The operations support officer (OSO) programme monitors, documents and intervenes with the authorities and other stakeholders on incidents affecting:
- refugees living in East Jerusalem
- refugee camp residents during military operations
- access to land and/or services for communities affected by the Barrier
- the forced displacement of herding communities living in Area C, which is under full Israeli control.
The OSO programme also carries out activities to safeguard the humanitarian space in which UNRWA operates, by monitoring the neutrality of UNRWA installations, and monitoring and intervening with authorities in incidents in which UNRWA staff or goods experience access difficulties.
The Barrier Monitoring Unit works to improve and institutionalise Barrier monitoring mechanisms so as to better understand its humanitarian impact.
Visit the Barrier Monitoring Unit website
School results in the West Bank have suffered a serious decline since the outbreak of the second intifada. In response, UNRWA is carrying out a series of reforms in its schools. These focus on improving the quality of education in its schools through areas such as the curriculum, teaching methods and remedial classes.
The recovery plan also tackles children’s wellbeing, as ongoing conflict, access restrictions and deteriorating social and economic conditions have all badly affected schoolchildren. Violence in the community commonly spills over into schools. To address these problems, the Agency is encouraging better school management and community participation, so teachers, parents and local communities all become more involved with their schools.
UNRWA’s job creation programme employs the most vulnerable Palestine refugees as part of its emergency support work in the West Bank. It is one of the oldest employment projects for refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, the West Bank has been economically devastated. Closures and movement restrictions, including the Barrier, have prevented people from gaining employment in Israel. The programme focuses on reducing the impact of the crisis by providing work opportunities.
More about the job creation programme (PDF)
Since February 2003, six mobile health teams have operated in the West Bank to help ensure access to health services for people in areas affected by closures, checkpoints, and the Barrier. Each team includes a medical officer, nurse, laboratory technician, assistant pharmacist, and driver. They offer a full range of essential curative and preventive medical services to around 13,000 patients per month in over 150 isolated locations. Since becoming operational, the mobile clinics have treated an increasing number of Palestine refugees, from nearly 70,000 in 2003 to 160,000 in 2011.
How would you feel if you and your family were unable to access essential health care even though you live within easy reach of a hospital or clinic? Watch this short film to discover the reality faced by a growing number of Palestinians living in the West Bank.
The microfinance department has seven branches in the West Bank. One of its main projects is lending to women to support their home-based income-generating projects, such as sewing and embroidery.
More about microfinance
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