MIFTAH recently held two meetings with students from Hebron and Birzeit universities on the role of and ways to develop the General Union of Palestinian Students [GUPS]. Dozens of students attended the meetings including student movement representatives and several political science professors in both universities.
MIFTAH project manager Hassan Mahareeq said the meetings were part of MIFTAH’s efforts to influence public policies and internal regulations of the active parties in the Palestinian arena, to guarantee the fair representation of youth within these bodies as a way of guaranteeing social justice and equality and also to reinforce the principles of democracy and good governance. He said the efforts were also aimed at restoring one body of representation for youth within the PLO framework.
During the meetings, a factsheet was presented that showcased the most important stages in the history of the Palestinian student movement, which culminated in the establishment of GUPS. The most significant markers of the union were discussed , including the conferences it held. The participants also discussed the continued development of its structures and how to revitalize its role in a way that coincides with the socio-political changes in Palestine. In this context, discussions were held about the structure of GUPS, its national conference, board of directors and executive and administrative boards. They also addressed the representation of GUPS’ branches and units stemming from this structure in addition to presenting the current situation of the student union, especially after the convention of its conferences was halted in 1990. This was followed by attempts to revive the democratic process in GUPS in 1998 through the convention of its Board of Directors in Gaza, which resulted in the election of a new executive body.
The recommendations of the participants in these meetings regarding the necessary interventions for reviving GUPS were varied. They included: a call to amend its current electoral system; putting pressure on decision-makers in the PLO through resuscitating the various student movement parties and demanding that their rights are honored in assuming the administration of the bodies they represent; putting pressure on political parties and factions to assume their responsibilities in activating GUPS and taking the demands of the student movement seriously to elevate the role of GUPS as a unifying body for this movement; adopting larger representation of females in the union and specifying the age of its president and the number of times he/she can be elected to the post.
The participants also maintained the laxity of PLO political parties lies in the clear exclusion of the role of youth in these bodies and not allowing them to develop their parties in line with future demands and challenges. This, they said, requires the intervention of decision-makers from within these parties to restore the true role of the student movement and to guarantee the independence of its decisions.
It should be mentioned that GUPS is the most important popular union for the student movement; it is considered the legitimate channel for guaranteeing representation of the student movement in PLO bodies in addition to creating policies pertaining to elevating youth endeavors and integrating and including them in public affairs.
نظمتهما مؤسسة 'مفتاح'..
لقاءان طلابيان في جامعتي الخليل وبير زيت حول الاتحاد العام لطلبة فلسطين
تاريخ النشر: 01/11/2018
بقلم: مفتاح
عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" مؤخرا لقاءين طلابيين في جامعتي الخليل وبيرزيت حول الاتحاد العام لطلبة فلسطين: دوره وسبل تطويره، بمشاركة العشرات من طلبة الجامعة وممثلي الحركة الطلابية وعدد من أساتذة العلوم السياسية في الجامعتين المذكورتين.
وقال حسن محاريق منسق مشاريع في "مفتاح"، أن عقد هذين اللقاءين يندرج في إطار سعي "مفتاح" في التأثير بالسياسات العامة والأنظمة الداخلية للأطر الفاعلة في على الساحة الفلسطينية، بما يضمن تمثيل عادل للشباب داخل هذه الأطر، كأسس لضمان العدالة الاجتماعية والمساواة وتكريس أسس الديمقراطية والحكم الصالح، واستعادة الجسم الوحيد الممثل للشباب ضمن أطر المنظمة لأصحابه الحقيقيين.
وتم خلال اللقاءين استعراض لما تضمنته ورقة الحقائق التي أعدت بهدف تسليط الضوء على أهم مراحل تاريخ الحركة الطلابية الفلسطينية التي توجت بتأسيس الاتحاد العام لطلبة فلسطين، حيث جرى التطرق إلى أهم المحطات التي مر بها الاتحاد والمؤتمرات التي عقدت، واستمرار تطور هياكله وتفعيل دوره بما يتناسب مع المتغيرات السياسية والاجتماعية في فلسطين. وفي هذا الإطار جرى نقاش حول هيكلية الاتحاد ومؤتمره الوطني ومجلسه الإداري وهيئتيه الإدارية والتنفيذية، وما يترتب على هذه الهيكلية من تمثيل للفروع والوحدات التي يتشكل منها الاتحاد. بالإضافة إلى استعراض للواقع الحالي للاتحاد خاصة بعد توقف انعقاد مؤتمراته في العام 1990 والتي أعقبها محاولات لإعادة إحياء المسيرة الديمقراطية للاتحاد في العام 1998 بانعقاد مجلسه الإداري بغزة، والذي تمخض عنه انتخاب هيئة تنفيذية جديدة.
وتنوعت توصيات المشاركين في اللقاءين بخصوص التدخلات الواجب القيام بها لتفعيل الاتحاد، ومن أبرزها: المطالبة بتعديل النظام الانتخابي الحالي للاتحاد، والضغط على صنّاع القرار في م. ت. ف من خلال استنهاض قوى الحركة الطلابية على اختلاف أطيافها والمطالبة بإعمال حقوقها في تولي إدارة الأجسام التي تمثلها. والضغط أيضا على الأحزاب السياسية والفصائل للوقوف أمام مسؤولياتها في تفعيل الاتحاد والأخذ على محمل الجد مطالب الحركة الطلابية في استنهاض دور الاتحاد كجامع لهذه الحركة، واعتماد تمثيل أكبر للإناث فيه، وتحديد عمر الرئيس وعدد المرات التي يتم انتخابه فيها.
كما ونوه الحضور إلى أن الترهل الذي أصاب الأحزاب السياسية المنضوية تحت مظلة منظمة التحرير يكمن في التغيب الواضح لدور الشباب داخل هذه الأطر ومنعها من تطور أنظمتها بما يتناسب مع المتطلبات والتحديات المستقبلية، وهو ما يستدعي تدخل صناع القرار داخل هذه الأحزاب بإعادة الدور الحقيقي للحركة الطلابية وضمان استقلالية قرارها.
يذكر أن الاتحاد العام لطلبة فلسطين من أهم الاتحادات الشعبية الجامعة للحركة الطلابية حيث يعتبر القناة الشرعية لضمان تمثيل الحركة الطلابية في هياكل منظمة التحرير الفلسطيني، إضافة إلى انه صانع السياسات التي تتعلق باستنهاض الهمم الشابة وإدماجها ومشاركتها في الشأن العام.
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.
