United Nations General Assembly A/RES/55/131 Distr.: General 28 February 2001 Fifty-fifth session Agenda item 85 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) (A/55/571)] 55/131. Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories The General Assembly, Bearing in mind the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, Recalling its relevant resolutions, Having considered the reports of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, 1 and the relevant reports of the Secretary-General, 2 Considering that the promotion of respect for the obligations arising from the Charter of the United Nations and other instruments and rules of international law is among the basic purposes and principles of the United Nations, Noting the convening of the meeting of experts of the high contracting parties to the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, 3 in Geneva from 27 to 29 October 1998, at the initiative of the Government of Switzerland in its capacity as the depositary of the Convention, concerning general problems of application of the Convention in general and, in particular, in occupied territories, Noting also the convening for the first time, on 15 July 1999, of a Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, as recommended by the General Assembly in its resolution ES-10/6 of 9 February 1999, on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, and to ensure respect thereof in accordance with article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions, 4 and aware of the statement adopted by the Conference, 1 A/55/373 and Add.1 and A/55/453. A/55/261-265. 3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973. 4 Ibid., Nos. 970-973. 2 00 56725