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23.10.2008 - UNDP/PAPP and the PA sign a US$2 million agreement for emergency job creation in Gaza

Ramallah - The Palestinian Authority, through its Job Creation Programme under the Presidents office, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme/Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) signed two memorandums of understanding, worth US$2 million, on Thursday, 23rd October 2008, during a ceremony at the President’s Office in Ramallah. Mr. Marwan Abdel Hamid, Chairman of the Job Creation Programme in Gaza, and Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, UNDP Special Representative of the Administrator attended the ceremony.

04.10.2008 - Under the Auspices of President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority, Chinese Government, and UNDP sign Ministry of Foreign Affairs New Office Building Agreement

Ramallah - Under the auspices of H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas, H.E. Dr. Riyad Al Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Yang Weiguo, Chinese Representative to the oPt, and Mr. Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, UNDP/PAPP Special Representative of the Administrator signed an agreement on October 4th, 2008 at the Presidents Office in Ramallah to construct the new office building of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ceremony was followed by laying the corner stone of the building west of Ramallah’s Cultural Palace.

In his speech, H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized that this project “is a symbol of the persistence and dedication we promised two years ago to the development of the Palestinian people”. “ I would like to thank the People’s Republic of China for their support for more than forty years and UNDP/PAPP for its work and implementation of many projects in the oPt with efficiency and transparency”, he added.

10.09.2008 - The Government of Germany, PA and UNDP/PAPP sign an 8 million Euro agreement to tackle unemployment in the oPt

Ramallah - The Federal Republic of Germany and its Development Bank (KfW), in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Development Programme/Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) signed an 8 million Euro memorandum of understanding during a ceremony at the Ministry of Planning in Ramallah, to launch the seventh phase of the Poverty Oriented Infrastructure through Employment Generation Programme.

With unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza at alarmingly high levels of 29%, and poverty reaching over 30%, facilitating job creation is seen as imperative in the effort to reverse these trends. Through its programmes, UNDP/PAPP, in alignment with the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan, continues its support to sustaining livelihoods and encouraging productive employment to enhance Palestinian prosperity.

28.08.2008 - Outreach of financial services from an Islamic Microfinance perspective - The Palestinian Authority, Islamic Development Bank, and UNDP Launch the First Islamic Micro Finance component in the oPt

Ramallah - Building on their partnership to combat poverty in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), the Islamic Development Bank joined with UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People and the Ministries of Social Affairs, Planning and Labour launched the Islamic microfinance component of the Deprived Families Economic Empowerment Programme (DEEP). DEEP’s involvement in the Microfinance industry falls under the objective of contributing to an inclusive Palestinian financial sector for the poor, focusing on expanding the outreach of microfinance and contributing to MFI’s efforts to achieve sustainability. The microfinance component of DEEP is foreseen to be an effective and powerful tool for alleviating poverty, in the West Bank and Gaza, because of the heavy involvement of civil society institutions in directing support to would– be entrepreneurs.

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