The International Relief Organization in Saudi Arabia (IIROSA) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) recently signed a cooperation agreement at IIROSA’s headquarters in Jeddah to support employment initiatives for fresh graduates in Gaza.

Peter Ford, representative of UNRWA’s commissioner general in the Arab world, and Ehsaan Saleh Taieb, acting secretary-general of IIROSA, signed the agreement.

The agreement aims to provide jobs to 210 young graduates from different colleges and to introduce them to the job market, facilitate job placement and integrate them within public and private sector companies.

According to the secretary-general, the agreement will be implemented for the duration of a year and is expected to benefit 1,765 individuals, including family members living in the Gaza Strip. He added that IIROSA would provide financial support to the agency by contributing $1 million.

Moreover, the organization will supervise all the phases of the project and the agency will be held responsible for providing periodic reports from Gaza to IIROSA on the success of the project. He emphasized the fact that although the implementation of similar projects in such circumstances faces several difficulties and challenges, IIROSA will continue to provide assistance regardless of race, color, religion or creed.

He stressed the vital role that IIROSA and UNRWA continue to play in providing the Palestinian people with basic services to allow them to lead dignified lives.

On his part, Ford appreciated IIROSA for its continuous efforts and said: “This is an important contribution on the part of IIROSA because it comes at a time when life is becoming more difficult in Gaza. The agreement allows us to create more job facilities for men and women who are needed in an economy under siege.”

“It is a great opportunity for us to build a partnership with the goal of supporting the youth in Palestine and to improve the social and economic conditions,” he added.

IIROSA has organized several relief programs, which have been implemented by the organization with the help of UNRWA. IIROSA through its representative office in Amman, Jordan, visits the agency’s facilities in Gaza.