The General Assembly,
 
      Reaffirming its resolution 48/180 of 21 December 1993,
 
      Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General concerning policies
and activities related to entrepreneurship, privatization, demonopolization
and administrative deregulation,
 
      Also taking note of chapter VI of the World Economic and Social Survey,
1995,
 
      Further taking note of the report of the Committee on an International
Agreement on Illicit Payments on its first and second sessions, the report of
the Commission on Transnational Corporations on efforts by the United Nations
to address the issue of corrupt practices and work undertaken in other
international forums on the issue of corrupt practices,
 
      Looking forward to the review by the Economic and Social Council of the
report of the Twelfth Meeting of Experts on the United Nations Programme in
Public Administration and Development,
 
      Aware of the need to increase private-sector involvement in the
provision of infrastructure services, inter alia, through joint ventures
between public and private entities, particularly in countries with economies
in transition, while protecting essential services and safeguarding the
environment,
 
      Recognizing the important role of Governments in creating, through
transparent and participatory processes, an enabling environment supportive of
entrepreneurship and facilitative of privatization, in particular in
establishing the judicial, executive and legislative frameworks necessary for
a market-based exchange of goods and services and for good management,
 
      Taking note of the World Ministerial Conference on Organized
Transnational Crime (Naples, 21-23 November 1994 and Buenos Aires, November
1995), and of the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and
the Treatment of Offenders (Cairo, 29 April-8 May 1995), in particular the
consideration by those conferences of the issue of illicit payments in
international business transactions,
 
      Acknowledging the need for international cooperation to deal with the
problem of illicit payments in international business transactions, such as in
the ongoing work of the United Nations on its draft international agreement on
illicit payments, so as to promote accountability and a stable and predictable
international business environment, and acknowledging further that
international efforts in that field require the cooperation of all countries
concerned,
 
      1.    Values the promotion of entrepreneurship in the development of
small and medium-sized enterprises and industries by various actors throughout
civil society, and of privatization, demonopolization and the simplification
of administrative procedures;
 
      2.    Invites Member States, requests the Secretary-General and calls
upon and encourages the relevant organs, organizations and programmes of the
United Nations system to continue to foster active participation in support of
entrepreneurship, privatization, demonopolization and the simplification of
administrative procedures, as described in General Assembly resolution 48/180;
 
      3.    Also invites Member States, requests the Secretary-General and
calls upon and encourages the relevant organs, organizations and programmes of
the United Nations system, in their respective activities for the provision of
infrastructure services, to encourage private-sector cost-effective
involvement in the efficient construction, use and maintenance of
infrastructure;
 
      4.    Looks forward to its resumed session in March and April 1996,
during which it will examine public administration and development, and
address the issues contained in its agenda, including the role of public
administration in promoting partnership for development;
 
      5.    Welcomes the continuation of work on illicit payments in relevant
international forums, including the United Nations, taking account of progress
already achieved on that issue;
 
      6.    Recommends that the Economic and Social Council, at its
organizational session of 1996, consider the appropriate time-frame and
procedure for the continuation of the work with a view to completing the draft
international agreement on illicit payments, including consideration of the
draft at the substantive session of 1996 of the Council, and recommends that
the Council report to the Assembly at its fifty-first session;
 
      7.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-second
session, under the item "Sustainable development and international economic
cooperation", a sub-item entitled "Business and development".