UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations GENERAL THIRD COMMITTEE ASSEMBLY 57th meeting held on THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION Wednesday, 30 November 1983 Official Records* at 10-30 a.m. New York SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 57th MEETING Chairman; Mr. CHAVANAVIRAJ (Thailand) CONTENTS ORGANIZATION OF WORK AGENDA ITEM 91: UNITED NATIONS DECADE FOR WOMEN: EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE (continued) AGENDA ITEM 92: ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (continued) AGENDA ITEM 93: ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE (continued) AGENDA ITEM 94: HUMAN RIGHTS AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS (continued) AGENDA ITEM 95: QUESTION OF A CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (continued) AGENDA ITEM 96: INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS (continued) AGENDA ITEM 97: TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT (continued) AGENDA ITEM 98: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (continued) AGENDA ITEM 99: INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRAFFIC LA DRUGS: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL (continued) AGENDA ITEM 100: ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES AND WAYS AND MEANS WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS (continued) AGENDA ITEM 12: REFORT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (continued) This record is subject to correction ( corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the dele Distr . GENERAL gabion concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the Official Records Ending Section. A/C.3/38/SR.57 room DC2-750. 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a copy of the record 8 December 1983 Corrections will be issued after the end of the session, in a separate fascicle for each Committee ENGLISH ORIGINAL: SPANISH 83-58187 5921S (E) A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 2 The meeting was called to order at 11.05 a.m. ORGANIZATION OF WORK 1. The CHAIRMAN suggested that the draft resolutions should be considered separately. Delegations wishing to explain their vote before the vote should do so prior to the voting on each draft resolution, but explanations of vote after the vote should be made once the voting on all draft resolutions had been completed: in other words, each delegation would make only one statement in explanation of vote once the voting was over. If there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt his suggestion. 2. It was so decided. AGENDA ITEM 91; UNITED NATIONS DECADE FOR WOMEN: EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.20, L.21, L.22, L.27, L.28/Rev.l and L.42) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L, 20 3. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the United Republic of Cameroon and Trinidad and Tobago had joined Nigeria, the Sudan, Jordan, Jamaica, Afghanistan and Guinea-Bissau as sponsors of the draft resolution. She added that the administrative implications of paragraph 5 of the draft resolution would consist of the continued provision of support for the Institute by the Secretariat, liaison on substantive matters would be maintained through the Office of the Under-Secretary-General tor International Economic and Social Affairs, and liaison on administrative matters through the Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management. Liaison would also be facilitated by the installation of telex and facsimile service between the headquarters of the Institute and New York*, members of the Institute staff would be provided with office space and assistance when their presence was required in New York for official business: however, at present it did not seem necessary to establish a liaison office of the Institute at United Nations Headquarters or to maintain staff of the Institute in New York. 4. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 5. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.20 was adopted without a vote. Pratt resolution A/C.3/38/L.21 6. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that, as had been announced previously, Democratic Yemen, Viet Nam, Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde and the Congo had been added to the list of sponsors. A slight editorial correction had also been made in the second line of paragraph 5, with the word "its" being replaced by the word "the". 7. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the diaft resolution without a vote. A/C.3/38/SP.57 English Page 3 8. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.21, as amended, was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C,3/38/L.22 9. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the financial implications of the draft resolution were to be found in document A/C.3/38/L.42 and that changes had been made in paragraphs 3, 12 and 15 of the draft resolution. In the second line of paragraph the following phrase had been added after the word "commissions": "to give priority to solving the question of senior women's programme officers and". The word "also" had been eliminated from the first line of paragraph 12 and the first line of paragraph 15. A drafting change had also been made in paragraph 1, in which the phrase "referring to the report" had been amended to read "referred to in the report". 10. Mr. BELL (Canada) said that his delegation attached importance to the appointment of women to high-level decision-making posts, as exemplified by senior women's programme officers posts. Canada recognized the valuable role of the regional commissions in that respect, but it believed efforts must be made to finance the necessary measures from the regular budget of the regional commissions, thereby helping the Fund support activities undertaken to achieve its goal. 11. Ms. JONES (United States of America) said that her delegation supported the draft resolution; she wished to speak before the vote in order to refer to the financial implications contained in document A/C.3/38/L.42, the reasoning of which appeared to her to be excessively complex. The language of paragraph 3 of the draft resolution made it clear that the resources sought for the continuation of the senior women's programme officers posts in the regional commissions must be obtained by a redeployment of posts, a fact which was also stated in paragraphs 5 and 6 of General Assembly resolution 37/62. Paragraph 2 of document A/C.3/38/L.42 did not constitute an adequate response to the request that the transfer of those posts to the budget should be carried out in a planned ma***** in that connection, she drew attention to General Assembly resolutions 33/188, 5/137 and 37/62, which were based on the premise that the posts in question were key elements of efforts to integrate women into development. She noted that the United States had provided part of the provisional initial financing. It was well known that the United States opposed the transfer to the regular budget of posts financed from voluntary funds. Her delegation supported the draft resolution on the assumption that the redeployment of posts world be affected at no cost to the regular budget. She wished to make it clear that in the future, her delegation would not vote in favour of any requests for additional funds. She therefore hoped that the difficulties referred to in the statement on to menial implications would be overcome and that it would not be necessary for the Committee to repeat its recommendations. 12. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 13. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.22, as amended and corrected, was adopted without a vote. A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 4 Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.28/Rev.l 14. Mr. ZARIF (Islamic Republic of Iran) said that, in the light of the observations made during the 56th meeting by the representatives of Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Canada, as well as those made by other delegations during informal discussions, the sponsors had agreed to make the following changes in draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.28/Rev.1 In the title, the word "suppression" would be replaced by the word "prevention". In the fifth preambular paragraph, the phrase "the social evil of" would be deleted. In the second line of paragraph 2, the word "suppress" would be replaced by the word "combat". In the first line of paragraph 3, the phrase "the Commission on Human Rights" should be added after the comma. Paragraph 4 should be replaced by the following text: "Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider this question at its first regular session in 198 5, together with the report requested in Economic and Social Council resolution 1983/30, and to transmit its comments to the General Assembly at its fortieth session under the item 'United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace'." 15. Mrs. WARZAZI (Morocco), speaking in explanation of vote before the vote, said that all Committee members would acknowledge the extraordinary spirit of co-operation which had prevailed among the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.2 8, who had accepted virtually all proposals, including that of her own delegation. For that reason, her delegation had joined the group of sponsors and now requested that the resolution should be adopted by consensus. 16. Mrs. ZOGRATOU (Greece) recalled that the sponsors had requested that the draft resolution should be put to a vote. 17. Mrs. WARZAZI (Morocco) said that the delegation of Greece must have been planning to request a vote before the amendments just suggested had been introduced and that it was unlikely that the sponsors had had time for consultations on them. She therefore requested that the voting should be postponed to allow the sponsors to hold consultations on the improvements that had been made in the draft resolution. 18. The CHAIRMAN suggested that a decision on draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.28/Rev.l should be postponed until the Committee had adopted draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.36 under agenda item 12. 19. It was so decided. AGENDA ITEM 92: ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.19) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.19 20. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the Congo, Guinea and Viet Nam had become sponsors of the draft resolution, which had no financial implications, and that the Secretariat had received no draft amendments to it. A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 5 21. Mrs. WARZAZI (Morocco), speaking in explanation of vote before the vote, said that although her delegation had some reservations, it had decided to join the consensus on the draft resolution. 22. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 23. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.19 was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 93: ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.30) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.30 24. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Belgium, Ghana, the Federal Republic of Germany, Chad, Barbados, Colombia, France and New Zealand had become sponsors. The draft, which had no financial implications, had been amended by the introduction of a new third preambular paragraph, to read: "Believing that further efforts are requested to promote and protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or whatever belief", and by the replacement of the first word of the former preambular paragraph 3, "Welcoming • by "Noting". 25. Mr. ZADOR (Hungary) said that the English text of the new preambular paragraph should read "required" instead of "requested". 26. Mr. BELL (Canada) said that the representative of Hungary was correct. 27. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 28. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.30, as amended, was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 94: HUMAN RIGHTS AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.29, L.38, L.40) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.29 29. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Cyprus and Norway had become sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.29, which had no financial implications and concerning which no amendment had been submitted. 30. The CHAIRMAN said that if there was no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 31. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.29 was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.38 32. Mrs. CASTRO de BARISH (Costa Rica) said that she wished to recall her delegation's draft amendment to the sixth preambular paragraph: the substitution A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 6 (Mrs. Castro de Barish, Costa Rica) of "to life of all human beings and of all peoples" for the end of the paragraph, following "inherent right". She also suggested that the words "as well as the traffic therein and the proliferation thereof" should be added at the end of the seventh preambular paragraph. 33. Mr. HUSAIN (Pakistan) said that in order to retain the correspondence to the resolution adopted on the same subject by the General Assembly at the preceding session, the following phrase should be added at the end of the seventh preambular paragraph: "as well as by violations of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations regarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and self-determination of peoples". 34. Mr. BYKCV (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), speaking on behalf of the sponsors, accepted the amendment proposed by the representative of Pakistan. He could not, however, accept the amendments proposed by the representative of Costa Rica, since the draft resolution under discussion was based on previous declarations and resolutions of the General Assembly, as indicated in the preambular paragraphs, preceding those for which amendments had been proposed, and the sponsors believed that the provisions of those documents should not be stretched. He hoped, in view of the document's importance, that the Committee would support it and adopt it without a vote. 3 5. Mrs. CASTRO de BARISH (Costa Rica} maintained her proposed amendments to the sixth and seventh preambular paragraphs and said that she accepted Pakistan's amendment to the end of the seventh preambular paragraph. 36. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) read out the new version of the seventh preambular paragraph, incorporating the addition proposed by the representative of Pakistan. 37. Mrs. CASTRO de BARISH (Costa Rica) proposed that the new version of the seventh preambular paragraph as read out by the Secretary of the Committee, should be supplemented by the inclusion of the words "the traffic therein and the proliferation thereof" after the words "the arms race", with the rest of the paragraph to remain as it had been read out. She also requested a recorded vote on the two Costa Rican amendments. 38. Mr. BYKOV (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) said he was surprised that the representative of Costa Rica was so insistent. He recalled that the Final Document of the tenth special session of the Central Assembly, which had been the first special session devoted to disarmament, had indicated that the General Assembly was "alarmed by the threat to the very survival of mankind posed by the existence of nuclear weapons and the continuing arms race". The interests of mankind - in other words, of all peoples - had been placed before the interests of individuals in that fundamental document, which Costa Rica had sponsored, and General Assembly resolution 32/130, which was one of the basic United Nations documents in the field of human rights, contained a similar provision in its tenth preambular paragraph. That meant, of course not that the individual was relegated to the background but A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 7 (Mr. Bykov, USSR) that anything which furthered the rights of peoples also furthered the rights of individuals. In so far as the proposed addition to the seventh preambular paragraph was concerned, it should be recalled that that paragraph was based on previous documents, in which the phrase suggested by Costa Rica did not appear, and that since there were no experts on disarmament in the Third Committee, it would be better not to depart from the wording of existing fundamental documents. He therefore urged the representative of Costa Rica to withdraw her amendments. 39. Mr. SENGO (Mozambique) said that, in the light of the amendments to the sixth and seventh preambular paragraphs proposed by the delegations of Pakistan and Costa Rica, he would like to suggest others. At the end of the seventh preambular paragraph, the following words should be included "trade in and proliferation of arms, the use of mercenaries, and violations of the principles of the Charter.". 40. Ms. JONES (United States of America) said that the proposed amendments would not make the draft resolution identical to that adopted the preceding year, paragraph 6 of which read: "Requests the Commission on Human Rights in its future activities to stress the need to ensure the cardinal right of everyone to life, liberty and security of person, and to live in peace)". 41. Mr. INFANTE (Chile), speaking on a procedural matter, proposed that consideration of draft resolution A/C.3/33/L.38 should be postponed, so that agreement could be reached on the amendments and that the other draft resolutions could be voted upon. 42. Mrs. CASTRO de BARISH (Costa Rica) supported that proposal. 43. The CHAIRMAN said that, in absence of any objection, he would take it that the proposal tp postpone the vote on draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.38 was adopted. 44. It was so decided. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.40 45. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the delegations of Bolivia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mali had joined the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.40. No amendments had been proposed to the draft resolution, which had no financial implications. 4 6. At the request of various representatives, a recorded vote was taken on draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.40. In favors Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Burundi, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Democratic Kampuchea, Democratic Yemen, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 8 Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, German Democratic Republic, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Tanzania, Upper Volta, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Against: None. Abstaining; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Federal Republic of, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, 4 7. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.40 was adopted by 114 votes to none, with 22 abstentions. AGENDA ITEM 95: QUESTION OF A CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.23) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.23 48. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that, in addition to the delegations of Benin, Cape Verde, the Congo, Guinea, Jamaica, Norway, Senegal and the United Republic of Cameroon, which had previously been mentioned, the delegations of the Ivory Coast, Kenya and Sao Tome and Principe had asked to join the sponsors of draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.23, which had no financial implications. In the first preambular paragraph of the English text, the date of General Assembly resolution 37/190 should be added. 4 9. The CHAIRMAN said that, in the absence of any objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 50. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.23 was adopted without a vote. A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 9 AGENDA ITEK 96: INTERNATIONAL COVENANTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.35, L.39, L.41, L.50) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.35 51. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the financial implications of draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.35 were contained in document A/C.3/38/L.50, and that Somalia and Turkey had asked to join the sponsors. The words "and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" had been deleted from the title of the draft resolution. The words "and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights" and the words "and the Sessional Working Group of the Economic and Social Council" had also been deleted from the operative paragraph of the draft resolution. 52. The CHAIRMAN said that, in the absence of any objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 53. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.35 was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.39 54. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) announced that Canada and Costa Rica had asked to join the sponsors of the draft resolution, which had no financial implications, and that no amendments had been submitted to the text. 55. The CHAIRMAN said that, in the absence of any objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 56. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.39 was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.41 57. Mrs. DOWING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Austria and the Netherlands - as announced earlier - and Canada had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution, which had no financial implications. She added that no amendments had been submitted to the text. 58. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objections, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 59. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.41 was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 97: TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.31 and L.32) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.31 60. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Belgium, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Norway, Samoa, and the United States - as announced earlier - and Denmark had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution, which had no financial implications. She added that no amendments had been submitted to the text. A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 10 61. Mr. PERUGINI (Italy) and Mr, COLL (Ireland) announced that they wished to join the sponsors of the draft resolution. 62. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objections, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 6 3. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.31 was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.32 64. Mr. BELL (Canada), Mr. PERUGINI (Italy), Mrs. FLOREZ PRIDA (Cuba) and Mr. AL-HADDAWI (Iraq) announced that they would join the sponsors of the draft resolution. 65. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Bolivia and Senegal - as announced earlier - and Canada, Cuba, Iraq and Italy had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution. There were no financial implications and no amendments had been submitted to the text. 66. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objections, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 6 7. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.32 was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 98* OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.24, L.34) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.24 68. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) pointed out that there was an amendment to the final preambular paragraph whereby, following the word "integration", the words "as well as for efforts to address the causes of refugee situations" should be inserted. 69. Mr. COLE (Sierra Leone) pointed out that that amendment should in fact be inserted at the end of the paragraph. 70. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objections, he would take it that the draft resolution would be adopted without a vote. 71. Pratt resolution A/C.3/38/L.24, as amended, was adopted without a vote. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.34 72. Mr. HOPPE (Denmark) said that at the 56th meeting the representative of Ethiopia had proposed several changes to the draft resolution which had since been carefully considered by his delegation and the other sponsors. However, he repeated that the draft resolution was the result of negotiations and he considered A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 11 (Mr. Hoppe, Denmark) that it reflected a careful balance among various points of view. It was to be hoped that the representative of Ethiopia, in a spirit of under ending and co-operation, would consider the possibility of not insisting on his amendments. 73. Mr. PERESSA (Ethiopia) said that he, too, had participated in the negotiations that had resulted in the submission of that document and that he had no intention whatsoever of upsetting the delicate balance and the consensus achieved. He had made some proposals at the 56th meeting in order to draw attention to the situation, needs and aspirations of the persons concerned, namely, the refugees. Such additions appeared necessary in view of the growing tendency, which should be halted as soon as possible, to utilize the humanitarian problem of the refugees to obtain political and financial advantages. Because the developing countries, particularly, the least developed countries like his own, needed economic, technical and financial assistance, there was a danger that, if due importance was not given to the real needs of refugees, as was currently the case, the problem would be perpetuated. There was no doubt that everyone wished to live in a world where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would not be needed, because there were no longer any refugees and, in that case, the High Commissioner would surely be the first to welcome the elimination of the Office. But that goal was still remote and every effort must be made to arrive at a lasting solution of the problem. He believed that the greatest aspiration of uprooted persons was to return to their homes, when possible, and everyone therefore considered that the best solution was voluntary repatriation. Consequently, his delegation wished to remove obstacles which tended to restrict the assistance given for that purpose. 74. Other proposals submitted on the previous day were aimed at preventing violations of the basic rights of refugees, in particular by mean of direct or indirect pressures which were detrimental to their security and well-being. In recent years, it had been seen how the illegal activities which refugees found themselves obliged to carry out helped to worsen inter-State relations and increase international tensions. Another aspect of the problem was the use of refugees to work for the benefit of others, and it was to be hoped that UNHCR would take that aspect clearly into account in its approach to the refugee problem. His delegation would not insist on inclusion of the proposals which it had made the day before, on condition that its points of view were suitably reflected in the record of the meeting. 75. Mr. KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said he was fully aware of the intense efforts made to achieve a text which would be acceptable to the Committee. In view of the statements made the previous day by Ethiopia and Denmark, he found it necessary to say that he could accept all Ethiopia's amendments without difficulty, in particular the proposed amendment to operative paragraph 7 on voluntary repatriation. It had clearly been agreed throughout the discussions that the principle of voluntary repatriation was the natural and lasting solution to the problem. He thought the proposed amendment to operative paragraph 7 would improve the text and contribute significantly to that solution. Although he regretted that the sponsors of the draft had difficulty in accepting the amendments, he would not insist on their introduction so that consensus could be achieved. A/C.3/38/SR.S7 English Page 12 76. Mr. NABIEL (Afghanistan) , agreeing with previous speakers, said that the humanitarian assistance which UNHCR gave to refugees should not lead to a worsening of the existing situation. According to some reports, it said had been used in the interests of criminals and mercenaries. The assistance given by some Governments had been offered generously to people who were not refugees according to the terms of the international conventions on refugees. He did not wish to propose any idea which went against the balance achieved in the draft resolution, but he would have preferred the amendments proposed by Ethiopia to be included. 77. Mr. HOPPE (Denmark), speaking on behalf of the sponsors of the draft resolution and his own delegation, thanked the representatives of Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Afghanistan for their co-operative spirit in not insisting on the amendments proposed by the Ethiopian delegation. He pointed out a small technical mistake in the eighth preambular paragraph, the text of which should reads "Acknowledging with appreciation the note of the Executive Committee on the strengthening of the UNHCR's management policy submitted by the High Commissioner 4/ and the High Commissioner's efforts to strengthen the management of his Office,". 78. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Bolivia, the Congo, the Federal Republic of Germany, Honduras and Zaire had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution. 79. The CHAIRMAN said that if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 80. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.34, as amended, was adopted without a vote. 81. Mr. RIZVI (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) thanked the Committee for adopting the draft resolution without a vote, thus achieving consensus once again. He expressed admiration for the understanding attitude of the representatives of Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Afghanistan, and thanked the representative of Denmark for the excellent job he had done. It was also extremely gratifying that the draft had been adopted by consensus under the chairmanship of the representative of a country which was well-acquainted with the refugee problem. AGENDA ITEM 99: INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST TRAFFIC IN DRUGS: REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.33) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.33 82. Mr. NABIEL (Afghanistan) said that his delegation wished to join the sponsors of the draft resolution. 83. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Australia, Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago had also joined the sponsors of the draft resolution. A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 13 84. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 85. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.33 was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 100: ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES AND WAYS AND MEANS WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS (continued) (A/C.3/38/L.25, L.26 and L.46) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.25 86. The CHAIRMAN pointed out that document A/C.3/38/L.46 contained an amendment to the draft resolution. 87. Mrs. FLOREZ PRIDA (Cuba) proposed that the draft resolution be considered in the afternoon so that a final consultation could be held to ascertain the views of all the sponsors. 88. The CHAIRMAN said that if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to postpone decision on the draft resolution until the afternoon. 89. It was so deeded. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.26 90. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that Ecuador, New Zealand and Peru had joined the sponsors of the draft resolution. She pointed out that an amendment had been made to operative paragraph 1, from which the word "useful" should be deleted. 91. Mrs. CASTRO de BARISH (Costa Rica) and Mr. AL-HADDAWI (Iraq) said that their delegations wished to join the sponsors of the draft resolution. 92. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 93. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.26 was adopted without a vote. AGENDA ITEM 12: REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (continued) (A/38/3 (Parts I, II and III), A/38/106, 147 and Add.1 and 2, A/38/166 and Add.1, 2 and 3, A/38/221, 270, 25, 385 and Add.1, A/38/422, 479, 480, 485, 503, 529 and 538: A/C.3/38/1, 3, 5 and 8, A/C.3/38/L.36, L.37/Rev.l, L.43-L.45 and L.47-L.49) Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.36 94. Mrs. DOWNING (Secretary of the Committee) said that the financial implications of the draft resolution appeared in document A/C.3/38/L.49 and that Bolivia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Greece, Mali and Mauritania had joined its sponsors. A change had been made in the first line of the penultimate preambular paragraph, where the word "second" should be replaced by "third". A/C.3/38/SR.57 English Page 14 95. Mr. AIDARRA (Senegal) said that his delegation wished to join the sponsors of the draft resolution. 96. The CHAIRMAN said that, if he heard no objection, he would take it that the Committee wished to adopt the draft resolution without a vote. 97. Draft resolution A/C.3/38/L.36, as orally revised, was adopted without a vote. The meeting rose at 1.05 p.m.