The International Labour Organization has launched a funding appeal for its programme to respond to the effects of the current conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) on the Palestinian labour market.
The appeal identifies a financial requirement of US$20 million to fund the ILO’s three-phase response programme, set to provide both immediate relief and longer-term assistance to mitigate the effects of the crisis on hundreds of thousands of affected Palestinian workers and employers.
“The hostilities have resulted in – and continue to cause – both a tragic loss of human life, and an unprecedented loss of livelihoods, jobs, income, businesses, and civilian infrastructure,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo at a meeting with development partners held in Geneva to launch the appeal.
“At the ILO, we are first and foremost concerned with the protection of all workers and employers who have been affected by this crisis, including workers from Gaza working in Israel, and all health, UN and aid workers who are providing vital assistance on the ground,” Houngbo said at the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 349th Session of the ILO Governing Body.
“The magnitude of the response needed from the international community, and the current operational constraints, are beyond what has ever been seen before in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” he said.
Read the full press release here.
