TNAG-1022-FCO40-1272-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-United-Nations-1981 — Page 116

BACKGROUND AND REFERENCES

1.

5. The current operative General Assembly resolution

relating to NWICO is UNGA Resolution 35/201 (adopted by

consensus but the UK and the European Community expressed

reservations in explanations of vote).

6. 4 Resolutions relating to NWICO were adopted at the 21st

UNESCO General Conference September/October 1980.

i) A Venezuelan-sponsored Resolution calling for a

study with a view to defining principles of NWICO. (The UK together with Switzerland, Japan, Canada,

and New Zealand voted against this).

ii) 4/20. A Soviet-sponsored resolution on follow-up

to the UNESCO (1978) Declaration on the Mass Media.

(Voting 68 for: 1 against: 27 abstentions (including

UK).)

iii) 4/21.

A Resolution establishing an International Programme for Communication Development following recommendations of the UNESCO Inter-Governmental

Conference held in Paris in April 1980. (This was

adopted by consensus.)

iv) 4/19.

A Resolution on the UNESCO International

Commission for the Study of Communication Problems. This was adopted by consensus, but the UK expressed serious reservations in an explanation of vote.

UK Reservations

7.

UK reservations on 5(iv) above were principally but not wholly aimed at section VI of the Resolution which contained

a set of possible 'considerations' (in effect principles)

upon which NWICO might be established. We do not consider it necessary or desirable to define such principles and certainly not on the basis of a few hasty drafting sessions

at the Conference, when the MacBride Commission had worked for two years on the subject and admitted they had not felt in a position 'to propose a global strategy for the installa- tion of NWICO', Moreover the section emphasises negative

/formulations

(87)