Implementation of the UN New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, G.A. res. 50/160, 50 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 75, U.N. Doc. A/50/49 (Vol. I) (1995).
The General Assembly, Reaffirming its resolution 46/151 of 18 December 1991, the annex to which contains the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, in paragraphs 43 (c) and (e) and 44 of which it decided, inter alia, to conduct a mid-term review and a final review and assessment of the implementation of the New Agenda, Reaffirming also its resolutions 48/214 of 23 December 1993 and 49/142 of 23 December 1994 concerning the implementation of the New Agenda, Recalling its resolution 45/253 of 21 December 1990 on programme planning, in which the economic recovery and development of Africa was stated to be one of the five overall priorities in the medium-term plan for the period 1992-1997, Taking note of the document entitled "Relaunching Africa's economic and social development: the Cairo Agenda for Action" adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity at its seventeenth extraordinary session, held at Cairo from 25 to 28 March 1995, and endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity in its resolution AHG/Res.236 (XXXI) of 28 June 1995, Taking note also of resolution CM/Res.1596 (LXII) of 23 June 1995 of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity on the implementation of the New Agenda, endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Bearing in mind the report of the Secretary-General of 20 June 1995 to the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1995, devoted to the consideration of the development of Africa, including the implementation of the New Agenda, and the summary made by the President of the Council of the debate during the high-level segment, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 6 October 1995 on advancing financial intermediation in Africa and of 11 October 1995 on diversification of Africa's commodities, Recalling that the prime objective of the New Agenda is to stop and reverse the continuing deterioration in the socio-economic situation of African countries and to renew the commitment of the international community to support Africa's own efforts to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development, Expressing serious concern about the limited progress made so far in the implementation of the New Agenda and the continuing deterioration of the economic and social situation in Africa, Mindful of the urgent need for African countries to increase and mobilize internal resources for the implementation of the New Agenda through, inter alia, policies for the promotion of domestic savings, improved and accessible banking facilities and further improvements in traditional practices of capital formation at local levels, as well as to continue creating an enabling environment for domestic and foreign investment, Acknowledging that effective, equitable, development-oriented and durable solutions have to be found to the problems of external debt and the burden of debt which continue to impede the socio-economic development of African countries despite measures taken on both a bilateral and a multilateral basis to reduce or reschedule their debt, Recognizing the possible adverse effects and looking forward to the challenges and opportunities for African countries of the implementation of the agreements of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the urgent need for further technical and financial assistance to African countries, with a view, inter alia, to identifying the adverse effects and alleviating them through appropriate measures, including possible supportive measures, as appropriate, in order to maximize their participation in the world trading system, Recognizing also the urgent need to continue to assist African countries in their efforts to diversify their economies, Recognizing further that the mid-term review of the implementation of the New Agenda should provide an opportunity for the international community to conduct an in-depth assessment of the actions so far taken in the implementation of the New Agenda and the measures needed for sustained economic growth and sustainable development in Africa beyond the 1990s, and to continue to develop policies and measures, including new and/or corrective policies and measures, as appropriate, and continued external support to the efforts of African countries in all areas, so as to ensure the timely, effective and full implementation of the New Agenda during the remaining part of the decade, Bearing in mind its resolution 42/163 of 8 December 1987 on the critical economic situation in Africa, in which it established an Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the General Assembly as the most appropriate mechanism to prepare the review and appraisal of the United Nations Programme of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development 1986-1990, and its resolutions 43/27 of 18 November 1988 and 45/178 A of 19 December 1990 on that review and appraisal, 1. Takes note with appreciation of the reports of the Secretary-General on advancing financial intermediation in Africa and on diversification of Africa's commodities; 2. Takes note also of the summary made by the President of the Economic and Social Council of the debate during the high-level segment of the Council at its substantive session of 1995, devoted to the consideration of the development of Africa, including the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s; 3. Reaffirms the need for the effective implementation of the New Agenda and, to that effect, calls upon the donor countries and all other parties concerned to fulfil their respective commitments as stated in the New Agenda, and calls upon African countries to implement the measures necessary to achieve the goals of the New Agenda; 4. Decides to establish an ad hoc committee of the whole of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly as the most appropriate mechanism to prepare the mid-term review in 1996 of the implementation of the New Agenda, as provided for in the annex to resolution 46/151; 5. Also decides to convene an organizational session of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole as soon as possible but not later than 30 June 1996, for two working days, to consider and adopt the necessary arrangements for its work regarding, inter alia, the mid-term review of the implementation of the New Agenda, and that the Ad Hoc Committee should have its Bureau constituted at the highest appropriate level and composed of a Chairman, three Vice-Chairmen and a Rapporteur; 6. Further decides that the Ad Hoc Committee should meet for a period of up to seven working days in September 1996, prior to the fifty-first session of the General Assembly, to prepare the mid-term review on the basis of a report to be prepared by the Secretary-General, including relevant inputs from Governments and/or organizations and programmes of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations, in particular the Organization of African Unity and non-governmental organizations, regarding their efforts and experiences in implementing the New Agenda; 7. Invites the Economic Commission for Africa to submit a report to the Secretary-General by June 1996 on actions taken and progress achieved by African countries in the implementation of the New Agenda; 8. Decides that the Ad Hoc Committee, in carrying out its mandate, should submit its findings to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session and propose concrete measures and recommendations for sustained economic growth and sustainable development in Africa beyond the 1990s; 9. Urges Member States and organs and bodies of the United Nations system to be represented at the highest appropriate level and to participate actively in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee; 10. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Ad Hoc Committee a report on the implementation of the New Agenda, including a summary and assessment of national efforts based on relevant inputs from African countries, and to continue ensuring close cooperation and coordination with the Secretary- General of the Organization of African Unity concerning the contributions of the relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, including the Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Children's Fund, in the context of his report on the preparation of the mid-term review of the implementation of the New Agenda; 11. Also requests the Secretary-General to include in his report to the Ad Hoc Committee estimates of the projected resource requirements from all sources, public and private, domestic and international, needed for the full implementation of the New Agenda, the amount expected to be mobilized and proposals for filling any resource gaps, taking into account the specific economic and development situation of African countries; 12. Further requests the Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the organs and organizations of the United Nation system concerned, to ensure the necessary preparation of the meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee; 13. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session a report on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee and on the implementation of the present resolution. B The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 50/160 of 22 December 1995, by which an Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly was established as the most appropriate mechanism to prepare the mid-term review in 1996 of the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, and by which it was decided that the Ad Hoc Committee should meet for a period of up to seven working days in September 1996, prior to the fifty-first session of the General Assembly, to prepare the mid-term review on the basis of a report to be prepared by the Secretary-General, Recalling also the decision of the Ad Hoc Committee, at its organizational session on 20 June 1996, to conduct the mid-term review starting from 16 September 1996 and, to that end, to recommend to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session that the Ad Hoc Committee meet during the fifty-first session of the Assembly, Decides to authorize the Ad Hoc Committee to meet during the fifty-first session of the General Assembly and, for that purpose, to extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee through the fifty-first session of the Assembly. |