Gaza – Under the theme of Participate… Watch… Hold to Account, the second class has concluded events of the Integrity School. Organised in partnership between the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (AMAN) and Palestinian Institute for Communication and Development (PICD), the Integrity School brought together 30 young men and women between 18 and 28 years of age. Participants were nominated by grassroots organisations from across the Gaza Strip. Held for three days, the Integrity School events took place at the Chalets Hall on the Gaza beach.
Activities of the Integrity School introduced young participants to the concept, causes and consequences of corruption. AMAN is mindful of the need to engage all citizens, particularly the youth, in the anti-corruption activity and immunising them against various forms of corruption. AMAN aims for extensive public engagement in fighting corruption, effective oversight and accountability for performance and public affairs, and a solid culture that is grounded in the values of integrity, principles of transparency, and systems of accountability.
Raising the awareness of, and engaging, the youth in the anti-corruption and community accountability efforts is of paramount of importance. Comprising the largest segment, the youth are the most impacted by corruption in our Palestinian society. Although they represent one third of the Palestinian population, the unemployment rate is high among the youth. According to a 2017 survey of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), unemployment registered 61.2 percent in the Gaza Strip. Less than 1 percent of Palestinian young men and women participate in the decision-making process. Compared to 0.7 percent in Gaza, 0.8 percent of the youth hold high offices in the West Bank. The PCBS 2015 Palestinian Youth Survey also showed that almost 24 percent of individuals in the 15-29 age group in Palestine were willing to immigrate to another country. It seems that the current situation in the Gaza Strip drives the desire for immigration. As many as 37 percent of the Gaza youth reflected this trend.
In line with its strategy, AMAN works towards concerting community efforts by investing in partner institutions’ expertise and tools, implementing joint action, and lobbying for a nationwide change. AMAN also seeks to consolidate the oversight role of partner institutions by incorporating systems and tools for promoting integrity and fighting corruption into relevant strategies, programmes of actions, procedures, and regulations. Additionally, engagement in the Integrity School and similar activities will enhance the youth’s participation in boosting integrity, transparency and anti-corruption effort. In addition to invigorating the spirit of leadership among them, the youth will launch community initiatives, lead lobbying and advocacy campaigns, and ensure effective accountability within their own local communities as well as across the nation.
Participants in the Integrity School came up with main ideas for issues that impacted the youth. Having been adopted and crystallised in community accountability sessions, these ideas will be further developed and implemented in collaboration with young men and women across the West Bank. In this context, participants will use the media tools and popular social media platforms they were trained on to achieve the desired impact.
