Ramallah – 29/11/2021 – MIFTAH and the Ministry of Local Government launched on 28/11/2021 a manual of bylaws for enacting the gender charter in local councils. The manual was introduced during the closing ceremony for MIFTAH’s project, “Institutionalizing the principles of comprehensive governance in local councils through application of the gender charter”. The project is part of joint efforts by MIFTAH and the Ministry of Local Government, with substantial participation from the Ministry and its directorates in West Bank districts in addition to a number of local council members and CSO members of the gender forum in the Ministry.
In her opening speech, MIFTAH Executive Director, Dr. Tahreer Araj stressed that “to achieve justice and equality for women, the principles of human rights and international agreements signed by Palestine must be the baseline in creating a real democratic society that begins with our local communities.” She continued that as part of its approach, in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Government, MIFTAH held several interventions to create an environment conducive to the active participation of women, including enacting the gender charter. This, Araj, maintained, is to promote the role of women local council members in taking the lead in community work within their own communities. “I hope this will be the beginning of serious action to empower women, increase the efficacy of their participation and oblige institutions to commit to this participation,” she said.
On his part, Dr. Tawfiq Budeiri, Deputy Minister of Local Government, called for an evaluation regarding the specifics of the local government as a central, citizen-oriented service sector. “The methodologies used in local government need special review in regards to advocacy, institutionalization and empowerment.” He added, “As the local government ministry, we are very determined and will continue to remain supporters of the gender issue. It should be noted that there are many departments in the ministry and directorates currently headed by exceptional women.”
MIFTAH then showcased the executive bylaws for enacting the institutionalization of the gender charter in local councils. It confirmed the proposed procedures within the manual, which are meant to support the process of gender integration in local government and promote a supportive and motivating environment for the participation of members, both male and female, in fields relevant to the work of local councils. They are also aimed at creating an institutional gender-responsive culture centered on a participatory approach and based on consultations with various social sectors irrespective of race, age, religion, political affiliations or social or economic status. The presentation also addressed the auxiliary manual for executive bylaws, which includes consultative procedures to help local council members implement the bylaws towards empowering, involving and treating members equally.
On behalf of MIFTAH, elections expert Dr. Taleb Awad and sustainable development experts Samer Jibril and Osama Saleh, put forth several practical recommendations that could push towards implementing the gender charter. They stressed on the importance of reforming the legal system in this regard by increasing women’s representation in all local councils by no less than 30%. They also called for reforms to the Local Councils Law, No 1 of 1997, the Local Elections Law, No. 10 of 2005 and for obliging municipalities to implement the gender charter in its various departments and link it to the evaluation and categorization process for municipalities in coordination with the Municipal Development and Lending Fund. They also called for: the need to promote and build gender units in local council directorates; the importance of enhancing the role of the gender forum in local councils and working towards capacity building for women in factions; and adopting gender-responsive policies and measures in structures within the Ministry of Local Government.
Several participants stressed on: the need to involve women and men in training for local council members as soon as they assume their positions in their respective councils; to prepare trained and capable gender cadres within the Ministry of Local Government to push towards sustainability; the need for gender units with their own structures similar to other departments; to revive the partner relationship between civil society and the Ministry of Local Government; to provide opportunities to include special courses on women and elections in local universities.
MIFTAH project manager, Najwa Sandouka-Yaghi said the meeting was part of a series of capacity-building interventions for over 100 employees in Local Government directorates and local councils in 11 West Bank districts, which MIFTAH has carried out in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Local Government’s gender unit throughout the last quarter of 2021. This, she maintained, is part of MIFTAH’s strategic approaches aimed at promoting good governance in Palestine through official institutions and local councils. It also falls within the organization’s efforts to develop public policies that guarantee the protection of citizens’ rights for all, promote the participation of Palestinian women in public life and guarantee their representation in decision-making positions.
إطلاق ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي لدعم وتعزيز دور المرأة في الهيئات المحلية
تاريخ النشر: 01/12/2021
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – 29/11/2021 – أطلقت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية - مفتاح ووزارة الحكم المحلي أمس الأول الاثنين 28/11/2021 الدليل الإرشادي للائحة الداخلية لتفعيل العمل ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي في المجالس المحلية، خلال حفل اختتام مشروع "مأسسة مبادئ الحوكمة الشاملة في الحكم المحلي من خلال تنفيذ ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي"، وذلك في سياق استكمال الجهود المشتركة ما بين "مفتاح" والحكم المحلي، بمشاركة واسعة من وزارة الحكم المحلي ومديرياتها في محافظات الضفة الغربية، بالإضافة إلى عدد من موظفي/ات مجالس الهيئات المحلية وبعض مؤسسات المجتمع المدني ذات العلاقة الأعضاء في منتدى النوع الاجتماعي في الحكم المحلي.
وفي كلمتها الافتتاحية بالحفل أكدت المديرة التنفيذية لمؤسسة مفتاح د. تحرير الأعرج، أنه "لإحقاق العدالة والمساواة للنساء يجب الاحتكام لمبادئ حقوق الانسان والاتفاقيات الدولية التي وقعت عليها فلسطين، لخلق مجتمع ديمقراطي حقيقي يبدأ من مجتمعاتنا المحلية". مشيرة إلى أنه ضمن توجه المؤسسة بالشراكة مع وزارة الحكم المحلي عملت "مفتاح" على العديد من التدخلات لخلق بيئة داعمة لمشاركة النساء الفعالة ومن بينها تفعيل العمل بميثاق النوع الاجتماعي لضمان تعزيز الدور القيادي لعضوات الهيئات المحلية في قيادة العمل المجتمعي ضمن مجتمعاتنا المحلية. أضافت: "آمل أن يكون ذلك بداية عمل جاد لتمكين النساء وزيادة فاعلية مشاركتهن والتزام المؤسسة تجاه هذه المشاركة".
بدوره، دعا د. توفيق البديري وكيل وزارة الحكم المحلي، إلى وقفة تقييمية إزاء خصوصية أوضاع الحكم المحلي باعتباره قطاعا خدماتيا تقع ضمن ضغوط المركز وضغوط المواطن. وقال:" المنهجيات المستخدمة في الحكم المحلي بحاجة إلى مراجعة خاصة في موضوع المناصرة والمأسسة والتمكين، ما يتطلب إعادة دراسة هذه المنهجيات". أضاف:" كوزارة حكم محلي لدينا الإرادة الكافية وسنبقى داعمين لموضوعة النوع الاجتماعي، علماً بأن هناك الكثير من الإدارات في الوزارة والمديريات تقودها الآن نساء تفوقن وأثبتن حضورهن".
في حين عرضت مؤسسة “مفتاح” اللائحة الداخلية التنفيذية لتفعيل مأسسة ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي في المجالس المحلية، وأكدت على الإجراءات المقترحة ضمن الدليل والتي من شأنها أن تساند عملية إدماج قضايا النوع الاجتماعي في الحكم المحلي وتعزيز بيئة حاضنة ومحفزة لمشاركة العضوات والأعضاء في المجالات المختلفة لعمل الهيئات المحلية وخلق ثقافة مؤسساتية مستجيبة للنوع الاجتماعي تستند إلى النهج التشاركي المبني على التشاور مع الفئات المجتمعية المختلفة بغض النظر عن جنسهم/ن وفئاتهم/ن العمرية وديانتهم/ن وتوجهاتهم/ن السياسية ومكانتهم/ن الاجتماعية والاقتصادية. وقد تخلل العرض كذلك الدليل الإجرائي المساند للائحة الداخلية التنفيذية والذي يشمل إجراءات إرشادية تساعد أعضاء وعضوات المجلس المحلي على تطبيق اللائحة الداخلية لتمكين ومشاركة وانصاف العضوات بشكل متساو ومتكافئ.
كما تقدمت "مفتاح" بعدد من التوصيات العملية التي قد تدفع باتجاه تنفيذ ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي، من خلال د. طالب عوض خبير في مجال الانتخابات، والسيدان أسامة صالح وسامر جبريل من التنمية المستدامة، حيث أكدوا على أهمية إصلاح المنظومة القانونية ذات الصلة بزيادة تمثيل النساء في كافة المجالس المحلية بما لا يقل عن 30%، وقانون الهيئات المحلية رقم 1 لسنة 1997 وقانون الانتخابات المحلية رقم 10 لسنة 2005، وإلزام البلديات بتطبيق ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي في دوائرها المختلفة وربطها بعملية تقييم وتصنيف البلديات بالتنسيق مع صندوق إقراض وتطوير البلديات، وضرورة تعزيز وبناء وحدات النوع الاجتماعي في مديريات الحكم المحلي، بالإضافة إلى أهمية تعزيز دور منتدى النوع الاجتماعي في الحكم المحلي في الضغط على الأحزاب السياسية لتبني ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي في الهيئات المحلية والعمل على تطوير الكوادر الحزبية النسائية، وتبني سياسات وإجراءات مستجيبة لقضايا النوع الاجتماعي في هياكل وزارة الحكم المحلي.
في حين أوصى عدد من المشاركين بضرورة وأهمية إشراك النساء والرجال في تدريبات أعضاء المجالس المحلية، من لحظة استلامهم/ن المجالس المحلية، والعمل على إعداد كوادر مدربة ومتمكنة في النوع الاجتماعي من داخل وزارة الحكم المحلي للدفع باتجاه الاستدامة، وضرورة وجود وحدات نوع اجتماعي بهيكليات خاصة بها في البلدية مثلها مثل سائر الدوائر، وتفعيل علاقة الشراكة بين المجتمع المدني ووزارة الحكم المحلي، بالإضافة إلى العمل على فتح فرص إمكانية ادراج مساقات متخصصة تتناول المرأة والانتخابات في الجامعات المحلية.
بدورها، قالت نجوى صندوقة- ياغي مديرة مشاريع في "مفتاح" أن هذا اللقاء يأتي بعد سلسلة تدخلات لبناء قدرات أكثر من 100 من موظفي/ات مديريات الحكم المحلي ومجالس الهيئات المحلية في 11 محافظة من محافظات الضفة الغربية نظمتها مؤسسة "مفتاح" حول ميثاق النوع الاجتماعي بالتعاون والتنسيق الحثيث مع وحدة النوع الاجتماعي في وزارة الحكم المحلي على مدار الربع الأخير من العام 2021 ، وذلك ضمن توجهاتها الاستراتيجية الرامية إلى تعزيز الحكم الصالح في فلسطين ضمن عمل المؤسسات الرسمية والهيئات المحلية، وفي إطار مساعيها إلى بلورة سياسات عامة تضمن حماية حقوق المواطنة للجميع وتعزيز مشاركة النساء الفلسطينيات في الحياة العامة وضمان تمثيلهن في مراكز اتخاذ القرار.
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.
