Human rights situation in the OPT/Children – Third Cttee debate – Summary record (excerpts)

Third Committee

Summary record of the 55th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 20 November 2002, at 10 a.m.

Chairman:   Mr. Wenaweser  ………………………. (Liechtenstein)

Contents

Agenda item 104: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, questions relating to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions (continued)

Agenda item 105: Promotion and protection of the rights of children ( continued)

Agenda item 106: Programme of activities of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (continued)

Agenda item 109: Human rights questions (continued)

(b)   Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms (continued )

The meeting was called to order at 10.35 a.m.

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Agenda item 105: Promotion and protection of the rights of children ( continued) (A/C.3/57/L.25/Rev.1 and L.72)

Draft resolution A/C.3/57/L.25/Rev.1: Rights of the Child

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23.   Draft resolution A/C.3/57/L.25/Rev.1, as orally revised, was adopted by 164 votes to 1 with no abstentions.

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26.   Ms. Barghouti (Observer for Palestine) said that the adoption of the draft resolution sent a strong message to every child in the world that the international community was committed to their welfare, access to education and health. The understanding of the sponsors of the proposal contained in A/C.3/57/L.72 had been that children in armed conflict included children under foreign occupation.

27.  Mr. Koren (Israel) said that it was the understanding of his delegation that the provision also included children under the threat of terrorism.

28.   The Chairman proposed that the Committee should take note of the report of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (A/57/41 and Corr.1) and the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (A/57/295).

29.  It was so decided.

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Agenda item 109: Human rights questions (continued)

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56.  Mr. Al-Eryani (Yemen) said that the Commission on Human Rights was manipulated by countries intent on furthering their own political objectives. While some States were singled out for condemnation, others were allowed to continue to commit gross human rights violations, such as those occurring in the occupied Palestinian territories. Consequently, his delegation would abstain from voting on any human rights issue.

/…

The meeting rose at 1.00 p.m. 

This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a copy of the record.

Corrections will be issued after the end of the session, in a separate corrigendum for each Committee.