Current information of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on the conflict situation: Website BMZ
In the Palestinian territories GIZ primarily works to improve the economic situation, create job opportunities and enable municipalities to be effective and reliable in the performance their tasks, such as transparent financial administration.
It also provides psychosocial support for Palestinian refugees, supports civil protection and strengthens civil society. One new field of work is support for the sustainable use of water resources. GIZ has been operating in the Palestinian territories since the 1980s. A framework agreement with the Palestinian Authority has been in place since 1997. Since May 2005 GIZ and the KfW Development Bank have been working together at the Deutsches Haus in Ramallah.
The unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the renewed escalation since October 2023 are among 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, East Jerusalem 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 stand in the way of economic development. The situation in Gaza presents the population with enormous humanitarian challenges. The difficult internal security situation, increasing construction of Israeli settlements 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 in the region as a whole is another major barrier to achieving peace. The growing number of internally displaced persons constitutes an additional challenge.
The Palestinian economy does not offer sufficient opportunities for employment. The challenges facing the Palestinian economy have increasingly intensified as a consequence of the war in the Gaza Strip. There is a lack of prospects for young people, women and people with disabilities in particular. At the same time the level of psychosocial stress for all those affected is very high and makes a peace process more difficult. The creation of economic prospects, jobs and meaningful employment can help to improve the circumstances in which people live. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ operates in three priority areas:
- Peaceful and inclusive societies
- Sustainable economic development, training and employment
- Protection of natural resources
In the priority area of peaceful and inclusive societies, GIZ is supporting the Palestinian Authority in developing state institutions, promoting a democratic culture and implementing its reform efforts, within the framework of the area of intervention ‘good governance’. 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 civil protection.
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. More than 19,000 people have received psychosocial support.
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. Since 2021 more than 900,000 internally displaced people have benefited from WASH emergency aid in 130 emergency shelters in Gaza.
In the area of sustainable economic development, training and employment, GIZ concentrates on three priority areas within the framework of two areas of intervention: technical and vocational education and training, and private sector and financial sector development. 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.
Since 2021, eight dual study programmes have been established at Palestinian universities and more than 14,000 young Palestinians have successfully benefited from short-term and long-term training programmes.
GIZ is also supporting its Palestinian partners in improving Palestinian 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.