Backgrounder – New support from Canada for Palestinians

Canada today announced over $50 million in new support to address the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable Palestinians. This support includes several humanitarian initiatives aimed at responding to the most pressing humanitarian needs, and four new development projects that foster economic growth that works for everyone.

Canada’s assistance will help to alleviate suffering, to build the resilience of Palestinians to cope with the effects of the long-term crisis, and to support the empowerment and agency of Palestinians. This assistance will advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It will also address the differentiated needs of women, men, girls, boys, and youth, and promote the inclusion of those with disabilities.

Responding to the most pressing humanitarian needs

Canada’s new humanitarian assistance initiatives are valued at a total of up to $12.65 million and will respond to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable groups in the West Bank and Gaza – particularly women and girls, survivors of gender-based violence, persons with disabilities, impoverished small-scale herders as well as marginalized communities with poor access to food, health care, water and sanitation services.

These initiatives will be implemented through several experienced organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), and Humanity & Inclusion Canada. Further, in line with Canada’s commitment to increase the proportion of its humanitarian assistance that is provided to local civil society organizations, Canada will also implement small-scale humanitarian initiatives in partnership with local non-governmental organizations.

To improve the impact of its humanitarian assistance, Canada is focusing on funding initiatives that have soundly integrated gender equality considerations and the empowerment of women and girls, and that have linked urgent humanitarian responses to building the resilience of crisis-affected people in the longer term.

Four new initiatives to foster economic growth that works for everyone

These four projects are valued collectively at up to $37 million and aim to increase economic prosperity for Palestinians, including through reducing barriers to entrepreneurship, employment and employability faced by women and youth.

These projects were selected through a Call for Preliminary Proposals entitled ‘Women and Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Employment in the West Bank & Gaza’. To support accountability and effectiveness, an additional $700,000 will be allocated for independent monitoring and evaluation of these projects.

• The ‘Women And Youth Entrepreneurs Leading Change’ Project
  This project, which will be implemented by CARE Canada over four years is valued at up to $10 million and will support the creation of an enabling ecosystem for entrepreneurship. This includes supporting the agency of women and youth, particularly for business opportunities to successfully start-up, sustain, manage and grow environmentally conscious and sustainable businesses.

• The ‘Technology-Enabled Careers Harnessing Untapped Potential’ Project
  This project, which will be implemented by Mercy Corps International over four years is valued at up to $10 million and will aim to engage women and youth in technology-enabled careers. This initiative will address key barriers to employment, connecting women and youth with virtual employment opportunities, and facilitating the growth of viable start-ups.

• The ‘Generating Revenue Opportunities for Women and Youth’ Project
  This project, which will be implemented by CowaterSogema International Inc. over four years is valued at up to $9 million and will adopt a gender transformative approach aimed at recognizing, formalizing and amplifying women’s existing roles within targeted value chains in the agricultural sector.

• The ‘Empowering Female Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs’ project
  This project, which will be implemented by Save the Children Canada over four years is valued at up to $8 million and will aim to create sustained entrepreneurship opportunities directly benefiting female youth. The primary focus is addressing the main gender-based barriers to entrepreneurship and agency that impede the opportunities of female youth to develop micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Oversight

For all humanitarian and development assistance funding for Palestinians, Canada exercises enhanced due diligence. This includes ongoing oversight, regular site visits, a systematic screening process, and strong anti-terrorism provisions in funding agreements. These measures are in place to ensure that funds are not misused or diverted to terrorist groups.