Supporting Civil Society at Local Level

Programme description

Title: Programme of Support for Civil Society at Local Level in the Palestinian Territories
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Palestinian territories
Lead executing agency: Palestinian Ministry of Local Government
Overall term: 2009 to 2012

Context

As the backbone of public administration, local authorities in the Palestinian territories carry special responsibility for providing basic services for the population. However, the municipal and local authorities have been severely affected by the economic and political crisis. The local economy is in stagnation; many citizens are unable or unwilling to pay fees or taxes. Thus the budgets of the local authorities are shrinking and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to deliver important local services.

Objective

Local authorities and civil society organisations are better able to provide the population with basic services.

Approach

GIZ is implementing this project in cooperation with German political foundations. In accordance with the principles of good governance, the partner authorities are being empowered to modernise their administrations, introduce transparent financial management and improve the quality of their service provision. Elected local officials and employees of civil society organisations are given training to enable them to cooperate in local policy planning and decision-making processes and to carry out their first joint initiatives. In this way, the programme supports local reform processes, strengthens the participation of the people in the political process and promotes the development of democratic structures. The priority at national level is to establish an enabling environment for the local authorities. Above all, this involves regulating and supervising the local administrations, shaping the relationships between national, regional and local levels, and allocating responsibilities and financing for the municipalities and local councils.

Results achieved so far

Sustainable development is a core issue for GIZ. This applies equally in regions marked by conflict and political instability. The following measures have been implemented so far:

  • In cooperation with the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Planning and Administrative Development, the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF) and a group of local authorities, a set of policy guidelines for strategic local development and investment planning has been created. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the ministers of local government and planning presented these collectively at the end of September 2009. Local authorities are receiving financial support from the MDLF to implement these guidelines. Within the context of the Municipal Development Programme, GIZ is cooperating with KfW Entwicklungsbank and six other development partners.
  • So far, Strategic Development and Investment Plans have been prepared in eight local authorities. Local non-governmental organisations, private sector associations and other civil society organisations – particularly representatives of women's organisations – have been actively involved in discussing and identifying development priorities and measures. A number of forums for exchange have been established, such as the first German-Palestinian local government forum. This involves cooperation with the Palestinian Local Government Association, German political foundations and GIZ. The forums are intended to intensify specialist learning processes, the exchange of experiences and the collective representation of interests by local authorities.
  • The authorities of Ramallah, Al Bireh and Beitunia have developed a collective plan for future inter-authority cooperation. A joint coordination centre has been established to pursue and implement collective projects that have been identified. Fees collected for the provision of community services in Ramallah, Al Bireh and Beitunia almost doubled between 2004 and 2007.
  • A pilot project in four local authorities has established offices to provide services to the local population. These ‘one-stop shops’ are a model that could be adopted by other development partners and local authorities in the Palestinian territories. In order to evaluate the project, a survey of residents is set to be carried out in 2011.

      Further information


      Contact


      Ulrich Nitschke
      Email: ulrich.nitschke@giz.de