National reports

The study was conducted between September 2008 and February 2009, and was made possible by
financial support from the Bank-Netherlands Water Partnership (BNWP), the German Poverty
and Social Analysis Fund (GPSAF), and the Social Development Department (SDV).

Requested by the Palestinian Authority (PA), this assessment is the fourth in the World Bank’s
Movement and Access study series. The goal of the assessment is to develop a balanced analysis
and create awareness of the factors restricting Palestinian water sector development as well as of
the economic, social, and environmental impacts of these restrictions. The assessment addresses
factors such as sector governance, and movement and access (M&A) restrictions beyond the
control of the Palestinian Authority, as well as internal contributing factors, notably governance
and capacity weaknesses of Palestinian institutions.

The goal of the study was to develop a balanced analysis and create awareness of the factors restricting West Bank and Gaza’s water sector development (including governance and physical M&A restrictions, capacity weaknesses, etc.) as well as the economic, sociopolitical, and environmental impacts of such restrictions, duly accounting for other contributing factors (notably governance and capacity weaknesses among Palestinian sector actors). The study is complementary to the economic and sector work that the Bank as well as other donors are engaged in with the objective of building capacity in Palestinian water institutions to serve the population with reliable and safe water services.

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Middle East and North Africa Region, Sustainable Development, The World Bank (Report No. 47657-GZ), ©2009 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank