Societal Economy

Program Objective: To enhance the role of cooperative societies, membership-based institutions and groups in the social economy.

 

The program aims to support associations and cooperatives, particularly those in marginalized areas impacted by occupation practices. It seeks to improve the efficiency of their governance, management, and operations and provide a supportive institutional environment. The program also aims to establish effective partnerships and build the technical and administrative capacities of these institutions to make them more sustainable and have a positive impact on their social and economic surroundings.

 

Interventions, including:

–       Developing administrative and institutional capacities: This includes improving financial and administrative systems, creating strategic plans, operational work guides, and incorporating concepts of climate change, human rights, and gender, with a focus on women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

–       Building technical and life skills, marketing, negotiation, costing, and accounting knowledge to enhance their role in local economic and social development.

–       Supporting economic and productive businesses and providing services to help associations achieve a clear productive identity.

–       Investing in available opportunities and improving production requirements and inputs to increase self-reliance.

–       Establishing networks between associations and informal groups to exchange experiences and goods.

–       Promoting collective and cooperative work among Palestinian society groups.

–       Carrying out support and advocacy campaigns for the cooperative sector.

–       Encouraging associations to adopt sound environmental practices and use clean energy.

–       Developing the associations’ capabilities in incubating entrepreneurial initiatives.

–       Empowering cooperatives to claim the rights of their members, especially small producers.

–       Creating new and innovative cooperative models to meet the needs of members and serve as examples for knowledge transfer and productive experiences.

Target groups:

–       Cooperative Societies

–       Grassroots and Community-Based Organizations

–       Productive women’s groups

–       Savings and Loan Associations

–       Youth groups

–       Farmer groups

 

The expected outcomes are:

1.     Associations operating with sound institutional frameworks and good governance.

2.     Sustainable economic projects run by associations.

3.     Associations incubating economic businesses and creating job opportunities for members.

4.     Association and producer group products with marketing competitiveness.

5.     Membership-based associations and institutions serving as references for members in their economic activities and representation of their rights.

6.     Exemplary cooperative societies in new fields such as environmental change and tourism.

7.     Basic and membership-based community economy institutions having access to funding for economic development.