GA/AP/649, 21 March 1977
The Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid, Leslie O. Harriman (Nigeria) issued the following statement this afternoon:
On behalf of the Special Committee against Apartheid, I wish to express our great appreciation to the Member States which have today, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, made contributions and pledges to the United Nations Funds for assistance for southern Africans:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mali, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Somalia, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Yugoslavia.
I have also been informed that Italy and Nigeria intend to make contributions.
I am particularly gratified that the contributions and pledges this year are over 50 per cent larger than last year, thus reflecting the growing concern of Member States over the situation in southern Africa.
I have also been informed of four pledges of contributions to the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa, London, led by the Reverend Canon L. John Collins:
USSR $10000; Ukraine $3000; Byelorussia $2000 and German Democratic Republic $2000.
The Special Committee has strongly commended the International Defence and Aid Fund and I would like, on behalf of the Committee, to express great appreciation to the four countries for their contributions to that Fund.
I have also been informed that the Government of the German Democratic Republic has offered to publish two pamphlets a year for the Centre against Apartheid in order to enable the Centre to disseminate information against apartheid more widely.
The Special Committee has already received similar offers from India and the Philippines.
I would like to express the hope that all Governments in a position to do so will lend similar co-operation to the Centre, in addition to contributing to the Trust Fund for Publicity against Apartheid.