USAID Assists Palestinian Authority to Prepare for WTO Observership:  WTO observer status and eventual full WTO membership are key objectives of the PA, and are significant points of policy-level discussion with the Government of Israel.  A symposium organized by USAID and the PA Ministry of National Economy provided an overview of the WTO, highlighting its principal agreements, structure, and procedures, and provided a forum for a wide exchange of views on the WTO as an institution.  Also discussed were potential impacts on Palestine’s economy and how the PA can achieve observer status.

Preparing for the Future in a Changing Media Environment: USAID’s Enhancing Palestinian Independent Media Program conducted a three-day workshop on the development of Palestinian University Journalism curriculum.  The event was attended by journalism school deans, professors and local media outlets in the West Bank. The workshop focused on the need to develop New Media courses to train future journalists on new technologies relevant to their field and the ethics and guidelines for using new media and social media in journalistic work.

USAID Hands Over One Stop Shop and Government Offices in Attil, West Bank: The Local Democratic Reform program completed and handed over the newly renovated ground floor of Attil’s municipal center that will now accommodate regional offices of various national ministries and a new One Stop Shop. Citizens can now fulfill their service needs without traveling to Ramallah.