Implementation of 37 C/Resolution 67 and 192 EX/Decision 34 on educational and cultural institutions in the OATs – UNESCO document

Item 27 of the provisional agenda

IMPLEMENTATION OF 37 C/RESOLUTION 67 AND

192 EX/DECISION 33 CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL

AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES

 I. INTRODUCTION

1. The present document reports on assistance provided to the Palestinian Authority and to relevant stakeholders in the occupied Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan, from July 2013 to January 2014.

II. UNESCO’S ASSISTANCE IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

EDUCATION

2. With technical support of UNESCO, the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education has initiated consultations regarding the EFA 2015 Review. A National Partners Committee, including UNESCO and UNICEF, was established in order to initiate the EFA Review and compile the national EFA report. UNESCO is supporting the Committee in relation to the technical guidelines outlining the steps of the review report to assess progress towards the six EFA Goals, the implementation of EFA strategies at national level and identify the prospects for post-2015. UNESCO is also supporting the review of the new Education Development Strategic Plan.

3. UNESCO supported the celebration of the 2013 World Teacher’s Day which gathered around 100 teachers and educationalists under the theme “A Call for Teachers”. The event was an opportunity to share recent findings from UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, and to reiterate the achievements done during the past years under the “Quality Systems for Quality Teachers” project implemented by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, funded by the European Union. These achievements – such as the adoption of National Professional Standards for teachers, a full licensing scheme and a qualifications framework – are foundations for a successful full implementation of the National Teacher Education Strategy.

4. Nine United Nations agencies, coordinated by UNESCO, supported the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in developing and implementing the EFA Package, in collaboration with civil society organizations and universities. The joint UN/MoEHE initiative, focusing on early childhood development, inclusive and child-friendly education, is piloted in 30 schools in the West Bank and 14 schools in Gaza. Its overall goal is to increase access and retention of school-aged children in the education system and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

5. During the period under review, new Grade 0 classrooms (one year of pre-school) were opened, teachers were trained on early childhood development, and educational materials were provided. Furthermore, a new project funded by OPEC Fund for International Development was initiated in October 2013 to support the implementation of the EFA Package, in particular focusing on two components: inclusive and child-friendly education and child-led activities/innovative teaching and learning. This new phase, implemented closely with the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and UNRWA, includes additional pilot schools in both the West Bank and Gaza, including 12 UNRWA schools, bringing the total to 70 pilot schools. A group of Master Trainers has been identified and trained in order to implement a comprehensive development programme on inclusive and child-friendly education including awareness activities in the pilot schools. During the period under review, an agreement between UNESCO and AGFUND was signed to further support the EFA Package in the West Bank and Gaza.

6. With the financial support from the Saudi Committee for the Relief of Palestinian People, UNESCO initiated support to vulnerable students through a new initiative which is focusing on expanding access to resource materials and books through libraries, and on implementing an advocacy strategy on the right to education. During the period under review, twelve libraries were identified and equipped in the West Bank and Gaza. Training programme was also initiated for twelve librarians to provide technical advice on the establishment of the libraries. Special attention was given to the accessibility of students with disabilities.

7. UNESCO joined the United Nations Partnership for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for Palestine, which focuses on the rights of persons with disabilities and developing capacities to mainstream disability in the education, health, employment, and social sectors in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is a joint partnership between government ministries, United Nations agencies, international donors, disabled persons organisations, and other key stakeholders. Together with UNICEF, UNESCO is implementing the education component, which aims to create equal opportunities for children with disabilities in selected pilot schools of the EFA Package. UNESCO will assess the accessibility of pilot schools, collect further data on school inclusiveness, strengthen the capacities of principals, teachers and counsellors to implement inclusive education in schools, and initiate a pilot school placement programme.

8. UNESCO continued its active participation in the humanitarian cluster system and supported the Education Cluster in the process of developing the 2014 Humanitarian Programme Cycle. The first United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Palestine was launched by the Secretary-General in August 2013 in Ramallah. UNESCO continued coordinating the United Nations Education Thematic Group regarding the implementation of the UNDAF. The Education component of the UNDAF contributes largely to the implementation of the EFA Package for the next three years.

CULTURE

9. During the period under review, UNESCO continued providing technical assistance to build national capacities of relevant Palestinian institutions in the field of culture, and implementing projects on the ground.

10. The Archaeological Park of Tell Balata project, funded by the Government of Netherlands, contributes to the safeguarding of the site in Nablus and making it visitor-friendly. The project allowed the exchange of technical know-how between the staff of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the University of Leiden, which contributed to the local technical and managerial capacities of the site protection and management. Excavations, research and public awareness activities were completed, and the visitor’s centre was established. Additional funds were granted by the donor for the site maintenance and improvements, as well as for the production of a documentary film to better inform the visitors about the history of this significant site. The publications, management plan and documentary film will be produced by May 2014.

11. The smooth implementation of the project “Local Development through the rehabilitation and revitalization of the historic built environment in Palestine”, funded by the Government of Sweden, continues to build local technical capacities in the field of cultural heritage preservation through the renovation of 14 historic buildings and urban spaces in Palestine. The project contributes to the socioeconomic development of the local community, and fosters close cooperation between the civil society and Palestinian Government institutions.

12. The joint United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security programme for the Jordan Valley achieved important results. The project promoted traditional building techniques and environment-friendly construction methods, reviving the traditional mud brick construction. It thus helped create sustainable livelihoods and promoted socio-economic empowerment. The buildings that were constructed through the project are used for public services, mainly as centres for women refugees and marginalized communities.

13. UNESCO provided technical assistance for the institutionalization of the Riwaya Museum in Bethlehem, and continues its financial support to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to finalize the institutionalization procedure and to carry out a study on the economic sustainability of the museum.

14. UNESCO supported the Ministry of Culture in revising the Culture Sector Strategy plan for 2014-2016, and publishing five books on Palestinian intangible culture heritage.

COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

15. UNESCO continued working on the comprehensive, in-depth assessment of Palestine’s media landscape using UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators launched in October 2012 in partnership with the Birzeit University Media Development Centre. The national research team submitted to UNESCO a draft report based on a combination of research methods, including desk-based research, analysis of existing laws and regulations, and widespread consultations. Two multi-stakeholder national conferences were organized to present and discuss the preliminary findings and draft recommendations. The final report is envisaged to be launched this year. It is expected that its recommendations will make a positive contribution to the implementation of the recently launched national Media Strategy.

16. The two projects approved by the International Programme for the Development of Communication in March 2013 and successfully carried out. These were “Safety training for media students”, implemented by safety non-governmental organization MADA, and “Promotion of Palestinian women's views in the news” implemented by women’s radio station Nisaa FM. Two new projects were submitted to the International Programme for the Development of Communication for its review in March 2014: (i) “Empowering Female journalists club to promote freedom of expression and introduce a women’s discourse into the public sphere” by Filastiniyat, and (ii) “Promoting the concept of young citizen journalism through training and open platform” by Wattan TV.

17. Thanks to the emergency fund contribution, UNESCO collaborated with the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate on safety training for media students. Eight safety training courses were organized benefitting a total of 175 media students in eight Palestinian universities. The training courses were based on safety modules developed by the International Federation of Journalists and were carried out by accredited local trainers. The project complemented existing efforts in this area, which have to date been centred on safety training workshops for practising media professionals, following a similar approach to the one now being proposed for media students. The project also contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Inter-Agency Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity recently endorsed by the United Nations Chief Executives Board.

18. The Government of Finland granted a no-cost extension to the projects “Strengthening the safety and protection of journalists and the press freedom in the Gaza Strip” and “Promotion of the freedom of expression, safety of journalists and empowering women in media to enhance respect for human rights in Gaza Strip and West Bank”. The activities will include capacity-building for women journalists in Gaza; training on reporting in conflict areas; legal aid and related capacity building for journalists; and the finalization of the Media Development Indicators assessment.

GENDER

19. With the support of the Government of Norway, UNESCO initiated a new phase of the Palestinian Women Research and Documentation Centre (PWRDC) in its efforts to contribute to the successful implementation of the Cross-Sectoral National Gender Strategy of the Palestinian Authority. The new phase will restructure and refocus PWRDC activities to better support the work of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and other stakeholders in policy and programming for gender equality in Palestine. The PWRDC Advisory Committee was formed of representatives from UNESCO, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, UN Women and Norway, holding its first meeting in January 2014. The Centre officially re-opened its doors to the public on 2 December 2013.

III. UNESCO’S ASSISTANCE IN THE OCCUPIED SYRIAN GOLAN

20. The Scholarship programme for Syrian students in the occupied Syrian Golan ($113,000 from the Japanese Funds-in-Trust), was launched in July 2009 to grant 24 scholarships for four academic years to the students from the occupied Syrian Golan. The project ended in March 2013.