HL Deb 02 July 1975 vol 362 cc203-4

2.49 p.m.

Lord BROCKWAY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their views on the recommendations of the Experts' Committee for the reform of the United Nations and its agencies as stated in A New United Nations Structure for Global Economic Co-operation.

The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)

My Lords, this is a valuable report which puts forward in outline a coherent scheme for the reform of the structure of the United Nations on the economic and social side. It deserves, and is receiving, careful study. Much detail is inevitably lacking and further work will be necessary in the United Nations before definite conclusions can be reached. We intend to play a constructive part in such further work.

Lord BROCKWAY

My Lords, in welcoming the Minister's reply may I ask first this general question. In view of the fact that in the General Assembly and at conferences of the Special Agencies there have during the past year been unfortunate confrontations between the developing and the developed countries, is it not significant that this report is absolutely unanimous and that 15 of the 25 experts come from the developing countries? Is that not encouraging?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, those points are indeed encouraging; but particularly encouraging is the suggestion that there should be negotiation groups to take away from the limelight of the debating Chamber the work of arguing certain contentious points. One hopes that part of the generally acceptable recommendations will be that much of the work will be done away from the atmosphere of ideological debate.

Lord JANNER

My Lords, while appreciating what the Minister has said about the proposed negotiating groups, may I ask him this specific question on the economic and social aspects of this report. Does it propose that there should be a Director-General, covering the whole of economic and social affairs, who will be directly responsible to Dr. Waldheim and will co-ordinate the numberless organisations and agencies which now overlap and cause chaos?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, my noble friend has substantially summed up the central part of the recommendations, with this difference—that it is proposed that there should be a development authority, not an economic authority, to be headed by a special Director-General. Equally important is the proposal to restructure the third and second committees which, as my noble friend will know, in part deal with certain subjects which would be better dealt with if they were concentrated, as the report suggests, in the second committee.

Lord JANNER

My Lords, when my noble friend is considering this matter will he pay attention to the fact that the United Nations and the Special Agencies are being abused by many of those who constitute their membership and that, whatever takes place with regard to the United Nations or its Special Agencies being put on a proper basis, it should be assured that they are not to be used for abusive and uncontrolled political action?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

Yes, my Lords, I am sure that that is an injunction to which every part of the United Nations would be well advised to listen.