HC Deb 17 March 1969 vol 780 cc28-9
36. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what committees and other bodies within, or associated with, the United Nations are concerned, on a continuing basis, with the questions of apartheid and of South-West Africa; what are their functions; what progress they have made in their work; and what is the cost to United Kingdom public funds.

Mr. Goronwy Roberts

As the Answer is rather long, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

Is it not a pity that the list is rather long? Have these bodies or this expenditure achieved anything? Have they affected South African policy in any way? How does Article 2(7) of the Charter stand in relation to them?

Mr. Roberts

I think they are very much in conformity with Article 2(7). On the first point made by the hon. Member, we believe there is a duty for the U.N. to keep this issue, which disturbs the conscience of the world, before the eyes of the world. It is not easy to calculate the British contribution to this particular exercise, as I think the hon. Member will agree. I have attempted such a calculation. Apart from our contribution to U.N. funds generally which finance this kind of operation, we have made a substantial contribution to the United Nations education and training programme for Southern Africa.

Mr. Hooley

Will my hon. Friend confirm that it is the full intention of the United Kingdom to co-operate in every possible way with United Nations agencies on this issue of the investigaation and exposure of apartheid?

Mr. Roberts

I can assure my hon. Friend that we shall do everything that we can to co-operate in any practical policy to oppose apartheid.

Following is the Answer: The three bodies concerned exclusively with apartheid or South West Africa are: 1. The U.N. Special Committee on the Policies of Apartheid of the Government of the Republic of South Africa. Established in 1962 by General Asssembly Resolution 1761:
  1. "(a) to keep the racial policies of the Government of South Africa under review when the Assembly is not in session;
  2. (b) to report either to the Assembly or to the Security Council or to both, as may be appropriate from time to time."
 These terms of reference have been expanded by subsequent resolutions but remain essentially the same. The Committee reports annually to the General Asssembly and makes recommendations as to the action which the Assembly should take under the apartheid agenda item. 2. The Unit on Apartheid Set up within the U.N. Secretariat by General Assembly Resolution 2144A of October, 1966 largely to assist the activities of the Apartheid Committee. 3. The U.N. Council for Namibia Established as the Council for South West Africa by General Assembly Resolution 2248 in May, 1967; its name was changed in June. 1967 by General Assembly Resolution 2372. Its functions as set out in these two resolutions are broadly: "to administer South West Africa until independence" and "as a matter of priority" to undertake certain planning measures and to organise training for South West Africans. Resolution 2248 also provided for a United Nations Commissioner for South West Africa (now for Namibia) to whom the Council could entrust executive and administrative tasks. The post is at present filled on an acting basis by the Legal Counsel of the United Nations. In addition, Southern African issues now fill much of the debates of United Nations bodies dealing with Human Rights. They are also frequently before the General Assembly and occasionally the Security Council and other United Nations bodies. The three bodies exclusively dealing with apartheid and South West Africa have produced extensive reports which have led to several United Nations resolutions but progress in practical terms is severely limited because the attitudes of the United Nations majority on the one hand and the Government of South Africa on the other have proved completely incompatible. The creation of the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa, which is concerned with providing assistance to victims of apartheid and their dependents, and of the United Nations Education and Training Programme for Southern Africa, which provides training for Africans who have fled from South Africa. South West Africa. the Portuguese African Territories and Rhodesia, are the prime examples of the realistic and practical measures taken by the United Nations as a result of recommendations by these and associated bodies. The United Kingdom makes no direct contribution to the cost of the three bodies mentioned above, which are financed out of the United Nations budget. As a proportion of our share of the United Nations budget, the indirect cost to the United Kingdom in 1969 of the Special Committee on Apartheid and the Namibia Council and Commissioner is estimated to be about £18,000. It is possible that the effort devoted to Southern African questions by United Nations bodies in the Human Rights field will cost as much again or more. No estimate is available for other costs. Finally, in 1968–69 Her Majesty's Government contributed £41,667 to the United Nations Education and Training Programme for Southern Africa.