State Secretary Raymond Johansen

International Donor Conference on the Palestinian Territory

Stockholm, 1 September 2006

We are gathered in Stockholm to follow up the initiative that was taken in Geneva in July to bring together representatives of the international donor community.

Our shared concern is the humanitarian situation for the Palestinian people and how to improve their daily life. We should realize the simple and disturbing fact; 60 % of the people living in the Palestinian Territory are below 18 years and the women and children are shouldering the main burdens and sufferings. This situation can not prevail.

One year ago we were applauding the orderly Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. This summer has seen death and destruction in the Palestinian Territory on a scale unimaginable at the time.

The purpose of today’s meeting is to address immediate funding needs as well as political impediments that severely deteriorate the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people.

Norway is deeply concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territory. The previous speakers have painted a bleak picture of this situation. I fully share their assessment.

The UN appeal, launched in May, is still far from fully met. Living conditions for the Palestinian people have deteriorated further since the appeal was launched. As an immediate response to the revised consolidated appeal, and as signalled in Geneva, Norway has given USD 10 million to UN agencies. An additional USD 8 million has recently been pledged to the Palestinian Territory, bringing Norwegian humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people to a total of USD 45 million. This amount is additional to the approximately USD 55 million allocated for development efforts in the Palestinian Territory in 2006, either bilaterally, through the UN, ICRC or the NGO community.

Norway supports the establishment of a temporary international mechanism (TIM) to address the acute financial needs of the Palestinian people. We are pleased that TIM is now operational as a result of agreements the EU commission and the World Bank have signed with the President’s Office. We would urge all donors to join forces in supporting this mechanism. It offers three windows, which are intended to complement the UN cap, increase donor coordination, and support the Palestinian Authority’s ability to deliver basic social services such as health care and education to its people.

Let me underline the following:

The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territory can not be resolved unless a political solution is achieved. The parties have a responsibility to do their utmost to achieve a sustainable solution, and the international community should support initiatives that could lead to a restart of the political process.

However, important initiatives need to be taken before we reach this stage:

First of all I would like to stress the importance of free access and free movement to the Palestinian Territory. This is crucial not only for ensuring basic humanitarian supply and services, but also for ensuring a viable basis for economic growth. The Israeli closure regime violates the basic human right of freedom of movement. This not only undermines international relief efforts, but is also effectively destroying the social and economic fabric of the Palestinian society we are intent on assisting.

Secondly, the international donor community is not doing enough to meet the humanitarian needs in the Palestinian population. We have to increase our financial support.

Thirdly, I would urge Israel to release Palestinian VAT revenues in the amount of USD 500 million which are still being withheld. This would go a long way in meeting urgent Palestinian needs.

Finally, Norway considers a seamless transition between humanitarian assistance and long-term development in the Palestinian Territory to be very important. Our common long-term objective of building viable Palestinian institutions remains, and should not be lost amid short-term relief efforts.