Assistance to Palestinian women and children – UNICEF 2010 annual session – UNICEF Executive Board report (excerpts)

Report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund on the work of its 2010

annual session** 

(1-4 June 2010)

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*Reissued for technical reasons on 2 September 2010.

** The present document is an advance version of the report of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund on its annual session (1-4 June 2010). The report on the first regular session (12-14 January 2010) was issued as E/2010/34 (Part I), and the report of the second regular session  (7-9 September 2010) will be combined with E/2010/34 (Parts I and II) and issued in final form as Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2010, Supplement 14 (E/2010/34/Rev.1-E/ICEF/2010/7/Rev.1).

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II.    Deliberations of the Executive Board

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C.    Proposals for UNICEF programme cooperation (agenda item 5)

(a) Draft area and country programme documents

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Middle East and North Africa

63. The Regional Director provided an overview of the draft CPD for Iraq (E/ICEF/2010/P/L.13) and the draft area programme document for Palestinian children and women in Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Syrian Arab Republic (E/ICEF/2010/P/L.14).

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65. The representative of Palestine said that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory had deteriorated to a critical phase and required urgent attention by the international community. The UNICEF focus on supporting the Palestinian Authority, in partnership with the United Nations country team, was welcomed, as was the programme strategy designed to respond to the humanitarian needs and maximize opportunities for development. The representative asked for clarification and rewording of some of the terms used in the draft area programme document.  Detailed observations would be shared with UNICEF for the revised document.

66. The representative of Jordan underlined the deterioration of living conditions in the region, which had negatively impacted the situation of children and women who are refugees from Palestine. Increased assistance should be given to UNICEF and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). International, regional and national entities needed to work together to assist Palestinian children through a broad range of measures, including a project to combat child labour with the Ministry of Labour in Jordan. Jordan had drafted a national plan for children, which will serve as a framework for action for children.

67. The representative of Lebanon said that the deteriorating situation in Gaza highlighted the suffering that the blockade had inflicted on civilians, especially children. The Government had taken several measures to improve the situation of Palestinians living in Lebanon and had been working with UNRWA and the Palestinian representative in Lebanon and the donor community to help to reconstruct the Nahr-al-Bared refugee camp following the 2007 crisis. More resources were needed. Lebanon was committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, with the support of UNICEF, and to providing for the wellbeing of Palestinian children.

68. The representative of the Syrian Arab Republic said that it was hoped that UNICEF programme support to children in the region would help to achieve the internationally agreed objectives in support of the Palestinian people who live under occupation and benefit Palestinians in other countries. The delegation had submitted detailed written comments to UNICEF on the draft area programme document. It was noted that the language employed in the document did not adequately reflect the situation on the ground.

69. One delegation called for close coordination among UNICEF and other members of the United Nations country team and said that attention needed to be focused on children in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The delegation inquired about the obstacles being encountered by the United Nations country team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

70. Other delegations called for support for Palestinian children and women in the area covered by the programme and for enhanced coordination of the United Nations agencies, emphasizing the assistance needed to prioritize the ignored and forgotten children. One speaker commended UNICEF for the focus on child protection and adolescents, emergency preparedness, and capacity-building and requested that the organization play a more active advocacy role in addressing the issue of humanitarian access. The speaker suggested several ways to improve the education component of the programme.

71. The Executive Director thanked the delegations for their comments. He said that UNICEF associated itself with the statement by the Secretary-General and by Sir John Holmes on the current situation. The population suffering hardships in Gaza deserved support from the international community.

72. The Regional Director expressed appreciation for the comments shared. She took note of the concerns on use of appropriate language regarding the political and security situation and on the data in the draft CPD for Iraq. Regarding the draft area programme document for Palestinian children and women, she said that the document had been developed through a consultative process. There were opportunities to amend and refine the language; UNICEF would make sure that the revised document had the full support of delegations. Noting the comments on the data gaps in the document, she said that the data had been gathered through a credible source but that more could be done to focus on specific areas, including East Jerusalem. Responding to a comment on the programme addressing violence in schools, she clarified that the violence and conditions in the schools were not solely due to conflict and that the programme follows a regional approach. She described some of the obstacles faced by the United Nations country team and noted that UNICEF worked very closely with United Nations and other partners. Referring to the comment on the education programme, she noted that all staff members are trained in cluster coordination and education and that a primary focus should be on capacity-building and not direct implementation.

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