Jerusalem - April 06, 2010- Today, the European Union (EU) made its fourth contribution this year to the Palestinian Authority's payment of its civil servants and pensioners, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The contribution of NIS 104,021,753 (€21 million) was delivered through the EU's PEGASE[1] mechanism and benefited 80,585 civil servants and pensioners.

"The PA needs a predictable, steady flow of aid that helps it fulfil its obligations towards Palestinian citizens," said Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative in Jerusalem. "Ahead of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee meeting of major donors on 13 April, the EU encourages all donors to provide predictable and solid commitments in support to the budget of the PA, to enable the Palestinian administration to fully function and maintain basic services. The European mechanism, PEGASE, has proven its reliability and effectiveness to provide support to the budget of the PA, even under difficult situations."

The EU is very much aware of the financial difficulties that the Palestinian Authority faces at this start of the year, and has already delivered more than half of its planned assistance in the first quarter of 2010. With the exception of the EU and European countries, donor support in the first quarter of the year has been very low compared to the PA's needs (US$300 million).

The €21 million contribution comes from an allocation of €158.5 million, which was pledged by the EU to support the recurrent costs of the Palestinian Authority in 2010.

PEGASE channels EU assistance to help build a Palestinian State, in accordance with the priorities and needs identified by the Palestinian Authority in its three year reform and development programme (PRDP). Launched by the European Commission on 1 February 2008, it is the main financing mechanism of the European Union. As well as helping the PA to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the Palestinian Authority for statehood in line with the plan proposed in August 2009 by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Since 2007 the EU has provided total assistance to the Palestinian people, including civil society organizations and refugees, averaging more than €500 million annually.

Jerusalem, 29March 2010 – since its launch almost one year ago, the “Post-trauma Rehabilitation of Palestinian Ex-detainee Children” Programme has offered its intervention services to almost 500 ex-detainee children under the age of 18, and 291 parents.

 

Save the Children Sweden with funding from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) and in partnership with YMCA have held an event at the premises of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah marking the completion of phase I of the “Post-trauma Rehabilitation of Palestinian Ex-detainee Children” program. The program was launched almost one year ago in eleven districts of the West Bank; the second phase is due to commence in early April 2010.

 

“It’s been quite a full year for the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Programme!” said Mr. Eyad Al-Araj, Country Director of Save the Children Sweden. “We at Save the Children believe in a world that is free of violence against children, where children have hope and opportunity, and we are working to achieve this vision for Palestinian child ex-detainees through this program”.

 

Herve Caiveau, head of ECHO office in Jerusalem said:” The project aims at rehabilitating and re-integrating young child ex-detainees into their families and their society through individual and group counselling as well as career guidance. Additionally, project activities are directed towards mitigating stigmatisation and marginalisation of this target group” .

 

The Post-trauma Rehabilitation Programme provides individual and group counselling sessions to ex-detainee children and their families. Beneficiaries of the programme also obtain vocational and academic guiding sessions, and are engaged in structured ventilation activities, where they get to interact with each other and release some of the stress and anxiety caused by their detention experience in a stimulating and safe environment.  

 

The event also featured the launch of a short documentary entitled “Coming Home”, produced as part of the program to shed light on the challenges facing Palestinian ex-detainee children after their release from prison and to introduce the intervention tools available through the Post-trauma Rehabilitation Program. The event was preceded by a photo exhibition encompassing a selection of 25 photos captured by ex-detainee children and young adults. The photos reflect the impressions, feelings, and thoughts of the ex-detainees in relation to their post-release reality.

 

 

On Saturday 27 March, the Palestinian Authority and the European Union are launching the payment of social allowances to over 51,800 poor and vulnerable Palestinian families in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These allowances, paid every three months, are targeted towards families in need. The programme's partner banks, Bank of Palestine and Cairo Amman Bank, will exceptionally open on Saturday 27 March to allow beneficiaries to collect their allowances. Funds for the payment have been provided by the European Union and the Government of Austria, for a total amount of just under €10.14 million.

The assistance takes the form of an allowance of NIS 1,000 (around €200) per household and will reach 51,826 families in need. More than half of the beneficiary families live in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Minister for Social Affairs, H.E. Ms Majeda Al Masri, said: "This is the 9th payment of social allowances funded by the European Union, in the framework of the PEGASE programme of support to Vulnerable Palestinian families, thanks to which around 52,000 impoverished households are able to meet their basic needs and live in dignity. This assistance allows the Palestinian Authority and the Ministry of Social Affairs to fulfil its protection mandate towards a large number of Palestinian families in need - the Ministry's cash assistance programme being the biggest component of the Palestinian National Programme for Social Protection. Support to the Palestinian people, and their leaders, on their way to building the institutions of a Palestinian State, also represents an investment for a better and brighter future for the Palestinians."

"In these times of political uncertainties, the European Union remains wholly committed to supporting the Palestinian Authority to preserve social cohesion and provide social protection to the poor and marginalised parts of Palestinian society," added Mr Christian Berger, the European Union Representative. "The European Union is funding the running cost of the PA's cash transfer programme to the poor and most vulnerable families. And at the same time it is working closely with the Ministry of Social Affairs on its ongoing reform and development programme which will help prepare the Palestinian Authority for statehood - in line with the plan proposed in August 2009 by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad."

All beneficiaries of the programme are identified in cooperation with the Ministries of Finance and Social Affairs. Payments are made over-the-counter at 47 branches of Bank of Palestine and Cairo Amman Bank. Beneficiaries may collect their allowances until Thursday 22 April 2010 at a designated bank branch.

The European Union is contributing just under €10.14 million, including a contribution of €0.5 million from the Government of Austria, through the European Union's PEGASE mechanism, to the Palestinian Authority for this payment of social allowances. This is the ninth payment of social allowances under the European Union's PEGASE mechanism, bringing the total amount contributed so far to around €84.52 million.

PEGASE is the main financing mechanism of the European Union, which is the largest donor to the Palestinian people. PEGASE programmes are designed to meet priorities identified by the Palestinian Authority in the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan.

March 02, 2010- the European Union (EU) made its third contribution this year to the Palestinian Authority's payment of its civil servants salaries and pensions, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The contribution of NIS 116.8 million (€22.85 million) was delivered through the EU's PEGASE[1] mechanism and benefited 80,608 civil servants and pensioners. The Government of Finland contributed €2 million to this payment.

"The EU contribution aims to support the Palestinian Authority's efforts to maintain regular salary payments to its employees and ensure the basic delivery of public services to the Palestinian citizens in the West Bank and Gaza " said Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative in Jerusalem

A significant proportion of this payment came from a European Union commitment of €158.5 million to the Palestinian Authority announced earlier this year while the Government of Finland contributed €2 million.

PEGASE channels EU assistance to help build a Palestinian State, in accordance with the priorities and needs identified by the Palestinian Authority in its three year reform and development programme (PRDP). Launched by the European Commission on 1 February 2008, it is the main financing mechanism of the European Union. As well as helping the PA to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the Palestinian Authority for statehood in line with the plan proposed in August 2009 by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Since 2007 the EU has provided total assistance to the Palestinian people, including civil society organizations and refugees, averaging more than €500 million annually

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