Germany pledges 56 million euros to fund Palestinian projects in 2021

Germany pledges 56 million euros to fund Palestinian projects in 2021

 The German government announced today, Thursday, its pledge to grant the Palestinian government an amount of 55.56 million euros (66.2 million dollars) to fund projects in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, during the next year.

Advisor to the Prime Minister, Stefan Salama, said that the new German grant will be used to finance projects in the sectors: water and sanitation, infrastructure for local government bodies, support for the private sector and small companies, the agricultural sector, youth employment, and vocational and technical training.

He added during a press conference at the end of the annual round of consultations between the Palestinian and German governments on German aid to Palestine, that "all the projects that will be funded by the grant fall within the government´s priorities, and cover all areas in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip."

Salameh praised the support of Germany, "which is the largest donor to the Palestinian people."

In addition to the annual support provided by Germany to the government, Salameh said that it contributes to the budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) with 161 million euros per year, "increasing it in 2020 to 170 million euros."

Germany´s representative to Palestine, Ambassador Christian Klags, said that his country´s support for the Palestinian government for the year 2021 "will focus on the economy affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, creating temporary job opportunities and maintaining the sustainability of services."

He added that part of the new aid will go to finance the establishment of a distribution network for the desalination plant in the Gaza Strip, which serves about one million citizens in the Gaza Strip.

Clages affirmed his government´s commitment to continue providing support to the Palestinian government, "which comes within the framework of achieving the goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state within the vision of the two-state solution."