Labor Minister and Governor of the Arab Fund Review Outcomes of the STEP Employment Project in Jalazone Camp

SadaNews -  The Minister of Labor, Dr. Inas Al-Atari, and the Governor of the Arab Fund in Palestine, Minister Nasser Qatami, along with a delegation from the German representation office in Ramallah, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the German Development Bank (KfW), and a delegation from the Ministry of Labor, conducted a field visit to Jalazone Camp in Ramallah to review the results and outcomes of the Temporary and Skilled Employment Support Project (STEP), which is part of the Ministry of Labor's national employment initiative "Rebuilding the Future". The visit aimed to assess the project's impact on providing job opportunities and enhancing the economic resilience of Palestinian families in the camps and the most needy areas of the West Bank.

The visiting delegation included Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at the German representation office in Ramallah, Ms. Ruth Müller, Director of the KfW office in Ramallah, Arne Goss, Manager of the Governorate and Programs at KfW, Raheel Kroker, as well as representatives from UNRWA, including Acting Head of the Jerusalem/Ramallah Area, Nazmi Rashq, Head of the Relief and Social Services Program, Lubna Madi, Head of the Camps Development and Improvement Program, Hanan Darwish, Camp and Community Services Officer in Jalazone, Nashat Masleh, Infrastructure Project Manager, Nader Daifallah, and Wage Labor Project Manager, Sarah Samara, in addition to the Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor, Walid Al-Bayid, and a delegation from the ministry.

The field tour included a visit to the Jalazone Girls' School, operated by UNRWA, where the delegation reviewed the project's activities being implemented there and listened to an explanation about the educational reality and the challenges facing the students and teaching staff. The delegation also visited the Camp Service Office (CCSO), several streets in the camp that benefited from wage labor programs, in addition to the Jalazone Health Center and the popular committee in the camp, where the project outcomes and its impact on the local community were reviewed.

Minister Nasser Qatami confirmed the importance of the "STEP" project given the high unemployment rates, especially in refugee camps, noting that the program contributes to providing job opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers and vocational training graduates, which helps improve the economic and social conditions of the beneficiary families.

During the visit, the delegation learned about the circumstances and challenges faced by Jalazone Camp due to its proximity to Israeli settlements established on Palestinian citizens' land, and the subsequent impacts on the lives of refugees and the services provided to them, particularly in the fields of education, health, and employment. They also highlighted the location of Jalazone Girls' School near conflict areas and the challenges facing the educational process amid the surrounding field conditions, emphasizing the importance of continued international support to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian refugees and ensure their access to basic rights in education, work, and a dignified life.

The delegation also listened to several beneficiaries of the project who shared their personal experiences and the impact of the employment opportunities on their economic and social situations, underscoring the importance of these programs in providing income sources for families and enhancing their ability to cope with living challenges.

The "STEP" project is implemented in collaboration between the Palestinian Ministry of Labor and UNRWA within the national employment initiative "Rebuilding the Future", funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW), aiming to provide temporary job opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers and graduates of technical and vocational education and training.

According to the project's data, the "STEP" project has contributed since its launch in July 2025 until the end of May 2026 to providing 5,000 job opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers, as well as vocational training graduates across various governorates of the West Bank. These opportunities were distributed as follows: 2,226 opportunities for females and 2,183 opportunities for males, including 457 skilled and technical workers, and 3,780 workers in unskilled sectors, in addition to 172 graduates from technical and vocational education and training. It is noted that the project aims to create approximately 10,000 job opportunities by the end of 2028.

At the level of Jalazone Camp, the project provided 206 employment opportunities for beneficiaries, equally distributed between females and males, through work in UNRWA facilities and local community institutions, which helped enhance income sources and improve the living conditions for the benefiting families.

At the conclusion of the visit, the participants stressed the importance of continuing these developmental and employment programs and expanding the scope of interventions targeted at refugee camps and the most needy communities, due to the tangible economic and social impact they achieve in supporting the most vulnerable groups and reinforcing the resilience of citizens in facing current challenges, reflecting the success of the partnership between the Ministry of Labor, UNRWA, and the German government in supporting development efforts and enhancing economic and social stability in Palestine.