The Palestinian Institute of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at An-Najah National University, organized a specialized training program on the design and implementation of legal projects in international law and international humanitarian law. The training took place on Saturday and Sunday, 9–10 August 2025, in Ramallah, and targeted academics and faculty members from law schools across various Palestinian universities.

On the first day, the Institute’s visiting international expert, Kate Ní Chonaill, delivered intensive training on the human rights project lifecycle, starting from the idea and planning stages through to implementation and evaluation. She also discussed with participants strategies for project design and securing funding from international donors. The day also included a virtual session with Ms. Joëlle van ’t Wout, a Dutch expert in international projects, who focused on the financial aspects of projects and the preparation of budgets for effective management.

The second day focused on presenting key elements of the conceptual framework for project design, alongside a virtual session with Renée Chartres, Senior Legal Specialist and Lecturer of International Law at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She shared practical experiences from her international legal work in project management, with particular emphasis on real-world examples in the fields of human rights and land rights.

The training concluded with an open discussion with participants on the challenges of designing academic and legal projects in the Palestinian context, and on how to align such projects with the requirements of international donors and effective implementation mechanisms.

This workshop is part of a series of activities carried out under the project of the establishment of  the Palestinian Institute for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, funded by the European Union. The project aims to strengthen the capacities of Palestinian academic staff and develop their expertise in the design and management of legal and human rights projects, thereby contributing to building a strong academic network capable of active engagement in the legal and human rights fields both locally and internationally.