Nivine Sandouka is an expert in the field of program development, management, peacebuilding, and gender issues. She achieved her MA in democracy and human rights from Birzeit University and currently works with the German Association for Development Cooperation – AGEH. She is the executive director of Our Rights – Hoqoqona, a new NGO based in Jerusalem which focuses on civic and political rights of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, especially women, and runs a grassroots initiative called ‘Judi, from me to you’ which aims to bring women together. She is a civil society representative of the International Reference Group for the World Council of Churches.
Palestinians have to rethink the strategies they used to end the occupation, boycotts
and attacks on those who engage in political debate harm the Palestinian cause.
Millennials should be the representatives of Palestinians in Jerusalem, working
with different stakeholders to ensure that the Palestinian identity is maintained and,
simultaneously, opportunities exist where youth can actively play a role in economic,
political, and social development of East Jerusalem.
Women in East Jerusalem suffer equally from the political oppression of occupation and from gender norms that restrict their access to a proper education and employment,
a situation that has deteriorated since the signing of the Oslo Accords and the shift of
Palestinian political activity to Ramallah.