Ramallah: The State of Palestine, represented by the Water Authority, participated in the proceedings of the 15th meeting of the Regional Water Platform of the Union for the Mediterranean (RPWater-15), which was held in Barcelona via video conference. Palestine also took part in the opening session of the 6th Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, alongside official delegations from Mediterranean countries, representatives of regional and international institutions, and technical and financial partners.
Eng. Hadeel Faiydi represented the state of Palestine in the two meetings of the Union for the Mediterranean. In her intervention, she emphasized the commitment of the state of Palestine to the constructive regional support, and enhancing joint work towards achieving a unified vision for a water- secure Mediterranean, capable of adapting to the humanitarian and environmental challenges.
Furthermore, she stressed the importance of the forthcoming Ministerial Declaration for the Union due to what it represents as a pivotal milestone in developing water sector and sanitation, and enhancing sustainability and resilience in the region. She indicated that these meetings come in light of exceptional circumstances to the state of Palestine, especially in Gaza Strip, which is experiencing one of the most severe humanitarian and water crises, as a result of the wide-scale destruction of the infrastructure of water and sanitation sector.
Ms. Faiydi added that more than 85% of water facilities in Gaza have been either completely or partially destroyed, including desalination plants, wastewater plants, and water distribution and transmission pipelines, depriving hundreds of thousands of citizens of access to secure potable water.
She affirmed that the protection of water resources and infrastructure during the aggression on Gaza constitutes both a legal and humanitarian obligation under the international humanitarian law.
She stressed that recovery and reconstruction efforts require genuine international and regional solidarity, in addition to flexible and effective financing programs that enable a transition from emergency response to recovery, then to sustainable reconstruction, ensuring the development of a more resilient and adaptive water sector.
She called upon enhancing mechanisms of regional cooperation, and supporting sustainable solutions in water resources management, such as desalination plants using renewable energy, protecting groundwater, reducing water loss, and developing digital transformation systems in water management.
She concluded by saying: "The state of Palestine remains committed to the path of regional cooperation, and contributing actively to formulate joint solutions that achieve water security, and enhance stability and sustainable development throughout the entire Mediterranean region."