Bank of Palestine Signs a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF to Support the Youth and Children in Palestine – Press Release

RAMALLAH, 14 May, 2019 Bank of Palestine Signs a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF to Support the Youth and Children in Palestine
The Bank of Palestine and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have signed a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation in support of the youth and children in Palestine. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the Headquarters of the General Administration of the Bank of Palestine in Ramallah between Mr. Hashim Al Shawa, Chairman of the Bank of Palestine Group and Ms. Genevieve Boutin, Special Representative of UNICEF in the State of Palestine. The signing ceremony was attended by official heads of services at the Bank of Palestine Group, senior UNICEF staff, and media professionals.

Under this agreement, the Bank and UNICEF shall collaborate on the “Generation Unlimited” initiative; a global partnership which aims at ensuring that the youth are to be enrolled in education, training or employment by 2030. This initiative interconnects the private sector, governments, international and local organizations and the youth together to identify and scale up solutions to tackle major challenges faced by youth, including access to secondary education, and the development of employability and empowerment skills, especially for girls. The two parties will also ensure that campaigns shall include raising awareness on children’s rights, breastfeeding and nutritional support, early childhood care and development, creating special areas for children, working with schools and communities, enhancing access to water, sanitation and hygiene, preventing and protecting from violence against children and promoting children’s participation in activities and events.

In addition, financial inclusion shall be part of the activities agreed upon by the two parties to enable the youth to participate and benefit from the financial services presented by the banking institutions, capacity-building and financial support, in addition to offering literacy programmes for vulnerable groups to increase their savings capacities. As per the MoU, the two parties shall exchange information, experiences and initiatives that support the staff’s well-being, the mutual understanding, build synergies and promote children’s rights, mostly through sports activities, participation in private and cultural events and the use of the bank premises to achieve these goals.

Mr. Hashim Al Shawa welcomed the signing of this agreement with a significant international organization such as UNICEF for the lofty goals in serving our society and children, noting that this memorandum reflects the bank’s beliefs and its continued activities in supporting the youth and children in Palestine. Al Shawa said the bank has great attentiveness to the youth within its scope of work and within its social responsibility, adding that the bank’s projects evolve annually so that the widest spectrum of beneficiaries gain through its various partnerships with the Civil Society Organizations to enable them to work, produce and participate effectively in the economy.

Mr. Al Shawa said the bank is committed to social responsibility, which accounts for more than 5 per cent of its annual profits. The bank has contributed to the establishment of the first National Youth Orchestra in cooperation with the Edward Said National Music Conservatory.