NAP Development

Development of the NAP was led by ​​the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA).  Members of the Higher National Committee for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 (HNC) were involved in consultative steps on methodology and objectives, including sessions, workshops and working groups of governmental and civil society members that work on implementation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The Ministry of Women’s Affairs reviewed the plan to assess the Ministry’s capacity, potential and achievements in planning and implementation.

NAP Implementation

The Higher National Committee for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 (HNC), is composed of ministry, media and civil society members such as the Office of the President, the Cabinet secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, the Public Authority for Radio and Television, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, General Union of Palestinian Women, Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC), Palestinian Working Women’s Association, and the head of the Advisory Committee on Gender in the security sector. HNC is chaired by MoWA and several organizations from the Gaza Strip were included as experts. 

Palestine’s NAP will be implemented by members of the HNC, as well as members of the Feminist Civil Society Coalition for the Implementation of 1325 (led by the General Union of Palestinian Women); various ministries, national coalitions working on combatting violence against women and supporting women’s political and social empowerment; Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), academic and research organizations, and civil society organizations in the West Bank and Gaza including feminist organizations, human rights organizations, and grassroots youth and women-led organizations.

NAP monitoring and evaluation

The HNC will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the NAP.

The implementation period for Palestine’s NAP is five years (2020-2024).

The NAP focuses on four pillars:

1. Prevention and protection: protecting Palestinian women from the impacts of Israeli occupation and enhancing human security of women and girls, including physical safety, economic security, and physical and mental health.
2. Accountability: creating opportunities and spaces to hold Israel accountable for its incessant violations of the rights of Palestinian women, and ending the policy of impunity.
3. Participation: highlighting the role of women and girls at the local, regional and international levels, and ensuring their rights to participate in decision-making in accordance with the legal obligations, such as International Humanitarian Law.
4. Relief and recovery: gender mainstreaming within relief, humanitarian action and early recovery efforts; ensuring Palestinian women and girls a protective environment with rapid access to humanitarian aid, and the ability to lead and participate in the recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Each pillar focuses on main outcomes, each with a corresponding set of outputs (p. 21-24). For example, the second pillar of Accountability includes “Outcome 2.2: International and regional support mobilized to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its violations of Palestinian women’s rights”, with three outputs including “Output 2.2.1: The various UN agencies and bodies are more aware of the gendered impact of the occupation on Palestinian women” (p. 22).

A set of activities or interventions has been allocated to each output as part of a Strategic Results Framework (p.25-34).

For example, under the first pillar of Prevention and Protection, Output 1.1.1 “Early warning system and conflict and gender-based violence prevention services are available to Palestinian women and girls” includes five activities, such as “Develop awareness-raising programmes to change stereotypes and behaviors that encourage gender-based violence, while engaging men and boys in prevention efforts” (p. 25).

The Strategic Results Framework also assigns each outcome, as well as each output, a set of indicators (p.25-34).

For example, under the fourth pillar of Relief and Recovery, Output 4.1.2 “Women’s capability to participate in national planning and crisis response (including the COVID-19 pandemic) is strengthened” includes two indicators (p. 33):

•  Indicator 4.1.2.1: Number of women who participate in trainings focused on national response to crises
• Indicator 4.1.2.2: Number of interventions that seek to promote women’s participation in relief and crisis response.

Through the coordination of its members, the HNC is responsible for both overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the NAP.  Its membership consists of a variety of both governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Whilst the NAP includes a Strategic Results Framework, its indicators remain relatively broad.  For instance, under Pillar three, Output 3.1.5 “Palestinian women’s capacity to represent Palestine in the United Nations bodies and international missions related to peace and security is strengthened” includes one indicator, “Percentage of women representation in Palestinian diplomatic missions” (p. 31).  However, it does not specify a target number nor percentage.

The NAP does not currently have a budget.  However, it includes a section entitled “Next Steps” (p. 35).  Here, it outlines that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, as the Chair of the Higher National Committee, will collaborate with members of the HNC and key WPS actors, such as the UNSCR 1325 Civil Society Coalition, in an NAP costing exercise to create a costing and budgeting template.  This will include consultations with member states and donors, and provides an opportunity for dialogue about what resources are available and what the organizations and institutions involved can contribute.

Once this process is completed, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and international partners will collaborate to create a NAP pooled funding mechanism, in order to leverage the contributions of multiple donors.

Disarmament is not addressed within Palestine’s NAP.

Actors

NAP Development

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.     

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, 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).  

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 conflict 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, 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.

WILPF's Contributions to Palestine's NAP

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.

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.

Timeframe

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

Objectives

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.

Actions/Activities

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.

Indicators

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.

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.  

Budget

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.

Disarmament

Palestine's NAP does not address disarmament.