MIFTAH recently held a press conference in which it announced the results of a study on the hindrances to youth and women’s advancement to decision-making positions within the PLO. The study was conducted in cooperation and coordination with representatives from political factions and women and youth groups which acted as a steering committee for the study in cooperation with Leading Point Consulting.
MIFTAH project coordinator Hassan Mahareeq said the study was part of the organization’s project “Promoting Palestinian women and youth representation in the Palestinian political system”, especially within the PLO, which MIFTAH implements in cooperation with the Euro-Med Women Network. He said the study provided insight and qualitative contributions that could enrich efforts to reform the PLO on new foundations and according to a perspective based on the principles of human rights, political partnership and promoting equality and justice for various components of the Palestinian people, particularly women and youth, in terms of the nature and scope of their participation and representation within the PLO’s factions and bodies.
Author of the study, Khaled Nabris, said the results showed a clear decline in the representation of women in the PLO’s framework. He also said it revealed several regulations and internal procedures in some of the PLO’s factions and bodies that limit or even prevent youth from reaching decision-making levels.
The study indicated that equal representation of women and youth and their ascension to decision-making positions can only be achieved through the PLO’s components, namely political factions and parties, popular unions and the PLC. This, he maintained, requires the development of the systems and practices of these three entities to ensure the broadest possible representation of women and youth in them.
The study called for the participation of the women’s and youth movement in discussions on the reform process of the PLO and to build on what the factions and parties agreed on in regards to reviving and developing the framework structure and performance of the PLO. This is to ensure that the demands of women and youth to equality and equal representation are integrated into the PLO’s new systems, which will lay the foundation for future general elections.
The study also stressed on the importance of the women’s movement preserving its achievements and accomplishments and building on them. It called for an objective and in-depth assessment of the women’s quota system and for putting mechanisms in place by forming bodies for monitoring, following up and accountability over women’s and youth rights. These will gauge the extent of commitment of PLO bodies, factions and parties in implementing the women and youth quota system to ensure that women and youth reach advanced decision-making positions.
Steering committee member representing FIDA Siham Barghouthi, said the committee made the study unique given that it is comprised of the various factions and followed the study closely from the beginning. She said the committee ensured that youth and women were integrated in the PLO’s bodies and frameworks in order to revive and reform them.
Meanwhile, PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi pointed to the need for formulating an integral action plan through building an alliance over goals between civil society and women’s and youth organizations and groups. In this regard, she criticized rhetoric based on slogans and also the methods employed that are not in line with developments of these times or the future.
Furthermore, MIFTAH’s Programs Director Lamis Hantouli said that the study would be followed by practical interventions based on scientific foundations in cooperation with the steering committee, in order to unify efforts towards reviving the participation of women and youth in decision-making positions.
مؤتمر صحفي ل'مفتاح' يستعرض نتائج دراسة حول 'المعوقات التي تحد من تقدم النساء والشباب في مراكز صنع القرار ضمن إطار منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية'
تاريخ النشر: 03/05/2017
بقلم: مفتاح
عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار والديمقراطية " مفتاح" مؤتمرا صحفياً في رام الله، أعلنت خلاله نتائج الدراسة البحثية حول " المعوقات التي تحد من تقدم النساء والشباب في مراكز صنع القرار ضمن إطار منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية"، بالتنسيق والمشاركة مع ممثلين/ات عن الفصائل السياسية والأطر النسوية والشبابية، والتي عملت كلجنة توجيهية لهذه الدراسة بالتعاون مع مؤسسة ليدنج بوينت الاستشارية.
ولفت حسن محاريق منسق المشروع، إلى أن إجراء هذه الدراسة يأتي ضمن مشروع " توحيد الجهود الوطنية للضغط باتجاه تمثيل عادل للنساء والشباب ضمن إطار النظام السياسي الفلسطيني وخاصة ضمن إطار منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية"، والذي تنفذه المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار والديمقراطية "مفتاح"، بالتعاون مع نساء الأورو متوسط/ مشيرا إلى أن الدراسة قدمت إضاءات ومساهمة نوعية إضافية يمكن لها أن تثري جهود إصلاح منظمة التحرير على أسس جديدة، ووفق منظور يستند إلى مبادئ حقوق الانسان وتكريس الشراكة السياسية وتعزيز المساواة والعدالة اتجاه مختلف مكونات الشعب الفلسطيني ولا سيما النساء والشباب، من حيث طبيعة وحجم مشاركتهم وتمثيلهم داخل جميع أطر وهيئات وفصائل منظمة التحرير.
وعن فحوى ومضمون ما تمخضت عن الدراسة، قال خالد النبريص معد الدراسة أن النتائج أظهرت تدنياً واضحا في تمثيل النساء ضمن الأطر النظامية المكونة لمنظمة التحرير، بالإضافة إلى أنها لاحظت وجود العديد من الانظمة والاجراءات الداخلية في بعض الفصائل والهيئات التي تتشكل منها منظمة التحرير التي تقيد أو تحد أو تمنع وصول الشباب إلى مستويات اتخاذ القرار.
وأشارت الدراسة، إلى أن تمثيل النساء والشباب بشكل متكافئ ووصولهم لمواقع صنع القرار، لا يمكن أن يتم إلا من خلال أحد المكونات التي تتشكل منها منظمة التحرير، وهي: الفصائل والأحزاب السياسية، النقابات والاتحادات الشعبية، والمجلس التشريعي. وهذا يتطلب العمل لتطوير أنطمة وممارسات هذه المداخل الثلاثة لضمان تمثيل أوسع للنساء والشباب فيها.
ودعت إلى ضرورة مشاركة الحركة النسوية والأطر الشبابية في الحوارات الخاصة بعملية إصلاح منظمة التحرير والبناء على ما توافقت عليه مختلف الفصائل والاحزاب الفلسطينية بخصوص تفعيل وتطوير هيكلية وأداء منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، للتأكد من إدماج المطالب النسوية والشبابية في المساواة والتمثيل المتكافئ في أنظمة منظمة التحرير الجديدة التي يتم العمل على وضعها والتي تؤسس لإجراء الانتخابات القادمة.
وأكدت الدراسة على أهمية، أن تحافظ الحركة النسوية على المنجزات والمكتسبات والبناء عليها، وإجراء تقييم معمق وموضوعي لنظام الكوتا النسوية، ووضع آليات من خلال تشكيل أجسام للمراقبة والمتابعة والمساءلة حول حقوق النساء والشباب، ومدى التزام هيئات منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية والفصائل والأحزاب بتطبيق نظام الكوتا النسوية والشبابية عند إقرارها لضمان وصول النساء والشباب إلى مواقع متقدمة في مراكز صنع القرار.
في حين قالت سهام البرغوثي عضو اللجنة التوجيهية للدراسة عن "فدا"، أن أهم ما يميز هذه الدراسة هو وجود لجنة توجيهية من مختلف الفصائل تابعت الدراسة أولاً بأول، وأكدت على ضرورة ادماج الشباب والنساء في الأطر والهيئات المكونة لمنظمة التحرير من أجل تفعيلها واصلاحها.
أما الدكتورة حنان عشراوي عضو اللجنة التنفيذية لمنظمة التحرير الفلسطينية، فأشارت خلال كلمتها في المؤتمر إلى ضرورة وضع خطة عمل متكاملة من خلال بناء تحالف في الأهداف ما بين مكونات المجتمع المدني وبين المنظمات والهيئات التي تعنى بالمرأة والشباب، وحذرت من استمرار الاقصاء الحالي للمرأة والشباب في الأطر المكونة لمنظمة التحرير، ودعت إلى ضرورة معالجة هذه القضية بشكل متكامل ومنسجم. وأن تكون هناك تحالفات في الأهداف ما بين مكونات المجتمع المدني، وما بين المنظمات والهيئات التي تعنى بالمرأة والشباب. في حين انتقدت الخطاب المبني على الشعارات، وكذلك الأساليب التي لا تواكب تطورات العصر والمستقبل.
بينما أشارت لميس الحنتولي مديرة البرامج في "مفتاح" الى أنه سيتم لاحقاً لهذه الدراسة بناء تدخلات عملية مبنية على أسس علمية، وبالتعاون مع اللجنة التوجيهية لتوحيد الجهود باتجاه تفعيل مشاركة الشباب والنساء في مراكز صنع القرار.
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.
