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48TH SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Second Committee of the 48th session of the UN General Assembly considered the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and other environmental matters on Friday, 19 November, Tuesday, 23 November and Wednesday, 24 November 1993. The Committee reviewed the report of the Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (A/48/479), which contains a summary of the progress made to date and a copy of the Chair's negotiating text. Jean-Pierre Levy, Director of the Office for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, presented the report on the two sessions of the Conference. He noted that the results of the Conference should fit within the context of the Law of the Sea. He summarized the work during the Conference's substantive session.

In the debate that followed, Argentina, among others, reiterated the belief that the Conference should be consistent with the Law of the Sea Convention. Ecuador, Tunisia, and the Republic of Korea all spoke on aspects of regional considerations. Canada supported a legally-binding regime that sets out conservation and management measures for conservation of fish stocks, surveillance and control of fishing practices, an enforcement regime and compulsory binding dispute mechanisms. Papua New Guinea said there is a need for fisheries reform and ecologically sound conservation within EEZs and on the high seas. Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of Caricom, along with China, said that there can be no effective global network to preserve fisheries resources without the full participation of developing countries. Cape Verde called for a timely response on the issues of mechanisms for international cooperation, flag State responsibility, port State enforcement and compatibility and coherence between national and international conservation measures for the same stocks.

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