Jorge Moreira da Silva stated that “social infrastructures, hospitals, schools, energy, roads (…) are all destroyed.” He also highlighted the crisis in Afghanistan, outside of “public debate.”
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The executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) estimated this Monday the need for a “large scale reconstruction” in Gaza, due to the current conflict.
At least 60 Palestinian families lost 25 members (or more). Some “family clans” lost people in four generations
Large-scale reconstruction will be necessary in Gaza, 80% of the houses were destroyed. At this moment, only 14 of 36 hospitals are partially operational, 82% of the population They do not have access to drinking water“said Jorge Moreira da Silva, questioned by Lusa after a meeting in Maputo with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mozambique, Verónica Macamo.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, who began a four-day visit to Mozambique this Monday to learn about the projects carried out by UNOPS in Cabo Delgado, was recently in Gaza and described the situation caused by the conflict with Israel: “All infrastructures, whether social infrastructure, hospitals, schools, energy, roads, everything is destroyedWhether it is the social welfare component, they need a very, very big effort.”
UNOPS is designated as the engineering agency of the United Nations, implementing previously defined projects and strategies.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist group on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which sparked around 1,200 dead and more than two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has already caused more than 37 thousand deadaccording to Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.
In addition to these deaths, more than 520 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israeli forces or in settler attacks.
The conflict has also displaced nearly two million people, plunging the overcrowded and poor Palestinian enclave into a serious humanitarian crisis, with more than 1.1 million people in a “catastrophic famine” that is claiming victims: “the highest number ever recorded” by the United Nations (UN) in studies on food security in the world.
Despite this scenario, the United Nations Deputy Secretary General warned that, because there is “a crisis as big as the one occurring in Gaza or Ukraine,” this “should not be used as an excuse” to stop “looking at” “other crises that are suddenly being forgotten.”
I went to Afghanistan two weeks ago, precisely so that the international community does not forget that there is a crisis that to be continue in Afghanistan. (…) And tomorrow I am going to Pemba so that the international community does not forget that there is still a situation that needs support (…) and that the fact that the international debate has disappeared does not mean that the issue has disappeared, “he noted.
The official defended the need to give visibility to “contexts that, suddenly, disappeared from the international debate”, also due to the “good results” on the ground.
I’m going to pemba [Cabo Delgado, norte de Moçambique] to see good results. oh multilateralism works. And it is important that, when things work, when there was such a good partnership between the Government of Mozambique, the World Bank and the United Nations, UNOPS, it is important to see the results, to communicate the results so that the population, whether Pemba, whether they are the donors, know that it works,” said Jorge Moreira da Silva.
On the other hand, he highlighted that with “union” and “perfect alignment” between “those who design policies, those who mobilize financial resources and those who implement” “good results” emerge, giving as an example the support provided by UNOPS. to the displaced communities of Cabo Delgado, victims of the terrorist threat.
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I believe this is happening in Pemba and, therefore, I also wanted to highlight this dimension of the good result in Pemba and Cabo Delgado of this partnership. fruitful between the government, Mozambique, the World Bank and UNOPS,” he concluded.
The Government of Mozambique thanks its partners for their support to “stabilize security” in Cabo Delgado
Source: Observadora
