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:: Introduction
According
to the UNCHR, governance is the process whereby public institutions
conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee
the realization of human rights. This must be accomplished
in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with
due regard for the rule of law. Governance can also apply to
social structures and processes that can ensure the proper
utilization of national resources and capacities.
The
PASSIA project Promoting Good Governance is
based on the notion that the achievement of good governance
is a learning process that could be most effectively assisted
by capitalizing upon the experiences of other emerging democracies
or states in transition. It aims to help develop a responsive,
efficient and credible public sector, with a transparent legal
system and independent judicial institutions. The latter is
particular important given the fact that in countries transitioning
to democracy, and the Palestinian case is a good example, the
system is often weak and torn between incompatible institutional
mandates and traditions. Moreover there is often a tendency
to revert to more familiar patterns of authoritarianism - as
displayed in the neighboring Arab states - and abuse of power
rather than fostering the rule of law.
PASSIA's
project consists of a workshop and a research/database component
to analyze both the Palestinian democratization experience
as well as the lessons and pitfalls of other countries in their
attempts to promote and introduce concepts of participation,
decentralization, accountability, transparency and rule of
law. The project thus targets local and international experts/expertise
in the field of governance, with the focus being on the following
four sub-topics: Rule of Law, Democracy/Democratization,
Decentralization and Local Government ,
and, State-Society Relations .
The
workshop component is based on the following process:
- A series
of brainstorming sessions and roundtable discussions involving
Palestine-based civil society activists and practitioners from
a wide range of institutions, NGOs and donor organizations
to identify existing work undertaken locally in the subject
area as well as main topics to focus on with regard to the
Palestinian case. Within this framework, local speakers may
prepare and present papers to be discussed either with a wider
audience or with special focus groups.
- Based on
the results of the preparatory sessions, explicit topics for
a workshop with expert speakers from other emerging democracies/countries
in transition will be selected. In the workshop itself, these
expert speakers will present illustrative cases. PASSIA believes
that by looking at what others have to say about success and
strategic failures on the road to functioning democratic and
legal systems new methods that would assist in the search for
good governance practices could be developed for the Palestinian
case.
- The results
of the previous sessions will then be discussed by local practitioners
with the aim of finding ways to introduce and implement necessary
future projects and policies at a national Palestinian level.
The proceedings and recommendations of the workshops are then
published in a booklet.
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