Consideration of the economic and social situation in the Sudano-Sahelian region stricken by drought and measures to be taken for the benefit of that region

XXVIII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE
3054. Consideration of the economic and social situation in the Sudano-Sahelian region stricken by drought and measures to be taken for the benefit of that region

The General Assembly, Taking note with satisfaction of the note by the Secretary-General[1] on the economic and social situation in the Sudano-Sahelian region stricken by drought and measures to be taken for the benefit of that region, Recalling its resolutions 2816 (XXVI) of 14 December 1971 and 2959 (XXVII) of 12 December 1972 on assistance in cases of natural disaster and other disaster situations, Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolutions 1759 (LIV) of 18 May 1973 and 1797 (LV) of 11 July 1973 in which the Council appealed to all Member States and to all the international organizations and programmes concerned within the United Nations system to devote the largest possible volume of their financial, technical and other resources to meeting the requests of Governments of affected countries of the Sudano-Sahelian region for medium-term and long-term assistance, as soon as such requests are submitted, Noting the prompt and pertinent measures taken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with the help of other institutions and donor countries, to organize and supervise emergency relief operations in the affected region, Noting also with appreciation the dispatch, at the request of the Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel, of a multi-donor mission to visit the Sahelian countries in order to assess their food and nutritional requirements for 1973-1974, Noting with concern the great and disquieting magnitude of the effects of the drought in the Sudano-Sahelian region, in particular the enormous loss of human lives and of livestock, and the serious shortages of food-stuffs, Considering that these countries are among the poorest countries and that their agro-pastoral economy has been seriously damaged by the drought, Aware that the transport problem constitutes a major obstacle in these countries, Considering that it is essential that the international community assist these countries to ensure, as a matter of urgency, their recovery and their economic expansion through a rapid and substantial increase in their agricultural, agro-industrial and pastoral production,

1. Expresses its appreciation for the international assistance given to these countries during the emergency phase by Governments, international organizations and voluntary agencies;

2. Welcomes the complete co-operation of all Governments, organizations of the United Nations system, and all the intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned;

3. Notes with interest the establishment, within the United Nations Secretariat, of a Special Sahelian Office responsible for co-ordinating the medium-term and long-term assistance activities of the organizations of the United Nations system, invites them to co-operate fully with that Office and authorizes the Secretary-General to utilize the necessary resources for carrying out that work;

4. Notes also with interest the recommendations and resolutions of the heads of State of the drought-stricken countries, including the medium-term and long-term action programme, and the establishment of the Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel, which is to co-ordinate national and regional action;

5. Urges all Member States, and the developed countries in particular, to take promptly all measures necessary to help these countries to implement the medium-term and long-term measures identified by them by supplying long-term financial assistance on very favourable terms and by simplifying procedures for the granting of assistance;

6. Invites the Governments of developed countries and the international financial institutions to adapt the terms and volume of their assistance to the countries of the Sudano-Sahelian region to the needs of these countries, their financial situation and their external indebtedness, not excluding the consolidation of debts in the multilateral sphere;

7. Invites all the international financing institutions, in particular the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, the International Development Association and the African Development Bank, to intensify, as a matter of urgency, their assistance to these countries by appropriating additional investment and development funds for their projects and programmes aimed at rebuilding and improving their production, in accordance with the national and regional priorities established by these countries;

8. Requests the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme to grant high priority during the 1970s to regional development programmes directly or indirectly concerned with the drought problem, particularly those for developing livestock breeding, increasing food production and developing water resources in the Sudano-Sahelian region;

9. Invites the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme, in collaboration with the other organizations concerned within the United Nations system, to intensify current research on developing grain varieties suitable for the Sudano-Sahelian region and to give its full financial and technical support to the establishment of national and regional institutions designed to produce better knowledge of and solutions for short-term and long-term problems created by the drought;

10. Requests the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme to give priority to the search for a medium-term and long-term solution to the problems of desert encroachment in the countries bordering on the Sahara and other areas with similar geographical conditions and to take all necessary measures to help the countries concerned to implement their action programme;

11. Requests the developed countries and the specialized agencies of the United Nations to grant those countries affected by the drought which do not enjoy them benefits similar to those given to the least developed countries with respect to the specific consequences of the drought and until those consequences are eliminated;

12. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to use their experience of emergency relief operations in continuing advance planning and the provision of temporary assistance in order to overcome the problems of supply, storage and distribution in 1974;

13. Appeals to Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to give the most favourable response possible to the recommendations made by the mission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in order to ensure that the food and nutritional needs of the populations of these countries are met in 1973-1974;

14. Invites all other organizations of the United Nations system, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Children's Fund, the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, to devote as much as possible of their resources, within their respective programmes, to responding to requests for assistance from countries in the Sudano-Sahelian region for reconstructing the economies of these countries;

15. Further invites all Member States to give substantial financial and technical assistance for the improvement and construction of road and rail networks at the national and regional levels;

16. Urges the Secretary-General to give effective help to the mobilization of the resources and efforts of the international community and of the international financial institutions with a view to the complete and rapid implementation of the action programme decided on by the countries concerned;

17. Invites all Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to co-operate fully with the co-ordination system set up by the Permanent Inter-State Committee, in liaison with the Special Sahelian Office;

18. Invites the executive heads of the specialized agencies and other organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to continue intensifying their efforts, under the guidance of the Secretary-General, to ensure full co-ordination of the assistance provided by or through those agencies, organizations and programmes to the drought-stricken countries;

19. Invites Member States and the Secretary-General to continue providing the Permanent Inter-State Committee with all the support it needs to carry out the task assigned to it;

20. Requests the Secretary-General to report periodically on the efforts of the international community to aid in the reconstruction and economic and social development of the drought-stricken Sudano-Sahelian region and to report to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council.

2155th plenary meeting
17 October 1973

---

[1] A/9178.