human rights and gender equality

GEWE themes (Gender Equality and Women Empowerment) represent a cross-cutting sector for the Italian Cooperation in Palestine, that since many years is hardly committed with its projects for the development of women condition and equality in Palestine. Italy is also lead donor for gender in the framework of the European Union Joint Programming.

Along with activities for women’s economic and social empowerment, AICS Jerusalem undertook a parallel path for the human rights respect and dissemination in Palestine, with the approval of new development initiatives combining results and partners from the two different sectors.

Currently (Octbore 2018), AICS' Human Rights and Gender Equality Programme includes 10 projects, 5 bilateral and 5 multilateral initiatives, for a total amount of 16,5 million euro. On the bilateral channel, working with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) and of Social Development (MoSD), the programme endeavors to combat violence against women and to promote women’s decent work opportunities (WELOD 3 - Women’s Empowerment and Local Development – 3,300,000 euro; IRADA - Women Informing Responses for their Agency, Development and Advocacy – 1,500,000 euro). Two recently approved programmes have also started in 2018: SI-GEWE - Support to the Institutionalization of Gender Mainstreaming and Women’s Empowerment in the NPA 2017-2022 (4,000,000 euro), to promote gender mainstreaming in the Palestinian government, improving gender based violence services, supporting the gender sensitive analysis of statistical data for a more equitable society in partnership with MoWA, MoSD, Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the civil society organisations; AMAL, Human Rights and Gender Equality (4,000,000 euro), that intends to promote human rights and gender equity principles among educational institutions and the monitoring of SGDs, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, AGO and the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).

Karama (600,000 euro) has achieved relevant results in 18 months of activities in order to guarantee children’s rights through the enhancement of the juvenile justice system, to reinforce the human rights culture in the Ministry of Justice and to promote public debates to abolish death penalty.

On the multilateral channel, the Programme includes projects implemented by UNWOMEN, aiming at providing sheltering services for women survivors of violence in Palestine, UNFPA to support policy, service and social determinants aiming at upholding sexual and reproductive health rights for youth, UNWOMEN-ILO to enhance women’s economic empowerment through supporting their equal access to decent work opportunities, UNRWA to promote alternative masculinities and respond to gender-based violence in UNRWA schools from first to ninth grade.

Women Day 2018 at Yabous Cultural Center in Jerusalem