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EU Statement - ILO 355th GB - Follow up to the ILO discussion on the enhanced programme of development cooperation for the occupied Arab territories

20.11.2025
Geneva
Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in Geneva

ILO Governing Body, 355th session

17 November – 27 November 2025

Follow up to the discussion on the enhanced programme of development cooperation for the occupied Arab territories

GB.355/POL/4

EU statement

 

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania[1], Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and the EFTA countries Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland align themselves with this statement.

  1. We thank the Office for the report on the progress made within the framework of the ILO programme of development cooperation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

  2. As outlined in the report, the devastating consequences on the economy and labour market resulted in significant job losses and the worsened working conditions for those who remained employed in the Gaza Strip, with spill-over effects on the West Bank. As the Palestinian labour market remains under severe strain, we commend the Office for its work to deliver emergency jobs, strengthen livelihoods and social protection systems.

  3. We thank the Office for the evaluation of the Palestine Decent Work, emergency response and recovery programme, and we would like to underline that coordination with other UN agencies is key, in order to avoid duplication and overlaps as laid out in the UN80 reform process and in alignment with the Humanitarian reset. 

  4. We would like to stress the importance of the evaluation’s recommendation to balance urgent emergency response with longer-term strategies for recovery, resilience and decent work. In this regard, we acknowledge the ILO being part of the UN country team, which implements the transition from a humanitarian led to a Palestinian-led resilient system of employment and social policies and institutions, with the ILO focussing on its core mandate. We commend the ILO’s efforts to support the active participation of tripartite constituents in early recovery efforts and to integrate decent work principles across all recovery efforts.

  5. In this context, we encourage the ILO to further integrate gender equality and youth empowerment as cross-cutting priorities in its recovery and resilience strategies, in order to foster inclusive and sustainable labour market recovery.

  6. We welcome the agreement reached on the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza Conflict and call on all parties to fully commit to implementing all phases of the Plan and to refrain from any actions that could jeopardise the agreement. To alleviate the dire humanitarian situation, we call for immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout Gaza and for the UN and its agencies, and humanitarian organisations, to be able to work independently and impartially.

  7. The European Union will continue to support the Palestinian Authority, including in its ongoing reform and with a view to its return to Gaza. We continue to provide support to the Palestinian Authority, including through the ILO, to improve access to rights-based social assistance for all Palestinians. The EU and its Member States also remain the largest provider of humanitarian aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, having mobilized €1.7 billion since 2023. We call on Israel to release withheld clearance revenues necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Palestinian Authority and the delivery of essential services to the population.

  8. Based on the Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, jointly conducted with the World Bank and the UN, the EU supports the ILO’s efforts to promote access to social protection through a life-cycle and rights based approach, to promote employment and business recovery. This includes employment-intensive investment programmes, identification of skills gaps and relevant training and vocational education opportunities and projects also for youth not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). 

  9. The European Union stands ready to contribute to Gaza’s stabilisation, transitional governance, recovery and reconstruction. We recall the High-Level Conference for the peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York co-led by France and Saudi Arabia. We reiterate our commitment to international law and to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders.

Thank you, Chair.

 

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process