DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

• The National Justice Record Department Opens to the Public: The Ministry of Justice conducted the opening ceremony for the National Justice Record Department, which USAID assisted through its Justice, Enforcement, and Rule of Law Program, implemented by DPK Consulting. The program helped the Ministry establish the National Justice Record System, a central database that stores information regarding individuals with court records and is used by the Palestinian Authority to issue certificates of non-conviction to individuals. This certificate is often a requirement for applying for civil service jobs, visas, and other transactions.  The Mission Director and Prime Minister Fayyad spoke.

• Palestinian Ministerial Personnel Attended a Presentation on the Center of Excellence: USAID’s Palestinian Authority Capacity Enhancement Project (PACE), implemented by Chemonics, conducted two presentations on the Centers of Excellence (CoE) approach for a number of senior staff at the Ministries of Transportation and Interior.  These presentations aimed at familiarizing the ministerial staff with the CoE approach and methods for implementing it.

water resources and infrastructure

• New Retaining Wall Improves Road Safety: USAID completed the construction of a retaining wall that collapsed last winter due to heavy rains in Beit Iba, a village in near Nablus.  The construction was done under the Emergency Jobs Program, implemented by CHF. The wall prevents soil erosion and stops rocks from falling from high edges, protects the roads from water damage during winter, and provides for safe pedestrian movement.  The project cost $72,411 and created 1,522 person days of employment for 40 workers.

education development

• Microsoft Provides IT Support for Young Palestinians: Microsoft awarded an in-kind grant valued at nearly $250,000 to USAID’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program, implemented by Save the Children and Mercy Corps.  The grant will establish Microsoft IT Academies in three West Bank TVET institutions as a way to support Information Technology (IT) as a vocation for young people. The Academies, the first of their kind in Palestine, will offer certified upgraded courses to IT professionals. Microsoft’s support will also help to provide digital literacy courses in 12 TVET institutions in order to raise the IT competency of all students.  In addition, Microsoft is supporting IT literacy in three USAID supported Youth Development and Resource Centers in the West Bank.