Project profile — Capacity Development in Forensic Science and Medicine

This project is one component of a broader program to strengthen the forensic capabilities of the Palestinian justice system. In particular, it seeks to enhance the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to manage, utilize, and sustain forensic science and forensic medicine services through improved institutional structures and governance. The project supports the Ministries of Justice and Interior, as well as the Palestinian Civil Police, in establishing appropriate organizational and governance structures. This includes providing leadership in the development and implementation of strategic plans, quality assurance systems, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and measures to ensure the transparency of forensic results. The project provides training and mentoring in basic laboratory procedures, drug analysis, physical evidence examination, counterfeit and altered document examination, and firearms and toolmark identification. In the area of forensic medicine, the project aims to increase the number of fully trained specialist forensic physicians while establishing an education and training system within local universities to sustain forensic medicine services in the future. A key component of the project is the expansion of clinical forensic medicine services to support cases involving sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.

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The results achieved by the end of the project (December 2018) included: (1) the establishment and operationalization of a new forensic science laboratory equipped to conduct drug analysis, physical trace evidence examination, firearms and tool mark identification, and document examination; (2) the training and mentoring of forensic specialists, enabling more timely and effective case processing in support of the justice system, with a high level of confidence in forensic evidence among prosecutors and judges; (3) the training of a cohort of Palestinian forensic doctors, seven of whom had already been integrated into public institutions, and the establishment of three forensic medicine clinics in key hospitals; (4) the training of 23 nurses to support forensic examinations; (5) the introduction of specialized services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, with approximately 2,100 forensic medical examinations conducted during the final year of the project, including 120 related to such cases, thereby supporting victims’ access to justice; and (6) the development of regulatory frameworks, budget plans, and quality assurance systems to support the long-term sustainability of forensic science and forensic medicine services.