International Meeting on Question of Palestine — ‘Israeli Settlements as Obstacle to Peace: Possible Ways Forward’ — in Brussels, 7-8 September

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, will convene an international meeting on the Question of Palestine in Brussels, at The Hotel, on 7 and 8 September 2015.  The theme of the conference will be “Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace — possible ways forward”.

The opening session will begin on Monday, 7 September 2015, at 10 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom on the first floor of The Hotel, which is located at Boulevard de Waterloo, 38.  Statements will be made by Rima Khalaf, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki‑moon; Fodé Seck, Chair of the United Nations Palestinian Rights Committee; Riad Malki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine; Samir Bakr Diab, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; high-level representatives of the League of Arab States; and others.

In the afternoon, and on 8 September, international, European, Palestinian and Israeli speakers will discuss the impact of settlements as well as the role of the international community, including regional organizations, national and regional institutions, European Union guidelines on import and labelling of goods produced in Israeli settlements and action by parliamentarians, civil society and local authorities.  Christine Chanet, Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Fact-finding mission on Israeli settlements, Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations and Lotte Leicht of Human Rights Watch will be among the speakers.

The conference will be open to the media.  A press conference is scheduled in the Grand Ballroom on Monday 7 September at 11 a.m.  For media inquiries, interview requests and to register to attend please contact the Meeting Secretariat at: dpr-meeting@un.org.  Registration will be at The Hotel from 2 to 4 September in Room 25.1 on the twenty-fifth floor and from 5 to 9 September at the Park Ballroom on the first floor of The Hotel. 

Meeting updates, including the programme of the event and press releases, will be posted online at www.un.org/depts/dpa/qpal/calendar.htm and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/unispal.  A Chair’s summary as well as a full report will be issued after the conference.