Evaluation and Comparison study between the Classical Single-Sector Environmental Strategies and Cross-Sectoral Environmental Strategies in Palestine رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

About 23 years ago, the Palestinian Authority began to develop a national strategy for the environment in which environmental issues, strategic priorities and goals were defined at the national level. That ten-year strategy included an action plan in which needs and gaps were translated into projects and interventions, then indicators for follow-up and monitoring of work and achievement. After that, the environment was dealt with as an independent development sector within the strategic sector - infrastructure, so that the Environment Quality Authority (EQA), in cooperation with local and international partners, prepared the sectorial environment strategy (2011-2013) and the sectorial environment strategy (2014-2016) and then issued the cross-sectorial environmental strategy in (2017-2022). At the end of the year 2019, a mid-term review report was prepared for sectorial and cross-sectorial strategies to monitor the progress in achieving and implementing these strategies based on the strategic results framework prepared under the supervision of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and through the relevant sectorial institutions. This study aimed at determining which environmental strategy in Palestine is the appropriate one under uncertain socioeconomic and political conditions: single-sector strategy (classical) or cross-sectoral strategy. Secondary data was collected through a literature review and appreciation of previous studies. Primary data was collected through employment of two data collection tools: in-depth interviews with 19 planners and employees in governmental and non-governmental organizations and content analysis for Palestinian environmental strategies. The results of the comparison between the three recent environmental strategies that were prepared in (2011-2013), (2014- V 2016) and (2017-2022) were presented. Advantages and disadvantages of single-sector and cross-sectoral strategies were also highlighted. In addition, results about Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis were presented as well as the challenges facing single-sector and cross-sectorial environmental strategies in Palestine from respondents’ points of view. The results showed that the main challenge facing the environmental strategy is the political situation where the occupation and its control over natural resources on the one hand and the lack of placing the environment on the priorities of the Palestinian government on the other hand hinders the application of the strategy. Operationalization of the cross-sectorial environmental strategy by ministries and government authorities has not been mandatory, therefore, no budget has been allocated to implement the cross-sectorial strategy. In addition, there isn’t adequate number of professionals to be able to implement the strategy adding to it the non-application of environmental law, and therefore, there is no difference between the sectorial environmental strategy and the cross-sectorial environmental strategy. For these reasons, there is no clear impact of the environmental strategies on the ground, and if any, it is an intangible effect. The planners in the authorities and other government ministries unanimously agreed on the necessity of linking the environment with sustainable development and that the cross-sectoral environmental strategy reinforces this linkage. Therefore, the Palestinian Authority must understand that the environmental issue is not a luxury and that it should be a priority for the Palestinian Authority.