Ramallah, Gaza – 30th of November "Joint Release": The UNESCO Office in Palestine, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, has launched the National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Conference. Nine civil society organizations active in the field of media and information, media experts, educators and students participated in the Conference.

UNESCO Ramallah Office took part in the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV)’ under 2021 theme “Women and girls: Safe at home, online, in the street, at work and in society as a whole”. The international campaign starts each year on the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on the 10th of December, Human Rights Day. The 16 days are used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. This year, UNESCO Ramallah Office in cooperation with Radio Philistia, organized a series of three radio episodes to contribute to the campaign and to raise awareness on the issue of GBV in Palestine. Click on the link below to watch the recorded episodes.   We All Have A Role To Play: Ending Gender-Based Violence Against Women Is Possible If We Stand Together! #16days   Programme:   29/11/2021 at 7pm (Ramallah time) – “Online Violence Against Palestinian Female Journalists”  watch here  06/12/2021 at 7pm (Ramallah time) – “Unequal Burden On Female Students And Working Women Due To Covid-19”  watch here  08/12/2021 at 7pm (Ramallah time) – “Arts As A Way To Raise Awareness On Violence Against Women And Fight Gender Stereotypes” watch here   

Ramallah, October 26 – In the framework of the Media and Information Literacy Week 2021, UNESCO Ramallah and Al-Quds Open University launch a new project on the "Assessing Media Institutions Strategic Management and Extending Media Literacy in the Palestinian Higher Education". The meeting organized in the form of a round table was the opportunity to discuss collaboration with media educators and stakeholders towards the achievement of the project’s objectives. This project was successfully granted financial support by the Special Account for the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).  It was approved by the IPDC Bureau at its 65th meeting in June 2021 and will be implemented in three phases between November 2021 and June 2022: a) Assessing the media institutions through research and study b) Capacity building sessions c) development of the Media information Literacy curriculum for Higher Education institutions. This project will be executed in close coordination with UNESCO Ramallah office.  The annual Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week, initiated in 2012, is led by UNESCO in cooperation with the UNESCO MIL Alliance, the UNESCO-UNAOC MIL and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network, and other partners. It is a major occasion for stakeholders to review and celebrate the progress achieved towards “Media and Information Literacy for All”. The tenth Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week will be commemorated from 24 to 31 October 2021, and will be hosted by South Africa. Global MIL Week 2021 highlights will include the eleventh MIL and Intercultural Dialogue Conference and sixth Youth Agenda Forum.

Ramallah, October 12- Under it’s project “Multi-Year Resilience Programme  for The State of Palestine 2019-2021”, funded by Education Cannot Wait,  UNESCO and the Ministry of Education launched a two day training on inclusive education. The Center for Continuing Education at Birzeit University implemented the workshop, in which 60 special education supervisors and inclusive education counselors from 11 governorates in the West Bank attended the training. The workshop is a part of series of inclusive education trainings for teachers, educational counselors and schools’ principles to provide them with the practical skills and knowledge to implement quality, child-friendly and inclusive education. Nida Al Adra, Inclusive Education Counselor from South Hebron’s Education Directorate: “This is an opportunity to share experiences related to inclusive education among counselors and supervisors. I will be happy to reflect what I have learned during the training to ensure the implementation of inclusive education practices in schools in my area”.

Ramallah, October 18 – Within the framework of the project "Developing Digital skills and Education for Sustainable Development through Distance Learning in Palestine", funded by Japan, UNESCO Ramallah and the Ministry of Education launched training to produce educational videos for the Palestine Educational TV Channel. The training on educational design, technical skills and best practice guidelines took place at Al-Quds Open University in Ramallah starting 18-25 October 2021. The training targeted 30 key trainers over 25 training hours. It will be followed by the training of 75 teachers in various governorates around the country.   UNESCO Ramallah’s Education Unit supports the Ministry of Education in achieving its distance learning goals by developing and enhancing the Palestine Educational broadcast channel through the provision of devices and equipment as well as building the capacities of educational supervisors, teachers, and TV staff to improve their digital and 21st century skills.   Tharwat Zaid, Assistant Deputy-Minister at the Ministry of Education, emphasized: “It is important to incorporate technology in education and there is a need to break away from the traditional pattern of education to a more interactive and child-centered approach. We need to make transition from quantity to quality education to ensure the active participation of students in the learning process.”

In May 2021, a 11-day conflict in the Gaza Strip led to the complete or partial destruction of important cultural infrastructure, including educational and cultural facilities and institutions, as well as material losses in equipment, archives, art collections and rare books, among others. With the aim to assess comprehensively the impact on the cultural sector in Gaza, the UNESCO Ramallah Office, through support from the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund, is conducting a series of activities, including a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), capacity-building workshops, as well as urgent interventions for cultural centers, practitioners and artists in Gaza. The key urgent interventions include the implementation of workshops in the field of music, theatre and fine arts specifically designed for artists who were affected by the conflict. Targeted psychosocial support will also be provided to traumatized youth and children by giving them the opportunity to engage in interactive activities and to express themselves through artistic means. Tania Mourtaja, the Executive Director of Ayyam Al Masrah - Theatre Day Productions in Gaza, and with whom UNESCO is partnering to implement some of these interventions, said: “Our drama scripts usually mirror the trainees’ own narratives and reflections. With the support of UNESCO and through our experienced trainers, we will be using theatre as a tool for healing, where the participants will have the chance to express themselves”. UNESCO is also launching this month urgent stabilization and consolidation works at the historic building of El-Wehidi House, which will serve as a new premises for the Basma Society for Culture and Arts, whose former home was lost during the conflict. These activities are part of the activity ‘Post-Disaster Needs Assessment and urgent interventions in the Gaza Strip’ supported by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund through the generous support of the following donors: the Qatar Fund for Development, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, the Government of Canada, the Principality of Monaco, ANA Holdings INC., the Republic of Estonia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Andorra, the Slovak Republic, and the Republic of Serbia.