JP oPt Rule of Law 

ObjectivesFund scope

The joint programme, also known as Sawasya, brought together stakeholders to bring about more responsive and accountable justice and security institutions, closing gaps in access to service delivery that further marginalized already vulnerable populations.

Informed by a coherent theory of change and characterized by flexibility and responsiveness to institutional changes as a result of political developments, the Joint Programme was oriented around seven mutually reinforcing objectives:

• Strengthen the capacity of justice and security institutions.
• Improve civil society contributions to rule of law and community access to justice initiatives in the West Bank.
• Assist members of civil society in making contributions to rule of law and community access to justice programmes in the Gaza Strip.
• Help to strengthen gender responsiveness of justice, security and legislative systems.
• Advance women’s and girls’ access to justice and security by providing accountable service provision that could prevent, protect and respond to incidences of violence or address broader legal needs.
• Improve juvenile justice and adherence to child rights standards in legal frameworks.
• Increase the capacity of key actors and stakeholders to monitor progress in rule of law in the oPt.

Building on detailed analyses of the rule of law sector, and inclusive of contextual factors in the oPt, the Joint Programme built upon a number of approaches to inform the construction and roll-out of projects to achieve these seven objectives. Critical components of Sawasya included fostering national ownership of the development process to build systemic resilience and reform/refine justice and security systems with a long view to securing sustainable development and peace. In strengthening the capacity of national justice and security institutions it improved service delivery to communities and households, thereby raising levels of trust in administrative, legal, and law enforcement structures.

Furthermore, by empowering civil society it was hoped improvements would be seen in the accessibility of protection and rule of law services, mainstreaming gender (for equitable development outcomes), and strengthening oversight and accountability measures for tackling corruption. Revamping and/or upgrading informal and formal justice mechanisms is one way of assisting Palestinians in developing and leading peaceful conflict resolution strategies, particularly in parts of the territory that have incurred long-term damage due to ongoing political and geographical divisions.

Projects

JP oPt Rule of Law

JP oPt Rule of Law is currently supporting count_projects ongoing projectscount_globalInterregional and count_countries country-specific. This table shows the most recently approved ongoing projects.

All project financial information can be found in the Financials section, including delivery analysis by organization, theme and project; project financial status by country and by theme.

JP oPt Rule of Law

Results

Multiple achievements were seen across all seven outcomes. Some of the most promising were:

• Automation of the M&E system within the Attorney’s General Office and its alignment with Justice Sector Strategy (2017-2022) performance indicators.
• Continued expansion and customization of the Mizan II electronic case management system, which resulted in the creation of an e-service network for law professionals and the general public, as well as a Unified Warrant System and various applications for rights-holders to learn about the availability of their payments.
• Establishment of 15 self-service kiosks accessible 24/7 for lawyers and the general public to lodge enforcement requests at any time.
• Development of a unified code of conduct for the entire security sector in collaboration with EUPOL.
• Creation of legal aid units that deployed bono lawyers in the West Bank.
• Institutionalization of 25 Public Prosecutors and formation of a Specialized Prosecution Unit within the Attorney General’s Office, this included the creation of 24 enforcement departments and a Gender Unit within the Supreme Judge Department.
• The launch of five-year gender strategy within the Palestinian Civil Police, the first for any police force in the Arab region.
• 41,973 women (and 8,617 juveniles) provided with free mediation, legal consultation and representation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• Support for the adoption of the Juvenile Protection Law and establishment of national standards in the judiciary.
• Three institutions equipped with upgraded M&E and data collection systems.

Specialized prosecution units to provide legal aid for vulnerable people

Muhammad Hariri, a Specialized Public Prosecutor in Tulkarem shared his story. “When I was a lawyer, I realized that there were gaps and weaknesses in the law, and that the article or the clauses we have with the law do not properly provide for these specific cases. In a number of cases, the law will not enable legal adaptation and characterization.

When I joined the Public Prosecution, I felt even more, because you have more cases of sexual and gender based violence, and they are even more complicated. There are times when we know the perpetrator and you can be convinced that he committed the crime but you are left without provisions that can support the legal characterization. The mentoring sessions helped us to pinpoint these gaps and weaknesses that we are facing in our work.”

Family Protection Bill

Submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers’ technical drafting committee, the bill introduced an overarching legal framework that criminalized domestic violence in Palestine across the security and justice chains. It provided space for authorities to issue emergency protection orders along with exemption of medical and legal fees for survivors of GBV. It addressed all aspects of violence against women including: prevention, protection, reparation and reintegration, as well as the prosecution and rehabilitation of perpetrators. The bill represented an important step toward the application of CEDAW.

Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms

In parallel to making inroads on the informal justice front, the programme supported the organization of a conference in 2017 on “Enhancing Arbitration as a Tool for Conflict Resolution” that aimed to support access to justice through the arbitration of East Jerusalemites.

The conference aimed to highlight the importance of opting for arbitration mechanisms in real estate disputes, as resorting to Israeli courts often caused further damage to the Palestinian community. Additionally, in 2017, the programme supported the local organization, “ACT for Alternative Dispute Resolutions and Studies,” to raise awareness and strengthen the capacities of arbitrators and mediators in East Jerusalem.

Palestinian Bar Association Women Lawyers’ Network

Throughout programme implementation, Sawasya increased women’s representation within the bar association through support to the Women Lawyers’ Network. Striking improvements were witnessed as women registered lawyers increased by 85% between 2015 and 2016, and was followed by the election of a woman to the PBA board for the first time in 2017.

Additionally, 100 women participated in a communication skills and advocacy workshop through the PBA Women Lawyers’ Network. This workshop also increased engagement and broadened networks with similar entities (e.g. the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate) and to secure concrete policy commitments to foster equality among lawyers, regardless of gender.

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