Assistance to Seychelles.

33. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE*
129. Assistance to Seychelles

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 3421 (XXX) of 8 December 1975 on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, in which it urged the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system to extend assistance to the newly independent and emerging States, Recalling also its resolution 31/156 of 21 December 1976, in which it urged all Governments, in particular those of the developed countries, to lend their support, in the context of their assistance programmes, for the implementation of the specific action envisaged in favour of developing island countries, and its resolution 32/185 of 19 December 1977, in which it called upon all organizations in the United Nations system to implement, within their respective spheres of competence, appropriate specific action in favour of developing island countries, Recalling further its resolution 32/101 of 13 December 1977, in which it requested the Secretary-General to mobilize financial, technical and economic assistance from the international community on behalf of Seychelles, Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1978/54 of 2 August 1978, in which the Council endorsed the appeal of the General Assembly to provide assistance to Seychelles, Taking note of the recommendation of the Committee for Development Planning at its fourteenth session, in response to the application of Seychelles for inclusion in the list of the least developed countries, that Seychelles should be assisted during the remainder of the current decade and that the special difficulties and upheavals experienced by Seychelles require special measures,[1] Having examined the report of the Secretary-General of 28 June 1978,[2] containing the report of the mission which he sent to Seychelles in response to General Assembly resolution 32/101, Concerned at the serious structural imbalances in the economy of Seychelles, the country's overwhelming dependence on the tourist industry and its heavy reliance on imports, Taking note of the decision of the Government of Seychelles to close down its tourist office in South Africa by January 1979, in compliance with United Nations sanctions, Taking into account the disadvantageous demographic and geographical features of Seychelles—the small population, the wide dispersion of a large number of islands and the physical remoteness of the country—which pose special development problems, Noting that, without good transport and communications links, any development will be difficult, Taking note of the projects which the mission, in consultation with the Government, identified as urgent or as calling for accelerated implementation,[3]

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the measures he has taken to organize an international economic assistance programme for Seychelles;

2. Endorses fully the assessment and recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General and draws the attention of the international community to the requirements for assistance for the projects and programmes identified in it;

3. Draws the attention of the international community to the special development problems confronting Seychelles as a developing island country with a small population;

4. Calls upon Member States, in the light of the recommendation of the Committee for Development Planning and in accordance with the previous resolutions of the General Assembly, to accord Seychelles, as a matter of priority, privileges and benefits and to give special consideration to the early inclusion of Seychelles in their programmes of development assistance;

5. Reiterates its appeal to Member States, regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental bodies to provide financial, material and technical assistance to Seychelles to enable it to establish the social and economic infrastructure that is essential for the well-being of its people;

6. 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 assistance they are rendering to Seychelles, for which the General Assembly has requested the Secretary-General to implement a special economic assistance programme, and to report the results of that assistance and their decisions to the Secretary-General in time for consideration by the Assembly at its thirty-fourth session;

7. Draws the attention of the international community to the special account which was established at United Nations Headquarters by the Secretary-General, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/101, for the purpose of facilitating the channelling of contributions to Seychelles;

8. Requests the appropriate specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to report periodically to the Secretary-General on the steps they have taken and the resources they have made available to assist Seychelles;

9. 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 Seychelles;

(b) To pursue with the Government of Seychelles the question of organizing a meeting of donors and, in this respect, to co-ordinate efforts with the United Nations Development Programme, the Economic Commission for Africa and the World Bank;

(c) To ensure that adequate financial and budgetary arrangements are made to continue the organization of the international programme of assistance to Seychelles and the mobilization of assistance;

(d) To keep the situation in Seychelles under constant review, to maintain close contact with Member States, regional and other intergovernmental organizations, the specialized agencies and international financial institutions concerned and to apprise the Economic and Social Council, at its second regular session of 1979, of the current status of the special economic assistance programme for Seychelles;

(e) To arrange for a review of the economic situation of Seychelles and the progress made in organizing and implementing the special economic assistance programme for that country in time for the matter to be considered by the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session.

88th plenary meeting
19 December 1978

---

[1]1 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1978, Supplement No.6 (E.1978/46 and Corr.1), para. 99. [2] A/33/139. [3] Ibid., annex, sect. IV.