To The General Assembly

10 March 2000

Mr. President,

I have asked for the floor to address the General Assembly, in my capacity as President of the Economic and Social Council, to report on the results of the Council's historic meeting yesterday, which was dedicated to the situation in Mozambique.

Mr. President, as the Assembly is aware, one of ECOSOC's main mandates, as envisaged by the Charter of the United Nations, is coordination. And, perhaps, one of the most important areas requiring coordination is the provision of humanitarian assistance in the face of natural disasters.

As a result of this tragic situation in Mozambique, and after consultation with the distinguished members of the Bureau of ECOSOC, I decided to convene this unprecedented meeting so that the Council could be briefed by the Permanent Representative of Mozambique on the current situation in his country as well as by representatives of a number of key United Nations programmes working on the ground in Mozambique.

In addition to the briefing by H.E. Mr. Carlos Dos Santos, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique, the Council was briefed by representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the United Nations Development Programme .

The response of the Council to this initiative was most positive. Participation at the meeting was at a high-level with many Governments entering into discussion following the briefing. There was unanimous agreement to the usefulness of the briefing and the Council, subsequently, authorized me to immediately transmit to the Government and people of Mozambique a statement in support of their plight.

This statement will be issued as an official document of the Council, but allow me to briefly inform the General Assembly of its content.

Essentially, the Council expressed its profound sympathy with the Government and people of Mozambique with the tragic situation resulting from the furious flood-waters that have swept across the nation. It called upon governments, the United Nations and its specialized agencies and bodies, the international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to continue to intensify their efforts, in a coordinated manner, to provide a continuum of relief and assistance to Mozambique leading to the eventual reconstruction and development of the country.

To this end, the Council decided to ensure that the next humanitarian segment of its substantive session in 2000 addresses the issue of coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations to Mozambique. In this way the Council will ensure that it follows up on its mandated task to oversee the coordination of humanitarian assistance.

Mr. President, the Economic and Social Council will continue to be seized with this important matter, as I am confident will the General Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. President.