Italy has provided a grant of 8 million euros (9.53 million dollars), through the World Bank, to support the efforts of the Palestinian government aimed at improving drinking water supplies in the Gaza Strip.
"The grant is the first Italian contribution to the multi-donor trust fund for the Palestinian Partnership for Infrastructure Development in the West Bank and Gaza, which is administered by the World Bank, to join ten other development partners," the World Bank said in a statement issued by the World Bank.
The World Bank statement attributed the Italian Consul General in Jerusalem, Giuseppe Fidel, to saying: that his country has been supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for a long time, as their suffering has increased at the present time due to the impact of the "Corona" pandemic.
He added, "Italy aims, through this project, to support the modernization of the water supply sector, as a decisive step towards providing basic services and facilitating sustainable development in the sector."
In the statement, the World Bank said: The grant will support the priority activities of the Palestinian National Authority in the water sector, including in particular reforms and investments aimed at improving access to safe drinking water in the Gaza Strip.
He added: This contribution comes within the framework of the Water Security Development Program, which is a long-term commitment by the international community to improve water supplies in the Palestinian territories. This program, in which the Central Desalination Plant in Gaza plays a major role, aims to improve the water supply available to families and companies in the Gaza Strip in terms of quantity and quality, which leads to improving public health outcomes and economic development prospects for the residents of the Strip, thus raising their standard of living.
The "Multi-Donor Trust Fund for the Palestinian Partnership for Infrastructure Development in the West Bank and Gaza" was established in 2012; With the aim of improving the infrastructure in the Palestinian territories, its quality and sustainability, through financial and technical support in the energy, water and urban development sectors.
With the new contribution, the total amount allocated to the fund is approximately $ 278 million.
The governments of Australia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Italy contribute to the fund.
