PACE

Mission
PACE is a Palestinian NGO with a mission to protect and promote Palestinian cultural heritage through education, preservation work, research, and exchange programs. The organization is committed to the rich history, diversity, and resources of Palestine, and therefore to supporting an agenda that both protects heritage and promotes change.

PACE strives to make a positive impact on the country by protecting its cultural heritage and natural resources, especially in the Palestinian rural areas. We believe that protecting heritage goes hand in hand with protecting the environment and natural resources. We organize public awareness campaigns, deliver lectures, organize tours and other cultural programs including heritage education, and heritage preservation to achieve that goal.

PACE recognizes that to uphold its vision and make a significant contribution to Palestinian Culture, it must work with local communities; the youth, women’s groups, students’ and educators as well as international organizations and exchange programs.

Vision

Cultural Center:PACE’s goals through its variety of programs, make plans for a Palestinian cultural center inevitable. Hopes are to bring together our work on rehabilitation, choosing a site of historic value, along with an archive, training and lecture facilities, public spaces for cultural events, and collections and exhibits from Palestinian heritage and landscape.

History

A group of Palestinian academics, writers and other professionals who are committed to Palestinian heritage and strengthening Palestinian culture founded PACE in 1996. The organization is headed by a Board of Directors elected by the organization’s General Assembly, and has International Advisory Committee. It has 8 full time employees and a varied number of part time employees and volunteers, local and international.

Partners and supporters:

PACE is grateful to its local and international partners and supporters for helping sustain the organization and carry on with its mission:

1. Welfare Association.
2. NGO Development Center – Tatweer.
3. The German Development Service – DED.
4. The German Fund for Palestinian NGO’s.
5. UNDP – Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People.
6. Canada Fund.
7. American Consulate – Jerusalem.
8. French Consulate – Jerusalem.
9. Dutch Representative Office – Ramallah.
10. Italian Publica Assistenza di Campi – Italy.
11. Netherlands Reformed Church.
12. Norwegian Peoples Aid.
13. Palestine Development Fund.
14. Abraham Bath Initiative – Harvard University.
15. Middle East Center – Oxford University.

Local and International Partner Organizations:

1. Local Universities of: Birzeit University, Arab American University – Jenin, Bethlehem University, Al-Quds University, Islamic University – Gaza, and the Jerusalem Open University.
2. International Universities of: North Park, UCLA, USC, Harvard, U of Penn, Binghamton – USA, Oxford & UCL – UK. University of Bordeaux – France, the Salzburg Seminar – Austria, The Free University – Germany.
3. European Association for Environmental Management Education – EAEME.
4. World Archaeological Congress – WAC.
5. Training, Education, Management and Prehistory in the Mediterranean – TEMPER.
6. Local Palestinian partner organizations: PENGO, PENGON, PHG, RIWAQ, RESC, YAF, ATF, YSF, PARC, SHAML, Handicapped Federation and others.
7. The Municipalities, Village Councils, and UNRWA Administrations of: Ramallah, al-Bireh, Jericho, Bani Zaid, Birzeit, Aboud, Atara, Beitin, Dair Istia, Jammain, Sebastia, Shoyokh, Jalazone, Arroub, Al-Ain, Al-Ammary, Qalandia and others.
8. The Palestinian Authority’s ministries of Tourism, Culture, Education and Higher Education, and Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.