SIGNED THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE ITALIAN COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE THIRD PHASE OF THE EMERGENCY INITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN FOR THE GHAZA CAMP IN JERASH.

The Italian Ambassador in Jordan, H.E. Francesco Fransoni, and the Acting Director General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs, H.E. Mahmoud Aqrabawi, with the participation of the Country Coordinator in Jordan of the Italian Programs of Cooperation for Development, Dr. Amjad Yaaqba, signed on December 18th, 2011, the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the third phase of the “Initiative of Emergency in favor of Palestinian Refugees in Jordan – IEPPG III”. 

The IEPPG Phase III Program, with a total value of Euro 1.1 million euro, is financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Directorate General of Cooperation for Development and aims to improve the living conditions of Palestinian Refugees resident in Ghaza Camp at Jerash.
The Program is directly managed by the Italian Cooperation Office of the Embassy of Italy in Amman, which intends to use the right to entrust Italian NGOs regularly registered and operating in Jordan with the execution of part of the planned activities.
The main program activity concern shelter rehabilitation, which amounts to around the 70% of the total budget available, and it will rehabilitate around 75-85 housing units in the Jerash Camp, and priorities will be set in accordance with the principle of the most vulnerable members of the community. 
The Program includes also the organization of vocational training courses and activities focused on psycho-social social support to the most vulnerable, i.e. children, women, disabled, young unemployed.

Project objective:
The aim of the initiative is to keep providing assistance to the Palestinian Refugees in Jordan, which started on 2009 with the first phase and continued through 2010 – 2011 with the second phase, both focused on the needs of the Palestinians in Sukhneh and Talbieh camps.
The Initiative, totally funded by the Italian Government for a comprehensive value of 2,73 million Euros, contributes to the improvement of the living conditions, the social and educational standards as well as the economic conditions of the families and the most vulnerable groups.

It is worth mentioning that with the rehabilitation of housing units implemented under the second phase of the Program, the Italian Government completed all the required rehabilitation works in both camps of Sukhneh and Talbieh, and now, with this third phase, it is intended to focus on the needs of Jerash Camp, where the poor living conditions of the refugees is worsened by the lack of any rehabilitation since the time of the camp establishment.
The Program will dedicate great relevance also to gender issues and, at this purpose, specific seminars and vocational training courses will be arranged for women, together with other educational and entertaining activities for kids.