GAZA / The Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection for Workers formally launched the employment project for development by the financier of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries program in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank and in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), during a ceremony that organized by the Fund in  the Roots hotel in Gaza on Monday, the ceremony was attended by Dr. Mamoun Abu Shahla, Minister of Labor, Chairman of the Board of Management of the employment Fund, the Minister Woman, Haifa Al-Aga, the Executive Director of the Fund Ibtisam Al-Hussari and representatives of various of foreign ministries, sectors and institutions, local, Islamic and Arab universities, institutes and training centers.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Fund, Minister Mamoun Abu Shahla said that the Israeli occupation bears the main and major responsibility in the aggravation of the problem of unemployment in Palestine because of the comprehensive siege imposed on the entry of raw materials and movement of individuals and other restrictions that have been extended for decades.

Abu Shahla emphasized that the problem of unemployment in Palestine reached a very serious level after the number of unemployed raised to more than 400 thousand unemployed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by 230 thousand in the strip and 170 thousand in the West Bank, "The number of families living under the line Poverty reached to more than 320 thousand families.

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Abu Shahla explained that the employment fund, through the project of employment and development with 5 million dollars, will employ about 3,000 graduates and graduates from all disciplines by 3 months for each graduate during two years, adding that the Fund is working with all efforts to obtain funding of one billion dollars during the coming three years to face the unemployment crisis by harnessing this amount in granting soft loans for the establishment of small income-generating projects and employment for youth.

The Minister of Labor pointed out that the most unemployed are from the youth sector and graduates who graduate annually with thousands and join the army of the unemployed, Abu Shahla said that the local labor market is fragile and weak of scientific and practical skills are inadequate and training is limited and not developed and led to a gap of skills in the labor market, indicating that the outputs of educational institutions are not suitable for the needs of the labor market.

Abu Shahla criticized the higher education sector for not taking into account the needs of the local market, pointing out that 80 percent of university graduates are holders of human certificates that are not commensurate with the requirements of the labor market jobs.

Abu Shahla stressed that the outputs of education need a deep pause, stressing the importance of developing the skills of graduates in line with the labor The Minister of Labor explained that his ministry adopted a new policy to contribute to solving the problem of graduates by returning the graduates to the training centers to change the course of his life so that he can get a job in addition to raising the members of the vocational training centers from 12,000 to 30,000  during the three coming years, and he explained that the vocational training centers need new buildings, equipment, raw materials and new courses, calling the international partners to work according to the needs of the local Palestinian market.

Abu Shahla said that employment councils will be formed in each governorate of the national governorates in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, for his part, Eng. Jomaa Al-Najjar from the United Nations Development Project UNDP confirmed in his speech the importance of implementing employment projects and development in solving the unemployment crisis, pointing out that the program of the United Nations in this regard and honing the skills of graduates who benefit from these projects, for his part, Dr. Salameh Abu-Zaiter, member of the secretariat of the Federation of Trade Unions of Palestine called for the Fund to maintain the principles and standards of governance in the management of its programs, projects and activities to ensure transparency, fairness and justice for all targeted groups of workers, professionals and graduates.

He also stressed the need to work on promoting targeted and productive development programs, especially in the economic sectors that allow the expansion and absorption of new workers to achieve sustainability in work, Abu-Zaiter called to take into account all employment programs and apply the minimum wages and distinguish productive professional groups with appropriate and decent wages, for his part, Abdul Salam Al-Banna Called on behalf of the graduates who benefit from the project the government, ministries and Arab, Islamic, international and local institutions to devote all their attention to the implementation of small projects that accommodate graduates and unemployed in order to provide permanent employment opportunities. Al Banna thanked the Palestinian Employment Fund and its Chairman of the Board of Management, Minister Mamoun Abu Shahla, and Chairman of the Board of Managment and members of the Board of Management and the Fund's staff, who accompanied the graduates all the time with guidance, supervision, follow-up and training.