Annual Report 2011 2

PCPD ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy Sabat Building – 2nd floor, Edward Saed St., Ramallah, P.O. Box 2290 Phone: +9722965981 Fax: +97222965983 Email: [email protected] www.pcpd.org [email protected] YouTube: PCPDpalestinian CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL | 3 2011 BY NUMBERS | 4 2011 HIGHLIGHTS | 5 POLITICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGE, YOUTH AND THE UN PLAN | 6 WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE AIM FOR AND WHAT WE BELIEVE IN | 8 WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT | 10 WHO WE WORK WITH | 11 OUR PROGRAMMES | 12 LIBERATION AND INDEPENDENCE | 14 DEMOCRACY AND THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND EQUALITY | 16 YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING | 18 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT | 20 CAPACITY BUILDING | 22 COMMUNICATIONS | 22 SUCCESS STORIES | 23 CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED | 25 LOOKING AHEAD: 2012 AND BEYOND | 26 LEADERSHIP | 27 PCPD Annual Report 2011 2 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL Dear friends and family, 2011 has been a momentous year, for the Arab World, Palestine, and PCPD. The Arab Spring left our organisation incredibly optimistic, as we saw PCPD’s values and mission affirmed by people all over the Middle East. The principles of democracy and human rights, which we hold at the center of our work, were boosted and exemplified by ordinary people and the media alike. Our main target groups – the youth, marginalised, poor and middle classes – rose up peacefully and made their voices heard around the globe. This success has made PCPD’s work that much more crucial. We are responsible for our people, and in supporting them to be active citizens. Despite the difficulties of economic crisis and Israeli occupation, PCPD implemented all of our projects successfully in 2011, and continues to serve every area of the West Bank. We participated in the UN September Statehood Initiative through marches, workshops, youth-produced TV sessions and articles. For PCPD, 2011 was truly the year of the youth. After training with us, Palestinian youth have harnessed the power of the media, using local and main TV Space Channels as a platform for open democratic debate and free expression of opinion. PCPD is incredibly proud of all youth and staff who participated in the March 15 Youth Movement, striking 24 hours a day for two months in Nablus, until their demands were heard in the May 4th Reconciliation agreement. We love seeing our organisation represented in the struggle for increased democracy and civil society here in Palestine. PCPD could not achieve such success without the generous support of our donors, partners, the community, and PCPD general assembly, board of directors, staff, supporters and volunteer. I would like to thank every person and organisation who received us in his home institution, volunteered his/her time, and was with us in the darkness. You all have lit a light for the coming year ahead, a year which marks unchartered territory and the possibility of even greater success here at PCPD. Cheers, Naseef Muallem PCPD Annual Report 2011 3 2011 BY NUMBERS 32initiatives carried out by men and women who received PCPD training >180 PCPD years in operation 83 cooperating 19 supporters community-based organisations 10 projects in implementation 4 field offices and 1 head office 6 women and 3 Operating in all 11 men on the Board districts of the West Bank of Directors TV sessions 32 11 full-time and 2 produced on the part-time staff funders empowerment of members 10 youth 366 Facebook friends and supporters 923 viewers of PCPD videos and TV sessions on YouTube PCPD Annual Report 2011 4 2011 HIGHLIGHTS EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES PCPD’s partners and trainees have increased their efforts to impart their knowledge gained from our activities by implementing their own initiatives in their local communities. EXPANDED NETWORK OF CBOS We have increased our cooperation with CBOs and now have a total of 83 partners in the West Bank. SIGNIFICANT YOUTH PRESENCE AT EVENTS Our conference on “Palestinian Civil Society and the Arab Spring” was attended by 120 people, mainly youth, and the vast majority of papers at the conference were written and presented by young people. UNPRECEDENTED RESPONSE TO TV SESSIONS SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT PCPD gained substantial national and international High levels of recognition to TV sessions activity on PCPD’s produced as part of our Facebook page youth programme. and YouTube demonstrate the desire of young Palestinians to participate in debates and be FOCUS ON PRACTICE-BASED ACTIVITIES involved in decision-making A focus on practical activities rather than purely theoretical training has led to a processes. high demand for PCPD to support CBOs to implement their own initiatives. PCPD Annual Report 2011 5 POLITICAL ANALYSIS: CHANGE, YOUTH AND THE UN PLAN The Middle East has undergone tremendous political freedom of expression, freedom of political parties and and social changes since the beginning of 2011, other equal rights, regardless of sex, religion, and namely in the eruption of the Arab Spring, in which other qualifiers. Fulfilment of such objectives requires Arab people have gone to the streets to make their time. Social democracy will require another revolution voices heard. The uprisings reached most Arab in its own right. True social justice is a complex countries, beginning in Tunisia and extending to process that requires years or even decades to Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and others. Arabs in achieve. At minimum, the Arab Spring can reduce the their respective nations, catalysed by economic, gap between rich and poor, and begin the struggle for political and social developments on the international human rights. The third core value of the Arab spring level, began to demand change, and, in turn, their was the value of the youth. Their widespread actions affected the rest of the world. Revolutions and participation in these revolutions indicates that they popular uprisings occurred around the globe, following have their own clear vision and will. The results of the example of the Middle East. these revolutions ride on their account. The Arab Revolutions hold three main values at their These values resonated with Palestinians and core. Firstly, they clearly articulated that people ultimately catalysed the March 15 Youth Movement, themselves are the solution. By seeing themselves as an event without precedent in Palestine. Palestinians agents for change, Arab people themselves become continue to live under occupation, compounded by actors. Secondly, they saw two distinct and clear aims financial crisis and political division between the West of the revolutions: the fulfilment of both political and Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem and the Diaspora. On March social democracy. Taking these two goals into 15th 2011, for the first time in Palestinian history, consideration, one must recognise that the revolutions hundreds of thousands of young people went to the are far from finished. Genuine political and social streets advocating for two well defined objectives. democracy take years to realise. Thus, Arab countries They called for an end to the political separation and that underwent revolution are, naturally, still suffering an end to the occupation. The movement subsided from crisis. While many expected that these uprisings after May 4, 2011, when Abbas and Meshaal signed would solve their problems in a few days or months, the initial reconciliation agreement in Egypt. While this the revolutions are only in their initial stages promise for unification unfortunately weakened the scientifically speaking. For example, the French grassroots movement, the voice of the youth is still Revolution began in 1789 but did not see elections or heard everywhere. It asks for an end to systematic full results until years later. In the cases of Tunisia and marginalisation, and a guarantee to basic rights such Egypt, one aspect of political democracy has been as employment and political participation. Such achieved by holding elections. However, political demands cannot be silenced. democracy does not mean elections alone. It includes PCPD Annual Report 2011 6 Regional and international powers have attempted to prematurely on this process and deeming it a success interfere in the recent Arab revolutions, as each or failure, one must recognise that it is a revolution in country seeks to protect its own interests and maintain itself. Palestinians have chosen this path toward influence. In Palestine as well, similar interferences liberation, based on the majority of public opinion exist. Thus, Palestinians and all Arabs in general find supporting seeking statehood and a decisive political themselves in a crucial period. While a time frame for decision put forth by the PLO. While the strategy of achieving human dignity is uncertain, people are internationalising the Palestinian cause should have generally optimistic that the future of the Middle East been adopted decades ago, it is never too late to put will be better than the past. these issues on the global agenda. The majority of Palestinians see international recognition of Palestine as the way to bring about local political change, even if such recognition does not mean immediate membership in the General Assembly. Nations in the world are gradually on their way toward recognising Palestine as a state. While Israeli and international opinion will play a major role in the advancement of the Palestinian agenda, Palestinian unity is the major precondition for future success and furthering of the Palestinian cause. The Israeli government’s current mentality will have no place in a democratised region. Therefore, as the Middle East continues to witness political changes in the coming months and years, ultimately Israel will feel pressure from regional and international powers, but not without a calculated effort and unity from within Palestine. Palestinians need unification to empower themselves, genuine unity that lies in accordance with the international community and law. To project onto the global stage, Palestinians must speak at one time, with one voice and a clear vision for a future of two states for two people.

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