Pattern of conferences

Approves the draft biennial calender of conferences and meetings of UN for 1998-1999 as submitted by the Committee on Conferences; authorizes the Committee on Conferences to make adjustments in the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1998; decides that henceforth the 2 holidays of Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha shall be observed as official holidays of UN at Headquarters, and at other duty stations where applicable, and that UN buildings at those locations shall be closed to the public on those days; expresses deep concern about the decline in the quality of some reports and documents originating in the Secretariat; requests the Secretary-General to take steps to improve the quality and accuracy of meeting records in all 6 official languages through full reliance, in the preparation and translation of those records, on sound recordings and written texts of statements as they were delivered in the original languages, and to issue those records within a reasonable time-frame; requests the Secretary-General to issue public information material in all offical languages on UN Web site as soon as possible, and to report on the implementation of this decision to the General Assembly at its 53rd session through the Committee on Information; also requests the Secretary-General to complete the task of uploading all important older UN documents on the UN Web site in all 6 official languages on a priority basis, so that these archives are also available to Member States through that medium; requests the Secretary-General to expedite the development of the cost-accounting system for conference services in 1998 and to extend it to other areas of the Secretariat, ensuring that the system reflects the experience of other duty stations and encourages all users of UN conference facilities, in order to avoid involuntary exposure to passive smoking, to refrain from smoking, in particular in conference rooms.

Adopted without vote, 79th meeting

6 p.

Adopted at the 79th plenary meeting, 22 Dec. 1997.