Launch of Social Recovery, Employment and Second Real Estate Registration Projects Worth $72 Million

SadaNews - Under the patronage and presence of Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, two projects for social recovery and job creation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the second real estate registration project were launched today, Monday, at the Office of the Prime Minister, with a financial value of $72 million, in the presence of the World Bank Mission Director in Palestine Stefan Embland, the Canadian representative in Palestine Graham Dattles, and a number of ministers and partner institutions.

The Prime Minister emphasized in his speech the importance of these projects being launched consecutively, especially the employment projects and the completion of the land settlement project and its registration, to protect citizens' properties and facilitate their investment process, confirming that the government is proceeding with the implementation of the national development and improvement program, which includes ten developmental initiatives in various sectors, the most notable of which are: energy security, localization of health services, sustainability of local governance bodies, employment, food and water security, and digital transformation.

Mustafa praised the contributions of donors, led by the World Bank, Canada, and the United Kingdom, especially their support for the projects launched today, affirming the government's commitment to work diligently with various international partners to improve the quality of services provided to our people, despite the difficult circumstances we are going through in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Prime Minister clarified that completing the land settlement process has a positive impact on many areas, some of which are political and national, but it also has economic dimensions in addition to protecting citizens' rights and properties, commending the efforts of the land authority and its staff in accelerating settlement processes and updating digital systems.

Mustafa also commended the efforts of the Ministry of Planning and its role in enhancing relationships with international partners, as well as the efforts of the Ministries of Labor and Local Governance in launching the operational program, which is being implemented through the Local Development and Loan Fund, benefiting 371 local authorities and providing more than 6,500 job opportunities in labor-intensive small infrastructure areas. In addition, the social recovery program supports projects for women and another program to enhance the capacities of workers in some government institutions.

For his part, World Bank Director Stefan Embland said, "The real estate registration project is of great importance, aiming to register the remaining 25% of land ownership deeds in areas 'A' and 'B', covering about 500,000 dunams," thanking Canada and the United Kingdom for their contributions alongside the World Bank to help our national institutions and people face difficult conditions and rising unemployment rates, and to all who participated in the success of the implementation, especially the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the Municipal Development and Loan Fund, the Ministry of Local Governance, and the Ministry of Labor.

On his part, Canadian representative Graham Dattles said, "As part of our efforts to support the Palestinian Authority, Canada is proud to contribute $40 million to the Palestinian recovery and reconstruction fund under the World Bank, to support efforts aimed at enhancing recovery and reconstruction and economic revival in the West Bank and Gaza, creating jobs, and improving basic infrastructure while providing technical aid to Palestine state institutions."

Dattles praised the government's development and reform program, affirming Canada's commitment to supporting these efforts, noting that Canada recently announced a new funding of $47 million to strengthen the economy, justice, governance, and democratic transformation in Palestine, bringing Canada's total humanitarian aid funding to over $400 million since October 2023.

The social recovery project aims to provide temporary job opportunities through implementing small-scale labor-intensive public infrastructure projects at the level of municipalities and village councils, supporting the economic empowerment of women and persons with disabilities, in addition to enhancing the operational capacities of several selected ministries through the supported technical aid mechanism, with a value of $60 million funded by the World Bank, consisting of $40 million from the World Bank, $18.7 million from Canada, and $1.3 million from the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation will oversee and manage the project, along with the Municipal Development and Loan Fund and the Center for Community Development.

As for the second phase of the real estate registration project, it aims to enhance the property registration process in areas (A) and (B) in the West Bank and to update the systems related to land and property management, in support of governance and improving service quality and stabilizing land ownership.

This project is an extension of the first real estate registration project (RERP I), building on the successes achieved in the previous phase, including proven implementation mechanisms that contributed to: developing land registration systems, enhancing governance in institutions working within the land sector, and improving the quality of services provided in the field of real estate registration.

The value of the project is $12 million, of which $10 million is from the World Bank and $2 million from the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for the Partnership for Infrastructure Development in the West Bank and Gaza, and the Land Authority and the Ministry of Finance will work on implementing this project.