"Ouna Initiative"

In a meeting organized by the "Ouna Initiative" at the Palestinian Cultural Enlightenment Forum"tanwer" numerous civil society organizations in Nablus attended to learn about the initiative and its objectives. All attendees engaged in a responsible dialogue concerning recent developments in the funding landscape post-October 7th.
The "Ouna Initiative" emphasized the national and ethical responsibility to earnestly pursue independence from colonial funding systems, which historically have been tools for political control, subjugation, and fragmentation. The initiative highlighted the need to review policies, tools, and the detrimental effects of colonial funding and conditional grants. This review aims to strengthen the role of civil society organizations in addressing the challenges associated with these funding mechanisms, under a vision that believes in their role as supporters of popular struggle for liberation and full rights.
The "Ouna Initiative" shared the document "Principles for the Initiative to Achieve Independence from Colonial Funding Systems," noting that the initiative is an integral part of the national struggle that requires mobilization, activation of all available resources, and deepening partnerships based on principles aligned with these goals.
Representatives of the organizations expressed the necessity of committing to reject conditional funding, combat all forms of normalization, and promote positive values, volunteerism, and social solidarity. They also emphasized intensifying campaigns against conditional funding. The participants expressed their pride in the meeting and its organizers, with discussions and recommendations aiming to enrich the initiative's document and underscore the importance of interactive communication to expand the resistance against such attempts that continue to criminalize our people's struggles.