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I request the Rapporteur of the Committee, Mr. Michal Komada of Slovakia, to introduce the reports of the Committee in one intervention.
Mr. Komada (Slovakia), Rapporteur of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee): ... /... The fourth report, submitted under agenda item 51, entitled “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East”, is contained in document A/68/424. The Fourth Committee considered the report of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as other relevant reports. The Committee adopted four draft resolutions related to various aspects of the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, as contained in paragraph 17 of the report. Under the terms of the first draft resolution, “Assistance to Palestine refugees”, the General Assembly would decide to extend the mandate of UNRWA until 30 June 2017. The fifth report, submitted under agenda item 52, entitled “Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories”, is contained in document A/68/425. The Fourth Committee considered the report of the Special Committee concerning the protection and promotion of the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arab inhabitants of the occupied territories, as well as other reports by the Secretary-General. The Fourth Committee proposes that the General Assembly adopt five draft resolutions, which are contained in paragraph 20 of its report. /... The Acting President: If there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) that are before the Assembly today. It was so decided.
The Acting President: Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote.
Before proceeding further, I wish to consult members on how I intend to refer to the reports of the Committee. In order to save time and given that this morning the Assembly is taking up only the reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), I will only mention the term “the Committee”, on the understanding that the formal name of the Committee, the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee), will be reflected in the official records.
As I hear no objection, we shall proceed accordingly.
The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records.
May I remind members that, under paragraph 7 of decision 34/401, the General Assembly agreed that“[w]hen the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee”.
May I further remind delegations that, also in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we are going to proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Committee, unless the Secretariat is notified to the contrary in advance. That means that, where recorded votes were taken, we will do the same. I should also hope that we will proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Committee.
Before proceeding further, I would like to draw the attention of members to a note by the Secretariat entitled “Checklist of reports of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) to the General Assembly on agenda items 48 to 60, 122 and 135”, which has been circulated, in English only, as document A/C.4/68/INF/3. The note has been distributed desk-to-desk in the General Assembly Hall as a reference guide for action on draft resolutions and decisions recommended by the Committee in its reports. In that connection, members will find, in the fourth column of the note, the symbols of the draft resolutions and decisions of the Committee, with the corresponding symbols of the reports for action in the plenary in the second column of the same note. For reports containing multiple recommendations, the draft resolution or decision number is contained in the third column of the note.
Furthermore, members are reminded that additional sponsors are no longer accepted, now that the Committee has adopted the draft resolutions and decisions. Any clarification about sponsorship should be addressed to the Secretary of the Committee.
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Agenda item 51
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near EastReport of the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) (A/68/424)
The Acting President: The Assembly has before it four draft resolutions recommended by the Committee in paragraph 17 of its report. The Assembly shall now take a decision on draft resolutions I to IV, one by one. After all the decisions have been taken, representatives will again have an opportunity to explain their vote on any or all of the draft resolutions. We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled “Assistance to Palestine refugees”. A recorded vote has been requested.
Report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) (A/68/425)