Minister of Social Development Participates in High-Level Virtual Meeting of the Global Council for Social Innovation
Ramallah – Minister of Social Development and Acting Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamad, participated via Zoom in the high-level virtual meeting of the Global Council for Social Innovation (GCSI), held under the title: “Social Innovation: A Transformative Key in Times of Global Crises,” with the participation of ministers, government representatives, and international partners from around the world.
During her remarks, Dr. Hamad emphasized that social innovation in Palestine is no longer a traditional policy option or an intellectual luxury, but rather a sovereign tool for strengthening national resilience in the face of ongoing and compounded humanitarian crises. She noted that the Ministry of Social Development has adopted a transformative vision based on shifting from dependency to productivity, from emergency response to building a resilient society capable of withstanding shocks, and from charity-based assistance to rights-based social protection.
The Minister reviewed the exceptional challenges facing Palestine under the current circumstances, including the worsening humanitarian and economic repercussions in the Gaza Strip, alongside the severe financial crisis confronting the Palestinian government due to the withholding of clearance revenues, which threatens the sustainability of essential public services. She also highlighted the escalating settler attacks, military incursions, and closures across the West Bank and Jerusalem, and their impact in forcibly displacing Palestinian families.
Dr. Hamad affirmed that, despite the difficult conditions, the Ministry has continued developing Palestine’s social digital infrastructure through the launch of the National Social Registry, a unified electronic system aimed at identifying the most vulnerable households based on a multidimensional poverty methodology and linking them to integrated and tailored intervention plans according to their needs.
She also pointed to the launch of a unified digital platform offering 18 electronic social services, in addition to the development of the “Social Digital Wallet” in cooperation with the Palestine Monetary Authority and the banking sector. The wallet enables the direct and secure delivery of cash assistance and interest-free loans to families in Gaza and marginalized areas affected by checkpoints and closures, while preserving citizens’ dignity and enhancing the speed and efficiency of response efforts.
Dr. Hamad added that this model demonstrates how social innovation provides governments with practical tools to address challenges more effectively, rapidly, and in a more coordinated manner. She welcomed the launch of the report on legal and policy frameworks for social innovation, as well as the “Social Innovation Engine” platform, stressing the importance of advancing toward the adoption of a joint international resolution on social innovation to empower local innovators, strengthen the independence of national solutions, and localize development beyond the constraints of traditional funding.
She stressed that social innovation and sustainable development cannot flourish without genuine international partnership and shared responsibility, expressing appreciation for the support of partner countries and institutions that continue to stand with the Palestinian people, support the most vulnerable families, and reinforce the Palestinian right to dignity, stability, and development on their land.
Dr. Hamad further affirmed that the State of Palestine places its experience in social innovation and digital transformation at the service of the global knowledge system and renews its commitment to cooperation, exchange of expertise, and mutual learning with international partners.