Resolution 56/111
(December 14, 2001)
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 55/173 of 14 December
2000,
Recalling also previous resolutions on the
question,
Welcoming the signing of the Declaration of
Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements in Washington, D.C.,
on 13 September 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 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in Washington, D.C., on 28 September 1995,2
and the signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum on 4 September 1999,
Gravely concerned at 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 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, held in Vienna on 20
and 21 February 2001, to review the state of the Palestinian economy,3
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
of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority,
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 work 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 results of the Ministerial
Conference to Support Middle East Peace and Development, held in Washington,
D.C., on 30 November 1998, and expressing appreciation for the pledges
of the international donor community,
Welcoming the meeting of the Consultative Group
in Frankfurt, Germany, on 4 and 5 February 1999, in particular the pledges
of the international donor community and the presentation of the Palestinian
Development Plan for the years 1999-2003,
Welcoming also the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison
Committee held in Lisbon on 7 and 8 June 2000,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,4
Expressing grave concern at the continuation
of the recent tragic and violent events that have led to many deaths
and injuries,
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. Expresses its appreciation to the Member
States, United Nations bodies and intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental
organizations that have provided and continue to provide assistance
to the Palestinian people;
4. Stresses the importance of the work of the
United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process
and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine
Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority 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 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 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 of Palestinian products on the most favourable terms, consistent
with appropriate trading rules, and to implement fully existing trade
and cooperation agreements;
8. Calls upon the international donor community
to expedite the delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people
to meet their urgent needs;
9. Stresses in this context the importance
of ensuring the free passage of aid to the Palestinian people and the
free movement of persons and goods;
10. Urges the international donor community,
United Nations agencies and organizations and non-governmental organizations
to extend as rapidly as possible emergency economic and humanitarian
assistance to the Palestinian people to counter the impact of the current
crisis;
11. Stresses the need to implement the Paris
Protocol on Economic Relations of 29 April 1994, fifth annex to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip,2 in particular with regard to the full and prompt clearance of
Palestinian indirect tax revenues;
12. Suggests the convening in 2002 of a United
Nations-sponsored seminar on assistance to the Palestinian people;
13. Requests the Secretary-General to submit
a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh 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;
14. Decides to include in the provisional agenda
of its fifty-seventh session the sub-item entitled "Assistance
to the Palestinian people".
87th plenary meeting
14 December 2001
Notes:
1. A/48/486-S/26560, annex.
2. A/51/889-S/1997/357, annex.
3. See A/56/89-E/2001/89, annex.
4. A/56/123-E/2001/97 and Corr.1.
Sources: The United Nations |