The Rabat-based Bait Mal Al-Quds Asharif Agency spent more than 3,142,000 US dollars in 2023 on social projects and programs dedicated to the people of Jerusalem, according to the Agency’s 2023 annual report.
The agency’s 2023 programs and projects encompassed a number of different areas, including social services, social assistance and emergency programs, projects related to children, youth and women, human rights, development, culture, arts, publishing, as well as the preservation of the Arab and Islamic collective heritage and memory of Jerusalem.
Mohamed Salem Cherkaoui, the agency’s managing director, presented a positive assessment of its achievements in Jerusalem, despite limited financial resources that have hindered meeting the growing expectations of the city and its inhabitants.
During 2023, he said, the Arribat Observatory, a foundation for monitoring and evaluation in Jerusalem, published 15 topical reports, as well as a general report on the economic and social situation in Jerusalem in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, security instability, in the context of “the war against Gaza.” Salem said that these reports have allowed the Agency to precisely analyze the nature of the needs on the ground, taking into account the rapid transformations within the city and its environs.
The 2023 indicators “remain of concern,” he suggested, notably due to the continuous rise in the cost of living and housing, increasing rates of unemployment, the rise in poverty and delinquency, and other factors that “dampen the spirits” of Palestinians in Jerusalem.
2023 marked a year of transition to digitization and modernization of administrative processes in Jerusalem. In May 2023, the Agency signed a partnership agreement with Morocco’s Digital Transition and Administration Reform Ministry and its Economy and Finance Ministry to provide for digital transition and administrative reform in Jerusalem.
During the past year, the Agency held several events including the first meeting of leaders of cultural institutions in Jerusalem, a delegation of experts visit to Al-Quds conducted between January 23 and 29, 2023, as well as a high-level conference to support the city. Other activities included a celebration of Palestinian Day, organizing a visit to Morocco to benefit the hospital network in East Jerusalem, bilateral and multilateral meetings, as well as the Agency’s participation in international exhibitions.
The report highlighted the Agency’s silver jubilee celebration at the Mohammed VI International Conference Center in Skhirat, the south of Rabat, on January 20, 2023.
It also discussed the Agency’s partnerships and cooperation arrangements with Moroccan and Palestinian institutions, particularly with the Digital Development Agency in Morocco, the Jerusalem hospital institutions, the Bank of Palestine, and Al-Quds University with regard to education and training.
Founded in 1998, the Agency reports to the Al Quds Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI. Its mission is to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the holy city of Al Quds and to support its population.