Gaza- A workshop was held on Thursday, August 16, by the Regional Office for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in the Palestinian Territories, with the aim of identifying the needs of the institutions participating in the second round of the Women's Leadership Incubator (WLI) project, funded by the Swedish Kvinna till Kvinna Foundations and supported by the Rahma Austria.

The project will address the needs of the participating institutions by launching several awareness campaigns on women's rights and gender equality, said Maha Hussaini, Euro-Med’s regional office manager.

Discussions also focused on crowdfunding campaigns to secure additional funding for projects as well as other related activities aimed at serving and empowering women in the Palestinian community, Hussaini further added.

Euro-Med Monitor welcomes any suggestions or new ideas that contribute to improving the status of Palestinian women and empowering them on both social and political levels, stated Hussaini.

The aim of the workshop is to identify the priorities and needs of the five participating institutions in the project, in order to prepare a full training plan aimed at developing their capacities and addressing all their weaknesses, said project manager Abeer Abu Shawish.

The project will also focus on developing the capacities of the participating institutions, promoting the idea of ​​gender equality and empowering Palestinian women in the marginalized areas of the Gaza Strip, added Abu Shawish.

The meeting marks a significant turn for the participating institutions as it addresses the core challenges they face on a constant basis. In order to meet the objectives of the project, this workshop addresses the needs of these institutions’ staff, including by helping them work out strategies to find practical and realistic solutions that contribute to bridging gaps in their respective areas, said Haya Jabr, WLI project management consultant.

During the meeting, the results and analysis of questionnaires distributed to the participants were presented in order to assess the potential of institutions and employees and to identify the most important skills they lack.

It is also vital for women to learn about the international humanitarian law and conventions on women's rights, said Mohamed Seyam, WLI gender and women affairs adviser. Building a strong network of partner institutions is also of paramount importance; it facilitates the implementation of large-scale projects that develop women’s capacities in the Strip’s marginalized areas, Seyam added.

Concluding the workshop, representatives of the participating institutions have come to agree on developing their staff’s administrative and financial skills regarding the management of projects, the writing of project proposals and receiving funding.

In January 2018, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor launched the second round of the “Women's Leadership Incubator” project to help empower Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip, promote gender equality, and encourage the integration of women into the community leadership system by training local CBO and NGO staff to improve women's living conditions in these institutions as well as in their communities.