vcment. Of course, the General Assembly in plenary session cannot en–
gage in an artide by article discussion, and the matter will have to be
relegated for such discussion to the Third Committee of the General
Assembly. Unfortunately, that Committee's agenda is even more crow–
ded than that of the Commission on Human Rights, as it has to deal
not only with human rights but also with other social, humanitarian
and cultural issues. To do the ¡ob properiy, a spedal committee of the
whole is necessary which could devote a considerable 'amount of time
to perfecting the documents presented to it by the Commission.
There are several possible options. The present Third Committce
might become a Committee
011
Human Rights, and its other functions
may be transferred to the Secona Committee in view of the increasing
link between economic and social problems.
37
Or one might split the
Third Committee into two comm.ittees as was done with respect to the
Firts Committee when Special Polítical Committee was established to
take the load off the First Committee. This metamorphosis was culmi.
nated recently when the Firts Committee became exclusively a Como
mittee on Disarmament and aH the other matters were referred to the
Special Pol1tical Committee.
38
Similariy, tlle present Third Committee
might become a Committee on Human Rights, and a new Special Social,
Humanitarian and Cultural Committee might be established, taking oVer
al! non.human-rights functions of the present Third Comm1ttee.
A third possibility migth be to follow the disarmament analogy ;n
another directlon. The Tenth Special Session of the Gener¡¡.l Assembly
revived the Disarmament Commission and assigned to
lt,
inter
aHa, the
role of a committee of the whole functioning between the sessions of
the General Assembly.39 Similarly one could consider a committee of
the whole on human rights functioning between sessi'Ons of the Ge.
neral Assembly and preparing subjects for the Assembly's agenda. This
Committee on Human Rights could meet whenever the Commission on
Human Rights should complete the text of a new human rights jns.
trument. The Committee would give the instrument a second reading,
analyzing it from the point of view of the whole United Nations mem–
bership. The result could be submjtted directly to the General Assem–
bly for a plenary discussion, thus avoiding the Third Committee boto
tleneck. This solution \Vould leave the Third Committee intact and
would make the creation of an addtional sessional committee unneceSSl_
ry. Thus the difficulties caused to smaller delegations by having two
37
Sohn, "United Natjons Machinery for Implementing Human Rights",
6~
American Journal of International Law
(1968), p. 909, at 910.
38
GelH!ral
A~sembly,
Resolutiop.
S-10/2,
30 June 1978; UN Doc.
Al
RES/S~10/2,
p.23,para.1l7, .
.
39
Id..
pp. 23·24, para.
11~.
181
