The European Commission signed the first flagship early recovery projects under the EU-led Team Gaza Initiative on the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. The projects, together worth €43 million, will help restore essential water and solid waste management services for people in Gaza. The signing was carried out by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica.
At a high-level briefing during the UN General Assembly, the European Commission said the EU is committed to implementing the Gaza Peace Plan under UN Security Council Resolution 2803. Through the Team Gaza Initiative with 16 international partners, the EU has gathered around $1 billion for early recovery in Gaza and signed its first two projects: a solid waste management project with UNDP and a water and sanitation project with UNICEF, totaling $50 million. The EU stressed the need to coordinate with Israel to ensure greater access to the Strip for projects, humanitarian aid, and the international Stabilisation Force.