Minister Shahin Holds High-Level Meetings at UNESCO to Advance Protection of Palestinian Cultural Heritage, Education, and Journalists

During her official two-day visit to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Shahin held a series of high-level meetings with UNESCO’s Assistant Directors-General for Culture, Education, Communication and Information, and External Relations, in the presence of Ambassador Adel Attieh, Permanent Delegate of the State of Palestine to UNESCO, and members of the Palestinian delegation.

The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation and mobilizing international support to protect Palestinian cultural heritage, safeguard education, and enhance the protection of Palestinian journalists.

In her meeting with Assistant Director-General for Culture Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister Shahin reaffirmed Palestine’s appreciation for UNESCO’s role in safeguarding cultural heritage, particularly in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She stressed that protecting Palestinian heritage, including in the Gaza Strip, is a legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibility of the international community. She also called for the urgent inscription of Sebastia on the List of World Heritage in Danger and for strengthened monitoring and protection of Palestinian World Heritage sites.

During meetings on education and communication, Minister Shahin highlighted the devastating impact of Israeli violations on the Palestinian education system and on journalists, emphasizing the need to protect schools, ensure continuity of education, support emergency education programmes, and strengthen accountability for violations against Palestinian journalists.

She also underscored the importance of implementing UNESCO’s decisions, facilitating monitoring missions to Palestinian sites, and reinforcing international efforts to safeguard Palestinian cultural heritage as an integral part of humanity’s shared heritage.
Minister Shahin concluded by reaffirming Palestine’s commitment to deepening cooperation with UNESCO and advancing joint efforts to protect cultural heritage, education, freedom of the press, and international law.