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2. THESE SENSIBLE CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES WERE FURTHER ELABORATED BY THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN ITS RESOLUTION 1991/30. THE COMMUNITY AND ITS MEMBER STATES ARE COMMITTED TO WORK FOR A -SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME TO THE CONFERENCE, BASED ON THESE OBJECTIVES.
THE
3. RESOLUTION 45/155 ALSO ESTABLISHED A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE (PREPCOM) OPEN TO ALL MEMBER STATES, TO DEAL WITH PREPARATIONS FOR THE CONFERENCE. THE PREPCOM HAS MET TWICE, IN GENEVA. FIRST PREPCOM, IN SEPTEMBER 1991, DEALT WITH ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS: THE SECOND, IN APRIL 1992, WAS EXPECTED TO REACH AGREEMENT ON SUCH SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES AS THE CONFERENCE AGENDA, NGO PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE AT REGIONAL MEETINGS. AGREEMENT ON THESE ISSUES WAS NOT REACHED, AND PREPCOM 3 (SCHEDULED FOR 14-18 SEPTEMBER 1992) WILL NEED TO ADDRESS THEM.
4.
THE FAILURE OF PREPCOM 2 TO REACH AGREEMENT ON SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES WAS DUE TO SEVERAL FACTORS: THE FORMAT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS, THE NEGATIVE ATTITUDE OF CERTAIN STATES, COMPOUNDED BY THE PASSIVITY OF OTHER PARTICIPANTS, AND INSUFFICIENT PREPARATION OF THE SESSION.
5. DIVERGENT VIEWS OVER CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES ALSO HAMPERED AGREEMENT. CERTAIN COUNTRIES, MOST NOTABLY THOSE SUBJECT TO UN SCRUTINY, HAVE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE CONFERENCE TO CALL INTO QUESTION EXISTING HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS. SOME APPEAR TO REJECT THE PRINCIPLE OF THE UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT NATIONAL AND REGIONAL PARTICULIARITIES' SHOULD AFFECT THE EXTENT TO WHICH UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED. SOME ARGUE THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS A NECESSARY PRE-CONDITION OF THE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS. THESE VIEWS WERE WIDELY HEARD AT PREPCOM 2, PARTICULARLY FROM THE ASIAN COUNTRIES, WHO SUCCEEDED IN BLOCKING CONSENSUS ON A NUMBER OF POINTS. THIS, COMBINED WITH A FAILURE BY THE SECRETARIAT TO BREAK THE DEADLOCK BY PRESENTING ITS OWN INITIATIVES, CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE OF PREPCOM 2. THE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF ALL REGIONAL GROUPS AND AND THE SECRETARIAT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE PROMOTION OF A WIDER CONSENSUS AND THE SUCCESS OF PREPCOM 3.
6.
IN ADDITION TO RESOLVING THE OUTSTANDING ISSUES OF THE AGENDA, PARTICIPATION OF NGOS AND ATTENDANCE AT REGIONAL MEETINGS, PREPCOM 3 WILL ALSO NEED TO FOCUS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE CONFERENCE (IE FINAL DOCUMENT). THE COMMUNITY AND ITS MEMBER STATES ARE EXPLORING WAYS TO BREAK THE DEADLOCK ON THE UNRESOLVED
ISSUES AND CARRY FORWARD WORK ON THE FINAL DOCUMENT.
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