Jerusalem - Ms. Ines Alberdi, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Ms. Mari Simonen, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund and Mr. Hafedh Chekir, Arab States Regional Director, undertook a joint mission to the occupied Palestinian territory on 9 – 13 July 2010, to highlight the UN's commitment to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 addressing the needs of women and girls in Palestine. The mission members were received by H.E. the Prime Minister, Dr. Salam Fayyad, and had a series of meetings with the International Women’s Commission (IWC), the Minister of Women’s Affairs, the National Committee to Combat Violence Against Women, and numerous other representatives of the Palestinian Authority and civil society. They visited evicted Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. The mission also visited the Gaza Strip to participate in an open day to commemorate the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325; the event was attended by 20 women activists, along with Mr. Robert Serry, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Authority, and Mr. John Ging, Head of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip.
Ms. Alberdi, Ms. Simonen and Mr. Chekir then visited Burej Women’s Health Centre in Burej Refugee Camp in Gaza. The center, which is supported by UNFPA, provides comprehensive health services for women and girls, including reproductive health, legal and psychosocial counseling and support.
The outcomes of the Gaza Open Day will be communicated to the Security Council in October 2010, in order for it to be fully informed of the needs, concerns and recommendations of women in conflict and crisis settings, as part of the Council’s discussions on the acceleration of the implementation of SCR 1325.
