Human Development Report 2009/10 Occupied Palestinian Territory
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1 Human Development Report 2009/10 occupied Palestinian territory Investing in Human Security for a Future State It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within. Barack Obama, Remarks at the Acceptance of the Noble Peace Prize, 10 December 2009, Oslo, Norway Cover Page: “The Olive Tree of Jerusalem Mural” by Balain- Aremenian Ceramics of Jerusalem FOREWORD The human security paradigm calls on policymakers and other stakeholders to move away from a traditional, State-centric conception of security to one that concentrates on the security of individuals, their protection and empowerment. It is particularly relevant to the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) because much of the narrative surrounding the conflict has focused on State security to the detriment of other concerns. A new approach is required as it becomes ever clearer that the dominant conflict resolution and development paradigms applied to the oPt are in need of extensive re-evaluation to assess their relevance and approriateness. The fifth Palestinian Human Development Report 2009/10, Investing in Human Security for a Future State, captures and explains this predicament. It argues that all stakeholders must now prioritize the “liberation of human beings from those intense, extensive, prolonged, and comprehensive threats to which their lives and freedom are vulnerable”. In so doing, it draws attention to a multitude of threats which cut across different aspects of human development in the oPt, highlighting the need for an integrated, participatory approach to advancing development, human rights and the emergence of an independent, viable Palestinian State. The Report has drawn on the scholarship of the Arab Human Development Report 2009 Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries. It is hoped that together the documents will enhance the profile of the human security paradigm and prove its relevance to improving the lives of women, men, girls and boys in the Middle East. Since 1990 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been issuing annual human development reports to assess the state of global development from a people-centred perspective; one that places the expansion of human capabilities, choices and opportunities at the heart of the development process. Human development reports are not statements of UNDP policy: the independence of the writing team is crucial, allowing for a solid analytical critique based on an impartial political and cultural analysis. The Palestinian Human Development Report for 2009/10 is the product of an independent research team, comprised of Palestinian and international readers and researchers who have scrutinized Palestinian society and the occupation critically. We hope that the Palestinian Human Development Report 2009/10 will be a useful tool for motivating discussion on human development issues in the oPt and beyond. I wish to extend my thanks to all the contributors to the Palestinian Human Development Report 2009/10. My sincere hope is that the Report makes a modest contribution towards achieving justice and peace in the region. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen Special Representative of the Administrator Jerusalem, January 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Report could have not been prepared without the generous contributions of the individuals and organizations listed below. PRINCIPAL AUTHORS Sufian Mushasha, Louise Dear EDITORIAL TEAM Vanessa Farr, Louise Dear, Sufian Mushasha, Savitri Bisnath , Jens Toyberg- Frandzen, Roberto Valent, Geoff Prewitt, KEY CONTRIBUTORS and ADVISORS Isabelle Daneels, Jamil Hilal, George Gicaman, Mahmood Ataya (Ministry of Planning), Mohmmed Al Masri (Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics), Jamil Rabah (Near East Consulting), Sara Bailey, Mohsen Abu Ramadan, Lisa Monaghan MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Dr. Samir Abdallah, Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Dr. Cairo Arafat, Ms. Lily Habash, Dr. Sabri Saidam, Dr. Luay Shabaneh, Dr. Ghassan Khatib, Dr. Fawwaz Abu Sitta, Dr. Anan Jayousi, Dr. Abdel Karim Ashour, Dr. Azmi Shuaibi, Ms. Rawia Shawwa, Mr. Bassem Khoury, Mr. Mamoun Abu Shahlah EXTERNAL REVIEWERS Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance, London School of Economics & Political Science George Gicaman, Professor of Philosophy, Bir Zeit University Mient Jan Faber, Professor of Human Security in War Situations, Free University Amsterdam Sally Stares, Postdoctoral fellow, Methodology Institute, London School of Economic & Political Science BACKGROUND PAPERS Anne Le More (Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House), Penny Johnson, Jamil Hilal, Nader Said, Daragh Murray & Louise Dear (Palestinian Centre for Human Rights), Mohsen Abu Ramadan, Naser Abdelkarim (Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute -MAS), Turid Smith Polfus, Mushtaq H. Khan (School of Oriental and African Studies), Nidal Rashid Sabri (MAS), Abdel Aziz Mousa Thabet, Tayseer Mohaysen, Mohammad Khaleefeh (MAS), Muhamad Hammed (MAS), Sa’eda Afooneh ((MAS), Fat’he Srouje (MAS), Ibrahim Abu Hantash (MAS). ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Sama Khalil Note: The analysis and policy recommendations of this Report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Development Programme. The Report is an independent publication commissioned by UNDP ACRONYMS BBC .............................................British Broadcasting Corporation CMWU....................................Coastal Municipalities Water Unit CPI ...............................................Consumer Price Index DCAF ........................................Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces DCI ..............................................Defence for Children International DCO ...........................................District Coordination Office EC-ECHO.............................European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office EU .................................................European Union FAO .............................................Food and Agricultural Organization GA ................................................General Assembly (UN) GDI ..............................................Gender Development Index GDP ...........................................Gross Domestic Product GEM ...........................................Gender Empowerment Measure HRC ............................................Human Rights Council (UN) HDI ..............................................Human Development Index HPI-1 ........................................Human Poverty Index ICAHD.....................................Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions ICCPR .......................................International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR ...................................International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights ICG...............................................International Crisis Group ICJ ................................................International Court of Justice ICRC ...........................................International Committee for the Red Cross ID ...................................................Identification card IDF ...............................................Israeli Defence Force ILO ...............................................International Labour Organization IMF ..............................................International Monetary Fund IRIN .............................................Integrated Regional Information Networks IWC .............................................International Women’s Commission MCM .........................................Million Cubic Meters MDG .........................................Millennium Development Goals NUG ...........................................National Unity Government NGO ..........................................Non-governmental Organization NIS ...............................................New Israeli Shekel OCHA ......................................Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs oPt ...............................................occupied Palestinian territory PA .................................................Palestinian Authority PCBS .........................................Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics PCHR ........................................Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PHDR .......................................Palestinian Human Development Report PLO .............................................Palestinian Liberation Organization PNA ............................................Palestinian National Authority UDHR ......................................Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN ................................................United Nations UNDP / PAPP ................United Nations Development Programme / Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People UNESCO...............................United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFPA ....................................United Nations Populations Fund UNICEF ..................................United Nations Children’s Fund UNRWA .................................United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees of the Near East U.S. ..............................................United States of America USAID .....................................United