Faced with the multiple economic and labor challenges faced by Palestinian society, with daily limitations in access to land, markets and subsistence opportunities, the Social Promotion Foundation has been working for more than 25 years on the development of strategies that ensure inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth in Palestine. Their work ranges from interventions to increase productivity and diversify products to improving business management practices.
With this objective, it is currently developing two initiatives thanks to the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and together with its local partners Agricultural Development Association (PARC), Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem Program (LWF) and Rural Women’s Development Society (RWDS).
In East Jerusalem, one of the areas with the least development opportunities, the Foundation is developing a pilot Project focused on technical vocational education and training (TVET), specifically aimed at urban agriculture. The initiative seeks to provide quality professional skills to young people, especially women, with the aim of improving their employability and promoting sustainable entrepreneurship in a region where labor participation is low and gender stereotypes exist. In turn, the project contributes to scaling the intervention through the creation of new training curricula, the training of training personnel and the certification of qualified professionals in East Jerusalem.
Likewise, through the agreement “Towards green agriculture in Palestine”, the reality of the rural population is addressed, especially in the West Bank, where the economy is weak, unproductive and dependent on imports. The agreement focuses on agricultural development and the creation of employment opportunities under equal conditions, considering adaptation to climate change and promoting the circular economy.
Both initiatives converge in the pursuit of inclusive, resilient and sustainable economic growth in Palestine, addressing economic, labor and gender constraints in different contexts, from urban agriculture in East Jerusalem to the promotion of green agriculture at the national level.
Furthermore, now more than ever, the need to support with actions the promotion of decent employment with young people becomes even more crucial to actively contribute to future response mechanisms, considering the nexus between humanitarian action, development assistance and the consolidation of peace in Palestine.