The Role Of Palestinian Civil Society Organization In Promoting Human Development (The West Bank As A case Study)

This study addresses the role of the Palestinian civil society organizations in reinforcing human development in Palestine. In doing so, the researcher aimed to shed light on the reality of the Palestinian civil society organizations, and identify the relationship between these organizations and human development, in addition to the scale of impact these organizations have on human development. Additionally, the study worked on defining the main obstacles that stand in the way of achieving an effective role for these organizations in reinforcing human development in Palestine. The study was launched from looking in to the question of the nature of the role of civil society organizations in promoting human development, where this question represents " What is the role of civil society organizations in promoting human development," you can branch from this question several sub-questions that are related to the main question. The study began from the basic premise that "the internal and external obstacles led to the reduction of the effective role of the Palestinian civil society organizations in the promotion and formation of human development in Palestine. To address the hypothesis of the study and answering its questions the researcher used many tools, the most prominent, interviews with representatives of the civil society organizations in the West Bank, as the study relied on descriptive analytical method to study the approach of the civil society organizations to promote human development. The first chapter of the study presents an introduction about the study and its methodology. In the second chapter, the researcher addresses the concepts of the study and its hypothetical framework as a scientific entrance that controls the general trend of the study so that it does not deviate from its course and the objectives that the researcher has laid down. The third chapter discusses the reality of the Palestinian civil society organizations with respect to the stages through which these organizations have gone, in addition to the nature of roles that they have adopted in order to express their visions. Additionally, the researcher discussed the reality of human development in the West Bank through two periods: The first one came after the Oslo Convention, while the second one was in light of the reports that were issued by the United Nations Development Program UNDP in Palestine. The measurement of human development in Palestine has been connected with a group of indicators that these reports have provided including: Health, education, women empowerment, equality between the two sexes, unemployment, poverty and environment. Moreover, the role of the civil society organizations in the different indicators related to human development has been analyzed including: Population issues, poverty and unemployment, health issues, education, women empowerment and achieving equality. The scope of interest of the civil society organizations varies and it is very observable. The researcher has addressed a general evaluation of the role of these organizations in reinforcing human development in Palestine. In the fourth chapter, the researcher addresses the main obstacles that hinder the effective of role of the civil society organizations in reinforcing human development in Palestine. These obstacles have been addressed in three groups: The first group is related to the exceptional situation that the Palestinian civil society organizations in Palestine experience under the Israel occupation. The second group deals with the obstacles that are related to the internal environment of these organizations which is represented with administrative corruption and the connection of these organizations with personal activities. The third group is related to the obstacles in the external environment of the civil society organizations such as funding and its impact on the development process, as well as the impact of regulations and laws on the role of the Palestinian civil society organizations. In the conclusion the researcher presented the main results and recommendations that this study has come up with. Through the results it is clear that the civil society organizations have failed to reach the level that the Palestinian people have been anticipating which represents the essence of these organizations’ existence. However, this does not mean to undermine the importance of these organizations and their vital role in the building process of the Palestinian civil society and to provide the main requirements of honorable living, freedom, stability and security. The researcher has given up a number of recommendations that are related to the Palestinian civil society organizations in order to reinforce their role in the development process in general and the human development in particular. The most leading recommendations that emerged from this study is the need to develop the civil society organizations plans and programs according to the vision that seeks to achieve and consolidate through the concepts of change and development of the society, not merely to provide assistance and relief, the act of civil society organizations is not limited to forms of assistance but includes seeking to change society and its development, and this is the basis of the development process, which forms the essence of the work of civil society organizations. The study also recommended the need to rehabilitate volunteer work, by promoting the concepts of social volunteer work, and its importance, and to develop the concept of community participation, and that’s for its importance and its role in achieving development in general and human development in particular.