Palestinian women/Intro. of draft resolution – Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)/Fifty-second session – Press release (excerpts)

Fifty-second Session

13^th & 14^th Meetings (AM & PM)

WOMEN’S COMMISSION HEARS INTRODUCTION OF TEXTS ON WOMEN AND CHILD HOSTAGES,

HIV/AIDS, FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, PALESTINIAN WOMEN

Economic and Social Council President Also Addresses Commission, Highlights

Synergies between Current Session’s Debate, New Development Cooperation Forum

The Commission on the Status of Women this morning heard the introduction of draft resolutions dealing with key women’s empowerment issues, including health care, violence against women and women in conflict situations, ahead of informal consultations to consider the outcome of its fifty-second session, which wraps up Friday.

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A draft resolution on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (document E/CN.6/2008/L.3) was introduced by Aqeelah Akbar (Antigua and Barbuda), on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China.  She said that the persistent and serious difficulties faced by Palestinian women and the need to help alleviate that situation were at the heart of the resolution.  Though it was largely based on last year’s text, it reflected current on-the-ground realities, including the recent resumption of bilateral negotiations between the parties.  She strongly hoped that the text would be adopted by consensus.

The draft would have the Women’s Commission express concern about the grave situation of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, resulting from the “severe impact of ongoing illegal Israeli practices”, such as the continued imposition of restrictions on the movement of persons and goods and the many 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”.  The Commission would call on 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.

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The Commission will meet again at 11 a.m. Thursday, 6 March, to commemorate International Women’s Day.

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For information media • not an official record