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19.01.2023

On 18 and 19 January, line ministries and institutions of the Palestinian Authority met representatives of the European Development Partners to monitor the implementation of the European Joint Strategy.

The meeting was chaired by the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Amjed Ghanem, and the EU Head of Cooperation Ibrahim Laafia. Officials from 20 Palestinian ministries and institutions, including the Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Secretariat, together with 12 European countries and the Office of the EU Representative, discussed progress and challenges relating to programmes implemented in Palestine to build the State and improve the well-being of Palestinians.

At the meeting, the Palestinian ministries and institutions together with European Development Partners reviewed the on-going programmes funded by Europeans. Challenges and gaps were discussed as well as possible future programmes to address them. The partners also reviewed the status of the reform agenda of the Palestinian Authorities.

‘’This meeting represents a major milestone for the Palestinian-European partnership and for moving our mutual agenda forward, which we hope will lead the government to deliver better results for the Palestinian people.  The united efforts of our European partners will enable us to better serve citizens across the whole of Palestine.’’ said Amjed Ghanem, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers.

Ibrahim Laafia, EU Head of Cooperation, said “Team Europe, working together under the umbrella of the European Joint Strategy, is a collective mechanism to provide more effective and predictable resources to support the Palestinian transformative agenda. 2030 is around the corner and we all have commitments towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Today’s dialogue is necessary to understand each other and build a stronger partnership for the benefit of the Palestinian population”.

European Development Partners and Palestinian institutions identified together concrete actions to be implemented in 2023, which will be reviewed at mid-year with the Secretary General.

Background

European Development Partners work together in Palestine under the umbrella of the European Joint Strategy in support of Palestine 2021-2024 – Towards a democratic and accountable Palestinian state. The European Joint Strategy is aligned to the National Development Plan and to the various sectoral strategies and policies. It focuses on state-building and maintaining the viability of the two-state solution as well as ensuring human rights of the most vulnerable population. Over 2021-2024, the European Development Partners have pledged EUR 3.3 billion in support to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians.