TABLE OF CONTENTS

Young Palestinian girl stands at rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli military at Block O in Rafah, South Gaza. Oct 7th 2001 Photo: UNICEF-OPT/Steve Sabella

HUMANITARIAN APPEAL OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

UNICEF 2003 Mid-Year Update

THE SITUATION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE OPT: A CONTINUOUS CHALLENGE

General Overview

The Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) totals approximately 3.3 million people (2.1 million live in the West Bank and 1 million live in the Gaza Strip). This figure includes 1.8 million Palestinian children constituting 53% of the Palestinian population.

Since the outbreak of increased violence between Israelis and Palestinians in September 2000, the decline in the quality of life of Palestinian children has been rapid and profound. This is directly linked to the violence and mobility restrictions children experience daily, including the death and injury to their person and that of their family and friends, damage to their property including the demolition of their homes, and the frustration and poverty they sustain.

405 Palestinian and 92 Israeli children have been killed in the current conflict.1 Over 8,000 Palestinian children have been injured. The Israeli military has damaged or destroyed at least 655 Palestinian homes since September 28, 2002, displacing at least 5,124 Palestinians.

The situation has, for the last months, been characterized by unprecedented levels of violence and by the most severe, sustained mobility restrictions imposed on the West Bank and Gaza since 1997. Israeli military-imposed closure and curfews along with border closures and other mobility restrictions have had severe impact on the Palestinian economy. The decline in economic activity has been accelerating further in recent months, and prospects for any short-term economic recovery are now grim. The resulting loss of livelihoods and income is one of the primary causes of increasing poverty and the deepening humanitarian crisis.

Twenty-seven months after the outbreak of violence, the number of people living below the poverty line has tripled from 637,000 in September 2000 to nearly 2 million today. Unemployment has increased dramatically from 10 percent in September 2000 to over 50 percent in March 2003.2 According to World Bank estimates, 60 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza live under a poverty line of US$2 per day.3

The Impact of the Conflict on Palestinian Children and Women

Children are paying a heavy and disproportionate price for this conflict between adults - many with their lives. The rights of Palestinian children to survival, protection, development and participation - all guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - are being denied.

1 Defense for Children International; BT’selem 13 March 2003 2 World Bank estimate includes those no longer seeking work. Under the more restrictive definition of employment, the current rate is estimated at 42 percent. 3 World Bank, 5 March 2003, Two Years of Intifada, Closures and Palestinian Economic Crisis – An Assessment, World Bank 2 Impact on Health and Nutrition The health and nutrition status of the Palestinian Key Information – Health population, and in particular of children and women, is of • 43% of households report problems in major concern to UNICEF as well as to the national health accessing health services because of the authorities. A recent survey supported by UNICEF closures while 59% report difficulty in paying revealed that 3.5% of 6-59 month old children are for the cost of treatment (PCBS) underweight, 9% are stunted and 2.5% suffer from • 5-16% of health professionals in the 4 wasting. The survey has also shown that the rate of West Bank cannot regularly reach work moderate anemia among 6-59 month old children is (MOE/WHO) 14.9% and 5.7% among girls and women in the • By early 2001, UNRWA West Bank reproductive age (15-49 years). reported a 16% decrease in hospital deliveries and a 15% increase in home birth. Postnatal At least 64% of the surveyed households had faced care dropped by 52% difficulty in getting food supplies during the Intifada. 85.2% • Immunization for refugee children of households reported that the restriction on movement dropped by 16% in the first quarter of 2001. was the main reason for this problem, while 56% of the Intensive activities in the second quarter households reported loss of family income. According to helped bring coverage back up to pre-Intifida World Bank estimates, real per capita food consumption rates of more than 95% (UNRWA) has dropped by 30 percent since September 2000. • The MOH three-month strategic stock of drugs was depleted by 55% for antibiotics in Special immunization campaigns, such as the drive to September 2001 (MOH/WHO) eradicate polio, are under pressure as well general health services in remote Palestinian villages.

Psychological Impact: the Effects of Violence Family’s lives, behavior and attitudes have changed dramatically since the onset of the current conflict. Approximately 75% of Palestinian adults report that children are experiencing greater emotional problems and behavioral change compared with a year ago. Many children react to the atmosphere of violence by becoming increasingly aggressive themselves, especially towards peers and siblings.

Traumatic events such as the death or injury of family and friends, house-to-house searches, and the humiliating round-up and detention of fathers and brothers lead to particularly acute psychological problems. These problems affect children’s confidence in adults, and induce an increased acceptance of violence as an adequate method for resolving problems and diminished hopes and belief in a just future. In this atmosphere of heightened violence and daily conflict, children’s opportunity to play and maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives is drastically reduced. As military operations in the West Bank and Gaza intensifies, the daily exposure to clash points and violence continues to have long lasting effects on the well being and development of the Palestinian children.

Impact on Education A decade of effort to improve the education of children in the Key Information – Education OPT is now under serious threat. Israeli military imposed • mobility restrictions undermine the basic right of all Palestinian 93 schools were shelled and 6 schools were closed for 1-2 months during the children to access education. The current situation is affecting first 8 months of the current conflict close to one million students and over 39,000 teachers in (MOE) some 1,786 schools (1,490 PA schools and 296 UNRWA schools), with severe disruptions to the entire educational • 3 schools were taken over by the system. During the first month of the school year (September Israeli military and converted into army 2002), more than 226,000 Palestinian children (23% of posts, displacing 3,000 students (MOE) children attending school) and over 9,300 teachers (36% of • 275 schools are situated close to flash Ministry of Education teachers) were unable to reach their points in the current conflict (MOE) regular classrooms. In addition, at least 580 schools were closed due to Israeli-imposed military curfews, closures and • An estimated 31,117 student school home confinement. The Israeli military has damaged at least days were lost in the West Bank in the 197 schools through military operations, and 275 schools are last school year, and 7,400 in Gaza currently in the direct line of confrontation. (MOE)

4 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2003

3 The Road Map to Peace: a Potential for Hope

After the long stalemate of the Oslo process and the deadlock of all initiatives towards a political solution, the Road Map to Peace in the Middle East brought Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiation table. It is hoped by many that the Road Map will contribute to a positive change in the current situation, as even limited progress towards the road to peace may lead to a cessation of violence, and significantly ease the humanitarian and economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Progress towards achieving the Road Map would also constitute an important opportunity for the international community to intensify its response to the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in order to create more favorable living conditions for the Palestinian population and its most vulnerable groups, the children and women, and by doing so will also add to the viability and sustainability of the said peace process. By the same token, it would also allow the Palestinian Authority and the various PA public services to build their capacity and ability to effectively deliver services to their population. In the mid-term, successful measures achieved by the Road Map would facilitate a visible and tangible improvement to the economic situation, the provision of basic services, including health and education, and an alleviation of the psychosocial impact caused by the prolonged violence experienced to date. In the longer-term, these significant improvements may very well lead to a gradual reduction in the need for humanitarian support to the Palestinian population.

While hoping that measures to break the current political deadlock will indeed prove favorable, UNICEF is taking steps to strengthen its own support and capacity building capability at the community level, should movement restrictions persist.

UNICEF Response to the Growing Humanitarian Crisis: Overcoming Restrictions on Access

The humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is intensified by the restriction of movement and security measures imposed by the Israeli security system. Travel currently remains extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Palestinians, and is severely hindered for international missions. Though implementation of interventions by UNICEF counterparts in the various population centers and rural areas are ongoing, restrictions impact heavily on monitoring project activities, providing both technical assistance and capacity building to counterparts and the provision of basic services to women and children. It also reduces UNICEF’s ability to assess and react to the rapidly changing humanitarian situation on the ground, especially in crisis areas where confrontations are common and the rights, livelihood and well being of women and children are put at risk. This problem has been particularly acute during the almost complete closure of the Gaza Strip to all humanitarian missions in May 2003. No less problematic has been the impact caused by the day to day closures of Jenin, Ramallah, Hebron and other cities, making program planning and physical implementation of activities an extremely hazardous exercise.

UNICEF activities are particularly vulnerable to access restrictions given the need for close interaction with partners and communities on the ground. As such, UNICEF has been very active in flagging the issue of humanitarian access in a number of inter-agency consultations (ECHA, IASC).

In the meantime, UNICEF believes that the best response to such a situation is to decentralize operations, bringing staff and programs directly to the most needy areas on a more continuous basis. To increase flexibility and outreach of programs, small outposts offices will, in the coming months, be set up in four districts of the West Bank and in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, establishing a UNICEF presence in six locations (Gaza, Rafah, Hebron, Nablus, Tul Karem and Jenin). National field officers who are familiar with conditions and counterparts in the respective areas will run the newly established field offices in the districts. The field officers will operate in the hard to reach areas and stay in close contact with the management team in Jerusalem. In addition, UNICEF will expand its capacity regarding international technical staff, with a focus on the main areas of intervention: health (immunization, maternal and early childhood health, nutrition); education (remedial education and back to school campaign); child protection and psychosocial including promoting participation of adolescents. The envisaged new structure is expected to enable UNICEF to increase the quantity and quality of its services, to be more flexible in its response to the needs of the most vulnerable groups of women and children and to monitor and evaluate supported activities more closely.

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UNICEF Emergency Interventions: Need for Further Assistance

Health and Nutrition

I. Action to date

With financial support from USAID, UNICEF has been able to implement an Expanded Programme of Immunization to strengthen the National Immunization Programme in the OPT. This programme has ensured uninterrupted provision of immunization services to children and women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. With this assistance, UNICEF has been able to ensure timely provision of immunization supplies to the Ministry of Health (MOH), thereby preventing any shortfalls or gaps in the national immunization programme undertaken by MoH throughout 2003. The total national requirement for the vaccine and injection safety supplies (for March 2003 – March 2004) for children under 15 years and women of the reproductive age, as well as non-routine immunization programme, have now been met.

To overcome the problem of interrupted immunization resulting from mobility restriction, UNICEF has provided logistical as well as technical assistance on regular basis to enable the MOH staff to access difficult-to-reach areas to timely immunize children confined to these areas.

In addition to vaccine and injection safety supplies (syringes, safety boxes), UNICEF through the USAID grant has supported the upgrade of cold-chain and logistics equipment (refrigerators/freezers, vaccine carriers, cold-boxes) and devices (temperature monitor equipment) as well as management information systems (MIS).

Moreover, the capacity of 435 primary health care workers from all 15 districts in the OPT has been strengthened through training and upgrading the technical skills of the immunization teams (especially the staff) in remote areas. In light of increased mobility restrictions, vaccination and waste management practices have become a growing concern. UNICEF, in collaboration with the MOH, is currently conducting an immunization injection safety and waste management practices survey, as well as a national sero-survey campaign to assess vaccine efficacy/immunity response to Measles, Rubella and Hep B vaccination among children aged 6-36 months immunized during the Intifada.

II. The Next 6 Months: Activities Planned

With the National Immunization Programme underway, UNICEF is seeking additional funds to expand current programming and address pressing needs that to date have lacked sufficient resources. Two major interventions will be prioritized:

1. Reversing the loss in Nutritional Status of Women and Children: Results in the recent nutrition survey conducted in the West Bank and Gaza indicate deteriorating trends in the nutritional status of children and women. Increased trends related to stunting and wasting as well as high prevalence of anaemia were reported. UNICEF will step up activities directed towards a decrease in stunting and wasting among children under five years of age, as well as a decrease in high anemia prevalence rates among children and women. Availability of funds would enable UNICEF to implement:

A multiplication of media messages – TV & radio, directed at raising awareness on breastfeeding practices, micro-nutrients supplementation and consumption of Iodised salt; Strengthening the Iron and Folic Acid and micronutrients supplementation intake of children and women, in particular through flour fortification programmes; Strengthening growth monitoring and support to establishing a more efficient nutrition surveillance system within the Ministry of Health and other primary healthcare (PHC) providers.

2. Making Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services More Responsive: Improving the quality of MCH services has been identified as a key strategy towards improving and maintaining the health and nutritional status of children and mothers. Reduction of morbidity and mortality among children and women will be pursued as follows:

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In collaboration with the Palestinian MOH, finalize, disseminate and train health professionals on a nationally unified MCH guidelines and protocols. Trainees will include doctors, midwives, nurses and village health workers OPT-wide, and will aim at integrating best practices and knowledge to ensure quality MCH service delivery. Support the upgrading of 75 MCH centres in West Bank and Gaza with basic equipment (weight, height and length scales, hemoglobin testing kits material, Dopplers, etc.). This will include support to the development of separate MCH areas within PHC centres, for safe and quality practices. Focussing on two priority areas related to quality antenatal and postnatal care, comprehensive training programmes for PHC and hospital staff (nurses, doctors and village health workers) will be provided. In addition, limited equipment support will be supplied to hospital facilities in Hebron and Gaza City.

III. Expected Results

Some 600,000 children under five years old and 100,000 school children (boys and girls aged 6 and girls aged 13) will be reached for routine immunization and other supplemental immunization activities. Immunization coverage rate is expected to exceed 90% with the 6 basic antigens.

Recent trends indicating a deterioration in the nutritional status of children and women will be reversed. Over 600,000 children under five years as well as 200,000 women of reproductive age will benefit from nutritional awareness information and programmes. In addition, a more effective surveillance system will be developed to detect and monitor trends in the nutritional status of women and children. Through implementing the awareness raising campaign, flour fortifications programmes and appropriate nutrition practices, improved nutrition status will be achieved. Special focus will be given to needy areas in Jenin, Hebron and Gaza

A stronger and more decentralized Maternal and Child Health service will be developed to meet the increased needs of children and mothers who are not able to access central level services due to severe mobility restrictions. Interventions will be focused in the areas most affected by the current crisis including Hebron, Jenin and Gaza. Over 200,000 children under 3 years and their mothers will have access to decentralized quality MCH services.

It is noteworthy that, without additional funds, the above mentioned programmes will not be carried out, and will hinder the provision of appropriate and accessible health services for women and children in remote areas. Likewise, recent trends indicating a deterioration in the nutritional status of women and children may escalate.

Education

To ensure proper access to school for refugee and non refugee children, UNICEF leads all education- related efforts that support the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) with regards to governmental schools, with UNRWA continuing to focus on the needs of refugee children in UNRWA schools.

Another key strategy of the programme is to educate children and adolescents to refrain from participating in acts of violence. The main thrust here is to provide peaceful alternatives to violence for adolescents’ participation in society and increase child and adolescent opportunities for play and recreation. The reduction of Palestinian children’s exposure to violence is key in order to break the cycle of violence. While the basis for this programme is already developed in target cities, further funds are urgently required to significantly expand both the number of beneficiaries and geographic focus.

I. Action to Date

UNICEF, in close coordination with the MOEHE, has worked to ensure that all Palestinian children were able to attend school both for the current and coming school year. In this regard, UNICEF has focused its support on economically disadvantaged children, through the provision of several thousand school 6 uniforms, school bags and footwear. In order to support the above, and ensure the active participation of the community, UNICEF worked with a number of media outlets and professionals in airing awareness messages OPT-wide promoting the importance of education for children. In addition, UNICEF has assisted over one hundred schools with limited amounts of school supplies and equipment, along with educational material.

In an effort to tackle erratic school attendance due to closures and mobility restrictions, UNICEF has embarked on a nationwide remedial education programme to compensate for lost school days in the OPT. With the support of the Canadian Government (CIDA), UNICEF will be able to implement in full its remedial programme in the OPT, expecting to reach up to 250,000 children over a duration of one year, focussing primarily on the districts most affected by the current crisis - Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus.

A key strategy of the programme has been to reduce Palestinian children’s exposure to violence and facilitate the development of peaceful alternatives by increasing their access to opportunities for play and recreation. Targeting a limited number of districts, UNICEF is raising awareness among parents, teachers and children themselves on the need to reduce child and adolescent exposure to violence. Over 100 workshops have been conducted across the West Bank and Gaza for teachers, parents and community leaders alike on how to prevent the non-peaceful participation of children in the ongoing conflict, while similar workshops run in summer camps have reached up to 5,500 adolescents. In Jenin, a Plan of Action for reducing child non-peaceful participation in the current conflict has been developed. To complement this initiative and provide much-needed alternatives to the violence, safe play areas have been planned for children aged 3-14 and sporting competitions activated for adolescents.

UNICEF is working closely with MOEHE to develop self-learning worksheets and teacher/parents manuals for grades 1-6 in Arabic, Math, Science and English. The use of supplementary worksheets will ensure that students in the 5 most affected areas of the OPT (Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus, Rafah) are supported to reach national achievement levels in numeracy and literacy.

II. The Next 6 Months: Activities Planned

With the Remedial Education Programme well underway, UNICEF will now expand its efforts to ensure that Palestinian schools are safe and conducive environments for child growth and development. Schooling provides an opportunity for children to reestablish a sense of normalcy in their lives, despite the ongoing violence. With additional funds, UNICEF will continue to provide needy children with limited numbers of schoolbags and learning materials and equipment. In addition, building on the importance given to Education by Palestinian families, UNICEF will support target schools to develop a safe learning environment for children and expand after-school activities with the support of parents and communities. For the year 2003, interventions will include a particular focus on the districts most affected by the current crisis - Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus, Rafah. The following activities will be undertaken:

1. Creating Child Friendly and Conducive Learning Environments in Target Schools: Considering the fairly high school enrolment rates, UNICEF will support the upholding of the importance given to education by Palestinian parents through media messages promoting access to schools. In order to support access for all, UNICEF will also provide limited support to economically disadvantaged children (up to 50,000) with education kits (schoolbags and stationary items). Promoting child friendly schools and learning environments will be a major component of the education programme. Working in close co-operation with the MOEHE, UNICEF will support 30 schools in 6 target districts to identify their priority requirements for ensuring a conducive and safe environment for children’s education and development.

2. Support for After-School Activities in Target Areas: In line with its efforts to support municipal authorities and local communities to care and cater for their children in a context of limited opportunities, UNICEF will support 100 target schools to increase the availability of extra-curricular activities for children. In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, parents and local and communities, UNICEF will support the provision of weekly after-school opportunities for children through group activities including drama, sports, art, and music. This will also include the provision of basic equipment and supplies. This activity is expected to both strengthen the importance and role of schools and teachers in the community, and give children additional 7 opportunities to play and develop in a safe and conducive environment. Activities will focus on the 5 targeted disadvantaged areas within West Bank and Gaza (Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus, Rafah).

3. Rehabilitation of School Infrastructure: Ongoing conflict in the OPT has left school buildings and classrooms in exposed areas badly damaged. Based on successful experience in other countries, UNICEF will support the rehabilitation of 20 schools, 4 from each of the 5 worst affected districts. This will allow students to return to school in a safe and protected environment conducive to their education and development. With the technical assistance of locally-based engineers and community consultation and support, this project will include minor school repairs and renovation, specifically upgrading of water and sanitation facilities, painting of the buildings, and development of school playgrounds with limited play and sports equipment. Once adequate schooling conditions are reestablished in these schools, UNICEF in partnership with the MOEHE, will be enabled to continue its focus on the provision of quality education for Palestinian children, including participatory teaching methodology and peer-to-peer life-skills training.

4. Development of Alternative Initiatives to Protect Children from Increasing Levels of Violence: With ongoing military incursions into Palestinian towns and villages throughout the West Bank and Gaza, child exposure to clash points and violence is increasing. To address this issue, UNICEF is working at 3 levels: awareness raising with parents, teachers and children; policy and civil society interventions; and creating alternatives to violence. With the provision of additional funds, UNICEF will expand its current programme to all areas exposed to violence, providing key protection messages and strategies on how to prevent the non-peaceful involvement of children in the current conflict and promote their peaceful participation in their communities.

UNICEF will also strive to create alternatives to violence for children through the support of: Safe Play Activities: Targeting over 150,000 children aged 3-18, UNICEF will develop 50 accessible “Safe Plays Areas” located in the most marginalised areas of 6 target districts. Weekly recreational activities will be conducted in each safe play site, providing regular opportunities for children to play in a safe and protected environment.

Sporting Competitions: UNICEF, with the support of teachers and parents, will support a series of sporting competitions throughout the summer and during the upcoming school year, reaching up to 10,000 children.

Youth Centres: A pilot project will first be launched in the district of Jenin, where frequent Israeli military incursions result in clashes with adolescents, many of whom have sustained serious injuries or loss of life. Five existing centres will be restored and reactivated to provide activities for adolescents. It is expected that up to 400 vulnerable adolescents will be reached by each centre, or a total of 2,000 adolescents.

III. Expected Results

The educational kits provided will support up to 50,000 children in returning to school in the coming school year. In addition, it is expected that on-going media messages related to the importance of education will maintain the fairly high school enrolment rates for the rest of the Palestinian population.

Moreover, the negative impact of the closures and curfews on learning achievement will be significantly alleviated by the provision of remedial “catch-up” education to over 250,000 students who were not able to access their schools. Target areas include particularly Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus.

A more conducive learning environment will be provided for up to 12,000 children in 30 target schools. Recreational extra-curricular activities made available to 40,000 children in 100 schools should help to restore some sense of normalcy in the lives of the children, giving them more opportunities to feel safe and develop.

Twenty schools in the most affected areas namely, Jenin, Tul Karem, Hebron and Nablus, Rafah will be rehabilitated and approximately 10,000 children will benefit from the improved learning environment.

8 Finally, efforts to develop alternative activities to violence for children and adolescents has proven to be quite effective in reducing child and adolescent exposure to violence - drawing them away from the street and clash points through recreation, play activities and adolescent led initiatives. This is not only expected to reduce the number of child casualties and injuries, but will allow children and adolescents to have an increasing say and role in their society, build on their capacity to take care of themselves and their peers and expand their ability to develop their own projects for their towns and communities. These programmes will reach a total number of 150,000 children and 2,000 adolescents in targeted areas.

Psychosocial and Child Protection Interventions

The effects of the current crisis have left and will continue to leave deep psychosocial scars on the population. UNICEF continues to support the psychological and social resilience of women and children and their capacity to effectively deal with, and overcome, psychosocial problems emerging as a result of the current crisis. In addition to strengthening psychosocial services for vulnerable families, UNICEF strives to respond to the growing needs of currently over 350 Palestinian child detainees through provision of legal aid and counseling.

I. Action to Date

As the lead agency for the psychosocial sector in the OPT, UNICEF currently chairs the UN psychosocial coordination body, and represents UN agencies at the National Committee for Psychosocial Coordination. This committee is based on the promotion and implementation of the UNICEF supported National Psychosocial Code of Conduct.

A key focus of UNICEF’s work to date has been the strengthening of district level psychosocial interventions and rehabilitation services. With funds provided by the Canadian Government, this has included the provision of training, supervision and materials to the Ministry of Social Affairs to provide psychosocial care to children and families. In Jenin and 5 districts in the Gaza Strip, UNICEF provided training, supervision and materials to support counselors in district level psychosocial committees to conduct fun days, family and group counseling and community meetings for children and families.

The development of peer-to-peer psychosocial support groups, whereby adolescents themselves are trained and mobilized to support each other in times of distress, has also achieved positive results in contributing to the psychosocial well-being of adolescents. A hotline was established offering support to adolescents, designed to support youths in situation of increased tensions or day-to-day mobility restrictions preventing access to Ramallah-based services. In addition, approximately 1,000 psychosocial support kits containing educational material, games and play equipment for children were distributed to economically disadvantaged families in the West Bank.

Through strategic partnerships with local partners, UNICEF has been able to offer free legal aid as well as basic humanitarian supplies to over 100 women and children presently detained in Israeli prisons.

II. The Next 6 Months: Activities Planned

Further funds are urgently required in order to fully address the growing needs in this sector, particularly in relation to increasing child exposure to violence. While significant achievements have been made in the past 6 months, additional support is required for UNICEF to address the impact of the current crisis on the psychosocial wellbeing of children and develop a more conducive environment for the survival, growth, participation and protection of children in the OPT. UNICEF interventions will be structured around the following:

1. Develop OPT-wide Psychosocial Policy and Strengthen Coordination Mechanisms through:

Policy development: As the lead agency, UNICEF will support the development and implementation of coordinated psychosocial strategies and policies, and support a national conference on psychosocial service delivery during crisis. UNICEF will also provide technical assistance to all agencies working in the psychosocial sector to unify monitoring and evaluation systems designed to assess the impact of psychosocial assistance. 9

2. Strengthen Resilience to Violence, along with Psychosocial Interventions and Rehabilitation Services, through:

Strengthening District Level Expertise and Crisis Support Mechanisms: UNICEF will expand its existing programmes to strengthen district level psychosocial networks and improve locally available psychosocial care and referral services. This will be done through specialized training, supervision and materials provided to the Ministry of Social Affairs, establishment, training and provision of material equipment to district level psychosocial committees – which will conduct group and family counseling, fun days and community meetings for children and parents – and strengthening the qualifications and expertise of six psychologists and social workers through the provision of internship opportunities.

Strengthening the Resilience of Vulnerable Families to the Effects of Mobility Restrictions and Violence: UNICEF aims to increase the distribution of psychosocial and violence-related awareness messages on TV and other media outlets. The impact of such a campaign will be amplified by the distribution of much needed psychosocial support kits to families living in violence- affected areas. These kits include basic toys and games to occupy children during periods of intense curfew or closure. Importantly, kits also provide parents with basic tips on how to manage the psychosocial needs of their children whilst under such difficult conditions.

Support to the Growing Number of Palestinian Child Detainees: UNICEF will ensure that up to 450 Palestinian children and women in detention in Israeli prisons and detention centres have access to free legal counsel, basic clothing and personal hygiene items. In addition, UNICEF will provide support to training of one hundred social counselors on psychosocial intervention with children and women ex-detainees, and the families of current detainees.

Mentoring and Peer-to-Peer Programmes in Schools and Youth Clubs: UNICEF will expand its peer-to-peer programme focussing in the 5 areas most affected by the crisis – see above geographic focus – along with an expansion of its Youth Hotline services, providing psychosocial support to adolescents and informing youth and parents about psychosocial services availability and location.

III. Expected Results

The policy development efforts will allow the set up, dissemination and training of an agreed OPT-wide policy for all agencies working in the psychosocial field, establishing common practices for the provision of psychosocial services. As the national policy is expected to promote and disseminate best practice, it will not only facilitate an enhanced learning process for all participants in the field, but will also assist stakeholders in improving overall coordination in this sector and avoiding duplication of efforts.

On the activity front, programmes aimed at building resilience to violence and support capacity on psychosocial assistance and rehabilitation services are expected to have distinct impact at the local level. Efforts to build district level expertise and mechanisms will strengthen local psychosocial networks and improve psychosocial care and referral services in six target areas (Gaza, Rafah, Hebron, Nablus, Tul Karem and Jenin). Meanwhile, the psychosocial program will build on national capacity through strengthening the expertise of six psychologists and social workers who will take part in UNICEF activities. Activities through the awareness campaign shall reach up to 250,000 families, while provision of psychosocial kits, youth peer to peer programs and hotline services will provide basic psychosocial assistance to 8,000 children and 6,000 adolescents respectively, along with, indirectly, their respective families. Assistance to children and women in detention is crucial not only for the impact on the detainees due to the conditions of arrest and detention itself, but also for the families of the detainees. Collaboration with ICRC has proven solid and very fruitful on this front.

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FUNDING RECEIVED & OUTSTANDING REQUIREMENTS

As part of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Plan of Action for the Occupied Palestinian Territory which was launched in November 2002, UNICEF outlined a total funding requirement of US$ 16.2 million for 2003. While UNICEF is thankful to the donor contributions to date which amount to some US$ 7.1 million, further funds are urgently needed to ensure continued support to the most vulnerable children and women in the OPT.

I. FUNDING PLEDGED / RECEIVED

The table below shows the funds received as well as pledged in support of the Humanitarian Appeal.

Sector Geographic focus Estimated number of Donors Total funds beneficiaries in USD Remedial and Distance Most affected areas Jenin, 250,000 children CIDA $3,355,700 Education Tul Karem, Nablus and Hebron Remedial and Distance Most affected areas Jenin, 15,000 children Italy $196,656 Education Tul Karem, Nablus and Hebron Supplies to 100 schools in the Nablus, Jenin, Tul Karem, 10.0000 children UNICEF $56,741 most economically Hebron, Gaza Saudi disadvantaged areas Arabia Expanded Programme on All districts in West Bank 400,000 of under 15 USAID $3,077,844 Immunization and Gaza Strip months old children 100,000 students (first grade) 200,000 under-five children Maintaining the nutritional West Bank and Gaza Strip 100,000 children AusAID $150,000 status of children and women reproductive age women group Psycho-social interventions Jenin, Tul Karem, Nablus, 5.000 children and their AusAID $80,000 South and North Gaza, families Remedial Education and Most affected areas Jenin, 6000 children AG FUND $180,000 Summer Camps Tul Karem, Nablus Hebron and Gaza Strip GRAND TOTAL $7,096,941

II. OUTSTANDING FUNDING REQUIREMENTS

The table below shows the outstanding funding requirements by sector and project.

Estimated Total Sector Geographic focus number of Requirements beneficiaries in USD Health and Nutrition Maintaining the Nutritional Status of Women and OPT wide, with 600,000 under $982,156 Children particular focus on five and 200,000 Hebron, Jenin and reproductive age Gaza women Making Maternal and Child Health Services More OPT wide, with 500 MCH staff $590,000 Responsive particular focus on and 100 Hospital Hebron , Jenin and staff 75 MCH Gaza City centres TOTAL $1,572,156

11 Education Promoting Access to School and Support to 50,000 kits for Jenin, 50,000 children $1,243,903 Child Friendly Learning Environment Tul Karem, Hebron, will receive Nablus and Rafah as educational priority areas. materials 12,000 children in 30 target schools Rehabilitation of 20 schools 4 schools in each of 10,000 children $989,000 the locations of Jenin, in 20 schools in Tul Karem, Hebron, target districts Nablus and Rafah Support to Integrated After School Activities OPT wide –with 40,000 children $2,000,000 particular focus in in 100 schools Hebron, Gaza, Rafah, in 6 target Nablus, Jenin and Tul districts Karem Development of Alternative Initiatives to Protect All OPT, with 150,000 children $1,778,000 children from Increasing Levels of Violence. particular focus on six and 2,000 priority districts adolescents TOTAL Education $6,010,903 Psychosocial Interventions Develop Nation-wide Psychosocial Policy and All OPT 250,000 families $193,000 strengthen Coordination Mechanisms -70% of population- Strengthen Resilience to Violence along with Tul Karem, Nablus, 8,000 families $1,327,000 Psychosocial Support and Rehabilitation Gaza, Rafah, Hebron, 450 children in Services Jenin detention 6,000 peers 6 psychologist/ social workers TOTAL Psychosocial Interventions: Protecting Children from the Effects of Violence $1,520,000

GRAND TOTAL OUTSTANDING REQUIREMENTS $9,103,059

Details of the UNICEF OPT Humanitarian Programme can be obtained from:

David S. Bassiouni Olivier Degreef Dan Rohrmann UNICEF OPT UNICEF EMOPS UNICEF PFO Special Representative Geneva New York

Tel: +972 2 583 00 13/14 Tel.: +41 22 909 5546 Tel: +1 212 326 7009 Fax: +972 2 583 08 06 Fax: +41 22 909 5902 Fax: +1 212 326 7165 Email: dbassiouni@unicef.org Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

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