Germany and UNICEF signed a partnership to provide Palestinian children and their families with crucial lifesaving basic services in the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This partnership focuses on improving access for more than 16,500 boys and girls to quality education, essential quality health services to 3,200 children and 4,000 high-risk mothers and essential and integrated child protection services to more than 3,500 vulnerable children and their families affected by conflict-related violence, including children with disabilities. ‘Children are among those who suffer most from humanitarian crises. Through our partnership with UNICEF, we want to make a contribution to improving their living conditions and educational opportunities. With this new partnership, we are underpinning our strong humanitarian commitment in Gaza and the West Bank’, said Anne-Sophie Beckedorf, Deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah. Germany is the largest humanitarian donor for the occupied Palestinian territory with a contribution of 81 million EUR in 2022. The new partnership between the German Federal Foreign Office and UNICEF will allow to address the most urgent humanitarian needs of children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip providing them with opportunities to thrive and improve their protective environment. ‘We are very excited to start this new partnership, as it will significantly support UNICEF’s work in responding to the needs of children and their families facing the prolonged humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, supporting children’s rights to education, to health and to be protected from violence’ said Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine. In the last decade, significant progress has been made towards enhancing the lives of Palestinian children. However, the protracted crisis resulted in sustained deterioration in the protection of civilians, especially children. UNICEF and partners continue to address the most acute humanitarian needs, strengthening preparedness and shock-responsive services. As a result of the increasing violence, UNICEF together with partners continues to address the most acute humanitarian needs while also strengthening preparedness and building more shock-responsive services, seeking opportunities to system strengthen and enhance the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.
Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA