Pal-Think concludes part two of the training on civil society's role in sustainable development

Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, in cooperation with the Dialectiq international consulting foundation, concluded the second part of a virtual training programme “Strengthening the role of civil-society organisations in sustainable development”, funded by the French Consulate in Jerusalem. This programme targeted 15 representatives of Palestinian civil-society organisations (PCSOs) in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. In addition to new university graduates and young activists

This programme is considered among the programmes necessary for building sustainable development in Palestine, because it affirms the cooperation between civil-society organisations in the Palestinian territories — and this is what can be realised by relying on the strength of these organisations combined, through forming and developing coordinated strategies to support a more sustainable development in Palestine.

A series of participatory analytical workshops was carried out over the internet through the ZOOM application. The training aimed at teaching the participants some new techniques for communication, analysing their context, and critical thinking. It likewise helped them strengthen deep and conscious thinking. The trainees were able to build a better understanding of what sustainable development means and what change is necessary to realise this end.

In addition to the foregoing, the trainees were able to distinguish between three fundamental concepts, namely the interests, the values, and the power dynamics that influence sustainable development, in order to design methodical techniques and mechanisms. And consequently to build systemic change by determining how decision-makers, the local authorities, and the private sector work together to support the course toward sustainable development. A long-term strategy was formed to help determine the suitable process and the measures needed to strengthen sustainable development in Palestine. And accordingly the current situation in Palestine will obtain the chance of change.