MIFTAH recently held its conference entitled: “Participation and Complementarity as a Strategy of Governance amid crises”, attended by a wide spectrum of government representatives, local councils, civil society institutions, popular committees, researchers and academics, in addition to representatives from international institutions.

The conference addressed how the Palestinian people’s existence is being targeted along with their ability to survive and remain steadfast amid the genocide in the Gaza Strip, escalating settlement policies and forced displacement from the West Bank, including Jerusalem. It showed how these complex crises exposed the diminishing effectiveness of the Palestinian institutional structure, the limitations of a centralized model of governance and its inability to singularly respond to the needs of society and protect the social fabric.

The participants reiterated that participation and complementarity between the government, civil society, local councils and popular committees is no longer an administrative option or a procedural improvement, but a national and structural necessity to ensure steadfastness and the ability to manage crises, and preserve social unity and Palestinian geographic integrity in the face of the escalating colonialist onslaught.

They indicated that the absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) prompted CSO’s to reconsider public policies and contribute to the development of perspectives on governance, provide practical alternatives that promote national unity and reorganize the relationship between the state and society on the basis of participation and complementarity.

The participants reiterated that experience in the field in the West Bank and Gaza Strip proved that local councils, popular committees and grassroots organizations, played a pivotal role in protecting citizens and providing basic services during times of government capacity collapse. They stressed that ignoring these roles or administratively confining them exacerbated fragility rather than hinder it.

The conference concluded with general agreements over the following points:

One: Adopting participation and complementarity as a National Government Policy

1. Adopting the principle of “complementary participatory governance” as a public policy for this stage: a unifying national framework, not a closed executive plan.
2. Reaffirming the institutional and legislative structural unity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a fundamental and legal reference, and the rejection of any permanent formula of fragmentation.
3. Complementarity calls for the adoption of official- civil partnership in planning emergency priorities and ensuring services and societal oversight, while respecting roles and not replacing them.
4. Considering social protection and preventing expulsion as a central government function, managed at the official/civil level and according to a clear rights-based logic.
5. Establishing permanent national red lines, the right to self-determination and statehood, the right to protection of society, refusal to depoliticize the cause and rejection of any arrangements that cancel out or fragment national representation, while strengthening international solidarity on this basis.

Two: Accountability and societal trust

1. Promoting the mechanisms of societal accountability as a complementary element of participation, ensures justice in the distribution of resources, protects civil action from politicization and polarization and contributes to rebuilding trust between society and institutions of governance.
2. Adopting a declared and binding policy that determines the framework and shape of partnership between CSOs and public institutions, reaffirming the role of civil society in contributing to the formulation of public policies and decisions pertaining to public affairs.
3. Empowering and building the capacities of CSOs in public policies and rules of good governance, and promoting and developing tools for societal accountability.

Three: Promoting the role of local players in crisis management

1. Recognizing the pivotal role of local councils and popular committees in refugee camps, especially in emergency contexts, and developing the experiences of the Gaza Municipality and popular committees in the Jenin camp as two national models that can be evaluated, developed and circulated.
2. Moving from impromptu responses to sustainable and participatory crisis management, based on planning, resource integration and linking social interventions with fair and transparent spending plans.

Four: From the concept of governor to the strategy of governorate

1. Calling to redefine the role of governor and move from a model of “governor” as an individual central authority to a modal of ‘governorate” as an institutional, participatory and complementary body that constitutes a platform for coordination between government and community.
2. Adopting the model of governorate councils as a unifying institutional framework that includes elected representatives of local councils, CSOs, popular committees and the private sector, to promote popular participation and protect Palestinian geographic unity from fragmentation.
3. Organizing the relationship between central and local levels on the basis of functional complementarity and the distribution of authorities, to prevent placing the burdens of the state on society. At the same time, this prevents decentralization to be used as an instrument of fragmentation, in the service of the colonialist project.

The conference closed by emphasizing that confronting the escalating colonialist onslaught cannot be achieved through closed, centralized instruments or top-down approaches. Instead, it requires a model of national governance grounded in participation and complementarity. This model should be based on mutual recognition of roles and the revival of social structures. It must operate within a unifying national framework that protects the unity of society and geography and promotes Palestinian steadfastness.

MIFTAH reiterated its commitment to continuing this discussion, based on its interest in contributing to the promotion of national dialogue. In this regard, MIFTAH does not position itself as an alternative to any legislative or executive body, nor does it seek to replace the role of any political player. Nonetheless, given the significance of the current context and dangers facing our causes, MIFTAH is keen on its commitment to a unifying national approach that promotes dialogue between Palestinians.

MIFTAH looks forward to building on the outcomes of this conference and turning them into sustainable policy and dialogue pathways. The ultimate goal is for the Palestinian government to adopt a policy of participatory and complementary governance. This would lay the groundwork for a model of local governance that reflects the will of society and protects its unity, at one of the most dangerous and complex stages in contemporary Palestinian history.

To view the Full Statement as PDF

MIFTAH welcomes the historic resolution adopted on July 30th by the United Nations Economic and Social Council on the situation of Palestinian women under occupation. We extend our deep gratitude to all member states that have voted in favor of this unprecedented and urgently needed resolution.

For years, MIFTAH has consistently advocated for the rights of Palestinian women through a decolonial and rights-based lens, urging the international community to do the same.

While we continue to address the internal challenges Palestinian women face, through close partnership with civil society organizations and government stakeholders, it remains clear that the single greatest threat to their freedom, safety, and survival is Israel’s ongoing military occupation.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Gaza, where Palestinian women are enduring Israel’s relentless genocidal campaign.

This resolution arrives at a critical moment, as the world begins to engage more seriously with the Palestinian issue, and as the UN concludes its high level international conference on a peaceful and just settlement, including the implementation of the two state solution.

In this context, we must be unequivocal about what justice and peace demand:

• An end to the genocide in Gaza;
• The unconditional and immediate entry of humanitarian aid and supplies into the Gaza Strip;
• The right of return for all Palestinian refugees displaced by Israel;
• A complete end to Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, which continues to expand across the occupied West Bank; the evacuation of all settlers from occupied Palestinian land; and full accountability for settler terror, including prosecution of those responsible for killings and acts of terror against Palestinians;
• The full withdrawal of Israeli military forces and governing authorities from the occupied West Bank. This includes the dismantling of all infrastructure that upholds the occupation: checkpoints, the apartheid wall, military bases, interrogation and detention centers, police stations, and prisons, in full compliance with the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 ruling.
• An immediate end to all forms of economic, military, and political support that sustain Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime, including the suspension of cooperation agreements and the termination of free trade deals.

While these conditions affect all Palestinians, Palestinian women face distinct and gender-specific harms under Israel’s occupation, realities that MIFTAH has documented extensively. From movement restrictions and political repression, to economic marginalization and targeted violence, the occupation entrenches systemic and multi-layered harm against Palestinian women.

We believe that only once these conditions are addressed, can a viable and dignified future begin to emerge for Palestinian women and their communities, after over 77 years of occupation, violations, and aggression.

As we celebrate this important step by the United Nations, we echo the call made by the Minister of Women's Affairs: words must now be translated into concrete action. We urge member states and UN bodies to implement the provisions of this resolution and to pursue sustained efforts toward ending the occupation, securing accountability, and upholding the full rights of Palestinian women, including their right to live free from violence, discrimination, and oppression.

To view the Statement as PDF

The undersigned Palestinian civil society organizations condemn the resolution passed by the Polish government and signed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stating that the highest level of the Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, can enter Poland freely. This comes despite the fact that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu (another arrest warrant has been issued for the former Minister of Defence, Yoav Gallant).

Being a signatory to the Rome Statute, the founding document of the International Criminal Court, Poland is legally obligated to respect and abide by the Court’s decisions, including to carry out the arrest warrants for Israeli officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The double standards with respect to the ongoing genocide in Gaza are clear as Poland recently protested Mongolia’s decision not to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Respect and ensuring respect of international law and treaties is not a matter of political will. Adherence to the Rome Statute concerns fundamental obligations that must be respected by all State parties. Choosing to politicize international courts and cherry-picking which legal obligations to follow renders international law meaningless and poses a serious threat to the international law-based order.

We call on Poland to reverse this decision to fully comply with its obligations under the Rome Statute, implement the arrest warrants issued by the ICC, and abide by the ICJ Advisory Opinion calling on all States to not recognize Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory and to not render aid or assistance in maintaining Israel’s illegal occupation, as well as as well as decisions and orders by other international courts and UN resolutions. We further call on the international community as a whole to support the ICC, the ICJ, and uphold the integrity of the international legal system by abiding by their rulings.

Signatories:

• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - MIFTAH
• Al-Haq
• Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
• The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)
• Defence for Children International - Palestine
• Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
• Bisan Center for Research and Development
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
• Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

Editorial

By: Hafedh Chekir, UNFPA Representative

This fourth issue of the UNFPA newsletter coincides with the 20th anniversary of UNFPA action in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Following its first ten years of project-based work, UNFPA began implementing an action programme in 1996 that sought to respond to Palestinian needs in the area of population and development. It also launched an emergency assistance programme that supported efforts by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and other national institutions to maintain their services and respond to the emerging needs of the population.

UNFPA completed two programme cycles during this period.

UNFPA notes significant achievements over its twenty years of work in the OPT. It has contributed to the development of reproductive health strategies, upgraded the provision of services, contributed to building an information system based on the 1997 census, proposed different population scenarios to be used as planning tools, and helped to build the capacity of PA institutions and civil society.

Since the outbreak of the current Intifada, UNFPA has adopted a strategy of combining the developmental programmes with an emergency aid programme. In the emergency programme, UNFPA has provided basic supplies and reproductive health commodities to clinics and hospitals and offered training to service providers in emergency obstetrics. In addition, UNFPA has continuously advocated in all international and regional arenas for the ending of the siege imposed on the Palestinian people and for ensuring that Palestinians have access to primary health care, education and other basic humanitarian services.

In spite of the many achievements, much still needs to be done.

UNFPA will continue to use its valuable experience and strong partnership with Palestinian institutions to work toward the achievement of sustainable development of the Palestinian society within the Palestinian Midterm Development Plan (MTDP) and as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This will be the basis for the third programme cycle 2006-2009.

MDGs include eradicating poverty and hunger, ensuring universal primary education, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development. MDGs include another goal of extreme importance for achieving the above seven goals, which is to promote gender equality and empower women.

Ensuring women and youth access to education, reproductive health and economic opportunities is a threefold intervention of strategic importance for achieving MDGs.

The elimination of violence against women is another important factor. Investment in these areas would have an immediate outcome that would also yield long-term results benefiting future generations.

In planning for its third programme cycle, UNFPA adopted the principle of effective partnership. Different national sectors have been involved in setting out the priorities in the areas of population and development, reproductive health and gender equality.

These priorities were based on the country situation analysis carried out by a specialized national team in cooperation with a national steering committee composed of various line ministries, NGOs and local universities and chaired by the Ministry of Health (MOH). In addition, a number of consultative meetings and workshops with the partners helped to identify activities for the programme cycle.

In drafting its programme of action for the next four years, UNFPA employed the following strategies:

• Building on the achievements made during the two previous cycles;
• Providing strategic support at the programme and policy level in the areas of population and development, reproductive health, gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Maintaining a balance between emergency and development needs of the population by using a rights-based approach, ensuring long-term sustainability of activities within the MTDP and linking emergency relief activities with development to promote the process of Palestinian state-building;
• Addressing Palestinian youth as a main element in development. With appropriate investment in their development, young people can actively contribute and become an important asset rather than a responsibility for society.

Throughout the past twenty years, UNFPA has based its development and emergency programmes and projects on the needs of the Palestinian society. Achievements made by UNFPA in the OPT would have not been possible without donor contributions.

Therefore, we would like to extend our appreciation to all donors and partners, whether they are governmental institutions, NGOs or international agencies, for their important role in assisting UNFPA to effect positive change in the lives of many Palestinians.

To View the Full Report as PDF (562 KB)

The Promise of Equality Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals

The world has an unprecedented opportunity to realize the promise of equality and freedom from want. During the next decade, hundreds of millions of people can be released from the stronghold of poverty. The lives of 30 million children and 2 million mothers can be spared.1 The spread of AIDS can be reversed. Millions of young people can play a larger role in their countries’ development and, in turn, create a better world for themselves and generations to come.

Gender equality and reproductive health are indispensable to the realization of this promise.

In the year 2000, leaders from 189 countries met at the United Nations Millennium Summit and forged a unique global compact to reduce poverty. From the Summit’s declaration, eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were derived, with 2015 set as the date for their achievement. In 2002, the UN Millennium Project brought together more than 250 leading experts to advise the UN Secretary-General on how to implement the MDGs. Their conclusions are reflected throughout this year’s State of World Population report.

Gender equality is a human right, one of the Millennium Development Goals and key to achieving the other seven. The UN Millennium Project concluded that reproductive health is essential to achieving the MDGs, including the goal of gender equality.

Investments in gender equality and reproductive health offer multiple rewards that can accelerate social and economic progress, with lasting impact on future generations.

Gender Equality and Equity: The costs of gender discrimination are highest for low-income countries, and within countries, for the poor. Women constitute a large share of the labour force and play a central role in rural economies and food production. They are also primary guardians of the next generation. Gender discrimination squanders human capital by making inefficient use of individual abilities, thus limiting the contribution of women. It also undermines the effectiveness of development policies.

When discriminatory burdens are removed, the capacity and earning power of women increase.

Furthermore, women tend to reinvest these gains in the welfare of their children and families, multiplying their contributions to national development.

Empowering women propels countries forward towards the MDGs and improves the lives of all.

Reproductive Health and Rights: The considerable, and largely preventable, burden of poor reproductive health falls most heavily on the poorest women and their families, who can least afford its consequences.

The ability to make free and informed choices in reproductive life, including those involving childbearing, underpins self-determination in all other areas of women’s lives. Because these issues affect women so profoundly, reproductive health cannot be separated from the wider goal of gender equality.

To View the Full Report as PDF (1.5 MB)

New Report Calls for World Leaders to End Discrimination and Live Up to Promises Made to World’s Women and Girls

Global efforts to “make poverty history” will fail unless world leaders act now to end gender discrimination, according to The State of World Population 2005 report, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

The report, The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals, calls upon world leaders to fulfill promises made to the world’s women and young people in order to meet poverty reduction goals agreed to at the 2000 Millennium Summit and reaffirmed by last month’s World Summit in New York. Investing in women and young people—who constitute the majority of the world’s population—will accelerate long-term development. Failure to do so may entrench poverty for generations to come.

“I am here today to say that world leaders will not make poverty history until they make gender discrimination history”, said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid during the launch of the report today. “We cannot make poverty history until we stop violence against women and girls. We cannot make poverty history until women enjoy their full social, cultural, economic and political rights.”

The report—which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Charter that enshrined the equal rights of women and men—says that investing in women and girls makes sound economic and social sense. This is because discrimination leads to lower productivity and higher health costs. It also results in higher death rates among mothers and children and significantly threatens efforts to reduce poverty around the world.

Worldwide, reproductive health problems—including HIV/AIDS—constitute the leading cause of death and illness among women between the ages of 15 and 44. Indeed, more than 250 million years of productive life are lost worldwide as a result.

Every year, about 529,000 women die of pregnancy-related causes that are almost entirely preventable. Lack of access to modern contraceptives is the major factor behind an estimated 76 million unintended pregnancies in the developing world alone, and an estimated 19 million unsafe abortions worldwide each year. Many of these lead to permanent disabilities or death.

Investing in political, economic and educational opportunities for women and girls, on the other hand, yields quick wins and high pay-offs that lead to improved economic prospects, smaller families, healthier and more literate children, lower HIV prevalence rates and reduced incidence of harmful traditional practices. Furthermore, studies show that when women control the family purse strings, they are more likely than men to invest a higher percentage of their earnings in family needs.

Nevertheless, despite new laws and programmes to improve the condition of the world’s most impoverished women, the pace of change is far too slow. While many countries are working to close gender gaps in education and improve health-care access for women, adolescents and other marginalized populations, statistics continue to tell a troubling tale.

Intimately associated with poverty is lack of access to family planning and reproductive health. Today, world population stands at almost 6.5 billion and is expected to reach 9.1 billion in 2050. This projection is predicated on whether men and women will continue to have the means to decide when and how often to have children.

Violence—perhaps the most systematic and pervasive of human rights abuses—continues to terrorize millions of women and girls regardless of geography, race or socio-economic status, says the report. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women is likely to experience physical, sexual or other abuses during her lifetime—usually by a family member or acquaintance. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable, with nearly 50 per cent of sexual assaults worldwide involving girls aged 15 years and younger. In far too many cases, survivors are offered little in the way of recourse, justice or help.

Globally, women hold only 16 per cent of parliamentary seats—an increase of only 4 per cent since 1990. Some of the greatest strides are being made in developing countries. Rwanda, for example, has now surpassed Sweden with the highest proportion of women holding parliamentary seats in the world.

“Many leaders call for free trade to spur economic growth,” said Ms. Obaid. “It is time to call for action to free women of the discrimination, violence and poor health they face in their daily lives.”

“And I can assure you that women all over the world are tired of promises, promises, promises,” she added. “The time has come; we have the means, we have the commitment. Now we need action.”

Sixty years ago, the founders of the United Nations proclaimed their determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. They pledged their determination to establish conditions under which justice and the rule of law could be maintained and social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom could be promoted.

Six decades later, it is clearer than ever before that human rights must be at the center of efforts to reduce poverty, discrimination and conflict. Today on World Population Day, let us recommit ourselves to this vision of a better world. Let us commit ourselves to equality, justice and human rights for all.

The benefits of gender equality are many. They include a higher quality of life for individual women and girls, and stronger families, communities and countries.

On the other hand, the costs of maintaining inequality are also high and can be measured by broken bodies, shattered dreams and crushed spirits. The costs include high rates of maternal death and disability because women’s health is not made a political priority. Today, poor sexual and reproductive health is a leading cause of death and illness for women in the developing world. No other area of health reflects the large inequities between rich and poor, both among and within countries. Poverty and inequality also fuel the acceleration of HIV infection, because women lack the power to negotiate their personal safety. Another cost is the continuation of harmful practices that place the lives of women and girls in danger. For tens of millions of girls, child marriage and early childbearing mean an incomplete education, limited opportunities and serious health risks. But perhaps the highest cost of gender discrimination is widespread violence against women and girls, which remains one of the most pervasive and shameful human rights violations, compromising the personal security, liberty, dignity and well-being of millions of women and children worldwide.

The world can do better. The solutions are well known and effective. They include universal education for all girls and boys, the removal of barriers to women’s equal participation in social, cultural, economic and political life, the engagement of boys and men in the struggle for equity, mass awareness raising campaigns, and the implementation of laws and policies that promote and protect the full range of internationally agreed human rights, including the right to sexual and reproductive health. All of these actions fall under the banner of “equality”.

Equality is an end in itself and a cornerstone of development. Equality is a goal that demands sustained political commitment and leadership. Today, on World Population Day, I urge leaders at every level to speak about the great gains that equal rights offer the entire human family and to take concrete and urgent action to make these rights a reality.