Palestinian women/assistance – Commission on the Status of Women – Draft resolution

  Islamic Republic of Iran:*  draft resolution

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

The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

The Economic and Social Council,

Having considered with appreciation section III.A concerning the situation of Palestinian women and assistance provided by organizations of the United Nations system, contained in the report of the Secretary-General 1/ on the follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration 2/ and Platform for Action, 3/

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 4/ in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,

Recalling also its resolution 2000/23 of 28 July 2000 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recalling further the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women 5/ as it concerns the protection of civilian populations,

Stressing the need for compliance with the existing Israeli-Palestinian agreements reached within the context of the Middle East peace process,

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

Gravely concerned in particular at the excessive use of force by the Israeli occupying forces against Palestinian civilians, especially children, which in the last few months has resulted in scores of Palestinian deaths and injuries,

1. Calls upon the concerned parties, as well as the entire international community, to exert all the necessary efforts towards ensuring the immediate resumption of the peace process on its agreed basis, and calls for measures for tangible improvements in the difficult situation on the ground and living conditions faced by Palestinian women and their families;

2. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation remains a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and 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 Regulations annexed to The Hague Convention of 1907 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 refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties, in compliance with the 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, especially during the transitional period;

6. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”;

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-sixth session a report on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

___________

* On behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China.

Notes

1/ E/CN.6/2001/2.

2/ Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.

3/ Ibid., annex II.

4/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 5-16 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A.

5/ See General Assembly resolution 48/104.

6/ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).

7/ See 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.