26 July 1984

Meeting 49

Inclusion of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the list of the least developed countries

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 3421(XXX) of 8 December 1975 on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, in which the Assembly urged the specialized agencies and other organizations within the United Nations system to extend assistance to the newly independent and emerging States,

Recalling also General Assembly resolutions 31/156 of 21 December 1976, 32/185 of 19 December 1977, 34/205 of 19 December 1979, 35/61 of 5 December 1980 and 37/206 of 20 December 1982, in which the Assembly urged all Governments, in particular those of the developed countries, to lend their support, in the context of their assistance programmes, for the implementation of the specific action envisaged in favour of island developing countries, and in which it also called upon all organizations of the United Nations system to implement, within their respective spheres of competence, appropriate specific action in favour of island developing countries,

Recalling further resolutions 98(IV) of 31 May 1976, 111(V) of 3 June 1979 and 138(VI) of 2 July 1983 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, concerning specific action related to the particular needs and problems of island developing countries,

Recognizing the special problems faced by island developing countries, because of their smallness, remoteness, constraints in transport and communications, distance from market centres, limited internal markets, lack of natural resources, dependence on a few commodities, natural disasters, shortage of administrative personnel and heavy financial burdens,

Taking into account the fact that Kiribati and Tuvalu are island developing countries and are small and archipelagic, which makes the provision of services difficult and causes disproportionately high costs because of inter-island distances and the distribution of the population in small isolated pockets,

Concerned at the cumulative effect of the severe constraints on the economic development of Kiribati and Tuvalu, particularly those resulting from their geographical isolation,

Concerned also at the continued structural imbalances in the economies of the two countries, particularly their unavoidable dependence on imports,

1. Calls the attention of the international community to the special problems confronting Kiribati and Tuvalu as island developing countries with small populations;

2. Appeals to Member States, regional and interregional organizations and other intergovernmental organizations to provide financial, material and technical assistance to Kiribati and Tuvalu to enable them to establish the social and economic infrastructure that is essential for the well-being of their people;

3. Invites the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the International Labour Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the International Fund for Agricultural Development to bring to the attention of their governing bodies, for their consideration, the special needs of Kiribati and Tuvalu;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to mobilize the financial, technical and economic assistance of the international community, in particular the developed countries and the appropriate organizations of the United Nations system, with a view to meeting the short-term and long-term development needs of Kiribati and Tuvalu;

5. Requests the appropriate organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to maintain and increase their current and future programmes of assistance to Kiribati and Tuvalu, to co-operate closely with the Secretary-General in organizing an effective international programme of assistance, and to report periodically to him on the steps they have taken and the resources they have made available to help those countries;

6. Requests the Committee for Development Planning, at its twenty-first session, as a matter of priority, to give due consideration to the question of the inclusion of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the list of the least developed countries and to submit its conclusions to the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1985;

7. Also requests the Secretary-General to prepare as soon as possible a mission which will assess the needs of, and prepare a programme of assistance for, Kiribati and Tuvalu and, if possible, to apprise the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session of the findings of the mission;

8. Further requests the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1985 on the priority needs of Kiribati and Tuvalu and the assistance required from the international community.