Cablegate: General Assembly Adopts Second Committee
VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUCNDT #1202/01 3551723
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 211723Z DEC 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3403
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 1227
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 1700
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 1129
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0239
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2988
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001202
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/EDA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EFIN ECIN AORC UNGA ETRD SENV KPAL LE IS
SUBJECT: GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS SECOND COMMITTEE
RESOLUTIONS
REF: A. STATE 168987
B. USUN 1188 AND PREVIOUS
1. Summary. On December 19, the UN General Assembly (UNGA)
took final action on all remaining resolutions adopted by the
Second Committee. The UNGA voted on six resolutions that
were also voted on in the Committee and adopted all others by
consensus. End summary.
UNGA Votes
----------
2. The UNGA took a vote on A/62/415, "Permanent sovereignty
of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab
population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural
resources," submitted under Agenda item 41. The resolution
was adopted 166-7(U.S.)-6.
3. Under Agenda item 52(a), Macroeconomic policy questions:
international trade and development, the UNGA voted on
A/62/417/Add.1, "Unilateral economic measures as a means of
political and economic coercion against developing
countries." The resolution was adopted 128-2(U.S.)-51. The
U.S. delivered an Explanation of Vote (EOV) per reftel that
can be found under the December 19 Press Releases on
http://www.un.int/usa. Also under this Agenda item and in
the same "A" document, the UNGA adopted the resolution
"International trade and development" with a vote of
126-48(U.S.)-7.
4. Under Agenda item 54, the UNGA voted on A/62/419(Part
II), "Oil slick on Lebanon shores." The resolution was
adopted with a vote of 169-8(U.S.)-3. Under Agenda item
54(a), the UNGA voted on A/62/419/Add.1, "Agricultural
Technology for Development." The resolution passed with a
vote of 147(U.S.)-0-30. Israel, the resolution's original
sponsor, provided an EOV that thanked delegations for their
support but also criticized Arab delegations for
politicization of the issue and their refusal to support the
resolution. (Note: Most of the abstentions were cast by Arab
governments.)
5. Under Agenda item 54(e), the UNGA voted on operative
paragraph 17 (a paragraph with budgetary implications) of the
resolution contained in A/62/419/Add.5, "Implementation of
the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in
Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or
Desertification, Particularly in Africa." With a vote of
172-2(U.S. and Japan)-1, the paragraph was included in the
resolution and then the resolution as a whole was adopted by
consensus.
Consensus Adoptions by Agenda Item
----------------------------------
6. Item 51: A/62/416, "Information and communication
technologies for development."
7. Item 52(b): A/62/417/Add.2, "International Financial
System and Development." Item 52(c): A/62/417/Add.3,
"External debt and development: towards a durable solution
to the debt problems of developing countries."
8. Item 53: A/62/418, "Follow-up International Conference
on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of
the Monterrey Consensus."
9. Item 54(a): A/62/419/Add.1, "Implementation of Agenda
21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21
and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development." Item 54(b): A/62/419/Add.2, "Follow-up to and
implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States."
Item 54(c): A/62/419/Add.3, "International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction." Item 54(f): A/62/419/Add.5, "Convention
on Biological Diversity." Item 54(g): A62/419/Add.7, "Report
of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) on its twenty-fourth special session." Item
54(h): A/62/419/Add.8, "Sustainable mountain development."
Item 54(i): A/62/419/Add.9, "Promotion of new and renewable
sources of energy."
10. Item 55: A/62/420, "Implementation of the outcome of the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (UN-Habitat)."
11. Item 56(a): A/62/421/Add.1, "Globalization and
interdependence." Item 56(b): A/62/421/Add.2, "International
Year of Astronomy, 2009," and "Science and technology for
development." Item 56(c): A/62/421/Add.3, "Preventing and
combating corrupt practices and transfer of assets of illicit
origin and returning such assets, in particular to the
countries of origin, consistent with the United Nations
Convention against Corruption."
12. Item 57(a): A/62/422/Add.1, "Third United Nations
Conference on the Least Developed Countries." Item 57(b):
A/62/422/Add.2, "Specific actions related to the particular
needs and problems of landlocked developing countries:
outcome of the International Ministerial Conference of
Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and Donor
Countries and International Financial and Development
Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation."
13. Item 58: A/62/423/Add.1, "Second United Nations Decade
for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)." Item 58(b):
A/62/423/Add.2, "Women in development." Item 58(c):
A/62/423/Add.3, "Human resources development."
14. Item 59(a): A/62/424/Add.1, "Note by the
Secretary-General transmitting the report on the activities
SIPDIS
of the United Nations Fund for Women." Item 59(b):
A/62/424/Add.2, "Triennial comprehensive policy review of
operational activities for development of the United Nations
system." Item 59(c): A/62/424/Add.3, "South-South
cooperation for development."
15. Item 60: A/62/425, "Training and research: United
Nations Institute for Training and Research."
16. Item 61: A/62/426, "Towards global partnerships."
17. Item 121: A/62/427, "Programme of work of the Second
Committee for the sixty-third session of the General
Assembly."
18. Item 129: A/62/428, "Programme planning."
Khalilzad