Resolution 52/170
(December 16, 1997)
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 51/150 of 13 December 1996,
Recalling also previous resolutions on the question,
Welcoming the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements of 1993 between the Government of the State
of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative
of the Palestinian people, 1/ as well as the signing of the subsequent
implementation agreements, including the Interim Agreement on the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, 2/
Gravely concerned about the difficult economic and employment
conditions facing the Palestinian people throughout the occupied
territory,
Conscious of the urgent need for improvement in the economic and
social infrastructure of the occupied territory and the living conditions
of the Palestinian people,
Aware that development is difficult under occupation and best promoted
in circumstances of peace and stability,
Noting, in the light of recent developments in the peace process, the
great economic and social challenges facing the Palestinian people and
their leadership,
Conscious of the urgent necessity for international assistance to the
Palestinian people, taking into account the Palestinian priorities,
Noting the convening of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to
the Palestinian People, "Palestinian Human Development Needs", 3/ held
at Amman from 20 to 22 May 1997,
Stressing the need for the full engagement of the United Nations in
the process of building Palestinian institutions and in providing broad
assistance to the Palestinian people, including assistance in the fields
of elections, police training and public administration,
Noting the appointment by the Secretary-General in June 1994 of the
United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories,
Welcoming the results of the Conference to Support Middle East Peace,
convened in Washington, D.C., on 1 October 1993, and the establishment
of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and the work being done by the World Bank
as its secretariat, as well as the establishment of the consultative
group,
Welcoming also the establishment by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee of
the Joint Liaison Committee, which provides a forum in which economic
policy and practical matters related to donor assistance are discussed
with the Palestinian Authority,
Welcoming further the meeting of the consultative group in Paris on
19 and 20 November 1996, at which the proposed programme of United
Nations assistance for 1997 was presented to the donor community,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General, 4/
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 4/
2. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his rapid
response and efforts regarding assistance to the Palestinian people;
3. Also expresses its appreciation to the Member States, United
Nations bodies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
that have provided and continue to provide assistance to the Palestinian
people;
4. Stresses the importance of the work done by the United Nations
Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories and of the steps taken
under the auspices of the Secretary-General to ensure the achievement of
a coordinated mechanism for United Nations activities throughout the
occupied territories;
5. Urges Member States, international financial institutions of the
United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations and regional and interregional organizations to extend, as
rapidly and as generously as possible, economic and social assistance to
the Palestinian people in order to assist in the development of the West
Bank and Gaza, and to do so in close cooperation with the Palestine
Liberation Organization and through official Palestinian institutions;
6. Calls upon relevant organizations and agencies of the United
Nations system to intensify their assistance in response to the urgent
needs of the Palestinian people in accordance with the Palestinian
priorities set forth by the Palestinian Authority, with emphasis on
national execution and capacity-building;
7. Urges Member States to open their markets to exports from the West
Bank and Gaza and on the most favourable terms, consistent with
appropriate trading rules;
8. Calls upon the international donor community to expedite the
delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people to meet their
urgent needs;
9. Suggests the convening in 1998 of a United Nations-sponsored
seminar on the Palestinian economy;
10.
Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the
General Assembly at its fifty-third session, through the Economic and
Social Council, on the implementation of the present resolution,
containing:
(a)
An assessment of the assistance actually received by the
Palestinian people;
(b)
An assessment of the needs still unmet and specific proposals
for responding effectively to them;
11.
Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third
session, under the item entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of
humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations,
including special economic assistance", the sub-item entitled "Assistance
to the Palestinian people".
73rd plenary meeting
16 December 1997
Notes
1/ A/48/486-S/26560, annex; see Official Records of the Security Council,
Forty-eighth Year, Supplement for October, November and December 1993,
document S/26560.
2/ A/51/889-S/1997/357, annex; see Official Records of the Security Council,
Fifty-second Year, Supplement for April, May and June 1997, document
S/1997/357.
3/ A/52/179-E/1997/76.
4/ A/52/159-E/1997/69.
Sources: The United Nations |