Sixty-first General Assembly

Plenary

80^th Meeting (PM)

General Assembly fills vacancies in subsidIZing bodies, including committees

on conferences, programme coordination

 

Also Hears Explanations of Position on Resolution Concerning Assistance

To Palestinians, Security of Humanitarian Personnel, Humanitarian Coordination

The General Assembly this evening filled vacancies in, and appointed members to, a number of its subsidiary bodies, including the Committee on Programme Coordination and the Committee on Conferences.

Agreeing to dispense with its traditional secret ballot procedure for elections to subsidiary bodies, the Assembly declared France elected a member of the Committee for Programme and Coordination, for a three year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2007, filling one of the two remaining vacancies from among the Western European and other States Group on that body.

Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa ( Bahrain) told delegations that the Assembly would act on the remaining vacancy in that group once the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) had nominated a Member State from the Western European and Other States region.  She also reminded delegations that, on 16 November, the Assembly had elected Comoros, Haiti, the Russian Federation, Venezuela and Zimbabwe as members of the Committee.

Sheikha Haya next informed the Assembly that, after consultations with the Chairman of the Eastern European Group, she had appointed Belarus as a member of the Committee on Conferences for a period of three years, beginning on 1 January 2007.  She recalled that on 3 November, the Assembly had taken note of her appointment of Germany, Grenada, Honduras, Nigeria, Senegal and Syria to that Committee.

The Assembly President also announced that, after consultations with regional groups, she had appointed Estonia, Jordan, Mexico, Norway and Sudan as members of the Consultative Committee of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for three year terms of office, beginning on 1 January.

In other business, the plenary wrapped up its consideration of several resolutions on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including assistance to the Palestinian people.  It took up those items yesterday afternoon following its consideration of the reports of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).

All the texts were adopted yesterday.  At this evening’s meeting, the Assembly heard explanations of vote from the representatives of:  Israel, Australia and Canada (on the resolution concerning assistance to the Palestinian people (document A/61/L.47)); Liechtenstein, New Zealand and Switzerland (on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel (document A/61/L.45)); and Russian Federation (on strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance to the United Nations (document A/61/L.46)).

Iran’s representative spoke on the resolution dealing with assistance to the Palestinian people, as well as reports of the Assembly’s Fourth Committee on the resolutions contained in documents A/61/407 and 408, regarding the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and Israeli practices affecting the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs in the occupied Territories.

The Assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m. Tuesday, 19 December to take up the reports of its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural).

Background

The Assembly met this evening to conclude its consideration of several resolutions on strengthening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including assistance to the Palestinian people, and to fill vacancies on a number of its subsidiary bodies.

At its last meeting, principally convened to take action on the reports of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), the Assembly also adopted without a vote, four plenary-generated texts, respectively on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel (document A/61/L.45); humanitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters, from relief to development (document A/61/L.42); strengthening emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster (document A/61/L.44); and strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance to the United Nations (document A/61/L.46).

A resolution on Assistance to the Palestinian people (document A/61/L.47) was adopted by a vote of 159 in favour, with seven abstentions ( Israel, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, United States, Nauru and Palau).  Time ran out before the Assembly could hear speakers in explanation of vote on the texts, and it is expected to do so today.  (For Background, please see Press Release GA/10559 of 14 December.)

The Assembly is also expected to take up a report on the election of seven members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (document A/61/227/Add.1), which states that three members had already been elected, by the Assembly, at the recommendation of the Economic and Social Council and that two members remained to be elected.

Finally, delegations are also expected to appoint members of the Committee on Conferences, as well as members to fill vacancies on the Consultative Committee of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Explanations of Vote

Speaking in explanation of vote on the draft resolution on assistance to the Palestinian people, Israel ’s representative said that, this year, his delegation could not support a resolution that ignored major political changes in the region.  Hamas, whose main goal was to destroy Israel, now headed the Palestinian Government, and that group continued to ignore the will of the international community to, among other things, recognize Israel, eschew violence and abide by previous agreements.  Therefore, Israel had abstained on the text.

He stressed that Israel recognized that a hungry neighbour was not a good neighbour.   Israel was always working on the ground -- even under terrorist attack -- to provide relief to the Palestinian people.  He drew the Assembly’s attention to a host of relief shipments and thousands of deliveries into the Palestinian Territory over the past year, including some 17,000 food transports from one entry point into Gaza.  He added that thousands of Palestinian merchants had been able to earn their living in the West Bank.   Israel was working closely with international organizations to ensure continuing tangible assistance that went directly to the Palestinians in need of it and not through the mechanisms run by terrorists.

The representative of Australia said that she had voted in favour of the resolution, in order to show her delegation’s strong support for the humanitarian needs of Palestinians.  Her Government had contributed 16.2 million Australian dollars in humanitarian aid and remained committed to finding a lasting solution to the conflict.

She was disappointed, however, that, within the resolution, it was not possible to include a clear call for Hamas to accept the Quartet principles.  Indeed, Hamas needed to renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previously-made agreements.  She further urged both parties to work together in bringing about a just and comprehensive peace.

Liechtenstein ’s representative said that, throughout negotiations on the resolution dealing with the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, his delegation had asked for inclusion of references to the Convention and the optional protocol, which expanded the scope of application of the Convention on United Nations personnel.  He saw no justification for the deletion of that reference.  Combating impunity was the most effective tool to combat violence against humanitarian personnel, something which was criminalized by the Rome Statute.

He said this year’s resolution was taking a step backward by merely noting the work of the International Criminal Court.  He also stressed the need to reflect, in the text, the fact that national aid workers were targeted more than international personnel.  His delegation had joined consensus, because safety and security of human personnel was a topic of the utmost importance.  While valuing the importance of consensus, the principal of consensus could be reconciled with a text that did justice to the subject matter.

Referring to the resolution on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and protection of United Nations personnel, the representative of New Zealand said that she was a strong supporter of that resolution, but regretted that her delegation had not co-sponsored it this year.  Her delegation was pleased that consensus had been achieved on the optional protocol last year -- that was a significant achievement.  However, it was necessary to properly reflect on that protocol this year, and she expressed disappointment that consensus had been blocked, despite the flexibility shown by delegations.  It was thus imperative to ensure that proper references to the Convention and optional protocol be incorporated into the draft.

The representative of the Russian Federation said he understood the references to “gender based violence” in the resolution on strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations (document A/61/L.46) to strictly apply, in the context of violence against women.  The Russian Federation would point out that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had defined gender based violence in a way that was inconsistent with the definition of a number of other United Nations bodies, and other international organizations, including those dealing with women’s issues.  The submission of a new way of looking at the matter, without international agreement or discussion in agreed international forums, had led his delegation to hold that the references to the matter in the text were not acceptable to the Russian Federation and not considered binding on it.

The representative of Switzerland, aligning himself with Liechtenstein’s explanation of position, said he regretted that the final text failed to reflect the importance of the optional protocol.  The Convention, with its protocol, constituted the legal regime for the legal protection of United Nations personnel.  It should be treated as a package.  This year’s resolution did not take that into account.

The representative of Iran said he had voted in favour of resolution 47, as well as the resolutions contained in documents A/61/407 and 408, regarding the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and Israeli practices affecting the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs in the occupied Territories.  By voting in favour of those resolutions, he shared the international community’s concern at the Palestinian’s pain caused by Israel’s practices.  Durable peace would be possible only through an end to discrimination, an end to the occupation of all Territories, the return of refugees, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Taking the floor to explain her vote on draft document L.47, concerning assistance to the Palestinian people, the representative of Canada said that her Government would continue to respond to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, mainly through contributions to UNWRA and other United Nations agencies.  However, she did want to point out that there was a difference between assistance to the Palestinian Authority and to the Palestinian people.  Though there was no reference to the Quartet principles in the draft, a clear commitment to those, by the Palestinian Government, was indeed essential.  Nevertheless, Canada would continue to respond to the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.

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For information media • not an official record