Item 9.1 of the provisional agenda
REQUEST FOR THE ADMISSION OF PALESTINE TO UNESCO
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OUTLINE
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1. In 34 C/Resolution 57, the General Conference decided to place this item on the agenda of its 35th session.
2. It was in 1989 that this item was included for the first time in the agenda of the governing bodies of UNESCO. Since then, in compliance with the 11 decisions of the Executive Board and ten resolutions of the General Conference in that regard, the Palestinian Authority has been closely associated with the activities of the Organization thanks to: the establishment in December 1993 of the Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee, whose mandate is to discuss joint cooperation priorities; the creation in April 1994 of the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP), which became the UNESCO Programme for Palestine (UPP) in April 2000; the opening in May 1997 of a UNESCO Office in Ramallah whose capacity for action has been substantially reinforced during the current biennium, primarily by the decentralization and mobilization of additional funds and the setting up of a Project Antenna in Gaza City enabling the Organization to contribute actively to the humanitarian response following the recent conflict (December 2008-January 2009) which has affected the Gaza Strip.
3. During the 2008-2009 biennium, UNESCO’s assistance to the Palestinian people and their institutions has been guided by the strategic priorities set at the eighth meeting of the Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee, which was held on 4-5 March 2008. On that basis, special attention has been given to the promotion of quality education, especially by advising the Palestinian Authority on its reform of the teacher-training system and in the field of education planning and management. With regard to culture, the assistance to the safeguarding of the Palestinian tangible and intangible cultural heritage has been further strengthened. The same has been true for the promotion of human rights, especially freedom of expression and of the press and women’s rights. Lastly, following the conflict which affected the Gaza Strip (December 2008-January 2009), a major programme of humanitarian aid in the field of education has been developed. It is benefiting the secondary-school pupils and university students of Gaza by providing them with quality alternative educational opportunities, thus aiming at restoring and enhancing the entire education system in Gaza.
4. This item has also been placed on the provisional agenda of the 182nd session of the Executive Board. The decision taken by the Executive Board on the matter will be submitted in an addendum to this document.
Item 9.1 of the provisional agenda
REQUEST FOR THE ADMISSION OF PALESTINE TO UNESCO
ADDENDUM
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OUTLINE
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The Executive Board,
1. Recalling 167 EX/Decision 8.5, 172 EX/Decision 47, 177 EX/Decision 60 and 34 C/Resolution 57,
2. Having examined document 182 EX/52,
3. Decides to include this item in the agenda of its 187th session;
4. Recommends that the General Conference adopt, at its 35th session, the following draft resolution:
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/35C25andAdd.pdf
Document Type: Decision, Outline
Document Sources: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Country: Israel
Subject: Education and culture, Governance, Land, Legal issues, Population, Statehood-related
Publication Date: 02/10/2009