The 38th floor: Assembly elaborates on 'Agenda for Peace.' (United Nations General Assembly)

The forty-seventh General Assembly, in its final action of the session on 20 September, decided to consider ways and means consistent with the UN Charter to improve cooperation among competent IJN organs in order to strengthen the Organization's role in the promotion of peace.

It adopted a seven-part resolution (47/11/20 B) on the Secretary-General's wide-ranging strategy, "An Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277-S/24111), his report of 23 June 1992, issued in response to a request emanating from the historic 31 January 1992 Security council summit.

The Assembly also decided to consider the use of existing or new machinery to facilitate consideration of any situation - except those being considered by the Security Council - with a view to recommending measures for the peaceful adjustment of such a situation.

The resolution - the culmination of nine months of consultations by the Security Council and subsequent review by the Assembly - dealt with preventive deployment and demilitarized zones, use of the international Court of justice in the peaceful settlement of disputes, special economic problems arising from the implementation of preventive or enforcement measures, post-conflict peacebuilding, cooperation with regional arrangements and organizations, and safety of UN peace-keeping personnel.

An Agenda for Peace" sets out proposals for strengthening UN effectiveness in discharging its responsibilities under the Charter. The proposals, Secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali has stated, form "a consistent and integrated set of measures to address human security in all its aspects".

In the resolution, the General Assembly urges UN organs, within their respective mandates, to consider implementing preventive deployment and/or establishing a demilitarized zone to prevent conflict and promote efforts to achieve the peaceful settlement of disputes. States are encouraged to consider making greater use of the international Court of Justice for the peaceful settlement of disputes, and to consider the possibility of accepting the Court's jurisdiction.

Special economic problems

The Assembly decided to continue its examination of ways to implement Article 50 of the Charter, with a view to solving special economic problems of other Member States when preventive or enforcement measures were decided upon by the Security Council against a State. Article 50 states that, if the Council takes preventive or enforcement measures against any State, any other State, whether a UN member or not, "which finds itself confronted with Special economic problems arising from the carrying out Of those measures shall have the right to consult" the Council with regard to a solution of those problems.)

The Council was invited to consider measures, within the UN system and involving international financial institutions, to solve special economic problems of States arising from the carrying out of Council measures.

Council committees and other bodies that monitor the implementation of preventive - and enforcement measures should take into account the, need to avoid unnecessary adverse consequences for other Member States, "without prejudice to the effectiveness of such measures".

Peace-building

The Assembly emphasized that post-conflict peacebuilding should be carried out in accordance with the Charter, in particular the principles of sovereign equality and political independence of states, territorial integrity and non-intervention in matters essentially within the jurisdiction of any State. it should be undertaken on the basis of agreements ending conflicts or reached after conflicts, or at the request of Governments concerned.

Regional bodies were encouraged to consider ways for promoting closer cooperation and coordination with the UN.

Expressing grave concern over the growing number of fatalities and injuries among UN peace-keeping and other personnel resulting from deliberate hostile actions in dangerous areas of deployment, the Assembly decided to consider further steps to enhance the status and safety of UN personnel.

Following the resolution's adoption, the Secretary-general told delegates the text would help to strengthen capacity to respond to a world in a state of rapid transition.

He was moving to implement all recommendations made on An Agenda for Peace" by various intergovernmental organizations involved. He had set up an interdepartmental task force to work out practical measures in response to specific decisions by the Council and the Assembly

UN work in the social and economic field was inseparable from its responsibility to promote international peace and security, he said, adding that he intended to explore those linkages further and develop a more comprehensive concept of international peace and security in the forthcoming Agenda for Development".

In the post-cold-war period, he emphasized, the world needed in new system of maintaining international peace and security. The Assembly had taken a step towards realizing a new, international consensus and framework for action in the field of international peace and security. He hoped that the implementation process would proceed vigorously. He would do all he could to facilitate it.

Nabil Elaraby of Egypt, Chairman of the Informal Open-Ended Working Group created by the Assembly President to deal with An Agenda for Peace", said that while the "Agenda" aimed at improving the UN's capacity for preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping, and post-conflict peace-building, the resolution aimed at elaborating upon and refining the Secretary-general's proposals.