Palestine Economy Portal.

The World Bank approved today, Monday, the allocation of a grant of $ 30 million to support the Palestinian economy in the occupied West Bank, the grant will be used to provide job opportunities for Palestinians affected by the Corona pandemic.

The grant comes in the context of the Coved-19 emergency social protection response project in the West Bank, which will focus on both the “new” poor who have lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic.

Commenting on the allocation of this grant, Kantan Shankar, Regional Director of the World Bank in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said, "The Corona pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge with severe social and economic repercussions for the already suffering Palestinian economy."

For her part, said World Bank social security expert Frederica Otta Rotner, "The combination of emergency aid funds and temporary jobs in social services in the West Bank will not only help ensure a decent life, but will also continue to enable investment in human capital despite Difficult conditions due to the Corona pandemic. "

According to the data of the Regional Bank, the loss of income sources in the West Bank is the main source of the loss of jobs and workplaces. Moreover, unregistered workers, and workers without access to social rights and conditions, who make up about 60% of the West Bank workforce, are particularly affected during the closure period.

The data indicates that this segment of workers is concentrated and disproportionately present in families living below the poverty line, and does not enjoy any services for social protection, benefits or unemployment benefits.

The project will support funds to 89,400 poor families affected by the Corona pandemic as an emergency and temporary solution.

In addition, the new project should reduce the funding gap by 21,400 families already enrolled in World Bank assistance programs, to ensure that beneficiaries are able to cover their basic needs and that their status does not deteriorate.

An additional $ 8 million has also been allocated for the "cash for work" project, which was developed and implemented in the besieged Gaza Strip, and it will now be implemented in the West Bank.

The project provides for short-term job opportunities through NGOs in the areas of high social services. The West Bank project will use similar methods and employ more than 3,000 people, 50% of whom are women.