Ramallah, December the 16th 2019 – The multi-bilateral project “Enhancing the value chain of the footwear sector in Hebron”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation with a grant of €500,000 and carried out by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) has just ended, after 18 months from the starting date. The project led to a general improvement in footwear production in the Hebron area (South of the West Bank), both in terms of quality and quantity, combining technical assistance to about 60 small and medium local enterprises with the launch of a men-woman-child collection created with the support of ASSOMAC. The collection will be marketed thanks to the know-how provided by and spread through the project.
During the closing event, the main results of the project were presented, involving the audience in a fruitful discussion. AICS Jerusalem’s Representative, Ms. Cristina Natoli offered the entrepreneurs who benefited from the initiative her congratulations and stated that “the skills and information acquired through the technical assistance received will be the first step in a full development of the local footwear industry, with the promotion of a brand Made in Hebron and a high employment potential for the whole area”.
A specific panel was dedicated to the promotion of renewable energy in the Palestinian industry, which AICS Jerusalem is paying particular attention to with the project “Improving the business environment for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises” aiming at stimulating the activation of policies and tools to facilitate the access of small and medium-sized enterprises to renewable energy, to reduce production costs and improve productivity.