Fourth Committee: peacekeeping, decolonization, outer space reviewed.The General Assembly on 13 December - by affirming that the "efforts of the United Nations in the peaceful settlement (disputes, including through its peacekeeping operations, are indispensable)" - decided to expand the membership of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. In adopting resolution 51/136, the world body also decided that the Special Committee should continue its efforts for a "comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects", so as to enhance the Organization's capacity to fulfil its responsibilities in that field. By another resolution (51/137), the Assembly urged all States that had not yet done so to consider ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to the 1994 Convention on the Safety and Security of United Nations and Associated Personnel, to "bring about the entry into force of the Convention at the earliest possible date". Acting on the recommendation of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization decolonization Process by which colonies become independent of the colonizing country. Decolonization was gradual and peaceful for some British colonies largely settled by expatriates but violent for others, where native rebellions were energized by nationalism. ), the Assembly approved a total of 28 resolutions and 4 decisions related to decolonization, peacekeeping, atomic radiation, United Nations information capacities, peaceful uses of outer space, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), agency of the United Nations, with headquarters in Amman, Jordan. Established in 1949, it replaced the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees in 1950 as the major UN agency in the Near East. By resolution 51/133, one of five on Israeli practices, the Assembly demanded, for the first time, the "complete cessation of all Israeli settlement Israeli settlements are communities inhabited by Israeli Jews in territory that came under Israel's control as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank, which is partially under Israeli military administration[1] activities" in the occupied territories This article is about occupied territory in general: for more specific discussion of the territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, see Israeli-occupied territories. Occupied territories . It also called on Israel to immediately end the closure of those territories and ensure the freedom of movement within the Palestinian territory (51/134), and desist from changing the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure and legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan (51/135). On decolonization, Committee Chairman Alounkeo Kittikhoun of the Lao People's Democratic Republic informed the Assembly that the Fourth Committee, in an effort to break a deadlock between the administering Powers and the Special Committee on decolonization, had deferred until March 1997 action on an omnibus draft resolution related to the 12 Non-Self-Governing Territories. Representatives of the administering Powers had assured him that they sought the deferment deferment Delaying of an obligation. See Default, Medical student debt. Cf Forbearance. solely to further dialogue and attempt to reach consensus on the text. By resolution 51/143, the Assembly expressed continued support for the Secretary-General's efforts to organize a self-determination referendum for Western Sahara Western Sahara, territory (2005 est. pop. 273,000), 102,703 sq mi (266,000 sq km), NW Africa, occupied by Morocco. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Morocco in the north, on Algeria in the northeast, and on Mauritania in the east and south. . It encouraged Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberacion de Saguia el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro Río de O·ro The southern part of Western Sahara in northwest Africa. (POLISARIO Polisario officially Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro Sahrawi political and military group. Initially an insurgent against Spanish control of Western Sahara, it turned to agitation against Morocco and Mauritania when the ) to start direct talks at the earliest possible date. Other texts on decolonization dealt with: foreign economic and other interests which impede the implementation of the 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; military activities and arrangements by colonial and administering Powers in Non-Self-Governing Territories; the role of the United Nations specialized agencies in the implementation of the Declaration on decolonization; information from Non-Self-Governing Territories; and questions of Western Samoa, New Caledonia, Tokelau and Gibraltar. Taking up questions relating to information, the Assembly invited Member States and relevant international organizations to submit to the Secretary-General by 15 March 1997 their "observations and suggestions on ways and means WAYS AND MEANS. In legislative assemblies there is usually appointed a committee whose duties are to inquire into, and propose to the house, the ways and means to be adopted to raise funds for the use of the government. This body is called the committee of ways and means. of furthering the development of communication infrastructures and capabilities in developing countries" (51/138 B). It also encouraged the United Nations Department of Public Information to take "full advantage of recent developments in information technologies, such as the Internet and CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). , in order to improve in a cost-effective, comprehensive and timely manner the dissemination of information on the United Nations, taking into account the linguistic diversity of the Organization". Among other things, the Assembly asked the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to continue increasing knowledge of the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation i·on·i·zing radiation n. High-energy radiation capable of producing ionization in substances through which it passes. Ionizing radiation (51/121), and declared that international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space should be "carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind" (51/122). |
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