Israeli practices – SecGen report

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI PRACTICES

AFFECTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE POPULATION

OF THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Report of the Secretary-General

1. At its fortieth session, the General Assembly, adopted resolutions 40/161 A to G of 16 December 1985 concerning the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories (A/40/702).  In paragraph 19 of resolution 40/161 D, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General:

"(a) To provide all necessary facilities to the Special Committee, including  those required for its visits to the occupied territories, with a view to investigating the Israeli policies and practices referred to in the present resolution;

"(b) To continue to make available additional staff as may be necessary to assist the Special Committee in the performance of its tasks;

"(c) To ensure the widest circulation of the reports of the Special Committee and of information regarding its activities and findings, by all means available through the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat and, where necessary, to reprint those reports of the Special Committee that are no longer available;

"(d) To report to the General Assembly at its forty-first session on the tasks entrusted to him in the present paragraph."

2. The present report is submitted in accordance with paragraph 19 of resolution 40/161 D.

3. The Secretary-General continued, as in previous years, to provide the facilities required by the Special Committee. In response to the request addressed to him by the General Assembly in paragraph 19 (b) of resolution 40/161 D, the services of an additional staff member and of staff on temporary assistance were made available to assist the Special Committee.

4. In response to paragraph 19 (c) and (d) of General Assembly resolution 40/161 D, the Department of Public Information undertook the following activities to ensure the widest circulation of the reports of the Special Committee;

(a) Ten press releases were issued during the consideration by the General Assembly of the 1985 report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories.  Another seven press releases were issued at Geneva, covering meetings of the Commission on Human Rights on the subject;

(b) Radio news coverage was given to the work of the Special Committee in a variety of languages.  However, this coverage was reduced owing to the suspension of short-wave broadcasts as a result of the financial emergency;

(c) A booklet entitled The United Nations and the Question of Palestine, containing a section on human rights in the occupied territories that discussed the work of the Special Committee, was published in November 1985;

(d) References to the establishment and work of the Special Committee are contained in the tenth edition of Everyone's United Nations, published in June 1986.  United Nations activities relating to the situation in the occupied territories, including the work of the Special Committee, were described in the Yearbook of the United Nations, 1982; 1/

(e) In connection with the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November), information about the issues addressed in the Special Committee's report were widely disseminated through various activities:

(i) The pamphlet on the Department of Public Information entitled The Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories was widely distributed;

(ii) A representative of the Special Committee participated in a commemorative meeting organized by the Information Service at Geneva.  Background material was distributed to participants at the meeting;

(f) Some United Nations information centres highlighted the Palestine question in their newsletters, often with specific mention of the work of the Special Committee;

(g) The Information Service in Geneva provided press coverage of the work of the Special Committee.

Notes

1/ United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.I.1.

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