Press release 30 June 2008
Ministry for Foreign Affairs

New Swedish strategy for development assistance to the West Bank and Gaza

"Through the new strategy, Sweden is showing its support to Palestinian state-building and the ongoing peace process," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.

The Government has adopted a new strategy for development assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. According to the strategy, Palestinian priorities and the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan will serve as guidelines for Swedish development assistance.

The strategy has been adopted at a time when it is especially important that the rest of the world gives its full support to the parties and to a negotiation solution. Peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis were resumed after the meeting in Annapolis in November 2007. In connection with this, a donor conference took place in Paris in December 2007. There the Palestinian government, led by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, presented its own priorities in the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PRDP) for the period 2008-2010.

Sweden is one of the largest EU donors of support to the Palestinians. In 2007, Swedish aid amounted to SEK 617 million, SEK 167 million of which was development assistance from Sida.