Deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the OPT – Sweden increases aid – SIDA press release/Non-UN document

The humanitarian crisis is deteriorating in the occupied Palestinian territories – Sweden increases aid

The UN has appealed to Sweden and other donors to continue support emergency humanitarian relief to the occupied Palestinian territories.

The humanitarian situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is continuing to deteriorate. And there is widespread, and in several cases life-threatening destitution. Over 60 per cent of the population now lives in poverty; unemployment is at 35 per cent and malnourishment is spreading.

The serious humanitarian crisis has therefore prompted The Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to pledge US $6.4 million in continued support of UN projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The support will largely be channelled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Contributions will also be made to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

UNRWA will target its humanitarian support exclusively at the Palestinian refugees living in camps in the West Bank and in Gaza. The Swedish contribution will be allocated to healthcare, food, shelter, psychosocial support and education.

UNICEF will be focusing on improving conditions for Palestinian children, many of whom are undernourished. Some 2,800 children die every year of diseases that, according to UNICEF, are usually treatable with the proper care and medicines. Yet, child mortality is still rising.

"The ever-present violence, as a result of the ongoing occupation and the tangible despair, hit children particularly hard", says Peter Lundberg at SIDA's humanitarian division. "This is manifest not least in the quality of schooling and the number of children who have dropped out of the education system in recent years.

UNICEF reports that a third of all families have one or more children suffering from psychosocial stress."
The UN appeal identifies several results of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, with the erection of the separation barrier and the hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, as a fundamental reason for the worsening humanitarian situation of the Palestinians.

"The Fourth Geneva Convention requires the occupying power to maintain the provision of food, medicines, etc. for the civilian population as well as human dignity", says Mr Lundberg. "Since Israel is failing to fulfil its obligations under international law, much of the Palestinian population is now totally dependent on international emergency relief.

The situation is worrying, and SIDA staff in the field are monitoring humanitarian developments closely. SIDA is ready to provide additional humanitarian support if needed." In 2005 Sweden invested about US $38 million in development cooperation and humanitarian assistance in the Palestinian territories. And the support is planned to increase this year.