47th General Assembly: increased responsibilities, a wider, more practical role - becoming a functional world parliament.

With unprecedented responsibilities for maintaining international peace and security being thrust upon the UN, the forty-seventh General Assembly was summoned to take a more dynamic and practical role in mapping the political, economic and social activities of the post-cold-war world.

"The General Assembly is facing a historic challenge: to truly become a functional world parliament on the basis of the United Nations Charter", asserted Assembly President Stoyan Ganev of Bulgaria, before suspending the 14-week session on 23 December.

"Clearly, one of the more significant implications of the post-cold-war geopolitical realignment presently under way is an increased practical role for the General Assembly in world activities", he told the world body, whose membership had reached 179, with the addition of 20 States between September 1991 and September 1992.

"The countries of the world", he said, "have assigned to the United Nations the heavy responsibilities of maintaining international peace and security, as well as of addressing a wide range of global, regional and local problems."

The long-awaited global chemical weapons ban--the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction--was commended by the Assembly.

The new treaty, which was elaborated for more than 10 years by the 40-member, Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, was opened for signature in Paris on 13 January 1993 at a ceremony attended by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

"The Convention on Chemical Weapons is the first disarmament agreement negotiated within a multilateral framework", said Mr. Boutros-Ghali at the signing ceremony. "The scope of this multilateral Convention, the obligations assumed by the States parties, and the system of verification envisaged for its implementation are unprecedented."

The bulk of the session's substantive work was accomplished in the Assembly's seven main committees. Continuing a trend that has been building in recent years, committee debate was "without exception ... characterized by an atmosphere of cooperation", said Mr. Ganev. "Even discussions on subjects that traditionally have been most contentious, such as those involving the Middle East conflict, were marked by a new, more conciliatory tone."

Some three quarters of the 276 resolutions adopted during 94 plenary meetings were approved by consensus, roughly the same proportion as in the two previous sessions.

Continuing crises

The forty-seventh session, which opened on 15 September, witnessed the continuing horrors of famine in Somalia and the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Crises like these, said Mr. Ganev, "ceaselessly tear at people's hearts and they, in turn, look to their respective leaders and to the United Nations for solutions".

Taking action towards those solutions, the Assembly welcomed the convening of an international conference on Somalia and called for the Security Council to consider the use of "all necessary means" to restore sovereignty to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first resolution of the session (47/1), adopted by recorded vote on 19 September, had contained the unusual decision to bar Yugoslavia from participating in the work of the Assembly. In 1974, South Africa was the first State to be barred from participation by a President's ruling.

In other important action, the Assembly: dispatched an observer team to monitor elections in Eritrea; called for aid efforts to be maintained in Mozambique, where a new UN peace-keeping operation--known by the acronym ONUMOZ--was launched on 16 December; and again supported the convening of an international peace conference on the Middle East, under UN auspices and with equal participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which would contribute to the promotion of peace in that region.

The Assembly called for respect for the commitments of the Peace Accords in Angola in a text reaffirming a zone of peace and cooperation in the South Atlantic--the region situated between Africa and South America.

New and ongoing political, humanitarian and human rights problems around the globe were also addressed, including, for the first time, the situation in Estonia and Latvia--two former Soviet republics.

Strong ties between the UN and regional organizations were of increasing importance to peace-keeping and related efforts. For example, the Secretary-General was asked to cooperate with the Organization of American States (OAS) to solve the crisis in Haiti in a text (47/20) strongly condemning the attempted illegal replacement of that country's constitutional President.

The Assembly also called for more cooperation between the UN and the OAS (47/11), the Organization of African Unity (4 71148), the Organization of the Islamic Conference League of Arab States (47/12), the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (47/10) and the Latin American Economic System (47/13).

Novel agendas

Two novel agendas were also central to the proceedings: the Secretary-General's report, "An Agenda for Peace", and "Agenda 21 ", the comprehensive action plan adopted at the June 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali's "An Agenda for Peace"--a blueprint for the future structure and activities of the Organization as requested by the Security Council summit meeting of january 1992-prompted widespread discussions in plenary on the future of UN peace-keeping.

The Assembly on 18 December encouraged (47/120) consultations between the Secretary-General and the Security Council at an early stage to develop strategies for the peaceful settlement of specific disputes.

It wanted: adequate early-warning mechanisms for situations likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security; expeditious consideration of requests from Member States for UN fact-finding and other missions: strengthening of the Organization's capacity to coordinate planning of humanitarian assistance programmes and peace-keeping or related operations; and exploration of ways the Assembly could influence the pre-emption or containment of any situation that might lead to international friction or dispute.

While a strong consensus existed on many of the ideas enshrined in "An Agenda for Peace", the Secretary-General's proposals for preventive deployment of UN forces were controversial. However, Assembly debate on that issue was somewhat overtaken by events. On 11 December, the Council approved the first ever preventive deployment of UN troops to guard against the eruption of conflict in Macedonia.

"Some countries worry that preventive deployment will interfere with sovereignty", said Benon Sevan, Assistant-Secretary-General of the Department of Political Affairs, "but people's conception of sovereignty is bound to change", he added, drawing attention to the Agenda, which states that the time of absolute and exclusive sovereignty had passed.

Many developing nations called for the Secretary-General to draw up an "agenda for development" to complement his "An Agenda for Peace". The Assembly asked for a report on that proposal in 1993, including an analysis and recommendations on the relationship between the UN and the Bretton Woods institutions in the promotion of international cooperation for development.

The Assemly on 22 December called for the establishment of a new Commission on Sustainable Development to oversee the implementation of "Agenda 21". It also endorsed the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and a non-binding statement on the global management of forests agreed at the Conference.

Humanitarian aid

An extraordinary increase in complex crises involving ethnic and civil strife required the UN in 1992 to take a stronger, more comprehensive role in the provision of relief assistance. Humanitarian issues had been elevated to a high priority through the creation of a new department of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by Under-Secretary-General Jan Eliasson of Sweden who, as Emergency Relief Coordinator, was in charge of coordinating the UN system's emergency relief operations and a new $50-million Central Emergency Revolving Fund.

"Far-reaching changes internationally and within the United Nations are essential if the world wishes to minimize the suffering of populations trapped by civil-war induced starvation", said Mr. Eliasson on 14 January 1993. The recent developments are "a sign that humanitarian affairs are a crucial issue and a sign that Member States are ready to accord this role to the UN".

To help make UN response to humanitarian crises more effective, the Assembly recommended establishment of a central register of specialized personnel, equipment and supplies to enhance the stand-by capacity for emergency relief.

It also sought increased contributions to the Revolving Fund and consolidated appeals, a tool by which the resource needs of all humanitarian agencies are combined to avoid multiplicity of individual appeals, allowing for greater coordination and prioritization.

In 1992, the UN issued consolidated appeals for humanitarian crises amidst wars in Afghanistan, Angola, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Iraq, Liberia, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Yugoslavia, as well as appeals on behalf of several former Soviet republics.

The Assembly also considered an unusually large number of appeals for emergency assistance during the session: 5 of 13 new agenda items related to international assistance to help mitigate natural disasters and the impact of war and other emergencies in countries such as Afghanistan, Croatia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Nicaragua.

People-centred UN

Further augmenting what the Secretary-General has called an increasingly "people-centred" focus of the UN, the Assembly decided to convene in 1995 the World Summit for Social Development. The Summit, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, will primarily seek ways to alleviate poverty, expand productive employment and enhance social integration in all societies.

The Assembly also approved a provisional agenda for the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna (see special section on human rights, pp. 91-98). Other upcoming conferences and observances acted on by the Assembly include: the International Year of the World's Indigenous People (1993); UN Year for Tolerance (1994): international Conference on Population and Development 1995); UN Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II) (1996); Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing Countries (1994); World Day for Water (22 March),. and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October).

Further highlighting the unique needs of the world's diverse humanity, 10 plenary meetings were devoted to four special commemorations: the conclusion of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (12 and 13 October); the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the International Plan of Action on Ageing (15 and 16 October); observance of World AIDS Day (1 December); and opening ceremonies of the International Year of the World's Indigenous People (10 December).

On each occasion, representatives of non-governmental organizations and other speakers were allowed to address delegations. Indeed, for the special session on the Decade of Disabled Persons, wheelchair access was provided and all speeches were signed so that persons with disabilities could, for the first time, participate in an Assembly meeting.

Restructuring

The tumultuous changes taking place in world affairs have not occurred in isolation from the Organization itself. An agenda item on the equitable representation on and increase in membership of the Security Council, inscribed in 1979, was acted on for the first time by the 47th Assembly, which asked for input from Member States on the issue (47/62).

Recognizing the changes in the international political situation and in UN membership, some speakers in debate said the current composition of the Council was no longer valid. Many said a change to a more representative Council would enhance its credibility, legitimacy and moral authority.

Moreover, the Assembly must "seriously consider its own future", said President Ganev, who was engaged in consultations on "practical improvements" that could be instituted. It "must do more than promote and reflect the expression of good intentions on the part of its Member States by merely passing resolutions", he said. It must be "empowered with mechanisms for implementing the decisions it takes".

No other single reform within the UN system, Mr. Ganev concluded, "would ultimately be as effective in establishing the legal legitimacy and moral force of the Organization; in creating the conditions for realizing the goals of conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy; and in delivering development assistance, technical aid, or humanitarian relief".

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General continued a process of Secretariat reorganization that had characterized his first year in office. In December, he announced the creation of three new departments in New York in the economic and social sector: the Department of Development Support and Management Services headed by Ji Chaozhu of China); the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development (headed by Nitin Desai of India); and the Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis (headed by Jean-Claude Milleron of France).

Expert panel

This followed the conclusion on 22 November of the work of a panel of high-level independent experts, established by the Secretary-General in August to advise him on the reform of Secretariat structures in the economic and social field. The Secretary-General accepted the panel's recommendation that he designate a high-level official to oversee the next phase of Secretariat reform, naming Kenneth K. S. Dadzie, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, for that task.

The Assembly also had established a working group to consider restructuring the UN in the economic and social fields, and would hear from the ad hoc body when it completes its consultations in 1993.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali told the Fifth Committee that there was a need for "a more rational distribution of responsibilities between Headquarters and UN Centres in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna, as well as among global, regional and field structures". He also intended to create a single UN presence at the national level to carry out "an integrated strategy" in each country where the Organization operates.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General announced on 16 December the elimination of four Assistant-Secretary-General posts in the Department of Administration and Management. (These were in addition to 14 high-level posts abolished earlier in the year). The four offices--Programme Planning, Budget and Finance; Conference Services; Human Resources Management; and General Services--will instead be headed by officials at the Director level.

Several recent appointments by the Secretary-General increased the number of high-level women in UN posts: Ibrahima Fall of Senegal was named Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Rights; Elizabeth Dowdeswell of Canada was named Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme; and Gertrude Mongella of the United Republic of Tanzania was named Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.

Other matters

A contentious item during the session was the scale of assessments of Member States to the UN budget. The necessity of a new scale of assessments--as a result of the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and the subsequent admission to the UN of 12 of the 15 former Soviet republics--gave rise to intensive discussions and negotiations in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

In the end, because the recommendations of the Committee on Contributions were challenged by the former republics as being exorbitant, the decision endorsing (471456) those recommendations was, for the first time in many years, adopted by recorded vote rather than by consensus.

Another heated debate ensued over the necessity of ending the United States embargo against Cuba. By a vote of 59 to 3 (Israel, United States, Romania), with 71 abstentions, the Assembly (47/19) called on States to refrain from applying laws or measures affecting the sovereignty of other States and freedom of trade and navigation. It urged those States, which had such laws or measures, to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible.

A touch of glamour at 47th Assembly

Two new UN delegates to the 47th General Assembly--the vivacious lead singer of the "Miami Sound Machine" and a trim, elegant Filipino diplomat--lent a touch of glamour to its often austere parliamentary proceedings.

Cuban-American Gloria Estefan, internationally-known recording star, said she took her presidential appointment as a public delegate of the United States to the Assembly very seriously. "Just seeing how things work at the UN has been a great experience for me", she noted. "Even though things may seem to move very

slowly at times, after having been here during the session, I really feel very optimistic about the role the UN will play in the future of the world."

Ms. Estefan, 34, spent a lot of time in the Assembly's Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues. Her dedication and personal contribution to human needs around the world may stem in part from her Cuban-refugee background.

Moreover, she feels women are particularly well-suited to deal with the work of the Committee because they've been "victims of a lack of human rights throughout the ages. We have a special feeling for it!"

Ms. Estefan, who has travelled the world on her concert tours, has often visited in poverty-stricken areas, accompanied by her husband Emilio and their son, 12-year-old Nayie. She says: "I want him to see the world as it is." They try, she says, to help people on a one-to-one basis. For example, after the devastating Hurricane Andrew, the family rented a truck and personally delivered relief supplies to the storm's victims. "It's easy to write a check, and we did that too. But writing a check doesn't leave you with any good feelings or sense of values."

The new Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations, Narcisa de Leon Escaler, considers her new job "extremely challenging". She said: "There seems to be a concerted effort on the part of all Governments at the world organization, particularly those of powerful nations, to really make the UN an effective instrument of peace and development"; in other words, she added, "to play the role that it was always meant to play".

Ambassador Escaler, 48, has had a distinguished career in both business and government, having been a key aide in the Aquino administration. "Whether you are a man or a woman, just being yourself is a very important trait for a diplomat. Putting on a front or assuming that you know everything will be discovered very early on by your colleagues."

Despite her accomplishments, she does not consider herself a traditional feminist. "I've never been leery of being a woman, with all its feminine connotations. To deny that would be to deny a great part of yourself."

From her outsider's point of view, Ms. Estefan would like to see some changes at the UN. "I can see why there has to be strict protocol in the General Assembly", she says. "But I think it really needs to be streamlined. At the pace that problems are coming up in the world, it should move along much quicker. So, maybe some rules could be established where if 20 countries are going to say the same thing, couldn't they just say |DITTO'? It could save a lot of time", she concluded with a devilish smile.

Ambassador Escaler is pleased with the "hopeful signs" of change developing at the United Nations. "The reform process and the restructuring point to a process of revitalization", she said. "With the changing role of the UN, I find it extremely interesting and challenging to be here in my post. Given the possibilities that we have before us right now, hopefully I too can make a modest contribution."

            The General Assembly: Vital Statistics
                         1987-1992
Total number           Number of    Number of     Number of
Years         Session  of meetings  agenda items  resolutions
                                                  adopted
1987/88       42nd     116          145           324
1988/89       43rd     96           154           324
1989/90       44th     100          161           335
1990/91       45th     82           158           344
1991/92       46th     92           149           305
1992/93(*)    47th     94(*)        152           276(*)
(*) Figures reflect action only up until the Assembly was suspended on 23 Decemb
er 1992.
Decisions on several items are still pending and additional items are still to b
e taken
up at resumed sessions in 1993.