2008 BADIL Annual Report
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“Putting Rights into Practice” BADIL Action Plan 2008-2010 2008 BADIL Annual Report Summary of Results and Activity Report BADIL Resource Center was established in January 1998 based on recommendations issued by popular refugee conferences in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. BADIL is registered with the Palestinian Authority and legally owned by a General Assembly composed of activists in Palestinian national institutions and refugee community organizations. BADIL’s current Board and Oversight Committee were elected by the extraordinary General Assembly convened on 12 June 2008 Cover Photo: The Culture of Return: Keeping Memories and Hopes Alive: Mazaj Alani theater troupe performing at the Right of Return Festival organized by the Doha Children`s Cultural Center, July 2008. © Ma`an BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights PO Box 728 Bethlehem, Palestine Tel/fax. 02-2747346 [email protected] www.badil.org General Assembly Board of Directors Adnan Abelmalik (Nur Shams RC/Tulkarem) Head: Afif Ghatasha (Social Service Network - Fawwar Adnan Ajarmeh (Aida RC/Bethlehem) camp, Hebron) Afif Ghatashe (Fawwar RC/Hebron) Deputy Head: Tayseer Nasrallah (PNC, Yafa Cultural Ahmad As’ad (Al-Far’ah RC/Toubas) Center; Balata camp, Nablus) Secretary: Dr. Nayef Jarrad (PNC, Popular Committee- Ahmed Muhaisen (Deheisha RC/Bethlehem) Aidoun; Tulkarem) Anwar A. Hamam (Balata RC/Nablus) Treasurer: Wajih Atallah (Union of Youth Activity Centers, Atallah Salem (Deheisha RC/Bethlehem) HQ, Kalanida camp) Ayed Ja’aysah (Al-Far’ah RC/Toubas) Members: Jamal Shati (Palestinian Injured Association; Bassam Abu ‘Aker (Aida RC/Bethlehem) Jenin camp); Fayez Arafat (Committee for the Defense of Buthaina Darwish (Beit Jala/USA) Palestinian Refugee Rights, Balata camp); Ayed Ja’aiseh Dr. Abdelfattah Abu Srour (Aida Camp/Bethlehem) (Youth Activity Center – Far’ah camp); Dr. Adnan Shehadeh Dr. Adnan Shehadeh (Arroub RC/Hebron) (lecturer, Hebron Politechnic; Arroub camp); Ghassan Dr. Nayef Jarrad (Tulkarem) Khader (Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Faisal Salameh (Tulkarem RC/Tulkarem) Rigths, Balata camp) Fayyez H. Arafat (Balata RC/Nablus) Ghassan M. Khader (Balata RC/Nablus) Oversight Committee Haitham Zahran (Deheisha RC/Bethlehem) Faisal Salame (Popular Committee, Tulkarem camp) Hassan Faraj (Deheisha RC/Bethlehem) Anwar Hamam (Yafa Cultural Center, Balata Camp/Nablus) Hussam M. Khader (Balata RC/Nablus) Rifa’ Abu al-Reesh (al-Am’ari camp, Ramallah) Imad Shawish (Al-Far’ah RC/Toubas) Ingrid Jaradat Gassner (Beit Jala) Executive Committee Issa Qaraq’a (Aida RC/Bethlehem) Jamal Shati (Jenin RC/Jenin) Ingrid Jaradat Gassner, director Karine Mac Allister (Bethlehem/Canada) Najwa Darwish, admin-finance coordinator Muhammad al-Lahham (Deheisha RC/Bethlehem) Muhammad Jaradat, coordinator, campaign unit Muhammad Jaradat (Beit Jala) Nidal Azza, coordinator, resource unit Naji Odeh (Deheishe RC/Bethlehem) Najwa Darwish (Beit Jala) Organizational Affiliations Nidal Azza (Aida RC/Bethlehem) Nihad Boqa’i (Sha’b/Galilee) BADIL has consultative status with UN ECOSOC and a Rifa’ Abu al-Reesh (al-Am’ari Camp/Ramallah) framework partnership agreement with UNHCR. Salem Abu Hawwash (Doura/Hebron) Samir Ata Odeh (Aida RC/Bethlehem) BADIL is a member of the global Palestine Right-of-Return Coalition, al-Awda Right-to-Return Coalition (USA), BNC- Shaher J. al-Bedawi (Balata RC/Nablus) Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Tayseer S. Nassrallah (Balata RC/Nablus) Committee, HIC-Habitat International Coalition (Cairo), Terry Rempel (Candada) CRIN-Child Rights Information Network (UK), ICVA- Wajih Atallah (Kalandia Camp/Jerusalem) International Council of Voluntary Agencies (Geneva), Walid M. Ja’arim (Balata RC/Nablus) ICNP-International Coordinating Network on Palestine, Walid Qawasmeh (Jerusalem) OPGAI-Occupied Palestine and Syrian Golan Heights Wisal F. al-Salem (Nur Shams RC/Tulkarem). Advocacy Initiative, and PNGO-Palestinian NGO Network. Table of Contents Introduction . 7 BADIL’s Environment 2008 – the Ongoing Nakba . 9 Part I: Organizational Profile Governance and Management Structures ..........................................................13 Units and Human Resources .....................................................................13 Organizational Learning: the 2008 Management Reform ............................................16 Finances and Donors ............................................................................16 Part II: Summary of Main Results Progress towards the Strategic Objective ..........................................................21 How has BADIL contributed to the Strategic Objective? .............................................24 Gaps yet to be bridged - obstacles to be overcome .................................................30 Part III: 2008 Progress Report Outputs from Projects and Activities; Challenges, Problems and Solutions (1) Building local capacity to participate and engage .................................................33 1.1 Youth Education & Activation . 3 3 1.2 Academic and Activist Training . 3 5 1.3 Al-Awda Award . 3 6 1.4 Palestinian Strategy Forum ..................................................................39 (2) Outreach, support and alliance building .........................................................40 2.1 The Ongoing-Nakba Education Center .........................................................40 2.2 Participation in international networking conferences and meetings ................................45 (3) Research, Mobilization and Intervention with Duty Bearers ........................................46 3.1 Research ...................................................................................46 3.2 Facilitation of CBO actions and civil society campaigns ..........................................47 3.3 Special media and public outreach activities ....................................................49 3.4 Legal advocacy and intervention ..............................................................51 Part IV: 2008 External Audit Report .............................................................55 Annexes 1- BADIL in Palestinian civil society coalitions 2008 .................................................71 2- List of BADIL tools and publications 2008 ........................................................72 3- BADIL participation in international conferences 2008 .............................................74 Introduction In 2008 BADIL became ten years old. We marked our anniversary with the launch of a new, three-year action plan entitled “Putting Rights into Practice.” Our 2008-2010 program is expected to galvanize new energies and political will for more effective protection of the rights of Palestinian refugees and IDPs and those at risk of forced displacement. This report presents the results of the first year of work. As BADIL works to achieve results which have concrete impact on the rights of the Palestinian people, we decided – with the encouragement of international partners – to give more emphasis to result-based program management and presentation. A new format was thus created for BADIL progress reports, and we expect that this will facilitate organizational learning and adaptation and give better visibility to the results of our work. The first section of this report includes an updated profile and new developments in our organization. We report – on the positive side - about how governance and transparency have been improved through management reform, whereas more effort is still required for organizational sustainability in the longer term. An unprecedented cash-flow crisis which marred our operations throughout the entire year of 2008 was the single most negative development in this context. Section two includes a summary presentation of our program and the main 2008 results. We show how BADIL has contributed to independent civil society campaigning and advocacy for accountability to international law. We believe that the former achieved impressive and unprecedented impact in 2008, irrespective of the fact that the US-led alliance of Western governments and the EU have continued to undermine the rule of law and protect Israel’s impunity. In the third and final section, a progress report is presented of BADIL projects and activities for: capacity-building; outreach, support and alliance building; and, research, mobilization and intervention. The section includes a discussion of challenges and problems faced during implementation and solutions found or considered. On behalf of the BADIL team, Ingrid Jaradat Gassner Afif Ghatasha Director Head of Board March 2009 2008 Badil Annual Report 7 Photo: Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly discplaced in the occupied Gaza Strip when their homes were damaged or destroyed during Israel`s latest massive military assault that lasted from 27 December 2008 until 17 January 2009. Most of these people are Palestnians refugees of 1948 who have suffered yet another round of forced displacement. Izbet Abed Rabbo, northern Beit Lahiya, March 2009 © Ahmad Al-Tahrawi/Badil 8 Our Environment in 2008 including the rights to return and self-determination, Israel and the international community have failed The Ongoing Nakba to respect, protect and promote for the past 60 years. The Palestinians killed, injured and displaced by In December 2008, Israel decided to mark the 60th Israel’s brutal military assault in December 2008 are anniversary of its existence the same way it had