UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE TAKES ACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS,

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001054 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SOCI KCRM AORC UNGA SUBJECT: UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE TAKES ACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, CRIME, DRUGS, AND OTHER PROPOSALS ¶1. On November 11, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee took action on the following draft resolutions: A/C.3/63/L.56, entitled "Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees;" A/C.3/63/L.17/Revision 1, entitled "Indigenous issues;" A/C.3/63/L.21, entitled "Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights;" A/C.3/63/L.27, entitled "Human rights and extreme poverty;" A/C.3/63/L.37, entitled "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto;" A/C.3/63/L.10/Revision 1, entitled "Strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, in particular its technical cooperation capacity;" and A/C.3/63/L.8/Revision 1, entitled "International cooperation against the world drug problem." All draft resolutions were adopted by consensus. The United States is a co-sponsor of A/C.3/63/L.56, A/C.3/63/L.17/Revision 1, A/C.3/63/L.10/Revision 1, and A/C.3/63/L.8/Revision 1. The United States issued an Explanation of Position (EOP) statement after the adoption of draft resolution A/C.3/63/L.27; the text of this statement can be found at www.usunnewyork.usmission.gov. ¶2. Following the adoption of draft resolution A/C.3/63/L.56, Pakistan delivered an EOP statement emphasizing that local integration of refugees cannot be considered an option for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as Pakistan lacks the capacity to absorb such a massive population. Following the adoption of draft resolution A/C.3/63/L.27, South Africa delivered an EOP statement expressing its disappointment over the draft's "narrow" definition of human rights and extreme poverty, which it believed could not fully be addressed outside of the context of economic development. South Africa lamented the lack of a specified "constructive environment" for the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, whose terms of reference do not take into account the Second Decade for the eradication of poverty. Following the adoption of draft resolution A/C.3/63/L.8, Russia issued an EOP statement noting its disagreement regarding the decision not to include an Operative Paragraph in the draft resolution calling for increased international efforts to curb the illicit manufacture of opium in Afghanistan. According to the speaker, while Russia understood the Committee's preference not to single out individual countries in this draft, Russia felt that the threat to regional and international security posed by drug trade stemming from Afghanistan was duly significant as to merit a mention. Russia also believed that a Preambular Paragraph should have been included mentioning the importance of countering the trafficking of precursor chemicals used for the manufacture of illicit drugs. Few others issued EOP statements on draft resolutions adopted during the November 11 meeting. Khalilzad