CM/Res. 749(XXXIII) Rev. 1
RESOLUTION ON THE AFRICAN LANDLOCKED AND SEMI - LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES
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;
Reaffirms the special measures in favour of the land-locked developing countries envisaged in Resolution 63 (III) unanimously adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;
Reiterating the specific actions related to the particular needs and problems of landlocked developing countries as envisaged in Resolution 98 part IV, of Nairobi and 123
of Manila unanimously adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development;
Recalling Resolution 293 of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the decision 249 (LXIII) of the Economic and Social Council, and the Resolution of UNCTAD 110 (V), on “problems facing Zaire with regard to transport, transit and access to foreign markets”’
Being aware of the slow progress in the implementation of agreed special measures and specific actions in favour of land-locked countries;
Noting that most of the land-locked developing countries are among the least developed countries and that13 out of 20 of these countries are in the African region;
Recalling the Convention on Transit Trade of land-locked states held in New York on July 1965:
URGES the international community to substantially increase its financial and technical assistance to help alleviate the transit and transport problems of land- locked or semi-land-locked developing countries;
FURTHER URGES the international community to step up their contribution to the Special Fund for land-locket countries;
CALLS UPON the Member States of OAU to strengthen the co-operation between the land-locked or semi-land-locked countries and their transit neighbours, which is a key element of the integrated planning approach to regional development;
CALLS UPON littoral Member countries to give under the programme of action of the Transport and Communications Decade, priority to the improvement or construction of radio and railways which will link with communication infrastructures built by neighbouring landlocked countries so as to facilitate the latter’s access to the sea;
CALLS ON Member States to undertake consultation within the framework of appropriate Sub-regional and/or bilateral structures so as to facilitate and promote within the region the solution of the problems of disenclavement;
REQUESTS the states which have not yet done so to ratify the Convention on Transit Trade of landlocked states adopted in New York on 8 July 1965;
CALLS ON the UN Secretary-General and the ECA Executive Secretary to study the problems of transport in Zaire, as well as the problems of transit and access to foreign markets for its products and consider the ways and means of reducing the high transport charges of its external trade.