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Updated: January 2009
CONTENTS:
A.
I. AFFILIATION
II. REGISTRATION
III. GOVERNANCE
B.
I. VISION
II. MISSION STATEMENT
III. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
IV. CORE VALUES
V. TARGET GROUPS
VI. GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF INTERVENTION
VII. CORE PROGRAMMES
VIII. PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGY
IX. MAIN STRATEGIES
A.
I. AFFILIATION
Defence for Children International-Palestine Section (DCI-Palestine) is a national section of the international non-governmental child rights organisation and movement, Defence for Children International (DCI), established in 1979. As such, it is a member of the International General Assembly of DCI, which convenes every three years. Currently, DCI has 45 national sections and associated members throughout the world, an international secretariat in Geneva and consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, UNICEF, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe. Each national section and associated member is an autonomous entity affiliated to the movement by pledging to follow the broad mandate of promoting and protecting the rights of children according to international standards. Thus each national section adapts its vision, mission and strategies to the particular context in which it is operating. Consequently, DCI-Palestine develops its own programs according to Palestinian children’s needs and priorities.
The General Director of DCI-Palestine, Rifat Kassis, who was also a co-founding member of the organization in 1992, was elected for a second 3-year term as President of the international governing body of DCI (International Executive Council) at the last DCI International General Assembly, held in Brussels in September 2008.
II. REGISTRATION
DCI-Palestine was established in 1992. It was first registered in 1996 in the Israeli Ministry of Interior. In 2003, DCI-Palestine was registered under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction, in accordance with the Palestinian NGO Law as an independent Palestinian non-governmental organization. Its registration number is RA-2282-SS.
III. GOVERNANCE
DCI/PS is governed by its General Assembly, which meets once a year and by a Board of Trustees, which is elected by assembly members in elections every other year. The Board convenes a meeting four times a year. There are By-laws and internal procedures manuals which regulate how DCI/PS is governed (available upon request).
Current list of board members (from July 2007):
1. Randa Siniora - President
2. Fayez Al-Fasfous – Vice President
3. Mai Mer?i – Secretary
4. Khaled Farraj – Treasurer
5. Sha?wan Jabareen
6. Majed Nassar
7. Shadi Jaber
8. Sahar Fransis
9. Nassar Ibrahim
B.
I. VISION
“A Palestinian community fit for all children”
• A community that is free and independent;
• A community where justice, equality and respect for human dignity prevails;
• A community where children can enjoy and exercise their human rights without any kind of discrimination.
II. MISSION STATEMENT
DCI/PS is dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of Palestinian children in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), as well as other international, regional and local standards.
Motto: Affecting positive change in the best interests of children
III. KEY GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Children’s participation
2. The best interests of the child is our paramount consideration
3. Principle of non-discrimination
4. Right to life, survival and development
These principles, as reflected in the UN CRC guide our intervention strategies and practice.
IV. CORE VALUES
• Strong commitment to the UNCRC and other human rights standards.
• Promoting civil society, social justice, democracy and the rule of law
• Adopting a rights-based approach in designing and implementing our programs and projects
• Learning organisation committed to ongoing institutional development
• Exhausting all available resources and channels in defending children’s rights
• Adopting participatory developmental approaches in our work
• Gender sensitivity and equality
• Encouraging Teamwork
• Information and experience sharing
• Creating synergies and avoiding duplication (Networking and complementary work)
• Accepting others and diversity
• Efficiency and Professionalism High quality services
• Flexibility and Openness
• Supporting and promoting voluntary work
• Sustaining independency and objectivity while not being donor-driven
• Appreciation of creativity and initiative
• Accountability and Transparency
V. TARGET GROUPS
• All Palestinian children in the oPt
Also, specifically:
o Palestinian children whose rights have been violated
o Palestinian children aged 12-17, trained to be child rights advocates
o Palestinian children with special needs or who are marginalized
• Duty-bearers of Palestinian child rights (Israel, the PA, third States)
• Care-givers, educators and other figures of authority in a Palestinian child’s life
• Law enforcement figures
• Palestinian legislators and policy-makers
• The wider Palestinian community
VI. GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF INTERVENTION
Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt)
West Bank
Gaza Strip
East Jerusalem
VII. CORE PROGRAMMES
Child Protection
• Improving the protective environment for children in Palestine
Child Participation
• Promoting the participation rights of Palestinian children
Civil Society for Child Rights
• Strengthening the capacity of Palestinian civil society to support child rights
Accountability
• Pushing for better accountability of primary duty-bearers of Palestinian children’s rights
Juvenile Justice
• Working towards a Palestinian juvenile justice system according to int’l standards
• Challenging the arbitrary detention of Palestinian children by Israeli occupying forces
VIII. PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGY
According to:
a. Project Cycle Management Principles
b. Logical Framework Approach.
We choose our focus and design our strategies and programmes based on a solid analysis of the context we are working in, identification of the most vulnerable groups of children and the prevalent gaps and problems; combined with an assessment of our role within that context in light of the roles and mandates of other stakeholders on the ground.
We elaborate our results according to SMART criteria (according to an assessment of the resources available and our capacity and opportunities for synergy with other actors). We put objectively verifiable indicators for all the results and sources of verification for each result, as well as doing a risk analysis and setting assumptions prior to implementation.
IX. MAIN STRATEGIES
• Holistic approach, intervening on level of legislation, policy and practice
o Monitoring, documenting, reporting violations
o Advocacy
o Lobbying
o Capacity-building
o Awareness-raising
o Litigation
o Legal services
o Networking and coordination
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