Minister of Labor Discusses Enhancing Employment and Economic Recovery Efforts with the UN Development Program

SadaNews - Minister of Labor Dr. Inas Al-Attari discussed with the representative of the United Nations Development Program, Dr. Jaco Celiers, and his accompanying delegation ways to enhance and expand bilateral cooperation in supporting employment programs and responding to current economic challenges, which comes within the framework of the Palestinian program aimed at strengthening the economic and social resilience of Palestinians and ensuring a decent life for them.
 
At the beginning of the meeting, the Minister of Labor thanked the UN Development Program as a strategic partner for the Ministry of Labor, praising its role in the Gaza Strip and the effective interventions it implemented, especially during and after the war, affirming the importance of its interventions in various Palestinian sectors, particularly in employment and entrepreneurship.
 
Dr. Al-Attari emphasized the importance of joint coordination between international and local institutions and the government sector to ensure the unification of efforts and the integration of interventions, organizing the labor market and enhancing decent work standards. She also emphasized the Ministry of Labor's readiness to provide all possible facilitation and assistance to ensure the success of joint programs and projects.
 
Dr. Al-Attari praised the role of the UN Development Program in implementing various projects and programs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, especially those implemented through the Palestinian Employment Fund, which had a tangible impact on alleviating the severity of the difficult economic conditions, affirming the importance of this role in supporting the labor sector and enhancing its resilience, calling for further focus of support and interventions on East Jerusalem as much as possible.
 
The minister reviewed the reality of the Palestinian labor market under exceptional circumstances, pointing to the profound impacts of the war on various economic sectors, and the unprecedented rise in unemployment rates that exceeded 52% following the events of October 7, in addition to the increase in the number of unemployed workers to about 500,000, with higher rates recorded among youth and graduates. She also reviewed the efforts and achievements made to reduce unemployment rates, which contributed to a decrease of approximately 3%.
 
The Ministry of Labor, in partnership with national and international institutions, continues to develop its interventions and programs to mitigate the effects of the crisis by directing efforts toward the most affected groups, including empowering women and enhancing their resilience, supporting the elderly who lost their jobs, especially those over 50, as well as supporting persons with disabilities and enhancing their integration into the labor market.
 
During the meeting, the "Palestinian Labor Market Compass" was also reviewed, aimed at directing developmental interventions and employment programs according to the needs of marginalized governorates and regions, linking them with job seekers and employers, while updating data periodically to ensure the accuracy of planning and the effectiveness of responding to actual needs.
 
The minister addressed support for the entrepreneurship sector by developing a specialized platform to organize this sector in Palestine, in addition to enhancing support for the cooperative sector, especially pioneering cooperative societies, due to their effective role in promoting local development and contributing to creating sustainable job opportunities.
 
Regarding the vocational training sector, the minister emphasized the importance of developing this sector through the establishment of multipurpose vocational training centers, supporting existing centers, including those in Yatta and Tubas, and the necessity of aligning training outputs with labor market needs, indicating its role in providing the required skills to help reduce unprecedented high unemployment rates.
 
On his part, Dr. Jaco Celiers confirmed the UN Development Program’s commitment to continue supporting Palestinian government efforts and expanding its interventions in the fields of employment and economic development, contributing to strengthening citizens' resilience and achieving sustainable recovery, especially in the Gaza Strip, affirming the importance of ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Labor and intensifying coordination to implement upcoming programs and initiatives efficiently and effectively.
 
For their part, the UN Development Program delegation expressed their gratitude to the Minister of Labor for the joint cooperation, confirming that they are working across various sectors and seeking to achieve integration and intersection between them, which will produce a greater developmental impact, focusing on supporting entrepreneurship in Palestine.
 
The delegation provided a comprehensive presentation on the establishment of the UN Development Program, the programs implemented and continuing to be implemented, as well as its significant achievements in Palestine before and after the war, emphasizing the importance of measuring the impact of implemented projects to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability.
 
Furthermore, program representatives reviewed the various forms of support provided to cooperative societies, startups, and micro, small, and medium enterprises, explaining that the nature of support varies between zero-interest loans and grants, with support provided to more than 700 projects and 10 women-led cooperative societies or those with a significant percentage of women, as part of the "Investment for Resilience" program, worth 80 million US dollars implemented by the UN Development Program, specifically targeting communities in marginalized areas.
 
Both parties discussed several challenges related to the reality of work and developmental interventions, with representatives from the UN Development Program confirming that their programs always consider inclusion of marginalized groups, including women, persons with disabilities, and youth, focusing on reaching marginalized areas and ensuring that developmental interventions are directed towards them, thus enhancing equity in support and development opportunities, and strengthening their resilience.
 
At the end of the meeting, it was confirmed that coordination and close cooperation with the Ministry of Labor in upcoming programs and initiatives would continue, with subsequent meetings to be held at the technical level, contributing to enhancing and maximizing the impact of developmental interventions and achieving sustainable results in employment and supporting the Palestinian economy.