Palestinian women – Economic and Social Council action – Press release (excerpts)

Economic and Social Council

2000 Substantive Session

43rd Meeting (PM)

COUNCIL, ENTERING FINAL PHASE OF 2000 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION,

ADOPTS 17 DRAFT TEXTS, APPROVES THREE RESOLUTIONS

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Draft resolution II, situation of and assistance to Palestinian women, would have the Council call upon the concerned parties, as well as the entire international community, to exert all the necessary efforts to ensure the continuity and success of the peace process and its conclusion by the agreed time of September 2000, and the achievement of tangible progress in the improvement of the situation of Palestinian women and their families.

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By the draft, the Council would demand that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Regulations annexed to the Hague Convention of 1907, and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families.

Further, the Council would call 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.

The Council would urge Member States, financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other relevant institutions to intensify their efforts to provide financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women, especially during the transitional period.

A draft decision would have the Council take note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its forty-fourth session, and approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-fifth session of the Commission set out in the report.

The Council also had before it a report of the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women on its twentieth session (document E/2000/58); a note by the Secretary-General submitting a report of the Director of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (document E/2000/59); a report by the Secretary-General on follow-up to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (document E/2000/77); and a note by the Secretary-General on assessment of activities undertaken by the United Nations system under the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001 (document E/CN.6/2000/3).

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Social and Human Rights Questions

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Action on Social and Human Rights Questions

The Council took up the report of the forty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, containing two draft resolutions and a draft decision.  One resolution concerned the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.  The Council adopted that resolution without a vote.  The second resolution was entitled “Palestinian Women” and had been adopted in the Commission by a recorded vote.  The Council decided to take action on that resolution tomorrow, then adopted a draft decision by which it took note of the Commission’s report and approved the provisional agenda and documentation for its next session.

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