Mideast situation/Children/Self-determination – GA debate, action – Press release (excerpts)

HUMAN RIGHTS AND TERRORISM, ACCESS TO MEDICATION, RIGHTS TO FOOD, HEALTH AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED, AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 70 THIRD COMMITTEE TEXTS

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Background

The General Assembly met today to take up the reports of its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural).

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**Children's Rights

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Draft resolution I was on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian children (document A/C.3/58/L.24) would have the Assembly stress the urgent need for Palestinian children to live a normal life free from foreign occupation, destruction and fear in their own State, and demand that Israel respect relevant provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and comply fully with the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War in order to ensure the well-being and protection of Palestinian children and their families.

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**Self-determination

Draft resolution III on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, would have the Assembly reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to their independent State of Palestine.  It would urge all States and the specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to continue to support and assist the Palestinian people in the early realization of their right to self-determination.

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Action on Reports

BEATRIX LANDUNNO, Vice-Chairperson of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), on behalf of the Committee’s Rapporteur, Abdullah Eid Salman Al-Sulaiti of Qatar, introduced the Committee’s 19 reports.

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**Children’s Rights

The Assembly then took up the report on Promotion and protection of the rights of children (document A/58/504), which contained four draft resolutions and one draft decision.

— resolution I on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian children was adopted by a vote of 106 in favour, to 5 against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau and United States), with 65 abstentions (Annex I).

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**Self-determination

The Assembly then took up the report on the right of peoples to self-determination (document A/58/507), which contained three draft resolutions.

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— resolution III on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, was recorded vote of 169 to five against (Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, United States) (Annex IX).      

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ANNEX I

     Vote on Assistance to Palestinian Children

     The draft resolution on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian children (document A/58/504-I) was adopted by a recorded vote of 106 in favour to 5 against, with 65 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tonga, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan.

Absent:  Angola, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Kiribati, Liberia, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu.

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ANNEX IX

     Vote on Right of Palestinians to Self-Determination

The draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination (document A/58/507) was approved by a recorded vote of 169 in favour, to 5 against, with no 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, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, 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, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, 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 Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  None.

Absent:  Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Iraq, Kiribati, Liberia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu.

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