Ramallah – Participants in a public hearing session held by MIFTAH to review the budget statement announced by the Ministry of Finance for 2014, recommended that the ministry should modify the budget to become more responsive to gender needs. They also recommended that every ministry should officially have a gender team or at least activate the ministries’ gender units, on condition that the coordinator of this team or unit head is an active member of the budget committee.
Integrating gender in the strategic plan
In their recommendations, the participants also called for adopting and distributing clear directives regarding the integration of gender in the annual and strategic plan and then in the policies and programs of each ministry. They called for developing a database at each ministry categorized on a gender basis; at the beginning of April of each month, the gender team or unit will have the responsibility of formulating a document that includes the developments, foundations and priorities of the ministry on a gender basis, with this document ratified by the minister before being sent to the budget committee at the end of June of each year. Once the budgetary committee receives the budget notification from the finance ministry, it will distribute the ceiling for expenditures to programs and projects accordingly in addition to discussing the gender-integrated draft budget in a senior administration meeting at the ministry, until the beginning of November of each year.
Gradual transformation to a gender-responsive budget
The participants agreed on the principle of a gradual transformation to a gender-responsive budget whereby one or more ministries will be chosen according to their importance (education or health for example) to form a pilot for preparing a gender-responsive budget. One program would be created in each of the two ministers and their budgets prepared on a gender basis. Thus, the move from one ministry to another or from one program to another until the transformation to gender-responsive budgets is completed.
Dr. Lily Feidy: the goal is to promote social dialogue and impact public policies
MIFTAH CEO Dr. Lily Feidy opened the session, which she said was part of MIFTAH‘s program to promote social dialogue in order to impact public policies in addition to MIFTAH’s interest in institutionalizing a gender-based budget. She explained that in 2005, MIFTAH, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, began work on this and were able to score an accomplishment in 2009 when the Salam Fayyad government institutionalized gender in the general budget.
Dr. Nasr Abdel Kareem: The Palestinian budget is still conventional and neutral towards development issues
Economic expert Dr. Nasr Abdel Kareem showcased the preliminary results on the Finance Ministry’s 2014 general budget. He explained that gender-sensitive budgets do not necessarily mean separate budgets for males and females or equal distribution of financial resources. Still, Abdel Kareem said the government has not abided by any of the dates stipulated in the law regulating the budget for the most part of the past 10 years. Rather, the budget has remained an article-based budget in spite of efforts to transform it into one of programs and performance or a gender-responsive budget. Furthermore, Abdel Kareem says, the executive authority has monopolized most of if not all the jurisdictions regarding administration of the budget in light of the defunct PLC, the weakness of political forces and the disconnected efforts of civil society.
Dr. Abdel Kareem added that public expenditures not only increased over the years, they remained systematically unresponsive to gender needs in general, with the exception of a few ministries that allocated financial resources that were semi-gender responsive.
Director General of the Ministry of Finance budget department Fareed Ghannam maintained that the ministry was continuing to work with local and international institutions on the subject of gender-responsive budgets even if they had not reached the desired level.
Ghannam indicated that his ministry would include an article on a gender-responsive budget in the budget announcement, saying the Ministry of Finance had updated the group for planning and budgetary administration and teams for managing the ministry’s programs with the goal of linking between the political and executive levels. “The problem we have now is that the budget of each ministry is prepared by its financial director,” Ghannam said, adding that the Ministry of Finance was seeking a decision by the cabinet on overcoming such obstacles.
Still, Ghannam admits that his ministry has failed until now to convey and cement the idea of a gender-responsive budget in other ministries. He maintained that in order to correctly convey the concept, the idea of a gender-responsive budget should not only be linked to women but to other marginalized sectors.
A discussion on the session then followed, including comments such as the fact that the budget is not dealt with as a draft law and therefore, does not give not enough time to make comments on it. Furthermore, commentators said the finance ministry announces certain approaches but never implements them on the ground.
Some participants suggested that formulating and preparing the budget should precede the planning stage, stressing on the importance of these stages, which precede the budget’s implementation and auditing. They also pointed out the importance of institutions in this regard, commending the role of MIFTAH, especially in terms of raising awareness on the subject.
Other participants pointed to the problem of multiple titles related to gender, calling for a change in the ministries’ structure in order to create more of a balance. This, they said, starts with gender planning and the necessary political will to realize the importance of this matter. They also pointed out that there was a problem in the preparation phase of the budget, which they said was conducted quickly and without including civil society organizations.
Others said the problem is two-pronged: the first is political and related to the responsibility of the defunct PLC, while the second was related to civil society institutions, which also bear the responsibility in creating a framework for lobbying.
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.
