The Palestinian Authority (PA), established in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, provides core government functions and services to the population of the West Bank. It operates within an uncertain political climate, and is highly dependent on foreign aid and tax collected by the Israeli government. In support of a two-state solution and a political settlement, the UK is supporting the PA in improving its planning, budgeting and policy implementation capabilities, while building core functions in preparation for a political settlement as part of the Middle East Peace Process.
Takamol – the Arabic name for the Stability Services and Reform Programme – began in 2019, as key part of the UK government’s support to the Palestinian Authority. As the UK’s foremost centre of government programme, we are working with the Palestinian Authority to reform the core cycle of planning, budgeting and monitoring of government service delivery. The purpose is to build the capabilities of ministries to move towards fiscal sustainability, increased accountability and improved delivery of public services to Palestinians.
The programme specifically aims to integrate key reforms in the planning and budgeting functions of the Government, enabling a realistic and costed budget that is better able to be implemented to achieve PA policy priorities. We are also supporting the improvement of revenue collection and reducing fiscal leakages, to alleviate fiscal constraints, and strengthening the architecture of central government so the Palestinian Authority can function as an efficient and effective administration.
The result of this work will be the integration of public financial management, centre of government and revenue components into a holistic delivery cycle. It is a genuinely problem driven programme that understands what has been tried before and builds capability to achieve sustainability. We are using detailed Political Economy Analysis to understand the space available for reforms and are working politically to influence what is possible.
The project has worked across government to build the capacity of key staff, and provided functional expert advice to policy makers throughout the PA. We have supported the PA through emergency budget processes in response to COVID-19, identified key functions for increased support especially in macro-fiscal forecasting and aid coordination, and built their institutional capacity, supporting a whole of government approach to reform.
The Occupied Palestinian Territories
2019-2024
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
