Every CSDP mission is unique. The different geographical and political, as well as other operational challenges and environments all lend themselves to this. EUPOL COPPS executes its mandate in one of the global hotspots and the home of one of the longest standing conflicts; at times peaceful, yet always volatile and forever on the brink of eruption. Heading this Mission does come with its challenges, both in terms of mandate execution and also relating to the safety and security of our Mission Members. Yet the Mission has significantly contributed to, and continues to assist in building a stronger and more cohesive Palestinian society where the principles of Rule of Law are upheld.

In the sixteen years since its inception, the Mission’s reformist support has sustained and zealously championed the strengthening of the Palestinian Institutions through capacity building and operational support to enable a sustainable transformation under local ownership, with the hopes that these efforts may lead to the consolidation of a single Palestinian Basic Law and to bridge the gap between police and law, as well as strengthen the relationship between the Institutions and the population. Not an easy task at the best of times. Yet I have witnessed a number of positive steps in the right direction in this regard.  

To give a concrete example of how we have supported viable and transformative change, in 2006, women police officers in the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) comprised 2% of the force. Today, through the robust technical expertise and the continued support of EUPOL COPPS, women’s representation in the PCP has slowly, but positively increased to 6%, with a greater willingness from our Palestinian partners to support women in security.

EUPOL COPPS coordinates with our Palestinian and International Partners to jointly contribute to increased and sustained stability, justice and security for the entire Palestinian population. For example, EUPOL COPPS, jointly with the Palestinian Civil Police, and with the generous support of two Member States, successfully hosted last May the first International Association of Women Police Conference in Ramallah, which aimed to shape and strengthen the status of women in the security sector. The conference was a success and I am already witnessing a series of positive ripple effects following the conference, which has renewed our motivation and commitment to the execution of our mandate, and to the strengthening of our working relationships with our counterparts.

An integrated approach in the strengthening of Rule of Law has not only proven to be essential, it has also shown to be a core foundation to sustainable development. In 2006, in the absence of State institutions and an adequate system of law enforcement, approximately 70% of criminal cases were resolved outside of the official court system. Through the Mission’s coordinated interventions to strengthen key functions within the justice sector institutions, the Ministry of Justice gradually improved the organisational structure and contributed to the human development of the ministry to better serve the population with a more effective, accountable, and transparent legislative processes.

From a gender perspective, we are also seeing a slow, but noticeable shift since 2005; an increase of 23% of female lawyers and a 12% increase of female judges in the West Bank. Despite hopeful glimpses of growing participation of women in the legal profession, the gender gap remains prominent, and the road towards gender equality is paved with impediments. I firmly believe that women in justice contribute to good governance, access to justice for women and help shift harmful gender stereotypes. That is why the Mission will remain committed to the empowerment of women in the justice sector through our Rule of Law interventions and will continue to strive for a more balanced representation in the public sector

We are living in precarious times. To counter the cycle of violence and injustices, a unified voice of peace to revitalise the two state solution is not only vital for the Palestinian and Israeli human security, but also a fundamental keystone in the regional security and stability. That is why EUPOL's support to the Security Sector Reform here in the Palestinian Territories remains the core of our mandate.

It is abundantly clear that our partners view the EU flag as being a single flag, encompassing all EU actors on the ground. To this effect, strong and coherent coordination among the EU family must remain a key priority, in order to preserve the EU’s credibility in the region.  Given that a number of EU representations operate in the field, namely EUDEL, EUREP, EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS, the notion of integrated approach takes on a higher degree of importance in the execution of our collective mandates. Whilst aware that the EU representations are here to implement specific mandates, whether political or technical, the vitality of speaking with one voice in our relations with our counterparts cannot be underestimated.

I could continue to expand, but will leave that to the next article. Notwithstanding, I leave you on a positive note. As Head of Mission and together with Mission Members, we are proud to have achieved significant milestones of having over 40% of women in the Mission. This is attributed to a number of factors. Namely,

1. a Mission leadership that strives continuously to advocate for gender parity, both internally as well as with our local partners;
2. enabling and empowering Mission Members to drive the gender agenda forward in all aspects of the mandate execution;
3. consistently seeking to ensure that Member States are fully aware of the importance of CSDP Missions as part of the EU machinery, with the consequence that adequate secondment of competent and skilled experts and advisers to the missions remains a priority in the Member States’ contributions to the overall EU project.

As we look ahead to the execution of our newly renewed mandate, I remain positive that our work on the ground continues to make a tangible and sustainable difference and together with our Mission Members, renew our commitment to our beneficiaries.

Nataliya Apostolova

Head of EUPOL COPPS since November 2020