EU Provides Around €11 Million to Support Families in Need in Palestine

Brussels, MINA – The European Union has made a contribution of €11.28 million to the Palestinian Authority’s quarterly payment of social allowances to poor Palestinian families in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said the Office of the EU Representative in a statement.

This contribution is funded by the European Union (€10 million) and the Governments of Spain (€1million) and Ireland (€0.28 million). It will contribute to payments made to around 67,500 families of which nearly 80% live in the Gaza Strip.

“The EU’s support to vulnerable families is a commitment to the welfare of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza,” said the statement.

The EU supports the Ministry of Social Development in serving a total of 115,000 vulnerable families through an inclusive and equitable social protection system.

“The poverty rate remains extremely high in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and eradication of poverty remains a major challenge for the Palestinian Authority. It requires strong and effective social protection systems,” said the Deputy EU Representative Tomas Niklasson.

“Therefore, the EU is working closely with the Ministry of Social Development to meet this challenge while ensuring that the basic human needs for the poorest are met. This is done by providing technical support for improving the capacity of the Ministry and by contributing to the payment of social allowances to those in need. The challenges here are enormous but the determination to succeed is exceptional,” he added.(R/R04/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)