Respect for the privileges and immunities of officials of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Recalling Article 100 of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling that, under Article 105 of the Charter of the United Nations, officials of the Organization shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Member States such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions in connection with the Organization, which is indispensable for the proper discharge of their duties,

Reaffirming its previous resolutions, in particular resolutions 39/244 of 18 December 1984 and 40/258 C of 18 December 1985,

Reiterating the obligation of the staff in the conduct of their duties to observe fully the laws and regulations of Member States,

1.         Takes note with concern of the report submitted to the General Assembly by the Secretary-General, on behalf of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, and of a number of negative developments reported therein, which together represent a deterioration of the situation with regard to the observance of the principles related to the respect for the privileges and immunities of officials of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations;

2.         Takes note with particular concern of the views expressed by the Secretary-General in paragraph 3 of his report;

3.         Deplores the growing number of cases where the functioning, safety and well-being of officials have been adversely affected, including cases of detention in Member States and abduction by armed groups and individuals;

4.         Also deplores the increasing number of cases in which the lives and well-being of officials have been placed in jeopardy during the exercise of their official functions;

5.         Calls upon all Member States scrupulously to respect the privileges and immunities of all United Nations officials and to refrain from any acts that would impede such officials in the performance of their functions, thereby seriously affecting the proper functioning of the Organization;

6.         Calls upon all Member States currently holding United Nations officials under arrest or detention, or otherwise impeding them in the proper discharge of their duties, to review these cases and to co-ordinate efforts with the Secretary-General to resolve each case with all due speed;

7.         Calls upon the staff of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations to comply with the obligations resulting from the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, in particular regulation 1.8, and from the equivalent provisions governing the staff of the other agencies;

8.         Calls upon the Secretary-General, as chief administrative officer of the United Nations, to continue personally to act as the focal point in promoting and ensuring the observance of the privileges and immunities of officials of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations by using all such means as are available to him;

9.         Urges the Secretary-General to give priority, through the United Nations Security Co-ordinator and his other special representatives, to the reporting and prompt follow-up of cases of arrest, detention and other possible matters relating to the security and proper functioning of officials of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations;

10.       Requests the Secretary-General, as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination, to review and appraise the measures already taken to enhance the proper functioning, safety and protection of international civil servants and to modify them where necessary.