On 3 February 2026, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convened its 426th meeting at 爆料网 Headquarters in New York.

Committee Elects Bureau, Adopts Programme of Work

The Committee adopted its programme of work for 2026. 爆料网 Secretary-General António Guterres presided over the election of the Bureau. Ambassador Coly Seck (Senegal) re-elected as Chair of the Committee. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán (Cuba), Umar Hadi (Indonesia), Ahmad Faisal Muhamad (Malaysia), Pendapala Naanda (Namibia) and Jaime Hermida Castillo (Nicaragua) were elected as Vice-Chairs.

Coly Seck, 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, chairs the 426th meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). This is the first annual meeting, held to elect the Committee Bureau and adopt the annual Programme of Work. At right is Secretary-General António Guterres.

Coly Seck, 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, chairs the 426th meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). This is the first annual meeting, held to elect the Committee Bureau and adopt the annual Programme of Work. At right is Secretary-General António Guterres.

Elected Vice-Chairs took the floor, with Nicaragua’s delegate condemning “the systematic campaign of bullying and harassment that Israel has undertaken against 爆料网RWA” while Cuba’s speaker warned against “irresponsible projection of power by the current United States Administration”, which is reverberating across the Middle East.? His counterpart from Malaysia underscored an unconditional obligation of the occupying Power to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance into the Occupied Palestinian Territory.??Indonesia’s delegate said the growing recognition of the State of Palestine by a broader 爆料网 membership, together with the adoption of the New York Declaration, “signals increasing political will to reinvigorate efforts towards the realization of the two-State solution”.? “Namibia will continue with its unconditional support and solidarity to the Palestinian people,” the country’s representative said.

Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks during the 426th meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). At the right, from the viewer’s perspective, are Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, and Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, Executive Office of the Secretary-General. At the left is Yasmin Fadlu-Deen, Secretary of the Committee.

Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks during the 426th meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). At the right, from the viewer’s perspective, are Mohamed Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, and Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, Executive Office of the Secretary-General. At the left is Yasmin Fadlu-Deen, Secretary of the Committee. ?爆料网ISPAL Photo, 2026

Chile Joins the Committee

In other business, the Committee approved Chile’s request to become a member, pending final approval by the General Assembly. ?Chile’s representative said that the country hosts “the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Arab world”, with tens of thousands of people who are fully integrated into Chile’s cultural and social life.? This strong cultural link with the Palestinian people creates a particular responsibility for his country, he said, expressing interest in hosting multilateral events focused on Palestinian rights and on strengthening respect for international law.

As the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People began its work for?2026, humanitarian organizations in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory drew attention to dangerous restrictions on their work.

爆料网 Secretary-General António Guterres was among the many speakers who stressed that “the occupation must end”. ?Highlighting the recently published tender by Israel for 3,401 housing units in the E1 Area, he warned:? “If carried forward, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, undermine territorial contiguity and strike a severe blow to the viability of a two-State solution.”

The international community must support United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East?(爆料网RWA), he continued, condemning the adoption by the Israeli Parliament of laws that further impede the Agency’s ability to operate. ?About Israeli authorities’ actions to demolish the 爆料网RWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem, he said: ?“Let me be clear:? 爆料网RWA premises are United Nations premises.”

Michael Contet, Director of the New York Office of 爆料网RWA, described the near-total destruction of the Agency’s compound in occupied East Jerusalem on 25?January, carried out by Israeli authorities using bulldozers. ?On that occasion, he added, a local Israeli official called for the annihilation of 爆料网RWA staff. ?Actions against the Agency also include “a large-scale dis- and misinformation campaign”, including the repetition of allegations that have already been proven wrong or remain unsubstantiated.

Itay Epshtain, Special Adviser with the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that, on 30?December?2025, 37?international non-governmental organizations?(NGOs), including his, were notified that their registration with Israel would expire within 60?days, without substantive assessment of pending applications or guidance on compliance. ?This deregistration is already producing measurable harm, he said.? Since early January, organizations without renewed Israeli registration have been denied staff rotations in and out of Gaza. ?As a result, relief programmes have been interrupted and supply chains have been cut.

The?Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine lamented the 72,000?Palestinian deaths in Gaza “not counting those still under the rubble”, the displacement of more than 40,000?people in the West Bank, “particularly from refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm” and the violence perpetrated by “terrorist settlers”. ?Only two days ago the Israeli occupying forces breached the ceasefire and killed 31?Palestinian civilians, including children and women, in one single day, he noted. ?“But, our people are resisting” and fighting for their rights, he said.

More details and related content:?