About the Event

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese’s July 2023 report submitted to the UN delves into what she describes as “widespread carceralization” within the occupied Palestinian territory, where arbitrary deprivation of liberty characterizes Palestinian life “behind and beyond bars.” Her upcoming report to the UN General Assembly specifically focuses on the implications of this regime for children and childhood. The urgency of this most recent report is rooted in the worsening conditions within the occupied territory, and its progressive transformation into an open-air prison under 56 years of Israel’s military rule and its aggressive annexation-oriented policies, where apartheid is the unavoidable default reality. Addressing the vital concern of children as protected under international law, Albanese elucidates the legal dimensions of the coercive environment born from Israel’s “forever occupation”—its settler-colonial endeavor. The report underscores the lasting traumatic effects experienced across generations subjected to this perpetual reality. Emphasizing the imperative of effective international legal measures, the Special Rapporteur explores how legality and accountability can help disentangle this intricate matrix of abuses, suffering, and death.

Arab Center Washington DC cordially invites you to join us at this luncheon event for a presentation of findings from Special Rapporteur Albanese, followed by a conversation with ACW Palestine/Israel Program Head Yousef Munayyer.

Francesca Albanese is an Italian international lawyer and academic. On May 1, 2022, she was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 by the Human Rights Council at its 49th session. Albanese is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, as well as a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement for a think-tank, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). She has widely published on the legal situation in Israel and the State of Palestine and regularly teaches and lectures on international law and forced displacement at universities in Europe and the Arab region. Ms. Albanese has also worked as a human rights expert for the United Nations, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees.

Featured image credit: Shutterstock/Ryan Rodrick Beiler