Palestinian women – CSW Report of the 40th session (excerptsz) – resolutions

Commission on the

Status of Women

Report on the fortieth session

(11-22 March 1996)

Economic and Social Council

Official Records, 1996

Supplement No.6

CONTENTS

Chapter I

MATTERS CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND

SOCIAL COUNCIL OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION

A.  Draft resolutions

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

DRAFT RESOLUTION I

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, and the Beijing Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, 3/

Recalling also its resolution 1995/30 of 25 July 1995 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recalling the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women 4/ as it concerns the protection for civilian populations,

Welcoming the signing by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Government of Israel of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, 5/ in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, as well as all subsequent agreements reached between the two parties,

Concerned about the continuing difficult situation of Palestinian women in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and about the severe consequences of continuous Israeli illegal settlements activities, as well as the harsh economic conditions and other consequences for the situation of Palestine women and their families, resulting from the frequent closure and isolation of the occupied territory,

1. Recognizes the gradual, positive changes that are taking place as a result of the implementation of the agreements between the two parties;

2. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation continues to constitute a major obstacle to the advancement and self-reliance of Palestinian women and their 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 Hague Conventions 7/ 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 refugee and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties in the occupied Palestinian territory, in compliance with relevant United Nations resolutions;

5. Urges Member States, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to intensify their efforts to provide financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women for the creation of projects responding to their needs, especially during the transitional period;

6. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 2/ in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, and the Beijing Platform for Action; 3/

7. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women by all available means, and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-first session a report on progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

Notes

1/ E/CN.6/1996/8.

2/ Report 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. I, sect. A.

3/ Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (A/CONF.177/20 and Add.1), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.

4/ General Assembly resolution 48/104.

5/ A/48/486-S/26560, annex.

6/ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).

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

8/  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973, p. 287.

Resolution 40/2.  Integration of women in the Middle East peace process*

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 50/21 of 12 December 1995, Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/52 of 28 July 1995 and Commission on the Status of Women resolution 39/3 of 31 March 1995,

Recalling also the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, 1/

Stressing that the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict will constitute a significant contribution to strengthening international peace and security,

Recalling the convening of the Peace Conference on the Middle East at Madrid on 30 October 1991, on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973, and the subsequent bilateral negotiations, as well as the meetings of the multilateral working groups, and noting with satisfaction the broad international support for the peace process,

Noting the continuing positive participation of the United Nations as a full extraregional participant in the work of the multilateral working groups,

Bearing in mind the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Agreements, 2/ and subsequent arrangements made in the context of the Middle East peace process,

Taking into account section E of chapter IV of the Beijing Platform for Action concerning women and armed conflict,

1. Welcomes the peace process started at Madrid, and supports the subsequent bilateral negotiations;

2. Stresses the importance of, and need for, achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, expresses its full support for the achievements of the peace process thus far and urges all parties to implement the agreements reached;

3. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to include women in the peace process;

4. Also urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to support the implementation of the Declaration of Principles and to assist the Palestinian people to ensure Palestinian women's political development and participation;

5. Welcomes the results of the Conference to Support Middle East Peace, convened in Washington on 1 October 1993, including the establishment of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, the subsequent work of the World Bank Consultative Group, welcomes also the appointment by the Secretary-General of the "United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories", and urges Member States to expedite economic, financial and technical assistance to the Palestinian people, particularly Palestinian women and children, during the interim period;

6. Supports the Declaration of the Summit of the Peacemakers, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on 13 March 1996, which had as its objectives enhancing the peace process, promoting security and combating terrorism, and condemns terrorist attacks in the Middle East, which seek to undermine the peace process and which have caused loss of life and injuries among women and their families;

7. Calls upon all Member States to extend economic, financial and technical assistance to parties in the region and to render support for the peace process, especially with regard to women;

8. Urges Member States to ensure that all economic, financial and technical assistance to parties in the region take into account the role of women as full participants and beneficiaries;

9. Considers that an active United Nations role in the Middle East peace process and in assisting in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles can make a positive contribution with regard to the status of women.

Recognizing that national and international efforts to eradicate poverty require full and equal participation of women in the formulation and implementation of policies that take fully into account the gender perspective and that empower women to be full partners in development,

Emphasizing that empowering women is a critical factor in the eradication of poverty, since women constitute the majority of people living in poverty and contribute to the economy and to the combating of poverty through both their unremunerated and remunerated work at home, in the community, and in the workplace,

Recognizing that poverty is a global problem affecting all countries and that the complexity of poverty, including the feminization of poverty, requires a wide range of measures and actions, at the national and the regional level, giving particular priority to the situation of women living in poverty and recognizing the need to improve their access to income, education, health care and other resources,

Recognizing also that more women than men live in absolute poverty and that the imbalance is on the increase, resulting in the limited access of women to income, resources, education, health care, nutrition, shelter and safe water in all developing countries, particularly in Africa and in the least developed countries,

Recognizing further that a large number of women in countries with economies in transition are also affected by poverty,

Bearing in mind that the increasing number of women living in poverty in developing countries, both in rural and in urban areas, requires action by the international community in support of actions and measures at the national and regional levels towards the eradication of poverty within the framework of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women,

Stressing the necessity of promoting and implementing policies to create  a  supportive  external  economic  environment,  through, inter alia, cooperation in the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policies, trade liberalization, mobilization and/or the provision of new and additional financial resources that are both adequate and predictable and mobilized in a way that maximizes the availability of such resources for sustainable development, using all available funding sources and mechanisms, enhanced financial stability and ensuring increased access of developing countries to global markets, productive investment and technologies, and appropriate knowledge,

1. Recognizes the central role that women play in the eradication of poverty, and stresses the need for their full and equal participation in the formulation and implementation of policies that take fully into account the gender perspective and that empower women to be full partners in development;

2. Stresses that the empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of women's social, economic and political status are essential for the eradication of poverty and that the full and equal participation of women in decision-making at all levels is an integral part of the process;

3. Recognizes that the eradication of poverty is both a complex and a multidimensional issue, and fundamental to promoting equality between men and women as well as to reinforcing peace and achieving sustainable development;

4. Reaffirms that the promotion and protection of, and respect for, the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, including the right to development, which are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, should be mainstreamed into all policies and programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty, and reaffirms as well the need to take measures to ensure that every person is entitled to participate in, to contribute to and to enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development;

5. Stresses that mainstreaming the gender perspective implies examining the ways in which women and men are affected by poverty, the different assets they possess to address the question and their respective contributions and potentials;

6. Also stresses that both mainstreaming and other positive actions should be regarded as complementary strategies aimed at enabling the full release of women's and men's development potential and at eradicating poverty;

7. Urges all Governments to fulfil their commitments in the Platform for Action to develop, preferably by the end of 1996, national implementation strategies or plans of actions that should also focus on the reduction of overall poverty and on the eradication of absolute poverty, with targets, benchmarks for monitoring and proposals for allocation or reallocation of resources for implementation, including resources for undertaking gender impact analysis; where necessary the support of the international community could be enlisted, including resources;

8. Urges all Governments, the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and civil society, to implement the Platform for Action in its entirety;

9. Emphasizes that, in addition to the commitments and recommendations regarding the eradication of poverty outlined in the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development 2/ and in the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, specific measures in the Platform for Action should be undertaken to address the feminization of poverty and to mainstream a gender perspective in all policies and programmes for the eradication of poverty, including, inter alia, measures to:

(a) Develop and implement education, training and retraining policies for women and girls;

(b) Undertake legislative and administrative reforms to give women full and equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance and to ownership of land and other property, credit, natural resources and appropriate technologies;

(c) Promote the participation of women at all levels of decision-making;

(d) Develop national strategies for promoting employment and self-employment, including entrepreneurial and organizational skills, in order to generate income for women;

(e) Adopt policies to ensure that all women have adequate economic and social protection during unemployment, ill health, maternity, child-bearing, widowhood, disability and old age and that women, men and society share responsibilities for child and other dependant care;

(f)  Restructure and target the allocation of public expenditures to promote women's economic opportunities and equal access to productive resources and to address the basic social, educational and health needs of women, including access to safe water, particularly of those living in poverty;

(g) Develop gender-based methodologies and conduct research for use in designing more effective policies to recognize and value the full contribution of women to the economy through both their unremunerated and renumerated work and to address the feminization of poverty, in particular the relationship between unremunerated work and women's vulnerability to poverty;

(h) Develop gender-based methodologies and conduct research to address the contribution of women to the economy, the feminization of poverty, and the economic and social impact of debt and structural adjustment programmes in all developing countries, particularly in Africa and the least developed countries;

(i) Analyse, from a gender perspective, macroeconomic and microeconomic policies, and the allocation of public expenditures, which should be designed and implemented with the full and equal participation of women so as to avoid negative impacts on women living in poverty;

(j) Reduce excessive military expenditures and investments for arms production and acquisition, as is appropriate and consistent with national security requirements, in order to increase resources for social and economic development;

10. Calls for the implementation of the outcome of all other major United Nations conferences and summits related to the eradication of poverty;

11.  Calls upon States to undertake all commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, 3/ taking into account commitments 2 and 5 and the linkages between them, in their efforts to eradicate poverty, and also calls upon all relevant actors to implement promptly the actions and measures for the eradication of poverty, as contained in the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development; 4/

12. Stresses the need to fully integrate a gender perspective into the work of all thematic task forces relating to the eradication of poverty established by the Administrative Committee on Coordination, as well as the importance of establishing the proposed inter-agency committee on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women;

13. Recommends that a United Nations system-wide effort be undertaken to review existing indicators, strengthen gender impact analysis of the design and implementation of economic reform programmes, develop complementary, qualitative assessments, and standardize measures and promote their implementation, and stresses that this effort will necessitate effective coordination;

14.  Also recommends that the secretariats of the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, incorporate a coherent method of including both the mainstreaming of the gender perspective and specific gender programmes to achieve equality between women and men in the operational activities, staffing and decision-making spheres of the system;

15.  Stresses that the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should play a central role in enhancing financial and technical support and assistance for developing countries, particularly African countries and least developed countries, in their efforts to achieve the objectives of the eradication of poverty and the full integration of a gender perspective into all policies and programmes, as set forth in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, particularly the goal of the eradication of poverty;

16. Recognizes that the implementation of the Platform for Action in the countries with economies in transition will also require continued international cooperation and assistance, in support of national efforts;

17. Stresses the importance of using all available funding sources and mechanisms with a view to contributing towards the goal of poverty eradication and targeting of women living in poverty;

18. Calls upon States committed to the initiative of allocation of 20 per cent of official development assistance and 20 per cent of the national budget to basic social programmes to fully integrate a gender perspective into its implementation, as called for in paragraph 16 of General Assembly resolution 50/203;

19. Invites all countries, the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, relevant international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and all other sectors to contribute to the implementation of programmes aimed at eradicating poverty;

20. Stresses the need for a coherent and coordinated approach among all partners in development in the implementation of national poverty eradication plans or programmes that fully take into account the gender perspective;

21. Also stresses the need for gender-sensitive training, with the assistance of United Nations organizations, of those responsible for the formulation and implementation of development policies and programmes;

22. Further stresses the important role of non-governmental organizations as actors involved at the grass-roots level in the policy dialogue designed to reach women through poverty eradication programmes and calls for further efforts to identify ways by which those non-governmental organizations could contribute to the implementation of such programmes;

23. Recommends that the Economic and Social Council, when examining the "Coordination of the activities of the United Nations system for the eradication of poverty" as the theme for the coordination segment of the substantive session of 1996 of the Council, ensure that the relevant organs of the United Nations system take fully into account the gender perspective in their activities for the eradication of poverty, and, likewise, requests that the Council recommend to the General Assembly that the gender dimension of poverty be incorporated into all activities and documentation related to the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty;

24. Stresses the need to fully integrate a gender perspective into the coordinated follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits and recommends that the Economic and Social Council examine, on a regular basis, the extent to which gender factors have been taken into account in the recommendations of all the concerned functional commissions;

25. Requests the Secretary-General to keep in mind the multidimensional nature of poverty in the implementation and review of reports on all other critical areas of concern, taking into consideration the many links between the eradication of poverty and those other critical areas of concern;

26. Also requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the present resolution within the framework of his report on action envisaged to be taken in preparation for the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

Notes

1/ Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (A/CONF.177/20 and Add.1), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II.

2/ Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995 (A/CONF.166/9), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.

3/ Ibid., annex I.

4/ Ibid., annex II, chap. II.

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Integration of women in the Middle East peace process

36. At the 12th meeting, on 20 March, the representative of the United States of America introduced and orally revised a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1996/L.3) entitled "Integration of women in the Middle East peace process".  Subsequently, Costa Rica, Israel, 69/ Norway and the Russian Federation joined in sponsoring the draft resolution, which read as follows:

"The Commission on the Status of Women,

"Recalling General Assembly resolution 50/21 of 12 December 1995, Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/52 of 28 July 1995, and Commission on the Status of Women resolution 39/3 of 31 March 1995,

"Recalling also the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, in September 1995,

"Stressing that the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict will constitute a significant contribution to strengthening international peace and security,

"Recalling the convening of the Peace Conference on the Middle East at Madrid on 30 October 1991, on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973, and the subsequent bilateral negotiations, as well as the meetings of the multilateral working groups, and noting with satisfaction the broad international support for the peace process,

"Noting the continuing positive participation of the United Nations as a full extraregional participant in the work of the multilateral working groups,

"Bearing in mind the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed by the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian People, in Washington on 13 September 1993, and the subsequent Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, signed by the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization at Cairo on 4 May 1994, their 29 August 1994 Agreement on the Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities, the Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities signed by the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization at Cairo on 27 August 1995, and the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, signed by the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington on 28 September 1995,

"Also bearing in mind the Agreement between Israel and Jordan on the Common Agenda, signed in Washington on 14 September 1993, the Washington Declaration, signed by Jordan and Israel on 25 July 1994, and the Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of 26 October 1994,

"Welcoming the Declaration of the Middle East/North Africa Economic Summit, held at Casablanca from 30 October to 1 November 1994, as well as the Declaration of the Middle East/North Africa Economic Summit, held at Amman from 29 to 31 October 1995,

"Reaffirming paragraph 145 of the Beijing Platform for Action which calls upon the international community to condemn and act against all forms and manifestations of terrorism,

"1. Welcomes the peace process started at Madrid, and supports the subsequent bilateral negotiations;

"2. Stresses the importance of, and need for, achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

"3. Expresses its full support for the achievements of the peace process thus far, in particular the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed by the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian People, the subsequent Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, signed by the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, their 29 August 1994 Agreement on the Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities, the Protocol on Further Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities signed by the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization at Cairo on 27 August 1995, the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, signed by the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington on 28 September 1995, the Agreement between Israel and Jordan on the Common Agenda, the Washington Declaration, signed by Jordan and Israel on 25 July 1994, and the Treaty of Peace between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, of 26 October 1994, which constitute important steps in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and urges all parties to implement the agreements reached;

"4. Stresses the need to achieve rapid progress on the other tracks of the Arab-Israeli negotiations within the peace process;

"5. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to include women in the peace process;

"6. Also urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to support the implementation of the Declaration of Principles and to assist the Palestinian people to ensure Palestinian women's political development and participation;

"7. Welcomes the results of the Conference to Support Middle East Peace, convened in Washington on 1 October 1993, including the establishment of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, the subsequent work of the World Bank Consultative Group, welcomes also the appointment by the Secretary-General of the 'United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories', and urges Member States to expedite economic, financial and technical assistance to the Palestinian people during the interim period;

"8. Condemns recent terrorist attacks in Israel which seek to undermine the peace process and which have caused loss of life and injuries among women and their families, and supports the statement of the Summit of the Peace Makers in Sharm el-Sheikh on 13 March 1996;

"9. Calls upon all Member States to extend economic, financial and technical assistance to parties in the region and to render support for the peace process, especially with regard to women;

"10. Urges Member States to ensure that all economic, financial and technical assistance to parties in the region take into account the role of women as full participants and beneficiaries;

"11. Considers that an active United Nations role in the Middle East peace process and in assisting in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles can make a positive contribution with regard to the status of women;

"12. Encourages regional development and cooperation in areas where work has begun within the framework of the Madrid Conference."

37. At the 15th meeting, on 22 March, the representative of the United States of America further orally revised the draft resolution.

38. The observer for the Syrian Arab Republic made a statement.

39. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised, by a roll-call vote of 27 to 2, with 11 abstentions (see chap. I, sect. C, Commission resolution 40/2).  The voting was as follows:

In favour: Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Tunisia, United States of America.

Against: Iran (Islamic Republic of), Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Abstaining: Angola, Cuba, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Namibia, Philippines, Sudan, Swaziland.

40. Before the draft resolution was adopted, the representatives of Lebanon, Algeria, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Tunisia made statements; after it was adopted, statements were made by the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Swaziland and Cuba.

41. The representative of Ecuador made a statement.

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Palestinian women

57. At the 14th meeting, on 21 March, the representative of Costa Rica, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1996/L.9) entitled "Palestinian women".

58. At the 16th meeting, on 22 March, statements were made by the observers for the Syrian Arab Republic and Israel.

59. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 36 to 1, with 7 abstentions (see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution I).  The voting was as follows:

In favour: Algeria, Angola, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Sudan, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia.

Against: United States of America.

Abstaining: Australia, Guinea-Bissau, Lebanon, Mali, (The delegation of Mali subsequently indicated that it had intended to vote in favour of the draft resolution.) Norway, Russian Federation, Slovakia.

60. Before the draft resolution was adopted, the representative of the United States of America made a statement; after it was adopted, statements were made by the representatives of Australia, Norway, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

61. The observer for Palestine also made a statement.