A/RES/57/19 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 21 January 2003 Fifty-seventh session Agenda item 155 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Sixth Committee (A/57/562 and Corr.1)] 57/19. Enhancing coordination in the area of international trade law and strengthening the secretariat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966, by which it established the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law with a mandate to further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade and in that respect to bear in mind the interests of all peoples, in particular those of developing countries, in the extensive development of international trade, Having considered the report of the Commission on its thirty-fifth session, 1 Noting the demand from Member States, in particular developing countries, for the Commission to provide technical assistance and to prepare legal standards in an increasing number of areas and that, as a result, the number of projects of the Commission has more than doubled as compared with previous years, Noting also the increased need for coordination among a growing number of international organizations that formulate rules and standards for international trade, and the specific function to be performed by the Commission in that respect, as mandated by the General Assembly in its resolution 2205 (XXI) and reiterated in subsequent resolutions, Satisfied that the current working methods of the Commission have proved their efficiency, Concerned, however, about the increased demands on personnel resources of the secretariat of the Commission resulting from the increased work programme and its impending inability to continue servicing the working groups of the Commission and performing other related tasks such as assisting Governments, which could lead to the Commission having to defer or discontinue work on topics on its agenda and to reduce the number of its working groups, 1. Emphasizes the need for higher priority to be given to the work of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law in view of the increasing _______________ 1 02 53904 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 17 (A/57/17).