The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) organized a site tour to follow up on the progress of project implementation in the Ijnisinya and Kharbatha Bani Harith villages. These projects are implemented in the context of the Sub-grants Initiative for the so-called Area C and funded by the European Union and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). By the Sub-grants Initiative, APLA seeks to support and strengthen the capacity of local government units (LGUs) in these areas to provide services to citizens and support their resilience on their land. The tour was part of a series of field visits undertaken by APLA to ensure work flow in line with set plans as well as quality outputs of implemented projects.

During the tour, the “Establishment of a 50-KW Photovoltaic Power Plant,” a project implemented by the Ijnisinya Village Council, was handed over. The event was attended by Mahmoud As’ad, Mayor of the Ijnisinya Village Council. The project aims to support electrical infrastructure, minimize the environmental impact, promote the use of available natural resources, bring down expenditures, and provide economic stimulus to the village council by enhancing self-production and reducing the cost of power purchased from other sources. The project is part of the village council’s efforts to achieve environmental and economic sustainability by adopting innovative solutions to meet local community needs.

APLA also visited the “Rehabilitation and Expansion of the Kharbatha Bani Harith Village Council Park” project. In the presence of Abdul Jabbar Injas, mayor of the village council, APLA viewed the progress made and ensured that the village council put in place proper executive and supervisory processes to implement and achieve goals of the project. To enhance the quality of life of the local population, the project provides green spaces and entertainment facilities that promote social interaction. It reflects the village council’s commitment to apply environmental sustainability standards and develop infrastructure according to the local community needs and aspirations.

Of note, APLA is implementing 13 projects with village councils, which received grants in the context of the first phase of the Sub-grants Initiative. In the same vein, APLA launched the second phase of the initiative over the past months. Sub-grants are designed to support development initiatives implemented by village councils to provide socioeconomic development of local communities, including projects that create job opportunities or generate income for families in communities throughout the so called Area C.