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.

On 6 September  2021, the UNESCO office in Ramallah, and the Arab World Center for Research and Development (AWRAD), have set in motion, a new study on Journalists' Safety Indicators in Palestine, making it the second country to launch this study. The presentation and discussion circled around the approach and methodologies of the study, which the two parties aim to publish by the end of 2021.   Ms. Noha Bawazir, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative spoke about the challenges facing Palestinian journalists and media workers. Quoting a 2021 annual report published by the Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate.

UNESCO’s National Office for Palestine, in cooperation with the Office of the Higher Commission of Human Rights and the Independent Commission of Human Rights held a one-day training workshop for the members of the National Mechanism for Monitoring Safety of Journalists in Palestine..  The objective of the event was to reinforce the existing mechanism, collecting effective contributions related to the issue of monitoring and reporting violations against journalists. The goal of this mechanism is to strengthen the monitoring and reporting on safety of journalists, including reporting on killings of journalists and their judicial follow-up. The mechanism also aims to support Palestine’s reporting on the safety of journalists within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular SDG indicator 16.10.1. As a multi-stakeholder initiative, it brings together representatives of government, civil society, and media syndicates.  

UNESCO Ramallah Office organized an event in Battir, a Palestinian village south-west of Jerusalem which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to celebrate the 2021 International Youth Day (IYD). The event was held on 27th  of July under this year‘s theme “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health” aiming at engaging the youth in protecting traditional agriculture and promoting a sustainable food culture in Palestine. The event was developed within the framework of promoting Palestinian Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) to raise awareness on the close relationship between food and agriculture, as well as the Palestinian intangible cultural heritage and the role that youth can play in transmitting this important part of their national identity. Palestinian food and agriculture are based on principles of nutrition, connection with the land, and quality that can are reproduced and passed on from generation to generation. With this spirit in mind, the UNESCO Ramallah Office has endorsed this event so as to empower youth to advocate and be guardians of their own cultural heritage. Thirty young volunteers, sixteen females and fourteen males between the age of 17 and 29, from the West Bank and East Jerusalem participated in the event by harvesting the local fruits and vegetables and learned about the agricultural heritage of the region. Participating volunteers included beneficiaries of the FAO Green jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities for Palestinian Youth in the Agri-food Sector programme, Y-Peers, the UN Thematic Group on Youth and young people from Battir. At the beginning of the event all the participants were welcomed by Ms Noha Bawazir, UNESCO’s Head of Office, then briefed by UNESCO's colleagues about Battir as a World Heritage site, and the unique water distribution system currently used by the Battir families. This specific type of irrigation is a legacy of an ancient equal distribution system that delivers water to the terraces based on a simple mathematical calculation and a clear time-managed rotation scheme called ‘’Almadoud’’. Following the briefing, the volunteers had the chance to meet with the local farmers and learn directly from them about the way of harvesting different types of local vegetables, including the famous Battiri eggplants which is picked in the summer season. The visit continued to the Ottoman-era Hijaz railway track and finally with a traditional Palestinian lunch when they also met with the Battiri women who prepared the food. The event was an extraordinary opportunity for the young volunteers to get to know important elements of their heritage that often go unnoticed. The youth needs to be empowered to collectively and individually make efforts to restore the environment and protect life and biodiversity, while also promoting a sustainable food culture among their communities. The IYD is an opportunity to highlight the fact that for new results to be achieved, the youth should be properly informed and included as main stakeholders in such discussions. Young people hold a crucial role in working towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and related frameworks and need to be given the right tools to succeed. UNESCO Ramallah Office also produced a video for the IYD to promote the event in Battir. The video wants to highlight that while young people are encouraged to innovate food systems, the preservation of what remains of the traditional practices is an essential learning tool. Click here to watch the video  

Awareness-Raising Campaign on Healthy Lifestyle and Against Discrimination Supporting the Ministry of Education in implementing its National Response Plan for COVID-19  in Palestine                

Kufr Rai, 14 July 2021 – in the presence of representatives of Kufr Rai Municipality and the local community of the village, UNESCO Ramallah Office and Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation celebrated the end of the rehabilitation works in Housh Al-Lakloum in the historic center of Kufr Rai village to the south-west of Jenin Governorate. In his opening remarks, Mr Ghazi Melhem, the Mayor of Kufr Rai, stressed that the rehabilitation works in Housh Al-Lakloum and designating it to be a cultural center is only the beginning, emphasizing that the Municipality is planning to intervene widely in the village and preserve its historic urban fabric. Mr Melhem thanked the Swedish Government and UNESCO for their unwavering support in protecting the Palestinian cultural heritage and safeguarding it for the future generations. Ms Shatha Safi, Director of Riwaq, praised the longstanding partnership with UNESCO through which Riwaq was able to intervene in the rural areas of Palestine to empower the communities through creating job opportunities and enhance the sense of belonging to their roots and heritage. On the other hand, Mr Giovanni Scepi, Head of the Culture Unit at UNESCO Ramallah Office, congratulated the Municipality and the residents of Kufr Rai for this achievement, and stressed the collective efforts put together at the national level to protect and promote Palestinian cultural heritage by transforming the once deserted empty buildings into vibrant facilities as evidenced in this unique building in the historic center of Kufr Rai. It is worth mentioning that the building was rehabilitated within the framework of the project “Local Development through the Rehabilitation and Revitalization of Historic Environment in Palestine”, generously funded by Sweden and implemented by UNESCO.