Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination – GA vote (Plenary) – Press release (Excerpts)

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Sixty-seventh General Assembly

Plenary

60^th Meeting (AM)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY STRONGLY CONDEMNS WIDESPREAD, SYSTEMATIC HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

INI SYRIA, AS IT ADOPTED 56 RESOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY THIRD COMMITTEE

Also Calls for Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, Death Penalty Moratorium;

Other Resolutions Address Broad Range of Human Rights, Humanitarian, Social Issues

The General Assembly today adopted 56 resolutions and 9 decisions recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), including a text strongly condemning “widespread and systematic” gross human rights violations by Syrian authorities and calling on them to immediately end such abuse.

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Recorded votes were also required on resolutions concerning an international legal instrument for older persons (54-5-118) (Annex I); glorification of Nazism (129-3-54) (Annex II); follow-up to Durban Declaration (133-7-48) (Annex III); Palestinian self-determination (179-7-3) (Annex IV); use of mercenaries (128-54-7) (Annex V); human rights training centre (174-1-10) (Annex VI); globalization (133-54-2) (Annex VII); extrajudicial executions (117-0-67) (Annex VIII); unilateral coercive measures (128-54-4) (Annex IX); the right to development (154-4-28) (Annex X); promotion of peace (127-54-6) (Annex XI); and an equitable international order (126-53-6) (Annex XII).  A decision on programme planning also required a record vote (174-4-5) (Annex XVI).

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Background

The General Assembly met to consider the 17 reports of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) and to take action on 58 draft resolutions and 9 draft decisions contained therein.

Action on Third Committee Texts

The Assembly moved to take action on the Committee’s reports, which were introduced by Rapporteur Suljuk Mustansar Tarar ( Pakistan).

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Self-Determination

Next, the Assembly turned to the Committee’s report on the right of peoples to self-determination (document A/67/456), which contains three draft resolutions.

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Draft resolution II on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was adopted by a recorded vote of 179 in favour to 7 against (Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 3 abstentions (Cameroon, Honduras, Tonga) (Annex IV).

By that text, the Assembly expressed the urgent need for the resumption of negotiations within the Middle East peace process, based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet road map to a permanent two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for the speedy achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.  It stressed the need for preservation of the territorial unity, contiguity and integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and reaffirmed Palestinians’ right to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.

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ANNEX IV

Vote on Palestinian Self-Determination

The draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (document A/67/456) was adopted by a recorded vote of 179 in favour to 7 against, with 3 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Cameroon, Honduras, Tonga.

Absent:  Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kiribati, Sao Tome and Principe.

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For information media • not an official record