{"id":213431,"date":"1999-07-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=213431"},"modified":"2019-03-12T20:36:49","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:36:49","slug":"auto-insert-213431","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-213431\/","title":{"rendered":"Situation in the OPT and the Golan – ECOSOC debate – Press release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n

ISRAEL CRITICIZED BEFORE ECOSOC OVER OCCUPATION<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

OF PALESTINIAN, ARAB TERRITORIES<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Reform of United Nations Social and Economic Operations also Discussed<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

(Reissued as received.)<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

  GENEVA,  26  July  (UN  Information   Service)  —  Israel's  Middle  East<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

neighbours,  armed  with a  report  presented  to  the  Economic and  Social<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Council  (ECOSOC) this  afternoon, charged  as  in  previous years  that the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

country's occupation of Palestinian territories and  the Syrian Golan was  a<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

violation of international law and a violation of human rights.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  An  Israeli representative countered  that the  tone of  their remarks did<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

not match the  atmosphere of recent diplomatic peace efforts, and termed the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

report  political,  irrelevant  and  biased.   The  representative  said new<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Israeli Prime Minister  Ehud Barak  had given  the highest  priority to  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Middle East  peace process,  already he  had met  with Palestine  Liberation<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, and had said that the issue of  Israeli<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

settlements would  be one  of the  subjects to be  considered in  permanent-<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

status negotiations.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  ECOSOC, beginning the final week of  its four-week session, also  received<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

a  briefing  on a  General  Assembly  resolution  assessing  reforms in  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

economic and  social  fields  and recommending  areas for  improvement,  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

heard  statements from  national delegations  on possibilities  for  further<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

reform and heightened efficiency.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  A delegate  from Algeria termed the  Israeli occupation  a "prime example"<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of  the  violation  of  human  rights,  charging  that  Israel  was  denying<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Palestinians the right  to dispose of their own  fate.  A representative  of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Syria,  meanwhile,  insisted  that the  situation  represented  one  of  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

gravest incidents  of  repression.   Only  15,000  of the  original  130,000<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

inhabitants of  the Syrian Golan remained  because other  villagers had been<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

forced to leave, this  official said; the only  way to alleviate  the social<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

consequences of the occupation was to end the occupation itself.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

   Also  speaking   —  and   in  some   cases  criticizing  the   continued<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

construction   of   Israeli   settlements   on   occupied   land   —   were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

representatives of Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Participating  in the  debate on  reform measures were  representatives of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Guyana (on behalf of the Group  of 77 and China), Finland  (on behalf of the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

European Union), United States, Belarus, China, Croatia, Indonesia,  Russian<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Federation and the World Bank.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  ECOSOC will reconvene at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 27  July, to discuss social  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

human rights questions.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Statements<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  MOHAMED-SALAH DEMBRI  (Algeria) said the  occupation of another  country's<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

territory was a violation  of human rights, namely  the right to  dispose of<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

one's  own fate. On  the eve  of the twenty-first century,  there were still<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

people whose rights  to self-determination were flouted, and this challenged<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the  whole   international  community.  The   Israeli  occupation  of   Arab<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

territories was a  prime example of this,  since it denied economic,  social<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

and other rights. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The international community had  been confronted with many faits accomplis<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

over the  last few  years in this  context, and they  had had a  devastating<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

effect on  the living conditions of the  Palestinian people.   It had got to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the  point  where  the  occupation  was  a  form  of  collective punishment.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Palestinians had  been  moved to  enclaves  from  their ancestral  lands  to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

remove obstacles to development for  Israelis.  Living conditions, including<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

schooling, housing and access to food,  were more than difficult.   Families<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

had been separated by demarcation lines, which was a form of moral  torture.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Peace could only be established under acceptable conditions.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  TAHER  AL-HUSSAMY  (Syria)  said  the  Israeli   occupation  was  a  grave<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

situation of repression, and its economic  and social consequences could not<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

be eliminated without eliminating the occupation itself.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Of  the original  130,000 inhabitants  of  the  Syrian Golan,  only 15,000<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

remained —  the other villagers had  been forced into leaving.   Israel had<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

established  35 settlements  on  the  territory.   The  Israeli  authorities<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

controlled 25,000 acres of natural resources.   The Syrian inhabitants   had<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

seen their standard of living deteriorate  under restrictions imposed by the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Israeli  Government.      The  Syrian   economy   had   taken  onto   itself<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

responsibility  for the Syrian  residents of the Golan.   ECOSOC should call<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

on Israel to put an end to its occupation.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  NABIL  RAMLAWI  (Palestine)  said  the  Palestinian  people  were  looking<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

forward  to  being  granted independence  and  liberation  from  the Israeli<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

occupation.    Considering  the serious  obstacles  placed  by  the  Israeli<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Government and  its occupying forces  in the way of  the Palestinian people,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the international  community  should  insist  that Israel  desist  from  its<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

unacceptable practices, as  previously called for  by an  ECOSOC resolution.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Israeli  settlements   in  the   occupied  territories   were  illegal   and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

constituted  an obstacle  to the  socio-economic development  of  Palestine.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The  Secretary-General  had  emphasized  that  the  Israeli  occupiers  were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continuing  their  practice of harassing  Palestinians, and this had  a very<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

negative effect on living conditions.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The  Palestinian   leadership  was   very  concerned   at  the   continued<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

uninterrupted  establishment of  settlements, despite  political changes and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continued talk about  the Israeli desire for peace.   It also was  concerned<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

at Israel.s lack of commitment to  honouring the already signed commitments.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The new Israeli Government  should remedy the  situation.  It was no  secret<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

that the devastating  consequences of  the occupation had seriously  damaged<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

both the Palestinian territory and the Palestinian people. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  HASSAN  ABDELMONEIM   (Egypt)  said   the  right  of   peoples  to   self-<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

determination  was one of  the most  fundamental principles  of human rights<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

law.  Since the Israeli government had  started this practice of occupation,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

it had been condemned  by the international community.  It had violated  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

sovereignty of the Palestinian people.  There was  hope that there would  be<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

action from  the new  Israeli Government.  The  role of the UN  was of great<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

importance, given that it represented international  legality.  The UN  must<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

ask Israel to respect international principles.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Egypt would continue work  with all involved parties.  It was  regrettable<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

that  the relevant document  was distributed late to  the Council, and Egypt<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

hoped  that in  the future,  documents would  be distributed well  enough in<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

advance that member States would have the opportunity to review them.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  FARRUKH IQBAL KHAN (Pakistan) said there  had been steadfast support  from<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Pakistan  for  the  just  struggle  for   the  inalienable  rights  of   the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Palestinian people.    The failure  to  implement  the terms  of  agreements<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

reached  between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization had caused<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continuing  hardship  for  the  Palestinian  and  Arab  populations  in  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

occupied territories.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  It was  hoped that the stated  intention to revive  the Middle East  peace<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

process   by  the  new   Israeli  Government   would  allow   for  the  full<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

implementation  of  the Wye  River  Memorandum  of  October  1998.   Without<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

faithful implementation  of  previous agreements,    the  Middle East  Peace<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Process would not  only remain fragile  and flawed, but  would increase  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

sufferings  of  the Palestinian  people.    The  full  realization of  their<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

economic and social rights was critical to alleviate suffering.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  DAVID PELEG (Israel) said the speeches  made today were detached  from the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

diplomatic  efforts that were being made  on the ground.   On 6 July the new<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Israeli cabinet had been confirmed and Prime Minister Barak had said  Israel<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

would  adhere to its  international commitments.   Israel  was determined to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

find a way to overcome all obstacles and  to come to a mutual  understanding<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

for a new peace.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The peace process  was the highest  priority for the  new Prime  Minister.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

This week, Prime Minister Barak was scheduled to meet with Chairman  Arafat.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

His  ambition was to bring an end to the violence  and suffering, and he was<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

committed to  working with  Chairman Arafat.   Israel  and the  Palestinians<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

agreed that the issue  of settlement would be one  of the issues which would<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

be  negotiated in the context of the permanent  status negotiations.  ECOSOC<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

could contribute to the  peace process by supporting efforts to promote  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

economic  and  social  well-being of  the  peoples  of the  region,  and  by<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

rejecting  any   effort to  politicize  its  deliberations and  decisions, a<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

process which  could  only damage  the  peace  effort.   Unfortunately,  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

report presented by ESCWA (Economic and  Social Commission for Western Asia)<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

under  this  agenda  item  should  have  been  seen  in this  context  as  a<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

political,  irrelevant  and  biased  report,  which  was  mainly  based   on<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

newspaper clippings.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  HASSAN WIRAJUDA (Indonesia) said the recent  elections in Israel had given<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

new hope for a  resumption of the peace  process.  The  detrimental economic<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

and   social  impact  of  the  proliferating  Israeli  settlements  and  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

formidable arsenal of  oppressive policies and draconian measures imposed on<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the  Palestinian people  had combined  to deliver  a crushing blow  to their<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

spirit and bury their legitimate rights.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The  United Nations  and  its  agencies  needed  to  continue  to  play  a<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

significant role  in alleviating  the plight  of the  Palestinian people  as<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

well  as  assisting  in  the  formidable  and  challenging  task  of  nation<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

building.   It  was  an  undeniable fact  that  peace and  development  were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

closely   intertwined,  and   it  was  therefore  crucial   for  the  entire<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

international community to  extend every  assistance for development of  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

region. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  PATRIZIO  CIVILI, United  Nations  Assistant Secretary-General  for Policy<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Coordination  and  Inter-Agency  Affairs,  said  discussion  of  the   joint<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

meetings held  by the  bureau of  the Council  were an  opportunity for  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Council  to  assess progress.    There was  room  for  improvement,  and the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

relevant reports pointed to  areas where improvements could be made.   There<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

was  little  doubt  that  advance  planning  could  have  been  considerably<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

strengthened.  Members of  the Council had made  considerable effort to make<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the decisions of the Council more action oriented.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Over the last few  years, and particularly during the past two years,  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Council  had   also  significantly  increased   its  interaction  with   the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

specialized agencies.  Senior  agency officials had participated actively in<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the different segments of the  Council.  A significant and increasing number<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of reports  for  the Council  were  also  being  prepared jointly  with  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

agencies.   This  contributed to  making  ECOSOC's  work and  guidance  more<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

directly  relevant  to  the  agencies'  own  activities  and  concerns,  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

undoubtedly  strengthened the  Council's  coordination  role.   It  was  the<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

strong wish  of  all concerned  that  this  relationship should  be  further<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

strengthened in the future.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  ALFONSO VALDIVIESO,  Vice-President of ECOSOC,  said four  aspects of  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

report of  the joint  meetings held  by the Bureau  of the  Council and  its<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

functional commission were of great interest.  The Bureau and the  Secretary<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of  the  Council  did  and   should  continue  to  contribute  much  to  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

functioning of the Council.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The  consultation  process  was  somewhat remote  from  the  functions  of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

several  Commissions. Clarification needed  to be  made, and  the rules made<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

more explicit, so that recommendations  could be more operative. Commissions<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

should  hold  periodic meetings  with  each  other,  and  use the  available<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

communication  technologies  for  them,  and  should  discuss  cross-cutting<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

issues. It was important  to guarantee the continuity of the Councils  work.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Institutional coordination mechanisms needed  to be designed.  More specific<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

action by the Council and the Bureau should be highlighted.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

   GEORGE TALBOT (Guyana) speaking  on behalf of the  Group of 77 and China,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

said  the  resolutions   on  reform  represented  important  landmarks   and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

guideposts in the overall process of reform of  the United Nations, and more<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

particularly  in the  restructuring  of the  organization  in  the economic,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

social and  related fields.  The  set of reports  which the Secretariat  had<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

made  available offered an  enlightening account  of the  progress made thus<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

far  in  the implementation  of,  as  well  as  useful recommendations  for,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

further advancing  the reform  and restructuring  process.   The process  of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

reform  had to  reaffirm  the unique  role  of  the  United Nations  in  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

economic, social and related  fields in accordance with the Charter.  It had<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

to  enable the organization to  perform its functions  in a manner befitting<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the comprehensive mandate envisaged in the Charter.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  The Group of 77 was convinced that these objectives could be achieved  not<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

merely through  a process of  internal restructuring and reorganization, but<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

also through a renewed  commitment by all member  States to a more effective<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

role for the UN in the economic, social and related fields.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  MATTI  KAARIAINEN  (Finland), speaking  on behalf  of the  European Union,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

said  the revitalization  of the United  Nations in the  economic and social<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

field  was a  priority objective.   Progress  made in the  implementation of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

reforms  was welcomed, but a renewed  effort was needed  in the year 2001 to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

give new momentum to the reform effort.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  In  the  meantime,  implementation  of  the  relevant  resolutions  should<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continue.  Great  importance   should  be  placed  on  the   simplification,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

rationalization,  and harmonization  of the  procedures of   programmes  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

funds,  especially at  field level.    The  Bretton Woods  institutions were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

major global  players in  the economic  and social  field and  as such  were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

important partners for the United  Nations operational activities system, as<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

well as  ECOSOC and its subsidiary  machinery.   Enhanced field coordination<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

between the  United Nations and the  Bretton Woods  institutions should take<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

place  in close  cooperation with  national  authorities  and in  support of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

their policy objectives.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  LYNETTE PAULTON  (United States) said significant  progress had been  made<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

in the last few  years in strengthening  the role of ECOSOC in  coordination<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

and oversight.  There had been  significant progress and improved  relations<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

with the executive board and governing  bodies of the funds  and programmes,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

with  the regional  economic commissions  and  with  many of  the functional<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

commissions.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Another  area where there  had been  great advances in the  last few years<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

was  in  the  relationship  between  the   Council  and  the  Bretton  Woods<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

institutions.  The increased exchange of views,  via the annual meetings  in<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the spring and the  reciprocal trips of executive  directors to New York and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

ECOSOC ambassadors to  Washington had  strengthened the relationship.   Such<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

activities should continue.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  TAMARA  KHARASHUN  (Belarus) said  the progress  made in  implementing the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

resolutions on reform  was striking proof of the efforts made  by ECOSOC and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

its  subsidiary  bodies  towards    implementation.    It  was  important to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continue the debate about standing issues related to United Nations work  in<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the  economic  and social  spheres.   There  should  be development  of  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

practice of holding  joint meetings between the  ECOSOC board and the boards<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of  the  functioning commissions.   Such meetings  would make a considerable<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

contribution to further progress.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  There  was a  need for  the participation  in reform  efforts of  national<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

experts  and those Governmental representatives responsible for implementing<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

United  Nations  recommendations. The  debate  should  be  constructive  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

helpful. Attention should be  paid to the efforts of the Commission on Human<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Rights. <\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  ALFREDO SFEIR-YOUNIS,  of the  World Bank,  said the  relationship between<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the  Bank and  the UN  decision making   at  the policy,  institutional  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

operational  levels had improved.   The scope of  the relationship had moved<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

forward  in  major  ways,  from  a  simple  exchange  of  information  to  a<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

substantive  dialogue  on  development  issues.    Recently,  the  Bank  had<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

undergone a process  of identification of, and  a full engagement on,  major<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

strategic issues facing developing countries.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  This process  of progressive engagement had been advanced and consolidated<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

by the  reform  processes.   Both  institutions  had pursued  these  reforms<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

relentlessly.   There was plenty more to  do, but this was in  the nature of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

change.    There  was no  room  for  complacency.   Both  institutions  were<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

changing, and it was  strongly believed that this change was for the better,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

and, more importantly, for the betterment of humanity.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  LIU JINGTAO  (China) said the United  Nations had  achieved major progress<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

in the reform  of its major bodies, including  ECOSOC. The current stage  of<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

reform had come to a close. It was a gradual process, and  what was required<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

was an implementation of  the new reform measures,  and then a short process<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of evaluation of the effectiveness of the reforms.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  While  in favour of  cooperation between the relevant organizations, China<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

still  saw a  need to  respect  their  different competencies.   Cooperation<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

between  the United Nations  system and  the Bretton  Woods institutions was<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

useful, and should continue.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Z. UJEVIC  (Croatia) said  great importance  was attached  to the  ongoing<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

process aimed at restructuring and revitalizing the UN in the economic,<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

social and  related fields.   The main  responsibility in that  regard would<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

continue to rest with  ECOSOC, the principle  organ for economic and  social<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

issues, and a central mechanism for coordination within the UN system.  The<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

process of restructuring the UN in the economic and social fields should be<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

part of an overall reform of the  UN designed to enable the  organization to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

better  respond to the needs  of its membership in the current international<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

environment.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Croatia commended the steps already taken  in this direction and  welcomed<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the report.   The document gave  a clear  picture of what had  been achieved<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

and where additional efforts were needed  to ensure the full  implementation<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

of the  General Assembly resolution.  Croatia believed that efforts aimed at<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

enhancing  the  efficiency  of  the  work   of  ECOSOC  and  its  functional<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

commissions  and at  improving  interaction with  specialized  agencies  and<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

funds and programmes should continue.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  HASSAN WIRAJUDA  (Indonesia)  said the  report should  greatly assist  the<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Council in identifying and addressing the  major policy issues emerging from<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the work of commissions which  required a coordinated response by the United<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Nations system.  It should also promote a  clearer division of labour  among<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the functional  commissions and provide them  with clear  policy guidance in<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

their follow-up to the United Nations  conferences.  ECOSOC should  organize<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

an open  and informal dialogue to discuss in particular the cross-cutting of<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

themes  in  the various  functional commissions,  with  the widest  possible<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

participation between experts, NGOs, and the Council.s subsidiary bodies.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  Meetings  between ECOSOC  and relevant  financial and  trade  institutions<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

could  provide an effective  forum for  addressing issues  of common concern<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

within the  framework of  the forthcoming  round of  negotiations for  trade<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

liberalization.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

  VASILY A. NEBENZYA  (Russian Federation) said the information relating  to<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

the implementation of the various provisions  of the reform resolutions  was<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

helpful.  There was  a potential for rationalizing the agenda of the  reform<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

process.   The level of participation  of Bretton  Woods representatives was<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

noted. <\/p><\/div>\n

\n

* *** *<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

escwadox.99<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISRAEL CRITICIZED BEFORE ECOSOC OVER OCCUPATION OF PALESTINIAN, ARAB TERRITORIES Reform of United Nations Social and Economic Operations also Discussed (Reissued as received.)   GENEVA,  26  July  (UN  Information   Service)  —  Israel's  Middle  East neighbours,  armed  with a  report  presented  to  the  Economic and  Social Council  (ECOSOC) this  afternoon, charged  as  in  previous years  that the country's occupation of Palestinian territories and  the Syrian Golan was  a violation of international law and a violation of human rights.   An  Israeli representative countered  that the  tone […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1953],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1937,2237,1741,2137],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-213431","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-economic-and-social-council-ecosoc","document-subject-economic-issues","document-subject-golan-heights","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-settlements","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/213431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/213431\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=213431"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=213431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}