Control and limitation of documentation : Note by the executive secretary

-

UNITED N A T I O N S rm

E C O N O M I C

D i s t r . GCLGRAL

A N D

L / C N . 14/184

SOCIAL COUNCIL

11 J a n u a r y

1963

O r r g l n a l : E B G L E B

X O N O X I C C O ! J ~ ~ I S S I O N PC3 U H I C A F i f t h s e s s i o n

L e o p o l d v i l l e , February

-

^March

¹⁹⁶³

Provisional agenda i t e m 1 6

CONTROL KND L I X I T A T I O K O F DOCUiIX'lJTATiON ( ~ o t s by t h e Executive S e c r e t a r y )

, . . . ,L.

:

Not6 b y t h e E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r ~ . .

, .

1. . m e a t t a c h e d t e x t of .Cen.eraly fksssmbly r e s o l u t i o n i 2 7 2 ( ~ I I I ~ ,

' . ,

which w a s p r e s e n t e d t p t h e C o a m i s s i o n a t its. i e c o n d s e s s i o n , ' i s ag.ain b e i n g p r e s e n t e d a t t h i s s e s s i o n i n c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f i t s c o n t i n u i n g i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e work of t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s a n d i t s s u b s i d i a r y b o d i e s .

2. Documents 8/3888 j.i-~cl 6 / 3 9 2 l mentioned i n t h e above r e s o l u t i o n a r e a v . i i l a b l e f o r c o n s u l t a t i o n b y d e l e g a t i o n s .

3. R e g u l a t i o n 1 3 . 1 of t h e F ~ r i a n c i a l R e & u l s t i o n s oi' t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s , r e f e r r e d t o i n p a r a g r a p h

4

of r e s o l u t i o n 1272 (XIII) r e a d s a s f o l l o w s :

"No c o u n c i l , oommission o r o t h e r c o m p e t e n t body s h a l l t a k e a d e c i s i o n i n v o l v i n g e x p e n d i t u r e u n l e s s i t h a s b e f o r e i t a r e p o r t from t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l on t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e and f i n a n c i a l i m p l i c a t i o n s of t h e p r o p o ~ a l . ~ '

4.

l'ha E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y c o n t i n u e s t o make a l l e f f o r t s t o

r e k u c e t h e volume of d o c u m e n t a t i o n . Only documents s p e c i f i c a l l y r e q u e s t - e d b y t h e f o u r t h s e s s i o n of t h e Commission have b e e n s u b m i t t e d .

S u b j e c t t o t h e agreement of t h e Co:nmission, t h e E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y i n t e n d s t o k e e p t h e summaq r e c o r d s o f t h e d i s c u s s i o n s a t t h e f i f t h s e s s i o n of t h e Commission w i t h i n t h e same l i m i t s as t h o s e of t h e f o u r t h s e s s i o n of t h e Commission ( L / C N . 1 4 (1~)/~12.1-25).

5-

The E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y f u r t h e r i n t e n d s i n f u t u r e t o i n d i o a t e t o o r g a n i z a t i o n s p r e p a r i n g d o c u m e n t a t i o n f o r t h e Commission t h e a p p r o x i m a t e volume o f m a t e r i a l r e q u i r e d , a n d w i l l draw a t t e n t i o n t o G e n e r a l Assembly r e s o l u t i o n 1 2 7 2 (~111)on tihe c o n t r o l and

l i m i t a t i o n of d o u u m n t a t i o n .

6. The E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y a l s o w i l l n o t a c c e p t , as 3 m a t t e r o f c o u r s e , t h e b u r d e n of p r o c e s s i n g a l l p a p e r s o r m a t e r i a l r e c e i v e d ,

i e e e m & i u o & %+Nth; but d l 3 reserve t h e r i g h t t o summarize o r condense such m a t e r i a l s . T h i s w i l l be indicated by t h e Zxecutive S e c r e t a r y when making r e q u e s t s f o r documentation.

7 .

S m c e t h e Commission i s a new organ of tine United Nations,

a ocmparison of the volume of dcoumentation with p r e v i o u s y e a r s , o r a t a r g e t f i g u r e f o r a r e d u c t i o n , a r e not a p p l i c a b l e .

The G e n e r a l A s s e m b l ~ . . .

N o t i n g t h e r e p o r t of t h e C o n n i t t e e on t h e C o n t r o l and :,imitation of Documentation s e t up u n d e r G e n e r a l AssemSly r e s o l u t i o n 1 2 0 3

(XU)

of 13 _December

1957

t o c o n s u l t w i t h and a d v i s e t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l on t h e most e f f e c t i v e n e a n s of i m p l e m e n t i n g t h a t r e s o l u t i o n ,

N o t i n g f u r t h e r t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l ' s r e p o r t on t h c s t e p s t a k e n a n d on t h e n a t u r e and e x t e n t of t n e r e d u c t i o n s a c h i e v e l ,

1. Commends t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l f o r the q g r e o i a b i t r e s u l t s ^{. : .} a c h i e v e d s o f a r d u r i n g

1958,

2 F n d o r s e s t h e r e p o r t of t h e Co.mmi.ttee o n t h e C o n t r o l and

L i m i t a t i o n of Documentation, p a r t i c u l a r 1 2 t h e b a s i c a p p r o a c h e s e n u n c i a t e d . i n p a r a g r a p h 1 0 a n d t h e $ - o p o s a l s s e t o u t i n p a r a g r a p h 2 7 , e x c e p t t h o s e c o n t a i n e d i n sub-paragraph ( c ) ; i n r e z a r d t o t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f v e r b a t i m and summary r e c o r d s , t h e e x i s t i n 2 p r a c t i c e s h a l l c o n t i n u e u n a l t e r e d i n a l l r e o 2 e c t s ;

3.

Draws t h e p a r t i c u l a r a t t e n t i o n of a l l o r z a n r : m i s u b s i d i a r y b o d i e s t o t h e recommendations o o n t a i n e d i n p a r a g r a p h 2 7 ( e ) of t h e

C o s m i t t e e ' s r e s o r t , r e q u e s t i n g t h o s e o r g a n s and b o d i e s t o i n c l u d e i n t h e a g e t ~ d a of t h z i r n e x t s e s s i o n t h e q u e s t i o n of t h e c o n t r o l i n 4 l i m i t a t i o u of t h e i r documentation;

4.

Emphasizes i n t h i s connexion t h e i:nportance of s t r i c t a d h e r e n c e t o r e ; u l a t i o n 13.1 o? t h e F i n a n c i a l i?e:,ulations of t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s and t h s r e l e v a n t r u l e s 01 p r o c e d u r e of t h e o r g a n s c o n c e r n e d , w i t h t h e o b j e c t of e n s u r i n g t h a t no o r g a n o r s u b s i d i a r y body t a k e s d e c i s i o n s on a n y measure u n t i l i t h a s been informed i n advance of t h e f i n a n c i a l and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s i n v o l v e d 5

5.

R e q u e s t s t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l t o e n s u r e t h a t no e f f o r t i s s g a r e d w i t h i n t h e S e c r e t a r i a t t o n a i n t a i n t h e 9 r o ; r e s s a c h i e v e d and t o e x t e n d i t i n a l l ways p o s s i b l e , t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e z u i d i n g

p r i n c i p l e s s e t f o r t h i n p a r a g r a p h 1 0 of t h e r d p o r t of t h e Co.nmittee;

6. F u r t h e r r e q u e s t s t h e S t c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l , w i t h i n t h e e x i s t i n g e s t a b l i s h m e n t , t o e x t e n d t h e e d i t o r i a l c o n t r o l s e r v i c e s ;

7.

U r s e s t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of Member S t a t e s a s w e l l a s a l l o t h e r nembers of Commissions, oommittees and s i a i l a r b o d i e s t o

c o - o p e r a t e f u l l y w i t h t n e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l i n c a r r y m g o u t t h e p o l i c y l a i d down by the. G e n e r a l Assembly p n t i c u l a r l y i n r e s o l u - t i o n s

593 (VI)

o f

4

F e b r u j r y 1952,

739

(VIII) of

9

December

1953

a n d 1 2 0 3 (XII) of 1 3 December

1957;

8.

R e q u e s t s t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l and t h e A d v i s o r y Committee ^, on A d m i n i s t r a t i v e and B u d g e t a r y Q u e s t i o n s t o r e p o r t on t h e o p e r a t i o n of t h e p r e s e n t r e s o l u t i o n t o t l x G e n e r a l Assembly a t i t s f i f t e e n t h _, s e s s i o n o r e a r l i e r .

781st

p l e n a r y m e e t i n g , 1 4 November

1958.