The EU supports the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) for the provision of basic social allowances to the most vulnerable families in the West Bank and Gaza through its Cash Transfer Programme (CTP). For this payment, the European Union has more than doubled its usual financial contribution providing €26.3 million, of which France allocated €8 million and Spain €1.5 million. The European funding is channelled through the PEGASE mechanism paying the social allowances of selected 70,108 families, which are verified by the PEGASE auditors to ensure their eligibility. Various independent and external checks are carried out before and after the European disbursement. The remaining 36,488 families are covered by the PA government budget.

“Social protection is a priority and a basic human right that should be maintained and protected by the governments all over the world. In Palestine, the European Development Partners have helped the Palestinian Authority in creating its own social protection system that includes a Cash Transfer Programme to support the poorest and most vulnerable. This programme is currently facing unprecedented challenges due to the prolonged PA fiscal crisis. This contribution, co-funded by Spain and France, demonstrates once again our joint European commitment towards the Palestinian people as we continue to call for reliable and timely payment of social allowances through this programme,” said the EU Deputy Representative Maria Velasco.