Musawa

National Network
Palestine
Telephone
00972 (0) 2 2404870
E-Mail
martha@musawa.ps
Organisation Type
Non-Governmental Organization
Year of Establishment
2002
Fields of Activity
  1. Democracy and community development
General Information
Musawa has 12 employees, the majority of whom are located in the main office in Ramallah, Palestine. Musawa also has an office in Gaza. Musawa's current funders are UNDP, Foundation for the Future, the Norwegian Representative Office in OPT as well as the NGO Development Center. Musawa's budget for 2011 is USD 335.000. Musawa releases several periodic monitoring reports as well as thematic reports, both in Arabic and English language. Our activities include monitoring the pillars of justice, public awareness raising, training and capacity building of stakeholders in the judiciary, as well as providing legal services to beneficiaries. Musawa work thorough the West Bank and Gaza.
Mission and Objectives

Musawas mission is "To contribute to state building through empowering the separation of powers, rule of law, and defending the independence of the Judiciary and the legal profession.”
has four main objectives;
1) Empowering the rule of law. This goal can be achieved through the reduction in the violations and non-compliance of the law, generally through monitoring of current violations and pillars of justice.
2) Ensuring compliance of policies and legislations with international standards, through reviewing current legislations and suggesting draft amendments that comply with international standards.
3) Broadening public awareness of the rule of law. According to the Citizens’ Rights, the Palestinian citizens should be educated on their rights and duties, with an emphasis on the existed of the Code of Ethics/Behavior and charter of corporations.
4) Working towards an institutional sustainability of Musawa. Musawa has built transparent and accountable principles to operate its activities and that serves as a key to Musawa’s mission success.

Main Projects / Activities

Musawa runs two projects entitled 'Electoral Appeals' (Foundation for the Future) and the 'Legal Monitor' (UNDP). The Legal Monitor Project has been designed to accomplish the organization’s first goal of empowering the rule of law through monitoring and evaluating the legal system; in addition to building the capacities of Palestinian lawyers and workers in the field of monitoring the performance of the Pillars of Justice.
Derived from the conviction of Musawa that electoral participation is a legal right and a national duty, Musawa’s project ‘Electoral Appeals’ is aimed at empowering the democratic system through increasing the awareness of citizens about their political rights associated with elections. We see it as essential to educate citizens, lawyers, and legal consultants about legal approaches to challenge the results of elections or to challenge the procedures leading to the results.

How can you contribute to the Network in your country?

Musawa has great experience and expertise in fostering the rule of law and a state of justice in Palestine. We believe this to be an essential part in contributing to establishing an independent Palestinian state. We strongly feel that our contribution to the network in Palestine to be of added value to the network. Furthermore, Musawa would be proud to be associated with such a well renowned network as ALF.

Why do you want to join the ALF Network?

The ALF network brings together thousands of civil society NGO's across the Mediterranean region. We at Musawa believe that joint actions increase the prospect for success and sustainability; therefore, we are encouraged by the wide range of CSO’s in the AFL network. Furthermore, it would be an honor for us to be able to share in the experiences with other civil society NGO’s in the region, as well as our contribution of great experience and expertise. Musawa welcomes the increased opportunities this would bring to our organization. We strongly believe that we would bring added value to the regional network as well as the Palestinian national network, should our application be accepted.

Contact (1) Full Name
Martha Hagen Mellum
Head of the organisation
Dr. Ibrahim Barhougti