Ref: 31/2013

On Thursday, 25 April
2013, the Training Unit of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
concluded a training course titled “The rights of persons with disabilities are
human rights”, in coordination with the Swedish Organisation for
Individual Relief (SOIR) in the northern Gaza Strip. The 20-hour training
course was held at PCHR’s office in the northern Gaza Strip from 21-25 April
2013. 25 members of SOIR staff attended the course.

The course covered
a number of international human rights instruments, 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 Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence
against Women, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. to
the course also addressed the independence of the judiciary and the rule of
law.

A team of
specialised trainers supervised the training sessions. The team included Mr
Bassam al-Aqra’, Director of PCHR’s Training Unit; Mr Khalil Shaheen, Director
of PCHR’s Economic and Social Rights Unit; Mr Fadel al-Mzaini, a researcher at
PCHR’s Economic and Social Rights Unit; Ms Ahlam al-Aqra’, a lawyer at PCHR’s
Legal Unit; Ms Hanan Matter, a lawyer at PCHR’s Women’s Unit, and Majeda
Shehada, a researcher at PCHR’s Women’s Unit.

Mr Bassam
al-Aqra’ stated in his concluding speech that this course is part of PCHR’s
long-term efforts to promote human rights in Palestinian society in cooperation
with community-based organisations. He added that the course programme had been
designed based on the needs of the target group. Al-Aqra’ also called upon trainees
to avail of the services provided by PCHR, stressing that its doors are open to
everyone.

The participants
gave positive feedback that they highly appreciated PCHR’s efforts to spread
the culture of human rights and the rights of persons with disabilities in
Palestinian society. Ms Suzan al-Nahhal, Director of Programmes in SOIR in Gaza
and a participant in the course, said that the course had contributed to
raising the participants’ awareness of the human rights concepts in general and
of the rights of persons with disabilities in particular. Al-Nahhal also said
that the session was beneficial to the participants, both professionally and
socially, and that she appreciated the dedication of the trainers and the use
of diverse interactive training methods. She added that active participation
and discussion during the training sessions had enriched the course.

All participants in
the course received a certificate.