Assessment on Influencing the Government to Implement Promis...

PVP-DGD

PVP - The Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PFU) in partnership with OXFAM, are implementing a project titled “Power of Voices Partnership” funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs which aims to increase the accountability of government, responsiveness, fairness, through implementing better mechanisms related to agriculture policies that will achieve farmer aspirations and rights. Through the PVP project, we seek to contribute to achieving sustainability for Palestinian farmers and increase farmers’ awareness of their rights and their right to follow up and track the government’s failures in practicing agricultural policies that will have positive repercussions in the long run.

There are three inter-related outcomes that will be targeted: (1) Strengthened Civil Society (CS) collects evidence of rights abuses/support communities, (2) Strengthened CS has the capacity to improve (inter)national norms, (3) Strengthened CS mobilized the public to influence governments.

DGD - The Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PFU) in partnership with OXFAM is implementing a program titled Women, youth and other SSPs increase benefits in the fresh vegetables value chain as change agents to make the fresh vegetable value chain more inclusive, fair and sustainable. The project is a five years project (2022- 2026) and is funded by DGD (Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid).

The program will work to target 3.000 women, youth, and other small-scale farmers in six governorates in the WB/GS. (1) Tulkarem, 2) Qalqilya, 3) Jenin, 4) Tubas in the Northern Jordan Valley 5) North Gaza and 6) Khan Yunis).

The program adopts the following interlinked and dynamic Pathways of Change (PCs), which will lead to a more fair, inclusive and sustainable VC that will economically benefit women, youth and other vulnerable SSPs.

• PC1: Large private sector actors within the fresh vegetables VC in the six governorates adopt alternative business practices that shift power relations in favor of women, youth and other SSPs, and are sustainable.
• PC2: Women, youth, and other SSPs have more equitable access to resources and knowledge in the fresh vegetables sector in the selected governorates.
• PC3: Targeted communities, social movements, CBOs, WROs and other CSOs have enhanced their capacity for community participation in decision making, monitoring and demanding accountability on policy decisions within the fresh vegetable value chain (VC).
• PC4: PA ministries and local authorities in the six governorates take steps towards application of more pro-fresh vegetables VC regulations that favor SSPs and integrates youth and women SSPs in decision making

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND

In regard to the agricultural sector, the government has existing agricultural policies that were adopted after the prolonged struggle and pressure placed on the government by PFU and its farmers members. Although these policies were written on paper, the challenge became how to ensure that these policies were implemented in a way that benefits farmers. PFU has been working to defend the rights of farmers and to ensure that the policies are activated and adopted by the government as well as implemented on the ground to address the relevant struggles of farmers.

In 2021, PFU developed a policy paper titled  “Encouraging Investment in Area C”, which offered detailed recommendations for the PA government, international community, and private sector to encourage agricultural investment in Area C. These recommendations include but are not limited to: (1) an incentive package to encourage agricultural investments in Area C, (2) risk sharing policy, (3) activation of the set of enabling environmental policies to encourage agricultural investment.

Following the development of the policy paper, the Palestinian Farmers’ Union held the ‘Encouraging Agricultural Investment in Area C’ conference on Thursday, October 21, 2021. The conference brought together local and international decisions makers and main players in the private sector for open dialogue on the protection of Palestinian land.

One of the main results of the ‘Encouraging Agricultural Investment in Area C’ conference was that the Palestinian Prime Minster, Dr. Shtayyeh, announced during the conference that his government will work to adopt all of the recommendations made in the policy paper ‘Encouraging Investment in Area C’.  In the past year, PFU has been following up with the PA government to ensure that the policy asks and recommendations made in the conference have been adopted and implemented on the ground.

To follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations made to the PA government, PFU will develop an assessment on the actual implementation of the recommendations. The assessment aims to analyze the recommendations proposed in the policy paper ‘Encouraging Invest in Area C’ and to measure the extent to which the PA government has followed through with its implementation, as well as highlight any gaps in the implementation of recommendations. Additionally, the assessment will propose the best implementation mechanism to activate policies mentioned in the recommendations.

Purpose OF THE CONSULTANCY

PFU is seeking a consultant/company who will be responsible for:

• Highlighting the policy recommendations made to the PA government regard encouraging agricultural investment in Area
• Follow up and monitor the progress of activation/adoption and implementation of policies, as per recommendations of the policy paper and conference, ‘Encouraging Agricultural Investment in Area C’
• Highlight any gaps between policy recommendations and actual implementation for encouraging agricultural investment in Area C
• Propose the best implementation mechanism for two policies that have yet to be implemented by the PA government (to be determined) in regard to encouraging investment in Area C

Please submit the proposal (separate technical & financial offer) and requested documents by inhaled envelopes to the Palestinian Farmers Union headquarters (al-Bireh, close to the representative office of the Netherlands) no later than the 23rd of October 2022

For more details, kindly check the enclosed TOR.

For any questions, feel free to contact the Project coordinator:

Amjad Anabtawi

 0595221191

[email protected]