News

09/12/2021

Crisis Management in Palestinian municipalities: in the sectors economy, health and education

Connective Cities: Municipal Response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges to the public sector worldwide. Especially municipalities play a central role in fighting the pandemic. Increasingly, municipalities are also developing local strategies for the recovery and conceptualising post-pandemic measures.

Due to the constant emergency situation in the Palestinian Territories, coupled with the negative impact of the Corona pandemic, crisis management planning especially at the municipal level is perceived as a high priority. Therefore, and as part of the Connective Cities programme, 10 Palestinian municipalities:

  • Tullkaram,
  • Salfit,
  • Toubas,
  • Al Beera,
  • Beitunia,
  • Jericho  
  • Halhoul,
  • Beit Jala,
  • Bani Naim,
  • and Dura

have come together in 3 working groups to work out solutions for their common crisis management challenges as follows:

Working Group 1: Crisis Management in the Education Sector

Municipalities: Tullkaram, Salfit, Toubas, Beit Jala

Working Group 2: Crisis Management in the Health Sector

Municipalities: Bani Naim, Halhul, AlDura

Working Group 3: Crisis Management in the Local Economy Sector

Municipalities: ElBeera, Bitunia, Jericho

The working groups have worked throughout the past 3 months with the support of national experts on developing various prototypes, projects ideas as well as sharing their good practices in crisis management in the different sectors. The efforts of the working groups resulted in the following products:

The Working Group focussing on the education sector developed a prototype which provides a model for organizational structure for an emergency management cell at the municipal level with clear mandates and roles for different involved units at the municipalities. The prototype proposes practical guidelines on how to structure an emergency management cell at times of crises with the existing units of the municipalities and how to involve various actors in the cell. Further, the working group drafted a project idea which is aimed at the development of an Emergency fund. The fund is to be institutionalized as part of the educational tax collected by the municipality and shall cover educational interventions and support for schools. Membership of the fund shall come from various community representatives. The municipalities of the working group developed and drafted this idea jointly.

The second working group, concentrating on the health sector, created an outline for how to include crisis management as part of strategic planning of municipalities. The task force is developing an additional chapter for a manual for municipal strategic planning, focusing on practical guidelines of crisis management. In addition, the municipalities drafted jointly a project idea, which targets the establishment of a Crisis Management Fund – allocated for municipalities to support the system during crisis situations.

Crisis management in the local economy sector was covered by the third working group. This group has also worked on a prototype, concluding in an organizational matrix for Crisis Management planning in the various units of local governments. The matrix proposes specific actions to be taken by each unit in the municipality during the 3 phases of crises management - pre, during and post crisis. As project idea the group focused on strengthening the role and capabilities of the local economic development unit (LED) in municipal crisis management to assist in crisis. The process includes carrying out an inventory of economic damage and collecting and analyzing key economic data during crises in cooperation with the relevant parties.

The undertakings of Connective Cities and its working groups were a cooperation with and endorsement of activities by the Government of Palestinian Territories and Association of Palestinian Local Authorities APLA. The municipalities and APLA are interested to further build on innovative approaches in cooperation with Connective Cities.

All data (recordings of workshops) of the different working groups has been shared on our Connective Cities Community and can be accessed as registered member. For more insights into the developments of the working groups, watch our YouTube movie and please visit our YouTube Kanal.

Impressions


Author:
Connective Cities


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