The Civil Society and the Question of Palestine
This page may contain links to third-party Web sites. The linked sites are not under the control of the United Nations and the United Nations is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. ±¬ÁÏÍø provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of a link or reference does not imply endorsement of the linked site by the United Nations. This newsletter is a project of the Division for Palestinian Rights, and is intended to provide information on NGO activities relevant to the question of Palestine . NGOs interested in contributing information on their activities should communicate it by email.The Division reserves the right to make the final selection with regard to material to be included in this newsletter. It cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of the information.
20 November 2015
Asia
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign Thailand is??the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with the theme ¡°Palestine Today and Tomorrow¡± at the ±¬ÁÏÍø Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCWA) building in Bangkok on 26 November. Speakers will be Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire, speaking about “Sustainability and Tourism in Palestine”, Professor Dr. Jaran Maluleem, Head of International Relations Department, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, speaking about “the current state of the Palestinian economy, its social context and political constraints”, Alee Arif, a representative of the Thai Muslim Community and a speaker from the NGO sector.
Europe
- The municipality of Leiden, the Netherlands is hosting a??by??and??¡°This used to be my bedroom¡±. In 2014, photographer Anne Paq documented the impact of the war on Gaza and through photographs of children and one simple question: ¡°What do you miss the most from your room?¡±. The opening of the exhibition will be on 19 of November with the mayor of Leiden, Henri Lenferink and Aloys van Rest, Director at Defence for Children. The exhibition will run from 17 to 27 November 2015.
- On 18 November, the??will hold an event with the shortlisted authors for the Awards in London. The event will be chaired by Professor Eugene Rogan, Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College, Oxford. The shortlisted books are ¡°Baddawi¡±, by Leila Abdelrazaq, ¡°Chief Complaint¡± by Hatim Kanaaneh, MD, ¡°Gaza, A History¡± by Jean-Pierre Filiu, ¡°Jerusalem Interrupted¡± by Lena Jayyusi, ¡°The Drone Eats With Me¡± by Atef Abu Saif, ¡°The Palestinians¡± by Elias Sanbar, and ¡°Vanished¡± by Ahmed Masoud.
Global
- , a network of librarians, archivists, and information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination are launching the??in January 2016 to discuss Sharon and My Mother-in-Law, the acclaimed memoir by Palestinian author and architect Suad Amiry.
North America
- On 16 November, the??in Washington, D.C. presented??with Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat, Chief PLO Representative to the US, who spoke about the urgent need for a paradigm shift in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
- On 19 November, the?, Columbia University in New York City held a discussion with Irene Gendzier and Rashid Khalidi ¡°¡±.
- On 28 November, the Canada Palestine Association in Vancouver will commemorate the??and honour Robert Lovelace, indigenous activist, lecturer and twice a Freedom Flotilla to Gaza sailor.
Middle East
- On 6 and 7 December, the??and the General Union of Palestine Workers will hold the??in Ramallah, Palestine.
- Last month, the??organised a field tour for of Greater Jerusalem for foreign diplomats based in Israel. The Geneva Initiative also organised a field tour last month for key political and social activists from the Ethiopian-Israeli community. During the tour the participants saw the separation between the Jewish and Palestinian neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, heard about the ¡°unique¡± status of residents of East Jerusalem and discussed possible solutions within the framework of a permanent status agreement.
United Nations
- The ±¬ÁÏÍø Palestinian Rights Committee will observe the??on Monday, 23 November 2015 at the ±¬ÁÏÍø Headquarters in New York. Observances will also be held at the ±¬ÁÏÍø Offices at Geneva on 30 November and at Vienna on 24 November. Events to mark Solidarity Day will also be organised at the ±¬ÁÏÍø Information Centres in Cairo, Jakarta, Canberra, Pretoria, Dakar and Moscow.
- ±¬ÁÏÍø Information Centers will organise events throughout the world:
| Algiers | 27/11/2015 | International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People |
| Ankara | 29/11/2015 | Outreach Activities related to International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People |
| Dakar | 29/11/2015 | Celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian people in partnership with ±¬ÁÏÍøIC Dakar, CODESRIA , Cheikh Anta Diop University and Palestinian Embassy |
| Dar es Salaam | 29/11/2015 | International Day of Solidarity with the Peoples of Palestine |
| Ouagadougou | 29/11/2015 | Public conference on the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People |
| Pretoria | 27/11/2015 | Commemorative event to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in partnership with the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the Embassy of the State of Palestine. |
- Solidarity Day, United Nations Headquarters, New York, Monday 23 November, (New York Time, UTC-5) – Live stream:?
- Programme
- 10.00?Special Meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.?All the ±¬ÁÏÍø membership is invited. This year¡¯s speakers include the President of the General Assembly, the Deputy Secretary-General of the ±¬ÁÏÍø, the Chairman of the Committee, the President of the Security Council and the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine. Defence for Children International Palestine will also speak.
- 15.00?Annual Debate of the General Assembly on the Question of Palestine
- 18:00. A photo exhibit entitled ¡°Palestinian Children: Overcoming Tragedies with Hope, Dreams, Resilience and Dignity¡± featuring photographs of Palestinian children in Gaza, will be opened in the public lobby of the ±¬ÁÏÍø.
- Want to connect with other civil society organisations on Solidarity Day?
- You may wish to contact civil society organizations, located near you, working to promote Palestinian rights to observe Solidarity Day, network and watch together the special meeting of the Committee and the General Assembly Debate on the Question of Palestine on 23 November. To find civil society organizations accredited or with observer status to the Committee located near you and get in touch with them:?
- For more information,?you may visit the Division for Palestinian Right¡¯s Facebook page??or follow us on Twitter @±¬ÁÏÍøISPAL using #PalestineDay to tweet about your activities for Solidarity Day.
- Want to tell us about it?
- Email us at palestinianrights@un.org with a picture and information about the activities you organised to observe Solidarity Day. We will publish it on the Civil Society Page of ±¬ÁÏÍøISPAL and inform other CSOs through our weekly newsletter NGO Action News.
- The ±¬ÁÏÍø Palestinian Rights Committee in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem?in Jakarta, Indonesia from 14 to 15 December. A Civil Society Forum?will be held on 16 December. Invitations to attend to accredited and observers CSOs will be sent shortly.