Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) was founded in 1975 by Resolution 3376 of the United Nations General Assembly. In its inception year, the CEIRPP urged the SC to promote action for a fair solution- recommending “a two-phase plan for the return of Palestinian to their homes and property, a timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories by 1 June 1977, with the provision, if necessary, of temporary peacekeeping forces to facilitate the process.”[1] The committee oversees "a programme of implementation to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination without external interference, national independence and sovereignty; and to return to their homes and property." The committee reports to the Assembly annually, since the mandate is renewed each year.
The creation of the CEIRPP was a significant step that aligned Palestinians with repatriation rights. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) article 13 states “everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.” From 1953 to 1973, the Palestinian Question was largely regarded as a refugee problem, until this seismic shift in legal discourse applied the inalienable right of return as a universal human right under article 13.[2]
As the mandate for the Committee expanded, the UN established the Division for Palestinian Rights (UNDPR) as its secretariat. The Bureau consists of the Chairman of the Committee, two Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur.
In addition, each year the Committee holds a special meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on the 29th of November.[3] This international day commemorates the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) in 1947, which advocated for the partition of Palestine into two States: one Arab and one Jewish.
Members of the committee, and observers
The CEIRPP is composed of 25 Member and 24 Observer States. The Member state are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Cyprus, Guinea, Guyana, India, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela.[4] The observers at the Committee meetings are Algeria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Qatar, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Viet Nam and Yemen, as well as the African Union (AU), the League of Arab States (LAS), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Palestine.
See also
- Israel, Palestinians and the United Nations
- Palestinian people
- Palestinian refugee
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
External links
- Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, UN webpage
- UN: Only Clear Political Resolve by Israeli, Palestinian leadership would restart peace process, Secretary-General tells Palestinian Rights Committee
References
- ↑ Division for Palestinian Rights. "Information Note". United Nations. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ UNISPAL. "The Right of Return of the Palestinian People.". 1978. United Nations. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ General Assembly. "Question of Palestine (A/RES/3376)". 1975. United Nations. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ UNISPAL. "Report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People". United Nations. Retrieved 4 September 2012.