In Gaza, UN trade agency to help Palestinians set up shipping council

In a further effort to help the Palestinian people build the institutional structures of a future state after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the United Nations trade agency today announced projects to create a shipping council and extend computerized customs operations to the border with Egypt.

The projects add to already-extensive UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) efforts to help revitalize the Palestinian economy and were designed in close consultation with relevant Palestinian Authority (PA) institutions, international development agencies and concerned donors.

UNCTAD’s mandate includes promoting the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.

The two projects will have budgets totalling €703,000 with funds contributed by the European Commission (EC).

The first seeks to help traders and shippers in establishing a Palestinian Shippers´ Council (PSC) to promote the interests of shippers, represent them in dealings with transport providers, relevant PA authorities, and regional and international bodies, and ensure proper coordination between different trade projects targeting the shipping sector.

In the second, UNCTAD will establish efficient computerized customs-clearance operations at the Gaza border with Egypt to ensure proper application of Palestinian customs controls there following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza.