CM/Res. 743 (XXXIII) Rev. 1
RESOLUTION ON DROUGHT AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
The Council of Ministers of the organization of African Unity meeting in its Thirty- third Ordinary Session in Monrovia, Liberia, from 6 to 20 July 1979;
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General, document CM/988 (XXXIII) and annexes on the Sixth Ordinary Session of the OAU Ad Hoc Committee on Drought and other Natural Disasters held in Tunis from 21 to 23 May, 1979;
Recalling Resolution CM/Res. 610 (XXX) adopted in Tripoli, Libya (20-28 February 1978) an dCM/646 (XXXI) adopted in Khartoum, Sudan (7 -15 July 1978) on the adoption of the recommendations of the Extra-ordinary Session of the Ad Hoc Committee held in Banjul Gambia from 21 to 23 March 1978 and relating to the drawing up of a concrete programme of control of drought, desertification and other natural disasters;
Further recalling the importance of the conclusions of the Colloquium on the prospects of development in Africa by the year 2000 held in Monrovia, Liberia in February 1979;
Recalling the various cooperation agreements governing the relations of the OAU with other international organizations, particularly with those of the United Nations System (FAO, UNEP, ENDP, WHO etc.),
Considering the political role often asserted by the Heads of State of the Member States of the OAU to lead their countries to self-sufficiency in food production and to promote a national environment preservation policy;
Considering the targets of national, sub-regional and regional plans with respect to the control of natural disasters in Africa, particularly of drought, desertification, tropical cyclones and depradators of all sorts;
CONGRATULATES the General Secretariat on the efforts which led to the elaboration of medium and long term preliminary programme of action in conformity with resolutions CM/Res. 610 (XXXI) and CM/Res.646 (XXXII) of the 31st and 32nd Ordinary Sessions;
TAKES NOTE of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee adopted during its Sixth Ordinary Session held in Tunis, Tunisia form 21 to 23 May 1979 on the said preliminary Draft Programme of Action;
CALLS UPON the Administrative Secretary-General to take as soon as possible, the necessary measures with a view to rapidly implementing the medium and long-term preliminary programme of action drawn up for the control of drought, desertification and other natural disaster in Africa in accordance with the recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Committee at its Extra-ordinary Session held in Banjul, Cambia and by the Council of Minister at its Thirty-First and Thirty-Second Ordinary Sessions held in Khartoum, the Sudan and Nairobi, Kenya respectively;
DECIDES that the present Ad Hoc Committee should become a Standing Committee for Control of Drought and other Natural Disasters that can function as a Committee of Experts whenever the need arises. The Committee of experts will, in collaboration with sub-regional, regional and international institutions appraise the financial implication of the Draft Programme of Action;
URGES the specialized financial and economic institutions of Afro-Arab Cooperation to give priority to the implementation of the projects in Preliminary Programme of Action for the control of Drought, desertification and other natural disaster in Africa;
AUTHORISES the OAU Secretary-General to inform and make the appropriate agencies of the Afro-Arab Cooperation and the funding institutes and Governments especially of ail exporting Arab Countries aware of the programme with a view to calling up the necessary financial resources for the implementation of the above mentioned Preliminary Programme of Action;
REQUESTS the appropriate United Nations Agencies, namely FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, ILO and UNIDO, the most concerned inter-governmental organizations (CILSS as well as all other inter-governmental funding institutions working in Africa namely ABD, BADEA, IFAD to cooperate closely and fully
with the OAU General Secretariat for the implementation of the preliminaries programme of Action;
TAKES NOTE with satisfaction of the efforts put in by the Director General and the steps taken fully by him to coordinate the assistance of the International Community for the control of migratory locusts in the Horn of Africa,
URGES the FAO Director General to continue to provide short, medium and long term assistance to regional organizations and national agencies for control of locusts in Africa;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General to establish immediate contacts with the FAO Director General to update the cooperation agreement existing between the OAU and FAO within the framework on the implementation of the Preliminary Programme of Action;
COMMENDS the decision of the Seventh Session of the UNEP Governing Council to give all assistance to the implementation of the project to draw a hydrogeological map for Africa;
URGENTLY APPEALS to all Member States which have not yet done so to pay their contributions amounting to 1/15 of the contribution of each Member State to the OAU regular budget as well as their arrears as early as possible.