ol the social implications of the Lagos Plan of Action. He then explained the I™^™^1!^ Development Strategy for the United Nations Development Decade had
emphasized the importance of extending and strengthening the basic socialservices as health, nutrition, water, sanitation and education which would help
to reduce income inequalities and, above all, enhance the capacity of society
for economic and social progress. The International Development Strategy had
also given due recognition to social justice as a precondition to balanced
development in which the full and effective participation of the entire popula tion in the development process must be ensured. All those developments were consistent with the Monrovia Strategy and with the Lagos Plan of Action and the Conference of African Ministers of Social Affairs had stressed the importance of mobilizing all available human resources in the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action.
64. The representative of the secretariat then drew attention to the compre hensive list of recommended measures addressed to member States by the third Conference of African Ministers of Social Affairs concerning the social context within which the implementation of the Lagos Plan of Action must be considered.
Those recommendations appeared on pages 6 to 19 of the report (E/CN.14/785) and covered measures to improve the demographic and health situation, the quality of human resources and the status of women and opportunities for their participa tion in national development efforts; measures to deal with problems of youth unemployment, refugees and displaced persons; social policy measures to be taken to counter adverse social consequences that might arise out of the imple mentation of the Lagos Plan of Action; measures to maximize social benefits;
and international co-operation in social development. The various measures recommended had been incorporated into one comprehensive resolution for the _ consideration of the Conference /see resolution 423(XVI) in chapter IV below/.
65. In the discussions that followed, one participant observed that the report [E/CN.14/785) had not dealt with the problems of the difficult living conditions of African immigrants to Europe and proposed that social policies evolved under the Lagos Plan of Action should take account of the welfare of such immigrants.
66. The Conference then endorsed the report and resolutions contained therein.
The United Nations Transport and Communications Decade in Africa: Progress report by the Conference of Ministers of Transport and Communications [item 11) 67. Before introducing the report of the second meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Transport, Communications and Planning, the representative of the secretariat recalled the purpose of the Transport and Communications Decade in Africa and resolution 391(XV) adopted by the Conference of Ministers in April
1980. With respect to the second meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Transport, Communications and Planning held at Addis Ababa in March 1981, he pointed out that that conference had provided an opportunity for taking stock of progress made in the implementation of the programme of the Decade and giving the Decade a new orientation in line with the global strategy defined in volume I of the Decade document. In preparation for that Conference of Ministers, the fourth meeting of the Interagency Co-ordinating Committee of
the Decade had been held on 9 and 10 March 1981 and a meeting of intergovern mental experts from African countries from 9 to 15 March 1981. The representa
tive of the secretariat read out the agendas of those preliminary meetings and summarized the issues discussed and the positions which had emerged from the discussions which emphasized inter alia, the implementation of the programme of the Decade, the search for additional funding, the updating of the first phase of the programme of the Decade and the preparation of the second phase of that programme (1984-1988).
68. He then referred to statements made by the Deputy Executive Secretary of ECOWAS stressing how important it was to count on subregional organizations in
Africa for the implementation of the programme of the Decade, and by the representative of ADB who had stated that his organization had agreed to act as leader in the mobilization of financing for the programme of the Decade. He also referred to a communique received from Morocco on the project relating to a permanent intercontinental link between Africa and Europe. He drew attention to the resolutions which the second meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Transport, Communications and Planning had adopted which entrusted the secretariat with greater functions and thus with more work. Although UNDP had provided finance for activities related to the implementation of the
Decade, those resources were clearly inadequate in view of the magnitude of the undertaking and of the role entrusted to the secretariat. Finally, he called upon the representative of Senegal to introduce a draft resolution on the implementation of the Decade.
69. During the discussion that followed, some delegations proposed amendments to the draft resolution and requested clarifications. After the representative of the secretariat had given the necessary clarifications, the resolution was adopted as amended /see resolution 422 IXVI) in chapter IV below7.
Report and recommendations of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole (item 12)
70* The Chairman of the second meeting of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole introduced the report and recommendations of the second meeting of
the Committee.
71. The Conference then adopted the report of the Committee (E/CN.14/813 -E/CN.14/TPCW/II/28) together with the draft resolutions which the Committee had recommended for adoption (see draft resolutions A to D in chapter I above and resolutions 403(XVI) to 409(XVI) and 412(XVI) to 421(XVI) in chapter IV
below).
United Nations Trust Fund for African Development: Pledges of financial contributions by member States for the 1982*1983 biehnium (item 13)
72* The following documents were submitted to the third Pledging Conference of African Government Plenipotentiaries: United Nations Trust Fund for African Development - Progress report of pledges and payments by member States, project implementation and expenditures, 1977-1980 (E/CN.14/791); and United Nations Trust Fund for African Development, third Pledging Conference, Resources
required for the 1982-1983 biennium (E/CN.14/796). In introducing the documents, the Executive Secretary expressed satisfaction at the support that member States had given to the first Pledging Conference for 1977/1979 and to the second
Pledging Conference for 1979/1981. That demonstrated the importance African Governments attached to self-reliance. The spirit of self-reliance would encourage other donors to contribute to the Trust Fund (UNTFAD).
Indeed one non-African developing country, India, had also contributed to
UNTFAD. The gap between available and required resources to implement approved projects for 1982-1983 amounted to $US 6 million. He therefore appealed to member States to fill that gap at the present Conference. Countries which had not paid should do so and those that had never pledged should also pledge on the present occasion. The Chairman drew attention to Conference of Ministers resolution 288(XIII) which had called upon the Executive Secretary to convene pledging conferences every two years for plenipotentiaries of African
Covenants and representatives the Trust Fund.
had already been pledged.
ive of Benin recalled that his country had been committed to
for ing; and System [PADIS}.
76 The representative of Botswana said that his Government had already paid
in $US 10,000 for 1982-1983. He pledged an additional sum or *u* *5'""u' 00Q.. ,^i r ipiic tc nnn n-f tViai" sunnflt his Government wisncu ipuij >
T^ I fo Lusaka WLTOc'proiects! $^S 3,000 to be used for projects on the inteegrUaStionfof ^"development and\he balance Of $US 12,000 to be used
by EGA for the general development of Africa.
77. The representative of Burundi pledged $US 20,000 Part of that money should be used to support the work of the Gisenyi MULPOC.
78. The representative of the Congo pledged *u^40^a^o^sf°Lh-""
cultural and mineral research, the *v« oranen regional integration and transpori
project. All those projects were Yaounde MULPOC and that of UDEAC.
79 The representative of Egypt stated that, in addition to ^JV^^"*
*•'■• *»*^ •*■ r _ ,., ci,ti*i whinh had heen announced in iid-gos* j-*1
— £ 4-Ua CIIC £ mi Tin on Ep"VTDtlan A1Q rUIlU wiii^n iio-vi u\s\j*
Ox tne 4>UO O IllX J--L-Lv-ii '-'&/r *■■"■"* j *!»« Dati &-fTl P3.T1 DOCUHK