Advocacy

Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) are the largest per capita recipients of international aid, but they have no control and very little influence over how those resources are used on their behalf. Moreover, while billions of dollars are being spent on Palestinian “development,” many people agree that little development is taking place, and even less that is sustainable. 

In 2009-2010, Dalia Association made a commitment to expand its formal research about aid dependence to bring attention to the situation of grassroots CSOs. Grassroots CSOs are usually comprised of the same poor, rural and marginalized members of the community to whom development initiatives are aimed. Therefore, they are often most credible and most effective at leading community change. Although they can play a leading role in development, grassroots voices are often absent in policy discourse.

• Empower Palestinians to express their views about international aid and their specific demands for improved donor practices.
• Build relationships with donors that enable constructive pressure to improve their grant-making and aid programs and their interactions with grantees and potential grantees.
• Encourage donors to take more responsibility for the consequences -- intended or unintended -- of their policies and procedures on Palestinian civil society and the population-at-large.
• Improve donors’ and intermediaries’ transparency and accountability, especially by innovating accountability mechanisms that build on and contribute to international best practices.
• Put Palestine on the international agenda concerning aid effectiveness and development effectiveness and bring international perspectives into local discussions.