The 1985 assembly: a message of solidarity and hope.

The 1985 Assembly: A Message of Solidarity and Hope

UNIVERSAL condemnation of international terrorism, adoption of an international convention against apartheid in sports, and the convening of world meetings on drug abuse, sanctions against South Africa and the critical economic situation in Africa were among notable achievements of the 1985 General Assembly--a session that reflected a more co-operative attitude than in recent years, it was widely observed.

"The united stand taken on such plagues as terrorism and illicit drug traffic testified to a sense of common interest in a civilized international life", Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar said in his year-end message.

The 1985 session, which marked the fortieth anniversay of the founding of the United Nations, seemed to reaffirm, he declared, that "in a world of interdependence, co-operation between nations is an inescapable necessity and that ]the[ Organization provides the best means to give structure and continuity to that cooperation".

Assembly President Jaime de Pinies, in a statement closing the three-month session (17 September-18 December), observed that debates in both the plenary and Main Committees had been characterized by an effort to "overcome differences and transmit to the world a message of solidarity in focusing on important and urgent questions". Perhaps, he speculated, "this can be attributed to the commemorative spirit of the session".

That spirit was reflected in the speeches of some 230 world leaders, including 35 Heads of State and 33 Prime Ministers, who addressed the Assembly during the three-week general debate (23 September-11 October) and the special fortieth anniversay commemorative period (14-24 October) (see UN chronicle 1985, Nos. 9 and 10/11).

"In congregating here", said the Secretary-General, "national leaders demonstrated their clear recognition that the concerns of the global society are every nation's concern and that no response to them will be viable if it is fragmented or racked by parochial considerations".

Not only was it the United Nations fortieth birthday, it was also the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. The Assembly marked the occasion with a special commemorative meeting on 16 October.

"In the period marked by this dual commemoration, truly dynamic changes have taken place in world affairs as a result of decolonization", affirmed Assembly President de Pinies. Both he and the Secretary-General stressed, however, that peaceful settlement of the Namibian situation remained a foremost responsibility of the international community.

But the "most notable expression of international solidarity" during the session, according to the Secretary-General, was the Assembly's unanimous condemnation of terrorism "wherever and by whomever committed". In an action described by President de Pinies as "truly historic", the Assembly on 9 December called on the world community not to engage in or assist international terrorist activities, and to co-operate closely in the apprehension and prosecution of those responsible for such acts.

Nine days later, the Security Council, also acting unanimously, condemned "all acts of hostage-taking and abduction" and called for the safe release of all hostages being held worldwide.

"At a time when the world-wides escalation of acts of terrorism in all its forms endagers or takes innocent human lives, it is particularly gratifying", said the Secretary-General, "that during this fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, all Member States have found it possible to agree on how to deal with an issue of such importance for the international community".

The resolution "brought to the surface the shared interest of all Member States in restoring stability to international life", Mr Perez de Cuellar told correspondents on 18 December.

On 24 October, at the end of its special fortieth anniversary commemorative period, the Assembly proclaimed 1986 as the International Year of Peace, affirming that "promotion of peace is the primary purpose of the United Nations" and calling on all peoples to join in "resolute efforts to safeguard peace and the future of humanity". The Year was to be commemorated "in the most appropriate forum", and States and international organizations have been asked to do their utmost to implement the provisions of the 12 November 1984 Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace.

Other action

Among the international meetings approved by the 1985 Assembly is a ministerial-level International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to be held in 1984 in Vienna--an idea initiated in May 1985 by the Secretary-General. The Conference is mandated to generate universal action to combat the drug problem "in all its forms at the national, regional and international levels" and to adopt a comprehensive programme for fighting drug traffic and abuse.

A special ministerial-level Assembly session on the critical situation in africa in May 1986 is to focus on solutions to medium- and long-range development challenges facing the African countries. The Secretary-General told the Assembly that despite an "almost unprecedented effort" over the past year to mobilize the international community in common action with the peoples and governments of Africa, "the emergency situation in Africa is not over". The drought emergency had highlighted the seriousness of the underlying development crisis on the continent, he said, calling on the international community to "attack the fundamental problem of long-term development with the same sense of collective urgency which characterized the response to the drought".

A conference on the interrelationship between disarmament and development--another issue of major concern to developing, as well as developed, countries--is scheduled for 15 July-2 August 1986 in Paris. The Assembly also decided that at its 1986 session it would set the date for a third special session of the Assembly on disarmament.

In addition, the Assembly called for the convening of the Conference on the Implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace in Colombo, Sri Lanka, not later than 1988. It had previously asked that it be held in 1986.

Sports convention: The adoption on 10 December of the 22-article International Convention against Apartheid in Sports, under consideration since 1977, was widely hailed as another important action of the 1985 session. Submitting the text to the Assembly, Ernest Besley Maycock of Barbados said: "It is particularly timely ... that we have been able to reach agreement on the draft convention at this stage when the evil system of aprtheid is under such diverse pressure".

But support for the Convention, by which States Parties agree not to permit any sports contact with a country practising apartheid, was not unqualified. Some of the 24 delegations which abstained in the vote--125 in favour to none against--said that although they vehemently opposed apartheid and maintained a policy of banning sports contacts with South Africa, they could not endorse the infringement on certain freedoms which the text implied.

Youth, women: In honour of International Youth Year (1985), which had as its theme "Participation, Development and Peace", the Assembly convened for four days (13-15 and 18 November) as the World Conference of International Youth Year (1985). That event, like the fortieth anniversary, gave the world community a chance to "reaffirm our commitment to multilateralisms and international co-operation in a peaceful world", said Mr. de Pinies, "and to reinforce our recognition of the invaluable contribution that youth can make in shaping the future of mankind."

The results of another global meeting held in 1985--the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women (1975-1985)--were endorsed by the Assembly, which approved a series of recommendations for implementing the "Forward-Looking Strategies" to the year 2000, adopted in Nairobi for bettering the situation of women everywhere.

Budget: The 1985 Assembly approved a $1.663 billion budget for the 1986-1987 biennium and took steps to avert a financial crisis. It considered the possible consequences of recent legislation by the United States that would reduce its annual assessed contribution from 25 per cent to 20 per cent of the budget beginning in 1986 unless weighted voting were instituted by the United Nations on all budgetary matters.

"If the amount withheld is of the size foreseen in the legislation in question it will place the financial viability of the United Nations under enormous strain", the Secretary-General told the Assembly, observing that unilateral decisions to reduce assessed contributions went against the principles of the United Nations Charter. "Such withholding would inevitably have a political effect on the strength and potential of the Organization", he said, indicating that unless the aforementioned legislation were rescinded, it might be necessary to reconvene the Assembly and the Fifth Committee early in 1986.

An 18-member high-level group of experts was established to review the administrative and financial affairs of the Organization with an eye to improving its functioning in areas "which would contribute to strengthening the effectiveness of the United Nations in dealing with political, economic and social issues".

Session suspended: Concern over the continuing global economic and financial crisis was reflected in the Assembly's decision on 17 December to reconvene its Second Committee for one week immediately prior to the first regular 1986 session of the Economic and Social Council (29 April-23 May). It was envisaged that the resumed session would give "in-depth consideration to ways in which international co-operation in the interrelated fields of money, finance, debt, resource...