A new Palestinian state will require almost 5 billion US dollar (godt 25 milliarder DKR) in foreign donor aid over three years, according to a development plan by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Palestinian leaders hope to win international approval in September for an independent state, in line with earlier proposals. The latest plan, presented to donor states in Brussels, shows how a state would develop, and how much help it would need.
– Now is the time for us to be the masters of our own destiny in a state of our own, said Fayyad.
The plan says that “the next three years will witness a transformation in the nature of external aid from ‘life support’ to real investment in the future of Palestine”. It calls for an economy led by the private sector, reducing government’s recurrent expenditure while increasing development spending.
It says GDP growth is expected to reach nine percent this year, rising to 10 percent in 2012 and 12 percent in 2013. Unemployment is projected to decline from 25 percent in 2009 to 15 percent in 2013.
On Tuesday, the office of the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said the Palestinian Authority was now largely ready to govern a state.
In six areas where the UN is most engaged, “governmental functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state”, the office said in a report prepared for the Brussels donor meeting.
“There is now real momentum towards establishing Palestine in 2011. It is critical that this momentum is not lost”, Fayyad wrote.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
