The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolution 50/58 H of 20 December 1995,
 
      Recalling also previous resolutions on the question,
 
      Welcoming the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-
Government Arrangements of 1993 between the Government of the State of Israel
and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the representative of the
Palestinian people, as well as the signing of the subsequent implementation
agreements, including the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip of 1995,
 
      Gravely concerned about the difficult economic and employment conditions
facing the Palestinian people throughout the occupied territory,
 
      Conscious of the urgent need for improvement in the economic and social
infrastructure of the occupied territory and the living conditions of the
Palestinian people,
 
      Aware that development is difficult under occupation and best promoted
in circumstances of peace and stability,
 
      Noting, in the light of the recent developments in the peace process,
the great economic and social challenges facing the Palestinian people and
their leadership,
 
      Conscious of the urgent necessity for international assistance to the
Palestinian people, taking into account the Palestinian priorities,
 
      Noting the convening of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the
Palestinian People, "Building the Palestinian Economy - Challenges and
Prospects", held at Cairo from 21 to 23 May 1996,
 
      Stressing the need for the full engagement of the United Nations in the
process of building Palestinian institutions and in providing broad assistance
to the Palestinian people, including assistance in the fields of elections,
police training and public administration,
 
      Noting the appointment by the Secretary-General in June 1994 of the
United Nations Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories,
 
      Welcoming the results of the Conference to Support Middle East Peace,
convened in Washington, D.C., on 1 October 1993, and the establishment of the
Ad Hoc Liaison Committee and the work being done by the World Bank as its
secretariat, as well as the establishment of the consultative group and the
convening in Paris, on 9 January 1996, of the Ministerial Conference on
Economic Assistance to the Palestinian People,
 
      Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,
 
      1.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;
 
      2.    Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his rapid
response and efforts regarding assistance to the Palestinian people;
 
      3.    Also expresses its appreciation to the Member States, United
Nations bodies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that
have provided and continue to provide assistance to the Palestinian people;
 
      4.    Stresses the importance of the work done by the United Nations
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 United Nations activities throughout the occupied
territories;
 
      5.    Urges Member States, international financial institutions of the
United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
and regional and interregional organizations to extend, as rapidly and as
generously as possible, economic and social assistance 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;
 
      6.    Calls upon relevant organizations and agencies of the United
Nations 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;
 
      7.    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;
 
      8.    Calls upon the international donor community to expedite the
delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people to meet their urgent
needs;
 
      9.    Suggests the convening in 1997 of a United Nations-sponsored
seminar on the Palestinian economy;
 
      10.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General
Assembly at its fifty-second 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;
 
      11.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-second
session, under the item entitled "Strengthening of the coordination of
humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including
special economic assistance", the sub-item entitled "Assistance to the
Palestinian people".