101. Many representatives referred to the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of women living within and outside the occupied Arab territories (E/CN.6/1988/8 and Corr.l) and emphasized the problems confronting women and their causes. Several stressed that Palestinian women shared the fate and the 40 years of suffering of the whole Palestinian nation and that Palestinian women living in refugee camps had faced special hardships and instability. 102. Several representatives commended the report of the Secretary-General and its conclusions, but several others stated that since the report was based on limited information and drawn from existing United Nations documents that considered the situation of the PalestiniaJ people in general, it provided little specific information on Palestinian women. They further stated that assistance currently provided by the United Nations system to Palestinian people did not focus specifically on the needs of women. The educational and training programmes of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), for example, were not sufficiently attended by women. A special fact-finding mission could collect first-hand information to identify the main needs of Palestinian women and present a report on the subject to the Commission at its thirty-third session. Those needs should be further addre~sed in various forms and at all levels by the appropriate United Nations assistance programmes. 103. A few representatives suggested that, in addition to a fact-finding mission, the Commission should send messages to heads of relevant States expressing its concern over the current situation in the occupied Arab territories and, in particular, the situation of women and children. One representative expressed her dissatisfaction with the report of the Secretary-General, since it did not provide the factual information on the subject that was necessary for the organization of 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the situation of women living in occupied Arab territories, including refugee camps, and the need for more specific information and assistance from the United Nations system. It highlights the difficulties faced by Palestinian women and the lack of focus on their needs in existing UN programs.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Education