Assistance to the Palestinian people

Stresses the importance of the work done by the UN 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 UN activities throughout the occupied territories; urges Member States, international financial institutions of the UN system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and regional and interregional organizations to extend, as rapidly and as generously as possible, economic and social assitance 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; calls upon relevant organizations and agencies of the UN 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; 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; calls upon the international donor community to expedite the delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people to meet their urgent needs; suggests the convening in 1998 of a UN-sponsored seminar on the Palestinian economy; requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its 53rd 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.

Adopted without vote, 73rd meeting

3 p.

Adopted at the 73rd plenary meeting, 16 Dec. 1997.