Fahed and Hiba, both young and ambitious leaders, were participants in a workshop for a new youth group, organized by MIFTAH in partnership with the organization’s Irish and Norwegian funders. The new group is part of the expansion of the Palestinian Political and Social Active Youth Network.
Legal intern: impact on two levels Recently, Hiba Abdallah Daoud, a legal intern and youth leader from Balata camp near Nablus, completed the Youth Network training, which she says was significant to her on two levels: personal and social. At the personal level, Hiba says she was able to advance her capabilities, skills and the scope of her acquaintances. “I built personal relationships with other young people and youth organizations and found a welcoming place for myself as a young Palestinian woman who now knows she has a vision and aspirations to contribute to the development of and change in her society.” Hiba explains the frustration and desperation she and others feel towards the current situation, whether in terms of the Israeli occupation or the internal situation represented in the political split and lack of a political and social vision.
At the social level, Hiba says her participation in the workshop will help her contribute to change in society. “Every society must be based on a strategic plan that caters to every aspect and level. The Youth Network could participate in pushing in this direction.” She also believes in the strength and capabilities of the youth in contributing to ending the political division, achieving full gender equality, ending the occupation and achieving freedom for the Palestinians.
The most significant outcome of the workshop, however, came from within herself, she says. “I achieved self-realization without having to deny the other”. She also learned about social transformation in conflict. “The training workshop built strong bridges between the individuals in the group in spite of the differences among them. No one took center stage at the expense of another. It also changed some of my preconceptions and reestablished them according to their correct definitions and contexts.” Hiba continues, “I left the workshop believing in the snowball theory and in my ability to bring about change.”
Engineer student discovers a new reality
Fahed Omar Qawasmi from Hebron is an engineer student at Al Quds University in Abu Dis. In participating in the MIFTAH workshop, Fahed says he wanted to learn more about the Palestinian reality and understand its politics, then try to have an impact on them. Fahed says he was impressed by how the workshop’s moderator was able to elicit ideas from the youth group, reorganize them and then re-propose them as the outcome of their thought process and beliefs. He said the moderator did not dictate anything to the group, but guided them in new ways of thinking, thereby transforming problems into transcendent solutions and providing the participants with new horizons.
Ambitious and optimistic
Fahed describes himself as an ambitious and very optimistic young man. He says the training’s impact on him was huge, admitting that he became aware of many negative aspects around him but at the same time was motivated to ponder these aspects in a new light. “We became aware that Palestinian youths are capable of pinpointing any given problem and transforming it, then finding the right solutions without resorting to dictates.” Fahed says this is applicable to him personally, in his capacity as someone affiliated with a certain political faction. “I can differ with a colleague from another faction; I can discuss with him and oppose him and he can do the same thing. But in the end, we reach a compromise, without violence or coercion. And we do not act according to our emotions alone.”
Reviving the role of youth in the public arena In the MIFTAH workshop, which was held at the Crowne Hotel in Ramallah, Hiba and Fahed were among 25 young men and women from various parts of the West Bank, including Jerusalem. The workshop fell within the scope of MIFTAH’s interests in empowering and supporting young leaders given the challenges and problems Palestinian youths face today. In 2003, MIFTAH launched its program for empowering and supporting young leaders. According to MIFTAH’s youth project coordinator Shadi Zeidat, the program is aimed at allowing for active and fruitful participation of youths in the change and development process in Palestine at the political and social levels.
Strategic goal
Zeidat continues: “MIFTAH works according to a strategic goal of supporting the active role of youth in the public arena through training programs that address social analysis and a correct reading of the Palestinian reality. This is through tackling the most pressing challenges and contradictions within the cultural and social system on the one hand, and the structural framework of the Palestinian political system on the other.” Zeidat explains that MIFTAH works with youth groups within an interactive framework far removed from traditional and routine patterns. He says MIFTAH works with youths according to the social transformation in conflict approach, which is based on mobilizing the youths’ intellectual and analytical potentials through tools for promoting democratic interaction and reaching conciliatory visions and solutions that meet individual needs. He continues that this interactive and inclusive approach is what prevails in spite of the intellectual, cultural and individual differences between the youths.
فهد وهبة: تجربة نوعية في إطار شبكة الشباب الفلسطيني الفاعل سياسيا ومجتمعيا
تاريخ النشر: 24/08/2016
بقلم: مفتاح
اتفقت هبة، وفهد وهما من القيادات الشابة الطموحة على تحقيق هدفهما من الالتحاق في الورشة التدريبية الخاصة بالمجموعة الشبابية الجديدة، التي نظمتها المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح"، بالشراكة مع الممثلتين الايرلندية والنرويجية، وهي مجموعة شبابية جديدة تشكلت في إطار توسيع شبكة الشباب الفلسطيني الفاعل سياسيا ومجتمعيا".
محامية متدربة: تأثير على مستويين
مؤخرا أتمت هبة عبد الله داود، وهي محامية متدربة، وقيادية شابة من مخيم بلاطة قرب نابلس، تدريبا في إطار المجموعة الجديدة من الشبكة، وكان لهذا أهمية خاصة بالنسبة إليها على مستويين : شخصي ومجتمعي. فعلى الجانب الشخصي – كما تقول هبة – استطاعت أن تنمي معارفها ومهاراتها وقدراتها، وبناء علاقات شخصية مع شاب ومؤسسات وإيجاد حاضنة لها كشابة فلسطينية ترى أن لديها رؤية وطموح في المساهمة بتطوير وتغيير المجتمع، حيث هناك حالة من الاحباط واليأس إزاء الأوضاع القائمة سواء من جهة الاحتلال والوضع الداخلي المتمثل بالانقسام، وانعدام الرؤية السياسية والمجتمعية.
في حين تكتسب مشاركتها في التدريب الأخير أهمية مجتمعية من حيث المساهمة والمساعدة في تغيير المجتمع – كما تقول هبة –إيمانا منها ب "أن كل مجتمع يجب أن يبنى على خطط استراتيجية تصنعها على جميع المستويات، وقد تساهم الشبكة الشبابية في الدفع باتجاهها". إضافة إلى إيمانها بقوة وقدرة الشباب على المساهمة في إنهاء الانقسام وتحقيق المساواة الكاملة بين الجنسين، ودحر الاحتلال وتحقيق الحرية للشعب الفلسطيني.
المعرفة والتطبيق
لقد اكتسبت هبة، خليطا من المعرفة والمعلومات الهامة جرى تطبيق ما كان ذات أهمية بالنسبة إليها، وضرورة التفاعل مع بعض المشكلات وإيجاد الحلول لها والبحث فيها، حيث كان التدريب في مجمله عن الصراع ومنهجيته، وأنواعه، وتطبيقاته على الحالة الفلسطينية.
اما الانعكاس الأهم عليها، فهو تحقيقها لذاتها دون إلغاء الآخر أو نفيه، من خلال تحديد الاحتياجات والوصول إليها، و القدرة على تحويل الصراع وهي عملية تحتاج إلى وقت. تقول هبة:" لقد شيدت الورشة التدريبية جسورا متينة بين أفراد المجموعة بالرغم من الاختلافات بيت الجميع. ولم يظهر أحد على حساب الآخر. كما غيرت بعض المفاهيم لدي، ووضعتها في إطارها وتعريفها ونطاقها العلمي الصحيح. وخرجت وأنا مؤمنة أكثر بنظرية كرة الثلج ، وبقدرتي على التغيير".
طالب هندسة يكتشف واقعه من جديد
بالنسبة للشاب فهد عمر القواسمي من الخليل وطالب الهندسة في جامعة القدس أبو ديس، فالتحاقه بالورشة التدريبية ل"مفتاح" كان هدفه اكتشاف الواقع الفلسطيني وفهم سياساته، ومحاولته كشاب التأثير فيها. يقول فهد:" شدني في التدريب قدرة الميسر على استنباط الأفكار من الشباب وتجميعها وطرحها، لتكون نتاج ما يفكرون به وما يعتقدون، ولم يمل عليهم أي شيء من قبله. كان الأساس توجيه المشاركين نحو الفكرة وتوظيفها في المسارات التي يفكرون بها ، وتحويل المشكلة إلى حلول جديدة تمنح المشاركين أفقا جديدة".
طموح ومتفائل
يصف ( فهد) نفسه بأنه شاب طموح، ومتفائل جدا، وكان تأثير التدريب وانعكاسه عليه كبيرا جدا. لقد تعرفت على كثير من السلبيات، لكنه أعطاني دفعة كبيرة للتفكير والتأمل، والاعتقاد بأننا كشباب فلسطينيين قادرين أن نحدد المشكلة ونحولها ونجد الحلول المناسبة لها دون أي إملاءات. وهذا ينطبق علي كشاب منتم لفصيل معين، أختلف مع زميل لي في فصيل آخر. أناقشه وأعارضه، وهو يفعل الشيء ذاته، لكننا في النهاية نصل إلى حلول وسط بلا عنف أو إكراه، وأن لا نعمل بعواطفنا فقط".
تفعيل دور الشباب في المجال العام
الورشة التدريبية الأخيرة التي عقدت في فندق كراون برام الله، كانت هبة وفهد، من بين نحو 25 شابا وشابة من مختلف المحافظات في الضفة الغربية بما فيها القدس. واندرجت هذه الورشة في سياق اهتمام "مفتاح" بتمكين ودعم القيادات الشابة، والنابع من الفهم لمجمل التحديات والمشاكل التي تواجه الشباب الفلسطيني، حيث كانت "مفتاح" أطلقت منذ العام 2003 برنامج تقوية ودعم القيادات الشابة والهادف إلى تمكين الشباب من المشاركة الفاعلة والمثمرة في المساهمة بعملية التغيير والتطوير في فلسطين على المستويين السياسي والاجتماعي، كما يقول شادي زيدات منسق مشاريع الشباب في "مفتاح".
هدف استراتيجي
يضيف زيدات:" تعمل "مفتاح" في إطار هدف استراتيجي يدعم تفعيل دور الشباب في المجال العام، من خلال برامج تدريبية متخصصة تتناول التحليل المجتمعي والقيام بقراءة صحيحة للواقع الفلسطيني من خلال الوقوف على أبرز التحديات والتناقضات التي تحتويها المنظومة الثقافية والمجتمعية من جهة، والإطار البنيوي للنظام السياسي الفلسطيني من جهة أخرى، حيث يكون العمل مع المجموعات الشبابية في إطار تفاعلي بعيد كل البعد عن الأنماط التقليدية والروتينية في العمل مع الشباب، حيث تستند "مفتاح"، في عملها مع الشباب على منهجية التحويل المجتمعي في الصراع، والتي تقوم على استنفار الطاقات الشبابية الفكرية والتحليلية من خلال أدوات تعزيز الإطار الديمقراطي في التفاعل والوصول إلى رؤى توافقية وحلول ترتقي عن الاحتياجات الفردية، بحيث يسود الاطار التفاعلي الجامع لجميع المشاركين من الشباب والشابات بالرغم من الاختلافات الفكرية والثقافية والاحتياجات الفردية .
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.
