Al-Quds Open University, through the Center for Continuing Education and Community Service and the Faculty of Agriculture, held the closing meeting of the project “Green Jobs and Sustainable Income Opportunities for the Palestinian Female and Male Youth in the Agrifood Sector.” The meeting was attended by a delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Government of Denmark. It aimed to evaluate the project’s outcomes, highlight success stories and challenges, and explore future avenues of cooperation between the University and FAO to expand green employment opportunities for Palestinian youth.

Acting Director of the Center for Continuing Education and Community Service, Eng. Sa’eda Abu Halawa, affirmed that the project strengthened ties between the University and community institutions and enabled graduates to develop entrepreneurial ideas and secure employment following a six-month hands-on training period.

For his part, Project Director and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Khaled Hardan, reviewed key milestones, noting that the project provided participants with distinctive scientific and practical experience and contributed to the establishment of start-ups from entrepreneurial ideas supported and financed by the project. Dr. Khawla Nojoum, Director of the Green Jobs project, added that the project focused on building graduates’ capacities and generating innovative, sustainable ideas in the agricultural and food sectors; the closing meeting served to assess the experience and examine challenges to inform the design of more effective future projects.

FAO Project Development Consultant Ms. Nina Baijens listened to students and stakeholders across the food value chain, discussed challenges faced by beneficiary students and host companies during implementation, and explored ways to address them to ensure lessons learned are applied in any future initiatives, stressing the importance of exchanging ideas on potential follow-up actions. Trainers Eng. Wajdi Bsharat, Dr. Raslan Muhammad, and Mr. Ma’moun Abu Alia also offered their inputs and feedback on avenues for development and improvement.

The meeting highlighted the importance of sustaining such projects that support Palestinian youth particularly in vital sectors like agriculture and agri-business and called for integrating certain project services into the University’s long-term plans. Project results showed that 336 graduates benefited from its activities, 18% obtained permanent jobs, and 15 launched their own sustainable start-ups.

The “Green Jobs” project is one of FAO’s pioneering initiatives in Palestine, funded by the Government of Denmark and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and several Palestinian universities. It seeks to empower youth and recent graduates with specialized professional skills in the agriculture and food sectors and to enhance their ability to integrate into the labor market or launch their own ventures, thereby contributing to sustainable development.