Background Release

 ‘Solidifying Economic Underpinnings’ of Independent Palestinian State

 

Will Be Theme for United Nations Seminar Set for Nairobi, 1-2 July

 

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, on 1 and 2 July, under the theme “Fostering Active International Solidarity with the Palestinians: Solidifying the Economic Underpinnings of an Independent State”.

Opening the Seminar at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 3 will be Sahle-Work Zewde,Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Abdou Salam Diallo, Chairman of the Committee, Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and a representative of the State of Palestine.  (Full programme is available here.)

The purpose of the Seminar is to review the impact of the ongoing Israeli occupation, including the recent escalation, on the socioeconomic situation in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip.  In addition, the Seminar will look at the Palestinian National Development Plan for 2014-15 and explore long-term strategies for economic development and growth, as well as some of the opportunities following the State of Palestine’s accession to 20 international treaties and conventions.  Finally, it will address new aid paradigms for mobilizing international assistance.

Organized in keeping with General Assembly resolutions 68/12 and 68/13 of 26 November 2013, the Seminar will feature, among other participants, renowned experts on the issues under consideration, all United Nations Member States and observers, and United Nations system entities, as well as representatives of other intergovernmental organizations, civil society and the media.  The Seminar’s official languages will be Arabic, English and French.

Updates on the Seminar will be available on the Division for Palestinian Rights website, on Facebook and on Twitter via #UNPalrights and #2014forPalestine.

The Chairman’s summary as well as a full report of the proceedings will be issued, in due course, as a publication of the Division.

For further information, please contact the Division for Palestinian Rights at dpr-meeting@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record