Ramallah – The young journalists who participated in MIFTAH’s four-day workshop, which focused on "the effective use of media in monitoring the general budget and advocate for tax reforms" said it exceeded their expectations of what they had hoped to achieve.
Introduction to the language of economic numbers
Raed Atrash, a young journalist said the workshop introduced them to the language of economic numbers, to ways of writing accurate economic articles and reports and how to distinguish between the two. “Not only do I now have the necessary background on economic writing, but I can link this to relevant issues for ordinary citizens in their everyday lives,” he said.
Learning about the general budget
Another participant, Bassem Zeidani, said while not all of his expectations were met, most of them were. He said he benefited from the subjects on the general budget and the need to focus on numbers, statistics and reports. He said they were introduced to in-depth content in terms of the general budget and tax reform and ways to benefit from them in preparing reports and investigative journalism. “What made this training so unique was that it addressed a subject I have never had training on and which I really need in my line of work,” he said.
Rama Yousef, a young female journalist, said that after learning new skills in the training course she was now able to be more detailed when writing economic subjects. “What was appealing about it was that it addressed issues that are not often discussed; what we learned has brought many economic issues to our attention, which we can now address ourselves.”
Supporting the fourth authority
Hala Khalaileh said what made the training unique was MIFTAH’s focus on economic subjects which were not clear to most of the participants beforehand but which needed to be brought to the fore. This she said, contributed to the strength and impact of journalism as a fourth authority. “In addition, the training opened the door to competition between the journalists who attended once they got back to work.”
Gaining specialized skills
Media and capacity-building supervisor from AMAN, Fadel Suleiman, who oversaw the journalists’ training said: “Many of the participants were very keen on learning and gaining new skills in writing news pieces and reports of an analytical and economic nature. Some were even able to write articles and reports during the workshop that shed light on the economic concerns of Palestinian citizens,” he said. “They were able to raise questions about the ways in which officials handle these concerns.” Suleiman said the training workshop in general was successful and disciplined, saying they agreed to remain in contact with one group of participants, to look at their work and to 'coach' them so they could have an even clearer idea of financial analysis and budgets. “We believe Palestinian journalism is in dire need of experts to address financial issues such as the national budget, expenditures and revenues in addition to economic crises and the concerns of citizens.”
Monitoring and accountability
Suleiman said the training course was part of the overall goal to increase the media’s ability to regain its monitoring and accountability authority and also to enable it to convey information and numbers pertaining to the management of public funds to citizens. “The right to knowledge and information as a human right is what MIFTAH aims for and what we seek to achieve as trainers,” Suleiman maintained. “This is to create an open and transparent environment in the management of public funds so as to avoid suspicions of corruption or those tempted by it.”
Meanwhile, MIFTAH project coordinator Shadi Zeidat said the training was part of the “Tax Justice, Budget Monitoring and Citizens' Participation Project” implemented by MIFTAH in partnership with AMAN, Teachers Creativity Center and ARIJ with funding from and close coordination with OXFAM. The project is aimed at promoting societal monitoring, accountability and follow-up stages of preparations of the general budget in addition to efforts towards tax reform in Palestine.
Data on economic journalism
According to Zeidat, the first day of the training program included a presentation of data about economic journalism and information about the increase of resources and sound distribution in addition to the overall increase of interest in addressing economic issues. This means the media needs to respond accordingly. He also said that media outlets need to respond to the needs of the public and the necessity for the public to have ample information on economic processes and issues.
On the second day, the participants were introduced to three new journalistic themes, which were: economic journalism, explanatory journalism and the key elements to this explanatory journalism in addition to information on in-depth research and collecting background information.
The third day of the training included information on economic journalism, its origins, and its standards as well as data journalism. The participants also learned about the national budget and budgets for programs and performance, planning and programing, zero-based budgets, the stages of preparation of the national budget, the standards of preparing and tabulating budgets, the concepts of revenues and expenditures, the relationship between closing accounts and the national budget in addition to applications of articles from the Palestinian Budget Law.
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.
