lending facilities to finance their balance of payments deficits. Since no consensus was reached on these subjects, the conference referred draft resolutions submitted by the developed and developing countries to the TDB for further study. Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries The conference adopted by consensus a resolution urging the developed countries and the UN system "to provide, as and when requested, support and assistance to developing countries in strengthening and enlarging their mutual cooperation," and listed a number of actions to be taken to this end, including support of "legitimate decisions" taken by developing countries to ensure fulfillment of their programs of economic cooperation. In an explanatory statement on May 31, Mr. Boeker said that the United States would support decisions taken by developing countries to strengthen their mutual cooperation "in the understanding that such decisions are consistent with international obligations and standards." Role of UNCTAD A resolution on institutional issues, adopted by consensus, contained recommendations for making UNCTAD more effective within its present mandate so that it could continue to serve as "a major forum" concerned with international trade and related areas of international economic cooperation. Among other provisions, the resolution recommended that the General Assembly authorize UNCTAD V to be held within 3 years of UNCTAD IV, and that the membership of the TDB be open to all member states of UNCTAD. The TDB was authorized to meet at the ministerial level every 2 years between conference sessions, "provided that one session at that level shall be held between the fourth and fifth sessions of the conference." In addition, the resolution requested the TDB to establish an open-ended Committee on Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries. This was done during the TDB's 16th session. (All the recommendations were subsequently endorsed without vote by the 31st UN General Assembly.) Shipping Although shipping was not included on the agenda for UNCTAD IV, a number of groups on which the United States participated met during 1976 under the auspices of the UNCTAD Committee on Shipping. The Committee's Working Group on International Shipping Legislation met in January and July to examine rules and practices for bills of lading and to review a draft convention on the carriage of goods by sea, prepared by the UNCITRAL Working Group on International Legislation on Shipping (see p. 359). dorsed UNCITRAL's recommendation that the General Assembly convene a conference of plenipotentiaries to conclude a convention on the basis of the UNCITRAL draft. The Third Intergovernmental Preparatory Group on International Multimodal Transport met in February and March to continue work on drafting a convention on this subject. Finally, the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Group on Container Standards for International Multimodal Transport held its first session in November to consider the practicability and desirability of drawing up an international agreement on container standards. General Assembly Consideration The Second Committee of the 31st General Assembly considered UNCTAD on September 27 and at 14 meetings between November 17 and December 15. It approved six resolutions which were subsequently adopted by the General Assembly in plenary session. In addition, two more resolutions closely related to UNCTAD were adopted under other agenda items. The first two resolutions amended the Assembly's 1964 resolution establishing UNCTAD in order to take into account the institutional changes recommended by UNCTAD IV and the TDB at its follow-up 16th session. The resolutions were approved by the Committee without vote on September 27 and December 6 and adopted by the Assembly without vote on September 29 and December 21.21/ On December 8, Malta introduced a resolution, sponsored by 16 states, entitled "Action program in favor of developing island countries." The resolution invited the executive heads of the UN organizations to incorporate in their regional and interregional programs relevant recommendations pertaining to developing island countries from the UNCTAD IV resolution (see above, p. 140) and urged all governments to lend their support, in the context of their assistance programs, for the implementation of the specific action envisaged in favor of those countries. The resolution was approved without vote on December 8 and adopted by the plenary Assembly, also without vote, on December 21.22/ On December 10, Mali introduced a draft resolution entitled "Special measures in favor of land 21/ Resolutions 31/2 A and 31/2 B. 22/ Resolution 31/156. locked developing countries" that was ultimately sponsored by 20 states. In its operative portion, the resolution, inter alia, (1) called upon member states and the entire international community to give special attention to the trade requirements of the landlocked developing countries; (2) invited appropriate UN organs and the regional development banks to pay special attention to the problems of these countries; (3) urged countries in a position to do so to provide technical and/or financial assistance to these countries for the construction, improvement, and maintenance of their transit roads; (4) called upon governments to urge shipowners, members of liner conferences, and insurance companies. to establish rates and premiums for the landlocked developing countries that would help them expand their trade; and (5) invited all states and the competent international organizations to assist the landlocked developing countries in facilitating the exercise of their right of free access to and from the sea. The resolution was approved on December 10 by a vote of 85 to 0, with 15 abstentions (U.S.). The United States abstained because it considered too broad a preambular paragraph in the original draft that expressed the need to implement immediately all resolutions calling for "special measures" in favor of the landlocked developing countries. Immediately before the vote, the sponsors accepted an amendment proposed by the Federal Republic of Germany to change the term to "specific action" thus making the same distinction that UNCTAD IV had made earlier. The United States then voted for the resolution when it came before the plenary Assembly where it was adopted on December 21 by a recorded vote of 120 (U.S.) to 0, with 7 abstentions. 237 A closely related resolution was approved during the Committee's consideration of the agenda item on implementation of the decisions adopted by the General Assembly at its seventh special session. Introduced by Afghanistan and sponsored by 23 states, the draft resolution established a UN Special Fund for Landlocked Developing Countries. The resources of the Fund are to come from voluntary contributions in cash or kind from governments, organizations, and other sources. The resolution was approved on December 10 by a vote of 82 to 0, with 20 abstentions (U.S.), and adopted by the Assembly on December 21 by a recorded vote of 115 to 0, with 19 abstentions (U.S.). 247 The United States explained 23/ Resolution 31/157. 24/ Resolution 31/177. after the vote in committee that while it understood the problems of the landlocked countries and favored giving them increased aid, it believed that the objectives of the Fund could be better achieved through existing organs. On December 7, Sudan introduced a draft resolution on "Debt problems of developing countries" that was ultimately sponsored in its final form by 10 states. The draft did not take the position of the UNCTAD IV resolution, but of the earlier developing country position in the Manila Declaration and Program of Action. Inter alia, it (1) affirmed the urgency of reaching "a general and effective solution" to the debt problems of developing countries; (2) agreed that future debt negotiations should be considered within the context of internationally agreed development targets, national development objectives, and international financial cooperation; (3) urged the CIEC to reach an early agreement on the question of immediate and generalized debt relief of the official debts of the developing countries and on the reorganization of the entire system of debt renegotiations to give it a developmental rather than a commercial orientation; and (4) requested the ministerial meeting of the TDB that was to be held in 1977 to review results of negotiations on this question in other forums and "to reach agreement on concrete measures to provide an immediate solution to the debt problems of developing countries." The resolution was approved in the Second Committee on December 13 by a vote of 92 to 1 (U.S.), with 28 abstentions, and adopted by the plenary Assembly on December 21 by a recorded vote of 99 to 1 (U.S.), with 31 abstentions.25/ In explaining the U.S. vote in the Second Committee, Ambassador Jacob . Myerson said that the United States was prepared to cooperate in helping developing countries alleviate their most acute debt problems, but still believed these should be treated on a case-by-case basis rather than by generalized measures. In addition, although the United States supported the decision taken at UNCTAD IV to have the TDB review action pursuant to the consensus resolution, the United States was opposed to requesting the TDB to reach agreement on specific measures to bring about an immediate solution to the problem. Ambassador Myerson said that the resolution was in no way conducive to the success of subsequent discussions at the CIEC where the participants had not yet been able to negotiate an agreed position, though all were committed to cooperation to that end. 25/ Resolution 31/158. On December 13, concluding consideration of a separate agenda item on "Economic cooperation among developing countries," the Second Committee approved without vote a draft resolution sponsored by the Group of 77 that reaffirmed the importance of such cooperation and, inter alia, (1) requested the Secretary General to study the relevant decisions of the meetings of the Group of 77 and of the nonaligned countries and to report to the next Assembly his recommendations on appropriate support measures that the United Nations could take for the realization of the objective; (2) urged the specialized agencies and other UN organizations to support measures of such cooperation; (3) urged developed countries to provide appropriate support when requested; and (4) requested the Secretary General to report to the next Assembly on all measures taken by the UN system in support of economic cooperation among developing countries. The resolution was adopted by the plenary Assembly without vote on December 16.267 The last resolution, entitled "Report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on its fourth session," reviewed the major decisions taken at UNCTAD IV, endorsing, recalling, or noting them as appropriate. The lengthy resolution was the result of extensive negotiations before it was introduced at the last meeting of the Second Committee and approved without vote on December 15. It was adopted by the plenary Assembly, also without vote, on December 21.27/ Speaking after its approval in the Second Committee, Ambassador Myerson explained that given. the complexity of the issues it was understandable that the resolution would not fully reflect the national positions of all countries involved. He reaffirmed that the United States had not, by concurring in the resolution, in any way changed its position on the substance of the various UNCTAD resolutions previously adopted. GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE The GATT entered into force January 1, 1948, with the objective of promoting world economic growth and higher standards of living through a reduction of barriers to international trade and the adoption by member countries of contractual rights and obligations governing the conduct of their trade relations. In the ensuing 29 years, world trade expanded 26/ Resolution 31/119. 27/ Resolution 31/159. |