{"id":315119,"date":"2026-02-03T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=315119"},"modified":"2026-03-04T14:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T19:02:43","slug":"426th-committee-meeting-election-of-bureau-chile-joins-the-committee-3-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/426th-committee-meeting-election-of-bureau-chile-joins-the-committee-3-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"426th Committee Meeting: Election of Bureau, Chile joins the Committee – 3 February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 3 February 2026, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convened its 426th meeting at ±¬ÁÏÍø Headquarters in New York.<\/p>\n

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Committee Elects Bureau, Adopts Programme of Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Committee adopted its programme of work<\/a> for 2026. ±¬ÁÏÍø Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres presided over the election of the Bureau. Ambassador Coly Seck (Senegal) re-elected as Chair of the Committee. Ernesto Sober\u00f3n Guzm\u00e1n (Cuba), Umar Hadi (Indonesia), Ahmad Faisal Muhamad (Malaysia), Pendapala Naanda (Namibia) and Jaime Hermida Castillo (Nicaragua) were elected as Vice-Chairs.<\/p>\n

\"Coly

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 Ant\u00f3nio Guterres.<\/p><\/div>\n

Elected Vice-Chairs took the floor, with Nicaragua\u2019s delegate condemning \u201cthe systematic campaign of bullying and harassment that Israel has undertaken against ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA\u201d while Cuba\u2019s speaker warned against \u201cirresponsible projection of power by the current United States Administration\u201d, which is reverberating across the Middle East.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0Indonesia\u2019s delegate said the growing recognition of the State of Palestine by a broader ±¬ÁÏÍø membership, together with the adoption of the New York Declaration, \u201csignals increasing political will to reinvigorate efforts towards the realization of the two-State solution\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cNamibia will continue with its unconditional support and solidarity to the Palestinian people,\u201d the country\u2019s representative said.<\/p>\n

\"Secretary-General

Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio 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\u2019s 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. \u00a9±¬ÁÏÍøISPAL Photo, 2026<\/p><\/div>\n

Chile Joins the Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n

In other business, the Committee approved Chile\u2019s request<\/a> to become a member, pending final approval by the General Assembly. \u00a0Chile\u2019s representative said that the country hosts \u201cthe largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Arab world\u201d, with tens of thousands of people who are fully integrated into Chile\u2019s cultural and social life.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>

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As the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People began its work for\u00a02026, humanitarian organizations in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory drew attention to dangerous restrictions on their work.<\/p>\n

±¬ÁÏÍø Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres was among the many speakers who stressed that \u201cthe occupation must end\u201d. \u00a0Highlighting the recently published tender by Israel for 3,401 housing units in the E1 Area, he warned:\u00a0 \u201cIf 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The international community must support United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(±¬ÁÏÍøRWA), he continued, condemning the adoption by the Israeli Parliament of laws that further impede the Agency\u2019s ability to operate. \u00a0About Israeli authorities\u2019 actions to demolish the ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem, he said: \u00a0\u201cLet me be clear:\u00a0 ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA premises are United Nations premises.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Contet, Director of the New York Office of ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA<\/strong>, described the near-total destruction of the Agency\u2019s compound in occupied East Jerusalem on 25\u00a0January, carried out by Israeli authorities using bulldozers. \u00a0On that occasion, he added, a local Israeli official called for the annihilation of ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA staff. \u00a0Actions against the Agency also include \u201ca large-scale dis- and misinformation campaign\u201d, including the repetition of allegations that have already been proven wrong or remain unsubstantiated.<\/p>\n

Itay Epshtain, Special Adviser with the Norwegian Refugee Council<\/strong>, said that, on 30\u00a0December\u00a02025, 37\u00a0international non-governmental organizations\u00a0(NGOs), including his, were notified that their registration with Israel would expire within 60\u00a0days, without substantive assessment of pending applications or guidance on compliance. \u00a0This deregistration is already producing measurable harm, he said.\u00a0 Since early January, organizations without renewed Israeli registration have been denied staff rotations in and out of Gaza. \u00a0As a result, relief programmes have been interrupted and supply chains have been cut.<\/p>\n