United Nations A/RES/57/279 General Assembly Distr.: General 23 January 2003 Fifty-seventh session Agenda item 111 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Fifth Committee (A/57/648)] 57/279. Procurement reform The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 52/214 B and 52/220 of 22 December 1997, 52/212 B of 31 March 1998, 52/252 of 8 September 1998, 53/204 and 53/208 B of 18 December 1998, 54/14 of 29 October 1999 and 55/247 of 12 April 2001, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on procurement reform1 and the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,2 Stressing the importance of ensuring the safety of United Nations personnel and United Nations equipment, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General1 and of the comments and observations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;2 2. Welcomes the progress achieved in addressing the concerns expressed by the General Assembly in its resolution 55/247; 3. Welcomes also the efforts made by the Secretary-General to hold procurement seminars in various cities, in particular those located in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and urges him to intensify his efforts in this regard; 4. Notes the activities of the Common Services Procurement Working Group on enhancing the transparency and increasing the harmonization of procurement practices, and encourages the Secretary-General and the executive heads of the United Nations funds and programmes to continue their work in this regard; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to encourage the organizations of the United Nations system, consistent with their respective mandates, to improve their procurement practices, inter alia, by simplifying the registration process for vendors that have already registered with another body of the United Nations system, utilizing, among other things, the Internet, and by placing the procurement information on their respective web sites; _______________ 1 A/57/187. A/57/7/Add.1, paras. 2–9. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 7. 2 02 55801