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The United Nations on Friday approved an Israel-initiated resolution in which the international body affirmed for the first time that entrepreneurship was a critical development tool.
The UN Second Committee adopted the “Entrepreneurship for Development” resolution by a 129-31 vote.
In response to the vote, Israeli Ambassador to the UN in New York Ron Prosor said the committee had sent “a clear and simple message: Entrepreneurship is a primary pathway to sustainable economic growth for all...
Prosor chastised the UN’s Arab Group for voting against it, noting that “few places could benefit from entrepreneurship more than the Arab world.
“Every Arab delegate who voted ‘no’ is sending the message that he cares far more about petty politics than human prosperity,” Prosor said, adding that the resolution offered hope to people around the world, from the mountains of Nepal to the sands of the Sahara Desert.
Originally posted by WatchRider
Yeah but I think Israel get's xxx time's more foreign aid from the USA than all the Arab states put together.
RABEE JAWHARA ( Syria ),
making a general statement, said
Israel was attempting to monopolize
the Second Committee’s work by
submitting draft resolutions that
portrayed it as a peaceful State
seeking to work within the United
Nations. However, such drafts did not
camouflage Israel’s human rights
violations and occupation, he stressed,
pointing out that, even as it submitted
the text, Israel restricted any chance
of entrepreneurship in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory and the occupied
Syrian Golan. It was guilty of several
examples of policies that restricted
business and economic growth in
Palestine and the occupied Syrian
Golan, and had continuously failed to
comply with United Nations
resolutions. He urged Committee
members to vote against the draft so
as to send a signal that Israeli must
end the occupation.
AMER HIAL AL-HAJRI (Oman ),
speaking on behalf of the Arab Group,
noted that the United Nations
Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) had shown
that Israel’s occupation continued to
undermine the rights of Palestinians,
particularly their ability to engage in
entrepreneurship. The Arab Group
had proposed changes to ensure
balance in the text, but had been
unable to achieve that, he said. As
such, it was obliged to vote against
the draft resolution.
MOHAMED KHALIL HUSSEIN
(Egypt) also said the text lacked
balance, particularly given its focus on
national policies for entrepreneurship,
and did not take into account the
need to create an internationally
conducive climate and to establish
support in that regard. A multilateral,
transparent and open regime was
needed, with no barriers in the way of
developing countries. Finance, the
transfer of technology and capacity-
building must also be included, he
said.
The draft resolution also failed
to take into account the conclusions of
the Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA) report on
the condition of the Palestinian
people, he continued. It showed that
Israel’s occupation and blockade
undermined opportunities for
marketing and drained natural
resources, meaning that the area
lacked necessary land for production.
That discouraged private investment
and increased risks and production
costs.
He said his delegation had
tried to address the imbalances
mentioned by taking part in
discussions, but agreement on
implementation had proven
impossible because developed
countries had changed their position
at the last minute. The co-sponsors
had ignored the UNCTAD reports, but
Egypt was unable to ignore them,
especially since the draft sought to
promote entrepreneurship
internationally, he said. As such,
Egypt would vote against the draft.
The Committee then approved
the text, as orally corrected, by a
recorded vote of 129 in
favourto31 against,with9 abstentions
( Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei
Darussalam, China, Ecuador, Mali,
Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe).
NOEL KAGANDA (United
Republic of Tanzania ) said he had
voted in favour of the draft because
entrepreneurship had a positive effect
on development. However, the United
Republic of Tanzania had always
supported the Palestinian people and
felt that discussions on the text had
been clouded by regional
considerations.
RON PROSOR ( Israel) said
entrepreneurship offered developing
communities the best hope for
breaking the cycle of poverty. The
actions of entrepreneurs had a ripple
effect, unlocking minds and inspiring
others to pursue their dreams. By
adopting the draft resolution, the
Committee was sending a clear and
simple message that entrepreneurship
was a primary pathway to sustainable
economic growth.
He went on to say that while
he had hoped for consensus, the Arab
Group had been committed to voting
against it even before negotiations
had ended. Recalling that people in
the Arab world had risen against their
Governments precisely because they
wanted better conditions, he said that
by failing to respond, Arab
Governments had “turned their backs
on their own people” and sent a clear
message that they cared far more
about “petty politics than human
prosperity”. Israel’s achievements
were the result of close collaboration
between business and Government,
he said, adding that stability required
people’s empowerment.
Mr. KHALIL ( Egypt),
responding to “incorrect elements” of
the Israeli representative’s statement,
said his delegation had been a
participant throughout the
negotiations, but had received no
signal of flexibility from Israel. The
Arab Group’s position had been
determined after the negotiations and
not decided during their course. It
had taken that position to protect the
Arab peoples, he said, calling on Israel
to ensure an end to continued
Palestinian suffering.