Occupied Palestinian territory

Intoduction:
The Cooperation Strategy for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) 2015-2018 is an operational framework that sets out strategic priorities for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Human Security Division (HSD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
In line with Switzerland’s commitment to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a negotiated two-state solution, this strategy aims at contributing to the establishment of an independent, viable, contiguous and democratic Palestinian state. SDC and HSD engagements towards this goal focus on the promotion of and respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, on strengthening local governance and effective service delivery, and on supporting economic development, in particular in the agricultural sector. It also complements the Swiss support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides basic services to Palestine Refugees and promotes the respect of their rights in the region.
The present strategy was developed in close coordination with Swiss representations on the ground and FDFA in Bern, and through a consultative process with key partners and stakeholders in the oPt. It takes account of the political and socioeconomic trends and the developmental and humanitarian challenges arising therefrom, and builds on the lessons learned from the previous Cooperation Strategy (2010-2014). Because of the continued deterioration of the situation, the strategy focuses on vulnerable and marginalised areas and seeks to enhance resilience of vulnerable communities. Gender equality, human rights based approach and conflict sensitive programme management are transversal themes of the strategy.
In the spirit of a comprehensive approach and with a view to maximising the results expected from the Swiss engagement, the Strategy combines the working tools of both SDC and HSD. Peace promotion activities in the oPt and Israel that complement but are not covered by the present strategy are also carried out by HSD.
The strategy is structured in three main parts: the first part reflects on contextual developments since the previous Cooperation Strategy and programmatic implications for Switzerland; the second part outlines the objectives of the Swiss engagement as per each domain of intervention; the last part describes implementation and monitoring modalities.