Ramallah – 11/10/2022 – MIFTAH, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Women’s Coalition for Implementation of UNSCR1325- WPS, held an informatics session on this agenda based on Resolution 1325, at the Palestinian level. The meeting was also attended by youths from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic corps.
A MoFA representative gave the welcoming speech, followed by MIFTAH Executive Director, Dr. Tahreer Araj, who stressed on the importance of joint cooperation between official institutions and Palestinian civil society organizations. She said this was within the framework of joint national efforts, including promoting national alliances between them regarding the Palestinian cause. Araj continued that it was also part of international advocacy efforts towards a Palestinian diplomatic narrative that reflects the reality of Palestinian women under Israeli occupation and sheds light on their efforts within the Palestinian cause. This includes securing their rights, guaranteed by international treaties and conventions to which Palestine is a signatory. Araj stressed on the importance of increasing coordination to support the Palestinian national vision in implementing the WPS agenda, which is linked to UNSCR 1325 and the relevant international mechanisms. She said the objective of this was to integrate the Palestinian women’s vision in the dissemination of the Palestinian narrative and the promotion of the women’s political narrative in Palestinian diplomacy, especially abroad. This, she continued, could bolster civil society’s international advocacy efforts in holding the Israeli occupation accountable for violations against Palestinian women and girls.
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Dr. Amal Hamad then presented on the WPS agenda in the Palestinian context in terms of challenges at the internal and external levels, how to nationalize UNSCR1325 and adapt it to the Palestinian cause, how to increase women’s participation in decision-making and protect them from violence and discrimination.
Hamad called on the UN to pass a UN resolution on Palestinian women under occupation and stressed on the need to enact Resolution 1325 to ensure protection for women and accountability of the occupation for its violations against them. She also said this would boost capacity for gender issues and respect for the rights of the civilian and refugee population, pointing out that none of the 10 UN resolutions pertaining to UNSCR1325 addressed the specificity Palestinian women under occupation. She called for the nationalization of UNSCR1325 and the need to link it with international resolutions of relevance to the Palestinian cause so it is aligned with the Palestinian case. Hamad confirmed the support of civil society for the government in its efforts to implement the UN resolution, in spite of its negative aspects, including its lack of a timeline and the gaps in implementation.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Omar Awadallah, presented on the mechanisms for employing the WPS agenda within the Ministry’s diplomatic files and efforts in this regard. He stressed on the importance of developing and promoting the role of women regarding the internal rift, maintaining that this is a crucial role for the protection of Palestinian society from internal disputes.
Awadallah also called for employing all international tools to hold the occupation accountable for its violations, which target Palestinian women. He said a major part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ work is to nationalize treaties signed by the State of Palestine and utilize them in the right direction.
The session included a number of presentations calling for: benefiting from international resolutions and tools pertaining to the Palestinian cause; promoting women’s national and social role; focusing on strategic issues pertaining to women, reviewing agreements and adapting them to the historic, social, cultural and political Palestinian context; confirming integration between CSOs, government institutions and the private sector; cooperation with official diplomatic parties, with a focus on Israeli violations against Palestinian women; organizing international advocacy efforts through MoFA; mobilizing people and communities abroad to support, advocate and lobby for the Palestinian cause and to create bridges between all sectors that champion and support women’s causes.
This session is part of MIFTAH’s cooperation with the relevant national institutions to promote women’s political participation and endorse the implementation of the WPS agenda, based on a framework of international legitimacy. This includes international humanitarian law, human rights treaties and relevant UN resolutions, such as the right to self-determination and the general recommendations issued by the contractual committees, especially those pertaining to The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW.
جلسة معلوماتية حول العمل بأجندة المرأة السلام والامن استناداً لقرار مجلس الامن 1325 ضمن الجهود الوطنية الفلسطينية محلياً ودولياً. استهدفت الشابات والشباب الدبلوماسي في وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين
تاريخ النشر: 12/10/2022
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – 11/10/2022 – عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" بالتعاون والتنسيق مع وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين ووزارة شؤون المرأة والائتلاف النسوي لتطبيق القرار الأممي 1325 "المرأة، السلام والأمن" جلسة معلوماتية حول العمل بأجندة المرأة السلام والامن استناداً للقرار الاممي 1325 على المستوى الفلسطيني بمشاركة الشابات والشباب الدبلوماسي في وزارة الخارجية.
واستهلت الجلسة بكلمة ترحيبية من وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين تلتها كلمة من المديرة التنفيذية لمؤسسة "مفتاح" د. تحرير الأعرج، أكدت فيها على أهمية التعاون المشترك بين المؤسسة الرسمية ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني الفلسطيني في إطار الجهود الوطنية المشتركة وتعزيزاً لمبدأ التحالف الوطني بينهما حول القضية الفلسطينية، وفي إ طار جهود المناصرة الدولية تجاه خطاب دبلوماسي فلسطيني يعكس واقع المرأة الفلسطينية تحت الاحتلال الإسرائيلي ويضيء على جهود المرأة الفلسطينية في النضال من اجل القضية الفلسطينية ومن أجل التمتع بالحقوق التي تكفلها الاتفاقيات والمعاهدات الدولية، والتي وقعت عليها دولة فلسطين، وضرورة تكاتف الجهود التنسيقية لدعم الرؤية الوطنية الفلسطينية في تنفيذ أجندة المرأة السلام والأمن ارتباطاً بالقرار الأممي 1325 والآليات الدولية ذات العلاقة، بهدف دمج الرؤية النسوية الفلسطينية في نشر الرواية الفلسطينية وتعزيز حضور الخطاب النسوي السياسي في العمل الدبلوماسي الفلسطيني خاصة بالخارج، بما يعزز من جهود المجتمع المدني في المناصرة الدولية لمساءلة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي عن الانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها النساء والفتيات الفلسطينيات.
وفي مداخلتها بالحضور استعرضت د. آمال حمد وزيرة شؤون المرأة أجندة المرأة السلام والأمن في السياق الفلسطيني من حيث واقعه وما يواجهه من تحديات سواء على المستوى الداخلي أو الخارجي، وكيفية توطين القرار 1325 ومواءمته مع الحالة الفلسطينية وتوظيفه اتجاه قضاياها، ويزيد من مشاركتها في صنع القرار على جميع المستويات، وحمايتها من العنف الجسدي والتمييز.
وطالبت د. حمد الأمم المتحدة بإصدار قرار أممي يتعلق بالمرأة الفلسطينية تحت الاحتلال، وضرورة تفعيل القرار 1325 بما يحقق الحماية لها، ومساءلة الاحتلال على انتهاكاته بحقها، وتعزيز القدرة الاستيعابية لقضايا النوع الاجتماعي واحترام حقوق السكان المدنيين واللاجئين. مشيرة إلى أنه من بين عشرة قرارات تابعة للقرار 1325 لم تتطرق إلى خصوصية أوضاع النساء في فلسطين تحت الاحتلال.
في حين، تطرقت ريما نزال منسقة الائتلاف النسوي لتطبيق القرار 1325 إلى جهود الائتلاف في المناصرة الدولية لمساءلة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي حول واقع النساء والفتيات الفلسطينيات تحت الاحتلال، حيث دعت إلى توطين القرار 1325 وضرورة ربطه بالقرارات الدولية ذات الصلة بالقضية الفلسطينية حتى يستقيم مع الحالة والخصوصية الفلسطينية تحت الاحتلال، وأكدت دعم المجتمع المدني ومساندته للحكومة في جهودها لتطبيق القرار الأممي هذا رغم ما فيه من سلبيات أهمها عدم وجود أجندة زمنية لتطبيقه، إضافة إلى الفجوة في تطبيقه.
أما مساعد وزير الخارجية والمغتربين للأمم المتحدة ومنظماتها المتخصصة السفير د. عمر عوض الله، فاستعرض في مداخلته آليات توظيف أجندة المرأة السلام والأمن ضمن الملفات الدبلوماسية والجهود التي بذلتها وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين على هذا الصعيد، مؤكدا على أهمية تطوير دور المرأة وتعزيزه فيما يتعلق بالنزاع الداخلي وهو دور مباشر يقوم على حماية المجتمع الفلسطيني وتحصينه من النزاعات الداخلية، ما يساهم في أن يكون دور للدبلوماسية خلال عملها لصالح قضايا المرأة.
كما دعا إلى تفعيل جميع الأدوات الدولية لجلب الاحتلال ومساءلته على انتهاكاته التي تستهدف النساء الفلسطينيات وهذه الجهود تندرج في قلب عمل الدبلوماسية الفلسطينية. كما أن جزءاً رئيسياً من عمل وزارة الخارجية هو توطين الاتفاقيات التي انضمت إليها دولة فلسطين والذهاب إلى المنظومة الدولية واستخدامها في الاتجاه الصحيح.
وتخللت الجلسة المعلوماتية مجموعة من المداخلات التي دعت إلى الاستفادة من الأدوات والقرارات الدولية التي تتعاطى مع القضية الفلسطينية، وتعزيز دور المرأة وطنياً واجتماعياً، والتركيز على القضايا الاستراتيجية التي تهم المرأة، وإعادة قراءة كامل الاتفاقيات ومواءمتها في السياق الفلسطيني التاريخي والاجتماعي والثقافي والسياسي، والتأكيد على التكاملية بين مؤسسات المجتمع المدني والمؤسسات الحكومة والقطاع الخاص، والتعاون مع الدبلوماسية الرسمية مع التركيز على قضية الانتهاكات الإسرائيلية بحق المرأة الفلسطينية، وتنظيم جهود مناصرة دولية عبر وزارة الخارجية. إضافة إلى التوجه للشعوب والمجتمعات في الخارج لحشد الدعم والتأييد والمناصرة للقضية الفلسطينية، والتجسير مع جميع الفئات الشعبية التي تناصر قضايا المرأة وتدعمها.
تأتي هذه الجلسة في إطار التعاون بين مؤسسة "مفتاح" والمؤسسات الوطنية ذات العلاقة لتعزيز مشاركة المرأة السياسية ودعم تنفيذ أجندة المرأة السلام والامن، بالاستناد إلى أطر الشرعية الدولية ابتداءً بالقانون الدولي الإنساني، واتفاقيات حقوق الإنسان والقرارات الأممية ذات الصلة، ومنها الحق في تقرير المصير، والاتفاقيات الدولية ذات العلاقة، والتوصيات العامة ذات الصلة الصادرة عن اللجان التعقادية، خاصة المتعلقة باتفاقية القضاء على كافة أشكال التمييز ضد المرأة (سيداو).
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.
