Palestinians are in the midst of building governing institutions and an infrastructure - literally from the ground up. This process receives a boost through the delivery of objective information and views provided by the Center for Palestine Research & Studies (CPRS), a CIPE partner organization based in the West Bank city of Nablus. Despite the ebb and flow of the Middle East peace process, CPRS has been producing consistently reliable analyses and policy recommendations that have helped to give direction to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), the Legislative Council, and business institutions.
Founded in 1993, CPRS is an independent, non-partisan think tank that monitors developments in the West Bank & Gaza and assesses the impact of these developments on the Palestinian people. On its Web site (www.cprs-palestine.org), CPRS states that it "does not adopt political positions other than advocating free, democratic exchange and expression."
The most important contribution of CPRS, a CIPE grantee since 1996, has been to influence government and business institutions at the highest levels in support of market-opening reforms and economic openness. Given the extraordinary political and social environment in the region, achieving this objective proves to be much more difficult in the West Bank & Gaza than elsewhere, but the CPRS "crusade" is not faltering.
CPRS has gained international recognition through its efforts to accurately poll the sentiments of the Palestinian people in regard to policy development and politics. In mid-January, The New York Times cited a recent CPRS survey on the question of whether Palestinians support a unilateral declaration of statehood in May, 1999. Fifty-seven percent of Palestinians surveyed said they support this move, up from 46 percent in November, 1998.
The centerpiece of the CPRS/ CIPE relationship is the Private Sector Support Program (PSSP), a multi-year project to conduct research and raise economic awareness through conferences, seminars, reports, and other outreach vehicles. The PSSP recently initiated Stage III, which concentrates on:
Last year, CPRS conducted a highly successful conference for the PNA. "The Palestinian Side of the Jordan Valley: Current Status and Development Needs" explored the toll that five decades of strife have taken on the Jordan Valley.
While leading political figures in Israel and the West Bank & Gaza are transfixed by upcoming elections and the prospects of Palestinian statehood, CPRS, much to its credit, will continue to focus on long-term prospects: looking for ways to support the creation of viable government institutions, stimulate the incipient Palestinian economy, and bring about "quality of life" reforms that will encourage Palestinians to build a civil and prosperous society.