XV. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE
1526. Land Reform

The General Assembly, Bearing in mind that land reform is frequently one of the main prerequisites for the general improvement of agricultural productivity, that the needs foreseen and the difficulties encountered still constitute a serious obstacle to the economic development of many under developed countries[1] and that the necessary remedies to this end have not been set forth, Convinced that the reports submitted by the Secretary-General for the consideration of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly, in accordance with Assembly resolutions 401 (V) of 20 November 1950, 524 (VI) of 12 January 1952, 625 A (VII) of 21 December 1952 and 826 (IX) of 11 December 1954, and Council resolutions 370 (XIII) of 7 September 1951, 512 C (XVII) of 30 April 1954 and 649 B (XXIII) of 2 May 1957, have provided valuable information on land reform but by no means indicate that the subject of land reform has been exhausted either from the standpoint of economic development and social well-being or that of the maximum utilization of resources, Recognizing the usefulness of studies concerning obstacles which impede or render difficult the implementation of land reform,

1. Recommends that the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the executive heads of the other specialized agencies concerned, should continue to study the progress achieved by countries which have carried out or are carrying out programmes for the transformation of their agrarian structure, at their request, and should submit for the consideration of the Economic and Social Council a comprehensive analytical survey every three years - the first of which would be presented in 1962 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 1426 (XIV) of 5 December 1959 and Economic and Social Council resolution 712 (XXVII) of 17 April 1959 - devoting particular attention to a detailed and critical examination of the basic problems of land reform in under-developed countries, as mentioned in paragraph 55 of the 1959 report of the Secretary-General;[2]

2. Further recommends that the Secretary-General, prior to submitting his 1962 report, should inform the General Assembly at its sixteenth session of the progress achieved in implementation of Assembly resolution 1426 (XIV) and Economic and Social Council resolution 712 (XXVII);

3. Invites the Secretary-General, in complying with the terms of the present resolution and after appropriate consultations with, and at the request of, the Governments concerned in the carrying out of land reform programmes, as well as with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the executive heads of the other interested specialized agencies, to consider the possibility of:

(a) Undertaking studies with a view to ascertaining the demographic, legal, social, economic or other principal factors which may impede or expedite structural changes in the system of land tenure and consequently influence the application of the recommendations made in Economic and Social Council resolution 370 (XIII);

(b) Carrying out country studies in order to determine how tax, financial and budgetary factors, as well as the present utilization of land, can impede or expedite the execution of national land reform programmes in the under-developed countries;

(c) Evaluating the role of co-operatives, and credit agencies in facilitating programmes for the transformation of the agrarian structure;

4. Deems it convenient that the question of land reform, in view of its importance for the economic development of the under-developed countries, should continue to be considered by the Economic and Social Council in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the other specialized agencies concerned;

5. Renews the hope, expressed in its resolution 1426 (XIV), that existing United Nations organs for technical and financial assistance and any new organs which may be set tip by the United Nations give as much assistance as possible and the necessary high priority to projects connected with the execution of agrarian reform programmes.

948th plenary meeting,
15 December 1960.


[1] See Land Reform: Defects in Agrarian Structure as Obstacles to Economic Development (United Nations publication, Sales No.: 51.II.B.3). [2] Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Twenty-seventh Session, Annexes, agenda item 5, document E/3208.
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