Developing an Paper about Cooperatives

Power of Voices Partnership

Developing an Accountability Paper about Cooperatives and How Much the Concept was Efficient and Effective.

BACKGROUND

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

Three inter-related outcomes will be targeted: (1) Strengthened Civil Society (CS) collects evidence of rights abuses/supports communities, (2) Strengthened CS can improve (inter)national norms, (3) Strengthened CS mobilized the public to influence governments.

Cooperatives in general in Palestine, and agricultural cooperatives in particular, play a major economic and social role, in addition to their political importance in terms of their connection to the land, the consolidation of the Palestinian citizen on his land, and support for steadfastness, However, according to some studies, cooperatives suffer from many problems that can lead to their failure of some of them.
The Palestinian Authority has attempted to institutionalize cooperative work by issuing Decree Law No. (20) of 2017 regarding cooperative societies), which aims to “encourage, organize and develop cooperative work based on the principles of voluntary membership, democratic management, economic participation, autonomy, cooperative knowledge, and cooperation.” between cooperatives for the benefit of the cooperative members and the local community. Under this decision, the Cooperative Work Authority was established, which is responsible for drawing up policies, developing plans and strategies related to the cooperative sector, institutionalizing cooperative work.... ext., In addition, terms supporting the existing agricultural cooperatives, and stimulating the establishment of new ones, the Council of Ministers decided to give priority to the products of agricultural cooperative societies in public procurement contracts.
This Accountability paper aims to shed light on the aspects of cooperatives and to what extend the concept was efficient and effective.

The objective of the Consultancy:

• PFU is seeking a consultant/company who will be responsible for developing an Accountability paper for cooperatives and will provide in-depth information - Statistics to what extent the concept was efficient and effective. The consultant/company will also evaluate the investment fund been and the benefit return to the members if any.

• In addition to this, developing two Case Studies (Each case study must not exceed 2 pages) with in-depth information - Statistics for Cooperatives, one as a success story with information for success indications and reasons, and the second one as a failure (lesson learned) with information for failure indications and reasons.

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 24th of Agust.

For more details, kindly check the enclosed TOR.

For any questions, feel free to contact Project coordinator Amjad Anabtawi at 0595221191.