Languages: English  |  Arab
Gaza & Westbank
About Swiss International Cooperation
Swiss Cooperation Office
SDC’s Strategy for the Occupied Palestinian territory (OPT)
Financial Aspects
Programme - Main Priorities
Human Rights and Good Governance Projects
Employment & Income Generation Projects
Capacity Building Projects
Humanitarian Aid Projects
Cross-Cutting Programmes
Success Stories
Special Events
Cooperation with other Agencies
Gallery
News
Publications
Links
Gaza & Westbank 
SDC – on location worldwide

Humanitarian Aid

UNRWA

SDC supports the General Fund of UNRWA to cater for basic education and health services of registered refugees who comprise over 40% of the population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. SDC also funds the emergency program of UNRWA which is the main provider of relief assistance to 1,5 Million registered Palestine refugees in Gaza and West Bank. IN Gaza and west Bank UNRWA runs more than 270 schools with 8000 teachers to cater education to over 250.000 pupils. In primary health care UNRWA absorbs 4,5 million patient visits through their 50 Primary Health care Facilities in Gaza and the West Bank. The Microfinance and Micro enterprise Loan program awarded some 70.000 loans since its inception at a cumulative level of 90 Million USD. Over 12.000 people work with UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank.

In 2008, UNRWA is commemorating its 60th anniversary with some additional media activities which SDC will be funding some of its parts like ‘a Photo exhibition’

Budget for UNRWA Programme 2009: 3.200 Mio CHF
Budget for UNRWA Emergency ِAppeal 2009: 2 Mio CHF
Website: www.un.org/unrwa/ icon_links.gif


World Food Program (WFP)

SDC and other donors support WFP food aid program for the non-refugee population. Over 45% of the Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are currently dependent on food aid as one third of the workforce is unemployed with over 75 percent of the population living below the poverty line in Gaza Strip (compared to 59 percent in the West Bank). The UN agency uses the funds to purchase also locally produced olive oil and locally milled wheat flour - thus giving a major boost to the stalemated Palestinian economy. The northern West Bank produces large quantities of olive oil. By funding the local purchase of olive oil, SDC is also assisting poor farmers who have difficulty getting their oil to market because of movement restrictions caused by military operations.

Budget 2009: 0.81 Mio CHF
Website: www.wfp.org icon_links.gif


UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

SDC supports OCHA to collect, coordinate humanitarian assistance, analyze and disseminate relevant humanitarian information and to foster humanitarian advocacy. Mandated by the international community OCHA also monitors access and closure problems that affect the humanitarian situation and is tasked to act as Secretariat of the Humanitarian Emergency Policy Group .The field coordination units of OCHA are important to coordinate humanitarian assistance between different local and international providers. OCHA also monitors the humanitarian impact on the population of the so called Israel Separation barrier in the West Bank. These activities meet with SDC's preparedness and protection strategy.

SDC has been contributing to the enhancement of OCHA’s advocacy work since June 2003. SDC’s financial support in 2007 enabled OCHA to invest in satellite images of the Barrier which have been used widely in OCHA-oPt’s advocacy work throughout the year to illustrate the territorial and humanitarian impact the Barrier and its related infrastructure are having on the Palestinian population.

The multi-UN agency working group on advocacy and public information set up by OCHA-oPt with the assistance of SDC’s funding, continues to meet regularly to produce joint publications, fact sheets and press releases in a unified UN ‘voice’ on key issues such as poverty, unemployment and movement restrictions. In addition, and as part of its contribution to OCHA’s advocacy activities on the Barrier, the SDC has shared funds to the Barrier Monitoring Project. The project is an OCHA-UNRWA-ICRC survey of approximately 70 communities affected by the Barrier in the northern West Bank.

Budget 2009: 1 Mio CHF
Website: www.ochaopt.org


International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

SDC supports the ICRC for its protection activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, which is one of the largest ICRC operation globally. The program activities by the ICRC are ranging from visiting detainees under their mandate both in Israel as well as in the OPT facilitating family visits and messages to detainees and prisoners; monitoring the conditions of detention; providing relief assistance and training, education and awareness about the role of the ICRC and International Humanitarian Law.

Budget 2009: 4 Mio CHF
Website: www.icrc.org icon_links.gif


Terre des hommes (TDH)

SDC will provide financial support to the two-year, 4 component programme of Terre des hommes Lausanne(TDHL) in Palestine through the provision of institutional capacity building via THDL for AEA (Ard El Atfal – Hebron) and AEI (Ard El Insan – Gaza); a comprehensive Child Protection and Advocacy Campaign Project for Palestinian Children in the OPT. This entails an AEA programme support for maintaining Mother and Child Health in the marginalised east and south villages of the Hebron district and an AEI programme support in Gaza for Health and Nutrition Management of Malnourished Children in the Gaza Strip. This project is in accordance with the SDC Humanitarian Aid Annual Programme 2005 and the priorities as set within the Emergency Programme for the OPT by the Middle East Desk.

Budget: 0.383 Mio CHF

Phase: 01/01/200931/12/2010
Website: http://www.tdh.ch icon_links.gif

 

 

Search:
News
Local
18.11.2009
Switzerland calls for an end to Israeli settlement plans in Gilo, East Jerusalem
23.07.2009
Switzerland calls for an end to Israeli settlements
24.02.2009
Intajuna: A project to empower Palestinian MSMEs to grow their market share...
International
03.03.2010
Official working visit to Bern of Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister...
25.02.2010
Population Survey on Development Policy: Development Cooperation deeply embedded
18.02.2010
Combating the Food Crisis is the primary Objective
All News
Gaza Crises 2008-2009

SHA_SDC1__5_.jpg

>Swiss Delegation headed by Ambassador Toni Frisch, Deputy Director of the SDC and the Head of the Humanitarian Division visit to the Gaza Strip, 22 February 2009.

>Swiss Humanitarian Aid Intervention for the Gaza Strip - Fact Sheet

>Press Release 24.01.2009

150

YAK Interview with Mazen Shaqoura, National Program Officer, SDC Gaza Office.

Mazen Contact Details:
Tel: 08-2856558
mazen.shaqoura@sdc.net

 

 

 

 

 

 


SDC partners affected by the war on Gaza:
>
Gaza Community Mental Health Program- GCMHP
>Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees - PARC

Responding to emergency:
>SDC partners responding to the emergency
>Response and Early Recovery initiatives of Sharek Youth Forum in the Gaza Strip.

Reports/Press Releases

Reports, press releases and other resources published by the humanitarian orgnanizations in the occupied Palestinian (oPt) including OCHA. UN Agencies and International non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is a part of the Swiss Foreign Ministry.