ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS FIVE RESOLUTIONS; BY RECORDED VOTE, CALLS ON ISR"L TO CEASE MEASURES AGAINST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
Press Release
ECOSOC/5794
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS FIVE RESOLUTIONS; BY RECORDED VOTE, CALLS ON ISRAEL TO CEASE MEASURES AGAINST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
19980729 Nine Decisions of NGOs Committee Also AdoptedThe Economic and Social Council this afternoon called upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to cease its measures against the Palestinian people, in particular the closure of the occupied Palestinian territory, the enforced isolation of Palestinian towns, the destruction of homes and the isolation of Jerusalem.
By a recorded vote of 44 in favour to 1 against (United States), and with no abstention, the Council stressed the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to guarantee freedom of movement of persons and goods in the territory. It also reaffirmed the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the Arab population of the occupied Syrian Golan to all their natural and economic resources, and called upon Israel, not to exploit, endanger or deplete those resources.
The representatives of the United States and of the Russian Federation spoke before and after the vote, respectively.
In other action this afternoon, the Council adopted, without a vote, four draft resolutions. In three separate texts, the Council recommended for adoption by the General Assembly, resolutions proclaiming the year 2005 as the international year of microcredit, the year 2002 as the international year of mountains, and the period 2001-2010 as the international decade for a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world. The fourth resolution adopted was on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States.
The Council also adopted without a vote, nine draft decisions contained in the reports of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on its resumed 1997 session and on the first and second parts of its 1998 session. Those decisions included the granting of consultative status to and reclassification of status of NGOs.
Economic and Social Council - 1a - Press Release ECOSOC/5794 45th Meeting (PM) 29 July 1998
The representative of Mozambique, on behalf of the African States, introduced a draft resolution on the report of the Secretary-General on thecauses of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. He said the draft resolution highlighted the importance of the concept of linking durable peace with sustainable development. Action was now needed to create that peace.
Statements were made by representatives of the United States, Lebanon, Cuba, Pakistan, Costa Rica, Turkey, Armenia, Austria (on behalf of the European Union), Togo and Tunisia.
The Representative of the International Federation of Neighbourhood and Settlement Centers and Council Secretary Margaret Kelley also spoke.
The Council will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 30 July, to take up social and human rights questions.
Council Work Programme
The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to consider economic and environmental questions, begin general discussion on non-governmental organizations and act on draft proposals relating to the item, and to act on draft resolutions relating to issues under coordination, programme and other questions.
Also this afternoon, the Council was scheduled to act on a draft resolution on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan.
Economic and environmental questions
A draft resolution on the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of peace and sustainable development in Africa (E/1998/L.33) would have the Economic and Social Council decide, subsequent to the consideration of the report (A/52/871-S/1998/318) by the General Assembly at its fifty-third session, to undertake substantive discussions on the implementation of the relevant recommendations at its substantive session of 1999.
Non-Governmental Organizations
The Council has before it a report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on its resumed 1997 session (E/1998/8) containing four draft decisions on matters calling for action by the Council.
By draft decision I, the Council would decide not to pursue the question of the enlargement of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations until the year 2000. The Committee said it was not pursuing consideration of the question given the fact that it was in a period of transition following the adoption of Council resolution 1996/31, that it was in the process of reviewing its methods of work and that the Secretariat was working under resource constraints.
By draft decision II, the Council would grant general consultative status to the following non-governmental organizations -- Africa Muslims Agency; Asian Legal Resource Centre; and Centre de recherches et de promotion pour la sauvegarde des sites et monuments historiques en Afrique; and reclassify the following from special to general consultative status: Greenpeace International, International Association of Lions Clubs, International Federation of Settlements, Neighbourhood Centres, International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies, Parliamentarians for Global Action, and World Organization of the Scout Movement.
By that decision, the Council would reclassify Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University and Centre Europe-Tiers Monde from the Roster to general consultative status. The Catholic International Education Office, Dayemi Complex Bangaldesh, and International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions would be reclassified from the Roster to special consultative status.
By draft decision III, the Council would approve the participation of four organizations of indigenous people not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights established by the Council in resolution 1995/32. The organizations are the Federation des organisations amerindiennes de Guyane, Indigenous Women's Nexus, Navajo Working Group for Human Rights, and Te Iwi Moriori Trust Board.
By draft decision IV, the Council would grant Roster status to 11 organizations, pursuant to Council decision 1996/302. The organizations are Asociacao Pernambucana de Defensa de Natureza, Deutscher Naturschutzring, Institute of Planetary Synthesis, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, International Wood Products Association, People-Centered Development Forum, Sustainable Agriculture and Self-Help, United Church of Christ - Board for World Ministries, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and World Economy, Ecology and Development Association.
The Committee drew the Council's attention to its (Committee's) resolution 1997/1, by which it decided to keep the International Association of Educators for World Peace on the Roster and to retain the question of the follow-up of the special report of the Association on its agenda until its 1999 regular substantive session.
It also drew the Council's attention to the following two decisions: decision 1997/102 on quadrennial reports by which it acknowledged that it could not review formally, owing to time constraints, reports of non- governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council; and 1997/103 concerning guidelines to improve the methods of work of the Committee and the Secretariat. By that decision, the Committee said, among other things, that deadlines with respect to the application process would be fully enforced, and that the guidelines would apply to all applications to be considered at its 1999 regular session and thereafter.
The Council also had before it the report of the Committee on the first part of its 1998 session (document E/1998/72), held in New York from 18-29 May which contains three draft decisions calling for action by the Council.
According to the report, by the terms of draft decision I, the Council would grant consultative status to 70 NGOs: three general consultative, 64 special consultative and three Roster. It would also reclassify one organization from Roster to special consultative status. Also, by draft decision II, the Council, pursuant to its decision 1996/302, would grant Roster status to eight organizations.
The report states that by the terms of draft decision III, the Council would approve the participation of four organizations of indigenous people, not in consultative status with the Council, in the work of the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights, established in Council resolution 1995/32, to elaborate a draft resolution on the rights of indigenous people.
The report also draws the attention of the Council to Committee decision 1998/01 concerning guidelines to improve the methods of work of the Committee and the Secretariat regarding quadrennial reports.
A report of the Committee the second part of its 1998 session (document E/1998/72/Add.1) contains two draft resolutions calling for action by the Economic and Social Council.
By draft decision I, the Council would grant consultative status to 83 non-governmental organizations which had applied for that status. It would also reclassify three organizations -- International Council of Psychologists, International Young Catholic Students, and Universal Esperanto Association -- from Roster to special consultative status.
By draft decision II, the Council would authorize the Committee to hold a resumed session in order to complete the work of its 1998 session.
Before the Council is a report on the work of the Non-Governmental Organizations Section of the Secretariat (E/1998/43) in which the Secretary- General sets out specific proposals to ensure that the workload of that Section could be effectively and efficiently accomplished. The report also incorporates a description of expanded functions and responsibilities assumed by the Section in the present biennium (1998-1999).
According to the report, one of the Section's primary responsibilities is processing applications from organizations seeking consultative status with the Council. The Section also acts as the focal point within the Organization for providing advice and information on NGO related matters.
The report states that the Council, to facilitate NGO participation in the work of its subsidiary bodies, has adopted a series of ad hoc measures. It has also been encouraging NGOs to apply for consultative status. In 1997, the Committee on NGOs adopted new procedures to streamline its work and to help it to rapidly review increasing applications. Also, to accommodate the flow of documents issued, as well as information requests from NGOs, the Section is developing a Web page on the work of NGOs in the economic and social sectors and the work of the Committee. A database, now in place, will improve coordination between the Section and NGOs as well.
The report states that the current application process for consultative status within the Council is complex. In order to avoid lengthy correspondence, it is proposed that the provision of guidelines for the completion of questionnaires be reinstated, and that an updated version of supportive materials be prepared. Steps are also being taken to enable the Section to provide support to international conferences and special events with respect to the NGO accreditation process during both the organizational and the follow-up stages.
Overall, the Section is making a substantial effort to improve its capacity to service the Committee as well as maintain links with the non-governmental community, concludes the report. It is expected that the Section will be able to not only service the Committee, but also play a significant role as a facilitator in networking with NGOs and in the interface between those organizations and entities of the Secretariat.
Draft Resolutions
Before the Council is a draft resolution on international year of microcredit 2005 (E/1998/L.25 and Corr.1) by which the Council would recommend that the General Assembly proclaim the year. The Assembly would request that the observance of the year be a special occasion for giving impetus to microcredit programmes throughout the world.
The corrigendum to the draft resolution concerns additional co-sponsors which now include Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Fiji, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho. Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, United Republic of Tanzania and Vanuatu. (For additional information on the draft resolution, see Press Release ECOSOC/5791 of 27 July.)
Also before the Council is a draft resolution on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility of all States (document E/1998/L.16).
By the draft text, the Economic and Social Council would call for the urgent and continued implementation of measures to achieve easy, economical, uncomplicated and unhindered access for States Members of the United Nations and for observers, through, inter alia, their permanent missions, to the growing number of computerized databases and information systems and services of the Organization.
The Council would emphasize the need for global cooperation to ensure timely and effective response to the year 2000 challenge.
By the draft, the Council would decide that the action programme to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States should continue to be implemented from within existing resources and in full consultation with the representatives of States.
It would highly commend the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Informatics for the concrete actions it had taken and for the impressive results it had produced in pursuance of its mandate. The Council would request the Working Group to continue its work for an information management strategy.
The President of the Economic and Social Council would be asked to convene the Working Group for one more year, from within existing resources, for the due fulfillment of the provisions of the Council resolutions on the item and for facilitating the successful implementation of the initiatives being taken by the Secretary-General on the use of information technology.
The Secretary-General would be asked to extend full cooperation to the Working Group and to give priority to implementing its recommendations. The
Council would also request the Secretary-General to report to it at its substantive session of 1999 on the follow-up action taken on the present resolution.
The draft was submitted by the President of the Council on the basis of informal consultations.
A draft resolution on proclamation of an international year of mountains (E/1998/L.21) would have the Economic and Social Council recommend that the General Assembly at its fifty-third session proclaim the year. (For information, see Press Release ECOSOC/5791 of 27 July.) By draft on an international decade for a culture of peace and non- violence for the children of the world 2001-2010 (document E/1998/L.14/Rev.1), the Economic and Social Council would recommend that the Assembly proclaim the period 2001-2010 as the international decade for a culture of peace and non- violence for the children of the world. It would decide to consider that issue at its fifty-fifth session under the agenda item entitled culture of peace.
The Assembly would also call upon relevant United Nations bodies, in particular, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and invite non-governmental organizations, religious bodies and groups, educational institutions, artists and the media, to actively support the decade for the benefit of every child of the world.
The sponsors of the text are Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Brazil, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Swaziland and Togo.
The Council also had before it, a draft resolution on economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory including Jerusalem and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (document E/1998/L.26). By the terms of that text, it would call upon Israel, the occupying Power, to cease its measures against the Palestinian people, in particular the closure of the occupied Palestinian territory, the enforced isolation of Palestinian towns, the destruction of homes and the isolation of Jerusalem. It would stress the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to guarantee freedom of movement of persons and goods in the territory, including the removal of restrictions on going in and out of East Jerusalem, and the freedom of movement to and from the outside world. (For information, see Press Release ECOSOC/5791 of 27 July.)
Statements
MARGARET KELLEY, Secretary of the Economic and Social Council said two small corrections should be made to the report of the Committee on Non- Governmental Organizations contained in document E/1998/72. In paragraph 35,
on page 11 of the English text, the number of NGOs granted consultative status should read 70 and not 71. In paragraph 58 on page 15 of the English text, at the end of the second line, the word "their" should be replaced by the word "each", so that the phrase would read "...questioned the need for establishing official limitations on the size of each organization's representation..."
ANN CLIFFORD (United States) said her delegation wished to dissociate itself from the Council's decision to grant special consultative status to the Union de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba and the Organization for the Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It was not satisfied that those organizations were independent entities.
HICHAM HAMDAN (Lebanon) said his delegation wished to dissociate itself with the Council's decision to grant consultative status to ECOPeace-Middle East Environment NGO Forum. The information on that entity's status was unfounded and questionable.
RODOLFO REYES RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that his delegation wished to express consternation that political fabrication and manipulation were being used against the Council and its subsidiary bodies. It hoped that the record of the meeting would state that the objection to the two NGOs had been made by the United States and Lebanon.
MUNAWAR SAEED BHATTI (Pakistan) said that his delegation wished dissociate itself from the Council's decision to grant consultative status to the International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies.
EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica) said her delegation wished to dissociate itself from the Council's decision to grant consultative status to the NGO, Eagle Forum, since the petition that body put forward did not comply with the requirements or the goals of the Council.
Action on Draft Texts
The Council first took up four draft decisions contained in the report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on its resumed 1997 session (E/1998/8).
It adopted draft decisions I, II, III and IV contained in that report.
The council next considered recommendations contained in the report of the Committee on the first part of its 1998 session.
AHMET ARDA (Turkey), speaking before action, said his delegation had serious doubts about the nature and intentions of the Armenian Relief Society, a United States-based organization. His delegation had provided substantial evidence to the Committee that the Society, in official publications of its Central Executive, promoted hatred and violence based on ethnicity and religious belief. The Society's overall aim, as indicated in its official publication, was the dismemberment of Turkey by the use of force. His delegation had asked a series of questions of that organization's representative who could not give satisfactory answers. The Committee had made a serious mistake in recommending to the Council to give Roster status to
the organization as it did not meet the criteria set forth by the Council. His delegation was therefore not part of the consensus on Draft decision 1. The Council went on to adopt draft decision 1 by which the Council granted consultative status to 70 non-governmental organizations, and reclassified one non-governmental organization, world Organization Against Torture, from roster to special consultative status.
ANNA AGHADJANIAN (Armenia) said the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations had considered the application of the Society and concluded that its objectives met the criteria set by the Council. Any mention of its association with a terrorist organization was not justified. She was happy about the adoption of the decision.
Next, the Council took action on recommendations contained in the report of the Committee on the second part of its 1998 session. The Council adopted draft decisions I and II contained in that report.
The Council also took note of the reports of the Committee on Non- Governmental Organizations and the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Non-Governmental Organizations Section of the Secretariat.
CAROL R. LUBIN, of the International Federation of Neighbourhood and Settlement Centres, speaking after action on the reports of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, expressed appreciation at the upgrading of her organization's status. She congratulated the Committee and the Secretariat staff on expediting work on the accreditation of NGOS and hoped that in future the credentials of applicant organizations would be examined in greater detail. She urged that the Committee should be given more time to examine in detail, reports of non-governmental organizations.
The Council proceeded to take action on draft resolutions under its agenda item on coordination, programme and other questions.
The draft resolution on international year of microcredit 2005 was adopted as orally amended.
The following countries joined as co-sponsors: Spain, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Benin, Central Africa Republic, Djibouti, Gambia and Mongolia.
FARIS ADIB AMMARIN (Jordan) said his delegation would have voted yesterday in favour of the draft resolution on the situation of Palestinian women and children in occupied Palestinian territory had it been present.
The Council next adopted draft resolution on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility of all States.
The Council adopted draft resolution on international year of mountains.
New Zealand and Portugal joined the co-sponsors.
Speaking after the action, SUSANNE KEPPLER-SCHLESINGER (Austria), on behalf of the European Union, said that the proclamation of an international
year should add concrete value to the area under consideration and should be able to raise public awareness on a subject of major international concern. There should also be clarity about the real contribution that the United Nations could make in that respect. To streamline the agenda of the general segment of the Economic and Social Council, the Union welcomed the fact that, starting from the year 1999, proposals for international years would be submitted directly to the General Assembly.
The Council then adopted the draft resolution on the international decade for a culture of peace and non-violence for children of the world (2001-2010).
Thailand, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tunisia Uruguay, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Nepal, Angola, Benin, and Malawi joined as co-sponsors.
Ms. KEPPLER-SCHLESINGER (Austria), on behalf of the European Union, said there was broad support for the draft resolution. While the Union supported the promotion of a culture of peace, it was concerned as to whether the text was in line with Economic and Social Council guidelines on international years which established certain rules for the proclamation of such events. The Union felt that a new concept of "a culture of peace and non violence" was being introduced while considerations over the initial concept of "a culture of peace" had not been completed. It considered the addition of "non- violence" unnecessary, since it was a means that was already included in the initial concept. The inclusion of that additional term could interfere with the broader original concept.
The Council next took up draft resolution on economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory including Jerusalem and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan.
Malaysia, Oman, Indonesia, Morocco and Colombia joined as co-sponsors.
A recorded vote was requested.
E. MICHAEL SOUTHWICK (United States), explaining his delegation's position before the vote, said his Government would continue to oppose references in the resolution and others which stated or implied Arab or Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem and territories that were the subject of direct negotiation between the parties to the conflict. Those references had no effect whatsoever on issues of sovereignty over Jerusalem and territories that were subject of direct negotiation to which the parties had committed themselves. The United States endorsed a provision of the text that private investment was essential to improve the living standards of the Palestinian people. To be of genuine assistance to the Middle East process, the Council must look forward, not backward, and dedicate itself to supporting the work of the negotiating parties. The resolution failed on both counts. The United States would vote "no", he added.
The Council adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 44 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions. (See Annex for voting details.)
ALEKSANDR PANKIN (Russian Federation), speaking after the vote, said his delegation had voted in favour of the resolution. It shared the concerns expressed in the resolution about the deterioration of the condition of the Palestinian people. It noted that the peace process had frozen. It hoped solutions would be found to the many problems touched upon by the resolution.
OFUMI AKAKPO (Togo) said that his delegation would have voted in favour of the resolution adopted yesterday on Palestinian women.
ABDERRAZAK AZAIEZ (Tunisia) said his delegation would have voted in favour of the resolution adopted yesterday on Palestinian women.
Introduction of Draft
FERNANDO CHOMAR (Mozambique), on behalf of the African States, introduced the draft resolution concerning the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict in and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. He said the draft resolution highlighted the importance of the concept of linking the concept of durable peace to sustainable development. Action was needed now to create that peace. He recommended adoption of the draft.
(annex follows)
Economic and Social Council Press Release ECOSOC/5794 45th Meeting (PM) 29 July 1998
ANNEX
Vote on draft resolution on economic and social repercussions of Israeli occupation
The draft resolution on economic and social repercussions of Israeli occupation (document E/1998/L.26) was adopted by a recorded vote of 44 in favour to 1 against, with no abstentions, as follows:
In favour: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guyana, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam.
Against: United States.
Abstaining: None.
Absent: Central African Republic, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Lesotho, Nicaragua, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Zambia.
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