The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

Human rights education
UNRWA’s existing human rights education programme has been en -
hanced to address the environment in Gaza. In 2009, the Agency devel -
oped a stand-alone human rights curriculum, based on the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and identified and trained more than 200
human rights teachers. Using practical, real world examples, children learn
about their rights, their responsibilities that accompany those rights, the
historical context of the Universal Declaration and the mechanisms that
enforce it. The programme promotes non-violence, healthy communications
skills, conflict resolution and human rights. It also emphasizes
the importance of tolerance and good citizenship.
A further dedicated human rights curriculum was developed. Specialists
from UNRWA, the Red Cross, human rights NGOs and the wider academic
community have developed a comprehensive curriculum anchored
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All children are taught about
fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration, their
individual responsibilities, including tolerant behaviour, the history of the
global struggle for human rights and the historical context that gave rise
to the Universal Declaration.
Health
UNRWA’s overarching goal is to enable refugees to live long and healthy
lives. UNRWA delivers basic health services and tries to provide a healthy
living environment for Palestinian refugees, guided by the Millennium
Development Goals on health and by the standards of the World Health
Organization (WHO). Its past achievements in health have been impressive,
particularly in the areas of maternal and child health, but the impact
of deteriorating socio-economic conditions on physical and mental health
in Gaza poses a growing challenge. Nearly 200 community mental health
counsellors in UNRWA schools assist troubled and special needs children
through targeted individual and group interventions. Although
UNRWA mainly focuses on primary health care, it also helps refugees
access secondary and tertiary care services.
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