Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Children's Fund for the manner in which it has discharged the responsibilities entrusted to it as lead agency by the General Assembly in resolution 31 / 169;
2
Reaffirms that the major focus of the International Year of the Child is at the national level and, in this regard, urges countries to intensify their preparations for the Year and to determine priorities for action and set appropriate targets as the basis for short-term, medium-term and long-term planning and programming benefiting children;
3
Notes with appreciation the active participation of organizations of the United Nations system and of non-governmental organizations to ensure the success of the International Year of the Child, and also the valuable co-ordination being achieved through the Interagency Advisory Group for the International Year of the Child;
4
Reaffirms that the International Year of the Child, in accordance with its objectives, should provide an impetus to be followed by a rising level of resources for services benefiting children, through the United Nations Children's Fund and other channels, in order to enable developing countries to extend, strengthen and implement their programmes for children;
5
Expresses its gratitude to those Governments that have contributed to the costs of the secretariat of the International Year of the Child and urges all Governments to contribute to its full financing;
6
Requeststhe United Nations Children's Fund to prepare a comprehensive, action-oriented report on the basis of information received from Governments and from specialized agencies and other United Nations bodies concerned on their respective projects and programmes initiated in connexion with the International Year of the Child and on the follow-up activities foreseen for the years ahead, and furthermore requests that the report be submitted to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session and that a preliminary version of that report be considered by the Executive Board of the Fund at its 1979 session and by the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1979;
7
Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-fourth session an item entitled "International Year of the Child: plans and action to improve the situation of children in the world, particularly in the developing countries", and recommends, in view of its importance, that this item be considered by the General Assembly in plenary meeting, in observance of the Year;
8
Invitesthe current President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund to issue messages at the beginning of 1979 on the Inter-
national Year of the Child and urges that these messages be widely disseminated all over the world;
Invites all heads of State or Government to issue special messages in connexion with the International Year of the Child.
V,
21 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1978, Supplement No. 13 (E/1978/53/Rev.1).
22 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-third Session, Second Committee, 27th meeting, paras. 1-11.
28 A/33/338, annex.
24 DP/330 and Corr.l.
26 DP/328.
25 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1978,
27 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Coun- Supplement No. 13 (E/1978/53/Rev.1 ).
cil, 1978, Supplement No. 13 (E/1978/53/Rev.1), chap. XX.
