Educational and cultural institutions in the OATs – UNESCO decision

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Hundred and sixty-ninth Session

(Paris, 14-28 April 2004)*

169 EX/Decisions

PARIS, 25 May 2004

DECISIONS ADOPTED BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

AT ITS 169th SESSION

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*Including the meetings of the subsidiary bodies before the plenary meetings.

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169 EX/DECISION 8.1

CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES

8 GENERAL MATTERS

8.1 Implementation of 167 EX/Decision 9.1 and 32 C/Resolution 54 concerning educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories (169 EX/35 and 169 EX/45 Part II (Rev. in English only))

The Executive Board,

1. Having examined the report of the Director-General (169 EX/35),

2. Recalling 32 C/Resolution 54 of the General Conference and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with regard to the right to education; and Articles 4 and 94 of the Geneva Convention with regard to the denial of the right of children to education,

3. Also recalling the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972) and the Hague Convention (1954) and its additional protocols,

4. Further recalling the role that UNESCO is called upon to play in the exercise of the right to education for all and in the protection of cultural, historical and natural heritage,

5. Considering the need for safe access of Palestinians to the education system, particularly recalling the consequences of recent measures which affect the fulfilment of this need,

6. Deeply concerned about the safeguarding of monuments, works of art, manuscripts, books and other cultural property to be protected in the event of conflicts,

7. Expressing its deep concern at all the obstacles that gravely undermine the cultural and natural heritage, cultural and educational institutions, and the right to education,

8. Recalls paragraph 32 of the Medium-Term Strategy (31 C/4 Approved), defining a “road map for a revitalized UNESCO: principles of action and programming”, and paragraph 12 of 31 C/Resolution 43;

9. Supports the efforts made by the Director-General with a view to the implementation of 32 C/Resolution 54;

10. Regrets the delays as regards the implementation of some parts of certain resolutions and decisions of UNESCO, and requests the Director-General to do everything possible to ensure that they are fully implemented;

11. Urgently appeals for the necessary measures to be taken so as to enable the Palestinian educational establishments to function;

12. Profoundly regrets that the implementation of the third phase of the UNESCO Programme for Palestine (UPP) has long been suspended, and expresses the hope that the Joint UNESCO-Palestinian Authority Committee, which has been reactivated, will continue to meet regularly on an annual basis with a view to being results-oriented;

13. Requests the Director-General to reinforce his action in favour of reconstruction, rehabilitation and restoration of Palestinian cultural heritage and archaeological sites;

14. Urges the Director-General to strengthen the plan of action, through the intersectoral coordination team, with a view to implementing the UNESCO Programme for Palestine, which is included as a priority in the Programme and Budget for 2004-2005 (32 C/5 Approved);

15. Appreciates the establishing of the Director-General’s Task Force on Reconstruction and Reconciliation in the Middle East in UNESCO’s fields of competence;

16. Invites the Director-General to address the needs for capacity-building in all UNESCO’s fields of competence by expanding the financial assistance programme for Palestinian students from both regular budget and extrabudgetary resources;

17. Calls on the Joint UNESCO-Palestinian Authority Committee to convene a donor meeting in order to have additional capacities to achieve the objectives set out in this decision;

18. Expresses the hope that the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli peace negotiations will be resumed and that a just and comprehensive peace will speedily be brought about in accordance with UNESCO’s Constitution and the United Nations resolutions, particularly the relevant Security Council resolutions on this matter;

19. Also invites the Director-General:

(a) to continue the efforts he is making with a view to preserving the human, social and cultural fabric of the occupied Syrian Golan, in accordance with the relevant provisions of this decision;

(b) to undertake efforts with a view to offering appropriate curricula and to provide more grants and special assistance to the educational institutions of the occupied Syrian Golan;

20. Decides to include this item in the agenda of its 170th session.

(169 EX/SR.8)

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