United Nations conference on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, G.A. res. 47/192, 47 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 145, U.N. Doc. A/47/49 (1992).


The General Assembly,

Recalling Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in particular chapter 17, programme area C, relating to the sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources of the high seas,

Recalling also the Strategy for Fisheries Management and Development, adopted by the World Conference on Fisheries Management and Development,

Taking note of the Declaration of Cancun, adopted at the International Conference on Responsible Fishing held at Cancun, Mexico, from 6 to 8 May 1992,

Inviting all members of the international community, particularly those with fishing interests, to strengthen their cooperation in the conservation and management of living marine resources, in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,

Taking note of relevant recent discussions on international fisheries,

1. Decides to convene in 1993, under United Nations auspices and in accordance with the mandate agreed upon at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, an intergovernmental conference on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, which should complete its work before the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly;

2. Also decides that the intergovernmental conference, in accordance with the said mandate, shall take into account relevant activities at the subregional, regional and global levels, with a view to promoting effective implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, and that it, drawing, inter alia, on scientific and technical studies by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, should:

(a) Identify and assess existing problems related to the conservation and management of such fish stocks;

(b) Consider means of improving fisheries cooperation among States;

(c) Formulate appropriate recommendations;

3. Reaffirms that the work and results of the conference should be fully consistent with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in particular the rights and obligations of coastal States and States fishing on the high seas, and that States should give full effect to the high seas fisheries provisions of the Convention with regard to fisheries populations whose ranges lie both within and beyond exclusive economic zones (straddling fish stocks) and highly migratory fish stocks;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to invite to the conference those listed in paragraph 9 of its resolution 46/168 of 19 December 1991 and in its decisions 46/469 and 46/470 of 13 April 1992, and also to invite regional and subregional fisheries organizations to attend as observers;

5. Decides that in 1993 the conference shall hold an organizational session of up to five days at United Nations Headquarters for the purposes of electing a chairman and other officers, namely, three vice-chairmen and a rapporteur, giving due regard to equitable geographical representation, and of organizing its work;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to make appropriate secretariat arrangements;

7. Decides that in 1993 the conference shall hold a session of three weeks' duration in July at United Nations Headquarters to deal with substantive matters;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare draft rules of procedure for the consideration of the conference at its organizational session;

9. Decides to establish a voluntary fund for the purpose of assisting developing countries, especially those most concerned by the subject-matter of the conference, in particular the least developed among them, to participate fully and effectively in the conference, and invites Governments and regional economic integration organizations to contribute to the fund;

10. Also decides that the funds necessary for the preparatory process and the conference itself should, subject to the relevant provisions of General Assembly resolutions 40/243 of 18 December 1985, 41/213 of 19 December 1986 and 42/211 of 21 December 1987, be made available within the programme budget without adversely affecting other ongoing activities and without prejudice to the provision of extrabudgetary resources;

11. Invites relevant specialized agencies, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other appropriate organs, organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, as well as regional and subregional fisheries organizations, to contribute relevant scientific and technical studies and reports and to organize regional and subregional technical meetings in order to contribute to the work of the conference;

12. Invites relevant non-governmental organizations from developed and developing countries to contribute to the conference, within the areas of their competence and expertise, on the basis of procedures for their accreditation used for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, as recommended in paragraph 38.44 of Agenda 21;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session a report on the work of the conference;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all members of the international community, relevant intergovernmental organizations, agencies, programmes and bodies within the United Nations system, regional and subregional fisheries organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations;

15. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-eighth session, under an item entitled "Implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development", a sub-item entitled "Sustainable use and conservation of the marine living resources of the high seas: United Nations conference on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks".

93rd plenary meeting
22 December 1992


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