Report on the fifty-first session
(26 February-9 March 2007)
Economic and Social Council
Matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention
B. Draft resolution for adoption by the Council
2. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following 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 Action3 adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the outcomes 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 2006/8 of 25 July 2006 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,
Recalling the importance of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 57/337 of 3 July 2003, on the prevention of armed conflict, and Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000, on women and peace and security,
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 the severe impact of ongoing illegal Israeli settlement activities and the unlawful construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, as well as the severe consequences arising from Israeli military operations in and sieges of civilian areas, which have impacted detrimentally their social and economic conditions and deepened the humanitarian crisis faced by them and their families,
Expressing the importance of providing assistance, especially emergency assistance, to alleviate the harmful impact of the financial crisis which has exacerbated the already dire socio-economic and humanitarian situation being faced by Palestinian women and their families,
Welcoming the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,6 issued on 31 August 2005, on the issue of Palestinian women giving birth at Israeli checkpoints owing to denial of access by Israel to hospitals, with a view to ending this practice,
Recalling the advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory7 and recalling also General Assembly resolution ES-10/15 of 20 July 2004,
Recalling also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,8 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights8 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,9 and affirming that these human rights instruments must be respected 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,
Emphasizing the importance of increasing the role of women in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution as part of efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of all women in the region,
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 intensified measures to be taken 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, and encourages all women in the region to take an active role in supporting the peace process;
3. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,10 the Regulations annexed to The Hague Convention IV of 18 October 190711 and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949,12 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 Action3 and the outcomes of the twenty-third 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 on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women,1 and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-second 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.
* For the discussion, see chap. II, paras. 57-62.
1E/CN.6/2007/4.
2Report 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.
3Report 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.
5General Assembly resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex.
6See General Assembly resolution 48/104.
6A/60/324.
7See A/ES-10/273 and Corr.1.
8General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
9United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
10General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).
11See Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915).
12United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.
Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”
1. The Commission considered item 3 of the agenda at its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 13th meetings, on 26, 27, 28 February and 1, 2, 7 and 9 March. It had before it the following documents:
(c) Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (E/CN.6/2007/4*);
Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women
57. At the 11th meeting, on 7 March, the representative of Pakistan, on behalf of States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women” (E/CN.6/2007/L.2).
58. At its 13th meeting, on 9 March, the Commission was advised that the draft resolution contained no programme budget implications.
59. At the same meeting, the representative of Pakistan orally revised the text of the draft resolution as follows:
(a) In the seventh preambular paragraph, the word “on” was replaced by the word “in” after the words “from Israeli military operations”;
(b) In the eighth preambular paragraph, the words “ Expressing deep concern about the detrimental financial impact of the siege” were replaced by the words “ Expressing the importance of providing assistance, especially emergency assistance, to alleviate the harmful impact of the financial crisis”;
(c) In the ninth preambular paragraph, the words “issued on 31 August 2005” were inserted after the words “report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights”; the word “mothers’” after the word “Palestinian” was replaced by the word “women”; and the word “Israeli” was deleted before the word “practice”;
(d) A new preambular paragraph was added before paragraph 1, which read as follows:
“Emphasizing the importance of increasing the role of women in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution as part of efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of all women in the region”;
(e) In paragraph 1, the word “serious” was replaced by the word “intensified” before the word “measures”;
(f) In paragraph 2, the words “and encourages all women in the region to take an active role in supporting the peace process” was inserted at the end of the paragraph.
60. At its 13th meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women, as orally revised, by a recorded vote of 40 to 2, with 0 abstention (see chap. I, sect. B). The voting was as follows:*
Algeria, Armenia, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Congo, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Suriname, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania.
Canada, United States of America.
* The representatives of Lesotho and Zambia indicated that had their delegations been present at the time of the vote, they would have voted in favour of the draft resolution.
61. Before the adoption of the draft resolution, a statement was made by the representative of Israel; after the adoption of the draft resolution, statements in explanation of vote were made by the representatives of the United States, Germany (on behalf of the European Union) and Canada.
62. A statement was also made by the observer for Palestine.
