The Center for Women’s Legal Researches, Counselling and Protection (CWLRCP) held a ceremony yesterday evening to bid farewell to Mr. Joachim Paul, the former Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Middle East and Arab World Office, and to welcome the new Director, Dr. René Wildangel.

Ms. Zeinab Al-Ghuneimi, Director of the CWLRCP, welcomed directors of civil society organizations and international institutions, and thanked the Heinrich Böll Foundation for its continuous support and encouragement of the Center, through projects it funds, including: the Young Women Lawyers Forum, the Women Forward Forum, and the Youth for Equality project.

Al-Ghuneimi introduced Mr. Joachim Paul, who studied political science and Middle Eastern studies in Berlin and learned Arabic in Egypt and Syria. He previously held several positions, including with the Palestinian Organizations Support Fund program under the JTZ program, and as a director in UNICEF programs in several regions, including the Gaza Strip. Mr. Paul spoke, introducing the Heinrich Böll Foundation as part of the Green political movement that developed globally as a reaction to the traditional policies of socialism, liberalism, and conservatives. He noted that its goals include preserving the fundamental principles of the environment, development, democracy, human rights, self-determination, justice, and equality between women and men.

Al-Ghuneimi also welcomed the new Director, Dr. René Wildangel, who holds a doctorate in the history of the Palestinian national movement in the 1930s and 1940s. He learned Arabic in Syria and previously worked in the Middle East department of the German Foreign Ministry, as an advisor to the German Green Party in Parliament. Dr. Wildangel said in his speech that he would remain in contact to support community organizations in the Gaza Strip, expressing his happiness at this celebration organized by the Center for his friend and colleague Paul in appreciation of his efforts in supporting women’s and community organizations in the Gaza Strip. Dr. Mahmoud Daher, Director of Global Health in Gaza, noted in his speech on behalf of Paul’s friends, Paul’s role in political and social communication with all institutions and figures in Gaza, and that he played an important role in supporting community organizations as he is well aware of the suffering of Palestinian society.