Pattern of conferences

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 3351 (XXIX) of 18 December 1974, 32/72 of 9 December 1977, 36/117 B of 10 December 1981, 38/32 of 25 November 1983, 40/243 of 18 December 1985, 41/177 B of 5 December 1986 and 41/213 of 19 December 1986,

1.         Expresses its appreciation to the Committee on Conferences for its report and its continuing efforts to achieve optimum use of conference-servicing resources within the United Nations;

2.         Decides to extend the current mandate and status of the Committee on Conferences for a further year from 1 January to 31 December 1988;

3.         Requests the President of the General Assembly to reappoint the current States members of the Committee for that further year, without this constituting a precedent;

4.         Requests the Committee on Conferences to continue and complete its consideration of the outstanding issues with respect to its mandate and status and, taking into account the views expressed by Member States during the forty-second session, to make specific recommendations thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-third session.

B

The General Assembly,

Having considered the report of the Committee on Conferences,

1.         Approves the draft calendar of conferences and meetings of the United Nations for the biennium 1988-1989 as submitted by the Committee on Conferences;

2.         Authorizes the Committee on Conferences to make any adjustments in the calendar of conferences and meetings for the biennium 1988-1989 that may become necessary as a result of action and decisions taken by the General Assembly at its forty-second session;

3.         Requests United Nations organs, in order to make optimum use of the conference-servicing resources allocated to them, to indicate with greater precision the actual number of meetings with conference services that they will require in their coming sessions;

4.         Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider inviting the Committee on Conferences to review the Council's draft calendar of conferences and meetings and to make comments and recommendations on that draft where appropriate;

5.         Requests the Secretary-General to examine the possibility of having all organizational aspects of conference-servicing in the United Nations as a whole centrally planned and co-ordinated, with a view to ensuring optimum efficiency and cost-effectiveness by, inter alia, minimizing duplication and overlapping, taking into account the outcome of the deliberations of the Special Commission of the Economic and Social Council on the In-depth Study of the United Nations Intergovernmental Structure and Functions in the Economic and Social Fields and the implementation of paragraph 4 of the present resolution, and to submit his findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, through the Committee on Conferences.

C

The General Assembly,

Aware that the diversity of languages of the United Nations is a source of general enrichment and of better understanding among States Members of the Organization,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on the use of languages in the United Nations, including resolutions 2 (I) of 1 February 1946, 2247 (XXI) of 20 December 1966, 2292 (XXII) of 8 December 1967, 3189 (XXVIII), 3190 (XXVIII) and 3191 (XXVIII) of 18 December 1973 and resolution 36/117 B of 10 December 1981,

Recalling also its resolutions 37/14 of 16 November 1982, 38/32 of 25 November 1983, 39/68 of 13 December 1984, 40/243 of 18 December 1985, 41/177 of 5 December 1986 and 41/213 of 19 December 1986,

Expressing the conviction that, in view of the importance consistently attached by Member States to the respect for equal treatment of official languages of United Nations bodies, the provision of adequate conference services is an essential element in the efficient functioning of the Organization,

Concerned about the increasing difficulties in the provision of conference services, which are reflected particularly in delays in the distribution of documents and unequal treatment of some official languages,

1.         Requests United Nations bodies and the Secretary-General to ensure respect for equal treatment of the official languages of the United Nations;

2.         Affirms that the provision of adequate conference services is an essential element in the efficient functioning of the Organization;

3.         Affirms further that, in order to ensure the provision of adequate conference services to the United Nations, the allocation of resources to those services should be sufficient to meet their requirements;

4.         Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure the provision of conference services to the United Nations with adequate personnel, with due respect for the equal treatment of all official languages of the United Nations;

5.         Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure the full application of General Assembly resolution 36/117 B;

6.         Further requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to implement the present resolution and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-third session.