Ref: 15/2011

On 24 March 2011, the Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights’ (PCHR) Training Unit concluded a training course on human
rights and democracy in cooperation with the National Association for Democracy
and Law (NADL) in Rafah. The five-day course took place in NADL’s main office in Rafah City. Thirty
participants from seven community based organizations in Rafah received 20
hours of training between 20 and 24 of March 2011.

The course covered several international human
rights agreements including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Declaration on
the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The course also addressed other
topics such as the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and democracy
in concept and in practice.

A team of specialized trainers from PCHR
including Majda Shehata, researcher at PCHR’s Women’s Rights Unit, Sharif Abu
Nassar, lawyer at PCHR’s Legal Unit , Khalil Shahin, Director of PCHR’s
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Unit, and Bassam al-Aqra, Director of
PCHR’s Training Unit, managed the training course.

In his closing speech, Mr. Ahmed Srour from
NADL thanked PCHR’s continued efforts to raise awareness about human rights and
democracy and emphasized that the training was part of an ongoing relationship
between PCHR and NADL. Srour expressed that he hopes that such cooperation and
coordination will continue.

Bassam al-Aqra explained that this training
course is a part of a three-year project titled ‘Improving Awareness and
Respect for Human Rights in the OPT’ funded by the European Union and Oxfam
Novib. He added that the training course was part of continued efforts by PCHR
to uphold human rights in Palestinian society in cooperation with civil society
organizations. Al-Aqra invited the participants to benefit from the services
provided by PCHR stressing that PCHR doors are open to everyone.

Participants appreciated PCHR efforts aimed at
expanding the culture of human rights in Palestinian society. Ghassan Abu
Shair, one of the participants, said that the training course contributed to
raising participants’ awareness about the concepts of human rights and
democracy. He added that the course material was well-focused and covered the
topics with unique depth due to PCHR’s experience. Wafa Abu Ryash, a
participant, praised the capabilities of the trainers and the interactive
training methods which were employed during the course. She explained that
participants’ ability to participate and the discussions which took place
throughout the course made it distinctive and effective.