The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is being observed today to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the Day of Solidarity. The day is also known as Solidarity Day. Events are held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as well as at the United Nations offices at Geneva and Vienna.
It is generally held on November 29 each year to mark the anniversary of resolution 181 observed on December 1 in 2003. The Solidarity Day has traditionally provided an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine is still unresolved and that the Palestinian people are yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property from which they had been displaced.
The United Nations Information Centres (UNICs) world-wide assist governments, NGOs and others wishing to organise special activities in connection with the observance by providing information and documentation. At United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People each year holds a special meeting to observe the Solidarity Day.
Speakers include the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Security Council, and representatives of relevant United Nations bodies and intergovernmental organisations. NGOs are invited to attend and a representative of the international community of NGOs accredited to the Committee addresses the meeting.
Other activities organised in connection with the observance of the Day of Solidarity include a Palestinian exhibit or a cultural event sponsored by the Committee and presented by the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations, and the screening of a documentary film. The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a moment to mark our support to the Palestinian people in their quest for a more peaceful future.