The Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) set up a pilot mobilization action among equality actors in the northern and southern regions of Palestine, through workshops on the participation of women in public and political life. The action is part of the Axis 1 "Strengthening the capacity of equality actors”, of the project “Women for the future in the Mediterranean” funded by  the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, and the project “Developing Women Empowerment” labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean.

In the southern region, four workshops were held in Hebron, south of Jerusalem on 14 October 2015 and Bethlehem in the West Bank on 19, 21 and 22 November 2015.

Nablus, a northern city, hosted three workshops on 1, 13 and 14 December 2015. These workshops gathered 163 representatives of the main local actors working to promote the participation of women in public and political life. These actors represent both governmental and non-governmental organizations and research centres. 

The workshops were a process of reflection, identification of needs and awareness on several themes prioritized by these local actors. The workshops, therefore, addressed: gender equality in the legal framework, including laws that discriminate women, the political agenda and women's rights, international monitoring mechanisms, as well as the follow up and documentation of violations. In addition, it was necessary to organize a training workshop on the political role of women in local communities.

The strengths of this process were the interventions of civil society and politicians. A synergy between different actors was established and priorities identified in a participatory and interactive approach. Thus, the issue of inheritance in all its dimensions, social, legal, political and economic, is viewed by different actors, as a significant barrier to women's access to public and political life.