STATEMENT BY

Mr. Mohammed Saleh
Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the UN

FOLLOWING VOTE, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL RECOMMENDS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTION OF OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE

In Earlier Vote, Council Rejects United States Proposal to Continue Negotiations on Issue
New York, 24 July 2002

FIFTY-EIGHT SPEAKERS ADDRESS SECURITY COUNCIL IN DAY-LONG MIDDLE EAST DEBATE; STRESS NEED TO IMPLEMENT COUNCIL'S CALL FOR CEASEFIRE, ISRAELI WITHDRAWAL

NEW YORK, 24 July (UN Headquarters) -- The Economic and Social Council today demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related global instruments, and urged intensified efforts for the provision of financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women, according to one of 33 texts adopted today by the Council, which is due to conclude its substantive session on Friday.

MOHAMMED SALEH MOHAMMED SALEH (Bahrain) aligned himself with the statement made by the Organization of Islamic Conference regarding the advancement of women. His country had taken giant steps in implementing the outcomes of the Beijing Conference and Beijing + 5. Bahrain was trying to achieve gender equality in all areas of life. The percentage of women working in the Government had now reached 33.5 per cent, and the Supreme Council for Women had been established and was presided over by the First Lady of Bahrain. Also, an organization involved with Arab women’s issues was set up in June in Cairo to give further attention to that matter.

Reforms in Bahrain over the past few years had benefited women in particular, he said. The Constitution had codified the political equality between men and women, and women were now eligible for election to Parliament. Bahrain became a member of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in June, reflecting its commitment to improve the status of women.

He added that attention must also be given to the plight of Palestinian women as a result of Israeli occupation, which had negatively affected their status. This week’s massacre had killed a number of Palestinian women and children. He hoped that the international community would make more efforts to stop aggression against Palestinian women, which impeded their development and advancement.