The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to include the Gaza Strip in its agenda of future activities at the request of Turkey.
Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Gülnur Aybet, delivered a speech on the last day of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO.
Aybet expressed Turkey’s welcome of the organization’s action plan regarding Gaza, while at the same time expressing their dismay at the way in which the UNESCO draft on Gaza was presented.
She stressed the necessity of sharing and discussing the issues on the agenda with member states before the start of the Council’s work so that it would be easier to reach consensus.
She added: “We are pleased that UNESCO will submit a report on all its activities in conflict situations, including its activities in Gaza.”
-Advertisement-
She pointed out that the entire United Nations system was born from the ashes of a horrific world war, during which crimes against humanity were committed, so these institutions were created with the aim of never repeating such crimes.
She stated that despite this, wars and crimes against humanity have been repeated several times since then, pointing to the death of defenseless people again 30 years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In written statements, Aybet said that they drew attention during the work of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO to the failure to include work in Gaza in the report that presents UNESCO’s annual activities.
She explained that Gaza will be added to the agenda of UNESCO activities from now on, at the initiative of Türkiye.
It is noteworthy that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which considers crimes against the Holy Books a violation of international law, in its resolution on racism, discrimination, and hate crimes, also at the initiative of Turkey.
