Living conditions of the Palestinian people – SecGen report

DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION:

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

Living conditions of the Palestinian people

Report of the Secretary-General

1.   In its resolution 34/113 of 14 December 1979, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the relevant United Nations organs and specialized agencies particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Economic Commission for Western Asia and the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories, to prepare and submit to the Assembly at its thirty-fifth session a comprehensive and analytical report on the social and economic impact of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Arab territories.

2.   At its thirty-fifth session, after considering the Secretary-General’s report (A/35/533 and Corr.1), which had been submitted pursuant to the above-mentioned resolution, the General Assembly, in paragraph 1 of its resolution 35/75 of 5 December 1980 noted with satisfaction the report of the Secretary-General on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Arab territories and, in paragraph 4, called upon all States to co-operate with United Nations agencies, organizations and organs and local Palestinian authorities to alleviate the tragic living conditions of the Palestinian people caused by the Israeli occupation. Furthermore, the Assembly, in paragraph 5, requested the Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive and analytical report to the Assembly at its thirty-sixth session, through the Economic and Social Council, on the progress made in the implementation of the resolution.

3.   So as to enable the Secretary-General to prepare and submit the required report to the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session, the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) addressed a note verbale on 5 February 1981 to the Permanent Representative of Israel to UNCHS at Nairobi drawing the attention of his Government to the above-mentioned resolution.  The note requested him to inform the Executive Director of the action taken or contemplated by the Government of Israel in response to resolution 35/75.  The attention of the Permanent Representative was also drawn to the report of the Secretary-General (A/35/533 and Corr.1), which, in its annex, referred to several aspects of the living conditions of the Palestinian people, including the various factors determining or influencing the quality of life of the Arab population in the towns and villages within the occupied territories.

4.   In a note verbale dated 13 February 1981, the Permanent Representative of Israel to UNCHS informed the Executive Director that the note of 5 February had been received and conveyed to the relevant authorities in Israel and that, as soon as a reply had been received, it would be communicated to him.

5.   In May 1981, the Executive Director addressed notes verbales to all States, specifically drawing their attention to paragraph 4 of General Assembly resolution 35/75 and requesting that he be informed of the action taken or contemplated by them in response to the resolution.  In his note, the Executive Director indicated that the intention was to submit the required report to the Assembly at its thirty-sixth session through the Economic and Social Council.

6.   As the report, which will be issued as an addendum to the present document; will be prepared on the basis of the replies from Governments, it is hoped that those replies will be received at an early enough date to enable the Secretary-General to prepare and submit the report to the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session through the Economic and Social Council.

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     *  A/36/50