CPCE RAPID ASSESSMENT REPORT: OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

The operating environment for civil society has undergone significant developments in the past five years, including a shrinking space for political engagement and activism, a growing economic crisis, and the onset of a public health emergency that has devastated Palestinian communities. Many civil society organizations (CSOs) have struggled to navigate an increasingly complex and risky operating environment, balancing competing priorities of their communities, donors, and other key stakeholders, including the Palestinian government. The CPCE project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to support CSOs in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to enhance their institutional and governance capacities, enabling them to advocate and serve their communities more effectively. The project will use a tailored approach that is responsive to the unique needs of CSOs with different capacity levels. For 10 lower-capacity CSOs, the project will invest in holistic, intensive capacity building and institutional strengthening, enabling these organizations to be more transparent, accountable, responsive, and financially sustainable. Simultaneously, the project will invest in 251 CSOs with the vision and capacity to invigorate civic participation aimed toward increased accountability and transparency. The rapid assessment was designed to develop a deeper understanding of the CSO operating environment, document priority capacity building needs for CSOs, inform final design decisions for the CPCE project, and guide planning assumptions around civil society support needs in the medium- to long-term. The assessment focused on the context and actors operating in the West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem, and sought to include complementary information on the context in Gaza to build a more comprehensive understanding of Palestinian civil society. The assessment identified several key findings and recommendations. Firstly, funding (grants) should be tailored in amount and scope to the core mandates of the CSO and, whenever possible, be multi-year and flexible to promote greater effectiveness of the support. Secondly, support to CSOs should include a capacity building component tailored to the needs and gaps of the organization, prioritizing Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). Thirdly, strengthening CSO capacity to improve the participation of marginalized groups and mainstream Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) should be prioritized. Fourthly, project design should be participatory, including CSOs and affected populations, whenever possible, to ensure that program components are responsive to community needs and priorities. The assessment also highlighted the importance of intentional investment in increasing collaboration, communication, and coordination among CSOs and CBOs, especially through coalitions. Additionally, CSOs should continue to build on digital solutions and technologies. The assessment identified several sectors with the greatest impact potential, including human rights and rule of law, civic engagement, gender and gender-based violence (GBV), disability, and income generation among vulnerable groups. The assessment was informed by USAID's Applied Political Economy Framework, which considers the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that affect how Palestinian civil society operates and why it operates this way. The assessment team conducted a combination of primary and secondary data collection and analysis in November and December 2021, including a literature review of more than a dozen reports, papers, and assessments. The findings of the assessment will inform the design and implementation of the CPCE project, which aims to strengthen CSOs in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.