Monitoring and evaluation is an important concept for any organization, regardless of whether it is a non-governmental organization or from the private or the public sector, although the need for it may be greatest in the latter. Monitoring and evaluation is a modern tool that should ideally be used for every activity undertaken in management and planning processes, and particularly in dynamic environments that are subject to instability and rapid changes.

Palestinian society is passing through a transition stage, from occupation to independence, from military rule to a civil society, from religious to secular, from underdeveloped to developing, from individualistic to pluralistic, from traditional to modern, and from reliance on foreign donations to gradual reliance on its own resources. In a transitory situation one is likely to make mistakes, get into some difficulties and run into problems. It is therefore crucial to apply monitoring and evaluation for policies, plans and development projects.

There are many challenges ahead for Palestinians; first, to achieve self-dependence, i.e., to rely on their human, financial and natural resources. To become economically independent does not mean complete economic dependence – no country in the world enjoys this – but a gradual economic independence, related to trade relations and a balance of import and exports, etc. Research and press reports suggest that 85-90 percent of the Palestinian economy depends on Israel. From this starting point, how can the Palestinian economy become gradually independent and part of the world society, especially in view of the general trend towards large corporations, mergers of companies, regional alliances, and globalization, etc.? The Palestinians are still concerned with internal and local matters, and this often makes many people forget to look at Palestine as part of a larger picture. Palestine is on the world map, though not in the most desirable way, and this is one of the big challenges.

A second challenge is to reach the stage where the rule of the law prevails. Thirdly, there is the challenge of democratization and equality, including the field of gender. What does equality, citizenship, and democracy etc. actually mean, and how are gender issues dealt with? It is a challenge by itself to accept and formulate processes and directives that suit a particular society with its traditions and norms. The challenge here is not to copy models from the East or West but to fit them in in a way that meets the Palestinian needs, values, circumstances and cultural background.

Other challenges that Palestinians face include achieving unity – culturally, politically, economically - and solidarity within the constitutional structure. There is an urgent need for increased interaction between the West Bank and Gaza, in terms of coordination, merging, and cooperation. Most private sector activities are as yet individual family-run institutions. There is great potential to develop and work together.

Economic, political, institutional, and even human power is another serious challenge, as is the question of how to develop a civil society at a time when Palestinian family, social and tribal relations are going through a stage of change. The presence of institutions, especially of the kind that provide for the basic needs of the individual, family and the society at large, must be strengthened.

Society worldwide is undergoing rapid change; within a changing global dynamics the Arab countries are trying to attain the same level of progress that was attained by the developed countries only after 50 or 60 years of effort. The fast changes in relations, values, traditions, education, the mass media, technology, etc., turn us into strangers to our society. I was once in Kuwait and I felt very alienated simply because everything - from watches to clothes, furniture and appliances - is imported, and all the advertisements are foreign. There is nothing original, Arab, or Kuwaiti. The Islamic and Arab culture was once supreme in the world, but now the Arab World imports from and follows other cultures. In light of the global development we have to ask ourselves, what kind of society do we envision in five or ten years from now?

There must be a concept concerning how to deal with such change and how to control external forces and create an environment that helps achieve the type of change desired. Everyone should be involved in this process and take part in planning and implementing the desired change; it cannot be limited to a few - Arafat, the Palestinian Legislative Council, or the government – but should be looked at like a symphony where everyone plays his/her certain part. In order to introduce changes and achieve the results envisaged, monitoring and evaluation is required.

In any society one can find three main sectors: the public, the private and the NGO sector. Each of these should be critically analyzed in terms of performance and achievements.

In the Palestinian public sector, for example, one could examine whether the ministries hire the right people for the right position, how they deal with issues such as motivation, incentives, civil codes, wasta (connections), etc. Other questions include responsibilities like who responds to faxes or answers the telephone, and whether all general directors actually work or are just token figures. A critical evaluation needs also to examine what steps have to be taken to improve the public sector and monitoring the progress in implementing projects inherent in the three-year Palestinian Development Plan (PDP).

The public sector has responsibilities in legislation, control, auditing, fiscal policy, and certain other fields where it is the only sector involved. Therefore, the role of the public sector must be clearly defined and allow for transparency and accountability.

The private sector is active in all aspects of social and economic development and is naturally exposed to an environment of competition. Competition can be very healthy in that it enforces quality control, i.e., the need to offer better services and provide better goods.

In the Palestinian private sector, one of the main problems is that 70 percent of the establishments are one-man or family businesses; big companies and the merging of smaller ones would increase the overall strength of the sector. In making an evaluation it is not enough to recognize and examine a problem: there must also be attempts to find ways to solve it. Another problem of the private sector in Palestine is that its objective is to achieve quick profit. This often results in a certain readiness to violate taboos and act disgracefully, for example, by selling expired or unclean food. What is needed here is a control mechanism that targets the conscience of the private sector and makes it aware that such violations are illegal and harm the citizen’s security and health. The issue of monopolies and the phenomenon of companies bringing in Israeli goods at the expense of local produce are other examples. There must be an emphasis on Palestinian production; it is enough that the Israelis take Palestinian produce and goods and label them ‘Made in Israel’. The Palestinian private sector has a huge and important responsibility for growth and development, be it rural, urban or industrial. One of its roles is to produce and provide consumer goods, and the goal should be to achieve that in five years, for example, ten percent of all milk products sold in Palestinian shops are pure Palestinian-made. However, there is currently a lack of vision and of adequate policies and coordination, and thus there is no common strategy to achieve such a goal. In some areas in Palestine one finds all kinds of shops, while in others there is a clear lack in the distribution of services. Sometimes, for example, one finds three pharmacies within 200 meters of each other. Therefore, the problem-solving process has to start with finding ways to reinstate national awareness - not via stones or arms, but through self-respect, improved productivity and the will to strengthen our identity, presence and existence. The private sector needs guidelines as to how to operate and coordinate for the benefit of its clients, the citizens.

The NGO sector also encounters a wide range of problems. NGOs should undertake a self-assessment and examine their role in contemporary Palestinian civil society. This would help in developing a clear vision of where the NGOs stand today and where they would like to be in the future. On the basis of such an examination long-term and strategic objectives could then be developed.

The role of the NGOs must be clearly defined. NGOs are to complement the work of governmental institutions and the private sector, rather than compete with them, and they are usually established in fields where the other two sectors fail to provide adequate services or to reach the target group in need.

No organization is an isolated unit. There are always others, partially duplicating the same activities, sometimes doing a little more or better, sometimes a little less or worse in terms of quality and quantity.

In Palestine, a public sector emerged only recently with the arrival of the Palestinian National Authority. Previously, there was an Israeli public sector that interfered and controlled to some extent facilities such as education, but it was more of a military rather than a developmental type of control. Most services were rendered by Palestinian NGOs, which now find themselves in a situation where they have to define their vision, mission, and objectives and to develop their relations with the public sector and vis-à-vis newly emerging dimensions, frontiers, and organizations.

On the national level there are certain development objectives, such as economic growth, job creation, rural development, building infrastructure and institutions, improving the social conditions, etc. NGOs should see themselves as an integral part of these national objectives and plan in light of these goals. By doing this they are more likely to obtain financial support, because their work will complement the national effort, for which the donors are contributing huge amounts of money. There is now a public sector, and whether it is good or bad, the NGOs will be obliged to find ways to adjust to new situations.

In setting up a project, NGOs should be as specific or project-orientated as possible. This will provide a sense of direction and help in achieving stronger management and the improved utilization of resources. Wherever relevant it is essential to identify public and private institutions for cooperation or coordination in terms of sharing resources or facilities, in order to reinforce the impact of a certain project or to avoid conflict or confrontation. Both the government and the NGOs must be aware of what they can do and what they cannot do, i.e., where their limits are within a given set of rules and regulations. Without knowing the weaknesses and strengths of the public sector, NGOs cannot complement weak points and capitalize on strong ones. Joint activities with the public sector can be of advantage for both sides in terms of coordination, complementing, and sharing of resources, information, and expertise.

Among the NGOs themselves specific kinds of relationships exist. However, the future existence, sustainability and continuity of each NGO depends on the strength it displays in contributing to national development. If NGOs do not meet society’s requirements, they will be short-lived. In order to be sustainable, NGOs often need to act together, to coordinate and cooperate in similar programs. The future of NGOs will be globally determined by larger organizations, collectives, unions, etc.; small isolated shops will in the long run be forced to close.

Joint projects and planning, sharing experiences and activities, and developing common action are ways to help build stronger organizations and networks and avoid duplication. Unfortunately, NGOs in Palestine often tend to depend on certain people, basically the director or chairperson, while the rest of the staff are there simply for specific administrative and project tasks. If NGOs acted as a group, they could do much more. Therefore there must be better interaction and coordination of resources in order to improve their contribution to society.

The private sector has its own strengths, institutions, manpower, resources, etc., and both the public and NGO sectors could coordinate resources and plans for the benefit of the society and the national goals.

In light of the above, any organization, no matter whether it belongs to the private, public or NGO sector, should have a unit or a department for monitoring and evaluating its activities. In Palestine, planning, monitoring and evaluation are very important because they lead to the identification and implementation of necessary and desired changes.

Palestinian society as a whole is passing through a stage of change, which makes it even more important to plan, monitor and evaluate appropriate policies and projects. Some 60 percent of the Palestinian population live in rural areas, the great majority of which suffer from a lack of infrastructure and services. Rural development is therefore one of the main components of the Palestinian National Development Plan, which includes the construction or expansion of roads, schools, and other facilities, and facilitates the process of the urban and rural societies growing closer to each other. It is estimated that approximately 72 percent of the rural areas are in urgent need of modernization, development and growth. The other 28 percent remain under direct Israeli occupation and, thus far, have not been touched by the various development projects.

The donors’ support to Palestinian institutions relies to a great extent on the success of current projects and their prospects for sustainability. This applies to both the public and the NGO sector. One can safely say that the NGOs depend on foreign aid for up to 90 percent of their needs. This aid, of course, is not permanent, which means that the development of local human and material resources must be emphasized to prove that we can do something for ourselves. In order to achieve this, there must be transparency, accountability, reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

The concept of monitoring and evaluation are often misinterpreted. It is an effective tool, but not yet institutionalized and thus, not always accepted and often seen as a threat. For example, I participated in a team for the evaluation of The Women’s Center for Social and Legal Counseling. First, a plan was prepared to evaluate the center’s structure and accomplishments over the past five years, on the basis of which we were asked to come up with suggestions as how to develop the center’s plans and activities for the next five years. We drew our conclusions after meetings with the board members and the employees, holding a workshop for the employees and the managers, and visiting similar organizations to inquire about the kinds of problems they address and encounter. The employees of the Women’s Center were very motivated and cooperative and the board fully supported the process. Evaluation and monitoring is now an integral part of the system.

Projects undertaken by government and NGOs alike should not only be accountable and transparent but also aim at institutionalization and decentralization. Decentralization gradually gives the responsibility of taking decisions gradually to those concerned within the system, i.e., it delegates authority and increases people’s participation and empowerment. A new state or state in the making needs foundations and laws and other provisions for the national system. People at all levels need to be trained and prepared to take on certain responsibilities to share the tasks ahead. This process needs monitoring so that the damage is minimized and the benefits maximized. In Britain and the US, the process began with federal government, and gradually, when municipalities and local authorities were formed, authority was delegated.