UN General Assembly Resolutions: Resolution 47/12

The General Assembly,

Recalling its previous resolutions on the promotion of cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States,1/

Recalling the decision of the Council of the League of Arab States that it considers the League as a regional organization within the meaning of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations,

Noting with appreciation the desire of the League of Arab States to consolidate and develop the existing ties with the United Nations in all areas relating to the maintenance of international peace and security, and to cooperate in every possible way with the United Nations in the implementation of United Nations resolutions relating to Lebanon and to the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East,

Aware of the vital importance for the countries members of the League of Arab States of achieving a just, comprehensive and durable solution to the Middle East conflict and the question of Palestine, the core of the conflict,

Welcoming the peace process concerning the Middle East, which commenced in the convening of the conference at Madrid in 1991, with a view to achieving a comprehensive and just settlement of the Middle East conflict, the core of which is the question of Palestine,

Realizing that the strengthening of international peace and security is directly related, inter alia, to economic development, disarmament, decolonization, self- determination and the eradication of all forms of racism and racial discrimination,

Convinced that the maintenance and further strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States contribute to the promotion of the purposes and principles of the United Nations,

Also convinced of the need for more efficient and coordinated utilization of available economic and financial resources to promote common objectives of the two organizations,

Recognizing the need for closer cooperation between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations in realizing the goals and objectives set forth in the Strategy for Joint Arab Economic Development adopted by the Eleventh Arab Summit Conference, held at Amman in November 1980,2/

Having heard the statement by the Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States to the United Nations on 29 October 1992 3/ concerning cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States, and having noted the emphasis placed therein on follow-up actions and procedures on the recommendations in the political, social, cultural and administrative fields adopted at the meetings between the representatives of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations and the secretariats of the United Nations and other organizations of the United Nations system, as well as on the recommendations relating to political matters contained in the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly,

1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General;1/

2. Commends the continued efforts of the League of Arab States to promote multilateral cooperation among Arab States and requests the United Nations system to continue to lend its support;

3. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the follow-up action taken by him to implement the proposals adopted at the meetings between the representatives of the secretariats of the United Nations and other organizations of the United Nations system and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, held at Tunis in 1983,4/ at Amman in 1985 5/ and at Geneva in 1988;6/

4. Expresses its appreciation also to the Secretary-General for his efforts to implement Security Council resolution 425 (1978) of 19 March 1978 and commends the League of Arab States and its Tripartite High Committee for their endeavours to promote the peace process and reconstruction efforts in Lebanon;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to strengthen cooperation with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States for the purpose of implementing United Nations resolutions relating to the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East in order to achieve a just, comprehensive and durable solution to the Middle East conflict and the question of Palestine, the core of the conflict;

6. Requests the Secretariat of the United Nations and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, within their respective fields of competence, to intensify further their cooperation towards the realization of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the strengthening of international peace and security, economic development, disarmament, decolonization, self-determination and the eradication of all forms of racism and racial discrimination;

7. Also requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and other organizations and agencies of the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations in order to enhance their capacity to serve the mutual interests of the two organizations in the political, economic, social, humanitarian, cultural and administrative fields;

8. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to coordinate the follow-up action to facilitate the implementation of the proposals of a multilateral nature adopted at the Tunis meeting in 1983, and to take appropriate action regarding the proposals adopted at previous meetings, including the following:

(a) Promotion of contacts and consultations between the counterpart programmes of the United Nations system;

(b) Setting up joint sectoral inter-agency working groups;

9. Calls upon the specialized agencies and other organizations and programmes of the United Nations system:

(a) To continue to cooperate with the Secretary-General and among themselves, as well as with the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, in the follow-up of multilateral proposals aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation in all fields between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations;

(b) To maintain and increase contacts and improve the mechanism of consultation with the counterpart programmes, organizations and agencies concerned regarding projects and programmes, in order to facilitate their implementation;

(c) To associate whenever possible with organizations and institutions of the League of Arab States in the execution and implementation of development projects in the Arab region;

(d) To inform the Secretary-General, not later than 15 May 1993, of the progress of their cooperation with the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations, in particular the follow-up action taken on the multilateral and bilateral proposals adopted at the previous meetings between the two organizations;

10. Decides that, in order to intensify cooperation and for the purpose of review and appraisal of progress as well as to prepare comprehensive periodic reports, a general meeting between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States should take place once every two years, and inter-agency sectoral meetings should be organized annually on areas of priority and wide importance in the development of the Arab States;

11. Recommends that the next general meeting on cooperation between the representatives of the secretariats of the United Nations system and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and its specialized organizations should be held during 1993, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the first general meeting of cooperation between the two organizations, and also requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the executive heads of the agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to cooperate with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States for the success of the meeting and the realization of its objectives;

12. Also recommends that the United Nations and the other organizations of the United Nations system should utilize Arab expertise to the extent possible in projects undertaken in the Arab region;

13. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in cooperation with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, to encourage periodic consultation between representatives of the Secretariat of the United Nations and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to review and strengthen coordination mechanisms with a view to accelerating implementation and follow-up action of multilateral projects, proposals and recommendations adopted by the meetings between the two organizations;

14. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session a progress report on the implementation of the present resolution;

15. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-eighth session the item entitled "Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States".

* * *



1/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Forth-seventh Session, Annexes, agenda item 8, document A/47/250, paras. 36 and 37.

2/ Ibid., agenda item 145, document A/47/243.

3/ Ibid., agenda item 8, document A/47/250/Add.1, para.1.

4/ Ibid., para. 2.

5/ Ibid., document A/47/250/Add.3, para. 1.

6/ Ibid., para. 2.




RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 47/12: 119-2-1

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.

Against: Israel, United States.

Abstaining: San Marino.

Absent: Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho*, Liberia, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritania*, Mauritius*, Mongolia*, Mozambique*, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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* Later advised the Secretariat that it had intended to vote in favour.