NHRC Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah speaking at the event.
Doha, Qatar: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah has urged the United Nations and the international community to fulfill its obligations towards the Palestinian people and their just cause.
“Starting our work for food justice, we must first work to prevent violations of justice anywhere in the world, given the impact this has on preventing gross violations of human rights,” said Al Attiyah.
She was speaking at the conclusion ceremony of International Conference on Food Justice, a two-day event organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in Doha.
“We are witnessing the suspension of humanitarian aid funding for UNRWA which very necessary for Palestinians to enjoy their rights of food, health and education. I join with you in condemning the suspension of funding for UNRWA, and we call on those countries that suspended their aid to withdraw their decision,” She said.
Al Attiyah added that it is not only in response to the call of the United Nations and its specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other international and regional organiations in this field, but also in response to the order of the International Court of Justice calling for providing more humanitarian aid.
“In keeping with its duty to respect the right to humanitarian assistance, which may not be conditional on political conditions or linked to bilateral negotiations, and to prevent an imminent humanitarian catastrophe that undermines the rules of international law in protecting civilians and securing their humanitarian needs, as well as preventing collective punishment of millions of Palestinians, which is prohibited by law,” said Al Attiyah.
She said that this is in line with its declared positions on respecting United Nations resolutions regarding the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state, self-determination, and the return of refugees to their homes, and to achieve stability and peace in the region, which requires strengthening the capabilities of UNRWA, protecting it, and sustaining its work.
“Over the course of two days of intense work, the conference discussed a topic that affects the life and survival of every human being, and imposes on all of us an obligation to work to free them from hunger and enable them to have their right to obtain adequate and sustainable food,” said Al Attiyah.
She said that it is wonderful to think about the outcomes of implementing the recommendations of this conference with the added value and milestone it will entail in international efforts aimed at achieving food justice amid wars and conflicts in some parts of the world.
