Ramallah and Gaza – In an irregular situation and with broad online participation, the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) held its Annual Conference 2020, entitled The Pandemic Management: Evaluating Public Performance and Drawing Insights. Held on social media platforms, AMAN conference convened under exceptional circumstances involving outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and declaration of the state of emergency in Palestine. Daunting political and economic challenges are also facing the question of Palestine, including the Deal of the Century, unchecked normalisation, ongoing internal Palestinian political divide, and absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The latter is the most important tool for oversight, accountability, and public representation.
In the first and second sessions, the two-day conference investigated how prepared Palestine was for disaster risk management. Participants reviewed and assessed the Palestinian government’s experience, policies, and measures during the COVID-19 state of emergency and examined the current system capacity to counter the pandemic. With the aim of strengthening government performance in dealing with emergencies and crises, discussants elaborated on aid management governance, administration of health and education sector, and approach to public freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Al Husseni: Government-civil society partnership promotes trust with citizens
In his opening statement, Mr. Abed Al Qader Al Husseni, Chairman of AMAN’s Board of Directors, highlighted that the government was affected by diminishing financial resources due to Israel’s piracy of Palestinian funds and ongoing clearance revenues crisis. In addition to political challenges, civil society organisations are hindered by a significant decline in funding. Al Husseini reiterated AMAN’s recurrent calls for holding national elections, putting an end to the internal Palestinian political divide, and approving the Law on the Right of Access to Information. “All necessary measures should be taken to rebuild public trust and immunise Palestine from any external conspiracies against our cause,’ he asserted. Al Husseini stressed the need to promote opportunities for a real partnership between the government and civil society organisations.
Lacking a legal framework for establishing emergency committees has weakened the prospects for institutionalisation
In the first conference presentation, Mr. Majdi Abu Zeid, Executive Director of AMAN, investigated how prepared the government was to manage disaster risks. Although the government has taken many extraordinary measures, an official disaster risk management system has not been put in place in Palestine. The government has not defined the areas of competence and roles of every relevant agency in disaster management. Multiple bodies and agencies are assigned to respond to the state of emergency, which has been declared to combat COVID-19. These include committees in charge of collecting and distributing humanitarian aid to the needy and affected communities. Particularly in a state of emergency, responsible actors need to be identified and a regulatory and institutional framework will be applicable to humanitarian aid management. Abu Zeid also indicated a legal framework did not govern the establishment of these committees, clearly reflecting on the delivery of their functions. Emergency committees were not institutionalised along the lines of the standards of integrity, transparency and accountability.
AMAN: A permanent and comprehensive disaster response and management system is urgently needed in Palestine
AMAN recommended that a permanent and comprehensive disaster response and management system should be approved in Palestine. Ensuring response to all phases of disaster management, the system will make clear the plans and processes to be implemented to deal with states of emergency and disasters, determine the duties and responsibilities of each agency, and follow up on implementation. In particular, the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) will manage the collection and distribution of assistance in partnership with competent authorities (governorate offices, local government units (LGUs), emergency committees, etc.). Partnerships will be built with the civil society, private sector, and LGUs to ensure the best means of public protection and safe management of the country under exceptional circumstances.
Along this vein, Dr. Mohammed Odeh, Director of the National Disaster Risk Management Centre, stated that, in 2015, Palestine was introduced to the global disaster management system after it had acceded to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which was established by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/283. Accordingly, Palestine has built global partnerships, exchanged expertise, and contributed to drafting the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction. In 2017, the Higher National Committee on Disaster Risk Management was set up by a decision of Council of Ministers. Together with a specialised team, the National Disaster Risk Management Centre was also established. According to Dr. Odeh, the COVID-19 crisis clearly demonstrated disaster risk management was debilitated in view of the absence of a national disaster management strategy. Dr. Odeh announced that a draft law on disaster management was submitted to Council of Ministers. The act was developed in collaboration with international and local actors. Meantime, work is underway to finalise the comprehensive disaster management system.
An updated computerised database is needed to identify beneficiaries
AMAN made two presentations on humanitarian aid management in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In these, AMAN presented recommendations to develop the institutional and legal framework of the humanitarian aid management process, strengthen the values of integrity among actors in charge of aid collection and distribution, and raise awareness about the need to adopt the principles of transparency in humanitarian aid distribution across Palestine. This activity is tailored to invigorate mechanisms of accountability and control over humanitarian aid collection and distribution.
Recommendations on the West Bank were largely similar to those made in the presentation on aid distribution in Gaza. Both presentations stressed the need to develop plans to provide protection to poor, disadvantaged and marginalised groups, as well as to persons who are, or might become, vulnerable to the current crisis, if prolonged. The MoSD humanitarian aid data and mechanisms of aid distribution and storage will be used. All social operations will be computerised. In particularly, databases will be developed for nurseries, associations, children, and per diem workers. A comprehensive database of the current context of workers will be created. A special insurance fund for Palestinians employed in Israel will be established. Information systems will be in place at government agencies to provide timely response to crises and disasters.
State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau: A plan is needed to manage the states of emergency from now on
The State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB) developed two reports (unpublished). Addressing the efficiency of emergency committees in combatting the outbreak of COVID-19, the first report examines the governance of central and regional emergency committee. According to the SAACB, 80 percent of governorate offices did not issue documented decisions on the establishment of these committees. Fifty percent of emergency committees did not document meeting minutes. Representation on emergency committees excluded the MoSD and Ministry of Labour (MoL). The SAACB recommended that a government plan be prepared to manage the state of emergency from now on. Systems and principles will be set to govern social assistance distribution by emergency committees.
Investigating the Wakfet Izz Fund, the second SAACB report indicated that as many as 40,000 citizens benefited from the Fund’s financial aid. The SAACB provided subsequent examination of citizens’ data in the civil registry and income tax files. It appeared that false information had been submitted. The MoL is now in the process of restoring amounts paid on the basis of this information. It was proven that, while unentitled persons received financial assistance, other eligible persons were deprived of this assistance.
On the first day the Wakfet Izz Fund initiative was launched, AMAN emphasised that the lack of an updated database of Palestinian workers would be problematic. This caution has been validated by this experience of the Fund.
Mr. Dawoud ad-Deek, MoSD Undersecretary, stressed the importance of transparency and access to information with a view to preventing confusion and rumours and improving public trust. Mr. Ad-Deek explained that, at the request of the Prime Minister, the MoSD developed an objective assessment of the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Including 1 million people earlier, the MoSD database has accommodated 1.5 million citizens after the COVID-19 outbreak. The database has made it possible for the Ministry to manage assistance effectively. No events of a relapse or erroneous targeting of poor households were recorded. All beneficiary households were entitled to the social assistance they received.
Ad-Deek recommended that a social protection programme be developed in Palestine. This exercise will based on three pillars: cash assistance; social assistance to the elderly, persons with disability, women and children; and social security. Critically, social programmes will be more responsive and sensitive to states of emergency.
In his comments, Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, Advisor to AMAN’s Board of Directors, indicated the crisis Palestinians experienced was twofold: the financial crisis resulting from the conflict with Israel and the COVID-19 crisis. “Crucially, our plans should be consistent with our reality as people under the occupation, the political context, and the COVID-19 crisis. This requires that the National Anti-Corruption Plan be responsive to the risks arising from the COVID-19 state of emergency and other crises. In financial crises and states of emergency, the potential and opportunities for corruption are greater than in ordinary conditions.” Dr. Shuaibi further stressed the importance of promoting integrity in society at large. The compensation policy need to shift to delivering assistance to the most needy and affected by crises and states of emergency. Burdens and resources will be distributed fairly by building a social protection system and restoring the social security draft law.
Independent Commission for Human Rights: Ongoing abuses of human rights and public freedoms during the state of emergency
AMAN conference discussed the reality of freedoms during the state of emergency. It investigated whether the state of emergency was exploited for purposes other than those declared, including restriction of freedoms. To this avail, Ms. Khadijah Zahran from the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) made some comments, highlighting inadequate respect for human rights and public freedoms. The ICHR documented incidents of continued violations of rights and freedoms. The Commission received dozens of complaints on abuses of rights and freedoms by duty bearers. In regard of the right to life, 12 court decisions on capital punishment were rendered. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly was violated on 18 occasions. Thirteen complaints were filed to the ICHR on the dispersal of peaceful assemblies using excessive force. Of particular note, 19 citizens were arrested as soon as they arrived at the Al-Manarah square, Ramallah, to protest against deteriorating economic conditions and corruption. Meantime, the Palestinian Authority allowed to organise other assemblies without objection. In relation to respect for the right to freedom of expression, the ICHR monitored 88 violations across the West Bank and Gaza. In both areas, the ICHR also documented 250 violations of the right to physical safety, including subjecting detained persons torture, physical assault, and Shabeh [a combination of methods, used for prolonged periods, entailing sensory isolation, sleep deprivation, and infliction of pain]. Another 350 violations of the right to liberty and security of person were monitored in the West Bank. Ms. Zahran concluded that the situation of public freedoms, albeit fragile, have not regressed further in comparison to the pre-emergency period. Human rights violations persisted at the same pace and in a similar context.
The Ministry of Education should publish a plan, maintaining the right to education for all
AMAN made a presentation on government policies on distance school education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Education (MoE) should make publicly available financial plans and reports to encourage and consolidate the principle of transparency and community accountability. The MoE should publicise mechanisms and tools by which vulnerable groups and marginalised areas can access the right to distance school education. The Ministry will publish the agreement signed with the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel), determine the oversight body to monitor implementation of the agreement, and find solutions to poor internet service. The MoE will also pay special attention to and empower schools in Jerusalem to persevere in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Rif’at Salah, Director of the Teacher Creativity Centre, emphasised the importance of a participatory approach among all relevant authorities with a view to improving and providing equal access to education for all Palestinian students. Mr. Salah stressed the need to make information publicly available. Citizens who pay for the education budget have the right to hold the MoE to account about quality education for their children.
Adopting the comprehensive and compulsory health insurance system ensures sustained funding and improved health services
On challenges to the health sector at the current stage, AMAN presented a research paper on the reality of health spending and impact of the financial situation on efficiency of the Ministry of Health (MoH) in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. All indicators show that citizens’ ability to access healthcare services declined sharply in lockdown. Focusing on service procurement (patient transfers), the paper also elaborates on the current context of the values of integrity, transparency and accountability in the government health sector at the time of the pandemic. Patient transfer mechanisms have expanded service procurement, often extending to unnecessary cases. On the other hand, it was proven that tendering procedures and awarding of contracts for the procurement of medicines and medical disposables were highly transparent and subject to internal and external control. All procurements were also under control. AMAN highlighted some bureaucratic procurement procedures, which prevented constant availability of medicines and medical disposables at the MoH warehouses and allowed some violations in other cases.
AMAN reiterated its persistent calls for adopting a comprehensive and compulsory health insurance system, restructuring health services and health insurance in line with income tax brackets, localising health services, reducing fiscal leakage from patient transfers, and increasing the number of medical staff. AMAN has further called for approving an emergency plan, opening up avenues of communication with the public, improving preparedness of the civil society and private sector, supporting all government and private health centres with sanitisers and equipment, and rejuvenating the role and participation of civil society and private sector in dealing with the pandemic as a national, rather than a governmental, issue.
Ms. Shatha Odeh, Director General of the Health Work Committees, presented the civil society vision of the MoH performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that the Palestinian health system was not ready as problems had already been in place before the COVID-19 outbreak. Ms. Odeh stated that extemporaneous measures have been implemented in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The health system is a common national issue, rather than a responsibility of the government apparatus. During the pandemic, civil society contributions included putting health centres at the disposal of the MoH (Both the private sector and civil society have played a complementary role). At the same time, as their resources and staff members allowed, community health centres remained open to citizens, particularly persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and patients with chronic diseases, during the pandemic.
Dr. Hamdi Kawaja, Director General of Planning at the Palestine Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), stated that the PACC monitored some violations, which did not amount to corruption crimes, during the state of emergency. Public complaints and reports were received during the lockdown. In 2020, the PACC received some 1,000 complaints compared to 900 in 2019 and 800 in 2018. In the absence of the PLC, the PACC developed an important report on corruption risks in the health sector. The Commission recommended that civil society organisations and government bodies create a mechanism to provide regular monitoring of the impact of COVID-19 on political, economic and social rights.
To watch the first conference session:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=508563260023477
To watch the second conference session:
