MUSAWA Organizes Meeting for Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Network Coordinators

Date 2016-06-26

LOCATION Gaza and North Gaza

After repeating the general elections in Gaza and North Gaza in adherence to the principle of equal representation, maintaining the representation of women in elections and to enhance participation and democracy in the work, which in turn activates the role of the Network and contributes to the fulfilment of its goals, and empowering their role in participation, leadership and decision-making, MUSAWA, in cooperation with the PHRDs Network, conducted the first meeting for the Network’s coordinators in Gaza and North Gaza, in the presence of the female candidates who were unsuccessful in the repeated elections as well as those who were elected. The meeting was held at MUSAWA’s Gaza Office, and was attended by 6 members.

The meeting addressed several topics: evaluating the Network’s general meeting and the mechanism used in holding elections; the tasks assigned to the general coordinators and to the public relations and media coordinators; the Coalition for the Palestinian Human Rights Defenders Declaration (PHRDD); the upcoming activities and joint cooperation; and preparing the Network’s rules of procedure and structure (including legal clinics and monitoring, documenting, and addressing violations against human rights defenders).

At the end of the meeting, participants reached the following conclusions: dividing the members of the PHRDs Network in both Gaza and North Gaza into two groups (A and B) for the purpose of facilitating communications amongst themselves and ensuring that all members will attend the Network’s monthly meetings, which will be held at the headquarters of the relevant institutions in order to strengthen the Network’s relationship with the civil society, hence providing more opportunities for joint cooperation, which will eventually serve as a supporting attribute for the future.

This meeting comes as a part of the Empowering Palestinian Human Rights Defenders project, implemented by MUSAWA in the West Bank and Gaza, and supported by the European Union.