Ramallah – On November 27, MIFTAH completed a series of training workshops on the conceptual framework for public and participatory budgets, which targeted members of the joint planning councils in the following districts: Jericho, Nablus, Hebron and Jerusalem. The workshops are part of the ongoing cooperation between MIFTAH and the Ministry of Social Development, aimed at promoting the participatory approach and principles of transparency and accountability in the preparation of the Ministry’s budget.
Deputy assistant minister, Anwar Hamam thanked MIFTAH for its continuous support, which he said allowed the ministry to adopt mechanisms for promoting transparency in its budgets and for adopting the participatory approach in planning and preparing its budgets based on the needs of its beneficiaries. He said the ministry wanted to institutionalize cooperation between the ministry and the joint planning councils through these training workshops given that they include several institutions partnered with the ministry in every district. He also said the ministry wanted its planning operations to include representatives from various social sectors, namely women, the elderly, the disabled and youth.
Nisreen Manarious from the Princess Basma Center in Jerusalem said this was the first time there was space for developing a deeper understanding of participatory budgets. “As a center that works in the field of rehabilitation, we understand the importance of the participatory role between the ministry and institutions because it increases opportunities for our targeted sectors to obtain and access the best possible services.”
Hayat Zughayer from the Emleson Women’s Society in Jerusalem said the workshop offered added value in terms of information and tools. She said they did not have information regarding government spending and how to prepare public budgets. “Now there is an opportunity to benefit from all this since we are partners in the joint planning councils; we can shed light on the needs of women in Jerusalem and the specific circumstances and challenges they face because of Israel’s assault on all areas of life in the city. We need to prepare a paper that determines the priorities and needs of women in Jerusalem and which corresponds with the ministry’s plan for preparing its budget, especially in regards to the policies of protection and integration of women.
MIFTAH and the ministry both seek to build the capacities of members of the joint planning councils in West Bank districts and provide them with information and skills to promote their participation in monitoring the needs of local communities in accordance with the exclusivity of each district. They also seek to support the ministry in translating their reconsideration of a services-oriented approach instead of an assistance-based one, through a shift towards adopting developmental instead of relief policies and to overcome the challenges that threaten the developmental approach imposed by the reality of living under occupation.
The training workshops reflect the importance of the integrative role with official institutions, particularly the Ministry of Social Development given its pioneer role in providing spaces for the participation of citizens and their representatives to guarantee the integration of their needs in the planning process and in developing fiscal policies in line with the ministry’s role in adopting policies to promote social protection for every Palestinian citizen, especially those most vulnerable and marginalized.
The workshops are part of a series of qualitative interventions implemented by MIFTAH in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development within the course of strategic action towards the institutionalization of the participatory approach and the principles of good governance and social justice, aimed at developing and implementing fiscal policies that serve the public good. MIFTAH’s interventions are part of its OXFAM-funded project, “Finance for Development”.
مؤسسة 'مفتاح' ووزارة التنمية الاجتماعية تختتمان سلسلة ورشات تدريبية حول الإطار المفاهيمي للموازنة العامة والموازنة التشاركية
تاريخ النشر: 30/11/2019
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – اختتمت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" يوم الأربعاء الموافق 27/11/2019 سلسلة ورشات تدريبية حول الإطار المفاهيمي للموازنة العامة والموازنة التشاركية، استهدفت أعضاء مجالس التخطيط المشترك في كل من محافظات: أريحا، نابلس، الخليل والقدس، في إطار التعاون المستمر مع وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية، والهادف إلى تعزيز النهج التشاركي ومبادئ الشفافية والمساءلة في إعداد الموازنة الخاصة لوزارة التنمية الاجتماعية.
وتقدم وكيل مساعد – وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية، أنور حمام بالشكر لمؤسسة "مفتاح" على مساندتها المستمرة، والتي مكنت الوزارة من تبني الآليات التي من شأنها أن تعزز من شفافية موازناتها واعتماد التشاركية كنهج للتخطيط وإعداد موازناتها بناء على احتياج الفئات المستفيدة من خدمات الوزارة، مشيرا إلى أن الوزارة تسعى من وراء تنفيذ سلسلة التدريبات هذه إلى مأسسة التعاون ما بين الوزارة ومجالس التخطيط المشترك والتي بدورها تضم عدداً من المؤسسات الشريكة للوزارة في كل محافظة، كما وتتطلع الوزارة إلى أن تشمل عمليات التخطيط لديها حضوراً لكل ممثلي الفئات المجتمعية لاسيماالنساء، والمسنين، والمعاقين، والشباب.
وأشارت نسرين مناريوس من مؤسسة الأميرة بسمة في القدس، إحدى المشاركات في الورشات التدريبية إلى أن هذا الموضوع يطرح لأول مرة مساحة لبلورة فهم أعمق للموازنات التشاركية. وقالت: "نحن كمؤسسة تعمل في قطاع التأهيل ندرك أهمية الدور التشاركي بين الوزارة والمؤسسات العاملة في قطاعات مختلفة مما يعظم من فرص تمتع الفئات التي تستهدفها المؤسسة من الحصول والوصول إلى خدمات أفضل".
وتطرقت حياة زغير من جمعية سيدات "إمليسون" في القدس، كان لهذا التدريب إضافة نوعية من حيث المعلومات والأدوات، حيث لم تكن لدينا المعلومات المتعلقة بالإنفاق الحكومي وكيفية إعداد الموازنات العامة واليوم أصبح هناك فرصة للاستفادة كوننا شركاء في مجالس التخطيط المشترك من إبراز احتياجات النساء في القدس وخصوصية الظروف والتحديات التي تواجه نساء القدس في ظل الهجمة الاسرائيلية على كل المكونات الاجتماعية للمدينة، وهنا لابد من بذل الجهد اللازم للخروج بورقة تحدد الأولويات والاحتياجات لنساء القدس وموائمتها مع خطة الوزارة لإعداد موازنتها وخاصة بما يتعلق بسياسات الحماية والإدماج الملائمة للنساء.
وتسعى كل من الوزارة ومؤسسة "مفتاح" إلى بناء قدرات أعضاء مجالس التخطيط المشترك في محافظات الضفة الغربية، وتزويدهم بالمعارف والمهارات بغية تعزيز مشاركتهم في رصد احتياجات المجتمعات المحلية بما يتناسب مع خصوصية كل محافظة، ومساندة الوزارة في ترجمة توجهاتها المتعلقة بإعادة الاعتبار لتقديم الخدمات بدلاً من المساعدات من خلال التحول باتجاه تبني سياسات تطويرية تنموية عوضاً عن المنحى الإغاثي، وتجاوز التحديات التي تهدد النهج التنموي الذي يفرضه الواقع المعاش تحت الاحتلال.
تأتي هذه الورشات التدريبية انعكاساً لأهمية الدور التكاملي مع المؤسسات الرسمية وخاصة وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية، لما لها من دور ريادي في توفير مساحات لإشراك المواطنين وممثليهم، لضمان دمج احتياجاتهم في عملية التخطيط وانعكاسها في بلورة السياسات المالية بما ينسجم مع دور الوزارة في تبني سياسات لتعزيز الحماية الاجتماعية لكل مواطن فلسطيني وخاصة الفئات الأكثر فقراً وتهميشا.
كما تأتي هذه الورشات التدريبية ضمن سلسلة من التدخلات النوعية التي تنفذها مؤسسة مفتاح بالشراكة مع وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية في مسار العمل الاستراتيجي نحو مأسسة النهج التشاركي ومبادئ الحوكمة الرشيدة والعدالة الاجتماعية في بلورة وتنفيذ السياسات المالية بما يخدم الصالح العام. في حين تأتي هذه التدخلات " ضمن مشروع "التمويل من أجل التنمية" الممول من أوكسفام.
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.
