ActionAid Palestine: Supporting Women-Led Organizations is an Investment in a More Just and Resilient Future
Occupied Palestinian Territory – ActionAid Palestine marks International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8, to highlight the achievements of Palestinian women and reaffirm its commitment to supporting their rights. This year’s celebration is held under the theme “Give to Gain,” emphasizing the importance of supporting women-led organizations for their vital role in building and developing society and strengthening its resilience in times of peace and emergency.
ActionAid Palestine celebrates its achievements and partnerships with Palestinian women-led organizations, recognizing their critical role in meeting community needs and driving change under a prolonged occupation that enforces illegal policies, including repeated wars, an illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip, land confiscation, home demolitions, movement restrictions, arrests, and settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. ActionAid Palestine works with its women-led partners to strengthen their institutional capacities and provide direct, flexible funding that enables rapid, community-led responses; support safe spaces and protection services for women and girls; promote women’s leadership in humanitarian coordination and decision-making spaces; and develop economic resilience initiatives led by and for women.
This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” reminds us of the importance of investing in women, as it benefits society as a whole. Supporting women-led organizations is not an act of charity, but a strategic and ethical imperative that strengthens community resilience, advances justice, and builds sustainable solutions rooted in lived experience and local realities.
Since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip in 2023 and the Israeli military escalation in the West Bank, women-led organizations have been at the forefront of humanitarian response, providing protection services, economic empowerment, and psychosocial support. They are first responders in times of crisis and long-term advocates for gender justice and social accountability. Despite operational constraints resulting from illegal occupation policies, funding shortages, movement restrictions, and the shrinking humanitarian space, these organizations remain a lifeline for Palestinian women and their communities. Their continued work means delivering life-saving assistance and critical support to women, girls, and marginalized groups.
Through this partnership approach, women are not viewed merely as beneficiaries, but as leaders, decision-makers, and agents of change. Their voices shape programs, influence policies, and redefine inclusive and feminist humanitarian action in Palestine.
ActionAid believes that giving and supporting women-led organizations means trusting women’s leadership and recognizing their expertise. When we provide resources and solidarity, we gain stronger communities, more inclusive systems, and more just outcomes.
On this International Women’s Day, ActionAid Palestine renews its call to end all human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to implement the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and to begin reconstruction efforts, while emphasizing the importance of placing women and youth at the center of all stages of early recovery and reconstruction planning and implementation. We call on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities to end impunity and achieve justice for the Palestinian people in accordance with international law. We also urge donors, humanitarian actors, and decision-makers to increase direct, flexible, and long-term funding for women-led organizations. True progress requires shifting power and resources to those closest to both the challenges and the solutions.
About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with more than 41 million people across over 72 of the world’s poorest countries. We strive for a world founded on justice and sustainability, where everyone enjoys a life of dignity, freedom, and a world free from poverty and oppression. Our work focuses on achieving social justice, gender equality, and eradicating poverty.
ActionAid began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, grounded in their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination. In Palestine, ActionAid implements various programmes through engagement with Palestinian communities, youth groups, and women. We aim to empower women and young people, enhance their effective civic and political participation, deepen their understanding of their rights, and mobilize them to engage in collective action to address rights violations resulting from prolonged occupation. Additionally, we work to strengthen their leadership capacities and support them in practicing active citizenship by holding authorities and other duty bearers accountable.
For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communications and Advocacy coordinator – ActionAid Palestine