Final Communique issued by the First Virtual Meeting of the PUIC Standing Specialized Committee on Human Rights, Women, and Family

Final Communique issued by the First Virtual Meeting of the  PUIC Standing Specialized Committee on Human Rights, Women, and Family

The first virtual meeting of the Standing Specialized Committee on Human Rights, Women and Family of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, was held on December 21, 2023, in presence of the distinguished members of the Committee and the representative of the State of Palestine in the PUIC. The meeting discussed the current situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, represented in the barbaric war that it is witnessing and the genocide perpetrated by the Zionist-Israeli entity against the Palestinian people.

  • Drawing on the provisions set forth in the Statute of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, and on the principles and objectives embodied in the Charter of the OIC, and in follow-up to the resolutions and declarations of the PUIC Conferences on the Palestinian issue;
  • Reaffirming the centrality of the Palestinian cause for the Islamic nation, we reiterate our full commitment and total readiness to stand by the brotherly Palestinian people with all our capabilities in the exercise of their right to struggle to regain their land and attain their legitimate rights, particularly their right of self-determination and to live in an independent sovereign state;
  • Strongly deploring the positions adopted by some countries and bodies in support of the aggressive war against the Palestinian people, and strongly denouncing the policy of double standards adopted by these parties.

Following rich contributions from the participants and discussions on the current situation in Palestine in view of the tragic circumstances resulting from the brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the meeting decided on the following:

  1. Emphasizing the solidarity of the PUIC Member States with Palestinian women, in particular Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip, who suffer from marginalisation and violence.
  2. Strongly condemning the unjust aggression against Palestinian women in Gaza Strip at the hands of the barbaric Israeli forces and calling for the support of Palestinian women by all available means, financially and politically.
  3. Emphasising the importance of implementing immediate measures to stop the unjust war on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, while continuing to pursue a just solution to the Palestinian cause.
  4. Refusing to classify this war as an act of self-defence and denouncing any attempt to legitimise it under any pretext.
  5. Holding the Israeli occupation government fully accountable for the crimes committed in the Gaza Strip and for its policy of indiscriminate and collective punishment.
  6. Condemning the killing of civilians, women, and children, the deliberate targeting of medics and press reporters, as well as preventing aid teams from reaching them and providing the necessary assistance to the wounded.
  7. Demanding the prosecution and trial of those responsible for massacres and genocide against Palestinian civilians before the International Criminal Court.
  8. Denouncing the use of the veto by the United States of America against a resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire and ending the genocide committed against the Palestinian people.
  9. Calling on the UN Security Council to review its Resolution No. (UNSCR 1325) passed in 2000, which stipulates the need to protect women and prevent violence against them, as this resolution does not protect women under military colonial occupation, as is the case in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
  10. Calling on the International Criminal Court to conclude the investigation of all the crimes committed by the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian civilians, media workers, and journalists who have been injured as a result of the indiscriminate bombing by the occupation forces.
  11. Calling on the PUIC Member States to impose diplomatic, political, commercial and legal pressure and to implement all measures that would support the Palestinian cause and lift the siege on the Palestinian people.
  12. Calling on the Member States to contribute in providing safe shelters for the Palestinians and the necessary medical care for the sick and injured, particularly women, children, and the elderly.