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The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth
World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
Secretariat.
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AS WRITTEN


STATEMENT BY HER EXCELLENCY
Mrs. INTISAR EL WAZIR
MINISTER OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS OF PALESTINE

TO THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
BEIJING - 1995


Madam Chairperson,
Honourable Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the name of my delegation, it is my pleasure to address your esteemed
conference, and I am honoured to extend to you the warm greetings of
Palestinian women inside and outside Palestine.

On this occasion I congratulate you , Madam for being elected as
Chairperson of this conference. I also extend our thanks and
appreciation to the President , the Government and the People of China
for their warm hospitality and continuous support of the rights of the
Palestinian people in their just struggle for freedom and independence.
We highly appreciate the great efforts of Mrs. Mongella, General
Secretary of the Conference, and those of his excellency Dr. Boutros
Ghali, the UN General Secretary, I would also like to thank ESCWA for
its support in making this conference a great success.

Madam Chairperson,

The Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies formulated the basis for the
advancement of women’s status in the world on all levels. Today, this
conference is held to set a realistic plan of action.
Development and equality cannot be achieved without establishing a
comprehensive just peace in this world.

Throughout the different stages of her people's struggle, the
Palestinian woman has always held the banner of the battle of freedom ,
to secure a future for her children and family. She also struggled to
obtain all her rights and the rights of her nation: The right to return
to her homeland, to self determination and to establish her independent
Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital.

Throughout this struggle, the Palestinian woman was able to accomplish a
number of political, social, and cultural achievements.

Yet military occupation has formed the major obstacle to her
development. Twenty eight years of occupation have deepened her social
crisis and have deprived her of her rights particularly her political
and judicial freedom. It has also destroyed her family life and her
economical status as a whole, depriving her and her family of the basic
human conditions.

We are committed to the Peace Process and its relevant Agreements,
Israel continues to delay their implementation, and continues its
violations of our people’s rights, by persistently refusing to release
our prisoners and detainees, specially women and children; and by
constantly confiscating land and water. In defiance of the International
Community, Israel has repeatedly attacked Islamic and Christian Holy
places, and worked on the Judaization Holy Jerusalem.

Madam Chairperson,

The PLO and the Palestinian National Authority are working hard to
establish a political, social and economic system which can ensures
equal rights for Palestinian women and men, based on the Declaration of
Independence, which was issued by the Palestinian National Council in
1988. We are also committed to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Madam Chairperson,

A Just and comprehensive peace can only be achieved in the Middle East
by putting an end to occupation and the withdrawal of Israel from all
Occupied Territories, including Jerusalem.

This necessitates that the International Community, particularly the
United Nations take full responsibility towards the Palestinian people
by complying with International Agreements and Conventions and
implementing UN Resolutions concerning the inalienable rights of the
Palestinian people.

Madam Chairperson,

We urge your esteemed conference to set a clear and definite plan of
action to implement the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies specially
Paragraph 260 concerning The Palestinian woman and child, as it was not
implemented until now enabling her to achieve the goals of this
conference.

We also urge you to implement the resolution of the Economic and Social
Commission pertaining to the Palestinian Woman which was presented by
China and Group 77, and which was unanimously adopted by the Commission
on the Status of Women at its thirty-nine session.

We also urge you to exert pressure on Israel to release all prisoners
and detainees, both men and women; and to put an end to land
confiscation and building of settlements.

We urge you to put an end to the sufferings of women, who are the
victims of armed conflicts , occupation, ethnic extermination and
economic embargo in Palestine and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

We appeal to you to lift the unjust embargo on the women and children of
Iraq and Libya; and to stop Israeli air raids on South Lebanon.

Madam Chairperson,

The women and children of Palestine ask this conference to help them
reunite with their dispersed families, to heal their wounds, to help
them build their blasted houses and to plant their land with olives and
grapes and to grow flowers to decorate the peace they look forward to
for their people and the peoples of the whole world.