Palestinian women, assistance – CSW action, resolution, draft decision – 48th session report (excerpts)

Commission on the Status
of Women

Report on the forty-eighth session
(1-12 March 2002)

Economic and Social Council 

Official Records, 2004
Supplement No. 7 (E/2004/27-E/CN.6/2004/14)

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Chapter I

Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention

A. Draft resolutions for adoption by the Council

1. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolutions:

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Draft resolution II

Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women*

The Economic and Social Council,

Having considered with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women,¹

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,² in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action³  adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,⁴

Recalling also its resolution 2003/42 of 22 July 2003 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recalling further the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women⁵ as it concerns the protection of civilian populations,

Expressing the urgent need for the resumption of negotiations within the Middle East peace process on its agreed basis and towards the speedy achievement of a final settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,

Concerned about the grave deterioration of the situation of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and about the severe consequences of continuous illegal Israeli settlements activities as well as the harsh economic conditions and other severe consequences of the continuing Israeli attacks and sieges on Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps, which has resulted in the dire humanitarian crisis being faced by Palestinian women and their families,

Concerned also that the route marked out for the wall under construction by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, could prejudge future negotiations and make the two-State solution physically impossible to implement and would cause further humanitarian hardship to the Palestinians, in particular women and children,

Expressing its condemnation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians, many of them women and children, resulting in injury and loss of human life,

1. Calls upon the concerned parties, as well as the international community, to exert all the necessary efforts to ensure the immediate resumption of the peace process on its agreed basis, taking into account the common ground already gained, and calls for measures for tangible improvement of the difficult situation on the ground and the living conditions faced by Palestinian women and their families;

2. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation remains a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development planning of their society;

3. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,⁶ the Regulations annexed to The Hague Convention IV of 18 October 1907⁷ and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949,⁸ in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families;

4. Calls upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties, in compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;

5. Calls upon the international community to continue to provide urgently needed assistance and services in an effort to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis being faced by Palestinian women and their families and to help in the reconstruction of relevant Palestinian institutions;

6. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,² in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action³ and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”;⁴

7. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women by all available means, including those laid out in his report entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women”,⁹ and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-ninth session a report including information provided by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

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*For the discussion, see chap. II, paras. 49-55.

¹E/CN.6/2004/4.

  ²Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. 1, sect. A.

  ³Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. 1, resolution 1, annex II.

  ⁴See General Assembly resolutions S-23/2 and S-23/3.

⁵See General Assembly resolution 48/104.

⁶General Assembly resolution 212 A (III).

  ⁷See Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915).

⁸United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.

⁹E/CN.6/2004/4.

 

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B. Draft decision for adoption by the Council

2. The Commission on the Status of Women also recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft decision:

Draft decision

Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-eighth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-ninth session of the Commission*

The Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-eighth session and approves the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-ninth session of the Commission set out below:

1. Election of officers.

2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.

Documentation

Annotated provisional agenda and proposed organization of work

3. Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”:

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan

Report on the joint work plan of the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations Development Fund for Women on the activities of the Fund to eliminate violence against women

Note by the Secretariat transmitting the results of the thirty-second session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

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*For the discussion, see chap. V.

Chapter II

Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”

1. The Commission considered agenda item 3 at its 2nd to 10th and 12th to 15th meetings, from 1 to 5 March and 9 to 12 March 2004. It had before it the following documents:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the review of the methods of work of the Commission on the Status of Women in the context of integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields (E/CN.6/2004/2);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on measures taken and progress achieved in the follow-up to and implementation of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, especially in mainstreaming gender perspectives in entities of the United Nations system (E/CN.6/2004/3);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (E/CN.6/2004/4);

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Action taken by the Commission

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Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

49. At the 12th meeting, on 9 March, the observer for Qatar, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women” (E/CN.6/2004/L.2) and orally revised it in the seventh preambular paragraph, by replacing the words “concerned also that the construction of a wall by Israel” with the words “concerned also that the route marked out for the wall under construction by Israel”.

50. At the 14th meeting, on 11 March, the observer for Qatar orally revised operative paragraph 7 as follows:

(a) The words “including those laid out in the report of the Secretary-General” were revised to read “including those laid out in his report”;

(b) The words “a report based on information provided by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia” was revised to read “a report including information provided by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia”.

51. At the same meeting, the Commission was advised that the revised draft resolution contained no programme implications.

52. At the same meeting, the Commission approved the draft resolution, as orally revised, by a recorded vote of 39 to 1, with 1 abstention and recommended it to the Economic and Social Council for adoption (see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution II). The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Germany, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania.

Against:

United States of America.

Abstaining:

Canada.

53. A statement in explanation of vote before the vote was made by the representative of the United States of America; statements in explanation of vote after the vote were made by the representatives of Argentina, the Russian Federation, Canada and Peru.

54. Before the adoption of the draft resolution, a statement was made by the observer for Israel; after the vote, a statement was made by the observer for Qatar, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China.

55. After the adoption of the draft resolution, a statement was also made by the observer for Palestine.

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