Social Development Participates in the High-Level Arab Event on Implementing the Arab Strategy for Older Persons in Libya
Ramallah – The high-level Arab event on implementing the Arab Strategy for Older Persons represents an important platform to strengthen joint Arab cooperation and to develop policies and services provided to this group, in a way that ensures their rights and enhances their community participation, especially in light of the social and humanitarian challenges facing the region.
The Ministry of Social Development participated in the event, which was held in the Libyan capital Tripoli on 1–2 April 2026, with the participation of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, representatives of international organizations, and experts. The State of Palestine was represented by the Director General of the General Administration for Older Persons, Mr. Ghanem Omar, who headed the delegation, alongside the Director of the Directorate of Social Development in Jericho, Mr. Yaqoub Salah Al-Din.
The event witnessed wide participation by Arab officials, including the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, Engineer Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and Libya’s Minister of Social Affairs, Ms. Wafaa Al-Kilani, in addition to the official representing the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, a number of Arab ambassadors, and representatives of 15 Arab delegations specialized in the fields of protection and care for older persons. It also included international organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
During the event, the Palestinian delegation presented the reality of older persons in Palestine under the current circumstances, highlighting the severe humanitarian challenges, particularly in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the ongoing war since 7 October 2023, and the accompanying acute shortages of food and medicine, the deterioration of health conditions, as well as the consequences of displacement. The delegation also addressed the situation in the West Bank, including movement restrictions, attacks, and the worsening living conditions. The delegation further presented the Ministry of Social Development’s experience in providing protection and care services for older persons, including residential, day, and home-based care, as well as psychosocial support, awareness and educational programs, and the promotion of the concept of active ageing.
The delegation stressed the importance of continuing support for existing projects, particularly the home care project for older persons supported by the League of Arab States, and the need to renew and expand it. It also highlighted the need to develop day care programs, noting that the Ministry has prepared a project proposal that will be submitted to the League of Arab States to strengthen these services. The delegation also emphasized the importance of enhancing joint Arab coordination, exchanging expertise, and developing policies and legislation that ensure the rights of older persons and improve the quality of services provided to them, especially amid the humanitarian crises affecting the region.
The event also commended the decision of Libya’s Minister of Social Affairs to provide social protection assistance to Palestinian families residing in Libya and facilitate their access to social security services, in addition to offering free residential care for older Palestinian persons in specialized institutions.
The event concluded with a set of recommendations, most notably strengthening investment in home-based and day care services, developing legislation related to the rights of older persons, and enhancing partnerships between governments and international organizations, in order to improve the quality of life for this group and ensure their dignity.
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Access to Services & Information in an Understandable Language Is a Fundamental Right of Persons with Disabilities
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day of Sign Languages, observed on 23 September, the Ministry of Social Development affirmed that sign language represents a fundamental right for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, and that ensuring accessible communication and access to government, social, health, and educational services forms part of the right to equality, participation, and independence. The Ministry explained that its role in supporting persons with disabilities is not limited to providing assistive devices, but also includes case management and social follow-up, health insurance, referrals to rehabilitation services, provision of wheelchairs, hearing aids, eyeglasses, hearing and vision examinations, medical supplies, protection and care services, economic empowerment, and linking persons with disabilities to specialized services and partner organizations. During 2026, the Ministry continued to develop its interventions for persons with disabilities through its directorates, centers, and partnerships with specialized institutions, with a focus on improving accessibility, facilitating access to services, and promoting social inclusion. The Ministry’s interventions also include providing assistive devices and technologies, following up on the most vulnerable cases, connecting them with rehabilitation, education, protection, and social support services, and working with partners to improve services in a manner that reflects different types of disabilities and the specific needs of each case. The Ministry stressed that sign language is not an additional service or a secondary support tool, but a fundamental means of exercising rights. The absence of accessible communication may prevent a deaf person from understanding a service, expressing their needs, reporting violence or abuse, or accessing care and protection. Providing reasonable accommodations and information in accessible formats is therefore an essential component of quality social services. This issue is of particular importance in the Gaza Strip, where war-related injuries have increased the number of people requiring rehabilitation services and assistive devices. Recent humanitarian reports indicate that around 2% of Gaza’s population is now living with serious conflict-related injuries, while shortages of rehabilitation equipment and assistive products, including hearing aids and mobility devices, persist, and the entry of such supplies continues to face prolonged delays. Reports also indicate an ongoing need for specialized services for children with disabilities in Gaza, including assistive devices, rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and referral services. At the same time, children with hearing, mobility, or visual disabilities face additional barriers to accessing protection, education, and information in overcrowded displacement settings. In July alone, hundreds of children with disabilities received multisectoral support, including cash assistance, assistive devices, rehabilitation, psychosocial services, and specialized referrals. The Ministry emphasized that strengthening sign language services and accessibility should extend across government services, health and educational institutions, protection and shelter centers, humanitarian information, warnings, and emergency guidance, ensuring that deaf persons can access information at the same time and to the same standard as others. The Ministry called on government institutions, civil society, the private sector, and donors to increase investment in sign language interpretation services, training for service providers, expanded digital and physical accessibility, provision of hearing and other assistive devices, and support for rehabilitation and inclusion programmes. It stressed that building an inclusive social protection system begins with removing the barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from independently and safely accessing their rights and services.
Psychosocial Support, Case Management, and Referral Are Key Components of the Social Protection System for the Most Vulnerable Groups
Ministry of Social Development: Displacement, Loss, Violence, and Economic Pressures Require an Integrated Psychosocial ResponseRamallah – On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, observed annually on 10 September, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized the importance of strengthening psychosocial support and community-based protection services and expanding early access to support, particularly for groups facing prolonged and severe pressures resulting from displacement, loss, violence, poverty, and family and social instability. The Ministry noted that the 2026 World Suicide Prevention Day theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” focuses on reducing stigma, creating space for safe conversations about psychological distress, and strengthening the ability of individuals and families to seek help and access appropriate services at the right time. The World Health Organization also emphasizes that prevention requires policies and services that ensure access to care and support, rather than relying on awareness-raising alone. The Ministry explained that mental health is an integral part of social protection, and that its role extends beyond providing material assistance to families to include psychosocial support, case management, family follow-up, referral to specialized services, protection from violence, and interventions targeting children, women, orphans, older persons, persons with disabilities, displaced families, and other vulnerable groups. The Ministry stressed that accumulated economic and social pressures, combined with repeated displacement and the loss of homes, sources of income, or family members, can have a direct impact on individuals’ mental health, particularly children, women, and families living in vulnerable circumstances. This requires an early and integrated response that combines psychosocial support, protection, and access to essential services. Since the beginning of 2026 through the end of August, the Ministry of Social Development has delivered approximately 135,000 social protection and care services and interventions across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These included protection services for women, children, and juveniles; care for orphans; services for persons with disabilities and older persons; psychosocial support; case management; family follow-up; and referrals to specialized services. The Ministry also emphasized the importance of working with families and the wider community surrounding individuals, noting that effective social protection requires strengthening family and community support networks, alleviating economic and social pressures, and connecting individuals with available services. These factors constitute an essential part of prevention and of strengthening people’s ability to cope and remain resilient. The Ministry of Social Development called on local and international organizations and partners to expand psychosocial support programmes, strengthen the capacities of professionals working in protection and case management, and further develop referral pathways and coordination across the social, health, and education sectors, to ensure a more comprehensive response for individuals and families facing accumulated psychological and social pressures.
