The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) convened an event entitled “the role of local government units (LGUs) in sustainable and inclusive support to the most affected groups, particularly female heads of household”. The encounter was tailored to promote LGU role in providing socioeconomic support to vulnerable groups in the current crisis, especially in light of consequences of the war on Gaza. This activity was carried out by the Taskforce for the Inclusion of Marginalized Groups, with the participation of member LGUs, experts and officials from gender and women empowerment institutions.

In her opening remarks, Abeer Nouh, APLA Gender Coordinator, reviewed challenges faced by female heads of households in Palestine and economic mechanisms used to cope with the difficult conditions exacerbated by the war on Palestine. Highlighting LGU pivotal role in providing necessary support to these groups, Nouh stressed the need to provide training and economic empowerment programmes to ensure financial independence and promote resilience of Palestinian communities.

Sami Suhweil, Director General of Gender Networks at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), presented on the MoWA’s diligent efforts to promote gender equality and empowerment of Palestinian women. In addition to developing a set of policies and regulation, the MoWA implemented programmes to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, increase women’s engagement in decision making process, and provide economic empowerment to women.

According to Hanin Zidan, Director General of the ‎Rural Women’s Development Society, the Society works unrelentingly towards empowering rural women and enhancing their socioeconomic conditions. To this avail, projects aim to bring an end to domestic violence and strength women’s economic capacities through women-led cooperatives. These seek to promote gender equality and justice and contribute to achieving inclusive sustainable development in society, particularly across rural communities.

Irene Sa’adeh, Head of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Ramallah Municipality, presented on the municipality’s working mechanisms to create an attractive investment environment, facilitating procedures, and provide logistical support to create small and medium enterprises. According to Sa’adeh, the municipality has built partnerships with the private sector to provide opportunities to finance and market these enterprises. This supports women’s participation in economic and cultural activities and promotes their community role.

The event was funded by the GIZ Local Governance Reform Programme in the course of activities implemented by the Taskforce for the Inclusion of Marginalized Groups in Palestinian LGUs. It was part of APLA’s ongoing efforts to consolidate LGU role in supporting the most affected and vulnerable groups and developing plans and programmes that bring about sustainability and inclusion against the backdrop of current challenges.