Municipal Profile: AL BIREH About the Municipality: Al Bireh is a Palestinian City adjacent to Ramallah in the central part of the West Bank, 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) north of Jerusalem. First named in history books as far back as 3500 B.C.E., Al Bireh historically served as a stopping point for caravans traveling from Jerusalem to Nablus. The municipality was first established In 2013, CHF International and the Municipality in 1928 under the British Mandate, and is now home to over 40,000 residents. of Al Bireh have begun a new partnership under the Local Government and Infrastructure Pro- Governance Excellence: In line with the gram (LGI) funded by USAID. The goal of this strategy of the Palestinian local governance partnership is to further enhance the municipali- sector, CHF’s partnership with Al Bireh will ty’s ability to meet the needs of its citizens in a focus on three key areas – community par- transparent and effective manner. ticipation, service delivery, and leadership development – to support the municipality’s vision of becoming a more responsive, efficient, and ef- fective center for governance excellence. Demonstrating their commitment, the municipality and wider community have already contributed countless staff and volunteer hours working with CHF on the city’s Strategic Development and Investment Plan and will contribute an additional $85,000 in the coming years. Community Participation & Service Delivery: Along every step of the way, CHF works with the municipality to engage citizens to get their feedback to inform local government decision-making and service delivery. The key community participation and service delivery interventions include: Key Interventions Expected Outcomes Community members are taking an effective role in decisions that affect Participatory Planning and Stra- their lives by participating in developing the city's Strategic Development tegic Development & Invest- & Investment plan that will be the guiding document for local economic ment Plan (SDIP) (2013) and social development for the next 8 to 12 years. A Citizen Service Center is a state-of-the-art municipal facility that pro- vides key services in an automated and transparent manner. To comple- Citizen Service Center (2014) ment the Citizen Service Center, processes within the municipality will be overhauled to reduce time spent by citizens and staff to process re- quests (2013). With USAID funding, CHF helped expand the services available at the Expansion of the Al Bireh Youth youth club, including a new media center, computer, music performance Foundation Club (2009 & 2013) space and theater, and a language development unit, benefiting 1870 youth in 2009. The space was further renovated in 2013. CHF International/ West Bank & Gaza: [email protected] - www.chf-pal.org - www.globalcommunities.org Photos: Strategic Development and Investment Planning workshops “We at the Al-Bireh Youth Foundation couldn't imagine doing all this without the support of the CHF team. With the renova- tion, we were able to have more activities for youth...It helped us in having a better environment to work in. Thank you to CHF and for everyone who worked with us to have the best for the foundation.” - Doha Jaber, Resident of Al Bireh City and Director of Al Bireh Youth Foundation Renovated Al-Bireh Youth Foundation Leadership Development: CHF will be supporting the municipality in assuming a leadership role in achieving sustainable development and developing, sharing, and planning for a longer-term vision for the community and the municipality’s institutional development. Leadership Development Key Expected Outcomes Interventions Based on a new municipal capacity assessment tool, the municipality Municipal Strategic Corporate will develop a Municipal Strategic Corporate Plan that outlines how the Plan (2013) municipality will address its institutional development priorities. This intervention will address a critical problem the municipality is facing, GIS Spatial Data Management scattered spatial data, enabling the municipality to have the information and Administration (2013) required for physical and urban planning. CHF will also support the mu- nicipality in establishing a GIS unit for the city. A new physical plan for Al-Bireh and Metropolitan Plan with Ramallah Physical Planning and Metro- and Beitunia will ensure proper planning for local development, trans- politan Plan (2014) portation, and zoning to ensure enhanced access to public services and recreational spaces and greater environmental protection. “We’ve begun our partnership with USAID through CHF because we were convinced that this partnership will have a real value add. It will enable us to take better decisions developing the capacity of the municipality, strategic planning and infrastructure…” - Ziad Assad Taweel, Director of Al Bireh Municipality CHF International/ West Bank & Gaza: [email protected] - www.chf-pal.org - www.globalcommunities.org Municipal Profile: BETHLEHEM About the Community: Bethlehem is a historic city located in the central West Bank, neighboring south Jerusa- lem, with a population of about 25,000 people. Bethlehem was among the first localities in existence in the West Bank, and its first election was held in 1872. In the most recent elections of October 2012, Vera Baboun was elected as the first female mayor of Bethlehem. In 2013, CHF International and the Municipality of Bethlehem be- gan a new partnership under the Local Government and Infrastruc- ture Program (LGI) funded by USAID. The goal of this partnership is to further enhance the municipality’s ability to meet the needs of its citizens in a transparent and effective manner. Governance Excellence: In line with the strategy of the Palestinian local gov- ernance sector, CHF’s partnership with Bethlehem will focus on three key areas, leadership development, service delivery, and community participation – to support the municipality’s vision of becoming a more responsive, efficient, and effec- tive center for governance excellence. Specifically, CHF will be supporting the municipality in continuing its leadership role in developing Palestine’s first Metropolitan Plan for Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Bait Jala, and surrounding villages. In addition, CHF will support the municipality in establishing a state-of-the-art Citizen Service Center, where citizens can access a range of municipal services in one fully automated location. Along every step of the way, CHF will work with the municipality to engage citizens to get their feedback to inform government decision-making and service delivery. One key community participation innovation will be the Youth Shadow Local Council (YSLC), an elected body made up of 15 members aged 15-22 that mirrors the elected local council in its formation and supports its functions and role. Working in partnership with the municipality, the purpose of the YSLC is to sensitize youth to good governance prac- tices and give them an opportunity to take a leadership role in their community’s development. The Bethlehem YSLC was established in May 2013 following the election shown below: “Youth are not involved in decision-making processes. No one cares about their voices. Therefore, I hope that through the activities of the youth council, youth will be encour- aged to express their opinion and bring about new vision in the city.” - Betty Bathich, elected youth council member from Bethlehem CHF International/ West Bank & Gaza: [email protected] - www.chf-pal.org - www.globalcommunities.org Photo: Participatory planning workshop in Bethlehem “Bethlehem has been in recession and is in need of a renaissance. CHF has lit up hope for success and access; they’ve shared their experiences, and we thank them for that. And I be- lieve that our strategic planning is important; to us it means the survival of the city.” - Vera Baboun, Mayor of Bethlehem In close partnership with the municipal council, staff, and community members, CHF will support the implementation of a wide range of complementary activities that increase the municipality’s efficiency, transparency, and responsive- ness in serving local citizens. The full list of expected interventions is included below: Key Interventions Expected Outcomes Participatory Planning Community members have begun meeting to identify priority infrastructure and Strategic Develop- projects needed for Bethlehem residents as of February 2013 and will con- ment & Investment Plan tinue that process until a new Strategic Development and Investment Plan is (SDIP) - (2013) completed in 2013. This will be the guiding document for Bethlehem’s local economic and social development. Municipal Strategic Cor- Based on a new municipal capacity assessment tool, the municipality will porate Plan (2013) develop a Municipal Strategic Corporate Plan that outlines how the munici- pality will address its institutional development priorities. Physical Plan & Metropol- A new physical plan for Bethlehem and Metropolitan Plan with Beit Jala and Beit itan Plan (2014) Sahour will ensure proper planning for local development, transportation, and zoning to ensure enhanced access to public services and recreational spaces and greater environmental protection. Citizen Service Center A Citizen Service Center is a state-of-the-art municipal facility that provides (2014) key services in an automated and transparent manner. To complement the Citizen Service Center, processes within the municipality will be overhauled to reduce time spent by citizens and staff to process requests. CHF International/