The training «Strengthening lobbying and advocacy skills in democracy and human rights» concludes

“Pal-Think for Strategic Studies” concluded a training programme titled “Strengthening lobbying and advocacy skills in the field of democracy and human rights”, which extended from 8–12 December 2019, within the project “Youth Forum for Politics and Development”, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which aims at building the capacities of rising Palestinian youth in strategic thinking and communal work, with the participation of 20 trainees, chosen after they passed personal interviews.

On the first day the trainees became acquainted with the emergence and development of human rights, the International Bill of Human Rights, and the state's obligations toward its citizens; on the second day, with the concepts of democracy and its elements, the types of political systems, and the Palestinian political system and its complexities; and finally with the skills of lobbying and advocacy in the field of democracy and human rights.

The trainer Bilal al-Najjar said that the trainees became acquainted with the concepts of democracy and human rights and with the problems of the system of governance in Palestine, and set out proposals for communal initiatives that bring about a real and qualitative effect, such as: strengthening the public's trust in women in the coming elections, lowering the age of candidacy for membership of the Legislative Council, and the crisis of withholding the certificates of university students who have not completed the payment of their study fees.

The trainees expressed their happiness with the training: the trainee Maysoon Odeh (24 years), an accountant, said: “I benefited much from the training; my knowledge of the International Bill of Human Rights and the most prominent rights contained in it increased, as well as of the different systems of governance in the world”. She affirmed that Pal-Think presented us wonderful courses and professional trainers. “Before the training my interest was only in accounting, but now I have an interest in politics and communal matters”.

She added: “I am thinking now of designing an initiative with my colleagues on the subject of violence toward women in our society”.

From his side, Nader al-Aqqad (24 years), a law graduate, said: “The courses we received in the Youth Forum for Politics and Development added to us much information and many skills. For example: before joining the forum I did not have sufficient capacity to stand before an audience and deliver something, but now the barrier of dread has been broken through the practical trainings, and this honed my personality much”.

He continued: “Although I am specialised in law by virtue of my university study, I became acquainted during the training with information in civil, political, and social rights of which I was ignorant”.

It is recalled that the project “Youth Forum for Politics and Development” will extend to the month of April 2020, and contains varied lectures in Palestinian law, democracy, and others. It also includes varied training programmes, such as: leadership and communication skills, building the digital identity on the social-media sites, methods of lobbying and advocacy, and others. Through the project, “Pal-Think” aims at developing the knowledge and culture of Palestinian youth.