The conference was attended by a group of experts, researchers, interested students, and representatives from various agencies and institutions of public and private sectors in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The opening ceremony included the participation of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Majdalani, Minister of Social Development, Prof. Abdel Nasser Zaid, President of the University, Eng. Bassem Doodin, Director General of PNEEI, and Dr. Raafat Al-Jallad, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. Furthermore, a number of Heads of Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip participated in the conference via Zoom.

In the opening speech, Prof. Zeid stressed the importance of the conference, which targets experts and researchers in the various fields and disciplines who are interested in the reality of poverty in Palestine. He referred to the conference’s objectives which are discussing ways of economic empowerment to reduce poverty, particularly among marginalized groups in Palestine.

Prof. Zaid noted that the University's strategic development goals and development initiatives include meeting the requirements of the community in the areas of sustainable economic, social, humanitarian, and technical development. 

The conference included three sessions. The first session discussed the reality and causes of poverty in the State of Palestine. The second session focused on poverty reduction strategies. In the third session, the participants discussed poverty alleviation policies and social protection systems.