The occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is placed in the lower middle-income group of countries in terms of the Human Development Index. In terms of MDG attainment, with the exception of Goal one, the current level of attainment of most of the Goals remains favorable; although trends since 2000 show that there is a regression in most of the indicators. This regression is a particular feature of the Palestinian situation, which has been undergoing a humanitarian crisis since the Intifada broke out. The uncertainty in the political sphere poses challenges in actually projecting and modeling progress until 2015, the cut-off date for most MDG based national strategies.
While the political aspirations of the Palestinian people remain unfulfilled, in the interim period, both Palestinians and the international community have a vital stake in improving human development outcomes in the oPt. This commitment is reflected in the efforts since 1994 of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinian NGOs and civil society institutions as well as donors and foreign governments.
While most of the focus of local and international emergency and development assistance has concentrated on basic social service delivery and supporting the PA to implement its mandate, there have been efforts to systematize the process through development strategies and development planning since 1998 – in the form of the Palestinian Development Plan, Socio-Economic Stabilization Plan, and most recently the Medium Term Reform and Development Plan (PRDP) 2008-10.
MDG Advancement in 2008
The ongoing social-economic and political crisis in the oPt in general and the Gaza Strip in particular are expected to cause dramatic deterioration in MDG indicators, especially with respect to poverty and hunger, health, and education. In addition to the economic and social closure of the territory, the sharp increase in the prices of major production inputs and basic food supplies together with the sharp devaluation of the USD dollar has rendered the current national poverty reduction strategies insufficient and less than adequate to face the existing crisis.
In light of the above, we do not expect any progress in MDG achievement in 2008. On the contrary, we assume to witness sharp deterioration in most of the developmental indicators pertaining to MDG goals one, two, five, seven and eight.
