Bethlehem, March 28, 2013:- Good Governance Department (GG) at the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) wrapped up its longest-running Program, Pro-Poor Integrity (PPI) by launching its integrity committees as social monitoring groups in an official ceremony held in Bethlehem.
In collaboration with Ministry of Local Governance (MoLG), Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and PPI Partner Integrity Action, ARIJ acknowledged and gave recognition to the PPI integrity committees, created through the project, a process that consumed four years of the PPI in Palestine Program efforts.
Pro-Poor Integrity (PPI) Program uses a social accountability approach to improve the way services are delivered, especially to the poor and most marginalized in four Palestinian cities; Al-Ram, Jericho, Nablus, and Hebron. PPI’s approach is a community driven, collaborative problem-solving approach, focusing on integrity problems and proposing solutions towards advancing public service delivery. PPI’s approach focuses on building capabilities, increasing responsiveness, increasing accountability and documenting in public service delivery status in the communities engaged.
The National Ceremony was attended Dr. Jad Issac ARIJ General Director, PACC commissioner Rafiq Natsheh, PPI Program Manger Mira Mukarker, representatives of MoLG and different Palestinian local authorities, civil society, and members of integrity committees. Several videos documenting the various successes stories of the project were shown highlighting the accomplishments of the created PPI committees.