Ramallah – 16/11/2020 – On November 16, MIFTAH held a session in partnership with the Civil Society Team on Public Budget Transparency that discussed public spending policies and the inequality index results for 2020, published by OXFAM and based on several of MIFTAH’s financial reports and research papers. These reports addressed topics such as expenditures in the social sector and the tax system in Palestine, from a perspective of social justice.
Poverty in Palestine
MIFTAH project coordinator Hassan Mahareeq opened with a presentation on poverty in Palestine, noting that estimations from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) showed monetary poverty standing at 29%. That is, one in every six breadwinners in Palestine stopped working during the lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic and 52% of main wage worker breadwinners did not receive their wages/salaries during the lockdown. What’s more, over 53,000 Palestinian families fell under the poverty line according to OCHA estimates while Palestine’s ranking dropped 33 ranks to 118 of 158 countries (according to the 2020 Inequality Index) published by OXFAM and the Development Finance International.
Ministry of Social Development Interventions
In regards to interventions by the Ministry of Social Development for combatting poverty, Mahareeq explained that as part of its cash assistance program, the ministry provided cash assistance to approximately 105,000 families, also noting that other parties provided assistance.
According to the ministry, at the start of the pandemic, the number of beneficiaries was increased to 115,000 families; the ministry itself has 170,000 families or the equivalent of 950,000 Palestinian citizens registered on its lists. Of this number, 115,000 families receive cash and in-kind assistance regularly while the remainder receives irregular assistance. In this regard, in 2019, three installments were transferred to poor families while the fourth was not. In 2020, due to the clearance tax crisis, there are only three installments.
Recommendations for combatting poverty
Mahareeq showcased a number of recommendations pertaining to policies for combatting poverty such as: the need to increase budget allocations to the Ministry of Social Development for the development of the unified portal for social assistance; committing to the payment of allocations to the poor and transferring the four allocated installments in full, taking into consideration that the fourth installment which comprises 25% of the value of assistance provided to poor families was not transferred in 2019 and 2020; promoting coordination with all assistance-based parties; reviving the oversight of emergency committees; reviving the national cross-sectional strategy for combatting poverty in Palestine; and linking present legislation (Child Law, Disabled Rights Law) to cash assistance programs.
Public spending
According to MIFTAH reports and the Civil Society Team on Public Budget Transparency, spending on the Ministry of Health amounted to 10%-11% of the budget, noting that the Ministry of Health is facing a debt crisis of approximately ILS1 billion. The ceilings allocated to the operational budgets do not coincide with actual demands. One OCHA report pointed out that the coronavirus crisis laid bare the weakness of the health system’s infrastructure in terms of limited medical capabilities in Palestine and limited resources available to the Ministry of Health. In this regard, at the beginning of the state of emergency, the ministry closed most of its primary health services, transferring its medical staff to hospitals and quarantine centers. This meant that the measures taken to combat Covid-19 came at the expense of primary health services and services unrelated to the pandemic.
According to the OXFAM analysis, Palestine ranked 98 of 158 regarding public spending and public services. However, even with the slight increase in expenses on the health sector, which amounted to $571 million in 2019, 41% of Palestinian families still covered their own health expenses. Also, according to MIFTAH’s biannual report on social sector expenditures, the share of the Social Development Ministry was 7.7% of the overall public budget as of June of this year.
The recommendations on public spending included a call for adopting comprehensive and mandatory health insurance; the fair distribution of all health services to ensure access for all citizens; an increase in spending and allocations of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; taking into consideration the fair distribution of university grants; the need for an emergency plan to allow the Ministry of Health to address its programed operations, which were postponed because of the pandemic.
Tax Justice
The presentation included the OXFAM analysis on fair tax, which showed the clear weakness in the PA’s tax management due to its dependence on collection from limited-income citizens. This, the analysis said, reinforces inequality between the rich and poor and between women and men. For this reason, Palestine is among the bottom 10 countries in the index in regards to the tax system. According to the Tax Justice Index Report, the current Palestinian tax system and its various components, is fertile ground for continued tax leakage and tax evasion and for allowing the more vulnerable sectors to bear the heavier tax load.
The recommendations on tax justice called for the need to review conventional Palestinian policies and approaches that support linkage to the Israeli economy; adopting a progressive tax system for dealing with taxed sectors; ratifying a package of local laws to motivate imports and local products A1, A2 and B, and exports; formulating smart technical restrictions on imports from Israel; maximizing benefit from the goods lists in the Paris Protocol and conducting a comprehensive review to amend the quota in place since the protocol was signed on some goods, to coincide with increasing Palestinian needs.
The session was held as part of the “Finance for Development” project, which MIFTAH carries out in partnership with OXFAM. The project is in line with MIFTAH’s strategic approaches to continue lobbying and advocacy efforts to ensure social justice and equality in the development of public policies and also to promote good governance in Palestine.
مؤشرات وحقائق حول معدلات الفقر وسياسات الانفاق العام
جلسة حوارية ل'مفتاح' بعنوان 'العدالة الاجتماعية في السياسات المالية العامة'
تاريخ النشر: 17/11/2020
بقلم: مفتاح
رام الله – 16/11/2020 – عقدت المبادرة الفلسطينية لتعميق الحوار العالمي والديمقراطية "مفتاح" بالشراكة مع "الفريق الأهلي لدعم شفافية الموازنة العامة" يوم الاثنين الموافق 16/11/2020 جلسة حوارية تم خلالها مناقشة سياسات الإنفاق العام ونتائج مؤشر اللامساواة للعام 2020 الصادر عن منظمة اوكسفام، استناداً إلى عدد من التقارير المالية والأوراق البحثية التي عملت "مفتاح" على إعدادها، وتناولت مجالات الإنفاق على القطاع الاجتماعي والنظام الضريبي في فلسطين من منظور العدالة الاجتماعية.
واقع الفقر في فلسطين
واشتملت الجلسة على عرض قدمه حسن محاريق، منسق المشروع في "مفتاح" حول واقع الفقر في فلسطين، مشيراً إلى أن نسبة الفقر النقدي بحسب تقديرات الجهاز المركزي للإحصاء الفلسطيني وصلت إلى 29%، أي أن معيل واحد من بين 6 معيلين (17%) توقف عن العمل خلال فترة الاغلاق بسبب جائحة كورونا، وأن 52% من المعيلين الرئيسيين العاملين بأجر لم يتلقوا أجورهم/رواتبهم خلال فترة الإغلاق، في حين أن أكثر من 53 ألف أسرة فلسطينية رزحت تحت خط الفقر، بحسب تقديرات مكتب الأمم المتحدة لتنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، بينما انخفض ترتيب دولة فلسطين (بحسب مؤشر اللامساواة للعام 2020) والصادر عن أوكسفام ومنظمة تمويل التنمية الدولية بمقدار 33 خطوة لتصل إلى 118 من أصل 158 دولة.
تدخلات وزارة التنمية
وفيما يتعلق بتدخلات وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية لمكافحة الفقرـ دلّ العرض على أن الوزارة وضمن برنامج المساعدات النقدية كانت تقدم مساعدات نقدية لحوالي 105 آلاف عائلة، مع الإشارة إلى وجود أطراف أخرى تقدم المساعدات.
وبحسب وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية تم في بداية الجائحة زيادة عدد المستفيدين من البرنامج بحيث أصبحوا 115 ألف أسرة. في حين، أن لدى الوزارة ما يساوي 170 ألف عائلة، أي ما يساوي 950 ألف مواطن فلسطيني مدرجون ضمن قوائمها، 115 ألفاً يتلقون مساعدات مالية وعينية بانتظام، والبقية يتلقون مساعدات غير منتظمة. وفي هذا الصدد تم خلال العام 2019 تحويل 3 دفعات للأسر الفقيرة، ولم يتم تحويل الدفعة الرابعة، وخلال العام الحالي 2020، ونظراً لأزمة المقاصة كان الاكتفاء فقط في 3 دفعات.
توصيات مكافحة الفقر
وعرض محاريق في هذا السياق عدداً من التوصيات المتعلقة بسياسات مكافحة الفقر من أبرزها: الحاجة إلى تخصيص موازنات إضافية لوزارة التنمية الاجتماعية تساهم في تطوير قاعدة البيانات، والبوابة الموحدة للمساعدات، والالتزام بدفع مخصصات الفقراء وتحويل الدفعات كاملة، علماً بأن الدفعة الرابعة تشكل 25% من قيمة المساعدات المقدمة للعائلات الفقيرة، وتعزيز التنسيق مع كافة الجهات المقدمة للمساعدات، وتفعيل الرقابة على لجان الطوارئ، وكذلك تفعيل استراتيجية وطنية عبر قطاعية لمكافحة الفقر في فلسطين، وربط التشريعات القائمة (قانون الطفل، وقانون حقوق المعوقين) ببرامج المساعدات النقدية.
الإنفاق العام
أما فيما يتعلق بالإنفاق العام، كما ورد خلال العرض، فقد بلغت نسبة الانفاق على وزارة الصحة بحسب تقارير "مفتاح" والفريق الأهلي لدعم شفافية الموازنة العامة ما بين 10 – 11% من الموازنة، علما أن وزارة الصحة تعاني من أزمة ديون تصل إلى حوالي مليار شيكل، وأن ما يخصص من أسقف للموازنات التشغيلية لا ينسجم والمتطلبات الفعلية. وقد أظهر تقرير صادر عن "OCHA" أن حالة كورونا كشفت حالة ضعف البنية التحتية للنظام الصحي من حيث محدودية الإمكانيات الطبية الموجودة في فلسطين، ومحدودية الموارد المتاحة لوزارة الصحة، وفي هذا السياق، أغلقت الوزارة خلال الفترة الأولى لحالة الطوارئ معظم الخدمات الصحية الأولية، وتم نقل الكادر للعمل في المستشفيات ومراكز الحجر الصحي. كما جاءت التدابير لمواجهة كورونا على حسب الخدمات الصحية الأولية والخدمات الصحية غير المرتبطة بأزمة كورونا.
وبحسب التحليل الصادر من منظمة أوكسفام، فقد احتلت فلسطين المرتبة 98 من أصل 158 فيما يتعلق بالإنفاق العام والخدمات العامة، وبالرغم من الزيادة الطفيفة في الإنفاق على القطاع الصحي والذي بلغ 571 مليون دولار عام 2019، إلا أنه ما زال 41% من الأسر الفلسطينية تغطي تكاليف الخدمات الصحية على نفقتها الخاصة. وبحسب التقرير نصف السنوي لمؤسسة "مفتاح" حول الإنفاق على القطاع الاجتماعي بلغت حصة وزارة التنمية الاجتماعية 7.7% من إجمالي الموازنة العامة لغاية شهر حزيران من العام الجاري.
وقد تضمنت التوصيات المتعلقة بالإنفاق العام الدعوة إلى تبني التأمين الصحي الشامل والإلزامي، وتوزيع مراكز الخدمات الصحية بمختلف أنواعها بشكل عادل يضمن قدرة المواطنين على الوصول إليها، وزيادة الإنفاق ومخصصات وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي والبحث العلمي، ومراعاة التوزيع العادل لصرف المنح للجامعات، وضرورة وضع خطة طارئة تمكن وزارة الصحة من التعامل مع العمليات المبرمجة التي تم تأجيلها بسبب جائحة كورونا.
العدالة الضريبية
إلى ذلك، لفت العرض إلى التحليل الصادر عن أوكسفام في موضوعة العدالة الضريبية، حيث كشف التحليل عن ضعف واضح في إدارة السلطة الفلسطينية للضرائب، بحيث تعتمد على التحصيل من ذوي الدخل المحدود، مما يعزز عدم المساواة بين الأغنياء والفقراء وبين النساء والرجال، ونتيجة لذلك، فإن فلسطين تعد من بين أل 10 دول المتدنية في المؤشر عندما يتعلق الأمر بالنظام الضريبي ومكوناته. وبحسب تقرير مؤشر العدالة الضريبية، فإنّ النظام الضريبي الفلسطيني بشكله الحالي وبمكوناته المختلفة هو بيئة خصبة لاستمرار التسرب المالي، والنهب الضريبي، وتحمل الفئات الأقل حظاً النصيب الأكبر من العبء الضريبي.
في هذا السياق، دعت التوصيات المتعلقة بالعدالة الضريبية إلى ضرورة مراجعة السياسات والتوجهات الفلسطينية التقليدية الداعمة أساساً للارتباط بالاقتصاد الإسرائيلي، واعتماد النظام الضريبي التصاعدي في التعامل مع الفئات المكلفة ضريبياً، وإقرار رزمة القوانين المحلية المحفزة للاستيراد والانتاج المحلي والتصدير، ووضع قيود فنية ذكية على الواردات من إسرائيل، وتعظيم الاستفادة من قوائم السلع A1,A2,B، الواردة في اتفاق باريس وإجراء مراجعة شاملة لتعديل الكوتا المفروضة منذ توقيع الاتفاق على بعض السلع، بما يتلاءم مع تزايد الاحتياجات الفلسطينية.
تأتي هذه الجلسة ضمن مشروع "التمويل من أجل التنمية" الذي تنفذه "مفتاح" بالشراكة وبدعم من منظمة أوكسفام، وانسجاماً مع التوجهات الاستراتيجية ل"مفتاح" والمتمثلة باستمرار جهود الضغط والمناصرة لضمان العدالة الاجتماعية والمساواة في بلورة السياسات العامة، وتعزيز الحكم الرشيد في فلسطين.
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.
