The United Nations (UN) International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is annually observed across the globe on 29 November to provide an opportunity for the international community to show its support for the Palestinian people, who are still striving for fundamental rights.
- The UN observes the day by undertaking its annual debate on the question of Palestine, which remains unresolved.
Note: The 2023 observance gains added significance due to Israel’s attack on Gaza following the October 7 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Islamic militant organisation.
Background:
i.On 2 December 1977, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/32/40 B and proclaimed the 29 November of every year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
ii.The first International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed in 1978.
Why 29 November?
i.On that day, in 1947, the UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/181 (II) on the partition of Palestine.
- The date was chosen because of its meaning and significance to the Palestinian people.
ii.The resolution also known as the Partition Plan, outlined the partition of the mandate for Palestine, envisioning 2 states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem designated for international governance.
Note: Of the 2 states to be established under this resolution, only Israel has so far come into being, the establishment of the Arab State, yet, remains unrealised after 76 years.
Division for Palestinian Rights:
i.On 1 December 2005, the UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/60/37, which mandated the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights.
- The mandate is to organise an annual exhibit on Palestinian rights or a cultural event cooperating with the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the UN.
ii.This initiative aligns with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on November 29.
Special Meeting:
i.In 2023, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) held a Special Meeting to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
ii.In a Special Meeting, the UN member states expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian people, through messages by Heads of State and Government.
iii.The meeting was held in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber at UN Headquarters (HQ) in New York, the United States of America (USA).
Chair: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired the meeting.
2023 Events:
i.UN Geneva (Switzerland) hosted the commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Exhibit:
i.An exhibit entitled “Palestine – a Land with a People” was inaugurated on November 29, 2023, and remains on display at UNHQ in New York until January 8th, 2023.
ii.The exhibit commemorates the Palestinian Nakba (meaning catastrophe in Arabic), a deeply traumatic event that took place during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
iii.This exhibit showcases photographs, videos, and art depicting different episodes in the Palestinian journey before, during, and after the Nakba.
- 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the mass displacement of Palestinians known as “the Nakba” or “the Catastrophe”.
About United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
Commissioner-General– Mr Philippe Lazzarini (Under-Secretary-General of the UN)
Headquarters– Amman (Jordan) and Gaza (Palestinian Territory)
Following the 1948 War, UNRWA was established by UNGA on 8 December 1949 to carry out direct relief and work programs for Palestine refugees. The Agency began operations on 1 May 1950.
