by Staff Reporter
June 20, 2013 (TSR) – The State of Palestine signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to launch the “FAIR” project to facilitate access to infrastructure services in the so-called “C” areas and East Jerusalem, in which development of infrastructure represent a top national priority and paves the way for achieving sustainable development, Palestinian Government Media Center- Prime Minister’s office said in a press release.
The agreement was signed by Prime Minister Dr. Rami Al-Hamdallah on the behalf of the Palestinians and the General Director of the United Nations Development Program Mr. Frode Moring from the UNDP.
Al-Hamdallah said this agreement comes within the plans and strategies that are developed by the Palestinian government in its quest towards “achieving our goals by having a fully sovereign state on the borders of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.” He pointed out that this project seeks to “promote and enable the capacity of our national institutions for the planning and delivery of social and public infrastructure in the so-called “C” areas in East Jerusalem to reach sustainable infrastructure, with an emphasis on the vital sectors such as health, education, housing, energy, transportation, water and sewers.
Prime Minister thanked all parties that contributed to making possible the signing of this agreement, by saying “our sustainable work helped us move forward towards achieving a 2 national key goals; which are the access to an infrastructure capable of responding to the needs of citizens and that is a foundation stone for spatial growth, and collaborating in strengthening the steadfastness of our people, especially in the neglected communities, as one of the basic requirements for the protection of the land”.
According to the agreement which will be implemented by the Ministry of Local Government on the Palestinian side in the so-called “C” areas and East Jerusalem, the UNDP will provide technical and international support for the ministry, as well as issuing building permits when necessary in full coordination with our international partners.
The program will be implemented over a 3 year period with an initial budget that’s worth $51 million through an international monetary fund.
