EuroMed Rights supported an open letter sent to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, H.E. Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. The letter welcomes his report released on 26 January 2018, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 31/36 on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), with regards to producing a Database of businesses operating in the Israeli settlements in the OPT.
While the undersigned 33 organisations acknowledge the progress made to date, they stress that there is much work left to do. They point out how crucial it is to complete the review of all companies named as a matter of urgency. In this sense, the letter demands the immediate release of the list of businesses that have already been identified and contacted according to the methodology and standard of proof set out in the report.
The letter also draws attention to the importance of continuing working with civil society organisations and human rights defenders in full transparency for the completion and continuous updating of the Database, and the strengthening of methodologies and procedures. It further highlights that appropriate resources should be allocated for this Database, so as to allow for continued development of the Database mechanism.
The letter can be viewed here.