Since 2013, Belgium is part of the Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA) for Education, together with Finland, Germany, Ireland and Norway. The pooled fund, which is the single largest donor of the education sector, provides financial and technical support for the implementation of the Palestinian Authority’s education sector development plan.  

At the end of February 2018, an external mid-term review was concluded and the results were presented to and discussed between the partner countries and the Ministry of Education.  

Conclusions of the report highlight the major role the Joint Financing Partners are playing, as a group, in the implementation of the education sector plan due to their technical expertise, the financial weight they carry, and their establishment of a valuable partnership with the Ministry. A highly harmonized approach was made possible because the JFP’s are ‘like-minded’ and therefore they have been willing and able to coordinate and speak with one voice.

“The dialogue between Joint Financing Partners and the Ministry has always been open – nothing is left off the agenda, even the difficult and sensitive topics. This openness can be associated to several factors. The JFA has been long-standing and the JFPs have shown to be very reliable partners that have also demonstrated strong sectoral expertise.” the consultants highlighted.

In the report, the consultants also recommended to continue with the JFA and to strengthen it operationally, in order to further enhance the strategic management of the Ministry of Education, based on improved management instruments, based on a stronger integration of policy development, planning & budgeting, and monitoring & evaluation.