Ref: 12/2023

Date: 23 February 2023

The Palestine’s National Children Council- Gaza Strip, which is supervised by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), participated in a consultative session on “The National Plan to Implement Final Recommendations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child”, as part of a series of consultative meetings led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Ministry of Social Development to discuss the plan. The session was held on Wednesday, 22 February 2023, and attended by representatives of the Ministry of Social Development, OHCHR, and Save the Children.

In his opening speech, Mr. ‘Abdul Halim Abu Samra, commended the importance of consultative meetings held by the Ministry of Social Development to integrate children and civil society in the preparation of strategic plans for the implementation of human rights conventions signed by the State of Palestine, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). He stressed that the right to participation is among fundamental human rights and principles of CRC to ensure the realization of their rights stipulated in the Convention and the Palestinian Child Law.

For her part, Zainab al-Horaa’ Ahmed Abu Salama, Head of Palestine’s National Children Council- Gaza Strip, thanked and appreciated the Ministry of Social Development, OHCHR and Save the Children for allowing them to participate with the Council to discuss the national plan, which gave them the opportunity to express their opinions and identify their priorities and needs to realize the rights of the Palestinian child. Abu Salama added that the living conditions of children in Palestine, who constitute (43.9%) of the Palestinian society, with (41.7%) in the West Bank and (47.3%) in the Gaza Strip, have been affected due to the ongoing, systematic, and racist Israeli attacks and measures that violate their humanitarian rights, in addition to the Palestinian internal division that impeded the possibility of enacting laws more equitable to them. She also affirmed that Palestine’s Children Council- seeks to promote the best interests for children in the field of participation, protection, survival, and development. Abu Salama called for the need to provide protection and equity for children and engaging them with all ministries and governmental bodies to put plans, policies, and budgets to ensure the realization of the rights of the Palestinian child.

During the session, the children discussed the Ministry of Social Development’s national plan and talked about many important issues and problems facing them in realizing their rights and determining their priorities and needs in the coming years. They also emphasized the need to hold more consultative meetings continuously between them and the ministries and competent authorities in the realization of the rights of the child in order to promote the best interest of child. Additionally, they stressed the following recommendations:

• Disseminating the Convention on the Rights of the Child and raise society’s awareness of the best interests of the child.
• The need to establish a unified council for children, democratically elected, to promote their rights.
• Involving children within consultative bodies in ministries, governmental and local bodies, and civil society organizations while putting plans, policies, and budgets for the realization of children’s rights.
• Harmonizing Palestinian legislations, in particular Personal Status Law and Family Law, in line with the child’s best interests.
• Activating the mechanisms for children protection, especially protecting them from all forms of violence, exploitation, and grave violations.
• Providing safe, supportive, and appropriate educational and vocational institutions for children with disabilities.
• Creating opportunities and space to empower children to express their opinions and monitor and defend their rights.