Today, the Director of Cooperation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Jerusalem Mrs. Veronique Hulmann signed a bilateral contract for Switzerland’s CHF 2 million with the Minister of Local Government and the Palestinian Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF). The support aims to provide improved services for marginalized and war-affected Palestinian populations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip through selected high impact micro infrastructure projects.
"SDC is supporting the Palestinian national and local authorities in responding to the needs of the vulnerable and war-affected communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip through improved access to basic infrastructures. Basic public and selected war damaged municipal basic infrastructures, including schools, roads, water networks, sewage network and small treatment plants will be built or rehabilitated. The project will contribute to enhance the legitimacy of the Palestinian Government of Consensus in Gaza" said Veronique Hulmann, the Director of Cooperation of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Jerusalem.
The Swiss project will have modest but tangible immediate results on the life of Palestinians vulnerable communities living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and facing a situation of increasing poverty, growing unemployment, food insecurity, and a general lack of perspectives. The communities were selected in coordination with the Ministry of Local Government according to the vulnerability criteria and the sub-projects were selected in participation with the communities themselves.
The Swiss project is in synergy with its current approach to support the Local Governance system in Palestine to ensure that citizens in the occupied Palestinian territory receive efficient, accountable and socially inclusive public services from local authorities. The program aims at strengthening municipal responsiveness and service delivery, with particular focus on social accountability - empowering citizens (men and women) to demand their rights and hold local governance units accountable through active participation.
For more information, please contact:
Mrs. Veronique Hulmann
Director of Cooperation
Swiss Cooperation Office Gaza & West Bank
Telephone: +972 2 5824194
Fax: +972 2 582 37 57
E-mail: gaza@eda.admin.ch
Website:www.swisscooperation.admin.ch/gazaandwestbank
