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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2009
The United Nations is entering the third development decade designated by a resolution which is part of the series now consisting of three texts which have guided the efforts of the United Nations over the last 20 years. The present document took a long time to produce and was the object of particular care and attention. The General Assembly resolution of 17 December, 1977, provided that:
— all negotiations should be conducted within the framework of U.N. institutions
— an extraordinary session of the General Assembly should be held in 1980 to assess and to identify the new strategy for development
— a plenary committee should be established, open to all member states, to prepare for the meeting of the Extraordinary Session in 1980.
On the one hand the third decade was to open “global negotiation” and the plenary committee was to prepare the ground for these negotiations; on the other hand, a committee was to devise the new strategy and to present it to the Eleventh Special Session. Those were the two aims; and the Group of 77 were determined to link them in a single ten-year-plan, in what is called in the U.N. terminology a ten years strategy. Three of these strategies have been adopted so far. The General Assembly in its resolutions A/1710 (XVI) and A/1715 (XVI), 19 December, 1961, declared the period 1960–70 the first U.N. Decade of development: a period in which special efforts should be made by all, in favour of those who live in the less developed countries.
1 The launching of the first Decade arose from a diplomatic initiative taken by President Kennedy in order to give assistance to the new states emerging from the decolonisation process in Africa.
2 For implementation, see U.N. A/3176 (XXVIII), A/3517 (XXX) and A/31/178.
3 The N.I.E.O. found first expression in the Algiers Charter issued by the Group of 77 developing states. Subsequently the special session of the General Assembly devoted to this subject was held under the presidency of the Algerian foreign affairs minister, Bouteflika.
4 A/3201 and 3202 (S VI); A 3281 (XXIX).
5 See Virally, M., “Le valeur juridique de recommandations des organisations Internationales”, (1956) A.F.D.I., 66.Google ScholarContra Bedjaoui, M., Pour un nouvel ordxe économique international, UNESCO, Paris 1978, 181;Google ScholarAnjak, F. “La signification juridique de la charte de droit et devoirs économique des états”, Colloque d'Alger, ll–14 10, 1976, O.P.U. 1978, 63.Google Scholar
6 See M. Bedjaoui, op. cit., at 100: “Relations entre ordre économique et ordre juridique”. Levi, W., “Are developing states more equal than others?”, (1978) Y.B.W.A. 287.Google Scholar
7 Third World lawyers attempt to argue that such resolutions have to be considered as a new source of law: Bedjaoui, , op. cit. 181Google Scholar; Anjak, F., loc. cit. 63Google Scholar. Other lawyers argue more cogently that such resolutions could be a step toward the formation of the customary law; see for the literature: Award on the merits in dispute between Texaco Overseas Petroleum Company/California Asiatic Oil Company and the Government of the Libyan Arab Republic, (1978) I.L.M. 28, paragraph 83Google Scholar. Others wonder whether a resolution could amount to instant international customary law, see Cheng, B., “U.N. Resolution on outer space, instant International customary law?”, (1965) Indian Journal of International Law, 23.Google Scholar
8 The text of the first Decade consists of 8 paragraphs and 2 pages; the text of the second Decade of 84 paragraphs and 15 pages; the text of the third Decade of 180 paragraphs and 40 pages.
9 A/35/P.V.83, 59.
10 A/35P.V.8, 56 and A/35/P.V. 84, 39
11 See Virally, M., “La DeuxiemeDecennie” (1970) A.F.D.I., 22Google Scholar
12 A/35/592/Add.1, 1–20.
13 A/35/P.V.83, 59–66 and A/35/P.V. 84, 3–57.
14 Paragraphs 26, 32, 34, 38, 56, 59, 60,62, 65, 115, 118, 126, 128, 133, 135, 146, 173.
15 A/35/592 Add., 6.
16 A/35/P.V. 84, 27–28.
17 A/35/592, Add. 1, paragraphs 9, 14, 18.
18 A/35/P.V.83, 63.
19 A/35/P.V.84, 6.
20 A/35/P.V.84, 37.
21 A/35/P.V.84, 18.
22 A/35/P.V.84, 42.
23 A/35/P.V.84, 41.
24 A/35/P.V.84, 84.
25 See the report of the “North-South Colloquium” held in Arusha, 30 June-3 July, 1981, presented as a document of the 11th Special Session of the General Assembly, 28 08, 1980, under the title Initiative of Arusha A/S-11/AC/1/2.Google Scholar
26 41st Meeting of the Second Commission, A/35/592/Add.1, 27 11, 1980.Google Scholar
27 Velloso, M., A/35/P.V.84, 53.Google Scholar
28 On this term which is in common use in France, see particularly: Virally, M., “Vers un droit international du développement?”, (1965) A.F.D.I. 3Google Scholar; Flory, M., Droit international du développement, Paris, 1977Google Scholar; Pellet, A, Le droit international du développement, que sais-je? Paris, 1978Google Scholar; Thierry, H., Combacau, J., Sur, S., Vallée, C., Droit international public, Chap. XII, Paris, 1979Google Scholar; Waart, P. J. I. M. de, “The concept ot international development law”, Workshop, The Hague 16–18 10, 1979, “The Right to Development at the International Level”, Hague Academy of International Law, 1980, 121.Google Scholar
29 See Zacklin, R., “The right to development, some reflections on its sources, content and formulation”, Workshop, The Hague 1979, 118Google Scholar; M. Bettati, “Les transcriptions juridiques et institutionelles du droit du développement”, ibid., 278.
