The below reports are prepared by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) and are presented to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) at its bi-annual meeting.
The reports provide an assessment of the efforts of the Palestinian Government toward state-building and an update on the situation on the ground.
The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) serves as the principal policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The AHLC is chaired by Norway and co-sponsored by the EU and the US. In addition, the United Nations participates together with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The AHLC seeks to promote dialogue between donors, the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel. The full report to the AHLC prepared by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process is attached to this release and includes an executive summary of its main conclusions.
- Statistics and Data Sets 01
- Statements by the UN Special Coordinator
Statement by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, on the demolition of a Palestinian primary school in occupied West Bank
Statement by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, on the demolition of a Palestinian primary school in occupied West Bank
Jerusalem, May 2023
“I am deeply disturbed by the 7 May demolition by Israeli authorities of a European Union-funded Palestinian primary school for the children of Jubbet adh Dhib village, east of Bethlehem, in Area C of the occupied West Bank, directly affecting the education of at least 40 children.
The demolition followed an Israeli court order citing safety concerns in response to a petition by a settler organization. Currently, 58 schools, serving 6,500 children, face the threat of demolition due to a lack of building permits that are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
A child’s right to education must be respected. I call on Israeli authorities to cease such demolitions and evictions which are illegal under international law, and to approve plans for Palestinian communities to build legally in Area C to address their development needs, including for schools.
As I reiterated at the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) meeting in Brussels last week, such acts that negatively impact basic service delivery for Palestinians threaten stability and undermine the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, persistent drivers of conflict, including demolitions, breed a climate of mistrust and tension between Palestinians and Israelis and undermine the prospect of achieving a political solution.”
Corporal Punishment and the Death Penalty in Afghanistan
This report documents the instances of Corporal Punishment and the Death Penalty in Afghanistan since August 2021 until May 2023, in the context of the domestic and international legal frameworks.
The Annex contains the response by the De Facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs.