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DFID’s Palestinian Programme

DFID has been providing aid to the Palestinian people for many years.

This year (2007/08), we have made available £31.6m for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). As of the end of August, we had provided £18.6m to support basic Palestinian needs through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM). On 17 July the Secretary of State announced a £3m contribution to the Palestinian Authority to help it begin paying off its debts to the private sector. Our aim is to deliver effective support to current needs, while ensuring that we have the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances.

The main areas of the Palestinian Programme’s current work are:

• £3m to support basic needs through the TIM. This contribution was used to pay allowances to Palestinian government workers;
• £3m in direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority to help pay off private sector debts;
• £15.6m for Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. With this assistance UNRWA is providing healthcare, education, social support and basic infrastructure;
• £1m to ICRC for core work in the OPTs;
• Support to President Abbas in two areas:

  • Financial aid to take forward a self-managed capacity building and institutional development programme within the Office of the President; and
  • Assistance to the Negotiations Affairs Department;

• Support to reform processes within the PA to enhance the PA’s ability to deliver a comprehensive budget, prioritized objectives and reform agenda for the next three years;
• Work to enhance the capacity of civil society organisations to advocate and lobby for public administration and civil service reform; monitor and evaluate government performance; and improve NGO co-ordination on reform issues;
• Support to the Quartet Envoy (Tony Blair) team through secondment of our Governance Adviser; and
• Development of a new Private Sector initiative to support Palestinian businesses to successfully compete in new markets and enhance exports.

  Using funds from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, we are also managing two initiatives:

  • Water Resources Management - reducing pollution risks to shared water resources through improved dialogue between Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli counterparts;
  • Policing Adviser to the US Security Co-ordinator’s Team – working on policing aspects of the Team’s Security Sector Transformation plan;

Last updated: 14 September 2007

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