Recently, MIFTAH completed a series of town hall meetings in the various districts on the election process and women’s political participation as part of its project: “My vote is my right for change,” which is being implemented in cooperation with the Central Elections Committee (CEC) as part of the EU-funded project: “Partnership with civil society institutions”. It is one of MIFTAH’s direct interventions aimed at encouraging voters to participate in local council elections and to raise awareness to the importance of the election process and active citizenship. The intervention is also aimed at capacity-building for women eligible to run in local council elections, so they are well-prepared for the 2016 elections.
The 12 town hall meetings were attended by a total of 285 men and women voters, along with local council members and CEC officials in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The discussions revolved around mechanisms and the electoral system: the proportional representation system, the lists system, the individual system, the conditions for and obstacles to nominations, the registration and electoral registry mechanism, in addition to issues such as the women’s quota and the importance of women’s political participation as candidates and voters. The meetings included detailed presentations from the CEC about electronic registration for both the general and local council elections. They also presented the stages and conditions for running and a presentation on conditions for voting; that is, every Palestinian citizen above 17 years of age who holds a Palestinian ID card and is from the West Bank, Jerusalem or the Gaza Strip and who is included in the final registry is eligible to vote.
Women’s political participation
Through the participation of female local council members, other women looking to run in the 2016 local council elections were given a platform and encouraged to nominate themselves. Their right to form women’s lists was also discussed along with the stages of the election process.
The town hall meetings stressed on the need to endorse the political participation of women and the importance of the current Palestinian system to guarantee women’s representation in LGUs. The meetings also addressed the need to pass laws and legislation that honor women’s rights and their status and role in society on the basis of equality. They called for engaging women to participate in more workshops to promote and develop their leadership and communication skills and to set up a training workshop for women participating in the upcoming elections. They also focused on the specifications, foundations and mechanisms for choosing women in the electoral lists on the basis of qualification, expertise and ability to create social impact, on the premise that women’s presence in local councils can create clear change through social participation.
The recommendations focused on raising the percentage of women’s representation in local and municipal councils by at least 30% in accordance with the Central Council decisions. They also focused on the need to encourage women to participate in the elections as their right, whether as voters or candidates. Furthermore, focus was put on the need to put the right person in the right place and to move away from factionalism and tribalism.
Both male and female participants said there was a need for media focus on the importance of the elections and participation and for the need to host women leaders who were in decision-making positions.
General recommendations
The participants confirmed the need to regulate the democratic process through elections in order to safeguard civil and political rights, especially in the Gaza Strip where the last elections held were in 2007. They called for raising overall awareness to the importance of the democratic process and to assume their role as citizens, to promote active citizenry and social participation through democratic means and participation in the elections. Furthermore, the CEC called for holding training workshops on the electronic registration system and the need to educate as many people as possible in villages and rural areas on the issue of participation. The CEC also focused on clarifying to the public whether a presidential decree was actually issued calling for elections; the need to hold more meetings to raise awareness among all sectors of society, especially in Jerusalem; to target the youth sectors in particular; the need to distribute brochures and leaflets in town hall meetings on the importance of participation in elections and not only to rely on websites. The participants, meanwhile, proposed cooperation with neighborhood committees to begin electronic registration, particularly in the more remote and poorer areas where there are no networks.
It should be noted that “My voice, my right for change” is one of the direct interventions of the elections support program, which MIFTAH has been implementing since 2003. This is the continuation of work with voters in terms of promoting awareness to the importance of the election process and active citizenship; the importance of political participation in casting votes; stressing on the principles of good governance and the monitoring role of voters in participation and accountability.
This is in addition to expanding the platform for reaching groups of qualified women and youth who wish to run in order to prepare them as leaders capable of involvement in the election process including running election campaigns, speaking responsibly to the public and to the media and most importantly, to be informed of the legal framework, especially the local council elections law.
MIFTAH project manager Najwa Yaghi, meanwhile, said these interventions go towards promoting democratic principles through which MIFTAH seeks to reach the largest possible sector of the voting public to raise their awareness about their political and civil rights. They are also a way of reaffirming that political participation and exercising the right to vote is the most direct way of promoting the principle of democratic transfer of authority.
نفذته 'مفتاح' بالتعاون مع لجنة الانتخابات المركزية...
البدء بتنفيذ سلسلة من اللقاءات الجماهيرية في محافظات الوطن ضمن مشروع 'صوتي حقي في التعبير ... صوتي حقي في التغيير'
تاريخ النشر: 16/06/2016
بقلم: مفتاح
نفذّت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح"، مؤخرا سلسلة من اللقاءات الجماهيرية التوعوية في مختلف محافظات الوطن حول القضايا المرتبطة بالعملية الانتخابية والمشاركة السياسية للمرأة ضمن مشروع "صوتي حقي في التعبير ... صوتي حقي في التغيير" الذي بدأت مفتاح" بتنفيذه بالتعاون مع لجنة الانتخابات المركزية ضمن مشروع "الشراكة مع مؤسسات المجتمع المدني" الممول من الاتحاد الاوروبي كأحد التدخلات المباشرة لمؤسسة مفتاح بهدف تشجيع جمهور الناخبين على المشاركة في انتخابات مجالس الهيئات المحلية وتعزيز الوعي بأهمية العملية الانتخابية والمواطنة الفاعلة في التأثير والتغيير و التعبير والاختيار. وبهدف بناء قدرات النساء المؤهلات للترشح في انتخابات مجالس الهيئات المحلية ليصبحن جاهزات للترشح في انتخابات مجالس الهيئات المحلية المنوي اجرائها في 2016 وخوض العملية الانتخابية بكفاءة وجاهزية عالية .
جمعت اللقاءات الجماهيرية ال 12 ما مجموعه 285 من جمهور الناخبين من النساء والرجال بمشاركة من عضوات المجالس المحلية ومسؤولي فروع لجنة الانتخابات المركزية في محافظات الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة وتركزت النقاشات خلالها على آليات ونظام الانتخابات: النظام النسبي، نظام القوائم، النظام الفردي، شروط ومعيقات الترشح، آليات التسجيل/ السجل الانتخابي. بالإضافة الى التطرق إلى الكوتا النسائية وأهمية المشاركة السياسية للمرأة كمرشحة وناخبة حيث تخلل اللقاءات عرضا وشرحا مفصلا من لجنة الانتخابات المركزية عن آلية التسجيل الالكتروني للانتخابات بنوعيها للانتخابات العامة وانتخابات البلديات للعام 2016، كما عرضت مراحل وشروط الترشح بالإضافة إلى عرض شروط الاقتراع وهو كل مواطن فلسطيني يبلغ من العمر 17 سنة فما فوق ويحمل هوية فلسطينية ومن سكان القدس أو الضفة الغربية أو قطاع غزة، على أن يكون اسمه في السجل النهائي.
المشاركة السياسية للنساء
من خلال مشاركة عضوات مجالس الهيئات المحلية واللواتي شاركن بفعالية كبيرة في اللقاءات الجماهيرية بدعوة من منسقات مفتاح في الميدان؛ تم التعرف على النساء اللواتي يرغبن بترشيح انفسهن لانتخابات مجالس الهيئات المحلية 2016 وتم تشجيعهن لخوض المعركة الانتخابية وممارسة حقهن في الترشح، وسلط الضوء على حقهن بتشكيل القوائم النسائية وعلى مراحل العملية الانتخابية ، كما تم تحفيز النساء الاخريات إلى ضرورة الاقتراع .
وأكدت اللقاءات الجماهيرية على ضرورة دعم المشاركة السياسية للمرأة وأهمية ضمان النظام الفلسطيني الحالي تمثيل المرأة في مجالس الهيئات المحلية، والضغط لإقرار القوانين والتشريعات التي تصون حقوق المرأة وترتقي بدورها ومكانتها في المجتمع وعلى قاعدة المساواة، واستهداف الكوادر النسائية في الجمعيات بمزيد من الدورات لتعزيز وتنمية مهارات القيادة والتواصل والاتصال لديهن، وتنظيم التدريب للنساء المشاركات في في الانتخابات المقبلة للمجالس البلدية ، ووضع محددات وأسس وآليات اختيار النساء في القوائم الانتخابية على أساس الكفاءة والخبرة والقدرة على العمل والتأثير المجتمعي. حيث برز دعم المشاركين والمشاركات لأهمية وجود النساء في المجالس المحلية وأن وجودها يحدث تغييرا واضحا بالمشاركة المجتمعية.
وركزت التوصيات على الالتزام برفع نسبة تمثيل المرأة في المجالس المحلية والبلدية بنسبة 30% كحد أدنى، وفق قرارات المجلس المركزي، وأكدوا على ضرورة تشجيعهن على المشاركة في الانتخابات باعتبار ذلك حقا لهن سواء كناخبات أو مرشحات، كما أكدوا على وضع الانسان المناسب في المكان المناسب والابتعاد عن الحزبية والفئوية والعشائرية.
وأوصى المشاركون من كلا الجنسين، على ضرورة التركيز من خلال الاعلام على اهمية الانتخابات والمشاركة بها، وضرورة استضافة نساء قياديات كان لهن تجارب ناجحة من خلال وجودهن في مواقع صنع القرار لتعزيز أهمية وجود النساء في مراكز صنع القرار ورسم السياسات.
توصيات عامة
أكدوا المشاركون والمشاركات على وضرورة انتظام العملية الديمقراطية عبر الانتخابات صونا للحقوق المدنية والسياسية، سيّما في قطاع غزة حيث عقدت آخر انتخابات في سنة 2007 ، ودعوا الى وجوب العمل على نشر الوعي العام في جميع المواقع بأهمية العملية الديموقراطية، واخذ دورهم كمواطنين وتعزيز المواطنة الفاعلة والمشاركة المجتمعية من خلال ممارسة الديمقراطية والمشاركة في الانتخابات سواء من خلال الترشح أو الانتخاب. كما دعوا لجنة الانتخابات المركزية الى عقد لقاءات للتدريب العملي على استخدام التسجيل الالكتروني، ووجوب توعية اكبر عدد من المواطنين في القرى والأرياف بموضوع المشاركة في الانتخابات، والتوضيح للرأي العام، إن كان هناك مرسوم رئاسي صدر بالفعل يدعو لإجراء الانتخابات. وضرورة التعميم اكثر للقاءات التوعوية لتشمل جميع فئات المجتمع وعلى وجه التحديد المقدسية، واستهداف الفئات الشابة بشكل مكثف، وضرورة توزيع بروشورات ونشرات خلال اللقاءات الجماهيرية حول أهمية المشاركة بالانتخابات وعدم الاعتماد فقط على المواقع الالكترونية. واقترح المشاركون التعاون مع لجان الحارات والاحياء للبدء بالتسجيل الالكتروني، وتحديدا بالمناطق الفقيرة والنائية، لعدم وجود الشبكات الالكترونية. وتجدر الاشارة إلى أن مشروع " صوتي حقي في التعبير، صوتي حقي في التغيير"، يعتبر احدى التدخلات المباشرة لبرنامج دعم الانتخابات والذي تنفذه مفتاح منذ 2003، حيث يتم استكمال العمل مع جمهور الناخبين من تعزيز الوعي بأهمية العملية الانتخابية والمواطنة الفاعلة في التأثير والتغيير وممارسة حق المواطن/ة في التعبير والاختيار واهمية المشاركة السياسية في الادلاء بصوت الناخبين، والتأكيد على مبادئ الحكم الصالح، والدور الرقابي الذي يلعبه جمهور الناخبين في المشاركة والمساءلة.
بالإضافة الى توسيع قاعدة الوصول الى مجموعات من النساء والشابات المؤهلات والراغبات في الترشح لإعدادهن ككوادر قيادية قادرة على الترشح والانخراط في العملية الانتخابية بجاهزية وكفاءة، من خلال قيادة الحملات الانتخابية، الخطاب بمسؤولية مع جمهور الناخبين ووسائل الاعلام، والاهم المعرفة بالاطار القانوني للانتخاب وخاصة قانون انتخابات الهيئات المحلية.
من جهتها اكدت نجوى ياغي مديرة المشاريع لدى "مفتاح" ان هذه التدخلات تصب في الدفع باتجاه تعزيز مبادىء الدمقراطية والتي تسعى "مفتاح" من خلال تدخلاتها النوعية والميدانية الى الوصول لاكبر شريحة من جمهور الناخبين لتوعيتهم بحقوقهم السياسية والمدنية والتاكيد على ان المشاركة السياسية وممارسة حق الاقتراح هي الطرق المباشرة في تعزيز مبدا التداول السلمي للسلطة.
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.
