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