Strengthening the partnership: a Norwegian delegation from Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees visits the Centre

23/8/2016

A Norwegian delegation from Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees visited the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. The delegation was represented by Ms. Sylvia Ostberg Morales, country director of Norwegian People's Aid, Mr. Finn Erik Thoresen, chair of the organisation's board, Ms. Kathrine Raadim, director of the international programmes department, and Mr. Stein Guldbrandsen, member of the executive board of the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, together with a number of the organisation's staff. The delegation met Mr. Saeed Al-Muqadama, director of the Centre, Mr. Iyad Abu Hjair, director of the Gaza branch and deputy director of the Centre, Mr. Abdel Moneim Al-Tahrawi, projects director, and a number of the Centre's staff, at the Centre's office in Gaza.

The visit comes as part of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two sides, which began in 2007 and has continued to this day. The delegation attended a number of the Centre's activities and met many of the beneficiaries of the project funded by the Norwegian Union of Municipalities. The delegation, represented by the director of the Norwegian People's Aid office in Palestine, praised the strategic relationship between the two sides and stressed her pride in the services the Palestinian Center provides in combating violence against women.

For his part, Mr. Saeed Al-Muqadama expressed his pride in a partnership built on a participatory relationship and not on the concept of funding alone.

The visit, which lasted more than five hours, ended with a meeting between the delegation and a group of young activists who presented their views on the issues facing Palestinian youth in general, in addition to meeting many of the women benefiting from the project's services.

Mr. Abdel Moneim Al-Tahrawi set out his vision for the future relationship with NPA, stressing the long-standing relationship between the two sides, particularly the NPA team in Gaza, which constantly offers generous support to the Centre's team.

At the end of the visit, commemorative gifts were exchanged between the two teams, chosen to reflect Palestinian national heritage.