As Part of Its Participatory Dialogue Series, the Palestinian Maintenance Fund Holds a Workshop in Tulkarm to Strengthen Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Services
As Part of Its Participatory Dialogue Series, the Palestinian Maintenance Fund Holds a Workshop in Tulkarm to Strengthen Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Services
As part of its ongoing participatory dialogue series across the governorates, the Palestinian Maintenance Fund (PMF) held a workshop today at the Tulkarm Governorate headquarters entitled “Exploring Cooperation Mechanisms between the Palestinian Maintenance Fund and Partner Institutions to Strengthen Women’s Access to Justice and Legal Services.” The workshop was organized in partnership with Sawasya 3, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and brought together representatives of a range of governmental, civil society, and other relevant institutions.
The workshop was opened by Mr. Faisal Salameh, Deputy Governor of Tulkarm, who highlighted the important role played by the Palestinian Maintenance Fund in supporting women, children, and eligible groups, as well as the responsibility of partner institutions to facilitate their access to services and rights in ways that contribute to social justice and the rule of law. He emphasized that ensuring access to rights for eligible groups requires coordinated efforts by governmental and community institutions and stronger channels of cooperation among relevant stakeholders.
For her part, Attorney Fatima Al-Muaqqat, Director General of the Palestinian Maintenance Fund, explained that through these participatory meetings, PMF seeks to build a shared understanding with partner institutions of its mandate, operational mechanisms, and the services it provides to eligible groups, while also identifying the challenges women face in accessing their legal rights.
She further emphasized that institutional cooperation extends beyond service delivery to include supporting the enforcement of maintenance judgments, strengthening accountability for those who fail to comply with such judgments, and protecting and recovering PMF funds, which constitute public funds enjoying legal priority.
The workshop brought together representatives from the Sharia Court, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Telecommunications, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Local Government, Land Authority, Buildings and Property Tax Department, Judicial Police, Family Protection Directorate, Tulkarm Governorate Reconciliation Committee, Shweikeh Association, as well as a number of other partner institutions.
As part of the workshop’s introductory component, PMF lawyers Ms. Zeina Khalfa and Ms. Asmaa Hanbali presented an overview of the Fund’s mandate and work, the services and programs it provides, the procedures for accessing these services, and the categories of people eligible to benefit from them. They also explained the available pathways for accessing legal aid and related services.
The workshop also provided a platform for discussing institutional cooperation in matters related to maintenance, with participants sharing practical observations concerning procedures, referral and coordination mechanisms, and the key challenges that women and eligible groups may encounter while seeking to access their rights and enforce judgments issued in their favor.
The workshop concluded with a shared emphasis on maintaining communication and coordination between the Palestinian Maintenance Fund and its partner institutions, and on building upon the practical observations and experiences of institutions working directly with communities. Such continued cooperation aims to improve working mechanisms, strengthen women’s and eligible groups’ access to justice and legal services, reinforce the principles of the rule of law and accountability, and help ensure that rights reach those entitled to them.
