As member states convened for the Opening of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, they did so not in the aftermath of a protection crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), but in the midst of one. The urgency of preventive action is immediate and cannot be deferred.

On 24 September the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists convened leading humanitarian and human rights organizations to break down silos, identify what measures are required to protect populations across the OPT and articulate member states’ obligations in fulfilling their responsibilities. While humanitarian and human rights organizations are often seen as operating in separate pathways, two unifying messages emerged across all of the speakers: the urgent need to comprehensively protect populations in Palestine and the imperative to uphold international law.

Speakers:

• • • Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International
    • Savita Pawnday, Executive Director, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (see remarks here)
    • Tirana Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières USA
    • Jodie Ginsberg, Chief Executive Officer, Committee to Protect Journalists
    • Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, OXFAM International

Moderator:

• • • Sherine Tadros, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Head of UN Office (NY), Amnesty International

Following the panel, Palestinian-American doctors and representatives from humanitarian and human rights organizations intervened from the floor, calling for more holistic and comprehensive action to protect populations in Palestine.

The event concluded with the launch of a joint appeal calling on the international community to prioritize the protection of civilians and ensure the implementation of existing commitments and legal obligations.