At NISPED, we work toward societal transition from conflict and violence to conflict resolution and peace; from poverty and exploitation to sustainable human development, and from dictatorship to democracy. We believe that joint work with government institutions, international agencies and civil society organizations – voluntary, non-governmental, people-centered, community-based groups - can have a major impact in the successful achievement of these transitions.

Our work focuses on three types of activity:  

• Training and education
• Projects
• Consultancy 

Israeli - Palestinian Peace Process
While the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has known its ups and downs, NISPED continues to seek to make a contribution to its progress. Political/governmental agreements, however carefully crafted or effectively underwritten by major powers or international agencies, cannot by themselves serve to create or guarantee peace. A lasting peace requires people-to people peace processes in which the active involvement of civil society promotes mutual understanding and furthers joint endeavors.

NISPED conducts courses and training programs jointly with Palestinian NGOs to develop programs benefiting their constituents. All of these are taught in Arabic and are designed and implemented by joint Palestinian – Israeli staff. More than 1,000 Palestinians have participated in these programs, that have been held both in Israel and in the Palestinian Authority.

Among the themes of these courses:

• The role of civil society in conflict resolution
• The contribution of voluntary organizations to local government
• Young leadership in NGOs
• The role of small and medium enterprises in economies in transition
• Human resource development
• Women's leadership and empowerment

In spite of the continuation of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict, NISPED has uninterruptedly continued its activities and programs with Palestinian civil society groups.

For detailed information on our Middle Eastern projects and courses, please click here.  

Our international courses provide participants with an understanding of the role of civil society in general and of youth and student organizations in particular in conflict resolution and development. They provide participants with relevant skills training in such areas as:

• Communication methods
• Democratic leadership
• The use of information technology in their activities.

For information about our international work, please click here.