Cooperation Between the UN and the Organization of African Unity, G.A. res. 50/158, 50 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 71, U.N. Doc. A/50/49 (Vol. I) (1995).
The General Assembly, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, Recalling the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations on regional arrangements or agencies, which set forth the basic principles governing their activities and establishing the legal framework for cooperation with the United Nations in the area of the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as resolution 49/57 of 9 December 1994, the annex to which contains the Declaration on the Enhancement of Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional Arrangements or Agencies in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security, Recalling also the agreement of 15 November 1965 on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity as updated and signed on 9 October 1990 by the Secretaries-General of the two organizations, Recalling further its resolutions on the enhancement of cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, in particular resolutions 43/12 of 25 October 1988, 43/27 of 18 November 1988, 44/17 of 1 November 1989, 45/13 of 7 November 1990, 46/20 of 26 November 1991, 47/148 of 18 December 1992, 48/25 of 29 November 1993 and 49/64 of 15 December 1994, Recalling that, in its resolutions 46/20, 47/148 and 48/25, it, inter alia, urged the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the relevant agencies of the United Nations system to extend their support for the establishment of the African Economic Community, Recalling also its resolution 48/214 of 23 December 1993 on the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, Taking note of the resolutions, decisions and declarations adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its sixty-second ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 21 to 23 June 1995, and by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its thirty-first ordinary session, held at Addis Ababa from 26 to 28 June 1995, Considering the important statement made by the representative of the current Chairman of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity before the General Assembly on 27 September 1995, Mindful of the need for continued and closer cooperation between the United Nations and its specialized agencies and the Organization of African Unity, in particular in the political, economic, social, technical, cultural and administrative fields, Noting that the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of the Organization of African Unity is developing its capacity in preventive diplomacy, Also noting the efforts of the Organization of African Unity, and the support and assistance of the United Nations, to promote the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts in Africa and the harmonious continuation of the process of democratization, Deeply concerned that, despite the policies of reform being implemented by most African countries, their economic situation remains critical and African recovery and development continue to be severely hindered by the persistence of lower-level commodity prices, the heavy debt burden and the paucity of funding possibilities, Aware of the efforts being made by the Organization of African Unity and its member States in the area of economic integration and of the need to accelerate the process of implementation of the African Economic Community, Deeply concerned also about the gravity of the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Africa and the urgent need for increased international assistance to help refugees and, subsequently, African countries of asylum, Acknowledging the assistance already rendered by the international community, in particular to refugees, displaced persons and African countries of asylum, Recognizing the importance of developing and maintaining a culture of peace, tolerance and harmonious relationships in order to contribute to the prevention of conflicts and wars in Africa, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity and of his efforts to strengthen that cooperation and to implement the relevant resolutions; 2. Notes with appreciation the continued and increasing participation of the Organization of African Unity in the work of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and its constructive contribution to that work; 3. Calls upon the United Nations organs, in particular the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, to continue to involve the Organization of African Unity closely in all their activities concerning Africa; 4. Welcomes the fact that both the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity have agreed to strengthen and broaden their cooperation in measures to prevent and resolve conflicts in Africa, and in this regard invites the United Nations to provide the Organization of African Unity with the necessary support for the promotion of a culture of peace, tolerance and harmonious relationships in Africa; 5. Calls upon the United Nations to coordinate its efforts and to cooperate with the Organization of African Unity in the context of the pacific settlement of disputes and the maintenance of international peace and security in Africa, as provided for under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations; 6. Commends the efforts of the Organization of African Unity to strengthen its capacity in the field of conflict resolution and to operationalize its Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in Africa; 7. Also commends the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity for their ongoing cooperative activities in the resolution of conflicts in Africa, and stresses the need to enhance and strengthen the existing pattern of exchange of information and consultations, especially in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping operations; 8. Invites the United Nations to assist the Organization of African Unity, within existing resources, in strengthening its institutional and operational capacity in the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in Africa, in particular in the following areas: (a) Establishment of an early-warning system; (b) Technical assistance and training of personnel, including a staff exchange programme; (c) Exchange and coordination of information between their respective early-warning systems; (d) Logistical support; (e) Mobilization of financial support; 9. Urges the United Nations to facilitate the participation of the Organization of African Unity in its peacemaking and peace-keeping operations and, with the consent of parties concerned, in joint fact-finding missions in Africa, by providing technical assistance and assisting in the mobilization of financial and logistical support; 10. Notes with appreciation the assistance provided by the United Nations and its agencies to African countries in the context of the democratization process; 11. Urges the United Nations to continue to support the Organization of African Unity in its efforts to manage a peaceful democratic transition in Africa, in particular in the areas of education for democracy, election observation, human rights and freedom, including technical support to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights; 12. Urges all Member States and regional and international organizations, in particular those of the United Nations system, as well as non-governmental organizations, to provide the necessary and appropriate economic, financial and technical assistance to refugees and displaced persons, as well as to African countries of asylum, taking into account recent disquieting developments in this respect; 13. Commends the continued efforts of the Organization of African Unity to promote multilateral cooperation and economic integration among African States, and requests United Nations agencies to continue to support those efforts; 14. Stresses that the economic, technical and development assistance provided to Africa by the organizations of the United Nations system must continue, and emphasizes the current need for those organizations to accord priority to Africa in this field; 15. Urges the Secretary-General, Member States, regional and international organizations, in particular those of the United Nations system, and non-governmental organizations to extend their support to the operations of the African Economic Community and to assist in economic integration and cooperation in Africa; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, in particular in the preparation of the first meeting of the Economic and Social Commission of the African Economic Community, the strengthening of the regional economic communities, and the preparation of the protocols to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, its popularization and the strengthening of its institutional support; 17. Requests the agencies of the United Nations system working in Africa to include in their programmes at the national and regional levels activities that will enhance regional cooperation in their respective areas and to facilitate the realization of the objectives of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community; 18. Calls upon United Nations agencies to intensify the coordination of their regional programmes in Africa in order to create interlinkages among them and to ensure the harmonization of their programmes with those of the African regional and subregional economic organizations; 19. Emphasizes the urgency of the need to adopt appropriate measures to ensure the effective implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, in particular in the areas of resource flows, debt relief and diversification of African economies; 20. Invites the Secretary-General to associate the Organization of African Unity closely with the follow-up and monitoring of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, including the conduct of the mid-term review of its implementation in 1996; 21. Recalls its resolution 48/214, in paragraph 10 of which it invited the Secretary-General to reinforce the capabilities of the Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the Secretariat to follow up and promote the responses of the United Nations system and the international community to the development concerns of Africa, as expressed in the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s; 22. Takes note with satisfaction of the recommendations of the meeting between the secretariats of the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations held at Addis Ababa from 6 to 9 November 1995, and endorses the convening of a meeting in 1996, at Addis Ababa, to review and evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations agreed at the November meeting and to adopt new and effective joint action; 23. Calls upon the relevant organs of the United Nations system to ensure the effective, fair and equitable representation of Africa at senior and policy levels at their respective headquarters and in their regional field operations; 24. Requests the relevant organs of the United Nations system to assist the Organization of African Unity to strengthen its capacity for information gathering, analysis and dissemination through the training of personnel and the mobilization of technical and financial assistance; 25. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session on the implementation of the present resolution and on the development of cooperation between the Organization of African Unity and the organizations of the United Nations system. |