Photos from the First Training Session of the Civil Society Activists Diploma – Youth
Date:14 Feb 2025
Press Release
Photos from the First Training Session of the Civil Society Activists Diploma – Youth
With the participation of 100 trainees from various Palestinian governorates, the first training session of the Civil Society Activists Diploma – Youth was launched by the International Commission to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People (ICSPR) in partnership with The Shaikh Group (TSG) , conducted via the Zoom platform. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to enhance youth capacities and empower them in civil and rights-based work.
The first session focused on the Palestinian cause and the challenges facing the Palestinian political system, with the training delivered by Dr. Salah Abdel-Aty, lawyer, training expert, and Chair of ICSPR.
During the session, participants reviewed the historical and political context of the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict, U.S. and Western support for Israel, the absence of international justice, and analyzed the transformations experienced by the Palestinian national project from the revolutionary period to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority culminating in the current political division and its impact on institutional and national legitimacy, as well as the challenges of reorganizing the internal Palestinian landscape.
Participants also discussed the main risks confronting the Palestinian people, including the ongoing occupation, continued acts of mass atrocities, accelerated settlement expansion, challenges to national unity, international trusteeship, declining trust in institutions, the provisional constitution draft, the National Council elections, and the role of the technocratic committee. They further explored available opportunities at the national, regional, and international levels, particularly within the framework of international law and global solidarity movements.
The session witnessed active engagement from participants through substantive interventions and group analytical exercises that focused on drafting practical proposals to strengthen national unity, reform the political system, and develop youth advocacy tools.
Dr. Salah Abdel-Aty emphasized that this diploma aims to develop activists’ capacities in political and rights-based work, enhance critical analysis skills, and encourage initiative in civic and rights activities, thereby strengthening Palestinian society’s resilience and contributing to the protection of national rights.
The training sessions are scheduled to continue in the coming weeks, covering specialized topics such as qualitative research, writing policy and fact papers, governance, accountability, advocacy, and youth-led initiatives, as part of a comprehensive vision to empower young civil society activists.
