Udenrigsudvalget 2017-18
URU Alm.del Bilag 310
Offentligt
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Date: October 2
nd
2018
The Hon. Ms. Pia Kjærsgaard
Speaker of the Danish Parliament
Regards,
The Palestinian civil society organizations sends you warmest regards and would like
to bring to your kind notice that the Palestinian civil society is following with great
concern the repercussions of the decision by the US President’s administration,
dated
31 August 2018, to fully cease its contributions to funding UNRWA.
The establishment of UNRWA, with UNGA Res. 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949, was
with the objective to provide direct relief and employment for the Palestine refugees.
The Agency started its activities on 1 May 1950 and provided important living
servicing, most prominently in education, health and employment, but, most
importantly, it represented the recognition of the international community, which
recognized the establishment of Israel on the Palestinian territory, of its responsibility
over the refugees issue, which also recognized their right to return, pursuant to Res.
194, yet, was unable to have that implemented on Israel for 70 years, as the
Palestinian refugees continue waiting for their right to return to their homeland, from
which they were deported.
The political ramifications of the decision taken by the US administration to stop
UNRWA funding, a decision that aims at dissolving and ending the Agency alleging
it contributes to sustaining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is contrary to the
international law grounds relevant to the issue of the Palestinian refugees. This step is
considered as unprecedented in using humanitarian assistance for political
blackmailing and constitutes danger to the stability of the rules of international law
and International Humanitarian Law, a matter that is indicative to the attempt to
totally change these rules, in such a way that undermines international peace and
security and further ignores the basic rights of the Palestinian refugees, as stated in the
relevant UNGA resolutions, the first of which Resolution 194. The aforementioned
US decision seeks to serve as the beginning of turning the UNRWA into just another
organization similar to the Conciliation Committee and consequently cease to exist.
The cut on the UNRWA budget will inflict harm to more than 5.5 million Palestinian
refugees across
UNRWA’s operation areas.
 URU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 310: The Responsibility of the International Community towards the UNRWA
We at The Palestinian Coalition for Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights “Adaleh”
and the Palestinian civil society, while being concerned over the situation in the
region, especially following the political decisions of the administration of the US
President Trump that are biased to the Israeli occupation at the expense of the
legitimate Palestinian rights enshrined in International Law and UN Resolutions,
which the US administration expressed in the decision to move the US embassy into
Jerusalem that the US administration recognized as the capital of Israel. From our
deep believe in the role of the parliament, we kindly hope that your parliament will
take a stand towards this attack on the UNRWA and to urge your government to adopt
the following demands:
First: Urge the UN Secretary General to take up his responsibility, and to urgently
interfere for the implementation of UN Resolutions on the Palestinian refugees’ issue
and to act for committing the occupation state to implementing them and the return of
Palestinian refugees to their homeland from which they were deported.
Second: Take action to make UNRWA a permanent agency as long as the Palestinian
refugees issue continues to exist, through a UNGA decision.
Third: Enable the UNRWA to take up its responsibilities and allocate its budget from
the UN budget in order to absolve UNRWA from states’ political blackmailing and to
ensure that the agency will be free of conditional assistance by the different states, a
matter that affects its performance and services provided to the Palestinian refugees.
Fourth: Call on the US administration to commit to its obligations and commitments,
as per the International Law, and encourage state parties to provide urgent assistance
to UNRWA.
Fifth: Support UNRWA in providing protection to the Palestinian refugees in all their
refuge places, in such a way that expands its mandate to include all Palestinian
refugees, wherever they exist.
Respectfully yours,
The Palestinian Coalition for Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights “Adaleh”
 URU, Alm.del - 2017-18 - Bilag 310: The Responsibility of the International Community towards the UNRWA
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The Palestinian Coalition for Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights “Adaleh”
Members of the Palestinian Coalition for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
Young Women`s Christian Association (YWCA), Young Men's Christian Association, Yaboos Charity Society (YCS),
Women's Technical Affairs Committee (WATC), Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Conselling (WCLAC), Union of
Social Workers, Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), TPFS Palestine, The Palestinian Women's Society
for Development (PWWSD), The Palestinian Businesswomen's Association
–
Asala, The Freedom Theatre
–Jenin,
The Cultural Forum, The Arab Forum for Sexuality, Education, and Reproductive Health, Teacher Creativity Center
(TCC), Tanweer Forum, Students' Forum Institute, Stars of Hope Association, Social and Economic Policies Monitor
(Al Marsad), Ruwwad for Development- The Arab Foundation for Sustainable Development, Rural Women's
Development Society, Ramallah Center For Human Rights Studies, Qader for Community Development
,Progressive Labor Bloc, Private Health Sector Workers Union, Popular Art Center, Pharmaceutical Industry
Workers Union, Partnership Youth Forum, Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, Palestinian Performing Arts Network,
Palestinian Non-Governmental Organization against Domestic Violence Against Women (Al-Muntada), Palestinian
National Institute for NGO, Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Palestinian Hydrology group for Water and
Environmental Resources Development, Palestinian Consultative Staff for Developing NGOs (PCS), Palestine Bar
Association, New Labour Union Federation, National Beverages Company (NBC) Workers Union, Nabd Youth
Forum, Mothers' School Society, Mental Development Association, Manajel Association, Labour Union Front, Labor
Unity Bloc, Labor Solidarity Bloc, Khotwa Development Association, Jerusalem Water Undertaking Workers Union
,Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECo), Workers Union, Independent Union Federation, Health Workers
Union, Halhul Sports Club, Future Youth Arms Forum, Fuad Nassar Society, Financial Sector Workers Union,
Filastiniyat, Community Media Center- Gaza, Comités pour le Développement et le patrimoine, Coalition for
Accountability and Integrity
–
AMAN, Burj Alluqluq Social Center Society, Birzeit University Workers Union,
Bethlehem University Workers Union, Association of Women Committees for Social Work (AWCSW), Association
Najdeh, Al-Mada Association for Arts- Based Community Development, Al-Awda Center for Childhood and the
Youth, Al Hadaf Cultural Center, Youth and Environment Association, The National Society for Democracy and law,
Cooperation For Community Development Association, The Society of Women Graduates, Bunyan Association For
Community Development, The Center For Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights "Hurryyat", Shaikh Hasan
Foundation For Culture and Science, Palestinian Hydrology group for Water and Environmental Resources
Development.