STRATEGIC VISION
April 2000

Preliminary Notes

The establishment of the Ministry of NGO Affairs, in line with the Presidential decree of 6/10/1999 describing the specific fields of work of the Ministry, were an important step towards developing civil work and organizing the work between all the various Palestinian NGOs, International NGOs and governmental agencies. This was made possible in order to further the principals of complementarily, cooperation and transparency in planning and implementing the National Development Plan, serving the Palestinian society and ensuring the independence and freedom of civil society - so as to complement the public sector in serving the various sectors.

The establishment of the Ministry, which is considered the first of its kind in the Arab world, is an indication of the uniqueness of the Palestinian civil society sector and emphasizes its importance. It also acknowledges its historic role in struggle, development and society-building, and emphasizes its leading role in contributing towards build strong Palestinian institutions. The Ministry has been established to develop a facilitating environment, for supporting and strengthening civil society to enhance the participation of citizens and NGOs in development and democratic processes. We believe that there is no democratic civil society without the presence of an effective participatory civil society.

The Ministry has defined its mission, further to the Presidential Decree, and in accordance with its understanding of the Palestinian reality in general, and the Palestinian civil society and its NGOs in particular. It strives to contribute to developing the effectiveness of civil society work and building it based on law, pluralism and capacity building, with the coordination and cooperation of NGOs and the various government agencies and others.

The Ministry of NGO Affairs’ mission requires the achievement of several strategic aims including the following:

1.      To develop the organizational structures of NGOs.

2.      To develop and apply transparency and professionalism within NGOs.

3.      To encourage and support voluntarism and develop its concepts, its basis and encourage all initiatives to develop creative and innovative forms of voluntarism.

4.      To develop local, Arab and international financial resources for NGOs.

5.      To strengthen the freedom and independence of Palestinian civil society.

6.      To contribute towards setting national priorities in the various development sectors.

To ensure optimal coordination and cooperation between NGOs and the various ministries, to establish common national directives especially in the various development fields, specifically inviting the NGOs to participate in the coordination of the preparation of the comprehensive national development plan and the various sect oral plans.