FDFA Director Ignazio Cassis.
Keystone-SDA
Switzerland will allocate CHF23 million ($28 million) to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, address the needs of children, strengthen Palestinian institutions and promote regional stability.
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This was decided by the federal government in support of the Gaza peace plan presented by the United States.
This contribution is in addition to the CHF127 million already granted by the federal government as of October 2023, the government specified in a note, emphasising that the needs on the ground are still enormous and “persistent restrictions continue to limit the population’s access to essential goods”.
For the most pressing needs, CHF17.5 million will be paid out. In detail, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) will support the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with CHF5 million for aid in essential sectors such as water supply, health care and shelter.
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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive CHF4 million to ensure access to medical care, water and basic necessities. The Palestinian Red Crescent will receive CHF4 million, paid through the Swiss Red Cross, to strengthen emergency medical assistance. Finally, CHF1 million will be granted to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to strengthen the Jordanian humanitarian corridor and its logistical capacities.
In its note, the Swiss government states that it is paying special attention to the situation of children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, who have been hard hit by more than two years of conflict. Some CHF5.5 million will be allocated for measures in their favour. UNICEF will receive CHF2.5 million to support its programmes aimed at protecting children and guaranteeing them access to education, water and psychosocial support, as well as hygienic conditions.
To the World Health Organisation (WHO), the federal government will provide CHF2 million for the evacuation and treatment of patients, including in particular severely injured children, in cooperation with Jordan and various European partners. The Save the Children organisation will get CHF1 million to provide psychosocial accompaniment, medical care and socio-economic support to evacuated children in Egypt.
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Finally, the FDFA will support a project with FIFA to build ten mini-football pitches (five in Israel and five in the occupied territory) in 2026, each of which will be combined with a training programme for children, with the aim of encouraging the creation of safe spaces and social cohesion. In a first phase, Switzerland will co-finance two camps in the West Bank to the tune of CHF120,000.
Institution building
In order to strengthen institutions and to promote unitary governance for the West Bank including East Jerusalem and Gaza – a prerequisite for the two-state solution – the government will increase its aid to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), granting it CHF4 million via the European PEGASE mechanism to cover essential health costs in East Jerusalem. It will also provide CHF1 million to the World Bank to facilitate reforms in financial management and revenue mobilisation.
In cooperation with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), Switzerland will allocate CHF500,000 for demining operations and will continue its support for reforms in the area of justice, including efforts to rebuild the justice sector in the Gaza Strip, as well as initiatives to promote dialogue and combat incitement to hatred.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/jdp
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