Document II-38

Resolution 2049 (XX), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 13, 1965 43

Establishment of

the Ad Hoc Committee

of Experts

To Examine the Finances of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies

The General Assembly,

Considering that, because of the financial difficulties of the United Nations and the many and varied measures taken to overcome them, Member States should have available to them information giving a clear and accurate picture of the financial situation of the Organization, including in particular a detailed description of its commitments,

Considering that, independently of the problems created by certain peace-keeping operations which affect the finances of the United Nations, the magnitude of the amounts henceforth placed at the disposal of the Organization, the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, either under their regular budgets or in the form of funds constituted from voluntary contributions, requires a detailed examination of the procedures for preparing and approving the budgets and a review of the procedures for controlling the execution thereof,

Considering that, without encroaching on the autonomy of the specialized agencies, the General Assembly is competent, under Article 17, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations" and under the agreements concluded between the United Nations, on the one hand, and the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the other, to carry out an over-all examination of the budgets

43 U.N. doc. A/6014, pp. 72-73. This resolution, sponsored by the representative of France, was adopted by a vote of 104 (including the U.S.) to 0, with 2 abstentions.

44 Text in American Foreign Policy, 19501955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 134–161.

45 The President of the U.N. General Assembly, Amintore Fanfani, appointed the members of the Ad Hoc Committee of Experts to Examine the Finances of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies on Dec. 21, 1965. It was composed of representatives of the following member states: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Senegal, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Arab Republic, United Kingdom, and United States (U.N. doc. A/PV.1408, par. 181).

(a) Examine, with the assistance of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and in liaison with the Secretary-General and the executive heads of the specialized agencies and of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the entire range of the budgetary problems of the United Nations and the organizations brought into relationship with it, notably their administrative and budgetary procedures, the means of comparing and, if possible, standardizing their budgets and the financial aspect of their expansion, with a view to avoiding needless expenditure, particularly expenditure resulting from duplication;

(b) Submit to the General Assembly at its twenty-first session, without prejudice to the terms of reference of the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations, such recommendations as it may deem appropriate, in order, on the one hand, to secure better utilization of the funds available through rationalization and more thorough coordination of the activities of the organizations and, on the other, to ensure that any expansion of those activities takes into account both the needs they are intended to meet and the costs Member States will have to bear as a result;

7. Invites the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the exec

46 U.N. doc. AC.124/1 dated Jan. 24, 1966. 47 U.N. doc. A/6289 transmitted Mar. 26, 1966.

utive heads of the specialized agencies and of the International Atomic Energy Agency to give the Ad Hoc Committee whatever assistance it may require in carrying out its work.

1393rd plenary meeting.

Document II-39

Resolutions 2053 A and B (XX), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 15, 1965 18

Comprehensive Review of the Whole Question of Peacekeeping Operations in All Their Aspects

A

The General Assembly,

48 U.N. doc. A/6014, p. 16. Res. 2053 A (XX), sponsored by the representatives of 19 member states, was adopted by a vote of 87 (including the U.S.) to 1, with 5 abstentions. Res. 2053 B (XX), sponsored by the representatives of 9 member states, was adopted by a vote of 93 (including the U.S.) to 1, with 7 abstentions. The United States had previously abstained in the vote on the latter resolution in the Special Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, Dec. 13, 1965.

49 Ante, doc. II-25. 50 Ante, doc. II-31. 51 See ante, doc. II-33.

Document II-40

Letter From the Indonesian Foreign Minister (Subandrio) to the U.N.

Secretary-General

uary 20, 19651

(Thant), Jan

Indonesian Decision

of January 7, 1965,

To Withdraw From

the United Nations
After the Seating of
Malaysia as a Member of
the Security Council

On 31 December 1964, the Head of the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations conveyed to Your Excellency the content of President Sukarno's statement on that date, to the effect that Indonesia would withdraw from the Organization if neo-colonialist "Malaysia" were seated in the Security Council. Pursuant to that statement I have to inform you that on 7 January 1965,3 after the seating of Malaysia as member of the Security Council, our Government, after very careful consideration, has taken the decision to withdraw from the United Nations.

My Government was fully aware of the great weight and impact of such a decision, but in the circumstances which have been created by colonial Powers in the United Nations so blatantly against our anticolonial struggle and indeed against the lofty principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, my Government felt that no alternative had been left for Indonesia but withdrawal from the United Nations. Summing up and balancing all the considerations in their negative and positive aspects, we have come to the conclusion that our decision may become the catalyst to reform and re

1 U.N. doc. S/6157 (A/5857).

2 See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1964, p. 910.

3 On Jan. 7, 1965, at a rally in Jakarta on condemning foreign military bases, Indonesian President Sukarno said since Malaysia has become a Security Council member, I declare that Indonesia has walked out of the United Nations." (The New York Times, Jan. 8, 1965.)

tool the United Nations in spirit and in deed, lest the present atmosphere of complacency shown by the neocolonial Powers may undermine the lofty principles of the United Nations and consequently the decline of the United Nations as an international body for collective security and harmonious co-operation may become irrevocable. These feelings have already been reflected by many 'Members of the United Nations and most of them already felt that something had to be done soon.

Already in 1960, in his address before the General Assembly at its fifteenth session, on 30 September [880th plenary meeting], President Sukarno reminded the United Nations of its shortcomings both politically and organizationally; the need for retooling was strongly felt. Yet, at that time Indonesia had no intentions of leaving the United Nations, imperfect as it might be. For us the problem of Malaysia within the United Nations was just a further proof of this international body being manipulated by colonial and neo-colonial Powers.

Malaysia, which formation was rejected by two out of the three signatories to the Manila Accord," was then forced into the United Nations by deliberate avoidance of any voting on 17 September 1963. It was a successful manœuvre of neo-colonial Powers in the United Nations. Indonesia voiced its disapproval of such a manœuvre. But we were patient enough until another absurd colonial manœuvre occurred, namely the pushing of this "Malaysia” into the Security Council. This makes a mockery of the sense of the Council itself, as, according to Article 23 of the United Nations Charter, the election of a non-permanent member of the Council should be guided by the importance and contribution of the candidate-country to the

4 See U.N. doc. A/PV.880.

Signed on July 31, 1963, by Indonesian President Sukarno, Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal, and the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman; text in A. G. Mezerik, ed., Malaysia-Indonesia Conflict (International Review Service, vol. XI, No. 86, 1965), pp. 100-102.

See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1963, p. 824.

maintenance of peace and security in the world.' What happened was, that this "Malaysia", only a few months old at the end of 1963, this feeble and highly controversial new "State", opposed and not recognized by its neighbours, this real tool of British neo-colonialism in SouthEast Asia, was moved as a candidate to the Security Council and pushed into it by manipulation and pressures of colonial Powers in the United Nations. What contribution to the maintenance of peace and security in the world has this "Malaysia" really rendered? Its very birth has caused trouble and insecurity in the region of South-East Asia! Thus, this practice and policy in the United Nations was not only a violation of the Charter, but it made a mockery of the function and purpose of the Security Council. And indeed, against the opposition of Indonesia and many other anti-colonial Powers, this "Malaysia" was recently seated in the Council. Indonesia could have challenged the legality of its election due to its non-voting procedure, but Indonesia did not.10 Indonesia could have insisted on a voting procedure as required by the Charter, but it did not. Indonesia wanted to be co-operative, both with the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Quaison Sackey from Ghana, and with the majority of the Members of the United Nations, in particular with the AfroAsian group, with a view to the election of other non-permanent members to the Security Council. Indonesia had no intention of obstructing the work of the United Nations and much less to wreck the United Nations; but it felt obliged to point out in the strongest way what the United Nations indeed should not have done.

This decision of my Government is of course a revolutionary one, unprecedented as it may be. This however, was taken for the good of the United Nations itself, which in our

For the text of the UN. Charter, see American Foreign Policy, 1950-1955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 134-161.

On Nov. 1, 1963, the U.N. General Assembly elected Czechoslovakia as a member of the U.N. Security Council beginning Jan. 1, 1964, with the understanding that Czechoslovakia would resign on Dec. 31, 1964, and Malaysia would be the candidate for the remaining year of the term. (See UN. doc. A/PV.1254.) On Dec. 29, 1964, the UN. General Assembly chose Malaysia as a member of the U.N. Security Council for the year 1965. (See U.N. doc. A/PV.1313.) See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1964, p. 134.

19 See U.N. doc. A/PV.1312.

view needs a strong reminder from time to time. It might even be, that this decision of my Government I could well entail a beneficial effect for the speedy solution of the problem of Malaysia itself. Arrogance displayed so far for a settlement based on previous agreements might be dissolved, in the general desire for the just solution of burning and acute problems in South-East Asia as a whole.

As to your personal appeal, Mr. Secretary-General, that Indonesia should not withdraw from its cooperation with the United Nations," I want to assure you that Indonesia still upholds the lofty principles of international co-operation as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. This, however, can be implemented outside as well as inside the organization itself.

Indonesia has been active in the field of international co-operation for a better world and it will continue to do so. However, due to the serious reasons I mentioned above, Indonesia has decided at this stage and under the present circumstances to withdraw from the United Nations and in addition also from specialized agencies, like FAO, UNICEF and UNESCO. A separate letter will be sent to those specific agencies.

While our actual withdrawal from the United Nations has been already carried out in New York as of 1 January 1965, I would suggest that, due to the technical winding up of the Indonesian Permanent Mission in New York and reciprocally your

11 Reference to a message dated Jan. 1, 1965, from the U.N. Secretary-General (Thant) to President Sukarno of Indonesia; text in UN Monthly Chronicle, vol. II, No. 2, Feb. 1965, p. 5.

An appeal was also issued by the U.S. Representative at the U.N. (Stevenson) in a statement from his Libertyville, Ill., farm on Jan. 2, 1965.

"We have no official information that Indonesia has decided to withdraw from the United Nations. I earnestly hope that this great country will not do so, for it is in the manifest interest of the Indonesian people and of all peoples to preserve and improve the system of collective responsibility, to harmonize international relations and to preserve the peace.

"No nation can profit in the long run from a lawless world of separate states, each pursuing its own sovereign ambitions. That way lies catastrophe.

"Fortunately most of the world agrees and loyally adheres to the United Nations system of international security and development. I repeat, I hope that the great Indonesian people will continue to do so too." (The New York Times, Jan. 3, 1965.)