UN General Assembly Resolutions: Resolution 50/58

Assistance to the Palestinian people

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 49/21 N of 20 December 1994,

Recalling also previous resolutions on the question,

Welcoming the signing at Cairo on 4 May 1994 by the Government of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the Palestinian people, of the first implementation agreement of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-government Arrangements, namely the Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, and the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities of 29 August 1994, and the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip of 28 September 1995,

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 the recent developments in the peace process, the great economic and social challenges and needs 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 Palestinian Administrative, Managerial and Financial Needs and Challenges in the light of the New Developments, held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization from 28 to 30 June 1995, Welcoming the signing of the agreements between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Labour Organization,

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 on 1 October 1993, and the establishment of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and the work being done by the World Bank and its secretariat, as well as the establishment of the consultative group and the convening of an International Conference on Economic Assistance to the Palestinian People to be held in Paris,

Welcoming also the results of the meetings of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on 29 and 30 November 1994 at Brussels, and on 27 April 1995 in Paris,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

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 appointment of 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 1996 of a United Nations-sponsored seminar on building the Palestinian economy;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-first 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-first session, under the item entitled “Strengthening the coordination of the humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance,” the sub-item entitled “Assistance to the Palestinian people.”

Sources: The United Nations