APLA Holds a Meeting on Integrating Gender and Inclusion into the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plans

As part of its continuous efforts to empower local governments to promote inclusion and gender equality, APLA convened a meeting of the Inclusion and Gender Mainstreaming Taskforce to discuss ways to strengthen the integration of gender and inclusion principles into the 2025 humanitarian response plans of Palestinian local authorities. The meeting, held virtually via Zoom, brought together 19 representatives from member municipalities of the taskforce and served as a platform to review existing plans and programs reflecting inclusive, needs-based, and equitable local responses.

Opening the session, Abeer Noh, Gender Coordinator at APLA, emphasized the importance of embedding inclusion and gender mainstreaming in humanitarian planning, highlighting the crucial role of local governments in addressing the diverse needs of all community members effectively and flexibly. She also stressed the need to enhance cooperation and experience exchange among municipalities to develop more inclusive policies and programs aligned with national priorities and responsive to emerging challenges — ensuring sustainable institutional capacity for adaptive and equitable response. Noh also presented a summary of the taskforce’s 2024 engagements and progress achieved throughout the year.

During the meeting, Tulkarem Municipality presented its 2025 Action Plan, designed to address current challenges and post-conflict needs following the recent escalation, which significantly impacted the city. Fadia Abdul Aziz, Head of Strategic Planning, outlined the social and infrastructural effects of the recent war, underscoring the importance of integrating evolving needs into municipal plans and ensuring that programs and services reach all community groups, especially those most affected and marginalized.

Dura Municipality and Anabta Municipality also shared insights into their 2025 programs focusing on gender equality and social inclusion. Ruba Al-Arab, Head of the Community Rehabilitation Division in Dura, presented initiatives to strengthen inclusive participation by ensuring that diverse community groups are engaged in local development processes. Meanwhile, Hiba Mustafa, Public Relations Officer at Anabta Municipality, highlighted activities targeting the most vulnerable groups and emphasized the necessity of mainstreaming social dimensions into development planning to achieve more just and inclusive local responses.

In the same context, Munir Barakat, Head of the Financial and Administrative Division at Faqoua Village Council, presented a comprehensive plan developed in collaboration with APLA to assess the extent of inclusion principles integrated into local policies, incorporating SDG 5 (Gender Equality). He also summarized key projects and programs that aim to promote equitable service delivery and ensure fair access to municipal services for all segments of the community.

This meeting is part of APLA’s broader efforts to enhance the role of its member municipalities in supporting vulnerable and marginalized populations, through the design of sustainable and inclusive plans and programs that improve institutional efficiency and local resilience. The activity forms part of the Inclusion and Gender Mainstreaming Taskforce Program, jointly implemented by APLA and the Local Governance Reform Program (LGRP) of GIZ, to strengthen the capacity of Palestinian local governments to respond effectively to challenges and advance inclusive and sustainable local development.

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