waldron@newport.rutgers.edu (James Waldron) (10/28/89)
system to the AIDS pandemic.
DAVID BRUCE PAYTON (New Zealand) said the Council had had its
fare of successes -- useful, focused debates and well formulated
resolutions. However, it had also registered shortcomings. "We
do not consider that the Council as it presently operates has
lived up to the expectations of the founders of this
Organization", he said. It must be revitalized. It should be
forced to focus in an innovative and relevant way on the priority
needs of the United Nations membership and the international
community rather than being locked into inappropriate agendas,
procedures and practices.
The dramatic increase in international community interest in
environmental questions, especially the relationship between the
environment and sustainable development, offered to the Council
an opportunity to demonstrate its relevance, he said. If the
Council was to be seen by the membership as worthy of the status
conferred on it by the Charter, it must demonstrate the
relevance of its activities. He invited members of the Council
to reflect on which of its past resolutions had contributed to
the vitality and relevance of the United Nations system.
SAEED MOHAMED AL-FAIHANI (Bahrain) said Israeli economic
practices in the occupied Palestinian territories paralysed the
possibilities for Palestinians in the occupied territories. The
occupying authorities had tried to make the Palestinian economy
dependent on the Israeli economy by denying licences for
economic institutions to Palestinians. The repressive measures
of the Israelis, including high tariffs and taxes, prevented the
Palestinians from building their own economic base. The dumping
of Israeli products in the occupied territories had led to a
balance-of-payments deficit of $600 million in 1988. The
occupation authorities had expropriated land belonging to
Palestinians and had monopolized water resources.
The Secretary-General should continue to submit reports on
conditions in the occupied territories in the future, he said.
Israeli practices before and after the intifidah must be studied
so the international community could become aware of Israeli
policies, which attempted to eliminate the identity of
the Palestinian people. The international community should
increase its support to the Palestinians, in co-operation with
the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). All countries,
particularly the European Economic Community (EEC), should open
their markets to agricultural products from the territories. As
long as "settler colonialism" continued, the Palestinian people
could not fulfil their national aspirations.
SADIQ M. BEN SADIQ (Libya) said he was concerned that the
Council's report had not been distributed in time for in-depth
consideration. He supported the proposals of the report,
stressing the importance of the resolution calling for the
revitalization of the Council. The last decade had been
characterized by grave economic problems highlighting the
importance of the Economic and Social Council in the United
Nations system. Many developing countries had tried development
programmes but they had failed due to some practices of
developed countries such as protectionism.
Progress in the international political sphere, he went on, had
not been reflected in the economic situation. The developing
countries still faced external debt problems. Concerning
environmental questions, he said the developed countries had
created pollution problems in the world, and should contribute
financially to the programmes of the developing countries to
protect the environment. He said the international development
strategy for the fourth United Nations development Decade was
important because, without a concerted effort, it was impossible
to eliminate poverty. Finally, he stressed the importance of
the resolution which had declared a second decade for
industrialization in Africa.
PETER FISCHER (Australia) said General Assembly resolutions on
AIDS over the past three years had given much needed prominence
to the disease, and had underscored the work of WHO. Australia
had announced last August a $A 319 million national AIDS
strategy, which contained six key elements: education,
prevention, treatment, care and counselling, access and
participation, and research and international co-operation.
Australia recognized that government programmes must ensure that
affected people were not blamed, and that those most at risk
were included in the programmes.
Addressing issues of food and agriculture, he said the world
agricultural trade system was in urgent need of reform.
Protectionism harmed non-subsidising agricultural exporters,
such as the developing countries, and also resulted in huge
costs to countries pursuing protectionist policies. Finally, he
said, in discussing the revitalization of the Economic and Social
Council, Member States should ask themselves what the objectives
of the Organization's economic and social activity should be.
The linkages between the Council and the Second and Third
Committees of the General Assembly should be explored. The
agenda of organizational change should be based not on
cost-cutting but on achieving results, and any savings should be
reinvested in priority areas.
REUVEN HILLEL (Israel) said a major international effort would
be required in order to establish effective plans aimed at
increasing the global volume of food production. The problems
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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