Party Development (Part Two; Follow-up Workshop One: Political Parties In Parliament)

The training program is designed to enhance participants' knowledge of party practices in order to foster the institutional development and capacity building of political parties in Palestine. The course will focus on practical training and hands-on exercises in relevant fields and concepts and is structured as follows:

• Preparation. Prior to the seminar the selected participants will be provided with a reading package, which will enable them to become familiar with the course material. Each participant will be required to write a brief paper on a subject related to the seminar.
   
• Intensive Seminar. During a five-day intensive seminar experts will introduce key issues in the field of party development and party politics and establish a fundamental background on the concepts and practice of related issues (e.g., communication skills, leadership skills, party formation, financing, membership, policy formulation etc.). The five day-seminar will be followed by an extra five workshop days dealing with specific issues such as elections, campaigning, and parliamentary work. Participants will learn from exercises and case studies. More specifically, this course will tackle the following issues:
   

  Seminar Topics include:

  • Definition of ‘party’ and ‘party system’
  • Role and work of political parties
  • Formation and establishment of opposition parties
  • Party Law and System in Palestine
  • Legal and constitutional frameworks of party formation
  • History of Palestinian political parties
  • Institutional and Organizational Requirements of Parties
  • Party leadership
  • Membership recruitment
  • Organization of party congress or events
  • Coalition Building
  • Leadership Styles and Skills
  • Developing messages, party policies and strategies
  • Communication and Media Skills
  • Issue and policy research
  • Party financing / Fundraising
  • How Parliament Works
  • Parameters of Political Debate
  • Political Parties and Elections

• Conclusion. At the close of the training program, certificates will be awarded by PASSIA to participants who successfully complete the program.

Completed application forms must be submitted to PASSIA by Wednesday, 17 May2006. PASSIA will then invite short-listed applicants to interviews. Applicants will be notified of the results and, upon selection, participants will have to confirm their commitment to full-time participation in writing as well as submit a letter from their employers confirming that they will be exempted from work during the required period.

The PASSIA Training Program will take place from 8-12 June 2006 in RAMALLAH. Accommodation will be provided for participants from Gaza.