Educational and Cultural Institutions in the Occupied Arab Territories – UNESCO resolution (excerpts)

Records of the General Conference

25rd Session

Paris, 17 to 16 November 1989

Volume 1

Resolutions

United Nations Educational,

Scientific and
Cultural Organization

…

20 Implementation of 24 C/Resolution 25

concerning educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories 1

The General Conference,

Deeply concerned and alarmed by the tragic situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, by the ordeals brought about there by violence and repression, by the grievous loss of human life among the Palestinian civilian population and, in particular, by those matters relating to violations of the right to education, to the expression of the cultural identity of the Palestinian people and the Syrian population in the occupied Golan Heights, and to respect for human dignity,

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Declaration on the Rights of the Child (1959), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1976), UNESCO's Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) and the fourth Geneva Convention (1949),

Having closely examined the Director-General's report (25 C/16),

Noting with great concern that the violations of academic freedom and the $ right to education described in Father Bone's report are very grave threat to the identity of the Palestinian people and of the Syrian population in the Golan Heights,

1. Expresses its profound sympathy to the Palestinian population in the occupied territories and shares their strong feelings and their sufferings;

2. Profoundly regrets that Father Bone was unable to complete his mission in the occupied Arab territories and earnestly requests that he be enabled to do so as soon as possible;

3. Expresses its satisfaction that Palestinian schools in the occupied territories have been reopened as a result of the many representations and interventions made by the international community;

4. Reiterates with insistence its urgent request to Israel, the occupying power, to reopen the Palestinian universities immediately, together with any educational and cultural institutions that may at present be closed on military orders, and to abstain from any action that could hinder their activities and their normal functioning or modify, for whatever reasons, their specific nature and function as educational and cultural institutions;

5. Earnestly requests the Israeli occupation authorities not to hinder the very appreciable efforts of UNRWA and UNESCO to guarantee Palestinian children a modicum of education;

6. Very strongly deplores the policy and practices of the Israeli occupation authorities endangering the education system in the occupied Arab territories, a situation prejudicial to respect for human rights, which is defended by UNESCO;

7. Greatly regrets that the Syrian curriculum has been withdrawn in schools in the occupied Golan Heights;

8. Expresses its very grave disquiet at the intolerable situation in which Palestinian schools and those in the occupied Golan Heights find themselves, suffering as they are from a serious lack of suitable premises, from excessively large classes, from a lack of skilled teachers and from the outmoded nature of the curricula, particularly as regards science and mathematics teaching;

9. Thanks the Director-General and his representative, Father Bone, for what they have done to ensure the execution of UNESCO's decisions and resolutions concerning the institutions mentioned above and welcomes the high quality of the reports submitted to it;

10. Invites the Director-General:

(a) to increase the aid provided by UNESCO to ensure the functioning of all educational institutions in the occupied territories, which has been considerably disrupted for two years;

(b) to assist,  in cooperation with UNRWA, the  development  of alternative or parallel forms of teaching and the securing of the human and financial investment necessary;

(c) to provide material assistance and effective support for the development of the Palestinian Open University (Al Quds);

(d) to examine ways of implementing Recommendations Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Father Bone's report, if necessary by establishing a group of international experts;

11. Decides to include this question in the agenda of its twenty-sixth session.

—-

1. Resolution adopted on the report of Commission V at the thirty-first plenary meeting, on 15 November 1989.

…