Publication
Omar Shaban Ismail · PalThink for Strategic Studies · 2014
Written in the last days of the 2014 war, the piece argues that early-recovery interventions — shelter, water, cash, small-business support — must begin at once and not be held hostage to a donor conference that may take months to convene and years to disburse.
Omar Shaban, August 2014: Gaza's early recovery cannot wait for a donor conference.
## Multiplicity of Problems and Limited Resources:
The war ended in its madness, but its effects remained on people, stone, and plants. In such circumstances, the dilemma lies in setting priorities. What are the required and necessary interventions in light of the multiplicity of problems and challenges and the limited resources? How does one weigh what is important against what is less important, and what is urgent against what can tolerate delay? Thousands of citizens living in schools and public places, clearing rubble and streets, improving water and electricity services, garbage collection and sewage networks, the start of the school year, compensating those affected, and addressing the psychological effects on people, especially children ….. the list is long. Some of these challenges cannot wait for the recommendations of the donors’ conference intended to be held in the middle of next month, since the implementation of donors’ pledges will take a long time to begin. What is required is an emergency government plan commensurate with the scale of the problem. Therefore, the Government of National Consensus must borrow from the banks in order to finance interventions that cannot tolerate delay.
## The Specificity of Intervention in the Post-War Phase:-
In such circumstances, the question is always raised: should the focus be on reconstruction, “rehabilitation”? Should the focus be on building and development, or on reconstruction? In Japan, for example, after the Second World War, the question was whether efforts should be directed toward repairing what the war had destroyed or toward building and laying foundations. The brilliance lies in how to combine the two, since time and people’s suffering do not wait. Rather, work must proceed within a vision based on: which activities can be carried out in parallel, and which activities can only be carried out sequentially. Likewise, how to strike a balance and arrange the priorities of pressure groups: should job opportunities be created for young graduates or for those who had been unemployed in previous years? Does the priority lie in quickly addressing poverty and unemployment, or in focusing on strategic projects that will bear fruit after many years?
Yesterday I received a call from one of the important donor institutions, which asked for my opinion: if one hundred million dollars were allocated, what would be the three most necessary interventions that cannot wait and that would have a major impact on society? This is what I proposed:-
• Immediately begin forming dozens of teams of carpenters and blacksmiths to build thousands of prefabricated housing units (caravans) to shelter the thousands of families whose homes were destroyed. Those affected must be employed in these projects.
• Improve water, electricity, and sewage services in a way that improves the health situation and prevents the spread of diseases and epidemics, and support the municipalities so that they can carry out their important role.
• Immediately begin rehabilitating the thousands of housing apartments that were partially damaged, enabling their owners to use them again, creating job opportunities, and reviving economic activity.
Taking into account that dozens of local and international institutions had already begun, before the end of the war, implementing recreational programs for children and women, who are in urgent need of such programs in order to recover from psychological trauma, fear, and terror caused by the war and the continuous shelling.
A deep and open discussion must be held among the sectors of society and the components of the political system to determine which challenges must be confronted, to rank them according to their importance, how to implement them, and the means of financing them. There is much that must and can be done without waiting for the donors.
Omar Shaban
Director of PalThink for Strategic Studies, Gaza
Topic: Gaza Reconstruction — 2014 war · early recovery · donor conference — Original source