Source description last updated: 30 November 2021

In brief: The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation based in Gaza City working to protect human rights, to promote the rule of law and to uphold democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Weekly Reports, Annual Reports, Special Reports & Studies, Election Reports, Silencing the Press Reports

Covered weekly on ecoi.net, for the State of Palestine

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“The Centre was established in 1995 by a group of Palestinian lawyers and human rights activists in order to:

• Protect human rights and promote the rule of law in accordance with international standards.
• Create and develop democratic institutions and an active civil society, while promoting democratic culture within the Palestinian society.
• Support all the efforts aimed at enabling the Palestinian people to exercise its inalienable rights in regard to self-determination and independence in accordance with international Law and UN resolutions.” (PCHR website: About PCHR, undated)

The PCHR holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, is an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and holds membership in several other human rights and legal networks. (PCHR website: About PCHR, undated)

Funding:

“The Centre is funded by […] contributions of a number of international non-governmental organisations in the fields of human rights, democracy, and social justice, as well as governments with friendly relations with the Palestinian people” (PCHR website: Funding, undated). A list of PCHR’s donors can be found here: https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/funding/

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: “Most of the Centre’s activities and interests concentrate on the Gaza Strip.” (PCHR website: About PCHR, undated)

Thematic focus: The war on the Gaza Strip, Israeli violations of human rights & international humanitarian law; Palestinian violations of human rights & obstacles to democratic reform, elections, universal jurisdiction. (PCHR: Annual Report 2018, 1 July 2019, pp. 6-7)

Methodology:

“The work of the Centre is conducted through documentation and investigation of human rights violations, provision of legal aid and counseling for both individuals and groups, and preparation of research articles relevant to such issues as the human rights situation and the rule of law.” (PCHR website: About PCHR, undated)

PCHR is composed of several specialized units, focusing on issues such as fieldwork, legal questions, democratic development, economic and social rights and women rights.

“The fieldwork is considered the basic activity of the Centre. Well-trained field workers located in different areas of the Gaza Strip obtain accurate and documented legal information on human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. They gather information in the field from victims and witnesses of human rights violations. The information is received by the coordinator of the unit and other researchers to verify accuracy. Through the field workers’ presence in the field the Centre has been able to maintain close contacts with the community. In this way, the community is able to influence the work of the Centre and the Centre is able to meet the community’s interests and demands.” (PCHR website: About: Organisations & Units, undated)

Language(s) of publications:

English and Arabic

 

All links accessed 30 November 2021.

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner.