NGO Action News – 29 December 2017

This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations affiliated with the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

NGO Action News
29  December 2017

Middle East

• On 26 December, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) organized in Gaza the conference “Promotion of the Right to Health and Access to Healthcare”. The event highlighted the challenges faced by Gazans in need of medical treatment outside the Strip, including attempts to recruit as informants patients who depend on Israeli permits to access medical services.

• On 24 December, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) published an overview, providing updated information and analysis of legislative initiatives introduced in the Israeli Knesset. 

North America

• On 24 December, Palestine Legal director Dima Khalidi and Columbia University Professor Rashid Khalidi discussed with Estee Chandler, host of the KPFK radio programme “Middle East in Focus”, the implications of the recent U.S. decision on Jerusalem.

Latin America 

• Regarding the position of Guatemala and Honduras on the status of Jerusalem, Chile’s DíarioUChile published on 29 December an interview with Rafael Araya Masry, President of the Confederación Palestina de América Latina y del Caribe (COPLAC). In a letter dated 26 December, COPLAC called on Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales to rescind the decision to move to Jerusalem its embassy to Israel.

Asia

• From 20 to 22 December, the Chinese government hosted in Beijing a high-level meeting between Israeli and Palestinian delegations, organized in partnership with the track two diplomacy Geneva Initiative. As reported in the Jerusalem Post on 27 December, discussions resulted in a policy paper outlining steps to reignite the peace process and achieve a two-State solution.

United Nations 

• On 28 December, OCHA released its overview of trends affecting humanitarian needs in the OPT over the last year and published early warning indicators to monitor the evolution of the crisis in Gaza, trigger humanitarian action and prevent further deterioration.

• At an event to close the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign on 10 December, UN Women launched audio-visual materials highlighting the specific impact of the blockade on women in Gaza. Featuring the personal stories of seven women, the materials illustrate the importance of ensuring that the needs, contributions and capacities of women and girls are taken into consideration in all aspects of the humanitarian response.