Emergency assistance for humanitarian relief and the economic and social rehabilitation of Somalia, G.A. res. 47/160, 47 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 118, U.N. Doc. A/47/49 (1992).


The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 43/206 of 20 December 1988, 44/178 of 19 December 1989, 45/229 of 21 December 1990 and 46/176 of 19 December 1991 and the resolutions and decisions of the Economic and Social Council on emergency assistance to Somalia,

Taking note of Security Council resolutions 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992, 746 (1992) of 17 March 1992, 751 (1992) of 24 April 1992, 767 (1992) of 27 July 1992 and 775 (1992) of 28 August 1992, in which the Council, inter alia, urged all parties, movements and factions in Somalia to facilitate the efforts of the United Nations, its specialized agencies and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the affected population in Somalia and reiterated the call for the full respect of the security and safety of the personnel of those organizations and the guarantee of their complete freedom of movement in and around Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia,

Noting with appreciation the cooperation between the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity, the League of Arab States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in their efforts to resolve the humanitarian, security and political crisis in Somalia,

Noting the efforts of the countries of the Horn of Africa and the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement to alleviate the situation in Somalia,

Noting with appreciation the measures taken by the Secretary-General to mobilize international assistance for Somalia,

Deeply concerned at the magnitude of human suffering in Somalia, the extensive damage to and destruction of villages, towns and cities, the heavy damage inflicted by the civil conflict on the infrastructure of the country and the widespread disruption of public facilities and services,

Gravely concerned about the continually deteriorating situation in Somalia, which underlines the urgent need for the accelerated delivery of adequate humanitarian assistance to all parts of the country,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on emergency assistance to Somalia and the statement made before the Second Committee of the General Assembly on 29 October 1992 by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs on special economic and disaster relief assistance,

Deeply appreciative of the humanitarian assistance rendered by a number of Member States to alleviate the hardship and suffering of the affected population,

Recalling the principle enunciated in the annex to its resolution 46/182 of 19 December 1991, which states that contributions for humanitarian assistance should be provided in a way that is not to the detriment of resources made available for international cooperation for development,

Noting the importance of the four operational zones for more effective humanitarian and relief assistance under current conditions in the country,

Noting with great satisfaction the humanitarian efforts being made by the various entities of the United Nations system and by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,

Noting with concern the disastrous impact that the conflict is having on the educational system of the country and the total disruption of schooling for all students at the primary, secondary and university levels,

Recognizing the importance of rehabilitating the basic social and economic services at the local level in all operational zones,

Cognizant that the exodus and displacement of skilled and professional manpower is eliminating the human resources of the country, which are much needed for rehabilitation, reconstruction and development,

Welcoming the policy initiatives taken by some Member States in providing educational assistance and scholarships to eligible Somali asylum seekers,

Further recognizing that emergency assistance must be provided in ways that will be supportive of recovery and long-term development,

1. Expresses its gratitude to the Member States and the intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that have responded to the appeals of the Secretary-General and others by extending emergency assistance to Somalia;

2. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the measures taken to mobilize emergency assistance to the affected population in Somalia;

3. Appeals to all States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to continue to extend emergency assistance to Somalia, taking into account the report of the Secretary-General and the 100-day Action Programme for Accelerated Humanitarian Assistance endorsed at the Coordination Meeting for Humanitarian Assistance for Somalia held at Geneva on 12 and 13 October 1992;

4. Welcomes the ongoing efforts of the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the countries of the Horn of Africa and the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement to resolve the situation in Somalia;

5. Urges all States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist in embarking on the rehabilitation of basic social and economic services as well as institution-building assistance aimed at the restoration of civil administration at the local level in all those parts of Somalia where peace, security and stability prevail;

6. Encourages all Member States, United Nations entities and non-governmental organizations to ensure that all assistance programmes draw as much as possible on local and regional priorities and build on indigenous capacities, making maximum use of educationally qualified and skilled Somalis from within and outside the country;

7. Appeals to all States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to provide financial and material assistance for the reopening of primary and secondary schools in those areas where conditions permit;

8. Decides to establish, through extrabudgetary resources, a United Nations scholarship programme for Somali undergraduate university students whose studies have been disrupted by the ongoing civil strife, so as to enable them to complete their studies at higher institutes and universities abroad and thus enhance the human resource capacity of Somalia, and to review the situation when the Somali university and higher institutes re-open, and urges Member States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to contribute to this programme;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, within existing regular budgetary resources, that information about the scholarships that have been offered will be disseminated to those Somali students, within and outside Somalia, who might qualify for such scholarships;

10. Urges the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system concerned, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and the United Nations Environment Programme, to continue to implement their assistance programmes in their respective fields of competence, within the framework of the United Nations Operation in Somalia, on the most urgent basis, in order to alleviate the suffering of the affected population in all parts of Somalia;

11. Appeals to all parties concerned to terminate hostilities and to engage in a national reconciliation process that will lead to the re-establishment of peace, order and stability and also facilitate relief and rehabilitation efforts;

12. Calls upon the Secretary-General to continue to mobilize international humanitarian assistance for Somalia;

13. Calls upon all parties, movements and factions in Somalia to respect fully the security and safety of personnel of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and of non-governmental organizations, and to guarantee their complete freedom of movement throughout Somalia;

14. Requests the Secretary-General, in view of the critical situation in Somalia, to take all measures necessary for the implementation of the present resolution, to apprise the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1993 of the progress made and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session.

92nd plenary meeting
18 December 1992