Promotion and respect of human rights, gender equality and the international humanitarian law


Switzerland aims at enhancing prospects for Palestinians to live in dignity, prosperity and peace with Israel, via the respect and promotion of human rights, including gender equality, international humanitarian law and the rule of law by all duty bearers. To this end, SDC supports ten Palestinian and Israeli human rights and humanitarian law organizations active in the oPt, which provide legal aid and protection services to the population and advocate for the respect of the international law. 

Pays/région Thème Période Budget
Territoire palestinien occupé
Governance
Droits de la personne
Aide humanitaire & RRC
Gender
Médias & liberté de l’information
Droits de la personne (y compris droits des femmes)
Technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC)
Protection, accès & sécurité
Violence sexuelle & sexiste
Organisations et institutions pour l'égalité des femmes
01.06.2021 - 31.12.2024
CHF  8’190’717
Contexte The context is characterized by a decades-long Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territory (the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip), the ongoing closure of the Gaza Strip, a persistent intra-Palestinian divide and a shrinking democratic space. This has been most recently compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, with dramatic impacts on all aspects of the population’s lives. In this framework, there is a persistent need for respect of international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL), as well as accountability for all duty-bearers. 
Objectifs To contribute to the respect and promotion of human rights, including gender equality, international humanitarian law and the rule of law by all duty bearers in the oPt, through provision of protection services (legal aid and selected services) and evidence-based advocacy efforts offered by capacitated Palestinian and Israeli HR/IHL NGOs, to foster life in dignity, safety and protection of Palestinians in the oPt. 
Groupes cibles

Rights holders:    The protected population in the oPt, specifically women and the most vulnerable categories (minors, detainees, separated families, victims of GBV, farmers and herders in Area C, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, patients in need of urgent and specific medical attention).

Duty bearers:    Israel, Palestinian Authority (PA), de facto Authority in Gaza.

Other stakeholders:    Israeli, Palestinian and international NGOs, the media, the UN agencies in oPt, UN Member States and other international agencies and organizations. 

Effets à moyen terme

Protection – Legal Aid: Provision of quality legal aid and social services for improved protection of people, in particular women and the most vulnerable (minors, prisoners, separated families, victims of GBV, farmers and herders in Area C, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and lifesaving referral of patients.

Evidence-based advocacy: The respect of Human Rights and IHL is monitored, violations are properly documented and duty bearers’ are faced to their responsibilities. 

Résultats

Principaux résultats attendus:  

-    Provision of legal aid and counselling;

-    Access to social and legal rights for women in need, and vulnerable categories;

-    Publications of important research, briefs, reports, position papers, press releases on the current HR / IHL situations in the oPt;

-    Evidence-based principled legal challenges to discriminatory practices;

-    Dialogue with third party representations at local and capital level. Bilateral and multilateral meetings held;

-    Monitoring, documentation and reporting on Palestinian acceded instruments and harmonization in local laws.


Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

-    Provision of meaningful legal aid services to thousands of Palestinians in the oPt (e.g. 200/year family reunifications cases and access to agricultural lands);

-    Provision of protection support to thousands of individuals victims of SGBV (1075 persons/year), including consultations, case management, sheltering, legal representation and counselling;

-    Facilitation of medical referrals (e.g. 2018 PHR-I raising awareness at Knesset on women cancer patients from the Gaza Strip);

-    Developing the capacities of partner NGOs to deliver high quality monitoring and reporting on human rights and IHL trends;

-    COVID-19 pandemic-related response: Psychosocial and legal support, to extend services to the protected population in need.  


Direction/office fédéral responsable DDC
Partenaire de projet Partenaire contractuel
ONG internationale ou étrangère


Autres partenaires

1.    Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel

2.    Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement

3.    HaMoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual

4.    The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH

5.    Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Gaza

6.    Physicians for Human Rights (PHR-I)

7.    The Jerusalem Legal Aid & Human Rights Center (JLAC) West Bank

8.    Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC)

9.    Hamleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Coordination avec d'autres projets et acteurs

-    Synergies with other Swiss partners and projects, in particular in the Rule of Law portfolio;

-    Coordination with Swiss offices and instruments;

-    Coordination with other interventions conducted by like-minded countries at local level (e.g. informal HR platform; EU Civil society roadmap). 

Budget Phase en cours Budget de la Suisse CHF    8’190’717 Budget suisse déjà attribué CHF    5’801’026
Phases du projet Phase 2 01.06.2021 - 31.12.2024   (Phase en cours) Phase 1 01.05.2018 - 31.12.2020   (Completed)