Forum: Economic and Social

Question of: The Humanitarian Situation and Assistance for Palestinian Citizens, Subtopic 2

Submitted by: UN Habitat

Co-submitters: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Cabo Verde, China, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, ILO, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UNHCR

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL,

Taking into account article 49 of the fourth geneva convention which is violated by the Israel West Bank Barrier, UNICEF,

Noting the growing restriction on Palestine’s access to fishing zones from 20 nautical miles during the passing of the Oslo Accords to 6 nautical miles and 15 in the east,

Recognizing economic importance of natural gas reserves such as the leviathan gas field and other such reserves,

Keeping in mind the advisory opinion of the ICJ issued in a court ruling on July 9th 2004 related to the Israel West Bank Barrier,

1. Urges the UNDP (United Nations  Development Programme), working with the World Bank for funding industrial development through:

1. encouraging establishment of local industries such as the olive oil industry, traditional handicrafts, and traditional clothing in Palestine, in order to promote trade in Palestine including indigenous and less economically developed communities by:

1. improving machinery with the goal of improving collection and production of raw materials
2. developing sustainable and efficient technology to increase the rate  production of finished goods
3. consulting locals to ensure traditional practices are incorporated in order to improve economic status of rural poor and indigenous communities through door-to-door sales
4. issuing monthly reports detailing profits, losses and expenses to the UNDP for consideration to find areas where improvement is possible

2. organizing a UNDP mandated conference with concerned authorities to ensure equitable distribution of untouched natural gas reserves in the shared Levant Basin between all involved neighboring states including Palestine on the basis of the relative ease of access, feasibility to setup collection and transport facilities for Palestine, the size of reserve, and the current economic situation of countries and requirement for access to natural gas reserves;

2. Proposes the creation of an organization known as the UNRIWBB (United Nations Removal of Israel West Bank Barrier) aimed at the partial removal of the Israel West Bank Barrier, ensuring Palestine is able to access important economic resources. Conflict on the removal can be minimized by certain strategies which are but not limited to:

1. ensuring that the parts of the wall removed does not result in worsening of conflict and have significant economic impact on the basis of the three major parameters mentioned below by checking:

1. trade routes and agricultural land restricted by that specific part of the wall
2. political conflict within the region
3. for parts of the wall deemed to be unsafe for removal, with the UNRIWBB predicting when the wall can be removed and take adequate steps to lessen the work needed for destroying the wall when it is deemed safe to do so

2. coordinating meetings between Israel and Palestine via the UNRIWBB to decide on and establish necessary security measures for destroyed sections of the wall by deciding on the ratio of manpower provided by each nation and acquiring funding from the World Bank to procure and setup newer technologies to monitor and arrest extremists in concerned areas;

3. Requests the UNRWA(United Nations Relief and Works Agency) and UNHCR to further address the issue of accommodation and financial support of Palestinian refugees ensuring they remain integrated within the economy by:

1. establishing more refugee camps within safe zones present in Palestine with needed accommodation as well as literacy camps, focusing on job training for adults to ensure smoother reintegration into economy, this will involve:

1. acquiring  funding from the World Bank to set up essential literacy camps
2. ensuring that all education is available in local languages
3. providing training and opportunities for jobs that are already present within the economy, applicable inside and outside refugee camps

2. improving human capital to improve the productivity and effectiveness of the labour market by providing:

1. basic education as well as job literacy for those approaching adulthood between 16-18 years of age
2. health services such as vaccination, injury treatment and psychosocial support to help maintain the strength of the working population;

4. Calls upon the UNGA(United Nations General Assembly) to address the issue of asymmetric trade between Israel and Palestine through implementation of joint-economic ventures and removing restrictive measures on natural resources through:

1. establishing Economic Cooperation Zones between Israel and Palestine where industries of both states can coexist and benefit off shared resources with regular checks by the UN to ensure equitable distribution of resources between the two states and carry out questionnaires with random employees to check for malpractice
2. restoring Palestine’s access to water bodies according to Oslo Accords by reverting from 6 nautical mile to 20 nautical mile fishing radius and arranging diplomatic meets between Israel and Palestine to coordinate a ceasefire over water bodies to provide fair access for fishing and establishing trade between states.

5. Calls upon the implementation of rebuilding programs, in order to rehome the 2 million displaced people in the gaza strip, to assist the maintaining of economic stability in Palestine in ways such as;

        a. Permanently rebuilding buildings through UN funding such as but not limited to:

                 i. Hospitals

                ii. Homes

                iii. Schools

            b. internationally coordinate investments to provide economic aid to displaced

            Palestinian citizens

                          i. UN governance of religiously significant cities while rebuilding is occurring

                         such as Gaza and Tel Aviv in ways such as but not limited to:

                              ii.  management of UNESCO sites

                           iii. control of religious sites within the specific cities

                    c. assisting displaced palestinian citizens with reimplementing themselves

                          within the Gaza strip in ways such as:

                                  i. Rebuilding infrastructure programs

                                  ii. Helping businesses affected by the conflict redevelop

                                   iii. Agreements regarding international products’ market entrance in

                 countries affected by religious wars