The UNESCO Chair welcomes the inaugural joint statement issued by The Hague Group on 31 January 2025. We express our  support for and solidarity with the representatives of the member states of The Hague Group in their efforts to oppose Israel’s genocidal campaign and the grave injustices faced by the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

The Hague Group’s declaration is a powerful reminder that the international community cannot remain passive in the face of such atrocities. We commend the collective action outlined in the statement, which calls for accountability for the most serious crimes under international law. In full agreement with the statement issued, we present a poetic summary of The Hague Group’s inaugural declaration below. We do this from within our own academic mandate to work with languages and the arts towards integral and restorative futures for those who seek refuge from violence in all its forms.

‘We,
the Representatives from the Governments of
Belize, Plurinational State of Bolivia,
Republic of Colombia, Republic of Cuba,
Republic of Honduras, Malaysia,
Republic of Namibia, Republic of Senegal,
and Republic of South Africa...
inaugurate The Hague Group,

Guided
by the purposes and principles enshrined
in the Charter of the United Nations,
and the responsibility of all nations
to uphold the inalienable rights...

Grieving
the lives, livelihoods, communities,
and cultural heritage lost
due to Israel...

Refusing
to remain passive
in the face of such international crimes,

Determined
to uphold our obligations
to end the Israeli occupation
of the State of Palestine...

Recalling
the orders of the International Court of Justice...
the Advisory Opinion[s] of the International Court of Justice...
the United Nations General Assembly Resolution...
the International Criminal Court’s issuance… of warrants of arrest...
the United Nations Security Council Resolution 418...
all the relevant resolutions of the Security Council...

Stressing
that the legal norms violated by Israel
include certain obligations
of an erga omnes character...

Emphasizing
the need to ensure accountability
for the most serious crimes
under international law...

Convinced
that collective action
through coordinated legal and diplomatic measures...

Declare our intention to:
1. Uphold the UN Resolution...
2. Prevent provision or transfer of arms...
3. Prevent the docking of vessels at any port...

We call on all nations
to join us in The Hague Group...’

We continue to call for a permanent ceasefire that paves the way for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood. We understand that there can be no sustainable peace without justice. We know that calls for justice are no substitute for action but are a vital sign to our communities, locally, nationally and internationally, that there are important principles of justice and human dignity at stake. We support the need for fair and independent investigations into past and present violations and urge all states to fulfil their international obligations in preventing such crimes, with gravity and integrity.

Furthermore, we endorse The Hague Group’s commitment to preventing the transfer of arms to Israel where there is a risk of their use in violations of humanitarian law. This is essential to ensuring that the international community does not abdicate its responsibilities in the face of ongoing violence.

We firmly believe that the global community must work collectively to foster an international order that prioritises justice, accountability, and the fundamental rights of all peoples.

Finally, we call on universities, our colleagues in academia, and wider civil society to uphold their obligation to act with integrity and their duty to support the right to protection from genocide and grave injustices.

Image: Gaza

First published: 4 February 2025

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The Hague Group

Link to the full declaration