-
.
- Ελληνικά
Further to the Joint Statements of 8 March and 14 March 2024, a meeting of Senior Officials for technical discussions was convened earlier today in Cyprus to accelerate the implementation of the Amalthea Plan for the transfer of additional quantities of urgently needed humanitarian aid by sea to Gaza.
The purpose of the maritime humanitarian corridor is to complement and not substitute existing routes, namely through Rafah, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the crossing points from Israel to Gaza, in order to substantially increase the delivery of aid. In this context, the opening of the Ashdod Port would be welcome and would constitute a major reinforcement of the corridor.
During the meeting, the United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Reconstruction of Gaza, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, who is mandated to facilitate, coordinate, supervise and confirm the flow of aid to Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2720 (2023), also outlined how the sea corridor can be one of the many crossing points needed to substantially increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including the associated UN mechanism and the prospect of establishing a Secretariat.
At today's meeting, more than 35 states and various international organizations consulted on the technical aspects of the Amalgamation Plan to substantially increase capacity, as well as flexible financial dimensions. To this end, the establishment of the Amalthea Fund to which interested parties can contribute was announced, and the possibility of a UN-managed multi-donor fund was discussed. Further consultations with core partners will follow in the coming days.
In this context, it was also reaffirmed by participants that the protection of civilian lives is a key component of international humanitarian law that must be respected, and that together we must do more to ensure that aid is delivered to the people who urgently need it.
(MF/MS)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
