Occupied territories: Europe and the Arabs
The International Labor Organization has launched a $20 million humanitarian appeal to fund a three-phase response to address the impact of the current crisis on the Palestinian labor market and livelihoods.
The organization stated, in a statement yesterday, Thursday, that the first phase, which has already begun, focuses on relief work. It includes providing immediate assistance such as emergency livelihood support plans for Palestinian workers.
The second phase includes data collection and impact analysis in order to help plan and refine interventions and set priorities.
The third phase, the recovery phase, will focus on job creation through labor-intensive infrastructure repair and other initiatives, as well as social protection measures, job recovery and enterprise revitalization.
ILO Director-General Gilbert Hongbo said at a meeting with development partners held in Geneva to launch the appeal that the hostilities resulted in a tragic loss of human life, and unprecedented losses in livelihoods, jobs, income, businesses and civilian infrastructure.
The ILO's first bulletin on the impact of conflict on the labor market and livelihoods in the Palestinian Territory found that at least 61 percent of job opportunities in Gaza - and almost a quarter in the West Bank - have been lost since 7 October.
This translates into daily labor income losses of $16 million in the occupied Palestinian territory, according to the assessment.