EU provides allowance through PEGASE to over 41,000 Palestinian families
facing hardship
Over 41,000 vulnerable Palestinian families across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) are to receive financial assistance from the EU. The assistance will take the form of an allowance of NIS 1,000 (around €185) per household, which is being channelled through the European mechanism, PEGASE. The European Commission has made more than NIS 41 million (€ 7.46 million) available through PEGASE for this payment, which is being disbursed today.
The 41,113 families who will receive this assistance have been identified in cooperation with the Ministries of Finance and Social Affairs, through the latter’s "Vulnerable Palestinian Families" Programme (previously known as "Special Hardship Cases"), which supports impoverished households, often headed by women and with elderly relatives or family members with special needs.
The Palestinian Minister for Social Affairs, Mahmoud Habbash, said today of the programme: "These allowances make a crucial difference to many families who are facing economic hardship, particularly in Gaza."
The beneficiary families can collect their allowance in 39 designated banks throughout the oPt until 14 July 2008.
This is the second payment of social allowances this year under the EU's PEGASE mechanism, bringing the total amount contributed so far to over NIS 80 million (almost €15 million).
Since 1 February 2008, PEGASE channels EU and international assistance to help build a Palestinian State. It is the main financing mechanism of the European Union, which is the largest donor to the Palestinians. PEGASE is fully in line with the priorities expressed by the Palestinian Authority in the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan and is open to contributions from donors wishing to channel funds to the Palestinian population in the occupied Palestinian territory.
For further information in Arabic and English on PEGASE, please visit: www.delwbg.ec.europa.eu
Or Contact:
Alix de Mauny, Press and Information Manager, European Commission, 054 8024915
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