Hebron Mayor held on the 2nd of October an extensive meeting with a team of Italian consultants and experts chaired by Mr. Pierre-Carlo Miltaldo. The Italian team shall be working alongside Hebron Municipality’s engineers and experts within the PMSP Project which is funded by the Palestinian Ministry of Local Government and the Italian Government through the Italian Cooperation Agency. The project, which aims at building the Municipality’s Water and Sanitation capacities, is the fruit of the partnership and twinning agreement signed several years ago between the city of Genoa and Hebron Municipality.

At the beginning of the meeting, Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily addressed his thanks and appreciation to the Italian Government and people for their support to Palestinians in general and to the water sector in Hebron in particular. He also thanked the Italian Cooperation Agency and the Ministry of Local Government for their efforts and for endorsing and pursuing this project. Osaily also expressed his appreciation to Genoa Municipality which he described as Hebron Municipality’s long-lasting partner. He then explained that this Project, which shall be implemented over the next two years, aims at building the capacities of Hebron Municipality’s Water and Sanitation sector and shall feature the construction of new premises for the Water and Sanitation Department, supplying pumps, machinery and vehicles as well as Organizational Development and Institutional Building activities and technical support. “Hebron Municipality has earmarked a piece of land for the Project and shall help with various construction works. This Project is the fruit of cooperation with Genoa Municipality and is in line with Hebron’s Strategy aimed at improving water and sanitation services provided to the public as well as enhancing administrative, financial and technical services, mainly water and sanitation networks and infrastructure. I hope that this Project will complement efforts made by the Palestinian Water Authority to improve services and increase water quantities allocated to Hebron according to a comprehensive national strategy”, he added.

Mr. Pierre Carlo thanked Mayor Osaily for having provided all the requirements necessary to ensure the Project’s success, as well as for the ideal cooperation between the two Municipalities and the warm welcome his team received in Hebron. He affirmed that the Italian team shall work in partnership with water and sanitation experts from Hebron Municipality in order to execute the Project according to the set timeframe and in line with international standards and specifications, with the help of Italian know-how and expertise in this field.