National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL...
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Beyond the right of Palestinians to have the free movement laid out in international law <strong>and</strong> agreements, unrestricted access<br />
<strong>and</strong> movement is essential to the swift, efficient, <strong>and</strong> effective implementation of this <strong>Plan</strong>. The importance of this prerequisite<br />
is underlined by the year-long delay of key interventions of the 2009 <strong>Recovery</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Reconstruction</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> by an Israeli regime of<br />
entry restrictions, clearance requirements <strong>for</strong> construction materials <strong>and</strong> equipment, <strong>and</strong> approval processes. A continuation of<br />
the current restrictions would significantly impede the progress – <strong>and</strong> impact – of the interventions described in this <strong>Plan</strong>. The<br />
UN estimates that, if current restrictions on the entry of materials persist, it will take over 18 years to reconstruct the destroyed<br />
housing units alone. This would be catastrophic <strong>for</strong> <strong>Gaza</strong>.<br />
As a result, this <strong>Plan</strong> calls <strong>for</strong> the swift entry of all required construction materials <strong>and</strong> commodities. The Government welcomes<br />
the new UN proposal <strong>for</strong> facilitating imports <strong>for</strong> private <strong>and</strong> government projects as a positive step. But the easing of the<br />
restrictions is insufficient. The permitting, review, <strong>and</strong> control regime must be completely removed as an obstacle to both the<br />
reconstruction ef<strong>for</strong>ts required to ensure basic service provision as well as the ability of the <strong>Gaza</strong> economy to generate income,<br />
jobs, <strong>and</strong> opportunities <strong>for</strong> the population.<br />
2.4.2 Sufficient <strong>and</strong> Rapidly Disbursed Funding<br />
At $4 billion, the total cost required <strong>for</strong> the recovery <strong>and</strong> reconstruction is three times the estimated cost after the 2008 assault<br />
<strong>and</strong> equivalent to a third of the total GDP <strong>for</strong> the West Bank <strong>and</strong> <strong>Gaza</strong> combined.<br />
The Government faces a challenging fiscal position, resulting first <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong>emost from the ongoing Israeli occupation <strong>and</strong><br />
restrictions on movement <strong>and</strong> access <strong>and</strong> the Palestinian economy in general. The unprecedented level of damage of the latest<br />
assault requires an unprecedented level of financial support. Although the Government will strive to contribute its own financial<br />
resources, its constrained fiscal position means that it has no option but to look to local, regional, <strong>and</strong> international partners<br />
to provide the necessary financial support <strong>for</strong> recovery <strong>and</strong> rehabilitation to be completed. It will be essential that this can be<br />
disbursed quickly <strong>and</strong> efficiently <strong>and</strong> in line with the Government’s priorities, such that support, services, <strong>and</strong> infrastructure can<br />
be delivered as quickly as possible to the people <strong>and</strong> businesses of <strong>Gaza</strong>.<br />
In line with the principle of Government ownership of the strategy <strong>and</strong> its implementation, <strong>and</strong> global commitments on aid <strong>and</strong><br />
development effectiveness, this <strong>Plan</strong> calls on donors to maximize utilization of national systems. Such an approach will enable<br />
a more coherent, programmatic, <strong>and</strong> long-term approach to development, <strong>and</strong> lead to much greater Palestinian ownership of<br />
the process.<br />
2.4.3 Government Leadership <strong>and</strong> Effective Co-ordination<br />
This <strong>Plan</strong> targets all sectors, geographic areas, <strong>and</strong> institutions affected by the assault. The enormous scale of the damage, the<br />
breadth <strong>and</strong> scope of activities required, <strong>and</strong> the number of stakeholders involved means that effective management <strong>and</strong> coordination<br />
of the <strong>Plan</strong>’s implementation <strong>and</strong> financing will be critical to reaching targeted goals.<br />
In line with the guiding principles outlined above, the responsibility <strong>for</strong> overall implementation, coordination, <strong>and</strong> oversight<br />
of the early recovery <strong>and</strong> reconstruction process will rest with the Government. However, the implementation of the <strong>Plan</strong><br />
will involve all key ministries <strong>and</strong> Government bodies, working across all levels of Government <strong>and</strong> in close cooperation with<br />
numerous partners, including national development agencies, local <strong>and</strong> international NGOs, <strong>and</strong> the private sector.<br />
The Government will lead the coordination of all stakeholder ef<strong>for</strong>ts in order to avoid duplication of ef<strong>for</strong>ts, identify gaps, <strong>and</strong><br />
optimize the use of resources available, as detailed in Section 5.