UN and US launch $15 million jobs programme in occupied Palestinian territory

Responding to the urgent need to alleviate poverty and chronic unemployment in the occupied Palestinian territory, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched a $15 million jobs programme for the region.

Called "Tashghil" - Arabic for "creating job opportunities" - the effort will target 27 hard-hit communities with a combined population of nearly 700,000, UNDP said on Monday, calling the initiative "one of the largest emergency poverty alleviation programmes ever implemented in the occupied Palestinian territory."

Timothy Rothermel, who heads the UNDP Programme of Assistance for the Palestinian People, hailed USAID's "formidable effort to assist in the alleviation of poverty and employment generation for Palestinians."

Tashghil will aim not only to generate jobs but also to improve access to basic services by constructing schools, roads and community centres. The empowerment of women and youth through the expansion of vocational training opportunities are central to this effort, UNDP said.