Assistance to the Gambia : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Assistance to the Gambia

  The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 38/212 of 20 December 1983, in which it, inter alia, noted that the Gambia is a least developed country with acute economic and social problems arising from its weak economic infrastructure and that it also suffers from many of the serious problems common to countries of the Sahelian region, notably drought and desertification, Having considered the summary report of the Secretary-General, in which the recent economic situation in the Gambia is described, Concerned that the Gambia continues to encounter serious balance-of-payments and budgetary problems and noting that the lack of domestic resources is the most important constraint on development, since the Government lacks the funds to meet the counterpart costs of donor-assisted projects, Noting that external assistance is still required to enable the Government of the Gambia to implement the six projects recommended by the Secretary-General in his report, Aware that a round-table conference of donors was held in the Gambia in November 1984, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, to discuss the country's development needs and to consider ways and means of helping the Government in its efforts to meet those needs,

1. Takes note of the summary report of the Secretary-General;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the steps he has taken to mobilize assistance for the Gambia;

3. Expresses its appreciation also to those States and organizations that have provided assistance to the Gambia;

4. Draws the attention of the international community to the need for assistance for the projects and programmes identified by the Secretary-General in his report;

5. Renews its urgent appeal to Member States, specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as international development and financial institutions, to give generous assistance to the Gambia, through bilateral or multilateral channels, and to provide financial,technical and material assistance for the implementation of the projects and programmes recommended by the Secretary-General in his report;

6. Urges donors, as appropriate, to provide financial assistance to the Gambia to help meet the local counterpart costs of externally-assisted projects, bearing in mind that the Gambia is classified as a least developed drought-stricken country;

7. Urges Member States, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, regional and interregional bodies, financial and development institutions, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to respond generously to the needs of the Gambia at the round-table conference of donors;

8. Requests the appropriate organizations and programmes of the United Nations system - in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development - to increase their current and future programmes of assistance to the Gambia, 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;

9. Invites the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to bring to the attention of their governing bodies, for their consideration, the special needs of the Gambia and to report the decisions of those bodies to the Secretary-General by the end of June 1985;

10. Requests the Secretary-General:

(a) To continue his efforts to mobilize the necessary resources for an effective programme of financial, technical and material assistance to the Gambia;

(b) To keep the situation in the Gambia under constant review, to maintain close contact with Member States, the specialized agencies, regional and other intergovernmental organizations and the international financial institutions concerned and to apprise the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1985, of the status of the special programme of economic assistance for the Gambia;

(c) To report on the progress made in the economic situation of the Gambia and in organizing and implementing the special programme of economic assistance for that country in time for the matter to be considered by the General Assembly at its fortieth session.