The Civil Society Team for Public Budget Transparency has held four meetings with journalists in
various governorates of the country, Jenin, Hebron, Gaza and Ramallah, with the participation
of about 80 media specialists in the fields of economics and public finance. The aim of the
meetings was to enhance the role of the Palestinian media in monitoring and accountability in
the preparation and implementation of the general budget, and to promote public awareness
of the importance of monitoring the implementation of the budget by identifying its aspects
and vocabulary and editing media reports and investigations.
The meetings were held in coordination with the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity
(AMAN), which represents the CS team’s secretariat in collaboration with several partner
institutions. The meeting was held in Hebron in partnership with the Adawar Association for
Community Change. In Jenin, the meeting was held in partnership with the Palestinian Advisory
Board for the Development of NGOs. The meeting was held in Ramallah in partnership with the
Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. In the Gaza Strip, the meeting was held in partnership with
the Palestine Foundation. The researcher Muayad Afana, in turn, reviewed the analytical papers
and conducts the discussion in all the meetings mentioned in the West Bank. While researcher
Osama Nofal, reviewed the analytical journals and the management of the debate in Gaza.
The meetings included a review of the role of the civil team, and its areas of work, aimed at
achieving control over the public budget. The main findings of the mid-term analysis of the
general budget for 2016 were reviewed in terms of how to prepare the general budget, track
changes in revenues and expenditures, sources of support and financing, net lending and public
debt, in addition to discussing the most important issues that emerged in specific items such as
medical transfers, in terms of cost to the budget of the Ministry of Health, and the need to
develop and improve the possibilities of government hospitals.
In another context, the transfers of cash in social assistance and the decision of the Palestinian
Cabinet regarding the adoption of the unified portal for social assistance as it is in response to
the recommendations of the report of a specialist on social assistance prepared by the civil
team a few months ago, in addition to addressing the budget of the Ministry of Social
development and its ability to achieve development programs for families in need.
It is worth mentioning that these meetings were carried out by the civil team to support the
transparency of the public budget within the project "for financial policies in support of
development", implemented in cooperation with Areej Institute, Muftah organization and
funded by Oxfam, aimed at increasing the participation of civil society in the control of the
public budget.
