In a letter to President Mahmoud Abbas,
AMAN reiterates call for establishing an independent, impartial and experienced governance quality committee to follow up on senior appointments
Ramallah – The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) stressed the need and importance of establishing the Governance Quality Committee. With not interests in the private sector, the committee will be independent and bring together impartial personalities/institutions with relevant (academic and legal) experience. It will follow up on and supervise the recruitment process. Recent senior appointments in civil service have caused uncertainty and confusion in Palestinian public opinion.
In a letter to His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, AMAN emphasised that the committee would be tasked to review senior appointments on the basis of approved and publicly announced job descriptions. Pursuant to the Palestinian Basic Law, citizens have the right to hold public office and positions in accordance with the principle of equal opportunities. An opportunity will be furnished to all competent nationals to apply for public office and positions, ensuring that these are accessible to suitable persons and promoting the principles of equality and merit‐based civil service.
Closely following up senior appointments, AMAN has continued to call for establishing a governance quality committee to look into senior positons since 2011. In addition to a sound and integral process, AMAN recommends that transparent criteria be applied to senior appointments. These are the most significant pillars of good governance within the state. They are key to strengthening public trust in the governance system.
Of note, in 2018, AMAN launched a campaign, during which it collected signatures for a public demand. The campaign called for allowing an opportunity to competent citizens to compete for senior positions in Palestine. Like other posts, job descriptions of senior public office holders should be approved and complied with. To further uphold the principle of transparency, advertisements for vacant senior positions should also be published in newspapers.
