The Coalition for Accountability and Integrity - AMAN implemented a specialized training course on social accountability, which was held for two days, 25-26/1/2013 at the Intercontinental Hotel - Jericho. The course comes as a continuation to a previous one, which was held last month and targeted employees in Nablus, Al-Ram, Jericho and Hebron municipalities. These employees are better known as the “change makers”,
This course targeted members of civil society’s integrity committees in Nablus, Al-Ram, and Jericho. The training aimed at building the capacity of the participants on the concept of social accountability, its tools, and importance of providing quality services to citizens. The training also aimed at providing them with skills that would assist them in selecting priorities, hold official accountable in addition to recognizing the importance of holding their commitment to integrity values, and transparency principles in managing service provisions.
The training focused on several points: the concept of social accountability, tools, access to information, whistle blowing, and rights and duties of, both, citizens and the municipality in providing services. Moreover, the training emphasized that involving citizens in selecting priorities, building annual plans, engaging in public policy, first and foremost, in municipalities brings benefit for all. In addition, having open access to media and open communication with civil society organizations by applying the principle of accountability is a right for all citizens.
Training was implemented by Mr. Fadel Suleiman / AMAN Training Supervisor and Dr. Azmi Shuaibi / AMAN Commissioner for Combating Corruption. Dr. Shuibi focused on the “ WIN WIN approach" that reflects the best practices for relationships between municipalities and citizens, which also enhances municipalities’ mechanisms in applying the different accountability methods.
Hama Zeidan / Director of the Advocacy and Legal Center at AMAN and the National Coordinator of the ARAB Network of Social Accountability (ANSA) made an important intervention during the training. She focused on whistle blowing as one of the important social accountability mechanisms. She also invited all organizations represented at the training to join the Civil Society Team for Transparency of the Public Budget, and ANSA that are considered to be networks that work to enhance transparency and accountability.
This activity comes within the Pro–Poor Integrity project implemented in partnership with the Institute of Applied Research–(ARIJ) and Integrity Action; funded by the Department for International Development DFID.
