Land reform

V. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE
401. Land reform

The General Assembly, Bearing in mind the many resolutions[1] adopted by the General Assembly and by the Economic and Social Council concerning the economic development of underdeveloped countries in which industrialization as well as the development of agriculture must play an essential part. Considering, however, that agrarian conditions which persist in many under-developed countries and territories constitute a barrier to their economic development because such conditions are a major cause of low agricultural productivity and of low standards of living for the populations of those countries and territories, Convinced that immediate steps should be taken to study the extent to which existing agrarian conditions hamper the economic development of under-developed countries as well as to assist Governments, at their request, in the utilization of the facilities available in the United Nations and the specialized agencies for the improvement of such conditions,

1. Recommends that the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization and in consultation with other appropriate specialized agencies, prepare and submit to the thirteenth session of the Economic and Social Council an analysis of the degree to which unsatisfactory forms of agrarian structure and, in particular, systems of land tenure, in the under-developed countries and territories impede economic development and thus depress the standards of living especially of agricultural workers and tenants and of small and medium-sized farmers;

2. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to consider the analysis referred to above and to prepare recommendations to the General Assembly with a view to the improvement of the conditions of agricultural populations, paying special attention to such measures as the following:

(a) Institution of appropriate land reform;

(b) Appropriate action on the part of the governments concerned to render financial aid to agricultural workers and tenants and to small and medium-sized farmers through cheap agricultural credit facilities, comprehensive technical assistance and the promotion of rural co-operatives;

(c) Construction or development, either by direct government action or suitably financed co-operative groups, of

(i) Small factories and workshops for the manufacture, maintenance, repair and servicing of the most essential agricultural machinery and for the storage of spare parts;

(ji) Locally-based enterprises for the processing of agricultural products;

(d) Taxation policies designed to lighten, to the greatest possible extent, the tax burden on tenants and small and medium-sized farmers;

(e) Promotion of family owned and operated farms and of co-operative farms, as well as of other measures to promote the security of tenure and the welfare of agricultural workers and tenants and of small and medium-sized farmers;

3. Recommends to the governments of the underdeveloped countries concerned that they avail themselves of the facilities available to them through the United Nations expanded programme of technical assistance, in order that they may obtain expert advice in the planning of such measures as those listed in the preceding paragraph, for the purpose of improving agrarian conditions.

312th plenary meeting,
20 November 1950

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[1] For example, General Assembly resolutions 45 (I) and 52 (I), 198 (III), 200 (III), 202 (III), 209 (III), 304 (IV), 305 (IV), 306 (IV), 307 (IV) and 331 (IV), and Economic and Social Council resolutions adopted at the first and second sessions on the terms of reference of the Economic and Employment Commission and resolutions 1 (III), 6 (III), 26 (IV), 27 (IV), 29 (IV), 32 (IV), 36 (IV), 37 (IV), 51 (IV), 103 (VI), 106 (VI), 109 (VI), 139 (VII), 140 (VII), 179 (VIII), 180 (VIII), 184 (VIII), 222 (IX), 223 (IX), 225 (IX), 268 (X), 294 (XI), 297 (XI) and 321 (XI).