Palestinian territories

Current information of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on the conflict situation: Website BMZ

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been operating in the Palestinian territories since the 1980s. Since May 2005 we have been working with the KfW Development Bank at the Deutsches Haus in Al-Bireh/Ramallah.

The unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the main constraints to peace and sustainable development across the entire Middle East, but most particularly in the Palestinian territories.

De facto and politically, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are separate entities. Import and export restrictions and the geopolitical fragmentation of the Palestinian territories are an obstacle to the movement of goods and persons, and thus stand in the way of economic development. The difficult internal security situation and the limited powers of self-government available to the Palestinian territories make it difficult to build state institutions. The unregulated status of Palestinian refugees is another major barrier to achieving peace in the region as a whole.

The Palestinian economy does not offer sufficient opportunities for employment. Unemployment is high as a result, particularly among young people, women and people with disabilities. The lack of work and prospects in combination with the psychosocial impacts of the conflict are leaving young people especially vulnerable to radicalisation. To counteract this, they need access to better job opportunities.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ operates in three priority areas:

• Sustainable economic development, vocational training and the labour market
• Governance, democracy and civil society
• Peace-building and resilience

In the area of sustainable economic development, GIZ concentrates on three areas. Firstly, it promotes the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also working to improve vocational and tertiary education in cooperation with the private sector. Better coordination of supply and demand in the labour market is a further target. GIZ is also supporting its Palestinian partners in implementing the national strategy on financial technology (‘fintech’) services and improving companies’ access to innovative financial services. GIZ is thus helping to improve the economic situation of people in the Palestinian territories and to create employment opportunities, particularly for young people.

In the priority area of governance, GIZ is supporting the Palestinian Authority in developing state institutions and promoting a democratic political culture. GIZ also works with civil society to strengthen civic participation in political processes. In conjunction with municipal administrations, GIZ is promoting municipal reforms, e-governance, inclusion, women’s empowerment and police work.

In the area of peace-building and resilience, GIZ is active in the fields of psychosocial support and social participation for Palestinian refugees and in the promotion of social cohesion and the prevention of violence. GIZ is also supporting the improvement of basic services – such as access to healthcare, drinking water and sanitation – for Palestinian refugees and vulnerable population groups in the Gaza Strip.