In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the active partners working in the field of Media and Information Literacy (MIL), the first policy paper was developed during the first half of 2021 and is in the process to be adopted on the way for establishing a National Policy.  This very effective paper led to the establishment of an MIL Thematic Group within the Education sector groups in the Ministry.  This is the first step towards joining the efforts in Palestine and holding a conference to respond to the paper’s recommendations and outcomes in the last quarter of 2021, including the adaptation of the UNESCO MIL Curriculum for Teachers for systemic implementation of concrete MIL activities in Palestine

Several training workshops took place during the month of April targeting young professional journalists, on a number of topics, from the media coverage during elections time, to coordinating the electoral media campaigns and other related topics on civil peace, International law, code of conducts and methods of fact checking, disinformation and combating fake news. UNESCO completed training sessions on civil peace and adherence to the International law and the code of honor signed in Cairo, verifying information and dealing with social media, reporters’ impartiality and balance, as well as building the relationship and dealing with journalists and the importance of information flow to journalists, speed and content. Among the trainings, the UNESCO National Office for Palestine in cooperating with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and the Independent Commission for Human Rights conducted a training of managers and coordinators of media campaigns in anticipation of possible elections, which were also meant to benefit the process of ethical reporting in general.

UNESCO Ramallah Office and the Ministry of Education jointly organized a conference using a hybrid modality of on-line and in-person participation over two consecutive days. The conference entitled "Development of the Palestinian Educational System: Achievements, Entitlements, and Perspectives" gathered on the 1st day some 200 online participants with representatives from ministries, civil society organizations, and educational stakeholders. The conference presented the realities facing the Palestinian educational system; policies associated with it and offered regional and international approaches to foresee the ability of the system to respond to new and existing challenges. The Conference allowed for national, regional and international experiences to be shared and discussed.

UNESCO and UN Women Palestine offices signed a partnership agreement on 1 July 2021 with the aim of enhancing the role of women and promoting gender-sensitive reporting in Palestinian media.

On 2 June 2021, the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the online capacity development for skills anticipation and matching under the European Union (EU) funded Youth Employment in Mediterranean (YEM) project. The UNESCO National Office in Palestine targeted 34 participants of governmental organizations and key partners to take online courses. The participants include the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Labour, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), and Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS). In this fast-paced world, technological and labour market changes profoundly affect Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and skills development. Skills needs anticipation, digital skills, e-learning tools, and innovative training methodologies are on the top of national policy agendas. To stay updated on the latest developments, the innovative online training courses have been designed to meet the needs of key stakeholders such as policymakers in the labour market and skills development systems. The main objective of this course is to help participants understand the central importance of identifying current and future skill needs and labour market imbalances in a broader policy framework. This innovative e-learning course has been designed according to a learner-centered approach. It is highly interactive and engaging and implemented over seven weeks. Since 2015, UNESCO has been supporting Palestine on skills forecasting through the YEM project and will continue and further expand this work through a newly-established partnership with Enabel.   This level of collaboration between the two agencies, ILO and UNESCO in the occupied Palestinian Territories, responds to the Labour Sector Strategy and newly established National Employment Strategy for Palestine, which is well-aligned with the UNESCO’s TVET Strategy and ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.  As such, UNESCO and ILO stressed on the importance of focusing on people, a human-centered recovery for building back better, by prioritizing employment, skills building and development, income and social protection, workers’ rights, and social dialogue. If a lasting, sustainable and inclusive recovery for Palestinians is sought, this is the path that all partners must commit to. Accordingly, the ILO and UNESCO are committed to supporting the implementation of the strategies and investing in the Palestinian institutions and the future of the Palestinian economy