Local Governance

On May 12 the Adva Center partnered with the Heinrich Boell Foundation in the sponsorship of a conference "The Program for Gender Mainstreaming in Local Councils". The conference was organized jointly by the Adva Center and Injaz Center at the Na LaGaat Center in Jaffa. The purpose of the conference is to share insights, challenges and success stories resulting from women's civic actions in their localities. The conference was attended by women from 21 localities, both Jewish and Arab, from all over the country. (Video and Pictures)

Dr. Yousef Jabareen, General Director of Dirasat: Arab Center for Law and Policy provides a review of the poor level of functioing of Arab local councils and relates to the historical context and long-standing national policy failures to assess the current situation. He outlines the main factors contributing to the distress in Arab municipalities as well as the impacts including socio-economic indicators. Finally, he describes the recent initiatives of civil society, including Dirasat, to provide models of best practices and empower decision makers to improve management and thereby improve the services and overall civic culture for all.