Basic HTML Version
Summer 2017
DEFENDERS
13
UNSECO’S Position on the Issue
of the ‘Occupied Palestine’
By: Zahra Moshref-Javadi
Researcher in International law
Section I: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization in the international system
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) was established “to contribute to peace and security by
promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science
and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule
of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
1
In fact, as
a tool and institution, UNESCO serves to help create global agreements on
moral grounds. It also helps member countries to expand their human and
institutional potentialities in various fields.
To achieve its goals and similar to other specialized organs of the United
Nations, this institution interacts with its member states in various fields and
takes advantage of different tools to achieve its goals, the most important
of which is global peace and security.
2
This is why the Constitution of the
UNESCO has mentioned such tools as convention and recommendation in its
Article 4. Relations between the Zionist regime of Israel and Palestine have
been one of the main issues with regard to which UNESCO has been more
active than other UN organs. This body has taken various steps on the issue of
Palestine and Israel so far and it is important to discuss them in terms of this
organization’s relations with the international system and also with respect to
the impact that they can have on international and human rights issues.
Section II: The Palestinian state in UNESCO
One of the most important steps taken by UNESCO with regard to Palestine
was to recognize it as a state and accepting its membership. In 2011 and in the
36th General Conference of UNESCO, 107 member states of the organization
voted positive for Palestine to become a member of the world body.
3
The result
was more support from this international institution for further actions taken
by the state of Palestine in various fields on international level. As a result, on
December 31, 2014, Palestine recognized the jurisdiction of the International