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Good afternoon,

It is a pleasure to join you all today.

I am speaking to you now from Jerusalem, after spending the day in Gaza. This is my second visit to the Strip since the conflict started over a year and a half ago.

I have spent the past week in the Middle East, having visited Lebanon, Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.

The region as you know has been going through profound changes. My purpose has been to understand the needs better, so we at UNOPS can better support operations. I have met with national authorities and development cooperation partners to discuss the practical solutions that UNOPS offers to support crisis response, early recovery and long-term reconstruction and development in Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon and Syria.

As the focus of my briefing today is on Gaza, allow me to share some of my observations with you. I will be very happy to take questions afterwards.

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The humanitarian catastrophe that Gazans face continues.

And as uncertainties mount, we need to focus all efforts on avoiding a return to war, which would be an absolute tragedy. And I reiterate the call for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay.

The ceasefire has offered a much-needed respite. But there is simply no time to lose. Our hope has been that the ceasefire creates the conditions to ensure rapid, unhindered and safe humanitarian access to provide relief for all.

UNOPS stands ready to support the implementation of this ceasefire deal and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief. We reiterate the call for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay.

My colleagues have been on the ground in Gaza from day one, working relentlessly to support the broader humanitarian operations in Gaza.

Our Gaza response includes many aspects, but allow me to speak about three key aspects of this work. These are:

• our work on the procurement, delivery, monitoring and lately, distribution of fuel;

• our work to manage the operation of the UN 2720 Mechanism, which aims to increase and speed up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

• And our work - together with UN Mine Action - to mitigate the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

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On fuel, my colleagues have played a unique role in enabling the delivery, and monitoring of fuel. These efforts have picked up tenfold following the ceasefire. Currently, approximately 1.3 million litres of fuel per day is provided for the entire humanitarian operation in Gaza, as well as for essential services such as hospitals and clinics, telecoms and bakeries.

This work is hugely significant. The scaling up of aid delivery is an important achievement by all parties. In the absence of any other source of energy, fuel remains one of the most critical provisions for humanitarian response in Gaza.

In parallel, UNOPS also manages the UN 2720 Mechanism, which aims to expedite, streamline, and accelerate the process of providing assistance to Gaza and to help ensure that aid continues to reach its civilian destination. On behalf of the UN system, we also coordinate and manage access through the Access Support Unit.

Through the UN 2720 Mechanism - with its database for centralized requests of aid deliveries along with monitors on the ground, as of 13 February 2025, close to 78,000 metric tonnes of aid have been delivered to Gaza. The majority of this is food (78%), followed by shelter (16%) and water, sanitation and hygiene supplies (4%).

The Mechanism is effective, transparent and speeds up the aid delivery process. Our hope is that the ceasefire helps us to maximize the use of the Mechanism, to scale up the delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as the early recovery and reconstruction phases later.

And finally, together with UN Mine Action, UNOPS mitigates the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

As you know, an estimated 40-50 million tons of debris and rubble generated by the conflict will take years to remove. Families returning to the remains of their homes are at high risk from unexploded weapons and contaminated rubble.

UNOPS, on behalf of UNMAS, works to mitigate explosive device risks, thus ensuring high-risk humanitarian missions can go ahead. UNOPS Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officers conduct threat and risk assessments across Gaza, enabling critical humanitarian aid convoys and activities.

To date, our team has completed 374 assessments and accompanied 411 high-risk convoys to vulnerable areas potentially contaminated by explosive ordnance. To enhance safety, UNOPS also provides explosive ordnance risk education to civilians, internally displaced persons and aid workers. Over 250,000 civilians and nearly 1,000 humanitarian staff have participated in these sessions, gaining crucial knowledge to stay safe and navigate explosive risks effectively.

The recovery and reconstruction needs are simply immense: According to the interim rapid damage and needs assessment, conducted by the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations, the total damage to physical infrastructure caused by the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is estimated at least $29.9 billion. Housing has been the hardest hit sector at $15.8 billion (53% of total damage).

In the face of the human tragedy in Gaza, we have a collective and urgent responsibility to act - not only to meet acute humanitarian needs, but also to plan for recovery and reconstruction.

UNOPS is determined to stay and deliver for the people of Gaza. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and we will continue to work as part of the UN family to deliver hope, dignity and pathways toward a better future.