General Assembly delays debate on reproductive cloning treaty by a year

The United Nations General Assembly has postponed by a year any decision about an international convention on reproductive human cloning, while it has also adopted 41 resolutions and two decisions on subjects ranging from decolonization to outer space.

After what the Assembly described in a statement yesterday as “intensive negotiations among concerned delegations,” members agreed by consensus not to take action on two proposals on reproductive cloning until next year’s Assembly session.

Last month the Assembly’s Sixth Committee, which handles legal issues, voted narrowly to postpone for two years any debate on two competing human cloning resolutions.

Yesterday’s unresolved debate focused on the Committee’s decision and a separate proposal for a draft resolution on a convention on human cloning, rather than specifying reproductive cloning.

The Assembly passed 17 resolutions that emerged from the Sixth Committee, on subjects including terrorism, the protection of UN workers, justice administration and international trade law.

Resolutions passed by the Assembly, which has 191 Member States, are not binding on States, unlike those of the Security Council.

Yesterday the Assembly also adopted 24 resolutions and two decisions, nearly all recommended by its Fourth Committee, which handles special political and decolonisation issues.

The resolutions covered issues including refugees, Israeli practices, decolonisation, information questions, outer space and radiation.

The two decisions adopted included the approval of an increase in the membership of the Committee on Information from 99 to 102 States.