Geneva: Idris Abdulrahman Al Khanjari, Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations and international organisations, hailed the report prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on assistance to the Palestinian people.
The UNCTAD report was read out by the Palestinian Ambassador on behalf of the Arab Group.
The report laid emphasis on the dire situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the difficult living conditions of the population there. It showed how the brutal Israeli war in the Gaza Strip and the restrictions imposed on the West Bank have inflicted the greatest damage on the Palestinian economy.
It pointed out that infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was completely destroyed and that the rates of poverty and unemployment were highly accentuated. This, the report observed, led to unprecedented deterioration of humanitarian and environmental conditions.
In its speech, Oman also called for the implementation of “Clause 127 BB” of the Bridgetown Covenant emanating from the 15th UNCTAD Conference, which stresses the need to back the organisation’s action and calculate the overall cost of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian economy and development.
It also provides for conducting research and studies to understand the rates of trade and development in Palestine, besides urging the UNCTAD to consolidate the activities of its unit entrusted with assisting the Palestinian people through financial and technical support.
Oman backed the UNCTAD report's emphasis on the need for international community’s immediate intervention to halt the ongoing economic deterioration in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well the importance of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and the establishment of solid grounds for lasting peace and development.
This includes the implementation of a comprehensive recovery plan to upgrade international assistance to the Palestinian people, set free their withheld revenues and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip, said the Sultanate of Oman's speech.
At the conclusion of its speech, Oman reaffirmed its constant, steadfast support for the rights of the Palestinian people and called on the UNCTAD to exert more efforts to help the Palestinians achieve sustainable development.
