The Economic and Social Council this morning took up its agenda items on implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the specialised agencies and the international institutions associated with the United Nations; regional cooperation; and 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. The Council held a general discussion under these items, following which it adopted a resolution on the Europe-Africa link through the Strait of Gibraltar, and a decision on the venue of the sixty-sixth session of the Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific.

In a resolution on an Europe-Africa fixed link through the Strait of Gibraltar (E/2009/L.21), the Council requested the Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Economic Commission for Europe to continue to take an active part in the follow-up to the project and to report to the Council at its substantive session of 2011 on the progress made on the project studies.

In a decision on the venue of the sixty-sixth session of the Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific, the Council approved the holding of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in 2010.

At the beginning of the meeting, Carlisle L. Richardson, representative of St Kitts and Nevis, introduced the report of the President of the Council on consultations with the Special Committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. He said Non-Self-Governing Territories could clearly benefit from the range of support that the United Nations and its organizations could give them in their development initiatives and efforts. The fullest implementation possible of the resolutions adopted by the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly under this agenda item would assist these Territories across a wide spectrum of their development agenda. In promoting the involvement of the specialised agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations, the system sought to further the well-being of the inhabitants of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and their overall socio-economic advancement.

Amr Nour, Officer-in-Charge of the Regional Commissions New York Office, introducing the Secretary-General’s report on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields, said the dialogue this year addressed the theme of regional perspectives on the global economic and financial crisis, including the impact on global public health. The impact of the financial crisis, compounded by the effect of the other recent food and energy crises on the development agenda in the regions was highlighted, notably on poverty reduction efforts, social protection schemes and unemployment. Overcoming the impacts of the crises ultimately hinged on the willingness to effectively act upon the various decisions taken by the international community, through adequate financing, timely implementation and continued cooperation and coordination for years to come.


Mr. Nour, introducing the note by the Secretary-General 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 of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan, said the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel continued to deepen the economic and social hardship for Palestinians. The Israeli mobility restrictions and closure system remained a primary cause of poverty and humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, and restricted Palestinian access to natural resources, including land, basic social services, including health and education, employment, markets and social and religious networks. The Israeli occupation continued to have a negative impact on the livelihoods of the Syrian population in the occupied Golan as a result of measures imposed by the Israeli authorities, and discrimination with regard to access to water and construction.

In the general discussion under all above agenda items, speakers said, among other things, that with regard to regional coordination, one of the main aims of coordination of the United Nations' activities at the regional level was to promote and facilitate greater coherence at the national level, which in turn, had the final objective of helping to realize national goals and priorities. As the world emerged from the crisis, the Council's reports reminded all of the fundamental importance of sound economic policy and responsible financial stewardship. Although policies on these issues must be created and focused at the national level, international and regional cooperation were vital to success. The issues of climate change, food and securities had converged with their compounding effects. The prospects for meeting Millennium Development Goals by 2015 brought no optimism.

The Council needed to provide support to all persons that were under stress, duress, and economic hardship due to occupation, and examine how it could best assist them. International legitimacy remained the only terms of reference to end the conflict in the Middle East and to achieve a fair and just solution based on the Madrid Agreement. The humanitarian and living conditions were very serious in the Occupied Arab Territories, and the international community should do everything in its power to bring an end to the suffering. While the international community witnessed the events in the Middle East, generations of Palestinians had continued to suffer violations of all their economic and social rights at the hands of the occupying power. The Council, together with the international community, had to act decisively to end the suffering. The one and only viable solution to address the economic and social conditions of the Palestinians and of the Arab population in the Syrian Golan was to end the occupation.

Speaking in the general discussion were United States, Saint Lucia, China, Syria, Malaysia, Palestine, Indonesia, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Algeria, Morocco, Brazil, Kenya, and Japan.

Speaking in introductions of resolutions were St Kitts and Nevis, and Spain.

The next meeting of the Council will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it is scheduled to discuss coordination, programme and other questions, economic and environmental questions, and social and human rights questions.

Reports

The Economic and Social Council has before it the report of the Secretary-General on Assistance to the Palestinian people (E/2009/66), which says that during the period under review, the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad made progress on fiscal, monetary and security reforms. Donors disbursed about $1.8 billion to finance the recurrent budget, which is well above the amount pledged at the Paris donor conference. During the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza, held on 2 March 2009, donors pledged approximately $4.5 billion to support the needs of the Palestinian people. The overall economic and political situation was challenging. Increased isolation, internal Palestinian divisions and armed conflict led to substantial economic and humanitarian deterioration in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas continued its control. In the West Bank, although Israeli restrictions on movement decreased in some locations, the number of obstacles remained overall the same during the reporting period. Settlements and outposts have expanded and house demolitions have increased, in particular in East Jerusalem. Bilateral political negotiations between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization continued, but no agreement was reached. Despite various attempts mediated by Egypt, no real progress has been made on intra-Palestinian reconciliation, prisoner exchange or a sustainable ceasefire.

The Council also has a Report of the President of the Council on consultations with the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (E/2009/69) on information submitted by the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system on their activities with regard to the implementation of the Declaration. It contains information submitted by the specialized agencies and the international organizations associated with the United Nations on their activities in relation to Non-Self-Governing Territories. According to the information provided by the specialized agencies and the international organizations associated with the United Nations, a number of the specialized agencies and organizations have continued, during the period under review, to provide support to the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories in response to the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Special Committee. A number of organizations have given support using their own budgetary resources in addition to their respective contributions as executing agencies of projects funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the primary provider of support. A number of assistance projects have continued to receive funding from UNDP and are carried out in close collaboration with other agencies and organizations.

There is also a Report by the Secretary-General on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields (E/2009/15), which examines, in chapter I, how the different regions are being affected by the multiple crises, how they are responding, how these efforts and initiatives could be further enhanced, and how the five United Nations regional commissions are supporting Member States in these efforts. Chapter II of the report covers developments in selected areas of regional and interregional cooperation, including other policy matters addressed during the regional commissions’ ministerial sessions, and further efforts to promote coherence at the regional level, including through the regional coordination mechanism convened by the regional commissions, as well as ongoing cooperation among the commissions. An addendum to the above report contains matters for action by the Council.

There is a report on the economic situation in 2008-2009 in the Economic Commission for Europe region: Europe, North America and the Commonwealth of Independent States, which (E/2009/16) notes that in 2008, the Economic Commission for Europe region entered into what has been forecasted to be the worst economic downturn since the second world war. Each of the subregions covered by the Commission is either experiencing or expecting to experience negative growth in 2009. The decline in growth has been accompanied by rising unemployment and by especially large declines in international trade and capital flows. Government fiscal positions have deteriorated significantly. The global slowdown and the wide recession being experienced throughout the Commission region resulted from a financial crisis which began in the United States of America but which quickly spread to Western Europe and then to the periphery regions of the Commission area, as well as the rest of the world. In fact, the declines in economic growth in the emerging economies in the Commission area are likely to be greater than in the advanced economies where the crisis originated. The crisis is noteworthy not only because of its severity, but also because of its global synchronization. As a result of tight economic integration and interconnected financial markets, the potential for adverse contagion in the emerging economies of Europe is considered to be quite high.

There is a report on the overview of the economic and social conditions in Africa 2009 (E/2009/17), which notes that economic performance in Africa declined in 2008 and is projected to slow steeply in 2009. Africa’s economic downturn is spurred by the financial turmoil that originated in the United States of America and affected most countries of the world. For the continent as a whole, despite this decline, fiscal and current account balances have improved and domestic savings and investment rates increased owing mainly to high commodity prices in the first half of 2008. However, Africa’s average inflation rate rose significantly, threatening macroeconomic stability and food security in many countries. Also, economic performance in Africa, driven mainly by revenues from oil and mineral exports in resource-rich countries, conceals considerable variation across countries and remains insufficient for Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The continent needs short-term measures to mitigate the economic and social impact of the global downturn as well as long-term measures to accelerate and sustain broad-based growth and reduce vulnerability to external shocks. While food prices are generally declining, they remain above historical levels in some countries and many African countries still face the challenge of mounting food shortages owing to production constraints and inadequate emergency planning and assistance.

There is a note by the Secretary-General 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 of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan (E/2009/13), which says the occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, the use of arbitrary detention, the disproportionate use of force, house demolitions, severe mobility restrictions, lack of building permits and closure policies continue to intensify the economic and social hardship of the Palestinian residents of the occupied Palestinian territory. Internal Palestinian conflict has also continued to cause casualties and disrupted the delivery of essential services to the population. Attacks by Palestinian militants and the launching of rockets into Israeli cities from the Gaza Strip continued in 2008, as did Israeli military operations. In December 2008, the Israeli army launched a 22-day military operation in the Gaza Strip that killed a reported 1,440 people and injured 5,380, and gravely deepened the existing humanitarian and economic crisis caused by the ongoing blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which has remained isolated since June 2007, with rapidly deteriorating conditions, a near collapse of the private sector and shortages of essentials such as food, electricity and fuel. The Israeli closure system remains a primary cause of poverty and humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, and restricts Palestinian access to natural resources, including land, basic social services, employment, markets and social and religious networks.

Introductory Statements

Carlisle L. Richardson, (St Kitts and Nevis), introducing the report of the President of the Council on consultations with the Special Committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (E/2009/69), said non-self-governing territories could clearly benefit from the range of support that the United Nations and its organizations could give them in their development initiatives and efforts. The fullest implementation possible of the resolutions adopted by the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly under this agenda item would assist Non-Self-Governing Territories across a wide spectrum of their development agenda. In promoting the involvement of the specialised agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations, the system sought to further the well-being of the inhabitants of the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and their overall socio-economic advancement. During 2008-2009, several specialised agencies and other entities of the United Nations system continued to carry out, in accordance with their respective mandates, activities for the benefit of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

This year the C-24 specially called upon the specialised agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to intensify their engagement with the work of the Special Committee on decolonisation. It was hoped that this, in fact, would lead to increased involvement of the United Nations specialised agencies for the benefit of the Non-Self-Governing Territories. The Special Committee on decolonisation remained ready to engage in constructive collaboration with ECOSOC in the common endeavour to assist and support Non-Self-Governing Territories through the United Nations system. It was hoped that, on a case-by-case basis, this could help bring Non-Self-Governing Territories closer to achieving a full measure of economic and social advancement.

AMR NOUR, Officer-in-Charge, Regional Commissions New York Office, introducing the Secretary-General’s report on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields, said the Council had its high-level dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the five regional commission on 10 July. The dialogue this year addressed the theme of regional perspectives on the global economic and financial crisis, including the impact on global public health. The impact of the financial crisis, compounded by the effect of the other recent food and energy crises, on the development agenda in the regions was highlighted, notably on poverty reduction efforts, social protection schemes and unemployment. He recalled that, as per the Secretary-General report, and more elaborately by the joint publication conducted by the five regional Commissions, all regions were experiencing enormous challenges emanating from the global economic and financial crises, and compounded by the food and energy crises, as well as climate change.

Overcoming the impacts of the crises ultimately hinged on the willingness to effectively act upon the various decisions taken by the international community, through adequate financing, timely implementation and continued cooperation and coordination for years to come. As the Secretary-General’s report indicated, acting at the regional level would be an important part of these efforts. Mr. Nour noted that in the meantime, the Regional Commissions continued to strengthen their interregional cooperation and exchange of best practices for the benefit of their Member States with several focus areas identified for such cooperation as highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report, including in the areas of statistics, energy security and efficiency, transport infrastructure, aid for trade, disaster risk reduction, and social policy.

AMR NOUR, Officer-in-Charge, Regional Commissions New York Office, introducing the note by the Secretary-General 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 of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan, contained in (A/64/77-E/2009/13), said the occupation of the Palestinian territory by Israel continued to deepen the economic and social hardship for Palestinians. The Israeli mobility restrictions and closure system remained a primary cause of poverty and humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, and restricted Palestinian access to natural resources, including land, basic social services, including health and education, employment, markets and social and religious networks. The Israeli military operations in the Gaza strip, culminating in “Operation Cast Lead”, which began on 27 December 2008, further exacerbated the situation during this reporting period.

Between January 2008 and 19 January 2009, close to 1,766 Palestinians were killed compared with 396 in 2007. The majority, 1,715 – of whom 469 were children – were killed in the Gaza strip, said Mr. Nour. Between February and December 2008, 204 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished leading to the displacement of more than 400 Palestinians. In the West Bank as of June 2008 close to 28,000 Palestinians in 4,000 families had been displaced as a result of the ongoing construction of the Barrier. From 1967 to the end of 2007, Israel established 120 settlements in the West Bank. As a result of these and other settlements and outposts, 40 per cent of the West bank was currently taken up by Israeli infrastructure associated with the settlements, including roads, barriers, buffer zones and military bases. The Israeli occupation continued to have a negative impact on the livelihoods of the Syrian population in the occupied Golan as a result of measures imposed by the Israeli authorities, particularly the restrictions on land cultivation and farming, land confiscation, the uprooting and destruction of tress and seedlings, and discrimination with regard to access to water and construction.

General Discussion on the Independence of Colonial Countries, Regional Cooperation, and Economic and Social Repercussions of the Israeli Occupation on Palestinian People

WILLIAM A. HEIDT (United States) said the United States commended the Economic and Social Council and the regional commissions on their extensive research and analysis of global economic trends and their informative reporting on the measures taken by individual countries to combat the global economic slowdown. The reports released by the Council provided much food for thought and established a good basis for economic discussion and debate. As the world emerged from the crisis, the Council's reports reminded all of the fundamental importance of sound economic policy and responsible financial stewardship. Although policies on these issues must be created and focused at the national level, international and regional cooperation were vital to success. The United States would like to acknowledge and support the efforts of the Council in improving coherence and programme delivery within the United Nations system at a regional level and applaud the actions taken to find synergies between the regional coordination mechanisms, and the regional directors' teams.

DONATUS ST AIMEE (St Lucia) said the matters of the Non-Self-Governing Territories were of great importance to the inhabitants of those Territories. Many of the Non-Self-Governing Territories would be qualified as middle-income countries, but this did not show the real picture in the Territories, including the vulnerabilities, and the difficulty in coping with crises. They were really seeking the collaboration and assistance of the Council to further enhance the work of the various institutions and agencies. Even some of the organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization, were themselves unaware that they could provide technical assistance to the Territories. There was a need to not just educate the Non-Self-Governing Territories but also the agencies as to what assistance they could provide. On regional cooperation, the sub-regional office in Port of Spain did not get its fair share of the resources of the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean. At a time when the world was grappling with food and energy crises, all the posts dealing with these issues and science and technology had been removed from the regional office, making it difficult to deal with these areas. There were areas where the regional commission could take on greater involvement, and develop credible plans and projects that could enhance the development plans of the countries of the region. The Council needed to provide support to all persons that were under stress, duress, and economic hardship due to occupation, and examine how it could best assist them.

GAO MINGBO (China) said with regard to regional cooperation, at present the international financial crisis was still unfolding and the world was experiencing the worst economic and financial crises since the Great Depression of the last century. The international community was undertaking serious measures, including regional cooperation. Over the past numerous years, China as an important member of the Asia and Pacific Region was an active participant of such measures. They had taken substantive steps in terms of regional trade arrangements. The issues of climate change, food and securities had converged with their compounding effects. The prospects for meeting Millennium Development Goals by 2015 brought no optimism. In the context of the 2009 Asian economic overview, the crises provided unique opportunities for the integration of growth opportunities for this region. China always attached great importance and participated in activities with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and would help revitalize cooperation and measures in this region.

FAYSAL KHABBAZ-HAMOUI (Syria) said half a million displaced persons from the Syrian Golan had been awaiting the implementation of United Nations resolutions for over 42 years in order to return home. Hundreds of resolutions had been adopted by the Security Council and other United Nations organizations, and had been constantly refused by Israel, a total disregard of the world's opinion. Israel had destroyed over 150 villages, and over 200 farms in the Golan. Today only five villages remained, inhabited by 20,000 Syrians, who had remained on their land and were surrounded by settlers and settlements that were increasing daily, in addition to Israeli minefields and military barracks. The Occupying Power had gone so far as to bury nuclear waste in the territories of the Occupied Golan, and was changing the demographic nature of the area, imposing Israeli identity on the inhabitants, in flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions. As for the inhabitants who refused the annexation procedures in the Golan and Israeli identity, they had been jailed for tens of years. The apartheid wall had been erected as a challenge to United Nations resolutions. The world had also witnessed wide-spread destruction in the Gaza Strip, with the deaths of hundreds of civilians. International legitimacy remained the only terms of reference to end the conflict in the Middle East and to achieve a fair and just solution based on the Madrid Agreement. Israel should be made to abide by international legitimacy and cease to flaunt its double standards.

ZAHID RASTAM (Malaysia) said with regard to regional coordination, one of the main aims of coordination of the UN’s activities at the regional level was to promote and facilitate greater coherence at the national level, which in turn, had the final objective of helping to realize national goals and priorities. Malaysia had some concern that the regional perspective had not been given the prominence it deserved in the ongoing discussions on system-wide coherence. Significant points in this regard had not been brought to the attention of Member States. This included the findings of the study sponsored by regional commissions as their contribution to the system-wide coherence process, which included advocating greater synergies between the ECOSOC-mandated regional coordination mechanisms convened by the regional commissions and the regional directors’ teams acting within the United Nations Development Group framework. Indeed, no meaningful discussion had taken place within the system-wide coherence process on the role played by regional directors.

SAMAH ATOUT (Palestine) said item nine was a corner-stone in all the freedom movements, especially in Africa and Asia, and it was good to see most, if not all of these countries present today at the United Nations as fully-fledged members. However, it remained a dark spot in the decolonisation movement that Palestine remained an occupied territory. It was noteworthy that the Palestinian cause started as a decolonisation issue, and then became a case of foreign occupation. It was ironic to see some parties attempted to downgrade it to a humanitarian issue that could be dealt with through humanitarian assistance. Palestine would remain a clear-cut case of the legitimate struggle of peoples to regain independence. Palestine was pleased with the report. There was one concern about point seven in section two, as it may not fully express reality. However, the rest of the report contained positive and constructive elements.

KAMAPRADIPTA ISNOMO (Indonesia) said with regard to economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the Palestinian people, Indonesia was concerned over the deteriorating economic and social situation in Palestine and other Occupied Arab Territories. While the international community witnessed the events in the Middle East, generations of Palestinians had continued to suffer violations of all their economic and social rights at the hands of the occupying power. While the world marked the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the end of last year, the occupying power launched its lethal assault on Gaza, through Operation Cast Lead, with a display of military might which led to the deaths of over 1,400 civilians, among them women and children. Indonesia deplored the fact that the social and economic rights of Palestinians as well as of other Arab civilians living under occupation in the occupied Syrian Golan continued to be denied. The Council, together with the international community, had to act decisively to end the suffering. The one and only viable solution to address the economic and social conditions of the Palestinians and of the Arab population in the Syrian Golan was to end the occupation.

GHEALAN QUDAH (Jordan) said the report contained a comprehensive analysis on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israel was continuing the separation wall and expanding the colonies, with displacement of people from their land, with severe consequences to both. The separation wall had accelerated the weakening of the Palestinian economy, denying the Palestinian people a stable economy allowing them economic growth. The increase in unemployment in the Occupied Territories was making Palestinians poorer, threatening the human capital now and in the future. The humanitarian and living conditions were very serious in the Occupied Arab Territories, and the international community should do everything in its power to bring an end to the suffering. To strengthen the Palestinian economy, Israel should stop its policy of enclaving the Territories. The Israeli policies were illegal. These practices should be stopped, as all they did was harm the lives of Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Syrian Golan, and the international community should assist the Palestinian people through the United Nations institutions.

RON ADAM (Israel) said listening to the statement by the Palestinians they did not want to take the floor, and wished only to promote the spirit of peace; however, since others took the floor and there was a report they would speak. Twenty resolutions were adopted every year in the General Assembly directed against Israel, bringing Palestinian narrative to an unprecedented level. This was not the forum to resolve the 120 year old Arab-Israeli conflict; this was a forum to solve global issues with a wide perspective, such as food security or the impact of the Millennium Development Goals on public health. These discussions did not advance peace with the Palestinians, but rather gave a one-sided perspective. Furthermore, they hoped that the examination of conflicts would be conducted in a fair and non-one sided way. The delegation quoted a shop owner and said “You don’t appreciate the value of law and order until you loose it”. There had been a serious reduction in security measures. European and Western policy makers were aiming to “stitch back” the Palestinian situation, with a view to secure a two-state solution, with Mahmoud Abbas leading the country. Israel called upon delegations to not support these and other resolutions that were biased.

EMAD ADHAN (Saudi Arabia) said Saudi Arabia had studied the report on assistance to the Palestinian people and the note 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 of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan. Both reports contained detailed information on the living conditions of Palestinians and other Arabs under Israeli occupation, and the permanent violation of the Palestinian people's rights, including economic and social rights. Israel imposed collective punishment, and its blockade policy aggravated and deteriorated the situation even further. There was an urgent need for alleviating humanitarian suffering and meeting the basic needs of the Palestinian people. The Secretary-General pointed to the fact that it was impossible to satisfy the needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories within the current framework. The displacement and expulsion of citizens, in order to build on the Palestinian territories, was against international legitimacy and conventions, and yet Israel pressed on with the building of settlements, leading to additional violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and harming the search for peace and the establishment of a Palestinian State. The Council should pursue its efforts in order to assist the populations in the Occupied Syrian Golan and ensure the continuation of humanitarian assistance.

VITALY KNIAZEV (Belarus) said with regard to regional cooperation, Belarus attached great importance to the strengthening of European multilateral cooperation, and here the Commission for Europe brought together all States for a balance of interests and brought together cooperation efforts. Optimizing fuel supply and seeking environmental clean technologies were highlighted among other measures taken by the regional commission. Belarus attached considerable importance to the roads and transport services development, and the sustainable land transport links throughout Euro-Asia. The visit in May 2008 of the Executive Secretary of the Europe Commission, and the participation of States in the Commonwealth of Independent States was significant to contribute to a new model of cooperation. Belarus reiterated its commitment to work towards cooperation initiatives in the region and to ensure prosperity of all countries in the region.

JOHN F. SAMMIS (United States) said the United States appreciated aspects of the draft resolution currently being circulated under the agenda item on the economic and social repercussions of the Israel Occupation, in particular the emphasis it placed on the importance of good governance and ensuring the safety and well-being of civilians. The United States was also deeply concerned about the impact of the current humanitarian crisis on the Palestinian people. But the resolution as it stood was fundamentally unbalanced, criticising Israel while ignoring terrorism. President Obama was determined to reinvigorate a peace process in the region, aimed at moving both parties forward towards the goal of two States. The focus of the international community should be on helping both parties maintain progress towards that shared objective. One-sided resolutions such as this had unfortunately become a ritual - they did not advance the peace process, and ultimately undermined the credibility of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.

SIM MELLOUH (Algeria) said with regard to the agenda item on implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Algeria had examined the report of the Secretary-General on the consultations with the Special Committee on the Situation aimed at implementing this Declaration, however it did not mention the food aid provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) to the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria. With regard to the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people and the Arab population in the Syrian Golan, Algeria expressed deep concern about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation of the occupied Arab population, depriving Palestinians of their right to food, health and education. The construction of the wall, the blockage on Gaza, the changing of the demographical conditions of Jerusalem and the occupied territories further aggravated and compounded the plight of the Palestinian economic and social crises in the occupied Arab territories, and similarly in the Syrian Golan. The only way to solve the economic and humanitarian crises was a permanent settlement to the situation - putting a stop to the occupation.

OMAR HILALE (Morocco) said the report on the economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories showed the serious restrictions and obstacles faced by United Nations bodies and programmes to carry out their mission, in particular with regards to humanitarian aid channelling. Morocco was concerned at the deterioration of socio-economic conditions and of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Six months after the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, numerous reports and witnesses showed that very little progress had been seen and the situation in the region continued to be alarming, with poverty and hunger, malnutrition, child anaemia, and obstacles placed deliberately by Israel to the delivery of food and medicines. Tragic events in the Gaza Strip and unilateral measures by Israel around the city of Al-Quds had a dramatic effect on the civilian population, in the form of collective punishment. Israel had obligations to implement international law. The international community could fulfil its function only if international law was respected, and all States lived up to it. This would only happen if Israel respected the resolutions adopted.

GUILHERME PATRIOTA (Brazil) said with regard to regional cooperation, the reports presented by the Secretary-General and Commissions confirmed that the world economic and financial crises had impacted all countries, albeit in varying degrees and forms. Most developing countries lacked adequate social safety nets to protect their citizens from their immediate effects. Many also did not have sufficient fiscal and policy space to implement countercyclical measures. It was noted that most of the developing world may face significant foreign exchange shortages. In the absence of significant international support, developing countries would be forced to curtail social spending at a time when it would have been necessary to increase outlays. Over the last year, there had been a number of initiatives to address the impact of the crises. The G20 London Summit and the commitment to make available $1.1 trillion to help revitalize the world economy and to target $50 billion to low-income countries was a welcome start. There was a need to move away from the bunker mentality that had prevailed during much of the last decades, in which each institution, consciously or not, tended to shield itself from the influence of the other. Governance reforms were a key issue. Furthermore, the processes that existed for tackling the issue of inter-institutional coordination and coherence were insufficient and unproductive, and had to be revamped.

ROBERT NGEI MULE (Kenya) said the United Nations subscribed to regional cooperation in realisation of its vital role in promoting implementation of United Nations programmes at the regional level. Equally important was the fact that countries were involved in various regional cooperation arrangements for a number of reasons, including promoting development as well as peace and security. The recent and current crises had affected different regions in different ways and magnitudes, and had forced regions to initiate innovative mechanisms to address the challenges they faced. Through the regional coordination mechanisms, coordination and consensus was built on various issues within the region and among member countries. In order to strengthen the regional mechanisms, there was a need to align the current system of work of the mechanisms with the various regional initiatives in line with identified priorities, enhance resource mobilisation, as well as adopt appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems. Africa required the support of the international community in agricultural diversification, research and marketing. Combined efforts to comprehensively promote regional cooperation through South-South, North-South and triangular cooperation should be given due consideration - in all these, the United Nations had an important role to play, and therefore there was a need to strengthen the relevant United Nations entities dealing with regional cooperation at all levels.

KENJU MURAKAMI (Japan) said with regard to regional cooperation, Japan expressed sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General for providing informative reports on regional cooperation. The Asian region had an important role to play in this regard with over 40 per cent of the world’s population, and an average economic growth rate of roughly 4 per cent each year. However the global economic and financial crises had hit the Asian economies hard. It was important to encourage growth in these economies as they were a centre of growth for the world. Japan had to get its economy back on track. At the same time Japan was rapidly stepping up on their support to the Asian region. Japan was ready to make available $20 billion in official development assistance aimed providing budget support, and infrastructure improvement, and building a low carbon society. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific had an important role to play here. Japan was convinced that the Commission would give an important contribution to build a platform for such developments to take place.

Concluding Remarks

Amr Nour, Officer-in-Charge, Regional Commissions New York Office, said that he wished to thank all those who had expressed support for the work of the regional commissions. The suggestions made would be acted upon. With regards to the concern raised on the sub-regional office of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, this had been duly noted. The office had recently been reinforced, and there was ongoing strengthening. Recently, the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific had produced a very detailed and elaborated publication, providing a kind of policy framework for interaction between organizations and ASEAN, and this could be provided to the representative of Malaysia - it was a showcase of how the United Nations organizations came together to support a sub-regional agenda and sub-regional mechanisms such as ASEAN. On South-South cooperation, the regional commissions would be actively involved therein. With regards to the allocation of this item, the regional commissions would examine this in concert with the Chair.

Action on Resolutions

CARLISTE L. RICHARDSON (Saint Kitts and Nevis), introducing draft resolution L.26 on support to non-self-governing territories by specialized agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations, said in addition to the countries mentioned in the document St. Lucia joined the list of co-sponsors. Since ECOSOC was the main UN body devoted to social and economic matters, they felt that this was the most important forum to address this issue. Efforts in this regard should be viewed as a collaborative approach. The global economic and financial crises showed the interconnectedness of the international community, and thus showed there was a need to address economic and social issues in a cooperative manner. The non-self-governing territories were vulnerable to a number of natural disasters, including cyclones, rising sea levels, and volcanic explosions. People displaced and impacted by those disasters should be given assistance. The resolution urged those United Nations agencies that had not provided assistance to the non-self-governing territories to do so. The draft welcomed the continuing efforts of the United Nations Development Programme in maintaining close liaisons with United Nations specialized agencies, including the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific. The draft resolution recommended, among other things, that all Governments and United Nations agencies gave priority to providing assistance to non-self-governing territories, and requested the Secretary-General to follow-up on the implementation of the current resolution.

No action was taken on the draft resolution

The Council adopted by consensus a resolution on Europe-Africa fixed link through the Strait of Gibraltar (E/2009/L.21), in which the Council requests the Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Economic Commission for Europe to continue to take an active part in the follow-up to the project and to report to the Council at its substantive session of 2011 on the progress made on the project studies; and requests the Secretary-General to provide formal support and, to the extent that priorities permit, the resources necessary, from within the regular budget, to the Economic Commission for Europe and the Economic Commission for Africa, to enable them to carry out the activities mentioned above.

JAVIER APARICIO (Spain), introducing draft resolution E/2009/L.21, said various studies, technical, environmental and financial, which had begun in 2006, had been completed. This assessment study had been carried out by an independent consortium, made up of eminent consultants with solid experience in similar construction projects. The difficulties of the project confirmed that in a context of intensification of exchange of goods and services and international mobility the interest of a fixed link was of interest for Europe and Africa beyond the context of the immediate area surrounding the link. The challenges in the project exceeded by quite a bit what could be expected by a transport infrastructure across a section of the sea, and the geo-strategic dimension should be taken into account. The fixed link of the Strait of Gibraltar was a powerful and permanent link in the transportation systems, which would multiply the potential for development, and would become a first-order logistics platform at the global level, integrated into the world development strategy. In this framework, the regional transport action plan which had been adopted in Brussels in 2007 was an authentic roadmap to intensify transport in the region, and contribute to the establishment of a veritable cooperation space between the European Union and the Maghreb. At the level of the coastal countries, this fixed link would be a tremendous contribution to the development programme of its high-speed rail links, allowing to increase and diversify services.

The Economic and Social Council adopted without a vote a decision entitled venue of the sixty-sixth session of the Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific, present in an addendum to the Report of the Secretary-General on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields (E/2009/15/Add.1), in which the Council expresses its gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Korea for its generous offer to host the sixty-sixth session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; and approves the holding of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in 2010.



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