United Nations Asian and pacific meeting on question of palestine

 

to be held in jakarta, indonesia, 8-9 june

United Nations Public Forum

In Support of Palestinian People Will Follow on 10 June

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

JAKARTA, 3 June -- The United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations Asian and Pacific Meeting on the Question of Palestine on 8 and 9 June 2009 at the Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta.  The theme of the Meeting is “Strengthening international consensus on the urgency of achieving a two-State solution”.  It will be followed, on 10 June 2009, by the United Nations Public Forum in Support of the Palestinian People. 

The objective of both meetings is to encourage broad international action, including by Asian and Pacific States and societies, in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace and for achieving a negotiated two-State solution to the conflict.  Invited to the Meeting are eminent personalities, including high-level officials from the host Government; internationally renowned experts, including Palestinian and Israeli; representatives of United Nations Members and observers; parliamentarians; representatives of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations; the academic community; representatives of civil society organizations; as well as the media.

Theopening session of the Meeting will take place on Monday, 8 June, at 10:30 a.m., in the “ Sumba” conference room of the Hotel Borobudur.  The session will be addressed by Triyone Wibowo, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia; Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations; Paul Badji, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; and the representative of Palestine.  The opening session will be followed by a segment in which representatives of Governments, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations system entities will be invited to make statements.  The Meeting will continue in three plenary sessions, during which experts will address specific issues.  Each plenary session will have a discussion period.

Plenary I, entitled “International efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine”, will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, 8 June, with the participation of Abdel Rahim Malouh, Member of the Executive Committee, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); Diana Buttu, lawyer, former member of the PLO Negotiations Support Unit; Amira Hass, journalist, Ha’aretz; and Kamal Hossain, former member, Inquiry Commission of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.  The presentations will be followed by a broader discussion among the participants.

On Tuesday morning, 9 June, at 10 a.m., Plenary II will be devoted to “The imperative of a just solution of the question of Jerusalem”.  Presentations will be made by Abdelaziz Aboughoush, Ambassador of Palestine to Malaysia; Rami M. Nasrallah, Head of the Board of Directors, International Peace and Cooperation Center; Daniel Seidemann, legal counsel, Ir Amim; Franz Magnis-Suseno, SJ, theology expert; Andrew Rettman, journalist, EUobserver; and Ismail Patel, Advisory Board Member, Conflicts Forum.  A broader discussion will follow.

Plenary III, starting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 9 June, is entitled “Support by Asian and Pacific countries for a permanent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.  Speakers include Akifumi Ikeda, Professor and Vice-President, Toyo-Eiwa University; Nigel Parsons, Lecturer, Politics Programme, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University; Li Guofu, Researcher, China Institute of International Studies; Ruhanas Harun, Associate Professor and Head, Strategic Studies and International Relations Program, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan; Azyumardi Azra, Islamic scholar, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University; and Samuel Lee, Director General, Corporation Ecopeace Asia.  A discussion period will follow.

The closing session will take place on Tuesday, 9 June, at 5:30 p.m. 

Representatives of civil society will have the opportunity to discuss in greater detail their role in the question of Palestine at a Public Forum to be held also at the Hotel Borobudur on Wednesday, 10 June, starting at 10 a.m. with an opening statement by Paul Badji, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.  The morning session will look at the role of civil society in solidarity with the Palestinian people.  Speakers include Joharah Baker, Senior Writer with the Palestinian Initiative for Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), former Editor of the Palestine Report; Gershon Baskin, Co-Chair, Israeli-Palestinian Center for Research and Information; Hikmahanto Juwana, Professor of Law, University of Indonesia; Nizam Bashir, Member of the Legal Team, Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War; and Marie Antoinette S. Leviste, Outreach Convener, Young Moro Professionals Network.  The afternoon session will discuss coordination efforts of Asian and Pacific civil society and worldwide initiatives to support a peaceful solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Speakers that have accepted the Committee’s invitation include Din Syamsuddin, Chairman, Muhammadiyah; Ram Karthigasu, grass-roots organizer; Latif Dori, Secretary, Committee for Israeli-Palestinian Dialogue; and Sonja Karkar, President, Women for Palestine, Co-Convener, Australians for Palestine.

All sessions of the Meeting, as well as the Public Forum, are open to the media.

The working language of both events will be English.

Reports of both events will be issued, in due course, as a publication of the Division for Palestinian Rights of the United Nations Secretariat.

Registration of participants and observers

Participants and observers, including the representatives of the media, are required to register and obtain Meeting badges prior to entering the conference room.  A registration area will be set up in front of the Belitung Room on the mezzanine level of the Hotel Borobudur.  Advance registration will be held from Thursday, 4 June, to Sunday, 7 June, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Registration on Monday, 8 June, will start at 8:30 a.m.  All participants and observers are required to submit a passport-type photo together with the completed registration form, in order for the required photo badge to be issued.   Kindly take advantage of the advance registration in order to avoid delays on Monday, prior to the opening of the Meeting.  Representatives of civil society, including the media, will have to register between Thursday and Sunday.  On Monday morning, 8 June, registration is reserved for participating delegations only.

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For information media • not an official record