The Palestinian Authority (PA), established in 1994, is responsible for the provision of services in the oPt. In the emerging State of Palestine, subject to continuous Israeli occupation and internal factional political divide, the task is daunting. The political and geographical fragmentation affects the PA ability to govern in area C and East Jerusalem, and to some extent in the Gaza Strip. In this context, the Palestinian local authorities play an important role in ensuring continuous service delivery and developing the bound between the State and its citizens.

Female and male citizens (refugees and non refugees) living in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) receive public services from local authorities that are efficient, accountable and socially inclusive.

Citizens (female and male, refugees and non refugees, especially marginalised groups, women and youth) living within municipal boundaries, civil society organisations, 134 municipalities, state and semi state institutions working in local governance (Municipal Development and Lending Fund-MDLF, Ministries of Local Government – MoLG and Finance-MoF at central and district level), research institutions, and private sector in the oPt (West Bank and Gaza).

• Municipal management practices are more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent, including in the Gaza Strip.
• Policies and programmes in the Local Governance (LG) sector are informed by successfully tested novel approaches and practices, especially in the field of Social Accountability.
• Policy making initiatives related to the LG sector are informed by research-based and field tested evidence.
• SCO WB & Gaza increases its policy influence on LG issues, especially on Social Accountability.

Erwartete Resultate:  

• Increased responsiveness of municipalities through municipal innovations enhancing social accountability.
• Municipalities’ capacities are improved through providing capacity development packages increasing effectiveness and transparency.
• Citizens’ Customer Service Centres (OSS) are established in at least 3 Gaza municipalities.
• Lessons learned and recommendations from pilot projects contribute to the drafting of a participatory budgeting guideline issued by GIZ-LGP and prepared for up-scaling in MDLF-MDP3 to all municipalities.
• The municipality as well as the community understand participatory budgeting mechanisms and are able to repeat the process independently.
• Pilot municipalities have established Local Economic Development (LED) activities according to their SDIP priorities.
• New policy concepts and analysis is produced and used by SDC to influence LG Sector Working Group discussions, policy dialogue with MDLF, MoLG, and MoF.

SDC will cooperate with all LG stakeholders at the national and local level (government and civil society) as well as with the donors in the sector, in particular Germany (GIZ/ BMZ), Denmark (sector lead), and the World Bank (MDLF co-lead).

This programme is in line with SDC cooperation strategy, which aims at improving access and quality of basic services delivered to Palestinian citizens (refugees and non-refugees) as well as combining the efforts to synergise different activities within the Rule of law (RoL) domain, and with the Employment & Income (E&I) domain.

Phase 1 01.07.2012 - 31.12.2017   (Completed)