With a Generous Contribution from the Government of Canada
UNFPA to Implement a Programme on Preventing and Responding to Gender Based Violence and Providing Life Saving Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 2020-2022
Jerusalem, April 2020 – The United Nations Population Fund / UNFPA Palestine country office and Global Affairs Canada signed an agreement to implement a project for Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence and Providing life-saving Sexual and Reproductive Health services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip 2020-2022, in the amount of CAD 4,000,000.
The project, to be implemented by UNFPA and national organizations in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, aims to strengthen essential and life-saving services in the areas of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
The intervention aims to reach more than 57,000 women and girls in the most vulnerable categories – including a strong focus on women and girls with disabilities – as well as the service providers who assist them.
Effective services for women and girls must be gender-responsive and multi-sectoral. The project will strengthen GBV services within the areas of health including mental health psychosocial support, legal aid, and economic empowerment. It will further ensure that women have improved access to sexual and reproductive health services including antenatal, postnatal, and emergency obstetric care for women in particularly vulnerable areas. Recognizing that many women and girls face barriers relating to community social norms and attitudes, a significant portion of the intervention also seeks to create greater awareness of GBV and SRH issues, and improved knowledge about when and where to seek services.
“Women and girls are often disproportionately affected in humanitarian situations, and their needs may sometimes be overlooked”, said UNFPA Palestine Representative Kristine Blokhus. “It is therefore with enormous gratitude that UNFPA welcomes this generous support from the Government of Canada.
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For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
Kristine Blokhus, UNFPA Representative, State of Palestine
Tel: + 972 54 9201341 blokhus@unfpa.org
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