Adoption of UN resolution is a victory for Palestinian women: PLO’s Ashrawi

Ramallah:Executive Committee Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on Saturday welcomed the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) adoption of a draft resolution entitled “Situation of and Assistance to Palestinian Women,” which was recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in its 61st session in New York on March 13-24.
In a statement carried on Saturday by Palestinian News Agency WAFA, Ashrawi extended gratitude to the ECOSOC members for overwhelmingly voting in favor of a draft resolution on Palestinian women last Wednesday.
The resolution affirms that the Israeli occupation remains the major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development of their society, said the statement.
It also demands that Israel – the occupying Power – comply fully with international law and conventions to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families, and it calls upon “Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties, the statement added.
In addition, the resolution urges the international community to intensify its measures to improve the difficult conditions being faced by Palestinian women and their families living under Israeli occupation.
In the statement, Ashrawi called for the rejuvenation of the Palestinian political system to support equal participation in decision-making at all levels and to include more women in the local and national government.
“Women should not be deprived of their right to self-determination and dignity, and laws and legislation should be enacted and implemented that do justice to women,” she stressed.
The PLO official condemned the decisions of the United States and Australia to vote against the resolution, saying that “by voting against this resolution, the US and Australia are voting against Palestinian women.
“It is hypocritical that even though both countries claim to champion human rights and women’s rights for all, they fail to safeguard the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Palestinian people,” Ashrawi said.
“Rather than encouraging Israeli impunity, the United States and Australia should hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations of international law and conventions, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security,” she added.
ECOSOC, one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1946, is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals.
AB/IINA