UNESCO and Belgium Kick off their First Meeting Upon Signing a Ground-Breaking Partnership Agreement Supporting Youth in the Palestinian Labour Market

 
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) office in Palestine, and Enabel, the Belgian development agency, held the first meeting on Friday, May 28th, following the initiation of their first partnership agreement. The meeting was planned to discuss the initial phases and to prepare for the next steps upon the launching of the partnership. UNESCO National Office for Palestine has spearheaded a collaboration with Enabel for the first time for the entire organization, paving the ground for a sustainable relationship between the two institutions.
 
UNESCO National Office for Palestine signed the ground-breaking project agreement with Enabel in support of youth in Palestine through the project titled “Increasing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Competencies for Youth in the Palestinian Labour Market”, with a value exceeding one million Euros. The project aims at securing employability of young men and women through an improved TVET system and providing them with skills and competencies relevant to the labour market. UNESCO and Enabel will support the inclusive education in the TVET track for the first time in such a cooperation in Palestine.
 
Ms. Noha Bawazir, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative expressed her appreciation for the “promising partnership built on shared values and common objectives”, adding: “we are very proud that this achievement has come out, and was triggered by, the UNESCO National Office for Palestine”. Ms. Bawazir emphasized the importance of the partnership with Enabel, stating that the agreement will “help the young people in Palestine secure their future integration in the labour market” within the framework of the cooperation agreement, describing it as “the beginning of a journey for the benefit of Palestinian youth”.
 
Mr. Patrick De Bouck, Resident Representative of Enabel, welcomed the partnership, congratulating both organizations for setting the grounds for “open discussions and dialogue”. Mr. De Bouck expressed his eagerness to see positive results and successful delivery of the partnerships’ objectives during the upcoming months for the benefit of Palestine.
 
The partners discussed governance and other strategic issues drawing the main lines of planned activities, notably related to the coordination and communication efforts. The project builds on Enabel’s TVET activities, experience in Palestine, and utilizes UNESCO’s framework, network and expertise in the Youth Employment in the Mediterranean (YEM) project, which advanced the skills forecasting agenda in Palestine. The partners also discussed the potential joint interventions following the latest crisis in Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as activities related to TVET institutions preparedness, training, innovation hubs, supporting start-ups, and providing awareness on the importance of TVET, and sensitivities to gender, and disabilities.