CONFERENCES

1994

SUMMARY:

The conference was organized by the GCWG, which is composed of Palestinian and International NGO coordinating committees. Its purpose was to discuss the current situation, changes and challenges facing NGOs and defining their future role in the process of Palestinian development and state-building. The conference was held over three full days with four panels and four intensive workshops comprising days one and two. On the third day there was one intensive question and answer session open to the whole audience which was followed by the finalising of position papers based on workshop decisions made in the previous two days. These papers will be submitted to the Geneva conference for discussion in August.

DAY ONE. The conference began with Professor Roger Heacock making brief introductory remarks and calling on local NGO representatives to make brief statements. The first of these was Mr. Anise al Qaq of the Palestine Health Services Council.

Mr. Al Qaq began by reading a statement from Chairman Arafat addressed to the conference participants and wishing the conference success. He went on to summarise the ideas of the conference and what it hoped to cover saying that this period could lead to independence. He emphasised the role of NGOs at this crucial time, underlining particularly the importance of NGO presence in Jerusalem. He said that the National Authority and the already existing NGO network must become close partners to ensure that the work of one is complementary to the work of the other. He said that some services previously provided by NGOs would now become the responsibility of the National Authority and that co-ordination was essential to ensure that there wasn't a conflict of interests between each group nor was there duplication of services provided. He said that the coming stage was going to be very difficult as not only were cooperation and openness necessary between the National Authority and the NGOs, local and international, but also between and among the donor countries, training organisations and new advisory bureaus, particularly those dealing with job opportunities for people whose employment prospects have been severely disabled by occupation and the intifada. He said that there was a great need for a co-ordinating committee which could act as a go between for the international and local NGOs.

The second introductory speaker was Tamer Essawi of the Center for Peace and Democracy, who reminded the conference participants of the huge contribution that NGOs had made and still continue to make in Palestinian Society. Unfortunately, he said that he could see no clear path for the future of NGOs under the National Authority. He referred to the shortcomings of the Oslo and Cairo agreements, saying that nothing whatsoever had changed and pointing out that Israel still controlled the majority of land in Gaza. Jerusalem was still isolated from the rest of the West Bank and there had certainly been no encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of the future National Authority. Effectively, all that had occurred was a remodification of the occupation. The agreements were very much open to interpretation and in the opinion of Tamer Essawi, did not allow for the development of an independent Palestinian state. He said that NGOs should not start reducing their activities in any way at this point in time but should continue to ensure that the emphasis of their work is placed firmly on the fact that Palestinian society remains under occupation. He commented on the fact that Palestinians had developed a civil society despite being in a condition of occupation and this civil society should be supported in very way.

The third introductory speaker was Samir Ayyad from the Prisoners Support Centre. He said that the Cairo agreement had been seen as a turning point but reiterated that nothing had really changed on the ground. Prisoners were still being used politically and the withdrawal of the IDF had proved to be little more than redeployment, the issue of Jerusalem also remained a major problem. He said that the Cairo agreement is not capable of securing a just and durable peace since there is still occupation and the main priority is still liberation from settlers and the army which allows for active independent functioning with a full Israeli withdrawal. He stressed the importance of the role of the NGOs as part of Civil Society who must assume even greater responsibility. Their tasks he said, were to continue protecting the rights of the Palestinian people and to organise themselves in terms of their national and societal duties.

The overall chair of the conference was Dr. Ibrahim Abu Lughod, Vice President of Birzeit University who then made a statement fully opening the conference, explicating the intent, goals and procedures. Dr. Abu Lughod began by saying that there was still a long struggle ahead which was the struggle to obtain independence and that Jerusalem must always be seen and thought of as the occupied capital of the Palestinian people. He said that occupation had not finished with the agreement and the struggle for institutions in Jerusalem had only just begun and no institutions should move out. It was always a political decision that Jerusalem would be the institutional capital and branches would be spread from Jerusalem throughout the West Bank and Gaza. He raised his concern that having never had a central governing body before, the Palestinians did not have a shared vision although they did know their ultimate goal. Consequently the emphasis must remain on the fact that occupation still exists whatever agreements had been made and that there must be a continued emphasis on the struggle for National Independence. He went on to elaborate on the meaning of national independence saying that for the first time the Palestinian people will have their own authority and that it was time to actually start practicing what they had been preaching for many years. Positive interaction between national organisations and the people was a crucial part of this practice and there were many possibilities for cooperation in the current implementation phase. He made some basic points that he considered crucial to the future successful operation of NGOs, foremost among which was that Palestinians must adopt a constitution which protects the rights of the people against the possibility of dictatorship and would also ensure that local NGOs have a strong democratic base from which to operate. He stressed that although NGOs were non-governmental they were national institutions and the institutions which had preceded the PNA in many ways. Consequently they are a rich source od experience and advice for the incoming authority and the interrelation between the already existing infrastructure and the incoming authority was crucial to nurture. He reiterated the fact that occupation continues and that the PNA were going to need a lot of initiative to promote development in all fields. He raised finally the role of international NGOs and said they their contribution could continue to be promotion of the Palestinian right to self determination and the provision of financial aid. He also mentioned the question of compensation for losses incurred by Palestinians under both Israeli and British occupation.

The next speaker was Fritz Froehlich and he gave a brief background of the conference saying that the preparatory work had consisted of five local meetings. He talked of the prospects for the Geneva conference and said that the five position papers which would be the result of this conference would be forwarded to Geneva for discussion. Regarding Jerusalem, he said that European NGOs had always considered Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state and would continue with this view.

The final speaker at the introductory session was Mr. Chris Doyle, representative of the European Co-ordinating Committee for Palestine (ECCP), based in Brussels. He briefly explained the work of the ECCP saying that it had been established to coordinate between European and Palestinian NGOs. He went on to say that the ECCP was pushing for the European Union to play a much stronger and more active role in resolving the Palestinian question as its previous function had been one of support only.

Panel One: NGOs and Development Strategies Chair: Fathiya Nasru Panelists: Mustapha Bargouthi Izzat Abdul Hadi (Bisan) Mohammad al-Shadid (Housing Council)

After a brief introduction by chair Fathiya Nasru, the three panelists discussed various aspects of future development strategies. Mustapha Bargouthi stated that NGOs in their function as mass, women, charitable, grassroots or specialized organisations are a part of civil society in the OPT. He went on to discuss the new challenges and realities facing NGOs caused by the signing of the DOP. Among the possible developments he mentioned were that some NGOs might became governmental, either because of existing political links or because of financial, political or other interests and others may cease to exist because there is no longer a need for them or their activities will be taken over by the PNA. He discussed the important role NGOs played during and despite the occupation in providing services (e.g. up to 60% of the health sector is run by NGOs and almost 100% of pre-school education), creative and successful development and in building a base for democracy. Furthermore, he stressed that the NGOs are not committed to the Cairo-Agreement and their primary concern is helping the society. One of the main challenges will be the implementation of infrastructure. It is necessary, therefore, to set priorities, guarantee fair distribution of donations, coordinate, create a democratic base and to differentiate between NGO and governmental tasks.

Panelist number two, Izzat Abdul Hadi began by pointing out that the most important result had been the setting up of a Palestinian National Authority in Jericho, however, the Oslo and Cairo agreements had placed serious restrictions on development. He commented that there was a difference between democracy and nationalism and that the two separate ideas should not be confused, as without democracy there would be no human rights. The link between opposition strategy and development strategy was crucial and a solid working relationship should be fixed. In his opinion the private sector would be playing the most important developmental role in building up trade and industry. Although the necessity and function of a five year plan had been agreed there was no clear solution on the best way to implement it and the fact that it was not based on the real needs of the Palestinian people was a fundamental flaw. He pointed out that NGOs had been providing health care and education and questioned the whole meaning of reconstruction, asking if this basically gave the private sector the opportunity to take over. The public sector, was ambiguous and there seemed to be little real idea of the direction that the PNA would take. Izzat Abdul Hadi raised the possibility that the PNA could be hoping to adopt a developmental model based on other Arab states and expressed his concern that the PNA would effectively take over he work of the NGOs. He said that there needed to be democratic development from the bottom to the top which emphasised the importance of gender and human rights issues and he suggested that a complete review of the current NGO operational procedures needed to be made in order to set a solid framework for dealing with the PNA.

The final panelist, Mohammed Shadid, discussed the role of NGOs in development. After a brief review of the original meaning of NGOs and their work in other countries, he turned to the Palestinian Development Plan stressing the big demand for labour, the need to develop human resources, provide rehabilitation, encourage trade and tackle problems of funding. Regarding the latter point, international aid and compensation from Israel for losses caused by the occupation were discussed. The responsibility of NGOs in the coming development process was defined by the following tasks: monitoring the authorities, implementing activities, promoting public consciousness, reviewing past development strategies, working scientifically and objectively, cooperating and coordinating for common development and clarifying priorities for each sector. He stressed the importance of NGOs remaining on the grassroots level and that PNGOs and the National Authorities should not necessarily be in opposition but should develop an inventive and coordinated relationship. Shadid concluded the session giving the housing sector as an example and saying that due to Israeli policies, there was a lack of at least 100,000 housing units and 15-20% of existing houses were not fit for human habitation. Up to 3 Billion Dollars will be necessary to improve the situation. The National Authority's tasks will include the protection of this sector and its sub-organizations and registering the whole problem for better coordination and distribution of information.

Some points raised in the discussion following this panel included the predominance of the private sector and the need for an umbrella organisation under which the NGOs could operate. Izzat Abdul Hadi commented that no one could compete with the private sector and due to the fact that there was no central union, the question of an umbrella was very problematic and was an issue that needed to be addressed as soon as possible. Mustapha Barghouti pointed out the importance of free and open debate in order to air grievances and so avoid the internal conflicts which could hamper development on all levels.

Panel Two: NGOs and Palestinian Civil Society Chair: Eileen Kuttab Panelists: Fateh Azham (Al-Haq) Rawiya Shawwa (Al-Quds Newspaper) Jamil Hammami Lance Matteson (ANERA)

Fateh Azham began by saying that she was a strong advocate of democratic reform and multiplicity. She gave a comprehensive review of all the benefits that a democratic system could have for the Palestinian people as well as pointing out the suitability of the system for Palestinians given their worldview, their highly developed political sense and the existence of a civil society which is unlike any seen in other Arab States. She stressed the need for creativity and originality on all levels of Palestinian life whether it be in the cultural and artistic sphere or the developmental. She said that the role of the NGOs should be as a complementary opposition and reiterated that democratic reform would provide a framework for competition between governmental and non-governmental bodies which would be vital for the society's evolution. She said that in the past the Palestinian people became accustomed to living on slogans, often without considering the true meaning of those slogans and that now it was necessary to really look at their content and work out how to achieve what had been demanded for many years. She stressed the importance of co-ordination between NGOs and said that the whole question of individual human rights should be taken much further to include the rights of different groups to survive, regardless of their political ideas. This was particularly pertinent with a lot of local NGOs who have political affiliations that may be different from the incoming authority but who, nevertheless, contribute a great amount to the society through the work of their organisations. She related this to her previous point about slogans and content concluding that it is the content, the action and achievements of organisations which should be seen as the estimates of their worth.

Rawiya Shawwa spoke about the future of NGOs in the OPT according to the new situation. She stated that it is impossible to make distinctions between the political situation and the role of NGOs in the absence of a government. To discuss the relationship between NGOs, the PNA and organisations in neighbouring countries, one should look at the experience of other liberation movements and promote the role of PNGOs in the transition phase and how they can help to create a national authority. Shawwa then discussed the history of NGOs in the Palestinian context, their role of building civil society, their situation during the intifada and the reasons for their overall survival in spite of having no governmental protection. She concluded that NGOs enriched Palestinian society and have the experience and expertise which the new National Authorities lack, the latter, therefore, have to learn from and cooperate with the NGOs.

Jamil Hammami talked at length about the legitimacy of organisations be they governmental, non-governmental, charitable or in any other form, concluding that the only effective yardstick for the legitimacy of any organisation was in the amount of interaction that it had with the people on all levels, but particularly on the grassroots level. He maintained that organisations working on the ground, often involved in providing very basic services were those more likely to be aware of and therefore able to truly represent the peoples needs. He raised the question of funding for organisations and said that problems of mismanagement and corruption already existed and were likely to increase with increased funds being made available. He decried the lack of a strict and efficient monitoring system which would oblige all organisations to justify the spending of the funding received. He went on to talk about the role of NGOs and said that there needed to be a clear vision of their role in the future. He said that given their rich experience in administering the affairs of the Occupied Territories for so many years, their role was indispensable. He stressed that there was a huge pool of ability and experience, enough to fulfill all the needs of Palestinian society in the future. He concluded with the hope that this talent and knowledge would not be wasted.

The last panelist to discuss NGOs and Palestinian civil society was Lance Matteson, who began with defining civil society as a mirror of a pluralistic and democratic society, and NGOs as non-profit, formal, volunteer organizations, which are not strictly religious or political and not linked to governmental bodies. He then discussed the existence of civil societies in the Arab world in general before turning to Palestinian civil society. The latter's position is determined by a lack of indigenous national authority and a foreign (Israeli) occupying power at the same time. This means that Palestinian NGOs lack protection, are continually under the suspicion of the Israeli authorities and at the same time makes them forums of politicisation, adapted to providing services and generating political leaders. The regional meetings held throughout the OPT mirrored the existence of a Palestinian civil society very clearly despite the absence of a government:- 430 NGOs and more than 700 NGO activists were involved. Concerning the future, Matteson made two remarks, NGOs need legal protection and rights and these rights are made by people, by civilians, not by the future government whose responsibility is to recognize and protect those rights.

DAY TWO. Panel Three: NGOs and Jerusalem Chair: Nora Kort Panelists: Khalil Tufakji (Palestinian Geographic Research and Information Center) Mustapha Abu Zahra (Chamber of Commerce) Nahla Al-Assali (Care Society, Old City) Fritz Froehlich (SAAR)

Khalil Tufakji's presentation consisted of him showing a large variety of slides illustrating the changes that had taken place in Jerusalem since 1967. A large amount of these showed the building and distribution of settlements and illustrated clearly their incredible proliferation, particularly over the last decade. Khalil Tufakji commented that settlement building had not taken place in any random sense but had been planned quite strategically in order to completely change the geographic and demographic status of the city. He showed how many settlements had been built in the greater Jerusalem area in order to divide Arab populated areas and to effectively cut off the city from the outlying West Bank Arab villages and towns. He gave a demographic breakdown in percentages, of the Jewish and Arab populations which depicted quite clearly the incredible growth of Israeli residents in the city. Not only were settlements a strategic issue but also the road networks linking settlements to each other and outlying Israeli areas were very important as they created physical separation and effective borders. Khalil Tufakji also explained the gross inequalities in allocation for land ownership and building, particularly in Northern Jerusalem where settlement activity in recent years has been phenomenal while new Arab housing has hardly occurred.

Mustapha Abu Zahra started with the announcement that Jerusalem is "the heart of Palestine and its capital" and that the ongoing demographic and geographic changes undertaken by Israel, the harsh taxes on Palestinian Jerusalemites and the separation of the city from the rest of the OPT are serious issues which aim at minimizing Arab presence and property in the city, extending land confiscation for Jewish settlements and forcing Palestinian institutions out of Jerusalem. He said that the duty of NGOs - inside and outside of Jerusalem - in facing these occupation practices were as follows: struggling for Jerusalem through continued presence in the city; emphasizing that Jerusalem is the occupied capital of Palestine and Arab in its nature; fighting for international legitimacy against closure and occupation; calling on international NGOs and groups to support local counterparts; making Jerusalem a priority of developmental and socio-economic activities towards the Arab population in the city; fighting the reduction of Arab presence in the city; returning offices back to Jerusalem and getting involved in social activities such as kindergartens etc. The second part of this lecture focused on the Old City giving the following recommendations: gaining independence from Israeli sources and conducting their own social and architectural surveys; emphasizing restoration activities (with an estimated $9 billion needed); producing maps of Jerusalem with names of streets and places according to Waqf registration (as was done 100 years ago); re-utilizing Old City streets and suqs; bringing tourists back in the Arab market (from the Jewish Cardo); demanding back land confiscated by Israel; demanding the return of the St. John Hostel which is at present occupied by settlers; publicising Waqf documents of ownership - sales, absentees land etc.; creating a documentation center for research and information on Jerusalem's history; protecting religious, international and housing rights in the city; fighting settlement policy; returning organisations to Jerusalem and to the Old City in particular.

Nahla Assali began by saying that NGO presence in Jerusalem was very important, particularly seeing as the city attracts a lot of organisations working on humanitarian issues and said that she considered NGOs to be the conscience of Jerusalem. She referred to settlement activity and Israeli municipality zoning plans remarking that these issues and the fact that Jerusalem had also been made a separate area for identity cards, were all very carefully planned steps taken to consolidate the annexation of the city. She called for a strong and united stand from all Palestinians over the question of Jerusalem, pointing out there were over 200 organisations and that the character of the city was still very much Arab. She said that the duty of local NGOs was to push for maintaining peace and unity in Jerusalem with the continued support of international NGOs. Nahla Assali said that she considered that the PNA would very much need the support of the NGOs and that dialogue between them would be essential. Considering the background of many of the NGOs working in Jerusalem there was a link and experience that the PNA could not do without.

She raised four points that needed consideration: 1) Is there, or will there be a mechanism for NGOs to meet and co-ordinate with the PNA? 2) How can factional complications be overcome? 3) Can funding be guaranteed for PNGOs? 4) How do we classify those NGOs that will become part of the PNA and will solidarity among them be achieved?

Fritz Froehlich briefly reviewed the history of Jerusalem and concluded that UN Resolutions 181 and 194 (on the city's status) are still ignored, that the occupation with all its practices and violations of international law continues, despite the recent agreements and that their will be no changes before occupation is removed completely. Concerning the role of the NGO in the struggle for Jerusalem, he pointed out that projects emphasizing Jerusalem as Palestinian city should be implemented, NGOs should fight against demographic, physical, geographical and political deformation of Jerusalem and do their best to restore Arab presence and reconsider their activities. Personal encouragement and civil courage is as important as the task to hold more seminars on and in Jerusalem and to increase cultural and sport activities in the city.

One point raised in the discussion after this panel was the necessity to confront the continuation of settlement activity around Jerusalem and it was suggested that one of the recommendations for the Geneva conference should be on land confiscation, planning and construction. Another concern was raised about the sudden increase of Palestinians in Jerusalem applying for Israeli citizenship. The only comment that could be made on this was that they have not actually been granted Israeli citizenship yet and the importance of this issue will be in the result of their application. Other points came to the basic conclusion that emphasis must be placed on continued NGO presence in the city and ways should be found of procuring new premises, most particularly inside the Old City itself. More attention should be given to restoration and renovation work in the Old City and there should be a considerable increase in publicity and effective use of the media.

Panel Four: NGO Relationships (with other NGOs, PNA Bodies,Multilateral Organizations and Funders) Chair: Jumana Oudeh Panelists: Raja Shehadeh Roger Heacock Bernard Harborne (Gaza Center for Rights and Law)

Raja Shehadeh began by specifying two areas of interest which were legality and policy. He said that the negative aspects of PNA policy towards NGOs could effectively marginalise the NGO role. NGOs had worked towards laying the foundation of a political programme so that now they could effectively lose that role to the PNA. He pointed out that NGOs have been marginalised since the negotiations began, especially Human Rights organisations such as al-Haq. NGO contribution to the negotiations was negligible and they could and should have been allowed to play a much larger role which was a bad indicator of the incoming authority's attitude. Also many NGOs stopped working once the negotiations began and were effectively neutralised by them. The actual role played by NGOs in the past has been that of a government and the relationship between them and the National Authority has never been comfortable. There is a very large threat of PNA domination and Raja Shehadeh questioned the extent to which this could actually be taken. On the legal aspect, he said that the existing legal framework was not enough to protect NGO needs. He gave a brief description of the legal shortcomings of the Cairo agreement and how legislation for charitable societies would still be subject to Israeli approval. He said that NGOs must re-organise their relations on all levels and that there was theoretically a possibility to change to existing legal system under which they operate. He concluded by saying that he believed the job of monitoring allocation and spending of funds to NGOs, should be performed by the government, although there was doubt that this could be done without interference.

Roger Heacock began by defining the difficult context of relationships in Palestinian society given the existence of various types of actors: the Israeli authorities, newly established Palestinian national authorities, PNGOs, donor countries, international and intra-governmental organizations and international NGOs. In the current situation a struggle of power between competing types of organization creates tension and the main question this raises is how to reach a balance of power among interests and responsibilities. This is problematic since there is no state with rules, regulations and laws to direct and mediate power. Heacock went on to discuss the standpoint of each of the actors. Israel has power and could use it to create unbalance among the other groups mentioned above, especially since the recent agreements between Israel and the PLO do not say anything about NGOs and civil society. The PNA as a transitional authority will turn the PLO into a more governmentally structured organisation especially following elections. Its interest is to obtain as much support from NGOs as possible since it is in a very weak position under the agreement and needs many allies to be strong and effective. The PNGOs main interest is to maximize their revenue (basically international assistance) and as long as this financial need is met by the PNA they will support the process of state-building. The interests of donor states are defined by "hidden agendas", personal priorities (such as private sector projects) and political concerns (respecting Israel regarding issues like Jerusalem). Through their financial channels they could exercise control over Palestinian National Authorities. Within this framework, the EEC, for example, has different priorities according to member-country. International NGOs face the problem of becoming increasingly dependent on their home-governments and therefore in a position whereby they will have to increasingly fall in line with their policies. The role they play generally, is declining and NGOs established after the Gulf War have problems finding supporters. Heacock concluded by suggesting that NGOs should sign a resolution which regulates their future relationships and interactions and includes making binding commitments among them. They should publish a declaration of independence to overcome any conflict which occurs between all actors in the Palestinian arena.

Bernard Harborne, reading a statement by Raji Sourani who was unable to travel from Gaza, began by saying that the agreement could be the cause of a dangerous liaison between the PNA and NGOs. The power to veto certain NGO activities could however, work very much to the disadvantage of the PNA, as NGOs can often do things without hindrance from the Israeli side whereas the PNA may encounter problems. He noted that the purpose of this conference was to emphasise the necessity of co-ordination between the PNA and NGOs but added that a liaison body needed to be established to prevent the loss of certain institutions in the private sector. Raji Sourani's paper then gave strong advocacy of the need for NGO independence which would give NGOs a completely legitimate oppositional voice as well as go towards avoiding much of the corruption widely seen in other states, particularly Arab states. He said that ultimately, the coming stage would see a lot of NGOs disappearing, particularly some of those that have mushroomed in recent years. This however, would not necessarily be a bad thing as it would make the whole NGO network more professional, streamlined and accountable. Effectively he said, a lot of "dead wood" would go.

DAY THREE. Remarks by Feisal Husseini Feisal Husseini appreciated the efforts undertaken to hold this conference and its necessity according to the recent developments. He said NGOs should work towards approving rights to liberate the land and reconfirmed to the audience that the current battle of achieving self-determination during the interim period will lead to negotiation on the final solution including the West Bank and Jerusalem as stated in the Oslo and Cairo agreements. He went on to emphasize the Jerusalem issue saying that "we represent the reality in Jerusalem" and have to develop the situation since Jerusalem belongs to Palestine, its history and roots. He said the most important symbolic issue of the conference was the fact it was held in Jerusalem, since keeping their existence and presence in the city is a difficult situation facing Palestinians. He said the Jerusalem issue is rather more historically than politically determined and that Israel feels threatened by this. Given this background the Palestinian side created a committee to protect Jerusalem and fight the Jewish dominance. That "shocked" those Israelis who thought the Jerusalem question was solved and that Palestinians would move out, but they then had to learn that the battle goes on and will not end before the liberation of Arab Jerusalem.

After this statement Fritz Froehlich said that all segments involved in the conflict are aware of the rocky road on the way to find a solution for Jerusalem and that Israel should create the conditions for a just and lasting peace. He then introduced Samir Huleileh, who spoke on behalf of PECDAR.

Remarks by Samir Huleileh Samir Huleileh began by saying that in the past and since the Oslo agreement there had been much strong discussion among NGOs on their role, nature and relationships with the emerging Palestinian National Authority. These discussions reflected political pluralism and fears of NGOs about the coming period. He then went on to specify the Palestinian position and to describe the changes of the last three years before outlining the future relationship between NGOs and the PNA. The past was determined by the absence of a state and dealing with the Israeli authorities, PLO presence existed, but only since recent times had it been truly present and active in the OPT. The Palestinian civil society played an active role in terms of development, experience and pluralism as reflected in the existence of many different organisations. The PNGOs successfully tried to fill the gap which was created by the non-existence of Palestinian governmental structures and to replace Israeli authorities at the same time. Popular and official support towards the OPT was intermixed through the presence of international funders alongside Palestinian groups, i.e. receiving funds occurred on grassroots level as well as officially. This mixture was one of the main problems in the past. Furthermore, Huleileh said that financial assistance from abroad made up 80-100% of the NGO budgets. Concerning the future, he said that the national struggle to end the occupation will continue, backed by the PLO. The internal struggle for state-building is task of the PNA, but since the national-political struggle cannot succeed without the internal one (and vice versa) the relationship between the NGOs and the PNA must, of necessity, be very good. While the role of the PLO and political factions remains politically determined, the development tasks will be part of the NGOs' and PNA's responsibilities, with the NGOs as the main implementing bodies. As far as funding is concerned, Huleileh went on to say that international funding, whether on governmental or NGO level, needs to be coordinated and checked clearly. He stressed that the PNA would not interfere, but international governmental aid (including support from the UN, EU and Arab organisations) should not support PNGOs without being coordinated by the PNA. Therefore PNGOs should participate in information sharing. Regarding the new established situation, Huleileh pointed out the following requirements for the PNA: 1. It is PNA's duty and priority to work towards building the authority, the state and its organs for the Palestinian people at this time. 2. The PNA has to facilitate the continuation of support for NGOs as their work and their role in Palestinian civil society is very important. 3. The PNA has to facilitate NGO work and to organise relations with them through the following actions: registering NGOs for better coordination and cooperation; facilitating import of equipment etc. through appropriate custom policy; creating a forum for discussing the future development and priorities between the PNA and NGOs with recommended annual meetings. As far as the NGOs were concerned he made the following observations: - they should start a dialogue with the PNA on the new changes, challenges and questions such as which of the agricultural cooperatives, hospitals, educational institutions etc. should remain private and which should be under state control; - their organisation should be efficient and not in conflict with the PNA; - registration of NGOs will legitimize their work, provide a legal framework and lead to better cooperation; - information sharing between NGOs and PNA is crucial since both sides need sufficient information to undergo global development efforts and guarantee proper funding; - elections are to be held on a democratic basis and all should commit to the concept of openness, good administration and effective monitoring; - PNGOs should not become the structure for political opposition, there should not be a combination of political and developmental tasks. Huleileh concluded by saying that the PNA does not want to demolish NGOs and/or their work, but will maybe integrate some into the governmental apparatus. He stressed the hope that NGOs will deal democratically and professionally with the new situation and the PNA and stressed the need to establish a good relationship instead of opposing each other since their goals are the same. Following this statement the audience was invited to ask questions and discuss topics raised by Samir Huleileh. One of the questions asked for a specification of the future relationship between NGOs, the PNA and their subordinated councils. Huleileh stressed the need for cooperation between them and said that the councils will have an advisory nature and might mediate between NGOs and ministries. Since the ministries have to do a lot of work to establish their structures etc. he said he expects that the situation of the NGOs will remain as it is now for a long time. Furthermore, people should get rid of the impression that the PNA is a competitor and see it as a cooperator. Compatibility, mutual transparency and accountability will be crucial pillars determining the relationship between PNA and NGOs. Another question referred to the World Bank promises and the potential conditions this implies. Huleileh said that the financial agreements ensure the PNA's independence and the bulk of money promised, as well as the technical assistance, is, therefore, unconditional. Problems will occur, he admitted, concerning the bilateral agreements between the PNA and donor countries as they are expected to be bound to certain conditions regarding their own work and the stand of Israeli authorities.