Democracy and governance
Inauguration of the Rehabilitation of Al-Eizariya Old Town: USAID's Civic Engagement Program (CEP), implemented by ARD, sponsored the rehabilitation of the old town in Al-Eizariya in the West Bank near Jerusalem. The residents celebrated the opening of the old city rehabilitation project at an event attended by the Minister of Local Governance, the Head of the Village Council, and other Palestinian officials. CEP contributed $162,000 together with a $70,000 contribution from the Village Council to rehabilitate 2 kilometers of road tiling, rainwater drainage, street lighting and seats aimed at enhancing tourism and improving the safety of pedestrians. 80 volunteers and skilled employees helped in implementing the project.
Clean-up Campaign Held to Revive the Old City of Hebron for Ramadan: Civic Engagement Program partnered with the Hebron Municipality to clean and decorate alleys of the old city of Hebron. 120 youth volunteers cleaned the alleys of the old city, painted 80 shop doors, and decorated city walls in preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Mayor Oseily stated that the clean up campaign will encourage tourism and improve business in the old city.
Ballot Paper to Be Procured for Central Elections Commission: The Palestinian Electoral Assistance Program, implemented by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), created an "Electoral Contingency Fund" of $250,000 to be used for commodities and services provided to the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) in case of an electoral event. In May 2009, CEC requested the purchase of ballot paper for the January 2010 elections. USAID, CEC, and IFES have completed an assessment of ballot paper needs and initiated the procurement procedures through the use of the contingency fund.
Ministry of Justice and West Bank Courts Staff Received Training: The Rule of Law Program, implemented by DPK Consulting, held a training course in customer relations targeting 11 Ministry of Justice staff members from a number of different departments, such as Public Relations, Justice Records, Licensing, and the Complaints Department. The training will contribute to improving the services provided by the public service officers. The Rule of Law Program also supported training to over 90 court notification processors from the West Bank to improve the court notification methods. The training on best ways to use notification management software was provided by the Chief Judge of the Bethlehem Court and DPK.
Water resources and infrastructure
A Nablus Village Receives a New Water Pipeline: Under the Emergency Water and Sanitation and Other Infrastructure program (EWAS II), implemented by ANERA, USAID completed the installation of a 1,500 meter-long water pipeline in Azmut village in the Nablus District in the northern West Bank. USAID contributed $58,000 to the project which will enable the villagers to enjoy a continuous supply of potable water. The project generated more than 300 person days of temporary employment. EWAS II is a 5-year $50 million program that provides rapid response and emergency relief in the water and sanitation sectors, and in other sectors as needed, to address the basic infrastructure needs of the Palestinian people. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Palestinians will benefit over the life of the program.