Economic assistance, disasters and emergency relief 463 Chapter III Economic assistance, disasters and emergency relief Through a number of organizations, the United and Principe (39/187), Sierra Leone (39/192), Uganda Nations continued in 1984 to provide special as­ (39/188) and Vanuatu (39/198). sistance to countries with serious economic difficulties. The United Nations system continued to respond Those problems were frequently aggravated by natural to emergency situations arising from natural dis­ or other disasters. Of particular concern was the asters, mainly through action co-ordinated by the critical economic situation in Africa which was com­ Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Co­ pounded by a prolonged drought in certain regions. ordinator (UNDRO). The Assembly (in resolutions Both the Economic and Social Council and the General 39/190, 39/191, 39/194, 39/201, 39/205 and 39/206) Assembly added an item to their agenda for the and the Council (in resolutions 1984/3, 1984/5, 1984/6 first time on that situation. In a December resolu­ and 1984/7 and decision 1984/106) dealt with as­ tion (39/29), the Assembly adopted the Declara­ sistance needs resulting from die continuing drought tion on the Critical Economic Situation in Africa, in certain areas in Africa, particularly the Sudano- expressing concern at the crisis which over the previous Sahelian region and East Africa; cyclones and floods few years had assumed alarming proportions, seriously in Madagascar; a cyclone in Swaziland; and an earth­ jeopardizing not only the development process, but quake in "Yemen. Both the Assembly and the Council, also the very survival of millions of people. By the in resolutions 39/207 and 1984/60 respectively, called Declaration, the Assembly outlined the problems for strengthening the United Nations capacity to and proposed remedial measures. respond to disasters. In order to view firsthand the effects of widespread In addition to special economic assistance and drought, food shortages, livestock epidemics and disaster relief, emergency humanitarian assistance dwindling resources, the Secretary-General travelled was provided to Lebanon. Lebanon had been un­ to eight countries in West Africa from 17 January able to carry out its reconstruction programme due to 4 February. On his return, he remarked that the to renewed fighting and disorder and the military dimensions of the human tragedy became all the situation in the south. The Assembly, in resolution more poignant during his trip, and he called on the 39/197, called for assistance for the reconstruction international community to respond urgently and and development of Lebanon, as did the Council adequately, as lives were threatened and the eco­ in decision 1984/174. nomic survival of many African countries was at Topics related to this chapter. Development policy stake. In addition to problems of food, health, water and international economic co-operation: special supply, refugees, transportation and communica­ economic areas—developing countries. Regional tion, the international community needed to deal economic and social activities: Africa—economic with the causes of the crisis, he said. In Decem­ and social trends; Asia and die Pacific—typhoons. ber, the Secretary-General established the United Food: food aid. Environment: desertification. Nations Office for Emergency Operations in Africa; Children—emergency relief. Refugees: assistance the Administrator of the United Nations Development to refugees. Programme (UNDP) was appointed to direct the new Office. The most urgent problem was famine, which was complicated by problems of transport, storage and distribution of food. With regard to countries suffering grave economic Economic assistance difficulties, the Economic and Social Council in July called for assistance to Guinea (resolution 1984/59), In response to requests by the General Assem­ and in December the Assembly adopted a series bly, the United Nations in 1984 continued to pro­ of resolutions calling for economic assistance to Benin vide special assistance to a number of developing (39/185), Cape Verde (39/189), the Central Afri­ countries faced with particularly severe economic can Republic (39/180), Chad (39/195), the Comoros problems. A wide range of adverse economic con­ (39/193), Democratic Yemen (39/184), Djibouti ditions, often accompanied by damaging climatic (39/200), Equatorial Guinea (39/181), the Gambia events, had jeopardized the development of those (39/203), Guinea (39/202), Guinea-Bissau (39/186), countries. Haiti (39/196), Lesotho (39/183), Liberia (39/182), The Secretary-General, by various 1982 and 1983 Mozambique (39/199), Nicaragua (39/204), Sao Tome resolutions, had been requested to report to die As- PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 464 Economic and social questions sembly in 1984 on the economic situation and on of them were before the Committee; another, on the progress made in organizing and implement­ Guinea, was under preparation. Of the 18 Afri­ ing special programmes of economic assistance for can States included, 14 had been classified by the a number of developing countries. Each of the United Nations as least developed countries countries concerned was asked whether it would (LDCs). The effects of the prolonged drought had prefer the report to be based on the findings of compounded their situation. a visiting review mission or whether it would wish Many of the countries concerned had heavy to provide the information to be used in a brief, debt-servicing burdens which obliged them to re­ interim report to the Assembly. Eleven of the coun­ quest rescheduling of their external debts. Noting tries concerned chose the latter form; accordingly, that a number of the countries had taken austerity the Secretary-General, in September and Oc­ measures, the Co-ordinator called on the interna­ 1 tober/ ) submitted summary reports for 11 coun­ tional community to support those efforts by in­ tries for which special programmes of economic creasing die flow of financial and other assistance. assistance were being implemented, based on in­ A number of the countries had mobilized addi­ formation supplied by diem. The summaries— tional external resources by organizing donor con­ for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru; Chad; the ferences and round-tables which deserved the sup­ Comoros; Djibouti; Equatorial Guinea; the Gam­ port of the international community. On behalf bia; Sierra Leone; Tonga; and Uganda—addressed of the Secretary-General, he appealed to bilateral die main developments in the respective economies and multilateral donors to respond generously. and the status of the special programme of eco­ In an October report to the Assembly/13) the nomic assistance. Secretary-General described the implementation The Secretary-General also submitted in­ of the Substantial New Programme of Action for dividual reports on assistance rendered to the 1980s for the Least Developed Countries Benin/2) Cape Verde/3) the Central African (SNPA), adopted by die 1981 United Nations Con­ 4 5 6 ference on the Least Developed Countries^14) and Republic/ ) Democratic Yemen/ ) Guinea/ ) 15 Lesotho/7' Mozambique/8) Nicaragua/9) Sao endorsed that year by the Assembly/ ) SNPA was Tome and Principe^10) and Vanuatu.(") In a fur­ aimed at helping LDCs achieve a self-sustained ther report to the Assembly/12) he described as­ economy and enabling them to attain internation­ sistance provided by the United Nations system ally accepted minimum standards of nutrition, to 20 countries: Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Cen­ health, housing and education. The report, pre­ tral African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, pared by the secretariat of UNCTAD, gave a brief Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, account of the recent economic performance of Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, Peru, Sao LDCs (see p. 413). Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Uganda, Vanuatu. The summaries of aid to those countries GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION were based on information provided by special­ The General Assembly, acting on the recom­ ized agencies and other United Nations bodies, mendation of the Second Committee, adopted programmes and organizations that had rendered without vote decision 39/431. technical and other forms of assistance within their various fields of competence: FAO, UNESCO, WHO, Special programmes of economic assistance the World Bank and IDA, IMF, ICAO, UPU, ITU, At its 103rd plenary meeting, on 17 December 1984, WMO, IMO, WIPO, IFAD, UNDP, UNCTAD, UNICEF, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second Committee: UNIDO, UNCDF, UNCHS, WFP, WFC, UNFPA, (a) Took note of the summary reports of the UNDRO, DTCD and UNHCR. (See below for details Secretary-General on Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, and on individual countries.) on Tonga; The Assembly took note of the Secretary- (b) Took note of the oral report made on 5 Novem­ General's report on system-wide assistance when ber 1984 by the United Nations Disaster Relief Co­ it adopted decision 39/431 on 17 December. ordinator on the steps taken to implement General As­ sembly resolution 38/217 of 20 December 1983, entided Speaking to the Assembly's Second (Economic "Special assistance to alleviate the economic and social and Financial) Committee on 2 November, the problems faced in regions of Honduras and Nicaragua Under-Secretary-General for Special Political as a result of the May 1982 floods and other subsequent Questions and Co-ordinator for Special Economic natural disasters"; Assistance Programmes, Abdulrahim Abby Farah, (c) Took note of the report of the Secretary-General reported that nine additional countries (Bolivia, on assistance provided by the United Nations system. Ecuador, Guinea, Kiribati, Madagascar, Peru, Swaziland, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) had been added General Assembly decision 39/431 during the year to those for which special Adopted without vote programmes of economic assistance had been es­ Approved by Second Committee (A/39/793) without vote, 30 November (meeting 54); oral proposal by Chairman; agenda item 83 fb). tablished, bringing the total to 25. Reports on 20 Meeting numbers. GA 39th session: 2nd Committee 32, 34, 54; plenary 103.