India commits US$ 4 million for Gaza Reconstruction at Cairo International Conference on Palestine
India commits US$ 4 million for Gaza Reconstruction at Cairo International Conference on Palestine
India participated in the Cairo International Conference on the Reconstruction of Gaza on 12 October and pledged US $ 4 million, in response to the National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza, presented by the Palestinian Authority. Mr.Sandeep Kumar, Joint Secretary (West Asia and North Africa), Ministry of External Affairs, headed the Indian delegation to the Conference. He was accompanied by Mr. Mahesh Kumar, the Indian Representative in Ramallah and Ambassador Navdeep Suri, the Indian Ambassador in Egypt.
Mr. Kumar said that the early realization of the objectives of the Cairo Conference will be an important element in the consolidation of the current ceasefire understanding between Palestine and Israel. He welcomed the mediating role played by Egypt in the current ceasefire in Gaza, while maintaining that an early and sustainable resolution of the root cause f the conflict was an imperative. He stated that India firmly believed that a comprehensive dialogue remained the best guarantee of a durable peace for effectively addressing the issues confronting the region and its people.
The Conference was co-hosted by Egypt and Norway. Delegations from more than 75 countries and international organizations attended the Conference. The Palestinian Authority put together a Reconstruction Plan for Gaza estimated at US $4 billion, and countries pledged a total of $5.4 billion ($1.4 billion above the PA's Plan).
The Indian pledge is part of the long sustained India-Palestine partnership. India has been providing direct budgetary, economic and developmental assistance to the Palestinian people. India has committed to assist Palestine in the fields of capacity development, education and information technology. It is also implementing a series of development projects under the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund in Palestine. One of the important future IBSA projects will be the reconstruction of the Atta Habib medical centre in Shujiyaa, Gaza at a cost of US $ 1 million. Additionally, India has been contributing US $1 million annually to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for supply of food and medicines in Gaza.
Country: India
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Ceasefire, Economic issues, Gaza Strip, Humanitarian relief, International presence, Peace process, Peace proposals and efforts, Population, Poverty
Publication Date: 17/10/2014