United Nations Development Programme

13.12.2011 - Italy and UNDP hand over to the General Personnel Council the Civil Service Leadership Programme: Marking its successful completion,the General Personnel Council (GPC), in cooperation with the Government of Italy and the United Nations Development Programme held a handover ceremony for the Civil Service Leadership Development programme and assets. The Government of Italy funded the USD 1.3 million programme through UNDP to train senior civil servants in managing and leading change. The main objective of the programme is to train 1200 senior civil servants (800 in the West Bank and 400 in Gaza) in leadership and administrative competencies in order to enable them to implement the professional development plans at their workplace, discuss jointly problems and solutions, deliver better services and guide change within their organization. More

01.12.2011 - UNDP Signs Partnership Agreements in Support of Democratic Governance and Rule of Law:UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People signed two separate agreements today worth approximately USD 6 million with the Governments of Denmark, Sweden and EUPOL COPPS in an effort to reinforce transparency and democratic governance. The signing took place on December 01, 2011 at the Swedish Consulate in the presence of Mr. Lars Adam Rehof, Chief of Mission of Denmark in the oPt, Mr. Axel Wernhoff, Consul General of Sweden, and Mr. Khaled Shahwan, UNDP Deputy Special Representative (Operations). More

19.11.2011 - The Governments of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA), through UNDP Inaugurate the First Project in the Middle East - a Sports Centre in Ramallah:Foreign Ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa inaugurated a one million Dollar multipurpose new sports centre implemented through UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. This is the first IBSA project in the Middle East and is a pioneering initiative to enhance cooperation amongst developing countries in the fight against hunger and poverty. More

02.11.2011 - New Community service Centre in Bethlehem Funded by the Government of Germany and Implemented by UNDP:The German Development Bank and UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People marked today the inauguration of Dar Salah Community Centre in Bethlehem. The project, with a budget of 100,000 Euro, includes the construction and finishing of two additional floors, with a total area of 450m2. The new building will also facilitate the work of the three associations in developing the society, helping the poor, and increasing the social and cultural awareness between the population. More

25.10.2011 - New Classrooms Opened for Students in Beit Jala Funded by the Government of Germany and Implemented by UNDP: Today marked an important step forward for secondary students in Talitha Kumi co-educational school as they celebrated the inauguration of seven new classrooms. The project is part of the Poverty Oriented Employment Generation Programme funded by the Government of Germany via its Development Bank KfW and implemented by UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. The project, with a budget of 120,000 Euro, includes the construction of an additional floor with a total area of 420m2 and a staircase. The floor consists of seven classrooms that will serve 195 students (110 female and 85 male). More

24.10.2011 - UNDP Wins the Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity for its Economic Empowerment Programme:UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People won the 2011 Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity in the exceptional project category for its Deprived Families Economic Empowerment Programme, with a financial reward of USD20,000. H.E. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced the winners during a ceremony held at Al Najah University in Nablus. More 

13.10.2011 - PA Minister of Local Government, Dr. Khaled Qawasmi and UNDP’s Deputy Special Representative, Yasmine Sherif, jointly traveled to Hebron to meet with local stakeholders to discuss their needs for development assistance and the formulation of a strategic plan of UNDP assistance to Hebron. Visits were paid to Hebron Town, Yatta and Al-Hassan hospital. Dialogues were held with the Governor of Hebron, the Mayor of Yatta, the Rehabilitation Committee, and local communities in Hebron’s Old Town. As a result of the visit, UNDP and the Ministry of Local Government will expand its cooperation on a strategic plan and multi-sectoral development assistance to Hebron.

10.10.2011 - UNDP and the Ministry of Culture Sign a cooperation agreement in support of the Culture sector: The purpose of the programme is to safeguard and develop Palestinian culture and heritage and utilize its potential as a means of socio-economic development to support Palestinian Statehood. The agreement was signed by H.E Siham Bargouthi, Minister of Culture, and Mr. Frode Mauring, UNDP Special Representative of the Administrator.

06.10.2011 - UNDP Special Representative, Mr. Frode Mauring, visits project sites in the Hebron Governorate. UNDP Special Representative, Mr. Frode Mauring, visited project sites today at the Hebron Governorate. The purpose of the visit was to inspect the quality and sustainability of UNDP implemented projects in the Governorate and listen to the challenges and needs of the Palestinian institutions and people there. The visit included a meeting with the Governor and Mayor of Hebron, Hebron University and the Rehabilitation Committee, and a family planning and protection centre in Halhoul. The visit also included a brief on the important role UNDP is playing in developing both the public private partnership strategy and the local economic development support programme in Hebron. See the photos from the visit

29.09.2011 - UNDP Special Representative, Mr. Frode Mauring, visits project sites in the Jenin Governorate. The purpose of the visit was to inspect the quality and sustainability of UNDP implemented projects in the Jenin Governorate and listen to the challenges and needs of the Palestinian institutions and people there. The visit included a meeting with the Mayor of Jenin, visits to Jenin Hospital and Court House, Rehabilitation and Blind Care Charitable Society, the Ministry of Local Government, Zbouba Pumping Station, and a beneficiary from the UNDP Deprived Families Economic Empowerment Programme. See the photos from the visit

20.09.2011 - UNDP/PAPP publishes a comprehensive Review of Palestinian Legislation from a Women’s Rights Perspective: As part of its Rule of Law and Access to Justice Programme in the oPt, UNDP/PAPP published a comprehensive Review of Palestinian Legislation from a Women’s Rights Perspective.The study, which was conducted by a researcher from Birzeit University, assesses Palestinian national legislation for conformity with international standards and analyzes the trajectory of law reform in the oPt as it relates to the rights of women. By drawing on a number of socio-legal studies, the review hopes to offer fresh insights into the interplay between legal reform and socio-economic conditions, and to spark debate on how law reform can most effectively promote women’s rights in the oPt. Read the report

07.07.2011 - A vehicle for poverty reduction - UNDP launches export development project for Palestinian businesses: The Palestinian National Trade Promotion Organization (PalTrade) and the United Nations Development Programme marked the launch of a 4 year export development project to further strengthen Palestinian capacities in using trade as a vehicle for employment generation. The project is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and will be implemented in cooperation with the International Trade Center (ITC). The project will focus on increasing trading opportunities for Palestinian businesses, including PalTrade, and other Palestinian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with exporting potential.

04.07.2011 - UNDP and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities signed an agreement for a joint programme to rehabilitate public infrastructure for strengthening Palestinian cultural identity and ensuring a local-based tourism labor market. The programme will target the occupied Palestinian territory including interventions in East Jerusalem, Gaza and Area C. Some of the interventions will include the rehabilitation and restoration of museums, archaeological sites and storages, historical buildings, Ministry facilities, training and others.The agreement was signed by H.E. Khuloud Daibes, Minister of Tourism, and Mr. Frode Mauring, UNDP Special Representative of the Administrator.

06.06.2011 - UNDP Deputy Special Representative, Yasmine Sherif and Naofumi Hashimoto, Representative of Japan to the occupied Palestinian territory visited wastewater treatment projects in the northern Governorates of Jenin and Tulkarem. The projects will improve the living conditions of approximately 17,000 residents, who will have access to sanitation services.  The sites visited are part of USD5.5 million fund from the Government of Japan to promote cross boundary cooperation in waste management. The projects are implemented by UNDP, in partnership with the Palestinian Water Authority. It is worth noting that only 35 percent of the West Bank population has access to wastewater collection systems.

04.06.2011 - UNDP and the Ministry of Social Affairs sign an agreement worth US$73,328 to support "Dar Al-Amal" Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre: The agreement aims at enhancing the rights of Palestinian children and juveniles through interventions and social protection policies implemented by the Ministry through the UNDP Rule of Law and Access to justice programme. The intervention includes two main components, one is the recruitment of a focal point that is acting as the Secretariat of the National Committee on Juvenile Justice that is chaired by the Ministry. The second is to support Dar Al Amal - Institution for the Rehabilitation and the Protection of Juveniles in renovations, a music room and a music teacher, a computer lab and a trainer, and some recreational activities and equipment.

27.05.2011 - The Government of Japan and UNDP Sign an agreement to extend water networks to the Jericho Agro-industrial Park: The agreement constitutes the third component UNDP will be implementing through the Jericho Agro-industrial Park project funded by the Government of Japan through its “Corridor for Peace and Prosperity” initiative for the amount of USD3.1 million. The extension of the water networks and construction of the water tank will ensure continuous water supply to the park and provide quality water to the area.

18.05.2011 - The Government of Germany and UNDP Sign a 3.5 million Euro agreement to create employment opportunities  in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: As part of its continuing effort to tackle unemployment in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Government of Germany, through its Development Bank (KFW), and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement in the amount of 3.5 million Euros on Wednesday May 18, 2011 in Ramallah. With unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at 23.7%, and poverty reaching 25.7%, facilitating job creation is seen as imperative in the effort to reverse these trends. The agreement will complement the seventh phase of the Poverty Oriented Infrastructure through Employment Generation Programme already being implemented for the amount of 8 million Euros. More

08.04.2011 - UNDP Provides Legal Assistance for Vulnerable Groups in Gaza:The United Nations Development Programme launched the “Legal Aid and Empowerment for Vulnerable Groups” project in the Gaza Strip. The project is funded by the Government of Japan for the amount of USD756,276 and will be implemented during the period of eight months. The project aims to strengthen the rule of law and improve access to justice for vulnerable groups by setting up twelve legal aid clinics and a Legal Aid Network that will bring together an array of different legal aid providers. More

05.04.2011 - UNDP Hosts Rule of Law Programme Board Meeting: The Programme Board for the Rule of Law and Access to Justice Programme gathered for their biannual meeting in Ramallah on the 5th of April 2011. Chaired by UNDP/PAPP, the Board reviewed, with implementing partners and donors, their achievements thus far in the different activities of this US$20 million Programme which included capacity development to the Ministry of Justice with focus on legislative drafting, administration of justice and legal aid, among others. In her opening speech, UNDP Deputy Special Representative, Ms. Yasmine Sherif, highlighted that the Rule of Law will be the foundation for a viable Palestinian state and said that enormous progress had taken place both institutionally within the Ministry and also in reaching out to the people and communities”. This was confirmed by the MOJ and international partners, who welcomed the results of the Programme, which is among UNDP’s largest Rule of Law programmes globally.

31.03.2011 - UNDP Creates Employment Opportunites for Youth in Gaza:The United Nations Development Programme/Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People launched a job creation project that supports youth in Gaza funded by the Government of Japan for the amount of US$756,276. The project, targeting 230 fresh university graduates from Gaza, will be implemented by the Palestinian Non-governmental Organizations Network (PNGO). The project aims at enhancing the status of young Gazan young graduates through providing them with professional training and income generation opportunities through job placements at around 100 CSOs in the Gaza Strip. More

24.03.2011 - World TB Day marked by conferences in Gaza City and Ramallah: In 2010, 176 TB suspects among Palestinian refugees and 86 contacts of smear positive TB patients were screened and less than 10 patients were successfully detected and treated as per the revised TB national guidelines. The day was marked in the occupied Palestinian territory by conferences for health and community professionals in Ramallah and in Gaza, organized by the Ministry of Health, with financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and technical partnership with WHO and UNDP ). More

14.02.2011 - New UNDP Special Representative arrives at the occupied Palestinian territory: UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, appointed Mr. Frode Mauring as her Special Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, to replace Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, who retired at the end of September 2010 and Mr. Timothy Rothermel who was serving as Special Representative at interim during the transition phase. Mr. Mauring assumed his responsibilities on Friday 11 February 2011. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Mauring was UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator in Russia, Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. More

03.02.2011 - UNDP, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, signed a memorandum of understanding with three leading universities for the implementation of  “The Justice for the Future” Project.  This joint initiative will provide academic scholarships, professional training and justice sector internships for high achieving law students throughout the occupied Palestinian territory with a special emphasis on supporting students from vulnerable groups within the Palestinian society. The objective is to prepare exceptional students for professional legal work within the Palestinian justice sector. The project, funded by CIDA, SIDA, Netherlands and BCPR for the amount of US$200,000, is initially for a period of two years from 2011 to 2013.

02.02.2011 - Under the auspices of H.E. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and in cooperation with Birzeit University, UNDP launched the 2011-Year of Volunteering in Palestine campaign. The ceremony included a speech by the Prime Minister and UNDP followed by several activities in Ramallah including cleaning, visiting patients at medical centers and planting trees.  Over the years, more than 900 International and National UNVs have joined efforts to support governmental and non-governmental organizations across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

30.11.2010 - UNDP Signs a Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology for supporting the establishment of a National Technical Team to develop the national e-government strategy with the Ministry’s partners and donors through UNDP’s Capacity Development Initiative programme.