National Action Plan: Palestine

WILPF Partners in Palestine and Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) was effectively engaged in designing the NAP as part of its membership in the Higher National Committee for the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325.

WCLAC has committed itself to contribute to the implementation of the NAP as part of its strategic plan. Under its strategic plan, WCLAC works on the strategic objective 2 of the NAP: “Hold the Israeli occupation accountable”.

Specifically, their work is focused on holding the Israeli occupation accountable nationally and internationally for its violations against Palestinian women and girls and developing capacities of local women leaders to monitor and document the enforcement of UNSCR 1325.

NAP Process

The development of Palestine’s NAP was inclusive, participatory and included input from civil society organisations through their participation in the Higher National Committee for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325. In the process of consultations and a comprehensive review and analysis process, civil society was instrumental in developing the government and civil society framework for the UNSCR1325 implementation in Palestine. A meeting of financial managers and accountants from governmental organisations and civil society, along with some members of the National Committee, identified estimated financial costs of the activities specified by the draft NAP. After the final review, the NAP was adopted.                                   

NAP Implementation

The general orientation of this NAP is the quest to institutionalise work on UNSCR 1325 and subsequent UNSCRs on Women, Peace and Security, culminating with its implementation throughout governmental and non-governmental institutions. In this context, civil society organisations are identified as solely responsible for the implementation of specific objectives (i.e.: providing mobile clinics to the areas behind the Wall; promoting awareness on the Law-of-the-Capital and its importance for the protection of the city).                                                          

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation

The process of monitoring and evaluation is a fundamental theme of the plan, which requires the Higher National Committee, which includes some civil society groups, to establish a specialised committee in partnership with stakeholders to monitor the implementation of the content of the UN resolution locally and measure the degree of the NAP’s success at protecting Palestinian women and girls, ensuring that the Israeli occupation is held accountable internationally. A clear and detailed Monitoring and Evaluation matrix is provided in the text of this NAP; however, no further details about “a specialised committee” are provided.  

NAP Development

The first stages of the NAP development included several meetings were held by the Planning, Policies and Projects Units of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs for the purpose of initiating the strategic framework of the NAP, agreeing on a work-plan and preparing to hold a meeting for the Higher National Committee for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325. Later steps can be characterised as more inclusive, with civil society organisations included in the process through their participation in the Higher National Committee for the Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325.

NAP Implementation

The general orientation of this NAP is the quest to institutionalise work on UNSCR 1325 and subsequent UNSCRs on Women, Peace and Security, culminating with its implementation throughout governmental and non-governmental institutions. In this context, several ministries, as well as civil society organisations, are identified as solely responsible for the implementation of specific objectives. For example, the Ministry of Health is responsible for developing ToR for a health and violence expert to develop a referral guide to reinforce access to services for women and girls who are victims of violence during con ict and in wars.

NAP Monitoring and Evaluation                        

The process of monitoring and evaluation is a fundamental theme of the plan, which requires the Higher National Committee to establish a specialised committee in partnership with stakeholders to monitor the implementation of the content of the UN resolution locally and measure the degree of the NAP’s success at protecting Palestinian women and girls, ensuring that the Israeli occupation is held accountable internationally. A clear and detailed Monitoring and Evaluation matrix is provided in the text of this NAP; however, no further details about “a specialised committee” are provided.

The primary objectives of Palestine's NAP include:

• Enhance the protection of Palestinian women and girls, especially from the violations of the Israeli occupation;

• Hold the Israeli occupation accountable;

• Enhance the participation of Palestinian women in local and international decision-making processes.

Each area of work has different actions assigned. For example, Strategic Objective 3 (Enhance the participation of Palestinian women in local and international decision-making processes) includes the following actions:

• Lobby decision-makers to remove obstacles impeding the progress of women;     

• Lobby for the appointment of Palestinian women as special envoys to carry out good o ces and as ambassadors of goodwill;

• Develop policy studies and statistical indicators relating to the participation of women in decision- making positions, with regular monitoring;

• Develop and adopt national legislations and policies that ensure the increased proportion of women’s representation in international decision- making positions;

• International organisations and commissions integrate Palestinian women in decision-making positions;

• Address and call on the UN Secretary-General to appoint Palestinian women as special envoys and ambassadors of good will;

• Promote community awareness to realize reconciliation and civil peace;

• Lobby the political factions to ensure the participation of women in the reconciliation committees and national dialogue;

• Present stories of deteriorate situations of Palestinian women as a result of the political split or the lack of civil peace;

• Develop research studies, papers and statistical indicators on the extent to which the Palestinian curricula is sensitive to the values of equality, non-discrimination, participation, respect for the other and concepts of civil peace;

• Update the Palestinian curricula to ensure the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and their role in achieving civil peace;

• Enhance the participation of Palestinian women and girls in student councils at Palestinian universities;

• Hold regular meetings and dialogues among Palestinian women especially women leaders from the various party cadres and community organisations;

• Put pressure on political parties and community organisations to adopt the outcomes of regular meetings and dialogues that promotes gender equality and gender-sensitive policies and responsive procedures;

• Urge the mass media and social media activists to adopt the concepts of tolerance and national unity as priorities in various programs, activities and informational publications;

• Enhance the role of the media in efforts aimed at achieving national unity.

The implementation period for the National Plan of Action is two years (2017-2019).

Each strategic objective has a number of listed outputs. For example, the first policy objective of Strategic Objective 3, “Develop and increase the representation of Palestinian women at the leadership level in governmental and non-governmental institutions and support their participation in global institutions”, includes several indicators:

1. Annual media campaign targets 50% of decision-makers;

2. Centralised marches held to press for women's participation in decision- making processes;

3. Memoranda/petitions (at least two local) drafted supporting participation of women;

4. Palestinian women participate in decision-making processes locally and internationally;

5. One annual study on the participation of women in decision- making positions completed;

6. Percentage of women in decision-making positions is 30%;

7. Representation of women in decision-making increased in programmes/projects of international organisations;

8. Palestinian women are special envoys and ambassadors of goodwill.

The NAP encourages the allocation of resources, monitoring of budgets and mobilisation of local, regional and international support.                            

In the process of the NAP development, a meeting of financial managers and accountants from governmental organisations and civil society, along with some members of the National Committee, has identified estimated financial costs of the activities specified by the draft NAP. Also, bilateral meetings were held with the financial managers and accountants of the Palestinian Authority’s institutes and civil society organisations for the purpose of identifying the financial costs of NAP activities. However, this information is not included in the text of the NAP.

The process of monitoring and evaluation is a fundamental theme of the plan, which requires the Higher National Committee, which includes some civil society groups, to establish a specialised committee in partnership with stakeholders to monitor the implementation of the content of the UN resolution locally and measure the degree of the NAP’s success at protecting Palestinian women and girls, ensuring that the Israeli occupation is held accountable internationally. A clear and detailed Monitoring and Evaluation matrix is provided in the text of this NAP; however, no further details about “a specialised committee” are provided.  

Palestine's NAP does not discuss the need to strengthen disarmament efforts and the impact of arms on women.