AMAN

AMAN "is Palestine’s first coalition of Civil Society Organizations, and thus faces the challenge of learning and modeling best practice in its own operations, management, leadership and institutional governance. The past two years have provided the nascent Coalition with useful experience and lessons learned in order for AMAN to realize its full potential, and put into practice systems that ensure it achieves the highest ethical standards in all aspects of its work.

"The current Coalition members have already understood that the values of transparency, integrity and accountability must become living mechanisms for the Coalition itself

"AMAN’s imminent accession to Transparency International represents a pivotal moment in the development of the Palestinian chapter, and also for Transparency International itself. The accession process is completed and AMAN is currently acting as Transparency International Palestine (TIP) . Key among the challenges and opportunities represented by this step is the need to ensure that AMAN fully meets its obligations at both the programmatic and institutional level. Membership of the international movement will provide considerable benefits to AMAN, notably by providing access to a critical networking mechanism that can provide much needed credibility for a new coalition in a highly complex and challenging operating environment. AMAN intends to be a dynamic partner within Transparency International, and to benefit fully from all the opportunities that membership represents."

Founding

"A group of six concerned Palestinian NGOs joined efforts to form a Coalition to oversee the initial period of inception and lay the groundwork for eventually forming Transparency Palestine to be a member of Transparency International, an international civil society movement with an exclusive focus on corruption. The heads of these six NGOs established the Founding Committee of the Coalition and elected a General Coordinator. One of the first tasks that the Founding Committee undertook was to set-up a full time Secretariat to mange the day-to-day operation of the Coalition.

• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy “MIFTAH”, Jerusalem
• Arab Thought Forum “ATF”, Jerusalem
• Palestine Trade Center “PalTrade”, Ramallah
• Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy “MUWATIN”, Al-Bireh
• Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Gaza
• Palestinian Council on Foreign Relations, Gaza.

Directors

Accessed August 2007:

• Hanan Ashrawi, Founder and first Secretary General of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy- MIFTAH (December 1998- January 2006), and an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for the Jerusalem district, Board Chairperson.
• George Giacaman: General Director, the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy, MUWATIN, Board Member.
• Ziad Abu-Amr: Former President of the Palestinian Council on Foreign Relations and re-elected as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council in January 2006. Board Member.
• Kammal Al Sharafi, Chairperson of the Board of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Ex-PLC Member, North Gaza Distict, Board Member.
• Abdel Rahman Abu Arafeh, Director General, Arab Thought Forum, Board Member.
• Azmi Shuaibi, a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (1996-2006), where he headed the Budget Committee (1997-1999) and the Economic Committee (2002-2006). He was mayor for Al Bireh Municipality between 1976 and 1982 and was the Minister of Sports and Youth from 1994 to 1996.

Integrity Award Evaluation Committee (2006)

• Hanan Ashrawi, Board Chairperson at the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH, Committee Chairperson.
• George Giacaman, General Director of the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy, MUWATIN, Committee Member.
• Abdel Rahman Abu Arafeh, Director General of the Arab Thought Forum, Committee Member.
• Shihada Alawna, Acting General Director for Monitoring Non-Government Organizations, Financial and Administrative Control Bureau, Committee Member.
• Ali Jarbawi, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Public Administration, Birzeit University, Committee Member.
• Issam Younis, Director General of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Committee Member.
• Jameel Hilal, Researcher, Committee Member.
• Issam Aqel, Executive Director for the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities, Committee Member.
• Naim Toubassi, Palestinian Journalists’ Leader, Committee Member.
• Lamis Al- Alami, Director-General of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights, Committee Member.
• Hadeel Qazaz, Program Coordinator, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Committee Member.

Contact

Web: http://www.aman-palestine.org