ًWATC's vision and strategy: achievements and challenges

 

One of the greatest obstacles to integrate women into development and to building a developmental approach that aims to transform the gender dynamics within any society is the tendency to de-link gender issues from the general context in which development projects are taking place. For this reason, I would like to start by outlining the general political, economic and cultural context in which WATC is working on gender and development.

 

Palestine has experienced rapid political and economic deterioration since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000. The crippling siege which we have been under since the legislative elections in January 2006 has caused further damage. As a result, poverty is rising, unemployment characterizes the economy, investors are running away, and movement is restricted on every level.  

 

The impact of these conditions on women has been great. The burden placed on women  have increased enormously as women have had to stretch their resources to care for the compounded needs of their families – including those injured or imprisoned for political reasons, as well as the handicapped, elderly and the children.

 

Research has documented that throughout the world the care work provided by women is not recognized or calculated for its economic value. In the Palestinian context, the increase in care work demanded of women has forced many civil society organizations to shift their focus to providing emergency aid and operating from a survival strategy. Many civil society organizations, particularly the Islamic organizations, organized around a strategy of providing direct aid to women, which has enabled them to build important networks among women. But in this context, it is a very difficult task to call for the empowerment of women by strategically shifting existing gender dynamics.

 

Women's Affairs Technical Committee drew its philosophy and vision from this very context.  Building on the experience of the Palestinian women's movement, WATC prioritizes organizing and mobilizing politically as the means to collective empowerment of women. That is why WATC functions as a coalition of many grassroots women's organizations working to mobilize and organize women at the grassroots level.  

 

WATC does not view women as a homogeneous group but recognizes the many differences among women in terms of class, age, health, geographical area, social status and so on. WATC seeks to engage all kinds of women in its activities, not only those who share its vision. WATC works to broaden the options for women as they make their own choices. WATC does, however, prioritize young women and women from rural areas and refugee camps. WATC also works to effect change in the political, economic, legal and cultural structures by empowering women to be able to attain leadership positions in the political arena. During the last elections, WATC was able to raise the representation of women to 428 in the 225 local councils where elections have been held.

WATC believes that women, when organized, have power. In the current situation which is dominated by political division between the two largest political parties, Fateh and Hamas) WATC believes that it is vital for the continuation and survival of our society that women play a unifying role rather than contributing to the division and fragmentation. Building on the tradition of the Palestinian women's movement, WATC organized a conference to call for national unity and issues an appeal urging all political parties to form a government of national unity to spare our society further bloodshed and conflict.

 

WATC is a secular, feminist women's coalition. This identity will be challenged increasingly as Islamist movements continue to consolidate power.  WATC has worked to broaden its constituencies and its General Assembly now includes representation of all women's organizations belonging to political parties within the PLO. In addition, WATC is open to the possibility of additional political movements joining the PLO.  In other words, if reform within the PLO results in the inclusion of Islamist groups, WATC is ready and willing to work with the Islamist women's movement. Already, WATC includes councilwomen from Islamist parties in its training for local councilwomen and they are invited to participate in WATC's activities.  However, WATC believes that it is fundamental to the emancipation of women that existing gender power dynamics be transformed rather than reproduced. Ultimately, WATC will participate in any effort to initiate change of this kind, but will work against any effort to reproduce the existing inequalities and biases against women.

WATC, as a coalition of women's organizations, is unlike any other NGO. Changing dynamics after Oslo shifted power to NGOs, which are following a different strategy for women's empowerment that focuses on advocacy and training and does not favor organizing. This trend has weakened the involvement of women at the grassroots which formed WATC's base by undermining the funding of services to women which served as hubs for local organizing.  We urge you to consider funding these activities of our member organizations to strengthen their local networks of women.

 

The current political deadlock and the siege on the elected government have constituted a setback to all women's organizations and have moved the call for the empowerment of women to the margin. Women's empowerment is perceived as a secondary issue in the face of the international community's attempt to starve our people. 

 

We are not only in need of your funds but even more importantly, your voice. Time and again it has been proven in the Palestinian case that any development work done in a context without political stability will only be washed away. Palestinians needs justice, freedom and recognition of their rights in order to survive as a nation. Voice our rights in your countries and to your government. Find ways to bring justice with your funds for our people. Take a position vis-à-vis the daily atrocities inflicted on us by the Israeli occupation. Call to lift the siege imposed on our democratically elected government. Respect the choice of the Palestinian people.

 

Finally, we urge you to help WATC to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 to spread peace and security and to protect the peoples threatened by wars and violence.

Lift the siege and call for sanctions against the Israeli government for not respecting international law and the will of the international community.