UNDP provides emergency assistance to Palestinian territories

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced that it was allocating emergency funds to support the purchase of emergency medical supplies and infrastructure repairs in the Palestinian territories.

Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of UNDP, authorized US $1.5 million through UNDP's Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) in order to purchase and distribute urgently needed medical relief supplies and to begin immediate infrastructure repairs in the municipalities.

"I am deeply concerned about the increasing level of violence and the devastating loss of life that has occurred over the course of the past few weeks," said Malloch Brown, who has visited the area twice. "We hope that this assistance will help to reduce the suffering of civilians who are under a 24-hour curfew in some cases without access to food, water, electricity or medical aid."

Although some municipalities have been designated as "closed military areas," making it extremely difficult to gain access to their inhabitants and institutions, it has been possible for United Nations organizations such as UNRWA, UNDP/PAPP and UNICEF, to gain access to provide food and medical supplies.

UNDP/PAPP is one of the leading humanitarian and development organizations in the occupied Palestinian territory. Since its inception in 1978, UNDP/PAPP has made a considerable and sustained contribution in assisting the Palestinian people through periods of occupation and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, providing some $400 million in development assistance through the generosity of the international donor community and UNDP itself.

UNDP/PAPP will immediately begin to repair essential access roads that have been demolished, damaged and destroyed buildings, downed electricity and telephone lines and uprooted water supply systems. Additionally, urgently needed medical supplies will be purchased and distributed to hospitals and other health care providers.