Improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees

Project description

Title: Strengthening the Influence of Palestinian Refugees on their Living Conditions in the MENA region (PART II)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) 
Countries: Regional project: Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, (Syria)​​​​​​​
Lead executing agency: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)​​​​​​​
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

Context

The Middle East conflict is among the most complex in the world, and the refugee question that has arisen from it has remained unresolved for decades.

More than 5.7 million Palestinian refugees are currently registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), many of whom have been living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza and Syria for generations. Living conditions there are marked by poverty, high unemployment and limited rights. Residents of the refugee camps have hardly any possibilities to improve their social and economic living conditions themselves.

Objective

Palestinian refugees have greater influence on shaping their own living conditions.

Approach

GIZ is convinced that the living conditions and wellbeing of Palestinian refugees can be improved if possibilities are created to allow them to actively and independently influence their environment. This includes both economic and social participation. The project therefore promotes measures that enable active participation – for example support with the development of youth initiatives and cooperatives or training courses and other opportunities for education and training in the refugee camps. In Gaza, it supports self-help organisations to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of the refugees, who are often experiencing trauma.

The project team works closely together with UNRWA, the host governments and community-based organisations to promote dialogue and, in this way, jointly find solutions to the complex challenges in the refugee camps.

To ensure that the refugees have a greater say in the long term, GIZ also supports the partners in implementing internal reforms. These reforms aim to involve refugees in decision-making and improve the services for refugees.

Last update: December 2022