UNITED NATIONS Distr. DEVELOPMENT GENERAL DP/439 PROGRAMME 30 April 1980 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH GOVERNING COUNCIL Twenty-seventh session June 1980 Agenda item 4(a) Country and IntercountrZ Programming and Pro~e_cts IMPLEMENTATION BY THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRA59~ OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING ASSISTANCE TO BOTSWANA, CAPE VERDE, CHAD, THE COMOROS, DJIBOUTI, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU, LESOTHO, MOZAmbIQUE, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE, SEYCHELLES, TONGA, UGANDA AND ZAMBIA. Re~ort of the Administrator Summary At its thirty-fourth session the General Assembly adopted a series of resolutions (34/119 to 3h/132) by which it requested the United Nations Development Programme and various organizations of the United Nations system to bring to the attention of their governing bodies for their consideration the assistance they are rendering to Botswana, Cape Verde, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Tonga, Uganda and Zambia. Further, the resolutions requested that the needs of these countries be brought to the attention of the governing bodies. The present report informs the Governing Council of actions taken or being considered in favour of the countries concerned. 80-i0854 DP/h39 English Page 2 INTRODUCTION i. At its thirty-fourth session, the General Assembly adopted a series of resolutions (3h/I19 to 3h/132) by which it requested UNDP and other organiza- tions of the United Nations system to bring to the attention of their govern- ing bodies for their consideration the special needs of Botswana, Cane Verde, Chad, The Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Le~otho, Mozambique, Sap Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Tonga, Uganda and Zambia, and the assistance being rendered to these countries. 2. A comprehensive review of the assistance by the United Nations Develon- merit Programme to some of these countries was made in document DP/375 submitted to the Governing Council at its thirty-sixth session. Since then, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and Tonga have been added to the list. 3. Besides informing the Governin~ Council of the actions of the United Nations Development Programme in mobilizing the necessary resources, the ~resent report covers anticipated financial resources and activities being considered in favour of these countries. Amon~ these, are increased IPF resources, favourable treatment of some countries as if they were least developed countries and the special regional programme being develooed for island developing countries of Africa. DP/439 English Page 3 (a) Assistance to Botswana 4. Since the Governing Council considered document DP/375 (paras. 6-11) regarding assistance to Botswana, the General Assembly adopted resolution 34/125 at its thirty-fourth session, by which it requested the governing bodies of UNDP and other organisations of the United Nations system to consider the assistance they are rendering to Botswana. 5. During the last nine months or so, UNDP’s assistance has been reviewed during the mid-term review of the country programme when shortcomings were identified and practical adjustments were proposed in relation to the national priorities. This mid-term programme review which was attended by the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Regional Bureau for Africa, identified additional projects to be funded by UNDP in the fields of land development, meteorological forecasting and mineral resources exploration. 6. The total cost of the proposed new projects in 1979-1981, including those in civil aviation, small-scale industries, livestock development and agricultural improvements was estimated at ~1.5 million. 7. The civil aviation project has already been approved and is being funded by the Special Fund for Land-locked Countries. Other important projects approved include those for: - Staff development, directorate of personnel - Training of medical laboratory assistants - Provision of United Nations Volunteers to alleviate trained personnel shortages, especially in the field of education - Non-formal education with emphasis on rural development - Training in the management and development ofwild life - Investigation of ground water in the Okavango Delta - Economic planning. Additional projects were identified for UNCDF assistance, notably in control of communicable diseases, development of remote areas and improvement of WFP storage and transportation facilities. (b) Assistance to Cape Verde 8. The General Assembly, in resolution 34/119, adopted on lh December 1979, appealed "to all States, regional and interregional organizations and other inter-governmental bodies to provide financial, material and technical assistance to Cape Verde so as to enable it to carry out a programme of accelerated development". In particular, the United Nations Development Programme was invited to bring to the attention of the Governing Council the special needs of Cape Verde and to report the decisions of the Council to the Secretary-General by 15 August 1980. The Governing Council will recall that in previous years the General Assembly launched similar appeals. DP/439 English Page 4 9. Since our last report to the Governing Council on this matter (DP/375, paras. 22-24), a number of measures have been taken by UNDP in favour of Cape Verde. First, the Revublic of Cape Verde has received additional alloca- tions of $68,000 from the Special Measures Fund for Least Developed Countries, thus bringing to $216,000 the amount of resources provided to Caoe Verde from that Fund. Second, the United Nations Capital Develovment Fund has fielded a number of feasibility missions to examine projects in the fields of irriga- tion and water supply, poultry production and primary school construction. As of the end of 1979, an amount of $1,990,000 was aDproved by the Fund to finance the primary school construction project. Third, the UNDP Office in Praia has been strengthened by upgrading the post of Representative to Resident Representative and a new post of Assistant Resident Representative has been added to the manning table. i0. It is also worth noting that the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa is preparing a special programme for developing island countries of that region which will benefit Cape Verde. ii. As one of the LDCs, Cape Verde is likely to receive larger assistance from UNDP in 1982-1986 if the proposals being considered by the Governing Council concerning the allocation of resources durin~ that programming cycle are approved. (c) Assistance to Chad 12. On 14 December 1979, the General Assembly adopted resolution 34/120 calling for urgent assistance by the international community of Member States of the United Nations for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and development of Chad. 13. The resolution contained a request to the organizations of the United Nations system - the UNDP was mentioned in particular, alon~ with FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNIDO, UNESCO and UNICEF - to continue and increase their programmes of assistance. In order to comply with this request, the UNDP had started to reactivate its programme of technical assistance to the Government of Chad, and to make preparations to increase its assistance to some key sectors of the national economy. These preparatory activities focused on strengthening the country’s capacity for economic planning and reconstruction, while particular attention was given to the energy and mineral production sectors. lb. Although most of UNDP’s activities had been suspended during the civil strife that erupted in N’DJamena in February 1979, detailed plans for their reactivation had been made by February 1980, while some of the non-suspended projects continued their activities. 15. After hostilities began in N’DJamena in 1979, UNDP approved a special project providing, on an emergency basis, assistance to 68 Chadian students who until then had been receiving stipends from their own Government, but had not received any stipend payments since February 1979 because of the difficult economic situation the Chadian Government was facing. Total cost to UNDP of this special project, which is continuing, amounts to $347,000. DPIb39 English Page 5 16. Around mid-March 1980, the political situation in Chad deteriorated considerably, leading to a new eruption of armed conflict in the caoital. These circumstances forced international and bilateral aid organizations, including those belonging to the United Nations system, to suspend all their activities and to evacuate all their personnel on or around 24 March 1980. 17. By the time this report is being written, the armed conflict is continu- ing and no plans have been made to reactivate UNDP activities in Chad. (d) Assistance to the Comoros 18. In addition to requesting UNDP to bring to the attention of the Govern- ing Council the special needs of the Comoros, the General Assembly, in resolution 34/127, "requests the appropriate organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to maintain and increase their current and future programmes of assistance to the Comoros and to co-operate closely with the Secretary-General in organizing an effective international programme of assistance and to report periodically to him on the steps they have taken and the resources they have made available to assist that country". 19. Document DP/375 submitted to the Governing Council in 1979 describes in paragraphs 29 to 31 action taken by UNDP in favour of the Comoros since the General Assembly adopted resolutions 31/42, 39/92 and 33/123 concerning assistance to that country.