Assistance to Sao Tome and Principe.

  • Author: UN General Assembly (34th sess. : 1979-1980)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    14 December 1979

34. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE
131. Assistance to Sao Tome and Principe

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 31/187 of 21 December 1976, in which, inter alia, it expressed deep concern at the serious economic and social situation in Sao Tome and Principe as a result of the total lack of infrastructure for development and appealed urgently to the international community to assist the Government of Sao Tome and Principe to enable it to establish the necessary social and economic infrastructure for development, Recalling also its resolutions 32/96 of 13 December 1977 and 33/125 of 19 December 1978, in which it reiterated its appeal to the international community to provide financial, material and technical assistance to Sao Tome and Principe, Recalling further that in its resolution 33/125 it noted the recommendation of the Committee for Development Planning, at its fourteenth session, that Sao Tome and Principe should be assisted during the remainder of the current decade and that the special difficulties and upheavals experienced by Sao Tome and Principe required special measures,[1] Bearing in mind its resolutions 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 32/185 of 19 December 1977, in which it urged all organizations in the United Nations system to implement, within their respective spheres of competence, appropriate specific action in favour of developing island countries, Aware that the economic and social development of Sao Tome and Principe has been seriously hindered not only by inadequate health, educational and housing facilities but also by inadequate transport infrastructure, and that urgent improvement in these sectors is a prerequisite for the country's future progress, Taking note of the current development priorities of the Government of Sao Tome and Principe, notably in agriculture and livestock, in fisheries, manufacture, mining, transport and other infrastructure, and in education, training, health and housing, Recalling its resolutions 32/160 of 19 December 1977 and 33/197 of 29 January 1979 on the Transport and Communications Decade in Africa, Noting, in this connexion, that substantial international assistance is needed to improve the infrastructure in sea, air and land transport in Sao Tome and Principe, Noting also the request of the Government of Sao Tome and Principe that a representative of the United Nations Development Programme should be assigned to the country on a full-time basis in order to administer more effectively the United Nations assistance programme as well as to assist in the co-ordination of other development programmes and projects, Having examined the report of the Secretary-General of 6 August 1979,[2] to which was annexed the report of the mission which he sent to Sao Tome and Principe early in the year in response to General Assembly resolution 33/125, Recognizing the fragility of the economy associated with its heavy reliance on a single-crop export and the sharp fall in the volume of cocoa exports which resulted from prolonged drought in 1978, Noting with concern that the reduction in the volume of exports combined with the impact of higher import prices is expected to-result in a substantial trade deficit in 1979, and that financing has not been found for the 1978 investment programme, Noting with concern that the majority of the projects and programmes identified in the report of the Secretary-General are not as yet financed, Also concerned by the conclusion of the mission sent to the country that, unless there is a significant increase in the volume of international assistance, the Government will no! be able to finance a development programme, Further concerned that food production in the islands has been seriously reduced as a result of the recent drought and outbreak of African swine pest, and that, in consequence, -additional quantities of food will need to be imported in 1979 and early in 1980,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the steps he has taken to mobilize assistance for Sao Tome and Principe;

2. Endorses fully the assessment and recommendations contained in the annex to the report of the Secretary-General ;

3. Expresses its appreciation to Member States and international organizations for the assistance provided to Sao Tome and Principe, both in food aid and development assistance;

4. Reiterates its appeal to Member States, regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental bodies to provide financial, material and technical assistance to Sao Tome and Principe to permit the implementation of the projects and programmes identified in the report of the Secretary-General and to enable the Government to launch an effective programme of economic and social development;

5. Requests Member States and the organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to accord Sao Tome and Principe special measures for the rest of the Second United Nations Development Decade, pending the examination of its situation by the Committee for Development Planning;

6. Invites the Economic and Social Council to request the Committee for Development Planning to examine the situation of Sao Tome and Principe as a priority matter and, in the light of up-to-date statistical data, to give consideration to the inclusion of Sao Tome and Principe in the new list of the least developed countries to be drawn up in the context of the third United Nations development decade;

7. Urgently appeals to the international community to respond to Sao Tome and Principe's need for immediate food assistance;

8. Urges the United Nations Development Programme and other appropriate United Nations organizations and specialized agencies to respond favourably to requests from the Government of Sao Tome and Principe for technical assistance to help in formulating development projects and to assist in the implementation of its development programme;

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 Sao Tome and Principe and to report the decisions of those bodies to the Secretary-General by 15 August 1980;

10. 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 Sao Tome and Principe;

11. Draws the attention of the international community to the special account which was established by the Secretary-General, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/96, for the purpose of facilitating the channelling of contributions to Sao Tome and Principe;

12. Requests the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to consider, as a matter of priority, the assigning to Sao Tome and Principe of a full-time representative of the United Nations Development Programme;

13. 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 Sao Tome and Principe;

(b) To pursue with the Government of Sao Tome and Principe 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 Sao Tome and Principe and the mobilization of assistance;

(d) To keep the situation in Sao Tome and Principe 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 1980, of the current status of the special economic assistance programme for Sao Tome and Principe;

(e) To arrange for a review of the economic situation of Sao Tome and Principe 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-fifth session,

104th plenary meeting
14 December 1979


[1] See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1978, Supplement No. 6 (E/1978/46 and Corr.1), para. 99. [2] A/34/371.
Disclaimer:

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.