Ramallah – From now on, young leaders can have access to and benefit from the experiences of leaders who came before them in various political, social and cultural arenas.
This experience was made possible through a series of meetings held within the program “Supporting Women’s Transformative Leadership in Changing Times” , which brings together young leaders with more experienced leaders. The project is being carried out by OXFAM – Novib with funding from SIDA and in partnership with the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), the Women’s Affairs Center (WAC), the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC) and the Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Development (PWWSD).
MIFTAH’s program director Lamis Shuaibi said the goal of the meetings was to “create an atmosphere of dialogue that would bring together political leaders with youth leaders and provide an opportunity for them to listen and learn from the experience of Palestinian leaders in the political, social and development fields.”
Last week the first meeting of many to be carried out over the next two years, was held by MIFTAH and PWWSD. Fourteen young leaders distributed among four groups, participated. The groups represented four regions in the Jordan Valley (Fasayel, Jiftlik, Zbeidat and Ojah) and three Ramallah-area villages (Bilin, Nilin and Safa). The groups also comprised of students from four Palestinian universities and colleges (Birzeit University, Mustaqbal College, Palestine Technical College and Al Quds Open University). The meeting hosted FIDA Secretary General Zahira Kamal, who is also a women and political leader with a long and rich experience in politics and in the national struggle.
During the meeting, the young leaders answered questions and inquiries put to them by Kamal about the frustrations they face, which also impact their political participation and involvement in volunteer work. The youths spoke about the challenges of unemployment, poverty and the spread of nepotism, cronyism and corruption.
Some of the participants said they would not let the frustrations stand in their way. “I volunteered in the Jordan Valley and did not wait to be rewarded by anyone,” said Raed Abu Joudeh. “There is a strong sense of frustration among us, but our determination is even stronger. In this kind of work, I find myself.”
Tamara Tamimi said she has worked with a number of organizations and is currently a project coordinator for this project at the PWWSD. Tamimi spoke about the randomness and demagogic nature of the work in many institutions. Iman Romanin, another participant, made a related comment, saying she had taken many courses but had not benefited from any of them.
Two participants were at odds over volunteer work. Sheikha Ibrahim said she has volunteered with many organizations but that this does not solve the problem of unemployment. Rana Khattab, meanwhile, begged to differ, saying volunteer work, which she believes in, could be the perfect gateway for obliterating unemployment.
Hakam Karajeh, tackled the subject from another angle, saying that nepotism, cronyism and corruption were directly related to the spread of unemployment.
Qusay Nafe’ said university education is the “gateway to life” even though he hardly works in his own field. Still, he said volunteering in university activities or anti-wall protests had enriched his experience overall.
Aya Mansour was one of the more ambitious participants and said she wanted to shine in both the social and economic realms. She said her motto was: “Each one of us must make his/her own path.”
Sabeeha Abdallah maintained that while she would never hesitate in helping anyone and has actually volunteered in more than one place, this does not diminish the pressures on young Palestinians to work. The biggest challenge they face, she explained, comes from Israel and working in its West Bank settlements.
After listening to their concerns and viewpoints, Zahira Kamal gave the young participants a few words of advice. She spoke to them about the importance of gaining experience and never resorting to nepotism. Kamal reiterated the importance of volunteer work, saying it was crucial to gain experience before joining the work force and the career world.
As for tackling the problem of unemployment, Kamal suggested finding jobs in less conventional fields of work through researching the needs of the market. She focused on the importance of vocational education and working in crafts such as carpentry and tile-laying.
As for the place of women in political action, Hiba Awwad said the role of women in politics was an unnegotiable right. She continued that women’s participation in political life allows them to bring women’s issues to light and propose the right solutions for them. It also encourages other women to get involved.
Participant Sadeeqa Abu Salim counted off some of the more prominent issues facing women: “Social issues affect women directly along with political participation. There are then the issues of inheritance, so-called ‘honor’ killings, and economic pressures, along with issues such as equality, higher education, marriage, divorce and alimony.
In this context, Kamal cited the Tunisian and Moroccan experiences and how women in Tunisia succeeded in getting the signatures of a million women and mobilizing over 1,000 to pressure authorities into changing the family law. The president had no other choice but to heed their demands, in addition to giving his approval to the women’s quota law which is equal to men. Additionally, women were to be at the head of any list running in elections.
As for men’s role, the participants all agreed that the man’s role begins at home – how much support women get from within their families in issues related to jobs opportunities, supporting her in running and voting in elections, participating in decision making and exercising pioneer and leadership roles in issues related to herself and to society.
The young participants were inspired by the experiences recounted by Zahira Kamal, which included her struggles, challenges and achievements. Her story, to them, was a huge success, given that she is a prominent leader of a political faction and also became the PA Minister for Women’s Affairs.
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.
