General Assembly Adopts $5.16 Billion Budget for 2010-2011, Maintains Current Scale

of Assessments for Regular Budget, Peacekeeping, Concluding Main Part of Session

Also Adopts Texts on 2012 United Nations Sustainable Development Conference,

Human Rights in Myanmar, Corruption Convention, Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

The General Assembly concluded the main part of its substantive session early this morning with the adoption a $5.16 billion budget for the United Nations 2010‑2011 biennium, and importantly, a resolution that maintains the current scale by which States are assessed dues to the Organization, reflecting a compromise between the need to review that formula and maintain a balanced approach to assessments.

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Also today, the Assembly took action on various recommendations in the reports of its Third (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) and Second (Economic and Financial) Committees.

Among them, the Assembly adopted, by a vote of 86 in favour to 23 against, with 39 abstentions, draft resolution II -- on the human rights situation in Myanmar -- contained in the Third Committee report on human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives. (See Annex I)

Following that action, the representative of Myanmar said his delegation was greatly disappointed by the continuing adoption of a country-specific resolution dealing with the situation in his nation. Indeed, the fact that double standards and selectivity persisted was a sad commentary on the Assembly’s work. Experience had shown that human rights could only be effectively promoted and protected through international cooperation based on impartiality and non-selectivity.

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Also speaking after action on the text relating to Myanmar were the representatives of the Solomon Islands and Norway.

Background

The General Assembly met today to take action on recommendations from its Second, Third and Fifth Committees. For background and more complete summaries of the Fifth Committee reports, see Press Release GA/AB/3939.

Action on Recommendations in Reports of the Third and Second Committees

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Turning to another report of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives (document A/64/439/Add.3), and a relevant report of the Fifth Committee (document A/64/597).

The resolution in paragraph 18 of that report, on the human rights situation in Myanmar, was adopted by a vote of 86 favour to 23 against, with 39 abstentions. (For voting details, see Annex I)

He said it was worth noting that Myanmar was on track towards a smooth transition to democracy and was determined to proceed with its seven-step political road map. The Myanmar Government was actively preparing for multi-party elections next year. Myanmar believed that the exploitation of human rights for political purposes was unacceptable. Furthermore, it could not accept nor allow interference in its national political processes. Myanmar had voted against the “highly politicized and country-specific resolution”, rejected and would not be bound by it. He expressed deep appreciation to those Member States that had continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with Myanmar.

Next, the representative of Solomon Islands said his delegation upheld human rights principles, it had expressed its position on the current text in the Third Committee. In the meantime, however, due to pressure, her country had been forced to change its vote. Such heavy handedness made taking decisions on such issues even more difficult. Solomon Islands would “leave to history” how the Assembly was addressing human rights issues globally.

Norway's representative said that her delegation had intended to vote in favour of the resolution.

ANNEX I

Vote on Human Rights in Myanmar [ASEAN countries in bold -- LH]

The draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (document A/64/439/Add.3) was adopted by a recorded vote of 86 in favour to 23 against, with 39 abstentions, as follows:

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Palau, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay.

Against: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.

Abstain: Bahamas, Bahrain, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Absent: Angola, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iran, Kiribati, Lesotho, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Suriname, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia.

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