Sweden will support Gaza Early Recovery Program through UNDP – Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Swedish government, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have signed a grant agreement worth $ 50 million ($ 5.7). million) in support of Gaza’s early recovery efforts following the May 2021 hostilities.
Gaza’s Early Recovery Program aims to restore access to key services, decent livelihoods for the people of Gaza, and secure housing and living conditions for internally displaced and vulnerable non-refugee and refugee households whose homes have been destroyed or damaged as a result of the fighting. .
Through the Swedish support, the program will provide emergency assistance to the most vulnerable households in the Gaza Strip by securing much-needed jobs and providing shelter support to refugees and non-refugees.
Informed by the economic and infrastructural damage assessments carried out by the UNDP after the hostility in May 2021, the program will focus on four key components, namely waste management, Temporary Shelter Cash Assistance (TSCA), immediate partial housing rehabilitation and short-term dignified jobs to restore livelihoods.
“This is really a good example of a partnership between UN agencies working as one to serve the people of Gaza and made possible by the leadership and support of SIDA,” said Thomas White, Head of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza.
Through this generous Swedish contribution, the program will create dignified short-term jobs for 525 people and provide access to e-work opportunities for another 120 young people in Gaza. In addition, 1,000 refugee families displaced from their homes during the May 2021 fighting will receive support in the form of Transitional Shelter Cash Assistance through UNRWA. Given the size of the family and the current socio-economic status, the program will prioritize women-led households and people with disabilities and provide them with cash assistance to meet their housing needs.
The program embodies a strong humanitarian / development / peace (HDP) Nexus strategy. Funding for the Gaza Early Recovery Program would enable the operationalization of this approach by responding to most urgent needs in a way that promotes early recovery and strengthens the resilience of the Gaza Strip’s conflict-affected people. More specifically, supporting the livelihoods and restoration of incomes of affected people would prevent them from falling into poverty and multidimensional deprivation, while reducing dependence on TSCAs.
The UNDP’s Special Representative for the Administrator, Yvonne Helle, emphasized that the fighting in May had significantly disrupted people’s lives and exacerbated already difficult socio-economic conditions. “UNDP is committed to making a difference and improving the living conditions of the people of Gaza. The contribution from Sweden will create much-needed jobs, strengthen the resilience of the people of Gaza and help restore their lives and livelihoods,” she added.
The signing ceremony, which took place on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, was attended by Göran Paulsson, Head of Sweden’s Development Cooperation, Deputy Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank, Kate O’Rourk, e and Yvonne Helle, UNDP’s Special Representative for the Administrator.
Background information:
About UNRWA
UNRWA is a UN body established by the General Assembly in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian aid and protection to registered Palestinian refugees in the Agency’s area of activity, namely the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, pending a just and lasting solution to their difficult situation. Thousands of Palestinian refugees who lost both their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict have remained on the run and in need of significant support for over seventy years. UNRWA helps them reach their full potential in human development through the quality services they provide in education, health, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading UN organization that fights to end injustices with poverty, inequality and climate change. By working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations build integrated, sustainable solutions for humans and planets.