Enhancing the effectiveness of the principle of periodic and genuine elections : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (47th sess. : 1992-1993)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    18 December 1992

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 44/146 of 15 December 1989, 45/150 of 18 December 1990, and especially 46/137 of 17 December 1991, as well as the annex to Commission on Human Rights resolution 1989/51 of 7 March 1989,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,

Acknowledging the proposed guidelines on electoral assistance prepared by the Secretariat,

Noting the increase in requests for electoral assistance by Member States,

1.         Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General;

2.         Welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General to designate a focal point for electoral verification and electoral assistance;

3.         Takes note of the decision of the Secretary-General to establish the Electoral Assistance Unit within the Secretariat;

4.         Commends the electoral assistance provided to Member States at their request by the Organization, requests that such assistance continue on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the proposed guidelines on electoral assistance, recognizing that the fundamental responsibility for ensuring free and fair elections lies with Governments, and also requests the Electoral Assistance Unit to inform Member States on a regular basis about the requests received, the responses given to those requests and the nature of the assistance provided;

5.         Welcomes the establishment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Trust Fund for Electoral Observation and the establishment by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme of a separate fund, the Trust Fund for Technical Assistance to Electoral Processes, and calls upon Member States to consider contributing to the Funds;

6.         Stresses the importance of coordination by the focal point within the United Nations system, commends the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat for the advisory services and technical assistance it provides and the Department of Economic and Social Development of the Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme for the technical assistance they are providing to requesting Member States, and requests the focal point to continue to collaborate closely with the Centre for Human Rights as well as with the Department of Economic and Social Development and the United Nations Development Programme and inform them of requests presented in the area of electoral assistance;

7.         Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Electoral Assistance Unit with adequate human and financial resources, under the regular budget of the Organization and within existing resources, to allow it to carry out its regular mandate;

8.         Also requests the Secretary-General to reinforce the Centre for Human Rights through the redeployment of resources and personnel in order to enable it to answer, in close coordination with the Electoral Assistance Unit, the increasing number of requests from Member States for advisory services in the area of electoral assistance;

9.         Recommends that the proposed guidelines on electoral assistance be considered as provisional, and requests the Secretary-General to evaluate the guidelines in the light of experience over the next two years;

10.       Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session on the implementation of resolution 46/137 and the present resolution, in particular on the status of requests from Member States for electoral assistance and verification, and on the validity of the guidelines in the light of experience;

11.       Decides that the question of enhancing the effectiveness of the principle of periodic and genuine elections shall be biennialized as of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly.

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