The Palestinian Center for Conflict Resolution celebrates the conclusion of the Young Leaders project in the Gaza governorates

Gaza, Publication and Information Unit:

The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, in partnership with UNRWA, celebrated the graduation of 300 young women from all the Gaza governorates. The ceremony was held today at the Al-Mathaf Hotel in Gaza City to mark the conclusion of the Young Leaders project, which the Centre carried out to strengthen the capacities of young women and prepare them to enter the Palestinian labour market.

At the start of the celebration, Dr. Nahed Eid, chair of the board of the Conflict Resolution Center, pointed out that his Centre plays a prominent role in ensuring that women obtain their rights within society and in making their steps in the service of society a success, adding: "We are in the process of drawing up a new strategy at the Centre for the next four years, which includes a complete specialised programme to support women in the governorates of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in cooperation with all organisations, among them UNRWA."

For his part, the deputy director of UNRWA operations, Scott Anderson, expressed his pleasure at the achievements of young Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip despite the difficult circumstances, among them the problem of unemployment in Gaza, which is among the highest rates in the world. He praised the Palestinian Center for Conflict Resolution's performance in developing the capacities of 300 young women in life skills, English and information technology, which will qualify them to join the Palestinian labour market.

In the graduates' address, the journalist Ola Taha said: "Today we celebrate our distinction as young leaders in creating initiatives that serve society and in possessing new skills we did not gain in academic study," calling on young women not to despair or be discouraged by the reality of their circumstances and to take pride in young women's efforts to shape a better future for themselves in their community.

The ceremony included a range of items, among them a short film entitled "Able to Make a Difference", a dabke item and poetry, in addition to the presentation of shields honouring the five best initiatives within the project and the distribution of certificates of appreciation to the trainers, the participants and the partner associations in the governorates.