About Us
Who We Are?
ActionAid is a global justice Federation working to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication. Throughout the world, ActionAid works to strengthen the capacity and active agency of people living in poverty and exclusion, especially women, to assert their rights. Globally, we work directly with communities, with people’s organizations, women’s movements, groups and networks, social movements and other allies to overcome the structural causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We connect the work we do at community level with broader efforts and struggles for justice at every level to make the greatest contribution towards a just, equitable and sustainable world. Guided by feminist and human rights-based principles and approaches, we seek to shift and transform power,
through empowerment, solidarity, campaigning and the generation of alternatives to ensure that every person can enjoy a life of dignity and freedom from all forms of oppression.
ActionAid prioritizes the leadership of women and young people, especially those living in poverty and exclusion, in our efforts to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication. We create platforms for collective action and solidarity by enabling people around the world to unite and contribute to social justice struggles in various ways – as active citizens, supporters, staff, volunteers and partners for change. Around the world, ActionAid is rooted in the contexts where we operate and proudly upholds our primary accountability to the people most affected by unequal power relations.
In Palestine, we are demonstrating the same commitment to supporting the empowerment of women and young people living in poverty and injustice. We believe that the effects of Israel’s occupation of Palestine – compounded by lack of accountability of local government and a patriarchal society that denies women and young people their rights – severely limit the ability of Palestinian women and young people particularly to take control over decisions that affect their lives. Through our work we strive to contribute to freedom and justice for Palestinian people to enjoy their rights, identity and a life lived with dignity.
AAP does not advocate any particular political solution to the ongoing occupation and conflict. However, we take sides with Palestinian people – whose human and national rights are violated – to fight against these human rights violations wherever they occur. We are bound by, and actively promote compliance with, international law and the principles of human rights.
AAP Palestine believes that an end to the injustices occurring within the Palestinian territory requires the intervention of the international community at political and diplomatic level to end the vicious cycle of rights violations and unlawful practices of the Israeli occupation. Aid must address the underlying causes of the “de-development” of the Palestinian territory and implement actions to ensure the Palestinian right to self-determination is upheld and achieved. The ultimate goal of development is to ensure that people’s freedoms are expanded, their access and control over productive resources is guaranteed, and their social and cultural rights are protected.
To effectively take forward our rights-based work in Palestine, we recognize there is a ‘political dimension’ to the operating environment with which we have to engage – from a rights-based perspective, not a partisan one.
“Freedom and justice for Palestinian people to enjoy their rights, identity and a life free of indignity.”
“ActionAid Palestine is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental feminist organization working with Palestinian people, especially the most excluded and marginalized, to ensure that they have the opportunity and capacity to control their lives and future, through providing technical, financial and humanitarian support, encouraging civic engagement and networking, and enabling campaigning and advocacy.”
- Mutual respect – requiring us to recognize the innate worth of all people and the value of diversity.
- Equity and justice – requiring us to work to ensure equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, color, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion.
- Honesty and transparency – being accountable at all levels for the effectiveness of our actions and open in our judgements and communications with others.
- Courage of conviction – requiring us to be creative and radical, bold and innovative, without fear of failure, in pursuit of making the greatest possible impact on the causes of poverty.
- Independence from any religious or party-political affiliation.
- Humility in our presentation and behavior, recognizing that we are part of a wider alliance against poverty.