Palestine as a Non-Member Observer State at the United Nations U.N. General Assembly Resolution A/58/314 Participation of the Holy See in the United Nations 16 July 2004 Fifty-eighth session Agenda item 59 Participation of the Holy See in the work of the United Nations Note by the Secretary-General The General Assembly, in paragraph 1 of its resolution 58/314 of 1 July 2004, decided to accord the Holy See, in its capacity as an Observer State, the rights and privileges of participation in the sessions and work of the General Assembly and the international conferences convened under the auspices of the Assembly or other organs of the United Nations, as well as in United Nations conferences as set out in the annex to that resolution. In paragraph 2 of the same resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to inform it, during the current session, about the implementation of the modalities annexed to that resolution. It should be noted that, as a State member of at least one specialized agency, the Holy See enjoys the same rights and privileges of participation as Member States in all meetings and conferences convened under the auspices of the United Nations which are open to all Member States of the United Nations and States members of the specialized agencies (“all States”). It should also be noted that, pursuant to the Statutes of the international tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, States Members of the United Nations and non-member States maintaining permanent observer missions at United Nations Headquarters, including the Holy See, have the right to submit nominations for, and to vote in, the elections of the permanent and ad litem judges of the aforementioned tribunals. Based on the Secretary-General’s understanding of resolution 58/314 and the annex thereto, the rights and privileges of participation of the Holy See, in its capacity as an Observer State, shall be effected through the following modalities, without prejudice to its aforementioned existing rights and privileges, in the sessions and work of the General Assembly and the international conferences, convened under its auspices, in the other organs of the United Nations and in United Nations conferences: 1. The right to participate in the general debate of the General Assembly.” The Holy See will have the right to participate in the general debate of the General Assembly after Member States and before Palestine in any particular meeting of the general debate. Since the list of speakers for the general debate of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly was established prior to the adoption of resolution 58/314, the Holy See will be accommodated at any meeting at which there are speaking slots still available. Henceforth, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See will be invited to submit three preferences of date and meeting (morning or afternoon) from within the period of the general debate of a regular session of 51