Newsletter on UN Palestinian Rights Committee Activities – No. 24 / April – June 2025

1. UN Committee on Palestinian Rights Holds 422nd Meeting and Screening of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” 

On 3 April, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) held its 422nd meeting, focusing on the ongoing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The meeting featured detailed briefings by representatives from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and human rights lawyer Netta Amar Shiff. These briefings provided insight into the humanitarian, legal, and human rights dimensions of the situation on the ground.  

A special highlight of the session was a conversation with Basel Adra, the Palestinian Co-Director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, and which was followed by a screening of the film, which powerfully documents life under occupation and the struggle for justice. The event served as a platform for raising awareness and deepening international understanding of the urgent human rights issues facing the Palestinian people. 

2. UNRWA’s Irreplaceable Role Highlighted in Bureau Briefing 

Following the “No Other Land” documentary screening, on 3 April, the Committee Bureau received a dedicated briefing from Ms. Natalie Boucly, Deputy Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), responsible for Programmes and Partnerships. She was joined by Ms. Greta Gunnarsdottir, UNRWA Liaison Officer at United Nations Headquarters. 

During the briefing, the Bureau emphasized the need for clear, consistent messaging on UNRWA’s vital role and mandate in the lead-up to the upcoming High-Level Conference on the Two-State solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. Members reaffirmed that UNRWA remains indispensable and irreplaceable in supporting Palestine refugees. It was underscored that UNRWA’s mandate will remain essential until the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people—most notably the right of return for Palestine refugees, are fully realized as part of a comprehensive and just solution. 

 3. CEIRPP Chair Calls for International Action to End Occupation and Uphold Palestinian Rights  

On 29 April, Ambassador Coly Seck, Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) and Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, delivered a statement during the United Nations Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question. 

In his remarks, Ambassador Seck strongly condemned Israel’s use of disproportionate and unrelenting force, and called for urgent, concrete international measures to end the ongoing conflict and occupation. Specifically, the statement rejected all inhumane and unlawful proposals to displace Palestinians from Gaza, whether framed as “voluntary migration,” redevelopment, or the absurd idea of a so-called ‘Riviera,’ as attempts to entrench the occupation. The full text of the statement is available here.  

4. Two Months Under Siege: UN Palestinian Rights Committee Bureau Demands Immediate Lifting of Gaza Blockade and Welcomes Ongoing ICJ Proceedings   

On 6 May, the Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People issued a statement strongly condemning the devastating developments following the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire on 18 March. 

The Bureau denounced the illegal blockade and siege imposed by Israel, the occupying Power, since 2 March 2025. The complete shutdown of food, fuel, medicine, and commercial supplies to the Palestinian civilian population has led to the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of lives have already been lost due to continued bombardment and deprivation since the collapse of the ceasefire. The Bureau called for immediate international action to end the siege and protect the rights and lives of civilians in accordance with international law. The full text of the statement is available here.  

5. 423rd Committee meeting – Nakba commemoration 

On 15 May, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convened, as requested by General Assembly resolution, A/RES/79/82, to commemorate the Nakba, the 1948 permanent displacement of more than half of the Palestinian population from their ancestral lands and which continues today. Minister Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN spoke on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine and highlighted the ongoing Nakba characterized by the forced mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Statements were also delivered by Blanca Montejo, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of the General Assembly, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and Professor Noura Erakat of Rutgers University. These statements are available on the UNISPAL website.  

The commemoration event was followed by the screening of episodes from the short film collection “From Ground Zero”, shedding light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and exploring the impact of conflict on civilians and the broader implications for international peace and security.  

6. 1st Committee Consultations with Civil Society for 2025 

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convened, on the margins of the 77th commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba, its first 2025 Committee-Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engagement “International Action Towards Ending the Nakba and Realizing the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People,” on 15 and 16 May 2025 in the ECOSOC Chamber at United Nations Headquarters. The event served as a platform for Member States and CSOs to brief on ongoing actions to implement General Assembly resolution ES-10/24. Experts from Palestine, Israel, Africa, Europe and the Americas delivered briefings on their recent efforts and deliberated on findings by civil society organizations and UN Special Procedures. Participants brainstormed on further coordination and cooperation between Member States and CSOs, in preparation for the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. 

7. 600 Days of Israeli War on Gaza: UN Committee Urges Immediate, Unhindered Humanitarian Access  

As the Israeli military attacks on Gaza entered its 600th day, the Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee issued a statement on 30 May to express grave concern over the escalating casualties, worsening humanitarian emergency, catastrophic devastation and destruction and the continued obstruction of life-saving assistance to the Palestinian people. “This somber milestone must be a moment of reckoning and moral clarity”, read the statement. The Bureau called on all Member States to take urgent, meaningful action to bring an end to the Israeli siege, ensure immediate, unimpeded and full humanitarian access to save the endangered lives of 2 million Palestinian children, women and men, halt their forced displacement and end the unbearable human suffering. The full text of the statement is available here.  

8. Bureau Meeting with former Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk 

On 10 June, the Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) convened for a meeting featuring the remote participation of former UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk. He provided insights into the legal and political implications of the ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as reflections on the now-postponed High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The Bureau also received an update from the Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, who briefed on current political and humanitarian developments on the ground. Discussions focused on upcoming Committee engagements, including the participation of a CEIRPP delegation at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Istanbul on 20–21 June, and continued preparations for the Committee’s International Conference on Jerusalem, scheduled to take place in Dakar on 9–10 July. Additionally, the Division, as the Committee’s Secretariat, briefed on ongoing advocacy and communications efforts, including strategies for amplifying key messages, enhancing outreach. They provided insights into the impact of the Committee’s social media and public outreach activities. 

9. OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul 

On 20-21 June, the Chair, together with Minister Riyad Mansour of Palestine, attended the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul and delivered a statement where he recalled the unprecedented suffering and humanitarian catastrophe characterized by untold death, destruction, deprivation and displacement suffered by Palestinians in Gaza. The Chair reminded that the Committee has repeatedly called for an urgent and unequivocal permanent ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access in accordance with international law and Security Council resolution 2735 (2024). He regretted that, that the two-State solution, deliberately undermined by Israel, was meant to be discussed at the High-Level International Conference in New York from 17 to 19 June, which was later postponed. The conference could have advanced the much-need recognition of the State of Palestine. 

10. Publications  

• The Monthly Bulletins offer a collection of important actions and documents by the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations relevant to the question of Palestine. They are available on the UNISPAL website, the world’s largest online repository of documents on the issue. 
• The weekly NGO Action News on recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society  Organizations working on the question of Palestine are available on the UNISPAL website in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. The Committee provides the information “as is” without warranty and does not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.