Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 3499 (XXX) of 15 December 1975, by which it established the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, and its relevant resolutions adopted at subsequent sessions,

Taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization submitted to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, forty-second, forty-third and forty-fourth sessions, as well as the views and comments expressed on them by Member States,

Having considered the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization on the work of its session held in 1989,

Expressing its satisfaction at the completion of the work on the draft document on the resort to a commission of good offices, mediation or conciliation within the United Nations and at the recommendation of the Special Committee that it should be annexed to a decision to be adopted by the General Assembly at its present session,

Mindful of the desirability of further work being done by the Special Committee in the field of the peaceful settlement of disputes between States,

Noting with appreciation the progress achieved in the elaboration of the draft handbook on the peaceful settlement of disputes between States,

1.         Takes note of the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization;

2.         Decides that the Special Committee shall hold its next session from 12 February to 2 March 1990;

3.         Requests the Special Committee, at its session in 1990, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 5 below:

(a)        To accord priority to the question of the maintenance of international peace and security in all its aspects in order to strengthen the role of the United Nations and, in this context, to consider:

(i)         Primarily, the question of fact-finding activities by the United Nations on the basis of proposals and suggestions before it;

(ii)        Other proposals relating to the maintenance of international peace and security that might be submitted to the Special Committee at its session in 1990;

(b)        To continue its work on the question of the peaceful settlement of disputes between States and, in this context:

(i)         To consider proposals relating to this question that might be submitted to the Special Committee;

(ii)        To examine the progress report of the Secretary-General on the elaboration of the draft handbook on the peaceful settlement of disputes between States;

4.         Requests the Special Committee to keep the question of the rationalization of the procedures of the United Nations under active review;

5.         Also requests the Special Committee to be mindful of the importance of reaching general agreement whenever that has significance for the outcome of its work;

6.         Decides that the Special Committee shall accept the participation of observers of Member States in its meetings, including those of its working group;

7.         Requests the Secretary-General to continue, on a priority basis, the preparation of the draft handbook on the peaceful settlement of disputes between States, on the basis of the outline elaborated by the Special Committee and in the light of the views expressed in the course of the discussions in the Sixth Committee and in the Special Committee, and to report to the Special Committee at its session in 1990 on the progress of work, before submitting to it the draft handbook in its final form, with a view to its approval at a later stage;

8.         Requests the Special Committee to submit a report on its work to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session;

9.         Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-fifth session the item entitled "Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization".