Gaza blockade, Palestinian self-determination – IPU 118th Assembly Resolutions, Letter from Italy

    Letter dated 8 July 2008 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

 

 

  I have the honour to transmit to you, on behalf of the Italian Presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the text of the following four resolutions adopted by the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (Cape Town, South Africa, 18 April 2008):

 •   “The role of Parliaments in striking a balance between national security, human security and individual freedoms, and in averting the threat to democracy”;

 •   “The role of Parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in ensuring an immediate halt to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in conflict areas and its environmental dimension, in facilitating the Palestinians’ right to self-determination — particularly by ending the blockade in Gaza — and in accelerating the creation of a Palestinian State through viable peace processes”;

 •   “Migrant workers, people trafficking, xenophobia and human rights”; 

 •   Parliamentary oversight of State policies on foreign aid”.

  I would be grateful if you could circulate the present letter and its annex as a document of the sixty-third session of the General Assembly under items 16, 41, 51, 56, 65, 67 and 101 of the preliminary list.

 

 

(Signed ) Ambassador Aldo Mantovani

Chargé d’affaires a.i.

*  A/63/50. 

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[Original: English and French]

 

 

The role of Parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in ensuring an immediate halt

to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in conflict areas and its environmental

dimension, in facilitating the Palestinians’ right to self-determination — particularly by

ending the blockade in Gaza — and in accelerating the creation of a Palestinian State

through viable peace processes

  

  

    Resolution adopted unanimously by the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

  

   (Cape Town, 18 April 2008)

 

 The 118^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

 

(1)  Cognisant of the numerous unresolved conflicts across the world that are characterized by ongoing killing, the reported raping of women, shelling and bombing of civilians, the internal displacement of people, forced migration and a massive impact on environmental degradation,

  

(2)  Recognizing and reaffirming the principles of sovereignty, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, peaceful co-existence, interdependence, and non-aggression,

  

(3)  Reaffirming the responsibility of parliamentarians and the IPU to promote international peace and security,

  

(4)  Convinced that peace and security are critical factors in creating an environment that is conducive to international cooperation and development,

  

(5)  Deeply concerned about the rapidly escalating violence and grievous harm to life and limb in areas affected by conflicts,

  

(6)  Cognisant of the evidence provided throughout history indicating that the only means of ensuring a lasting and peaceful resolution of conflicts is through peaceful dialogue,

  

(7)  Welcoming missions of good offices and other initiatives in the search for peace undertaken by a number of countries, and supporting such initiatives,

 

(8)  Noting that, due to the growing need for relocation of people and communities, many Member countries are urging the UN Security Council to address climate change and environmental migration as an issue with serious implications for international peace and security,

  

(9)  Also cognisant of the efforts deployed by the United Nations – through its various initiatives, resolutions and conventions – aimed at addressing the problems in the countries affected,

  

(10)  Welcoming the efforts deployed within ongoing peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine as well as previous resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and the resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 6 March 2008 calling for an immediate cessation of Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip, and an immediate cessation of missile-launching by Palestinian activists on southern Israel,

  

(11)  Recalling previous resolutions adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the situation in the Middle East in 1997, 2000 and 2003, which addressed inter alia the tensions and violence in the region,

  

(12)  Mindful of the relationship between the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations and the mechanisms that have been developed to strengthen these relations in order to effectively deal with global concerns,

  

1.  Expresses its solidarity with all those who are suffering as a result of conflicts across the world – especially the marginalized and vulnerable – including the elderly, women and children;

  

2.  Calls for immediate action by the United Nations to prevent any further deterioration of the humanitarian and environmental predicament in affected areas;

  

3.  Urges the United Nations to protect the rights of the people in affected areas as stipulated in relevant international instruments;

  

4.  Demands that the United Nations assure the safety of fleeing civilians, prevent human rights abuses, establish and protect refugee camps, and take all necessary steps to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in conflict areas;

  

5.  Calls on the United Nations to facilitate the establishment of peace and take the necessary steps to enshrine the right to self-determination in the countries concerned, especially Palestine;

  

6.  Requests an immediate lifting of the blockade imposed on the occupied Palestinian territories, especially Gaza, in order to facilitate the provision of food, medical and fuel supplies to the Gaza strip to help alleviate the humanitarian tragedy experienced by its population;

  

7.  Calls on the different countries, governments, parliaments and non-governmental organizations to scale up their political, moral and financial assistance to those suffering acutely as a result of conflicts, particularly Palestinians in the occupied territories; appeals to IPU Members to exert pressure on their respective governments to maintain their mechanisms for providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by conflicts, especially the Palestinian people;

  

8.  Calls on all concerned parties to accelerate the creation of a Palestinian State through a viable peace process;

  

9.  Urges the Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union – in areas where conflicts are currently taking place – to ensure that they and their respective governments contribute to the resolution of these conflicts, while providing assistance for both mitigation and adaptation to climate change;

 

10.  Calls on the Inter-Parliamentary Union to work with the United Nations to resolve these conflicts by all available means and report on activities at the next IPU Assembly.

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