Ramallah – Twenty-four female local council members from marginalized areas in the Nablus district were part of a two-day workshop in which they learned important information about structural planning, architectural plans and the importance of developmental and strategic planning.

The first phase of the project was implemented and entitled: “Promoting the role of local council members in decision making”, carried out by MIFTAH through the National Center for Sustainable Development in Nablus and funded by the Canada Fund for local initiatives.

According to project director at MIFTAH Najwa Yaghi, the training is the first phase of a one-month project which began at the beginning of February. The second phase began on February 23 and was completed on the 25th, which included training local council members on issues such as water and electricity extensions, street lighting, sewage systems and solid waste.

Yaghi pointed out that the training was based on recommendations made by “The Fifth National Gathering of Women Leaders”, which MIFTAH convened last November. The Gathering was attended by a considerable number of female local council members, activists and women’s leaders. One of the most significant recommendations was the need to hold training courses for local council members with the aim of empowering women to be able to carry out the tasks required of them as members of local councils.

Yaghi continued that the first phase of the project was aimed at promoting the role of female local council members in decision-making, saying they have made good leeway in this regard. Yaghi also said MIFTAH responded to their recommendations and wishes to be more informed in other seemingly complex issues such as structural plans.

Planning engineer Ibrahim Al Hmouz said the women in the training course had a certain level of awareness about some local government laws and also about construction planning and licensing. He estimated that around 30% of the women had a fair amount of information about planning but admitted that their knowledge was not in-depth. “Even so, they were active participants,” he said. “They asked a lot of questions and were able to specify their needs, which they will now be able to take to their councils on issues of planning and organization.” Hmouz said it was not so important to ‘memorize’ the local government law, which Yaghi said the women had already received training on, but to be introduced to it and be able to be in touch with citizen issues. “This applies to me as well as an engineer; I work with the organization law but I don’t necessarily have it memorized.”

The training included presentations and recommendations by the council members, which focused on the need to promote their role as members in these councils now that they have the basic information on the issues previously mentioned. The women also called on the local media to play a bigger role in following up with their councils and highlighting the problems and challenges faced in these marginalized areas.

MIFTAH’s coordinator in Nablus, Abeer Kilani, seconded this, saying there was a need to revive the role of the media on issues such as structural plans and the categorization of Area C given that it is an ‘endangered area’, in addition to acquainting citizens and raising their awareness on the importance of structural plans before starting any project.