Name of Initiative: Government Training & Advocacy Goal: To make government agencies and employees more aware of and responsive to the needs of the Arab population. In cooperation with: The Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Finance,  Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Supreme Monitoring Committee for the Affairs of Israeli Arabs, The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development. Activities: Ministry wide interventions inc. joint working groups to devise and implement plans to improve service to the Arab population, field seminars and training workshops exposing ministry staff to the problems and realities of the Arab population.

Background and Significance

In 2003-04 The Abraham Fund launched a multi-year government training and advocacy initiative which partners with government ministries to educate government employees and administrators about the conditions and realities of the Arab sector and works with them on an on-going basis to help shape and inform decisions, thereby making a tangible difference on the ground.  The Abraham Fund believes that by working with the senior professionals in different agencies of government, it is possible to transform a system that estranges its Arab citizens from the State into one that promotes shared citizenship and civil society, and fairly services its minority populations.   

Civil servants impact the quality of life for Israeli Arabs every day as they shape and implement policy, make budgetary decisions and perform their duties. Simple, perfunctory decisions can have serious consequences for the underrepresented Arab minority, whether in the arena of curriculum determination, land allocation, business permits, access to transportation, etc.  Despite this, most employees at the Ministry level are largely uninformed about the general discrimination Arab citizens face on a daily basis, and are unaware of how their decisions and actions directly affect 20% of Israel's population. It is surprising to learn that many government officials have never had a meaningful conversation with an Arab citizen of Israel, nor have they visited an Arab town or village inside their own country. 

By exposing government professionals to the plight of the Israeli Arab community through seminars and study on Jewish-Arab relations, The Abraham Fund Initiatives is raising awareness of these vital issues at the deepest levels of governmental planning and implementation. Government employees will be encouraged to initiate and engage in interventions that will correct systemic inequities and offer substantial attention and intervention for minority populations in Israel. 

In the last few years The Abraham Fund has established genuine working partnerships with many government ministries and agencies (the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor; the Ministry of the Interior; the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Finance, the Civil Service Commission, etc.).  As training for Ministry staff is exclusively the privilege of the Ministries themselves, and government Ministries rarely partner with other institutions, the partnership position earned by The Abraham Fund is unique.

Never before has there been this type of ongoing cooperation between the Ministries and an NGO, nor has there been substantial inclusion of Jewish-Arab relations and coexistence in the Ministry training.  The Abraham Fund Initiatives is honored to partner with these Government Ministries in this groundbreaking effort.

The Abraham Fund’s Government Relations agenda in 2005-06 will focus on three main tracks of activity:

1) Exposing government decision makers to the Arab population in Israel, its characteristics and needs through:

• Field Seminars (or “Reality Tours”) which take ministry employees to various regions of Israel to:  a) hear from experts, academics and local Arab leaders, b) see the reality on the ground by visiting Arab towns and villages, and c) discuss how the work they do everyday impacts upon the quality of life of Israel’s Arab citizens.  The presentations and discussions are uniquely tailored for each ministry, and address topics relevant to their area of specialty.
  The Abraham Fund will provide field seminars to high-level professionals at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Construction and Housing, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and the National Insurance Institute.  Special field seminars will also be given and tailored to a) ministry spokespersons and b) ministry appointees in charge of women’s status, with content appropriate the needs of each.
  
• In addition, training seminars and courses will be given via the Civil Service Commission for its employees as a result of a close partnership established with this agency over the past few years.   The Civil Service Commission is the governmental body responsible for policies relating to human resources throughout the civil service, including training all public service personnel and stipulating the guidelines, policies, and budget allocations for educational activities within government departments. 

2) Empowering senior ministry officials who participated in field seminars to establish task forces that will take action to correct institutional inequities:

• Task Force: Budget Allocations
  Called the “Accountant General Committee”, this task force was formed after a field seminar was conducted with the Ministry of Finance.  Headed by the Deputy Accountant General, this task force will further the integration of the Arab population into the Israeli economy.  It will analyze budgetary issues concerning the Arab sector and work to ensure that budgetary allocations to the Arab community reflects their needs.  
• Task Force: Arab Business Opportunity
  Called the “Chantall Committee,” this task force was formed last year after a field seminar was conducted for the Ministry of Industry & Trade and is headed by the Ministry’s Deputy Director General.   The committee will continue to discuss ways to develop industry and employment in the Arab sector and oversee the new pilot project for increasing Arab employment in the private sector, described below.

3) Increasing the employment of Israeli Arabs in the Civil Service and in the private sector:

•  The Civil Service Commission has enlisted The Abraham Fund to help it reach out to the Arab sector and encourage Arabs to apply for open job postings in the Civil Service.  TAFI is helping them launch an affirmative action program to integrate Arab citizens of the State in the public sector for both intermediate and senior positions.  
• After the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor participated in a field seminar last year, the general manager of the Ministry agreed to form a task force to improve business opportunities in the Arab sector.  One of the significant results of the work of this Task Force was the decision to create a pilot program in 2005-06 that will integrate 50 highly educated and trained Arab professionals into private sector companies in cooperation with the Research Department of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, the “Ben-Or Media Co.”, the Fair Opportunity amuta, and the “Adam Milo” Placement Agency.