Joint press encounter by members of the newly elected Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee

Video link- UN Web TV

5 February 2025

Joint press encounter by members of the newly elected Bureau of Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP Bureau)

Committee Chair remarks (as delivered)

Members of the Accredited Press,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

• I am Ambassador Coly Seck, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the UN and newly elected Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for 2025.
• We address you following the Committee’s first meeting of 2025, during which the Bureau was elected by acclamation. The newly elected Bureau comprises:
  • H.E. Neville Melvin Gertze (Namibia) – Vice-Chair
  • H.E. Jaime Hermida Castillo (Nicaragua) – Vice-Chair
  • H.E. Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir (Indonesia) – Vice-Chair (represented by H.E. Hari Prabowo, Deputy Permanent Representative)
  • H.E. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán (Cuba) – Vice-Chair
  • H.E. Ahmad Faisal Muhamad (Malaysia) – Vice-Chair and Rapporteur
  • We are also joined by H.E. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the Observer State of Palestine.

Coly Seck (at microphone), New Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the United Nations, briefs reporters with Members of the newly-elected Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP Bureau). At fourth from right is Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. UN Photo/Manuel Elías

• As Chair, I reaffirm the Committee’s unwavering commitment to Palestinian rights. On 31 January, the Bureau welcomed the Gaza ceasefire as a critical step in halting military operations and addressing immense humanitarian suffering. We demand its full implementation and sustained humanitarian access for Gaza’s 2 million residents, who face devastation, displacement, and disease.
• The Committee commends the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. and urges continued engagement—especially by the Security Council—toward a lasting cessation of hostilities and the release of all hostages.
• However, we strongly condemn Israel’s ban on UNRWA, which obstructs vital humanitarian operations in direct violation of the UN mandate and General Assembly resolutions. UNRWA is irreplaceable in stabilizing the ceasefire and supporting Gaza’s recovery. This ban, imposed immediately after the ceasefire deal, will deepen Gaza suffering—not through airstrikes, but through deprivation, hunger, and disease.
• We call on Israel to immediately reverse this decision, which accelerates humanitarian collapse. As reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, where UNRWA operates. This ban is as unlawful as the occupation itself and must end.
• We strongly condemn the excessive and indiscriminate use of force by Israeli forces and demand the immediate lifting of the siege on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and the immediate stop to the deliberate destruction of neighborhoods and homes using explosives. The devastation in Jenin has resulted in the collapse of critical infrastructure, including UNRWA’s health clinic, which was bombed in recent attacks. Humanitarian aid to refugees must be allowed to enter to restore essential services and provide urgent relief.
• Looking ahead, the Committee’s 2025 Programme of Work prioritizes: Diplomatic engagement – Mobilizing Member States and engaging the Security Council; Awareness raising & advocacy, including global dissemination of updates, information and knowledge via social media and Committee UNISPAL website; Cooperation, including partnering with intergovernmental and CSOs and NGOs; and Capacity Building – supporting Palestinian government staff training.
• We rely on the media to keep focus to expose the rampant violations, occupation and threats to a viable two-State solution.
• I now give the floor to H.E. Riyad Mansour.