Ramallah – As part of MIFTAH’s “Participation Enhancement” program, four young women leaders recently presented their experiences during an assessment workshop on the ‘shadow opportunity’ intervention within AMAL project. The project paired them with leadership figures for one month as part of the “Supporting Women’s Transformative Leadership in Changing Times” Project [AMAL], a partnership between MIFTAH , OXFAM, the Palestinian Working Women’s Society, the Women’s Center for Legal and Social Counseling and the Women’s Affairs Center, with support from SIDA.
Dr. Feidy: A unique experience
MIFTAH CEO Dr. Lily Feidy stressed on the importance and uniqueness of the experience, noting that they planned to expand the project to include young male activists in the future as well. In this context, Dr. Feidy recommended that the activity becomes part of MIFTAH’s agenda, saying one month was not enough for such an experience. “This needs more time so the young women//men could fully benefit and learn from the leaders, particularly on the issue of elections and on how to become part of political parties,” she said.
Najwa Abu Nijem: getting inside the head of leaders
Activist Najwa Abu Najm accompanied PLC member Ala’ Yaghi. “This experience introduced the idea of getting into the head of leaders, so to speak,” she said. “This means delving into their thoughts, which could include long-term political prospects, predictions for the future and a different way of thinking than ordinary citizens.” Abu Nijem also said the experience was character-building and helped her deal with things up close. She added that she also found her own love for helping others and for giving back to the people. “I learned more about respecting people’s privacy and about being sensitive to their issues,” she said.
As for the secret to success in this regard, Abu Nijem maintained: “Stay away from factional intolerance and blind subordination to any faction, which only generates criticism and fault. “On the contrary, mistakes should be rectified and built on in order to develop and upgrade factions,” she said.
One thing she said was lacking was the fact that the PLC is not in session. “If they were working, perhaps the experience would have been even richer and I could have gotten an even closer look as to how Yaghi operates as a PLC member,” she said.
Hanin Ramadan: An important experience
Young Nablus activist Hanin Ramadan accompanied presidential information technology advisor Sabri Saydam, who she described as “complex”. She explains: “On the one hand, he is a decision-maker and on the other he is a leader. Then sometimes he is an economist. He is so many things at once,” she says. Ramadan said she learned ‘the value of time” with Saydam, who is extremely punctual. “He was able to merge his political character with his identity as a father through his positive relationship with his children,” she said.
Ramadan said the experience was “very important” and hoped it would continue and expand to also include young male activists, who she said would also benefit from the experience through seeing things “on the other side of the lives of political leaders.”
Lana Baker: Gaining information
Baker, a youth activist from Salfeet, accompanied Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, who she said was a bit ‘intimidating’. While she admitted that her experience was extremely beneficial, she says Shuaibi focused a lot on information and how to gain it. She maintained however, that he always had a human touch in his interactions with employees. Still, Baker said she would have preferred to accompany a female leader so she could have better delivered the voice of women to decision-makers.
Jumana Abu Hilal: Higher motivation
University student Jumana Abu Hilal from Jericho accompanied female leader Rima Nazzal, from whom she said she learned a lot. “She always motivated me and we would talk about so many things,” she said. “I would do this again if I had the chance,” Hilal maintained. “It gave me the opportunity to attend meetings and meet people in important decisions.”
Riziq Atawneh: Involve young men too…
Youth activist Riziq Atawneh from Beit Kahel in the Hebron district was at the meeting as well. After listening to the presentations from the youth activists, he added: “This project gives hope to youth that things are moving in the right direction. I hope young male activists will also be given the opportunity to have the same experience.”
PLC member Ala’ Yaghi concurred, saying it was a good idea to involve as many youths – both male and female – in such an important endeavor. As for the activist who accompanied him, Najwa Abu Nijem, Yaghi said: “She was amazing. She already had information but she asked many questions and learned a lot. It was an opportunity for her to see how we work on the ground.”
Yaghi also commended the pioneer project. “Youth should be able to assume their rightful role and have more independence,” he said. “They should have leadership committees that are separate from political factions.” He thanked MIFTAH for the activity, saying it was refreshing to see an organization sponsoring the youth generation.
A ray of hope
Meanwhile, Sabri Saydam called the project a ‘ray of hope’ for Palestine’s youth, offering the chance to get to know the workings of their political leaders. He recommended that young male activists accompany female leaders to become more acquainted with their experience in leadership.
Lamis Shuaibi: An opportunity to empower a leadership cadre
MIFTAH Program Director Lamis Shuaibi said the shadow opportunity program was a chance to empower a leadership cadre among youth and offer them leadership skills. “Young female activists were able to intern with decision makers and therefore bridge the gap between the youth and leadership,” she said. This, she maintained, created a supportive environment that enables decision makers and leaders to transfer expertise and knowledge in a practical and applied manner within an interactive framework for youth, far removed from conventional norms.
Zaghari: Boosting the capabilities of female youth activists
MIFTAH project coordinator Abeer Zaghari said this project seeks to boost the capabilities of young men and women, especially in marginalized areas, to allow them to participate in the leadership at all decision-making levels. “This would help to ensure that their needs/rights are achieved within the prevalent structure,” she explained.
Zaghari said the project was conducted over two phases. The first was focused on capacity -building through a series of trainings in citizenship, advocacy and democracy along with providing internships for some participants in partner organizations. The second phase focused on decision-makers through meetings with officials and the opportunity of accompanying leaders, which MIFTAH provided for several participants.
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.
