Ramallah – 26/9/2019 – Throughout September, MIFTAH broadcasted three radio talk shows in support of “WIFAQ” – the Women’s Shadow Committee to the formal reconciliation committees—in order to increase women’s representation at the national dialogue table and press for a solution to the outstanding issues in reconciliation efforts: public freedoms, social reconciliation and the PLO. The talk shows focused on WIFAQ’s position on the aforementioned files and on the Analytical Report on Violations Against the Palestinian Women and Girls in Gaza Strip During the National Division -at the security and social levels.. This is all part of MIFTAH’s efforts to promote women’s participation in decision-making and policy formulation.
The talk shows hosted several WIFAQ members in the Gaza Strip who shed light on the repercussions of the division on women over the past 10 years and the most significant violations committed against them. They said the transgressions against social rights because of the division extended to the individual and familial levels for women to include environmental and social rights in general.
The committee members explained that women have not been able to overcome the negative impacts of the security violations even though they have tried to employ strategies to minimize them. They asked why women and youth have been excluded from political decision-making positions and from progressing within Palestinian factions.
The shows hosted a number of leaders and figures active in the national reconciliation files, including Khalil Assaf, Hani Masri, Mustapha Barghouthi, and Mariam Abu Daqqa to discuss the challenges facing both male and female youths at the national dialogue table. The guests also emphasized the importance of youth advancing to the front lines of political participation.
The four radio talk shows were viewed 4,300 times in total, to which radio show presenter Adham Manasra commented, “The extent of interaction with issues that affect people’s everyday lives is usually more than with political issues. The number of people who watched the four talk shows was considerable and reflects the level of interest in the proposed issues. The Gaza Strip was the most interactive in discussions on reconciliation and elections in comparison with the West Bank. This is because of the exclusivity of the Gaza Strip in terms of the impact of the division and as a result of the complicated humanitarian conditions there.”
Manasra continued, “Responsibility for the decline of people’s interest in the reconciliation falls on decision-makers who have caused them to lose hope in the possibility of ending the division; there have been many failed attempts and a lack of good intentions and seriousness in this regard. This sense of frustration among the people has had grave ramifications on ‘citizenship”, our internal relationships and the fate of our national cause. This should prompt observers and decision-makers to look carefully at the reasons for this decline in popular interest in reconciliation and elections and at ways to regain their confidence in the possibility that this could be achieved before it is too late.”
MIFTAH’s Gaza Strip coordinator Shadia Ghoul said the talk shows ”contributed to bringing back the topic of reconciliation in general and women’s participation in particular.” She said “there was a sense of frustration and hopelessness regarding the reconciliation after failure to achieve it for 13 years, because of the many unimplemented agreements that are similar in content but differ in form. The shows have given women and WIFAQ members a platform to allow their voices to reach decision makers.”
Ghoul continued, “This platform showcased to listeners a number of violations to health issues that residents of the West Bank may not know due to the differences in the division’s impact on them. It also offered a comprehensive presentation from the political, economic and social aspects. This is an opportunity to transform this suffering into a tool of strength and of social and political change.”
The talk shows are part of MIFTAH’s interventions in its “Conflict and Fragility” project, funded by OXFAM.
Please find the links to the radio shows below:
'مفتاح' تختتم بث أربع حلقات إذاعية حول تمثيل النساء
على طاولة الحوارات الوطنية وحل القضايا العالقة لإنهاء الانقسام
تاريخ النشر: 03/10/2019
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – 26/9/2019 – أنهت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" خلال شهر أيلول الماضي إعداد وبث حلقات إذاعية هدفت إلى دعم "وفاق"- لجنة الظل النسوية للجان المصالحة الوطنية- بهدف إعلاء صوتها باتجاه زيادة تمثيل النساء على طاولة الحوارات الوطنية، والضغط باتجاه حل القضايا العالقة بين طرفيْ الانقسام في ملفات المصالحة الرئيسية؛ الحريات، المصالحة المجتمعية، ومنظمة التحرير، حيث سلّطت هذه الحلقات الضوء على موقف اللجنة من ملفات المصالحة آنفة الذكر، والانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها النساء في قطاع غزة على المستويين الأمني والاجتماعي من جراء الانقسام وذلك ضمن مساعي "مفتاح" في تعزيز مشاركة النساء في وضع السياسات واتخاذ القرار.
وفي هذا الإطار استضافت الحلقات عدداً من النساء عضوات لجنة (وفاق) النسوية في قطاع غزة، اللواتي سلّطن الضوء على التداعيات التي لحقت بالنساء في قطاع غزة خلال السنوات العشر الأخيرة، وأهم الانتهاكات الممارسة تجاههن، حيث امتدت التجاوزت على الحقوق الاجتماعية المترتبة على الانقسام إلى المستويات الفردية والأسرية المحيطة بالنساء، لتشمل البيئة الحقوقية والاجتماعية بشكل عام.
ووضحت عضوات اللجنة المشاركة في الحلقات الإذاعية، أن النساء لم يستطعن تجاوز الآثار السلبية المترتبة على الانتهاكات الأمنية، على الرغم من محاولاتها استخدام استراتيجيات للحد من هذه الآثار. حيث طرحت التساؤلات حول أسباب إقصاء النساء والشباب عن المشاركة في مواقع اتخاذ القرار السياسي والتقدم ضمن الفصائل والتنظيمات الفلسطينية.
كما استضافت اللقاءات عدداً من القيادات والفاعلين في ملفات المصالحة الوطنية من بينهم خليل عساف، هاني المصري، مصطفى البرغوتي و مريم أبو دقة، للوقوف على التحديات التي تقف أمام الشباب ذكورا وإناثا إلى طاولة الحوار الوطني، والذين دعوا بدورهم إلى أهمية أن تقدم الشباب الصفوف الأولى في المشاركة السياسة.
يذكر، أن مجموع المشاهدات للحلقات الأربع بلغ 4300 مشاهدة، وحول تعقيبه على هذا الموضوع؛ عبّر مقدّم ومذيع الحلقات الإذاعية الإعلامي أدهم مناصرة، أنّ حجم التفاعل في القضايا الحياتية التي تمس حياة المواطنين اليومية غالباً ما تكون أكثر من القضايا السياسية، علماً بأن عدد المشاهدات في الحلقات الأربع كان لافتاً، وعكس اهتماماً بالقضايا المطروحة. وهنا لا بد من الإشارة إلى أن قطاع غزة كان أكثر تفاعلاً في القضايا ذات العلاقة بالمصالحة والانتخابات مقارنة بالضفة الغربية، ويعود السبب في ذلك إلى خصوصية القطاع في تأثره بهذا الانقسام، نتيجة الأوضاع الانسانية المعقدة هناك".
أضاف:" إن تراجع اهتمام المواطنين بالمصالحة، يتحمل مسؤوليته صناع القرار الذين أفقدوهم الأمل بإمكانية إنهاء الانقسام إثر فشل محاولات عديدة على هذا الصعيد نتيجة عدم توفر الجدية وحسن النوايا. وهذا الشعور المحبط من قبل المواطن يحمل في طياته استنتاجات خطيرة إزاء "المواطَنة" وعلاقاتنا الداخلية ومآلات قضيتنا الوطنية. وهذا يجب أن يدفع المراقبين وصناع القرار للبحث مليّاً في أسباب تراجع هذا الاهتمام الشعبي بالمصالحة والانتخابات، وكيف يمكن استعادة الثقة بإمكانية تطبيقها قبل أن يفوت الأوان".
في حين، قالت شادية الغول، منسقة "مفتاح" في قطاع غزة: "ساهمت الحلقات الاذاعية بإعادة طرح موضوع المصالحة عامة ومشاركة النساء خاصة، حيث تسود حالة من الاحباط واليأس من المصالحة نتيجة عدم تحققها منذ 13 عاماً، وكثرة الاتفاقيات المتشابهة في المضمون المختلفة بالشكل، وعودة الحديث وطرح القضية وسط هذه الحالة كمن رمي حجراً في وسط بركة راكدة، بالإضافة إلى أنها تعتبر منصة ومنبراً اطلقت النساء المتضررات وأعضاء وفاق من خلاله الصوت لأصحاب القرار".
أضافت:" هذا المنبر عرض للمستمعين العديد من الانتهاكات التي كانت محصورة في الجوانب الصحية، والتي قد لا يعرفها المواطنون في الضفة الغربية لاختلاف المعاناة نتيجة الانقسام، إضافة الي العرض الشامل لها من النواحي السياسية والاقتصادية والاجتماعية ، وهي فرصة لتحويل هذه المعاناة لأداة قوة وأداة تغيير مجتمعي وسياسي". تأتي هذه الحلقات ضمن تدخلات "مفتاح" التي تنفذها من خلال مشروع تعزيز مشاركة النساء في بناء السلم والأمن، وبتمويل من منظمة أوكسفام.
للاطلاع على الحلقات الإذاعية:
- https://www.facebook.com/Raya.fm/videos/384955512180261/
- https://www.facebook.com/Raya.fm/videos/2317160258333593/
- https://www.facebook.com/Raya.fm/videos/541650526579226/
- https://www.facebook.com/Raya.fm/videos/2399935213554087/
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.
