MIFTAH recently completed training on the promotion of the participatory approach in preparing the general and citizens’ budget in accordance with Transparency International standards for budgeting The training was conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and was attended by 22 employees from the Ministry’s general budget team.
The training workshop is one activity of the “Finance for Development” project implemented by MIFTAH within the framework of the Good Governance in Palestine program in partnership with AMAN and ARIJ and funded by Oxfam-Novib.
Participant Feedback
The participants who attended the four-day training said the information and concepts introduced to them contributed to strengthening their skills and professional capabilities. Rawan Khayyat, Head of the Finance and Supplies Department at the National Training Institute said, “The training also greatly contributed to broadening our knowledge on all aspects of the state’s budget. It updated the information we had before.” In other words, Khayyat said, “This training was different than all the rest in that it went from the general to the specific.” This helped the participants interact easier with the trainer and the material, much of which focused on practical implementation.
Ahmad Siyara, Head of the Curriculum Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said the training was positive from two aspects. “First, it gave us the opportunity as citizens to view the general budget, its resources, expenditures and gaps. From the professional aspect, the training gave us information on how to manage public funds and the obstacles to implementation such as the preparedness of the Ministry’s programs and the information needed when drawing up the semi-annual and annual reports on these programs.”
Siyara says the training’s theoretical material coupled with its practical and participatory applications allowed participants ample space to express their views and ideas, therefore boosting their capabilities and developing their skills and expertise. “This is what sets MIFTAH apart from others,” he maintains. “The trainer’s approach was a success in offering a theoretical framework alongside the practical with examples from real life. This made it easier for participants to understand the training overall.”
Furthermore, Head of the Planning Department at the Ministry of Education, Amal Hammad said this workshop was the first of its kind for her. “I attended training in France on program and bank budgets, but this training was much better.” She said the topics were more familiar to home. “I felt the training was more relevant to my job and addressed problems I find in my work.” Hammad also commended the trainer, saying his approach captivated the participants. “Because the training was dialogue and participatory-based, I felt more compelled to become involved in it at the theoretical and practical levels,” she said, adding that she learned new terms and information regarding Palestine’s budget and the planning process. Hammad says now she and her colleagues at the Ministry are much more up to date on terms and that the training also allowed them to unify budgetary concepts in all the Ministry’s departments, which in turn prompted them to be more participatory.
Samir Jabra, Head of the Studies Department in the General Planning Administration at the Ministry of Education maintained that the training workshop changed the way the employees viewed the PA and its financial reports. “The predominant image used to be one of corruption and nepotism, but organizations like MIFTAH and AMAN have changed our opinion,” he said. “Now we have access to PA institutions and can see the progress in government performance. This, in turn has motivated us to look at government agency reports and to try and understand them.”
The training program
General budget expert Mo’ayad Afaneh explained the nature of the training program. “The training program was designed specifically to offer information, skills and expertise to the Ministry of Education’s planning and budget team on the general budget,” he says. “This will give them the necessary skills for preparing the Ministry’s citizens’ budget.” Afaneh also said it promoted the participatory approach in preparing budgets so that this approach could be employed in the future while preparing the budgets at the Ministry. He mentioned the quantitative scope of the training program, saying it encompassed everything between early childhood education and higher education.”
Afaneh continues that the training program focused on strategies for adult education and methods of active training such as working groups, debates, simulation, interactive digital presentations, case studies and model analyses. He said the training program included several important pivotal points: the conceptual framework for the state’s general budget; the legal and legislative framework that regulates the general budget (the general budget law); the economic framework for the budget; the budget articles; reading and analysis of its reports; types of budgets; the methodological framework for preparing a participatory budget in Palestine; the methodological framework for preparing the citizens’ budget; practical training on preparing the citizens’ budget articles and analyzing the ministry of education’s programs for preparing the citizens’ budget.
Meanwhile, project coordinator Tamara Tamimi said a subsequent coaching follow up program would take place after the theoretical training to reaffirm the concepts, information, expertise and skills acquired and to work on preparing the citizens’ budget in order to cement it as an approach implemented annually at the Ministry.
The activity falls within the framework of institutionalizing the partnership between MIFTAH and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in addition to offering its budget team the necessary skills to produce and release the citizens’ budget on a periodic and annual basis. It is also aimed at promoting transparency in the general budget and in public expenditures in addition to creating a solid foundation for promoting social participation and accountability, all of which corresponds with MIFTAH’s priorities and strategic approaches.
بمشاركة 22 موظفا وموظفة من وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي:
'مفتاح' تختتم تدريبا حول تعزيز النهج التشاركي في إعداد الموازنات العامة وإعداد موازنة المواطن
تاريخ النشر: 01/03/2017
بقلم: مفتاح
اختتمت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" مؤخرا تدريبا حول تعزيز النهج التشاركي في إعداد الموازنات العامة وإعداد موازنة المواطن، وفقا لمعايير الشفافية الدولية للموازنة العامة، بالتعاون مع وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، شارك فيه 22 موظفا/ة في الوزارة مستهدفا فريق إعداد الموازنة العامة في الوزارة.
ونفذ التدريب ضمن أنشطة مشروع "التمويل من أجل التنمية"، الذي تنفذه "مفتاح" بالشراكة مع الائتلاف من أجل النزاهة والمساءلة – أمان -، ومعهد الدراسات التطبيقية القدس – أريج -، وبدعم من أوكسفام نوفيب.
ماذا قال المشاركون في التدريب..؟
بالنسبة لمن شاركوا في التدريب، والذي عقد على مدى أربعة أيام، فقد كان ما تلقوه من معلومات ومفاهيم نقلة نوعية في إطار تعزيز مهاراتهم وقدراتهم المهنية والفنية في مجالات عملهم المختلفة، كما قالت روان مروان الخياط، رئيسة قسم المالية واللوازم في المعهد الوطني للتدريب. أضافت: "كان أيضا إسهاما مهما لنا في توسعة آفاق معرفتنا بكل ما يدور بالنسبة لموازنة الدولة، وتجديد ما لدينا من معلومات وتحديثها. بعبارة أخرى كان تدريبا مختلفا عن سابقاته، من حيث أنه بدأ من العام إلى التخصص، ما حقق الاندماج مع المدرب ومادته التدريبية والتي كانت غنية جدا، واشتملت في جزء كبير منها على التطبيق العملي."
أما احمد سياعرة، مدير قسم المناهج في وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، فقال:" التدريب جيد من ناحيتين: الناحية الأولى، أتاح لي كمواطن الاطلاع على الموازنة العامة، ومواردها ونفقاتها والفجوات فيها. أما من الناحية المهنية وكوني متابع للتخطيط في الوزارة، فقد قدم لي التدريب معارف في كيفية إدارة المال العام والمعيقات التي تواجه التنفيذ، من حيث جاهزية البرامج المستخدمة في الوزارة، وتدفق المعلومات اللازمة خاصة عند إعداد التقارير النصف سنوية، والسنوية المتعلقة ببرامج الوزارة."
ويرى سياعرة، أن هذا التدريب بما تضمنه من مواد النظرية وتطبيقات عملية وحتى تشاركية في النقاش أعطى للمشاركين فيه مساحة كبيرة للتعبير عن آرائهم وأفكارهم، وبالتالي زيادة قدراتهم وتطوير مهاراتهم وخبراتهم، وهو ما انفردت به "مفتاح". وبعبارة أخرى:" اتبع التدريب ومن خلال المدرب منهجية موفقة في تقديم الإطار النظري إلى جانب العملي مدعوما بالأمثلة من واقع الحياة، ما سهل من فهم المشاركين لمضمون التدريب ومحتواه."
بدورها، لخصت أمل حماد، رئيسة قسم التخطيط في وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، بقولها:" لأول مرة أشارك في تدريب كهذا من حيث جودة مادته التدريبية، وخصوصيتها المحلية. لقد سبق وأن شاركت في تدريبات بفرنسا حول موازنة البرامج والبنوك، ولم تكن بمستوى ما تلقيناه هنا، حيث كان لموضوعات الدورة ارتباط أكبر بقضايانا، وشعرت أكثر بارتباطها بعملي وبأنها تعالج مشكلات عملي إلى درجة خيل إلي بأن "مفتاح" شريكة في عملي. إضافة إلى أن أساليب التدريب التي اتبعها المدرب كانت شيقة جدا، وكان التدريب حواريا وإشراكا في اتخاذ القرار، وبالتالي كنت أكثر انجذابا وتركيزا في متابعة التدريب بشقيه النظري والعملي، ومن خلال ذلك اكتسبت معلومات جديدة، وخبرة بتنوع أساليب التدريب، والتعرف على مفاهيم جديدة لم نكن نعرف عنها في السابق، فيما يتعلق بموازنة فلسطين، وعملية التخطيط لهذه الموازنة، وهي مواد كنت نبحث عنها في الانترنت. لكن ما حدث أن المدرب أوصلنا إلى مرحلة الفهم والتحليل، وبت ومعي زملائي في قسم التخطيط بالوزارة أكثر إلماما بالمصطلحات حيث توحدت لدينا مفاهيم الموازنة في جميع أقسام الوزارة، وتعزز العمل التشاركي."
أما سمير جبرا، رئيس قسم الدراسات في الإدارة العامة للتخطيط في وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، فقال:" أحدث الدورة التدريبية تغييرا في وجهة نظر الموظفين العموميين اتجاه السلطة وتقاريرها المالية، حيث كانت الصورة السائدة تتحدث عن فساد ومحسوبية. لكن وجود مؤسسات كمفتاح وأمان، غير من وجهة نظرنا، بحيث تمكنا من الاطلاع على عمل مؤسسات السلطة وتحسين الأداء الحكومي. وبالتالي أعطتنا حافزا ودافعا مهما للاطلاع على تقارير المؤسسات الحكومية، ومحاولة فهمها".
البرنامج التدريبي
وعن طبيعة البرنامج التدريبي الخاص بفريق التخطيط والموازنة في وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، قال الخبير في الموازنات العامة والمدرب مؤيد عفانة " تم تصميم البرنامج التدريبي من اجل اكساب الفئة المستهدفة من فريق التخطيط والموازنة في وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي معارف ومهارات وخبرات في المفاهيم المتعلقة بالموازنة العامة، كمدخل الى اكساب الفئة المستهدفة المعارف والخبرات والمهارات اللزمة لإعداد موازنة المواطن الخاصة بوزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، وكذلك تعزيز النهج التشاركي في إعداد الموازنات، للعمل به مستقبلا في اعداد الموازنات الخاصة بوزارة التربية والتعليم العالي، كونها من اهم الوزارات التي تقدم خدماتها للمواطنين، وعلى اعرض نطاق كمّي، كون برامجها السبع تشمل من رياض الاطفال وحتى التعليم الجامعي كرورا بالتعليم الاساسي والثانوي والمهني وغير النظامي."
أضاف "تم التركيز في بناء البرنامج التدريبي على استراتيجيات تعليم الكبار، واساليب التدريب النشط، مثل مجموعات العمل، المناظرة، المحاكاة، العروض المحوسبة التفاعلية، دراسة الحالة، تحليل نماذج. في حين تضمن البرنامج التدريبي عدة محاور هامة، وهي الاطار المفاهيمي لمفهوم الموازنة العامة للدولة، الاطار القانوني والتشريعي الناظم للموازنة العامة (قانون الموازنة العامة)، الاطار الاقتصادي للموازنة العامة، بنود الموازنة العامة، قراءة وتحليل تقارير الموازنة العامة، انواع الموازنات، الإطار المنهجي لإعداد الموازنات التشاركية في فلسطين، الإطار المنهجي لإعداد موازنة المواطن، تدريب عملي على اعداد بنود موازنة المواطن، وتحليل برامج وزارة التربية لإعداد موازنة المواطن.
في حين قالت منسقة المشروع تمارا تميمي أنه سيتبع التدريب النظري، برنامج للمتابعة العملية، لترسيخ المفاهيم والمعارف والخبرات والمهارات المكتسبة، والعمل على اعداد موازنة المواطن، وترسيخها كنهج سنوي يتم العمل عليه في الوزارة. وتأتي أهمية هذا النشاط في إطار مأسسة الشراكة بين "مفتاح" ووزارة التربية والتعليم وإكساب فريق الموازنة العامة الكفاءات الضرورية لإنتاج ونشر موازنة المواطن بشكل دوري وسنوي في إطار تعزيز شفافية الموازنة العامة والإنفاق العام، إلى جانب إيجاد أساس متين يعزز المشاركة والمساءلة المجتمعية، بما يتوافق مع أولويات والتوجهات الاستراتيجية لمؤسسة "مفتاح".
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.
