Mideast situation/Palestine question – GA special session debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Twenty-fifth special session

6th meeting

Friday, 8 June 2001, 3 p.m. 

New York

  The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

/…

  Agenda items 8, 9 and 10 (continued)

Review and appraisal of progress made in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda

    Note by the Secretary-General (A/S-25/3 and Add.l)

Further actions and initiatives for overcoming obstacles to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda

 Declaration on cities and other human settlements in the new millennium

/…

 The President: I give the floor to Mr. Mohammad Al-Sarawi, Chairman of the Board and Director General, The Environment Public Authority of Kuwait.

  Mr. Al-Sarawi (Kuwait) (spoke in Arabic) : …

/…

  The challenges we face in implementing the goals of the Istanbul Conference require significant effort. The deterioration of human settlements is illustrated by the acts of the Israeli authorities, who are violating United Nations resolutions, particularly the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, by creating new settlements, expanding existing ones, and by demolishing Palestinians’ houses, confiscating their lands and blocking Palestinian territories — measures that helped create difficult economic and social conditions. 

  This is why we are asking the international community to exert all pressure necessary on the Israeli Government to force it to abide by United Nations resolutions and to withdraw from all occupied Arab territories and respect the bilateral agreements concluded with the Palestinian Authority within the framework of the peace process.

/…

 The Acting President (spoke in French): In accordance with the decision taken at the 1st plenary meeting, on 6 June 2001, I now give the floor to Ms. Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers.

 Ms. Capeling-Alakija (United Nations Volunteers): …

/…

  In Bulgaria, Guatemala, Nepal, the Palestinian territories and Uzbekistan, United Nations Volunteers with urban planning and architectural expertise have dedicated themselves to revitalizing parts of old cities by restoring buildings, streets and parks. These are but a few ways in which United Nations Volunteers are helping to address the problems of city-dwellers. Working daily in direct contact with local partners, United Nations Volunteers have proved themselves capable performers in long-term development efforts.

/…

 The meeting rose at 7.10 a.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-178. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.