2020 oPt Emergency Appeal - West Bank - Protection

Through its protection programme, UNRWA aims to ensure that protection threats affecting Palestine refugees in the West Bank are prevented and mitigated in accordance with the Agency?s mandate, including through advocacy, assistance and access to services. The Agency will engage with duty bearers to promote compliance with applicable standards under IHRL and IHL and to engender practices amongst duty bearers that prevent the exposure of Palestine refugees to protection threats such as the risk of injury, disability and death as a result of use of force (including the use of live ammunition), displacement and/or forcible transfer, settler violence, restrictions on freedom of movement and access to humanitarian assistance. Advocacy efforts will include field visits and briefings for diplomats and other members of the international community to mobilise action on protection issues affecting Palestine refugees, as well as engagement in international protection advocacy and with international human rights system mechanisms. Further, UNRWA will work to: (i) reinforce the capacity of refugee communities to effectively advocate for their rights and (ii) catalyse other actors towards actions that advance the protection of refugees, through the development of targeted and strategic analysis and reporting. In parallel, the Agency will intervene with relevant authorities to promote compliance with applicable standards. In response to forced displacement due to home demolitions, evictions and damage caused to private property during law enforcement/military operations and incidents involving Israeli settlers, UNRWA will provide emergency support to affected refugee families through the Crisis Intervention Model, whereby: (i) cash assistance will be provided to support temporary housing for the displaced or as a means to rebuild damaged private property to avoid the use of negative coping mechanisms; and/or (ii) based on needs assessments conducted by protection social workers, referrals will be issued so that affected refugees can access internal/external specialized services, including health care, psychosocial and legal support.