Media Development Center 2014-2016

General question: Results related to the intended outcome 2016Question: Summarise results related to the intended outcome (this information will be sent to Open Aid)Answer: MDC presented the final draft National Media Strategy to the Palestinian government in May 2016. It has nine Components, of which MDC has taken upon itself to implement five of them as part of their strategy for 2017-2020. The NMS was a national success for MDC, which it had invested heavily in by providing significant human resources for the process, which was nation-wide and participatory with all relevant stakeholders. MDC clearly moved beyond its original mandate as a training center for Journalists, and has developed into a leading actor in the media sector in Palestine. An important success for MDC is its increasing focus on gender equality and the inclusion and also promotion of women in journalism. Both in terms of the increasing number of female journalists trained, but also in terms of promoting women to be more active in the PJS, Palestine Journalist Syndicate. The overall long-term outcome, "Media is able to operate in a democratic-based political, legal and social Environment", has not been achieved. However, the reason for that has less to do with the achievements of MDC and more to do with the overall democractic deficit in Palestine. Palestine does not have a functioning Legislative Council and has not held national elections since January 2006, rendering the government democratically illegitimate and also ineffective in representing the citizens of Palestine. In addition, has the independence of the Judicial system been questioned since a Constitutional Court was established in 2016, with appointed judges to the Court choosen for their loyalty to the existing government.