UNFPA and WFP to Support Gender Based Violence and Breast Cancer Survivors in Palestine

WFP/UNFPA News Release

4 May 2023

UNFPA AND WFP TO SUPPORT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS IN PALESTINE

JERUSALEM – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) signed on 1 May an agreement to support – through WFP’s cash-based transfers (CBT) platform – gender-based violence survivors and breast cancer survivors.

Building on previously successful UNFPA-WFP cooperation from 2021, this cash and voucher assistance, with an initial amount of over USD $180,000, will target around 900 Palestinian women with access to sexual reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services - including psychological, health, legal, economic, and special support for women and girls with disabilities. This is in addition to support to pregnant women as part of midwifery-led counselling services and psychosocial support to women, men and girls in households in five Gaza governorates.

“UNFPA continues to put the most vulnerable groups at the forefront of our efforts in Palestine - and thanks to this partnership with WFP - we will respond to the risks that these women face, and contribute to improving their well-being and reduce the tension and violence within the household” said Dominic Allen, UNFPA Representative. “We are deeply appreciative to the Governments and people of Canada, Japan and Spain for their generous contributions to support this work” he continued.

““Our aim is to provide quick and easy access to assistance for the people we serve, to meet their needs whatever they are. We are pleased that the WFP cash-based transfers platform can facilitate this for hundreds of Palestinian women and are excited to further strengthen our partnership with UNFPA and expand our reach to help even more people,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Palestine Representative and Country Director.

Through its robust and reliable CBT platform, WFP supports humanitarian and development actors in reaching more Palestinians in need, efficiently and cost-effectively, across different sectors. WFP coordinates the delivery of assistance through different cash-out modalities, provides monitoring services, and operates a community hotline for feedback.

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About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

For more information, please contact

Alia Zaki, WFP/Jerusalem, alia.zaki@wfp.org

Sahar Natsheh, UNFPA State of Palestine, natsheh@unfpa.org