Brussels region supports Palestinian territories with new project call South 2024

Ans Persoons, Brussels Secretary of State for International Relations, announces that the Brussels Capital Region, under the coordination of Brussels International and hub.brussels, is launching the new call for projects South 2024 . The aim of the call is to support projects in the field of sustainable and inclusive economic development. Within this call, an extra large amount is foreseen for projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

This is already the 12th edition of the call for projects South and is aimed at the partner regions of the Brussels-Capital Region: the City Province of Kinshasa, the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Region and the occupied Palestinian territories. The call is intended for recognised civil society organisations and other Belgian NPOs, such as associations actively involved in international solidarity or associations focusing on economic development. The South 2024 project call will have a budget of €655,000, of which €430,000 will be allocated to the occupied Palestinian territories as a priority. All government members made an effort here and mobilised additional resources.

"International solidarity is more important than ever. Especially in a metropolis like Brussels, we are closely connected to the rest of the world. With this call for projects, we are investing in sustainable, innovative projects in our three partner regions. The focus this year is on the Palestinian occupied territories -where we are releasing additional funds, especially for women's entrepreneurship. Because where women advance, everyone advances", says Secretary of State Ans Persoons.

Priority region

Due to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the civilian population caught in the middle, this call for projects gave extra attention to the occupied Palestinian territories, designated in 2022 as a priority region for Brussels development cooperation. On the initiative of Secretary of State Persoons, the full Brussels government decided to release funds to support projects in the occupied Palestinian territories. To be more specific, this concerns only the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Gaza Strip is not part of this call for projects because, first and foremost, space must now be left for urgent emergency humanitarian aid delivered by international donors. The BCR is better placed to support economic, sustainable and inclusive development in the West Bank. The Brussels-Capital Region also plans on digitally signing a development cooperation agreement with the Governorate of Ramallah and Al-Bireh this year.

Empowering Palestinian women

The call for projects South is already making a real difference. In 2023, Oxfam Solidarity asbl received support for its project "My dignity is my right" in the occupied Palestinian territories. That project addresses the urgent needs of women , who are often single parents and have also suffered greatly from the Covid pandemic. They live in vulnerable conditions, with the corresponding impact on their psychological and economic condition.

The project provides support and empowerment to Palestinian women between 22 and 55 years old living in semi-urbanised areas in Tubas and Jordan Valley provinces and working in Israeli settlements. The project allows the women to gain knowledge to achieve a better income through alternative activities. At the same time, Oxfam aims to raise awareness about the violation of the rights of Palestinian women working in Israeli settlements.