24 May 1989

16th plenary meeting

Adverse consequences for the enjoyment of human rights of political, military, economic and other forms of assistance given to the racist and colonialist regime of South Africa

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 39/15 of 23 November 1984 and 41/95 of 4 December 1986,

1. Expresses its satisfaction to the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Mr. Ahmed Khalifa, for his updated report;

2. Expresses its thanks to all Governments and all organizations that have provided information to the Special Rapporteur;

3. Invites the Special Rapporteur:

(a) To continue to update, subject to annual review, the list of banks, transnational corporations and other organizations assisting the racist regime of South Africa, giving such details regarding enterprises listed as the Rapporteur may consider necessary and appropriate, including explanations of responses, if any, and to submit the updated report to the Commission on Human Rights, through the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities;

(b) To use all available material from other United Nations organs, Member States, specialized agencies and other relevant sources in order to indicate the volume, nature and adverse human consequences of the assistance given to the racist regime of South Africa;

(c) To intensify direct contacts with the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations and the Centre against Apartheid of the United Nations Secretariat, with a view to consolidating mutual co-operation in updating his report;

4. Calls upon Governments:

(a) To co-operate with the Special Rapporteur in making the report even more accurate and informative;

(b) To disseminate the updated report and give its contents the widest possible publicity;

5. Invites the Sub-Commission to consider the updated report at its forty-first session;

6. Requests the Secretary-General, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 41/95, to make available to the Special Rapporteur two economists to help him to develop his work of analysis and documentation of certain specific cases of particular importance;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to give the Special Rapporteur all the assistance that he may require in the exercise of his mandate, with a view to intensifying direct contacts with the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations and the Centre against Apartheid;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the updated report of the Special Rapporteur to the attention of Governments whose national financial institutions continue to deal with the regime of South Africa and to call upon them to provide the Special Rapporteur with any information or comments they may wish to present on the matter;

9. Invites the Secretary-General to continue to give the updated report of the Special Rapporteur the widest distribution and publicity as a United Nations publication;

10. Requests the Special Rapporteur to provide the Sub-Commission at its forty-first session with a concise note on the feasibility of consolidating the lists maintained by United Nations organs of enterprises doing business in South Africa;

11. Requests the Special Rapporteur to provide the Sub-Commission at its forty-first session with a brief analysis of the partial disinvestment of foreign enterprises in South Africa, enumerating the various techniques employed to avoid total withdrawal from participation in the South African economy;

12. Decides that the Commission on Human Rights shall consider the updated report at its forty-sixth session under the agenda item entitled "The adverse consequences for the enjoyment of human rights of political, military, economic and other forms of assistance given to colonial and racist regimes in southern Africa".