Creating new prospects for women

With the Investment Programme for Resilience (IPR), KfW is acting on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in the financing of a programme in Jerusalem, Gaza and Area C in the West Bank to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian society against crises. The programme’s focus is to support women and promote gender equality, which aligns fully with the principles of feminist development cooperation.

This programme has already been running for several years and in various phases. A total of EUR 57 million has been made available for this purpose since 2020 and further commitments are being assessed. The project is currently focused on three components:

• Construction measures to improve social services, especially for women;
• More economic participation by women; and
• The promotion of social cohesion and greater inclusion of women in communities.

The initial component supports up to 71 non-governmental institutions (18 of which are currently in Phase IV) – these include women’s clinics, women’s refuges, legal advice and institutions offering psychosocial assistance. Existing buildings are often renovated and expanded. The personnel responsible for management of the institutions are trained to operate and maintain the facilities. The provision of social services, especially for women and girls, has improved as a result.

The second component includes the promotion of around 170 women-owned micro and small enterprises as well as cooperatives that promote women. In order to enhance product quality and market access, partnerships such as those with Monshati, the national platform for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the Palestinian Business Prosperity Centre (PALPRO) are being established.

The third component relates to activities and initiatives that help to increase the participation of women in decision-making processes within communities and reduce gender-based power structures in the long term. The communities develop the activities themselves and implement them collectively. Men, such as the fathers, brothers, partners and community members, are also engaged. Awareness-raising programmes aim to reduce violence against women.

Approximately 250,000 people (54,000 of these are in Phase IV) will benefit from the improved social services. To date, 18 projects have already been completed across three phases of the programme. For example, the premises for social institutions such as a women’s centre in Shuafat (East Jerusalem), a kindergarten also in East Jerusalem and the Saint Joseph school in the Old City of Jerusalem have been expanded or renovated. Such infrastructure programmes have created short-term employment amounting to around 155,000 person-days. In some cases, the construction programmes are the basis for the continued operation of the facilities, as they could potentially be closed in the event of structural defects.

The IPR also has relevant employment outcomes. The construction programmes at the social institutions will result in the creation of up to 5,900 temporary jobs. Concurrently, up to 500 new permanent jobs will also be created, as the enlargement will enable social institutions to expand their services in the long term, thereby increasing their staffing requirements. In the context of emergency aid measures implemented in response to Covid-19, more than 1,500 temporary jobs were created in the healthcare sector. Last but not least, up to 1,300 women will benefit from improved economic participation, for example through the promotion of women’s cooperatives, which will also augment family incomes and reinforce the role of women in the communities.

The project contributes to the achievement of these following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
• SDG 5: Gender Equality