Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation – ECOSOC report (excerpts)

Report of the Economic and Social Council for 2001

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Chapter I

  Matters calling for action by or brought to the attention of the
  General Assembly

  In 2001, the Economic and Social Council adopted a number of resolutions and decisions that call for action by or the attention of the General Assembly, which are summarized below.

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    Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan 

  By resolution 2001/19, the Council requested the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, through the Council, a report on the implementation of the resolution.

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    Social and human rights questions: human rights

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    Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

  By decision 2001/246, having approved the request of the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2001/7 to the Special Rapporteur to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Human Rights Enquiry Commission, the Council approved the request to the Special Rapporteur to submit reports thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session.

    Human rights situation of the Lebanese detainees in Israel

  By decision 2001/248, having approved the request of the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2001/10 to the Secretary-General to bring the resolution to the attention of the Government of Israel and call upon it to comply with the resolution’s provisions, the Council approved the request to the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session on the results of his efforts in that regard.

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Chapter VII

General segment

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E.   Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations

45.   The Council held a discussion on the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (agenda item 9) at its 38th, 42nd and 43rd meetings, on 23, 25 and 26 July 2001 (for the discussion, see E/2001/SR.38, 42 and 43). It had before it the following documents:

 (a)   Report of the Secretary-General on implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialized agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations (A/56/65);

 (b)   Report of the Secretary-General on assistance to the Palestinian people (A/56/123 and Corr.1-E/2001/97 and Corr.1);

 (c)   Report of the President of the Council on consultations held with the Chairman of the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (E/2001/57);

 (d)   Letter dated 7 March 2001 from the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to the Secretary-General (A/56/59-E/2001/9);

 (e)   Letter dated 19 June 2001 from the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to the Secretary-General (A/56/89-E/2001/89).

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 F.   Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

51.   The Council held a discussion on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (agenda item 11) at its 38th and 42nd meetings, on 23 and 25 July 2001 (for the discussion, see E/2001/SR.38 and 42). It had before it a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report prepared by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (A/56/90-E/2001/17).

    Action taken by the Council

52.   Under item 11, the Council adopted resolution 2001/19.

    Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan

53.   At the 42nd meeting, on 25 July, the representative of Egypt, on behalf of Afghanistan,³ Algeria,³ Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait,³ Lebanon,³ Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,³ Malaysia,³ Morocco, Oman, ³ Pakistan, Palestine,⁴ Qatar,³ Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates ³ and Yemen,³ introduced a draft resolution entitled “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan” (E/2001/L.26).

54.   At the same meeting, the Council adopted the draft resolution by a roll-call vote of 42 to 1, with 5 abstentions. See Council resolution 2001/19. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Venezuela.

Against:

United States of America.

Abstaining:

Angola, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Fiji, Honduras.

55.   Before the resolution was adopted, statements were made by the representative of the United States of America (in explanation of vote) and the observer for Belgium (on behalf of the European Union). After the resolution was adopted, statements in explanation of vote were made by the representatives of Norway, Japan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation.

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I.   Social and human rights questions

167.   The Council held a discussion on social and human rights questions at its resumed organizational session (under agenda item 2) and at its substantive and resumed substantive sessions (under agenda item 14) at its 9th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 43rd and 46th meetings, on 4 June, 24, 25 and 26 July and 20 December 2001 (for the discussion, see E/2001/SR.9, 39, 40, 42, 43 and 46). The Council had before it the following documents:

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1.  Advancement of women

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 Action taken by the Council

  Recommendations contained in the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-fifth session

  Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

170.   At the 39th meeting, on 24 July, the representative of the United States of America requested a vote and made a statement regarding draft resolution I recommended by the Commission,³⁴ entitled “The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women”.

171.   At the same meeting, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran made a statement on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China.

172.   Also at the same meeting, the draft resolution was adopted by a roll-call vote of 39 to 1, with 1 abstention. See Council resolution 2001/2. The voting was as follows: ³⁵

In favour:

Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Uganda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Venezuela.

Against: 

United States of America.

Abstaining: 

Canada.

173.   After the resolution was adopted, statements in explanation of vote were made by the representatives of Canada and the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

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Recommendations contained in the report of the Commission on its fifty-seventh session

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Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine

239.   At its 40th meeting, on 24 July, the Council adopted draft decision 3 recommended by the Commission,⁵⁴ entitled “Question of the violation of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine”. See Council decision 2001/246.

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Human rights situation of the Lebanese detainees in Israel

241.   At its 40th meeting, on 24 July, the Council adopted draft decision 5 recommended by the Commission,⁵⁴ entitled “Human rights situation of the Lebanese detainees in Israel”. See Council decision 2001/248.

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Notes

 ³   In accordance with rule 72 of the rules of procedure of the Economic and Social Council.

 ³⁴   Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2001, Supplement No. 2 (E/2001/22), chap. I, sect. A.

 ³⁵  The delegations of Germany and the Russian Federation stated that they had intended to vote in favour of the draft resolution.

 ⁵⁴  See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2001, Supplement No. 3 (E/2001/23), chap. I.

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