United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights

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The United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights (UNDPR) is a part of the Department of Political Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat.

1 History
2 Activities
3 Criticism
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

The UNDPR, originally named Special Unit on Palestinian Rights in the United Nations Secretariat, was created by the UNGA Resolution 3240 of December 2, 1977:

"Following the affirmation of the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment in 1975 of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, the General Assembly recognized the need for creating an informed public opinion around the world in support of the achievement of those rights" in order "... to assist the Committee in its work and to prepare studies and publications on the issue and to promote maximum publicity for them." ^[1]

The Division's mandate has been renewed annually and has been expanded several times over the years, in particular to include the organization of international meetings, the establishment of a computer-based information system called the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) ^[2] and the holding of an annual training program for staff of the Palestinian Authority.

[edit] Activities

The core functions of the Division include:

Providing support and services for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
Assisting the Committee in the exercise of its mandate and the promotion and implementation of its recommendations
Planning, organizing and servicing the Committee's program of international meetings
Maintaining liaison with active NGOs
Organizing the annual commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
Preparing studies and publications "relating to the question of Palestine and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and promoting their widest possible dissemination, including in cooperation with the Department of Public Information"
Maintaining and developing the Web-based United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL).

[edit] Publications

The Division prepares the following publications on a regular basis:

A monthly bulletin on international action on the question of Palestine, containing resolutions, decisions and communiqués of the relevant United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies and agencies
A periodic bulletin entitled Developments related to the Middle East Peace Process
A monthly chronological summary of events based on press reports and other publicly available sources
A special bulletin on the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
An annual compilation of resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council relating to the question of Palestine

[edit] Training programs

The Division has conducted an annual training program for staff of the Palestinian Authority since 1996. The program is carried out at United Nations Headquarters in New York in cooperation with the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations in conjunction with the convening of the General Assembly.

[edit] International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually to commemorate the adoption on November 29, 1947 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II), which provided for the partition of Palestine into two States. The observance takes place at UN Headquarters in New York and at the UN Offices at Geneva and Vienna and elsewhere. The event includes meetings, Palestinian exhibits, film showings and other activities organized by governmental bodies and NGOs, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Centers.

[edit] Criticism

The UNDPR was created according to the UNGA resolution 3376 ^[3], passed on November 10, 1975, on the same basis and on the same day as the Resolution 3379, which qualified Zionism as a form of racism (later revoked by the Resolution 4686).

In her June 21, 2004 speech ^[4] at a Conference on Confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding sponsored by the United Nations Department of Information and in her articles ^[5], a human rights scholar and activist Anne Bayefsky, attending as representative of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, criticized the UN approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, advocated the necessity of deep reforms within the UN, and noted that the UNDPR is the only UN Division devoted to a single group of people and the annual UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is the only UN day dedicated to a specific people.

The event celebrating an annual "International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People" on November 29, 2005 was attended by Kofi Annan and other high-ranking diplomats. In his January 3, 2006 letter to Mr. Annan, the US ambassador John Bolton criticized the UN for promoting anti-Israel agenda and noted that the map prominently displayed at the event "erases the state of Israel".