At the second part of the first session of the 2017 KKL-JNF European Leadership Conference, which took place on January 27, a discussion took place on the change in KKL-JNF’s legal status and its ramifications, and on new trends in project marketing. At the conclusion of the session, participants from different countries formed work groups together with the Europe Desk directors from Israel, to clarify the information and bring it into better focus.
This part of the European Leadership Conference was opened with a review by Nadav Asa’el, the KKL-JNF legal counsel. He lectured on the topic of 'KKL-JNF, Public Benefit Companies, the State Comptroller, and Everything Related.' He presented legal commentary on the change in the legal status of the organization, which originally had been established as a private company based on a decision of the Fifth Zionist Congress. In 2014, the organization’s legal status was changed, and it became a public benefit company. The significance of the change is that KKL-JNF is still a private company, but the type of supervision has changed, from that of a private company to that of a public benefit company.
In the subsequent discussion that took place, participants brought up points that are important to take into account in relation to how the change will affect donors and KKL-JNF offices worldwide.
Moshe Pearl, Acting Executive Director of the KKL-JNF Resources, Development and Public Relations Division, emphasized that the state comptroller’s report was not related to KKL-JNF activities that are supported by donations.
Freddie Rosenberg, CEO of JNF Holland, noted that in Holland, there is also internal supervision and it’s important that they get to know the details. In fact, details on the report and its ramifications were sent from Israel.
Sarah Singer, President of JNF-KKL Germany, also asked to receive information on this topic, so that she would be able to update the Board and the donors. She also noted that since JNF-KKL Germany is legally an NGO, they are also supervised by the authorities in Germany, and they conduct themselves in full transparency.
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar expanded on the topic of the comptroller’s report and noted that for the past ten months, a KKL-JNF team has been occupied with fixing the shortcomings mentioned in the draft of the report that they received. In two months’ time, a press conference will be held at which the Chairman will present a booklet to the Comptroller with details on how the shortcomings are being fixed and how the change is being integrated into the organization.
Atar also noted that a process of creating protocols for the organization is already in process, and 120 protocols have already been written. Within this framework, an emergency conference was held for all KKL-JNF directors on the protocols and how to implement them. “All the decisions of the new administration, all the protocols of the management, the directorate and the general meeting, are available on KKL-JNF’s Hebrew website. Everything is totally transparent.”
Atar added that KKL-JNF has taken a step that no other public entity in Israel has ever made. A conflict of interest arrangement for the directorate was instituted, and all KKL-JNF directors signed on a conflict of interest agreement. “There is no other entity in Israel that has done this. These are the most stringent standards norms of good governance.”
The chairman added that the KKL-JNF supervisory and legal team has been strengthened, in addition to Nadav Asa’el, “who is a top lawyer and is building the legal bureau of the organization in order to strengthen the status of the gatekeepers.” Also joining KKL-JNF will be the former head of the district court as the supreme legal authority, and an internal comptroller, who will be responsible for good governance in KKL-JNF.
In order to update KKL-JNF offices worldwide, a weekly update will be sent from the chairman with a “summary of the activities that took place in the organization. You should be our constant partners. We will propose ideas together. You will be constantly updated.”
Shariel Gun, KKL-JNF Emissary to Italy, noted that as important as the processes of supervision and transparency are, they should not stop activities and the carrying out of projects. “There should be supervision and transparency, but there should also be a green route for donors’ requests. Projects shouldn’t be stopped because they have to go through committees; there should be flexibility when getting the work done is concerned, so that supervision is a means, not an end.”
The KKL-JNF chairman responded that supervision is the shortest road to right action. “A lot of the criticism in the report is focused on protecting our donors. We need to be on schedule, keep to the budget and maintain the highest standards of quality.”
New Trends in Project Marketing
In accordance with the changing reality of the organization’s status, the next lecture, which was presented by Moshe Pearl, was on the topic of 'New Trends in Marketing KKL-JNF Projects'.
“KKL-JNF executed about 12,000 projects over the past decade,” Pearl began by saying, and added that the state comptroller recognizes KKL-JNF’s importance and the need to carry out its work, but in a different manner, based on the vision and understanding that the State and KKL-JNF have changed.
Pearl noted that there are three major topics at the present time:
- Transparency – there is now no financial expenditure not accompanied by a protocol.
- Equal opportunity – for all entities in the field.
- The true needs in the field.
“In order to carry out projects funded by donors, we need to offer an opportunity to every NGO and entity to propose their projects in an equal manner.”
Three unique tracks were identified for the Resources, Development and Public Relations Division, which comprise the total “projects basket” for donations, in accordance with the vision and its realization.
The first track: The Zionist track – Developing tourism, education, ecology and water.
The second track: Calls for proposals,according to which 70 million shekels will be allotted for two tracks, which will be flexible in terms of the division of the percentage of the donor’s contribution and the percentage of KKL-JNF’s participation.
The third track: Agreement with the government track. According to the framework that KKL-JNF signed with the government, according to which 400 million shekels will be allotted for projects.
“These three tracks will lead us to the realization of the vision,” Pearl said and summarized: “The Resource Development Division will be undergoing a change, including a name change. It will become a division that takes responsibility for everything that happens besides from activities that take place in Israel. We will make certain to strengthen activities with Jewish communities around the world, which will know that we are with them and support them.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar noted joint efforts with various entities to develop diverse projects. They include the Or Movement, which helps young couples to move to peripheral regions; the Seas Canal project – building an environmentally safe water tunnel from Ashkelon on the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea; and strengthening communities in the Negev by means of recreation areas such as the Dimona and Yeruham parks. “This is how we will help realize the vision of bringing a million new residents to the Negev. It’s not our responsibility, it’s the state’s responsibility, but we want to help Israel achieve this goal.”
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