Palestinian Poverty Report to be issued by UNDP/PAPP and PA – UNDP/PAPP press release

PRESS RELEASE

Palestinian Poverty Report to be issued by

UNDP/PAPP and the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Planning

Jerusalem, Saturday, July 16, 2005 – H.E. Dr. Ghassan Khatib, Minister of Planning and Mr. Timothy Rothermel, Special Representative, UNDP, will today sign a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate on the production of a Palestinian National Poverty Report.

The report’s aim is to enhance the analysis of poverty related issues in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), particularly given the dramatic increase in poverty rates over the past four years. Currently almost 65 per cent of the population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip live below the poverty line (US$2 per day).

The Ministry of Planning has identified poverty alleviation as one of its top-two priorities in-line with the Palestinian National Authority’s Mid-Term Development Plan (2005-2007). As such, the National Poverty Report will provide the Ministry, UNDP/PAPP and other relevant parties, with enhanced capacity to tackle poverty in the oPt.

The Poverty Report is part of the Ministry of Planning’s initiative to mainstream poverty-related issues through a joint project with UNDP/PAPP, funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID). The Pro-Poor Participatory Planning Project’s aim is to inform policy makers, local communities and the international donor community on ways of incorporating poverty-related issues into their planning and advocating for greater emphasis on the needs of the poor.

On this occasion, H.E. the Minister of Planning said “the Poverty Report will provide Palestinian institutions with a comprehensive analysis of the multidimensional aspect of poverty since the worsening of the socioeconomic conditions in the last 4 years”.

“The importance of this report stems from its participatory nature. It provides a real opportunity for ordinary people to be engaged in setting the priorities of Palestinians that could in turn have a powerful effect on their lives. In essence it is the democratization of development”. Added Mr. Timothy Rothermel, Special Representative of UNDP/PAPP.

The National Poverty Report will cover a wide range of pertinent areas including analysis of existing socio-economic conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; a poverty map of the area, highlighting the impact of the crisis; and the impact of emergency assistance on the poor.

Along with UNDP/PAPP and the Ministry of Planning, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the UK Department for International Development (DfID), are partners in this important undertaking.

For further information, please contact:

In Jerusalem: Ehab Shanti, Communications Officer, Tel. +972-2-6268207 – e-mail: ehab.shanti@undp.org; or Dania Darwish, Tel. +972-2-626-8229 – e-mail: dania.darwish@undp.org. In New York: William Orme, Media Section Chief, Tel. +1 (212) 906-5382 – e-mail: william.orme@undp.org. For more information on UNDP/PAPP see http://www.papp.undp.org

4A Yakubi St., Jerusalem, 91191, P.O. Box: 51359 Tel: (972 2) 626 8200 Fax: (972 2) 626 8222 www.papp.undp.org