Fund Dates

• Start Date: 1  May 2014
• End Date:  30 June 2018

JP Strengthening the Rule of Law in the oPt: Justice and Security for Palestinian People Reports

• Final Programme Narrative Report

• Consolidated Financial  Report
• 2019 Certified Financial Statement -SUoF

JP Strengthening the Rule of Law in the oPt: Justice and Security for Palestinian People Key Documents

• Programme Document
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Standard Administrative Agreement

Overview

This Joint Programme will help develop and maintain the conditions for a viable State of Palestine based on the rule of law and principles of gender equality. The programme will work to enhance the capacities of, and public confidence in, rule of law institutions, strengthening access to justice, security and protection services, especially for women and girls. Interventions are designed with a view to sustainability and linking activities to ‘system-level’ policy development.

Support rests on a supply and demand equation that combines enhanced service delivery by resilient justice and security institutions with the public’s ability to access such services and hold duty-bearers to account. By increasing public confidence in the sector, support is designed to be catalytic, strengthening state-society relations and creating an enabling environment for development. Interventions are informed by a coherent theory of change and characterised by flexibility and responsiveness to institutional changes as a result of political developments. The Joint Programme is oriented around the following seven mutually reinforcing interventions:

• Capacity of justice and security institutions strengthened and linkages forged;
• Civil society contribution to rule of law and community access to justice in the West Bank enhanced;
• Civil society contribution to the rule of law and community access to justice in the Gaza Strip enhanced;
• Gender responsiveness of justice, security and legislative actors strengthened;
• Women’s and girls’ access to justice and security improved by ensuring accountable service provision to prevent, protect and respond to violence, and by addressing their broader legal needs;
• Juvenile justice and adherence to child rights improved; and
• Capacity of key actors and stakeholders to monitor progress and results in rule of law development increased.

The Joint Programme builds on the achievements and findings of its predecessors: the UNDP Rule of Law & Access to Justice Programme in the oPt (2010-2014), the UNDP/EUPOL COPPS Joint Programme (2012-2014), and the UN Women Access to Justice Programme in the oPt (2011-2014). Importantly, the Joint Programme will use baselines captured during these earlier programmes as a means to monitor results and inform future planning.

Assistance Strategy

Building on detailed analysis and experience of the rule of law sector and overall context in the oPt, as well as best practices from elsewhere, the Joint Programme is built upon a number of approaches, which infuse the seven outcomes around which the programme is constructed. These include:

• Genuine national ownership of the development process is necessary to ensure sustainability and build systemic resilience
• Justice and security are the two foundational pillars of the rule of law, and essential prerequisites for sustainable development and peace
• Strengthening the capacity of national justice and security institutions helps build resilience and enhance service delivery to the population
• Simultaneously empowering civil society and the population to access justice and security contributes to protection and systemic improvements in the rule of law
• Mainstreaming gender at all levels is critical for coherent rule of law advancement and equitable development outcomes
• Strengthening oversight and accountability and tackling corruption creates an enabling environment for development efforts to take hold
• Enhancing systematic communication, coordination and cooperation within and beyond the rule of law sector is essential
• Increasing public trust and confidence in rule of law processes and institutions is catalytic to their development, and reinforces state-society relations
• Informal as well as formal justice mechanisms have a role to play in Palestinian society, and can also contribute to peaceful conflict resolution
• To the extent possible, a harmonised approach to rule of law development in the West Bank and Gaza is intended to mitigate the long-term damage posed by the current political and geographical division
• Capitalising on State of Palestine’s developed IT culture will support the development of -and access to- equitable rule of law services throughout the oPt

• In order to maximise sustainable and reinforcing effect, the Joint Programme should itself be comprehensive, inclusive and flexible

Governance

The programme will be implemented in partnership with relevant PA institutions and an array of civil society actors, including the PBA, specific civil society organisations and academic institutions. While UNDP/PAPP and UN Women will be responsible for implementing the programme in accordance with their financial rules and regulations and internal control frameworks, the programme is fully aligned with the PA’s national development goals and the relevant sector strategies, including the National Justice Sector Strategy (2014-2016), the National Security Sector Strategy (2014-2016) and the National Cross-Sectoral Gender Strategy (2014-2016), as well as several other important national strategies including the National Strategy to combat VAW (2011-2019). By doing so, the programme aims to ensure proper buy-in and support at every level, with a view to maximising impact and sustainability of the different activities and interventions.

Aimed at bringing together key actors and stakeholders, a Programme Board will be established to review the strategic direction of the programme, ensuring accountability and proper oversight. The board meetings will also provide a forum for stringent quality control and review of progress. This will entail determining deliverables and achievement of benchmarks, alongside opportunities for fine-tuning and adjustments.

Administrative Agent

The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serves as the Administrative Agent (AA) of the Joint Programme. The AA is responsible for concluding Standard Administrative Arrangements (SAAs) with donors and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Participating UN Organisations.