a) QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE WORLD EOCIAL SITUATION AND TO YOUTH, AGEING, DISABLED PERSONS AND THE FAMILY
ACENDA ITEM 97: REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, QUESTIONS RELATING TO REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS AND HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS
AGENDA ITEM 96: NARCOTIC DRUGS

Distr. GENERAL A/C.3/46/SR.45 23 December 1991 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: FRENCH

91-57547 5445S (E)

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The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m.
AGENDA ITEM 98: HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS (continued) (A/46/67, 70, A/46/71-E/1991/9, A/46/72, 81, 83, 85, 95, 96, 99, 117, 121, 135, A/46/166-E/1991/71, A/46/183, A/46/184-E/1991/81, A/46/205, 210, 226, 260, 270, 273, 290, A/46/292-S/22769, A/46/294, A/46/304-S/22796, A/46/312, 322, 331, 332, 351, 367, 402, 424, 467, 485, A/46/486-S/23055, A/46/493, 526, 582, 587, A/46/598-S/23166; A/C.3/46/L.25)
(b) HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS, INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING
THE EFFECTIVE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS (A/46'/3 (chap. VI, sect. C), 24, 273, 542, 543, 603, 609 (to be issued) and Add.1, 616, 420, 421, 422, 504: A/C.3/46/L.2, L.3)
(c) HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATIONS AND REPORTS OF SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS AND
REPRESENTATIVES (A/46/3 (chap, VI, sect, C), 401, 446, 529, 544, 626, 647)
1. Mr, PORTALES (Chile) said that the great solidarity shown to the Chilean people at a time when its rights had been systematically violated had strengthened its devotion ta the noble humanist cause of promotion of human rights as well as its confidence in the role which United Nations bodies could play in that respect. The task of those bodies was to serve not only peoples but also Governments, in so far as the goal pursued was the promotion of the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and not the achievement of political ends,
2. His Government welcomed the decision taken by the General Assembly to convene a World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 with the objectives of assessing activities undertaken in that field and formulating recommendations for improving their effectiveness, The World Conference was to be preceded by several regional conferences which would take place in 1992 and would provide an opportunity for participants to deploy their analytical capacity and show creativity and imagination. The Third Committee could, as of now, contribute towards the debate already in progress in the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference by formulating a certain number of ideas,
3. The first suggestion his delegation wished ta make concerned the consideration of reports submitted by States to the Committees set up ta monitor the implementation of human rights instruments, In his delegation’s view, the procedure could be considerably improved if the Committees issued specific recommendations concerning legislative and other steps Governments could take in order to implement the instruments in question more effectively, Such recommendations should, as far as possible, be accompanied by offers of advisory services on the part of the Centre far Human Rights to Governments requesting those services,
4. The second suggestion concerned the possibility of the Commission for Human Rights and the above-mentioned Committees promptly sending

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(Mr., Portales. Chile)
representatives to any State member of the United Nations, or any country having ratified or acceded to the human rights documents, whenever a serious and urgent situation appeared to justify such action. The procedure could help to save many human lives and would give invaluable support to those who were fighting fur respect of human rights within the country in question, In that connection, it should be emphasized that the behaviour of States in the human rights field was often far from homogeneous. It sometimes happened that a Government tried to promote respect of human rights while the legislative or the judiciary undermined its efforts in that respect or, conversely, that a Parliament passed laws in favour of the recognition of those rights and the executive or the judiciary refused to apply them. Inasmuch as the issue of human rights could not be regarded as an internal affair, the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a State could not be invoked to prevent such in situ investigations being carried out by the competent international bodies.
5. His third idea concerned the need to regulate the procedure for sending Special Rapporteurs to investigate specific situations in particular countries. His country knew from experience that sending a rapporteur was an excellent means of ensuring greater respect of human rights, The activities of various Special Rapporteurs in Chile had greatly contributed towards limiting human rights violations by the dictatorship. It was precisely because the Special Rapporteurs system was so important that its operation needed to be regulated. In his delegation’s view, a procedure might be envisaged whereby a resolution adapted by the Commission on Human Rights would suffice for the appointment of Special Rapporteurs in urgent cases, without prejudice to the need for the General Assembly to ratify the appointment at a later stage. Another possibility that might be envisaged was that of making it obligatory far Special Rapporteurs to include in their reports such replies as the Governments of the countries in which they were conducting inquiries might deem it appropriate to furnish and such views as they might wish to formulate, It was only fair that Governments should be given a possibility to express their point of view in official United Nations documents dealing with their behaviour in such delicate areas,
6. Lastly, his delegation thought that the United Nations should make it an important part of its task to ensure that national organizations for the protection of human rights, which stood in the vanguard of activities in that field, were able to do their work without their personnel having to fear violations of their fundamental rights, Any step taken by the United Nations in that direction would be extremely useful, The Committee might begin thinking now of appointing a Special Rapporteur or setting up a working group for the exclusive purpose of watching over the safety of national organizations for: the protection and promotion of human rights,
1, His delegation was fully aware of the importance of social rights, It would be absurd ta rejoice at saving people's lives only ta see them condemned to die of hunger, An integrated approach to human rights was therefore essential, especially within the framework of the forthcoming World Conference.

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8. Mrs. WARZAZI (Morocco), after recalling the tremendous responsibilities which the Centre for Human Rights had to shoulder, said that without the means of putting its policies into practice the Centre could not be expected to achieve its goals. In that connection, she expressed surprise that, as stated in paragraph 28.12 of the ACABQ report (A/46/7), additional requests by the Secretariat for strengthening the Centre would not be forthcoming during the biennium 1992-1993.
9. Turning ta the subject of the World Conference on Human Rights, she welcomed the fact that, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 45/155, the Commission on Human Rights had made several recommendations concerning the preparatory stage of the Conference. The need for the Conference was all the greater because. after decades marked by the cold war, colonization and foreign domination, ideological confrontation and numerous conflicts, the time had come to focus on the problem of human poverty and distress and make a concerted effort to find means of ensuring universal respect of human rights. That was the object of the World Conference, and no effort should be spared to prepare for it properly,
10. The Preparatory Committee for the Conference had accentuated the importance of conducting discussions in a spirit of consensus. Furthermore, there had been unanimous agreement on a subject which had long given rise to polemics, namely, the need to take into account the links existing between human rights, democracy and development while being careful to avoid politicizing the issues, adopting a selective approach or imposing the ways of life of particular societies upon others, Her delegation was convinced that, provided all Governments showed the necessary political will, the Conference would open up new perspectives far mankind as a whole by strengthening human rights and reaffirming their universality.
11. Mr., RAZZ0001 (Kuwait) thanked the United Arab Emirates for the assistance it had given ta Kuwait during the tragic events which had threatened peace and security not only in the region but throughout the civilized world. He commended the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Kuwait under Iraqi occupation, whose hard work had resulted in an impartial and highly informative preliminary report (A/460544),
12. He recalled that at the time of his previous address to the Committee, during the forty-fifth session of the General Assembly, Iraq, headed by a cruel dictator, Saddam Hussein, had just invaded his country.

13. Mr. .HULSSAIN (Iraq), speaking on a point of order, requested the representative of Kuwait to refrain from personal attacks and respect the rules governing the Committee’s debate,
14. The CHAIRMAN said that Iraq would be able to avail itself of its right, of reply and requested that the Committee’s debate should proceed without polemical interruptions.

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15. Mr. RAZZOQQI (Kuwait) recalled the human rights violations committed by the Iraqi occupying forces in Kuwait, which had been unequivocally condemned in General Assembly resolution 45/170.
16. He wished to focus on two of the subjects dealt with in the Special Rapporteurs report and turned first to the tragic issue of missing persons. According to a list of 12 October 1991, 2,100 detained or missing persons still remained unaccounted for. The list had been transmitted to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but the Iraqi regime refused to allow ICRC free access to the places of detention in Iraq. Second, the report enumerated atrocities committed against women and children. Teenagers had been arrested and, according to witnesses, sometimes even tortured, and some had been deported to Iraq. Many women had been arrested, deported or tortured; cases of rape had Seen so numerous that the Special Rapporteur had seen fit to subdivide them into several categories; not all the cases had been reported, because of the sonse of honour which prevailed in a society as religious and traditional as that of Kuwait.

17. Denouncing, once again, the irresponsible conduct of the Iraqi regime, he recalled that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been signed shortly after the bloody events of the Second World War, offering humanity a new road to follow. He urged that those instruments should not remain mere empty words.
18. The international community should make every effort to force the Iraqi regime to comply with the resolutions of the United Nations and to respect international law: for its part, Kuwait would work closely with the Special Rapporteur to ensure the implementation of the recommendations set forth at the end of his report.
19. His delegation expressed the gratitude of the Government and people of Kuwait to the coalition which had liberated Kuwait, and to all those who had supported the coalition. Kuwait was free, reconstruction had commenced; the blood had not been shed in vain.
20. Mr. BILOA TANG (Cameroon), recalling that respect for human rights was essential to collective security, at the national, regional and international levels, described the political reforms undertaken in his country since 1982 and, in particular, the measures adopted since June 1990 to guarantee civil and political freedoms.
21. At the political level, the most important reform had been the reintroduction of the multiparty system. A tripartite conference, involving the Government, the opposition and independent personalities, had considered various political issues of national interest, in particular, the electoral cede and the access of the opposition parties to the media. The conference had resulted in a declaration specifying, among other things, the modalities for the monitoring of elections,

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(Mr. _Biloa Tang, Cameroon)
22. Cameroon knew that a single election would not in itself be sufficient to guarantee democracy and that democracy necessitated continuous consultation with the people and the strengthening of public institutions to protect political and civil rights.
23. Cameroon had demonstrated its commitment to human rights by prosecuting and sentencing three prison superintendents who had been found guilty of torturing prisoners and by establishing, on 8 November 1990, a National Human Rights Committee which, it was hoped, would benefit from the advisory services of the United Nations.
24. Joint action by countries in the subregion in the field of human rights and democratization could support the peace initiative launched under the auspices of the United Nations to enhance confidence and transparency and to eliminate military conflicts. To strengthen subregional programmes in the field of human rights, it would be useful if the Centre for Human Rights could organize a subregional seminar, which would help in preparations for the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.
25. Cameroon endorsed the conclusions contained in the report of the first session of the preparatory committee for the Conference. At its second session, the Committee should determine the agenda for the Conference: it was to be hoped that the agenda would set guidelines on how to reconcile the principle of non-intervention and the protection of human rights in the post-cold-war context, how to incorporate the human rights concept more effectively in the relationship between environment and development and, above all, how to give specific expression, through the reallocation of resources, to the concept of social rights and the right to development of peoples in international relations. So long as the correlation between disregard for human rights, on the one hand, and economic and social stagnation, on the other, remained unacknowledged, the building of national democracies as a contribution to world peace and development would remain precarious, The Conference should result in a general United Nations programme based on the principle, established by the Universal Declaration, of the indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
26. Mr. HJELDE (Norway) said that in December 1991 the General Assembly would observe the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights. That would be a suitable opportunity for stocktaking on human rights. No longer would anyone dispute the fact that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms constituted the foundation of the international order and that their violation was a matter of legitimate concern for the international community. Respect for human rights was increasingly regarded as the fundamental condition for sustainable economic growth and political stability. The development of structures and cooperation in the area of human rights at the regional level bore witness to that trend.
27. In that context., it was important to note? the progress achieved over the previous three years within the framework of the Conference on Security and

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(Mr. Hjelde, Norway)
Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). The 38 European and North American States participating in CSCE had committed themselves to ensuring a high level of human rights protection. The establishment of a CSCE list of highly qualified experts who would be called upon to study specific situations under the human dimension of the CSCE process marked the beginning of a new chapter in regional cooperation in defence of human rights.
28. A number of situations continued to demand attention, however. In Europe, both the new and the old democracies should respect the principles of equality, non-discrimination and fairness for all their citizens, including members of minorities. In the Copenhagen Document of 1990, the CSCE countries had agreed that members of a minority had the right to express and to develop their ethnic identity in all areas. That document was now seen as the foundation on which the CSCE countries based their policies regarding minorities.
29. The tragic conflict in Yugoslavia was causing untold suffering. The plight of the civilian population of Vukovan was particularly disturbing and it was essential that the Yugoslav civil and military authorities should respect the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and of humanitarian law in all circumstances, including the principle of free access for relief operations.
30. The gross and constant violations of human rights by Iraq had been convincingly documented by the international community. History would never forget the use made by Iraq of chemical weapons against its own Kurdish population, nor its brutal repression of the Kurdish and Shiite populations, nor its massive aggression against Kuwait. The Norwegian Government condemned those acts of violence, carried out with total disregard for human rights.
31. The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran remained a cause of concern. It was regrettable that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General ha3 not yet been allowed to visit that country in order to prepare his next report, despite the Iranian Government's declared intention to cooperate with the United Nations in human rights matters. There was nevertheless reason to be hopeful that the International Committee of the Red Cross would soon be given access to Iranian prisons.
32. The initiatives taken by several African Governments for the protection of human rights, democratization and political pluralism were encouraging.
T**e Horn of Africa was still the scene of great human suffering, however. Somalia and the Sudan were torn by civil war. All the parties involved must. facilitate humanitarian emergency aid and respect the fundamental principle of free access of aid to those needing assistance. Blatant violations of human rights were taking place in Mauritania, and the situation seemed to be deteriorating.
33. Many delegations, including his own, had repeatedly stated that they did
not view the safeguarding of fundamental human rights as interference in a

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(Mr., Hjelde, Norway)
country’s internal affairs, The Norwegian authorities had already voiced their concern about the fate of human rights defenders in Kenya. His delegation once again urged that the dissidents currently held in Kenyan jails, including Koigi Wa Wamwere, should be granted a fair trial. In that regard, his delegation was disturbed at the latest wave of political arrests which had just taken place at Nairobi.
34. In South Africa, the abolition of apartheid legislation was encouraging, However, the persistent violence was a cause of concern; only the adoption of a democratic, non-racial constitution could resolve the problems.
35. The situation of the Palestinians in the occupied territories continued to trouble his country, which called upon Israel to comply with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions. All the parties involved must seize the opportunity now offered them to work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
36. His delegation appealed to the Government of Bangladesh to take further concrete steps to improve the human rights situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,
37. In Myanmat, repression and lack of respect for human rights still prevailed. The Government had nullified the results of the May 1990 elections and continued to keep opposition leaders in prison, resorting to martial law and denying the International Committee of the Red Cross access ta imprisoned political dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The Norwegian Government appealed to the Government of Myanmar ta release the imprisoned opposition leaders, students and monks and to respect the right of the people to choose their own form of government.
38. In Sri Lanka, the human rights situation remained precarious, However, his Government commended the Sri Lankan Government for having the previous year established a task force on human rights and a special commission to investigate involuntary disappearances in the country, His delegation appealed to all parties and armed groups involved to seek a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
39. The recent dramatic events in Haiti, where the elected Government had been overthrown by farce, had been rightly condemned by the international community. Unfortunately, Haiti was not the only country to depart from the general trend towards a strengthening of democracy in Latin America. Civil and political rights continued to be violated in Cuba, where human rights activists were systematically imprisoned.
40. Peace negotiations were advancing in Central America, In El Salvador, despite the valuable work of the United Nations Observer Mission in
El Salvador (ONUSAL), which had undoubtedly helped to improve the human rights situation, summary executions and disappearances continued to take place and lives continued to be lost in the armed conflict, The Government of

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(Mr. Hjelde, Norway)
El Salvador and the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (FMLN) must take measures to ensure respect for human rights and end tha armed conflict so that all efforts could be concentrated on the social and economic rights of the population, In that regard, the unilateral decision of FMLN to suspend offensive action as of 16 November 1991 was ta be welcomed.
41. In Guatemala, despite the declared intention of the Government to safeguard human rights , the situation continued to cause concern. The Government must take the necessary measures to make its good intentions a reality.
42. In South America, notwithstanding many positive developments, respect for human rights still left much to be desired in some countries. The number of victims of political violence in Peru remained shocking, While the heavy responsibility of the insurgents could not be denied, the Government must continue to work for greater respect for human rights by the armed forces and the police.
43. The Third Committee must endeavour to safeguard the human dimension in all aspects of development and international relations. That was a sine qua non far real progress in the field of human rights.
44. Ms. DINH THI MINH HUYEN (Viet Ham) , speaking in exercise of the right of reply, rejected the allegations made by the representative of the Netherlands in his statement on behalf of the European Community concerning the human rights situation in her country. She reaffirmed that there were no political prisoners there. Since the liberation of South Viet Nam in 1975, the Vietnamese Government had adopted a humanitarian policy prohibiting reprisals against those who had collaborated with foreign armed forces during the Viet Nam war. About 2 million Vietnamese who had collaborated had been set free and had had their citizenship restored. Only about 100 people had been kept in prison for having committed serious crimes and massacres. No one had been subjected to capital punishment. Those detained were war criminals and not political prisoners, as no one was imprisoned in Viet Nam for his ideas or beliefs. She pointed out that, after the Second World War in Europe, hundreds of thousands of collaborators with the Hitler regime had been subjected to capital punishment. That had not been the case in Viet Nam following the war,
45 The situation of human rights in Viat Nam was fully consistent with the pavilions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international legal instruments on human rights to which Viet Nam was a party.
46. Her delegation therefore considered tha statement by the representative of the Netherlands on the human rights situation in Viet Nam to be completely unfounded and biased,

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47. Mr., ADALA (Kenya), spenking in exercise of the right of reply, said that
he wished to respond to the allegations made by the delegation of Norway
concerning political arrests in Kenya. His country had nothing to hide and
remained open to any useful suggestions and constructive criticism by friendly
countries on all aspects of Kenyan society. The representative of Norway gave
the impression that he had had no confidence in the Kenyan judicial system.
Given its concern about the fate of political refugees, perhaps Norway should
keep their in its territory instead of letting them foment unrest in Kenya.
AGENDA ITEM 92: ELIMINATION OF RACISM AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (continua) (A/C.3/46/L.9)
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.9
48. Mr. KRENKEL (Austria), stressing the importance of the draft resolution for United Nations activities during the Second Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, asked the Committee to defer taking a decision on it to enable the sponsors to reach agreement on a text that could be adopted by consensus.
49. Mr. DANERI (Argentina) supported the proposal of the Austrian delegation.
50. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Third Committee wished to adopt the Austrian proposal to postpone a decision on draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.9
51. It was so decided.
AGENDA ITEM 94: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
(a) QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE WORLD SOCIAL SITUATION AND TO YOUTH, AGEING, DISABLED PERSONS AND THE FAMILY (continued) (A/C.3/46/L.20 and A/C.3/46/L.21/Rev.l)
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.20
52. Mr. KOTEY (Ghana), speaking on behalf of the States Members of the United
Nations that were members of the Group of 77, orally revised draft resolution
A/C.3/46/L.20 entitled "Social development". In paragraph 5, "position of the
developing countries" should be replaced by "position of the majority of
developing countries". In the third line of the same paragraph, the words
"long-term" should be deleted.
53. A recorded vote was taken on draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.20.
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Fay , Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape

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Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Emi rates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: United States of America.
Abstaining: Belgium, Germany, Israel, Japan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
54. Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.20. as orally revised, was adopted by 140
votes to 1, with 5 abstentions.
55. Ms, HANCOCK (United Kingdom), speaking in explanation of vote, said that
her country had abstained in the voting since the draft resolution offered no
new insights into the problem of the world social situation. Although some
improvements had 'been made to the text, the draft resolution failed to draw
upon the constructive outcome of the eighteenth special session of the General
Assembly and the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
Countries. Furthermore, the reference in paragraph 5 to the "net transfer of
resources" did not reflect recent figures, which indicated that in both 1989
and 1990 there had been a positive net transfer to the developing countries,
and low-income countries in particular. Her delegation had sought the
inclusion in the draft resolution of language that would have facilitated its
adoption by consensus; in future, greater efforts should be made to that end.
56. Ms. FOSTIER (Belgium) said that she wished to reaffirm her country's
concern for the promotion of social development and the activities undertaken
by the United Nations in that field. Her delegation had therefore given

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(MS. Fog tier, Belgium)
careful consideration to the draft resolution. It had been unable to vote in favour because it would have preferred a more balanced document. Admittedly, no one would dispute the close relationship between the economic and social dimensions, which underlay all development efforts. Nonetheless, social progress depended not just on economic growth, but on other equally important factors as well, such as the existence of democratic systems and respect for human rights. Her delegation expressed the hope that, in his 1993 report on the world social situation, the Secretary-General would take into account all the elements which had a bearing on social development.
57. Mr. MARKS (United States of America) said that it was unfortunate that the Third Committee had been unable to arrive at a consensus decision on the issue to which the draft resolution related when the Economic and Social Council had succeeded in doing so. In voting against the draft resolution, the United States was not opposing social or economic development, but rather a specific resolution which dealt with the question in a way which was neither balanced nor realistic. Such problems would never be resolved if the obstacles to social and economic development were not considered honestly and pragmatically. The Declaration on Social Progress and Development (General Assembly resolution 2542 (XXIV)) stated that primary responsibility for the development of the developing countries rested on those countries themselves. The resolutions of the Third Committee should reflect that fact.
59. Ms. TERANISHI (Japan) said that her delegation had once again abstained,
as it had done in the voting on resolution 45/87, adopted in 1990. Japan was
aware of the link between economic growth and social development, but
considered that the resolutions adopted on the topic should ensure a measure
of balance between the two elements. In 1991, yet again, undue emphasis was
being placed on the economic aspect, particularly in certain paragraphs of the
draft resolution, which provided an unsatisfactory description of the current
situation, despite the revisions made to the text. Japan had proposed
amendments which the sponsors of the draft resolution had rejected. She hoped
that resolutions on the topic would contain different language and reflect
greater balance.
Draft resolution A/C,3/46/L,21/Rev.1.
60. The CHAIRMAN said that the priorities referred to in draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.21/Rev.1 were contained in document A/C.3/46/4 and that the United States and Belarus had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution. The draft resolution had no programme budget implications.
61. Ms, LIMJUCO (Philippines) orally revised the draft resolution. At the
end of the preamble a new paragraph should be added to read: "Welcoming the work of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs as the central body of the United Nations responsible for issues related to disability". She also wished to amend paragraph 6 to read: "Endorhs e Beijing Guidelines for the Establishment and Development of National

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(Ms. Limjuco, Philippines)
Coordinating Committees on Disability, contained in annex I ON document A/C,3/46/4". She expressed the hope that the draft resolution would be adopted by consensus.
62. Mrs. KABA (Cote d'Ivoire), MR. SENE (Senegal) and MRS. QGUNLEYE (Nigeria)
said that their countries wished to become sponsors of the draft resolution.
63. Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.21/Rev.l, as orally. revised, was adopted.
without a vote.
64. The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Committee recommend that the General
Assembly take note of the Secretary-General's reports on policies and
programmes involving youth (A/46/360), on progress made in the preparations
for the International Year of the Family (A/46/362 and Corr.1) and on
implementation of the Guiding Principles for Developmental Social Welfare
Policies and Programmes in the Near Future (A/46/414).
65. It was so decided.
66. The CHAIRMAN announced that the Committee had thus completed its
consideration of agenda item 94 (a).
AGENDA ITEM 97: REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, QUESTIONS RELATING TO REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PERSONS AND HUMANITARIAN
QUESTIONS (continued) (A/C.3/46/L.27-30)
67. The CHAIRMAN said that the draft resolutions submitted under agenda
item 97 had no budget implications.
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.27
68. The CHAIRMAN recalled that at the 43rd meeting, on 18 November, the representative of Austria, introducing draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.27 on the enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, had revised paragraph 2 to read as follows: "Requests the Economic and Social Council to elect the two additional members at its resumed organizational session in 1992."
69. Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.27, as orally revised, was adopted without a
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.28
70. The CHAIRMAN announced that Pakistan had become a sponsor of the draft
resolution.
71. Draft resolution A/C, 3/46/L_.28 was adopted without a vote.

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72. The CHAIRMAN announced that Argentina and Cyprus had become sponsors of the draft resolution.
73. Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.29 was adopted without a vote.
74. The CHAIRMAN announced that Algeria, Bangladesh, Finland, Ireland, Malawi, Nigeria, Oman, Portugal, Senegal, Spain and Zimbabwe had become sponsors of the draft resolution. He recalled that at the 43rd meeting, on 18 November, the representative of Austria, introducing the draft resolution, had revised paragraph 11 to read as follows: "Requests the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive and consolidated report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session under the sub-item 'Questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons', and an oral report to the Economic and Social Council at its regular session of 1992".
75. Mr. KRENKEL (Austria) said that India wished to join the sponsors of the draft resolution. He also pointed out that the phrase "and displaced persons" in preambular paragraph 37, which began with the words "Grayelv concerned", should be deleted.
76. Ms. MIRANDA (Suriname), Mrs., MBELLA, NGOMBA (Cameroon), Mr. OUATTAHA
(Mali), Mr.L_SEJRGIWA (Libyan Arab Jarnahiriya), Mr. HUSSAIN (Pakistan) and Mrs. CANEDO-PATION (Bolivia) announced that their delegations had joined the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/46/L, 30.
77 . Mrs.__KABA (Cote d'Ivoire) pointed out that the correct spelling of the capital of Cote d'Ivoiro was "Yamoussoukro", and not as it appeared in preambular paragraph 32.
78. Draft resolution A/C.3/46/30, as orally revised, was adopted without a vote.
79. Mr. IBRAHIM (Djibouti) said that his delegation welcomed the adoption by consensus of tho draft resolution on assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa and expressed its gratitude to the delegations that had joined as sponsors. He thanked the representative of Austria for the consultations he had conducted with a view to adopting draft resolution
A/C.3/46/L.30, which showed the international community's commitment to help the uprooted populations in Africa.
80. Until recently, an island of peace had subsisted in the Horn of Africa,
and that island had been Djibouti. From the first day of its independence, it
had welcomed refugees and displaced persons fleeing civil wars and famine in
neighbouring countries. Djibouti had created a corridor enabling

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(Mr. Ibrahim... Djibouti)
international humanitarian aid to reach the needy populations of Ethiopia and Somalia. Unfortunately, Djibouti itself had recently been the victim of attacks carried out by armed outside elements that had infiltrated the country with the aim of destabilizing its institutions. His Government had declared a national mobilfzation and would do everything in its power to restore peace and eject those foreign elements from its territory. Those elements were seeking to change the borders in a futile attempt to attain their grandiose and utopian goals. It was the first time that his delegation had made such a statement before an international body, and it was to be hoped that it would not have to do so again.
81. In view of the constantly changing situation in the Horn of Africa, it was more necessary than ever for UNHCR and the international community to remain mobilized.
82. The CHAIRMAN suggested that the Committee should recommend that the General Assembly take note of the Secretary-General's reports on humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees and displaced persons (A/46/612) and on the review of the capacity, experience and coordination arrangements in the United Nations system for humanitarian assistance (A/46/568) and of the Secretary-General’s note on activities relating to the setting up of an emergency preparedness system concerning potential refugee movements (A/46/143 and Corr.1). If he heard no objections, he would take it that the Third Committee agreed to that course of action.
83. It was SO decided.
84. The CHAIRMAN noted that the Committee had completed its consideration of agenda item 97.
AGENDA ITEM 96: NARCOTIC DRUGS (continued) (A/C.3/46/L.22, A/C.3/46/L. 11, A/C.3/46/L.32, A/C.3/46/L.33)
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.22
85. Mrs. VALLE (Cuba) , introducing draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.22, entitled
“Respect for the principles enshrined in tho Charter of the United Nations and
international law in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking",
announced that Guatemala had joined the list of sponsors. The draft
resolution before the Committee had two purposes, which were described in
operative paragraphs 1 and 2. They were to reaffirm that the fight against
drug abuse and illicit trafficking should continue to be based on strict
respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international
law, particularly respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
States, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and non-use of
force or the threat of force in international relations. The draft resolution
called or> all States to refrain from using the issue for political purposes.
She also drew attention to operative paragraph 4 of the draft resolution,

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(Mrs. Valle, Cube)
which invited the Secretary-General and the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNIDCP) to give due consideration to the principles set out in the resolution. Recalling that tho draft resolution under consideration had been submitted for the first time at the General Assembly’s forty-fifth session, in which it had been adopted without a vote, she expressed the hope that in view of the international narcotic drugs situation, the text before the Committee would also be adopted without a vote.
Draft resolution A/C,3/46/L,31
86. Mr, KRENKEL (Austria) introduced draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.31, entitled
“Implementation of the global programme of action against illicit production,
supply, demand, trafficking and distribution of narcotic drugs and
psychotropic substances” on behalf of its sponsors, who had been joined by
Ecuador, Luxembourg, Myanmar , the Philippines and Romania. He said that the
draft resolution was essentially an appeal to States and to the United
Nations, in particular the United Nations International Drug Control
Programme, to ensure the implementation of the Global Programme of Action, and
expressed the hope that the draft resolution would be adopted without a vote.
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.32
87. Mrs. CANEDO-PATIKO (Bolivia), introducing, on behalf of its sponsors,
draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.32, entitled “International action to combat drug
abuse and illicit trafficking”, congratulated the delegation of the Bahamas on
its work on the preparation of the Draft resolution. She pointed out that a
slight change had been made in the wording of the 17th preambular paragraph,
beginning "Bearing in mind that the Commission on Narcotic Drugs . . . in which
the words “is mandated to" had been replaced by the words "is requested to".
She explained that the objective of the draft resolution was to influence
positively the direction of international action on a broad number of issues
within the ambit of international drug control. After pointing out the
seriousness of the world situation with respect to narcotic drugs and
acknowledging the significant developments which had taken place recently,
concrete follow-up action was recommended in the preamble and part I of the
draft resolution. The specific purpose of part II was to invite the
Commission on Narcotic Drugs to follow up the recommendations of the
Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Economic and Social Consequences of
Illicit Traffic in Drugs.
88. Recalling the principle of shared responsibility, the draft resolution
condemned drug trafficking in all its forms, including the use of children in
that illicit activity: encouraged Governments to adhere to the principles
adopted at the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
and the seventeenth special session of the General Assembly; drew attention to
the social and cultural realities of affected countries and recommended that
due consideration should be given to mitigating the consequences of national

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(Mrs. Canedo-Patiko, Bolivia)
efforts for drug control. The draft resolution enumerated the areas which lent themselves to further research and analysis, including illicit transit trafficking, demand reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, money-laundering, and control of precursors and essential chemicals and materials used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. It also recognized positive developments in combating narcotics, including the development of priority themes by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the development of sound regional strategies by the heads of national law enforcement agencies, increasing accession to and ratification of the international drug control treaties and increased cooperation by United Nations agencies. The draft resolution also recognized the important contribution of the International Narcotics Control Beard to the monitoring of production and distribution of narcotic drugs so as to limit their use to medical and scientific purposes and the efforts of countries producing narcotic drugs to prevent their diversion into illicit channels. The draft resolution then appealed to Member States for increased voluntary contributions to the Fund of the United Nations Drug Control Programme in order to make available adequate financial and human resources for drug control. The sponsors of the draft resolution, who had been joined by Algeria, Belize, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Myarunar, Paraguay and Uruguay hoped that its implementation would help to fetter the international drug traffickers who continued to destabilize societies and countries.
Draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.33
89. Mrs. AGUILERA (Mexico) introduced draft A/C.3/46/L.33, entitled "United
Nations International Drug Control Programme" on behalf of the sponsors, who
had been joined by Austria, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala,
Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Nigeria and the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics. The draft resolution, which reaffirmed the importance of the
United Nations International Drug Control Programme, had been the subject of
broad negotiations. She thanked the delegations which had taken part in those
negotiations and expressed the hope that draft resolution A/C.3/46/L.33 would
be adopted without a vote.
90. Mrs. WARZAZI (Morocco) recalled that the Norwegian representative, in
connection with agenda item 98, had referred to the problem of certain
traditional practices which infringed the fundamental rights of women and
children and said that she would make available to interested delegations a
document dealing with those practices.
The meeting rose at 12:20p.m.