In the presence of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Head of the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah, Christian Clages and the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Riad Al-Malki signed the annual agreements on German-Palestinian development cooperation.

56.2 million Euros have been provided for development projects in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, on the direction of which both parties had agreed during the government negotiations in Ramallah in November 2019.

„These projects underline that the Federal Government of Germany remains committed to achieving better living conditions for the Palestinian people“, Clages said after the signing ceremony.

At the center of this year’s commitment lies the joint improvement of economic and social conditions with a focus on strengthening technical and vocational training as well as creating new economic perspectives.

Another focus is the construction of the distribution networks for a new desalination plant in Gaza for which nearly 18 million Euros have been provided. About one million people in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip shall get better access to safe drinking water once the project is completed.

Over the past thirty years, Germany has provided more than 1.2 billion Euros for development projects in Palestine. The cooperation focuses on local governance as well as sustainable economic development, with a special focus on technical and vocational training, education and school infrastructure.