Addressing the debates on the situation in the occupied Arab territories, held in the respective Committees on Education and Financial and Administrative Affairs, the Cuban delegation expressed its support for the draft resolutions concerning the work with educational and cultural institutions in the said territories.

It also endorsed the educational activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as the current situation in the Gaza Strip in all aspects of UNESCO’s mandate, in a context of serious violations of international law and aggressions that directly affect the Palestinian civilian population.

The Cuban delegation reiterated that a peace agreement will only be viable, lasting, and just if it guarantees the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, respecting the right to self-determination of its people and the return of refugees.

It also reaffirmed support for UNESCO’s Action Plan in Gaza, which is being implemented amid the complex conditions imposed by the occupation, limiting the Organization’s action on the ground.

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