Ramallah – MIFTAH recently launched the second phase of lobbying and advocacy campaigns in the Qalqilya districts including Qalqilya city, Azzoun and Hableh villages, thus supporting TAJAAWOB main goal in promoting mechanisms of social accountability at the local and national levels, says MIFTAH’s Program Director, Lamis Shuaibi “The campaigns were based on supporting the principle of partnership between local communities and official institutions in order to contribute to raising the level of response from official Palestinian institutions to citizens’ needs, particularly in less developed areas”.
Partnership between local communities and service providers
Local committees led the campaigns in each of the three targeted areas and included representatives from various social sectors including youth, women, social activists and community leaders. The second cycle of advocacy campaigns was launched at the start of December of 2014, and will continue throughout March of this year. The goal, according to project coordinator Abeer Zaghari, is to create partnerships between local communities and services providers. She continued that the campaigns revolved around important and urgent social issues in the targeted areas and shed light on the exclusivity of life in these areas given their close proximity to Israel’s separation wall. As a result, their land is being confiscated and natural resources overtaken by Israeli occupation authorities.
Qalqilya city Campaign: Improving Health Conditions
In Qalqilya city, TAJAAWOB’s local committee raised the slogan of “Improving Health Services” at the Darwish Nazzal Hospital, the only government hospital in the city, which serves at least 50,000. It is running advocacy efforts putting pressure on authorities to provide better health services to the public through establishing an Intensive Care Unit.
The campaign is dedicated to research and collecting data and information in addition to assessing the level of public satisfaction towards health services provided by the governmental hospital. Surveys and interviews will be conducted with hospital patients and visitors to this end, all of which will later be discussed with relevant officials.
Azzoun Campaign: “Azzoun Public Park is here to Stay”
In Azzoun village, the TAJAAWOB committee raised the slogan, “Azzoun Park is here to stay”. This phase and the following one will include an advocacy and lobbying campaign directed at relevant parties to rehabilitate the park and open it to visitors from Azzoun and neighboring towns including Qalqilya city , thus servicing over 70,000 people as a public place.
The Azzoun local community is highlighting the issue of the obstacles they continue to face with the isreali occupation practices, given that Azzoun is surrounded from all sides by settlements and the separation wall. Additionally, Israeli military forces control, Azzoun main entrance via a gate that is often closed without warning. The park’s reopening will economically rejuvenate the town and provide job opportunities for its people in addition to protecting its land from confiscation . TAJAWOOB’s local committee in Azzoun, is conducting a series of contacts, communication and networking with official parties to probe the possibilities of re-opening and rehabilitating the public park in terms of necessary procedures and ways to overcome any challenges.
Hableh campaign: Promoting Citizen’s Security
In Hableh, TAJAAWOB’s committee launched its campaign entitled: “We caught you, Back Away”. The campaign focused on improving security and safety services in the town through advocating on the relevant parties to install cameras in public places to thwart incidents of robbery and vandalism. This is a problem which has been a major concern for Hableh’s citizens. Last year alone, there were 70 such cases, which cause heavy bills to cover the damages.
Since the campaign was launched last December 2014, the local committee with support from MIFTAH, has been in contact with authorities in the Qalqilya governorate and Hableh municipality in this regard. Other sources of support were sought out from community leaders, clergy, townspeople, and social and services prociders in the town. A decision to form local protection committees was also made to spread awareness among youth and to raise awareness among the citizens about the importance of reporting cases of vandalism and vandals.
Advocacy Campaigns Cycle one; Qalqilieh city, Hableh, Azzoun
One of the most significant outcomes of the campaigns, which were launched last July and completed in November 2014, was a commitment by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Rula Maayah to the Qalqilya local committee to add the Qalqilya National Zoo on the national tourism map. Qalqilya will also be declared the 2016 Palestinian tourist city and included in the ministry’s brochures and website. Currently, official agreements are being drawn up between the tourism ministry, the Qalqilya municipality and TAJAAWOB’s local committee.
In Azzoun, the local committee, which entitled its first campaign “Towards a better violence-free educational enviornment,” was able to develop a mechanism of social accountability to diagnose the reasons for the town’s low academic achievement and the high level of violence among children at schools. The method was praised by various educational institutions in Palestine, namely Al Najah University, which considered it a precedent in models of educational accountability. This was an exceptional achievement given that its developers were Azzoun local community representatives and educational experts. Currently, the local committee is waiting for approval by the Ministry of Education to adopt this model of social accountability.
Hableh’s first Advocacy campaign, “Secure Childhood in Hableh through Rehabilitating the Hableh Park” was capped off with a huge celebration for the town and surrounding areas. Its local committee is now awaiting approval for the allocation of the necessary funds from the Municipalities Development and Loans Fund to support rehabilitating the Hableh park.
All of these campaigns were implemented by MIFTAH as part of its TAJAWOOB project in partnership with AMAN, Ruya and OXFAM , sponsored by the British Council and funded by DFID.
MIFTAH releases 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social and security sectors, including social justice and gender indicators
Date posted: April 04, 2023
By MIFTAH
MIFTAH recently released 2021-2022 comparative actual spending reports for the social sector (health, education, higher education and scientific research, social development and labor), and for the first time, the security sector (Ministry of Interior and National Security). The reports were based on annual financial data released by the Ministry of Finance in Palestine for 2021-2022 and on an accrual basis.
The data showed that the Ministry of Interior and National Security had the highest percentage of actual spending in 2022, accounting for 22.8% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.68 billion. This was a slight increase from the Ministry’s share in 2021. Meanwhile, actual spending on the education sector (Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research) stood at 21.5% of overall public expenditures, or ILS3.48 billion. This was also an increase from the education sector’s share in 2021, which was 20.6% of public expenditures.
Moreover, actual spending on the Ministry of Health also increased in 2022, comprising 15% of overall public expenditures, at a sum of ILS2.4 billion. This was higher than in 2021, where its share was 14.4%. As for the Ministry of Social Development, actual spending was still low, amounting for 6.2% of overall public expenditures in 2022, compared to 5.8% in 2021. The Ministry of Social Development’s actual spending in 2022 was approximately ILS1 billion. As for the labor sector, actual spending on this sector in 2022 was 0.31% of overall public expenditures, while in 2021 it was 0.28%. Actual spending on the labor sector in 2022 was ILS50.1 million.
Upon review of actual spending reports of the targeted ministries from a gender and social justice perspective, it is clear that actual spending on the Ministry of Social Development does not coincide with the scope of its responsibilities as the forerunner of the social sector in Palestine, including its programs for combatting poverty and the protection of poor and marginalized social sectors. Moreover, non-compliance to the disbursement of payments for poor families within the CTP continued according to estimates, whereby only two of four installments for 2022 were disbursed, one at minimum value. This adversely affected the financial security of the most underprivileged and marginalized sectors of society, in addition to the insufficient estimated budget and actual spending on the social protection program, in spite of its importance in providing protection and social services to battered women, children, special-needs persons and the elderly.
The data also pointed to the low percentage of women working in the security sector, which stood at 6% of the total number of workers in this sector, while they comprised 46% of the civil sector. This shows a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective, given that the lion’s share of actual spending in 2022 was on salaries and wages. Hence, women only benefited very little from these allocations, which were nearly ILS2.9 billion in 2022.
The data also indicated that the development expenditures for the Ministry of Labor were only ILS4.5 million in 2022, even though planned development expenditures were ILS32 million, which is much higher. This casts a shadow on gender-related programs and projects, which were allotted sizeable budgets within development expenditures, such as creating sustainable opportunities as alternatives for Palestinian men and women working in settlements, for which ILS10 million were earmarked.
Even though there was an increase in actual spending in 2022 at the targeted ministries in general, this increase was mainly concentrated on salaries and wages. In spite of the importance of providing a decent life for employees, there is still a need to increase spending on development expenditures, since they are at the forefront of developing government services, including the nationalization and institutionalization of various social services.
MIFTAH concludes town hall meetings on political participation and citizens’ rights for women and youth
Date posted: January 09, 2023
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – 29/12/2022 – Within its efforts to promote democratic values and the peaceful transfer of power within the Palestinian government system, MIFTAH’s field advisory team completed over 100 town hall meetings in the second half of 2022. The meetings were held in coordination and cooperation with CSOs, LGUs and grassroots organizations and targeted women and youth in several West Bank and Gaza Strip districts. The objective of these meetings was to raise awareness among the electorate on the electoral system in Palestine and on civil society demands to increase women and youth participation in local and general elections as candidates and voters, on the premise that this boosts their presence in decision-making levels and involves them in public affairs.
The town hall meetings included several exchange visits between LGU members in the various districts. The women shared the experiences and challenges they faced after becoming council members. The meetings focused on the concept of citizenship within a broader definition of the various forms of political participation and the importance of involvement from youth and women in public life. They also pointed to the different forms of democracy and the main pillars of the democratic society Palestinians seek to create. The participants furthermore discussed the various forms of electoral systems and shed light on the gaps in electoral laws regarding the presence of women and youth.
The participants pointed to the importance of periodic legislative and presidential elections and the danger of the ongoing absence of the PLC on matters pertaining to civic peace. They also warned against the absence of oversight and accountability, maintaining that the defunct PLC has contributed to shrinking civic space and public freedoms and therefore, the ability or desire to become involved in political life, especially for women and youth. In most of the meetings, the participants also indicated that the absence of a regular democratic process in Palestine contributed to the overall exclusion of youth from participation and to the marginalization of the role of women in Palestinian political decision-making.
The town hall meetings stressed on the importance of pressing for legislative, presidential and local elections in all West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip districts. They also endorsed the demand for equality in electoral laws, starting with raising the women’s quota to a minimum of 30%, raising the candidacy age and lowering the threshold. They urged Palestinian factions to assume a key role in the process of inclusion for women and youth in the public sphere and to prevent the progression of tribalism in the democratic process. The attendees emphasized the importance of monitoring the performance of LGUs in their interaction with local communities and the consistency of their meetings. Finally, they said female council members must be given the opportunity to exercise their role in their respective councils as equals to their male counterparts.
MIFTAH holds town hall meetings on an annual basis as part of its awareness campaign on citizens’ rights and the promotion of the democratic approach for a peaceful transfer of power, in addition to the involvement of women and youth in elections as both candidates and voters. Each year, through these town hall meetings, MIFTAH aims to reach the widest possible segment of the electorate and the different social sectors in all parts of Palestine.
MIFTAH completes training workshop in the Gaza Strip on family protection and advocacy
Date posted: January 05, 2023
By MIFTAH
Gaza – 2/1/2023 – MIFTAH recently completed a training workshop on measures and regulations on family protection in the Gaza Strip. The workshop was part of MIFTAH’s strategic objectives to prioritize family issues in communities and to support local institutions in increasing awareness on citizenship and constitutional rights for Palestinian women and on combatting all forms of GBV and discrimination in Palestinian society.
The workshop’s objectives included providing institutions with important information on the legislations, laws and measures for family protection in effect in the Gaza Strip, in a bid to enhance the oversight role of CSOs in holding accountable official parties responsible for enforcing these measures and legislations. The training also included offering institutions the necessary mechanisms for managing digital and media campaigns to press for the ratification of laws and legislation that protect women’s rights.
The discussions focused on a number of points, including legal (including sharia law) rebuttals to claims from parties opposing legislation, including the Family Protection Law. They also discussed how applicable this law would be in the Gaza Strip once ratified by the President.
The participants unanimously agreed that they supported adoption of the law, giving no credence to the claims of more extreme elements in Gaza on the Family Protection Law. They called on MIFTAH to hold general, open meetings with the public to introduce them to the law and its importance, so that they could defend themselves from the extremist discourse surrounding it.
Opinions and impressions
One of the participants, Latifa Shatat, said such training workshops were crucial for every Palestinian, male and female. “It is great we are pressing for protection laws such as the Family Protection Bill. This law will have tremendous impact on society as a whole. I can say from experience as a social and mental health worker that protection is the most important element in our work, especially in cases involving women and children, who are the most vulnerable social sectors. I commend MIFTAH and anyone who participates in spreading a culture of nonviolence, protection, justice and equality.”
Meanwhile, Haifa Al Araj said the training offered important details about the Family Protection Law and also ways of conducting initiatives and activities that could produce positive results in mobilizing support it.
Another participant, Hatem Abu Ta’a, said the training was a new starting point for him as an institution director in terms of integrating the demand to implement the Family Protection Law in all advocacy and lobbying activities and programs. He said he became more aware of the impediments to the law’s implementation at the official and social level, saying, “This training reminds us to renew our calls to demand implementation and ratification of the law at the official level.”
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abu Rabee said ratification of the Family Protection Law would be a huge step, for women and children especially. “This law will amplify women’s voices and their ability to access help with stronger and more supportive centers throughout the homeland. As a strong supporter of this bill, I want to stress on the importance of civil society institutions explaining the clauses in the bill pertaining to CEDAW and to also focus on working with parties that oppose the law in particular.”
The training workshop is part of MIFTAH’s “Policy dialogue and Good Governance” Program, which aims at influencing public policies and legislation in favor of protection for citizens’ rights in Palestinian society, based on the principles of social justice and respect for human rights.
