(KUNA) -- The UN Relief and Works Agency for Paleostine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned on Wednesday that unemployment levels in Gazoo have reached over 45.4 percent of the workforce, showing a dangerous sign of the deteriorating situation in the besieged territory.
These numbers reflect signs of a sharply deteriorating economy, which will increase the state of instability and despair felt by inhabitants of the thus far three-and-a-half-year besieged territory, UNRWA spokesperson Chris Guiness told a presser in Gazoo.
He urged the lifting of the siege, and to not let other Middle East issues shift focus away from this issue.
The numbers recorded in the third quarter of 2010, were a rise from the previous quarter which recorded 44.3 pct, adding that a society that reaches an unemployment rate of 50 pct stands on the brink of collapse.
Israel has allowed UNRWA to carry out 43 projects in the territory worth USD 43 million, representing a mere 11.4 pct of the size of projects the agency intends to pursue over the next three years.
The territory's need for development is immense and unprecedented, he said, citing the need for 100 schools, the repair of tens of thousands of homes and six hospitals, not including government projects. |