Assistance/Living conditions/Women – ECOSOC report for 1998 (excerpts)

Report of the Economic and Social Council for the year 1998 (excerpts)

General Assembly A/53/3

Official Records

Fifty-third session

Supplement No. 3 (A/53/3)

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Content

I. Matters calling for action by the General Assembly or brought to its attention

II. Special high-level meeting of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions

Summary conclusions by the Acting President of the Council

III. Session of the Council on integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up of major United Nations conferences and summits

Summary by the President of the Council

IV. High-level segment

Market access: developments since the Uruguay Round, implications, opportunities and challenges, in particular for the developing countries and the least developed among them, in the context of globalization and liberalization

Ministerial communiqué of the high-level segment submitted by the President of the Council

Annex.  Summary of the high-level segment by the President of the Council

V. Operational activities segment

Operational activities of the United Nations for international development cooperation

A. Advancement of women: implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the role of operational activities in promoting, in particular, capacity-building and resource mobilization for enhancing the participation of women in development

B. Follow-up to policy recommendations of the General Assembly

C. Reports of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme

VI. Coordination segment

Coordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies and other bodies of the United Nations system related to the coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

Agreed conclusions 1998/2

VII. Humanitarian affairs segment

Special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance

Agreed conclusions 1998/1

VIII. General segment

A. Integrated and coordinated implementation of and

follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits

B. Coordination, programme and other questions

1. Reports of coordination bodies

2. Malaria and diarrhoeal diseases, in particular cholera

3. Proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for the period 1998–2001

4. International cooperation in the field of informatics

5. Proclamation of an international year of mountains

6. International Year for the Culture of Peace, 2000

C. Implementation of General Assembly resolutions 50/227 and 52/12 B

D. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations

E. Regional cooperation

F. Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

G. Non-governmental organizations

H. Economic and environmental questions

1. Sustainable development

2. Natural resources

3. Energy

4. International cooperation in tax matters

5. Public administration and finance

6. Cartography

7. Population and development

I. Social and human rights questions

1. Advancement of women

2. Social development

3. Crime prevention and criminal justice

4. Narcotic drugs

5. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

6. Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

7. Human rights

IX. Elections, appointments, nominations and confirmations

X. Organizational matters

A. Action taken by the Council

B. Proceedings

1. Bureau of the Council

2. Agenda of the organizational session for 1998

3. Basic programme of work for 1998 and 1999

4. Provisional agenda for the 1998 session of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations

5. Proclamation of international years

6. Postponement of consideration of recommendations contained in the report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on its sixteenth session

7. Enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

8. Agenda of the substantive session of 1998

9. Requests by non-governmental organizations for hearings

10. Organizational meeting in 1998 of the Commission on Sustainable Development

11. Dates of sessions of subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council in 1999

12. Themes for the 1999 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council

Annexes

I. Agendas of the organizational and resumed organizational sessions for 1998 and the substantive session of 1998

II. Composition of the Council and its subsidiary and related bodies

III. Intergovernmental organizations designated by the Council under rule 79 of the rules of procedure for participation in the deliberations of the Council on questions within the scope of their activities

VIII. General segment

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D. Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations

55. At its substantive session, the Council considered the question of the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (agenda item 9) at its 39th, 40th and 46th meetings, on 23 and 30 July 1998. An account of the discussion is contained in the relevant summary records (E/1998/SR.39, 40 and 46). The Council had before it the following documents:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (A/53/130 and Corr.1);

(b) Letter dated 18 June 1998 from the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to the Secretary-General (A/53/152-E/1998/71);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people (A/53/153-E/1998/75);

(d) Report of the President of the Council on consultations held with the Chairman of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (E/1998/76).

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Action taken by the Council

56. Under agenda item 9, the Council adopted resolution 1998/38 and decision 1998/282.

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Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people

61. At the 46th meeting, on 30 July, on the proposal of the President, the Council took note of the report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people. See Council decision 1998/282.

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F. Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

73. At its substantive session, the Council considered the question of the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (agenda item 11) at its 39th, 40th, 42nd and 45th meetings, on 23, 27 and 29 July 1998. An account of the discussion is contained in the relevant summary records (E/1998/SR.39, 40, 42 and 45). The Council had before it a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report prepared by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli settlements on the Palestinian people in the Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (A/53/163-E/1998/79).

Action taken by the Council

74. Under agenda item 11, the Council adopted resolution 1998/32 and decision 1998/239.

Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

75. At the 42nd meeting, on 27 July, the representative of Jordan, also on behalf of Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Malaysia*, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates*, introduced a draft resolution (E/1998/L.26) entitled “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan”. Colombia, Indonesia*, Morocco* and Oman subsequently joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

76. At the 45th meeting, on 29 July, the Council adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 44 to 1, with no abstentions. See Council resolution 1998/32. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guyana, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam.

Against:

United States of America.

Abstaining:

None.

77. Before the draft resolution was adopted, the representative of the United States of America made a statement. After the adoption of the draft resolution, the representative of the Russian Federation made a statement.

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Note by the Secretary-General on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

78. At the 45th meeting, on 29 July, the Council took note of the note by the Secretary-General on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (A/53/163-E/1998/79). See Council decision 1998/239.

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Palestinian women

143. At the 44th meeting, on 28 July, the Council voted on draft resolution II, entitled “Palestinian women”, recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women (E/1998/27, chap. I, sect. B). The draft resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 40 to 1, with 2 abstentions. See Council resolution 1998/10. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Guyana, India, Italy, Japan, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam.

Against:

United States of America.

Abstaining:

Colombia, Iceland.

144. Before the draft resolution was adopted, the representative of the United States of America made a statement.

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Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

Members

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