|
Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People Background In 1975, by its resolution 3376 the General Assembly established the Committee, and requested it to recommend a programme of implementation to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination without external interference, national independence and sovereignty, and to return to their homes and property. The Committee’s recommendations were endorsed by the Assembly, to which the Committee reports annually. The Assembly has gradually expanded the Committee’s mandate and established the Division for Palestinian Rights as its secretariat. The Committee has welcomed the 1991 Madrid peace process as well as the 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent agreements reached by Israel and the PLO. The Committee has strongly supported the objective, affirmed in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002), of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and recognized borders. The Committee has also welcomed the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet’s Road Map and has supported all efforts towards their realization. More recently, the Committee also welcomed the holding of the Annapolis Conference and the Joint Understanding reached by the parties. The Committee promotes international support for and assistance to the Palestinian people. Through its General Assembly-mandated programme of activities, it continues to generate international awareness of the question of Palestine. In addition to international meetings and conferences, publications and other informational activities, the Committee each year holds a special meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November). The Committee, chaired by Senegal, has 22 members and 26 observers.
|