Ramallah, 10 September 2020 – In the presence of His Excellency Prime Minister, Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Government of Germany, through its Development Bank (KfW), and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement in the amount of Euro 17 million. The Investment Programme for Resilience (IPR) will support Palestinian communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate the medium to longer-term socio-economic effects in the areas of health and employment, and enhance access to sustainable and quality services. The programme will target most of the Palestinian population across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

H.E. Prime Minister Shtayyeh thanked the Federal Republic of Germany and its citizens for their continuous support to the Palestinian people. “The Euro 17 million contribution through UNDP, our partner in peace and development, is very timely especially when health personnel are urgently needed and so is equipment”.

"Germany continues to support the Palestinian Authority in its measures against Corona. Our support as a part of the TeamEurope approach shall strengthen the health system and at the same time assist Palestinian communities in overcoming the longer-term consequences of the pandemic." Christian Clages, Head of the Representative Office of Germany in Ramallah, stated on this occasion.

As part of the immediate response, the IPR will enhance the preparedness and capacity of the Palestinian health system through (1) creation of around 1000 short term job opportunities for health professionals and skilled and unskilled workers, along with training,  (2) the procurement of medical equipment and supplies for health facilities, and (3) procurement and placement of six medical waste treatment devices and training of health personnel.

Simultaneously, IPR will rehabilitate and expand infrastructure and support sustainable and quality services at the community level in order to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen socio-economic recovery. This will play a pivotal role in reducing disparities, strengthening social cohesion, and enhancing community engagement and ownership, particularly for women, youth, and persons with disabilities. It will also contribute to creating hundreds of short-term employment opportunities through construction works and long-term sustainable jobs for the operation and management of the new services provided.  

UNDP Special Representative of the Administrator, Yvonne Helle, highlighted that COVID-19 is further deepening Palestinian vulnerabilities. “UNDP values its strong partnership with the Palestinian Government and Germany. This new contribution will enable us to respond to the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and build a better future together. Our transformative resilience approach is a key component in the sustainably of this programme and its impact on the lives of tens of thousands of people”.  

The Investment Programme for Resilience (IPR) builds on the Germany’s partnership with UNDP since 2002 through the implementation of the Employment Generation Programme (EGP) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for which Germany has provided more than 100 million Euro so far.

For further information, please contact:

German Representative Office in Ramallah

Hanna Ilge Tel.  +972-2-2977647 – e-mail: wz-2@rama.diplo.de. For more information on the German Representative Office see https://ramallah.diplo.de/.

KfW - German Development Bank

Fida Abdel-Latif Tel. +970-2-2400730 – e-mail: Fida.Abdel-latif@kfw.de  KfW Office Ramallah / Al Bireh. For more information on KfW Development Bank see http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.

United Nations Development Programme

Dania Darwish, Communications Specialist, Tel. +972-2-6268229 – e-mail: dania.darwish@undp.org. For more information on UNDP/PAPP see /sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/arabstates/www.ps.undp.org.

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