REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Government has set aside US$2 million for capacity building programs in Palestine. It was done as part of Indonesia's commitment to help in the struggle of Palestinian people.

Indonesia's commitment was conveyed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi during the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestine Development (CEAPAD) III in Bangkok on Wednesday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement.

The fund will be distributed through a Three-year Work Plan (2019-2021) of CEAPAD, concluded during the Bangkok's meeting, and other modalities to a number of capacity building programs in various fields such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, women empowerment, information technology and communication, governance, and education.

Indonesia has been committed to provide capacity building assistance to Palestine.

As of today, the Southeast Asian country has provided 169 capacity building programs, involving nearly two thousand Palestinian people. Indonesia is currently preparing additional assistance in the form of medicine and a desalination plant to Gaza.

During the CEAPAD III meeting, Marsudi emphasized the need for the international community to provide incentive to business sector of Palestine, in order to help create economic growth in Palestine.

Indonesia has imposed zero percent tariff on several products of Palestine in 2018, she added. Prior to the CEAPAD III meeting, Marsudi met her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Maliki, in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Marsudi conveyed to Maliki that the Indonesian Government fights along with the Palestinian people for a free Palestine country. Maliki expressed appreciation of the Palestinian people to the Government of Indonesia for its commitment and assistance.

Maliki and Marsudi also discussed the recent situation in Gaza and sought to promote Palestine-Israel peace talks.

Moreover, Marsudi met the Commissioner General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Pierre Krahenbuhl, to discuss the steps and future plans of UNRWA amid financial crisis in the agency. Indonesia, during the CEAPAD III conference on Wednesday, also offered a 3+1 formula to help in the struggle for a free Palestine country.

The 3+1 formula includes capacity building to the apparatus of Palestine Administration in various sectors; creating conducive condition for the economic growth and development of Palestine; and providing synergy on capacity building provided by CEAPAD and other organizations through bilateral, regional, or global mechanisms.

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