10 November 1998 (am)
United Nations General Assembly
Fifty-third session
Agenda item 12
Report of the Economic and Social Council
Under this item the Assembly considered the question of
declaring an international year of the mountains and had before it
draft resolution A/53/L.24 "International Year of the Mountains",
introduced by the representative of Kyrgyzstan on behalf of 130
co-sponsors. The Ambassador recalled in her statement the previous
discussions of this issue at the 1997 and 1998 substantive
sessions of ECOSOC, resulting in res. E/1997/45 or 22 July 1997
which, inter alia, had called for the Report of the Secretary
General on the desirability of proclaiming a year of mountains
(doc. E/1998/68), and rcs. E/1998/30 of 29th July 1998,
which recommended that the General Assembly at its 53rd
session, proclaim the year 2002 as the International Year of the
Mountains.
Following interventions declaring their support for the Year
from the representatives of Nepal and France, in addition to
Kyrgyzstan, draft resolution A/53/L.24 was adopted by consensus.
The resolution:
(1) Proclaims the year 2002 to be the International Year of the
Mountains;
(2) Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations to serve as the lead agency for the Year, in collaboration
with Governments, the United Nations Environment Programme, the
United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization and other
relevant organizations of the United Nations system and
nongovernmental organizations ;
(3) Calls upon Governments, national and international
organizations, non governmental organizations and the private
sector, to make voluntary contributions in accordance with the
guidelines of the Economic and Social Council for international
years and anniversaries and to lend other forms of support to the
International Year of Mountains;
(4) Encourages all Governments, the United Nations system and
all other actors to take advantage of the International Year of
the Mountains to increase awareness of the importance of
sustainable mountain development;
(5) Requests the Secretary General to submit to the General
Assembly at its fifty fifth session a report on the state of the
preparations for the International Year of the Mountains.
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Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra,
Angela, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron,
Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China,
Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivorie, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gaben, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic
of), Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhatan, Kuwait,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,
Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of
Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San
Marine, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomen
Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, United
States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia
(Note:
The highlighted countries are the regional member countries of
ICIMOD in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region)