Injaz Center
The Injaz Center for Professional Arab Local Governance (Injaz) is a leading organization working to advance professionality in and among local Arab municipalities in Israel.
Background
INJAZ (“Achievement” in English) is a registered non-profit organization founded in 2008 at the behest of Israel’s National Council of Arab Mayors by Mr. Shawki Khatib, then the Chairman of the National Council, in response to the under development and chronic dependence on the federal government of Israel’s Arab municipalities, as well as to the unsatisfactory internal professional capacity of Arab municipalities’ operations and personnel.
Local municipalities in Israel are the principal provider of services to their residents. Whether the municipality is a small village or a large city, the municipalities are the primary engine that drives economic development and growth. The Arab municipalities in Israel face unique challenges, however. These municipalities typically lack the human and financial resources, infrastructure, clout, professionalism and opportunities to optimize their functioning. As a result, there is a lack of economic development and hampered integration into Israel’s economy, which negatively impacts basic service delivery and the overall quality of life of residents.
Vision
The vision of Injaz is the existence in Arab municipalities of professional, sustainable infrastructures that effectively advance the needs and interests of the municipalities and that are built on a foundation of mutual trust between the residents, the municipal leaders, and the national government.
Mission
The mission of Injaz is to assist Arab municipalities in building strong, effective and professional systems and sustainable infrastructures that position the municipalities to pro-actively advance their economic interests and service delivery, and thereby improve the lives of residents.
Goals
- Assisting municipalities in attracting, recruiting, and retaining municipal cadets
- Articulating models for municipalities to effectively interface with government ministries
- Developing industrial zones in municipalities by introducing management tools and best practices
- Developing and perfecting the means for municipalities to attract and retain innovative businesses and entrepreneurs
- Assisting municipalities in establishing entities and departments to improve service delivery
- Implementing tools to improve municipalities' project management and execution
Means of Achieving These Goals
Injaz works within Arab municipalities, among and between Arab municipalities, and between Arab municipalities and the federal government.
Injaz’s “entry point” in working with a municipality is in one or both of two main areas:
- Establishing and maintaining an operational, economic, and/or environmental infrastructure
- The hands-on provision of services
An individual municipality receives the benefit of Injaz’s work in either or both of these areas depending on its specific needs. Injaz deems its work to be successful to the degree that this infrastructure serves the members of the community and is sustainable, and the degree to which the services offered result in tangible improvement in the residents’ overall quality of life.
Impact
- Communication among mayors and senior officials is more regular and effective and thereby impacts the creation of consensus building and cohesion
- Opportunities for municipal stakeholders to regularly meet to address specific, concrete issues increases and becomes an integral part of the municipal culture
- Budgets are increasingly distributed as planned and as best matching the municipalities' needs
- Municipalities develop an independence that positions them for perpetual effective functioning
- Municipalities increasingly see tangible benefit in the areas that they define as being the highest priorities