"In an age of information, the United Nations should appear as a transparent institution.' - General Assembly 53

UN Chronicle, Spring, 1999

The General Assembly on 3 December welcomed the signing on 23 October 1998 of the Wye River Memorandum between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority. As it adopted a resolution on the subject-1 of 24 texts recommended by its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), the Assembly said it viewed the Israeli settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace, and again demanded that Israel cease all settlement activity in the occupied territory. It also denounced illegal Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs in the occupied territories.

The Assembly reaffirmed the applicability of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to the other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967. It deplored Israeli policies and practices which violated the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs in the occupied territories, and expressed concern that, as a result of those practices, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory had deteriorated and impeded the Middle East peace process. Israel was also called upon to desist from establishing settlements and changing the physical character, demographic composition, institutional structure and legal status of the Syrian Golan.

The structural deficit problem confronting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was seen as posing a serious threat to the peace process. Strongly urging all Governments to make the most generous efforts possible to meet the anticipated needs of the Agency, the Assembly adopted seven resolutions relating to UNRWA.

Among decolonization matters, the Assembly adopted an omnibus resolution that dealt with specific and general conditions in the 11 Non-Self-Governing Territories of American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, and United States Virgin Islands. It urged the administering Powers to take all necessary steps to enable the peoples of the Territories concerned to exercise fully, as soon as possible, their right to self-determination, including independence.

On questions relating to information, the Assembly adopted without a vote a two-part resolution on strengthening the freedom of information in the service of humanity and on the role of United Nations public information policies and activities. The Assembly also decided to increase the membership of the Special Committee on Information from 90 to 93, and appointed Angola, the Republic of Moldova and Solomon Islands as new members.

Affirming that radio transmission was one of the most cost-effective and far-reaching media available to the Department of Public Information, it encouraged the Secretary-General to explore ways of improving global access to airwaves of United Nations Radio. Underlining the continued importance of traditional and mass media channels in disseminating UN information, the Assembly also asked him to report on the design and scope of a pilot project on the development of the United Nations international radio broadcasting capacity.

Addressing the Committee on 13 November, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kensaku Hogen stressed that a communications culture throughout the United Nations system needed to emphasize to people everywhere the relevance of the Organization's work to their everyday concerns. In an "age of information", he said, the United Nations should appear as a "transparent institution" that responded to major challenges of global significance in all fields.

Concerning outer space, the Assembly recommended that more attention be paid to all aspects related to the protection and preservation of the outer space environment, especially those potentially affecting the Earth's environment. It also endorsed the recommendations of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, and acknowledged the Committee's preparations for the upcoming Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III), to be held in Vienna from 19 to 30 July 1999.

On atomic radiation, the Assembly asked the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to continue its work, particularly its efforts to increase knowledge of the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation from all sources. It invited Member States, United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations to provide the Scientific Committee with data about doses, effects and risks from various sources of radiation.