24 May 1989

16th plenary meeting

Guidelines for international decades in economic and social fields

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980, in which it adopted guidelines for international years and anniversaries,

Taking note of General Assembly resolution 42/171 of 11 December 1987, in which the Assembly requested the Council to submit recommendations on guidelines for the designation of future international decades,

Recalling its resolution 1988/63 of 27 July 1988, in which it proposed guidelines for international decades for consideration by the General Assembly,

Taking note of General Assembly decision 43/434 of 20 December 1988, in which the Assembly decided to refer the issue to the Council in 1989 for further consideration as appropriate, with a view to enabling the Assembly at its forty-fourth session to consider and take appropriate action on guidelines for international decades,

Recommends that the General Assembly consider further and take appropriate action on the revised guidelines for international decades contained in the annex to the present resolution on the understanding that these guidelines are not intended to apply to United Nations development decades.

Annex GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL DECADES IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FIELDS A. Selection of subjects for and timing of international decades

1. The subject proposed for a decade should be consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, as stated in the Charter. It should be of priority concern in the economic, social, cultural, humanitarian or human rights field and should require long-term action at the international or regional level and at the national level. Action on the subject should contribute to the strengthening of international peace and to the development of international co-operation towards the proclaimed objectives of the decade.

2. In areas where effective programmes already exist, international decades may be proclaimed provided that the decade can be expected to advance the implementation of the objectives of those programmes.

3. While taking exceptions into account, in general decades should not overlap. A new international decade may be initiated provided that it is clear that the United Nations system has the substantive, administrative and financial capacity to play an effective role in the implementation of a programme for the decade.

4. Before a new decade is proposed consideration should be given to the possibility of an observance for a shorter period of time.

B. Requirements for the proclamation of international decades

5. Proposals for international decades should include a draft programme of action with well-defined objectives and activities to be carried out at the international, regional and national levels. The activities should be directed towards clearly defined objectives. The draft programme of action should indicate the proposed organizational arrangements and modalities for financing, from both budgetary and extrabudgetary sources, as well as procedures for monitoring implementation. Provision should also be made for public information activities and, where appropriate, for advisory services upon request from Governments.

6. The draft programme of action should indicate a lead agency or agencies for the decade and the mechanisms to be used for co-ordinating the activities of the organizations of the United Nations system, as well as those of the other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations concerned.

7. At the national level, the programme of action should provide for the establishment of national committees or other mechanisms to mobilize public support and carry out activities connected with the decade.

C. Procedures for the proclamation of international decades

8. Proposals for international decades should be submitted to the Economic and Social Council so that it may review the purpose and timing, drawing on the views of the Committee for Programme and Co-ordination and other intergovernmental bodies concerned.

9. The General Assembly should proclaim an international decade after the proposal has been thoroughly reviewed by the intergovernmental bodies concerned and the views of all Member States and of the non-governmental organizations concerned have been taken into consideration. For this purpose, while taking exceptions into account, in general there should be an interval of two years between the introduction of the proposal in the Economic and Social Council and the proclamation of the decade by the General Assembly.

10. There should be sufficient time between the proclamation of the decade by the General Assembly and the start of the decade to allow for preparatory work at the international, regional and national levels.

11. When a subsequent decade on a particular subject is proposed, the following should be taken into consideration, on the understanding that exceptions may be possible:

(a) There should be a two-year preparatory period between the end of a decade and the start of the subsequent decade for drafting the programme of action for the subsequent decade;

(b) Steps should be taken to ensure that the expertise and experience acquired during a decade are retained in order to ensure the prompt implementation of activities once a subsequent decade is launched;

(c) The mid-term and end-term reviews of a decade should be used as a baseline for the programme of action for the subsequent decade;

(d) A subsequent decade should be proclaimed in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of these guidelines, provided that the objectives of a decade have not been fully attained, particularly in cases where projects or programmes of the first decade have reached an advanced stage of implementation.

D. Review and appraisal of the implementation of the programme of action for the decade

12. The implementation of the programme of action for the decade should normally be reviewed by an appropriate intergovernmental body at the mid-point and end of the decade. When a world conference on the subject of an international decade is convened within the period of the decade, such a conference should serve, inter alia, as an instrument for the review and appraisal of the implementation of the programme of action for the decade.