COVID-19 has worsened economic conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt), which were moving from bad to worse before the pandemic, according to the latest UNCTAD report on its assistance to the Palestinian people, to be published on 8 September.
Under occupation, the Palestinian National Authority lacks the policy space and economic tools to deal with the massive challenge posed by the pandemic.
The pandemic struck at a particularly distressing time for the oPt. Even before it hit, forecasts for the Palestinian economy in 2020 and 2021 were already bleak, high poverty and unemployment rates had persisted and GDP per capita had declined for the third consecutive year.
The report will be presented at press conferences to be held in Geneva on 7 September and in Cairo and Ramallah on 8 September (under embargo until 17:00 GMT).
Journalists with access to the UNCTAD virtual newsroom may download the press release and the new UNCTAD report.
Access to the virtual newsroom requires a password. To obtain one, please fill out this online form.
After the lifting of the embargo, documents related to the report will be available on the main UNCTAD website.
For further information or to request interviews with UNCTAD experts, please contact the UNCTAD Press Office (+41 22 917 5549/8038, + 41 79 502 43 11 or unctadpress@unctad.org).
