EU grants EUR 10 million humanitarian aid to Palestinians – European Commission press release/Non-UN document

Middle East: Commission grants EUR 10 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians

IP/03/958 – Brussels, 8 July 2003 

The European Commission has approved a €10 million humanitarian aid package to support victims of the crisis in the Palestinian Territories and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The funds, allocated via the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), which comes under the responsibility of Commissioner Poul Nielson, will help meet the basic food, health, household, water/sanitation and protection needs of vulnerable groups. The programme will be implemented by ECHO's usual partners such as non-governmental organisations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. ECHO has a long-standing humanitarian commitment to vulnerable people in the Middle East. With this latest funding decision, its support for victims of the ongoing crisis since the start of the second Intifada in September 2000 has now topped €100 million. 

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to a serious humanitarian crisis. Movement restrictions, border closures and curfews have had a devastating impact on the Palestinian economy, which has halved in size while the population has grown by nine percent. Unemployment and poverty are rising: more than half of the active population is without a job and nearly two million people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip about 60 percent of the population – are now living below the recognised “poverty line” of less than US$2 a day. Access to basic services is limited and many people cannot afford to purchase essential supplies, including food. As a result, dependence on humanitarian assistance is increasing.

The present funding decision responds to humanitarian needs through operations aimed at boosting job opportunities, household income and self-reliance; improving health conditions and access to water and sanitation; and providing psycho-social support (especially for children) and protection activities.

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, more than half of whom live in overcrowded and unhygienic camps and settlements, rely on continued assistance from the international community. Excluded from state support and banned from working in more than 70 professions, they face a multitude of socio-economic and health problems. The present funding decision includes the provision of special healthcare programmes for mothers and children, psycho-social assistance for young people and improved access to water and sanitation for the most vulnerable.