On Monday 21st of May, nine grant agreements were signed with NGOs working in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the NGO Development Center’s (NDC’s) main office in Al Ram. Ghassan Kasabreh (NDC Director), Jamileh Sahlieh (Grants Program Manager), Shadi Qare’ (Finance and Admin Manager) and Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma (Netherlands Representative Office Policy Officer) joined representatives of the successful applicant NGOs to sign the grant agreements. Ghassan Kasabreh and Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma welcomed the NGOs and articulated the desire of the Human Rights and Good Governance (HR/GG) Secretariat to maintain a close, cooperative and warm relationship during the duration of the respective projects.
This most recent round of grant agreements awarded $893,729 to nine NGOs – All for Peace Palestinian-Israeli Radio Station, Breaking the Silence, Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights ‘Hurryyat’, The Institute of Law – Birzeit University, Land Research Center, Rabbis for Human Rights, Society Voice Foundation for Community and Civil Work, Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (TRC), Women’s Affairs Technical Committee/Ramallah. Provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Netherlands Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority (NRO), this ‘Special Grant Facility’ funding total will support projects aimed at attaining measurable results in the following priority areas: displacement and forced evictions; women’s equal participation in political life; right to health with emphasis on access issues; prisoners’ rights, torture and rehabilitation; and freedom of religion.
The Human Rights and Good Governance Secretariat is managed by NDC on behalf of four European donors - namely Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. The donors’ funding is a continuation of their support to the sector and aims to harmonize and channel financial and technical assistance with the overall development objective of improving human rights and good governance practices throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Both ‘Core Funding’ and ‘Small Grant Facility’ windows are utilized by the Secretariat to support organizations dedicated to protection and promotion of human rights and good governance in the oPt.
NDC, SDC and NRO are proud to partner with new NGOs and look forward to the successful implementation of this special round of funding.
