€12.5 million EU aid for West Bank, Gaza families living in extreme poverty

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Tuesday 19 Jan 2016 - 14:04 Makkah mean time-9-4-1437 Jerusalem, (IINA) - The European Union is making a €12.3 million ($13.3 million) contribution to the Palestinian Authority's quarterly payment of social allowances to poor Palestinian families living in the West Bank and Gaza, said ‏an EU representative office in Jerusalem in a recent press release, WAFA reported. The press release noted that households that are living in extreme poverty and are registered in the cash transfer program of the Ministry of Social Affairs will benefit from the contribution. According to the release, the contribution “provides a basic safety net to the poorest and most vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, through cash and in-kind assistance. Almost 121,000 Palestinian households are currently enrolled in the program. Two-thirds of them live in Gaza”. "The steady deterioration of the socio-economic conditions in Palestine is a matter of concern”, the EU said. “One out of four Palestinians live in poverty”. “The situation is worse in Gaza, with an estimated poverty rate of almost 40 percent. The scale of unemployment remains one of the highest in the world”. Meanwhile, EU Representative Ralph Tarraf stated that “the national cash transfer program plays an essential role in helping households in need to attain a minimally acceptable standard of living". He added: "We work with the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs to provide assistance to those most in need. We are committed to continue our support to social protection”. In 2015, the EU contributed over €52.5 million to the budget of the cash transfer program, equivalent to 40% of its total cost. The current contribution represents the fourth and last tranche of the €50 million made available from the EU Budget in 2015 to contribute to the payment of social allowances to households living in extreme poverty in the West Bank and Gaza. AG/IINA