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

Jamaica: ^*,** draft resolution

    Situation of and assistance to 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, the Beijing Platform for Action ³ adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, ⁴

 Recalling also its resolution 2004/56 of 23 July 2004 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

 Recalling further the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women⁵ as it concerns the protection of civilian populations,

 Expressing the urgent need for the full resumption of negotiations within the Middle East peace process on its agreed basis and towards the speedy achievement of a final settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,

 Concerned about the grave situation of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, resulting from severe impact of ongoing illegal Israeli settlement activities and the unlawful construction of the wall, as well as the severe consequences arising from Israeli military attacks on and sieges of civilian areas, which have detrimentally impacted their social and economic conditions and deepened the humanitarian crisis faced by them and their families,

 Recalling the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice⁶ concerning Israel’s unlawful construction of a wall, and recalling in particular the Court’s conclusion regarding the applicability of international humanitarian law and human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem,

 Expressing its condemnation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction, especially the excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians, many of them women and children, resulting in injury and loss of human life,

 1.  Calls upon the concerned parties, as well as the international community, to exert all the necessary efforts to ensure the full resumption of the peace process on its agreed basis, taking into account the common ground already gained, and calls for measures for tangible improvement of the difficult situation on the ground and the 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,⁷ the Regulations annexed to the Hague Convention IV of 18 October 1907⁸ and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949,⁹ 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.  Calls upon the international community to continue to provide urgently needed assistance and services in an effort to alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis being faced by Palestinian women and their families and to help in the reconstruction of relevant Palestinian institutions;

 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, ² in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, the Beijing Platform for Action ³ and the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”; ⁴

 7.  Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation, to assist Palestinian women by all available means, including those laid out in the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women” and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its fiftieth session a report, including information provided by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

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

 **   In accordance with rule 69 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council.

Notes

¹   E/CN.6/2005/4.

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 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.

⁴  See General Assembly resolutions S-23/2 and S-23/3.

⁵ See General Assembly resolution 48/104.

⁶ See A/ES-10/273 and Corr.1.

⁷ General Assembly resolution 212 A (III).

⁸ See Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915).

⁹ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.

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