154 The right to work is considered one of the fundamental rights enshrined in international human rights covenants and treaties. It is one of the rights that is affected by the social, economic and political conditions surrounding it. During the reporting period, Israeli policies aimed at destroying the Palestinian economy and annexing it to the Israeli economy continued. Israel continued its policy aimed at strangling the Palestinian citizen and depriving him of his right to work.190 In this regard, Israeli policies affected the PNA policies in the provision of the right to work. Many of these policies have significantly contributed to increasing the unemployment rates, and to lowering the wages and purchasing power of these wages. Proper planning in employment policy and the provision of the right to work were absent in the work of official institutions. Some government policies contributed to reducing job opportunities and stopping a number of facilities which employ a number of workers. The following is a breakdown of these policies in two major areas: first, the international and national legal and institutional framework for the right to work; and second, the right to work in Palestine, including the unemployment rates recorded by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the supportive government policies to create jobs, and government policies prejudicing the right to work. I ‐ The Legal Framework for the Right to Work Many international conventions and national legislation ensure the right of citizens to work, and order the official authorities in different countries to develop procedures ensuring this right to all citizens. Under Article (23) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) it is stated “Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, in fair and satisfactory working conditions, and to protection against unemployment. (2) To all individuals, without any discrimination, the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the 190 For more details, see the chapter on the “Impact of Israeli Violations on the Performance on the PNA” of this report.