About

The PMF was established through the Maintenance Fund Law No. (6) for the year 2005, issued on 26 April 2005, and as amended by Resolution No. (12) for the year 2015. Executive Regulation No. (2) of 2007 was issued on 10 October 2007 to ensure the enactment of the provisions of the Palestinian Fund Law. Affiliated with the Council of Ministers and an independent legal personality, the PMF enjoys financial, administrative and intellectual independence.

As the only public body directly executing maintenance decisions, the PMF guarantees maintenance for all women and children (utilizing PMF financial resources) within fifteen days of the decision as  the rulings that are not implemented mainly due to absence of the accused, unfamiliarity with his place of residence, or lack of funds for the implementation of the court decision/ruling. The PMF plays a vital role in following up on the enforcement of maintenance and child support payments from parents who are delinquent due to reluctance towards or evasion of payment as a result of judgment, travel abroad, or the lack of a clear residential address. As an external, public institution that has the mandate to intervene within the private sphere, the PMF obliges delinquent parties to pay maintenance by exercising lawful powers of authority on those convicted. It operates by enforcing imprisonment orders and travel bans, and by seizing assets through legal action in partnership with the courts, the police, the Palestinian Monetary Authority, the ministries of Interior, Economy, Transportation, and Local Government, the Land Authority, and other official bodies. These partnerships underpin the effectiveness of PMF in claiming the resources to which vulnerable parties are entitled. However, such enforcement does not always run smoothly. In many cases, convicts become infuriated by the fact that a public body of authority is intervening in their private lives.

The PMF operates with a comprehensive understanding of protection that goes beyond monthly maintenance payments and utilizes an integrated approach that aims to fill the practical, economic, legal, psychological, and social-services needs of beneficiaries, thus sparing them the humiliation of hardship and destitution. Furthermore, the PMF raises the voices of beneficiary groups and maintains their representation in the plans, policies, programs, and activities of both formal and informal institutions. The PMF partnerships include, in addition to the abovementioned, the ministries of health and social development, and civil society institutions, as well as private sector institutions and individuals in order to enable beneficiaries to expand their choices and control (agency).

The PMF prides itself in upholding the values of integrity, transparency, human rights, and accountability.