MIFTAH recently held a closing ceremony for the AMAL project, “Supporting women’s transformative leadership in changing times in the Middle East and North Africa”, which is implemented by MIFTAH in partnership with the Women’s Affairs Center, the Women’s Center for Legal and Social Counseling , the Palestinian Working Women’s Association for Development, and OXFAM, and funded by SIDA.
The meeting highlighted the most significant achievements of the project, which was launched in 2012 as part of an intervention at the regional Arab level. The project seeks to contribute to the capacity-building of Palestinian women, those marginalized in particular, to participate in leadership at all decision-making levels in order to guarantee that their needs are met and rights achieved within the current governing structure.
The meeting was opened with a welcoming statement from MIFTAH CEO Dr. Lily Feidy, which was presented on her behalf by program director Lamis Shuaibi. She stressed on MIFTAH’s strategic approach to provide continuous support for interventions that promote women’s political participation. She said through this, MIFTAH aims at raising women’s voices and supporting their presence within Palestinian political decision-making frameworks in order to provide a legislative and political environment that guarantees the rights of Palestinian women on all fronts.
OXFAM Regional Director, Nickie Monga then thanked the organizers for inviting her to participate in the closing ceremony, commending MIFTAH’s role and efforts on the project. She also thanked SIDA for its support in making the project a success. Monga described the project as “an important event” in terms of reviving women’s political participation, pointing to the active role women could play at the level of change, and achieving security and peace.
AMAL project manager, Abeer Zaghari then introduced the methods used during the program such as targeting and interaction, both in Palestine and at the regional level. This, she said, helped provide empowerment opportunities of leadership skills to youth leaders, and provided a supportive climate that would enable women leaders and decision makers to transfer their expertise and knowledge in an applied and practical way and within an interactive youth framework far from the traditional framework model.
This was followed by a presentation from activist and trainer Huthayfa Jalamneh who gave a summary on the reference manual for young women leaders. The manual focuses on reviving the political participation of women and youth through the methodology and topics addressed in it and the interactive tools used for young women leaders in interaction, dissemination of knowledge.
Meanwhile, Bisan Abu Ruqti presented a sample booklet for transformational leaderships, which included documentation (including pictures and commentary) of visits by two delegations of beneficiaries and targeted groups in the AMAL project, who traveled to Tunisia and Morocco. The booklet highlighted the impact these visits had on the participants, their experiences and benefits they gained at the level of impact and change.
Diverse experiences
Moderator Shadi Zeidat stressed on the importance of preparing young and capable leaders in order to achieve the required social change where women and youths have an opportunity to truly participate at the local and political levels. He also reiterated how change is linked to the concepts of personal responsibility and citizenship.
Zeidat continued that empowerment at various levels, first and foremost at the level of societal culture, is a necessary and basic condition to establish the concept of women’s participation, especially in a male-dominated patriarchal society. He called on women not to depend on the contribution of men, saying the achievement of any real participation for women in decision-making positions and in the political system is a women’s goal for which she should fight to achieve, depending on herself and her abilities.
Youth activist and member of the Palestinian social and politically active youth network Ghassan Atawneh said the trip to Tunisia opened a window for him that showed him the urgent need for change and how efforts must be made for this to happen in Palestinian society. Atawneh said he was working along the same track within his political party in order to adopt supportive policies and approaches for change in favor of youth and women’s participation.
Activist Asma’ Abu Rahmeh is from a small, remote village west of Ramallah named Bil’in. There, geographic marginalization is coupled with social marginalization, especially towards women and youth in light of the reactionary and traditional customs, protected by a male-dominated culture.
In addition to being a member of the shadow council, Abu Rahmeh has also been a volunteer in the Palestinian Working Women’s Society since she graduated from university in 2004. Her involvement in the AMAL project entailed participating in the ‘shadowing an official” program. At the time, Abu Rahmeh shadowed Governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, Dr. Leila Ghannam. She said this type of intervention was very beneficial because it showed her the broad horizon available for women in the political system and in decision-making positions in addition to teaching her about the relationship between officials and citizens.
Najwan Abu Najm is another youth activist involved in the AMAL project in addition to other MIFTAH-sponsored projects including the “shadow an official”. At the time, Abu Najm shadowed PLC member Ala’ Yaghi, about which she said: “Shadowing an official is a very special and different experience from other interventions. It is an experience that allows for moving from the theoretical level – which is what most programs are concerned with – to practical skills.” She continued that such experiences also contribute not only to acquiring awareness and knowledge but also acquiring skills in application and participation.
Hanin Ramadan, a lawyer in training from Nablus and member of the Palestinian social and politically active youth network, said her shadow experience was with then-presidential advisor for technology and information affairs, Dr. Sabri Saydam. Today, Saydam holds the position of higher education minister. “That experience allowed me to shorten the distance to my goals, through finding the best way to get there with the least amount of obstacles.”
In terms of the Tunisia visit, Ramadan said, “The Tunisian experience made me think of ways to raise our own demands for political and community participation instead of the superficial participation created by the quota system we have now. Women are half the society and should have fair representation in all decision-making positions and in the political system as a whole.”
Presentations
Several presentations were then made, many of which pointed to the experience of Jerusalem’s youth, which they said was unique from the overall Palestinian situation. The presentations stressed on the importance of shifting from the theoretical to the practical and focusing efforts on working with youth at an earlier stage (in school) to create a generation that believes in these issues. They said focus should also be placed on a legal system that protects activists and rights in addition to working in universities and other institutions.
Other presentations highlighted the reality of women and youth in marginalized areas, especially Bedouin areas, where women live under unfair social and rights conditions and are absented from any community or political participation.
Some presentations reaffirmed the need to expand programs for exchanging experiences and visits in terms of targets and participation given their direct impact on promoting, empowerment and learning. They also said it was important to benefit from laws and legislations based on a human rights approach and on the issue of empowering and promoting political participation among women, which if invested in, could impact decision-making in favor of these issues.
Agents of change
Subhiyeh Zbediat talked about how AMAL’s interventions reflected on her role in the Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, especially in terms of citizenship, rights, duties and political participation. She said with her husband’s support, she has been involved in voluntary and community work to service her village such as community clean-ups and other services. After that, she was able to secure a seat in the village council and is a member of the women’s association in the village, which she helped establish.
Activists such as Jihad Zuhur and Reem Haji said they were so inspired by the women they met on their visit to Morocco, they are now working to recreate their experiences on the Palestinian scene, namely in terms of developing women’s capacities.
Zeinab Atiyat called for creating a mechanism for working with municipalities and local councils and institutions to adopt their members’ experiences and to urge them to do whatever necessary to promote active women’s participation in decision-making centers. She also called for more attention to be given to addressing the media so these initiatives and projects could have better coverage.
Recommendations
Farha Abu Hayja closed the ceremony by summing up the following recommendations: working towards analyzing national laws and legislations from a gender perspective to decide how compatible they are to gender and to promote women’s capacities in this aspect; completing the project through transporting the participants’ experiences to more youth and women’s sectors; communicating with former municipal and village council members to review and assess their experiences and benefit from them and to avoid any obstacles and loopholes; making early contact with candidates in the upcoming local elections to train them and build their capacities so they can make a change towards women’s participation; training candidates on successful means of communication with the media and knowing how to use these in favor of women and youth issues; developing their capabilities in creating a noticeable and ever-changing women’s discourse, which addresses youths and local communities and which is catches the media’s attention; reaffirming the need for diversity in interventions and moving away from traditional trends in targeting groups through promoting the principle of transformational leadership .
خلال لقاء ختامي جامع نظمته 'مفتاح'..
ناشطات ورائدات يعرضن تجاربهن ضمن مشروع امل: 'دعم القيادات النسوية التغييرية في أوقات التغيير'
تاريخ النشر: 09/01/2016
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح"، مؤخرا لقاء ختاميا لمشروع "دعم القيادة النسوية التغييرية في أوقات التغيير في دول الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا - أمل"، والذي تنفذه مفتاح بالشراكة مع مركز شؤون المرأة، ومركز المرأة للإرشاد القانوني والاجتماعي، وجمعية المرأة العاملة الفلسطينية للتنمية، ومؤسسة أوكسفام وبدعم من وكالة التنمية السويدية – سيدا.
وجرى خلال اللقاء عرض لأبرز محطات المشروع الذي انطلق منذ عام 2012 ضمن تدخل على المستوى الإقليمي العربي، حيث سعى هذا البرنامج ككل إلى الإسهام في رفع قدرات النساء الفلسطينيات، وخصوصاً النساء المهمشات، للمشاركة في القيادة وممارستها على جميع مستويات صنع القرار، لضمان تحقيق احتياجاتهن وإحقاق حقوقهن ضمن بنى الحكم القائمة.
اقتتح اللقاء بكلمة ترحيبية للمدير التنفيذي د. ليلي فيضي لمؤسسة مفتاح، القتها بالنيابة لميس الشعيبي مديرة البرامج، حيث اكدت في كلمتها على النهج الاستراتيجي الداعم لمؤسسة مفتاح في توفير الدعم المستمر للتدخلات التي تعزز من المشاركة السياسية للمرأة، والتي تعمل من خلالها "مفتاح" على رفع صوت النساء ودعم حضورهن ضمن اطر صنع القرار السياسي الفلسطيني، لضمان توفير بيئة تشريعية وسياساتية تضمن حقوق المرأة الفلسطينية على مختلف الاتجاهات.
من جانبها، استهلت نيكي مونغا المدير القطري لمؤسسة اوكسفام، كلمتها بشكر المنظمين على دعوتها للمشاركة في حفل اختتام المشروع مشيدة في هذا الاطار بدور وجهود مؤسسة "مفتاح"، وكذلك مؤسسة سيدا السويدية على دعمها لإنجاح المشروع الذي وصفته بالحدث الهام على صعيد تفعيل المشاركة السياسية للنساء، ونوهت الى الدور الفاعل الذي ممكن ان تلعبه النساء على صعيد التغيير واحقاق الامن والسلام..
وقدمت عبير زغاري منسقة مشروع "امل" مدخل للآليات التي توسعت مؤسسة "مفتاح" من خلال برنامج امل بالاستهداف والتفاعل سواء على مستوى فلسطين أو على مستوى الإقليم، الأمر الذي ساهم في توفير فرص تمكين لكادر قيادي من الشباب بالمهارات القيادية، وتوفير بيئة داعمة تمكن صناع القرار والقيادات، من نقل مكتنز الخبرات والمعرفة بشكل عملي وتطبيقي، وبإطار تفاعلي للشباب بعيدا عن الإطار النمطي التقليدي.
عرض للمواد التي تم تطويرها من خلال "امل"
بعد ذلك، عرض المدرب والناشط حذيفة جلامنة ملخصا حول الدليل المرجعي للقيادات الشابة والذي تركز حول تفعيل المشاركة السياسة للمرأة والشباب من خلال لامنهجية،الأبواب التي تناولها الدليل والادوات التفاعلية التي تتضمنها الدليل لتكون مرشد ومرجع للقيادات الشابة في التفاعل ونشر المعرفة وتوفير بيئة داعمة للمشاركة السياسية للمرأة.
في حين، عرضت بيسان أبو رقطي كتيب نماذج القيادات التغييرية، متضمنا توثيقا بالصورة والتعليق لزيارة وفدين من المنتفعات والمستهدفات من برنامج "امل “والتي توجهت الى تونس والمغرب وآثارها على المشاركين والمشاركات والتجارب التي تم مشاركتهم بها و حجم الفائدة التي حققوها على صعيد التأثير والتغيير.
تجارب متنوعة
واكد شادي زيدات مقرر جلسة، على أهمية إعداد قيادات شابة قادرة للوصول الى التغيير المجتمعي المنشود والذي تحظى منه المرأة والشباب بمشاركة حقيقية فاعلة على المستويين المحلي والسياسي، مؤكدا ارتباط التغيير بمفهومي المسؤولية الشخصية والمواطنة.
وقال زيدات، ان التمكين في مختلف المستويات وفي مقدمتها الثقافة المجتمعية شرط ضروري واساسي لترسيخ مفهوم المشاركة النسوية الحقيقية خاصة في مجتمع ذكوري ابوي، داعيا النساء الى عدم التعويل على مساهمة الرجل، فتحقيق المشاركة الحقيقية للنساء في مراكز صنع وتنفيذ القرار وفي النظام السياسي هدف للمرأة ينبغي ان تناضل لتحقيقه بالاعتماد على ذاتها وقدراتها.
فيما عرض الناشط الشبابي غسان عطاونة، تجربته كناشط في شبكة الشباب الفلسطيني الفاعل سياسيا ومجتمعيا. وقال، ان الزيارة الى تونس في اطار هذا البرنامج، فتحت امامه نافذة واسعة اطل منها اكثر على مدى الحاجة الملحة للتغيير وتكثيف الجهد لإحداثه في المجتمع الفلسطيني، وهو بدأ يعمل عليه ايضا في إطار الحزب السياسي الذي ينتمي إليه وينشط فيه، للمضي في سبيل التغيير وتبني توجهات وسياسات داعمة للتغيير لصالح مشاركة الشباب والمرأة.
أما الناشطة أسماء ابو رحمة، فتبدأ حكايتها من هناك حيث قرية بلعين الصغيرة النائية والمهمشة في ريف رام الله الغربي، وحيث البعد والتهميش الجغرافي يترافق مع التهميش المجتمعي ويفاقم منه خصوصا تجاه قطاعي المرأة والشباب في ظل عادات وتقاليد رجعية تحميها ثقافة ذكورية .
وإضافة الى كونها عضو في مجلس الظل ، فهي متطوعة في جمعية المرأة العاملة الفلسطينية منذ تخرجها من الجامعة عام 2004، ومشاركة نشطة في مشروع "أمل"، وضمن برنامج "مرافقة مع مسؤول"، رافقت أبو رحمة محافظ رام الله والبيرة د. ليلى غنام. واشارت الى ان هذا النوع من التدخلات أفادها ووقفت عبر التجربة امام أفق واسع بشأن المرأة في النظام السياسي وموقع صنع القرار وعلاقة المسؤول بالمواطن.
أما نجوان ابو نجم، وهي ناشطة شبابية مشاركة في مشروع "أمل"، ومشاريع مؤسسة "مفتاح" في أكثر من برنامج وبضمنها المرافقة مع عضو المجلس التشريعي النائب علاء ياغي، فقد توقفت عند هذه التجربة، وقالت:" المرافقة مع مسؤول تجربة مميزة ومختلفة عن سواها من التدخلات وهي تجربة تمكن من نقل المستوى المعرفي الذي غالبا ما تهتم به البرامج الى مهارات عملية وتسهم إلى جانب اكتساب الوعي والمعرفة في اكتساب المهارات في التطبيق والمشاركة مشيدة بالتجربة والاهتمام الذي أبداه المسؤول حيالها".
ولحنين رمضان، وهي محامية متدربة من مدينة نابلس، وعضو في شبكة الشباب الفاعل سياسيا ومجتمعيا تجربة غنية من خلال مرافقتها لمستشار الرئيس لشؤون تكنولوجيا المعلومات د. صبري صيدم، قبل ان يتولى منصب وزير التربية والتعليم العالي الان.
عن هذه التجربة قالت حنين: " التجربة جعلتني مؤهلة لتقصير المسافات بغية الوصول الى هدفي عبر ايسر الطرق وبأقل المتاعب والعقبات".
وبخصوص زيارة تونس. قالت حنين:" واقع التجربة التونسية دفعني الى التفكير بسبل تصعيد النضال المطلبي من أجل مشاركة سياسية ومجتمعية حقيقية بدل المشاركة العددية الشكلية التي تنتجها الكوتا الحالية وعلى قاعدة ان المرأة هي نصف المجتمع وينبغي أن تحصل على تمثيل عادل في سائر مراكز صنع القرار وفي النظام السياسي برمته".
مداخلات
بعد ذلك، ألقيت العديد من المداخلات، أشارت إلى أن تجربة شباب القدس لها خصوصيتها واختلافها في المشهد الفلسطيني القائم، وشددت على اهمية الانتقال من المجال والمستوى النظري الى التطبيق، وتركيز الجهد على العمل مع الشباب في مرحلة مبكرة اكثر في المدارس لخلق جيل يؤمن بهذه القضايا والتركيز في ذات الوقت من اجل منظومة قانونية حامية للنشطاء ولهذه الحقوق، الى جانب العمل في الجامعات والمؤسسات والجمعيات اكثر.
بينما استعرضت مداخلات أخرى، واقع حال المرأة والشباب في المناطق المهمشة وخصوصا البدوية حيث تعاني المرأة وتعيش اوضاعا اجتماعية وحقوقية مجحفة، ويتم تغييبها عن المشاركة المجتمعية والسياسية.
واكدت المداخلات أيضا على الحاجة الى توسيع لبرنامج تبادل الخبرات والزيارات من حيث الاستهداف والمشاركة لما لها اثر مباشر على التعزيز والتمكين والتعلم ، والاستفادة من القوانين والتشريعات اي تستند الى نهج حقوق الانسان ل في موضوع التمكين وتعزيز المشاركة السياسية للمرأة ولاستفادة والاستثمار بها للتاثير في مركز صنع القرار بشكل صحيح لصالح هذه القضايا.
نظرية وكلاء التغيير من رؤية تسوية
وتحدثت الناشطة صبحية زبيدات عن تجربتها في انعكاس تدخلات برنامج امل على دورها في مجتمع بدوي في منطقة الاغوار ،وخاصة بما يتعلق بالمواطنة والحقوق والواجبات والمشاركة السياسية، مشيرة إلى انخراطها بمساندة زوجها في أعمال تطوعية ومجتمعة لصالح البيئة المحلية خدمة لقريتها في مجالات النظافة والخدمات بمبادرات فردية، الى ان تمكنت من الحصول على مقعد في المجلس القروي، وعضو في الجمعية النسوية في القرية التي ساهمت في تأسيسها.
أما يولا خير - وهي صاحبة تجربة ريادية على صعيد الاحزاب وناشطة مجتمعية وعضو مجلس بلدية مدينة بيت ساحور جنوب الضفة، فقالت:" من وحي الزيارة آمنت أكثر بضرورة الوصول الى مشاركة منصفة للنساء الفلسطينيات في مراكز صنع القرار عوضا عن المشاركة العددية الشكلية غير المؤثرة في قضايا المرأة".
أما الناشطة جهاد زهور، فقالت، أن ما استوقفها من زيارتها في المغرب، هو الاهتمام بذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة، وبالتالي قررت العمل على استحضار التجربة، وتطوير قدرات النساء والعاملات.
في حين قالت ريم حجي، عضو مجلس قروي برقة بمحافظة نابلس، أن زيارتها للمغرب مكنتها من الاطلاع على نساء مغربيات رائدات، ما دفعها إلى استحضار تجربتهن.
ودعت الناشطة زينب عطيات، إلى إيجاد آلية للعمل مع البلديات والمجالس القروية والمؤسسات لتتبنى تجارب العضوات ومن اجل حثها على القيام بما يلزم لتعزيز المشاركة الفعلية للنساء في مراكز صنع القرار، والاهتمام بالجانب الاعلامي بغية التعريف بهذه المبادرات والمشاريع.
ورأت الناشطة مرام سعادة ان الكوتا النسائية سواء للمجلس التشريعي أو الانتخابات المحلية لم تخدم الغرض الذي وجدت من أجله وهو إيصال المرأة الى صنع القرار ما يتطلب جهود أخرى لتحقيق الهدف.
التوصيات
واختتمت فرحة ابو الهيجا بإجمال التوصيات التي خرج بها اللقاء الختامي، ومن أبرزها: العمل على تحليل التشريعات والقوانين الوطنية من منظور جندري للوقوف على مدى مواءمتها للنوع الاجتماعي وتعزيز قدرات النساء في هذا الجانب، والعمل على استكمال المشروع عبر نقل تجربة المشاركين فيه الى فئات شبابية ونسوية اوسع. والتواصل مع عضوات المجالس البلدية والقروية السابقات لمراجعة وتقييم تجاربهن للاستفادة منها وتلافي المعيقات والثغرات، والتواصل المبكر مع المرشحات للانتخابات المحلية المقبلة لتدريبهن وتعزيز قدراتهن وبما يمكنهن من إحداث التغيير لصالح مشاركة النساء الفعلية، وتدريب المرشحات على سبل التواصل الناجع مع وسائل والاعلام وتفعيل استخدامها لصالح قضايا المرأة والشباب وتطوير قدراتهن في اسلوب الخطاب النسوي اللافت المتجدد والذي يحاكي الشباب والمجتمعات المحلية والمستقطب للإعلام، والتأكيد على مسالة التنويع في التدخلات والابتعاد عن النمط التقليدي في الاستهداف من خلال تعزيز مبدا القيادة التغييرية.
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.
